Page 37 of Escape from Nova Nine
She laughed. “The cityships will adore our griffins. If Sutrio’s sanctuary and breeding program idea works out, and you act as her sales agent, you’ll both have Volksstam queuing up and offering premium trades.”
He lowered his mouth to hers for a languid kiss that quickly became incendiary as he felt her empath talent escaped containment to spiral sensuously with his. “How about we adore each other for a while?”
She smiled under his lips. “Yes, please.”
15
NOVA NINE FACILITY • GDAT 3243.305
Agentle breeze brought a whiff of fragrantnarcissito Julke’s nose as she walked along the long corridor. Even though it has been nearly half a year since she’d returned to the cityships, the sweet scents of home still brought a smile to her face.
The arching, shades-of-gold corridor was not as popular as the shortcut tubes that had been added to the Robynfamilieschipscluster in later years. Clever illustrations behind the linear rows of leafy vining oxy plants made the wide, gently oval shape look more like the entry to a terrapark than the hallway of a starship connector. The interspersed bright pink-and orange five-petal flowers enhanced the illusion.
It was almost hot in the warmer midday bright lighting cycle, which was part of why Julke often went that way. Her soft boots hardly made a sound on the springy surface of the walkway. Gentle breezes that helped direct dust toward the filters helped the plants thrive and offered welcome coolness — and scents — to humans.
Walking the old connector instead of taking a faster capsule gave her a much-needed decompression between her grandmother’s increasingly complex business meetings and her quiet time at home. It reminded her of the long access tunnels in her mother’s biggestfamilieschipthat snaked between engines and enviro systems. Running through them at top speed had given her the illusion of freedom.
Adulthood had brought actual freedom, not counting her five hundred days in Nova Nine. But freedom also brought obligations to her family and the Volksstam. Travelers like her were agents of change and often resented for it. Unfortunately for the traditionalists, the gods of Chaos liked kicking up storms, whether her people were ready or not.
But freedom also brought blessings, like the snoozing griffin resting on her shoulder pad. Her feathery tail wrapped down across Julke’s back and waist like a sash. Moonlet didn’t like tense meetings any more than Julke did. Neither of them could completely block heated emotions in a room full of competitive people in high-stakes negotiations.
And thank all the gods of Chaos for the blessing that was Zade Lunaso.
She was both amazed and amused at how well the man — and his griffins — fit in with the Volksstam way of life. He’d built a successful venture in an unfamiliar community and made more friends than enemies. It helped that he freely shared his wealth of knowledge about Central Galactic Concordance ship design and operation with Volksstamers who had a mutual interest.
And as her politically savvy grandmother Benthe slyly pointed out, he and the five other ex-Nova Nine prisoners who’d been granted sponsorship in the cityships served another purpose. They were living proof that the CGC produced good people, and not just the ignorant, lazyslakkenthat more bigoted Volksstam believed.
Moonlet roused on her shoulder to look up at the upcoming intersection. Julke felt the edges of aura signatures she recognized. She’d gotten into the habit of always checking, even close to home. The disgraced Kraiien family had lost power, but even after paying heavy damages, they’d still have more than enough credits to richly reward anyone who made her disappear again, this time for good.
She briefly patted her darling griffin’s tail end. “Not all humans have treats,lieveling.”
Zade had cleverly taught his personal griffins to alert on strangers, but he’d failed with Moonlet. She was too fond of people to see them as potential enemies.
Julke exchanged polite nods with the two Volksstamers who passed by, then picked up her pace. Seeing the savory pastry in the one man’s hand reminded her that Zade had promised her a fine midday meal. She laughed at herself as she took the turn toward home. She was becoming as food-motivated as a certain darling little griffin.
* * *
After she greeted Zade with a kiss and coaxed Moonlet into an open cage, she kicked off her boots and followed Zade through the long, narrow kitchen to the dining area. Technically, it was a galley, but the tiny personal ship she’d inherited from her mother and brother hadn’t been detached from thefamilieschipcluster since before she was born. It was big enough for two humans, but five airborne griffins could make it feel like living in a care center for thrill-seeking toddlers.
“This is amazing.” Julke marveled at how many dishes Zade had managed to fit on their small table and still have room for plates and utensils. “Have you been training thePlanetento help with cooking?” She counted six different foods, and all of them her favorites.
“Chaos, no.” Zade laughed as he put his arm around her waist. “I had to bribe them just to stay out of the kitchen while I practiced.” He tilted his head up toward the high recessed ceiling ledge where the three pale rock griffins named for the planets Mercury, Jupiter, and Neptune now dozed. “Out of fairness, I had to bribe Mayek, too, and now he’s too plump to be stealthy.”
Chucking, she gave him a kiss. “Thank you for this. It looks too pretty to touch, except I’m starving.”
“Good.” He waved her toward a chair. “That velvet box on the plate is for you.”
She threw him a puzzled glance, then stepped closer to pick it up. Lifting the hinged lid revealed an exquisitely detailed metal-printed pendant of Moonlet on a filigreed chain.
Zade bowed respectfully to her. “Julke Defayensdytr, I was wondering if your heart and affections are being appreciated. Because if not, I’d like to claim them.”
Surprise made her blink. He had to have been planning this for weeks. Somehow, he’d managed to hide his intentions, despite how much they talked about everything.
She couldn’t help but grin. “Depends. I’m looking for a fair trade. Are your heart and affections available for claiming?”
He nodded solemnly. “As long as you’re making the claim, they are.” The intensity of his gaze made her heart skip a beat.
“Then I’ll take that trade, Zade Lunaso.” She bowed briefly, then held out her hand to him and let her empath talent loose to twirl with his. “I love you.”
