Page 18 of Lashe

He shook his head. “Possibly, but they will likely think that we became lost in thedarkspacechannel and check possible exitpoints that we might have been spit out of. Wormholes are tricky like that.”

“Maybe our distress signal will reach someone.”

“Maybe it will.” But he didn’t sound like he thought it likely.

“For now, let’s just focus on dinner,” I said, and he followed me out of the small operator’s station and stood in the main cabin, looking a little lost. “Have a seat.” I gestured towards one of the chairs. “I’ll just get something for both of us. You’re right, with the subsistence menu activated, we’re not eating gourmet.”

He winced. “I had your favorite meals all loaded and prepped in the machine, too.”

The replicator dispensed some sticky gray patties that looked revolting, but I took them back to the table between the chairs and placed them down. “See? That’s my point. You know all my favorite foods. I don’t know any of yours. You do eat, right, or is it onlylamifor you?”

“As you’re aware,lamitastes like the most delicious thing to Destran senses. But I do enjoy certain foods and drinks. I likecalieaale andgracianice meat.” He picked up the gray thing on his plate with a look of distaste. “This is not one of my favorite foods.”

I chuckled and took a bite of my bland patty. “Mine, either. Shocking, how much options are limited when water is rationed.” The reminder made me lose my appetite all of a sudden. Trapped on an asteroid that might be alive and wanted to kill us wasn’t much of a mood lifter. And yet, here I was, on a date with a Destran. When I thought of it like that, this was the most ridiculous thing we could be doing.

“Maybe this was a bad idea. I’m sorry, Lashe,” I said. “I shouldn’t have taken you from your scans.”

He looked up and gazed at me with an intense look. “I disagree,” he said. “I enjoyed this meal more than any I’ve had in recent memory. Not the food, of course. But the company.”

“This situation is too dire for us to be here making small talk.”

His fingers came up and skimmed my cheek. He turned my chin, bringing my face to his. “Is it really so bad to find enjoyable moments in a dim situation?” he asked in a soft, deep voice. “I don’t think so. Worst case…” He shrugged one shoulder. “We would regretnothaving spent time together.”

He had a good point. I nodded, even though I felt tears gathering in my eyes. “You’re right. No regrets.”

He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine, sending a spray of sensation tingling over my skin. “Never have regrets.” He rose to his feet. “But I will get back to those scans because I fully intend to avoid the worst-case scenario.” He dropped his plate in the waste slot and returned to the operator’s station.

I took a moment, gazing at his wide, firm shoulders and allowed myself a single swoony sigh. It was a lot to wrap my head around. I couldn’t believe that this stunning male wasmine. I had a feeling it would not take much for me to become his.

CHAPTER 10

Lashe

Ikept some distance between Anna and me. “Distance” was a relative term in our situation. The quarters were so close it was impossible to not bump into one another at every turn and I could not completely ignore the urges that pounded through me. Every time I saw her, I wanted to touch her. Every time I touched her, I wanted to kiss her. And so on.

But Anna was very correct about one thing. I knew her very well. I knew her likes and dislikes. I knew the way her voice changed pitch when she was uneasy and the way she started using short sentences when she was angry. I knew when she had a new male companion by the way she styled her hair. I knew the kind of jokes she laughed at and the kind of humor she found disgusting.

She did not know me at all, and that was my fault. I could not blame her for hesitating with me. I didn’t think I’d ever laughed in her presence. I had taken pains over the last five years to hide my feelings and even my personality. I’d certainly never sharedwith her my deep homesickness for Destra or the loneliness I felt on the lunar space station between trips back to my home world.

I was determined now to show her who I was. When I was not working on the ship’s systems and monitoring the asteroid’s surface conditions, we talked. It took time to reboot the shuttle’s systems every time I attempted a system repair. That meant plenty of waiting. I made use of every moment of it and she did not spurn my company. I tried not to read too much into the way her eyes brightened when I approached her or the smile she had on her lips when I spoke to her. When I sat near her, she did not pull away. I considered that a hopeful sign.

We could not just sit and wait for help. We might be too far away for the distress signal to reach anyone and it was even possible that the life form in the asteroid could somehow block it. We had to get the ship up and running ourselves in case help never came.

“Tell me about your parents,” she asked at one point, gingerly nibbling one of the dwindling meal choices we had. “Did they miss you when you became my transport operator?”

“My parents did not survive the attack on our Solas,” I replied. “I’m speaking of the one that originally blew all seven apart and separated my people for a time.”

I made a placating gesture when her face crumpled with pain and she shook her head, murmuring, “Oh, no.”

“It’s was a long time ago,” I said. “Many,manyDestrans lost their lives and our Solas took great damage. I was a mature warrior when that happened. Not a child. I accepted their loss and I grieved.”

My words did not take the furrow from her brow. “But your parents were killed,” she said. “That’s just awful. I don’t know if I would be able to get over such a sudden loss, especially if you were close.”

“You don’t get over it,” I said, thinking through my own feelings on the matter. “But you continue going, and with time, the pain eases.” I ran my thumb over my jaw, thinking back on the days following that terrible attack. “I was a warrior with battles to fight and a Sola to protect. Grief and anger fueled some of my determination to keep safe those who remained.”

“I imagine you were not alone either,” she said.

“I was not. Many lost loved ones. Young and old and those in the prime of their life. We were fortunate to survive. And it was also our responsibility tostayalive and keep our civilization going.”

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