She laced her fingers in his, squeezed, and let go.
He felt it all the way to his heart and wondered what had happened to this female in her past.
And if retribution was necessary.
As they unloaded from the commercial transport, the lines to return to the ship were slow. Each person, before they could enter, had to be scanned and approved for entrance on the ship.
“It’s taking a while,” he said, more for her than for himself.
She shrugged. “We have lines on Earth. They happen.”
As they waited, the familiar smell of the mines hit him. Whenever he left and came back, the smell would hit him hard. He knew that smell anywhere. It was home.
Jana, however, hesitated. “Oh,” she muttered as the smell came to her and coughed. “Yeah. Uh.”
“What is the problem?” he asked.
“The smell is strong.” She scrunched up her nose.
“Are you going to be ill?”
She shook her head. “It will just take a minute to get used to it, I’m sure. I probably won’t even smell it after a while.” The smile on her face wasn’t exactly genuine.
“The gasses and minerals around infuse the air,” he said.
She nodded. “It’s interesting how detailed these dreams are,” she muttered.
He wondered if she understood where she was. This was not a dream, no matter what she seemed to think. She smiled as she followed the procession. He had carried the bag that had all the essentials she had purchased in the shopping district.
He also carried his own pack where his gear was stored that he’d brought with him.
Olmed and Erzo were staying at the space station in order to fulfill their bargains with the Intergalactic Dating Agency. While they could technically go anywhere they wanted, they had to return at the thirty-day mark to give the females their opportunity to return to their worlds if they wanted.
He glanced at Jana with her hair that faded from one color to another. Even with her emotions that seemed to be influencing her, she did look at everything with marvel.
He wondered, though, if she really believed that this was a dream or if she understood that this was real, and she truly was in space, away from her homeworld. Did this mean he had yet another person he had to keep tabs on? He’s had to watch over his paternal all his life, and even though the paternal treated him horribly, he could not help the need to make sure he was okay.
In a way, it seemed fitting that the Intergalactic Dating Agency found him a mate that needed his help and protection as well. Because she absolutely needed someone to watch over her, especially in her mental state. Not thinking this was real, she might make some inappropriate decisions, and that could truly bring her some problems later. He could not have that on his conscious.
They made it to the front of the scanning line, and she walked through the scanner first.
The inspector raised his eyebrow. "Information?"
She blinked. "Uh."
"Information," he snapped.
"Here," Phares said, flashing his credentials. "She is mine."
The inspector glanced at her, then at him, and muttered something in his native tongue, but he let her through. Phares didn't catch quite all of it, but it was not the most flattering thing. He then let Phares through. The inspector's gaze ran over him and her, and he continued muttering to himself.
This time, though, Phares caught what was said. Anger surged through him for the nasty comment directed at Jana.
He turned back to the Inspector and grabbed him by the arm. "Shall we see if I can rip a humanoid in two? How about I test it on you?"
The inspector cowered.
Others in the area backed off as Phares dropped the male.
