by Vivian Star
But I don't forget him.
A hand takes mine, and another falls to my waist. I don't open my eyes as I let him take over the dance, spinning and swirling us both around to the music. It's addictive, being this close to him, and the music that was once in charge of me, is no longer. It's him.
When the song ends, my heart is beating fast, and I'm scared to open my eyes. I can feel his hot breath against my cheek, his chest pressed against mine, and how he smells like cherries with a masculine undertone. His fingers graze down my cheek until he gets to my lips. I part them for him, and he runs his thumb across my bottom lip.
And I want him to kiss me so badly it hurts in my stomach, in that same place it did when we first met. The feeling is always there, making itself known when I’m close to him.
When I open my eyes, he is gone, and all I see is his shadow disappearing around the corner.
Chapter Five
The sounds of grunting wake me up in the morning, and I blink my eyes open to see the same white ceiling that is in all the ship. It's been a month since Xair took me from Strixa, and I never thought you could get homesick for a planet you weren't born on, but I was wrong about that. You definitely can get homesick. But I think mine mostly comes from missing Darcie and my other sisters. It's hard to be alone when you never really were. I guess I'm not totally alone.
I have my alien kidnapper to keep me company. I climb out of bed and head to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and cleaning up, I get dressed in ship clothes and tie my hair back into a high ponytail. The grunting is still going on as I leave my room and follow the noise into the gym. Of course there is a gym, even on this tiny ass ship.
Xair is running on a machine that forces you to run at a good speed. I tried it once and fell off nearly immediately. So I stuck with the cross-fit machine instead when I feel like I want to hurt my body with exercise so I can sleep. Xair stops the machine and jumps off, picking up a towel off the side. I watch with interest as he wipes sweat off the back of his neck, and I force my eyes not to admire his chest like I do most mornings.
"The usual for breakfast?" I enquire, as I cook breakfast and he does lunch and dinner. The packets make it easy to cook, even if they do taste like powder all of the time. "We are low on some of the fruit packets, but we should be okay for a few days."
"Sure," he answers. I start to turn around, but he stops me. "Do you know how to defend yourself? I practice every day, and I can teach you if you're bored."
"I've learnt some," I answer. He nods and waves me over.
"Did you have to defend yourself much on Earth?" he asks me as I stop in front of him. He holds his hands up. "Punch me."
"You don't have to ask twice," I joke, even when it feels really wrong to think about punching any part of him. I lift my arm and make a fist before smacking his hand. "And yes. Especially after my dad died and there was no male around. Everyone saw us as easy pickings."
"How did you correct that?" he asks me. I'm shocked silent when he takes my hand and changes how I hold a fist. I still get tingles when we touch, and I wonder if he feels it too. He lowers his hands again. "Try it."
I lift my fist and punch his hand, surprised how it doesn't hurt half as much as it did when I did it the first time. I grin.
"I will teach you more, but let's eat. I'll cook for you if you carry on telling me how you kept you and your sisters safe on Earth," he suggests. I nod and follow him to the kitchen. I slide up and sit on the counter, watching as he gets to work.
"I had a shotgun and a bow and arrows. Our house is in the middle of five flat fields, and there is only one road in. It was easy enough to sit on my roof and shoot near anyone that tried to sneak in," I explain to him. "Though one time, a man snuck into the house, and we hadn't seen him. One of us would always stay awake to keep guard those first few years. He went into my youngest sister's room. Her name is Alice."
"What happened?" Xair asks as he fries a version of toast with a green fruit that tastes like maple syrup.
"Alice might be sick, but that doesn't mean she is weak. She stabbed him in the eye, and he ran out," I say around a chuckle. "We Jackson sisters will defend ourselves if we have to."
"For what it is worth"—he pauses, turning to meet my eyes—"I hope you find your sisters and they are well. So far, both the Jackson sisters seem dangerous and alluring. I'm sure the others will keep themselves safe."
