Page 52 of Ava Greasemonkey

Vox exhaled and looked at Ava hungrily. “Come with me, little bird. Lirell, keep an eye on Ebel.”

Chapter 19

Vox took her briskly out of the engine hall and down to a crewmember’s room. Not the one that she had stayed in off of navigation. This one held the sterile look of a room not used for a long time, the air stale and a layer of dust on the cabinetry.

Ava walked in and turned around, watching Vox.

He shut the door behind him and turned around to face her. He inhaled heavily. “I can smell your pheromones.” He cocked his head. “And need.” He walked closer to her until their chests were touching and angled his face down to hers. He put his nose in her hair and inhaled again. “It is a maddening scent.”

Vox’s arms went around Ava and pulled her against him. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, then kissed him in the spot where his neck met his shoulder.

He growled a low sound that reverberated in her core and glowed a dark purple color before taking one of his hands and putting it to her head. He pushed gently, angling her headupward. “I also read in the Phor logs about kissing on lips. We do not do this in our culture, but I would like to try now.”

Not waiting for an answer, he angled his head down toward her, but hesitated.

It was Ava who bridged the gap. Standing on her toe tips, she reached up and pressed her mouth against his.

Ava hadn’t experienced much kissing before. Certainly, none on the Phor ship. The only romantic feelings here came from the books she read. Before she arrived on the ship, she had a few liaisons, but nothing that went far. Just enough for her to have a taste with the few Human males that were kept at her facility. She had been pulled after she matured for manual labor instead of being selected as a breeder herself. After she was classified as a worker, they kept her separated from the males. They only made female Humans after a while anyways, using stored sperm to do so as the males were always sold soon after maturity. Females were more desired and easily controlled. Ava only ever had sisters, never a brother.

The few stolen kisses she remembered were nothing like this one she shared with Vox. His mouth was possessive and all-consuming and evoked a passion in her she’d never known before. She was hungry for more, though she had to break away to breathe after a moment.

He nudged her neck and kissed her there as she looked over him, breathing heavily, running a hand over the delicate frills on the side of his head. They felt soft, like the skin around her ears. Her inspection ended as he moved up and claimed her mouth again, and Ava matched his passion.

Vox broke free the second time, kissing Ava tenderly on the forehead like she did to him earlier. “It is time we stop. It was probably foolish to even start at all.”

Ava’s insides felt all bundled up with want and frustration. She felt wetness between her legs and wanted more. She reached for Vox, but he kissed her forehead again instead and stepped back.

“Little bird, if I start again, I won’t be able to stop. In addition to your mating rituals I looked up how we would fit together, and it would be easy. So easy.” He stepped back farther, breathing heavily. “So very easy. I won’t be able to send you away if I don’t stop.”

“What if I don’t want to stop?” Ava asked, stepping forward. She wanted him, and it made her bold.

His firming on an action was taking place again before her eyes. Already the mood had passed, and she felt him close off. He took a lock of her hair in his hands and ran it through his fingers, trailing the length. “What comes between us must happen after this mission. This will give me a reason to work faster on Torga and find you again.”

“I could go with you,” Ava ventured.

Vox flushed purple briefly. “I would not risk you like that.”

Ava bit her lips. They were tingling from Vox’s attention. His eyes followed the movement.

“I do not want to be sent away, Vox.” She took a deep breath and continued, “If I leave, then there’s a very good chance I will not see you again. That I will never see any Vorbax again. Nuor will try her best, but there is a lot that can go wrong trying to get to your planet, or any place with communications.” She didn’t add that he might change his mind after seeing the female he had a contract with. Or if the worst happened and he didn’t make it back at all. She would be just another Human adrift when she had a chance to make a difference.

Vox listened to her with intense focus. “I will not forget you, Ava. I can allay some concerns. I will send a communication to our planet in the next cycle, before we get closer to Torga, letting them know to expect you.” He moved a hand and cupped herunder the chin. “I will reiterate. The battle will be very risky. I will not chance your safety there. You must go.”

Ava understood a closed avenue when she saw one. She didn’t respond to Vox, but inside, her own resolve firmed.No, I won’t go.

She didn’t argue with him further but stepped forward to give him a hug. Ava understood his need for safety, but he didn’t see the big picture she did. She held him regardless. He would just have to learn through her actions.

She felt two heartbeats under her cheek as she laid her head on his chest, confusing her. She put her hand up to her own chest and compared. Nothing was exactly the same, but they also weren’t too different either.

There was no point in arguing further with him. He wasn’t the one who had final say in the mission anyway. Hopefully Rhutg had less qualms about her safety and more ability to see what she could offer.

And if he didn’t . . . well, she would worry about what to do then.

Vox held her for a minute. It was Ava this time who broke it apart.

“Where are the others? Is Erox still needing me in the med bay?”

“Yes, he would be grateful if you could assist. He has tapped into the medical logs and has been researching the Phor’s healing technology. In some ways it is more sophisticated than ours. We might try to harvest some of the biologics before releasing the ship to study them further.”

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