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“Travel supplies,” he answered. “A water skin. My hatchet. A tent.”

“Are you lending it to me? I don’t think I’ll need any of it. I definitely don’t need a tent.”

“Oh, the tent is not for you,” he said quickly, heading for the door. “It’s for me.”

“For… Hold on!” I called. Even with the limp, the man was damn fast on those long legs. He was already out the door.

“Why do you need a tent?’ I asked, running after him.

Oaken paused, hitching the satchel up higher on his bare shoulder.

“Well, I suppose I do notneeda tent,” he replied. “But whenever I camp away from home, I tend to use one. And it will be useful if it rains tonight.”

“Tonight… You mean, you’re coming with me? For the whole night?”

Oaken cocked his head. The three moons of Zabria Prinar One were visible in the inky sky, casting pearlescent light down on the dark river of his hair.

“Of course I am coming with you. Was that not clear?”

“Uh, no. That wasn’t clear. You don’t have to come with me. I can use Lala to find my way back.”

Oaken snorted. His tail flicked across the ground.

“I am not sending you alone and unguarded into the mountains,” he scoffed.

“Besides Lala and the occasional ferry job passenger, I’ve basically been alone for the past ten years!” I exclaimed. “I know how to take care of myself!”

“I’m sure you do,” Oaken said. “But that was out there.” His tail snaked up and off the ground, pointing up at the moons and stars. “Now, you are down here.” His eyes glowed fiercely. “And you do not know down here as I do.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat. Goddamnit, he was right. I didn’t know what predators or pitfalls awaited me in the mountains. I didn’t even have my stunner anymore now that the warden had so kindly confiscated it from me.

Besides, it wasn’t like Oaken had invited himself to sleep inside my ship with me. And while I couldn’t say this was anything close to a free country, considering it was a penal colony and all, I also couldn’t tell him he wasn’t allowed to make camp where he pleased.

“Alright. Fine,” I said, turning away from him to stare off in the direction of the mountains.

I pursed my lips and rubbed my arms. The day had been hot, but the night was surprisingly chilly. I shivered, trying to increase the friction between my palms and my arms. The last thing I needed was Oaken commenting on my “caboosebumps” again.

But he didn’t. Instead, without a word, he whisked something heavy, thick, and incredibly warm around my shoulders. Every part of me froze. Even my lungs. I didn’t breathe as Oaken carefully secured what I was fairly certain was some sort of leather around my shoulders.

And you thought you didn’t need him.

“What is this?” I asked once my lungs decided to start working again. It didn’t appear to be an article of clothing, or if it was, it didn’t have any seams, sleeves, or fasteners.

“It is the blanket from my bedroll,” Oaken said, closing up his satchel.

“Oh. Well… Thanks.” I unclenched my fists from my arms, and then clenched them around the blanket instead so that it wouldn’t fall.

Oaken gave me a sweetly crooked sort of smirk. He looked immensely satisfied to see me wrapped up in his blanket.

“You do not need to thank me for something like this,” he replied on a murmur. “I am your husband. This is what I’m meant to do.”

What I’m meant to do…

The man made it sound like keeping me warm was the highest, most holy purpose of his life.

“So. How do we get there? Do you have one of those slicers, like the warden?”

“No one but the wardens have slicers,” he told me. “Normally, for any other sorts of long distances, I’d take you on Fiora, or one of my other shuldu. But the ground is quite treacherous between this valley and where your ship landed. Those rocks are one of the few terrains around here where we would be less liable to injury than a shuldu.”