Jess eyed the sand that dotted her torso. “Gross. I have to get in the shower first. Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
“Are you sure?” Eva asked.
“Yeah. Will you let Rasha know I’m running late?”
“Sure.”
Jess quickly showered, feeling better than she had in a long time. The strain of suppressing what she’d been through no longer weighed down on her.
Maybe I can have a normal life?
Halfway to the dining hall, she spotted Marcie coming her way. She would have loved to inform Marcie she had just spent the afternoon wrapped in Rasha’s arms. But it wasn’t her place. She would leave it up to Rasha to divulge the information himself.
Marcie stopped directly in front of her, blocking her path. “I’m pregnant,” she said triumphantly.
Jess caught her breath. Her mind swarmed with a barrage of questions. Words wouldn’t leave her mouth. Her legs swayed underneath her.
“Speechless? Well, you should be.” Marcie ran a hand across her abdomen. “I’m going to tell him tonight after dinner.”
“I…I’m sure he will be very happy.” Her insides clenched and churned. Every nerve in her body burned.
This is what dying feels like.
Marcie laughed. The shrill sound grated against Jess’ eardrums. “Of course he will, you idiot. You thought you could come here and take him away from me? With Rasha by my side I won’t ever have to worry about being sold into slavery again.”
Jess backed away. Her legs swayed. She reached out for something to stabilize herself.
Marcie is pregnant.
That’s it.
I can’t compete with her.
Marcie could give him something she couldn’t. It didn’t matter if he had ever planned to have children. Now that he was going to, he would have no choice but to toss her aside for Marcie.
That’s what good guys do.
Marcie brushed by her. “I win, bitch.”
Chapter Nineteen
Rasha found himself outside of Jess’ door. He hadn’t stopped her as she almost ran from the transporter. But when she hadn’t come to dinner he’d gotten the urge to find her.
Jess opened the door after the first ring. She was fully dressed, boots on and all. She hardly glanced at him before turning around.
“You missed your evening meal.” He followed her down the hallway to her room.
She shrugged. “I ate here.”
He leaned against the wall as she continued to her bed, where she had an open bag. Her clothes were thrown across it. The drawers to her dresser were open and empty.
She’s leaving. He straightened. “Where are you going?”
“Back to Laconia.”
“You can’t.”
“Unless I’m now your prisoner, I’m leaving.”
He’d thought there had been a shared connection. That their relationship was growing. “Why are you doing this, Jess?”
She picked up a handful of clothes and stuffed them in her bag. “Marcie’s pregnant.”
Pregnant? The air seemed to get sucked out of the room. The walls closed in around him. Reaching out, he held on to the wall for support.
“But…” He tried to find the right words as she stuffed her belongings into the bag. “You and I?”
She paused. “There is no ‘you and I’. You’re about to have a baby.” She grabbed a few more items. “Besides, it’s not working out.”
“What part? Your duties or with me?”
She cut her hand through the air. “All of it, not just one thing.”
I will not beg. “You could try. I’ll try harder. Just because Marcie is pregnant…”
“No.” She stopped packing but her eyes remained fixed on the bag. “Look, you’ve been nice. But I need to leave. This isn’t the life for me.”
“What will you do?”
“I’m going to meet up with Ryan on The Vengeance II.”
“You would prefer that life to what I could give you here?”
She turned to look at him. Her eyes were red. Her face pale and lifeless. “What can you give me here, huh?”
His mouth opened and closed. What could he give her? He was going to be a father. Ensuring the safety of his unborn child should and would be his utmost concern.
“I thought so.” She closed her bag and flung it over her shoulder.
“I want you to stay but I won’t stand in your way if you decide to leave.”
She straightened her shoulders. “Perfect. It makes this so much easier without worthless feelings being involved.”
He nodded. Worthless feelings.
She brushed past him and out the door. He didn’t watch her as she left the bedroom.
