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He’d never relaxed since she’d left him, always so wound up in his heart, body, and soul.

Today was the first time he’d woken without any tightness in his chest, a churning sensation that had dogged him since she’d left. Nor did he feel the weight of the daily anguish that had stalked him like a phantom for years.

It was almost euphoric, and he grinned at her.

He noted her slow blink as she studied his face.

The doubt in her expression was growing each time she looked at him. Like she was quizzing who he was under Ribau’s disguise.

Riv turned away from her and busied himself, petting one of the miniature creatures that decided it liked him.

The needle probe of her gaze fell on him, and he chose to ignore it, still uncertain of how to proceed with her.

Knowing they would be alone this coming night, a bolt hit his cock, and he almost groaned.

The chores came as a relief, letting him focus on the manual labor instead of on her.

He worked beside Élisa to weed the small garden beside the dzo enclosure. She came alive in this rare green space, a smile playing on her face as she stopped every so often to push a synna berry into his mouth or crumple an aromatic leaf against his nose.

It was earthen, sensual, and such torture to be so close to her, to inhale the purity of her essence and have his lips touch her hand as she fed bounty to him.

At one point, he strode to the boulder adjoining the house, where he threw his heated torso under a gushing fountain, seeking relief.

He found her eyes on him, and the wash of cool water turned into a caress as their attraction intensified.

Kuma, how was he going to survive this?

Élisa came to his rescue when she asked him to look at the aging generator that powered the fence’s energy field.

He examined it, head tilted, eyes narrowed, searching for the faults. ‘The sandstorms have worn down the shield by damaging its crystals as the impact is absorbed and spread through the matrix. I’ll need to reface some of the crystalline tiles and recalibrate over the capacitors so they drain the shield’s energy slower.’

He also sent a cluster of noids over the rundown machine, and they went to work going into the machine’s grooves, stabilizing its energy fields.

They spent the rest of the day fixing breaks in the fence where sandstorms had sheared away sections.

Together, they bolted on storm windows over the large openings that acted as windows. Riv couldn’t keep his eyes off her, noting she had a deft hand and worked fast.

She’d become ever more sufficient and self-assured in her ease in maintaining the property.

‘You’re battening down in case you don’t return,’ he murmured.

She nodded. ‘I need to prep for our departure. Killen seems convinced we’ll not be back, and like I said, he’s never wrong.’

Sadness flitted across her face, and she shrugged like she was resigned to her fate.

A stab of compassion suffused Riv. ‘You must like this place,’ he said, gazing out over the barren landscape that held a haunting beauty.

‘It’s where we found safe harbor, and I brought up my child.’

It’s also where you hid away from me, my love.

They continued their work in silence, with Riv brooding and Élisa pensive.

At one point, she looked up at the sky. ‘Is your ship still here?’

‘In a manner of speaking. It’s cloaked.’

‘Won’t you let it land to preserve fuel?’