She got serious again. “If we’re separated too long, you’ll die, right?”
“Yes.” The one word was barely audible.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on fiercely. “I won’t ever let that happen. I’m retiring from bounty hunting now. I’ll get another job back on Inneeko so we never risk getting separated.”
“Yes, I’d like it if you didn’t hunt any longer,” he said. “I’m skilled in many things. I’m sure I can find employment also.”
“Together we’ll make it work,” she murmured. “I can’t promise you a rich life, but it’ll be comfortable.”
He rubbed his cheek on the top of her head. Hibiscus filled her nose, making her worries for the future disappear.
“As long as I have you, I’m rich beyond measure.”
Chapter 14
Han
Even though Talins only had one meal a day and preferred to eat in the evening, it seemed Rensom and Sandar had read up on human and Ugarian eating habits and acted accordingly. By the time she and Zeph emerged from the emergency shelter the next morning, there was food ready.
“Welcome to a new rotation,” Sandar called out.
Han blinked, unprepared for Sandar’s greeting as she emerged from the cool dark of the shelter. “Uh, good morning.”
Zeph sounded a soft rumble of amusement. “I’ll inform them about your lack of awareness in the mornings,” he murmured.
“All of you are odd for waking up so…so…awake,” she grumbled, making her way to where everyone was gathered.
“I thought we could all sit outside while it’s still cool,” Sandar said as she sat heavily on one of the chairs next to a small two-person table.
There were platters of steaming food on the table along with several canisters of drinks. Tumoro was already sitting there and eating fast enough to make Han worry he might choke.
“This is so nice, thank you,” Han said, sitting across from Tumoro. Zeph made an unhappy sound and she looked up, confused. “What’s wrong? You said you weren’t hungry earlier.”
“I’m not interested in food.” He rubbed a hand over his head. “Uh, that chair looks uncomfortable.”
She chuckled and stood up. “You’re right. You’re a much more comfortable seat.”
With a purr, he picked her up so he could take the seat with her in his lap. She needed to remember that being close and touching her was imperative for him. She didn’t mind, but it was going to take some getting used to.
“Perfect,” she said, wiggling a little in his lap.
“This is really good!” Tumoro said, mouth half full of food. “Rensom made it fresh without a reconstitutor!”
“It smells amazing,” Han said, looking over at Rensom as he sat down next to Sandar with a mug of tea.
“I looked up what humans can comfortably digest,” Rensom said, handing the mug to Sandar. “All that should be both palatable and nutritious for you.”
Their chairs were close together. As she watched, they leaned their heads together, rubbed cheeks, then straightened up. Aww, Rensom and Sandar were adorable.
“Thank you for making all this for us.” Before Han could reach for any food, Zeph picked up a round of flatbread, scooped up some food with it, and held it to her mouth. She was getting used to the way he liked to feed her, but she could tell it was going to be hard on him when they got back to Inneeko and she wouldn’t let him do it in front of her family.
Her sisters and cousins would never let her live it down! Not to mention all the sour looks her Aunt Gilla would give them. No, he could feed her in private, but not at family gatherings.
“I received a message from the port,” Sandar said. “The supplies are still on schedule to arrive today.”
Han swallowed and held a hand over her mouth to keep Zeph from feeding her so she could talk. “Are you going to stay here?”
“No, we are going with you and Zeph to Inneeko,” Rensom said. “Sandar and I spent most of the night talking about it. The empire has a long reach, and the Ilgorian Empire offers a level of safety we won’t find anywhere else.”
