Stranded Hearts: An Alien Romance Novella by Leslie Chase

Author:Leslie Chase [Chase, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-21T16:00:00+00:00

10

DRAXUS

The tent expanded around us with a bang, explosive force pushing it into place and tearing the survival blanket away like a cocoon. A dim light flickered on, and an air pump started whirring, cycling the hot air out. I sighed with relief at the chill breeze that followed, rolling off Laura to let us both cool down.

Laura squirmed to the other side of the tent, panting for air. That put at most a hand’s breadth between the two of us, but it was enough for the airflow to give us some relief from the dreadful heat.

Startled by the sudden noise, Sammie burst into action as we pulled apart. Thank the Starless Void, she went down instead of up, burrowing through the base of the tent and into the ground beneath. It took her only moments to reach what she considered safety and curl up.

Laura watched her go and laughed. “At least one of us knows how to survive this mess.”

“I can try to dig us a burrow, too.”

Laura took my hand, squeezing gently, and shook her head. “That would be way too much work, and too risky. Save your strength.”

I nodded, knowing she was right. Digging a burrow deep enough to keep us safe would be the work of hours, assuming it was possible at all. “You are right. It is foolish to risk the safety we have already won.”

“Not that we’re safe, exactly. We might still all die here,” Laura said, sighing and looking up at the tent above us. “If some of those crystals grow through the tent and let in the sunlight—”

“Then we will go through the Black Gate together, having fought Entropy to the bitter end.” I tightened my grip on her, felt her fingers squeeze again. “No one can hope for more in life.”

Laura laughed. “Sure, but we can hope for more of it.”

“True, true.” A smile tugged at my lips. “Everyone does, but no one controls when the end comes. Just what we do on the journey.”

“That’s easier to say when you’re a prince, Your Highness,” Laura said, raising an eyebrow at me. “Most of us can’t choose to cruise through space gambling and sleeping with celebrities from across the galaxy.”

My turn to laugh, and Laura pulled her hand out of my grasp.

“You can treat that as a joke,” she said, voice cold as comet ice. “For those of us who have to work for a living, it’s not funny.”

I sobered, wishing I could reach out to her. But she clearly didn’t want that, not now—she’d shifted as far from me as possible in the small space we had.

“Apologies, Laura St. Jude,” I said formally. “I did not mean to hurt you with my words and would take them back if I could. You are right, money and power give those that have them a kind of freedom others lack, but you are wrong too. I am not so free as you imagine.”

“Oh, poor little rich boy, is it? ‘Woe is me, the poor don’t understand the pressures of being rich.

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