Chapter 21
Niir looked out over the curving landscape of the Virilian desert.
The sky was a deeply hued swirl of orange, yellow, and pink.
He had forgotten how beautiful evenings were on Virilia.
The winds were mild as they quietly hissed over the cooling sands.
The temperature in his suit stayed constant as he stood on a rocky outcropping.
In the distance, a figure stood beside a sensor that he himself had driven into the sand eight cycles ago.
They waved a screen over it, collecting data, then moved to the next one.
He touched his helmet, activating the voice communicator. “You’re losing light,” he said. “Hungry creatures who hunt at night are waking up.”
“Almost done,” came the quick reply.
He watched her hurry to the next sensor, then head his way. He never got tired of watching her smooth strides. It gave him great satisfaction to see her walk so confidently on the surface of his home planet, which she now called her home, too. “Did you get what you needed?” he asked.
She joined him on the rocky ridge, eyes on the screen in her hand. “Yes.” Dark blue brows lowered behind her face mask. “Sensor 13-E isn’t transmitting.”
He ran a hand down her back. “We’ll fix it tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” She looked up at him and her brow smoothed. “Let’s go back down. We’re hungry.” She brushed a hand over her belly, where his child grew and thrived. She was not yet showing, but would soon. Virilian pregnancies were shorter than human ones, with babies born smaller but less helpless.
They walked back to one of the hatches that led to Exir City, one of two Virilian capitals led by long-ruling dynasties. They stripped off the surface suits in the decontamination chamber and headed to their rooms.
The corridors were made of the smooth, white stone the city was built into, and the air was fresh and clean.
Niir took her hand as they entered their chambers.
They’d chosen rooms farther away from the city center, where Niir could have a room for his cooling tube and Calinae could have a room for her study and research, which was expanding daily.
The common chamber was open and spacious, with a clear slab on the roof for natural light and large, soft sofas.
She had chosen cool, calming colors, except for accents of color here and there.
She had made the space a home for the family they would make.
He nuzzled her neck the moment the door closed behind them. “Tell me we don’t have plans for dinner.”
She placed her screen on a table and snuggled against him. “Can’t do it,” she said, angling her face up to his for a kiss. “We are dining at the palace tonight.”
Niir groaned. “Who agreed to that?”
“You did, my love.”
His hands slid around her waist. He pulled her against him and leaned down to kiss her, deep and leisurely.
That’s how it had been since they’d arrived on Virilia.
Both of them had taken to the relative peace of Exir City well.
Some of Calinae’s sisters had chosen Exir’s sister city, Tagja City, to make their home, while the rest had settled nicely in Exir City.
All were pursuing new interests. A few had chosen mates already.
Calinae, meanwhile, had fallen in love with her studies.
She was fascinated by the climate on Virilia and that was her current area of research.
As for Niir, he was very much enjoying doing nothing.
The primal form had not reemerged and for the time being, he was very content to do something he had never done in the whole of his life—relax.
And make love to his mate.
“Let’s cancel,” he murmured into her hair.
She laughed. “We can’t. Trak will know why and come over here. You know he will.”
“And bring the children, for some extra fun.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I hate him.”
Calinae smiled up at him. “You love him. Even when he’s annoying.”
“I love you,” he said, going back in for another kiss. “I tolerate him.”
“Liar,” she said breathlessly. “You two are like brothers.”
Her hands roved over his back. Instantly, Trak was the farthest thing from his mind. “Maybe we can be late for dinner,” he suggested.
He pressed her up against the wall, loving the feel of her curves against his body. It was a marvel, how well they fit together.
“Hmm.” She sucked his bottom lips between her teeth. “Maybe we can.”