Lost Star by Hawke, Morgan (digital book reader .TXT) 📕

Seht flashed a grin. “Scrawny is an apt description. You weigh no more than a child and appear to be at least four years younger than I. I am having great difficulty believing that you are actually older.”

“I’m older than you?” Aubrey frowned. Seht looked awfully mature. His suit showed a lot of well-defined muscle, and he was clearly augmented at least a little in his arms and legs. He had to be, to be so strong. “I’m older by how much?”

“By about”—Seht looked up at the clouds—“six cycles, I believe.” He sighed and pulled off his pack. “Since you have decided that we shall rest here…” He flashed a smile. “When was the last time you ate?”

Aubrey grinned. “Sixteen cycles ago.” His grin slipped away. With his crew, in the mess hall, back on his old ship, fighting with the master engineer over sweet rolls. He closed his eyes. Fate, they’ve been gone for over a year.

And in the past nine cycles, he gave Moribund forty-seven ships. How many had he given them in sixteen? He was too tired to bother fighting the hurt. The tears fell silently. “You don’t have to feed me. I’m dying.”

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Seht sighed. “You do not have to die if you do not wish to.”

“I think it’s better if I do. I can’t go back to them. I can’t chance that they’ll get back into my head and kill more ship crews.” He turned to look at Seht. “Promise me!”

He grabbed for Seht’s wrist. “Promise me that if they get me, you’ll shoot me dead.

Swear that you won’t let them take me alive!”

Seht closed his warm hand over Aubrey’s cold fingers. His eyes narrowed and heated to the color of a bright blue heart of a flame. “No one will take you from me.”

His lips pulled back, baring long, vicious canines. “This I swear.”

A shiver raced through Aubrey’s body. He had absolutely no doubt that Seht meant every word. “Thank you.” Relief spilled through him in a massive wave that became a sob. “Fate, I can’t believe how much of a freaking baby I’ve become, blubbering for no apparent reason whatsoever.”

Seht snorted and rummaged in his pack. “You do have reason. Grief is a reason.

My half brother, on the other hand, whines if his shoes are too tight.” He held out a blue squeeze bottle. “Here.”

Aubrey took the bottle. “What’s this?”

Seht dug back into his pack. “A protein drink. I suspect that your stomach will not be capable of solid food.”

Aubrey raised his brow and smiled sourly. “You think?”

Seht pulled out what looked like a sonic wrench. “Drink. I am going to see about removing that transmitter collar.”

Aubrey upended the bottle and swallowed. The liquid was thick and strongly flavored, though not bad. “This has a weird flavor. What’s it made from?”

“It’s just a base vitamin protein liquid.” Seht moved behind him and fingered the collar. “It tastes like plain water to me.” He set his tool to the back of Aubrey’s neck.

“Considering that you have tasted nothing in sixteen cycles, perhaps it is not so unusual that you detect a flavor.”

Slight vibrations shivered at the back of Aubrey’s head. “If it’s not supposed to have a flavor, and I’m tasting it, I can’t even imagine how real food is going to taste.”

Seht sighed. “Ah!” He tugged and the ring came apart. He pulled it from Aubrey’s throat. “There!”

Aubrey turned around and grabbed for it. “Give me that!” He shoved onto his feet, threw the ring down, and slammed his heel down on it. “You stupid, piece-of-shit thing!” He slammed his heel down on it again, and again, his swears becoming more creative with each ram of his heel.

He dropped to his knees, out of breath. “Fate-damned thing!”

Seht got up, picked up the ring, and examined it. “Alas, I do not believe you have done it harm.” He smiled down at Aubrey. “What do you say we throw it?”

Aubrey gasped for small breaths. “How far can you throw it?”

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Morgan Hawke

“Let’s see, shall we?” Seht stepped back. Lifting his empty hand, he pulled the hand with the ring back to his opposite side and snapped his wrist. The ring flew spinning, outward and far down the mountain. He turned to grin at Aubrey. “That far.”

Aubrey grinned. “Gee, I feel better already.” Safe; he was safe. Finally. His vision closed down to a small point very far away.

“Aubrey?”

Aubrey fell over. The rocky ground was nice and soft against his cheek.

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Chapter Six

Warmth against his chest, soft skin under his hands and arms around him…

Aubrey sighed and felt flesh under his cheek. This dream was more real than anything he’d experienced yet. “Niobe?”

“Aubrey?” The voice was in his ears, not his mind, and it wasn’t feminine.

The body under him had a heartbeat and breathed. It wasn’t a dream. Aubrey opened his eyes to firelight and the interior of a small cave. He lifted his head and found himself staring into Seht’s sleepy blue gaze. He was sprawled right on top of him. They were bare chest to bare chest with a blanket wrapped around them. It was actually pretty cozy, if a bit intimate. He felt his cheeks heat. “Um…”

Seht smiled. “You decided that it was time to sleep, so I found a cave to sleep in.”

Aubrey winced. “I passed out on you.”

Seht curled his arm behind his head. “That too.”

“Sorry.” Aubrey moved his hands from Seht’s bare chest and leaned to shift away.

Seht closed his other arm around Aubrey, holding him on top of his warm body.

“Stay where you are, Aubrey. Go back to sleep.” He closed his eyes.

Aubrey set his palms on the ground to either side of Seht’s waist and felt some kind of air mattress spread under them. “You want me to sleep on top of you?”

Seht smiled but didn’t open his eyes. “That