Resonant: Book 3 in the Invasion Day series

by LC Morgans

  Kyra snuggled back into the heavy cushions and finally let her lids fall. She’d only intended on dozing, but heavy sleep soon washed over her and she stirred only when she felt the sofa dip beside her hours later. At first, she thought it might be Domo again, but then scents and sounds she knew so very well flooded her senses. Thrayke. He smelled of dust and sweat, clearly having traveled far and fast to reach her, but also of his usual musky natural smell. His breathing was quick, as though scared and unsure of how to approach her, and Kyra lifted her head from the pillow to see him better.

  The moment she made eye contact, every ounce of strength she thought she had was lost. Thrayke turned his body toward her but seemed uncertain, watching for any sign that she wasn’t ready to receive him. He seemed scared to say or do anything that might upset her, but as soon as he opened his arms, Kyra dived into his grasp without hesitation. She burst into fresh tears, clinging to him so hard her hands began to ache, but she didn’t care. Her heart was pounding so hard that all she could hear was the thumping thud of it, but it also felt so amazing to have her reason for its beating back in her arms.

  Tears fell onto her forehead from above and Kyra realized then that Thrayke was crying as well. When she peered up at him, he didn’t hide his tears, and in fact it seemed as if he needed the release just as much as she did, so she brought no attention to his emotional torrent.

  “I’ve searched so long for you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… I’ll never let you go again, Kyra—if you’ll stay with me?” he whispered against her and she nodded, crying harder.

  “I didn’t know if you’d still want me—”

  “I told you before, you’re my one and only. I wouldn’t have ever stopped looking for you,” he told her, cutting Kyra off.

  “We’re forever, me and you,” she replied with a smile, saying it to herself as well as to him. Thrayke nodded in agreement.

  No more words were then spoken between them. No more were needed right now. Kyra and Thrayke simply clung to each other for hours. She cried, sobbed, and fell apart in his arms, while he held her tightly and soothed every one of her tears away while she worked through the barrage of emotion flooding through her. He’d had to do that so many times since they’d first met, and Kyra hated herself for needing him to fix her yet again, but he paid her no mind. He was just there for her, like always.

  By dawn, they were all awake, but silent in the small room. Kronus and Thrayke both watched Kyra intently. She could feel their eyes on her, clearly waiting for either another breakdown or for the next stage in whatever coping method her mind and body was working through.

  She lay on her side against Thrayke’s chest, staring back at Kronus through sore and tired eyes. “We’re going to fix you,” she told him, feeling more determined than ever. It was a promise, not a wish or a hope spoken aloud, and it certainly wasn’t her way of consoling him in his hour of need. “We’re going to fix us all, you’ll see.”

  ***

  Domo returned later that morning and helped Kronus to his feet. Together, the pair of them left the small room and he assured Kyra and Thrayke it was all with good reason so they didn’t fret.

  Once alone, Kyra finally pried herself away from Thrayke’s hold. She sat up, crossed her legs beneath her, and turned to stare across at him, taking in his road-weary face and eyes full of pain. He seemed older. Sadder. As though the world had brought him nothing but pain when he ought to have spent the past year rejoicing his return home.

  The sun was streaming in the now open windows behind him and Kyra caught sight of her reflection in the pane. She had to look away, suddenly feeling ashamed of what he must be seeing. The person he was looking upon. She wasn’t his Kyra. Not the girl from before who he’d fallen in love with. She was another person than the one he’d kissed and held before Greegis had adapted her for his own enjoyment.

  “I hate the blonde,” she mumbled, pulling her long curls into a ponytail in a bid to hide them. Thrayke leaned forward, kissed her cheek, and then plucked the hair tie from behind her. He unfurled the cascade of ringlets with his fingertips and smiled.

  “I love it. Don’t hide who you’ve become, Kyra. I still love both the old and new you,” he said, and then he kissed her deeply. She was glad he hadn’t waited or gone soft and slow, and returned the kiss, but still doubted he truly wanted the new her. Not with all the extra baggage she’d undoubtedly have now that she was free of yet another oppressive captor. Kyra had gone through so much heartbreak over the years she wasn’t sure she could take any more, but figured she had to at least give Thrayke the choice to walk away now that he had the closure he’d been searching for.

  “I wonder if too much has gone wrong to come back from, Thrayke. Can we do it all over again?” she contemplated aloud and hated how saddened her words made him. “I’m broken. Shattered from the inside out. I’ll understand if you don’t want to put me back together again.”

  “Stop right there,” he demanded, and his tone made her jump. “Think back over all the years we’ve known each other. Remember when we first got together?” She did as he asked, remembering fondly when they’d met and how he’d wooed her over the months leading up to her being given the serum that had, amongst other things, extended her life and given her the power to heal. She was glad to have her memories back, no matter how hard they’d been to deal with at first, and had to smile.

  “I wish we could be as happy as we were back then, but…”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about,” he cut in, but took her hand in his as he spoke, remaining gentle and kind, contrary to his firm tone. “You’d had your heart broken and I fixed it.” She nodded, admitting defeat with nothing other than a soft smile at his sentiment. “Remember when you left Kronus?”

