by Hunter, Luna
She feels it too.
The kiss we shared cannot be denied. I only know one way to communicate with the human female. Physically.
I walk up to Kayi. Viliana and Sarina take a step back, and my gini looks down at my feet. In front of her friends she is suddenly coy, like a frightened gyzel.
“We must continue,” I say. “I will hold your hand to make sure you don’t wander off again.”
“What?” Kayi gasps, her eyes snapping up. “I’m not a child!”
“I could carry you instead if that is what you prefer.”
Kayi thinks for a moment and then extends her hand. I grab it and squeeze it firmly. Just the slight touch makes my twin hearts throb faster. It is barely enough to keep my mating frenzy at bay, but it will have to do for now. This is not the time or location for mating.
That will have to happen in my ancestral home — if we are even welcome there.
I lead our group through the ruins of this once great city. Lotak won’t make the same mistake of letting the humans out of his sight again — I made sure of that.
Kayi’s silent for most of our walk, but after a while, the tension in her body fades.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she says so softly her voice gets carried away by the wind.
“It was nothing”
The human female gently squeezes my hand. Inside I feel like I’ve been struck by lightning, but outwardly I don’t move a muscle.
“It’s not nothing. It was very brave of you. And… foolish of me.”
“Yes.”
Kayi chuckles. “I think that you’re supposed to say that it’s okay.”
I turn my head at my future mate. “You risking your life is never okay, Kayi,” I growl. The mere thought makes fire rise inside of me.
She rolls her eyes at me. “I didn’t do it on purpose, okay? I’m not stupid. I just… you know what, forget it.”
The human female tries to yank her hand away, but does not succeed. It takes only a fraction of my strength to hold her.
I would use all of it if I had to.
“No,” I say. “I will not let you go. Not until you’ve proven yourself to me.”
“How do you expect me to do that with you holding my hand?” She complains.
“Use your brain. You are not stupid, remember?”
She curses me under her breath, and I suppress a cocky smirk. I enjoy bantering with the human female. From the look on her face, the feeling is not entirely mutual.
That is acceptable. For now.
The great pyramids of Qrul greet us in the distance. I stop to admire the sight, as my thoughts turn to the past.
In the many passageways below is where my clan now lives. Driven off the surface by the environmental destruction we’ve wreaked on our own planet. I never thought I’d see these monuments gain.
I’d never thought I’d see my father again.
“Are you okay?” Kayi whispers. “You look like something’s wrong.”
“Come, human,” I say. “Our future awaits.”
8
Kayi
Thokar meant it when he said he wouldn’t let me go. I’m starting to wonder if he ever intends on letting my hand breathe for a moment.
I refuse to look over my shoulder at Viliana and Sarina. I’m sure that the moment I do, they’ll start making faces at me, and I’ll be too embarrassed to say something cool and witty. I’m not Riley. I’m not the one in love with one of these giant brutes. No matter what Viliana or Sarina think.
I’m not in love with Thokar.
I keep repeating it to myself. Perhaps if I think it enough times, it’ll automatically become true. That’s how these things work, right?
Even though he did just save my life.
And kissed me so hard my feet left the ground for a moment.
Still, I don’t love him. He’s possessive and controlling, and I’ve had my fill of men like that. So the fact that my entire body tingles when he looks at me is something I’ll just have to dismiss.
The dark sky is now tinted slightly red as the sun rises. It’s a mere red sliver on the horizon, but I can already feel the oppressive heat.
Beautiful shadows are cast by the three giant pyramids in front of us. They seem to rise up out of the sand, the alien monuments absolutely dominating the landscape.
Thokar starts walking faster and faster, until I’m unable to keep up.
“Hold on,” I say as he practically drags me through the sand. “I can’t walk that fast!”
Without saying a word he scoops me into his arm and carries me. Across his shoulder I can see Lotak doing the same with Viliana and Sarina, holding one of them under each arm, as they protest loudly.
I’d rather be cradled snugly in Thokar’s arms than carried like a sack of potatoes.
“Why are we running?” I ask, gazing up at my alien protector.
“We wasted too much time,” he says.
And it’s all my fault.
He doesn’t say as much, but I know that’s what he meant.
“For what?”
He nods at the red sliver on the horizon. “Our sun rises. The powerful heat will make your weak human skin peel off instantly.”
Oh. Right.
The sky turning red is suddenly a lot more ominous than beautiful.
“Are we close?” I ask.
Thokar nods, but there’s no familiar smirk on his face. His lips are tight, his eyes narrowed and focused. He sprints through the sand, taking giant strides, and all I can do is snuggle up against him and hope for the best.
I don’t want to burn to a crisp on an alien planet.
But if I do…
At least it’ll be in Thokar’s arms.
