33. Poppy
POPPY
The minute we pop into orbit, a Suevan ship tractor beams us in, and then we somehow warp back to their planet before I have time to wrap my head around the fact we’re safe.
I have a feeling that’s going to take a long time to catch up.
Suevan tech, it turns out, is way better than anything we have on Earth.
When the heavy hatch of our shuttle finally slides open, it doesn't reveal a sterile white room or a digital camera drone.
It reveals sunlight, crashing through the larger doors of the Suevan ship.
Real golden sunlight warms my face and smells of fresh, sweet grass and damp rain-soaked earth.
"Poppy!" A familiar, breathless voice screams my name from the edge of an emerald-green meadow.
I stumble out of the shuttle, my bare feet sinking into the cool soil of Sueva. Standing at the perimeter of a beautiful settlement is Ellison. Beside her, a green alien holds her waist, a look of relief on his handsome face.
And love. He’s looking at her like she hung the moon.
Running right behind them, her bob swinging around her chin is Lily, with Zan at her side like a protective purple shadow.
"Ellison! Lily!"
I run across the grass. We collide in a tangle of human limbs and laughter, dropping directly into the grass.
"We did it," Ellison sobs, her arms locked around my neck. "Bex—she’s one of the humans sent here for tech, do you remember that scandal… She got the signal booster active. You're safe. We’re all safe."
"The cryo-pods of the other people on that station are landing over in the capital," Lily pants, wiping her eyes as she smiles at us. "The Suevan Warlords are already retrieving them. Everyone is safe, Poppy. You saved an entire station full of people."
Lucy joins us with a whoop, and we group hug for a long, long moment.
I pull back, my chest heaving as I take in my girls. Lucy and I are dirty and look absurd and exhausted, but we are alive.
I look back toward the shuttle.
Vael-Torin stands at the edge of the grass, his red wings catching the warm Sueva breeze, his hair blowing across his brow.
He looks fucking edible.
He meets my gaze, a tender smile showing off his fangs. Yum.
I stand up, brush the dirt from my legs, and run back to him. I slide my small hand into his palm.
"Welcome to Sueva, Poppy," Vael rumbles softly, pulling me close as we look out at our new home.
"We have a lot of work to do," I say, leaning my head against his shoulder. "We need to find a place to live. We need to help Pol take his throne. And most importantly..."
I look up into his eyes, my grin wide.
"We need to build a really, really big bed."
Vael-Torin lets out a laugh, and as his arm wraps securely around my waist, I feel the safest I ever have in my life.
I am exactly where I belong.