Not that my parents would like that.
It felt too much like running away.
They loved their farm and wouldn’t want to disturb the delicate intricacies of the natural order.
But I couldn’t take my younger self with us.
My future was with the Shadow.
They would capture me and take me away.
There was no escape from that.
And my parents would never leave their son behind.
The plan unraveled before my eyes.
I suffered a cold shock when I realized this whole thing could have been avoided entirely if only I took my family with me on the ship through the storm…
Except then I never would have found Ava or ended up traveling through time in the first place!
Time could mess up your mind.
“Are you all right?”
Lines dimpled Ava’s brow as her eyes drifted over me.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“You look deep in thought.”
“I was. It’s nothing important.”
“I thought maybe you regretted earlier. What we did.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes flitting from me to the floor.
I placed my hand on her neck and gently stroked her cheek with my thumb.
“The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner and more often.”
“Really?”
“How about you share my room tonight?”
Ava beamed broadly and placed her fists on her hips.
“And let all the world know what we’re up to?”
She giggled like a schoolgirl.
“You try and stop me!”
The elevator slowed to a stop and we got out.
I led her down the hall to my room and opened the door for her.
She stood in the middle of the room, a little unsure of how to proceed.
“How about we take a shower?” I said.
She nodded excitedly.
I entered the bathroom and turned the faucets.
I returned to the bedroom and removed Ava’s clothing one item at a time.
She watched me and it gave me chills.
Then it came to her turn and she helped remove my traditional Qyah outfit.
She needed a little help because the fastenings weren’t intuitive.
We stood facing each other and I couldn’t help but growl at the back of my throat at the sight of her.
She clasped her hands self-consciously to conceal her nakedness.
I took her hands and placed them at her sides.
“I want to see you,” I said. “All of you. Look at me.”
She did, and I saw that tigress I’d met back in the cave.
A powerful feminine beauty.
I took her by the hand and led her into the steam billowing from the bathroom.
“I was thinking we could get your parents a gift before we leave tomorrow,” Ava said.
“Good idea. We can get one from town.”
Right then, I would have agreed to being flayed with red hot coals so long as she didn’t tell me to stop what I wanted to do to her.
And all through the night, she never denied me once.
The town consisted of little more than a single street and short stubby offshoots lined with smaller shops that couldn’t afford the main street’s rent.
I was bored the moment we began shopping.
It wasn’t something I had much experience with or interest in.
I spent most of my time enjoying the view.
Ava had a body to die for.
Narrow at the waist with broad hips and large breasts, she turned me on every time I looked at her.
It was incredible to me that every male eye didn’t stare openly at her… although they would have averted their gaze quickly if I caught them at it.
“How about this?” Ava said.
I tore my eyes from her ass and peered at the glass vase with green flecks about its edges.
“It’s okay,” I said with a shrug.
She put it down and sighed.
“So far, I’ve suggested three different items and you say they’re all okay.”
“They are.”
“So which one is best?”
“They all are.”
Ava rolled her eyes.
“Go over there and try not to make a nuisance of yourself.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere not near me.”
I liked it when she was grumpy.
It gave me an excuse to put her in a good mood.
I squeezed her ass and backed away just in time for her swipe with a wooden paddle to miss.
She gnashed her teeth as I stood with my back to a wall, joining a dozen other male Qyahs.
I guessed we were all getting in the way.
I watched Ava picking through the items on a series of long wooden benches.
There were plenty of rows for her to scour and she was taking her time with each one.
The room was a large fruit processing plant that saw little use until after the harvest season.
Soon, these stalls would be packed up and replaced with equipment for the fruit to be exported.
Strange, I thought, to think this would all disappear once the Shadow arrived tomorrow.
I wondered how many would live to see the end of the year.
Too few.
Even if I could warn them about the impending attack, they lacked the resources to adequately defend themselves.
It made me choke to admit it but putting up little resistance was the best defense the Qyah could hope for.
Then fewer of them would die.
At least for a little while.
With their muscular bodies, they were an ideal workforce and would be put to work in the mines on various planets and asteroid belts.
The families would be allowed to stay together—except for those of the requisite age to train at the Shadow’s military academies.
A sad existence, but it was still an existence.
That had to be better than death, didn’t it?
During the more painful months of training, it was easy to believe otherwise.
And if—
Something caught my attention.
Over there.
A tall female moved with grace in stances I recognized.
Like an athlete or…
A soldier.
The female idly fingered the items and drifted further along the stalls.
She paid more attention to those standing behind the tables than the items themselves.
Most wouldn’t have noticed her.
She looked like a regular Qyah and performed the same activity as the others, but I’d noticed the unnatural way she carried herself…
As if constantly preparing for an attack that might come at any moment.
She’d been trained by the Shadow, I thought.
Ava was safely on the other side of the room, focusing on which item made the best gift.
I scanned the
