Relic of Sorrows: Fallen Empire, Book 4 by Lindsay Buroker Page B

miso on slices of bread.
    Alisa winced. Of course, he had no idea that she had recently been put into the freak category. And he knew little of Jelena, certainly not that she had developed Starseer powers. Alisa could not blame him for talking that way. After all, he still called Leonidas a mech. Beck did not have the smoothest tongue.
    “Would it matter if I was?” she asked, not sure why the words slipped out.
    “Guess that would depend on if you were wearing one of those robes and hurling people around the room with your mind.”
    “Right, I doubt I would do that.” She forced a smile, but this conversation had given her new matters to worry about.
    Would other people’s perceptions of her change if they knew? Would Leonidas’s ? He hated Starseers, and given the way Abelardus treated him, and the way the people in the temple had treated him, how could he not? Further, one had been responsible for unleashing those bears on the research station, thus killing the one man he’d hoped would help him. If he found out about her blood, would he think less of her? And what about Jelena? Since he had agreed to work on the freighter, once Alisa found her, he was sure to notice Jelena floating dishes around the mess hall with her mind.
    She had imagined the two of them meeting before, even told Leonidas that Jelena would probably like him because she adored the cartoon character Andromeda Android, but she hadn’t considered his loathing for Starseers. And what did Jelena think of cyborgs? Was Durant even now indoctrinating her to think like a Starseer? To share their prejudices?
    “You don’t look so good, Captain,” Beck said, pushing a sandwich on a plate toward her. “Probably that radiation. Why don’t you get some rest?”
    “I believe I will.” She picked up the plate. “Thank you.”
    “We’ll find your girl, Captain. Don’t you worry.”
    She had started toward the crew cabins, but she paused to look back at him. “I… Did I tell you about that?” She couldn’t remember now who she had shared the details of her mission with, but she thought she had been keeping it private from most people.
    He shrugged. “Things get around. I just wanted to let you know that I’m your man if you need help. And kids love me.”
    “Because of your boyish personality?”
    “Nah, because I can make yummy sweets.”
    “On the grill?”
    “Sure. Just need to get some fresh ingredients, and I can do amazing things. Maple-cinnamon bacon on a stick. Grilled peaches with a sweet bourbon glaze. Give me a pot, and I can even melt chocolate and grill up some bananas for dipping.”
    “Chocolate?” Alisa was suddenly disappointed that all she had to take back to her cabin was a sandwich. “It won’t just be kids that love you, Beck. Hells, I might even marry you for some bananas dipped in chocolate.”
    He saluted her with his knife.
    Alisa grinned, turned toward the corridor, and almost crashed into a muscular chest. Her plate did bump into it, and her sandwich teetered, threatening to pitch to the deck. Leonidas caught it before it slid off and stepped back. He raised a single eyebrow. Alisa hoped he hadn’t heard the part where Beck had threatened to serve him undercooked meat. She also hoped he wasn’t angry that she had inadvertently heard some of his conversation with Alejandro.
    “Sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t looking.”
    “My fault,” he said, stepping aside. He did not appear to be angry. “I wasn’t ready for sleep,” he offered.
    “I wasn’t, either. I was afraid I’d have bad dreams after everything.”
    “Yes.” His eyes grew sad as he gazed down at her, and she wondered if he regretted that bit of manipulation he had plied on her. Or did he even realize he had done it? Men could be oblivious at times. Even Jonah, who’d had a poet’s soul, hadn’t always been cognizant of his social blunders.
    Something in his expression tugged at her heart, though, and she almost asked him if he wanted to