I adjust the pack on my back as I take another step forward. Even after just that short stay in the city dome, I'd almost forgotten how searing the suns are out here in the open, how oppressive the heat without any shade to cut it.

On the other hand, it still doesn't feel nearly as horrible as it did on the way into the city. The only thing that's different is that I had the epis. I have a new lease on life. Nothing hurts, the heat is still oppressive but immensely more bearable. I feel like my muscles and bones are stronger, my head clearer. I didn't realize how terrible I was feeling until I just...didn't.

I flick a glance over at Errol. If only the physical discomfort hadn't been supplanted by this quiet tension between Errol and me. He's maintained his position a little ahead and to the side of me the entire time we've been traveling, his sharp gaze constantly scanning the horizon, watching for threats. He's been silent apart from when it is absolutely necessary to speak. Keeping his distance both literally and figuratively.

I look away again. It's a sad change from our first trip together, when he'd been attempting to make conversation. Trying to get closer instead of further away. It's like he's decided to build a wall between us, a solid one. I don't completely blame him for it. I tried to create the distance first, didn't I?

I frown as I take another step forward. This is what I wanted. Some separation between us, a way to quiet the attraction, the uncomfortable feelings he engenders in me. But if this is really what I wanted, why does it feel so terrible? Why do I feel like I lost something precious, something important?

I miss the more open Errol, the Errol that didn't hide his interest. He's been strange around me, especially after Rosalind's party when he saw that other Zmaj speaking to me. And I find I don't like it. Not at all. Now that I've had a taste of that electric energy that's possible between us, I'm almost...addicted to it. I crave it. Even though it's given me fitful, hot nights in the city.

I've never felt like this before—not even close. Never yearned for a man like this, wanted one so badly I couldn't shake the feeling despite my best intentions.

Right from the very beginning, Errol started this thirst in me that only he could quench.

He's different. Not just because he's Zmaj. That doesn't really factor into it all, really. It's who he is. Somehow, he speaks to the core of me, who I am deep inside, the parts that nobody really knows. That connection has kicked off a storm I'm not sure I can contain for much longer, despite my resolve, my decision to protect myself from this thing.

This is an aspect of myself I've never touched before, and it sure isn't comfortable to deal with it now. I've always been an observer, looking in from a distance. Careful, slow to act. Considering all the possibilities and all the repercussions and making the logical choice. And sticking to that choice, often with an iron-clad resolve. But that doesn't seem to be working in this case, no matter how hard I try to regulate my emotions.

There's an urgency here, a sense of time running out that I just can't ignore. If I let Errol withdraw too much for too long, I could miss my chance to grab onto this feeling between us, build something worthwhile with it. I feel that push inside me, that gut feeling that wants me to tell him he isn't crazy. That I'm drawn to him just as strongly as he is to me, that I want him too. Want him just as badly, if not even more than he does. I have the urge to say that I made a mistake. That I regret it.

Frustration beats at me. Why should I care about Rosalind's judgment, or anyone else's for that matter? I've been observing while in the city, both how people interact day to day and at the gatherings. There are plenty of couples in the city, even babies for God's sake! I was being completely irrational, grasping at any excuse to hide behind so I wouldn't have to deal with this frighteningly strong attraction between us.

We're not on the ship anymore, haven't been for years. The same rules no longer apply. I need to get out of that headspace, stop acting like ship protocol matters at all. I mean, there isn't even a ship! That should have been the first giant clue here. I shake my head at myself. Just shows how ingrained it was in us, how difficult a habit it is to break when that's how we lived our entire lives before wrecking on this planet.

All right.

Okay.

If I regret the distance, then I need to do something about it. Easier said than done, but then, isn't that true of anything worthwhile? I take a deep breath, wondering how I can break this uneasy silence. In the end, I can't think of any natural way, so I just go for it.

"How much farther is it?" I ask, immediately smacking myself mentally. What a great conversation starter. Not at all annoying.

"Not long," he replies after a beat of silence, not even turning to look at me. Wonderful.

Well, I've never been a quitter and I don't plan on starting now.

"Uh...do you plan to stay in the city for long?"

I know it isn't his actual home.

"No," he replies.

