Page 53 of Starfallen
Chapter 18
On My Knees for You
My mind, more activethan usual due to the inner turmoil tearing me up inside, even with all the background noise of carrier chatter and the circuity of the habitat, is becoming my enemy.
The thought of Tilly going to Rhys and Harper when she needs company stabs a painful spike into my heart.
Even though it’s earlier than I usually begin my day, I quietly walk to the bathroom across the hall to freshen up while Tilly sleeps.
When I finish, without a sound, I port directly to the orbiting ship high above, eager to lose myself in the day’s work, pausing in the control room to examine the subtext of her words last night.
I’mthe one who was wronged.
“You’re here rather early.” Granny’s voice startles me from my internal quagmire of thoughts.
I’d been so preoccupied by last night, she slipped right by my vicinity sensors. That should’ve never happened.
“Yeah.” I plop into the chair and wait for the tubing to attach, the sound of it connecting to my external ports creating a soft pop. Having access once more, I can stay fully charged, unlike being on Earth and having no power receptacle available whenever I need it.
For everyday living, there’s no need for me to use plasma. My body’s primed for minimal consumption and maximum output. But for any largescale abilities, such as blasting out energy waves, electric charges, or porting, I require massive amounts of energy which can only be supplied by the sun’s plasma.
“What’s wrong?” Grandma pinches my cheek. “You and Tilly having a little love spat?”
“No,” I answer too quickly, summoning a holoscreen to float above my reclining body. I swipe at several pathways, following the lines of code flitting past.Where to start today?
With a flick of her fingers, Grandma sends the holoscreen flying across the room to slam into the wall and blink out of existence.
“What could be so bad that you had to arrive here at four in the morning and leave your beautiful, pregnant wife without even having breakfast first?”
I give her a glare. “How do you know we didn’t have breakfast?”
“Boy, that girl doesn’t get up early unless her life depends on it, and even then, I think she’d seriously have to think about it first.” Her eyes twinkle as she leans her forearms on the side of my chair. “So, spill the beans.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I have a lot of work to do.”
“And why is that?”
My eyebrows lower as I watch her face and shake my head. “What?”
“Why is it that you’re still chasing down the gremlins in the machines, hmm? The Jareth from before would’ve found the problem within the first day.”
Clenching my jaw, I disconnect the tubing from my ports, needing to get away from her all-knowing, judging stare. I push out of the chair and shoulder my way past, scrambling for the door.
She laughs, but it’s a dry chuckle without her usual humor. “Don’t youdarerun away from me, boy.” Her voice turns to steel, reminding me she was a queen long before I’d ever existed. “Whatever you two are going through, you make it right, do you hear me?”
Her white hair, always on the verge of floating away from her bun, shines under the light. Her eyes harden and her lips purse. She grabs a lapel of my coat and tugs me downward, pulling me level to her face.
“You don’t understand. She—”
“Is pregnant with your child,mygrandson. From now on, you aren’t to spend more than two hours a day up here. She doesn’t need any extra stress. If she asks you to run naked down the tunnels of the city, you’ll strip off your clothes and do it. If she has a craving for snails covered in pistachio ice cream, you will comply. If she decides she’s tired of dealing with your brooding, arrogant ass, I will personally command you to dress in a pink tutu and dance in the living room for her amusement.”
“You cannot order me to do—”
“I can...and Iam. Now...you will head home to your gorgeous, big-hearted wife and you will shower her with attention and grant her whatever wish she desires.
“You are just as impossible as she is. I am not a servant—”
“And Jareth?”
