by Luna Hunter
I grab the battery and lift it up. Without saying another word I walk into the darkness of the cave.
I don’t look back.
Chapter Fourteen
Miah
I watch Egon walk away.
And it breaks my heart.
That man did things to me I didn’t think possible. And I’m not just talking about the sex — even though that blew my mind. No, I cherish the feeling of snuggling him in the morning most of all. Waking up and resting my head on his naked chest, hearing his heart beat and feeling absolutely safe.
Nothing in the universe could touch me with the seven-foot-tall, emerald green Zoran around.
And now he’s gone.
The shadows swallow him, and just like that, I’m all alone in the world.
The birds chirp in the distance, the wind makes the trees rustle, and for the first time it all sounds foreboding. I cross my arms and try to force myself to be confident.
Come on, Miah. Back up that darn mountain we go.
It takes two days for rescue to arrive.
A bright Federation ship appears in the sky, it’s metal gleaming in the light. It lands right in front of my make-shift camp, and soldiers clad in black armor come pouring out.
They’ve showed up right on time, for I’m growing hungrier by the hour. I lack Egon’s skill in the hunt, and I didn’t want to eat the wrong alien berry or mushroom and get sick.
The soldiers are heavily armed, their guns raised high.
“Hands up! Don’t move!”
I follow the soldier’s orders — what is this, a rescue or an abduction?
A man strides down the walkway, the sound of his heavy black boots filling me with dread. He’s got a thick beard, and a scar running across his left eye. Judging by the medals pinned to his chest he’s the one in charge here.
“You Miah Dorsey?” he barks.
“Yes,” I say. “Can I put my hands down?”
“Sure thing, sugar. Haven’t seen a Zoran around, have you?”
“No,” I lie. “Why would I?”
He eyes me suspiciously. “Get her into holding.”
Two soldiers walk up to me and grab my roughly by my armpits.
“Hey, I can walk! Hey!” I stammer. They don’t let go, and drag me into the ship.
Moments later I find myself in a dark cell, chained to a chair, the bearded man sitting across from me. The handcuffs dig into my skin.
“What is the meaning of this?!” I say. “Let me go, right this instant!”
I try to pound my fist on the table, but all I manage to do is hurt my wrist. The handcuffs are on way too tight.
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry in advance,” he says, “but I can’t do that. You see, the ship you crashed with, the Allure… now that’s a matter of intergalactic security. Therefore we have to take all the necessary precautions. I’m sure you understand.”
“I really don’t.”
“Nevertheless, I have to ask you some questions.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m General Westwood.”
He says it like it’s supposed to impress me, but nothing impresses me anymore. No man can compare to a Zoran warrior.
The interrogation takes hours. They keep asking me over and over again what happened, trying to poke holes in my story, questioning me relentlessly. I make up answers on the spot — no way I’m telling these burly soldiers about Egon.
They look crazy enough to shoot him on sight.
“What about my sister?” I ask. “Is she okay?”
“Tell me about the Zoran and I’ll tell you about your sister,” Westwood says.
“I told you again and again, I haven’t seen a Zoran!”
“We didn’t find a sign of him in the wreckage.”
“So?”
“So you’re lying to me.”
At one point a man in a white coat comes in and jabs a swab into my mouth. Before I know what happened, he’s gone.
“What the hell?” I protest. “You can’t do that.”
“We can do whatever we want if I deem it necessary,” Westwood answers, before he asks me about Egon again.
Finally, hours later, the general seems satisfied. Or he’s just tired of me. Either way, he motions to his goons and they drag me away towards my private room — or cell, I suppose. At least it has a window. I curl up against it and cry silently, hot tears streaming down my face.
It’s so silent here on this ship. I don’t hear a single thing except my own ragged breathing. I got so used to hearing birds chirping, hearing the water rush down the river, or a pebble tumble down the mountain…
Most of all, I got used to Egon’s deep, rumbling voice. It made me feel safe. Happy. Protected. And now, I’ll never his his voice again.
Now, the hustle and bustle of the megacity Neo-Atlanta await. The crowded streets, cramped subways, the smog… although my heart fills with joy at the thought of hugging Abby again, returning to my hometown doesn’t make me as happy as I thought it would.
I gaze at the stars passing us by.
I wonder where my protector is right now. I hope that, wherever he is, he finds it in his heart to forgive me…
Chapter Fifteen
Beast
I drag my body back to the crashed ship.
Physically I’m fine but mentally I’m broken. I distract myself from the emotional pain by pushing my body to its limit. I don’t even stop to sleep, or eat. I walk for 24 hour straight with the battery cutting into my back.
My stomach growls, my limbs feel tired and heavy, but I push on.
Sleep is for the weak.
Sleep is what I used to do with Miah resting on my chest. With her warm, naked body wrapped around me. That is when I felt safe. Then, I felt like everything might turn out okay.
It was all a lie.
I pass by the underground lake, and my body fails me. I drop down to my knees, fighting to keep my emotions in check.
This is it.
