Page 3 of Taking Jenny (Planet Orhon #4)

“No…well, yes.” I winced at how that sounded. “But since he’s never been caught, I think that makes him more of an outlaw. And they’re united, not married.”

“Right. I keep forgetting what you call it here,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “So we’re going to the dump?”

“Yes, and quite frankly, it reeks. If you want to stay on board, I’d understand. You’ll be safe. The woman who runs it is sort of Jac’s friend.”

“Absolutely not,” she stated adamantly. “You’re going to spy on some king—”

“Ruler,” I corrected her.

“—and you think I’m going to stay behind?” She laughed. “You’re out of your mind.”

“Fine,” I said, knowing there would be no dissuading her. “If you’re joining me, then don’t mention your family heritage while we’re here. It could complicate things.”

“How so?”

I spotted the dump down below and steered the ship in that direction.

“Because you’re Volatile Bateen’s daughter, which makes you Ruler Justice Bateen’s niece ,” I said, reminding her of that convoluted family dynamic and that she did have alien blood running through her veins, even if she did look one hundred percent human.

“Your sister was involved in the death of Rex Terian, an ally of his on Halla. It’s… complicated.”

“Yeah, okay,” she said, more subdued now. “And I shouldn’t mention Silence either? Since she’s Justice’s daughter but publicly considered deceased?”

“Right. We faked her death. The people mourned her, but anyone who saw the body knew it wasn’t her. Which means Justice knows.”

She huffed inelegantly. “I still don’t get why Justice locked up his own daughter in the first place.”

Because the man was a bastard through and through.

“It’s a long story but the main parts are that Silence was betrothed to Deacon but she had an affair with his father, Valor, and fell in love with him,” I said, giving her a quick rundown of the situation.

“Justice used that betrayal to execute Valor and lock Silence away in the royal prison, even though she was pregnant. Jac and the rest of us broke her out of prison and brought her to Halla to be with Valor.”

“ Ghost Valor,” she said, correcting me.

I nodded. “Yes.”

She was quiet for a moment, as if processing everything, then spoke again. “So when Ladrians die, they all become ghosts on Halla?”

“Not automatically. Our tradition is to burn the body on Halla, which releases the person’s ghost. We live on Halla as ghosts for about a century. Then we return to the ether, where all Ladrian souls come from, and wait to be born again into a physical body on Orhon.”

She smiled at me. “That’s kind of beautiful. Like reincarnation. Do you remember your past lives?”

I shook my head. “Not really. But sometimes it shows. I knew a boy who was terrified of murky water. Our clan master said he drowned in a past life.” I gradually decreased the speed of the ship and glanced over at Jenny. “Put your seatbelt on. We’re going to land.”

She secured the strap around her waist right before we hovered, then finally touched down in the usual space Boundless kept clear for friends.

I was relieved Treg had replaced the air scrubbers.

The dump’s stench didn’t flood the ship like last time.

Outside, the trash was piled higher than the trees.

The collection barges hadn’t been by in ages. Odd.

I opened a channel to Deacon’s ship, Allegiant , and Treg’s deep Gorrk voice came through almost immediately. “Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon,” he rumbled. “Everything alright?”

“Yes,” I replied, trying to keep my voice even. “Is Sarah around?”

“I’ll get her. Give me a minute.”

I glanced at Jenny. She was watching me, nervously twisting a strand of hair around her finger, her lower lip caught between her teeth like she didn’t realize she was doing it. Gods help me, it was adorable. And distracting.

I smiled at her. “Thank you for not asking me to hide you from your sister the whole time we’re here.”

She let out a breathy laugh. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Tiger. I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me.”

I leaned just a little closer, letting my smile grow slower, more deliberate. “I would,” I murmured. “Get in trouble for you.”

She blinked, startled, and then she blushed. It hit me like a sucker punch. Pink rose in her cheeks and spread down her neck, and I had the strangest urge to trace the path with my fingers. With my mouth.

“Why would you do that?” she asked softly. “You don’t even know me.”

I held her gaze. “You don’t know me either, but you trust me enough to be here with me.”

“I do trust you,” she whispered, almost like it surprised her, too. “And I like being with you.”

Something, everything , tightened in me. My pulse. My gut. My control.

“I like it too,” I said, my voice low.

Her smile widened, and the effect was instant.

My tail thumped once against the back of the chair, a traitorous giveaway of what she did to me.

I wasn’t sure if this pull between us was real, or just the way Jenny was with everyone because of her gregarious personality, but gods, I wanted it to be real. I wanted her .

Then the comm beeped, shattering the moment.

“Tiger, is Elizabeth okay?” Sarah’s voice came through, businesslike.

I cleared my throat. “She’s great. Safe back on Earth. But…I had a stowaway—”

“Hi, Sarah,” Jenny cut in, her tone innocent and breezy.

There was a beat of silence, then, “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Jen. What are you doing on Sovereign ?”

“I wanted to see Orhon,” she replied. “You know how much I love traveling and adventure.”

“You’re not bothering Tiger, are you?”

“Not a bother at all,” I said quickly. “And since I didn’t find her until we landed, would it be alright if she stayed with me instead of returning to Halla? I could use the extra eyes and ears.”

Sarah let out a sigh. “If you think it’ll help, then fine.”

“Jenny’s very observant,” I added, watching her reaction. “I think she’ll be a huge asset.”

Jenny flushed again, this time deeper, and it wasn’t just bashful. There was a heat behind it now. Awareness. It hummed in the small space between us like static waiting to spark.

“Alright,” Sarah said, her voice softening. “Be careful, you two.”

“Everything will be fine,” I promised, ending the call.

I turned toward Jenny, letting my gaze linger a second too long on the delicate curve of her lips before lifting my brows. “Ready to see the exciting city dump?”

She laughed, but her voice had a husky edge now. “Sure.”

I grinned and offered a warning as I stood. “Try not to breathe too deeply.”

“I’m usually the one who takes out the trash at the coffee shop,” she said with a little shrug. “I’ll be fine.”

We disembarked together and the moment the stench hit her, I heard her sharp inhale followed by a muttered groan.

“Okay. Worse than I expected,” she said, covering her nose.

“I warned you.”

“Yeah, well…” she trailed off, her eyes watering slightly as she shot me a glare that was more playful than angry. “I thought you were being dramatic.”

“I save the dramatics for high-speed chases,” I teased, just as I heard the click and whir of a Gorrk hand cannon arming.

My heart jolted. Without thinking, I stepped in front of Jenny, shielding her with my body. I felt her press into my back, her hands catching my uniform, and that small point of contact grounded me just enough to keep my smile from slipping.

I pasted on a calm expression and turned slowly toward the threat.

“Hello, Boundless.”