Elara’s POV
"Your clothes are filthy," Alistair said, his tone deep and quiet.
He could tell I’d been in another scuffle.
Even speaking through the robot’s fra, I caught that familiar note of gentle worry in his voice.
"Commander Alistair..." I began, then stopped dead in my tracks.
Alistair wasn’t expecting the sudden halt and nearly crashed into , but I smoothly sidestepped at the final mont.
Alistair froze, likely wondering why I didn’t want his touch and what was with my sudden formality.
A wicked smile crept across my face. Without warning, I leaned forward, stopping re inches from his chanical features.
The Alistair standing before might’ve looked composed, but I knew the real him—lying in that hospital bed—was probably breaking out in scales. His ears likely stretching to points, scales along his neck shimring as complete flustered panic set in.
"Concerned about ?" I asked, dropping my voice to a whisper. My gaze wandered across 007’s face.
This little ga was exactly what I had in mind. Through this tal shell, I could easily imagine the real, grown man getting completely rattled over .
It was so obvious too—the breathing from 007 was way too unsteady.
See? n beat zombies every ti!
Especially the ones in uniform.
I’ve definitely earned this kind of entertainnt.
"Yes, I was concerned," Alistair confessed softly.
Last ti, I’d returned battered and bruised. I knew the mory still twisted in his chest—especially since he had no healing abilities to offer ...
That thought made Alistair tighten his lips.
"My charm, I’m resilient," I said, moving even closer, flashing him a bright, teasing grin.
"Charm?"
"That’s right, Alistair. Charm," I clarified.
I loved creating pet nas. Everyone deserved their own special one.
Alistair released a quiet, defeated laugh and lifted his hand to ss with my hair. He exhaled softly, "You need to be more cautious out there."
Alistair possessed an incredible voice—rich, steady, mature, soothing. I was completely hooked on it.
"I know, I’m being cautious," I replied.
But what can I do when psychos keep hunting down—Beatrix, Cassian...
included.
Right now, I just want to ss with this snake...
"Alistair," I said, "has anyone ntioned you’ve got an incredible voice?"
Alistair shook his head.
I laughed quietly, "Perfect. Then I’m the only one who notices. Next ti, breathe right against my ear, alright?"
Silas was skilled at that. Apart from him, I was genuinely wondering if the other six could pull it off too.
"Elara," Alistair said, backing away, his voice turning serious. "I might actually follow through on that."
I stared, bewildered.
Wait, I wasn’t even finished. Follow through on what?
"Hold up—clarify," I demanded.
Two legs couldn’t match wheels. Alistair was totally playing dirty, racing off.
I chased him down, finally catching up—only to discover he’d signed out.
There I stood with 007, looking completely lost. Its front lights blinked twice before it rolled away smoothly. Recently, the robot had been behaving oddly, almost like sothing was controlling it.
Premium robots really were sothing else. When I spotted 007 later, I noticed it had attached a tiny cross to itself.
Really? Do robots actually buy into that?
Even though Alistair had bolted quickly, he’d still handled business. He’d already stored everything I’d purchased that evening.
"That was efficient," I said, pulling out the geoduck. I was definitely cooking this tonight!
I scrubbed it, stripped the skin, cracked it open, and cleaned out the sand—all within monts.
I poured myself so ale, going for that sophisticated atmosphere.
With the prep work finished, I decided to shower first. Racing around all evening had left feeling disgusting.
The instant I settled into the bathtub, I let out a complete sigh of relief. After a night of combat, I finally felt semi-human again.
The other half of my joy? It was waiting in the kitchen!
I showered quickly and towel-dried my hair partway. I threw on an oversized gray shirt that just barely covered my thighs. Then I padded down the silent corridor in flip-flops, the gentle smacking sound trailing behind .
When I entered the kitchen, Alistair had returned. The mont he caught sight of my outfit, he instinctively spun around.
"What are you turning away for? We’re together now," I said.
Then I slapped 007’s backside firmly. The smack was so hard that not only did the robot jerk—Alistair’ actual body in Chamber Five trembled completely.
"Elara..."
"Right here, sweetie," I responded imdiately.
The difference between , casually tossing out pet nas, and the shocked Alistair was crystal clear.
"Sweetie?" Alistair whispered, clearly adoring the nickna.
"Use that for from now on, okay?" he requested.
Given his maturity, Alistair didn’t get jealous as quickly as Silas, but that didn’t an he was completely indifferent.
The system had matched all of them with , and we were all going to share the sa space. If everyone got that possessive, none of us could function normally.
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