Page 49 of Across The Stars
Turning to Innifer, I gestured for her to follow me out. She did so like a robot. When we had left the council chamber, I could hear her pulse thrumming with uncertainty. I walked fast and she moved against the soreness in her bones to keep up. When we arrived back at the room, she let out a breath like she’d been suffocating till that moment and started to pace, raking her fingers through her bright blue hair.
“I’m going to prison,” she said. “Can I survive prison? I’m tough, right? I can survive. Even a plastic fork can be a shiv. Is that what you call it? Shit, I did not prepare for this. I mean, I’ll kick someone’s teeth out if I have to, but do I want to? Shit, shit, shit.”
“Perhaps my people can vouch for you,” I said. “Help reduce your sentence.”
“Because that woman seemed to like me so much? No, this was such a big mistake. I thought I could have a life in space. You know what a stripper is on Earth? Nothing but a stripper,” she said with a slightly maniacal laugh. “I literally took my clothes off in front of horny men and they gave me money for it. Don’t get me wrong, some ladies do it because they love it, but that wasn’t me. I didn’t have one redeeming quality when I handed in those fake papers to get to the Nexus. Not one. I’m not a linguistics major. Not a pilot like my dad was. I never finished my degree and—”
“Pilot like your father?” I said, cocking my head. “Did he serve on the Nexus?”
“Yeah. You can look him up. Perry Saint. He rescued a bunch of people. Me? I can’t even live up to a third of his name.”
She plopped down on the bed, burying her face in her hands. Her distress was radiating throughout the room and some primal instinct inside of me wanted to fix it. She was in a mild state of panic and I itched to ground her and take that burden away. I had to bite back the urges and physically step away to collect myself. Comforting a criminal should not have been my priority.
“I’ve heard of him,” I said, clearing my throat.
“You have?”
I nodded. “My position requires me to absorb a lot of information. I recall the name in my studies. Perhaps we can build a case on his name. Whether you think you’re worth a second thought or not, I’m sure your father’s reputation can help you.”
“Using my father’s honor to get me out of trouble? Can I be a worse human being?”
“Honestly? Yes.”
“Not helping. And why do you care? Why would you want to help? You don’t know me.”
I’m starting to.
I wanted to say it. Or at least a part of me did, but I didn’t. I couldn’t get in too deep or I would not be able to get out at all. In truth, it was taking a lot of control not to reach out and touch Innifer in hopes of feeling that high again. The surge. The need to have her. it was a good feeling, but a very distracting one. One I couldn’t afford to have when the very creatures that put the handicap on my race were making moves against us again. It was too dangerous to be sidetracked. Too dangerous to be attached. Not just for me, but likely for her.
“Why should anyone care?” Innifer mumbled to herself.
“Because I genuinely believe you did not intend to harm anyone with your lie,” I said. “You protect your friend well enough. You are a good person and your actions did not cause anyone harm. I don’t wish you to suffer for it.”
“Well,” she said, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Finally, she stood, collecting herself. Her eyes were a bit red and puffy like she was about to cry, but she held it back as she stepped toward me. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate that. I mean, why the Nexus is focusing on a couple of girls with fake IDs over a freighter that was literally blown to pieces by aliens is beyond me, but somehow, I’m not too surprised. Humans have never had their priorities straight.”
She paused for a moment, biting her bottom lip in a way that I regretfully found appealing. I watched until she abruptly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
I was caught off guard when I felt her breasts push against my chest. She pressed her cheek to my shoulder and sighed, her arms going around my waist. Immediately, heat washed through every vein in my body. My hearts vibrated in time with each other and a ripple of sensation reached my cock, urging it to life.
“Sorry,” she said. “I don’t know if you guys do hugs, but I’m feeling really vulnerable and royally fucked so I needed this.”
I swallowed, staying completely still in an attempt to block out the addicting sensations teasing my body. Then, when I heard her sigh again and felt her body relax, I couldn’t help myself. She was so soft and worried and, judging by her instinct to protect her friend when we’d found them on that broken ship of theirs, she was strong and brave. I wanted to wrap her up in my embrace and coddle her.
I found my arms slowly rising to wrap around her. I dipped my head, smelling the soft, sweet scents of her hair. It felt so foreign to me. To crave someone that wasn’t of my own kind. To crave anyone at all. I still didn’t know if it was a good feeling or something burdensome. It had to be a mistake. Already, she was clouding my thoughts.
Innifer drew back before my arms could wrap around her, staring at my chest.
“What…” she said. “Do you have two hearts?”
I nodded. “We all do. We call them kraetal and paetal.”
I did not tell her that not everyone’s beat like mine were. That was entirely the fault of the surge and I didn’t want to load her with that information. Not yet.
Maybe never.
24: Vahko
I could feel the effects of the surge sending shocks of excitement through my veins and tried my best to ignore it while Innifer was still wrapped around me. She was human and I’d never heard of humans experiencing such exaggerated reactions. She would not comprehend it and the last thing I wanted to do was frighten her.