Instead he let his anger boil until he finally sank his hand through the wall. The material shattered around him, a long crack snaking its way up to the ceiling.
He let her go.
Don’t look back, keep going. Get out of here.
Slinging the knapsack over her shoulder, Jess took a sweeping glance at her apartment. No, not hers anymore. Eva would give it to someone else now.
Eva would understand. She had to.
Jess couldn’t stay on Sonis any longer. Rasha would get over it too. He’d thank her in the long run. She was just a distraction. He had a child to take care of now.
With someone other than me.
She buried those sad thoughts deep down. She walked through the apartment and kept her eyes focused on the door, expecting Rasha to come barreling down the hallway and grab her before she left. Also afraid that if she stopped, she would feel a pang of guilt mixed with the uncertainty of leaving the only place that had felt like home in over five years.
And for leaving Rasha.
As if on cue, a large crash in her bedroom made her stop momentarily to flinch. His wounded roar filled the apartment. Her heart responded the same, lurching in her chest as her feet made a path for the door.
As the door slid open, she peeked outside. While the hallway wasn’t empty, she didn’t see anyone she recognized. She took a deep breath, left her apartment and inconspicuously made her way to the transport bay. She wasn’t running away.
She was leaving…urgently.
Everything would be different after tonight anyway. Everyone would understand why she had to go.
When she got to…where was she going? Laconia. Right. She would call JB and Eva and fill them in.
Right now her only concern was making it to the transport bay without bumping into anyone she knew.
“Where are you running off to?”
Jess startled as Lo’Ren came from out of nowhere and stepped in time with her.
Fuck. So goes that plan.
Jess spared her a sideways glance but didn’t slow her pace. “Where the hell did you come from?”
Lo’Ren had on some kind of silver outfit with pale-pink designs that matched the color of her skin. Her hot-pink hair stood up in chaotic spikes. Her coal-black eyes matched the thigh-high combat boots she wore. “That way.” She thumbed behind her.
Jess rolled her eyes. “That way” could be from anywhere.
Then it hit her.
Rasha probably already told Eva she was leaving and Eva had sent Lo’Ren to slow her escape down. Jess picked up her pace.
“So…are you going tell me why we’re almost jogging through the palace halls?” Lo’Ren asked.
“If I’m walking too fast for you, feel free to stop following me.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Uh huh, then where are you going?”
“Transport bay. I’m going back to my home world, Briel, for a little bit.”
“Right,” Jess snarled. “And I’m supposed to believe no one sent you to follow me to the transport bay?”
Lo’Ren snorted. “Just a little paranoid, aren’t you? I saw you walking in my direction and joined you. I didn’t know you were going to the transport bay. But now the question begs to be asked, where are you going?”
> “Home.” Just as the words left her mouth, her lips curled up in disgust. Laconia was not her home. As of now, she no longer had one.
“Great, we’re both going home. Is there a reason why we’re running now?”
Jess didn’t answer as she ran into the transport bay. Lo’Ren entered behind her, out of breath.
“This has been very interesting,” Lo’Ren said, leaning over and panting. “But I see my transport and honestly, I really do need to sit down and rest.”
“Oh, you really are leaving?”
“You are such a weird human,” Lo’Ren said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” Jess said. “Later.”
Jess scanned the room. The only thing left was to find a transporter going to Laconia or anywhere else near it.
“Where are you headed?” an alien pilot asked her
He leaned with his back against a transporter. His stubby legs made him a lot smaller than her, heck, even smaller than Eva. The green outfit he wore covered most of his body but didn’t cover the peeling gray skin on his face, neck and arms. He didn’t have a single strand of hair on his head or face and his eyes were as white as snow.
Jess stiffened. She wanted to get away but how could she trust an alien to get her to Laconia safely and not conveniently drop her off at a brothel? The universal taxi emblem stamped on the side of the transporter made her relax a little.
She eased back her shoulders, stood tall and rested her hand on her blaster. “Laconia, how much?”
