Page 9 of Caldar
“So now you’re just going to follow me and, what, bubble wrap the universe? Make sure I don’t bump into anything sharp?” she asked.
“If I must,” he said, sounding exhausted.
“Wyn called you a dickweasel,” Sonia said. She only heard a secondhand account of Wyn’s dealings with Caldar.
“I am aware.”
“You know, your life would be easier if you were just less of a duplicitous weasel.”
He chuckled again, and damn if she didn’t like the sound.
He reached out a hand to her head, as if he would caress her face, and hesitated before touching her. Sonia nodded. He plucked something from her hair and displayed one of her sketch pencils with pride.
“I forgot that was there,” she said, embarrassed. Pencils wound up in her hair all the time to keep her twists out of her eyes as she worked.
He grinned like he had a prize and placed it in the front jacket pocket.
Now would have been a good time to demand to know why he did what he did, to hear his side of the story, but instead she said, “You should ask me to dance again.”
CALDAR
This female. He enjoyed her prickly words and grumpy disposition. It made the moments when she softened all the sweeter.
Caldar held out his hand and led her to a clear spot on the balcony. Above the crowd and the noise, they were nearly alone with the stars. They reflected in her dark eyes.
His arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight to him. They swayed to the gentle music, stepping forward, to the side, and turning to do it again.
“Not bad,” she said.
“I believe this is an Earth dance,” he said.
“It’ll work at most weddings. Do you know the Chicken Dance or the Electric Slide?”
“My dance education is lacking. You will have to teach me.”
A blush bloomed over her face, darkening her complexion. “We’ll see.”
This had started as an obligation, but now it was more. He wasn’t sure what he would do with himself when it finished, and she returned to Earth.
The music diminished. An announcement encouraged guests to look up to appreciate the heart of the meteor shower.
Light blazed across the darkness. The streaks grew more rapid, clustering together and their long tails bright. From Caldar and Sonia’s vantage on the balcony directly under the dome, it appeared as if the meteors surrounded the ship. It was an illusion, he knew, but impressive, nonetheless.
Sonia twisted in his arms to get a better look. Her mouth opened in wonder. Golden streaks cast shadows on her face.
“You’re missing the show,” she said.
“I am not.”
A soft smile graced her face, the meteor lights a golden reflection in her dark eyes. She smiledat him.
He was unsure what to do with this information. It was foolish for a male his age to feel such infatuation. Sonia barely tolerated him. She would never consider letting him court her. Yet, she smiled at him.
Regardless, he belonged to no clan. He could not apply to the registry to be matched with a mate. Taking Sonia as his mate without going through the proper channels would violate every treaty the Mahdfel held.
He had never had any qualms bending overly restrictive rules before, but this matter was the one rule he could not break.
No matter how badly he wanted.
