Page 50 of The Stolen Tribute
TWENTY
KYLIE
Jaxir’s ship, which they fondly named the Stolen Rogue (aka Starship Black Falcon), was a home I’d never imagined before.
I woke up in Jaxir’s arms, his warm skin against mine. I opened my eyes to see stars outside the porthole; the odd comet or far-off planet would sometimes pass by, too. Now, this was a life better than anything I’d dreamed of.
I sat up and stretched, rearranging the silver sheets around us.
Jaxir was still fast asleep, so I didn’t bother him.
Instead, I threw on a soft robe and wandered to the portholes, watching the stars go by. They were millions of lightyears away, but somehow they felt close enough to reach out and touch.
I wandered to the computers, wondering if there were any messages for me. Trex, the other Zexian aboard, was very tech-savvy and helped me send an encrypted message back to the Zexian mothership.
There was only one person in this world that I wanted to get in touch with, and that was Sue. I couldn't imagine what she was going through after I'd vanished with Jaxir.
If the roles were reversed, I would have been worried sick about her. The guilt hadn't hit me until recently. How long had I been gone? How did we measure time out here anyways? If my messed up circadian rhythm was any indicator, it must have been at least five Earth days.
I sat down at the ultra-thin computer screen and tapped the buttons to start it up. I’d learned so much about Zexian tech in the past day that it left Jaxir and the others incredibly impressed. To me, a well-designed system was the same as any other.
I pulled up the holographic keyboard and checked my messages. I didn’t suspect that Jaxir or his crew got many messages because they were on the run most of the time. All communication between Jaxir’s ship and the outside world had to be heavily encrypted to ensure they weren’t found. I could only hope that one day his name would be cleared, and he wouldn’t have to live that way anymore.
I tapped the screen where Trex had set up a folder for me.
There was a response from Sue.
My heart jumped with joy as I tapped the message. It was simple, all it said was:Call me as soon as you get this. I have a private line… ; ) My Zexian hubby spoils me…
I grinned. Of course, Sue would be living the good life already.
I tapped the connect button and waited. Jaxir’s ship had no video calling for security reasons, so voice-mode would have to do.
Called connected … a robot voice said.
“Sue?” I spoke against the microphone hesitantly.
“Kylie!” Sue squealed so loud I had to turn down the speakers.
I could almost cry. Hearing her voice reminded me of home. It took me back to a less complicated time, back when all I cared about was online rankings and getting up in time for work.
“I was so worried about you!” She said.
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “What about you? Are you good? Is your mate good to you?”
“He’s wonderful,” Sue sighed. “He’s such a romantic guy, for a warrior I mean. He doesn’t talk much but, he’s such a sweetheart. This Tribute Bride thing is a pretty sweet deal, to be honest.”
I let out a breath. “That’s good. I was worried that he would be a jerk.”
“Girl! How could you be worried about me? You’re the one who disappeared? The humans on the mothership are still talking about it! So are you going to tell me what happened?”
“You promise not to say anything to anyone? I don’t know if they’d try to chase me down.”
“Promise,” Sue said.
Then, I told her everything from beginning to end. From the moment I disappeared from the ceremonial dinner to Jaxir’s rescue and right up to now. She listened in silent awe the entire time. The only thing that gave me an indication that the call hadn’t failed was her occasional gasp.
“Kylie,” Sue said once I’d finished. “Kylie, that’s incredible.”
