by Brey Willows
It was a beautiful story, and Jessa smiled at the romance of it. How rare a pairing like theirs must be.
“What about you? Have you and Kylin…” Sherta raised her eyebrows and grinned.
Jessa felt the heat flood her face. “Cosmos, no.” She tilted her head as she thought. “I suppose, in a roundabout way, our story is a little like yours, except for the love part. I was in a terrible situation, and she saved me. She took me with her when she could have left me behind.”
Sherta’s expression was inscrutable. “And now?”
Jessa sighed and let her shoulders slump. “Now…I don’t know. She’s been exceedingly kind—”
“And she’s as sexy as a Rohemian in a naked stage show.” Sherta wiggled her eyebrows.
“Well, yes, and that.” Jessa smiled. “But I’m afraid I’m a weight around her neck. In the flyer I wasn’t such an inconvenience, but now it will be two of us trying to get to wherever she’s going next.” Jessa hated the thought of being a burden.
Sherta got up to stir the material. “And you don’t want to go to Quasi without her?”
Jessa could see exactly where this was going. “Oh no, you don’t. It’s not that I don’t want to be without her in the way you didn’t want to be without Liselle. I just trust her, and she was checking out the wreckage of my ship. Nothing else.”
Sherta crossed her arms and was about to say something, but before she could the front door opened and Liselle and Kylin came in.
Jessa’s heart sank at the forlorn look in Kylin’s eyes. She wanted to go to her, tell her it would be okay. But she couldn’t cross that line.
“Bad news?” Sherta asked.
Liselle hung up her jacket and set down Kylin’s pack before taking Jessa’s from Kylin and setting it next to it. “The flyer is caked. It’s going to take weeks to get it all cleaned out, and then there’s no telling how much damage has been done to the engine.”
Kylin sat at the table next to Jessa and put her head in her hands. “The thing is, we’re really far away from Quasi. Without a flyer it’s going to take us ages to get back, and I have an appointment I have to keep no matter what. I’m going to have to leave the flyer behind and find another way back.”
How much that hurt Kylin was clear. “And all the things you put on board, to sell at the marketplace?”
Kylin sighed heavily. “I guess I have to leave them behind, too. Most of it is too heavy to carry any distance.”
Liselle pulled Sherta onto her lap and wrapped her arms around her waist. “If you trust us, we’ll drag your flyer into Thalla for you and start cleaning her out. We can store your things until you can come back to get them.”
Kylin looked up, obviously surprised. “You’d do that for me? But I’m a stranger.”
Liselle looked up at Sherta. “Sometimes strangers become the best things in your life.”
Sherta smiled at her and kissed her forehead softly. Uncomfortable with the display of affection, Jessa looked away, but she saw Kylin smile at the scene.
“That would be truly incredible, thank you. I’ll owe you.”
Liselle laughed. “Spoken like a scrounger from Quasi. Here, you don’t have to owe someone who does something just to help you out.” She looked between them. “In fact, there’s plenty of room in Thalla. We could really use someone with your talent for building, and, Captain, I’m sure we could find something you’d enjoy doing here, too.”
Kylin reached across the table and squeezed Liselle’s arm. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the offer, and if things in my life were different I’d take you up on that in a heartbeat. But I have obligations back home. Maybe one day though.” She turned to Jessa. “That’s not to say you shouldn’t stay here. It’s a good place, a safe one. They’ll get news if a transport is planned from the Heathers and they’ll help you get there.”
Jessa wasn’t tempted for a second. “If you go, I go.” She didn’t miss the look Liselle and Sherta shared, but she dismissed it. She didn’t need to analyze the reasons for her desire to stay beside Kylin. She just knew it was where she needed to be. And, of course, she wanted to get back to her crew and figure out the next step.
