Page 42 of Coveted

She felt selfish wanting more of his time. She knew what he was doing was important, but she also felt like she had a right to want more attention.

Setting her bags beside the door, she turned to Vax. He’d told her she could leave her things and servants would come collect them from the ship, but she didn’t want to make more work for someone than necessary.

Vax was still working at his desk, so she took the few steps to the couch and sat to look out the window. They passed through the swirling of the atmosphere into lavender skies. Blue clouds appeared in their wake as they continued to descend, followed by dusky red trees gracing the mountainsides they flew between.

She noticed more vegetation as they glided lower, all in warm tones of red, orange, and violet. She was mesmerized by the beauty of it, finding it far better than Libeqor’s pale yellows and greens.

Motion from the corner of her eye drew her attention back inside the hopper, Vax standing and moving behind her to look out the window as well.

“I may be biased, but Farcon 1 is the most beautiful planet I’ve been to. It’s why I was hesitant to open another mine. I don’t want the natural beauty ruined by us cutting down the forests and terracing the mountains just to make more space for people.Peoplehave plenty of space out there.”

He waved his hand toward the sky.

Alana agreed with him, destroying the natural vegetation on the mountains would be a tragedy, but she could also see that there would be no choice if Farcon 1 wanted to expand. She couldn’t see a single area of flat, clear land that could be built on or used for crops.

“You’re right.”

He smiled down at her, offering his hand as the view behind the ship changed from mountain tops to the craggy cliffs along their sides. She’d just lifted hers when his tablet chirped from the desk, the tone different than the one she’d grown familiar with over the past few days.

Vax’s smile disappeared, brows lowering as he turned and scooped it off the desk. His back was to her as he answered the call, a bald, yellow head taking up the screen.

“Vax, there’s been an accident. Crews are on the way, but you’re the closest, and injuries are already being called in, some of them serious.”

Alana’s breath caught in her throat as Vax’s shoulders went stiff. He didn’t spare her a glance as he stomped to the door, opening it and calling down the hallway before he even made it to the cockpit. She heard the man on the tablet speak again but couldn’t make out the words as she stood and rushed to follow.

“Change course to Camp Primma. Hurry.”

Vax’s voice echoed to her, and she barely got her arm up in time to brace against the doorframe as the hopper made a sharp turn. Usually the ship moved so smoothly she couldn’t feel the direction or altitude changes, but they were flying too fast not to feel the pull.

The ship climbed before dipping again, almost sending her tumbling down the hallway as she tried to get to the cockpit with the two alphas. She probably should have stayed in the room, but she wanted to help, even if she wasn’t sure what she’d be able to do.

They were both seated when she entered, eyes locked on the window in front of them. The sight of trees whizzing by so close stole her breath, the ship seeming to head straight for a bare cliff ahead of them, and Vax’s head snapped to the side at her gasp.

Alana was frozen in place, eyes locked on the approaching rocks, and Vax reached out to grab her just in time as Regis swerved the hopper to the left, almost sending her careening into the wall.

Her bottom landed on a hard thigh, a thick arm banding around her middle as she was squeezed against a warm chest. Vax’s cinnamon cocoa scent flooded her senses, making hermouth water before another looming crash sent ice flooding her veins to cool the reaction.

Regis dodged again, Alana’s stomach taking up residence in her throat as it threatened to empty everything she’d eaten for the past week onto the console in front of her. She gripped Vax’s arm hard enough to make her fingertips throb.

“We’re not going to crash. Regis has flown through worse than this.”

Vax’s deep rumble loosened some of the tension in her shoulders and she was able to dislodge the lump in her throat enough to take a breath, but she still held onto his arm. In different circumstances she might have protested her position on his lap, but all she felt was relief for his sturdy support.

The hopper leveled out and they poured on speed, trees blurring past as a plume of black smoke smeared across the sky ahead of them. The distance closed in seconds, the tightening of Vax’s arm around her the only warning before the hopper slowed hard.

She didn’t get the chance to take in their surroundings before they bumped to the ground, Vax already standing and placing her on her feet.

“Stay on the ship.”

His grunt was barely intelligible as he rushed past her, the hiss of the outer door reaching her ears even as people came into view through the dirt their landing had kicked up. She thought he was heading out to help the litters coming toward the ship until she saw him run past them, up a paved trail into the trees in the direction of the smoke.

“Where’s he going?”

She’d spoken mostly to herself, having forgotten about Regis until he stood and blocked her view.

“To help in the mine. We need to get the injured onboard and to the Medical Wing before it’s too late.”

A chill rolled through her. The way they’d flown to reach the Camp should have told her, but it wasn’t until then that the seriousness of the situation hit her.

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