When I finished university, my parents expected me to settle in Datter and maybe even marry Beka. Instead, I took a postgrad degree for Interplanetary Certification. When I signed up to work in Building Safety, I checked ‘no preference’ for destination request. My parents were increasingly concerned. But why, Ash, when there’s plenty of work here? and then They could send you anywhere, and finally, We might not see you for months, maybe years.
I didn’t care
The Building Compliance Department sent me to Gobi, a dusty world of relentless sun, where the coolest days approached forty degrees and the hottest ones passed fifty, and told me to inspect buildings. I was awkward and uncomfortable when I arrived, but within twenty-four hours, I was alone with a musician named Cade Daka, who had beautiful hands, dark eyes, and darker secrets. He changed my life.
I haven’t been bored since.
