Page 75 of Irene

“Excellent. Our staff will put them in your suite. We’ll have to take her shopping, Fekeg. She’ll need clothes to grow into.”

“Oh, we’ll take her to Imdiko Ileg. He’s the best designer on Kalquor.”

In Clan Vinin’s shuttle, Irene managed to extricate herself from the doting Fekeg and Kopo to sit among her own clan. They sat in a comfortable cabin, the two clans facing each other, as a hired pilot flew them from the spaceport.

It felt odd to call Sherv, Jemi, and Rusp her clan. Surreal, as if she’d wandered to an alternate universe. Sometimes she expected to wake up in her apartment on the Beonid station to discover it had all been a dream.

A tumultuous, sometimes sweet, sometimes awful dream.

Jemi slid his arm around Irene’s shoulders hesitantly, as if afraid she’d refuse his touch. She leaned against him. Her need for comfort in the unknown overrode the angst that had plagued her on the destroyer. His hold on her tightened, and he rested his cheek on her head.

On her opposite side, Sherv glanced at them. He didn’t try to claim the closeness they indulged in. Instead, he grabbed his com and tapped a message.

“I was hoping Parlek would have sent us some news while we were out of communication,” he murmured. “Nothing. I’ll message him.”

“Who’s Parlek?” Vinin’s expression was politely interested.

Sherv concentrated on his device, refusing to meet his fellow Dramok’s gaze, though he answered readily. “An entertainment manager. He was excited about our music when he caught our act. He’s shopping our demo to recording companies.”

The parents did their judgmental exchange of looks again. Irene concentrated on breathing to quell a flash of temper.Be nice to the in-laws who are giving you a place to live and paying for the lawyers to keep you clanned to these guys.

Sherv sent the message. They sat silently, parents and younger clan gazing at each other, smiling awkwardly…except Ezrob and Rusp, who kept their expressions noncommittal. Ezrob’s attention shifted between Irene and his son. Rusp, who sat on Jemi’s opposite side, watched the cloud-filled window vid.

At length, Kopo inquired, “How have you been, Jemi? Has the palsy been any trouble?”

“Not really. The medication is working well to ward off relapse.”

The conversation continued, stiff and polite, until they reached Clan Vinin’s home.

Irene stepped off the shuttle and inhaled the scent of the ocean. She stared at an emerald green sea and turned slowly.

She was on an island. The shuttle sat atop a level landing pad at the highest point of what she guessed was a twenty-acre spread of land. The shuttle was one among at least two dozen craft of various sizes.

“A nice change from canned ship air?” Vinin chuckled.

“Amazing. You live here?” She saw balconies and walkways, but no buildings.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Though sometimes I do miss being able to walk to stores and restaurants, as I did when I lived as a girl on the mainland. But this is too wonderful to wish I still lived there.” Fekeg sighed in pleasure. “I’ll give you a tour later. Sherv and Jemi’s parent clans are eager to meet you.”

“They’re here?” Irene’s stomach dropped, and she swallowed against a rush of nausea.Easy, baby. So far, so good.

“It was difficult convincing them to not come to the spaceport to greet you. Ezrob explained the less civilians giving the fleet a headache, the better.” Vinin winked at his Nobek.

Ezrob sounded bored. “I was concerned we’d have to deal with Nil himself. From the exchanges we’ve had, I thought he might have become obstinate if he had three clans in his face demanding why Irene was chased around the galaxy and treated as a common prisoner. It might have made him less inclined to give you up without a direct order from his superiors.”

It was on the tip of Irene’s tongue to remind them their son and his clan had also been treated like criminals. Jemi squeezed the hand he held. His look warned her to silence.

Sherv’s com chose that moment to buzz. He checked it. “Text from Parlek.”

Irene, Jemi, and Rusp crowded around him to read. Irene couldn’t since the message was in Kalquorian. Sherv whispered the translation. “‘I’m work on a few angles. Won’t tell you the details so I don’t want to jinx it. Work on more songs until you hear from me.’”

They exchanged disappointed looks. Rusp snorted. “He gets nowhere.”

“And he’s too much a coward to tell us.” Sherv sighed and tucked his com in his belt pouch. “We tried.”

“Are we going in?” Vinin called from several feet away. “The other grandparents-to-be are waiting.”

Irene’s nervousness about meeting Sherv’s and Jemi’s parents proved unfounded. They were every bit as thrilled over her as Clan Vinin had been and determined to prove it. It was a relief, because Sherv’s and Rusp’s parents were obviously wealthy. As in, super wealthy. It was in their clothes, and Rusp’s parent’s home left no doubt they had tons of money. She was stunned to learn Clan Vinin owned the entire island the house burrowed within.

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