Page 4

4

Double Blessed

*Ren*

C hime.

My muscles burned as I worked the wrench, fastening the last of more than a dozen nuts. The hopper’s sluggish motor was about to become a thing of the past.

Chime.

I frowned at the insistent ping coming from my neck and slipped out from under the hull. Slapping a hand against my skin, I silenced the sound. “Why the fuck is my neck ringing? Verne, you listening?”

The Verne ’s androgynous computerized voice answered me. “How may I be of assistance?”

“Did someone set an alarm on my implant?” It sure as shit wasn’t me…

“Captain Arda requested you be alerted when the next meal cycle began.”

My brow furrowed at the same time my stomach rumbled loud enough to wake the dead. “Huh. Guess I am a bit hungry…”

I set my tools aside and brushed my hands down my stained blue skinsuit as I stood. Honestly, I couldn’t blame Arda for hacking my implant. I got a little hangry when I skipped meals. And since I was always laser-focused on whatever task I was working on, I missed my fair share of them.

Luckily for me, I had my captain—and best friend—looking out for me. Today it was more important than ever that I was in a good mood. After spending the better part of a week cruising at sub-light, we were finally close enough to land. Within hours, we’d set foot on a new world.

A tiny thread of excitement tugged at my chest. Sure, I was happiest when I had my hands in an engine, but I couldn’t deny that exploring the universe got my motor pumping, too. If only I didn’t have to meet with Cassidy, then I could really enjoy it.

I slipped out of the docking bay and headed to the mess hall. There wasn’t much I could do to stem the discomfort boiling in my veins when I pictured seeing my sister again. But I could cure the hunger gnawing at my belly.

“Hey, Ren.”

“Capt.” I smiled at Arda as I ducked into the mess. “Thanks for the reminder. I would’ve probably forgot again.” I sidled up to the food processor and quickly keyed in one of my go-to orders.

Arda chuckled, making her long brown curls swish against the shoulders of her pink skinsuit. “Don’t mention it.” She sipped from her teacup, frowning as she pulled it away from her face.

“Something wrong with your drink?”

“Fucking oolong.” Her mouth puckered like she’d sucked something sour. “That damn upselling sales agent was full of shit.”

A chuckle rolled off my tongue even though I had no clue what had her steaming. “About what?”

“The so-called greenhouse they sold me on during the Verne ’s renovations is defective.” She scowled into her cup as she swirled the brown liquid. “He claimed it was so easy a baby could grow their own veggie purees with the press of a button.”

“Or you have a black thumb.”

She sighed. “Maybe…”

“Hey.” With a hunch that deep furrow in her brow wasn’t only from a subpar cup of tea, I sank into the seat across from her and planted my elbows on the circular table. “What’s really bothering you?”

Her bright-blue eyes flashed to mine. It wasn’t a surprise she’d snagged an alien lord for her very own. Arda was a smoke show, petite and curvy in all the right places. And as captain, she was normally confident enough to bark orders until her throat was hoarse… but right now, a sliver of vulnerability shone in her gaze.

She chewed on her lip, then leaned closer, lowering her voice. “How the hell am I gonna keep a kid alive if I can’t even grow a plant properly?”

My eyes widened before flashing to her stomach. “Are you…”

“No. I’m still packing.” She tapped her arm where the birth control implant practically everyone used these days—myself included—rested under her skin. “But Lux wants kids one day. It was the whole reason he voyaged to Earth to begin with. And I want them too—eventually.”

I couldn’t blame her for waiting. Arda was younger than me by a few years. At twenty-eight, I still didn’t feel ready for kids. Especially not when I’d have to raise them by myself. There wasn’t a man in the universe I trusted enough to be my kid’s daddy. At least Arda would have Lux to help her.

Her arm shot at the wall, toward the defective greenhouse. “Shit like this makes me worry I’ll never be ready.”

I scoffed. “You can’t hang the fate of your future children on how well you kept a stupid plant alive. I’m sure there are plenty of women who can’t grow a damn thing, but their kids turn out okay.” I frowned, wishing I could offer a personal anecdote to really prove my point.

Yeah… that ain’t happening. My history with maternal figures wasn’t the type of thing you brought up to convince someone kids were easy…

I settled for reaching across the table and snagging her hand. “What are you worrying about this for? You said yourself you aren’t planning to have kids anytime soon. You’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.”

Arda twisted her lips. “You’re right. I guess I’m just feeling bad about not being helpful with Smudge.”

“Oh… that.” Apparently fuscieras’ heat lasted a good long while. It might be a month before she was done yowling and hiding in the ship’s nooks and crannies. Lux had been practically tearing his hair out, trying to get his beloved pet to settle—with little success. “I wouldn’t worry about it. She’ll be back to normal before you know it.”

Arda sighed again.