  “Don’t go there, Thrayke,” she groaned.

  “You were sad and ruined, but I fixed you,” he said with a smirk. “When we left Earth?”

  “I was depressed and lost, but you fixed me,” Kyra answered. She knew exactly what he was getting at. “Never the one to break me, were you? But, you have always been there to put me back together, Thrayke. Haven’t you?”

  “Of course I have, and I always will. There’s no turning back, Kyra. Not from you. You’re my everything. I want you to be my wife.”

  “Thrayke, I…” she began, not really knowing how to answer him, but he pressed a finger to her lips to shush her.

  “That’s not me proposing, only stating a fact. You remember how my kind mates for life? Well, you’re mine, Kyra. You know that already, but I wanted you to know I held onto that hope of finding you and having you by my side again all this time. You should expect me to ask you properly sometime in the future when we can be a real couple—no hiding.”

  “I hope we can have that someday too,” she conceded, thinking how wonderful it’d be if they could ever be allowed to have a proper relationship and never hide their love away again. It might be a pipedream, but it was one she was willing to hold dear, for if that dream chased away the nightmares then real or fake—it’d be worth it.

  Chapter Ten

  Against all odds, Kyra felt good. She had Thrayke back by her side, people around her she could trust, and hope in her heart that they might just find a cure in time to save Kronus’s life. It’d been so long since she felt remotely joyful that she welcomed the warmth spreading back through her from within.

  After a quick shower to freshen up, she and Thrayke finally sat down and got to talking. Kyra laid everything out on the table. She forced her sadness away and told him all about how she’d been taken by Rasmos aboard the ship and held as Greegis’s slave for the past year. It all seemed so surreal, sitting opposite the man she’d loved with all her heart, but had then lost for a while when her brain had been switched off by her new master and his nano-bot technology.

  Kyra couldn’t look at him as she told her story, but could see that Thrayke was shaking with pent up anger as she spoke. In spite of his rage, he seemed intent on letting her fini
sh, and she was grateful. When she finally stopped, took a breath, and wiped her eyes, Kyra looked up at him and was shocked to discover that he was wiping away his tears again as well. Thrayke looked even older, paler, and so tired it made her heart ache. She climbed into his arms so they could hold one another tightly again like they had after he’d arrived in the early hours.

  “You look exhausted,” she mumbled, and couldn’t deny she felt the same. “I’m sorry this has been so hard on you.”

  “What’s been hardest was the not knowing whether you were alive, being beaten and used daily, or worse—dead. I had no way of guessing what’d happened to you and it was eating me alive with each day that passed.” Thrayke stroked his hands through her hair again and then let his thumb run down her cheek to her lips, where he caressed them in such an intimate way that Kyra felt her cheeks burn. “Kronus tried to offer me a promotion and a wife, but I could not accept either of them. He didn’t understand why and I refused to explain, but I simply couldn’t go on with my life until I knew the truth about what’d happened to you.”

  “We’re together now, and that’s all that matters,” she replied. Kyra then tried to snuggle into him even more, but winced when she accidently pressed her still slightly tender back against him.

  “What is it?” he demanded, clearly concerned for her health, but she shook her head in a bid to tell him not to worry. It didn’t work.

  “Greegis operated on me yesterday,” she said, and cringed when he pushed her away from him and grabbed her by the shoulders. Thrayke looked her up and down incredulously, checking her over, so she turned and showed him the faint mark where Greegis had taken her kidney so forcefully the afternoon before. “He wanted to conduct an experiment.”

  “What kind of experiment?” he asked through gritted teeth, looking ready to blow again.

  “My regeneration has evolved to an incredible capability. He’s been pushing me for months, testing the limits. Yesterday, he decided to take one of my kidneys to test on it.” Something snapped within Thrayke and he leapt up from his seat next to her on the sofa. He kicked over the nearby coffee table and began to pace up and down angrily, while all Kyra could do was watch. He had every right to be angry. So did she, but there was nothing that could be done now.

  “So now you’ve been left with one kidney? All because he wanted to mess around experimenting on you instead of focusing on the real task he’d been given?” he demanded. Thrayke was then understandably surprised when Kyra shook her head.

  “No. I still have two of them,” she told him. Thrayke immediately stopped marching. “I grew a new one.” His eyes widened in shock and she stood, reaching up so that she could take his face in her hands. “Please don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

  “I know you are, tough girl. It’s not that,” he muttered, seeming thoughtful. Kyra went to ask him what he’d meant, when he peered down at her and then grinned. “I have an idea.” Thrayke took her hand in his and pulled her from the room without telling her what that idea was, and Kyra had no choice but to follow.

  Together, they then headed down the maze of corridors to the laboratory, where they found the team of human doctors and nurses, research assistants and scientists, all hard at work. Domo was watching over them, but was stood beside the pale figure of their Prince who was laid out on a gurney to one side. Kronus was awake, but clearly lethargic, and had been hooked up to an IV in a bid to help replenish some of his lost nutrients.

