was obedience. Destiny was going against everything she had been brought up to believe in. She would go back, but first she just wanted a little time to explore these new feelings. What would that matter?
“Which way?” Dylan asked, dragging her from her thoughts.
“That way,” Milo replied. “You go first—your eyesight is better.” And then they were off and running.
For a moment, she stood rooted to the spot. Then she took a deep breath and leaped after them. And with that one leap forward, something shifted inside her, as though she was shedding a huge weight that had been dragging her down.
This freedom might not be forever, but it was for now, and she was going to savor every second until she went back.
Dylan disappeared into one of the tunnels, Milo close behind him, and she followed into the darkness. For a second, she slowed; while there was no light in the tunnel, she could hear them moving fast ahead of her. Putting her hand out in front of her, so she wouldn’t crash into anything, she followed as fast as she could. But they were getting away from her. Clearly more confident in the dark than she was, and their legs were longer. She increased her speed, but then hit a wall as the tunnel turned a corner and she tripped and fell, banging her head as she went down. Ouch! She couldn’t hear them anymore and panic engulfed her. She wanted to call out but was scared someone else might be in earshot, though the sound of their pursuers had faded. She heard…nothing.
She was alone. She was used to that.
But she didn’t want to be alone anymore. A sob rose up inside her and she swallowed it down.
Then footsteps sounded ahead of her and a light flashed in the darkness. She pushed herself up, and she was kneeling when Milo appeared. He stopped in front of her, the flashlight playing over her, and she blinked.
“Taking a rest?” he asked.
“I fell.”
He shook his head, but then without saying anything further, he reached down, gripped his hands around her waist, and lifted her from the floor. A second later, she was flung over his shoulder. A hand clamped on her bottom, and a squeak escaped her mouth, and then they were moving.
This time he kept the flashlight on, but she couldn’t see much because she was upside down and her face was pressed against his back. So she closed her eyes and just concentrated on the strange sensations rushing through her body. The hand on her bottom was having a weird effect—she was guessing some manifestation of sexual desire. She was trying to analyze the sensation; she was hot and achy and little tingles were running from his palm all over the rest of her body, settling between her legs and in her breasts. Strange and not unpleasant. He increased his speed and she bounced, and his hand squeezed, and heat flooded her.
She scrabbled for something to hold on to but couldn’t get a grip, and in the end, she wrapped her arms around his waist, closed her eyes, and held on tight. Finally, he slowed and came to a standstill. He stood for a moment, not breathing hard despite the sprint while carrying her.
He placed her on her feet. She stood for a moment, getting her balance, and then looked around her. They were in another cavern, though this one was more of just a widening of the tunnel, the same dark yellow-orange walls, a low ceiling, and no opening to the outside world. She could almost feel the weight of rock pressing down on her.
Dylan was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. “What kept you?” he asked.
“I fell,” she said, defensive. “Milo carried me.”
“So I saw. Quite the knight in shining armor, isn’t he?”
“Piss off, Dylan.”
She’d read about them in her history books. “Are there still knights in armor?” she said.
“No, of course there aren’t.” Dylan frowned. “Don’t you know anything?”
She sniffed. “I know lots of things. I know…” She tried to think of the most impressive things. “I know Einstein’s theory of relativity. I know how genetic modification works, I know all the kings and queens of England, and the presidents of the Unites States. I know—”
“Enough,” Dylan snapped, though he was smiling. “I get the point.”
“Leave her alone,” Milo said. “She’s spent her life on a spaceship. Give her a break.”
She smiled at him, and he scowled. What had she done wrong now?