Page 68 of Sunastara & the Venusian
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised when it was Reya who replied.
“Thank you.” Her voice was quiet but unwavering. “It’s wonderful to meet all of you as well.”
When I shifted my gaze from Reya back to Tano, a sudden chill skittered across my neck. Despite his bland expression, there was an intimidating sharpness about him.Also, he looked strangely familiar. Something about his eyes, his cheekbones.
When he squinted back at me, suspicious, I gave him my best approximation of an unconcerned smile. Freddie took a moment to introduce himself then, his hands remaining in his pockets. Which reminded me of the night I’d found him in his pod, in his gray sweatpants, his hands sliding into his pockets like they were now?—
I closed my eyes, forcing my heart to remember, to hear the name again.Serena, Serena, Serena.
“Let me show you to your suites,” I said, needing to be anywhere but standing this close to Freddie. And while the FFKs gathered their bags, I leaned over to whisper into Chan’s ear. “You should cruise by Makenna’s pod while you’re wearing that fantastic suit.”
“Ooh. Good idea,” he whispered back.
When I straightened again, I sensed Freddie standing beside me, closer, that gravity between us pulling me toward him. It was so much harder than I’d thought it would be, not speaking to him, not having his friendship, his support, let alone anything else. Let alone his hands or his lips or his body moving over mine.
Stars above, he made me weak. When, right now, more than ever, I needed to be strong.
Gathering myself together, I said, “Please, follow me,” to the FFKs. Then I marched straight out of the docking bay without looking back.
After I showedTano and Marisia to their shared suite, I led Axel, and then Reya, to their private rooms.
“This is very nice,” Reya said, running her fingers over her bed linens. “Thank you, Sunastara.”
“Please, call me Sunny. And you are more than welcome. I’m glad you find the room adequate.”
“It’s more than adequate,” she said, wide-eyed. “I have never seen such a beautiful room, let alone slept in one. I was raised on a ship, although one much smaller than this. It feels good to be back off planet.” Her silky, sable hair—just brushing her chin on one side and hanging to her collarbone on the other—slid forward as she examined the stitchwork on her comforter.
“Who are you training with during your stay?” I asked, my fingers crossed behind my back.
“IT, I believe. Someone named Tig?”
My smile was instantaneous. Of all the FFKs, Reya would have been my pick to work with Tig. She was young, talkative, and not at all intimidating. If Tano had been assigned to IT, I might have rioted on Tig’s behalf. “That’s wonderful,” I said. “Tig is one of my dearest friends, and she is excellent at her job. I’m certain you will learn a lot from her.”
Reya toyed with the comforter, her gaze rising to meet mine. “Sunny, I know how much of a risk it is for you to have us here. I know of my planet’s reputation. And I appreciate you—all of you—so much. All I want is to make our planet safer, stronger, with more legitimate opportunities for young people like me.”
I wasn’t knowledgeable enough in the ways of Known Universal commerce to deduce what LunaCorp’s long game was with Kravax, but one thing I did know was that I believed her. This was what she thought was best for her planet. And if I could believe Reya, maybe I could believe the rest of them too.
“Take some time to get yourself situated,” I said, taking a backward step toward the door. “Dinner is in two hours with the rest of the crew. The refrigerator and minibar are stocked, and there is fresh kurot milk next to your bathtub.”
“Fresh what?” Reya snorted, then she laughed, hard.
I frowned. “Is that funny?”
“I’m so sorry,” she said with a hand over her mouth, still laughing between her fingers. “But only my ancestors bathed in the milk of kurots. That tradition has not been practiced in centuries. Where in the worlds did you find fresh kurot milk?”
My mouth could not have opened wider if the kurot currently stinking up the Cosmic Spectacle stables had just stomped on my foot. “You have got to be kidding me.”
When Reya dissolved into laughter again, I laughed a little too.
“I had the thing shipped all the way from the CAK,” I admitted. “And they only had one because of LunaCorp’s new interplanetary petting zoo in their Central Park. It was pure luck that she happened to be female.”
“Orion’s eye,” Reya exclaimed. “I’m so sorry to put you through all that trouble. But, if I’m being honest, Tano is very old-fashioned and still holds to many outdated customs and beliefs”—she didn’t roll her eyes, but I could tell that she wanted to—“and superstitions. He might enjoy bathing in kurot’s milk.”
Giving her a little bow, I said, “Then it has all been worth it.”
When I left Reya’s room, I walked away far less worried about the FFKs than I’d been before their arrival. But now I had two hours until dinner with little to do. I should go to my pod. I should catch up on sleep while I could. But being alone right now seemed dangerous.
I commed.
