The Reckoning (Unbounded Series #4) by Teyla Branton

moved toward the utility closet that we’d remodeled to give roof access, emotion flared from the small upstairs sitting room that intersected the hallway. I halted as I passed the room.
    Chris and Stella stood near the couch in each other’s arms. Stella had her eyes closed and her mouth was open as Chris kissed her. They pushed closer, the intensity of their kiss exploding until I clamped my shield shut. Even then I could feel something, and the bright glow of their life forces told me neither of them were bothering with shields.
    Obviously, Stella was getting over her husband’s death.
    Chris’s hands roamed over her back, pulling her tightly to him. Stella’s hand crept under his shirt.
    I cleared my throat and they sprang apart. Immediately both their shields came down tightly over their minds. “Uh, a little late for the shields,” I told them.
    Chris grinned at me. “Hey, Erin.” He looked at Stella again as if I hadn’t interrupted anything private. “I’d better go tell the kids goodbye and then get to the airport to check on the fueling and flight plans.” He squeezed Stella’s hand in farewell before sauntering into the hallway, winking at me as he passed. His bright whistle filtered back as he headed toward the elevator.
    I waited until the glow of his life force moved to the next floor before confronting Stella. “What was all that about?” She was my best friend, but Chris was my brother, and my first loyalty had to be with him. “I know you’re not in love with him.”
    Stella sighed, her beautiful face grimacing in distress. “Look, it’s not what you think.”
    “What do I think?”
    She rubbed her hands over her face. “It’s rather hard to explain.”
    I waited. That was the best thing to do with Stella. She liked people to understand as much as they were able, even if they could never process information like she did.
    “You know that Bronson and I . . . we weren’t physical before his death. Not really for years, at least not on a regular basis. He was just too sick most of the time. Even the baby, well, that was a good day because Bronson had received treatment from Dimitri. I—”
    “This is about sex? You’re using my brother for sex?”
    She colored. “No! Of course not. It’s nothing like that.”
    Though her shield was tight, I could feel the sincerity in her surface thoughts. Moreover, most Renegades were born in a time when commitment was ingrained, and one of the main differences between us and the Emporium was that Renegades valued relationships and family above all else. They didn’t mess around unless they planned to stick around. I’d seen Stella’s devastation at her mortal husband’s death; she’d loved him deeply and wholeheartedly. Enough to stay with an aging, sick man who looked more like her grandfather than her husband. A man who apparently hadn’t been able to satisfy her physical needs. “Then what?”
    “I, uh—it’s complicated.” Pain crossed her face, and from inside the depths of her shield an emotion leaked out: agony, the black color of despair. I knew she’d let me see it on purpose. “I miss him so much,” she said softly.
    “Chris is my brother,” I reminded her. “He’s also in mourning.”
    “Then what’s so wrong about us comforting each other?”
    “Do I really need to tell you?” Because someday she’d recover and go on with her very long life, but Chris was in search of a mother for his two children—and looking to replace the love he’d had with Lorrie.
    “I said it’s not what you think,” she repeated, pushing past me. “You need to believe that. I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready to go. I still have to look through the clothing shipment we got this week to see if what else I ordered for Jeane arrived. Apparently Ava’s sending her with us.”
    I watched her go, wanting to yell after her, but Chris was a big boy and I couldn’t live his life for him. I couldn’t blame him for wanting