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“Why do you call each other mean names?”
“They’re endearments, nicknames. We used to fight a lot over silly things as kids. It wasn't until we got older that we realized how much we cared for each other. It's a sibling thing.”
Now that I'd finally gotten hold of my brother, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.
I hadn't been lying when I’d told Chris I was happy here. I’d told him we were well fed and the women got to call the shots, and that all the Kadrixans were real gentlemen.
He hadn't seemed shocked that I'd made the decision to come here. In fact, he’d told me he would have done the same. He had even less trust than I did about the Utopia Project. The project had stolen his girlfriend from him.
They’d been young, and at the colony adulthood and independence weren’t determined by age but by financial status. As long as Ella was financially dependent on her parents, she was still a minor. They hadn’t liked Chris and had sent her to Utopia to break them up. That had backfired when they’d realized a few months later that they’d never get their daughter back.
Chris had been on a mission to get Ella back ever since. That was why he’d been saving up. He knew better than to join her there. His mission had him working hard for a degree in communications and a job at the colony’s comm tower. He was sure his access there would find him a way to get her out. None of us had the heart to tell him she was probably gone for good.
Krxare and I walked down to the Great Hall together as we’d done the previous days, except this time, we weren’t just holding hands because we were supposed to. I had my arm hooked into his elbow and I didn’t want to let go. Maybe it was the pheromones, but I wanted to spend more time with him. I was happy and calm when I was around him in a way that I hadn’t felt for a long time.
I didn’t want to come off clingy though. He probably had important things to do and didn’t need me hanging around.
Julie greeted me with a wave and I waved back.
“Lessons are cancelled today,” she said, like a kid who’d just found out there was a snow day and school was out. “We’re supposed to start finding our hobbies instead.”
Today’s lessons were supposed to be on Kadrixan culture and were taught by a lady who used to be a librarian. Penelope had warned us how boring they were and how useless, since these Kadrixan warriors followed their traditions as much as we followed Earth’s. Everything was bastardized and they made things up as they went, especially with the human females here now.
“Hobbies? I haven’t had time or money for those since—”Since Mom and Dad were still around.
“Yeah, imagine me; living like a kept woman.” She grinned.
Free time to do whatever I wanted? I had no idea what to do.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Krxare, who I realized I was still hanging onto, cleared his throat. “You can come with me today. I am meeting with the leader of the Vokiren clan in the area to trade for the fabric they weave.”
“The Vokiren?” I asked. “You trade with them?”
“They make the dark sheer fabrics you see around the stronghold as well as the soft colorful ones you are wearing right now.”
I exchanged a look with Julie, then looked down at my clothes. I was in the galaxy’s softest tunic and leggings today. The natives had made these gorgeous fabrics? We’d been told they were savages: cannibals who attacked everything. There used to be several tribes around the colony, but our military had since driven them away.
“I had no idea,” Julie said. “Go have fun with your mate.” She stressed the last word. “You’ll have all year to figure out what you want to do.”
She was already acting as if I planned on staying. It must be so much easier with nothing and no one holding her back. Even if Chris told me to stay here, I’d feel guilty for leaving him behind. If anything happened to him, I knew I’d be back there in a heartbeat. He was all I had left.
I’d expected Krxare to bring me to a shuttle, but instead, he took me out to the front of the stronghold where a pair of his men waited. He looked down at my fabric shoes. “I will carry you if needed.”
“Wait. Are we going on foot?”
“The forest the tribe lives in is thick and hard to land in. We also do not wish to disturb the wildlife with our shuttles. We have an amphibious vehicle to take us past the swamps and close to their village, but we will trek the rest of the way on foot.” He waved to one of the warriors. I recognized him as the one who’d sat next to us during the first evening’s meal. He’d joined the masses of unmated males last night. “This is Vostak.”
I smiled and waved, not sure how to properly greet a warrior. He nodded and seemed to accept my wave.
“I wanted to introduce myself, but you were so tired that first night. You look much more rested now.”
“Thank you. I was exhausted.”
“And this is Trsak.” Krxare gestured to the other male. “He is my comms specialist and the reason we are able to contact those in your colony in secret.”
I nodded and grinned at him too. He grunted and barely met my gaze. Oh, he was shy. That was kind of cute.
