Page 16 of Dealing With Drak

At this, he grins. “I have been flying these since I was seven.”

Damn. That’s pretty cool. Or sad? I really don’t know how I feel about Drak’s war accomplishments. On the one hand, it’s massively impressive. On the other hand, it’s not a life a kid should live. He should have had the opportunity to grow up like a child.

“Then we’re in good hands,” I say, giving him a forced smile. “Should we head out? Do you have everything you need packed?”

“I do,” he answers, nodding toward the back of the ship. “Terum filled the storage with food rations, extra clothes, water, and other hu-nim things B’rook gave to him.”

I don’t know what she thinks I need that I wouldn’t have remembered to pack myself, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like we can’t fly back here if we have to.

“And you’re sure that you’re fine roughing it for a few weeks? There’s no fancy showers or spaceship bedrooms where we’re going.”

My family’s land may only be a few hours drive from campus, but it might as well be in the middle of the woods compared to here. Drak grew up surrounded by tech, and I’m about to take him to bumfuck nowhere.

“I do not need fancy,” he replies easily. “I am excited for this hunt. I am very pleased to show you my searching skills.”

His need to impress me is misplaced. I already get it. He’s shown me over and over again how big, strong, and strategic he is.

“Well, we’ll just have to hope there’s someone left alive for you to track, won’t we?”

Drak frowns, shuffling toward me. In a blink, his hands are resting on my collar. The urge to shove him off is immediate, but I ignore it because of his piercing gaze staring deep into my eyes.

“We will find them, An-nana. If you can not hope, I will hope for you, yes?”

For a minute, I’m too hypnotized to respond. It doesn’t last, though.

Blinking at him, I step back, shrugging off his hold on me. “Sure, whatever.”

I can’t look him in the eyes again, not yet.

Shifting on my feet, I nod to the ship. “Can you lift me up?”

I couldn’t scale this thing if I tried. It’s too high off the ground and too slick to climb.

“Of course,” he agrees happily.

His arms surround me without warning, and I yelp as he picks me up with ease. Afraid he’ll drop me, I dig my fingers into his shoulders, only releasing him after my butt is firmly on a cushy seat. He retracts his hands from my hips but leaves our faces only inches apart.

“Thanks,” I breathe, trying to avoid looking at his lips. Fuck, I can’t look at any part of him right now.

Clearing my throat, I move my gaze to my hands. “I’ll show you where to go.”

Drak nods, shutting me into my section of the pod before going around to get into his own. It’s like a car with butterfly doors, in a way. The Aprixian fills out much more of his roomy seat than I do, but he fits into the space without looking like he’s uncomfortable.

Pressing a few buttons as he sits down, a soft purr of the engine begins. “Direct me to your home, Mean One.”

6

Drak

An-nana is a very nice travel companion. She is not as loud and disruptive as Rem but not as stoic and silent as Al’rik. She tells me many vivid directions to lead me to her home, and I enjoy the soothing sound of her voice.

She is very small in the passenger seat of the ship, but she does not jostle around and worry me. It is a smooth ride thus far. With no Urth trees too tall to fly over, we are able to see the ground and use it to navigate.

There is a system in the ship that can locate things but I am not sure that An-nana knows the measurements I will need to locate her home. It is okay though, this way I can hear her as she directs us.

“It should just be straight from here,” she says quietly, her voice more sad than before.

We are starting our search at An-nana’s family home, but she is certain we will not find them there. I believe this to be true as well, having heard my Mean One’s description of them. We agree we must check, just in case.

---