Page 3 of Lucid Harmony

“We’re going to be up here onSilencefor a while, aren’t we? Until all this business with the old empire blows over. Tarak isn’t the sort to take chances.”

Neither am I.

Because of her Talent, Noa was under the highest level of security. Ashrael was loath to leave her side, even though it was sometimes necessary—his skills, after all, were unique in the Universe; he could do things nobody else could.

If their enemies were ever to get their hands on Noali, they would use her in the most horrifying ways. They wouldn’t care if they destroyed her in the process.

But that would never happen.

It was the most unlikely thing, but Ashrael had come to trust Tarak al Akkadian. If anyone could keep her safe in his absence, it was the former general and his Darkstar Mercenaries.

“Anyway…” Noa found his hands. She ran her long, elegant fingers up his arms, tracing across his bare skin. “Thereissomething that I’d love to have onboard. I don’t know if it’s possible, though.”

Anything is possible, for you. I’llmakeit possible.

“Considering it’s you, of course you would. In that case, I’m going to make a request. If you can pull it off, I’ll bemostimpressed.”

I live to impress you, mysarien.

You dork.Affectionately, she pulled his arms downwards until they were crisscrossing her chest. She tipped her head to one side and gently kissed his arm. “But in all seriousness, you are a sweet, sweet man.”

Only to you. Now tell me what you wish for.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, gently shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe any of it. “Can you get me a piano? To have onboardSilence?Not a modern one. As good as they are, it just isn’t the same. I want an organic one, made from wood, with metal strings and a real soundboard. Agrand.I don’t care if it’s old, I just want it to sound good. The makers I prefer are Beckmann, Chroust, or Yamai. You’d need to find a way of tuning it, too. I’m not sure that—”

He stole her doubts with a kiss on her cheek. “Consider it done. When I locate something suitable, I’ll have you test it. It will receive your final approval before being brought onboard. And you don’t need to fret over the maintenance or logistics. I’ll handleeverything.”

How unbelievable it was thatheof all people would develop an interest in some obscure archaic device that had no purpose other than making sounds for entertainment.

Once, he would have considered thispianoto be a pointless, primitive device.

But now he knew better, for the music Noa could make with just her hands and her mind and a lump of wood and metal was transcendentally beautiful.

Even he, with his black heart, could appreciate it.

Humans—especiallyher—had turned out to be far more complicated than he could ever have imagined.

TWO

“Come here,”Noa murmured, seated in their sleeping pod with her legs crossed. Feeling a little tired after a day of intense focus, she was in the mood to unwind.

And what better way to unwind than with her favorite Kordolian.

Ashrael had just emerged from the sanitation pod. She took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of sandalwood soap andhim.

He’d used it.

Her soap.

Bit by bit, Noa had started to place little pieces of herself around their quarters—soaps, scented candles, brightly colored cushions, even a gently worn wool Persian rug that she’d salvaged from her apartment back on Earth. Kordolians were positively spartan in their approach to furnishing and decoration, so it was up to her and the other women to try and create the slightest bit of a homely atmosphere onboardSilence.

Their little touches didn’t seem to make any difference to the ruthlessly efficient aliens, but the Kordolians didn’t oppose the changes, either.

They simply allowed them tobe.

Noa took a moment to appreciate her mate. Fresh from the shower, he wore nothing but a pair of loose silken black trousers that were slung low across his hips, revealing his taut abdomen and a hint of the chiseled vee that extended down toward his groin.

He gleamed in the gentle light. His dark hair was loose, cascading around his elegant features and accentuating his depthless obsidian eyes. It was already dry, thanks to the instant water-evaporating technology in the sanitation chamber.