Page 57 of Tempting Fate

Airida

“WILL YOU STAY?” I asked Imani the following morning. Kalidi left me with a warm glow now, one that faded much slower when she remained with me, one that reached my very bones. “Can we go out soon?”

She offered me a small, sweet smile. “Sure. I took some photos last time I was in town in case you wanted to come.”

When she’d been searching for somewhere to live, but I didn’t want to think about that. “Why do I need to see photos if I am to go there? I will see it in person.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to see somewhere new if we have an idea of what it’s like first. It might not help you, but it helps me. Look.” She held out her datapad.

The pictures held so much colour. So many different shapes. So many different buildings all packed together in one place.

“This is the speeder corral. We park here. Then from there, we walk down the main street.” A broad thoroughfare filled with different shops on each side, so many different sapients. “The shop we’re going to is down a side street like this.”

I pushed my spectacles up my nose. Narrow. Darker. Lots of shadows. The perspective as the street wound its way towards the horizon was pleasing. And it was paved with cobbles, the same as home had been.

Not home. Zyamzh village was home now.

Imani waited while I showered and dressed. Anticipation jittered inside me, tempered by the knowledge I had a job to do, an important job. I had to do this so I could help my sister.

Imani fussed over me as I finished getting ready. “And you know what you need to get?”

I stared at her over my spectacles. “For the fourth time, yes.” I had the exact specifications noted down—and unlike her, I knew what they meant. “Sometimes I think you enjoy goading me.”

A smile played around her mouth, but she bit her lip and returned her expression to neutral. “Not this morning, I don’t. Ready to go?”

“As ever I will be.”

“And you have credits. And you know how to use them?”

“Imani.”

“I just want to make sure the trip is as easy as it can be.”

Her care sent warmth blooming in my chest. “Very well. It will be straight forward.”

We headed out to the speeders. Though they didn’t hover far from the ground, they weren’t quite the right height for one as small as Imani, who had to jump to get in.

She missed her footing, and as I reached out to steady her, my fingers sank into her plush hips. So soft. As I helped her into the speeder, I imagined having free rein to explore her body, to squeeze handfuls of her and, oh, how I wished I could linger here. “Will you let me fly?”

She turned, half perched in the pilot’s seat. “You know how?”

“Not exactly. But I have always wished to learn.”

Her face took that stern demeanour I found strangely compelling.

Before she could say no, I caught her hand with mine, excitement bubbling up my throat. “This is a day for new experiences, is it not?”

“I’m not sure if—”

“Please?”

“Airi…”

“Please, Marni, just a little?”

Her lips parted.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Since you asked so nicely.”