They’d made a tidy sum from selling the ship, but she’d paid a high emotional price. She would never forget the sight of Seth standing there on the asteroid’s surface. I did what I had to do , she reminded herself firmly. We sent someone to rescue him, and someday we’ll pay him back . Both she and Sarai agreed on that. From the first, they’d set aside a percentage of every credit they earned in a fund to repay Seth. It might take them years, but they would get him his money. Credits would never be enough to repair the damage she’d done, though. Calla knew that instinctively.
The thought of Seth made her ache, both in her heart and in other places. Every other man paled in comparison to him. Not long after they’d arrived, one of her male neighbors had invited her out for dinner. Just the thought of spending time with him made her long for Seth. Deep in her heart, she knew she’d never get over him. At times, the knowledge was almost too much to bear. She wanted children, she wanted a husband. But at least she had her freedom, and Sarai and her children had gotten a chance at life. It was more than any of them could have dreamed of a year ago.
She and Mali arrived home to find Sarai working in the small garden behind the hostel. One of the students showed them how to plant some vegetables and flowers, and all four of them were still amazed at how the little plants pushed themselves through the dirt and into the bright, natural light of the sun.
None of them had ever lived anywhere that plants would grow before; that small miracle of life was just one of many they encountered every day in their new home.
Sarai saw her and rose to her feet, wiping the dirt off her hands on to her apron as she stood.
“We have a new guest,” she said as Calla came up next to her. She blushed as she spoke, piquing Calla’s interest. “Did you get a candy, Mali? Why don’t you take it over to Able.”
Mali nodded her head happily, then scampered off to find her brother. Sarai waited until she was out of hearing, then said, “He’s Saurellian.”
Calla felt a coldness rush through her. Then reason took over, and she fought her panic back.
“There are millions of them all over the quadrant,” she said. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. We’ve checked the criminal alerts–they aren’t looking for us.”
“Well, I just wanted to let you know,” Sarai said, blushing more deeply. “His name is Jax Falconer, and he said he’ll be with us for at least a week.”
Jax. She recognized that name–Dani had had a client named Jax, back on Discovery station. Of course, there were probably thousands of Saurellians named Jax. Don’t let it bother you, she told herself firmly.
She couldn’t live the rest of her life in fear.
They were all the way across the quadrant from where she’d left Seth. They’d traveled through ten ports after selling the ship to cover their tracks. She and Sarai would be safe here, in the back of beyond.
Hector Prime was so insignificant that neither the Empire nor the Saurellians had bothered to send an occupation force. Then she noticed Sarai was blushing so much she was bright red.
“What’s up with you?” Calla asked suspiciously.
“He, well,” Sarai gave a girlish giggle, and Calla stared in astonishment. “He kissed me, up in his room!”
“Who did?” Calla asked in confusion.
“The Saurellian. Jax.”
“Watch your step, girl,” Calla replied. “Those men are hard to handle. Trust me on this one.”
Sarai gave another giggle, then looked away. Calla sighed. What was it about those Saurellian men, anyway?
Chapter 16
“Well, at least we’ve found her,” Seth said tightly. The two men sat in a bar, sipping bakrah and discussing their next move.
“They’re set up pretty nice,” Jax said. “They seem to have a lot of students staying with them. I took one of them out to a bar this afternoon, bought him a few drinks. He can’t say enough good things about them. They take good care of their guests, are quiet, the children seem happy. And no men, either.”
Jax seemed uncharacteristically pensive as he made his report, and Seth stared at him suspiciously. What the hell was he up to this time? It didn’t matter, of course. Nothing mattered but finding Calla.
It was a good thing there weren’t any men, Seth thought darkly. He didn’t want to have to kill anyone, but he’d long since come to the realization that anyone who touched Calla would face his wrath. The very fact that she was running a hostel was more than he’d hoped for–a small part of him had been terrified that she’d decide to continue her career as a pleasure worker. Normally a life mate wouldn’t be capable of being with another man, but the whole concept of mating with non-Saurellian women was too new to know if the old rules would hold true.
“So what do you want to do now?” Jax asked.
“We’ll go and get her tonight,” Seth replied thickly. The realization that within hours she would be his again was almost too much for him. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath. “I need her.”
Jax looked at him sympathetically.
“It’s going to be hard,” he said quietly. “Somehow you’re going to have to work through all that’s happened if you ever want to have a decent life for yourselves. It’s not a good thing to be at war with your life mate. You have to let your anger go.”
“I know,” Seth said. “But it’s not that easy. Even if she comes with me voluntarily, I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to trust her again.”
“At least you have a life mate,” Jax said after a long pause. His customary good humor seemed to be fading. “The Goddess is merciful, but there are still so many of us who can only hope.”
“Well, we have hope, now,” Seth said. “So many of our brothers have gone to their deaths without even that much.”
Jax took another long drink of his bakrah without responding. Seth gave him another penetrating look, but the younger man refused to look at him. With a shrug, Seth turned back to his own drink, content to think about his reunion with Calla.
* * * * *
Jax hadn’t come home that night, although Calla had monitored their guests’ arrival from the office all afternoon and evening. It was paranoia, she told herself wearily, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Until she saw for herself that he wasn’t one of the Saurellians who had been at Jenner’s hostel, she wouldn’t be happy.