Page 110 of Kai
She blinked her eyes open, her body listless, her gaze sleepy. “What was that for?”
“That’s myMahalo nui loa.” I planted a smooch on the tip of her nose. “It means more than gratitude—respect, admiration, praise. Thank you for giving me the best days of my life.”
Her eyes widened suddenly alert. “The best days of yourwholelife?”
“Yup.” I smiled. “Without a doubt.”
“Hard to believe.” A spark of skepticism carved the lines between her eyes. “I can see how that would be true for me, but not for you.”
“Why?”
“Because you already had a great love.”
It took me a moment to catch her meaning. “Ah.”
She was thinking of Malia, of the young relationship I’d had years ago.
I pondered my answer. It was late afternoon, and tomorrow night we’d leave to make our rendezvous. I’d already preparedSerenityfor the journey. Our time alone was ending, and yet I wanted to wipe all doubts from her mind.
“My love for Malia was young and perhaps forced by the circumstances. I didn’t even know what love was back then. But now…”
“But now?”
“I know what love is. It’s not a limited or limiting commodity. It sprouts from our depths as an infinite fountainand is unique to each soul. This moment? It’s all we have. My present? It’s right here. With you. You, Cece Astor, are my present and my future, my hope and my salvation. Call me a fool, but I believe that you’re indeed my fate and I’m your destiny.”
She narrowed her liquid eyes at me. “If you keep talking like this, I’m gonna need to fuck you all over again.”
“I like the sound of that,” I said. “But you’re squinting, and have been squinting for a while now. You’re looking at my aura, aren’t you?”
She didn’t deny it.
“What color is it?”
“Blue,” she said. “Indigo and cobalt, with a golden shimmer at the ends.”
“Blue just happens to be my favorite color. What does my aura tell you?”
“That you’re honest, brave, and insightful. And…”
“And?”
“That you’re telling me the truth.”
“Your perception of my aura is correct, then. Trust it. I’d love to see your aura.”
“If it’s any consolation, I can’t see my aura, either.”
“I’m glad you can see mine.”
“Kai…” She let out a sigh. “I didn’t know that men like you existed in this world. Then you came along. I just can’t believe my luck.”
“Then believe in yourself,” I said. “Believe in us.”
Her pale eyes glittered with frosty flames that burned hotter than hell. She was about to say something when the rumble of an engine droned in the distance.
An engine?
I bolted out of bed, grabbed my pants in passing, and rushed up the stairs to my navigation center. As I studied my monitors and jammed my legs in my sweats, my screensdidn’t alarm or show any sort of inbound craft. None of the trackers showed a boat anywhere near us. But that sound. It was unmistakable.
