AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His scraggly gray head popped out of his rough blanket, and he blinked wide eyes down at me. When Vorian got close enough to touch, I brushed a hand over the mark on his stomach, hidden behind an open coat he’d taken from the Zathki, and I could see Petey clearly. His beard was longer. Messy. His eyes were yellowish. He scowled down at me.
“Beau? Beau, is that you?” he rasped, scrambling to his feet.
With a leap, I met him halfway up the unforgiving concrete and caught him up in my arms. He didn’t smell great, but I didn’t care. Petey was as close as I’d come to having a dad—to having family. At least... until Thorzan, and Vorian, and the tiny creature growing healthily under Wesley and the Zatkhi’s care. A couple more months, and he’d be born. I couldn’t wait.
Petey gripped me tight in his arms, holding me with surprising strength. The ground was impossible to stand on—more architecture built to keep people like me and Petey from being too comfortable, from hanging around where we were unwanted—but when we slid and skittered down the angled ground, Vorian was there at the bottom to catch and steady us both.
That was the first time Petey noticed him, staring up with lamp-like eyes at Vorian.
“Found yourself a mighty big friend, I see,” he muttered, still hanging onto my silky shirt in a tightly clenched fist.
“Yeah, Petey. This is Vorian. Vorian, this is my friend, Petey.”
Just like I’d taught him, Vorian reached out to shake hands with Petey, the faintest smile on his face. His smiles were starting to look more comfortable every day.
Petey blinked. When you were homeless, it wasn’t that often that somebody wanted to shake your hand. Respect was hard to come by, but he grasped Vorian’s hand tight.
“Pleasure to meet you, young mister. Glad to see our Beau hasn’t been getting himself into trouble.” He looked back at me then, and his rough, shaky hand rose to touch my cheek. “I was scared you—”
I caught my breath and let it out in a nervous laugh. No way could I say everything had gone perfectly, that there hadn’t been danger and trouble everywhere I looked. But now, things were good.
“I’m fine, Petey. Promise. Vorian took care of me.”
Petey smiled, and damn if he didn’t have the prettiest smile in the whole world. Didn’t matter if his face was smudged or his skin was wrinkly. He was happy for me, and that meant the world.
“I’m real glad, Beau. Real glad. But I’ve gotta ask—what are you doing back here?” He held me at arm’s length to take in my outfit, opulent and breathable and made entirely out of spikdari silk. “You look like you belong in some sort of castle.”
I grinned so hard my cheeks hurt. “Actually, it’s a palace. And I’m here for you, Petey. I went on an adventure, and there’s... there’s a place I want to show you. Where I live now. If you want to come?”
Even though Petey was there, was happy for me without any reason beyond just wanting to see me thrive, I worried. I was scared he wouldn’t want to come, and starting my new life on Thorzan would mean leaving every single part of my life on Earth behind.
I didn’t care about hair dye or snacks. Didn’t care about the clothes I’d lost when our ship was attacked on the way to Thorzan. But I cared about Petey, and I didn’t want to let him go.
And the Thorzi could help him. Their technology was incredible. He’d be healthy, and Vorian and I—even though neither one of us had ever had much real family to speak of—were going to cobble together just the right kind of family for our son.
I shouldn’t have worried. A slow, trembling smile spread Petey’s cracked lips. “Yeah, Beau. That sounds good. I want to see everything.”
Vorian, his arm still wrapped around me, settled a hand on Petey’s shoulder. “We will show you the universe, Petey, friend of Beau,” he swore seriously.
Oh shit. That was overwhelming, huh?
But Petey took it in stride. He’d seen plenty in his life, and there was nothing but a gleam of excitement in his eyes and a broad grin on his face.
Laughing awkwardly, I scratched the back of my neck. “And, uh, there might be a baby on the way who could use an honorary grandpa?”
Petey’s cheeks colored under his gray beard. “Well, I think I could get on board for that. Though I’d love to hear the story of how that came about.” He looked pointedly at my stomach, and then Vorian’s. Oh god.
“Hah! Well, um—” I looked up at Vorian, heat rushing through my head to ensure my brain didn’t stand a chance.
Vorian, as ever, was calm and collected. He inclined his head to Petey, leaned in, and lowered his voice. “Magic.”
Petey let out a laugh, but all I could do was push into Vorian’s side, wrap my arms around his muscled trunk, and hug him tight.
“What he said.”
Because now? Everything was magic.
STAR MARKED WARRIORS