“Depends. Are you willing to pick up more passengers or do you want a straight flight?”
It was already bad enough she would be trapped with one strange alien. Her nerves definitely wouldn’t hold up with picking up more of them. “Straight flight.”
With a nod, he pushed the release on the door. It opened, revealing five empty seats. “Welcome aboard.”
After taking a deep breath, she threw her bag in first and took the seat right behind his. If he tried anything funny she would snap his neck and ask questions later.
Chapter Twenty
Queen Sa’Mya Lacolil-Epps toured the new palace learning center with Jor’Dan, the head of her guard, and Allehtra, her personal assistant. Allehtra was explaining excitedly that the finishing touches were almost in place and the grand opening was on schedule.
From the corner of her eye she spotted Nolar, a palace staff member, rushing to her. “Your Highness,” he said as he reached her. “Mistress Jess is requesting permission to land.”
Sa’Mya stiffened. Just the thought of Jess made her close her eyes and pinch the skin between her brows.
What has Jess gotten into now?
“What have I done to deserve this?” she asked Allehtra, who stood comfortably at her side. His mass of golden curls was just as unruly as ever. Although he was small in size, his aura and pride made others see him as much taller than he actually was. He beamed in response.
“She’s back so soon?” Jor’Dan asked, raising a questioning brow. Jor’Dan stood three heads taller than her. His black shoulder-length hair fell loose around his face, partially obstructing his Sonis tribal tattoo of a zenoit snake that made its way up his neck and face from under his shirt.
“Maybe she missed us?” Allehtra asked hopefully.
Allehtra was the only one who’d been sad to see Jess leave. He’d still hoped she would return for visits even after Jess yelled, “Bye, bitches!” as she walked the palace halls for the last time.
“I doubt it,” Sa’Mya mumbled. She turned to Nolar and said words she hoped she wouldn’t regret. “Yes, of course.” As Nolar began to leave she called after him, “Is there anyone else with her?”
“No, Your Highness. She is alone.”
Hmm, no JB, no Rasha. “Thank you, Nolar. Please make sure her personal quarters are available. I’m sure she will want a place to be alone.”
After a brief nod, Nolar left. Sa’Mya exhaled. Jess.
She wondered if Eva knew Jess was on Laconia.
“We’ll finish the tour later. Something tells me I should assess her mood. It will help me better plan the evening meal. Fish or poison?” Sa’Mya said.
Allehtra clasped his hands together. “Can I come too? I want to welcome her back. I missed her terribly.”
“You’re the only one,” Sa’Mya replied. “But come on, I’m sure I’ll need a buffer.”
It didn’t take long to find Jess. She was en route to her room, engrossed in thought.
“Bitch,” Jess muttered.
“Who’s a bitch?” Allehtra asked as they approached her from behind.
Jess jumped. “Holy hell!” She stared down at Allehtra. “Why the hell are you two sneaking up on me?”
Allehtra looked from side to side then behind his back. “Who? Us?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Allehtra, you’re a stray pet I can’t seem to get rid of, no matter how hard I try.”
“That’s the same way I feel about you,” Sa’Mya added.
Jess used her hand to shoo Allehtra away. “Psst, go away. You attract flies,” she said, looking at Sa’Mya.
Allehtra tilted his large head. “Flies?”
“I would love to have one decent conversation before I die.” Jess steepled her hands in front of her. “God, if you’re out there, can you please bless these aliens with mastery of the English language? I get so tired of explaining myself. If you love me you’ll do this for me. I’ve lived through some troubling times. I think I deserve this one thing. Otherwise I feel I might snap and kill someone. Amen.”
“Well, Jess, if your attitude is telling, I can expect this visit to be filled with hate? Mockery? Disdain?”
Jess pulled her face into a hard frown. “I’m not in the mood, Sa’Mya. I don’t have time for this.”
“That’s what’s so lovely about being the queen. Everyone here has time for me.” She batted her eyelashes at Jess. “And since you are in my home, it includes you too.”
