Page 9 of Seducing Jenny
“What changed?” Discord asked.
I smiled as Jenny approached us. “I met the right people.”
Jenny reached us and asked, “Are we ready to go?”
“We are,” I said, and nodded to Discord. “Thank you for your trust.”
She inclined her head. “Thank you for the same.”
Jenny and I boarded the onworlder. As I adjusted the settings, I glanced at her. “One day, I’ll have to teach you how to drive one of these.”
She laughed. “I can barely see over the dashboard, Tiger. How would I drive one?”
“We’ll get you a booster seat,” I teased.
She smacked my arm playfully, then fastened her lap belt.
I drove us through Ladrille toward the city dump, carefully weaving around the city streets, though there wasn’t much traffic. The last of the sunslight faded, replaced by cool moonslight that glinted off the onworlder’s hood. As I turned near a city park, I noticed a gray onworlder that had been behind us for a few streets.
After a short while, Jenny asked, “How are you holding up?”
I knew she was referring to Mal and I gripped the controls tighter. “If I’m being honest, it feels like déjà vu, like when they took you and Mal before Illiapol. Except this time he’s not in a royal prison and I don’t have a clue how to save him.” The truth of those words scraped at my throat. “I’m going mad trying to figure all of this out, so I’m trying to focus on the drive and the surroundings and the woman beside me.”
Jenny leaned against me and wrapped her arm around mine. “Thank you for that.”
I glanced at her. “For what?”
She grinned up at me. “Admitting you’re not as cool and calm as you look right now.”
I laughed. “I am neither cool, nor calm. This is me keeping my shit together, so I don’t wreck Mal’s onworlder.”
“Whatever the reason, thank you.” She kissed my shoulder and held tight.
The city dump came into view, rising from the dark like a fortress.
“Hard to believe we were here such a short while ago, and how much has changed,” I said.
Jenny nodded in agreement. “Most definitely.”
I parked near the entrance and we got out, trying not to inhale too deeply of the awful stench as we walked toward the dump’s office.
“Look ‘et that! It’s the pretty lit’le cina who won me a fortune!”
Boundless ran toward us and picked Jenny up in her arms, hoisting her over her head like she was a small child, while Jenny flailed in shock. Boundless’ black skin shone under the spotlights around the dump and her hair was newly dyed purple and twisted around her head.
“You’re me new favorite human,” she said as she set Jenny down gently. “What can I possibly do fer you?”
I laughed at her exuberance. “Boundless, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in such a good mood.”
“I ai’ never been in such a good mood, ‘oy. But I bet on this lit’le cina for Illiapol on a whim, and the odds,” she lifted Jenny up again and licked her cheek before she put her on her feet once more, “made me a staggering amount uh money.”
Jenny grimaced in disgust and wiped her cheek off. “What the hell was that for?”
“Well, I wanted to bite you fer what you did, but I thought Tiger there might take offense to me flirtin’ wit you like that.”
Jenny looked at me with such a stricken expression that I had a hard time not laughing again. “Uh, that’s great, Boundless. Our ship is still here?”
“Aye, ‘course. Freshly washed from gratitude for that lit’le miracle you travel wit. Can I do anything else fer you?”
