begin on this knotted skein.
“Have you come here because Max
asked you to do something disturbing?” Echo lifted her hands, and furniture
rose from the floor near them.
“Yes. He acted totally out of
character. I think the others pressured him into it. I wanted to get your
opinion first.”
“Though you and I have spent little
time together, I would judge you a suitable marriage partner.”
Flabbergasted, Roz fell back into
the sofa. “Excuse me?”
“With all the time he has spent
alone with you, I thought …”
“You can’t even finish that
sentence, and you’re not meeting my eyes. Are you trying to lie ?” The
idea of a Magi doing such a thing was unheard of. Was she a criminal, too?
“No. I could never do so to a
perspective mate.”
“You and me married? Is there
something I should know?”
Echo sat down beside her, and Roz
scooted a half-cushion away. “After the misjump on our maiden voyage, my
partners died.”
“The collision with the asteroid
minefield probably had more to do with the deaths.”
Echo nodded. “Without triad members
to affirm my identity, my matrix has begun to disintegrate. The good doctor
believes that with hormone treatments and therapy, he can preserve me until we
reach my people with the results of the star-drive experiment, but only if our
… team has the right composition.”
“Max is trying to save you?” Roz
asked.
“Yes. In turn, I can aid him. In
addition to nerve damage, he suffers from what you would term Post Traumatic
Stress.”
“You can fix that? That would be
amazing.”
“Together, we can.”
“All three of us?” Roz asked, her
mind spinning.
Echo paused for a moment. “You
wanted to know all the secrets of this ship. If we were united in marriage,
both you and Max would be honorary Magi.”
Roz sat on the edge of her seat,
ready to spring to her feet in righteous indignation. The warmth of Max’s hours
spent with her turned to the sting of betrayal. He wants a freaking alien
three-way? “Let me get this straight. If I help you and sleep with your pet
man, you’ll cut me in on the greatest research project in sentient history?”
The venom in her voice caused Echo
to draw back and blanch. “Humans always seize on the sexual. Both of you have a
lot of healing to do first. You must learn to love yourself before offering
yourself to another to love. We do not rush the sacred.”
“Right. I just wanted to establish
the price. We both know what I’ll be.”
Echo shook her head. “Have you ever
heard of arranged marriages? The parents select a mate for the child. I scanned
several planets worth of candidates, and you’re his best fit. You’re strong,
skilled, intelligent, and innocent. He needs all aspects of you to realize his
potential.”
“Wait. You chose me for
him?”
“The choices are yours. I merely
led him your direction. Please don’t tell him about my involvement because he
genuinely likes you, and male egos are fragile.”
“Genuinely likes?” Roz tried to
mock the words and hold onto the anger.
“With potential for so much more. I
only ask that you remain open and listen to your heart.”
Rubbing the numb spot on the back
of her neck, Roz asked, “What if we don’t excite each other … physically?” She
recalled the warm glow she had felt sitting near him in the hotel.
“You realize I read minds.”
Roz blushed. “I mean, you’re
gorgeous. So was his last girlfriend, Troutwine. Why me?”
“When you learn to love yourself,
you’ll see the answer. Stop shearing your hair so often. You’re doing it to cut
away your own femininity. You can be both the best in your field and a
desirable woman.”
Clasping her head in her hands, Roz
said, “Why is this coming to the surface now?”
“We won’t be in Human space much
longer. Your opportunities to leave and mine to survive are dwindling. I need a
commitment—hope. Will you join us with your whole heart on this endeavor?”
Roz didn’t like being
“Have you come here because Max
asked you to do something disturbing?” Echo lifted her hands, and furniture
rose from the floor near them.
“Yes. He acted totally out of
character. I think the others pressured him into it. I wanted to get your
opinion first.”
“Though you and I have spent little
time together, I would judge you a suitable marriage partner.”
Flabbergasted, Roz fell back into
the sofa. “Excuse me?”
“With all the time he has spent
alone with you, I thought …”
“You can’t even finish that
sentence, and you’re not meeting my eyes. Are you trying to lie ?” The
idea of a Magi doing such a thing was unheard of. Was she a criminal, too?
“No. I could never do so to a
perspective mate.”
“You and me married? Is there
something I should know?”
Echo sat down beside her, and Roz
scooted a half-cushion away. “After the misjump on our maiden voyage, my
partners died.”
“The collision with the asteroid
minefield probably had more to do with the deaths.”
Echo nodded. “Without triad members
to affirm my identity, my matrix has begun to disintegrate. The good doctor
believes that with hormone treatments and therapy, he can preserve me until we
reach my people with the results of the star-drive experiment, but only if our
… team has the right composition.”
“Max is trying to save you?” Roz
asked.
“Yes. In turn, I can aid him. In
addition to nerve damage, he suffers from what you would term Post Traumatic
Stress.”
“You can fix that? That would be
amazing.”
“Together, we can.”
“All three of us?” Roz asked, her
mind spinning.
Echo paused for a moment. “You
wanted to know all the secrets of this ship. If we were united in marriage,
both you and Max would be honorary Magi.”
Roz sat on the edge of her seat,
ready to spring to her feet in righteous indignation. The warmth of Max’s hours
spent with her turned to the sting of betrayal. He wants a freaking alien
three-way? “Let me get this straight. If I help you and sleep with your pet
man, you’ll cut me in on the greatest research project in sentient history?”
The venom in her voice caused Echo
to draw back and blanch. “Humans always seize on the sexual. Both of you have a
lot of healing to do first. You must learn to love yourself before offering
yourself to another to love. We do not rush the sacred.”
“Right. I just wanted to establish
the price. We both know what I’ll be.”
Echo shook her head. “Have you ever
heard of arranged marriages? The parents select a mate for the child. I scanned
several planets worth of candidates, and you’re his best fit. You’re strong,
skilled, intelligent, and innocent. He needs all aspects of you to realize his
potential.”
“Wait. You chose me for
him?”
“The choices are yours. I merely
led him your direction. Please don’t tell him about my involvement because he
genuinely likes you, and male egos are fragile.”
“Genuinely likes?” Roz tried to
mock the words and hold onto the anger.
“With potential for so much more. I
only ask that you remain open and listen to your heart.”
Rubbing the numb spot on the back
of her neck, Roz asked, “What if we don’t excite each other … physically?” She
recalled the warm glow she had felt sitting near him in the hotel.
“You realize I read minds.”
Roz blushed. “I mean, you’re
gorgeous. So was his last girlfriend, Troutwine. Why me?”
“When you learn to love yourself,
you’ll see the answer. Stop shearing your hair so often. You’re doing it to cut
away your own femininity. You can be both the best in your field and a
desirable woman.”
Clasping her head in her hands, Roz
said, “Why is this coming to the surface now?”
“We won’t be in Human space much
longer. Your opportunities to leave and mine to survive are dwindling. I need a
commitment—hope. Will you join us with your whole heart on this endeavor?”
Roz didn’t like being
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