My throat closed up, emotion overwhelming me. "Love you too, son."
Within minutes, Teddy was asleep, his breathing deep and even. Ruby's eyes met mine over his head, shining in the darkness.
"We're really doing this?" she whispered, her voice full of wonder and disbelief, like she was afraid this moment might shatter if she spoke too loudly.
"We're really doing this," I confirmed, my voice steady and sure, filled with a certainty I'd never felt about anything else in my life.
She smiled, her eyes drifting closed, peace settling over her features. "Together."
"Together," I echoed, the word a vow.
I lay there in the darkness, listening to them breathe, feeling the weight and warmth of my family pressed against me. My cub. My mate. Mine to protect, mine to love, mine to keep safe.
And as sleep finally claimed me, pulling me under into dreams, I knew with absolute certainty that I was exactly where I was meant to be. Home.
Chapter 18
Ruby
I sat cross-legged on the sofa, my datapad balanced precariously on my knee as I made yet another list for the new Space Pearl's restaurant. The afternoon light filtered through the windows, casting warm patterns across the floor. The village had settled into a cautious calm, the dark cloud hanging over it finally lifting like morning fog burned away by sunlight. While most were shocked that Peanut turned out to be the murderer, once Cristox began talking with some of the newly arrived humans from Theta-9, things started to make more sense.
Apparently, there had been a lot of suspicious deaths on Theta-9, but because the humans were slaves, the handlers never bothered looking into them. Cristox did, though, and his investigation revealed a disturbing pattern. Every person who died had experienced an altercation with Charlene at one time or another. The connections were too numerous, too predictable to be coincidence.
Cristox had interrogated Charlene extensively and came to believe she had no idea what her brother was doing. She was heartbroken, devastated by the revelation that Peanut had killed those she'd complained about, thinking he was protecting her. I almost felt sorry for her. But then I thought about what she said to Teddy, and my sympathy didn't last long. Thankfully,Charlene was gone from Tau Ceti. An Alliance vessel had picked her up a few days ago. After what happened with Peanut, the Prime decided to wipe her memories and send her back to Earth. A fresh start, they called it. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. The ethics of erasing someone's past, even a painful one, sat uneasily with me. My own past was fraught with painful memories that were now precious to me.
Teddy was doing well, all things considered. He still had nightmares sometimes. I would hear him cry out in the night, small and frightened, but Cristox made him feel safe. The way Teddy's face lit up whenever Cristox walked into a room made my heart swell with warmth I'd never experienced before. It was like watching a flower turn toward the sun.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. "Come in!"
Mei stepped inside, her usual confident stride somehow more purposeful today, her expression serious. "Got a minute?"
"Always. What's up?"
Mei settled into the chair across from me, fingers drumming on the armrest in that restless way she had when she was working through something important. "I wanted to talk to Cristox, actually. Is he around?"
"He's with Teddy at the park. They should be back soon." I set my datapad aside and gave her my full attention. "What's going on?"
"I want to offer him the peacekeeper's job. For good, not just temporary."
My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
"He's good at it, Ruby. Better than good. And the village trusts him." Mei leaned forward, her dark eyes earnest. "I know he's got ties to Historia, but I thought since the two of you... I'm hoping he'll stay. I'm hoping you all stay."
My chest tightened with emotion I couldn't quite name. I hadn't let myself think too hard about what came next, afraid of wanting something too much. "I'll make sure he knows you want to talk to him."
After Mei left, I stared at my datapad without really seeing it, the numbers and notes blurring together as my mind spun with possibilities.
When Cristox returned with Teddy an hour later, both windswept and laughing, I relayed Mei's offer. We talked that night after Teddy was asleep, lying in bed in the darkness with only the soft glow of the village lights filtering through the curtains.
"What do you want to do?" I asked quietly, my head resting on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Cristox was silent for a long moment, his fingers tracing lazy, contemplative patterns on my shoulder. "I don't know."
"We'll go with you," I said, the words tumbling out before I could second-guess them. "If you want to go back to the Historia. We'll figure it out."
"I don't know about the peacekeeper job." Cristox's voice was soft, almost wondering, like he was discovering something as he spoke. "But I have no doubts about you and Teddy."
I lifted my head to look at him in the dim light, trying to read his expression. "Are you sure?"
