Page 18 of Fire Forged

“So what now?Do we even know how far away their planet is?”

Mom nudged Britt out of the way to reach the closet.“You were all gung-ho to come, so no, we didn’t exactly ask any of the pertinent questions.”

“Right.My fault, I guess.”Britt slumped onto the bed that was large enough to cater for two adult Etterians.

“I’m not complaining.Now that we’re on our way, I’m getting excited.”Mom grinned then snapped the closet shut with a touch.Seamless metal panels clicked.

“Everything’s so…clinical.”Britt gestured to the metal walls, floors, and ceiling with its hidden lighting.

“Makes sense for a warrior species.”Mom shrugged and waltzed out of the room.

“Warrior?Yeah, that’s what the news was saying.”Britt snatched her unopened bag and shoved it into another closet.She skipped after her mom to find her browsing the rehydrator.“I need a little vacay.So however long this trip is, I’m going to sleep in, read, eat exotic foods, and maybe find a new sport or hobby.”

“You do that,” Mom said, cradling a mug of herbal tea she’d ordered.“I need to brush up on my medical knowledge and any new breakthroughs we’ve made since...Well, you know.”

Britt sat opposite her then leaped to her feet with a squeak.“Did that thing just move?”

Mom pursed her lips to hide a grin, failed, then chuckled.“Yup, it does that to match the shape and size of your backside.”

“Right,” Britt huffed and tried sitting again.Surreal was beyond how it felt when the chair cupped her ass with an almost loving touch.“Why didn’t you react?”She narrowed her eyes at her mom.

“Aldur warned me.”She shrugged.

“About a chair, but not about the time it takes to reach his home?”Britt rolled her eyes.“Mom, you’re hopeless.”

“Ask him yourself, or better yet, speak to Nerx.Heisthe commanding officer.”

Britt’s heartbeat scattered at the memory of stroking his jaw.Damn, that man is gorgeous.“I’ve got much groveling to do.All he had to do was tell me why he was watching our home, but no, an alien commander doesn’t need to explain himself.”She pouted at her whining.One sentence from him would have steered the encounter in a whole different direction.Now she had to play nice or probably apologize again and be sincere about it.

She folded her arms across her chest and glowered.He could damn well hold his breath.The blame lay with them both, and if the arrogant ass didn’t see that, then that wasn’t her fault.Nor was it her job to show him the error of his ways.

There was plenty of eye candy, even on board this ship.Though to be fair, Sena and Matir didn’t spark such a violent response in her as Nerx did.They were too sweet, and she ate such men for breakfast.She wanted a man with a little fire who could handle her more…volatile personality.Most ran for the hills.

But Nerx?Nope, no way.He could suck it.

“Well, better start on those medical journals.”Mom placed her empty mug on the table.“What are you going to do first on your ‘vacay?’”

“I brought my tablet.I want to find a spot on this…thing.”She swept a hand at the ceiling, indicating the ship.“Somewhere I can be alone to read or journal.”

“Maybe it has a place where you can see the stars,” Mom said, leaping to her feet to disappear into their bedroom.She returned with their tablets in hand and a shawl.

“Want me to ask if we can up the heat a little?”Britt accepted her tablet then headed for the door.“Might as well, just in case we freeze.”

“But—”

The door swished open to Aldur.

Britt stepped aside on instinct.“Tell me, Aldur, how do you make it warmer in here?”

The poor man dragged his gaze from Mom to blink at her.“Place your hand on the panel.”He tapped a hidden tile to the right of the door.

When he waited, Britt hurried to press her palm to the black screen.A white light scanned her, then beeped.

“It will adjust and maintain the temperature to fifteen degrees cooler than your core.”He faced Mom, and Britt couldn’t help the sensation that she was all but forgotten.“I wanted to see if you are…settled.If you need anything—”

The door closed behind Britt the moment she stepped into the passage.A grated floor ran the length of the ship she’d seen so far.Gray metal lined the walls, and a dim light lit the area, although, she couldn’t find the source.

Sighing, she veered left toward the common.Someone there would be able to direct her to a ‘star deck.’She snorted.How old were the novels Mom read that she didn’t know that term?The common was empty, so she placed her tablet on the trestle table to order a bottle of water.Wherever she found herself, taking something to drink with her meant not having to abandon her privacy because she was thirsty.

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