Kiera woke up to the sound of her commpad alerting her to a call. Without checking to see who it was she reached over and accepted it. The number of people that would contact her had grown the last day, but it was still a short list.
“Hello?” she said groggily.
“Hello, Twelve,” an amused voice replied, “Did I call at a bad time?”
Kiera’s head shot up, she was immediately awake and grabbed her commpad. Tiberius Astria, Crown Prince of the Empire, first in line for the throne, looked out from the commpad. He was the spitting image of her father except for his eyes, they were the same as his mothers, green as a galactic emerald. He even wore his hair and beard in the same style as their father. She had recognized the nickname he used for her rather than his voice; he called all his siblings by their birth order except for his two remaining full blooded brothers. The attack that had killed his mother had also taken the life of the Emperor’s oldest daughter. He was over thirty years older than she was; his son, Percival, was almost three years older than she was. His daughter, Liandra, was the same age as Kiera.
Tiberius was one of her brothers she had the closest relationship with. Elise had offered to take care of Percival when Katarina, his wife, fell ill; and Katarina wanted her daughter to have a friend close to her own age. Kiera adored her niece and nephew, her title of “aunt’ often discarded when they were together and only used in amusement. Their relationship had been the catalyst for Tiberius being close to his younger sister.
“First! I didn’t expect you to call me so quickly!” Kiera exclaimed. As Crown Prince of the Empire, Tiberius had almost as many duties as their father and was away for long periods of time despite his best efforts.
“I suppose that you would assume that,” Tiberious said, his voice didn’t have as deep a timber as their fathers, “We don’t talk often enough. It can also be difficult to coordinate, but considering we’re both on Orlan I didn’t see a reason to delay. Did the Exams take that much out of you?”
“I’m not at home, I’m on Albion,” Kiera said, glancing at the clock, it was quarter to five in the morning but she wasn’t going to mention the time. Not to Tiberius.
“Albion? Why are you on Albion? I thought you, Arthur, and Liandra would all be taking the exam on Imperius,” Tiberious frowned, “It’s what, five am there?”
“I trained for the exam with Jac, “ Kiera said, brushing aside the time comment, “I want to join the Mecha Corps.”
“Ah, that makes sense. Commendable sense of planning. Seven is quite the skilled pilot, it’s only unfortunate that mechas became their own branch and saw wider use after his service ended. You had a question about an ork from Pendallas?” Tiberius asked.
“Hi, Aunt Kiera!” Liandra’s voice came from somewhere beyond the screen.
“Hi, Liandra! Hope your exams went well!” Kiera said, “Yes, he’s my friend. We met during the exams and the major who was his escort said that he challenged you? What are the terms of the challenge? Do you know when he’ll get his results? He’s an amazing guy and doesn’t deserve to be a slave for the rest of his life!”
“He is a fairly handsome specimen isn’t he? Strong, lean, tall…”
“Tiberius!” Kiera snapped, “It’s not because he’s a hunk, it’s because he’s a really great…” Kiera trailed off, “You suck.”
Tiberius burst into laughter, “Finally twelve acts her age! Father commented how well composed you could be, so of course I had to try to crack it. Yes, his situation is unique. One the one hand he did inadvertently aid our enemy, but one can hardly blame him. He saw the chance to break free and then an unknown force was in front of him. In his mind he probably thought the soldiers were just more galvians or would treat him just as poorly. Their response didn’t help matters. Especially when they slaughtered his friends. He also did capture the Galvian commander.
“He issued a challenge to me, the tribunal will be evaluating whether or not he met the challenge. Every part of the test he took will be weighed, as it is for every applicant. If he is successful then he will be made an Imperial citizen and fall under the Law of Suffrage. His military requirement will be waived and he will be given a home in one of the midworlds.” His eyebrows knit together, “Wait, Twelve, did you say that you befriended him?”
Kiera nodded, “His name is Gargax. He’s quiet and has a hard time speaking Imperial, and Ork, but he understands really well and is willing to help people. He also has an amazing power of belief. I have to take him to Pendallas today.”
“I see,” Tiberius paused and scratched his beard, “Results aren’t usually given until all results for each testing site is completed. There are rarely exceptions. I’ll send a request to the judiciary council and the enrollment board, asking for his results to be expedited. Let me ask you, Twelve, what do you think should happen if he does pass?”
