Adrift (The Sirilians Book 1) (13 page)

Karo wrapped his arms around her back and kissed the top of her head. She tilted her face so that she could meet his lips with her own.

“That was amazing,” she told him.

“It certainly was.”

They laid in companionable silence for a moment, letting their hearts slow, and Aevum found that she greatly enjoyed the intimacy. It was Karo that broke the silence.

“Thank you for allowing me to be your first.”

Aevum smiled against his chest. “You’re welcome. Thank you for taking care to make sure that my first time was so wonderful.”

“I always want to take care of you.”

Aevum propped herself onto her elbow to look him in the face. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t misreading what he was saying.

“Always is a long time.”

“I hope so.”

He cupped her jaw and leaned up so that he could kiss her tenderly. Aevum melted into the kiss—into him—and hoped that he wasn’t just flying on a high of post-orgasmic bliss.

They didn’t talk anymore about the future that evening, but instead just enjoyed the intimacy of being with one another. They finally made their way into the bathroom and shared a shower before going back to Aevum’s bed.

After remaking the blankets that were wildly askew, and Karo denying her another round of sex because
“she needed to give her body time,”
he arranged them on their sides, his arm over her while her head rested on his bicep. Karo’s breathing quickly deepened, and Aevum knew that he was asleep.

She laid awake for a few moments, then turned to watch him sleep. She still couldn’t believe that he was spending the night—naked—in her bed, or that she didn’t want him to be anywhere else.

What was she doing? Was she actually considering Pair Bonding with him? Was she going to bind herself to someone whom the Assembly had matched to her based on their genetic compatibility?

Before she’d met Karo she would have thought that idea the epitome of high-society-stupidity, but now—she looked over at the man asleep in her bed—it didn’t matter what had brought them together. What mattered was that he was in her life, and in the blink of an eye she found herself not wanting to live her life the old way ever again.

She smiled at his sleeping form and turned her back to him once again, snuggling firmly against his body. His arm tightened around her, as if he didn’t want her to get away, even as he slept. She closed her eyes, and for the first time, counted herself lucky that she had been chosen by the Assembly.

The next morning Karo was pleasantly surprised to see Deian enter his room inside the Medical Center. His bright smile and lighthearted attitude was a welcomed distraction.

“Good morning my friend!” Deian greeted. “I thought you might wanna bust outta here for a while… maybe help work on your ship?”

Karo couldn’t get out of the Medical Center fast enough. His two security officers followed in their wake.

“Have him back in six hours for his next dose,” Doctor Notani called from behind. The two were already through the doors.

“Will do Doc,” Deian called back. “That’s plenty of time for you to stretch your legs a bit—maybe create a little havoc.”

Karo chuckled at his companion.

“No seriously, this is the most boring battlecruiser we’ve ever been assigned to.” Deian’s tone was still lighthearted, but with an undercurrent of honesty. “At least we get to work on your ship. Now that’s a challenge!”

Deian began describing the work that had begun on the ship’s main systems. He sounded optimistic. Karo was very relieved to hear that the crews had developed a plan to replace his damaged propulsion, although Karo had no idea where he would travel to, even if the ship were fixed.  

“Did Jayda and Lukas tell you about my homeworld?” Karo asked, changing the subject.

Deian’s smile faltered, and his steps slowed slightly. “Yeah. I’m so sorry.”

Karo ran his hand over the top of his head in a frustrated gesture. “The hardest part is not knowing what it all means. I have so many unanswered questions, and it seems like the list just keeps growing.”

Deian forced them both to stop, then turned to look him in the eye. “I know this is difficult for you, but you have the benefit of having Jayda on your side. That woman is a force of nature, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Right now, she wants nothing more than to help you.”

Karo felt a glimmer of hope. “Do you think she’ll succeed?”

“Hell yeah I do!” Deian’s signature smile was back in place, and he began walking again. “Not only does she have determination, but she’s also in a position of power. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but she’s a Princess of Arath.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“Well, she happens to be the
crowned
princess, and is next in line to be queen, whenever her mother and fathers decide to step down.”

“Doesn’t that mean you and Lukas will be kings when that happens?”

Deian ran a hand through his hair making it stand up in disarray. “Yep, that’s why I hope her parents decide to stay in power a
very
long time.”

