Page 9 of The Last Hunt

“CAL!” Aethon groans. “Did I tell you to monitor my vitals?!”

“I have your best interests at heart, Captain Trell -”

“You don’t have a heart.”

“No,” CAL says, his tone slightly offended. “But my emotional subroutines have become attuned to your presence and I think you’ve become lonely.”

Aethon rubs a hand over his face. The very last thing he needs is his damn AI psychoanalyzing him. “God, CAL -”

“Bladesbearer is the first person in a long time that you’ve shown interest in,” CAL says coaxingly. “I know she appears to have rejected your suggestion that you work this bounty together, but maybe you should consider merging with her -”

“Merging with her?!”

“Or whatever it is you organics do,” CAL answers. “I’ll admit, my sexuality subroutines are rather out of date -”

“CAL -'' Aethon interrupts, raising a hand in the air. “For someone who claims to love rules, you’re forgetting one of Two Roses' main ones.”

“Fraternize at your own risk,” CAL mutters. “I’m well aware. Perhaps this risk would be worth it.”

“Just realign the sensors and scan for the triennial-gamma waves,” Aethon says, rubbing a hand over his face.

When the AI is finally quiet, Aethon sits back in his chair and thinks about the interactions he’s had with Bladesbearer that CAL had apparently been listening to. He doesn’t quite remember when he linked the AI with his tab, but it has probably been a few years. What has CAL overheard?

An incident in the gym at the Two Roses headquarters from two years ago pops into Aethon’s mind.

He’d just brought back a criminal who was responsible for a group of killings on a planet called Harash. The killer was nicknamed “the Harashi Hunter'' by the media, which sounded too benign for his crimes in Aethon’s opinion. Aethon had tracked the murderer to a warehouse in one of the biggest cities on Harash. He’d found the Harashi Hunter elbows deep in the stomach cavity of a young girl.

Rage had taken over Aethon. He’d knocked the murderer out cold, only holding back from caving in his skull because the bounty demanded the man be brought in alive. He tied the man up and immediately ran to the girl who lay motionless on a cold metal table. She was dead, her eyes blank, her body already stiffening with rigor mortis. Aethon had gently closed her eyes, his breaths coming in shuddering gasps as he took in the horror of the rest of the crime scene. Normally, he was able to separate himself from the atrocities he witnessed in his line of work. Things didn’t tend to stick in his head. This had. The man had done this to seven young girls on Harash. And Aethon wasn’t fast enough to save the last one.

Back on Brix-9 after he’d turned the Harashi Hunter in and collected his bounty, Aethon’s mind was spinning. Everything he’d witnessed and his failure to save that last girl brought up memories he thought he’d long buried. He’d sprinted to the gym to work out until he collapsed, hoping to still his mind with physical activity. He remembers slamming a medicine ball over and over again against the wall so hard it had dented the metal. And then Maeve was there.

“Trell.”

Her voice was soft but firm. Aethon had turned to find her a few feet away from him. He’d glanced around, but they were alone. She was wearing black leggings and a forest green sports bra. He was always struck by her height. He was only a couple inches taller than her. She was lean and strong, with visible muscles, and her hair was bound in a long ponytail.

Maeve hadn’t looked at him with pity, but with understanding. She had been with Two Roses just as long as he had. She knew what it was like to have a criminal get under her skin. “I heard you brought in the Harashi Hunter,” she said.

Aethon had just nodded. Sweat dripped down his face and through the stubble he hadn’t had a chance to shave yet, before falling off his chin. He didn’t bother wiping it away.

“He’s in lock up now,” Maeve said.

Aethon nodded again.

She took a step toward him and he saw her hand twitch as though she wanted to reach out for him, but thought better of it. She gritted her teeth and raised her chin. “He can’t hurt anyone else,” she said, her voice firm.

Aethon had just shrugged helplessly. Sure, he had taken the Harashi Hunter out. But not before he had killed so many girls. Torn apart families. Changed lives forever. Having a loved one die by violence isn’t something a person can ever truly get over. Aethon would know.

Maeve had watched him carefully, her green eyes flicking over his tense body. His hands began to tremble and he squeezed them into fists, hating how his body was betraying his turmoil. Maeve took another step toward him.

“Can I?” she had asked, raising a hand toward him. Her tone was soft, and it felt like they were back in that escape pod all over again. Like they were on the edge of something they could never take back. Like it was only them. Like they were a universe of two.

Aethon had closed his eyes and nodded, leaning back against the wall. He felt her hands on his chest. She touched him like someone recalling a long forgotten memory. Slowly at first, and then with purpose. He opened his eyes to find Maeve’s face inches from his own. She pressed one hand to his chest over his heart, the other sliding up his neck. She didn’t seem to care about his sweat, or his inability to speak at the moment.

“You can’t let them get inside,” she murmured. Her fingers had rubbed along his stubbled jaw, and threaded back gently into his hair. Oh god, he loved it when she ran her hands through his hair. Aethon couldn’t remember anyone ever touching him so tenderly - at least, anyone besides her. Had anyone else in his adult life ever touched him to comfort, instead of to hurt, or purely to arouse? There was no one away from Freehail who cared for him like that. He knew better than to think Maeve actually cared about his pain, but he did believe she understood.

Aethon licked his lips, and spoke, his voice cracking. “If I’d found him faster -”

But Maeve shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Shut up. That’s pointless and you know it.”