Kraving Dravka by Zoey Draven
Chapter Thirty-Six
One week.
One long, exhausting, seemingly never-ending week.
There were two days on the trip to Nzonito, one of which was spent in hyperdrive, which Valerie never wanted to experience again. Once they reached Nzonito, though they were tired, they took the first vessel they could find off the transport colony, to another transport colony about half a day away called Twon’ia. They spent three days on Twon’ia because it was a smaller transport colony and didn’t have regular flights running out of it. It was more of a watering hole and the Keriv’is had taken watch in shifts, looking out for any sign of Madame Allegria, in case she’d had the balls to attempt to follow them.
Another day was spent backtracking towards Nzonito because it was the only colony with direct transport to Dumera—unless they wanted to hop on another three vessel flights.
And finally…
After a week...
“That must be it,” Dravka murmured in her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple when she turned her face to look out the window. They were on the tiniest little vessel imaginable, hurtling towards a little speck in the distance that had grown larger and larger with every passing moment.
“I think so too,” she whispered, smiling, excited, relieved. Because while Dumera was classified as a colony, it was really a planet. An actual planet, as small as it was.
A planet with natural weather patterns. With sunrises and sunsets. With—hopefully—plant life and rich soil so that she could create a garden.
And Eve and Khiva were already there. They’d managed to patch through to them while they’d been on Twon’ia, so they knew they were coming. According to them, they’d already managed to procure housing for them.
Within the hour, they would be on the ground. Valerie would step out onto an actual planet for the very first time in her life. Dravka would be returning to one twelve long years after Kerivu was destroyed.
Behind them, though Valerie couldn’t see them, she knew that Tavak and Ravu were watching their arrival just as curiously. She knew that the brothers still had doubts about the kind of place Dumera was—but after speaking with Khiva through the patch number on Twon’ia, Valerie knew he had put most of their fears to rest.
Valerie turned her face to Dravka. Her mate. Her lover. Her love.
“I’m so ready to be alone with you again,” she whispered, just between them. There were only ten other beings on board the small vessel and over the roaring of the engines, she knew Dravka was the only one who heard her words.
Dravka growled, capturing her lips in a swift kiss, one that made her chuckle and smile.
“I’m so ready to have you all to myself,” he rasped.
A warmth spread in her chest, one she’d grown used to this past week. Truthfully, it was one she’d grown used to in the past five years, whenever Dravka looked at her like that…like she was the only female in the entire universe. The only female for him.
Just to be sure, she asked, “Is this real?”
She had the strangest urge to pinch herself, the closer the planet out the window came into view.
Dravka’s opal eyes glittered with amusement, with certainty, with their future together, with his love for her. It was all there. Right there. Beautiful in its honesty. Absolutely perfect.
“This is real, mellkia,” he rasped, his voice sending pleasurable shivers down her spine. “It always has been.”
Out the window, suspended in a bed of stars, Dumera was waiting for them.
