Chapter 18 Julie
I hated to say it, but the genuine Earth coffee latte was a little lackluster, at least compared to the faux-faux-faux stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty and had a nice aroma, but something was lacking.
The coffee substitute we grew on Vokira had a little extra nutty kick, making it all the more enjoyable.
A little part of me wanted to stand out here with a cart, giving out free samples of Vokiran “coffee,” just to share how good it was. Maybe we needed to start calling it something else, rather than just a coffee substitute. It could be our next big export. Now that was food for thought.
I wasn’t sure whether it was just this place or all Earth coffee that was lacking. We chose a middle-of-the-road café to try. The prices were not rock bottom, but they also weren’t outrageous.
But the raspberry tart? That was a whole different story.
Sweet, tangy… the crust was buttery, flaky perfection.
It was absolutely delicious, and I already knew I’d be dreaming about it later.
I wondered if it was possible to bring raspberries back to Vokira and grow them safely without them running amok and turning into an invasive species nightmare.
We ended up ordering not one, but two extra because Grtirr took one bite of the tart and immediately claimed half of it. I would never, ever, trust his “test bite” again! Turned out, Kadrixan warriors had a weakness for raspberries. Or at least this one did.
“It will make a great middle course,” was his verdict.
I never got used to the fact that Kadrixans ate their desserts right in the middle of the meal. Not that it mattered much at the stronghold, where most meals were grab-and-go from the cafeteria. Special dinners were the only times we actually ate in courses.
It was hard to ignore all the stares we were getting. Whispers of “demon” were all around us, aimed at Grtirr. Some were hushed, others, not so much. But there was one conversation that stuck out.
The woman’s voice was hushed, as if she were trying to speak only to her friend, but her words still traveled to our table. “Is that a Kadrixan warrior? Like from Penny’s books?”
I kept my eyes on my latte, but Grtirr didn’t bother with subtlety. His head turned toward them without hesitation.
There was a round of giggling, and a soft, “He’s looking this way.”
Followed by an “I didn’t know they visited our space stations.”
Grtirr turned his attention back to me, and we exchanged looks.
“I had no idea Penny’s books ever made it off planet,” I murmured.
It made sense, though. Unlike most books sold through EShopU, readers actually owned digital copies of Penny’s work, and not just a license to read them on approved devices.
That meant they could transfer it to other devices and read it however they wanted to.
I was just surprised at the prospect that romance readers on another planet were reading and obsessing over Kadrixan mate bonds. How weird was that!
I couldn’t wait to tell Penelope. Somewhat invested now, I kept my expression neutral but listened closely.
“He’s just as hot as in the books. Look at those muscles! I wouldn’t mind if this one decided to rut with me.”
A sharp, irrational heat prickled under my skin. I fought down the stupid urge to tell that bitch to look somewhere else and shoved the rest of the last raspberry tart into my mouth.
“Yeah, and they say that Vokira has tons of fresh water and fresh air,” another woman chimed in. “There’s no need to go off planet just to have a taste of nature. In one of the books, the warrior brought his mate to a natural hot spring. Those must be better than a hot tub.”
I met Grtirr’s gaze. “I’ve actually never been to one of these hot springs I keep hearing about,” I admitted, keeping my voice low.
“I will take you when we return,” he promised quietly.
“Nature’s good and all, but I might get bored,” said the first lady. “Maybe that’s why they’re here. Maybe that lady brought him for a visit. Do you think she’s his mate?”
“I hope not. Maybe I should go and say hi.”
I gritted my teeth. If the bitch tried, I’d punch her.
Grtirr’s fingers wrapped around mine. “Do not be jealous, my mate. I only have eyes for you.” His tone was teasing, and there was a twinkle in his eyes.
I gawked at him. Jealous? I wasn’t jealous!
“Hey! I’m not—” Then, realizing that they could understand me, even though they couldn’t understand Grtirr, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I’m not jealous.”
But it was no use. He was already grinning in that way that told me his mind was made up and there was no way for me to change it.
“How much time do we have before the rendezvous?” I asked, changing the topic.
“Another galactic hour or so.”
“No one’s looked for us here yet.” I glanced around the concourse, curious at the many signs offering spa packages and couples’ retreats. “Let’s go for a walk.”
We stood and wandered down the “street,” the warmth of the cafés on either side of us.
The spa district stretched ahead, a maze of signs and frosted glass doors.
Some advertised “Luxury Hydrotherapy,” others promised “Zero-Gravity Massage.” What the hell even was that?
The scents of fruit and flowers drifted from the doors, mingling with the smell of coffee.
We kept walking past the spas and into the health and fitness sector.
Gyms lined the corridor, their glass walls revealing rows of people working out.
Some lifted weights, their faces twisted in concentration.
Others ran on treadmills, their feet pounding in sync with the unheard music from their headphones.
We were getting just as many curious looks as we were before, but now we were also getting gym bros enviously admiring Grtirr’s near-perfect physique.
“I still do not understand this form of training,” Grtirr grumbled. “It does not hone the skills or get the body ready for spontaneous movement like hand-to-hand combat does.”
We continued walking and passed several martial arts studios. His mood shifted instantly. He slowed, watching the fighters through the windows, his expression sharp with interest. Two skilled practitioners sparred on a mat in one of the studios, and Grtirr didn’t look away until the match ended.
“Hard to tell you’re a medic,” I teased.
“I am a medic, but I am also a strong fighter.” He steered us toward a wide-open area where moving stairs descended to the lower levels. A massive transparent elevator stood with its doors open, and two transports were filing in.
“And a mechanic too?” I asked, thinking of the hovercraft.