They both chuckled. “But seriously, Jayda has some great connections throughout the galaxy. She’s already enlisted the help of our allies, and will widen the search if you don’t get the answers you need.” Deian patted Karo’s shoulder as they stepped into the quarantine bay. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this all figured out.”

Karo’s eyes widened at seeing his ship after the few days he’d spent away from it. No longer did it sit alone; now there were work stations, equipment, and parts scattered throughout the bay. Scaffolding had been erected along the outer hull, and crews worked to repair the damage that he hadn’t realized the ship had sustained.

He followed Deian up the ramp, and was amazed at how familiar—yet different—the inside felt. He certainly wasn’t alone any longer: there were at least a half-dozen Arathians working within his field of view.

Some had removed panels in the walls, floor, and ceiling, and were either repairing or replacing various parts… actually it looked like they were replacing everything.

His heart rate sped up, and he had to remind himself that the Arathians were only helping.

“It may be easier to build an entirely new ship,” Karo commented, trying to ease his anxiety.

Deian chuckled. “Yeah maybe, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, we know how attached you are to this one.”

Karo appreciated the gesture. He
was
really fond of this ship, and would have had a difficult time had it not been salvageable.

“What we need your help with are the main systems,” Deian said as he crossed to the command consoles. “The more you can tell me the better.”

Karo nodded and began reciting everything he knew.

*****

They worked solidly for a few hours, and only stopped when Deian forced them to.

“I think my teams have enough to keep them busy for a few weeks!” he exclaimed. “We’ve earned a break.”

They decided to head to lunch. As they walked towards the exit of the quarantine bay, Karo looked back and noticed that his security entourage wasn’t shadowing him.

“Lukas cleared you,” Deian explained. “We trust you to be on good behavior.”

“I absolutely will,” he promised. There was
no way
he was going to mess up the relationship he was forging with the Arathians. “It’s going to be nice not having security following me, but now I won’t have anyone to ask for directions when I get lost.”

Deian stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked at Karo disbelievingly. “Did you just make a joke?”

“I did.”

Deian’s face lit up. “Yes! I knew I was rubbing off on you!” He patted Karo’s back as they continued.

Noise reached them long before they stepped through the doors. The Dining Hall rang with the sound of voices, as if the entire ship was inside the room. Karo slowed his steps, overwhelmed by the noise and the thought of the crowd of people.

Deian sensed his discomfort. “You okay?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a room with that many people… all at once.”

Deian’s expression turned empathetic. “We can eat somewhere quieter if you’d like. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Karo appreciated the gesture, but he knew that he needed to push through his anxiety. He was no longer isolated on his ship; he was amid a race of friendly, welcoming aliens, and could almost hear someone’s voice telling him to experience their culture. Karo wasn’t sure if it was a memory or not, but it didn’t matter. Wherever it came from, it was good advice, and he was going to follow it.

“No, I’d like to eat here,” he replied with determination.

Deian looked at him for a moment, probably gauging his body language. But he must have been convinced that Karo wasn’t going to have a psychological breakdown, because he patted him on the back and they walked into the Dining Hall side by side.

They didn’t stay that way for long.

The facility was packed to capacity with crew members of varying races and genders. They all sat together at long tables, eating and enjoying the companionship of one another. Karo followed behind Deian as he veered towards his mates.

Lukas sat backwards on a bench talking to a man at an adjacent table, while Jayda was laughing along with people sitting across from her. Once they arrived, each stood to kiss Deian, then moved aside so that he and Karo could join them. Karo sat next to Jayda, who immediately introduced him to everyone within hearing range.

“This is Karincin Abishek of Siril. Karo, these are some members of the ship’s crew.”

Karo inclined his head. “Hello. It is an honor to be onboard your ship.”

The words had barely left his mouth before he was inundated with hellos and welcomes. It was overwhelming. It was also kind of nice.

Jayda set a plate in front of him, and did her best to field questions so that he could have a chance to eat. Some wanted to know about his homeworld. Most were interested in his ship, especially the self-healing systems and large robotic arms.

He partially lied about the arms, saying that their purpose was to assist him. He didn’t mention LINK, but listened closely for any indication that the AI had been found. There was none, so Karo assumed that he’d been able to hide his matrix successfully. 

