Chapter 7
A s I did the evening before, I landed the Sparrow and kept it in stealth mode.
I could have waited until the deepest part of night, when Gerri would be sleeping, to retrieve the lifecord, but I had no intention of hiding any longer. A desperate part of me needed to see her, and it was not just because I had found my mate, though I could not place my finger on it exactly.
I quietly strode through the forest, avoiding other humans, then stopped at the tree line to her camp, frozen with an emotion I could not define.
Though her back was to me and the sun had lowered, I could see well enough due to my Volderen eyesight. The beautiful painting stood proudly on the easel. She flicked her wrist delicately while writing in the bottom corner.
My eyes wandered to the center of the canvas. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks, yet a touch of pride and wonder ignited within me.
“You finished it,” I said, forgetting I had only meant to observe.
She froze, then lowered the brush to a small cup standing on the lip of the easel. “Drayven?” Her voice, a silky whisper, made my heart skip.
Nothing for it now. I must face her, get the lifecord, and leave her be. “I know…I know I lied, that I scared you, and—”
“No.” She shook her head. “You have no reason to apologize. I’m the one who’s sorry.” She pivoted in my direction and wrapped her arms around herself, biting her bottom lip. Taking a deep, slow breath, she met my gaze. “I didn’t mean what I said.” Two steps closer. “Maybe I’m crazy, and if so, I don’t care, but I was afraid you’d left for good. I’ve been kicking myself in the ass for pushing you away instead of opening up and learning more.”
I stood straighter.
“There’s a part of me that wants to believe I’m crazy, yet I have to acknowledge the facts.” She slipped her hand behind her back and pulled something from her jeans. “ This tells me you are real, that the things you mentioned about humans, aliens, and the military must be true, too.” The lifecord dangled from her fingers. “I think…” Her lips twisted in a frown. “I think I’ve gotten so used to living alone I’ve forgotten how it feels to care about something other than myself. If you can stay, even just for a little while, I’d love to learn more about your people and planet. Maybe I can do something to help.”
Gently, I strode forward, leaving a bit of space between our bodies, giving her time to adjust to my closeness. “Sweet Gerri, I would like nothing more.” How I longed to wrap her in my arms.
Her frown disappeared and in its place beamed a wide smile. “Here. Take my hand.”
I grasped her small fingers with mine, unable to speak through the lump rising in my throat. She resembled a goddess at that moment, and I ached to worship her as she deserved.
“I figured out what was missing from my painting.” She led me to the easel. “It needed you.” As she turned to me, the stars shone in her eyes.
A deep urge to trace her cheekbones, to run my mouth across her neck, shook me to my very bones. I bent forward, my lips hovering over hers, silently asking permission for the next move.
Her eyelids closed. She tilted her chin upward in response.
Claiming her offered mouth, I felt the world— no, the entire universe —shift. She tasted of inspiration, of life, of possibility. Deepening the kiss, sliding my tongue farther into her mouth, I licked every recess. I craved her in every way possible.
“Gerri,” I whispered, willing myself to pull back. “I would like to show you my home and my life’s work. I want you to help me find what is missing.”
She blinked twice. “O-okay.” Her irises cleared and she turned her head, her attention settling on the painting. “Your home. You mean, like, up there?” She raised her eyebrows and looked up.
“Yes.” I took her hand. “I wish to be fully open, if you are willing. There has been a growing restlessness within me, a dissatisfaction with the vessel design, and on impulse, I thought perhaps humans could help inspire me with their creativity. You would be among the few humans who have ever visited our Mars base. I would have you as my honored guest.” Although I secretly wished for more.
With a slow nod, she backed away. “I’m crazy for even agreeing to this, but yes. I’ll go. Let me clean the camp and lock my truck. Do you know how long we’ll be gone?”
Forever, I thought, biting my tongue to keep my mouth shut. “The journey is but a matter of an hour or so. I can return you here whenever you’re ready.” Though, that depends on Voren and Baraxen’s orders, and how angry they will be at this decision.
Oh well, that would be a matter for another day. Being the chief engineer of the Perseverance did have a few advantages, though I tried not to use rank to achieve my goals except as a last resort. Gerri is changing me. Or perhaps my visit to Earth had begun to open my eyes to the splendor of life, not just survival. Either way, I welcomed it.
After a couple of minutes to secure her things in a purple backpack, Gerri gave the area one last look, then swiveled to me. “I’m ready.” I held out my hand, and she took it. “Will I need any kind of mask or clothing for Mars?”
“No. My Sparrow will protect you from the atmosphere, and the underground colony has its own atmosphere. It will take a little bit of an adjustment period for the lower gravity, but that is it.”
She smiled. “I’m terrified and excited, Drayven. I’m awake, right, and you’re real?”
With a gentle squeeze of her hand, I push through the trees, holding the limbs from her face. “I am real, and you are not sleeping.” This close, her smell swirled around me, and her pheromones flew straight to my tongue every time I spoke, awakening the mating call of my people. A burst of desire shot through my body and straight to my sexual organs.
This is going to be the longest hour of my life. I must control myself.