Sea of Stars(87)

 “Does Trey know?” Jax asks.

 I shrug. We lean against the cement tunnel wall together, out of the way from where the other Cavars are waiting by the exit. “Well, I told him on the way here about everything that happened to me after we were separated from each other. But, I don’t think he actually knows. It’s a little hard to explain it to someone. Seeing it happen kind of brings it all home, though, doesn’t it?” I ask him.

 “It does,” he agrees. “Do you know how it—” Jax is distracted by the nickering of spixes outside. It means that Trey, Wayra, and Fenton have returned from the barn. Jax pushes away from the wall. “I need to go pack my gear onto my spix. We can talk about this later. It’s a long journey and we have to get going soon.”

 I nod my head. “Okay,” I say. “I’ll be along in a minute. I’m just going to braid my hair.”

 “Don’t be long. You’re already on the naughty list,” he jokes.

 “There’s a naughty list? And I’m on it?” I ask as if scandalized.

 “You own that list,” he says with a smirk.

 As he walks away, I mutter, “Oh, Jax, that I do.”

 Swiftly plaiting my hair, I warily watch Trey when he enters the tunnel from outside. He doesn’t see me right away, searching instead the place where he’d left me on the floor. As I finish my braid, I knot the end of it.

 I move to where I’d left my bag earlier. Trey meets me near it. “You were right,” he says, reaching out to pull me into his arms for a hug. “I do feel really bad about being a total knob knocker.”

 “I know. You said that in your other apology.”

 “I’ve been so worried about you.”

 I rest my upturned chin against his chest, looking up at his face. “I know you have. You told me that while you were saddling the spixes—you saw me hit my head and you saw me almost stop breathing. Over nothing, as it turns out.”

 He takes a closer look at me, his hand stilling on my cheek where it had been swollen only a few minutes ago. Confusion clouds his eyes. “You hit your head—there was blood—”

 “Remember when I mentioned that cutting my hair causes my body to regenerate cells at a faster rate than normal?”

 He nods his head. “I remember.”

 “I had Jax cut my hair.”

 Trey’s fingers stroke my cheek for a few moments. Then, he leans down and brushes his lips to where I was hurt. “Is there anything you can’t do?” he asks me softly.

 “I can’t swim,” I remind him. He kisses me again. “I’m glad you’re not mad at me anymore. I’m sorry—I wasn’t trying to be a lurker. It’s just that I’m not used to needing someone. I don’t know how to handle it.”

 “You weren’t being a lurker. Our circumstances here are extreme. I want you to need me. I don’t ever want you to stop needing me.” He kisses me; my insides warm as if I’m drinking sunshine.

 “Gennet, we’re loaded,” Wayra says from the exit to the pasture.

 Trey and I both become aware of where we are once more. He takes my hand and leads me outside. I take off my night-vision glasses and follow him blindly, gazing at the stars. They’re far away again, not like they were when I was on the Ship of Skye. The king and queen moons are holding court among them.

 I put my glasses back on while Trey helps me mount a spix. He joins me on its back, sitting behind me. I raise my eyebrows to him. “Is your riding with me a commentary on my equestrian abilities?” I ask him.

 “Maybe, but secretly I’m always looking for any excuse to have you this close to me.” It’s not a lie, which causes me to grin like an idiot. “What shall we name this spix?”

 “Honey Badger,” I reply.

 “Why?” I can tell that he doesn’t know what that is. Maybe they don’t exist here.

 “Because the honey badger is fearless.”

 Wayra hands Trey a blanket made from the camouflage fabric that I was used to seeing them wear when they were in the Forest of O. Trey unfolds it, wrapping it around himself and covering me with it. I’m grateful for the heat it’s giving me. The weather has become decidedly colder than what I’m used to here. The shield that once covered the area is now down, allowing the natural climate to assert itself upon us.

 “This will block our heat signature. If Alameeda ships do a flyover, they’ll just see a group of riderless spixes.”