I wait a beat to see if he'll expand on that. Surprise, surprise. He doesn't. Great. I'm making absolutely no headway. I fall silent again, wondering how I can pull Errol back out of internal hiding. Or if I can at all. He's closed himself off from me completely. There may as well be a giant blinking arrow above his head with a sign saying, "Closed to Kate".

I don't like it. How did we end up here after that initial explosive attraction between us? I don't know. Maybe it's already too late. I bite my lip, hoping that isn't the case, worrying at the problem as we continue to traverse the desert.

Errol was right about the distance left—it doesn't take us much longer to reach the rover, still sitting exactly where we left it. Although that isn’t a shocker. It isn't like it can be driven away in its current state, even if someone happened across it out here. I give it a quick once-over in case other animals may have been drawn to it while it sat there, a giant dark interruption in the rolling red sand. it's still shut tight, unscathed. Well, as unscathed as it was when we left it.

I move over to the hood after I look it over and lift it up. Errol follows, setting down the pack with the tools next to me. I lean into the engine, orienting myself.

"Would you mind giving me the pliers?" I ask. Then realize I don't know what they would call them here. "The tool that can grip—"

"This one?" He hands me the sturdy-looking tool.

"Yes," I say, taking it. "Thank you." I get to work with the pliers and the scissors I have in my pocket.

"What are you doing?" Errol asks, his eyes interested as he watches.

"Trying to get the worst of the scorched area cleared away so I can see what I'm doing," I explain, removing pieces of the metal and plastic.

"Ah." A beat of silence. "Would you like some help?"

"Sure," I agree, surprised at his desire to work alongside me. "Here, you can use the knife..."

He gets to work with me, taking direction easily. He's a quick study and defers to me as we work together, no ego in sight. It just makes me admire him more and wish for something else at the same time.

When it comes time to weld, he hands me the appropriate tools and steadies the parts for me as I work carefully.

"Don't move," I order as I melt the metallic pieces together. "If I make a mistake, this will be a much longer fix. We might have to go back to the city and rummage for parts."

"I understand," he murmurs, his voice rock steady, just as his hands are. I couldn't ask for a better helper.

I finish patching the engine up, hoping this will do it. It takes some time because I'm extremely careful, moving slowly. Better to fix it once correctly than have to fix the repairs later. That's always been my motto and it's saved me a lot of time in the past when others were rushing around me.

Errol helps me patiently, not complaining once as he watches me work. Finally, I straighten, pushing at the small of my back. I've been bent over so long that it's sore from the position.

"It is done?" Errol asks watching me.

I shrug, staring down at the seams I've created.

"Hope so," I say. "Let me try to start it. That's the only way to know for certain." I open the driver's side and sit down. Moment of truth. Come on. Don't let me down. I close my eyes and push the button, praying it'll work.

The rover immediately responds, turning on, the display coming to life in front of me.

"It is working?" Errol asks, his tone excited.

I jump out of the still open door, thrusting my fists into the air in victory.

"Yes!" I cry out. "It's fixed!"

Errol grins at my antics, the ice breaking in that moment of celebration. I punch him in the shoulder, so excited to have resurrected the rover.

"No small thanks to you, Errol! I wouldn't have—"

My gratitude is cut short as Errol hooks his arm around my waist and pulls me into his body. I get a flash of his intense eyes.

His lips are on mine, soft and sure and just...

Perfect.

Oh.

My surprise gives way quickly to passion as my arms come up to wrap around his neck, meeting him caress for caress. As his taste, the feel of him, his scent all hit me, I wonder why I was ever fighting this. What kind of idiot would say no to Errol? Not me. Not anymore.

More. What I need is more. I press harder against the front of him, feeling exactly how excited he is. Oh, man. That's...a lot of man.

But Errol breaks the kiss, frowning. Panting, I start to ask what's wrong when his eyes widen.

"Into the rover. Quickly!"

I don't ask questions. The urgency in his tone is enough to get me moving instantly, just as the sand flies up from the ground just yards away as the first meteorite hits.

