Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Luna chuckles. “Just don’t expect that to be us.”
“What?” I puzzle.
Luna’s lips fall as she looks at me. “We don’t need to worry about any of that because we’re not having a baby.”
“Their union clearly shows we can.”
“I didn’t say anything about can. I said we’re not.”
The silence that stretches between us is long and heavy.
“Well, um, you guys go ahead and finish that conversation in your own room,” Zarah says. “I’m going to take a nap with this great news on my mind.”
“There is no more conversation to be had,” Luna insists as she hugs Zarah. “But I will see you tomorrow, or later if you want some company.”
“I’ll be all right, dear. I suddenly have a new reason to make sure I’ll be all right.”
Luna nods and I give Zarah a nod as Luna passes me to go to the door. I walk out of the room, pressing the panel to close the door while watching Luna take quick strides down the hallway. As if she can outrun me, and as if I don’t know exactly where she’s going. I let her have her few seconds to herself while we walk down the short hallway to our room. I have a feeling there’s a debate going on inside of her that I will soon be a part of. When I come into the room, she’s standing in the middle of it, arms crossed, and a mask of rage on her face. The door has not even completely shut before our battle begins.
“You steal me from my planet, keep me, basically, a captive in this room for most of this trip, and now you think you’re just going to tell me that I’m having your child?”
“So, let me make sure I have this correct. You have no problem doing the things it takes to make a child with me, but you don’t want a child with me?”
“Those are two very different things. One gives me pleasure, and the other gives me the pain of childbirth. Do you not see the ocean of difference between those two?”
“I did not say we had to have a child right now. I was merely pointing out that we could. That when we want to, there should be nothing preventing it. But, of course, you somehow took that as me taking one more choice from you.”
“Because you did take choices from me!” she shouts. “I did not want to come on this ship. I did not choose to leave all I’ve ever known, my father, the war that’s coming, to go to Hallalah. You took that away from me, without a care for how I felt Halun.”
“I thought we were past this.”
“You thought fucking wrong,” she seethes.
She was just lying in my arms. How are we back here again after that? She gave me soft looks and kisses, and now she’s back to cutting words and daggers in her eyes.
“I apologize for taking your choices away, Luna,” I say. “But I'm not sorry for you being here with me now. I’m not sorry for keeping you safe in the only way I knew how. I’m not sorry that I made the decision to bring my mate with me to the only place where I’m sure she’ll be safe.”
“And in all the choices you made, you disrespected all my choices.”
“That was never my intent.”
“What your intentions were really doesn’t matter, Halun.”
I walk over to her, ignoring her narrowing eyes to reach out for her hand. She denies me, stepping back.
“You don’t want my touch anymore?” I ask.
“Who says I ever wanted it at all?”
Oh, we’re just dissolving into lying now, are we?
“Every single sound you made when I was inside of you told me that.”
“Maybe I’m just a really good faker.”
I arch a brow. “Even if you could fake with your mouth, your body can’t with its motions.”
“Well, I hope you remember those motions fondly, because the memory will be the only thing you’ll have from now on.”
“You don’t even believe that yourself, Luna.”
“We’ll see.”
She turns and walks away.
My mother said there would be more battles to come. For me to remember to be soft when Luna became hard. Like now. I’ll fight the battles, no matter how many it takes. Luna just hasn’t realized that yet. She thinks if she pushes me away enough times, I'll give up. Well, I guess that’s when my infamous stubbornness will come in handy.
EIGHT
Unfortunately, there isn’t far for me to go inside the sleeping bunk except the rest room that isn’t very useful other than its main purpose, so I eventually find my way to the end of the bed where I sit on the edge. I’m sure Halun intends to continue our argument, if the past is any indication, but he surprises me by lingering in the entry hall of the space where he surveys the length of his short claws.