Reckless Rescue (31 page)

Tyris stared at her. How could it not have occurred to him that there had been miners on the planet? “Weiss was here mining for anysogen?” he asked urgently.

“Yes,” Marlee said. “What else would he have been mining for?”

“So that means there is anysogen here, on the planet. Ready for use?”

Marlee shrugged. “I guess so. Not that it does any good. The Tenacity doesn’t use it.”

“No, but the Hylista does!” Tyris’s heart was pounding. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“The Hylista’s broken. What good does fuel do?” Marlee said.

He’d never gone into the details of what was wrong with his ship. He hadn’t thought it mattered. “Yes,” he agreed. “But one of the biggest problems with fixing it was that I lost most of the fuel on the way down. If I knew you had access to anysogen… It doesn’t solve everything, but it does give me a chance to actually try some repairs.”

“You mean, maybe we could get off the planet after all?” Marlee asked, her voice rising.

“Shh.” Tyris put a finger to her lips. “Maybe. But we need to keep this quiet.”

“But we’ll have to ask Nerris about the anysogen?”

Tyris frowned. He didn’t want Nerris involved. Not that the man hadn’t been kind to him, but…

“I don’t think we should,” he said. “Nerris knew my main problem was lack of anysogen, yet he never mentioned you had access to it. I still don’t think he wants us to get off this planet.”

“Why would he want to be stuck here?”

They’d had this conversation before, and Tyris was no closer to knowing the answer than he had been then. “I wish I knew. But for now, I think it’s best if we keep this information to ourselves. It’s not like anyone’s going to use the anysogen for anything else, is it? So if we help ourselves to some, it won’t be missed. Do you know where it is?”

“At the mine, I guess. It’s just on the other side of the field.”

“Can you find it?”

“I suppose so.” Marlee’s voice was doubtful, whether about being able to find the anysogen or whether they could use it he wasn’t sure. But she’d come around. He pulled her close, excitement building in him at the thought.

Even with the anysogen there were some serious problems with the Hylista, but they all involved breaking orbit, not flying once he got there. If he could only figure out some way to cross that first small distance and get out into space then nothing stood between him and home.

Home. He could barely remember it. He could picture the inside layout of his apartment but struggled to remember exactly what colour the walls were or just how soft the carpet was. Thoughts of home quickly lead to thoughts of Milandra. His visions of her had faded even more, as though they hadn’t been that clear to begin with. 

Did he miss her? He hadn’t even thought about her in months. But now that there was a possibility of going home, he couldn’t ignore her existence anymore. What had she done in his absence? Had she proceeded with the divorce? Did she think he was dead?

When he’d set out looking for the anysogen, it was with the intention of winning her back, but now that he was here, he’d come to care deeply about Marlee.

He tried to remember what his life on Urslat had been like. He and Milandra had seemed so suited to each other, everyone said so. They like the same music, the same movies, and they seemed to have the same goals in life—to party and have fun. How strange to think that their relationship was based on so little. Had they ever really cared about each other?

He knew where he stood with Marlee. She didn’t pretend or make things up. She was honest and forthright, and yet she always believed the best of someone. She’d helped him be the best he could be. He couldn’t think of anyone else in his life that had ever done that.

But would she want to come with him? She had in the beginning, but that had been because she wanted a chance to be with Nelor. She said she felt more strongly about him than she had about Nelor, and with Marlee, that meant she did.

Yet somehow, something still felt uncertain, unfinished.

She still hesitated about trying for a baby.

Why did that fact upset him? He didn’t want a baby. He certainly didn’t want the risk of one when he had a chance of returning home. So why was he hurt by her hesitation?

Because here, a lack of a baby meant a lack of commitment. More than that, it meant that their time as a couple was limited. Maybe she didn’t want to stay with him. The thought stung. And yet, it didn’t feel quite right. Marlee wasn’t the type to shrink from commitment.

He knew without a doubt that she was avoiding the topic out of fear. Fear that she would admit to caring for him, only to lose him.

Determination filled him. He wouldn’t let that happen. He wasn’t willing to lose her. And yet, he couldn’t take the risk of her falling pregnant now. “Marlee?” he said quietly.

“Mhmm?” Her voice was sleepy.

He hesitated for a moment, tempted to let her sleep, to avoid the conversation he knew wouldn’t go well. But it was better to settle it now, before she made a decision in her own mind. “I need to talk to you about having a baby.”

She was instantly awake. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about it now?” Her voice was guarded.

“I know. But knowing about the anysogen changes everything. Now I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.” He winced at how bad the words sounded as he waited for her reaction.

“Why not?”

“If there’s any chance I can get the Hylista working again and get home then I can’t risk tampering with the implant. It’s an offence on Urslat, one that could land me in jail, or worse.”

She was silent while she digested his words. “But what if the council tries to split us up before you fix it?” she asked.

She didn’t sound upset. Tyris breathed a sigh of relief. “I won’t let that happen,” he said firmly. “By their own rules, we have eighteen months, and I think it’s reasonable that we insist on that. That should give us plenty of time to make repairs.” He wished he felt as confident of the outcome as he sounded.

Marlee was quiet for a moment. Was she upset? He wished he could see her face. Had he just ruined everything because he was so desperate to get home, when only moments ago he’d been so content with the way things were here? But he couldn’t let go of this possibility. Not yet.

Marlee turned and looked at him. “You’ll still take me with you, right?”

“Of course.”

“Okay then,” she agreed. “We’ll wait until spring and see if you can repair your ship.

