Page 54 of Tempting Fate

Or spank it out of him. Either would work. “Galactic convention can say what it damn well likes. It doesn’t change facts.” I pointed to the sky. “Planet.” And slapped the grass. “Moon.”

He tilted his head to one side, full lips pursed in thought. “You make me consider what truth is.”

I shrugged. “People make up words, we make up the definitions for words. Maybe out here the definition of moon is not strictly a satellite orbiting a planet like it is where I’m from.”

“Perhaps it can be both.” He rested his fingertips on my drawing. “So humans used to live here?”

“Yes. All over the planet.” What would those fingers feel like on me? I pointed to the central landmass I’d drawn. “My ancestors were from countries here. Somalia and Nigeria. And more recently, before humanity fled Old Earth, my family lived here for well over a century.” I slid my finger north, to a small green shape, one of the only smaller islands I’d bothered to recreate. “My family was British, too. So’s Ceres III Station, where I used to live, but that doesn’t mean as much as it used to.” Each area of New Earth had developed its own distinctive culture, but so many people retained aspects of their roots. I could almost taste the efo riro soup Mum had always made whenever one of us had a bad day. “We don’t get taught much about Old Earth. The government thinks we need to look forwards, not backwards. As far as they’re concerned, we’re all just New Earthers now, but many of us remember our heritage.”

“So you are human, but you are also New Earther, but also these other names? That is confusing.”

“It’s part of being human. Of being sapient, I suppose. I can’t see it’s very different to the other cultures out here. We’re both Vadiasers now too.” No, that didn’t work. “Vadians? Vaders? Whatever.”

“It feels easier to call myself of Vadias than it does shaa’ith.” He trailed his claws over the ground. “We don’t have much history on Orith. Or, if we do, I wasn’t permitted to know it. My parents restricted my commnet access. I could access trading information, of course, and I was allowed a select number of news sites, two art sites, and an online rites group, though I could never show my face.”

Restricted his access? God, he really had been a prisoner. “Have you been catching up on what you’ve missed since you’ve been here?”

“Not as much as you’d think. A little, here and there.”

My own upheaval had been bad enough, but it had been a situation of our own making; visiting Tathar Refuge had always held an element of risk—though none of us could have anticipated being taken light years from home. Airida hadn’t had nearly as much time to come to terms with his removal.

He trailed his fingers over the grass. “I was brought up to believe the galaxy outside Orith was not for me. Yet this place is beautiful. The sapients here, they are welcoming, respectful. And they have integrity—a value so sacred to Orith. How much do Orithians miss out on by not embracing all of this?” He swung his head, his headspines waving in a slow dance. “I have many truths to learn… and many falsehoods to unravel.”

“And you’ll get there.”

He stared out over the small lake before turning those amethyst eyes to me. “How are you so relaxed here? We are both having to find a new life on Vadias, but to my shame I am not handling it as well as you.”

I covered his hand with my own, mindful of his spines. “No shame, kitten. You think I didn’t spend days crying my eyes out? Scared shitless?” A shudder ran through me, and I pushed the memories away. “It helps that I’ve always been obsessed with Old Earth. And Vadias is green, same as Earth was.” Ceres III Station had never felt like home, not like this. “The cultural side is harder to adapt to. But every day I’m here, every day I’m safe and warm and fed, every day I see something to make me smile? Well, that means I’m doing okay.”

Airida flexed his fingers, the blunt spines massaging my palm. “Every day I see you, I have something to make me smile. You give me hope.”

My stomach gave a traitorous flip flop.

He stood in a lithe motion, casting his shadow over my sketchbook. “I should take a shower. Thank you for staying. I’ll see you later?”

When I’d touch his dick and hear him moan and see that beautiful chest again.

Get a grip. “No worries, kitten. Same.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lovers

Imani

THE PROBLEM WITH helping Airida through his kalidi—aside from being inappropriately horny, of course—was I had little else to do. If not for this, I’d have been at work with Fenn. The main work around the village was the construction of new accommodation, and the villagers insisted—wrongly—I was too small to help.

I straightened up against the tree and checked my messages for an update from the Wayfarer’s Rest. Being in limbo was no good for anyone, especially me. But nothing.

Even the air was still. The spiralling leaves above me hung motionless, just a few twitching tips reacting to the occasional breeze.

I gave the geology article on my datapad one last listen through. Much as I loved spending time in nature, I couldn’t do that all day, nor could I take on too much new information in one go.

Kinda inevitable I found myself at Airida’s hut. Again.

His eyes lit up when he saw me, and he paused the holoprojection he’d been watching.

I dashed over, examining the characters on screen. “Is this Lovers of Lietan?”