“Albion is a middle world. I have friends here who can check on him,” Kiera said.
“As an ork he would be sent to Sargax or Pax III. Albion isn’t a suffrage world,” Tiberius pointed out, his face once more impassive.
Kiera let out a groan, she opened her mouth to argue but instead closed her eyes and took a few breaths, “Yes, that makes sense. But, if he is an Imperial Citizen then he would be allowed to relocate to anyplace he can afford, just like any other citizen. The property that he will be given cannot be sold as it reverts the property of the empire to be used by another refugee. If Jac or Kinsley’s parents were willing, he could stay with one of them.”
“I’m interested in seeing your scores as well,” Tiberius said, “I know father is. Are you planning on staying on Albion longer?”
“I haven’t decided. I’d have to talk to Jac,” Kiera said, “Are you going to be home much longer?”
“No. I wanted to be home to see Liandra to and from her exam and will be leaving in less than an hour. I will see you next month. It was pleasant to chat with you, Twelve. I’ll tell your mother and father that you said hello.”
“Give my regards to Katarina and Percy,” Kiera said before her brother’s image vanished. Kiera flopped back on her bed. It would have been nice to fall back asleep, but she was already awake. Might as well be a good hostess and start breakfast.
-[]-
Kiera couldn’t help but smile when she saw Emily in the kitchen, already starting on breakfast. “You will never change, will you? Even on a day when no one is planning to be up early here you are in the kitchen.”
“I heard your voice and woke up,” Emily said, “I’ve been doing that for over ten years, it’s a hard habit to break. We’ve also been getting up early for over two years. Thank you for last night, it was a lot of fun.”
“Of course!” Kiera beamed, “I also have some good news for my best friend. Mais has agreed to teach you how to cook.”
Emily spun around, shock on her face, “She told me while she would love to and that hearing that someone from the Empire wanted to learn was astonishing, it was forbidden to teach a non-Saturnian! What did you do?”
Kiera shrugged, “Asked, offered compensation, when she told me it was against tradition pointed out that was a weak argument. She’ll be sending you your schedule.”
Emily threw her arms around Kiera hugging her tightly, “I don’t have the words to describe how grateful and happy I am. You have such a way with people!”
Kiera laughed, “You’re my best friend, I thought that it would be best if you could start on your new life before I left for the academy. If Jac agrees, I’ll stay here until I leave.”
“You two could always stay with me,” Kinsley said, “Won’t be as nice as this place but I’ve got some room, and I’m closer.”
Kiera looked behind her, she hadn’t heard Kinsley enter the room, a testament to how quiet she could be. “Your parents wouldn’t mind?”
Kinsley shook her head, “I don’t see why they would, wherever they are.” The simple sentence spoke volumes. Kiera was about to reply when Kinsley spoke again, “Just to be clear, I’m not expecting money or anything like that. Riding two hours everyday to get to the Adair and back would exhaust anyone.” She glanced away, her cheeks a bit more pink.
“Sounds like fun,” Kiera said, “What do you think, Emily?”
“Not having to spend that much time traveling sounds great. I can get us moved over while you take Gallgax to Pendallas.” Emily stepped out of Kiera’s embrace and went back to her batter, a spring in her step.
“Gargax’s ship doesn’t leave until eighteen hundred hours, and between the two of us I think we have three bags? It’s not going to be hard. The only thing to consider is when are the other’s departures and what we should do in Adair, any suggestions?” Kiera said, turning all her attention on Kinsley.
“I’d suggest dancing but the dance halls are only open in the evening. I’m usually just at lessons or at work,” Kinsey shrugged.
“I’m sure we’ll find something,” Kiera said, “Let’s go sit down in the dining room, Emily’ll put us to work if we linger in her kitchen too long!” She let out a giggle and grinned at Emily’s shaking head as she took Kinsley’s hand and led her into the dining room, which offered a great view of the rising sun.
One by one Kiera’s guests were lured to the dining room by the tantalizing scents of Emily’s specialty meal; she often said that breakfast meals aren’t unsimilar to baking, even though a pancake and four layer cake had absolutely nothing in common except for the name. The only person that had a ship scheduled was Gargax; Albion was a hub between the inner worlds and the middle worlds which meant that finding a ship to travel to either wouldn’t be hard.
