‘No need,’ she smiled. ‘I got you.’
Shiloh was five months along but had already mastered the pregnancy waddle.
Saba teased her about it as they armed themselves with a thermos of fragrant ginger tea, two cups, and a bag of cookies from a batch Saba had baked the night before.
They tracked out onto the terrace, where a flyer was waiting.
When they slid into the backseat, Koda nodded at them through the rearview mirror, and the flyer pulled off into the dawn.
‘How do you think you’ll react when you see her?’ Shiloh asked as they headed towardThe Sombra’srear deck.
Saba shook her head. ‘No clue. It’s been over seven years.’
‘How time flies. What will you ask her?’
Saba turned to her sister. ‘I want to find out why she left us, and why she broke my man’s heart.’
‘Straight to the jugular,’ her twin whispered, taking a long breath.
‘You’d better believe it.’
They arrived at Mak’s Corvette and disembarked from the flyer.
Moving swiftly, they got onboard the sleek craft and strapped in.
The ship’s systems hummed to life under Koda’s handling, and it dusted off fromThe Sombra, heading toward a destination within the flotilla.
‘Relax, honey,’ Shiloh told Saba, grabbing her hand. ‘Please don’t fret until we arrive.’
Shooting her a quick smile, Saba took her advice and sat back, letting go of her worry and anxiety.
As the Corvette powered through the void, Saba and Shiloh chatted about Shiloh’s nesting plans, her dream nursery, and her love for Zolan.
It turned out that under his scars, the man was quite sweet.
‘He takes care of me and my every need. His mother, too, is a darling,’ Shiloh said with a soft smile.
Saba nodded. ‘I believe it. How she cooked, cared for, and spoiled us on The Selburnia blew my mind.’
None of them had enjoyed close mothering since their mama died, and they exchanged glances, thinking the same thing.
‘Enjoy her and adore him, for the gift you have is a blessing,’ Saba added.
‘It is; I mean, Zolan flew with me toThe Sombrafor this visit. Granted, it gives him and Mak a chance to nut out their deal and lock it down.’
‘We’re double blessed having you both stay with us,’ Saba murmured.
Their conversation shifted to a catch-up and good-natured gossip about their mutual friends and family.
They wound their way through the void.
Saba sipped her tea, the rich, spicy flavor warming her from the inside out, the subtle sweetness of a pastry lingering on her tongue.
Soon, they came upon a ship, an ark unlike any other.
Koda called out from the helmsman’s seat. ‘Šarim, we’re about to land onThe Holy See Basilica.’
A ship was dedicated to carrying priests, luminaries, monks, and nuns fleeing Earth and seeking a new home in Pegasi, built with the Holy See’s vast fortune and blessed by the Pope himself.
