“Is it a cigarette?” I ask with a groan.
“No,” she snaps, giving me a dirty look. “You’re pregnant and you’re not allowed to smoke. And didn’t you learn your lesson with the trabaca leaves?”
I sigh. Well, it was fun imagining it while it lasted. I guess I have to come to terms with the fact that I’ll never have another cigarette again. My hand slides over the bump in my stomach and I smile. I think this is a fair trade.
“Then what is it?” I ask, planting my feet and pulling my best friend to a stop.
She turns with a wide smile. “Tin Tom delivered big time,” she says, her voice racing.
“What are you talking about?”
“The movie,” she says, pulling me forward again. “Love in all Angles. Tin Tom downloaded it from the database on the ship and he’s set up a private screening for us.”
“Oh, shit!” I say, smiling wide. This is too good to be true!
I turn and wave Straykeer over. “Come here,” I say with a smirk. “It’s time to do some boyfriend duty. You’re watching a romcom with me.”
“A what?” he asks, tilting his head.
“No time to explain,” Avery says, yanking me forward again. This time I gladly go along with her. “All you have to know Straykeer is that you’ll probably hate it. And no falling asleep!”
We travel past the village to the face of a cliff where Tin Tom has set up a projector that is displaying the movie as big as if we were in the movie theater.
“No way!” I say, looking up at the paused face of Jake Silverstone who is playing the hot male lead of Chase.
Rolanda is sitting on a blanket with Pontuck’s arms wrapped around her. She smiles at us as we hurry over to join her. “Let’s get this over with,” she says teasingly.
Avery sits down beside Turic who is looking up at the picture with a frown. “Is that a male?” he asks, looking at sexy Jake Silverstone in disgust. “He has a face like a Sandroka and his arms are so weak and frail. He could barely lift and throw a boulder.”
Avery grins at him as she slides her hand up his huge biceps. “No talking during the movie,” she warns, “or I’ll lift and throw you.”
Straykeer stares up at the screen in wonder as he sits down beside me. It’s the first time that he’s ever seen a movie screen and he looks a little unsure.
“It’s just a moving picture,” I whisper to him as he pulls me into his embrace. “Just watch.”
Tin Tom rolls over to the projector and inserts a claw into it. He managed to repair most of his functions since Emperor Rsordan fried his body but he still talks a little funny from time to time. Not that he ever didn’t.
“Movie time,” he says in his regular choppy voice. “Should we start with the previews?”
“No!” all three of us girls shout at the same time. We had seen enough of the alien movie preview when we were stuck on the ship. And we’ve seen enough of it in real life too.
Tin Tom starts the movie and the three blueberries with us gasp as the picture comes to life.
“Shhhhhh!” Avery shouts, giving them dirty looks.
“It’s moving,” Pontuck whispers, reaching up with his hand.
“You’ll be moving out of here if you don’t keep quiet,” Avery barks. “Rolanda, control your man. This is Love in all Angles!”
Rolanda shuts him up with a long kiss.
“That will do it,” I say with a giggle.
“Shhhh!” Avery says, glaring at me. I stifle my laugh. Avery has wanted to see this movie for so long. She deserves to watch it in silence.
When it’s finally over, all three of the boys and Rolanda are sleeping. Avery is leaning forward with tears in her eyes.
“What did you think?” I ask her. It wasn’t nearly as good as the book. But movies never are.
She turns to me and shrugs. “The book was better.”
I laugh as I wiggle out of Straykeer’s arms and curl up beside her. She turns to me with a smile. “I’m glad that you’re here with me,” she says, resting her head on my shoulder.
I kiss the top of her head and grin as the credits climb up the cliff. “Are we going to watch this every night from now on?”
“Nah,” she says with a shake of her head. She looks back to where Turic is sleeping, breathing up and down with deep peaceful breaths. “We have our own great love stories now.”
A warmth fills my body as I look at a very pregnant Rolanda curled up in Pontuck’s arms. They’re both sleeping after a long day of hunting together.
I grin as I look at Straykeer sitting there, sound asleep with his arms out like he’s still holding me. It couldn’t be more perfect.
“We do,” I say with a nod. “And our love stories are just getting started.”
epilogue
Ten months later…
So we’ve all discovered that delivering a half human, half Roka baby isn’t so much fun. At all.
But after the painful deliveries, wow it’s been a blast.