“Janey, it’s time to wake up.” The delectable aroma of food wafted up my nose, pulling me from my fitful slumber.

Sitting up, I smiled at Ash as he slid a hover tray in front of me. Although the food smelled delicious, I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at. There was a stack of round, tan, kind of gooey looking things. Or they were covered in something gooey. It was kind of hard to tell. Beside them was something yellowish with bits of green in it. My breakfast trio was completed with crispy, wavy looking things. “What is this stuff? Not that I’m complaining, it smells great.”

“Zula told me that you’ve been trying to sample Earth food … very unsuccessfully for some time. I thought—”

“Oh my God!” I clapped excitedly while bouncing in place. “This is Earth food!” I started shoving bits of the fare into my mouth with my fingers. The flavors burst onto my tongue and I groaned with delight. “It’s amazing!”

“Maybe if you chew it you’d get a better gauge. Also, you’re not supposed to eat it with your hands.” Ash sat on the edge of the bed and chuckled.

“No time for anything but hands!” My cheeks were puckered out to I’m sure a comical level, but I didn’t care. “By the way,” I said, while stuffing more into my mouth, “how come this room isn’t a big pile of ashes? You know, like my living quarters on The Pittsburgh.”

“Flame retardant materials. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has such things. The Gartians fit my guest quarters for the needs of a phoenix.”

“I need some flame retardant … everything, I’m thinking.” I continued to eat, deciding that the round, gooey things were my favorite. Or maybe the yellowish thing, or … Okay, I liked everything I was eating. “What is the food called that I’m eating?” Which was almost all gone. I hoped Ash hadn’t wanted any.

“Pancakes, an egg omelet, and bacon. Good thing I already ate,” he said as if he’d read my mind. Can he now? God, I hoped not. It’s one thing to be super close to someone, but it was an entirely different thing to have someone be able to stomp around in your head anytime they felt like it. A girl had to have some private thoughts sometimes.

“Can you read my mind now?”

“No. We can communicate with each other telepathically, which you already know. And we’ll both be more in tune with each other’s emotions. It’s almost as good as mind reading.” He smirked, and the twinkle in his eyes told me that he was well aware I didn’t think mind reading would be the greatest thing.

Thank God he can’t read my mind. What a friggin’ relief! “Whatever. So what’s the plan … with everything?”

“Same as before, basically. Of course your involvement with Ambassador Aralias has probably propelled you to the top of the UGFS most wanted list, right alongside me.” I stopped chewing. Ash slid his hand down through my hair. “You’re not going to be able to bounty hunt any more, Janey. I’m sorry.”

I knew it was coming, but the words being said out loud caused my stomach to drop. I pushed away the hover tray even though there were just remnants left on my plate. “So what should I do, for money … and to keep from going insane from boredom?”

Ash scooted forward, tipping my chin up with his index finger. “You can help me free the Universe from the tyrannical rule of the UGFS, of course. We’ll figure out the money thing. Trust me.” He smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “How exactly am I going to help? It seems like you and the Gartians pretty much have it all figured out.”

“Things are more complicated than they seem. We’ll work it all out, don’t you worry.” He stood, taking the tray with him. “Now go get showered and dressed. I bought you some new clothes to tide you over until you can get into your stash on your ship.” And with that, Ash left me alone to stew with my own thoughts.

I dragged myself from bed, my mood noticeably darker since having to face the end of my bounty hunting career, but I still wasn’t as down as I thought I’d be. After all, I’d picked up a mate, one that I loved, as ridiculously fast as that had all happened. I also still had The Pittsburgh and my crew … who were more than crew. They were my family. My heart swelled. Ash anchored me in a way that caused me to feel more in tune with myself. It may not sound like much, but when you figure out how to love and accept yourself, then and only then can you let the rest of the world in all the way.

I quickly showered and dressed, smiling to myself as I pulled on a brand new Steampunk outfit. It was the little things sometimes. Like having Earth food delivered to me in bed by an incredibly sexy man that was mine, and having that same man provide me with new clothes in line with my peculiar fashion sense. It didn’t matter that Steampunk was a part of fiction from Earth. It was still a part of Earth culture, and the fact that Ash was encouraging what others thought was a weird fixation just proved that he got me. Maybe if he had started off with Earth food and fashion I would have softened to him a lot sooner.

I searched for my bank cuff and other jewelry, but came up empty. My mind conjured images of the wavy metal Zula had been working with and I swore under my breath. Ash’s room may have been made up of flame retardant materials, but my accessories were not. I’d have to talk to Dar about having all my things made with Gartian grade alloy.

