Page 51 of Zinnia and the Zombie
“So,” she prompted, “do you have any idea where to start looking?”
He turned back to the controls, all business once more. “Before all this, my crew and I were investigating rumors of a Zathix outpost in a remote system. It was our last lead when we were attacked. I still have the coordinates in my memory, although they were only a starting point.”
“What about that data crystal you found?” she asked. “The one you said was Zathix technology?”
A shadow crossed his face. “I’ll need specialized equipment to access it. Equipment we might find at the outpost, if it still exists.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go,” she said with a confidence she didn’t entirely feel.
He finished the pre-flight check and turned to her, his eyes shining with a mixture of gratitude and love so intense it took her breath away.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
She rose from her seat and moved to stand between his knees, framing his face with her hands. “Don’t thank me. This is where I want to be. With you. Wherever that takes us.”
He pulled her down into his lap, his arms warm and strong around her. “Then let’s find out where our path leads.”
As he bent his head to kiss her, she knew with absolute certainty that she had made the right choice. The garden apartment had been their first sanctuary, but it wouldn’t be their last.
She reluctantly returned to her seat as the ship’s engines hummed to life beneath them, vibrating with power as they rose slowly into the atmosphere. Outside the viewport, the ruins of the ancient city began to recede as they climbed higher. She watched it grow smaller, holding the memory of their time there close to her heart as they ascended toward the stars and whatever future awaited them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jaxx watched Zinnia’s face as they climbed toward the stars, her eyes reflecting the fading image of the ruined city below. Her serene expression filled him with relief and he found himself relaxing. Her choice to remain with him, to help him search for his people instead of returning to her own world, couldn’t have been easy, but she showed no sign of regretting it.
Now, with the city receding below them, he could almost pretend they were merely voyaging toward a new adventure. A new beginning.
As the sky faded to darkness, he felt the change in air pressure, the subtle shift in gravity that told him the ship was accelerating, breaking free from the planet’s orbit. The Grorn vessel responded well to his touch, better than he’d expected from such zealots. Their technology was functional rather than elegant, but it was effective.
“We’re clear,” he announced as the blue-green sphere of their temporary home shrank behind them.
She unbuckled her restraints and stretched, arching her back. “So what happens now?”
“Now we plot a course.” He ran his fingers over the navigation panel, pulling up the star charts stored in the ship’s database. “Come, look.”
She moved to stand beside him, her warmth radiating against his side and her sweet scent filling his head. He had to force himself to concentrate on the holographic display in front of them, stars and systems glowing in three-dimensional clarity. At least the Grorn databases were comprehensive. He could work with them.
“This is where we are,” he said, indicating their position. “And this…” He expanded the display outward, moving across a vast distance until he found what he was looking for. “This is the Helon Cluster. My people sent colony ships to establish outposts there before the sickness came.”
She leaned closer, studying the cluster of stars. “That looks like it’s a long way away.”
“It is. But if any of my people survived, that’s where we’re most likely to find them.”
She nodded, her face solemn as she traced the potential course with her finger, a slender path through the star field. “Then that’s where we’ll go.”
He set the coordinates, checking the fuel reserves and life support systems. The Grorn had been well-prepared for such a trip. Had they known they would be hunting him specifically? The thought troubled him, but he pushed it aside. There would be time for such questions later.
“The autopilot is engaged,” he said, tapping the final command. “It will alert us if anything requires attention. It will be a long journey,” he added warningly.
“Long is fine.” She gave him a teasing smile. “I’m sure we can find something to do.”
His body instantly responded to her flirtatious tone, the memory of their night in the garden still fresh. He would never tire of her, never tire of the way her touch could soothe and arouse him at the same time.
“There is always maintenance,” he said roughly.
“Hmm.” Her fingertips traced patterns on the arm of his chair. “That doesn’t sound particularly exciting. What else are our options?”
“I could teach you more about ship operations.”
