Page 28 of Jace

He lifted her down, Zeke cooing on her chest as he did.

When her feet hit the ground, he took her hand and led her toward the cabin.

In spite of their fears, it was pleasant here. The shade of the forest all around them was delicious. And the scent of the wood chips mixed with the damp soil made her think of the greenhouses back on Terra-11.

The cabin looked nicely made, with roughhewn logs and a composite roof material that she suspected was designed to gather solar energy. Though with all the trees still around, it was hardly likely to soak up much light.

“Did you go in already?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “But I walked all the way around and did not sense the presence of any biological beings.”

She nodded. That had to be good enough.

They stepped onto the small porch with its two wooden rocking chairs and small table. When they reached the door, she placed her palm on the sensor. It opened slowly, revealing a small but neat interior.

Jace moved inside first. He scanned the room, then stepped aside so that she could enter.

Inside, lustrous wood floor planks and trim were brightened by the pale plaster walls and a colorful rag rug. A small wood stove was set up with fuel and tools and old-fashioned floating light fixtures hovered near the ceiling at intervals.

The living space was all one room. The kitchen, which appeared to have some modern conveniences, took up one side wall, the other was a huge glass window overlooking the woods with a comfortable looking floating sofa in front of it.

A hallway opened up next to the wood stove on the back wall.

“This is lovely,” Susannah said approvingly. “Much nicer than I pictured.”

“I know life is lived more simply on the Terras,” Jace allowed.

She bit her tongue, instead of telling him that her family had lived in a large and modern home.

She would have preferred for them to stay in their old flat in the general commons, after all, rather than doing what they had done to gain credits and win a place in fine society.

“I’d like to find the bedroom,” she said.

His eyes flashed with hunger and her body responded instantly, as if he had her libido on a leash.

“To, um, see if there is a bed for Zeke,” she elaborated, tearing her gaze from his as her cheeks heated.

“Right,” he said. “Let me go first.”

She watched as he navigated the hallway, sticking close to one wall, his whole body taut, as if he were in high alert.

He must have been satisfied with what he found, because he gestured for her to follow.

“Go ahead and have a look around,” he told her, motioning for her to move past him and lead the way.

His big body took up most of the hallway, so that she had to brush against him to get in front.

She shivered against the massive heat of him, wondering if he felt the same.

Don’t think about it.

She forced herself to focus on the hallway. There were three open doorways. She stepped into the one on the left.

“Oh,” she sighed with pleasure.

“This is for Zeke,” Jace said needlessly.

It was clear that the whole room was arranged just for a baby.

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