by Gun Brooke
Blinking slowly, Moon found it damn near impossible to remain angry when she was this close to Beaux. She conceded that it was hardly Beaux’s fault that Kragh and Drak had turned out to have criminal intent with their research mission. Still, Moon wished they had charged at the people from Ilienta and driven them out of her tree house when they had the chance.
“Please. Take us to the area we can rest for the night. Is it far?” Beaux sighed, and Moon could tell she was tired. Grudgingly, she had to admit she was exhausted as well. That meant Beaux’s call was the right one.
“No. Just behind the clearing over there. See the rocks?” Moon pointed ahead.
“Barely. In another half hour it’ll be pitch-black, right?”
“Thereabout, yes. Come on.” Calmer now, Moon guided Beaux across the clearing and over to the rocks half hidden in the forest. They were about half a kilometer from the tree house. “Here we are,” Moon said and gestured to the vessel that had saved her life more than four years ago and continued to do so ever since.
* * *
Beaux had thought that not much about Haven and Moon’s existence there could shock her any more than everything else she’d already seen—but looking at the escape pod embedded into the bedrock belied that notion. “You weren’t kidding,” she said and stepped closer. The pod had not only been pulled into the bedrock vertically, but it was deeply set into the ground, its hatch flush with the level of the clearing. “How can this be? How can the bedrock, which is supposedly millions of years old, shift around a metal object like this?”
“I have no idea. When I saw this happen in only a few weeks, I realized this was no ordinary planet.”
“I’ll say,” Beaux murmured. “I take it this is our shelter for the night?” She tried to make out Moon’s features in the dark, but it was impossible. She did understand Moon’s frustration and anger at having her home invaded, but she hoped her own honesty about how she felt about Ilienta helped.
“Yes. The communications array should still work. I’ve tried to keep the systems up and operational, or at least the ones that run on solar power.”
“And the vital ones on board escape pods do, for good reason.” Beaux waited patiently.
Moon pressed her thumb against the sensor next to the hatch, and it opened soundlessly. Backing up, she motioned for Beaux to step inside and then followed her. Dancer backed up and was clearly not about to join them.
“What about Dancer?”
Moon shook her head. “He doesn’t like confined spaces, as you may recall from the Rapidfire. He’s hardly been in here.” Walking over to her friend, she ruffled one of his ears. “Stay safe out here, little man,” she murmured. “And stay close, all right?”
“Hsht.” Dancer nudged her hand with his nose. Moon kissed the top of his head and then reentered the pod. After closing the hatch behind her, she locked it by turning the levers.
“This is a family-sized pod,” Beaux said, looking around. The escape pod was luxurious, which was not surprising, as it came from a cruise ship. The name of the ship, the Utopia, was embroidered on blankets and pillows, and engraved on several places in the spacious pod. She tried to imagine the traumatized, frightened Moon, so very young, hurtling through space alone in this vessel, toward an uncertain future.
“You amaze me,” Beaux said as she sat down at the communication central. She flipped open the lid covering the controls.
“What do you mean?” Moon said, sounding puzzled. She was opening some storage bins and took out small canisters.
“Just that. You were the sole survivor of the attack on the Utopia, and you’ve made a life for yourself on this completely alien world. Surely you can see how impressive and rare such tenacity is?” Beaux flipped levers and started the pod’s communicator. Punching in the secure-channel information, she leaned into the microphone. “Lestarion to team two. Report.” She listened to the reports from all her teams, relieved that all were intact and unharmed. Two of the teams had a view of the tree house and reported on Kragh’s activities.
“Sir?” the ensign in charge said. “Did the young woman you’re with really build the tree house all by herself?”
“Yes. I’m sure you realize how horrible Kragh’s invasion of her home is, Ensign.”
“Sure do,” the young man said. “We’ll take care of that at dawn. Right, sir?”
“Right.” Beaux had to smile, despite feeling fatigue begin to flood her system. “I’ll check in, in a couple of hours. Page me as soon as you have something to report.”
“Aye, sir.”
