Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
But more than the pain she was in, she was worried and preoccupied by what Cade was going to think when she had to admit everything that had happened between them while he was out of his mind. It seemed that he had remembered some of it already and he was clearly not happy. Andi’s stomach twisted in knots as she considered trying to justify herself and her actions to him. God, what a mess!
But first, before they could get into any of that, they had to get out of here before Cade went Manimal again. Since Goodie Bo-long had been the only one who knew how to make the Manimal antidote and she was dead now, there was no more antidote to be had. There were no do-overs here—they had to get out of Zo’rath Three—out of Oblivion—before it was too late and the spoors took over the big Hybrid’s brain again.
She went up front and sat in the passenger seat, noting as she did how strange it seemed to watch Cade sit in the pilot’s chair in the nude. But of course he didn’t have time to get any clothes on—they had to go!
He was punching buttons on the complicated looking control panel as Andi buckled her harness. It seemed like a million years ago when she’d pretended she didn’t know how to buckle it just so Cade would lean over her and she could smell his spicy scent. So much had happened to them both—so much she couldn’t take back.
“Air purification complete,” Cade said and there was a whooshing sound over Andi’s head. “All outside air is expelled and the inside atmosphere has been completely filtered and purified.”
“Good.” Andi nodded. “So can you still smell it? That scent like fresh strawberries?”
Cade lifted his face and sniffed experimentally, then shook his head.
“No—I don’t smell a thing.”
“Me either.” Andi felt a wave of relief. Hopefully the lack of The Scent meant that all the Magroagaricus trisporus spoors had been eliminated. Still, she wouldn’t feel completely at ease until they were off this awful purple planet!
“Achieving lift off,” Cade said, as though reading her mind. “Leaving the surface of Zo’rath Three.”
“Thank God,” Andi breathed, as they rose into the air and then into the blackness of space. “I just want to go home—back to the Mother Ship.”
“I imagine you do,” Cade said in a low voice. He wasn’t looking at her as he spoke—he seemed to be focused solely on the controls.
Andi wasn’t sure what to say. Should she admit everything right here and now? Should she try to get ahead of this mess by confessing? It seemed like maybe she should. Taking a deep breath, she turned more fully to face him.
“Cade,” she said in a low voice. “About…about what we did. I mean, back when we were lost on Zo’rath Three…on Oblivion…”
The big Hybrid still didn’t look at her.
“I don’t remember much—just bits and pieces,” he said in a low voice. “But I know…I know it was bad.”
Andi bit her lip. So he was remembering the way she’d taken advantage of him and he was pissed at her. That was fair—more than fair. But she felt the need to at least try to explain.
Cade,” she began. “While you were a…a Manimal, you were kind of…really difficult to control. I mean, because you’re so big and strong. I really tried to keep you from, well…you know. But I…I didn’t always do a very good job. And then in the end, I kind of just gave up and just, uh, let you have what you wanted,” she ended weakly.
As apologies went, it wasn’t very good, but she wasn’t sure how else to put things.
“Gods…” Cade put a hand to his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, like a man trying to drive back a headache. “Andrea,” he said at last. “I don’t…don’t know if I can fucking talk about this right now. I know what I did—at least, it’s coming back to me in bits and pieces—but I still can’t believe… I just…” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry—I fucking can’t.”
Andi clenched her hands together in her lap. So he was so upset with her he couldn’t even talk about it. That was understsandable, she supposed. But it still hurt like hell. Despite his mindless state, she couldn’t help feeling that they had grown close in the past week. And now he was pushing her away. She didn’t blame him, but it still felt like a stab in her heart.
“I understand,” she said in a low voice, looking down at her clenched hands.
“I’m going to call the Mother Ship and ask them to fold space for us,” Cade said, still looking straight ahead.
“Oh, but—” Andi stopped, not sure if she should say anything.
“But what?” Cade asked, frowning.
“I mean, you know how you always ask me before we fold space if I might be…might be pregnant?” Andi asked in a low voice. “I mean, after what we, uh, just did—”