Page 38 of Galaxy Between Us

“I’m yours.”

“Ari,” I call out from the entryway of my closet while buttoning up my shirt. Cooped up in the nest for the third day in a row, he doesn’t move a muscle. He responds with a muffled groan, nuzzling deeper into the fabrics like a mole.

With a sigh, I cross the room and crack a window. It’s getting musty in here. We need fresh air. We need to stretch and see the sun again. Ari doesn’t seem to think so, lifting his messy head with clear agitation.

“Come on. Shower and then we’ll get breakfast.”

“I don’t want to,” he pouts with a sleepy rasp to his voice. “Everyone’s going to be mad at us,” Ari whines but slowly wiggles until he’s sitting up.

With a smirk, I approach him and ruffle his tangled hair. He looks good with my bruises all over his neck. He’d look even better with my bite.

“You’ll feel better after you rinse off and put your lab coat back on, and then we’re marching back into Comet XI with our heads up. Gomez has a plan for us to take everyone's mind off the elevator incident.”

“You were the one in rut, mister. Won’t you be upset if I wash away your scent this soon?” He stands up, wrapped in blankets as he shuffles to the bathroom. I hold his gaze as I situate my necktie.

“You’re going to use my body wash, and my hair wash, and my towels, and my comb. Then, you’re going to leave here wearing my clothes with my arm wrapped around you. I’m not worried about it.”

Ari smiles beautifully and heads for the shower. My own grin is cemented on my face as I finish getting ready. I like that we have each other again.

Chapter XVII

“Wait, where are we going?” I ask Knox as he speed-walks through the halls. We made it past the paparazzi and through the crowd of bustling scientists on the main floors. Now, we’re in a more secluded section of Comet XI, reserved for higher-ups and top-secret projects. Nowhere near the TIS department in which I’m supposed to be working.

“I already told you, remember?” Knox squeezes my hand, dragging me along with his long strides. I don’t think he realizes how sore he made me. Three days of being folded like a pretzel has fucked up my skeletal structure.

“Knox, I don’t remember anything other than you wrecking me with your big, hard– “

“Mr. Beckett! You’re back!”

My eyes bulge as Knox’s assistant startles us. I’m sure he heard what I’d just said but he thankfully ignores it.

“Gomez. Things are tense. Tell me you have a plan,” Knox greets him professionally.

“We’ve got something huge, Mr. Beckett.”

Gomez scans his badge, leading us into a sterile laboratory with ceilings as high as the sky. The ventilated air is so pure it hurts to breathe. He guides us along a platform with yellow rails, and we pause in front of two intricate machines that look like a mix between a hospital bed and a spaceship. I would’ve thought they were recovered UFOs if it weren’t for the Comet XI logo printed on the side of each one.

An Alpha wearing a lab coat and safety glasses announces herself with the click of short heels against the concrete floor. She stops in front of us with calculated grace in each movement.

“I’m Dr. Ritza, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Beckett.”

She extends a hand to Knox while I tilt my head down and huddle behind him. I feel like I shouldn’t be here. This is no place for an Omega.

“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you as well. I’ve heard a lot about your work in bioengineering. This is my partner, Arius. He innovated the three-three-four telescope model from TIS.”

Knox’s hand lands on my lower back, lightly shoving me into the conversation. I blush at his description of me. Partner? Partner could mean anything. Did he mean work partner? Or partner partner? We never talked about making our relationship public.

Dr. Ritza observes me as if she just now noticed that I’m standing here. Surprisingly, I don’t see judgement in her sharp gaze. I see intrigue. I see someone looking upon me as if I’m the next piece of their puzzle.

“Perfect,” she mutters before tapping away vigorously on a tablet in her hands.

“P-perfect?” I question her, glancing at Knox briefly, but he looks just as confused.

“The both of you. Sit. Let's check your vitals,” Dr. Ritza strolls down a ramp and stops near two stools beside a counter covered with sterile medical supplies. Knox and I follow, unsure what’s happening as we sit side by side.

“What exactly is it you’re working on?” Knox asks while Dr. Ritza fumbles with things on the counter.

“To put it shortly, we have a new device that will use the electromagnetic waves in your brain and connect them to compatible wavelengths billions of lightyears away, therefore allowing you to see, or at least feel outer space without physically being there.”