Jess clunked through the hallway. “I just needed to get away for a little while. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“Not at all.” She met Jess’ fast pace. “I take it you’re running away.”
Jess snorted. “What makes you assume that?”
“It seems to be an odd human trait. Instead of facing your fears, you humans run.”
Jess bristled beside her. “I’m not running away. Fuck, I just didn’t want to stay on Sonis anymore. I thought I would be able to fit in but it didn’t work out.”
“Odd. Eva told me something different.”
Jess balled her fists at her sides. “Eva doesn’t know everything. If she did…” Jess snapped her mouth shut. Her lips formed in a tight line.
“If she did, what?” Sa’Mya prodded.
“Nothing.”
“I’m trying to help you, Jess. But you’re making it very hard.”
“Good Lord, I didn’t ask for your help. Plus don’t you have something else to do besides follow me? Where’s Kane? Shouldn’t you be off trying to make babies or something?”
Allehtra clapped. “One day there will be plenty of royal children.”
Sa’Mya didn’t let the dig bother her. She and Kane had been trying to have a baby since their reunion. The healers had assured them nothing was wrong and it would happen when the time was right.
“He’s on Volrais getting sworn in as the newest Galactic Council member,” Sa’Mya said, beaming with pride. First he was a slave, then a feared space pirate and now her man was a Galactic Council member.
“Oh, I forgot.” Jess looked at her. “I’m happy for him.”
“I know you are,” Sa’Mya said.
Allehtra beamed again. “We all are.”
Despite how Jess felt about her, Sa’Mya knew Jess felt indebted to Kane for not sending her back to the brothel.
Jess stopped and hesitated in front of the door to her old private quarters. “I forgot to ask if my room is still available.”
“Of course.”
&nbs
p; Jess’ face softened slightly. “Thank you.”
Sa’Mya dipped her head as a sign of respect. “Thank Allehtra. He had high hopes you would be back.”
Jess let her gaze linger on Allehtra. Jess pretended to dislike him but Sa’Mya knew differently. “Thanks, Allehtra.”
“I kept everything just as you left it,” he said.
Jess wiped at her eyes. She sniffled and cleared her throat. “Now, if you want to stalk outside my door, fine, but I’m not letting you in. I’m tired.” She entered the security code for her door.
“You are such a bitch,” Sa’Mya said as the door swished open.
Jess stepped over the threshold. “At least I’m consistent with it.”
“Whatever, let me know if you need to talk.”
As the door was about to close, Jess stopped it on its track. “For the record, you didn’t kick my ass so stop telling everyone that you did.”
Sa’Mya tilted her head. “That’s not what Eli said. His actual words were, ‘You did a number on Jess’. I had to ask JB what he meant and JB said I beat the shit out of you and I should tell everyone who asked.” Did anyone ask? Sa’Mya thought. Not remembering if they had or not, she shrugged. “Well, I’m not sure if anyone technically asked. I just felt the need to tell everyone who would listen.”
“I want a rematch.”
A slow smile graced Sa’Mya’s lips. “Anytime.” She’d been training with Jor’Dan. Maybe she wouldn’t tell that to Jess until after she beat her butt again.
Jess snorted as she released the door, letting it close.
Jess was Kane’s and JB’s problem and since neither was available, she could at least say she had tried. Albeit not too hard. But at least the effort had been there.
* * * * *
Rasha was relieved when Taio returned. If anyone knew what to do about Jess it was him. Rasha didn’t waste any time in hunting him down in his personal quarters.
“She’s gone.”
Taio had Josanis dangling on his knee and didn’t give Rasha as much as a glance. The child laughed and giggled as Taio bounced him around. “Since I haven’t been blessed with the ability to read minds, I’m going to ask you to elaborate.”
Rasha cradled his aching head. “Jess, she left…went back to Laconia.”
Dangerously Hers (Loving Dangerously #3) Page 15
