Chapter 52

Dusty packed up her crew and blinked them back into the other system.

She let Chris and the crew fly Striker One back to Haven while they took turns recharging. They were pretty excited about James’ and her change of status and the fun they had building Rupert’s homes for him.

“Que, did they seem really different to you?” Michel asked her when they were on the bridge, having taken over so Chris and his girls could recharge.

“Rupert and his people or Dusty and James?” she asked.

“Both, really. I didn’t actually know Rupert, but he seemed nice enough. That Joey certainly loves him. The people who were with him seemed happy enough to follow his lead.”

“They are now, that’s for sure. The cuffs don’t change their nature; it’s more a control of impulses. Often gentle reminders that something they thought of doing wouldn’t be appreciated by others.”

“I think the real alteration is from the Shifter Gene. It seems to temper the male hormones. I also know those damn mushrooms affected people as I tested them.”

“Rupert has also been making his people more responsible for the needs of the group rather than the individual, and that has altered their thinking, too. They need to work together to survive. They are learning that if they do, then life is a lot nicer. I think our little display of working together got to them, too.”

“So, Dusty and James, did you feel the vibes coming off them. Wow, they remind me of Sean and Lee. They even seem devoted to each other like them,” Michel said.

“They are. Possibly even more so. They share a unique bond. Bindy told me that the day James got shot was embedded in her memory. She could feel the power Dusty drew even though she didn’t understand it then. She said Dusty changed after that.”

“She had noticed her glow before, but after that incident, it was plain for any magical person to see. And when she is near James, it is as if her glow stretched out to envelope him to always keep him safe.”

“Even the women annoying James backed off when Dusty was nearby. She didn’t do or say anything to them. I didn’t notice until that woman was flirting with James at the party.”

“Dusty walked near him. She didn’t even glance at the woman, but the woman suddenly backed off real fast. She told me later that she felt this really cold feeling come over her and felt it was pushing her away from James when Dusty walked past.”

Mitchel chuckled, “Yeah, I’ve noticed her protectiveness. I don’t think James even realises how much she protects him; she is very subtle and effective. He is a very lucky man,” Mitchel replied.

“And you’re not?” Que asked with a raised brow.

Mitch knew a trap when he had fallen into one. He got up and went over to Que. He lifted her chin and dropped a butterfly kiss on her lips.

“I’m not stupid. I know when I’ve found a good thing, and for me, you are the best thing to happen to me since I left Amity,” he told her softly before kissing her again.

This time he licked her lips before gently sucking on them. He felt her shudder, and she deepened the kiss by sucking gently and flicking her tongue with his. Her soft moan into his mouth had him lifting his head.

“Better now?” he asked.

Que chuckled, “You are a rascal, but at least for now, you’re my rascal.”

“Play your cards right, and I’ll be your rascal for a very long time to come,” he said before kissing her again and this time not letting her up until she was squirming for him to do more.

He winked at his breathless girlfriend and went back to his chair to check the screens as if nothing had happened.

Que chuckled and knew he had been affected just as much as she had been. She watched him and knew that he was as hard as a post and wanted her, even if he exhibited nonchalance. She did love his impressive control.

Que was sure she would want him to be around for a lot longer to come.

The crew landed the ship in the compound as the sun was just peeking through the trees to tell them a new day was starting.

Dusty told them to get another hour or two of shut-eye. They could then help the people here sort out what was going into the ship to go to Terra. If they were bored, they could see what needed fixing to get it space-worthy, so she didn’t have to do it.

This had them chuckling as they all knew that would take first priority. Settlement ships were not brought into the atmosphere unless it was an emergency, and they were almost impossible to get back into space unless the gravity of the planet was less than half a gee.

Dusty and James went back to get the Gunna and to go shopping in their new treasure house. It didn’t take them long to find what Dusty knew was in there. The Keltrian Wizards had a real thing about hidden rooms.

While she was looking for the door, James nosed around through some of the chests he had yet to investigate, stopping and shaking his head at some of the bric-a-brac that was in them. When he found the chest full of Quaz crystals, he grinned.

Someone had hacked complete branches with the rock it had been attached to from a cavern. He sifted through them and found what he was looking for. They would have to find a home for these babies.

He checked the other three chests that were like the one he had opened and found more crystals. He transported the chests to the Gunna. He silently thanked Sean for telling him how to care for the babies he had found.

A Wizard can never have enough crystals, but you need the bugs that made them, to grow more. Delighted with his find, James blinked back to Dusty. She was staring at a wall.