CHAPTER 12
I wake up the next morning before the others, unable to sleep past dawn as I think about seeing my family. Not sure where to go, I wander the halls of the governor’s mansion until I find myself out on the veranda, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon and painting the sky in pale pink and violet. I lean back in my chair, nursing a slight headache as I think about what I’ll say.
“You look like you need a coffee.”
I glance up to see David standing beside me, a steaming mug in his hand. I reach for it gratefully, the hot ceramic stinging my left palm and warming the gears of my right. David takes a seat across from me with his own cup, and I notice that he’s still in a pair of flannel PJs and what I can only describe as a dad sweater.
“Hope you don’t mind it black,” he says. “Couldn’t find any creamer.”
“It’s such a treat that I don’t really care either way,” I say. “Last time I had coffee was on a space station. It cost over a hundred credits and tasted like shit.”
“In that case, remind me to load you all up with some coffee beans before you go,” he says.
I sip my coffee and stare out at the mist rising from the green lawn and the forest beyond. The trees are bare of leaves, but it isn’t that cold out, reminding me of Christmases in Florida as a kid. David doesn’t interrupt the reverie, sitting in silence with me and providing a surprisingly calming presence.
“Thank you for understanding all of this...or at least trying,” I blurt out. “I know it’s unorthodox.”
“My daughter is a lot of things, but she’s never been orthodox,” he chuckles. “And if I’m being honest, I always saw her ending up with someone more like you than with a prince like Nereus.”
I glance over at him. “Nereus is a good man.”
“I’m not calling that into question,” David says. “What I mean is that you ground her. You’re stabilizing, quiet, supportive.”
“I would do anything to protect both of them,” I say. “And I want to assure you that there are others out there that feel the same way. Fiona is...she’s stubborn and she has a temper, but there’s something about her that inspires loyalty in her crew. We all love her in our own way.”
“I’m glad she has you,” David says. “Both of you.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, flashing him a genuine smile.
“And Kye?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know how this whole thing works, but...you have my blessing too.”
We leave at nightfall.
Fiona hugs her father goodbye with a smattering of tears, and then he shakes my hand and Nereus’s. Then we’re out in the woods again, and back on the shuttle.
At first, I think it might be best if we head straight back to the Naiad, to Taln and Ryker, to our endless flight from Lamia. But there’s a slip of paper burning a hole in my pocket, and I know that it’s time for me to go home.
Fiona and Nereus are at my side as we set down on a remote beach in Pensacola, cloaking the shuttle once again and stepping out onto the beach. I’m reminded of the alien moon where I first made love to Fiona, and I take her hand as Nereus strips down to swim out into the dark ocean. She holds me tightly, less afraid now of the water than she once was, but still harboring that shade of doubt.
“It’s going to be okay,” she says. Her words surprise me--I figured she would be the one who needed reassurance--but as she holds me, I realize that I’m shaking. She squeezes my hand and then slides her arm around me, looking out on the moonlit water. “They aren’t going to be angry.”
“You say that, but I...wasn’t a good man before I died,” I say. “I took unnecessary risks, cut corners, and...well, I paid the price for it.”
“You were young,” she says.
“So are you, and you’ve taken on the mantle of Savior of the Merati.”
“Hey, I’ve made some really stupid decisions in my life and you should be the first to admit that,” she says with a teasing smile. “Remember that time I ran off and almost got murdered by a lizard man? Yeah, not great.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, princess,” I chuckle. “You’ve made at least four good decisions.”
She laughs, tilting her up to look at me, a smile touching her pretty pink lips. “What can I do to help?”
I answer her by crushing my lips against hers. Her mouth is perfectly soft and firm against mine, and she presses her hands against my chest. “You’re already helping me,” I say, making myself pull away from her even when it’s hard.
“We can wait,” she says. “We can spend the night on the ship and go see them in the morning. If you need to gather your courage.”
I take in a sharp breath, trying to still my hammering heart as I pull away from her so I can look into her hazel eyes. She doesn’t let go of me, her fingers hooked around my hand as I tilt my head down to meet her gaze. “If I don’t go through with this now, I don’t think I ever will.”
Fiona nods. “We’ll go with you.”
I nod, my breath shaky. I want them with me--I need them with me--but my absence, my appearance, is going to be hard enough to explain. Fiona and Nereus... how do I even begin to explain them?
Fiona pulls away from me, leaning against the ship, tilting her head back far enough that my gaze darts down her swan-like neck, toward the soft shadows on her shoulders. She’s wearing a white sundress with spaghetti straps, and her star-kissed skin looks soft and enticing.
I dip my head down so I can plant a kiss on the curve of her neck, and she laughs a little as my breath tickles her skin. I straighten up and slow my breathing down, trying to calm my nerves. “Fi?”
She turns her head to face me, raising her eyebrows when she does. She doesn’t have to ask me to keep going, I see the questioning look in her eyes and instantly soften. Her fingers curl around mine and we both listen to the sound of the water hitting the sand for a moment.
“Thank you,” I say. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
She nods, edging closer to me, leaning her head against my shoulder and heaving a heavy sigh. “Of course,” she replies. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”