Page 49 of The Brightest Night

“Exasperated?”

“Of being this…” He indicated himself. “This body. This mechanical thing that I am and yet I am not. I don’t belong in this metal shell, Nova. I’m not sure how I got here, and I’m not even sure if what I’m feeling has merit, but it is true. It is real, and I need to understand it.” His gaze softened. “I need to understand what I am to you. What we are. I thought I was your protector. A mech sent into the rift in a pod with a baby attached to it. And maybe I was supposed to be. If I’d awoken with you in my charge, things would have been different. But you were lost, and then you found me. Gloriously you. You woke me. And now I can think of nothing else but you. What I feel isn’t love, Nova; it’s obsession. I want to possess you.” His gaze hardened, sharp and probing, and my chest grew tight with a mixture of fear and longing. “To devour you.” He sagged. “And that…that terrifies me.”

It kind of terrified me too, but like hell was I about to let him know that. He’d just spilled his emotions all over the table, allowed himself to be vulnerable, to peel back the layer of civility to show me the face of hunger beneath, and my reaction would determine how he received himself.

“Thank you for being honest. And I’ll be truthful in turn. The idea of being possessed by anyone doesn’t appeal. But I understand the feeling. Possessing something or someone means that you can keep them safe. Devouring someone means that they become a part of you. Also safe. It means no one can touch them. I get it. But I don’t need to be locked away. I don’t need to be owned. And you know that.”

“I do. I know it. I know how you feel about Naxon. I know how much he means to you, and I understand why you did what you did, but I need time to process my emotions.” He let out a rough laugh. “Emotions…They gave me emotions. Whoever built me…” He lifted his hand and made a fist. “I’d like to meet them.”

I lightly touched his cheek, and soft green energy spread from my fingertips across his synthetic skin. “I do believe that the Primus will have answers. We have Naxon now, so we can leave and make our way to the coordinates first thing tomorrow. I’m sure the feral will loan us a sledge and supplies.”

He nodded slowly, reaching up to cover my hand with his. “Yes. We focus on the journey. Naxon and I…we will find stable ground yet.”

I hoped so, because although it might sound romantic to have two males fighting over you, the reality of it would suck.

Naxon joined us at the cabin an hour later, and in the period leading up to his arrival, it took every ounce of my will not to chase after him.

Instead, I grabbed some food from the spit camp and ate it in the cabin, barely tasting it, my mind on what Naxon would say and do when he returned. I needed both males to accept this dynamic, but it was a huge ask.

When Naxon finally strode into the cabin, his gaze barely grazed me before settling on Gabe. “We need to talk,” he said to the mech. “Outside.”

My stomach clenched. “Naxon…”

He sighed. “Nova, this is between me and Gabe. Please respect that. We need to have a conversation.”

“Just a conversation?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Just a conversation.”

Gabe stood, slowly unfurling his epic frame, and followed him outside into the night.

I paced, my stomach in knots.

“They will be fine,” Destiny said.

“Unless they knock each other’s blocks off,” Kai added.

“Naxon has more restraint that that.”

“Naxon is feral,” Kai pointed out. “Nova is his mate. He’ll be feeling possessive.”

I glared at him. At them.

“I have some karaoke tracks in my database we can play to pass the time.”

“Don’t you fucking dare.” Kai shook his head as if to dislodge the offensive thought that had filtered through his operating systems.

“You would deny me autonomy?” Destiny said. “Me, stuck inside your body begging for some music?”

“That emotional blackmail won’t work on me,” Kai said.

His head tipped. “One track or I’ll run the playlist as background music only you can hear.”

Kai’s eyes flew wide. “Nova. Get her out. Now.”

I burst out laughing. “Destiny, stop teasing. No music. Not until you have your own body.”

The door opened, and Naxon and Gabe returned. My gaze flicked between them. “All good?”