Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Maybe you should have listened to Celia when she said it looked wrong, whispered a little voice in his head. The colors were off—you thought so too, but you were so angry you didn’t want to hear her! This is your fault, Fierce—if everyone dies trying to get to JoCosta Twelve, you’ll have to stand before the Goddess and admit your guilt!
But he didn’t have time for guilt at the moment—he had to get them to the nearest inhabited planet and pray they had the resources to fix the ship…or else a way to call home.
Otherwise they were all going to be dead or stuck here at the ass end of a strange galaxy for the rest of their lives.
26
CELIA
The short ride to JoCosta Twelve was one of the most terrifying trips of Celia’s life. Any minute she expected to start running out of air. Hold had gotten up to try and fix the oxygen leak, but he seemed to be having trouble finding it because the scary hissing sound could still be heard coming from the back somewhere.
Celia didn’t say anything to Fierce—he was clearly completely absorbed in trying to get the badly damaged ship to their destination. Also she knew, from dealing with a succession of foster fathers, that men don’t like to be questioned when they’re absorbed in a complicated task. At least, none of the men in her life had. So she left the Dark Twin to his devices. She wouldn’t bother Hold either, unless he asked for her help, but she did need to pee.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Fierce growled as she unfastened her harness with trembling fingers.
“To use the restroom.” Celia said shortly. She stood up but her legs were suddenly so weak and trembly that she almost fell.
“Watch it!” Fierce reached out with his right arm and caught her around the waist before she collapsed.
“Let me go!” She twisted in his grip. “You big pendejo!”
“Call me all the names you want—I’m not going to let you fall,” he growled.
Celia wanted to demand that he let her go again, but she couldn’t make her mouth form the words. When she spoke she heard herself say,
“I thought…thought we were going to die!” And then, to her horror, she started to cry.
Fierce didn’t say a word and his eyes were still glued to the viewscreen and instrument panel but he pulled her close to his right side and wrapped his muscular arm around her shoulders tightly.
Celia didn’t know if this was his way of saying “I’m sorry” for his insensitive remarks earlier or if he was just comforting her to keep her from getting “hysterical” but either way, she appreciated the weight of his arm and the way he just held her.
Tears leaked from her eyes as she pressed her face to his chest and breathed him in, taking comfort in the warm, spicy scent of his skin. She was still angry with the Dark Twin, she told herself—his comment about her having “some other male’s brat” had been extremely hurtful. But for the moment, she was willing to put aside her grievance and be comforted.
A moment later, Hold came back. He stared silently at the two of them for a moment until Fierce said,
“What the fuck are you staring at? Did you fix the leak?”
“I think I got the leak fixed, but our oxygen reserve is still very low,” Hold answered.
“We only need fifteen standard minutes and we’ll be to JoCosta Twelve,” Fierce answered. “Sit down and buckle in, Brother.”
“Is Celia all right?” Hold asked and Celia felt him settle beside her in the passenger seat.
“I think so. Just shaken up. You’ll have to take her in a minute—I’ll need both hands to steer when we land.”
“All right. Come on—let’s get you buckled in again.” Hold reached for her but Fierce’s arm around her shoulders tightened protectively.
“I said you’ll need to take her in a minute. Not yet,” he said tersely. “She’s fine like she is for now.”
“All right.” From the corner of her eye, Celia could see the Light Twin giving her and his brother a speculative look. But he said nothing more. He did, however, reach over and put a hand on her hip, adding his calm and comforting presence to his brother’s energy.
Between the two of them, Celia felt safe and her tears tapered off. Dios, what was wrong with her? She’d been so emotional lately and that really wasn’t like her.
But then again, she didn’t usually go through two or three life threatening experiences in as many days, she reminded herself. Just in the past three days she’d nearly drowned in the bathing pool, had been attacked by an enormous V’ranna, had nearly drowned a second time and frozen to death in the icy indoor river of the grotto, and had been in a near-death experience in a spaceship. So finding herself a little more tearful than usual wasn’t really that surprising. It was a wonder she wasn’t a nervous wreck at this point!