Chapter Eight – Sildon
Jada had assured him that Isabel would stay asleep. She hadn't, but Sildon didn't mind. He lay on the floor next to the baby, showing her holoimages he had collected from around the galaxy. She was on her stomach, her solemn little black eyes switching from the images to him. Sildon couldn't help but smile at her expression like she was trying to figure him out. An expression Jada often had.
Thank the ancestors Jada had convinced him to go back for this baby. She was so sweet and small, and laying on the floor just relaxing in each other's presence was more peaceful than he thought it would be.
"Done!" Jada waltzed into the room. "Oh, she woke up."
"Yes. But that's okay, we're just looking at pictures." Sildon rubbed the tiny, downy head. It was no wonder people would pay so much to have baby-soft skin. Isabel's hair was like velvet. "And you look great."
The T'shav let his eyes lazily roam Jada's figure. She wore the same dress that he had first seen her in, but she had ripped it strategically and burned the raw edges to look like she'd been in a firefight. Underneath these tears, she'd painted her skin to look like deep welts and burns. If Sildon didn't know it was fake, he would have run to get some antibac and a regenerator to fix her up. He rolled into a sitting position and picked Isabel up, resting her on his knee.
"So what did you tell them?" he asked her.
Jada sat beside him and scratched at one of her fake burns. "I told them that we were attacked by the Planchets again and that you were killed, and I needed funds to pay for my way back to the Sanctuary before the Planchets came back. They've already sent me enough money to refuel the ship."
"And that was it?"
Jada shook her head. "I'm supposed to meet Tom three systems back. But I figure once we withdraw all the money they sent, it'll be harder for them to track us down."
"Excellent." Sildon beamed at his human companion. "Maybe I should have gotten you on board with my schemes rather than kidnapping you from the start. It would have made things a lot easier. You have a shrewd mind."
Jada shrugged modestly and smoothed her skirt down over her knees. Isabel gurgled, patting Sildon's arm. The T'shav bounced her, earning a few giggles. He smiled.
"So you never apologized for that," Jada said. "Kidnapping me, I mean. You and I have come a long way, but I'm not going to forget that. Although Stockholm syndrome may be a factor…"
Sildon frowned. It was the second time she'd mentioned that. "What exactly is that? Are you sick?"
"No. It's a psychological term from Earth about kidnapping victims falling in love with their kidnappers. Although I think that it's supposed to be more of a survival strategy kind of thing. I don't know, I only took a couple of psychology courses in university. But I think it's mostly attributed in situations when the kidnappee is in actual mortal danger… I guess the Planchets attacking us counts, and… I thought you might hurt me at first, but as soon as you helped me get Isabel, I realized you weren't going to. You said you weren't going to risk your life for me, but you did."
Sildon wanted to deny it, but he couldn't. Isabel leaned back against him, grinning a toothless grin up at him. He smiled back down at her. "I don't think you realize that you've had an effect on me, too. I was used to this universe being cold and self-serving… even actions that were said to be selfless weren't. But I promise, I would never have hurt you."
"I know." Jada grasped one of Isabel's hands. "Which brings us to sex."
Sildon choked. "Sex?"
"On your application, you said you were nearing musth. Is it true? Can I expect my hormones to go all out of wack soon?"
"Not soon. I just went through my cycle before I came to the Sanctuary." Sildon stood and shifted the baby to be cradled in his arms. Even though Jada assured him that Isabel was strong enough to hold her head up on her own, it was difficult for him not to be anxious about her flopping all over the place. "But the way things are going, I might enter it soon after we reach our destination. But despite the violent bloodlust that T'shav males experience while they're on their musth, I assure you that I will not put Isabel at risk. We're very protective of our young, and I would never harm—"
"I wasn't worried about you hurting her."
Jada smiled, holding her arms out to Isabel. The baby kicked and her arms bounced, but she wasn't old enough to consciously reach for others just yet. Still, it was obvious that she wanted to go to Jada. Sildon was reluctant to give her up. Even though he knew that both of them would be leaving as soon as possible, he was getting used to the small family they had created.
We're not a family, he reminded himself.
"You'll be leaving, soon then?" he asked brusquely.
Jada blinked at him. "Because of your musth?"
"No. But I was only holding you for money from the Sanctuary. I've got it now. I'm sure we can find passage for you and Isabel to get to Tom."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"But you have no reason to stay."
"Maybe I have a morbid curiosity about how this will turn out." Jada shrugged before she shifted closer. "In any case, I'm staying with you. It would be suspicious to the Sanctuary if you started drawing money from my account, anyway."
Sildon swallowed, trying not to show how pleased he was at learning that. It was going to end eventually, he knew that. There was no point in getting more attached than he already was. "And you asked me about my musth because you wanted to make sure that we don't—"
"No."
Sildon swallowed again. His heart pounded, his throat dry. He had been clear in his application to her agency, and she was the one who responded… He hadn’t let himself dwell on that, knowing that she would never consent to being with someone like him once she really knew him. But the way she was talking, it sounded like she hadn't completely discarded the idea.
"Why did you respond personally to my application?" he asked.
Jada ducked her head, letting her curls hide her face. She peeked through her lashes at him with a wicked little grin, and his heart nearly stopped. She licked her lips, and Sildon stared at her wicked tongue, feelings rising up in him that he had been fighting since he first laid eyes on her.
"This isn't a conversation for babies to hear," Jada whispered. "I'll come see you after I put Isabel down for a nap."
What was wrong with his mouth? He couldn’t get himself to speak, and so nodded silently. He watched her walk away. Sitting still soon drove him crazy, so he went to the cockpit and checked their course. They were running low on fuel, but with the new funds from the Sanctuary, they'd only have to stop once before they got to his home planet.
How different would it be? He had been a child when he was taken from it. Many T'shav men his age had at least one child who was starting to wield their sword. He hadn't ever even had a mate and had always taken precautions not to get his women pregnant.
Jada drifted into his mind again. Could she really want him, even after all this? She had said she was incapable of conceiving, he wouldn't need to worry about his usual methods to prevent pregnancy…
The soft patter of footsteps made him turn. Jada smiled as she slipped into the cockpit. The wraparound viewscreen showed nothing but billions of stars, but she still looked all around with an awed expression.
"I forget sometimes that this is real, and that I'm really in space."
Sildon wasn't going to let her change the subject. "Why did you want to know about my musth?"
"I thought it was obvious."
"It's not."
She leaned against his chair. "For the same reason I responded to your application. I have been avoiding getting into a relationship since I first woke up and learned Earth was dead. I thought a nice one-night stand fueled by crazy hormones and pheromones was just the thing I needed."
Sildon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. His eyes were on her mouth again. "Even though I kidnapped you?"
"Well, since you kidnapped me, we have to go slower than we would have on our first date," she said. "No jumping from one fake kiss straight to sex. But I wouldn't mind a little kissing—"
Sildon didn't need to have any more encouragement. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her to him. Her lips were soft and warm, her curves fitting perfectly in his arms. Jada moaned, straddling him. Her skirt rode up her thighs. The rips let their skin press together, and Sildon pulled her closer. Everything was tight and hot inside of him. Their hands roamed each other's bodies, and Sildon was more than happy to let the sensations carry him away.