Karo finished his meal, and was listening to a woman explain her plans to increase his ship’s hull integrity, when a group of Arathian males entered the Dining Hall. Each were large, rowdy, and the front man carried a ball in his hand. Karo’s stomach dropped slightly as they descended on where he sat. When he got close enough, the leader threw the ball at Lukas. It hit his head and bounced back.

What the hell?

It hadn’t been thrown hard, but was enough to get everyone’s attention. The entire room quieted, and Karo couldn’t tell if it was in anticipation or dread.  

The group’s front-man was the first to speak. “You ready to get your ass handed to you, Earther?”

His voice was loud and reverberated off of the walls. The words were obviously meant to taunt, but even though his tone and body language were menacing, the look in his eyes was almost… playful.

Karo looked at Lukas, concerned that he was being challenged. Usurped.
Didn’t the man know that Lukas was going to someday be their high king?!

Instead of reacting the way Karo expected, Lukas stood up slowly, calmly, and looked him straight in the eye. It didn’t seem to faze Lukas that he was several inches shorter than the huge Arathian.

Lukas’s hand shot out—eyes never leaving the larger man—and quickly snatched the ball from his hand. He threw it several feet away to where another non-Arathian caught it. 

“I’ll be generous and give you fifteen minutes to write your concession speech. You’ll need it for after the game. Make sure you make it original—something with less grunting, and more than two-syllable words.” 

The man grinned at the challenge. “I hope your tongue isn’t the only muscle you’ll be working out today. I’m in need of a decent challenge while I score game-winning points.”

“Gerad, the only scoring you’re going to be doing is after the game, at your five-finger-pity-party.”

Everyone snickered. “Five fingers?” Karo quietly asked Deian.

“I’ll explain the nuances of Earther trash talk to you later,” he whispered back.

The man named Gerad laughed heartily. “See you on the field.”

He held up his hand, and the ball sailed into his palm, before their group stampeded out of the Dining Hall in a frenzy of movement and excited conversation.

Karo watched the interaction in bewilderment.
What the hell had just happened?
Had Lukas just been threatened? Challenged? He didn’t look concerned. On the contrary, Lukas’s expression was one of anticipation.

Several other non-Arathians began to gather around him, and each looked as excited as the next.

Karo turned to Jayda. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t look worried, more like… amused.  “We’re going to play runkall right after lunch. It’s the most popular sport on Arath.”

Deian continued, “We can’t play on a normal-size field, since we’re on a ship, but it’s still the highlight of the week!”

He sounded as excited as the rest of the people surrounding them. Anticipation gleamed in his, and Jayda’s, eyes. Would they be participating or watching?

Karo had loved to play sports while growing up on Siril. At his parent’s request, he’d joined several teams throughout the years, and found that he was very fond of the camaraderie, and especially the strategy required to win. He’d loved pushing his body to be better, faster, while his mind thought of new moves, new game plans. 

He turned back to Jayda, planning on asking her if he could watch the match, but she interrupted him before he could speak.

“You should come play too!” She spun in her seat. “Lukas, I found you another player for your team!” She had to shout to be heard over the din of voices.

Part of Karo leapt in anticipation, the other was overwhelmed at being tossed into a game of which he had no knowledge. What kind of sport was it? Did it require specific skills? Would he make a fool out of himself?

Lukas was buried amidst a group of non-Arathian aliens, but he still heard his mate’s words. “Hell yeah, Karo!” he exclaimed. “We’re playing Arathians versus non-natives. You in?”

The circle of players all turned their attention to him. They looked eager to hear his response.

“I don’t know how to play,” he answered.

Lukas waved him off. “Details. It’s not hard to learn; we’ll explain on the way.”

It
would
feel good to do something physical, but he’d been living in artificial gravity for years—not to mention his small ship hadn’t been conducive to aerobic exercising. He would have been in the worst shape of his life if not for his stasis chamber.

He thought about the rowdy team that had stormed into the Dining Hall, and didn’t relish being amidst the crush of bodies.
You did fine while eating,
his mind piped up. Actually, after getting over his initial apprehension, he’d liked the feeling of being close to others—of hearing others talk, even about mundane things. He missed feeling close to people— missed the contact.

“I’m not sure he can handle it, Lukas,” Deian taunted with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “He’s been on that ship for twenty years. We should respect his advanced age and let him stay on the sidelines. Wouldn’t want him to break a hip.”