Babel Novel
28
Morgan pov.
I wake up the next morning feeling like I spent all night in the gym, but the feeling is worth it when I recall last night, well the end part of it. Rian is still asleep, his even breathing the only sound in the quite room. I watch him, having never had the pleasure of waking up before him. He looks younger in his sleep, not so guarded and I wonder if he knows he's on permanent defense mode when he's awake. He's certainly not the wolf I met in that room all those weeks ago but there's still a wall around him, one I doubt he knows he's putting up. As intelligent as he is, I wonder how he would have turned out if he had the pleasure of proper education. I think of Agness and feel a little annoyed at the wolf. She had every opportunity to study human behavior, granted it was way before the Bio-Glaze existed but her unwavering commitment to keep all the beast in darkness makes me question who's side she's on.
I shake my head and run my hands over my face. Between Luca and Benjamin, I'm questioning things I've never questioned before. Why in the world do we even need to have sides and how do I know what side is the right one? I recall when I met the Commander. Three years ago, when he hand-picked me out of all the coders and had me bury information that I wasn't allowed to see. The job had bothered me for weeks and then it became a regular thing. Files upon files hidden under encryption so good I can't even dig it up, unless I want to alert him to it. No backdoor to let myself in, I trusted him and now I find myself questioning that blind trust. With a sigh I leave the bed, knowing I'll spiral down a hole that I don't need to go down right now. I take a quick shower and pull on a robe before going into the kitchen, starting on Rian's smoothie.
"Incoming call from Torren Cane." Bing alerts and I accept the call, switching off the blender and waiting for it to connect. Seconds later my sister is projected into my kitchen like she's really standing next to me, and I wish she was. "Torren, how've you been doing?" She wasn't in the command center when I went to Space weeks ago and I didn't have the time to go search her out.
"I'm fine." She looks over her shoulder before looking back at me and I frown. "What's happening in the Bio-Glaze, Morgan?" She sounds a little panicked causing me to worry.
"What do you mean? The Glaze is fine." Well, except for the unresolved expansion we're still fine.
"No, no it's not. Why were the representatives all in your house yesterday and why isn't Luca answering my calls?" I stare at my sister with wide eyes.
"How do you know they were here and how the hell do you know Luca?" Dread fills my stomach as Torren looks behind her again. "What are you looking at?" She mutters something and disappears for a few seconds before appearing again. "I know Luca because we talk about you. He keeps me updated when I'm too pissed to talk to you. I know they were there because I overheard the Commander talking to my section leader this morning when I was coming back for a run." She looks over her shoulder again and holds up a finger for whoever is behind her. "What's happening in the Bio-Glaze, Morgan?" I shake my head.
"Nothing is happening. Rain violated some stupid safety protocol, so the representatives came here. As for Luca, he's probably ignoring you because he's throwing some hissy fit. I don't think he'll talk to me until the issue with the expansion is sorted." Witch it should have been by now.
"Who's Rain?" I groan, feeling like slapping myself. "Morgan." Torren warns, using her big-sister voice on me. It's annoying but it works nine out of ten times.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
"My slave." I bite my bottom lip when I see the look on her face.
"You bought a slave?” Her voice is calm, way too calm so I know she's pissed.
"I bought a contract." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Torren." She shakes her head.
"No, whatever you do with your coins is your business. No matter how stupid it is." Annoyance fills me at her words.
"Just stop." She raises her eyebrow at me, and I shake my head. "You don't know the first thing about my relationship with Rain, just because I bought his contract doesn't mean I treat him like a slave, witch you would know if you brothered to come home. You ran away, Tor. You ran away and left me to deal with things by myself so you don't get to judge me for finding someone I can spend my time with, no matter how the hell I found him. You get mad that I want to help you, and you get mad that I don't want to spend the rest of my life running from connection. You're content with keeping me at arm's length yet you call me at five in the morning because you overheard a conversation you weren't supposed to. Why the hell are you keeping tabs with me through Luca, of all people you chose the most temperamental Fairie and now you're pissed you actually have to call me to make sure I'm alright?" Silence falls between us as we just stare at each other. "Mor..." I shake my head.
"You know what, no. You can keep running away if that's what works for you but then you don't get to look back and play the caring big sister until you grow tired of it again. When Mom died you told me that we are all each other has and then you got your heart broken and left me behind. You won't talk about my successes, you act like you're always having to clean up my messes, when you don't. You answer to me, Torren. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself so weather the representatives were here to reprimand me about letting my slave roam free or to have a logistical meeting with me it has nothing to do with you. You're either in my life completely or you stay the hell out of it. No halfway mark anymore. Call me when you've decided, better yet, come face me in person." I end the call before she could say anything else, sick to my stomach for having talked to her like that but it's nothing that didn't need to be said. I take a few seconds to gather myself and then set about making breakfast for Rain and me. When I'm done, I send a message to Luca to stop talking about me to my sister and to stop being a fucken baby and talk to me before I go to wake up the grey
eared wolf.