Flare by JC Hay

Author:JC Hay [Hay, JC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Alien, Reality, Great Space race, Alpha Heroine, Beta Hero
Publisher: Metal Pig Press
Published: 2017-11-21T05:00:00+00:00

Ten

For all the rustic trappings, the celebratory feast in the village could have rivaled any but the most debauched Malebranki fete. Music thumped through her, and Kayana smiled as she watched the pulsing, twisting crowd on the makeshift dance floor. She rested her elbows on one of the rails that edged the platform. The wind, cooled by the ocean, filtered through her hair and kissed the skin of her shoulders, keeping her nerves at a constant low-level buzz. Or maybe that was the booze. Alcohol flowed like water, and she could barely take a sip of the fruity, potent local cocktail before one of the villagers brought her another.

She had to be cautious. After all, she’d been promised a later. She wanted to be sober enough to enjoy it.

Given the way Ax’s eyes kept darting toward her, he clearly felt the same. Or he really liked the cut of her dress. It had been a relief to do a bit of shopping before the party started. It gave her plenty of options to wear beside the lounge pants and her currently soaked exo-suit. The bright prints and flowy skirts would have appalled her tradition-bound family; they dressed in the stiff, stuffy formal clothes of the Great Houses, more armor than outfit.

The sarong-like wrap dress, by contrast, felt like nothing at all. Lightweight, free, and if Ax and some of the village men could be trusted, flattering to her figure.

Interesting that it took leaving her past behind completely to finally feel at home. She looked across the crowd to find Ax. He’d changed into a loose shirt and the long kilt favored by the local men, and he half-knelt among a flock of children who paid rapt attention as he regaled them with some story or another. Probably about their adventures in the temple. And, if she knew Ax at all, certainly heavily aggrandized.

Which still managed to make an unexpected warmth bloom under her skin. He took time to pay attention to each child, so none got left out. Shy ones were coached into action, and the boisterous were contained. And he did it deftly enough that none felt slighted. If he were Malebranki, he’d make a hell of a politician.

Kayana pushed that thought away. When she returned home, it wouldn’t be with a Gr’gori lover in tow. The admission ached in her chest, a sudden weight that denied the festive atmosphere around her. Pay attention to the present, like Al’kheri said. Looking too far back or forward endangered your awareness of current opportunities.

The music shifted tempo as a new song started, and the lively pulse of the bass slowed into something more carnal. The crowd reacted, organically coalescing into pairs and triads that moved through and against each other in ways that left little to the imagination.

She caught Ax’s eye as she stepped out into the throng of dancers. Fortunately, the dance floor seemed to be the only place where it was acceptable to not have a drink in hand, since she’d left hers on the rail and no one sought to replace it.

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