Page 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

-Clay-

“WHERE ARE WE going?” I asked.

“It would not be a surprise if I told you,” said Arcay. That smug bastard.

After the ass-clenching tension of the exhibition, Arcay had told me he wanted to show me something, probably to make me feel better and take my mind off Ulgar’s big, ugly face.

I still didn’t know what they’d said to each other, and I didn’t miss the tension Arcay carried in his shoulders, or the low simmer of rage coming off him like steam. But he was trying, for my sake, so I didn’t want to push it.

Arcay led me into a huge, domed area that must be the flight deck. I had been way off when I was trying to find it before. The cavernous ceiling curved high above our heads, while rows upon rows of spacecrafts neatly lined the walls, with more hangars sunk in like a gigantic metal beehive. The crafts kept there ranged from small, one-person pods, to huge shuttles and warships armed with some pretty badass weapons protruding from their hulls. These guys didn’t fuck about when it came to fighting.

“Whoa,” I breathed.

I could have stood on that spot and stared for hours, like a kid in a candy shop, but Arcay set off with long strides, his footsteps echoing around the space.

“This way,” he said.

I jogged after him, baffled but happy to follow along anyway, staring all around as we passed the lines of spacecrafts.

“If you don’t close your mouth, a flying chittra will set up a nest inside,” Arcay said, glancing over his shoulder at me while his amusement warmed my belly. Finally, he turned off the main walkway and we entered a hangar bay that was set back from the main area. The ships inside shone pure white and gold.

“These are my personal ships,” Arcay said and I whistled.

“Fuck, these are some sexy machines.”

He stopped at the end of the row, and I looked around, confused.

“Over there.” He pointed at a thick sheet concealing something, nestled out of view behind a larger ship.

I frowned. “What is it?”

“I will not tell you, you must go and find out for yourself.” He smirked. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn’t jittery with excitement. A surprise in a hangar bay, covered by a big dust sheet? I didn’t need ten guesses to figure out what it could be. Unless he was exploring his sense of humor by pulling a prank on me, and it was just a pile of boxes. In which case he’d be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future.

Arcay stood back and watched as I took a handful of the sheet and gave it a hard yank, until it slid away smoothly. My mouth fell open.

Underneath was a ship about the size of a mini-cruiser, sleek and aerodynamic, shiny white with intricate gold embellishments.

Although it was different from anything I had seen before, by its size and shape I recognized it as some sort of space jet, designed for solo or two person flight. It was the fastest and most nimble class of spacecraft around. I had only seen them at race and agility trials. Even the most basic model was worth a not-so- small fortune, and I’d never had the chance to pilot one myself, but the ones I’d seen could reach dizzying speeds and turn on a dot.

I ran my hand over its smooth hull, so shiny it felt almost wet. It was a masterpiece of engineering. Where my hand made contact, blue, humming lights stood out over its flank. They dipped and rose in a way that made it seem like it was almost a living, breathing thing.

I spoke in a hushed tone. “Shit, Arcay, is this yours?”

“No.”

I looked at him, confused.

He was watching me with an amused curl to his lips.

“It’s yours,” he said.

I blinked at him, not sure I’d heard that right. “I’m sorry?”

His small smile spread into a rare, full grin, teeth glistening. “It’s yours. A gift.”

My mouth hung open and it took me a moment to find my words. “Are you joking? Because it’s not funny to toy with me like this if you are.”

I could tell you from experience, shit like that was not funny.

His smile wavered slightly, and uncertainty clouded his amusement. “You are a pilot? I thought you would enjoy this. It is one of our most advanced ships, and I requested it to be made specifically for you. Is it a suitable gift? I can have it dismantled if you do not like it—”

“No! No, no, I like it,” I shouted, waving my hands at him. “I like it, I want it, it’s amazing.”

His smile returned, amused and happy again, and I turned back to the ship, gleaming in the overhead lights.

It was beautiful, and it was mine . I felt giddy.

“Would you like to take it out for a ride?” Arcay asked.

Did I want to take it for a ride? Did a lunar bovid fart in space?

I grinned. “Fuck, yeah.”

