Page 101 of Hyperspeed
“What are the other drivers like, Kai? Are they being nice to Rev?”
“Mum,” I groaned, hiding my face in my hands.
She made it sound like I was the new kid at school, wanting to know if I was being bullied. Kai found it hilarious, slinging his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer. I inhaled his scent—leather and cardamom—and I had to force myself not to glue my face to his neck.
I was already embarrassed enough, and I refused to make things worse.
But then Kai’s fingers traced slow, absent patterns along my bicep, and I leaned into his side without thinking.
“They’re great,” Kai confirmed, putting Mum at ease. “Everyone thinks Rev’s brilliant. He’s putting some of the veterans to shame.”
I groaned louder, whipping Kai’s legs with my tail when he laughed.
We settled into a game of Monopogalaxy, where Grandma bankrupted us all and Dad threatened to flip the board if someone sent him to jail again.
Watching them bicker between themselves, I could see where my own competitive streak came from, and considering Mum was busy trying to calm them both down, it wasn’t from her.
Noise filled the living room, but it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.
I was used to it just being the four of us. My family. I had never brought a friend home, especially not someone I was sort of in a relationship with.
Not that this was a relationship.
I wasn’t sure what this was. But seeing the way Kai joined in, slipping seamlessly into their dynamic, made something warm spark in my chest. It was like he’d always belonged there.
Grandma served bowls ofluzari’eth, and Kai enjoyed it so much he had seconds,andthirds. He rivalled Dad in the volume of food he could put away, and he won Grandma over when he gushed about her cooking. She fell head over heels when he asked if there was any leftover stew, because he wanted to take some home.
When my family announced they were leaving, I was exhausted.
Kai helped Mum sort the dishes in the kitchen, and Dad kissed me goodbye before leaving to start up their shuttle. It left just me and Grandma on the couch, and I had some questions that needed answering.
I shuffled along the cushions until we were side by side. “Grandma?”
“Yes,va’tari?”
“I think something’s wrong with me.”
She frowned, looking me up and down. “What do you mean?”
I traced the markings on my forearm with my finger. “I’ve been glowing a funny colour. It’s like . . . amethyst.”
When she didn’t reply, I glanced up, horrified to see her eyes glisten. “Oh, stars,” I croaked. “Is it bad? Am I dying?”
Shetook my hands in hers, the skin fragile, almost paper-thin. But her touch grounded me while I panicked about my untimely death.
“No,va’tari,” she soothed. “You’re not dying.”
“Then what does it mean? It keeps happening, and I’m confused.”
She cupped my cheek.
“It’s not a bad thing, my darling. Not a bad thing at all.” Her gaze flicked towards the kitchen. “It’s something beautiful, I promise. But you’re not ready to hear it yet.”
“What do you—”
“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
I scowled. “I’m twenty-four.”