I cry out as hot sand spatters against us, trying to shield my eyes from the assault. Errol's hand closes around mine and he pulls me the rest of the way to the rover, shoving me inside. He follows the next instant with all our tools and gear in his hands. As soon as he's inside, a meteorite hits the roof above us, the impact loud enough that it leaves my ears ringing.

"There is cover in that direction," Errol shouts, pointing. "We should take shelter there."

Copy that. The rover is still on, so I press the accelerator and head over in the direction he indicates, trying to calm my heart after that double shot of adrenaline. The rover is armored, but I don't want to test that with a meteorite shower.

We're hit multiple times as we drive, the sand in front of us exploding with more hitting the ground. There's no way to avoid them, so I don't try. Just try to drive as quickly as I can to minimize the amount of time we spend out in the open.

"There!"

I follow Errol's finger to a rock formation, one that has a thick ledge covering a shallow space underneath. Not perfect, but better than being out here with nothing. Turning the wheel hard, I slide the rover into that shallow space, making the most of it. Errol gasps at the skidding move, staring at the vertical stone less than a foot away from his side of the vehicle when we rock to a stop.

"I have a lot of practice," I say mildly, trying not to laugh at his horrified expression.

"Uh...yes." He clears his throat, relaxing the tight knuckled grip he has on the door. "I can see that."

I bite my lip and look away, giving both him and me time to compose ourselves for completely different reasons. When I look up, I see I have most of the rover under the ledge. It's the best I can do with this space.

On the other side of my window, the burning rocks keep on slamming into the ground. The reverberation of the impact travels through the ground and up into the rover. The power the meteorites hit the land with is no joke.

"How long will it last?" I ask, fascinated at the sight. If it weren’t so dangerous, it would be beautiful.

"I do not know," Errol replies. "We will see."

So we sit and wait it out. A few minutes in, Errol reaches out for my hand. I don’t even need to think about it before I lay my hand in his, noting how small and delicate mine looks in his large and sturdy one. That’s a first for me. He closes his fingers, and now his dry, warm palm comforts me as the flaming rocks hit Tajss.

For hours.

The rover's metal is sturdy, but without the ledge above us, I doubt it would have been able to withstand the amount of battering. We were lucky we had the rover. Lucky that there was also cover nearby. This could have been so much worse.

We don't really talk as we wait, the sound of the storm loud enough that we have to raise our voices to be heard. So we simply sit. I don't mind, not now that the ice between us has broken. After a few hours, the storm finally stops—or at least pauses for a while.

Errol cranes his neck to look outside, squinting at the sky.

"There are more coming," he says. I look up as well and see the bright spots of color barreling towards the ground in the distance. "The storm will likely continue for hours still. But we have time to leave the rover and settle in on the other side of the rock. The space there is not big enough for the rover, but it will cover us well and we will be able to sleep more comfortably."

I nod. That makes sense. I'm already feeling cramped in here, now that he's mentioned it. We grab some rations and blankets that were left in the rover since they were too much to carry. Then we hurry over to the other side of the rock formation.

The ledge on this side is lower, the space underneath deeper. He's right: It isn't big enough for the rover, but it's more than adequate for us. Errol goes in first, doing a sweep to make sure there aren't any animals lurking in the shadows. Then we set up a nest of blankets a good way under the cover to make sure we're protected from the meteorites and the hot sand they spray when they hit.

That taken care of, we sit down to eat. The traveling all day, the concentration it took to fix the rover, and then this excitement over the meteorite shower has really taken its toll on me. It must have for Errol as well because neither of us says much as we eat, though we can now.

After we both finish, he lies down in the soft nest and holds his arms out to me.

"Come, Kate," he murmurs. "I will keep you safe this night."

How can I refuse? Lying down with my back to his chest, I snuggle in as he wraps his strong arms around me, tucking his body protectively around my own. I should feel more scared out here in the relative open after encountering the things I have, but I don't. I relax, feeling safe, knowing Errol is there.

My eyes start to drift shut as I imagine what it would be like to sleep like this every night, in Errol's caring hold. I imagine myself traveling to his caves with him as his lover. I know I don't want to fight this anymore. So those possibilities don't only seem like fantasies anymore. They feel possible. Images of Errol and the future we can make together swirl through my head as sleep slowly claims me, a smile lingering on my face.