“It is good to have many, many skills.” The look in his eyes turned downright wicked. “I am also skilled inside the mating nest.”
My face burned hot enough to fry an egg. I stumbled over my own feet, coughing to cover my flustered reaction. Thank fuck nobody around us spoke Kadrixan. I shot Grtirr a sharp glare. The smug bastard just looked way too pleased with himself.
“You liked what we did last night. Do not lie.”
Suddenly, my traitorous brain decided to replay all the sexy things he’d done to me back in our room. Every filthy, delicious detail. My body betrayed me too, reacting immediately, heat pooling low in my belly. And I knew, knew, he could scent my desire.
So much for making him work for it. Hell, at this rate, I’d be lucky if I didn’t jump him right here.
It wasn’t fair. None of this mating crap was fair.
This whole thing was stacked against me.
His pheromones were cheating, plain and simple.
But even without them, we had oodles of chemistry.
And now that Grtirr wasn’t acting like a hyper-controlling asshat 24/7, he was actually…
well, he was fun to be around. I liked him.
The grumpy, serious medic had been just a front to drive me away because he didn’t want a bond.
I guess fate was laughing at both of us now.
And now that I knew he’d been fighting the bond this whole time? Yeah, that explained a lot.
I’d known from the moment Grtirr had sunk to his knees in the mess hall that fighting this mating bond was a lost cause. But the truth was really, and I meant really, settling in now. Grtirr and I were mates.
Like forever and ever after, the end, kind of mates. Like, this was it, either we make it work, or else.
But that didn’t mean I’d go easy on him.
He still owed me a nest. And a proper mating flight to said nest. I’d been fantasizing about those two things ever since I’d known about the Kadrixans and their mating rituals.
I wanted a nest, made just for me, filled with treasure.
And Grtirr had it easy too, because I loved all things pretty and sparkly.
The mountains were covered in pretty and sparkly things.
Mated women talked about all the gemstones littering their nests because they were some of the only things of value the Kadrixans could find.
And then there was the mating flight. Kadrixan women didn’t have wings like their men, and so the ritual of carrying their mate up to their nests by wing was born.
Not only was it super romantic, but it was also the ultimate proof of their strength, since Kadrixan nests were built high up in the mountaintops.
I was a simple woman. I wanted two things: a well-thought-out nest, and a mating flight. These things were non-negotiable. After fucking things up so royally, Grtirr better make them legendary.
My eyes landed on the time on a wall. Had it been an hour already? That went by quickly. “Let’s head back down and check up on everyone,” I said.
The second I powered my device back on, alerts flooded the screen. Some of them were from Chris, one from Annabel, and a handful from our group chat. I was still trying to figure out which one to reply to first when my device lit up with a call from Chris. I picked it up immediately.
“Chris?”
“Julie.” His voice sounded rough. “You’re okay. Good.”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you okay? You were shot!”
“I’m fine. I got super lucky. Shot went right through, missed every organ. But Charlene is…” There was a pause. “They have her in surgery now. We are in the infirmary. But I’m fine. And plus, I have a beautiful Tessa here caring for— Oww! That hurt, woman!”
“You’re as high as a kite. You can’t feel anything.” I recognized Tessa’s warm, friendly accent.
“Yeah, they gave me the good stuff. But nothing is as good as you.”
That had me frowning. “Umm, Chris, you’re supposed to be negotiating, not flirting,” I said, wondering if he was messing up our chances for a trade as we spoke.
“It’s fine. I showed her the ore. The deal’s a go.” He blew out a pained breath, proof that he wasn’t as good as he claimed to be. “Plus, I got shot while dragging Miss Shaw over to our side of the table. That counts for something.”
No wonder she’d already been there.
There was the sound of movement, and the next voice was Tessa’s.
“Since Chris can’t seem to do anything useful right now on account of they have him drugged up, I’ll catch you up.
My intelligence tells me those were local thugs, hired out by someone off-station.
The second the station found out Vossell was involved, they sent every spare officer after them. They caught them all.”
“We tried to contact everyone, but all your comms were off,” said Chris, his voice a little farther away.
“We thought they were tracking us.” That reminded me of Sergio. “Is Sergio alright?”
“He’s fine. The guy’s made of tough stuff.”
“They had scanners listening in on calls and messages, but they can’t actually track you,” Tessa explained.
“That’s good.” I didn’t like being disconnected from everyone. “What now?”
“We continue our talks somewhere more private. If Nova Vita is going to this length to stop the trade, then there must be something good there. The ore looks to be of great quality. Very clean. And the prices are fair. We will continue our talks back at our hotel instead.”
“Our people need to return to our ship,” Grtirr grumbled next to me, “where I can tend to their injuries.”
“What did the Kadrixan say?” Tessa asked.
I relayed his information, then tacked on the fact that Grtirr was our medic.
“The medical facilities here are top-notch, but I understand if your medic prefers to treat his own. Meet us in the docking bay. We’ll get your wounded back to the ship, then we parley.”
I wrinkled my nose at the unfamiliar word.
After ending the call, I caught up with the rest of the missed messages.
Sergio was alive and boasted that he’d tricked two of the idiots into running headlong at station security with their weapons drawn, thinking it was him.
Annabel heard that one of the drones the thugs had been using had gone down in the park, and she went to look for it with Igor.
There were also several photos of Omnia Pictures employees courtesy of Dana.
I recognized one of them immediately as the guy who had grabbed me and immediately flagged him.
Very soon, Grtirr and I were stepping into an automatic station transport. We planned a quick stop at the hotel first so we could check up on Tatertot before heading to the docking bay.