I couldn’t stand seeing her so dejected. Fuck… Better change the subject. My gaze darted around the mess before landing on the tablet in front of Arda. From my spot across from her, the lettering was upside down, but it looked like she was reading a research article. I nodded to the tablet. “So, what’re you investigating today?”

“Oh, that’s some info on Dionus.” She brightened. “I’ve managed to track down the exact location of the facility we need to search.”

“That’s great news.”

Arda had been on the hunt for information about her genetic heritage for ages now. Around the time she got together with Lux, she discovered some pretty interesting facts hidden in her family lineage that pointed to illegal genetic tampering on what might be a massive scale. The latest clue we uncovered pointed us to a spot on the jungle world we were about to touch down on.

She leaned back in her chair. “It wasn’t too hard once we were in orbit. But it looks like the building is surrounded by some pretty rough terrain. Think your sister can connect us with a local guide?”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” The food processor chimed, and I took advantage of the distraction, hopping to my feet. The truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when we met with Cassidy. We hadn’t exactly left things on the best terms…

“Oh yeah, and get this.” Arda kept talking, seeming not to notice the way my shoulders had stiffened as I pulled a tray loaded with a chicken-and-cheese burrito from the food processor. “I dug up an article from one of the leading cultural researchers on Dionus. Sounds like a lot of those rumors floating around about the planet being overrun with barbarians are exaggerated.”

I sat, plunking my tray on the table. “Really?” We’d all heard the stories. It wasn’t only their strict visitation laws that kept travelers from vacationing there. The local people were said to be superstitious and vicious to outsiders.

She swiped her fingers over her screen. “Yep. The planet has a fascinating history. A few centuries ago, they were invaded by space-faring scavengers who wanted to use the planet’s resources for their own ends. They spread tales about the populace to keep others away—but that was after the locals ran them off and stole their tech.”

“And that’s how they learned to travel the stars?” I shuddered as I pictured how traumatic that must’ve been. The Dionions were just merrily living their lives before aliens appeared out of nowhere. It was like something out of a retro invasion vid.

“Wild, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” I didn’t know if that made them any less barbaric, though. Frankly, that they could overpower a technologically superior foe had to say something about their brute strength. “So, they don’t still live in huts in the jungle?”

“That part is true. They have some cities too. That’s where we’re landing to meet your sister. But the old research facility is pretty far from civilization.”

I smiled as I lifted my burrito. “We’ll find a guide. Don’t worry.” Hot sauce stung my tongue and made my eyes water.

Footsteps clattered in the hall. “Hey, you two ready for landing?” Karsen poked her head in the mess, an expectant look on her face. “Lux wanted me to tell you we’re beginning our descent in five.”

Arda stood. “I better head to the bridge before he fucks up my controls.”

I chuckled around a bite of burrito. Arda and Lux were always giving each other a hard time about who was the better pilot. “See you later, Capt.”

Karsen slid into the chair Arda had vacated and activated the retractable seat belt. “Shouldn’t you stow that for landing?” She nodded to my tray.

“One sec.” Opening wide, I shoved the last third of my burrito inside my mouth.

“Impressive.” She cocked a brow. “Do you swallow that whole, or is chewing required?”

I rolled my eyes, my mouth too full to come up with a snarky reply. Karsen and I had turned a corner after the whole fiasco on Oraxis Station. Now, she was back to teasing me—which was better than assuming I was on a one-woman mission to take out every man I met.

My empty tray clattered as I slipped it inside the dish sanitizer. Then I sank into my seat and slapped the button to trigger the straps. After swallowing, I said, “You ready to step foot on an alien world?”

Karsen’s face lit up. “Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting a new culture. I might even let one of those Dionion men get to know me real close, if you know what I mean.”

I nearly rolled my eyes again. “So the blue hair does it for you?”

“Please. Like I care what color their hair is. I’m more interested in what they’re packing elsewhere. Don’t know if I’ll ever have another opportunity to land a guy who’s been double blessed.”

My insides twinged at the reminder. Since I’d learned about Dionion men’s unique anatomy, I’d been a bit curious, too. But I wasn’t planning to ask any of the locals for a test ride. In fact… “You might want to reconsider that. They mate for life. Aren’t you a little young to settle down?”

“Who’s to say there won’t be some guys looking for a bit of fun before they meet the love of their life?”

“From what my sister told me, it doesn’t work that way. They don’t do casual. And once they find their mate, that’s it.” At least… that was how it was supposed to work.

Karsen pouted. “Damn. Well, a girl can dream, can’t she?” She fluffed her black curls just as the Verne started shaking.

My fingers tightened on the armrests while the ship slowly sank into the atmosphere. The shaking finally receded, and once the telltale clack of the landing gear descending rang out, I sighed. And yet, the relief didn’t stick around. Because I knew landing safely on an alien world wasn’t the most nerve-racking thing I needed to face. “Let’s go meet my sister.”