by Lisa Lace
“Ayrie, we need to get out of the ship as soon as we land. The converter is probably overheating right now. It might ignite.”
“Are you sure? I was hoping we could stay on the shuttle.”
I shook my head. “That’s a bad idea.”
“What do you propose we do?”
I shrugged. “How are you at swimming?”
AYRIE
A few minutes after the converter failed, we crashed into the Vandwa ocean, somewhere in the dead zone in the southern seas. The impact was painful, but it didn’t kill us. The airbags absorbed a lot of the energy. The water took most of the rest.
Elle removed her restraints immediately. “Is there anything around here that can help us stay on top of the water?”
“There are a couple of floaters somewhere.” I found them and we climbed out the door.
“Let’s go.” She tossed the floater into the water and jumped after it.
I hesitated.
“Ayrie, we don’t have time to wait around here.” She sounded worried.
“Are you sure we have to leave?”
“Yes, I’m sure. We don’t know how much longer the converter can last before bursting into flames.”
“The converter’s not the only problem,” I muttered. After hesitating for another second, I jumped. I felt an explosion behind me throwing me far over the water. Landing felt like hitting cement. I swam rapidly to the surface, gasping for air.
Elle was swimming toward me, but she seemed far away. I was so winded that I was barely keeping my head above the water. When I caught my breath, I started moving in her direction. I grabbed onto the flotation device, feeling more tired that I had expected.
“Ayrie, I can’t believe what I just saw. Are you all right?” She put her hand on my cheek and gazed into my eyes with concern.
“I’m going to be fine. How about you?”
“I’m a trained lifeguard. You don’t have to worry about my swimming skills.”
A frightening thought popped into my head that I didn’t verbalize to Elle. I didn’t need to worry her about things over which we had no control. For example, enormous prehistoric animals that could swallow us in a single bite.
Vandwa had a wall in the water called The Barrier. It kept ocean predators away from people. The natives on this world could breathe underwater, like fish, and spent a lot of time swimming.
I wasn’t sure if we had crashed onto the side of The Barrier that was filled with people, or filled with wildlife.
We spotted solid ground a few minutes later. After a little swimming, we found ourselves on the beach of a small island. Since we were still alive and no prehistoric water predators had eaten us, I assumed we had landed on the safe side of The Barrier.
We crawled onto land, and I felt more grateful than I could imagine. I collapsed once we reached the dry sand, feeling exhausted from swimming. Elle crashed down next to me. I took her hand, letting the physical contact reassure me that she was safe.
“We made it.” It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“Of course we did.” I felt like bruises covered my back, from crashing into the water, but I was still alive. It could have been much worse.
“Ayrie, now what do we do?”
I stared up at the clear blue sky and let myself enjoy the feeling of the afternoon sunshine. “We find cover, and try to start a fire before nightfall.” I stood up stiffly and held my hand out. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
ELLE
“The first thing we need to do is make a shelter, Elle.”
“Are you an expert on that?” Ayrie pushed aside a bundle of leaves to peer into the jungle. We had come ashore on a beach that led to some dense vegetation.
He didn’t want us to go in there, did he?
“No, but we’re going to have to do the best we can. We’ll need poles, leaves, vines.” He turned back to look at me. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
I frowned. “I’m coming.” I didn’t want to go in there, but I didn’t want to be left behind, either.
He nodded his head and moved into the thick brush. Thirty minutes later, we were still fighting our way through the lush growth. This planet was not a tropical paradise at all.
Without warning, we emerged into a small clearing. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw a dilapidated building that looked as though no one had been there in years. It wasn’t falling down, but it appeared to be neglected. “Check it out, Ayrie. It looks like someone had a little getaway here.”
“That must have been a long time ago.” He started to move forward.
I put my arm out to stop him. “What are you doing?”
“I thought I was going to check it out.”
“What if there is wildlife in there?” I felt afraid, and I hated it.
Ayrie took my hand and pulled me out of the shadows into the sunshine. “If the books are right, Vandwa doesn’t have any. There are birds, and an ocean filled with things that might eat you in a heartbeat. But no land animals.”
“Considering the way today is going, we might discover a new species.”
“Let’s just take a look. We can watch out for each other. Most islands don’t have bugs. If this place seems structurally sound, we won’t have to build a roof over our heads.”
“Okay. That might save us a lot of work.”
“Even without going inside, the fire pit means we don’t have to dig, as long as we can start a fire.” Rocks surrounded a small hole about a foot deep. He grinned at me, and I felt warmer, not from the fire but from the brilliance of his smile.
Ayrie opened the old door, and we crept in. The cabin was a single room about thirty feet long. On the far side was a couch. A single armchair rested in the corner. On the side closest to us was a rickety table covered with dust and two chairs. It wasn’t much, but a lot better than what we had just a few minutes ago.
When I looked up, I noticed a little loft about the size of a double bed. At least there was a place to rest.