The first rays of direct sunlight touch me. Even through the jumpsuit and Thokar’s strong arms I can feel the heat. My heart is hammering like mad.
If you save my life again, you cocky alien brute, then I guess I’ll have to properly thank you.
Thokar comes to a sudden stop once we reach the shade cast by the tallest of the three pyramids, as if he can read my mind.
“Thokar.”
I look up in surprise. That voice, while definitely Dohan, doesn’t belong to Thokar or Lotak.
An older Dohan, his dark hair streaked with white, stands in front of the pyramid. He’s wrapped in a dark robe and resting on a large, golden staff. The look in his alien eyes seems strangely familiar.
Dozens of Dohan warrior stand on either side of him, their spears resting in the sand, their hands wrapped tightly around them. Ready to use their weapons at a moment’s notice.
“Elder Kraxal,” Thokar answers. “Or do you want me to call you… Father?”
My mouth just about falls open.
For a moment I expect them to hug each other tightly — isn’t that how these reunions are supposed to go? — but the steely glares ensure me that’s not the case.
In fact, the tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“Have you come back to beg for forgiveness, my son?” His father asks. “For you will get none.”
“No,” Thokar says. “I have come to prove you wrong. Watch.”
The alien warrior lowers me to my feet. Fifty sets of eyes stare at me. I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Hello,” I say meekly.
Thokar’s father laughs dismissively. It makes me feel small, and I press my body against Thokar for protection. “What do we need such a weak, frail alien for? Is it a gift?” The old man scoffs.
“This is a human female,” Thokar growls. His gaze passes by every warrior in attendance. “And they are the future of the Dohan. No longer will we have to live in these ruins. With the humans by our side, the sun will rise on the Dohan once more — and we’ll no longer have to hide from its harsh glare.”
“What are you babbling about?!” The old man shouts. He bangs his staff into the sand. “Has the sun touched you, my son? Have you grown feeble?”
Thokar places his hand on my stomach. He
pulls me in close against him.
“The human females… can have our babies,” he says.
My mouth goes dry instantly. When he puts it like that, it feels very personal. I never agreed to have Thokar’s baby, even though he’s cradling my body like he owns it.
All the warriors whisper amongst each other, their faces now filled with surprise instead of anger.
“Silence!” The old man bellows. “Lies! Lies upon lies upon lies! The Dusk cannot be undone by breeding mongrels with alien women!”
The veins in Thokar’s neck bulge ever so slightly as his massive fists ball up.
“We can only undo the Dusk by looking inside ourselves! By—”
“By begging the Uttux for forgiveness?” Thokar shouts. “Is that what you were going to say, Father? Will we survive the Dusk by paying for our imagined crimes? By groveling, by begging, by debasing ourselves for our masters who have long forgotten us? How is that working out so far? How many babies have been born since I’ve been gone?”
Everyone is silent. Some of the warriors nod in agreement. The old man scowls.
“That’s what I thought. Dohan, we are dying. The humans are our answer,” Thokar says.
He squeezes my shoulder. If I could press myself against his frame anymore I’d be inside his armor. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting Doxhar to be like, but I didn’t expect such a hostile reception.
“That is why I am calling for the Council of Twelve to convene,” Thokar declares loudly.
“You have no power here!” Elder Kraxal shouts. “The Council has already spoken! You have been banished! You have signed your own death sentence by returning, son. Guards!”
I can’t believe that this man is Thokar’s father. Who would talk to their own flesh and blood like that?
Two Dohan warriors step forward tentatively, raising their spears. Thokar raises his fist and they stop dead in their tracks.
“The Council of Twelve must be assembled,” Thokar insists. “Even if you reject the humans, the other clans have the right to know. Am I not right?”
The gathered crowd murmurs in agreement. Much to the old man’s chagrin.
“Bah! Very well, though I assure you their answers will be the same!”
“One last thing,” Thokar says. “Any man who will refer to any child of mine as a mongrel I will kill personally. That’s a promise.”
“Violent, as always,” the old man says. “You are, and always have been, a disappointment, son.”
“Likewise, father.”
“Bah. Take them inside, and call for the messengers!”
The old man hobbles inside, huffing and puffing. Thokar let out a small sigh of relief. He squeezes my shoulder again.
“I apologize for my people,” he says softly so only I can hear.
“Is that man really your dad?” I ask.
“Unfortunately, yes,”
Lotak stands next to us, Viliana and Sarina hiding behind his big frame. It’s a small relief to know that the flock of alien warriors intimidates them as well.
“That went better than expected,” Lotak says.
“Yes. But it is only the beginning,” Thokar nods.
“What?” I pipe up. “That was better than expected?”
“There was no bloodshed,” Thokar points out. “It could have gotten a lot more violent. Come, we must rush inside. The light is about to reach us.”
