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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

K ara folded the last of Rory’s shirts and placed it in the small storage compartment. The children were napping in the crew cabin—Talia curled protectively around Rory, their breathing synchronized in sleep. The sight had made her throat tighten with emotion.

She closed the compartment door and sighed.

Thraxar had been gone for hours. When he’d left that morning, he’d been vague about his plans, mentioning only that he needed to “take care of some things.” His tail had twitched in that particular way she’d come to recognize as nervousness, though he’d tried to hide it.

Something was bothering him. Ever since they’d arrived on this planet, he’d been distracted, thoughtful. Not distant exactly—he still curled his tail around her waist when they stood together, still played with the children, still held her close at night—but his mind seemed elsewhere.

Was he regretting bringing them here? Was he planning to leave them with Elrin? The thought made her stomach clench.

She’d grown accustomed to his presence, to his quiet strength. The children adored him. Rory had even started mimicking the way Thraxar tilted his head when considering a problem. And Talia—well, Talia followed him like a shadow whenever possible.

The sound of the airlock cycling open interrupted her thoughts. Heavy footsteps in the corridor, familiar and welcome despite her concerns.

“Kara?” His deep voice carried through the ship.

“In here,” she called, keeping her voice low enough not to wake the children.

He appeared in the doorway, filling it with his huge body. Something in his expression made her heart skip—a mixture of nervousness and excitement she couldn’t recall seeing before.

“I need to show you something,” he said. “Are the children awake?”

“They’re napping, but I can wake them if?—”

“No, let them rest. I will prepare the transport pod while you get them ready.” He hesitated, then added, “Pack whatever you might need for a night away from the ship.”

She gave him a curious look. “A night away? Where are we going?”

His mouth twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile. “It is a surprise.”

Thirty minutes later, they were in the transport pod, the children bleary-eyed but excited at the prospect of an adventure. He piloted them away from the spaceport and toward the outskirts of the settlement.

“Where are we going?” Talia asked, pressing her face against the viewport.

“You will see,” he answered, his voice softer than she had ever heard it before.

They flew over fields and scattered dwellings until he slowed the pod and began their descent toward a modest structure set apart from its neighbors.

It was a single-story dwelling with weathered walls and a sloped roof.

What caught her attention, though, was the land surrounding it—a sprawling garden area, overgrown but clearly once well-tended.

He landed the pod in a clearing near the house and powered down the engines.

“What is this place?” she asked as they disembarked.

His tail swished nervously. “It is.. available. For us. If you want it.”

The words took a moment to register. When they did, her breath caught.

“You mean?—”

“I have taken a position as a mechanic at the spaceport,” he said, the words coming faster now. “The pay is adequate. The house needs work, but the structure is sound. And there is room for a garden. For the children to play.”

Rory had already darted ahead, tracing the perimeter of the garden with quick, excited steps. Talia followed more cautiously, her eyes wide as she took in the space.

“You want us to stay here? All of us?” she asked, hardly daring to believe.

“If you want to.” His black eyes studied her face. “Until Elrin completes his research about Talia, at least. And then… we can decide what comes next.”

The uncertainty in his voice made her heart ache. This powerful warrior, this man who had saved them all, was afraid of her answer.

“Show me,” she said, reaching for his hand.

The interior of the house was dusty and sparsely furnished—a table and chairs in what would be the dining area, some storage units built into the walls, a cooking station that looked decades old but was still serviceable.

But what struck her most was the light—it poured through windows on all sides, bathing the rooms in a warm glow.

“The previous occupant left some furniture,” he explained as they moved through the house.

“There are three sleeping chambers. This one would be ours,” he indicated the largest room, which contained a platform bed sized for someone of his proportions.

“The children could each have their own space, or share if they prefer.”

She touched the wall, feeling the solid construction beneath her fingers. A real home. Even before they’d been abducted, their apartment had always felt more like a temporary residence than a home. The concept seemed almost too much to grasp.

“And you found work?” she asked, turning to face him.

“With Jerra Varn at the shipyard. She is… grudgingly impressed with my skills.” His mouth quirked. “For the most part the hours will be regular, and I will be home each night.”

Home. The word hung between them, full of promise.