"Thank you," I say with a big grin. I don't want to slip back into worrying about them, so I ask, "What's your favourite colour?"
"Why do you want to know that?" he asks, sliding our food onto plates. I grab some knives, forks, and two bottles of water before following him to the dining room. We sit down, and I glance out at the stars for a second.
"I know your favourite food is the blue plants that I can't pronounce the name of. Your favourite music is water music. You like working out and staring at the stars before you go to sleep," I say. "I'm curious about you."
He sighs. "You noticed all that?"
"Can you really say you know nothing about me?"
"Your favourite food is the salt nut bites, which ran out quicker than anything else, but I suspect there is an Earth food you enjoy as well." I smile at him as he continues. "You love any music and you love dancing. Before you sleep, you sing to yourself as you brush your hair, and you smile every time you see a shooting star outside. If I had to guess, your favourite colour is blue, judging from the blue blanket you chose from the boxes."
"You chose the purple blanket," I say, feeling my cheeks going a little red. I didn't expect him to have noticed so much about me.
"Only because the blue was taken," he winks, and I laugh. "Tell me why you smile at shooting stars, Sav."
"Because my dad told me to always wish when you see one. It will take your wish and blast it across the heavens for all the angels to see," I answer. "I smile because my dad never could have imagined I'd be the one travelling across space like a shooting star."
"You're the brightest star, Sav," he whispers, and we stare at each other. I don't know how to reply to that, not without pushing him away from me. Any time I try to get close to Xair, he runs a mile. I smile, breaking the tension.
"How about I get the last bottle of the wine stuff and we have a drink?" I ask. He nods, and I escape my seat like it's on fire. I'm falling for my alien kidnapper. None of the shooting stars in the sky could save me now.
Chapter Six
"Sav, come and look at Noveta. We will be landing in an hour, and it's a good view," Xair shouts to me from the other side of the dining room, like a normal, non-assassin alien who kidnapped me. At this point, I'm writing the book on Stockholm syndrome as I actually think Xair is an alright guy…and superhot. Like panty melting hot. But other than a few nice moments between us, he keeps me at a distance, like I'm sure he does with most people in his life. I actually wonder if anyone but his sister has gotten close to him. I leave the table I was setting up for dinner and run over to his side, smiling as I see another alien planet I've only seen in photos.
And photos don't do it justice.
If Strixa is called the green jewel of space, Noveta is surely the silver star.
Noveta looks like Saturn in a way, with a big silver ring around the middle of it. The planet itself has silver seas and land markings that are white and, I imagine, covered in snow. There is a little colour to the planet other than the silver, but it is a stunning planet for sure.
"Where are we landing?" I enquire. "Is there a capital city?"
Xair laughs, though I don't get the joke, and walks back to the table where our food is waiting. I've cooked tonight, a spaghetti Bolognese from powders. We are low on food, but I guess it doesn't matter if we are landing soon. Once I've sat down, Xair explains. "There are no cities on Noveta anymore. There were six massive cities that ruled the galaxy in advanced tech and new inventions. Noveta was once the silver planet of the stars, but then the dragons came, and they burnt the cities down, searching for some
thing. Now all that is left on Noveta is a lot of men, few women, and cities made of rubble."
"I'm sorry to hear that of your home planet," I say, and the way his face tightens tells me I said something wrong.
"Noveta is not my home planet, and before you ask, neither is Giea. I grew up on Strixa," he tells me, and I'm surprised. I don't say a word, unsure how to ask gently why he was brought up on a planet he didn't belong to.
"Just ask," Xair sighs. "I've been on this ship, trapped with you for a month. I know you enough to know you won't rest until you've asked me what's on your mind."
"How would you know when all you do is avoid me?" I question, raising an eyebrow.
He looks amused. "Did you miss my attention?"
"Not at all," I mutter and go back to my food.
