Free Rystani Warrior 02 - The Dare by Susan Kearney Page B

find. But if he were honest, as much as he was avoiding Dora, he yearned to see her, curious to know what she looked like. His contradictory thoughts didn’t make sense to him, so he certainly didn’t want to attempt to explain them to Tessa.
    But she had that don’t-mess-with-me gleam in her eyes that told Zical he wouldn’t easily escape. In one easy move she blocked his exit. “Oh, no, you don’t.”
    Zical glanced to Kahn, but he shrugged. Zical was on his own. “I’m not avoiding her. I’ve attended family gatherings and she’s been hiding in her room.”
    “ Really ?”
    Tessa might be slender and short, but she could put more authority into one word than any woman he’d ever met. Right now he had to remind himself they were in the same family, that she was Dora’s friend, and that she wasn’t about to let him go until she’d had her say.
    Tessa eyed him and softened her tone. “The doctors can’t find anything wrong with her physically. She refuses to speak with a shrink. I can’t reach her and instead of enjoying her new body, she’s cooped up in her quarters and spending too much time with the computer.”
    “So?”
    “I think you can help her. She’s always had a special affection for you.”
    “Affection? She’s a computer.” Zical played dumb. Dora had always been much more than a computer, but defining her was impossible, although, sassy, smart, and seductive popped into his mind. When Dora had been a computer, her affectionate nature and her teasing sexual innuendos had amused him. But now that she was altered, he wasn’t sure he was ready for her transformation from his sexy computer friend to a genuine woman. Especially, with the golden light turning his nights into restless erotic dreams where Dora’s provocative whispers took center stage, he wasn’t certain he trusted himself to handle a new relationship and he didn’t want to cause Dora more damage.
    “She wasn’t born human. But I assure you that she’s one hundred percent human now. Or she was … but she’s spending too much time plugged in to the network.”
    “Plugged in?”
    “To transfer her personality into her body, she created an electronic link. She can link her brain directly into the computer.”
    He read the worry in Tessa’s eyes. “Is this harmful?”
    “She’s using the link to escape. To withdraw from her humanity. I thought maybe you could snap her back into having an interest in being human.”
    “What do you want me to do?”
    “Go to her. Talk to her.”
    “About?”
    Tessa rolled her eyes at the ceiling in disgust. “You want me to write you a script?”
    “Did you ever think I might say the wrong thing and make her worse?” Or accidentally give her the impression that he was interested in her as a woman? Because Zical knew how unfair that impression would be. When Dora had been a computer, the flirtation between them was safe and harmless because their friendship couldn’t grow into anything more. But now she had a body.
    Tessa’s eyes narrowed on him. She didn’t bother refuting his excuse. “Dora cares about you. I thought you liked her, too.”
    Zical glanced at Kahn, his gaze questioning. Kahn crossed his arms over his chest. “Talk to her about anything you like. She’s not responding to us. She’s barely eating or sleeping. It’s eerie the way she closes her eyes, lies motionless for hours. She can’t go on like this or she could die.”
    “Die?” Zical’s gut clenched.
    He missed his conversations with Dora as a computer. Although the new entity performed assigned tasks well enough, Ranth was male, and his personality was young, not fully formed. Until Dora’s transformation, Zical hadn’t realized how much he enjoyed her constant presence in his life. Whether he was on his ship, in his quarters, or out exploring, she’d always been with him, ready to converse, give information, or simply keep him company.
    Knowing he hadn’t lost her permanently, knowing he could