  He smiled as they approached, taking in the much happier expressions they both wore, and Kyra felt an ache swell from within for him. She cared deeply about that man lying there and hoped with every ounce of faith she had left that they could help him in time.

  “You two look better,” Kronus said, rearranging himself on the bed so he could sit higher, but he had to eventually accept Domo’s assistance.

  “You look worse than ever,” Thrayke teased his friend and they both laughed dryly. “I have a theory I want to put to the team. Can Kyra sit with you for a moment while I talk with them?”

  “Of course,” Kronus answered. Kyra watched the pair of them. He seemed surprised that Thrayke wasn’t openly letting his jealousy get to him, but without a word then beckoned for her to sit by him. She did, and then ran her hand through his tousled hair in an attempt to straighten it up. He really did look a mess, but she smiled down at him anyway. Kyra didn’t care what he looked like. “What’s his plan?” he asked her, but she shrugged.

  “No idea. You know what he gets like when he’s in the zone. We’ll find out when he’s finished working through whatever idea he’s come up with,” Kyra answered and she took his hand in hers, growing serious. “Thank you again, Kronus. Without your help I fear we’d have both been lost for a lot longer. Perhaps even permanently.”

  “It meant everything to me that you were found and it’s still my dying wish to see you both happy.” She blushed, but accepted his words with a smile. “I’m going to have to insist upon my father that in light of our mission to Earth, Thrakorian’s ought to be free to marry whomever they choose, human or otherwise.”

  “Hang on a minute. I’m flattered and all, but don’t think I’ll be looking to snag myself a husband quite yet,” she replied with a shy smile. “I’ve got him back and that’s all I ever wanted. Now, I want you to be better, so you’d best not let me down?”

  “I’ll try,” Kronus replied with a smile.

  They chatted for a while and having a few minutes to themselves gave Kronus the opportunity to tell Kyra about the life he’d resumed now that he was back on Thrakor, and how he felt about the family he’d returned to after two decades away. His honesty was endearing, and Kronus revealed how he’d only recently reconnected with his family after a hard initial reunion.

  With tears in his eyes, Kronus told her how two of his siblings had passed from the Ehrad disease plaguing their kind and that his father was in an even worse way than Kronus. If he died, the throne would pass to his brother, Thrakor Junior, as was tradition, but it’d be a tremendous blow for his kind and they’d have a period of mourning that could last decades, if not centuries.

  “Your father must be an amazing leader?” she asked and Kronus nodded.

  “Yes, and a great warrior. He’s conquered hundreds of different worlds and has ruled for over seven hundred years. To say he’ll be missed is an understatement.”

  Kronus then told her how he’d broken off his betrothal with Mariah after so many years, and how it’d felt good to have shed those shackles, regardless of him not having another woman’s arms to fall into in her place. “Earth changed me, Kyra. You changed me. If it hadn’t been for you, I might’ve never seen a world outside the tiny prison I’d made for myself there. I was happy to let my underlings run the planet for me and it was only you and your questioning gaze that ever made me step outside my comfort zone. We did awful things to your race, terrible things, and all in order to save our own skin. I’m sorry.”

  She wasn’t sure quite how to answer him. It wasn’t okay and never would be. At least he was sorry for what he and his kind had done, but by all accounts, the Earth had been a dying planet long before they’d arrived anyway. So in reality, they’d saved her race from extinction by taking even the small selection of them back to Thrakor. The humans would’ve died out entirely if Kronus and his species hadn’t invaded their planet, and she for one was sure glad they had.

  “Kyra,” Thrayke’s voice pierced her reverie and she looked up into his intense blue eyes with a smile. She guessed she’d react the same way every time she looked at him for a while—with shock and surprise that he could really be back at her side again—but couldn’t help it. His cheeks flushed under her adoring scrutiny, however he didn’t draw any attention to it. “Could I take some of your blood?” he asked, holding up a needle with an empty syringe attached.

  Kyra nodded and gladly held out her arm. He could take whatever he needed, but she wasn’t sure why hers was required. Thrayke could sense her impending
questioning, so answered before she could open her mouth. She guessed some habits didn’t change after all. “Your regeneration has increased tenfold since you were given the initial serum, right?” he asked, and then wrapped a tight band around her arm to squeeze the veins. Kyra nodded. Using a surprisingly steady hand, he then pricked her skin and attached the vial, watching as her dark red blood filled the glass tube. “I believe that your accelerated regeneration might provide us with the missing link, Kyra. The crucial difference between you and the rest of the test subjects...”

  “I don’t understand. I’m negative for the DNA sequence required to help?”

  “That you are,” he replied, and he patched her up after handing the vial to Domo. “But you said it yourself, you’re results and capabilities have inexplicably changed since being given the serum. Its effects have altered over the years—evolved. Even Greegis couldn’t have anticipated that, and I believe it’s why he became so fascinated by what was happening to you. Hence why he tested on you relentlessly and why he performed that surgery yesterday.” Thrayke scowled even mentioning what she’d told him about the kidney, but Kyra didn’t make a big deal out of it.

  “So, you think Kyra’s regenerative qualities might be the answer, rather than in the abnormal cells?” Kronus asked him and Thrayke shrugged.