Page 25 of Hunter’s Harvest

It must be challenging to be mated to a female ranked so highly and in such demand by other hunters. I did not believe I could share Nellie’s attention. Already, I wished I was alone with her again.

“Sam’s great,” Nellie said. “She can probably piece your shuttle back together in no time, Var’n.” She turned back to Kan’n. “Tell her I said hi.”

Kan’n grunted in acknowledgment, just as a single chime rang through the settlement.

At the chime, everyone out in the open moved closer to the buildings, even the avian creatures. There was movement overhead and a series of fabric covers stretched tightly over frames extending out from the roofs.

“What is happening?” I asked.

“Oh, that means they’ve spotted the first flyers of the day,” Nellie explained. “The fabric blocks the flyers from seeing all the movements and coming over to investigate, but still lets in the sunlight. It’s like a one-way window. We use them too. We should probably get inside anyway.”

“Come on.” Kim stood, waving us to follow. “I’ll show you to the hotel. Dinner’s at seven in the main cafeteria, but in case you’re hungry before then, there are always leftovers in the lobby.”

***

The ho-tell room was about the size of a shuttle, except the sleeping platform was in the middle, making much of the space unusable.

“Only one bed,” Nellie said with a sigh. “Well, it’s not like we can sleep in separate beds right now anyway.” She picked up a set of clothes left on the bed. “I’m kind of glad we’re finally alone.”

“You do not wish for others to see that we are mates.”

Nellie was silent for a beat before twisting around in my arms to face me. “It’s not that really. A mating is wonderful, and I should see it like that. But I wasn’t looking for a relationship. It’s just a big shock, that’s all. And I’m kind of going through a lot right now.”

“I will become a better hunter. I will acquire a shuttle to better protect you and a communicator so you can contact your sister. I will learn to work with humans and join a hunter group.”

Her face softened, and she reached a hand up to cup my jaw. “You’re very sweet, Var’n.”

I scowled. “I do not taste sweet.”

She chuckled. “It’s just a saying. For what it’s worth, I don’t know how to live in the settlement either. This isn’t my home. It’s Kim’s. I’m just here visiting. And the problem isn’t that you don’t have these things. The problem is that…” She blew out a breath. “Well, first of all, we kind of met during a stressful time. You know, with the shuttle breaking apart and being separated from my friends and losing the delivery and all that. And I don’t really know you. And also…” She paused again. “I promised myself I’d never get close to anyone until the scourge are gone. It’s not you, really. I really mean it. It’s me.”

“It will take many years, maybe our whole lives, to eradicate the scourge. But for you, I will wait forever.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line and made a strained sound.

“No, that’s… that’s me being silly. I’m chicken shit.”

That had me frowning even more. She was definitely not avian poop.

“Anyway, let’s just take it one day at a time. Okay?”

That was not a no. I could work with that.

“At least we have a mission to focus on.”

I frowned at the way she said it, like she’d been focusing on mission after mission just to survive. Her last one had failed.

“What mission is that?”

“We need to retrieve your shuttle, of course. You have a working powercore. They can make you a whole new shuttle. And while we are there, we can look for Mari.”

“That is a good plan.” I nodded the way I’d seen humans do.

“Now, how about that hot shower? That’s all I’ve been thinking about since Kim said those words.”

“What is this hot shower? According to the translator, it is warm rain. And that does not make any sense to me. How can there be warm rain?”

Nellie laughed, and the sound was light and cheerful, filling up the room and my heart.