Page 169 of Stars At Dusk

Energy and water-saving appliances featured throughout. The lighting was restrained, highlighting the architectural and sculptural aspects of the home. Shelves showcased rare metals and rocks from all parts of the System. The mix of organic materials and the stunning nature of the surrounding starlit vista made Kage’s haven a timeless haven.

After the obligatory tour of his home, Harlow helped Kage put away their bags and then she slipped into a leisure suit in his vast, lunar-lit bedroom. She rejoined him in the kitchen, watching with a smile as he whipped up a meal of sautéed beef and roasted vegetables.

They ate hungrily, washing their meal with red wine from the valleys of Trente in Galicia’s famous northern vineyards.

After dinner, Kage silently took her hand and drew her to the vast couch in front of the splendid view.

‘Got something for you,kara,’ he said, making her sit as he stalked to the bedroom and returned with a package in his hands.

He handed it to her with a half smile. ‘This is for you.’

‘What is it?’

‘You’ll need to open it to find out.’

She took the square pack from him and unwrapped it to reveal a deep purple velvet box secured with a wide, lavender bow.

Harlow gave Kage a curious glance before undoing the cord around the mysterious box and levering it open.

She gasped, lifting out the purple sapphire pendant and necklace from the confines of the case. Then, staring at it unbelieving, she touched it reverently.

She breathed out. ‘I know you said you’d found it. So much has happened I forgot to ask after it. It looks so amazing.’

‘When I took it from Zipporah, it was caked with dirt and grime. Couldn’t hand it to you in that state, so I had it cleaned for you.’

‘I see that,’ she said in wonder. ‘It’s very kind of you, baby. Thank you.’

‘You’re very welcome,kara,’ he murmured, leaning back into the couch. ‘Still a bit mad at you, though.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you didn’t trust me with your truth. About your past and about losing the necklace. I’d have understood.’

She played with the necklace in her hands. ‘I’m so sorry, Kage,’ she said finally, turning her eyes to him fully. ‘I let fear take control of my actions, especially when you took me to see Zipporah at the justice centre. Seeing her triggered so much darkness inside me, and I took the coward’s way out and threw it in your face instead of dealing with it.’

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. ‘What changed your mind?’

‘A few days away thinking it through, and then almost losing you at Skylab. Seeing you fall through space made me realise I couldn’t live a day without you.’

They gazed at each other for a long time. Then Kage silently reached for the necklace and gestured at Harlow to turn around. When she did, he lay it over her neck and closed the clasp at her nape.

Then he turned her and kissed her long and slowly until she moaned against his lips and pressed into him.

He pulled back with a slight smile, his eyes hooded with need. He bent his head, lightly pressed his lips to hers and leaned back. ‘Before we go there, my love, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. When I was twelve, I was abducted and held by militia aligned with the APO rebels, a group that had risen since the Great Apocalypse as the local mafia. They raided our town and came for all the men and boys in my street. Their leader, someone we called the Beast, used the frequent storms that often hit the jungle we lived in as cover to attack villages and pillage towns. They’d raid homes and abduct children like me in the thick of a downpour. They then made us watch as, over months, they tracked and killed my parents one by one for refusing to hand my brother to their cause. I never saw them or him again, and was now an orphan. Together with the other kidnapped boys, I was beaten and tortured to fight for the militia, and we lived rough in the bush, forced into skirmishes for control, food and water. The Beast himself shredded my cheek as a warning against those who wanted to break free of his hold. I was powerless, angry and seething for revenge.’

‘How did you get free?’

‘It took three years before I was rescued when Edenite troops overran the Beast and his small army.’

‘What happened to him?’

Kage closed his eyes, and when he opened them, it stopped her breath. She saw an unholy flame light up his silver eyes for the first time since meeting him.

‘I killed him,’ Kage said flatly.

‘How?’

‘The Edenite soldiers had found him hiding in a plantation nearby. They dragged him to the town centre and threw him to the ground, close to where they were holding the rest of us. That’s when I saw him reach for something under the folds of his mud-encrusted clothes. I knew where his hand lance was, seeing as he’d cut me up in the past. I knew at that moment he planned to stab the Eden warriors guarding him. So I broke free from the circle the Edenites had us in, rushed at him and used all I had to bear down on him. Even though I was weakened by months of being in the wild with little to eat, I managed to tackle him. Mad with hate and revenge, I grabbed the lance and stabbed him with it.’

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