Ravaged World: Shattered Galaxies by Ava Ross

Author:Ava Ross [Ross, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

SAGE

The next day, I showed Knave how to play tic-tac-toe. And damn, but he caught on fast and started winning almost every round.

I know. It was a simple game. I shouldn’t lose this often, but he was too cute when he cheered his win.

He was highly distracting.

By my fourth day here, we’d moved onto backgammon. I’d drawn a board on a table, and we used jewels for pieces. Among his collection, I’d found two six-sided stones, and he’d carved numbers into the sides while I gulped about the destruction of precious property.

“It belongs to us,” he’d said, waving his mechanical hands to span the entire planet. “If we don’t use them, who will?”

I appreciated how he could turn something tragic into a few precious moments of joy.

“I still can’t believe we’re using priceless objects for board pieces,” I said, moving on my turn. Fred lay beside me on the chair that had molded to accommodate his tiny form as well. I’d gotten used to the oozing chairs, looking at them like beanbags, only better.

Knave looked up at me and flashed a smile that made my knees turn to mush.

We’d drawn closer over the past few days, and the more time I spent with him, the more I was falling in love with him. I had no choice but to stay here—there was no way home to Earth that I could discern—but maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, because I could stay here with Knave. The thought of leaving him gutted me.

While I’d loosened and started to feel relaxed over the past few days, so had he. Sure, I caught him watching me every now and then, and when I peeked through my lashes, I swore he looked at me with longing. But he hadn’t made any move to kiss me or take things further.

I was beginning to think I’d dreamed of the night he’d joined me in bed and given me so much pleasure.

Maybe he didn’t want to take things further. I understood that. We were two different species. He was strong and could survive here. I was a burden, though I didn’t feel too down about that. I was me, and I couldn’t change who I was. I’d do my best to get stronger, but I’d never be able to leap over walls or scale the sides of buildings with only my fingers and toes.

With a smile, he soundly beat me again at backgammon.

“Grr.” I slumped back on the chair, but I really wasn’t mad about the loss. It was my fault for being distracted, for thinking about all the places I’d like to touch and lick Knave.

I was falling in love with him, and there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it.

I worried he didn’t want me the same way, that he’d had his fill the other night, and it was over. We’d remain friends but without benefits.

We’d never be true lovers.

It crushed me, but you couldn’t force a person to love you back.

Could

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