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Chapter Thirty One
Adreax
“Cheer up, mate. I’ve got something that’ll soothe that stinging.”
Herod clamped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, drawing me out of my thoughts. This wasn’t the first time he’d caught me staring absently out the window in the general direction of Tayla’s camp. His diagnosis was appropriate. Her dismissal had stung, and hours later I was still wondering if I deserved it.
There was no denying I’d taken the battery after all. I couldn’t afford to leave it. But I knew then that once I walked out that door, it would be closed permanently, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to grapple with those emotions just yet. Why did I even have any emotions about it in the first place?
“Look here.”
Herod flipped a switch, and our ship buzzed to life. There were still a few warning lights blinking, but all critical functions were up and running. I forced myself to offer Herod a proud smile.
“You’ve done it again. I knew you were good for something,” I joked lightly.
“That’s right. I am good for something, and I bet that woman of yours couldn’t replace me, eh? Now, I need you to make yourself useful and get us ready for takeoff.”
I took the stab at Tayla in stride. We both knew she wasn’t my woman, not anymore. And I had to admit, the thought that I could have traded him for her seemed absurd at the moment. Herod was my blood, the brother that rode with me through thick and thin. Tayla was just a stranger, a fleeting curiosity.
I settled myself into the seat beside Herod as he continued the run up. This was it. We were out of here.
The Greedy She-Devil rumbled angrily as the engines started picking up steam. Weeks of dust were burning off, filling the air with a choking haze. There was no keeping our location a secret now. If the Patrol was coming for us, they had better hurry.
“Let’s see if this old girl still has some wild in her,” Herod said with a grin.
His enthusiasm was infectious. I was ready to be out of here.
Looking out over the barren landscape, I actually laughed at myself. What was I thinking? How had I let myself believe a few kisses could have turned me away from my destiny?
The jets kicking in pressed me back into my seat and bounced us around as Herod prepared for takeoff.
I hadn’t set out to hurt her, but hell, she was right. I brought trouble to every girl I ever tangled with. I wasn’t cut out for the orderly little life she was leading right from the outset. She wanted everything just so—all her tools and instruments put up neatly. No sign that I was ever there messing things up. Now she had it, and I was over here, riding the high of my ship lurching forward, faithful as ever.
“Get your head in the game, Dre. We don’t want any trouble on our way out.”
Herod’s words were strained as he wrestled the Greedy She-Devil off the ground. We bounced once, and then again, and finally took flight. He pulled back on the yoke and set us on a trajectory for the stars. All I had to do was make sure we weren’t being followed.
At first glance, that seemed easy enough. If the Patrol noticed us leaving, they didn’t scramble any ships to chase us. In the distance, I could just make out the blip of darkness denoting where Tayla’s shuttle rested after she’d tried to knock us out the last time we’d tried to leave the planet. I swallowed the last of my regrets and turned my attention elsewhere.
If the Patrol wasn’t chasing us, it could only mean that they trusted their airborne companions to pick us off. That was going to be a problem because we had virtually no shields left, and no weapons at all. During repairs, we made the tough decision to shed all weight and put more power to the engines.
Beside me, Herod whooped with joy as our ship cut through the thin atmosphere, streaking away from the Orb and all of its broken promises.
“So long, humans! Let’s go find us some proper women on Kychek! Then we can both have a good time!”
Herod was almost giddy with excitement. I wished I felt the same. At the moment, I felt like I needed to find a quiet place on Kycheck, if such a place existed, and do some thinking. Maybe I would feel like tangling with the wild women of that planet again someday soon, just not today.
