Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
If she'd just say something, I'd step in and take care of it. Tell Ruth-Ann she has to stay back for security reasons. As I'm the head of security on the ship, she wouldn't be able to complain about my orders.
"More company!" Erzah comments, oblivious to the mood. "Fantastic. We were just about to head out. You two ready?"
I wait for Ruthie to say something. To ask me to step in. To give me a look that tells me what she wants me to do.
I wait for her to need me. To rely on me.
But she only puts on a small smile and gives Erzah a blankly sweet expression. "Ready."
And I'm strangely disappointed. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.
Ruth-Ann frowns as we walk down the street in Risda's one small settlement, uncreatively called “Port.” "I smell baking."
Ruthie pauses, her brows furrowing, and gazes at her sister. "Okaaaay."
"It's really bad baking." She looks disgusted. "Can't you smell that? The practically burned scent?"
"I...guess?" Ruthie shrugs. "Do you have baking memories?"
"You don't?" When Ruthie shakes her head, Ruth-Ann purses her lips and strides down the street, clearly annoyed.
Erzah puts his hands on his hips, glancing over at me where I stand next to Ruthie. "Well where's she going?"
"Probably to confront the baker," Ruthie replies. "Looks like she's a lot more like Ruth in temperament than we thought."
I huff with amusement, because confronting someone that's making something offensive-smelling is absolutely something that Lord Straik's wife would do. But my amusement quickly dies when I look over at Ruthie again. Her expression is distant and vaguely sad. She doesn't have the memories that Ruth-Ann does of baking, and this clearly bothers her. Oh no. I don't want her to feel like she's less than the other two, like she's somehow lacking in some way.
"So where is this building?" I call out loudly, turning in the opposite direction and shielding a hand to my eyes as if the sunlight is too much. It's all a distraction, designed to pull Ruthie's attention away from her sister. I pretend to admire the architecture of the rather plain, boxy buildings that line the street. "I rather like this place, don't you?"
"You think she's okay if she goes off by herself?" Ruthie asks, arms crossed over her chest. "Should we go after her?"
Hesitating, I glance over at Erzah and hope he gets the hint. I'm not going to leave Ruthie's side, especially not to chase after her sister. The streets here on Risda—both of them—seem nice and safe, but it's never a good idea to let a female human out of your sight for long.
Erzah simply squints at the line of buildings, oblivious. "It should be around here somewhere."
I clear my throat.
He turns and looks in the other direction, still searching for the building.
I clear my throat again.
"You okay?" Ruthie asks me.
"Just parched." I move to Erzah's side and clap a hand on his shoulder, because he's clearly not picking up my hints. "Why don't you go find Ruth-Ann, and Ruthie and I will locate this building, eh?"
And I squeeze his shoulder, hard.
He gives me a surprised look and then realization dawns on his face. "Oh. Right. Yeah. I'll go find Ruth-Ann. You two, uh, stay together. Be right back."
Erzah finally trots off and I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm alone with Ruthie, but she doesn't seem to want to look in my direction. If anything, she seems to be looking everywhere but at me. Is she upset over last night? Hating that we slept together?
Because I keffing loved it. Every last moment of it. I got to sleep with my female. I got to count her pretty piercings and stare at her while she slept. I got to breathe in her scent and feel her skin pressed up against mine. I got to share a blanket with her. It was the best keffing night of my entire life, followed closely by the first night I laid eyes upon her...and then probably followed by the moment I realized my cock worked again, after years of suppressants. Those two moments have been the best, but last night topped them all.
When I woke up this morning and she was gone, though, I figured she was feeling weird about it. Looking at her right now, with her desperately trying not to pay attention to me? It just confirms that she has regrets, and it's a depressing realization.
"Let's find this building for Erzah, shall we?"
"Let's," she agrees, turning to gaze down the street. Instead of walking, though, she eyes the buildings from where we stand. "What do you think of this place, Kazex?"
What do I think of it? Strange question to ask. I've been to remote mining outposts that had more activity than this place. Risda III has lovely weather, that's for certain, but there's a vague feeling of isolation here. The place is rather flat, with only a few trees and bushes dotting the otherwise rolling hills. If you're on the highest dock at the space port, you can see far off into the horizon, and nothing but farms and rolling hills meet your eyes. The farms are divided into tidy little field squares of crops, and some field-squares have animals grazing on them, but it's all very pastoral.