The fact that it was a side note in her thinking was disturbing, but not something to be dealt with at the moment. For now, she’d concentrate on what Kylin wanted to do next and on helping her do whatever that was. If she hadn’t been determined to check for survivors in the pod, they might have been able to fly ahead of the storm and get out of there. It was going to take longer to get back, and thinking of the extended time with Kylin sent a thrilling, if somewhat confusing, chill through her. Perhaps it was time to start looking at this as a difficult adventure rather than a trial to get through.
Chapter Nine
Kylin stared at the map, desperately trying to figure out the fastest, but safest route. The problem was that those two things didn’t seem to fit together. One route was fast, but certain to get Jessa caught in slaver’s nets. One route was safe, but would take them too long. She told Orlin she’d be back, and she wasn’t about to risk her dad’s safety by being late.
She heard footsteps overhead and rolled the tension from her shoulders. Sleeping beside Jessa had been torture. She’d been fast asleep when Kylin had come in, and she’d been careful not to make too much noise. But once she was under the covers next to her, the scent of her, the way her hair spread across the pillow, and the cute little sounds she made while dreaming all served to make Kylin think thoughts she really shouldn’t be thinking. Like of rolling over and making it so Jessa made entirely different types of noises. When she’d woken later and found Jessa’s thigh pressed against her own, she’d shot out of bed so fast she’d nearly fallen off it, and her thigh felt branded by Jessa’s touch.
Since then she’d been in the kitchen, staring at the map and trying to figure out if it would be possible to leave Jessa behind. Surely she could just refuse to take her with? If she categorically said no, then what choice would Jessa have but to stay behind? After all, Kylin had to come back for the flyer, so she could just pick Jessa up after she’d done what she had to do in Quasi. It was the best idea, but she had a feeling Jessa wouldn’t go for it, though she wasn’t sure why.
Liselle came in, yawning, her hair tussled. She patted Kylin on the shoulder as she passed. “Morning brew?”
“Please.” Kylin waited until Liselle set the steaming mug in front of her and sat down. “Sherta still asleep?”
“I wish. She went out on patrol last night. She won’t be back for another hour or so.”
Kylin looked at her in surprise over her mug. “Wow. Don’t you worry? I wouldn’t have thought you’d be okay with that.”
Liselle shrugged and sipped from her own mug. “Of course I worry. Just the same way she worries about me when I’m on patrol. She may look soft, but let me tell you, under all that gorgeous hair and those perfect curves is a soul of rock. She survived the slavers because she’s stronger than I’ll ever be. I could no more keep her from going on patrol than I could stop the second sun from rising next month.” She tilted her head. “And I wouldn’t want to. I’d never do anything to take away her spirit or independence. She may not be a fighter like you and I, but she’s a fighter nonetheless.”
Kylin sipped her drink and thought that over. She had a feeling Jessa and Sherta were a lot alike. If she forced Jessa to stay behind, if she simply left without her, would that be taking away her choice, her independence? Or would it be protecting her?
Liselle laughed. “I can see the wheels turning in your head, and I have a feeling I know what’s going on in there. If you don’t mind some advice, stop overthinking it. She’s strong and can make her own decisions. Trying to control the situation, or her, will make things very bad for you, my friend.” She winked knowingly.
“I don’t want her blood on my hands if we get caught up in something and she gets hurt.” That was simplistic, but Kylin knew Liselle would read between the lines.
�
��I get that. But like I said, these soft looking women are stronger than Nyxian steel. Leave her behind, and it will hurt her a lot more.” Liselle turned her attention to the map. “Which way you headed?”
Kylin ran her hands through her hair. “I can’t find a decent route.”
Liselle studied the parchment, tracing lines in one direction and then another. “What about the water?”
Kylin frowned. “Going down to the docks seems like a bad idea.”
“Normally, I’d agree.” She tapped the map. “But if you can get on a ship headed for the Falls, you could get off at the edge of the nomads’ lands when they stop to trade. From there it would hardly be a walk at all, if you can’t catch a ride with the nomads in the area.” She leaned forward. “Is whatever you’re running back to so important you can’t stay here and clean up the flyer?”
