Page 88 of The Last Hunt

She smiles, her heart pounding in her chest, nerves and excitement making her feel buzzy. But then she looks over his shoulder at Liadan and Nikair. At the ocean.

“Can we leave Freehail?” she asks, her voice low. “I love it here.”

“And I love being here with you,” Aethon replies. He presses a kiss to her forehead and leans back, sliding his hands down to her shoulders. “Why don’t we make this our home base?”

A home. Maeve’s chest is tight and she squeezes Aethon’s arms. “Getting involved with a potential civil war will be dangerous,” she says. “The last thing I want is to bring trouble back to your family, or the people of Freehail.”

“I know,” Aethon agrees. “We’ll be careful. And we'll talk to my parents about it beforehand.”

“I suppose TAI has made your parents’ house safer and more secure than almost anywhere else in the galaxy - maybe even Two Roses headquarters on Brix-9,” Maeve says. She looks over to where Liadan and Nikair are talking together.

“They don’t want to go fifteen years without seeing us again,” Aethon says quietly.

Maeve’s heart squeezes at her inclusion in that statement. “You think we could really have all of that?” she asks, looking up at Aethon again. “Do jobs to help Sylar’s underground and have a place to come home to?”

Aethon nods. His eyes are clear and he raises a palm to her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin. “Yes.” His voice is firm and steadfast.

Maeve believes him.

***

A week later, Maeve and Aethon are on the Archer again, orbiting Freehail. Maeve tugs at the collar of her jacket, unused to the restrictive clothing after so long on the planet below. She smiles as she tucks her new croi crystal necklace carefully beneath her shirt.

Aethon spins in the co-captain’s chair and meets her gaze with a grin.

“Plot a course to the nearest jump point, TAI,” Maeve says. She crosses one leg over the other, her hands sliding down the familiar armrests of her chair.

“On it, Maevey-pie!” TAI chirps. “I love being a house AI, but I missed the Archer!”

“It is quite nice being out in space again,” CAL adds. “Though I was hoping to audit more classes at the university.”

Maeve smiles and Aethon chuckles. “We’ll be back here before too long,” he says.

“Course plotted, Maevey!” TAI says.

Anticipation sends a thrill down Maeve’s spine and she leans forward. “Let’s fly.”

THE END