As I open my mouth to respond, I’m smothered from behind in Granny’s familiar perfume of sweetness. “Jareth, my boy. How I’ve missed you.”
The irritation lessens and I swivel to return the hug. I cling tightly to the only other Averon family member left alive. Eva Averon, the one family member besides Tilly who I love without reserve. She’d been a Baltin queen for many years before my mother inherited the role. Granny had always done her best to make me feel loved while growing up. She’d been a favorite of the people, too.
During my grandparents’ reign, Baltins enjoyed several years of peace treaties with the Henokans. Once my parents took over, though, old hatreds flared, setting us on the path that eventually led to Earth. To near-annihilation.
“I missed you too, Granny.” I kiss her cheek.
She pushes me away and lets her stare rove my face. “You’re not angry at what I did? Secretly cloning your DNA?”
“No,” I laugh. “But you’re crazier than hell for doing it. The odds of the replicator malfunctioning would’ve been over ninety percent. Sure glad this body didn’t come out looking like a pile of goo. You gave me a second chance, and so did Sparky. I’ll never forget.”
Tilly ambles toward us with a slight smile, the puppy nestled in her arms.
Granny Eva’s grin widens, increasing the deep lines at the corners of her eyes. “And don’t you make the prettiest pregnant woman I’ve ever seen, child.”
Now beaming, Tilly holds out a hand and lets Granny wrap her in a hug. Her eyes meet mine over Granny’s shoulder. A vertical line creases her brow, and I can’t make out the emotion in her glance.
Sadness? Disappointment?
“It’s good to see you, Granny, even if itisagainst my will.”
Well, guess I don’t have to wonder. She’s pissed.
Granny releases her and raises an eyebrow to me. “Explain.”
“Nothingtoexplain,” I say, taking Tilly’s hand in mine to give it a gentle squeeze. “Red and I needed a safe place to have our son without people trying to kill us.”
“Wehada safe place, Jareth. The cave.” The pitch of her voice rises. “But instead of making it more secure, you decided to take me away like some kind of crazy tyrant, not even bothering to consider my feelings.”
“Now, just wait a minute.” I release her fingers and point to my chest. “Iseem to recall telling you to stay inside the cave, yet you didn’t listen. What happened? Oh, you ended up getting caught, putting our son’s life at risk. I’m well within my right to exercise my duty as a husband and father to—”
“Oh, dear.” Granny’s jovial smile turns into a frown. “Before this blows up into a shouting match, let’s go inside. Tilly looks exhausted.”
Her comment pulls my attention to Tilly’s face, which is paler than usual. I run a scan and see that her O2 sats have dropped to eighty-nine percent.
“Come on, Red.” I grab the strap of her backpack and scoop KJ from her hands. “Let’s go inside where you can rest.”
With a nod, she doesn’t offer any argument. Instead, she trudges ahead, barely giving the reddish-orange dirt and rock-strewn ground a glance.
My stomach tightens with worry. She never gives up a fight so quickly.
The recycled air in the dome is dry and sterile, and for a moment, I miss the smell of our campfire, of the trees and fresh-tilled soil of the garden.
I made the right choice, didn’t I?If she’s not feeling well, it’s probably because she hasn’t had proper medical attention for the last three months.
A rectangular opening lies on the ground where our living quarters reside.
Following from behind, I step downward onto the recessed metal stairs leading underground. All habs are nestled underground with another layer of physical shielding as a safety net in case the electrical shields and composite domes were to fail.
As Tilly descends the stairs, her feet echo softly on the metal surface. She slides her fingers along the charcoal-colored wall. Above, the ceiling slopes, following the angle of the stairs until they level to a smooth, utilitarian floor.
Once the door seals behind me, I release KJ and drop the packs, reaching for Tilly’s hand. I turn her around to face me.
“Hey,” I whisper. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Unshed tears pool in her eyes, and the sight splits my heart in two.
I grasp the sides of her head and tilt her face upward to mine, using the pads of my thumbs to wipe the tears.
