Page 6 of Jace

“No,” he said. “Not that.”

“No to what, then?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he told her, hating the way her voice caressed him like a lover’s hand.

Everything was coming together now, his response to touching her, her parted lips every time his eyes were on her.

She didn’t even want him escorting her to her land. And now his heart and body were binding him inexorably to her.

“Tails of Tamanka,” he muttered angrily to himself.

“Did I do something wrong?” she demanded.

“No,” he said curtly, eyes on the path ahead.

Here and there, the remains of an old spacecraft dotted the landscape. The moon of Han-2 was known as a sort of graveyard for wrecks of all sorts, due to something about its magnetic field that confused the instruments of the older ships. It hadn’t been a danger to navigation systems in a long time. But some pilots still felt superstitious about it. That was probably the reason the craft that brought the women refused to land.

Some people feared the danger of the moon itself. Others told stories about the restless spirits of those who crashed here generations ago.

Jace thought the whole idea was silly.

“Stop,” Susannah demanded.

He found himself humming to the float-ray automatically, as if her voice commanded his throat. The creature stopped immediately at his gentle urging.

Susannah marched right up to him, standing in front of his float-ray so that he had no choice but to face her.

“I’ve had a very long day,” she told him quietly, her beautiful green eyes flashing with anger. “I boarded a spacecraft, then I jumped out of it into midair. I’ve just met my son and found out I’m going to be living with a stranger for the next twenty years. I’ve started a hike that’s going to go on for who knows how long. And I’ve had to do it all in this stupid, stupid dress. So, either tell me what’s wrong, or get over it now. Twenty years is a long time, so I suggest we start off on the right foot.”

“Why are you wearing that dress?” he heard himself ask her.

Immediately he wished he could take it back. She was already angry. He knew little about women, but what he did know told him you weren’t supposed to question their fashion choices. And there were so many more important things to discuss than the ridiculously low-cut purple gown that kept drawing his eyes to her breasts.

But he must have stumbled into the right question.

Susannah began to laugh again. Her eyes squeezed shut and her shoulders shook as she tried her hardest not to make noise and wake Zeke with her amusement.

For the very first time, instead of feeling off kilter in the presence of someone laughing, Jace felt comforted.

This female liked to laugh. That much was evident from her many jokes.

And if she felt content, then he felt content, even if he couldn’t understand exactly what was tickling her brain.

3

Susannah

Susannah walked through the thick grass of Han-2 as Zeke slept on her chest.

It felt like they had walked for miles, though she was certain only an hour or two had passed. She was exhausted from her long journey and from the adrenaline rush of jumping from the craft.

“Is it normal for him to nap this long?” she asked Jace, indicating the baby.

“He is Imberian,” Jace said significantly.

“That’s right, they do sleep a lot, don’t they?” she mused, thinking back to her training at the agency. “I guess it’s one thing to read about it and another thing to see it.”

She looked down again, smiling fondly at little Zeke’s downy head and soft cheeks. His expression was serious, even in sleep. But he seemed content.

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