For fuck’s sake. I think I need therapy.
I step out of the shower, wrap a towel around myself, and walk into the bedroom, hoping she’s awake.
She’s not.
I’m even kind of loud as I get dressed. And when I sit down on the bed to pull on my boots, I bounce it a little, hoping to wake her up.
She doesn’t move.
Is she faking it?
“Lyra,” I say. Nothing. “Lyra!”
“Hmmm,” she mumbles, turning over. Her hair is even pinker today than it was yesterday. And she’s got a soft glow to her skin. Not quite light, but not quite not, either.
“Are you awake?”
“Mmmm.”
I’m not sure if that’s a yes or a no.
But eventually I decide it’s a no and walk out into the living room, pinch my fingers together, open up a screen, and start typing a message to the medical clinic.
“What are you doing?” Lyra asks.
I look down the hall and find her standing naked in the bedroom doorway. Rubbing her eyes and trying to get her mess of pink hair off her face.
“Making us an appointment.”
“What kind of appointment?” she burbles out, groggily.
“I think we need to talk some things over.”
She makes a face at me. “What kind of things?”
“Just get dressed.”
She smiles at me and says, “I guess I’ll have to go shopping then,” and turns back into the bedroom.
I sigh. Because I feel like I’m losing her. I feel like the magic we had yesterday morning is fading and I hate that.
When I landed Booty the other day I felt so alone. Two of my partners were gone and Booty was sick. Hell, she’s still offline. And then Lyra burst into my life and took over. And even the stupid bot was starting to feel like he was part of our new little circle.
I don’t want to be alone again. I don’t ever want to feel the way I did when I landed the other day. I will miss Draden and Ceres every day for the rest of my life, but is it so bad to want partners again?
“Found something!” Lyra calls from the bedroom. “Should be here in a few minutes so I’m gonna jump in the shower!”
“Cool!” I call back. “I’ll get us some breakfast and we can eat it on the way.”
And I realize I’m smiling because the idea of auto-cooking us some breakfast and then walking out of my quarters with somewhere to be—together—feels good. Feels right.
I walk over to the kitchen, punch in my usual—breakfast biscuits—and make two cups of coffee to go while I wait for the food to be printed.
I can’t lose her. I will do whatever it takes to make this girl happy. Anything.
But I can’t do that until I know what she needs. And she’s not going to tell me that until she trusts me.
So. A trip to the medical center is in order.
We eat our breakfast in the elevator as we ride up to the harem. Lyra is dressed in… well… not what I expected. I expected something like yesterday. Nice slacks, flat shoes, and a frilly, romantic top.
That’s not what I see when I look over at her now and force a smile.
She’s wearing a synthetic black bodysuit. The kind you see the assassin girls wear on the station. The kind that hugs her curves in a very sexy way and has a zipper that starts right between her legs and goes all the way up to her cleavage. Which is ample, at the moment. I think she’s got one of those sexy push-up bras on under that bodysuit.
And she’s got tall boots on. Tall as in they go all the way up to her thighs, and tall as in the pointy fucking heels are high enough that I’m worried she’s gonna break an ankle every time she takes a step.
But she danced and twirled for me just before we got into the elevator. Like she was born to wear dangerous boots.
I love all of this—on any other girl but her, that is.
“I think I need a gun,” Lyra says. “Where can I get a laser rifle like that hostess had yesterday?”
I just raise one eyebrow at her and scowl.
“What?”
“Why do you need a gun?”
She points to my hip and then my leg. “You have two.”
“I’m a man.”
She crinkles her nose at me. “You did not just say that.”
I’m about to put my foot down about the laser rifle when the elevator door opens. Lyra shoves the remaining bite of her breakfast biscuit into her mouth, then drops her napkin into a trash bin as we step into the harem room.
There’s a couple dozen princesses lounging around on the various couches and chairs, all gabbing incessantly as they drink their tea and eat their fruit.
Every single one of them turns to look at us as we enter and then there’s an audible gasp when they spot Lyra.