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Languages layered over each other in the air, as did skin tones of every hue.

The whole quadrant pulsed with cultural cross-sections she’d only read about in files.

‘This,’ she said, gesturing with her glass of sangria, ‘is a melting pot. TheEternacomprises mostly Italians, and we don’t mix much. Which is why I love this blend of cultures.’

Xander shrugged. ‘It wasn’t always quite this multicultural. As you know, we started small with ex-prisoners, rebels, and the unwanted. However, each time another ship didn’t make it in the flotilla, or people sought refuge for whatever reason, we took them in. Survivors and families. Those fleeing violence, traders with nowhere left to dock.’

He spoke without ceremony, sipping water as the sunlamps shifted overhead, mimicking dusk.

‘We’ve set up a food, medical, and habitation system. We provide the basics to help build a better life, and in exchange, we ask those who seek refuge to work. Everyone contributes up to four shifts each week, in all sectors - from kitchens to engineering and maintenance. If you contribute, you stay. Any leeches get escorted to an airlock.’

She studied him, curious. ‘What of those who don’t have the ability?’

He stubbed out a cheroot and glanced at her sidelong, lashes low.

‘There are always the vulnerable. The sick, lost, and strayed. I’ve been all three. We take them in and find a job they can manage. Doesn’t matter if it’s folding linen, running the engines, or painting murals on the bulkheads. It’s not charity. It’s dignity.’

His words found a soft landing in her heart.

‘Impressive.’

He gave a half shrug, like he didn’t know how to take the credit. ‘Not really. It’s just our way to ensure we don’t become the monsters we left behind.’

She blinked, his words hitting hard.

‘One more thing, Xander?’

He sliced his eyes to her and raised her chin, welcoming her question.

‘Are you all shifters?’

He tilted his head and contemplated her. ‘Nada, not all of us. The entire Signet strong guard and my pack members are all lycans. The rest of ourSombraresidents are a mix of human and enhanced. Unlike the Syndicate and Earth governments, we encourage mixed relationships between humans and those altered by nuclear fallout, shifters, metas, and enhanced beings, which keeps things spicier, more interesting, and morefokkin’ passionate about things. Trust me, it’s wild.’

She jolted, her eyes dilating, her heart rate rising at his insinuation.

He smirked and dragged his eyes away from her heated face.

To her relief, the food arrived.

Savvine’s mouth watered at the sight of paella served in a smoking pan, red with spice and thick with prawns, saffron rice, calamari curls, and mussels pried open like black flowers.

The rice dish was accompanied by platters of grilled meat sticky with glaze, and sides of yucca fries, smoky paprika corn, and sauce bowls with high heat levels.

Savvine eyed the ribs, taking a cautious bite. ‘Maybe not the easiest, most demure meal to eat.’

‘But you do it with such style,mi reina,’ Xander murmured, smirking.

She soon forgot decorum as they devoured the food.

‘You’re right,’ she admitted at one point. ‘It’s all so delicious.’

They talked over shared plates.

He shared his music loves, from jazz fusion to old Earth flamenco to a pirate-core soft rock genre she didn’t quite believe existed.

He liked crime thrillers, documentaries about galactic wars, and old sports broadcasts from when planets still had leagues. His sense of humor was bone-dry, and his smile never came fast, but when it did, it stayed.

What struck her most wasn’t his words, but the silences.