Page 21 of Stars At Dusk

Harlow mulled over his words for a moment.

‘Thank you for your service,’ she finally said quietly.

He rubbed a hand over his forehead, dragging it down over his face and beard. ‘‘Ppreciate that.’

They shared a long look, one laden with meaning. Finally, Harlow gave him a quick smile and broke their gaze.

She played with the purple sapphire pendant hanging around her neck, something she did when in deep thought.

Kage was beginning to intrigue her. She felt an emotion she couldn’t quite explain rising from within her. It threatened to overwhelm her senses, so she knocked back the rest of her mimosa. Then she promptly locked the strange feeling away behind a door in her heart and chose to ignore it. Maybe it’d be worth exploring one day.

But not today.

The corvette thrusted around Dunia in a broad arc, angling to remain close to the planet as the engines pushed the sleek ship to fast velocity. The gentle hum of flight thrummed through Harlow’s body, pleasantly heightened by the champagne in her system. The burn was steady, delivering continuous thrust, driving the ship onward.

Harlow watched Kage pilot as they approached their destination, Zulu One, the secret garrison in the middle of Dunia’s Zaalalum forest. His light touch helped the corvette navigate through the skies as he performed a series of manoeuvres to slow his craft’s descent and align itself with the landing site. His fingers flew as he deployed the corvette’s landing gear and systems.

‘Sweet Dunia,’ she whispered to herself, all too familiar with the complexity of landing on a tight tract that required a high degree of skill, precision, and coordination.

Harlow felt corvette’s engines power down and a slight jolt as Void set down as light as a feather. The engines rumbled softly and then cut off smoothly.

‘We’re here,’ she heard Kage say.

Harlow felt her heart unexpectedly sink as the gunship’s engines rumbled to a stop.

Did she have homesick blues already?Maybe she was missing Axuma. Her home, apartment, lab, and workmates. That was it. Because she could not possibly be pre-pining about a man she’d barely known for not scarcely 12 hours.

‘Ready, Harlow?’

She looked up from the crash couch at the man looming over her.

She gave him a quick smile. ‘Ready.’

He led her down the gangway to the cargo below. He nabbed her bag, handing it to her before touching a button that lowered the air bridge from the bay to the ground below.

Cool forest air flooded the cargo bay as the view opened to a stunning emerald forest that enclosed a small garrison.

Standing on the landing pad was one of her closest friends, Selene Munene—the Prime of Dunia at large. Selene’s good friend and a colonel in Dunia’s army, Rina, flanked her. Harlow didn’t know her well but had met her socially several times.

Harlow threw off all propriety and ran down the stairs.

She fell into Selene’s open arms. ‘So good to see you, Sel.’

‘Holy Dunia, Harlow, I missed you so much. How was the flight?’

Harlow pulled out of Selene’s arms. ‘The best. Those Sable Group corvettes are beyond.’

‘They are,’ Selene agreed, somewhat nostalgic. ‘Kage find you OK?’

Harlow nodded then instinctively looked back at the hulking man standing at the cargo bay doors of the matte black corvette. His hands were folded over his chest, his eyes hooded, giving nothing away.

On impulse, she ran back up the stairs until she stood on the step below him.

She hooked a finger in his direction, and he tilted his head at her, puzzled.

‘Don’t make me climb you because it will look ridiculous in front of my friends.’

‘What in the actual, Harlow?’ he grunted.

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