The exact the spot where Miah thawed my heart. The exact spot where my walls were shattered. I wish I could rebuild those walls; make them even stronger… yet it feels like this hole is permanent.
The light falls in the room through the cracks in the ceiling, creating beautiful patches of sunlight. I remember vividly how beautiful Miah looked while she was bathing in that exact same light, her naked body still dripping wet.
I remember how she looked at me; intrigued. Mesmerized. I loved that feeling. I felt… desired.
After Pazar, people only look at me with fear and disgust. Not Miah, no. She looked at me like I was worth a damn. Like she genuinely cared about me.
She loved me. Unconditionally — or so I thought.
I should leave this place.
I muster all of the willpower I have left and climb up to my feet. The escape pod awaits.
The sand dunes are just as calm and pristine as we left them.
A deception, of course.
I sprint through the hot sand as fast as I can. The worms cry out instantly, their shrill cries surrounding me. I don’t stop running until I’m at the crash site, my heart pounding like mad, every muscle in my body burning.
I ignore the growl in my stomach and get to work hooking the battery pack up to the escape pod. To my relief the lights flicker on — damn thing might actually work!
I take a seat inside. It would have easily fit two…
I yank the door shut and turn the valve. Time to leave this world, leave Miah far behind me. I punch in some random coordinates and press the red button titled Launch. The ship rumbles so loudly I’m afraid the damn thing will shake apart — but then I’m off, higher and higher, the planet’s surface becoming smaller, and smaller, until it’s only a ball, and then a blimp, and then nothing.
I’m alone.
The console beeps. An incoming message.
Could be the Resistance… or it could be the Federation. I hold my breath as I press play.
A deep, unmistakably Zoran voice is on the o
ther end of the line.
“Give the signal,” he growls.
Relief washes over me.
I key in a code known only to Zoran warriors and hit send. Moments later my console flashes with another message.
“Hold on,” the man says. “We’re coming.”
I rest my head back against the seat. The tension flows from my muscles. I don’t have my mate, but I might just get my life back. The only thing is… how much is my life worth without my mate?
Chapter Sixteen
Miah
“When do I get to see my sister?!”
“Soon,” the doctor says.
We’ve returned to Earth days ago, but these doctors still won’t let me go. They keep me in quarantine, taking my vitals every few hours, and I’m starting to feel like a lab rat.
No one will give me a straight answer, even though I feel fine. I just want to go home. Is that too much to ask for?
This is not what I expected coming home would be like. I half-expected the Onyx corporation to throw me a parade or something; just to reward me for being such a loyal employee… or something. At least a “sorry we sent you on such a deathtrap of a ship” would be nice.
But no. They’re treating me like a liability.
Which, I guess, I am. I’m one of their employees, and I nearly died. That doesn’t look good to shareholders. I’m dying to know what Egon was talking about — he said Onyx was literally the devil — but I never got him to tell me exactly why.
However, with the way these doctors are treating me, I’m starting to feel like there just might be some truth to his words…
“Abby!”
I run towards my sister as fast I can. The doctors finally let me go, and my little sister is waiting for me in the lobby of the hospital. Well, little — she’s a young woman in her own right, but she’ll always be my little sister to me.
“Miah!”
I hug her tightly, and tears fill my eyes instantly.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I say. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Me too,” she says, “Me too. They wouldn’t tell me anything!”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t say goodbye.”
She hugs me tightly. “I’m just happy you’re back, sis.”
Abby looks as beautiful as ever.
I wonder what Egon would say — would he think we look alike?
“What’s wrong?” Abby asks.
“Hm?”
“You had a strange look in your eyes.”
“It’s nothing,” I lie. “Let’s go home.”
We spend the entire ride home talking. I ask her about work and her drawings, though she’s far more interested in asking me what happened. I brush her questions off — I can’t talk about Egon in the crowded subway. I wouldn’t be surprised if Onyx had eyes and ears everywhere. I’m not quite sure what to think about them anymore…
“You’re acting funny,” Abby says when she closes the door of my apartment behind me. “What’s wrong with you? I knew surviving for weeks in the wilderness is not easy, but you’re acting like a crazy person.”
“It’s not your fault,” I say.
“I know it’s not, I’m awesome,” she laughs. “What’s really going on? Were you on some kind of secret mission?”
“Something like that,” I sigh.
“I knew it!” she says. “Hold on. I’m going to fix us dinner, and you’re going to tell me everything.”
“Make sure you turn off your phone,” I say hastily. “It has a microphone, you know.”
Abby laughs. “Yeah, duh. I switched it off in the hospital already. Do you think this is my first rodeo?”
“Well, yeah,” I stammer.
“Then you have no idea what I get up to at night.”
I’m learning a whole new side of my sis. I watch her work in the kitchen, dumbfounded. She grabs my plate and fills it with lasagna — my favorite.
It’s so sweet of her to take care of me, while I should really be the one taking care of her. I’m the older one, after all.
“Now, tell me everything. Don’t keep any secrets from me!”
