Hope breaks the lingering silence. “Well, I don’t want to fuck an alien,” she says. “I want to joke about it, but I don’t want to do it. They still scare me. And I’m sure I’m not alone in that.”
Judd finally cracks a smile. “Macie’s right. We don’t know what’s going to happen. I apologize if I came at it too aggressively.”
Oh, right, I remember finally. Judd is reasonable. One of the many qualities that qualified him for this mission. He’s decent. Anyone can react poorly to fear and stress, but underneath it all, he’s a good guy.
“You’ll get wifed up, Judd,” I assure him. “Whether or not we blast off this planet. There are more ladies than aliens and human men here, anyway!”
“I’ll take two wives, then,” he says, grinning with satisfaction as his own joke. We laugh, and Hope jabs him with her elbow.
One crisis averted. For now.
The more important one looms out there, somewhere, on its way. I have to convince Faith. If it means remaining behind, if it means I bundle her up in a bag and have Ryle carry her, I’m not letting her risk her life.
?????
The Rurim return together - Ryle and his whole crew. He’s still huge, towering over all of them, but he’s definitely come down a couple of inches. I think. I hope. He scoops me up off my feet when he arrives to squeeze me tight and inspect me all over. “All good?” he asks.
“All good,” I say. “Our captain doesn’t want to come, but the rest of the crew are packing now. They should be almost ready.” I look over my shoulder at the chaos of our camp. “I hope they are.”
“My mate,” he says, and he grimaces, hesitates.
“What is it?” I ask.
His expression shifts as he changes his mind about whatever he wanted to say. “It is all good,” he says, shaking his head. “We must try to depart soon. Humans look tired. Will walk slow.”
“I noticed the same,” I say with worry. The crew out here is dragging just as wearily as those inside. Gina leans on her rifle like a walking stick and stares into one of the campfires. Quinn was taking apart one of the small camping tents - now she’s crouched in front of it, staring at a handful of ground stakes as if she’s never seen one before.
I look up at him - way, way up - and Judd’s words echo in my head. It was so easy to forget what I promised, what I owe, when Ryle fixes that gaze on me. Like I’m the best thing he’s ever seen. Like he’s thirsted for me all his life.
And I suppose he has.
What if we do make it back to the other crew? What if Judd is right about what I “owe?” Will I have to give up my big blue alien for the sake of humanity’s future? Can I?
None of that matters right now.
What matters is saving their lives.