After talking to them all, Beaux paged the Empress’s bridge. “What’s the situation of the wounded?” she asked Veyar, who was back on board.
“Doc is confident that all who were alive when we brought them back will make it.” Veyar sounded tired but spoke rapidly over the communication link. “Her subordinates did her proud when she was planetside.”
“Good. And the mining crew?”
Veyar chuckled mirthlessly. “I’ll say we have some new close friends. They think Ilienta sold them out, and they’re not prepared to do the execs’ dirty work. That goes for the maintenance personnel as well. We’re keeping them all together in the main mess hall for now, but I’m inclined to believe them. They’re a rough bunch, but they’re also very loyal to each other and the miners’ guild. Ilienta probably underestimated people like them. Your biggest fan, Emar, has taken charge of the miners, and I find him quite agreeable.”
“Good. I had a favorable impression of him as well.” Masking a yawn, Beaux rubbed the back of her neck. After she informed Veyar of her location and where the teams had settled in for the night, she ended the communication. Then she turned toward Moon and was met with a plate of warm food, which nearly brought tears to her eyes. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was, and now she wolfed down the steamed vegetables and drank the hot, red tea. “Thank you,” she murmured, slumping to the side in her chair. “I really needed this.”
Moon finished her plate and then placed it and Beaux’s in the recyc unit. “Even this part works from solar power.” Moon shrugged and smiled faintly, which pleased Beaux. It hadn’t been hard to tell that Moon had been furious with her, and everyone else who had invaded her world, only a while ago. To see her relax some was reassuring. Beaux hated to be on the receiving end of Moon’s wrath, which stunned her.
Normally, Beaux couldn’t care less what people thought. Her own family back on Cimeria Prime had cured her of being sensitive. Her decision to leave the military had made them disown her and cut her from their lives. Their actions had hurt her, and she had ended up resenting them for their attitude. Carving out a successful life for herself on the Empress had healed some of her negative feelings, but perhaps a person always looked for validation from their parents.
“You look sad,” Moon said quietly. She moved to the far wall and opened the curtains to the sleeping racks.
“Just tired,” Beaux said and waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sure you are too.”
“I am. Yes.” Moon took a blanket from the rack, and judging by the way she looked at it, Beaux got the feeling she was really seeing something else.
“Why don’t we just rest? We’re safe in here, and if my teams need backup, they’ll page us. We’ll need every ounce of our strength tomorrow.” Beaux stood and joined Moon.
“All right.” After tossing the blanket onto the lower rack, Moon shrugged. “You can use that one if you like.” She shoved her hands into her pockets and gazed at Beaux through her lashes.
“Thank you. Either’s fine.” Beaux had no idea why she felt so self-conscious. After everything they’d been through, why did her cheeks warm at the mere sight of Moon? Was it because they were alone and temporarily quite safe? “Why do you look at me like that?” Beaux asked huskily.
“What do you mean?” Moon tilted her head, and her long ponytail fell over her shoulder.
“Like…like that.” Beaux had never thought of herself as clumsy,
but now she struggled with a completely new kind of awkwardness as she gestured toward Moon. “Like you’re trying to figure out if you like me at all, or if you despise me.”
“I don’t despise you!” Moon straightened and pulled her hands free from her uniform pockets. “I would never do that.”
“Then what is it? Are you still mad at me for not going up against Kragh right away?”
Moon shook her head. “No.” She stepped closer to Beaux and sat down on the rack. “I’m not mad.”
Relieved, because somehow it mattered greatly to Beaux that she and Moon leveled with each other, she sat down on the rack as well. To be honest, it was even more than that. She yearned for Moon to trust her. “Good.” Beaux turned to face Moon and placed her hand against the smooth skin of her cheek.
Moon drew a quick breath but didn’t pull back. “Yes.”
“This is unexpected.” Beaux looked into Moon’s eyes, mesmerized by the pure golden irises. “Any other time, I would have considered the way you make me feel—or rather, the way I respond to you—utterly unprofessional.”