Eventually, I can't take it anymore, and I just ask. "Why were you brought up on Strixa, and how did that end with you in their jails?"
"I haven't told anyone this in a long time," he replies. "Why should I tell you all my secrets, Sav?"
"Because I promise I won't spill them," I answer. "And I don't lie often or that well. So you should know I'm telling the truth."
"If I tell you a secret, you must tell me one in return. When I ask it, no matter where we are," he demands, crossing his large arms. "That is my only offer."
"Deal," I reply, my nosy side getting the best of me. Or I'm going stir-crazy from being locked up in here with him.
"My mother is still alive, I'm starting this story with that for a reason. When I was born, it was a huge scandal as it was clear I am not my mother's mate's child like my sister is. My mother never loved me, I was not wanted from day one, and that's where the queen of Strixa came in. She offered to adopt me, to protect me on her home planet, and she took me back with her. The dragon war happened not long after, and I was sent with the oldest prince, Igor, to a castle in the middle of the planet, a place highly protected. The prince's family and friends called him by his middle name, Cassian, and he was a brother to me. We trained together, and I would have done anything to protect him," he pauses and sighs. "But our paths went different ways. I wanted to escape Strixa and see the planets that I am from and my family on them."
The way he looks back at the planet itself in the distance tells me he is hiding whatever he is feeling right about now. "They didn't want me back; in fact, they tried to kill me. They stole my ship, everything I had on Giea, and I made friends with some well-trained assassins and picked up a new trade."
"Why would your mother try to kill you?" I softly ask, and Xair turns back to me, opening his mouth to reply when a loud alarm blasts through the ship.
"Shit," he growls, pushing off the chair and running from the room. I get up to follow as the ship shakes a little, nearly knocking me over, but I manage to stay upright as I run behind Xair and into the control room where dozens of beeping noises are going off and flashing on the console. Xair immediately sits down and starts pressing buttons on the screen as I take the seat next to him.
"Do up your seat belt now!" he commands, and my hands shake as I do as I'm told and strap myself into the chair.
"What is going on?"
"We are running low on fuel. Something must be leaking," Xair tells me as an actual steering wheel of sorts slides out from under the console and Xair takes control of the ship. "We need to land, now. We will be on the wrong side of the planet but hopefully not the sea if we can make it."
"What do you mean, the sea?" I demand. "I can't swim well! I never could."
"Fuck, don't worry," he tells me, just as the ship starts shaking once again. We get closer to the planet, heading right down into it. "This is why the ship was out in the open. It clearly has a glitch."
"Glitch?" I scream as it suddenly feels like we are falling, and the alarms start getting louder and louder until I can't hear anything but the alarms. I can only stare through the glass as we head down to the planet at full speed, the outside of the ship bursting into flames and the ship shaking hard from the pressure. We crash through the thick clouds that look like storms, and when a shot of lightning flashes across the glass, I know we are in one. Xair shouts something to me, but I can't hear him, only see the panic and worry in his eyes.
And I swear I see something that looks like he cares if I die or not.
But I must be seeing things.
Or feeling things.
We suddenly come out of the storms and into the sky above a big sea, with land a good distance away.
"Are we going to make it?" I scream over the noise, but then the ship answers for me as it suddenly goes silent and drops.
I can't explain the sheer shock and panic that takes over as the ship falls into the sea headfirst or as I think I'm going to die. But all I can think is that Xair can't save me, how can he when he can't save himself?
Xair's hands pull me from the seat, and I'm in a trance while he looks down at me as the glass breaks. We are sucked out into the cold sea, the bitterly cold water suffocating me.
The last thing I remember is Xair's hands trying to grab me, but it's too late.
I pray for Vyuna to save me one more time.