“I think this is everything we need. There’s a bed so we can sleep, and an area to cook and keep warm. I guess we’ve found our new home.” He climbed the old ladder leading to the loft.
“Be careful. Are the rungs rotten?”
He shook his head, leaning over the railing to look down at me. “They’re supporting my weight, so it should be strong enough for you.”
I let out a long breath. We might be stranded on a deserted island, but we had something. It would have to be enough until someone rescued us.
I looked around at the decrepitude and filth around me. Home, sweet home.
After a couple of hours, we had cleaned out the loft. We used a makeshift broom made from a bundle of twigs to sweep it out before covering the platform with armfuls of soft grass. I had taken a quilt I had found hanging on the back of the couch and washed it in the ocean until it seemed clean enough to use. It was already dry from the wind and heat.
Ayrie made a fire, and we sat outside the shack by the pit. We were close enough to make my heart beat faster than normal. I thought I could hear my pulse pounding in my veins. I let my feet get warm by the fire as I watched the sun begin to descend past the horizon and wondered where Ayrie had learned to do all this stuff.
“Were you a boy scout or something back on Auxem?”
He had found a weed called fire plant, which was easy to ignite with a spark from some rocks. According to Ayrie, the fuel would burn for hours. I wished there was some of it on Earth. Our planet had undergone severe deforestation when people cut down trees for firewood.
He added more weed to the crackling flame, and I wiggled contentedly beside him. I loved having a fire. “Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
It sounded like I had confused him. Most races in the galaxy spoke Standard. A long time ago, the Galactic Consortium decided a common language was necessary for trade, so they invented one. It was easy enough to spell and learn. All the verbs wer
e regular. It was completely different from an organic language. All citizens in the Consortium had to speak it within ten years if they wanted to remain.
Teachers learned it first. All classes were taught in Standard, ensuring the next generation would know it from the beginning of their lives. Adults attended immersion classes. It cost the Consortium a lot of credits, but they saw it as an investment. On Earth, some people still spoke ancient languages in addition to Standard, and I assumed it was the same on other planets. English was the most long-lived language, especially in the Districts where people wouldn’t give it up so they could spite the governments who forced them to adopt a new language.
Standard had regional vocabulary on every planet, of course. Apparently, there weren’t any boy scouts on Auxem.
“The boy scouts are a club for kids that focus on learning survival techniques.”
“Nope, we don’t have anything like that. I learned how to do this from a friend. We would camp out on the islands when we did field work, and he built us shelter and fire. We wouldn’t even bring anything with us.”
“This guy sounds like quite a nerd. Educated and wilderness skills.”
Ayrie laughed again, and it made me smile to see it. He was rarely cheerful at home. This trip was showing me a different side of him.
“He’s far from a nerd, but that’s hilarious. Wait until I tell him.”
I tapped my hand against my leg. I wished he wouldn’t say anything. It had just popped out of my mouth. “I didn’t mean to be insulting.” I felt upset. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell him. I wouldn’t call him that to his face.”
He took my hand in his, and I drew in a shaky breath. We were too close and too happy together. It was almost uncomfortable. The last time I could remember being happy, I was a young child and didn’t know any better.
“It’s not insulting at all. But it’s pretty funny.”
I didn’t see how anyone could find my comment amusing, but it didn’t matter. I had another pressing question that had just occurred to me.
“Ayrie, where are we going to sleep?”
Chapter Six
AYRIE
I cleared my throat. “In the loft, of course.”
The implications of the size of the platform hadn’t occurred to me before. It was about the same dimensions as a double bed. We had lined it with soft grass and Elle had covered the bedding with a quilt she found and washed. We wouldn’t need blankets because it was hot on Vandwa this time of year. It looked pretty comfortable after our rough day.
But it was a tight fit for two people. We would have to sleep there together, like a husband and wife in a marriage bed. We had never done that before.
“You know, I could sleep on the beach.” I was reluctant to lie on the ground, but I wanted to look like a gentleman. After exploring, we had found that the clearing was only a few steps away from the water. We had come halfway across the island through the jungle. We didn’t know all we had to do was walk around the perimeter of the island on the shore.
“What if it rains?” Her brows wrinkled together as she frowned. She looked annoyed, but it was cute.
“Then I’ll get wet. A little water never hurt anybody.”
“Don’t be silly, Ayrie. We’re married. We can sleep in the same bed, don’t you think?”
I nodded, staring at the sunset and avoiding her eyes. “Of course.” But it would be hard to keep my hands off her.
I covered the fire with ashes, and we made our way inside and up the ladder. Once we were both up on the platform, boxed in on two sides by the slanted ceiling and railing, it felt a lot smaller than before. We sat on the bed. Elle gazed at me, biting her lip.
“It doesn’t have to be you. I could sleep on the beach.”
“If I’m not going to do it, why should you?”
“I didn’t think about why you might want to do that. Maybe you don’t want to sleep with me. You can be honest. You don’t have to worry about hurting my feelings.”
