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The question hung between us like an invisible barrier as we continued on.
We made camp as dusk painted the sky in hues of purple and orange. The routine tasks were comforting in their simplicity: tending to our siroccos, setting up our sleeping space, starting a fire for warmth as night’s chill descended.
Over our meal of rehydrated stew and flatbread from our rations, Kian broke our silence. “You were quiet today,” he observed.
I stirred my stew absentmindedly. “Just thinking,” I replied noncommittally.
“About what?” he prodded gently.
I sighed and met his gaze across the flickering flames. “About us,” I admitted quietly.
Kian set down his bowl and leaned forward slightly. “And what about us?”
I took a deep breath, my heart hammering against my ribs. “That maybe... maybe there’s more between us than just circumstance.”
His expression was unreadable for a moment before he nodded slowly. “There is more,” he agreed softly.
The admission hung in the air between us—a truth acknowledged but not fully explored.
That night, we lay beside each other under a blanket of stars so vast it made my head spin just looking at them. The fire had died down to embers, casting us in a warm glow.
“I’m scared,” I whispered into the darkness, voicing my fear for both of us to hear.
“Of what?” Kian asked from beside me.
“Of telling you how I really feel.” My voice trembled despite my resolve to be strong.
Kian shifted closer until his warmth seeped into my skin. “Tell me anyway.”
“I don’t want to lead you on,” I said, chickening out at the last second.
“Get some sleep, then,” he said gruffly.
And I tried, though sleep did not come easily that night.
Chapter 12
Kian
The journey back to the village was quiet. Kate and I didn’t speak much as we rode across the desert, both lost in our own thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened between us out in the wilderness. The raging dust storm that forced us to take shelter together in that cave for days, huddled close for warmth and comfort. It felt like we’d gotten to know each other on a deeper level during that isolation.
I’d opened up to her about parts of my past I rarely shared with anyone. And she’d told me more about her life too, what had made her leave her home planet to travel through space. I felt like I understood her motivations better now. Understood her spirit of adventure that had led her to crash land here.
And yet, doubt still lingered in me too. I knew Kate still planned to contact her ship and leave Surlon someday. I’d caught her fiddling with her communicator device, trying to boost the signal during the storm. It stung, even though I knew she had every right to want to return home eventually. I just wished...well, I wasn’t sure what I wished. My feelings were complicated where she was concerned.
As we approached the outskirts of the village, I tensed, preparing myself for the confrontation I knew would come. Turok had surely noticed my prolonged absence with Kate. And I had no doubt he would angrily question where I’d been.
Sure enough, as I guided Dakari toward the village stable, Turok stormed up, his face etched with fury.
“Kian!” he bellowed. “Where in blazes have you been? You’ve been gone from the village for over a week without a word!”
I swung down from Dakari’s back and met Turok’s glare steadily. “I was on a journey across the wilderness with Kate. To show her more of Surlon.”
“A journey? With that human?” Turok spat. “Need I remind you that you are sheriff here? You have responsibilities to your people! You can’t just run off into the wilderness for a week with an outsider!”
I crossed my arms. “I’m well aware of my responsibilities, Turok. But I’m also free to come and go as I choose. I wanted to show Kate our planet’s beauty.”
I clenched my jaw as I stared back at Turok, irritation flaring inside me. His disapproval of Kate had gone on long enough.