“Okay, okay,” I say. Where do I even start? “So guess what? I met this guy…”
“Ohhh,” Abby coos. “This is gonna be good.”
“You have no idea.”
I tell her everything. The full story. How Egon saved my life, how I feared him at first, how we grew closer and closer, until it felt like nothing could separate us… and how it all came to a crashing end.
When I’m done, tears are streaming down my face.
“I just don’t know,” I stammer. “I’m happy to be home, but…”
“You don’t have to finish that sentence,” Abby says. “I understand. You found love — real love. I would’ve understood. Guys like that don’t show up everyday.”
“How can you say that?” I say, wiping my tears away. “I can’t leave you alone. You’re just a kid.”
“I’ll let you know I’m a fully functioning adult, thank you very much. I know I’ll always be your baby sister, but just because mom and dad aren’t around anymore doesn’t make you my mom, you know.”
“I know, I know,” I say. “I just don’t want you to grow up.”
“That makes two of us. But I’m doing it regardless!” she laughs. “Wow, I can’t believe you dated Beast. Beast! That’s so crazy!”
“It is, right? I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“And he wouldn’t tell you what really happened?”
“Not a word,” I say, “except that Onyx was involved somehow.”
Abby nods, and I see a familiar glint in her green eyes. I’ve seen that look before. It means she’s cooked up a crazy plan.
“What are you thinking?” I say. “Don’t do anything rash.”
“I’m just going to dig up some info,” she says as she whips out her tablet.
“Dig up info? What are you, an undercover journalist?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “What do you think I do online all the time? Play games?”
“Well, yeah,” I admit. “You don’t.”
“I’ll let you know I’m quite a respected figure on the dark web message boards.”
“The dark web?” I gasp. “If the Federation finds out, you’ll be arrested.”
“Exactly,” she says. “What does that say about them?”
“Why haven’t you told me?!” I say.
“Because you were going to go all mom on me, like you’re doing now,” she smirks. “I know what I’m doing sis, trust me.”
“Okay,” I say. “Okay. I get it. I trust you. But… be careful.”
“Says the woman dating an intergalactic criminal.”
“Hush.”
Chapter Seventeen
Egon
The door to my shuttle opens with a hiss. I ball my fists, for I have no idea what to expect. It could still be a trap.
The unfamiliar face of a ice-blue Zoran appears in the doorway.
“Brother,” he says, grabbing my hand and shaking it strongly. “You are safe.”
He leads me into his ship, and what I see there makes me freeze dead in my tracks. A decorative banner with “Welcome Home” on it is hanging over a table with a cake on it, with three Zoran/human children sitting there, impatiently banging their cutlery on the table.
Surrounding them are four human females, several of them pregnant. They smile and wave at me.
“What is this?” I say.
“We are the Resistance,” a voice from the left growls. Three other Zorans stride into the room: One red, one purple, one gold.
“I am Daruk. This is Dost and Turnon, and you’ve met Kazim.”
The blue Zoran salutes me.
“These are our wives and our children.”
He runs of their names quickly; Sarah and her child Jacob, Ava, Aria and her daughter Grace, and Lilith and her baby Eli. I can barely keep track.
“Welcome,” the females say in unis
on.
“And you are Egon,” Daruk says. “Now, introductions have been made, let’s eat!”
The children cry out in joy as the gold Zoran grabs a knife and cuts the cake.
“Wait your turn, Eli,” he says to a child who tries to snatch the cake from his hands. “Guests come firsts.” The child has his golden glow, but a human build.
“Is that…”
“My child? Yes.”
I wonder what our baby would look like, Miah and I, and the thought tugs at my heartstrings.
Daruk hands me the cake, and I eat it in silence, the sensory overload of a room filled with children and women shutting down all my systems. It’s sugary, but not unpleasant.
“We’re so glad you’ve found us,” a dark-haired female with a round belly says. “I’m Ava Payne.”
I nod as I shake her hand. I’m still dumbfounded. How can this people be so kind to me? I’m the reason why they’re all here. I’m the reason why they have to run…
“Our ship was damaged when that idiot tried to ram us,” she complains. “If they had just handed you over like we asked, all of this could have been avoided.”
“Hudson,” I growl. “He paid the price.”
“Good,” she says. “Either way, it all worked out in the end. You’re here and that’s all that matters!”
“Not quite,” I mutter under my breath.
“What’s that?”
I can’t do this.
I can’t pretend to be happy.
I throw the rest of my cake down on the table. My fork bounces off and falls on the floor, and the room falls silent. All eyes are on me.
“How can you sit here and celebrate?” I growl. “We’ve lost. And it’s my fault.”
Dost wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Not yet, my friend. Let’s go for a walk.”
The four Zorans usher me out of the room, leaving the children, who look thoroughly confused, to enjoy the party. As we walk through the ship, I see the walls are decorated with children’s drawings, and toys are strewn all about.
It all just makes me feel worse. If it wasn’t for Pazar, these people might still live in peace on Earth. My mistakes have ripped entire families apart…
