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Max’s paws shifted restlessly on my chest. It couldn’t be a bathroom issue, because kreecats were smart enough to use toilets once their bonded person told them what it was for. It was one of the reasons they were some of the only animals regularly allowed on spaceships.
He leaned down to press his nose to Vivv’s cheek, and I whispered, “Stop. She’s still asleep.”
“Not so much,” she muttered, still not opening her eyes. “He’s been asking for the ‘good not-moving’ food for a while now.”
I grunted and pulled out my comp. “We’re only five minutes away from our wake-up call, anyway.”
She laughed and rubbed a hand over her face. “Yes, yes. You know time.”
Max gave a rumble-chirp and walked across her to jump to the floor, where he trotted into the kitchen area to hover over his empty bowl. His purple eyes went huge and pleading, and I shook my head, snorting in amusement.
“Caffeine.Allthe caffeine.” Vivv’s hand pressed to my chest to lever herself upright, and I immediately missed the feel of her against me. My tail hummed to life, keeping its hold on her leg.
I rolled to my feet and pulled the unruly thing free so I could go to the kitchen. “As you wish.”
No matter how big the kreecat’s eyes got, I started heating water for jormint first. Then I chopped up fresh steak for him. He mrred with excitement the whole time I worked, and when I sat the bowl down in front of him, he dove right in, his purr alternating between quiet and loud as he opened and closed his mouth.
A small hand touched my back. “Thank you.”
Max looked up and meowed.
“And Max thanks you, too,” my mate said.
I handed her a can of jormint tea and started making her breakfast, despairing once again that the Zaarn-stocked ship didn’t have any of the sweet breeseed porridge Hyoo-mons loved.
Soon. I will have her on theDaredevilsoon.Home. And it would finally truly be a home with my mate by my side.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Vivian
Tears prickled my eyes whenARK 1appeared on the viewscreen. “God, it’s battered!” The ship had been so shiny and new when we’d left Earth. Now it looked like a long gray brick dotted with dark dents and light scrapes of silver from more recent impacts. Nothing too damaging though—the defensive lasers had done their work—but even a tiny piece of rock could do a lot of damage at the speeds we’d been flying.
It hung in space in front of a huge dark-gray asteroid that spun in place. Breyva. Wrin had shown me pictures of the giant-flower paradise that waited inside, but you’d never know it looking at the pitted rock of its surface.
Another ship flew near, huge and sleek and silver.
“That’s theDaredevil,” Wrin said, pride filling his voice.
“It’s beautiful.” And well-armed, with weapons ports dotting the hull. Those were somethingARK 1certainly lacked.
“It’s home.” He looked down at me. “Your home, too.”
He’d told me a little about all of the women already awake and waiting, and I’d spoken with Cara during the planning meetings, but it would be different to actually see them.
“New friends?”Max stropped back and forth across my calves, almost knocking me over.
“Yes, Space Kitty lives there.”
He ran for the stateroom’s door, stopping to look back over his shoulder.“Come now!”
I followed, tugging Wrin along with me. “We’d better hurry. I think he’s got cabin fever from being cooped up the last few days.”
“He’s ill?” A frown crinkled Wrin’s brow.
Aww, the big softie. He tried to act as if he didn’t like animals, but here he was all worried.
“Nope, it’s a phrase that means he’s gotten restless from being confined.”