I tapped behind my ears and sighed with relief. My interpreter implants were intact. I wasn’t sure what materials were used to make them, but apparently they could withstand a phoenix flame, and the transition between my forms. Interesting. I’ll have to look more into that information later. Although it may have been nice to hear the word for mate in the phoenix language, I didn’t relish the idea of not being able to understand any species I came across in the future. But then again maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. I still had no idea the kind of ‘magic’ I was dealing with as a phoenix. Maybe I would be able to understand species all on my own now? I’d have to talk to Ash about that and a ton of other questions I had on my mind. If only I could concentrate on anything beyond getting him naked when he was near.

Once I was done getting ready, I started wandering around looking for … Ash, Zula, Tamzea, Masha? Someone … anyone? Ash hadn’t said where I should meet up with him or anyone else for that matter. I was kind of directionally challenged being that I didn’t know my way around the Gartian planet.

I hesitantly opened door after door, hoping to find something to point me in the right direction. What I found behind door number, I’m not quite sure what, shocked me to my core.

Holy shit!

Masha! It was Masha, but she wasn’t Masha. She was instantly recognizable to me as the small engineer from my ship, but she’d changed. No longer was she small and childlike. In fact, she appeared to have more curves going on than me. And she was currently locked in a passionate embrace with Dar. At least I assumed it was Dar.

I involuntarily squeaked, catching their attention. They broke away from each other hastily, and Masha approached me with her cheeks heating.

“Captain Jane?” Her black eyes studied me with confusion. “What’s wrong? It’s perfectly normal for—”

“What happened to my cute little cherub-faced engineer?” I croaked. “How did you … when did you … you were normal last night!” I raised an accusatory finger. I wasn’t really sure what I was blaming her for, but I was blaming her hard.

“I’m still your—”

Ash’s warmth suffused my back and I pressed into him. He wrapped his arms around my middle, resting his chin on my shoulder. “Give it up, Masha. We completed the bond. She now has all my powers, which means she can now see past your glamour, like I can.”

Masha hung her head and scooted back towards Dar. “I never meant anything by it, Captain Jane. Please don’t make me leave my engine.” She lifted her head, the familiar black eyes in a very adult face filling with tears.

“But I thought Guavivas were all childlike … I thought—” I threw my hands up in the air, narrowly missing Ash’s face. “You have some explaining to do, Masha.” Accusatory finger went back on display.

“It’s what my kind does. We throw off glamour to make us appear small, childlike, and non-threatening to other species. Only a select few can see past it.”

I frowned at her. “You totally worked me over.”

“It’s in my nature. I can’t turn it off. Please don’t be mad!”

I eyed Dar, who looked torn between wanting to defend Masha and letting her speak for herself. He knew I posed her no real threat.

“How can I not be mad? You lied to me! Does everyone lie to me?” I pinched Ash’s arm. “And you could have told me!”

“I knew it would be easier for you to find out this way,” Ash murmured against my hair.

“We’re going to have some words later about that,” I snapped at Ash, but didn’t leave his comforting embrace. I could still be angry with him and love him at the same time.

Dar stepped forward, his head tilted as he raised his hand to his ear. Masha glanced over at him, and then did a double take. “What is it?” she asked.

He lifted his gaze to meet mine. “Another pod like the one that brought you here has just entered our territory. We are unable to communicate with it. We are sending out a team to retrieve it and its passenger. Do you have any idea who it could be?”

I did. The only possible option was Nina. However, I wasn’t sure what it could mean if it was her. “Where are they going to take the pod when they secure it?” I tilted my head back to look at Ash. “We need to go. It might be Nina, she’s the one who helped me escape,” I said loudly so Dar could hear, too. “And if it’s not it could mean trouble. Either way, I want to be there.”

“It could be a trap,” Masha chimed in. “What if someone or something was planted on the pod to kill you or explode when opened?”

I stared at Masha for a moment before responding. It was still weird seeing her as anything but a small, childlike creature. The bright side was that I didn’t have to be freaked out by her blossoming relationship with Dar anymore. Silver lining. “Good point. We’ll take precautions. Aaaand—” I narrowed my eyes at her. “We’re having a long talk later.” Her shoulders tensed and her black eyes widened. I was still angry with her, but after thinking she was dead I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. “Don’t worry, I won’t take your precious engine away,” I grumbled.

She grinned, jumping up and down. Waaay weird. She still had the same mannerisms, but was all grown up. Maybe it would help to simply think that instead of the alternative. “Weeell … who’s showing me the way? Let’s go already!”

Dar moved past us with Masha trailing along behind him, her small hand captured within his. I fell in line behind them, dragging Ash along for the ride.