Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
My brother, ever loyal, remains at my side. He holds a hand to his eyes, shielding them from the rain. “Cheer up, Hrrrusek. Once this jungle job is over, we’ll take our credits and head somewhere nice. Maybe go on a vacation. What do you think of the beach?”
“I hate the beach.”
“Mountains?”
“Hate those, too.” We could always come back here with our credits, but that’d just be wasted effort, wouldn’t it? Chelsea isn’t interested in me sticking around. She didn’t say a thing about me staying when I left for the last time. All she did was hug me and wish me a safe trip.
I almost don’t care if the trip is safe or not. Nothing matters anymore. My spirit feels as gray as the sky overhead.
“So what did you think of our experience here?” Jrrru asks in a cheerful voice.
“Shut up.”
“You like being planetside? Get all the fresh air you wanted?” He sounds disgustingly cheerful and it’s getting on my nerves.
“Shut up, Jrrru.”
“I mean, with a send-off like this.” He puts a palm out and catches rain in his hand. “How can you possibly be sad about leaving this ball of dirt?”
I’m going to have to kick my brother’s ass if he doesn’t learn how to shut the kef up. I turn and glare at him, scowling. “Will you be silent?”
“Oh, hey. I bet you forgot something,” Jrrru says suddenly, changing topics.
I know I didn’t forget anything. I didn’t have much of anything in my side of our quarters because I never spent time there. All I had to do was shove my laundry in a bag and grab my spare boots. “I made sure everything was cleaned out.”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure you forgot something.”
Is he trying to piss me off to make me forget my misery? Does he think I don’t know how to pack a bag? I snarl at him. “No. I. Didn’t.”
Jrrru grabs my ear—the one with the ring in it—and forces my head to turn.
That’s when I notice the small form standing at the end of the dock platform. She’s at the base of the ramp, her long hair plastered to her skull and her tunic soaking wet and showing off every glorious curve of her body.
Chelsea.
Longing rips through me, and I fight the urge to purr in pleasure at the sight of her. I dump my travel bag at my brother’s feet and stride toward the wet ramp, wanting to protect her from the view of the other praxiians here. They don’t need to look at her. She’s mine. I feel as possessive of her as I did the other night when she doused herself with noli. As I approach, she lifts her head and her eyes meet mine, and my chest hurts with the realization that this is the last time I’m going to see her.
Ever.
The universe isn’t keffing fair.
“I caught you,” she says, breathless. She has a plas-container held in front of her, just under her teats. Her face lifts as I approach, and under the wet hair clinging to her face, I notice her eyes are swollen and red. “I wasn’t sure if you’d taken off already.”
Even though I shouldn’t touch her, I can’t help myself. I put a finger under her chin and peer down at her. “What’s wrong with your face, Chelsea?”
“Well now, that’s a fantastic greeting,” she manages, and her voice sounds husky and slightly raspy. “You look kinda ragged yourself with all the rain pouring down. She reaches out and touches a tuft at the corner of my jaw. “Your fur is all crazy.”
She’s trying to distract me. “Your eyes?”
Chelsea shrugs. “They’re swollen from, well…it doesn’t matter.” She holds the package in her arms up and shows me a flat packet with a tunic inside it. “You left a shirt at my house and so I washed it for you. I wasn’t sure if I’d catch you but I’m glad I did.”
I take it from her and open the packet. Sure enough, the faint scent of Chelsea touches my nose. I close my eyes, savoring it. I’m never going to wear this uniform ever again. I’ll keep it and breathe in her scent when I miss her the most. There’s also a hint of noli on it, which makes me tingle uncomfortably. That stuff is potent. “Thank you.”
“And I brought some snacks for your trip.” She hefts the plas-container higher. “I wasn’t sure if you’d planned ahead and I know you love my cooking and I thought you might like a little something homemade while you were traveling and so I made you a snack or three—”
She planned ahead? That’s not like her.
“…and…and…” Her mouth purses and then she bursts into braying tears.
Oh no. I pull her against me as the storm thunders overhead, and I curl one hand over her small skull. She’s so fragile, this human. She’s been through so much. I just want to hold her and protect her from the universe. “I’ve got you,” I murmur. “You’re safe.”