Page 11

“Ishould probably get going,” I say, placing my napkin over the lasagne. What I’ve already eaten doesn’t sit well in my stomach anymore.

Lochdon’s head tips to the side, and even though he doesn’t ask me why, I add, “My commute is a little bit longer than an elevator ride.”

“Oh, of course.”

He holds up what looks like a silver stick and a bot zooms over to snatch it away from him. “Can I walk you back?”

I almost tell him “no,” but I don’t want to be wrong about him. “Sure…”

As we leave, I don’t really know what to say.

And he doesn’t say anything either.

The silence is awkward and I hate it.

When he finally says something, I don’t understand him.

Our time is up… and for a moment, I consider leaving things like this.

But he steps to the side of the corridor and dips his head down, offering, not assuming… and I kiss him, tentatively.

“Is something wrong?” he asks, a moment later and I bite my tongue… not wanting to say anything, but needing to, all the same.

I take a deep breath and glance away from him… I hate how uncertain I feel.

“I didn’t like the way Terjen talked to me… or that you didn’t seem to care that he talked to me that way.”

“Oh.” He dips his head and all of his eyes seem to unfocus. “Among my kind, I can’t tell another what they should or should not do when it comes to you.”

Something he said the last time we were in the booth together comes back to me… Glantanians don’t hold intercourse as sacred… And he has no claim over me.

“Because you have no claim over me?”

“Yes.” He brushes my cheek with one of his thumbs and I remember the last time we were together.

“But you marked me.”

“It’s gone.” He frowns. “Marking you is a temporary thing. It lasts longer while I’m inside you, but… It’s about intention to claim.”

“Oh.” And it wasn’t real.

“One day, I would love to earn the right to defend you, Peach. But if I claim you, I will not be able to let you go. I cannot go back to your planet with you. I don’t think you want to stay on this station… there are too many things that we would have to discuss before I can even offer to be the one to defend you. I would be a monster to do it without being sure you have all the facts.”

“There’s no in between? It’s just completely casual or married?”

“Not for my kind.” He takes a deep breath and steps back. “And there is no such thing as divorce among our kind. If I claim you and you want out, you will have to kill me.”

I flinch away from him. “What?”

He winces and then shakes his head… just a tiny little movement. “That’s not something we need to talk about right now.”

He says it in a way that tells me not to argue. Not because he won’t talk about it right now… but he really doesn’t think we should. And I still feel the creepy sensation of Terjen’s hand on my shoulder.

He takes my hand, drawing me to a stop in front of the elevator doors. “I want to explain everything to you, but… There are things we keep very close within our clan. Some of them, I will have to get permission to tell you.”

“I understand.”

The elevator dings beside us and I glance at the empty cube.

I don’t know what to say. How to end this interaction… But Lochdon says, “I’ll see you in the booth.”

Nodding, I step back into the elevator.

Maybe we should keep things confined to the booth.

But I don’t say that. I just give him a little wave as the doors close between us.

I hurry back to Phantoms, but before I can slip through the halls that lead to the private boarding area, Feather peeks her head out of a cross corridor. “Hey!”

“Hi,” I say, managing not to jump out of my skin.

“Phantom needs to see you. Come on.”

“Uh oh. Am I in trouble?”

Feather laughs a little. “I don’t think so.”

I’ve only been to the office once.

Phantom sits behind a desk, all dark static in a vague human shape.

Feather tells them I’m here—though we both know they can see me—and then she disappears.

The door closes behind me.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not.” They motion to the chair opposite them.

It’s so comfortable, I relax into it without a second thought. But it makes me uneasy as soon as I realize it.

“You are not happy,” Phantom says.

They flicker in front of me and I have to force myself to keep from looking for a projector.

If they were Wizard-of-Oz-ing this whole thing, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“It’ll pass.”

“What can I do to make it go away more quickly?”

They way they say it… I feel like I could ask for someone’s head and it would be on the desk between us in less than a minute.

“I mean… It’s personal, not professional.”

There’s a faint crackle in the air. “I don’t care. I promised each and every one of you that you would be safe when you accepted employment here. That doesn’t stop when you are outside of the club.” They lean forward, as if placing their elbows on the desk. “What do you need?”

I don’t know what I’m actually allowed to ask for, but I might as well try. “Can I get some information on Glantanian clan structures and social… interactions?”

They wave their hand. “A comprehensive guide is in your app’s library section. If it doesn’t answer your questions, I will find someone who can.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“I assume this is related to the second Glantanian man who crashed your date?”

I nod, because it feels silly to admit it.

“Were you spying on me?”

“Lochdon has already sent an apology.”

It’s not a “no”.

Forcing myself to keep my hand out of my pocket, I ask “Do you read all our messages?” instead of checking my phone.

“I screen them, yes.” They seem more solid right now. “I am here to protect you.”

I believe them. “Can you add other Glantanian men to my booth restrictions?” I ask. “I’d rather not have to worry about Terjen in there.”

“It’s done.”

They pause, and for a moment, I think that might be all.

“I am testing a new feature for the app I’ve given all of you. I’d like to include you in the pilot testing.”

“What new feature?”

“It’s a live chat.”

“Across galaxies?”

“If I remember correctly,” they say with a little chuckle, “you asked me not to explain how my ships can get you to and from Earth on the same day… Do you want me to go into the nuances of communication functions?”

“No.” I wouldn’t understand half of it.

“I’ve given you permissions and given the function to your Glantanian too.”

“Is it a text chat? Or more?”

“It has location restrictions. Text only on Earth, full photo and video capabilities on the station… there are other restrictions inside the club.”

Okay.

“Thank you…” I glance at the wall with its yellow ticking clock. “I should probably head for the ship… don’t want to miss my ride.”

I stand to go and they stop me with my name. “Peach… do you want me to charge him for the chats?”

“Is that up to me?”

“Yes. You’re allowed to have favorites… and I hope that what you’re feeling right now is just a misunderstanding that the two of you can work out.”

I look at them for a moment, wondering… “Are you playing matchmaker?”

“I’m in the business of pleasure.” A bright arc forms where a mouth should be… a smile? “And I love my job.”