Synnr's Hope - Kate Rudolph Page 0,23

as a puppy when she heard the door open. By now she could recognize most of her housemates’ footfalls. Julia crept around like she was robbing the place, Luci was surprisingly loud for someone so small, Gayle walked her quick-footed nurses’ tread, and Kyle effortlessly made no noise. There were more people in the house, and it varied, but Lena didn’t recognize these footsteps at all.

Solan walked into the room and she dropped the book.

She quickly scooped it back up and set it on the table, and by the time she’d done that he had closed the sliding door to the room and was taking a seat.

“Are you particularly interested in fertilizer maintenance?” He pointed to the book.

“Is that what it’s about?” Lena nudged it away with her toe before putting her feet back on the ground. “I was just looking at the letters. The translator I have doesn’t cover writing.”

“No, I guess the Apsyns weren’t concerned with that.” She thought he would leave it there, but he scooped the book up and opened it to a random page. “Would you like to learn?”

“You’re going to teach me your language like that?” She found herself leaning in close, not that she expected it to work.

“I’m going to teach you to read my language,” he said, like that was something different. He slid closer on the couch until she was close enough to read. “Your translator can still do most of the work. Your brain has had time to get used to it, it’s wired to translate now. All it needs is to recognize the patterns of the letters and it will take over.”

That sounded way too easy to be true. “Emily has these glasses. I thought I could just get some.”

“That’s great until you’re in the field and they break.” He ran his finger under the first word. “Here.”

“You said in the field.” Reading was fun and all, but Lena latched onto that. “Are you saying...?”

He stared intently at the page and Lena was ready to tear the book out of his hands and demand an answer by the time he opened his mouth. “I think we should bond.”

She did end up taking the book, only because she was pretty sure he was going to keep using it as a shield if she didn’t. “How about you look at me while you say it.” She’d dealt with criminals under interrogation with fewer nerves.

When Solan looked up, any nerves she’d imagined seeing were gone and his gaze was direct. “I’ve decided. We should bond. Though there are a few stipulations.”

“Of course.” Lena put the book back on the table and waited to see what he said.

“We keep this professional. Neither of us needs an emotional entanglement. It will just complicate things.” He said it like he expected an argument.

“I already said I didn’t want a boyfriend.” But there was more to his resistance; she didn’t need to be a genius to figure that out. Lena didn’t ask. If he wanted to tell her one day, he would. She didn’t need to know if it wasn’t going to interfere with their partnership.

“I’m aware you said it, but I want to make sure things don’t change.” There was a finality to his words that worried Lena a bit.

She didn’t want to date him, but they were going to be stuck together a long time. “I hope that you’ll be alright if we become friends.” She’d worked with people she didn’t like before. It had ranged from bearable to miserable. She didn’t need to fuck Solan, but she needed more than a cool acquaintance.

He gave a jerky nod. “Of course.”

She leaned back against the couch and let one arm fall over the back. “Any more restrictions?” She probably shouldn’t be having fun with this, but she’d never seen him so nervous before.

“I need you to follow my lead when we’re together. There are things you don’t know about my position that could lead to... difficulty if you stumble in blindly. And while I respect your experience,” he held up his hand as if to ward off any objection before she could make one, “I’m the one who has trained in the Synnr military. You will treat me as your superior in the field.”

She nearly swallowed her tongue at that. “I’ll respect your experience, but you’re not my superior.” If they fell into that habit there’d be no escaping it. “And once I’ve had a bit of training and dealt with the social side of