Page 126 of Alien Burn

Sereya's fingers tightened around his. He couldn't tell whether she was holding back a laugh or bracing for what Roemary might do later.

Possibly both.

He stayed until she was seated. Then he put her bag within reach and bent close enough that the words belonged to her.

“You did nothing wrong by taking my hand.”

Her eyes lifted to his.

“Neither did you,” she said.

He smiled all the way back to the front of the vehicle.

The ore transport was no prettier in person.

Dhomhes stood by the ramp while the volunteers boarded. Heat came off the engine housings. Beneath it was the smell he knew from his father's crews: old sweat, oil, ore worked into places no amount of cleaning ever quite reached.

Sereya stopped at the foot of the incline.

He offered his hand without speaking.

For a moment she stared past him into the hold. Then her fingers closed around his, and she took the first step.

He walked with her to the top. At the entrance she drew a breath and looked down at their hands.

“I can manage from here.”

“I know.”

“Thank you for the part before here.”

He let her go. She moved inside, her wrap over her arm, and he turned back to the platform before he could make the other passengers wait while he watched her find a seat.

Stron and Khalzin were approaching. Janae and Adryel had gone ahead of them, talking quietly.

“I cannot believe you agreed to this,” Stron said to Khalzin as they started up.

“What other option do we have? They have to be kept safe.”

“But the dark side of Kantenan? Where all the refineries are?” Stron said. “Already I can smell it, and it is disgusting. They will hate it there.”

Dhomhes came toward them.

“Safest place on Kantenan to be.”

“How do you figure?” Stron asked.

“No one would dare put a bomb in a Kantenan refinery. It would blow up half the planet. The unrefined citricite requires very special care because of its volatile nature before it's refined. No matter how desperate they are to get rid of the Galactic Alliance presence, they won't attack them there.”

“You seem very certain.”

Dhomhes raised an eyebrow.

“Never been more certain. They won't let anything happen to them, I promise. My father is the Protector of the New Kingdom, remember? His entire place in the Coalition is to protect and speak for the refinery and their workers.”

“And make sure the citricite continues to be produced,” Stron said.

“I promise you that no one in the Coalition wants the profits to stop. So, the refineries are the safest place on Kantenan right now.”