“Maybe you can help Cora pick something out, too,” I suggested. “I’ll take you both shopping soon.”
She gasped and clapped her hands. “Really? That would be amazing! I can pick whatever I want?”
“No,” Nerus stepped in. “Nothing over the top. You want Mom to kill me?”
Ignoring him, Thisa danced excitedly around the cruiser’s main cabin and went up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Thank you, Uncle Yiri!”
“Uncle Yiri when you’re going to buy her something,” Nerus said, scowling, “That old grumpy butt when you slightly inconvenience her weekend.”
I made a face of mock offense. “You said that about me, Thisa?”
She tossed a flippant hand. “You are an old grumpy butt. I hope this female of yours can stand you.”
Replacing the bed in the cruiser (and sending word to my household staff to replace a few of the beds at home) took a couple of hours. It would have been quicker, but I wanted the best for Cora. New pillows, new blankets. She could replace it all if she hated my tastes, but Thisa was right. This might be the first bed I shared with myAneah. It shouldn’t be tainted with memories or lingering female scents. If she picked up on it, the chances she’d ask me to mate with her right away would be next to zero. The couch would have to go, too, but I was out of time. If I didn’t leave for Muria by second moon, I’d be late meeting Cora.
I settled in the pilot’s seat of the cruiser and fired up the engines. Takeoff was smooth. Eissoi’s weather was always pleasant this time of year. Cora was arriving in the perfect season. It would be clear days and beautiful moon rises for another few months. Plenty of time for her to fall in love with the coast before the rainy season.
After leaving Venastea’s orbit, I put the cruiser on autopilot and settled down on the new bed. Maybe I should have leftit pristine for her. A better male would have waited for an invitation even to his female’s bed, whether she was in it or not. But I wasn’t a good male, was I? Something primal in me wanted her to lie her pretty head on these pillows and smell my scent. I wanted her wrapped in blankets soaked in it. The truth of it was, I didn’t know how things would go. If she didn’t ask for me, I wanted her marked with my scent while I waited.
I pulled up that rec she sent me, watching it over and over. I’d long since memorized every gasp and moan she made, every twitch of her lips, and the heavy way her eyes drifted to slits right before she let go. I got off to that rec so many times I was trained to be painfully aroused at the slightest whimper. I had two days to get a grip, or I was going to hear her voice and come in my pants in the middle of the transport station like a teenage virgin.
I needed a distraction. It was rare that I left Eissoi for more than a day at a time, and even rarer for me to go alone. Usually, I was on business with Zacal, or Nerus, and a contingent of soldiers. Plenty of other assholes to keep in line and keep my mind occupied. How long had it been since I’d had more than a few hours of free time? Years. Nearly a decade? Fuck, it was probably longer. I didn’t feel overworked, but what would my mate think of my dedication to the job? And what could I do with myselfnowwith two days to myself? I thought about smoking some sellah, but it took me the better part of a week to air the cruiser out. I probably smoked too much. I needed a fucking hobby. At home, I’d go for a swim with the cekets on the reef, feeding them chum I bought at the market or whatever chump had recently tried his luck against Ahlon. What kind of hobby is that? Idly, I stroked the skin over my ribs where a stylized ceket was lasered into my flesh. They were misunderstood creatures. I hoped Cora would like them.
Sighing, I let the rec play a few dozen more times, stroking myself off to the sweet sounds of myAneah,and eventually I drifted off to sleep.
A call interrupted the Transport Station’s docking instructions. Seeing Nerus’s name, I accepted the call and switched back to the station’s audio.
“Wait, Nerus. I’m docking.”
He grumbled something in the background but didn’t interrupt until I had the cruiser safely in place inside the station and had disconnected comms with the transport authorities.
“Te’ve’s run into some trouble with the Agollan fruit guys. They won’t honor the price we negotiated under Masoh.”
“Good thing I’m here, then,” I said.
“Yeah, no shit,” Nerus said. “They’ve already reported Te’ve to Customs.”
“You’re fucking kidding,” I muttered, powering everything down and setting up standby security for the cruiser.
“It’s a shit show,” Nerus confirmed. “They’re in the usual spot in the market.”
“Fine.” I disconnected the call with Nerus and grabbed a blade I didn’t mind losing. I could get it into the market no problem, but I’d never get it past BMM’s security. They kept the Earth women under tight lockdown until their husbands came to collect them, and it was a good thing, because the Muria Transport Station was a rough and dangerous place. Cora would be better off with the BMM guards while I dealt with Te’ve’s situation, but the Agollans were going to fucking regret making me late to pick her up.
CHAPTER 18
CORA
Comingout of stasis was like waking up on a Sunday morning. Slow, cozy, and delicious. No one rushed me. I could hear a tech moving quietly around me, and occasionally felt the tickle of a laser running over my skin, taking my vitals like when they put me under. Mr. Darcy started purring, and I reached over to stroke his fur.
“Welcome back, Miss Keaton,” the tech said in a soothing baritone. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty gooood,” I slurred.
“I’m glad to hear it. Please don’t try to get up yet. You need time to adjust. We’ve just entered the Bion 8KV system, and we’ll enter Muria’s orbit in about two hours. I’ll be back to check on you soon, and then you should be able to safely move about the vessel.”
“Mmkay.” I rolled onto my side and stroked Mr. Darcy with my eyes still closed, instantly falling back to sleep.
It felt like seconds later when the tech returned, checked my vitals again, and deemed me fit to get out of bed. Feeling more alert this time, I got up and used the facilities, took a shower, and dressed in comfortable clothes. Hopefully, the other womenwere feeling as sluggish as I was and wouldn’t judge me for my lack of style.
