But, finally, Jace did find the words and said simply, “I’m glad you’re here, Khoth.”
There was another silence and then Khoth deadpanned, “Because of our pack-bond that is also shared with your toaster?”
Jace snorted and wagged a finger at him. “Now, now, you’re trying to make me laugh. I should be the one doing that for you now.”
“Being with you…” Khoth rolled his lips together as he clearly considered his words, “has helped with my feelings about Daesah. You are strangely similar.”
Jace’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Now that sounds like a very big compliment.”
“It is. It is a fact.” Khoth shook himself. “She would have appreciated the idea of no one left behind, I think. But my mother will not.”
“You’re worried about what’s going to happen when your mom comes,” Jace guessed.
Khoth hesitated, but then nodded. “You will be hard pressed to convince her to leave a fighting force on Earth.”
“Yeah, well, then I’m not leaving until she does. I can be just as pigheaded,” Jace said.
“Pigheaded?” Khoth’s lips curled into a smile.
“Yep! Another one of those words that relates to something else.” Jace grinned. “She can’t just kidnap me, Khoth.”
“Oh, she can.”
“No, she can’t. Well, maybe she can physically, for a while,” Jace said with a shrug. He had a sudden fantasy of being in one of those ridiculous Barbarella space suits and being held by the wrists and ankles in some infernal machine. “But think of the politics. Forget Earth and humans for a minute. Maybe she doesn’t care what we think, but what about the other worlds in the Alliance? How would they take her just snatching a citizen of another world?”
Khoth’s lips pressed together. “They would worry that the Thaf’ell would simply take their people too and leave their worlds undefended. It would foment rebellion.”
“Exactly!” Jace opened a packet of red licorice that was filled with Pixie Stick sour powder. He bit in and loved the sour bite. “Especially when all we’re asking for is protection, to be treated like an Alliance world. So I don’t think your mother is going to stuff me into her spaceship and go back through the gate to Haseon.”
“She wants the Osiris too,” Khoth pointed out.
Jace’s lips thinned at the mention of the ship. They were in a fight. “Yeah, well, I get that.
He ripped off another mouthful of licorice. Khoth was keenly watching him so he offered the Thaf’ell Commander one. Khoth stared at the bendy, red stick for a long time before taking it from him.
“Is this edible?” Khoth asked as he twisted the elasticky, sweet rope.
“Yeah, it’s candy. Licorice with sour sugar inside Try it. Bite off a piece,” Jace told him and demonstrated again.
Khoth stared at him and then the licorice dubiously. He licked the tip. “It has very little taste.”
Seeing Khoth licking things was causing Jace’s libido to come to life. Khoth had licked his fingers clean from orange dust due to Cheetos, he’d licked sour cream off his lips, he’d licked soda from his chin, and so on and so forth. Jace drew his hoodie closer around his front. The Syntheskin suit did not hide anything let alone a multitude of sins. Being attracted to Khoth was complicated.
From his heart rate, I can tell that he’s quite pleased to be with you, too, Gehenna told him as she bustled to plate the nuclear hot pizza rolls from the oven. Cheese covered a couple of her pincers.
You shouldn’t be monitoring his vitals, Gehenna. We talked about that, Jace reminded her. It’s an invasion of his privacy.
But I’m helping! Gehenna protested as she accidentally speared another pizza roll, which squirted out marinara and mozzarella. Oh, dear! I really must get a better body that isn't so clumsy!
Jace smiled and shook his head. I don’t know how many pizza rolls we’re going to be having in space. Maybe we should do a grocery run before we go?
Yes, we should! The Osiris, she said the ship AI’s name with a lemony precision, can scan them and recreate them for you!
Huh. So there’s some kind of replicator on board? He knew the answer to his own question before he’d formed it as the Osiris showed him the exact machine that would formulate food.
Is it still trying to talk to you? Gehenna asked.
It is trying to be helpful, too, Jace replied dryly. But we’re not on speaking terms right now.
