Page 19 of Claim
He wrapped his fingers around hers, engulfing her hand gently, and he reeled her closer.
Her breath was sweet from the yezo, her body was hot from the dance, a small sun that threatened to burn his restraint to finest ash, leaving a scar deeper than the apex glyph.
She smiled up at him, that Earther expression too alien, the tremulous flutter of the fringe around those dark eyes too weak, and yet he was entranced.When he spun her, letting his cape flare, she laughed—a sound sweet and hot and free.
If only the dance could’ve gone forever.
But there was still preparations for the Luster to be made, not to mention ore to be processed.As the dance came to an end, he stepped away from June and made his way to the command dais.
“Find your rest, my orcs, because before the next uroondu, theDeepWanderwill take its place at the Luster.”
Everyone cheered, as he intended, and for a moment he almost felt it himself.Although that might’ve been the yezo.
Or the reckless pleasure of dancing with June.
As the crew wandered away in twos and threes, he kept an eye for any stumblers and stragglers.Orcs had evolved to be thick-skinned and densely muscled, but they were lightweights with liquor.When the last had trickled away, he turned to go himself.
And of course she was still there.
She was making notes hunched over her datpad, smaller than ever, which was why he hadn’t noticed her.Though he should’ve noticed her, since she was mumbling under her breath, “Don’t forget to add sequins to Teq’s cloak, and switch Sil’s tunic to that black velveteen stuff.Ooh, and more pockets…”
Her quiet litany flowed through his antennae.It wasn’t that he’d overlooked her, small though she was; his orc senses, sharpened by silent blackness, had simply expanded to make her part of his world, as if she was the next step of his evolution, an unquestioned part of his existence, as essential as atmosphere.
And if the moment came, he’d stop breathing rather than risk her.
The constriction in his thorax made his voice rougher than he intended when he grumbled, “Why are you lingering?”He steadied her when she jerked upright with a startled noise.“It’s time to go to bed.”
“Time to…” Her cheeks were more red than when she’d gulped the yezo.“Oh, you don’t mean…” She sighed, deflating under his hand.“Never mind.”
Using his arm, she hauled herself to her feet and turned away to pack her hover cart, then abruptly glanced back at him, brow furrowed.“You aren’t trying to get rid of me because that horrible Illgattoa is calling to threaten you again, are you?”
“No.I will walk you back to your quarters.”
“I’m not drunk.Do you think I’m going to do something wrong?”
He looked away.“All the slymusks are gathered here in the hall.The ship will be too dark for Earther eyes.”
Those quartz-bright eyes blinked up at him in confusion.“I have the light on my datpad.And it’s not that far.”
“I wouldn’t want you to get lost or be frightened.”
For the longest time, she gazed at him.And it was his heart that was beating too fast, as if the drums had never left.
“All right,” she said at last.
They went silently through the empty ship, all the rest of the crew already tucked away.And to his consternation, someone must have guided a slymusk down the main corridor since there was light—not much, but enough—which made a farce of his reason for accompanying June.
But she didn’t say anything about it.When they arrived at her chamber, she sent the cart through the open door then paused to look up at him.In the fading slymusk light, her eyes were almost as large and dark as an orc’s.
“I think it went really well,” she said.“Everyone looks good, and they seem excited.”
“They do.They are.”
She glanced around them, but there was nothing else in the corridor.“And you?”
He tilted his antennae as if there were something to sense.“Me?”
“Are you excited?”
