I should pull away. I should be annoyed at her ignorance of Xylan customs.
But I don’t pull away.
Her hand is small in mine. Warm, even through two layers of gloves. She’s not even looking at me, she’s focused on navigating us through the crowd, still talking about her story, completely unaware of what she’s doing.
And I like it.
The realization hits me hard. I like the feel of her hand in mine. I like that she reached for me without thinking, like it was instinct. Like I’m someone she trusts enough to hold onto.
We break through the crowd and reach a clearer spot near the transport doors. Only then does she glance back at me.
Her eyes drop to our joined hands.
She goes still. “Oh.” Her cheeks flush with color. “Sorry. Jeez, I’m not supposed to do that, am I?”
She releases my hand quickly, tucking hers against her side like she’s been caught doing something wrong.
“It’s fine,” I rasp.
“No, I know you have customs about hand-holding. The gloves and everything. I just wasn’t thinking. In Singapore, we—” She shakes her head. “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“It’s fine,” I repeat.
She gives me an uncertain look, then turns toward the transport doors as they open.
I flex my hand at my side. I can still feel the ghost of her grip. The warmth that seeped through the fabric. The miners who witnessed our little moment are still watching. I bare my fangs slightly and they look away.
Ines steps onto the transport and I follow. She chooses a seat by the window and I take the one beside her. Not across from her. Beside her.
She doesn’t comment on this, just pulls out her tablet and starts reviewing her notes for the Roxy interview.
I stare straight ahead, hyperaware of her shoulder almost brushing mine.
Cannibal’s bride is tough.I still remember how Roxy made her way across the four sectors to a cave in this mine, in order to remain safe. The Illibrium had called to her. She survived a situation most humans would have lost, badly.
And nowadays, Roxy is mated to my brother and is a Minecorp employee. The science lab is her domain, and she runs it with the same quiet competence she brings to everything. Equipment hums on long tables. Samples of Illibrium at variousstages of maturity glow in sealed containers. Data scrolls across screens mounted on the walls.
Roxy greets us with a warm smile. “Ines! I’m so glad you wanted to see the lab. Most people find this part boring.”
“I find it fascinating,” Ines says with genuine enthusiasm. “I want to understand how everything works. Not just the surface level.”
She could have done this interview at the compound, it would have been easier, but Ines wanted to see where Roxy actually works. I grudgingly admire this about her, even as it makes me wary.
Roxy launches into a tour, clearly excited to show off her work. She explains the crystalline structures under magnification, the molecular composition, the way Illibrium bonds with Xylan biology at a cellular level. And then she talks about how powerful the crystals actually are and gives an overview of how they are chosen to be shipped off to different governments to power, for instance, whole spaceships.
“So Illibrium powers everything in the Four Sectors?” Ines asks, gesturing at the glowing samples.
Roxy shakes her head. “Not everything. Most beings use standard power sources such as solar, wind and thermal. Illibrium is too rare for everyday use.” She pulls up a holographic display showing a crystal powering what looks like a massive space station. “Illibrium is reserved for the big stuff. Military battleships. Space stations. Government infrastructure. Major industrial and tech hubs. One crystal can power an entire city, and if properly cared for, it never runs out.”
“Never?”
“Never. That’s what makes it so valuable.” Roxy zooms in on the crystal. “The Xylan Imperial Fleet runs on Illibrium. So do the major trading stations across all Four Sectors. Anything that needs massive, reliable, permanent power, that’s Illibrium.”
“So the Xylan control the most important resource in the known universe.”
“They’re stewards of it, really.” Roxy leans against her workstation. “The Xylan have the largest military in the Four Sectors. They could hoard Illibrium, charge whatever they wanted, hold entire governments hostage. But they don’t. They keep prices fair, ensure efficient operations, work with other species. There’s a whole Xylan Imperial Fleet orbiting Timbur right now, making sure pirates or hostile forces can’t take over the mine.”
“Like a peacekeeping force.”