With the stress of the test behind them both Isaac and Alanna wanted to get home; Alanna’s sister was due any day now and she didn’t want to miss the birth, and Isaac had plans for the next few months. Robyn wanted to stay longer but she had promised to get an early shuttle back to Fiers. Jac took them in his hover car leaving the girls and Gargax alone in the house. When he returned he packed the rest of them in, with their bags, and drove them to Adair; he didn’t make any comment about his sister and her handmaiden moving out.
“I really appreciate everything that you did for Emily and I,” Kiera said, giving him a hug.
“It was fun hanging out, and training you. When I get bored of the circuit maybe I’ll bug Kallax into giving me a teaching job at his University. Both you and Emily have been added to the house’s roster. Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Jac said.
“We’ll come by once a week for dinner,” Kiera promised, “just let Emily know when you’re leaving so she can take care of the house for you.”
“She’s pretty insistent on that, isn’t she?” Jac asked. Kiera only grinned in reply.
In true Gargax fashion, the ork carried their bags up to Kinsley’s apartment. The entire space was about as large as Jaq’s kitchen. There was one room off the space that was a quarter of the size of the main room that served as Kinsley’s bedroom and a small bathroom off of that. The only real furniture that she had was a single twin bed with a dresser, a worn looking couch and a table with two and a half chairs around it. The kitchen was made up of a few cupboards, a stove, two counters, a sink and the refrigerator.
“In retrospect, this might have been a bad idea,” Kinsley said looking around the apartment, “I’m not sure why…” she trailed off and groaned. “Yeah, this was dumb, you should call your brother and tell him that I was just being an idiot and—” Kiera silenced her by wrapping her arms around the girl
“Enough of the self-depreciation,” Kiera said, “So it’s a little small. We’ll figure something out.” she said soothingly, “We’ll be fine.” Kinsley gave a trembling sigh, as she buried her head in Kiera’s shoulder.
Shouting came from across the hall, causing Tamalyn, Emily and Gargax to turn towards it. Kiera did her best to ignore it as she tried to comfort Kinsley, but heard the door open and Gargax’s heavy footsteps leave.
“No, you two can’t live in this place, not after seeing your brother’s, I just—”
“Have been super lonely?” Kiera asked, squeezing Kinlsey tight, “Picked up on that a little bit.” Her commpad rang but she ignored it, focusing on her friend.
The shouting from across the hall abruptly ended, causing Kinsley to pull out of the embrace and look at the door questioningly. The door alert buzzed a moment later. Without waiting for Kinsley, Tamalyn opened the door, her halo visible, and let Gargax back into the room. He flashed the girls a smile and then walked over to the couch and sat down.
“Hey, Kinsley?” Emily’s voice came from the kitchenette, “What have you been eating? There’s only protein bars in these cupboards, and a box of cereal with a single bowl. I don’t see any cooking ware, either.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I eat at classes,” Kinsley said quickly.
“You go to live classes?” Emily asked, “I didn’t know Albion still had those!”
All of their commpads rang at the same time, a coincidence none of them could ignore. Kiera took her out and saw that Jac was trying to reach her, “One moment,” Kiera said, walking across the room and turning on the voice only.
“No.” Jac’s voice came before she could answer, “That place is on the wrong side of town and I’m not letting my little sisters stay there.” He had adopted his coaching voice, “Even if your boyfriend would be staying there with you.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Kiera said, “Jac, we’ll be fine. It’l be a little small, but we can deal with that.”
“Do you know what Tamieral would do to us if she found out I let you live in the florking ghetto? Get your things, tell Kinsley to pack up her things and meet me outside in ten. Under no circumstances do you leave without Gargax with you. This isn’t up for discussion.” Jac ended the call, much to Kiera’s annoyance.
Kiera looked around the room. Tamalyn was looking through the peephole, her halo pulsing, Gargax was on the couch, he looked comfortable but his eyes were locked on the door. Emily was still looking through the bare cupboards, growing worry on her face. Kinsley lived alone here. From the interactions at the restaurant, Kiera assumed she spent a lot of time there, or at least had the Saturian family looking out for her. There was a lot to unpack. She walked across the room and entered the bedroom, finding Kinsley sitting on the bed with her face in her hands.
“My brother has ordered us to pack you up and get our things,” Kiera said sitting down next to Kinsley and putting her arms around her, “He has also ordered us that we are not to leave without our ork. Just how bad is this building?”
