Aevar: Trekkers (A SciFi Alien Human Military Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

see you moving around the ship on your own. Though, I have to admit that it would be nice to accompany you.”
    Ivy smiled at him; she looked better than she had in days. Those first few days when she was in a coma, Aevar could hardly sleep or eat. For some reason, this woman had taken such a strong hold on him. But now that she was up and about, he realized he still felt the need to protect her even though she was on the mend.
    “Well, I could use a guide. I'm starving. Where is the mess hall? Maggie was supposed to come show me but she hasn't been down all morning.”
    He laughed. “That's because she's been teaching all of the pilots how to play cards. Your sister has a knack for taking people’s money.”
    Ivy smiled and it reached her eyes. It was the first time he had seen her truly happy since they met. There was a brightness to her face that he hadn't seen. “She's known for that. She might look all sweet and innocent, but she's cutthroat when it comes to cards. She used to play with my father and his friends.” Suddenly she stopped speaking and Aevar knew why. She was still without answers about her family. He felt sorry for her.
    While the doctor had done an autopsy on the beast, he hadn't learned much. The only thing was that this monster had originally been a human. Somehow, the plague reshaped his genetic structure. It had made him into this new species, but that was all they knew. The only other clue was that the man had a tattoo on his left shoulder. It was like he had been branded. Aevar and the commander weren’t sure what that meant. They had reached out to all their intelligence sources to give them information about what someone might know about the emblem, but no one had any information. They were out of people to ask. But Aevar hadn’t told Ivy that yet; he wanted her to be fully healed before he gave her the bad news.
    “The mess hall is closed, but I can make something for you,” he offered.
    “You can cook?”
    “A little bit. Do you like real cheese sandwiches?”
    “Grilled cheese, you mean?” She laughed and it lifted the worry on his mind. “I thought only humans ate grilled cheese.”
    “That might be true. But I know how to make it, at least.”
    She nodded to him. “Well, that's something, I guess. I'll follow you.”
    He walked her through a maze of hallways, occasionally saluting another lieutenant as they passed, but he constantly kept looking over his shoulder at her. Was this too long for her to walk? Could she keep up or was she overly exhausted? He nearly wanted to carry her, but he knew that she wouldn't go for it. She was too strong for that. Finally, they reached the small galley kitchen that connected some of the Lieutenants’ quarters. He pulled out a chair and she sat down at the small two-person table.
    “That was a long way.”
    Immediately, he felt panicked. “Can I get you something to drink? Some water, maybe? I should have thought about how far it was.”
    “No, I'm fine! I just didn't realize how huge the ship was. I've only seen the medical bay. And that's not very big compared to the rest of the ship. This place is huge!”
    He relaxed. “I guess you're right. For such a large ship, we don't have a very large medical facility. It's mostly used for research. If anyone is seriously injured, they usually take them back to base. There's a very large hospital there.”
    “You guys also just don't get hurt very often, do you? I know all about the Titan. You're the very best the Alliance has.”
    He began grabbing ingredients. “Yes, we are. It's our job to be the best.”
    “Well I'm glad that you heard our distress call. I don't know what would have happened if someone else found us.”
    “I don't know either,” he admitted.
    He looked over his shoulder at her and she sat at the table, suddenly interested in her fingernails. He knew she was upset, but he didn't know how to reach her. How to make her feel any better.
    “Why don't you tell me about your