Chapter 14 | Markas

Chapter 14

Markas

Having a mate is great, the literal best, but everything else in my life is less certain. Don’t get me wrong, I love Justine’s suggestion that I join her business. But I don’t want to slow her down because of my inexperience and criminal past (well, it’s still kind of my present). I wish I was bringing something more to the relationship than good vibes. And thinking about it is making my vibes even worse.

“Ready to go?” Justine asks.

“Almost,” I hedge. Things have been magical up until now, a little slice of paradise unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I don’t want it to end.

The two of us spent the entire atmospheric re-entry wrapped in each other’s arms. When the landing jets started firing, I could sense her tensing up, so I amped up my efforts to distract her. That’s something I’m good at, everything else, not so much.

Can I really be a good life partner to Justine and part of her business as well? Ugghh, I hate worrying about this. I wish we could stay here, away from reality. But reality is coming at us fast. We’re scheduled to meet with Rotten at the Spaceport business center as soon as we land.

I don’t know what to say to him when we speak. I want to yell at him to stay away from Justine, but I don’t have much leverage. Justine says she has a plan, but I’m not sure that’s enough. I just want to protect her, to protect the time we have together.

“Get dressed, Markas. We can’t stay here,” Justine says.

I groan and drag myself out of bed. She’s laid out the white vegan leather motorcycle pants and vest I picked out. Seeing the outfit makes me smile. Justine already has on her version of the outfit, and it makes her look tough and sexy in equal measure. My favorite part is the plunging neckline and hint of shoulder it shows off. Stars! I think she has the sexiest shoulders in the galaxy.

I get dressed quickly so Justine will have time to do my hair. When I’m ready, I plop into the chair in front of the vanity. Justine stands behind me with her hands lightly caressing my shoulder ridges.

“You look great, Markas. I love what you picked out.” She slides her hands to the deep V-neck that shows off my chest. “I especially like this part.”

I grin.

“Good. Then I’ve done my job.”

“Your job is making me horny?” she jokes.

“I wouldn’t mind if it was.”

She kisses me on the cheek and starts styling my hair. I love the feel of her hands sliding efficiently through the strands.

“We really should go,” she says when she finishes.

“I know.” I look at her, and I can tell she understands my reluctance.

“We’ll get through this, you know. Whatever comes at us, we’ll deal with it.”

“Of course, as long as we’re together.” I try to summon up a smile, but it looks more like a grimace.

“That’s the spirit.”

There’s nothing left to say, and no time left to say it. I take a deep breath and prepare to leave paradise.

* * *

I groan as my foot touches solid ground. Here’s where things get real. I pat the identity graft in my pocket. Maybe I should stick with the fake one until it falls off. At least, my fake identity is an honest guy.

“Stay with me, Markas. I need you here with me.” Justine grabs my arm and tows me through the gate to the Spaceport. She’s got her Beauty Emporium bags slung over her arm, and I’ve rented a small cart for our new clothes.

“I’m here,” I say, trying to focus on the comfort of her touch rather than on my shredded nerves.

“Let’s put our stuff in a locker, then we can meet Rotten.”

I scan the bustling halls of the Spaceport. Humans and Xanxians crowd through automated security checkpoints and ticketing kiosks. Spaceport employees walk in pairs through the hall, making sure traffic keeps flowing and the machines don’t break. This is the northwest travel hub of the planet, and the port sprawls to accommodate the heavy commercial and tourist traffic.

I take a moment to take it all in. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on Xanx, and my chest feels tight. So many memories, good and bad, jostle in my brain. Losing my mom, forging a path on my own, making friends, and making enemies. It’s a complicated, tangled mix and my emotions are equally tangled.

I take a deep breath of the Xanxian air. I’d almost forgotten how green it is here. The walls glow with phosphorescent moss, and the floors are smooth and spongy. It smells fresh, which is amazing given that the complex is full of exhausted travelers. It smells like home.

Justine inhales deeply and smiles at me. I totally get why she missed it here. I let her feelings of happiness and relief flow through me. It helps ease my hearts a bit and gives me strength to keep pushing forward.

Justine leads the way to a bank of large lockers near the business center. After securing our stuff, all that’s left to do is meet with Rotten. It shouldn’t make me nervous to see him. As pirates go, he’s one of the least terrible. But even a relatively un-terrible one is bad when I consider Justine’s safety.

I want her to be free of Rotten, free of anything that puts her in jeopardy. That primitive, protective instinct fires in my gut. Rotten better not make a single wrong move with Justine.

She turns to me before we take the final steps to the business center reception area.

“We’re going to be okay, Markas. Just follow my lead.”

“Okay, but if anything goes wrong, I’m not going to hold back on the guy.”

“We’re not going to fight him.”

“Sure. But I will if I have to.”

She sighs.

“I appreciate that you’re willing to do that.”

“Yeah.” My adrenaline’s pumping and my hearts are beating fast, but I vow to keep my protective instincts in check as long as things are going smoothly.

We walk in and Rotten is sitting in front of a biopod playing video games. He’s large, even for a Xanxian with a red beard and especially prominent shoulder ridges. I can still beat him in a fight, I think as he rises to his feet.

He’s wearing a form-fitting black jumpsuit with silver accents and accessories to match—enough so that he jingles when he takes a step towards us. It’s actually a more conservative look for him than I’m used to. Rotten’s the kind of pirate who embraces the legacy of his profession, adopting flashy, luxurious styles.

“Matching mates, what a delight.” He looks from Justine to me. “Is this a new development?” he asks.

“It is, so you should proceed accordingly.” Rotten can definitely sense my bond with Justine and will understand how possessive I feel right now.

“Relax Markas, I’ll be perfectly respectful.” He winks at me.

I don’t reply, except to make a grumbling noise that may sound like a growl.

“Good lord. Are the two of you almost done?” Justine interjects.

“I’m ready to chat anytime, my dear.” Rotten smiles.

“Let’s go to conference room 3. Ronnika booked it for an hour.” I point to a glass-walled room in the back corner.

“Of course.” Rotten walks in beside Justine.

I fall in behind them so I can keep an eye on Rotten. I hope Justine knows what she’s doing, because I'm ready to rip this guy’s throat out if he even looks at her wrong.