Read Ouroboros 2: Before for Free Online

of her arm. ‘Sorry,’ she stuttered, ‘it's just, well, in the Academy, you have it drummed into your head that Carson Blake is the best of the best.’
    ‘ I’m standing right here, and you don't need to refer to me by my full name.’ He was aware that he should just drop it; it was clear she wasn't trying to insult him. She was just stumbling over her words as usual.
    But he couldn't drop it. And maybe the reason he couldn't drop it was that he didn't entirely understand what he was feeling, and that scared him.
    He’d been on multiple missions before, with a whole range of different people, and yet none of them had ever been this intense.
    ‘ I’m sorry,’ she said in a clearer voice now, ‘don’t mind me.’
    She sounded and looked apologetic.
    Which made him realize he was being a total ass.
    He’d robbed her of a brief moment of levity, something she deserved, considering what had happened to her. An entity from another dimension had possessed her body, she was on a run through time and space, and all he could think of was how awkward it was to be referred to as Carson Blake, the hero of the Galactic Coalition Academy.
    He clutched his neck, and let his stiff, sweaty fingers drag across the muscles. ‘Sorry,’ he managed, ‘I’ve just never been comfortable with . . .’ he trailed off.
    ‘ You don’t have to explain yourself,’ she said lightly, but it was clear she was only trying to be polite.
    ‘ No, I think I do. Look, my life is quite different to the one you probably think I have. I am not the legend of the Galactic Coalition Academy. I work hard, just like everybody else. That’s it. I do my job.’
    She pressed her lips together and nodded, but she didn’t look at him.
    It was clear she didn’t believe him.
    And just for a second, that irritated him again. Before he could stop himself, another wave of frustration billowed through his chest, snapping his mouth open as it did. ‘I’m just an ordinary guy, honest. I’m not a captain, an admiral, or even a commander. I’m only a lieutenant. I’m just ordinary,’ he repeated. Because, for some reason, it was critically important Nida understood he was normal. He wasn’t some untouchable legend. He was just a guy. Not that different from her, or, at least, a little more coordinated, but still ordinary.
    She finally looked up at him. It was clear that he had made this once light interaction into something uncomfortably intense. She stopped rubbing her arms and instead held her hands tightly in front of her, as if she were on parade. ‘Okay,’ she said simply.
    ‘ I’m just ordinary,’ he repeated again, kicking himself for being so pigheaded. He had to stop saying that, and he had to drop this before he freaked Nida out even further.
    But she now flicked her gaze up and held his. ‘Except you’re not,’ she said in a soft tone that was nonetheless steady.
    ‘ What?’
    ‘ You are the head of the Force, and you have mastered the use of the telekinetic implant. People rely on you. People trust you. And you get things done. Carson, you’re not ordinary,’ she still spoke in that same deceptively quiet tone that nonetheless rang with certainty.
    He swallowed. ‘Yes I am,’ he began, sounding as petulant as a child.
    ‘ You’re not, and that’s a good thing. If you weren’t here, if you hadn’t been so persistent in looking out for me on Earth, I would be dead. You, Carson Blake, are why we are both here. You’re not ordinary, and that’s a good thing,’ she looked at him as she spoke, and she didn’t once blink, and neither did she drop her gaze. She also still held her hands tightly in front of her.
    From her body language to her calm certainty, watching her was transfixing.
    He swallowed. He tried to defend himself, but he couldn’t think of anything to say.
    Because concealed in her statement and the way she had said it was a compliment. Okay, it hadn’t even been concealed. She had outright said that if he’d