Page 33 of Craving Stardust

The racket grew louder, rumbling closer.

Fuck. They were coming.

My hearts froze. I slipped from beneath Iris and dressed quickly.

I gave Katie one last pat, stroking her fur as she gazed up at me, winking softly as if she knew. She was a perceptive creature, and I’d miss her.

But Iris. My Iris.

My heart cratered, gouged out with a hole that would never seal over. I’d bleed for the lifetime I’d spend without her.

Returning to the sofa, I stared down at Iris sleeping peacefully, snuggling into the warmth we’d created together.

“Goodbye my love, my stardust.” I kissed my fingertip and placed it on her lips. “I’ll miss you forever.”

FIFTEEN

Iris

Iwoke to the rumble of vehicles on the road. So many. Was the army moving into this area of town?

The army...

Opening my eyes, I jerked upright on the sofa. I pawed at the cushions where Lordek would be, finding him gone.

“Lordek,” I whimpered.

I already knew where he was. He’d left me while I was asleep. He planned to draw them away from me. If he could get his ship’s engines going, he’d blaze over them. They’d follow before he shot toward the stars. He’d leave, and they’d never find him.

They’d question me. No doubt about it. But I could pretend I didn’t know he was here. He must’ve been hiding in my barn, officer. Truly. A green-skinned alien? Didn’t see him.

No, but I’d loved him. I couldn’t tell them that.

I choked back a sob and rose from the sofa. After grabbing my pants, I tugged them on, yanking a t-shirt over my head.

I’d started toward the back door, determined to stuff my feet into my boots and race after him when I turned to face the room.

Yes, that was right.

I raced to my bedroom closet and pulled out a bag, stuffing a few outfits into it, plus the pictures of my parents and grandparents I’d displayed on the bureau. What else?

In the kitchen, I grabbed two boxes of protein bars. The only bag of coffee I had. Should I take water? His ship must have it, though I wasn’t sure how. We’d share. Please let there be enough to share.

My three favorite books.

What else?!

Katie, of course. Was there anything like kitty litter in space? I’d grab what I had, plus an empty bin, and we’d figure what we’d do with the dirty later. I stuffed cans of wet food and a bag of dry into my bag, hoping the device on his ship could create something she could eat when this was gone.

She stared at me, blinking quickly, while I opened her crate, and for the first time, she didn’t protest when I eased her inside.

I couldn’t think of anything else. Actually, I could barely think. Fear had taken over my lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

Who cared about material possessions when the guy I loved was leaving?

Before I stepped outside, I glanced around one last time. Oh, yes...

After lowering Katie’s crate to the floor, I ran to the kitchen table, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote a will. Would such a thing be taken seriously if I wasn’t dead but had left the planet forever? I hoped so.

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