“What do you think?” he asked when she remained silent for too long.

Before she could answer, Rory burst into the room, fingers flapping with excitement. He grabbed her hand and tugged, clearly wanting to show her something.

“I think Rory has an opinion,” she said, smiling.

Rory led them back outside and into the garden. He pointed enthusiastically at a section where flowering plants grew in wild profusion, attracting small flying creatures that resembled butterflies. Then he pointed at Thraxar, then at himself, making digging motions.

“I think he wants to garden with you,” she said slowly, her throat tight with emotion.

Talia approached more cautiously, her eyes darting between them. “Is this… are we staying here?” she asked, hope and wariness warring in her voice.

She looked at Thraxar, then at the children, then at the house bathed in afternoon light. A decision that should have required careful consideration felt instead like the most natural thing in the world.

“Yes,” she said. “If Thraxar wants us to, we’re staying.”

His tail curled around her waist, drawing her closer. “I want,” he said simply.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity.

They returned to the ship to gather their meager belongings, then stopped at the settlement’s market for supplies.

He purchased bedding, cleaning materials, and food with a generosity that made her wonder about his financial situation.

When she questioned him, he merely shrugged.

“I have had little reason to spend credits for many years,” he said. “Accumulation without purpose is meaningless.”

By evening, they had cleaned the main living areas and made up the beds. The kitchen proved more functional than it first appeared, and they worked together to prepare a simple meal. He moved around her with easy familiarity, his body heat a comfort in the cooling evening air.

The children ate ravenously, then explored their new surroundings with increasing excitement.

Rory found a collection of smooth stones in the garden and arranged them in intricate patterns on the floor.

Talia discovered a storage compartment filled with old data crystals and spent an hour examining them with fascination.

When night fell, she herded the tired children to bed.

Talia asked for a story, and to her surprise, Thraxar volunteered.

His deep voice recounted an old Cire legend about stars forming patterns to guide lost travelers home.

By the time he finished, both children were asleep, Rory’s hand clutching Talia’s as if to make sure she wouldn’t disappear.

She found him in the garden afterwards, sitting on a stone bench beneath an unfamiliar constellation. Without hesitation, she settled onto his lap, his solid warmth enveloping her.

“They’re happy,” she said softly. “I haven’t seen Rory this relaxed in… I can’t remember when.”

His arms tightened around her. “And you?”

She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. “I’m happy too. Happier than I thought possible.”

“Good.” The rumble of his voice vibrated against her cheek.

“Are you? Happy?”

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze on the stars. “I never expected to find this,” he said finally. “After my family died, I believed that part of my life was over. That I would always be alone.”

“And now?”

“Now I wonder if perhaps the universe is more merciful than I believed.” He stroked her hair with infinite gentleness. “You and the children… you have awakened something I thought was dead.”

She turned in his lap to face him, cupping his face between her palms. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For saving us. For bringing us here. For everything.”

She kissed him then, slow and deep, pouring all her gratitude and affection into the contact. His response was immediate, his body responding to hers with now-familiar heat.

“The children?” he murmured against her lips.

“Exhausted. They won’t wake until morning.”

His tail coiled around her thigh, a silent question.

“Yes,” she breathed.

They made love there in the garden, beneath alien stars, with a gentleness that belied the intensity of their connection. Afterward, wrapped in his warmth, she traced the patterns on his skin with her fingertips.

“How long can we stay?” she asked, the question slipping out before she could reconsider.

He stilled beneath her touch. “How long do you want to stay?”

She hesitated, fear of asking for too much warring with the depth of her feelings. “I don’t want to leave,” she admitted. “Not ever.”

His exhale was long and slow. “Then don’t.”

She raised her head to look at him. “What about Talia? What if Elrin finds her family?”

“Then we will do what is right for her.” His expression was solemn. “But whatever happens, this place is yours and Rory’s for as long as you want it. And I am yours, if you will have me.”

The simplicity of his declaration brought tears to her eyes. “Of course, I’ll have you,” she whispered. “We’ll have you. And you will have us.”

He gathered her close, his tail wrapping securely around them both, and above them, the unfamiliar stars seemed to shimmer in approval, forming new patterns to guide them on their unexpected journey together.