He wondered what she would think of the child. Did she even like little ones? They had not really spoken about that yet. Something he had not considered.
Little ones meant mating.
And he didn’t know if she was ready to mate.
With him, or anyone.
“What lookin’ at?” the child asked.
Jana held her hands up. “All of it. The people. Walking above us. Isn’t that amazing?” She glanced at the kid and smiled, the biggest, most genuine smile he’d seen on her face since he’d met her. “Well, look at you. Aren’t you a pretty one?”
The boy put his hands on his hips. “I boy. I fierce!”
She held up a hand. “I bet you are! I bet you’re strong and brave.”
“I am,” he said, puffing out his chest, his little antenna sticking up straight out of his head. “Sometimes, my parent lets me run all the way around!”
Jana glanced around. “Speaking of, where is your parent?” She put her hand on her hip and started scanning the crowd.
A female came out of a nearby shop. “Raggie! What are you doing out here! You’re supposed to be right there next to me in the store.”
He put his hands on his hips again. “I am brave!”
The female glanced at Jana. “I’m sorry. He likes everyone.”
“That’s all right. He’s very charming. I enjoyed talking to him.”
The little one darted over to his parental and took her hand. “Hi,” he said. And turned back to Jana. “Bye!”
She waved to him and turned back to Phares with that huge smile still on her face. The joy in her eyes touched him deep inside, and he felt such, well, he wasn’t sure what it was, but it was beautiful, whatever the feelings were.
“You like little ones, then?” Phares asked.
She nodded. “They are beautiful.”
He stared at her. “Not as beautiful as some things.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked away.
8
“It really is like a city,” Jana marveled as they reached a place that seemed to resemble an apartment hallway. There had been restaurants and supply stores for almost anything one would need. Even crafts and hobby things were available in some locations. The only big thing? There weren’t really cars to speak of.
Floors that moved and elevators that zipped by in different directions around the ring, but no cars, not really. It was a massive facility. She had to remind herself it was just that—a facility rather than just a city on a planet. There didn’t seem to be any sky to speak of, just light.
But it was an incredible place. It would take her a month to explore it all.
In the center, she could see a structured sphere that sort of made a ceiling and a kind of central light location. Phares had explained the mechanicals of it and that the ring in the center was for low-gravity work and training for the miners as well as housing a lot of the ship’s mechanical systems.
“It takes a lot to run a mining operation like this,” Phares said. he gestured ahead. “We’ll head to my residence first.”
She followed him and again reached for the bags she’d gotten of stuff from the space station, but he continued carrying them for her without question. It was a kind, sweet gesture, and it touched her. A dumb thing to be touched by, but she was.
Well, that and him wanting to rip that inspector guy apart earlier.
That was uh, really, well, she wasn’t sure what that was.
She didn’t want to say that she felt particularly safe with that. But what else could it be? Protected? Stood up for? Defended?
