Page 33 of Veiled Vixen

An electric shock shoots through my body at this simple touch. And when she pulls her legs away from mine in a defensive gesture, the heat we created in that single moment disappears and my whole body becomes chilled, then cold.

“Don’t touch me,” she says. “I’m not in the mood.”

“What’s your problem, then?”

“My problem?” She lifts her head up and stares at me. “My problem is that this pregnancy is doomed. In a few weeks, at most, I’m going to miscarry again. That’s my problem. I’ve been through this so many times, you’d think I’d be used to it. But I’m not.” She shakes her head. Opens her mouth to say more. Decides against it, and then drops her face back down into her knees.

“Should I know what that feels like? Should I pretend that I understand? Should I pretend that I believe this act you’re putting on?”

Her head snaps up. “Fuck you, Valor. You have no idea what’s going on here.”

“Well, maybe you should fill me in?”

She huffs. Says nothing.

“What are you afraid of?”

“Get out. Just leave me alone and get out.”

“Well, I got in because I promised all those borgs of yours out there—who are officially off duty, by the way—that I’d get you out of this airlock so they can go back to their quarters and enjoy their time off.”

She looks over at the airlock window, spies two peeping borgs, and then screams, “What the fuck are you looking at?”

Both of those metal heads swing out of view real fast.

I want to give up right now. Just go back to sleep. At least things would be simple and I wouldn’t have to be here, with her, dealing with this shit.

But all the things Crux told me suddenly swirl into my mind. And then, almost like it’s out of my control, I say, “Hey. Have you ever seen a place that’s like… a golden nebula while you were traveling the galaxy?”

“What?” she croaks, looking up from the safe view of her knees.

“Crux said…” I stop, wondering if I’m supposed to be telling her this, then decide I want to tell her this, because for some reason I need to hear her answer, and continue. “He said he died. You knew about that, I take it?”

She flips her hand in the air. That gesture again.

“But he said when he died he went somewhere. Some golden space-dust nebula place filled with people or… I’m not quite sure what the fuck he was talking about. But he asked me to ask you. I was supposed to be all stealthy about it and shit. Like… well, I’m not really a stealthy guy. So I’m not sure how I’d do that. But anyway. Have you ever seen that?”

“What did I tell you?”

“What?”

“Lie, Valor. Learn to fucking lie a little, for fuck’s sake!”

“Why?”

“You can’t just go around asking about the golden place. What’s wrong with you?”

“So you’ve heard of it?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of it. I’m a fucking Cygnian princess.”

“What’s that mean? Do all you guys know about it? Why was Crux dreaming about it? And hey, did Corla send you messages? Because he says she sent him messages and she’s awake and… what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

She blinks at me. “Why are you telling me this?”

“He told me to ask you.”

“You know what? I have to go.” She gets to her feet and starts walking towards the airlock door. But I get up and grab her wrist and stop her.