AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’d like them to be willing, and I believe seeing you and Bella has changed some minds of the females on your planet. Women are volunteering. You and Bella will have a better idea of who would thrive being mated to a Diza than Rakha or me. We knew who our mates were but were loath to pick for our people. The females who go should have a fair chance of not only surviving in our world but mating with a Diza male. Jenna, you know the planet. You’ve been there multiple times over the last four months.”
She gave a slow nod of her head as she thought about what he said. He was right, and she knew the voices in her head and the visions would help. There were also the instincts that she’d developed over the last few months. This was a project she could get excited about. Many women were looking for a new start. Why shouldn’t it be on Diza?
Chapter Twenty-seven
Bella hugged Jenna against her chest and pregnant belly, crying over having almost lost her sister. “Don’t cry, I’m here.”
Jenna telling her not to cry didn’t work since tears were flowing from her too. Cleo pushed tissues into their hands. “Stop crying or I’m going to join you and I’m an ugly crier.”
Jenna dabbed at her eyes, watching Cleo. “I’ve yet to see you do anything ugly. I might pay money to see you cry.”
“You’re a mess,” Cleo said, cementing their friendship. Jenna laughed while Bella rolled her eyes at both of them.
“Are you hungry?” Bella asked.
“Starving!” Jenna emphasized the word like it came from her soul.
“I heard you channeled fire. I’m not surprised you’re hungry. Thad has been stress cooking. I think he views you as one of his.” Bella winked at her.
“Of course I do,” Thad said. He was standing in the doorway with a hand on his hip. “Mine,” he pointed to Cleo. “Mine,” he pointed to Bella and Jenna. “I’ll consider the others later. Come, eat.”
“We’ll be there soon. I need a shower and a change of clothes.” There was no way she was going to sit at her sister’s table with the ashes of dead people on her. She took SaKura’s hand, leading him through the living room to the bathroom they used not that long ago.
“It seems like only yesterday that we were in here.”
“That’s because it was yesterday.” SaKura’s whispered voice was in her ear. The warmth of his breath made her shudder. Jenna was better, but she was still suffering from being cold, hungry, and tired.
“I might have made channeling fire look easy, but it wasn’t.” The deliberate lilt she put in her voice for Bella’s sake was gone. As far as she was concerned, she sounded old and tired.
“I can feel your tiredness and I know what it cost you to kill.”
“I never would do that, that’s what I told myself. Now, I don’t know what to think of myself. Jeffrey should have gone to jail and been judged like the human he was and, well, Marilyn should have been judged on your planet. I’m no judge, juror, or executioner.”
“Do you think your judicial system could have dealt with him?” She thought about how Jeffrey could change. What might have happened to anyone in a jail cell with him? The guards, as well as civilians, would have been at risk. No, she could barely deal with him. No one else should have been called to deal with her problem.
SaKura moved away from her, turning on the shower before stripping off his loincloth. There was a knock at the door. Jenna peeked out to find clothes left for them. Her sister was the best.
She quickly undressed and beat SaKura into the shower. “Last one in…” She laughed, feeling light-hearted. It was amazing how, knowing Jeffrey could no longer hurt her, lightened the load that she was carrying. Sure, there were other problems to deal with, but tomorrow would take care of itself.
“Come here, firefly.” Jenna grimaced, hoping that nickname didn’t stick. Maybe she should tell him he was forbidden to speak English. Firefly, indeed.
Sakura grabbed the shampoo, lathering it up in his hands before he washed her hair, gently stroking her scalp. He rinsed her hair and then suds it up again. Moving from her shampoo-ladened hair, he washed her body until her brown skin shone from her inner light. He went back to her hair, doing a final rinse, and then lathered it with conditioner. She smiled. He’d been paying attention as she did her hair.
He kissed her while the conditioner sat. Jenna went into his arms. This was where she wanted to be. Not in her sister’s bathroom. She snorted at her foolishness. Wherever SaKura was, she would be at his side.
“I’m human. What happened today shouldn’t have happened. When it gets out, others will think I’m an alien in hiding.”
“Your race can be…” He stopped looking for the right words, deciding to leave the statement hanging.
“Yes, we can be all that and more.” Her hands went to his chest, fingers playing with his muscles as she told him she loved him.
“I love you too.”
“I wasn’t ready to speak the words,” Jenna said.
“Your body tells me. It’s told me for a while, but I needed to hear you say the words.”
“I love you with every breath in my body. We need a bench in our shower.”