“It’s been fine. As long as I pay the rent on time no one bothers me,” Kinsley said, “I hope whatever Gargax did didn’t jeopardize that.”
“Who knows with that enigma?” Kiera said, “He wouldn’t tell us what happened with Tracksuit, and I doubt he will tell us what he did across the hall. He wasn’t gone very long, but Tam is fretting at the door, and I think Emily is going to burst a blood vessel or drag you to a buffet. Let’s throw your stuff in a bag and go see what Jac wants.
Kinsley nodded and stood up, there was a ragged backpack by the bed which she filled with the contents of her dresser drawers, which wasn’t much. She shouldered the bag and headed out of the room, “Let’s go.”
Gargax had replaced Tamalyn at the door. As soon as Kiera stepped into the main room a loud pounding came from it, “Open up, York! We know you’re in there!” snarled an angry voice.
Without waiting for Kinlsey, Gargax opened the door. A human male that looked small compared to Gargax stood outside the door, he had a bat in his hand and scars on his arms, shown off by the wife beater and pants he wore. Behind him was a yellow Glorp, in a man’s shape, and a short skinny man holding the chain of a cerberus. The cerberus only had two of its heads, one of which was missing an eye.
“York find herself a bodyguard? Doesn’t matter, Rent’s due. Three hundred chips,” the man with the bat snarled.
“She won’t be paying you a cent,” Kiera said, walking up and stopping behind Gargax, “She’s leaving.”
The man sneered, “Oh, she’ll pay, one way or another. Unless you’d like to pay for her. Might even cover part of next week’s rent, too.”
“You’re not my type,” Kiera said, fully understanding the innuendo, “I’m going to ask you to step away and let us leave.”
“No one’s leaving until we get paid.”
“Fine,” Kiera said, “Gax, pay the man.”
Gargax grinned and took a step forward, causing all three of them to shuffle backwards, “Whoa, I ain’t taking no ork payment! He swung his bat in a desperate move to keep Gargax away. Instead, Gargax caught the bat; the man’s face paled as he realized just how big of a mistake he just made. The man with the cerberus dropped the chain and ran. The glorp turned into a puddle and fled. No longer being held back, the cerberus lunged with both heads and bit the legs of the man with the bat. The canid wasn’t big, maybe fifty pounds, but it had a powerful bite. The girls were able to squeeze past Gargax and ran down the stairs, screams of pain filling the air. They passed two men on a landing, both unconscious.
Jac was outside, his foot tapping impatiently and his face a stone mask. The girls dropped their gear in the trunk and then climbed into the back of the car. Gargax appeared on the street a minute later, walking casually like he was on a summer stroll, or leaving the scene of a crime so as not to tip anyone off that he was the perpetrator. Once he was inside Jac raced down the street. He looked at Kinsley in the mirror and started to say something but changed his mind. Ten minutes later he was pulled into the parking lot of a condominium in a much better neighborhood.
“Three bedrooms, two baths fully furnished. Even has a pool,” Jac said, breaking the silence, “The city tram will take you anywhere you need to go, and you do not need to cross back into that area of town; even that restaurant you went to isn’t in that part of town. This is where you live now, and I won’t hear any arguments.”
Kinsley started to open her mouth but one look from the alteran silenced her, “The thought of a young girl living in a place like that. The auditors and the Safety Board should be fined for allowing it to happen!” Jac ranted, venting his anger as he got out of the vehicle. “Once you are settled they are going to know exactly what a planetary inquiry looks like. You’re not even an adult yet!”
They rode the elevator to the top floor and stepped out into a hallway that led to the only condo on the floor. There was another door that led out to a roof where the pool was located along with several lounge chairs and umbrellas.
The front room of the condo was lined on one side with windows that let in the sunlight. A viewscreen was on the opposite wall with a lush looking couch and a glass coffee table. Two of the bedrooms were on one side, with the master bedroom and its private bath on the other. Kinlsey’s old apartment could have fit in here twice over. The open floor plan showed off a good sized kitchen with new looking appliances and a sturdy oak table and chairs that could easily accommodate six people.
“You’re spoiling us, Jac,” Kiera said with a grin.
“That’s my right as your brother,” he quipped back, “Admittedly, I didn’t look very hard just bought the first three bedroom one that wasn’t within five miles of that ghetto. I’ll leave you all to settle in.”