“Yeah. No other option.” Kylin met Liselle’s serious gaze, and she knew Liselle understood. She nodded once and looked back down at the map.
Kylin searched the map, looking at all the places of potential pitfalls. But of the options, Liselle was right. It was the best one. If, that is, they could avoid the slavers and manage to get on a fairly respectable ship. “Getting past the slavers isn’t going to be easy.”
Liselle rocked back in her chair and grinned. “Unless you blend in.”
* * *
“Are you insane?” Jessa crossed her arms, her eyes blazing. “Because that sounds like insanity.”
Kylin held up her hands. “I know how it sounds. But if you’ll stop and think about it—”
“Only on this planet would disguising me as a slave seem like a good way to travel.”
“Jessa, listen to me.” Kylin waited until Jessa huffed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you.” She sat down beside her. “Liselle is right. The fastest way back is by water, and once we’re on a ship bound for the Falls, we’ll also be fairly safe. But in order to get onto a ship without hassle we’ll have to blend in, and the best way to do that is if it looks like I’ve bought and am transporting a slave. I can’t look like I’m selling because then we’ll garner too much attention. But if it looks like you’ve already been bought, people will be less likely to stop us.”
Jessa stared at her. “It’s ludicrous. And I don’t like it.”
Kylin sighed and flopped backward onto the bed. “If you can come up with another way, I’m listening.” She waited, but there was only silence until Jessa got up and moved to the window. She wasn’t crazy about the idea either, but she was less enthralled with the idea of Orlin showing up at her dad’s place. She needed to get back.
“And there’s no way you can stay here and repair the flyer?” Jessa turned away from the window to look at her. “What’s so important you have to get back quickly?”
Cosmos be damned. Kylin had hoped she wouldn’t ask. The thought of Jessa knowing what kind of life she really led made her feel ill, and she wasn’t about to share information about her dad. Information meant power, and she knew firsthand what someone having that power over you looked like. “I have business. I told someone I’d be back, and I always keep my word.”
“The woman with the sharp teeth. The one you made a deal with to get my crew to Quasi.”
It wasn’t a question, so Kylin didn’t respond, even though that hadn’t been the person she was worried about. Thanks to Jessa, though, Kylin remembered she had Maana to connect with when they got back too. How much more out of control could her life get? It probably wasn’t good to speculate.
Jessa sighed and sat back down next to Kylin. “Okay. I can see the logic. You’ve done nothing but steer me right so far. If you really think this is the best way, I’ll go with it.”
Kylin stared at the ceiling. “The best way is for me to go alone, and for you to stay here in Thalla with these really nice people in this really safe city.” She sat up and looked at Jessa. “If I promised to come back for you as soon as I could, would you stay?”
Jessa stared down at her hands for a few minutes before responding. “You saved my life. You could have let me run past, but you didn’t. And you’ve made a deal you’ve already suggested isn’t beneficial to you with that woman, a deal you made to help us.” When she looked up, tears were running down her face. “I feel safe with you, and if you’re willing to keep me around, then I’d rather be mostly safe with you than completely safe without you.”
The unexpected and clearly heartfelt response left Kylin speechless. Being someone’s safety blanket was a hell of a responsibility, but she’d live, at least until she delivered Jessa to the Heathers. She gently wiped away Jessa’s tears. “Then I think we need to borrow some clothing.”
Together they went downstairs. Liselle was in the living room looking at a vid screen, and Sherta lay on the couch beside her, her head pillowed on Liselle’s lap as she slept.
“Agreed?” Liselle asked.
“Agreed.” Jessa still didn’t look happy about it.
“Clothes are in boxes in the kitchen.” Sherta spoke with her eyes still closed. “Try some stuff on and we can help you make sure it’s right before you leave.”
