But Adiron nods. He rubs my foot again, touching my little toe. "We'll do as Jade wants."
74
JADE
The Jabberwock is a much bigger ship than Shaalyn's (now Bethiah's), but it's still far smaller than the Star. We're shown on board, and I meet everyone. They have eight people on board—four men and four women. Fran is Kivian's wife, utterly beautiful and absolutely gracious. She acts as a hostess as she leads me around the ship, showing me the mess hall, the lavatories, and which parts are off limits for guests. There's a spacious rec-room that the crew loves to use, and when we get in there, I meet Alyvos and Iris. Iris wears a strange blinder over her eyes, and I can tell immediately that her vision is impaired. It's in the way she holds her head, the way she scans the room before settling on someone's location. But she's an absolute sweetheart. She's all smiles as she gets up and hands a baby to Fran.
A baby, of all things.
"This is my daughter," Fran says, pressing a kiss to the top of the baby's head, right between a pair of nubby horns just starting to sprout. "Her name is Jasmine, and if you tell me that she looks like me and not her father, I'll love you forever."
I drink in the sight of the infant, who's all wriggling arms and legs. She's blue skinned and…she really doesn't look like Fran. Maybe in the eyes, but the rest of her seems to be her father. "Um…"
Iris just chuckles. "Don't worry. Everyone comes to the same conclusion."
I smile, and when Fran holds the baby out to me, I take her. Jasmine's like any human baby, really. She's bigger, and she's got blue skin and horns. She's got a tail. But the bright eyes that look up at me are the same as the ones on Earth. The toothless mouth and drool on her chin are universal, as are the flailing fists as she stares up at me and makes gurgling noises of happiness. She's…adorable. Maybe my maternal instinct is kicking in, or maybe Jasmine is utterly gorgeous, but I've never seen such an appealing baby, and I'm filled with longing, excitement, and a hint of dread.
Just because Kivian wants a baby doesn't mean Adiron does.
"I could eat her up with a spoon," I tell Fran, snuggling Jasmine against my cheek. "She's adorable."
"She is, isn't she?" Fran adjusts the charming little outfit on her daughter—it's little more than a pale purple sac with sleeves, but it's got ruffles all over the hem and great big puffs on the arms…and I realize Kivian's dressed almost exactly like his daughter. My heart squeezes all over again. He's clearly a proud dad. "Where's Adiron?"
Before Fran can answer, someone speaks up behind her. "He's helping Tarekh handle Shaalyn's pod."
I turn and look over at Zoey. Her expression is neutral, but I can tell she's not happy with me. Fran clears her throat, takes the baby from my arms, and goes to sit with Iris. "Any time you want to come give Jasmine a snuggle, you're welcome," Fran tells me. "Since you're here, Zoey, why don't you show Jade to her quarters?"
I almost feel like I'm being set up. My skin prickles, but I keep a smile on my face. Zoey is Adiron's sister. I don't think she'd do anything to hurt him. The affection between them is too great. Even though I've just met Zoey today, it's obvious to me in the way they grin at each other, the way they tease, and the way Zoey seems so relieved to have found him. And I'm much safer here on the Jabberwock than I am on Shaalyn's ship, especially with that Bethiah person at the helm. She seems…not all there.
A ship with babies and a bunch of human women can't be bad, especially if they came to rescue Adiron. I'm just…worrying. There's so many things up in the air right now—the fates of my friends, the people in the stasis pods, the baby inside me—that I can't seem to turn around without running headlong into another crisis.
I just want to curl up in bed with Adiron and have everything be okay for just a day or two.
I wave goodbye to the others and follow Zoey through the ship. She's pleasant enough, pausing to tease Cat—big Tarekh's diminutive mate—a little before leading me onward. We get to a door and she opens it, then gestures I should go inside. I do…and I'm not entirely surprised to see that the room looks very similar to the one I left behind on the Star. Double bed, neutral plas-sheets and no pillow, a wall panel with buttons all over it, and the door to a lavatory. In the corner, there's a small table attached to the wall and a couple of chairs for sitting. Zoey pulls a slim paperback out of her pocket and sets it on the table. "Housewarming present. We tend to swap books, just FYI. If you ever run across anything—and you will—save them. We meet up every other month or so and do a big book swap with some of the Earth women we know."