“Love you, Jac!” Kiera called as he left them alone. Emily had already gone to inspect the kitchen the moment that they entered. Gargax sat on the couch and gave an approving nod.
“Is your brother single?” Tamalyn asked with a coy smile.
Kiera laughed, “As far as I know he is. But in all honesty I’ve never seen him bring anyone home when he’s gone out, and the few times that Em and I went with him, he never tried to pick anyone up. Oh there were plenty of people trying to pick him up, but they all left disappointed.” She threw her arm around Kinsley who was still hovering in front of the door, “What do you think, Kins?”
“That this is far, far too much,” Kinsley said, “This isn’t spoling, it’s charity.”
Kierra shrugged, “Six one way half a dozen the other. Jac probably did it just to protect us without thinking about how it could be interpreted. I think if he had just dropped you off and we weren’t going to live with you, you would have found yourself in a similar space. Jac doesn’t ask permission, he just does things. Like gets me into minor league racing for two seasons or joining a rare whisky club because he got a better idea when planning a prank. He's impulsive and protective, Kins. Anyway, who wants to hit the pool?”
When Jaq said there was a pool, Kiera assumed he meant there was a pool for anyone in the condominiums to use. They quickly found out that there was a community pool, but it wasn’t the one on the roof, and there was an entrance to the pool from their condo. Gargax was content to sit on the side of the pool and dangle his legs in while the girls enjoyed the water.
In celebration of their new place, Tamalyn ordered a pizza jokingly calling it their housewarming gift. She had scheduled her ship to Elysium to leave at the same time as Gargax’s. They took the tram to the spaceport, Kinlsey and Emily joined them to see their friends off. Kiera had fully intended on traveling with Gargax to Pendallas station, but was informed differently when the ork was directed to the military side of Albion spaceport where a pair of armed soldiers in suppression gear waited for him. Both wore an emblem identifying them as the Special Security Force.
“You’re not Major Palnar,” one of the soldiers said, scanning Gargax’s ID band.
“The major deemed that Gargax wasn’t a threat and let him hang out with us on Albion,” Kiera said, letting the soldier scan her ID band as well.
The soldier looked up in astonishment when he saw the readout. Kiera shook her head, hoping that he wouldn’t make a scene. Her royal status was probably the largest reason she was allowed to take Gargax home. “Makes sense why he wasn’t in the containment cell.”
Neither soldier moved to put the restainment manacles on Gargax and the one that wasn’t handling the check in slung his rifle over his shoulder, “Come on through when you’ve said your goodbyes.” They stayed where they were.
Each of the girls hugged the ork. He never spoke much but they knew they would miss his comforting presence. Kiera held him tight, “When you get our citizenship you can come back and stay with us here,” she said, “I just know that the tribunal will pass you.”
Gargax grinned, cupping Kiera’s face, “Will miss Kara,” he said.
“I’ll miss you, too,” Kiera said. She hugged him again and then tugged his neck down, giving him a kiss. His arms tightened around hers, and they slowly separated, both grinning.
He bumped into the doorway as he walked away, his attention on Kiera rather than where he was going. Kiera just grinned at him as he corrected himself and went through the gates. One of the soldiers actually gave him a fist bump and the other clapped him on the back and escorted him away. They headed to Tamalyn’s gate, her ship would be boarding soon. Like with Gargax, the girls hugged each other.
“No kiss for me?” Tamalyn teased Kiera.
“Do you want one?” Kiera asked with a smile, putting her hand on Tamalyn’s shoulder blade.
Tamalyn paused for a moment, “Tempting.”
“Let us know when you make it back home,” Kiera told her, pulling her into another hug, and a kiss as long and deeply as the one she gave Gargax. “You can always come live with us.”
Tamalyn had to steady herself after the kiss, “If my mother saw that…. I’d love to, Kara, but I am already going to be in big trouble with my parents and the Celestial Church of Guiding Light. If I told mother I wasn’t coming home then we’d have an Inquisitor knocking at the door ready to drag me back. The only thing that’s going to actually get me off of Elysium is the Officer’s Academy.”
Kiera hugged Tamalyn again. She wanted to tell her that with one word Kiera could get her off of Elysium and living on Albion. Jax and Tamarial had both told her to keep her Royal status a secret for as long as she could. It would influence how people saw her and felt about her and it would soon no longer be a weapon in her arsenal.
“We’ll break you out if we need to.”
