Page 45

Chapter Seven

Riley smiled as sherealized that she had set foot on several worlds she would not have been on otherwise. Hebor, Korvil, and the hated mining world were now places that she had walked that she had never imagined.

Now, it was home to Arro and all the friends she had made there.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I have travelled more than any human before the asteroid. It’s funny.”

He lifted her hand and kissed it as the shuttle approached the spaceport. “Soon, we will be back home.”

“You don’t like travelling?”

“I want to be at home, on Arro, with you, and my daughter and her new partner visiting every few weeks.”

She grinned. “Wow. You have gone from the master of an abbey full of deadly warriors to a homebody.”

“If you are there, that is home.”

“Whoa. Don’t stop your life for me. I have plenty of hobbies to keep me busy.”

“I am not stopping my life for you. I am still the overseer of the system. I have to do all of my admin tasks, but when they are done, I want to spend my time with you.”

“I am glad to hear it. It’s relaxing to know that no one is dependent on me.” She grinned. “It means I can be a bit of butthead.”

“You do that anyway, Riley.” He grinned.

They came in for a landing, and she asked, “Oh, shoot. Should I have packed that transparent wardrobe you got me? I just brought the keepsakes back.”

He grinned. “Lagolian is already waiting to get your new wardrobe underway.”

“Oh. Fun.” She smiled. “She made all my clothing before.”

“I know. I am trying to give you as many points of familiarity as I can.”

“Thank you, that’s very sweet.”

He grinned. “I expect to take it out of your hide later.”

She sighed and got to her feet. “Fine, but I still have pretty thin skin.”

“I know. And so soft and silky,” he murmured from behind her as she headed for the exit with her bundle of sweet memories in her arms.

They walked out of the shuttle, and she was heading for customs when he caught her in his arms and took to the sky. She curled against his chest and breathed deeply of the scent of Arro.

He said, “I asked Ranna to wait at my residence.”

“Good. I hope she and Nizzen have made progress.”

“I hope he’s still alive. He was trying to convince her that you weren’t important when I last saw him.” Rath chuckled.