Page 83 of Ava Greasemonkey

“I thought Vox already told you I did not mind,” Orla said emphatically.

Vox interjected, “I did tell her. A sterile agreement cannot come between a heart bond.”

Ava stumbled over her words, feeling awkward as she wrung her hands. “It is good hearing it directly from you as well.”

Orla smiled, her teeth overly large compared to Ava’s. “The contract has been nullified and already negotiations for another have begun. Truthfully, I can’t wait to see what the homecoming has in store for us. I miss home.”

She dropped Ava’s hand to gesture out toward space. “I am so excited to be going back there. Back to Xai. We all are.”

Sai walked up to Ava and leaned forward. She tentatively gave Ava a hug, arms gentle. Ava hugged her back, just as gently. “We are sisters now. Rhutg spoke with us for a long time about the others from your world. We told him Violie would agree with his plans.”

The other women nodded, determination on their faces. All five of them nodded their heads, almost in unison.

Ava swallowed, feeling overwhelmed. “Thank you.” She met each of their eyes in turn.

“You helped rescue us. How could we not feel the same need to reciprocate for you? Thankfully you have males alreadycommitted to the cause,” Wyrl continued, glancing at Vox, while Sai continued to stand by Ava’s arm, gripping it in her hands.

“Not many,” Ava mused.

“You’d be surprised. We do not know what the others have decided. However, you don’t need many.” Wyrl smiled. Her eyes crinkled as she looked at Vox behind Ava.

Vox, still behind her, dipped his nose into Ava’s hair. In between him and the women, who continued to creep closer to touch parts of her, Ava felt closed in again. Ixxi and Bria, the two women she never talked with before, also came near.

She swallowed, her skin feeling like it was crawling. The feeling of wanting to escape began to overwhelm her. Panic rose. She started to put her hands out to keep everyone back.

Ava closed her eyes and breathed, rationalizing with herself.I can do this.She was okay with this once. Being around companionship. This is how it was with her and her sisters before. They’d all slept in a heap with their mother for comfort, sprawled together. Back on that cold planet, it was one of the only comforts they had. With that thought, Ava’s eyes brightened. It was family. Only family members and got this close to one another. She reached out and gripped Sai’s arm back.

“Look at my mind,” Ava said, pushing past her distaste for having them in her thoughts. She needed to forge a new connection to move past the fear. She wanted to show them she understood their desire to connect with her peacefully and gain that ability to be open again for herself. Remaining closed off was not the answer.

The women didn’t hesitate, shining a more muted hue than Vox did at her back. And in that place where there were no words, only emotion, more healing continued. The women shared their dismay at causing her pain and Ava conveyed herforgiveness. The Vorbax, and Ava, understood that family and caring for one another meant the same thing for all of them.

Ava wiped her tears away several times while the women looked on, fascinated.

Chapter 32

“If you are fine, I need to coordinate with the others in navigation. There is a conference call I would like to be present for.” Vox looked at her while speaking. He had not left her side other than when she ordered him away since they got back from the mission.

A part of Ava wanted to trail after Vox, anxious to see what the notes coming in mentioned about her and the Humans, but refrained. She trusted him to have her best interests in his mind now.

Ava nodded, noting the relief in his face seeing her interact with the women. He separated from her briskly. Ava felt his absence once she was gone but steeled herself, turning back to the women. She didn’t need to be watched every second, even if it was by Vox.

After he left, Orla patted her arm. “He is a good male.”

“I know,” Ava said, her heart feeling light.

The women and her continued to talk. They shared several anecdotes about Xai and the Vorbax men. Ava sat, head in her hands, on one of the cushions in the queen’s room, listening and smiling. Their words painted Xai so vividly. Their excitement about going home was contagious, and Ava finally began feeling curiosity about the new planet she would be a part of.

Soon after they made lunch using the queen’s processor, they all agreed to take their talk to the solarium, walking and joking along the way. The halls were silent no longer.

There, Ava lay on the grass, much like she had with Nuor so many cycles before, prior to all this starting. The only difference was the Vorbax women lying beside her, rather than Nuor.

Ava closed her eyes and listened to their talk and laughter, enjoying the warmth on her face.

Sai stretched out, sighing. “I haven’t been somewhere that felt natural for so long.”

Ixxi nodded, speaking the first words Ava heard her say. “I am so glad to be out of that place.”

Bria nodded to agree. She looked away when she caught Ava making eye contact, gazing down at the grass again. Ava felt shyness and a bit of brokenness in her as well in the back of her mind. It made her pause and look at her closer while the other women talked. Ava noted the strained expression on her face, the forced smile.

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