They headed to the kitchen and dug into the boxes without speaking. It was extremely clear which boxes were meant for which role.
Jessa held up a short, sheer dress that left little to the imagination. “Tell me why I can’t be the owner and you the slave?”
Kylin smirked and nodded at the material in Jessa’s hands. “I think I’m a little too tall and muscular to pull that off. And, frankly, no one on the planet would believe you could overpower me. Not to mention you’re clearly an outsider, and outsiders here are always considered weaker.”
Jessa put her hands on her hips and glared at her. “I’ll have you know I’m trained in level three combat.”
Kylin grinned and moved around the table toward her. “And have you ever had to put that combat into practice?” She moved closer and looked into Jessa’s eyes. “If I grabbed you right now, like this,” she grabbed Jessa’s wrists and twisted them around so that Jessa’s back was pressed against her, “what would you do?” she whispered in Jessa’s ear.
Jessa tried to yank her arms away, and then went to stomp on Kylin’s foot, but Kylin knew it was coming and moved. Her height and weight advantage were enough to make it so Jessa couldn’t get any leverage. When she finally stopped struggling and slumped against Kylin’s chest, she let her go and squeezed her shoulders. “And that’s why we’ll be playing the roles we’ll be playing.”
She turned away, and then the world went sideways as Jessa kicked at the back of her knees and got her right arm twisted behind her, turning her so she hit the floor facedown. Jessa’s knee pressed into her back. “Never underestimate a woman used to commanding a ship through space.”
Kylin laughed, more than a little turned on. “Yes, ma’am.”
Jessa got up and sighed. “But I take your point.” She turned back to the boxes. “And I’m wearing the least offensive thing I can find.”
It took them a little while longer to find what they were willing to wear, and when they went back into the living room, Sherta and Liselle were talking softly.
Sherta stood and went to Jessa. “I’ll help you dress. It’s important you get it right.” She led Jessa away into a different part of the house.
Liselle cocked her head. “I’ve got something you need to see.” She held up a folded piece of paper. “We had a feeling you might want to see it alone first.”
Kylin frowned and took the paper. When she saw what was on it her knees went weak and she sank onto the couch. “Cosmic shit.”
“Yeah.” Liselle nodded at it. “Want to tell me what it is?”
Kylin reread the words printed in bold under an old picture of her.
Reward: 20,000 linari to bring fugitive back to Quasi alive and relatively unharmed.
The contact was listed as Orlin. “I don’t get it. He didn’t want me back until sometime next week. Why would he put a reward out for
me?”
“Sherta did some quiet asking around. It seems you owe this person a debt, but someone saw you leaving Quasi in a flyer, so there’s an assumption you were running.”
Kylin’s stomach churned with anger and frustration. “I hadn’t even considered that that’s how it would look. I just planned on checking the wreckage and then heading back.”
“Twenty thousand linari is a hell of a reward.” Liselle spun a small wooden ball on the table, not looking at Kylin. “That could get someone into a new life.”
The saliva dried in Kylin’s mouth and every muscle tensed. “Tempted?” Is that why Sherta had taken Jessa into another room? So Kylin couldn’t grab her and run?
“Dumb prowler.” Liselle grinned. “If we were tempted we wouldn’t have told you about it. I just wanted to mess with you.” Her expression turned serious. “That said, there were others who were with me when we brought you in. They’re good people, but that’s a lot of money. So we’d better get you on the road fast. Are you going to tell Jessa?”
Kylin closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Would you?”
“Doesn’t matter what I would do.” She shrugged. “Sherta says you’re not even together, right?”
“Right.” Kylin wasn’t about to say she’d been thinking about that subject herself. “And that means I don’t owe her any explanations.”
Liselle looked like she didn’t agree. “But she’s in this with you, and she should know that you have to watch your backs, and not just from slavers.”
The fact that she was right was as bitter as lickweed. “She knows we’re watching our backs. Maybe that’s enough.”