Now Moon seemed confused, and Beaux chastised herself for being too cryptic. Or merely a complete fool. “Sorry. I’m being an idiot.” Removing her hand from Moon’s cheek, Beaux ran it over her own face and sighed.
“No. Just tell me what you meant to say.” Moon captured the unsteady hand and held it. “We have no way of knowing what happens tomorrow, and I have no practice, and no patience, to be honest, for anything but the truth.”
“I see.” Beads of sweat formed at the base of Beaux’s neck. “All right. I see your point. I’m not sure if it’s because so much has happened, but I feel I’ve known you much longer than these few days. The danger, perhaps, has emphasized and amplified everything, including what is developing between us. Or am I alone in sensing it?” Beaux tried to smile but wasn’t sure she looked as confident as she meant to.
“I have no frame of reference about what I sense.” Moon lowered her gaze but then pushed back her shoulders and looked up at Beaux again. “I saw you that first day, walking alone in the forest, and my curiosity from then has transformed into something…else. Don’t ask me to decipher what I mean. I’d probably sound like a fool if I tried to. At first, I was all about keeping my way of life here safe and protecting Haven and the animals that live here. Somehow, your safety, your happiness, snuck into those priorities and took over. This is such an unexpected, overwhelming feeling.” Trembling now, Moon threw her arms around Beaux and hugged her. “You held my hand. Hugged me. Even kissed me. You were the first to do that. Ever.”
Beaux’s mind whirled with more questions, but in that moment, that precious, still moment where she felt closer to Moon than she had ever done with another person in her life, she just wanted to hold her. She rocked them both gently and then pressed her lips against Moon’s temple, slid them down to her cheek, and then, finally, her lips.
Moon’s full lips trembled against Beaux’s. It was such an extraordinary, magical feeling, this kiss. Even though it was quite chaste, Beaux tasted Moon, and the sensations pierced her heart. Part of her wanted to be naked and devour the beautiful woman next to her, but another, much bigger part wanted to protect Moon and make sure everything was done right. If Moon had given the slightest hint of being more experienced, Beaux might have taken the caresses and the kisses further. But the words about holding hands and hugging pointed to the fact that Moon was the opposite of that. Despite the risk that something could happen to both, or either of them, tomorrow, Beaux knew she needed to wait.
Pulling back, she kissed a trail down Moon’s lovely jawline and then let go. “We need our rest,” she said softly, hoping Moon wouldn’t take her caring as a rejection. “I would really like for you to rest next to me on this rack.”
Moon had begun to look dejected after all, but now she relaxed. “All right.” She pulled the blanket she had tossed onto the rack only moments ago and gave it to Beaux. “Sometimes it gets cold in here.”
Beaux waited until they had both settled down against the pillows before spreading the blanket over them. “Try to get some sleep. I’ve set the communicator on high. We won’t miss them paging us if that happens.”
Nodding, Moon turned on her side, facing Beaux. Pressing her forehead against Beaux’s shoulder, she inhaled deeply. “You too. Sleep, I mean.”
“All right.” Beau closed her eyes and kept her thoughts far away from tomorrow’s tasks. Instead she pictured the golden-eyed woman next to her being happy and free, living in her tree house. For some reason, the vision made her feel both elated and profoundly sad.
Chapter Twenty-four
Moon kept waking up throughout the night. Each time, she found herself wrapped tighter in Beaux’s arms. Now, Beaux slept pressed up against her from behind with an arm around Moon’s waist. She could feel Beaux breathe into her hair that had come loose from the ponytail. Her own arm lay over Beaux’s, keeping it firmly against her.
Glancing over at the console, Moon saw that dawn was just half an hour away. She had only a short window of time left before they were going to deal with Kragh. After the teams paged them, Moon would lose this closeness, this amazing sensation of intimacy—and it was going to break her heart. She pivoted carefully until she faced Beaux and hid her face against her uniformed chest. Beaux murmured something inaudible and pressed her lips against the top of Moon’s head.
