Page 50 of A Monster’s Future

“Even with us around, I’ve seen plenty of fighting during the rut,” Julie said, nodding.

“Now imagine if there were no females to stop the fighting. I lost many of my brothers in arms during that first rut before we found Vokira.”

Julie found my hand, her fingers lacing through mine. “I’m glad you found us.”

“Me too.”

She was quiet for a moment, then squeezed my hand. “Maybe one day you’ll see your sister again.”

“Maybe. The Usurper Queen has many enemies, and if she falls, her successor may pardon us.” I turned my head, pressing my lips to her knuckles. “Even if we are pardoned, I will only go back to visit. My life is here on Vokira now, with you.”

“Do you regret it?” she asked.

“Never!”

“Good,” she said. “Because you’re stuck with me now.”

And I was exactly where I was meant to be.

Chapter 26: Grtirr

Our time in the aerie was paradise. I didn’t want to leave it, but that thought was irrational. We had responsibilities. We’d been hiding in our nest for days, solidifying our bond, and it was time to go back to civilization.

Julie had sighed and pouted that our honeymoon was over. And I in turn asked what the strange word meant. A honeymoon was not about sweets, or a trip to a moon at all, but a vacation couples took when they first joined together in legal union—a very unromantic term they used in Nova Vita. Like the engagement and wedding rings, it had gone out of style for anyone other than the affluent.

My mate’s laugh had been bitter. “Vacations were for the rich. Where would people go? Nova Vita outlawed all forms of camping. And only the rich had extra credits to visit their resorts. And besides, most people on Nova Vita couldn’t afford to take any time off work anyway. Not even to stay home and relax.”

I was glad to be able to give her what I could. I wanted to spend more time here, but tomorrow was the hand-off of the ore to Vossell Industries, and Julie wanted to be there.

Julie’s fingers dug into my neck as we descended the slope by wing, her breath warm against my shoulder. Tatertot was tucked up inside a pouch we’d made by sewing up some fur.

The hoverbike waited below, but something else caught my eye. A drone, sleek and metallic, skimmed low over a field of swaying grasses. It was early in the day, and the morning mist still clung to the ground. I wouldn’t have seen it if the light from the morning sun hadn’t caught the metal in just the right way.

There was only one reason for it to be flying so low to the ground, and it was that it didn’t want to be discovered. I landed on a ledge at the side of the mountain and carefully set my mate down.

“What—”

I hushed her. “We’ve got trouble.”

She spotted the drone the moment it approached the edge of the forest, where the land was higher and the fog dissipated. “Those are containers for transporting dangerous chemicals,” Julie said. “Look at the symbols on the side. That one means whatever’s inside is poisonous, and the other means it’s corrosive.”

The drone carefully dropped off the cargo and turned around, heading back the way it came. It disappeared into the heavy morning mist of the valley like a ghost.

“Should we go check it out?”

“I will go.”

But before I could move, another drone appeared out from the fog. My hands free from having to carry her, I brought out my communicator and filmed the action. It carried the same package and dropped it off next to the first. When that one left, another came, and another, and another. It stopped after the fifth drone.

I sent the footage to Krxare. His response was immediate. "Investigate. But don’t touch anything. I’ll alert Ellaston."

Picking my mate up again, I took to the air. Minutes later, we were landing by the hoverbike. I helped her on silently; her mood had changed since seeing the drones, and I wanted to wipe the worry from her brow. We rode through the forest, and I stopped a little way from the packages, just in case.

Julie was already arguing even as I helped her down from the vehicle. "I’m coming with you."

"No." My voice was final. "You stay here. If something goes wrong, you warn the others."

She pressed her lips into a thin line but nodded.