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Then the thought of her meeting so many other males ripped me from my seat. I marched through the cabin to join the others in the shuttle’s airlock, using the small space to step as close to Zo-Fee as possible.
The outer hatch slid open, and my shipmates came into view. These were my brothers in arms, males I’d die for if need be, and yet I snarled.
Zo-Fee darted forward, away from me.
My tail darted toward her, reaching for one last touch.
It fell short.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Sofie
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” I ran forward, excitement and joy zipping through me.
Two women waited, wearing the same kind of clothes as Raxnor and Tark—long-sleeved T-shirts, dark work pants, and heavy boots. They were both a little shorter than me. The black one was thin, with short dark-brown curls that set off her stunning features. The white blonde was plump and pretty and covered in freckles.
I had no idea who they were. I’d never met either of them on Earth. It wasn’t really surprising—the only women I knew in the ARK Program were those in fields related to mine.
And it didn’t matter one single bit. They were human. That’s all they needed to be.
I slid to a stop before I crashed into them. “Dios mío, am I glad to see you!”
Two sets of arms enveloped me, and I hugged them back with everything I had, happy tears running down my face.
“Friend okay?”
“I’m great, niña,”I sent to Lila.“I’ll introduce you in a minute.”
“But me beautiful! Everyone want meet me!”
A surprised laugh burst from me, and I pulled back to wipe the wetness from my cheeks. “I’m Sofie, and this is Lila.” I pointed to where the kreecat stood by my side. “She wants everyone to know she’s beautiful.”
“Well of course she is!” The blonde bent over and scratched at Lila’s chin. “I’m Hazel.”
“And I’m Mollie,” the black woman said, taking her turn admiring Lila. “Who’s so pretty and purple?”
Lila pranced around the two of them, basking in the attention.
“Me! I’m purple!” a little boy’s voice called out. A small dog ran over, looking like one of the puppies Raxnor had shown me a picture of but different. He came to a stop in front of Lila, his purple surface brushed metal instead of fur.
He was the robot Raxnor and Tark told me about!
Lila’s body froze except for her tail, which whipped back and forth.
“Hi! I’m Vree!” the little robot said. “I like kreecats! I already have two kreecat friends. They’re not here right now. You’re an even better color than them because you’re purple like me. Do you want to play?”
Lila’s nose wiggled. What did a robot smell like to her? Her thoughts brushed against my mind.“Friend?”
“Yes, a new friend,”I sent.
“You can’t play without me!”
I jumped as a freaking cloud of sparkles swooped over our heads, condensing into… “Dios mío! Is that the flying squirrel fromWoods and Wangles? I loved that cartoon!” It had been set in a forest full of talking animals and had been pretty much the only exposure to nature most kids had.
Mollie laughed. “Me too! God, I couldn’t remember the name, but that cartoon is why Glitter took this shape. She read it from my mind.” Mollie leaned closer. “She can readeveryone’sminds, by the way, not just mine. She’s getting better at not blurting out what everyone’s thinking, but…” Mollie grinned and shrugged.
Glitter circled over the pets, her body now small and cute and sparkling with golden flecks. Then the three of them dashed across the wide open space of the shuttle bay, Vree yipping with excitement as they went.
