glanced around for the camera placement and sat up when, instead, I met Kei’s dark amber gaze. He dropped to the floor beside me, reached out to run his hand over my flat stomach. “Your body is so thin, I didn’t expect to see beauty. I’m surprised.”
I let him touch me, waited for the stir of lust. He was a beautiful Gwinarian male—tall, proud and everything I’d dreamed of having as a girl growing up here. And he did absolutely nothing for me. “Where were you when the explosions happened?” Don’t know why I blurted the question, because I certainly didn’t want him asking the same.
“Vacationing with five other Gwinarians who are back on planet now. You could eat in the social pod tonight, get to know them.”
“Is it hard for you to be here?” I didn’t look at him as I asked the question.
He removed his hand, sat back. “I drank through the first three months, but having my friends with me helped me get through it. Where were you?”
“Not vacationing.” I tightened my lips and sat up, grimacing at the clingy, sweaty microsuit. “I miss the pools.”
“The Company doesn’t think those areas are necessary for repair yet.”
“I’d say I was surprised they have us mining when there is so much tunnel repair needed, but their greed is known throughout the galaxies.”
He pushed his long, loose strawberry-blond hair off his shoulder. “I, for one, am thankful for that greed. It brought me home.” He stared at me. Hard. “This isn’t home for you anymore, is it?”
The sharp pang in my chest surprised me, then pissed me off. “I don’t have a home.”
“You do, you just don’t see it yet. Gwinarians belong here, Jarana. Even you.” He clasped his hands together. “Especially you, as a female.”
I knew what he was getting at. As one of the few, my people were going to hope I’d get with another Gwinarian and start reproducing. The thought of a baby was such a foreign concept to me, I couldn’t see it ever happening. “There are probably a lot more. Think of all the schools out there, all the Gwinarians who were hungry for knowledge.”
“Don’t you remember that most had come in for the mining bonuses?”
That was why I’d been home. The Company had offered double pay for a few months if we could mine twice the usual amount of kithronite. Most of us had come in to work the mines. “There are more survivors, trust me. They’ll stumble on that net beacon page just as I did.”
“That’s how the family on Earth 4 found us. Once Lux, Kol and Egan got the first pods and tunnels up and running, The Company sent word throughout the galaxies.” He laid his hand on my knee. “More will come home. It might not ever be the home it once was, but it’s still our Kithra. Will you at least think about staying here?”
I brushed his hand off and stood, biting back a groan at my sore muscles. “I’m not the right female for the job you have in mind.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched me as I left. I held my breath until I was two tunnels away before the lack of air sent the world spinning. I sat on the floor and leaned back against the wall. Once I’d dreamed of a family. I’d grown up in a big one. I’d had only two sisters, but there’d been fourteen cousins. Family gatherings had been noisy and so damned fun. My parents had just married a fourth Gwinarian when this world was crushed. Lanna. I could still picture her, still remember how new their relationship had been. My sisters and I, grown at that point, had moved out to give our parents space. We’d just set up our own pod, and Gwinlan—
Ice froze my veins.
I hadn’t thought either of my sisters’ names in so long, the sudden pain slashed through me like foot-long claws raking my body. Moaning, I dropped fully to the floor, curling up to try and hold in the cries that built in my chest. Wave after wave of agony washed over me, polluting my lungs, turning the world around me black and tight as if the
I let him touch me, waited for the stir of lust. He was a beautiful Gwinarian male—tall, proud and everything I’d dreamed of having as a girl growing up here. And he did absolutely nothing for me. “Where were you when the explosions happened?” Don’t know why I blurted the question, because I certainly didn’t want him asking the same.
“Vacationing with five other Gwinarians who are back on planet now. You could eat in the social pod tonight, get to know them.”
“Is it hard for you to be here?” I didn’t look at him as I asked the question.
He removed his hand, sat back. “I drank through the first three months, but having my friends with me helped me get through it. Where were you?”
“Not vacationing.” I tightened my lips and sat up, grimacing at the clingy, sweaty microsuit. “I miss the pools.”
“The Company doesn’t think those areas are necessary for repair yet.”
“I’d say I was surprised they have us mining when there is so much tunnel repair needed, but their greed is known throughout the galaxies.”
He pushed his long, loose strawberry-blond hair off his shoulder. “I, for one, am thankful for that greed. It brought me home.” He stared at me. Hard. “This isn’t home for you anymore, is it?”
The sharp pang in my chest surprised me, then pissed me off. “I don’t have a home.”
“You do, you just don’t see it yet. Gwinarians belong here, Jarana. Even you.” He clasped his hands together. “Especially you, as a female.”
I knew what he was getting at. As one of the few, my people were going to hope I’d get with another Gwinarian and start reproducing. The thought of a baby was such a foreign concept to me, I couldn’t see it ever happening. “There are probably a lot more. Think of all the schools out there, all the Gwinarians who were hungry for knowledge.”
“Don’t you remember that most had come in for the mining bonuses?”
That was why I’d been home. The Company had offered double pay for a few months if we could mine twice the usual amount of kithronite. Most of us had come in to work the mines. “There are more survivors, trust me. They’ll stumble on that net beacon page just as I did.”
“That’s how the family on Earth 4 found us. Once Lux, Kol and Egan got the first pods and tunnels up and running, The Company sent word throughout the galaxies.” He laid his hand on my knee. “More will come home. It might not ever be the home it once was, but it’s still our Kithra. Will you at least think about staying here?”
I brushed his hand off and stood, biting back a groan at my sore muscles. “I’m not the right female for the job you have in mind.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched me as I left. I held my breath until I was two tunnels away before the lack of air sent the world spinning. I sat on the floor and leaned back against the wall. Once I’d dreamed of a family. I’d grown up in a big one. I’d had only two sisters, but there’d been fourteen cousins. Family gatherings had been noisy and so damned fun. My parents had just married a fourth Gwinarian when this world was crushed. Lanna. I could still picture her, still remember how new their relationship had been. My sisters and I, grown at that point, had moved out to give our parents space. We’d just set up our own pod, and Gwinlan—
Ice froze my veins.
I hadn’t thought either of my sisters’ names in so long, the sudden pain slashed through me like foot-long claws raking my body. Moaning, I dropped fully to the floor, curling up to try and hold in the cries that built in my chest. Wave after wave of agony washed over me, polluting my lungs, turning the world around me black and tight as if the
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