Ouroboros 4: End by Odette C. Bell

believed her. Worse, in fact, she was being treated like a prisoner. There’d be no one to turn to, no friendly face, except for him. But with Harrington breathing down his neck, Carson could hardly show Nida the compassion she deserved.
    Or could he?
    Okay, he probably shouldn’t pull her into a passionate kiss, but screw it, he wasn’t going to stand here and let Harrington intimidate him.
    So he held out a hand to her. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t like he had anywhere to take her. They were stuck on this ship together.
    Still, the move was instinctual.
    The Carson from a few months ago would never have done it. The Carson from a few months ago would not have fraternized with a cadet, at least not in front of a superior.
    Right now, it didn’t matter. The rulebook had been thrown out the window the moment they travelled through time. From that point on, they’d been forced to rely on each other.
    So yeah, he was going to hold a hand out to her, if only to remind her she wasn’t alone.
    Though she looked unsure at first, as he continued to hold his hand aloft, she took it.
    Her hand was warm against his, the barest of trembles crossing through her fingers and palm.
    He wrapped his fingers around her own, not caring that Harrington shot him a questioning look and cleared his throat.
    ‘You alright?’ Carson asked her.
    She paused in silence as she stared at the ground by his feet. She looked lost in thought as her eyes swung back and forth.
    ‘Nida?’
    ‘Yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to see you,’ she managed.
    Harrington grumbled. It was loud, and made Nida jump. ‘I thought you said you had something important to tell him,’ he gestured towards Carson. ‘Are you wasting our time?’
    ‘Hey,’ Carson dropped Nida’s hand reluctantly as he turned his full attention on Harrington.
    The guy was big, loud, and sure of himself. He was probably a great security officer. But right now, he was getting on Carson’s nerves.
    The whole Coalition was.
    ‘We’re heading back to the brig,’ Harrington flicked his hand towards the door, ‘now that you two have held hands—’
    Rather than turn pink and feel ashamed at his public display of affection, Carson simply shook his head. ‘You want to stop?’
    Harrington raised an eyebrow. It was a slow move, deliberately designed to be intimidating. The guy also flicked the tip of his nose with one curled up knuckle. ‘What is that, Lieutenant?’
    ‘Commander Harrington, we both know the Captain has ordered you to watch Cadet Harper, not abuse her. Now I don’t really care if you don’t believe us, you’re going to afford her the respect she deserves.’
    Harrington snorted dismissively.
    Carson didn’t let up. ‘She hasn’t been charged with anything, she isn’t your prisoner. And even if she was, you’re a goddamn commander in the Coalition. You should be above belittling people.’
    ‘Don’t you tell me my job, Blake.’
    ‘If you don’t want to be reminded, stop acting like a scared idiot.’
    ‘Excuse me? I’ll report you for that.’
    ‘Go ahead. I’ll report you for threatening your charge. The Captain told you to watch her, not shove her through doorways and constantly put her down. I’ve done the same damn course you have, Harrington, and I know a security officer is at their worst when they treat those under their care as less than them.’
    Before Harrington could react, Nida stepped between them. ‘Okay,’ she kept her hands up, ‘that's enough. Carson,' she looked at him, and though at first the move had been strong and filled with defiance, he watched her shoulders drop, 'I just . . . it doesn't matter. They said we'll reach Earth soon, and I wanted to convene to discuss,' she flicked her eyes towards Harrington warily, 'our story.'
    Harrington considered her coldly. 'Tale, you mean.'
    Carson wanted more than anything to punch the guy, but settled for drawing his hand into a fist instead.
    Nida looked at him and shook her