“Please face forward,” Iqeo said. “You won’t feel a thing, I promise.”
And you know what? I didn’t. A few seconds later, the tube and the scary robot arm were rising, and I thought something had gone wrong until Iqeo said, “Well done, Cora.” In Ibarutan. And I not only understood him, but instinctively knew what language he was speaking.
“Oh my god,” I said, laughing. “That’s incredible.” Screw Earth medicine, dude. I was sold on Bion medical technology. Really, they had me atmale birth control.
After leaving Iqeo at the transport compound, which was heavily guarded by swarms of military personnel and armoredvehicles, I had one more stop to make before meeting Andrew for dinner: A lawyer’s office where I set up a modest trust with a fraction of the money in my account. The trust was for my parents, because even if I was dead to them, I couldn’t leave them behind with nothing. The trust would only be accessible if they were no longer Emissary members. Barring emergencies, they could only withdraw so much at once. It was enough for them to live comfortably, even if there was a spike in inflation. But the trust would stop paying out if they rejoined the cult, and upon their deaths, it would pay out to a charity that supported people leaving the Emissaries of the Enlightened as they rebuilt their lives. At least this way, I wouldn’t have to worry about them.
Over dinner, I transferred the rest of the money to Andrew, who was beyond grateful.
“Who knew getting laid off was going to pay out so well?” I said, laughing over a club soda. I couldn’t have alcohol for twenty-four hours before entering stasis.
“I do hate it that I’m losing you, though,” he said, pouting a little. “We were just starting to bond. We could have been real besties. Now you’ve made me rich, and I’ll never know if my friends are real again.”
I snorted, swatting his arm. “Well if you’re that bummed about it, you could always give it to charity.”
“No, I’ll survive it,” he said. “But you know, I think I might start a business. I could do this, right?”
“What?”
He gestured at me. “This. Help women who find a match on BMM with their move. Would you give me a testimonial?”
“Yes, absolutely. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“How could I say no when your sugar daddy is paying me so well?” he teased.
We lingered over lunch, and hugged goodbye, and suddenly I had nothing else to do but go home and wait for my departure in the morning. Mr. Darcy was in an extra cuddly mood too, probably because there was nothing left in our home but a bed, a litter box, and the things I was taking with us on the transport vessel. His whole world was being upturned, too. I considered going to bed early, but I wasn’t tired. With the prospect of leaving the planet ahead of me, how could I sleep? But the hollow feeling in my chest was worrisome, especially when Mr. Darcy’s cuddles didn’t cure it. I couldn’t put a name to it. Was it fear? Loneliness? Homesickness before I’d even left home?
Eventually, I broke down and picked up my phone. I had no idea what time of day or night it was in Eissoi, but if I couldn’t call my fiancé whenever I wanted, I should probably call this off, right?
“Aneah,” Yiri’s deep voice was a balm to my frazzled nerves. “I’m just leaving work. Hold on.”
I waited, marveling at the sound of his voice and the lyrical sound of Eissoini. I’d heard it before, of course. I’d been listening to him for weeks. But I wasn’t reading subtitles anymore. I understood his every word, and for some reason, that was a comfort, too.
“Nerus is dealing with it. He’ll report in the morning. Did the supplier take your offer?”
“Yeah, old man,” another voice answered. “I don’t need to be coddled. I know what I’m doing. Go flirt with yourAneah. Hey, can I see her?”
I laughed at the face Yiri made.
“No,” he said.
“Come on,” the other man goaded him. “She’s going to meet me eventually. Might as well find out now if she prefers me. I am much younger and prettier, after all.”
“Who is that?” I asked.
Yiri growled. “Evik. My cousin.”
“Oh, your cousin? The one who’s getting married soon?”
“Married or murdered,” Yiri said. “We’ll see which happens first.”
“I’ll say hello to him,” I offered.
“See?” Evik said. “She wants to get a look at me before it’s too late.”
“Wow,” I snorted. “He’s almost as cocky as you.”
Laughing, Evik leaned into my view. He was handsome, and he was certainly younger, but he lacked the hard edge of dangerous masculinity that Yiri wore so well.
