That’s ludicrous. “There’s plenty of room here for both of us.” Is it wise to have June sleep in the bed next to me? Not at all. I’m barely maintaining my self-control as it is. But I can’t let hersleep on the couch every night either, and offering her the entire bed wouldn’t work because the couch is too small for my larger body. When I’ve tried taking a nap on it, at least one arm ends up dangling off the side, and my feet are push against the armrest.
She chews on her bottom lip. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if Akkal comes in and sees us?”
I shrug. “He’ll think his nanny is sleeping next to his vatra. It won’t be strange for him. I’ve explained we may appear close like family at times.”
“Come on.” She chuckles, her expression skeptical.
“You’re the only female who’s ever slept in this house, June. I assure you, he won’t think anything of it.”
Her nose scrunches up like she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t press me on it. I could tell her I don’t date because it’s too difficult when you can read someone’s thoughts and too difficult not to when you want to know what they’re thinking. I could tell her, for the same reason, I’ve also never casually fornicated with anyone before. I could tell her that none of the females on the island have captured my interest in the way she does. That no one in my fifty-two trips around the sun has had this kind of hold on me. But she’d think me a fool, an inexperienced misfit who has no idea how to properly worship a body like hers.
No. I’d rather her assume I conduct my fornication business outside the home.
I move to the left side of the bed and pat the empty space next to me. “I vow to keep my many hands to myself. You are safe with me, June.”
She studies me, her gaze slowly moving over my face before she lets out a resolved breath. “Okay. Same bed it is.”
I could likely fit three of Akkal between our bodies by the time June climbs in, yet she still clings to the far edge and takes three pillows to line up in the middle of the bed as a barrier.
“Just a precaution,” she says with a half-grin, “to keep things professional.”
I let out an amused snort. As long as she’s comfortable, I don’t care how she rearranges the bed. She could take every last pillow and pile them atop her body, and I wouldn’t bat an eye if it meant she could slumber in peace. “Very well.”
The only problem, I realize when I awaken, is the pillow barrier doesn’t prove to be effective. June is still sleeping soundly when I open my eyes, but we’re facing each other and much closer than we were last night. Her warm breath fans my cheek, the pillow between our heads long gone, and our fingers are threaded together.
It happens again the following night, only this time my hand is cradling her head.
Thankfully, when I work night shifts, we aren’t asleep next to each other for long. I crawl into bed just before the sun peeks over the horizon, and June gets up not long after. On those nights, I don’t think our bodies find each other in sleep. I’m a lighter sleeper than she is, and I’m certain I would notice her pulling out of my embrace. If that’s the case, then June likely has no knowledge of the way we touch in the dark of night. I hope to keep it that way, because I’m not sure how to “keep thing professional” as she said, when our bodies clearly have other plans.
A week passes with surprising ease. June and I still trip over one another in the mornings in such a small space, but we’re adapting. She spends a shocking amount of time in the washroom. At first I worried she had become ill, but yesterday she left the door open during her routine washroom time and as I watched her, I learned this is where she goes to add colors to her face and play with her yellow hair and stare into the reflective glass above the water basin. I don’t understand thepoint of it, but I can’t deny how breathtaking she is when she emerges.
At the week’s end, we decide to take Akkal into town for a frozen fruit stick. It’s his favorite treat on the island. Akkal skips ahead of us as we follow the side paths from the shore to the main strip.
“I don’t think you’ve told me what brought you here,” June says. Her gaze is trained on Akkal’s back, monitoring his every movement.
A smile tugs at my lips at her protectiveness. “Correct. I haven’t.” It’s not a topic I’m keen to discuss, as it’s a tale filled with pain and a heart repeatedly broken.
“Don’t you think you should? What if it’s part of the test?”
Ficq. I suppose she’s right. She shoots me a sideways glance when I let out a sigh, readying myself to tear off the scab and bleed from this wound once again. “I come from a high-ranking family. The House of Rokos, as we’re known across the galaxy. My parents were king and queen ofIqonas.Have you heard of it?”
“No, sorry.”
Her response pleases me. There have been times since I settled here when passersby have gawked at me, pointing and whispering. I’ve assumed they knew who I was. Where I came from. It’s not a frequent occurrence, but it’s an unpleasant one when it happens. I like that June is unaware of it. “It’s one of the smaller planets within this galaxy, but many are familiar with it, either because of the war last century or because of the extravagant wealth members of our house tend to show off.”
I scratch my chin as I recall the jewels my family would wear, the luxurious fabrics they’d drape themselves in, the rare artifacts on display throughout the castle, and the many ships always cluttering our private port. “Our compound was in thecenter of the planet’s most populated city, but outside our walls, the people could barely afford to survive.”
“Gross,” she mutters under her breath. Then she glances at me with wide, apologetic eyes. “No offense to your family…of course, I––”
“Offense to my family is warranted,” I say, interrupting her. “Don’t worry. They exploited labor to earn their riches and watched their subjects starve.”
“Are they the reason you left?”
I’ve noticed June rubs her fingertips across her forehead just before she asks a question she’s hesitant about, precisely as she did before asking this one. What an odd habit. For a moment, my amusement makes me forget the dark part of my life we’re entering.
I steel my features and nod. “They banished me because of my ability.”
She stops and turns toward me, almost laying her hand on my forearm but pulling it back at the last second. “Your ability?”