Torn between an urge to weep and the desire to explore the wave of heat rising within her, Moon couldn’t stop trembling. She tipped her head back and pressed her lips against the silky skin under Beaux’s chin. Perhaps it was truly a bad idea, but how could she resist when all she wanted was right next to her. Soon, the Empress would break orbit. She would be back to her old life. She and Dancer would keep exploring. Haven would heal—but would she?
Moon whimpered quietly, and immediately, Beaux pulled her even closer. Shifting, she tipped Moon’s head back and kissed her. Moon lost what little was left of her breath and flung her free arm around Beaux with a newfound ferocity. “This. And you.” She knew she wasn’t making sense, but all she could do was cling to the strong frame next to her and revel in the closeness with the woman who had changed everything for her. She adored Beaux, no matter that she represented the ruling class of Cimeria Prime and had literally brought the man who tried to destroy Haven here.
“You all right?” Beaux asked, her voice throaty. “Moon?”
No. No, she wasn’t all right, but at the same time, Moon had never been better. “Yes.”
Beaux got up on an elbow and regarded Moon intently. “That doesn’t sound entirely convincing.” She pressed her lips to Moon’s, and the tenderness was tinged with such heat, Moon’s arms wrapped around Beaux’s neck of their own volition.
“Beaux,” Moon whispered against Beaux’s lips.
“Yes?”
“Just Beaux.” Slipping a hand in under Beaux’s shirt, she moaned as she felt more of her skin, more of her. Images of their naked bodies flickered through her mind, and she arched against Beaux.
“Oh, damn…” Beaux kissed the skin under Moon’s ear and painted a hot trail with her tongue. “This…” She seemed at a loss for words.
“This is all we have right now,” Moon whispered. None of this would last, and, Moon told herself, she should be glad she’d ever been able to experience this closeness, which, for her, stretched far beyond the physical.
“That isn’t necessarily true.” Beaux pushed her hands into Moon’s hair, and the ribbon came undone, spilling the long tresses around them. “Oh, my…” Angling Moon’s head, Beaux kissed her, still with tenderness, but also with a new ferocity.
And then she stopped. Pulled back. Her hands were still in Moon’s hair at the base of her skull. They weren’t caressing so much anymore. Rather, she was feeling around and looking concerned.
“What happened to you here? Was it when you crashed?” Beaux asked.
The scar. Moon flinched and recoiled. The scar
s from where she had scratched and carved to rid herself of the things she loathed the most. The barcode markings and the tracker chip that told of her number, 833, and who owned, her—in her case, the shipping company that used to own the Utopia. Beaux had found it and regarded her with such care and sympathy that it felt—wrong.
“No.” Moon could hear how hollow her voice was, yet also steady and resigned. “That injury is self-inflicted.”
Beaux slowly pulled her hands back. “Self-inflicted?”
“Yes.” Moon tried to find the right words to explain, but all she could feel was the immense loss when Beaux wasn’t holding her any longer. “I…I wasn’t a passenger on the Utopia.”
“No?” Beaux frowned.
“No.” Moon waited patiently.
“A scar at the base of your neck and the longest hair I’ve ever seen.” Beaux still possessed excellent powers of deduction. When she pushed her fingers back into Moon’s hair and felt along the rest of her scalp, Moon knew she had already guessed.
“You were a slave.” Beaux let her hands fall onto the bed.
“Yes.”
Beaux ran an unsteady hand over her face. “I should have caught on earlier.”
“Why? How could you possibly guess?” Moon stood and walked to the opposite end of the pod. Here were the only signs of the violent crash when the pod had slammed into the bedrock that now engulfed it. Micro fractures ran up and down the bulkhead, and if Haven hadn’t supplied a breathable atmosphere, if any of the pod’s readings had been off, Moon would have been suffocated or poisoned.
“Because you’re not the first runaway slave I’ve come across,” Beaux said starkly.
Moon gasped and pressed her hands against her mouth. The harsh words hurt her so much, she was certain something inside her, her heart, perhaps, had ruptured.
Click. Click. The unexpected noise from the communicator interrupted them. “Team two to planetside crewmembers. We have movements. It’s time.”