She, Kinsley, and Emily waited until Tamalyn disappeared through the loading ramp and made their way back to the planetary shuttles that would take them back home. “What was all that about with Tam?”
“She’s an aasimar, someone with supposed celestial blood in their veins, it's why she has a halo. They can heal, cure disease, and poison, and are considered very holy and rare. Only one Elysiamian in a million per generation is an aasimar. As a society they’re treated as a world treasure and think they can increase the number of aasimar by breeding them. It’s extremely taboo for an aasimar to be in a homosexual relationship; it was illegal until they joined the Empire,” Emily explained
While they waited Kinsley bumped her shoulder against Kiera’s. “Not going to lie, I am a little jealous that you kissed Gargax Tam.
Kiea turned so she was facing Kinsley, “No reason to be jealous,” she said, “Do you want a kiss?”
Kinsley’s face flushed, her mouth opened and closed a couple times but she didn’t manage to get out an answer. Kiera just smiled and leaned in, locking Kinsley’s lips with hers. She felt Kinsley tremble a little and sigh when their lips slowly parted. “That was…wow…” she said breathlessly, then panic crossed her face, “That’s not going to make things weird now, will it?”
Kiera giggled, “Not unless you make it weird, I’m a nymph, remember?”
“Oh, duh,” Kinsley said, “Tam outed you. I’m surprised you were allowed to come take the exam.”
“She’s still an imperial citizen!” Emily laughed, “But, you're right. Most nymphs don’t leave Arcadia as it can be dangerous. Which is why Kiera didn’t say anything before.”
“And why my ears are always covered. In a pinch I can pass for an eladrin, but once I turn sixteen I won’t be able to play that card. It’s already starting to get hard to not get the attention of everyone in a room by walking in. Next month it’s going to be almost impossible, at least that’s what my mom says,” Kiera said, “Hopefully the people at the Officer’s Academy will have better self control than the average citizen.”
“Good luck with that!” Kinsley said.
-[]-
Over the next few weeks Kiera made more discoveries about her new home. There was a hot tub and a sauna in the public pool, and a gym with a dedicated trainer who was more than happy to show Kiera how to use the various machines; they were different than the ones that Jax had her use, ut once she explained her routine to the trainer he was able to accommodate her. The tram was able to take her to the racetrack, and the team was happy to see her. She kept up the routine she had established with Jac; there was no sense in slacking off just because she took the exam, it wouldn't make the academy any easier.
Emily’s lessons had started and everyday she returned home tired but happy. Part of her lessons was learning the Saturian language, at least being able to read it. Speaking it required emotional presentation that non-saturians weren’t capable of performing. Kiera often sat in the main room with her while she studied; Kiera used the time to study orkish which got her some cheesy grins from Emily but no other comments. Kinsley was usually gone for the day and returned at the same time Emily did; she had a job at a practice range which contributed to her weapon familiarity and her shooting skills. The kiss they shared on the station didn’t make things more awkward, just the opposite. Their relationship turned romantic.
“Hey, Kins?” Kiera asked one night when they were out on a date, “I need to talk to you about…well, me.”
“What do you mean?” Kinsley asked, “Are you breaking up with me before we even start dating seriously?”
Kiera shook her head, “No, I’m…I don’t want to be monogamous or tied down. It doesn’t make sense. Maybe it’s because my father has multiple lovers, or it could be a nymph thing but…I know we’ve been kissing and getting closer, but I need to know if you’re okay with that. I would of course give you the same luxury it’s just…” Kiera trailed off babbling.
“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” Kinsley said, “That isn’t surprising, I would have honestly been more surprised if you wanted exclusivity. I’m good with it, I’ve been actually thinking about it a lot ever since I saw you kiss Gargax and Tam, and Me without any hesitation. How could I keep the sunrise to myself?”
Kiera gave a sigh of relief, “Thank Astria. I thought you would be, but I didn’t want to spring anything on you. She took Kinsley’s hands.
“I guess we can move on to making out and sleeping together,” Kinsley said with a grin.
“Just sleeping,” Kiera said, “We can do more after I turn sixteen. Mother was explicit about me waiting. I’m not sure why, but she isn’t the type to say something like that without a reason.”
“Does this mean I get to be your girlfriend?” Kinsley asked, color coming to her cheeks.
“If you’ll have me as yours,” Kiera replied.
“Absolutely.”