Coalescence (Dragonfire Station Book 3)

of Fallon’s competitive tendencies. Damn, that woman had skills.
“Fine. Hesta.”
To her credit, the captain—Hesta—didn’t gloat. She simply nodded in acknowledgement.
“So what’s your story?” Ross asked.
Nevitt folded her hands together on the table. “Oh, you know. A typical space station captain, bumming my way through this assignment until I can move up in the hierarchy.”
Ross laughed. “Fair enough.”
The two bantered throughout the meal, with Fallon commenting in the appropriate places, but mostly observing. She needed to work harder at adjusting her perception of Nevitt.
As time wore on, fatigue settled over Fallon. She and the others had long since finished eating and simply remained, talking. She wanted some time to herself to think and realized that she needn’t stay. Ross was making a new friend, as she’d hoped. So she excused herself and returned to her quarters. The space seemed quiet without Peregrine, even though her partner wasn’t talkative in general. Her absence left a big hole, as did Hawk’s and Raptor’s. Without her team, Fallon felt incomplete.
She sat in front of the voicecom, thinking of Wren. Had Fallon’s isolation from her team played a part in her relationship with her?
Of course it had.
She sat looking at the voicecom, wondering where Wren might be at that moment. But rather than call to find out, she opted to shower and get ready for bed. She couldn’t let Wren be a fallback for when her team wasn’t around. Fallon was too self-aware for that, and Wren deserved better.
So she went to bed with her better judgment rather than with a soft, warm partner who understood her.

3
When Fallon woke up the next day, her sense of isolation remained. She brushed it aside as she went through her daily routine as chief of security. Her morning check-in with Captain Nevitt now felt a little different, thanks to her shifting impressions of the woman. Otherwise, there was a coziness to her routine. Checking the security systems, looking over the night shift’s report, and noting the day’s arrivals and departures all felt comfortable and productive.
Doing her afternoon rounds on the boardwalk particularly pleased her. Citizens of the station and familiar visitors greeted her warmly as she walked along. She enjoyed looking after the people of Dragonfire, and the station itself. She just plain liked the place. The bustle of activity, the variety of people. The sense of community made her feel more rooted than she ever had.
Not that she’d ever minded being rootless. Her main focus had always been her job. She’d never needed or wanted roots.
Bah. It was all much more introspective than she cared to be. She just wanted to get shit done, not waste time worrying about feelings.
She quickened her step, only to notice Wren step out from behind a Rescan. She flashed Fallon a smile as she angled toward her. Wren had a nice walk. Smooth and rolling, with even steps that, if measured, would be the exact same distance every time. But with a slight side-to-side sway that caught the eye of several passersby.
“Hi.” Wren smiled, her eyes sparkling with her particular brand of humor.
“Hi.”
“Are you avoiding me?” Wren gave her a teasing look.
“No.” Fallon hadn’t sought Wren out, but she hadn’t avoided her either. “Why would I?”
“Your team is gone and you haven’t looked me up. I thought you might, since we talked about it and decided to just see what happens.”
Fallon didn’t know whether to be amused or disconcerted by Wren’s understanding of her quirks. “It seemed too complicated.”
“It couldn’t be simpler, really,” Wren argued. She glanced around to see if their conversation might be overheard. She hitched her head toward the concourse and they began walking.
Once they’d put some distance between them and the busiest part of Deck One, Wren continued, “You and I clearly aren’t over, though we’re no longer exclusive. There’s no reason we can’t see each other. Unless you’ve decided you’re uninterested, or that partner of yours would have a problem with it.”
Did Wren know about her and Raptor? “Which partner?”
Wren gave her a sidelong look of amusement. “I’ve seen you two together. I could practically see the sparks.”
Fallon decided not to argue the point. She had nothing to hide about her relationship with Raptor. It predated her relationship with Wren by more than a decade. “When have you seen us together?”
Wren shrugged. “A glimpse in the gym. A peek on the boardwalk. It doesn’t matter. The question is, have you two become an exclusive thing? I didn’t get that impression from you the last time we talked.”
“No.”
Another person would have asked for more details. A non-Sarkavian person would, anyway. But Wren nodded and pressed on. “So second question. Are you uninterested in me?”
Wren stepped in front of Fallon, forcing her to stop and return her gaze.
Wren was hard for Fallon to ignore on the best of days. Her willingness to face off and demand point-blank answers only made her more appealing. “No.”
Wren smiled, and the distance between them decreased until it verged on the inappropriate-for-being-on-duty. Then she spun around and resumed walking. “Would you like to have dinner tonight?”
Why was it that Fallon had no qualms about flying a ship right into a firefight, yet the thought of a meal with this woman made all of her mental alarms go off?
No, she decided. No. “Yes.”
Prelin’s ass. Fallon cursed herself for her habit of jumping off whatever cliff she happened to be standing on.
“Good.” Wren smiled. “Pick me up at my quarters after your shift ends.”
There were plenty of reasons to say no. But she didn’t want to.
The doors to Wren’s quarters swished open. Fallon entered, refusing to be affected by the fact that this had been her home for six months. She didn’t look at the wall she’d thrown knives into, or the couch where they’d snuggled and watched holo-vids. The important thing to remember was that this place belonged only to Wren now.
Wren led her to the living area. She wore a simple dress and Fallon