***

MY PULSE BUZZED as I pushed the throttle higher. After a few laps around the ship, the jet already felt like an extension of myself. The controls responded to the slightest touch.

The snug pilot’s chair and controls fit me perfectly, Arcay must have had the entire thing custom-made to my size, because there was no way an Aldar would be able to squeeze into the cockpit area.

Arcay, so close I could feel the warmth and trepidation radiating off him, perched in a larger seat set just behind mine. One seat for me to fly, and one for him to come along for the ride to share the experience. And, damn it, that hit me in the feels like a freight train. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had put this much thought into a gift for me. In fact, I didn’t think anyone had ever done anything for no other reason than to make me happy.

“Clay? Are you alright?” Arcay asked, leaning forward and coloring the air with concern.

I swallowed hard. “I’m great,” I said. And I was. I was so great.

This was so much more than just an expensive, cool-as-fuck ship. He was giving me myself back. I wasn’t just an omega, made to lounge around and look enticing. I was Clay, the pilot, the kid who always dreamed of flying. For the first time in a long time, I felt like myself.

No, that wasn’t right. I felt better than myself. Because, if I was honest, ‘myself’ had never felt this great before.

Arcay leaned forward over my shoulder, his chest pressed close to my back, and gestured through the screen. “Look.” He pointed at a distant spec that could be a planet. “That is my home. Adelemar .”

I peered at the blue and green orb, smudged with clouds. It looked just like Earth from this distance.

“When was the last time you were home?” I asked.

His wistfulness washed through me as he considered the question. “Only a short time ago, but I do miss it.”

There was a pause, and then guilt mingled with his emotions, probably thinking about me and Earth. I shrugged it off. I didn’t want to think about that now, not while I was having so much fun.

“Wanna take a look?” I said, setting the controls to steer towards it. That made him happy again.

“Yes, I would like that.”

“Right, I think I’ve got the hang of the controls,” I said. “Are you ready?”

“Show me what you can do,” Arcay said.

I grinned. “Alright, you asked for it.”

Time to see how fast this baby could go. With a flick of my hand, we blasted away from the ship. The thrust pushed me back into my seat and caught my breath in my throat. This ship was fast.

I laughed, high as a kite on adrenaline, but Arcay wasn’t feeling too hot. He let out a noise that sounded too much like a strangled squeal for someone so big and serious, and the bond had a definite green aura to it.

We made it to the planet far quicker than should have been possible. I coasted around it until he pointed out a huge land mass, and I jerked the controls into a nosedive, whooping as we broke through the atmosphere, spearing clouds as the ground rushed up to greet us. I eased up on the controls and leveled out, passing a city in a second. All I could make out was the blur of white buildings split by a river that plummeted over a cliff edge, and then mist from the waterfall ballooned up in front of me in a mirage of rainbows, and I flew through them.

I pulled hard on the controls and tore off into the sky again, leaving the ground behind us as we tumbled upwards into the never-ending blue.

This was what freedom felt like. Up, up, up, and then the sky grew dark, the stars winked on, and I was back in the vastness of space, the surface of the planet laid down below me like a patchwork blanket. I did a tight loop, two, three, four, until my head was dizzy and my stomach was spinning. I laughed, mouth wide like a little kid.

This was why I’d trained to be a pilot in the first place. Not to steer hulking ships across space, but because I wanted to go fast .

“I think the engine might need a rest,” Arcay said in a strained voice.

I checked the displays. The engines were fine, they’d barely even warmed up.

“If you want me to go slower you only have to say,” I said.

“I am perfectly happy with high speeds, my only concern is with the condition of the engine,” he gritted out.

I grinned at his obvious lie and slowed down anyway.

“I said I was fine,” he said, not doing a good job of hiding his relief.

“Yeah, it’s a bit too fast for me though,” I said.

He nodded, happy with that.

Back then, I’d always felt that if I went fast enough, I could leave everything behind, even myself. But now, as we coasted back towards the ship at a more reasonable speed, I wasn’t so sure I wanted that anymore. If Arcay was so sure he wanted me, all of me, then maybe I was worth keeping. Maybe I didn’t need to go so fast after all.