Chapter Seven
Xair
The dry and gritty sand digs into my hands as I open my eyes and immediately cough out the water in my lungs, wishing I could actually use my Gie blood to swim faster and control the water. The best I can do is breathe under it for a little longer than usual. Fat lot of use that is. My body aches from swimming, from crashing into every fucking rock in the sea on the way here. How I didn't get knocked out is a miracle I can thank Vyuna for, even if I’m not sure she is real. After meeting Savannah, I’m starting to doubt my own beliefs.
"Fuck," I growl as I sit up and rub the salt water from my eyes. The sea is calm as the waves brush against the beach like a ship hasn't just sunk into its depths. But fuck the ship. Where is my kidnapped Earthling?
A strange feeling of panic fills my chest, like I can't breathe, as I stand up and search the rocky beach for her.
"Sav!" I shout, my voice echoing, but nothing and no one replies. Feeling like left is the right way to go, I run down the beach, jumping over any rocks in my way as I search for her. She couldn't be dead...I'd feel it.
She is my mate. The only woman in the galaxy I am meant to be with, even if I never wanted to find her because I am not a worthy mate for anyone. Her death would be something I'd not be able to live with though. Especially if I caused it.
A flash of blonde hair catches my eye near a large rock, and I run fast to her side, skidding in the sand as I see her collapsed on a rock. Her blonde hair spills over the white rock, almost dry even when the rest of her is not. Her head is bleeding. A nasty cut litters the side of her head, and she looks so weak like this.
I fucking don't like it. I pull off my shirt and wrap it around her shoulders before picking her up into my arms. I straight away notice how cold she feels.
Humans aren't meant to feel cold. They can die from it, if I remember right. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Rushing, I get off the beach and into the rocks that lead up to a big mountain, figuring that a cavern is the nearest heat source right about now until I can make a fire.
"Don't die on me, Sav," I whisper to her, briefly pressing my lips to her forehead, tasting her salty skin and feeling like someone is stabbing me in the heart with every moment she doesn't reply to me. I need her to open her pretty mouth and say something sarcastic and somehow cute.
Climbing the slippery rocks while making sure to not drop or hurt Sav turns out to be a little more difficult than I planned. It takes me much fucking longer than I want to find a cave that looks empty and carry her inside. The cave walls are made of blue crystals that shine bright, and eventually, I come to the end of the cave where the walls encircle the open space. It's warmer in here but not good enough to save her. I glance at Sav's wet clothes and know I need to get a fire going in here ASAP. I gently place Sav on the ground, cover her with my top, and rush back out
side to find wood and stones as quickly as possible. Luckily, there is a fallen tree between some large stones, and I manage to get a good amount of dry wood to take back. I rush back to the cave and head inside, seeing Sav's tiny figure exactly where I left her and looking paler than she was only a few minutes ago.
I rush to make a fire, which lights up the whole room as I gather Sav into my arms. I might not have a blanket for her, but my body heat should keep her alive. Sav groans a little in her sleep and moves closer, her hand flattening over my heart, right where my mating marks are. The reaction is instant: the marks light up and my cock goes rock hard. I stare down at this beautiful female. Her hair is so light it looks like the colour of the stars in the night sky, and her skin is soft. With an hourglass figure, she has the perfect body for fucking and impregnating.
Shame I can't do that with her, because she deserves so much fucking better than me. I'm not good for any woman.
My mother made that clear when she hated me from the second I was born.
My sister was stolen and forcibly mated...and I'm only just saving her.
And now my destined mate nearly died because of me. I'm just a fuck up.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to her, knowing she can't hear me. "I would give you all the stars in the sky if I could, but even then, I would not be worthy of you."
Chapter Eight
"You're not my mother! You can't tell me what to do!" Chloe shouts as I lean against the car, the use of that term hitting me hard in the heart. I'm not her mom, we both know that, but I'm all the protection from the world she has. "Go away."
"You're fourteen, and I'm looking after your stupid ass. Get in the car before I drag you into it," I demand, stomping my foot. The pieces of shit men that sit around her don't look happy, but with the shotgun in my hands, they aren't going to stop me taking my sister home.
