When She Belongs
He's the biggest jerk in the galaxy.
I can live with being stuck on the far end of space. I can live with having to spend weeks on an abandoned station in an asteroid belt. Sure, I don't belong, but I've got my book and my eight-legged attack cat with me. I should be fine.
I'm not fine.
My alien host, Jerrok, is a jerk. He's surly and unpleasant. He hasn't bathed in years. He's part cyborg—and all those parts seem to be falling to pieces. He's the one in charge of this remote station, which means we're forced to interact. It's an absolutely miserable situation for both of us . . .
. . . until I realize that all his anger and bluster is covering the fact that he's thoughtful and understanding. He's protective, too, keeping me safe when the bad guys approach. When I get hurt, he's the one tenderly caring for my wounds. Jerrok is also intensely, utterly lonely, just like me.
As time passes, I start to wonder . . . maybe where I belong isn't a place . . . but a person.
Contains mature themes.
- Pages
- 484
- Audiobook
- 13 hr 27 min
- First published
- 2020
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Audiobook
Shelved by 2 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished March 2, 2026
Sophie was taken on board a ship by three brothers (who think of her as a sister) after she was helped to escape her owner. They try to teach her how to navigate the ship, but she does not have the aptitude for it and feels inadequate. She believes she is not an asset as a crew member and that they will realize that soon and want to be rid of her. When a dangerous opportunity arises, they want to keep Sophie safe and not bring her along. So they decide to drop her and a very valuable 8-legged cat/lizard-like animal they stole onto Jerrock's asteroid for safekeeping till they return. The animal is protective of females, so only Sophie can care for it. They did not tell Jerrock initially that they would be leaving them there. Jerrok is grumpy and likes living alone on his asteroid, salvaging materials from old ships and other materials to sell. He was severely wounded in the war and is scarred, has many prosthetics, which are of poor quality, cause him pain, and don't work as they should. Jerrok comes from a very poor family, which is one of the reasons he was given such shoddy replacement limbs from his government. Sophie enjoys living on the secluded asteroid with Jerrok. She finds she enjoys salvaging & helping Jerrok. She feels useful & productive there. Their relationship slowly grows, and they become friends, then more. Both carry emotional scars from their past. Sophie has intimacy issues from being a slave for six years. She also feels she doesn't belong anywhere and doesn't have a true home. We see Bethiah, the bounty hunter, again. She is Jerrok's cousin, and she is afraid Sophie will break Jerrok's heart, so she warns her away from him. Jerrok overhears Sophie's response, saying their relationship is just casual, when in fact both want more than that, they have fallen in love. I am not a fan of the whole misunderstanding each other's feelings thing (if only they communicated), but it didn't last too long. Sophie makes an impatient noise in her throat. "They do not. Those scars say that your people failed you. They say that you got dealt a shitty hand by the very people you nearly lost your life to save. They say you're a survivor and you're tough." "You've been amazingly kind to me, and patient. It makes me want to kiss you and touch you…but I'm afraid." I'll do anything I can think of to get her to stay. Anything at all. My mind races with the need to offer her everything—the carinoux, more books, flower seeds, pretty clothes—but…I can't do that. I can't bribe her to stay if she doesn't want to. So I just squeeze her tightly against me and savor this moment. you make me happy. I like having you here. The thought of you leaving keffing tears me up inside, and maybe I'm greedy and selfish, but I want you to stay with me. Not just until the va Sithai show up again, but always. Forever." "You make me happy. I like having you here. The thought of you leaving keffing tears me up inside, and maybe I'm greedy and selfish, but I want you to stay with me. Not just until the va Sithai show up again, but always. Forever." She stares at me in shock. Hot discomfort pricks at my neck, but I ignore it. "Even if you don't feel the same way, I just want you to know that no matter what happens between us, you'll always be welcome here." "I love you," she tells me. "I want to stay here forever with you. I love being here. I love being at your side. I love waking up with you. But I didn't want you to feel pressured into taking on someone just because we slept together. I know how much you value your freedom—"
Finished July 28, 2025