When she snuggled next to him and he could sense her body relax, he let himself relax. It would all be okay. He’d find some way to fix the Hylista then he’d take her home, where it didn’t matter if neither of them could ever have children.

T
YRIS CLIMBED THE LADDER TO
remove the next damaged portion of Marlee
’
s roof. Even though the sun was sinking rapidly in the sky, sweat ran in trickles down his back, mingling with the melting snow. He sawed off a broken end of a roof brace and bent down to hand the piece to Marlee, waiting at the bottom of the ladder.

He wiped his forehead and moved onto the next roof brace, looking over his shoulder at the sun. The top of the trees, new leaves already sprouting, obscured nearly a quarter of the yellow circle. It would be dark in half an hour. Just enough time to get this section of the roof tidied up as long as he kept moving.

Sighing, he sawed at the next broken roof strut. After spending the whole day helping the villagers repair the barn, he was tired, and the work felt pointless. He only had a few hours each evening after the other work was done for the day, and at this rate, it would take a week before the house would be habitable. They
’
d only be here for a few days before they went looking for the anysogen and attempted to repair the Hylista.

He handed another broken piece of wood down to Marlee, feeling less despondent at her smile. Even a few nights alone could be worth the effort. And there was no certainty that he could repair his ship, even with the anysogen. He still had no idea how he could get the Hylista into orbit, but something would come to him… eventually.

If only he could get out there now and begin work. They
’
d spent the entire week since the snow had melted repairing the barn, and though he didn
’
t resent the work, he resented the delay. All these mundane tasks were driving him crazy, but as Marlee had pointed out, the fast melting snow would mean the trickle of a creek was a raging torrent. They wouldn’t be able to cross safely until the water went down.

So he might as well do something with his time. Marlee stood below the ladder again, waiting for the next piece of scrap wood. He sawed quickly and handed it down to her.

As he straightened up, sunlight flared in his face, almost blinding him.

He held up his hand to block the light. Where was it coming from? The sun was behind him, not in front of him. With his hand shielding his eyes, he could just make out something bright and reflective on the other side of the village, towering over the houses.
The Tenacity.
What a pity it was all but useless.

Or was it? As he continued to work on the roof, plans formed in his mind. The Hylista couldn’t break orbit. The Tenacity couldn’t fly at any speed that was useful. If he could borrow the parts he needed to repair his ship…

By the time it was finally too dark to work any longer, he climbed down the ladder. It was gloomier inside the house, despite the gaping hole in the roof, and Marlee had lit a lantern. Looking at her in the flickering light, Tyris felt a surge of desire. What a pity it wouldn’t be warm enough to sleep in their room tonight.

It might not be warm enough to sleep here, but maybe they could stay an hour or so…

He stepped towards her and slipped his arms around her waist before it even occurred to him that he was still damp with sweat. Thank goodness for the white powder Marlee had showed him. She said it was made up from some sort of crushed rocks mixed with salt. It might not stop him sweating, but it did stop the stink.  

All he could smell was Marlee’s own scent of musky sweetness. It was enough to make him forget all about the spaceships.

Driven by a sudden need, he kissed her, softly at first, then more insistently. She clung to him, and a shiver ran through her. “Are you cold?” Concern and disappointment warred in his head.

Marlee shook her head quickly. “Not at all.”

Tyris smiled softly. “Do you think Nerris will notice if we’re a little late home tonight?”

Again she shook her head. Tyris understood. He didn’t feel like words right now either. Instead, he kissed her again. Then he pulled back reluctantly. “I should probably clean up a little.”

“I don’t mind,” Marlee said, not letting him go.

That was all the encouragement he needed. He was probably going to get hot and sweaty again soon anyway. Taking Marlee’s hands, he pulled her into the bedroom, closing the curtain behind them.

If only the roof hadn’t collapsed, how many times would they have made love in the last few months? How much had they missed out on?

But if the roof hadn
’
t collapsed, forcing them to move in with Marlee
’
s parents, he would never have heard about the anysogen, and he wouldn
’
t have realised there was a chance he could repair the Hylista. And if they hadn’t been interrupted that night, he probably would have asked Karla to remove his implant by now. Marlee could even be carrying his child.

For a moment, the vision blinded him, making him hungry for the warmth of the family he’d never really had. It was almost enough to make him toss out the thought of returning home.

If only it were that simple. If he could guarantee Marlee would fall pregnant, it would be tempting. But he couldn
’
t. He groaned and pushed the thought out of his head. He was here, now and so was Marlee. And if things went the way he planned, he could go home
and
be with Marlee.

He pulled her down onto the unmade bed, ignoring the sharp pokes of several bits of straw.

As he kissed her thoroughly, he marvelled at how much her little breathy sighs and moans turned him on. He never had to wonder if they were real. He slid his hands under her jumper over her soft, smooth skin. She groaned against his lips as his hand edged up to rub at the underside of her breast.

The last of the sun’s rays had taken any warmth with them, and even though Tyris wanted to remove every clothing barrier, it was too cold. Tonight he would have to be quick, much as he wanted to take his time.

His hand reversed direction, sliding down across her stomach, under the waistband of her skirt and under the edge of her pants. She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes wide and dark. “Tyris,” she mouthed softly.

He thrust against her, the longing to be inside her heating him even through the layers of clothes. When he slid his fingers between her legs, he drew in a breath at the moist warmth, ready to skip straight to the main event. But he held back.

He wasn’t her first partner, he knew that, but he suspected that not many had focused on her pleasure. He wanted to make sure this experience surpassed any other. So he reined in his own desire and watched the look on her face, eyes closed in rapture pulled taut, as he rubbed his fingers over her.