“Why would you think something like that?” I raised an eyebrow at her, feeling incredulous.
“You never have before. What am I supposed to think?”
“Elle, I just like to be careful. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
“It’s not nice to joke around about things that are serious to me.”
It sounded like she didn’t believe me. “Wait a second.” I held up one hand. “Are you trying to tell me that you think I don’t find you attractive?”
She shrugged her shoulders carelessly, but I could see by the look on her face the feeling of rejection ran deep inside her.
“Elle.” She looked up into my eyes. “I think you might be the sexiest woman I have ever met.”
She shook her head. “I know we can’t have sex, but you seem to avoid all physical contact with me. I thought you didn’t like me that way.”
I closed my eyes. I had given Elle the wrong impression. “Trust me. You’re an attractive woman. If it weren’t for mating creating the soul bond, believe me, I would have fucked you a thousand times since we got married.”
She laughed. “A thousand is a lot.”
“We mate for life with only one woman. I have a lot of pent-up energy.”
She swallowed, and the motion made her chest rise and fall, drawing my attention to it. My eyelids fluttered as I tore my gaze away. “Maybe we should stop talking about sex.”
Elle wasn’t finished speaking. “Just because you want sex with someone doesn’t mean you want me.”
I wondered how honest she wanted me to be. “Do you remember the old nightdress you brought from Earth? You wear it all the time.”
“Yes.” She blinked at the abrupt change of topic.
“It drives me crazy. It’s so thin that I can see your nipples through it. Every morning, when we eat breakfast in silence, I sit there imagining what the rest of them look like.” I closed my eyes again, seeing them in my mind’s eye. “I only saw them once. They’re burned into my memory.” Her face had turned bright red, but she still didn’t look convinced. “If that’s not enough for you, Elle, desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Ayrie, I’m not desperate.” I saw that her nipples were standing out tight and round against her shirt.
“I am.” I pulled her close to me and covered her mouth with mine.
ELLE
It had been so long since Ayrie had kissed me that I had forgotten what an incredible experience it could be. Shooting stars exploded behind my eyes and my body felt like it was on fire, especially after all the talk about my nipples.
His mouth was hot and the kiss as passionate as he claimed. Our tongues danced, sparred, and tangled around each other until I got so aroused that I made a sound at the back of my throat. He groaned when he heard it, and his hand ventured under my top to pluck at the nipples he had fantasized about. His touch sent shock waves through me. Sex had never been like this before, and we had hardly done anything.
What would it feel like if he fucked me?
I pulled back. Ayrie wouldn’t go all the way because he didn’t love me. And he didn’t want to fall in love, form a bond, or do any of that stuff.
“Is something the matter, Elle?”
“We’re torturing ourselves.” I didn’t meet his eye. “You know as well as I do that we can’t have sex, Ayrie.”
He laid back on the bed. “That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.” He tugged on my hand and pulled me down next to him. We were both on our sides, and he wrapped his arm around me, making me feel protected. It was an unfamiliar sensation.
“We both know where the fun is going to lead.”
He made a sound of frustration and longing. “Don’t talk about that. Lying next to you is hard enough as it is.”
Something certainly was hard, and it was pressing against my butt. I snuggled back tighter against Ayrie and smiled to hear him suck in a breath. He did want me. His body didn’t lie, and neither did the kiss. And even though we cou
ldn’t have sex, which was incredibly frustrating, it made me feel better that he found me attractive.
It made me feel special. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine I was loved.
AYRIE
Last night, the combination of Elle’s closeness and unfamiliar surroundings made it so I could hardly sleep a wink. Every second I felt like something was keeping me awake. Either the brushing of our bodies was creating desire inside, or I was jumping up as a strange sound startled me. I was used to the complete silence of a starship and the symphony of sounds that accompanied a night on Vandwa was a distraction.
Elle didn’t know about my wings. If she knew, we could fly off the island at any time, but she was forbidden to learn about them. We were going to have to get rescued a different way.
This afternoon the plan was to climb to the highest point of the island. If we got up high enough, maybe we could see a ship or some sign of civilization. I carried everything to make a fire on my back wrapped up in a big leaf — a bunch of fire plant, starter rocks, some dry grass, and smaller green leaves to make smoke. There was a hill in the middle of the island. I didn’t know how these islands had formed, but all the ones I had seen on Vandwa had a mountain in the center.
“Do you want to stop for a rest, Elle?” She seemed to be breathing pretty hard, and I was worried about her health. She hadn’t recovered enough from her illness to be doing long hikes without taking a lot of breaks.
“I’m doing fine. I’m a little short of breath, but I’m out of shape. I never did any physical therapy or rehabilitation when I got better.”
I still felt concerned as I watched her walk ahead of me. She seemed fragile as if she was made of glass and would break if something hit her the wrong way. It made me nervous. I didn’t want her to shatter.
Wait a second. Why was that? What did it matter? If she left, I would be sad, but I would also be free. Wasn’t that what I truly wanted?