9
Thokar
This place hasn’t changed at all in the last decade.
I remember every bend of these dusty tunnels. Every abandoned room. Every inch of every brick. The pyramids of Qrul have no secrets for me.
I stop in the doorframe of the room where I had classes as a young one. The room is covered with a thick layer of dust. No one has been inside this room for years and years. The child-sized weapons remained untouched.
Our culture is stagnant. Frozen in time. Waiting to die.
Kayi will help me shake it all up. She will bring life where there was none. In this world, and in my twin hearts.
I have survived on pure anger for as long as I can remember. How the Dohan have fallen has angered me, but nothing infuriates me more than the unwillingness of the Council of Twelve to take decisive action.
All of which has been orchestrated by my very own father — Elder Kraxal of the Qrul Clan.
It’s a surprise Xaldur even took me in, with my lineage so tainted. The Commander doesn’t care for that. Your past doesn’t matter to him.
No matter what Clan you’re from, or what crimes you’ve been accused of, you can still serve on the Retribution. As long as your twin hearts are in the right place, you’ve got a home on-board his vessel.
I’m honored to serve alongside him. He’s given me a purpose. He helped re-direct my anger from my father’s cowardice to the Uttux. Without Xaldur’s support, I would have self-destructed one way or another.
He’s been like family to me.
And now I have Kayi.
The human female walks in front of me, flanked by Qrul guards on either side. My eyes are drawn to the way her hips move, and my body responds in kind. The memory of her touch still lingers on my mind.
She’s whispering to Viliana and Sarina, and the girls are nervously giggling.
Was it a mistake to bring her to these ancient ruins?
I have brought us all in great danger by returning to this wretched place, but I saw no other choice. My people deserve to know that there are mates out there that can give us children.
The guards take us down many winding halls and corridors, torches on the walls illuminating the deep, dark paths. After an arduous trek down many flights of stairs, we’ve reached the cells.
“You will await your trial here, traitors,” the lead guard growls, his voice muffled by his massive iron helmet.
“Is this the famous Qrul hospitality?” I say.
The guard snarls and walks up to me. His wide shoulders brush up against the walls of the cramped corridor.
“Thokar,” he breathes heavily. “I’ve waited a long time to see you again.”
His eyes are as black as the stars, his massive body heaving up up and down with every deep breath. It’s clear he’s looking for a reason to attack me. I study his face, but I don’t recognize him, not with the large helmet covering up most of him.
“Have I made an impression, guard?”
The man chuckles and then removes his helmet.
“Remember me now, rat?”
A deep scar runs across his cheek diagonally. Oh yes, I remember him.
This man is Gopax. The biggest suck-up I’ve ever seen. He envied my position as son of the Elder, and tried get in my father’s good graces any way possible. Even challenging me to a duel when I had another argument with Father.
That’s when I gave him that scar.
“Gopax,” I say. “I see you’ve finally reached the station you’ve most desired in life. Chief asshole.”
He leans in close and whispers at me through clenched teeth, his breath stinking like a wild animal’s rotting corpse.
“Go ahead, make your jokes, traitor. I have been waiting my whole life for revenge. There will be no Council of the Twelve. I will skewer you like a rabid dog and then I will take your mate for myself.”
One strike. That’s all that is needed. With one punch I can penetrate his ribcage and rip his hearts out. That’s what he deserves for talking about my mate like that.
I hold back. He wants me to attack him. He wants to prove that I’m indeed the wild animal that my father says I am. If I struck him down, I’d be proving all of those lies right.
Even though he deserves every inch of my fist.
Behind him, Kayi is staring at us. I can see the whites of her eyes, the terror on her face. I must protect her, no matter the cost. Words and threats cannot hurt me.
“It’s good to see you too, old friend,” I say sarcastically as I slap Gopax on the shoulder. “Shall we pick a cell, then?”
I wal
k towards Kayi and wrap my hand around her. She instantly presses her body against mine, her two hands cradling my arm tightly. It feels good that she doesn’t pull away from me anymore.
“No,” Gopax says. His eyes gleam menacingly, illuminated by the torch lights. “The humans go in a different cell.”
“They do not," I growl, all my muscles tensing up.
“The cells do fit your whole group.”
“Then we will split up. Lotak will stay with Viliana and Sarina, and I will stay with Kayi. That is final.”
“Yeah, we’re not going anywhere!” Viliana says. Kayi nods in agreement.
“Suit yourself,” Gopax says, muttering curses to himself. He points at the cell doors, urging us to hurry up.
I enter the cell on the left with my mate in tow, while Lotak enters the one on the right. The thick doors slam shut behind us. We don’t even hear the loud bang echoing down the long corridors — the cells are completely sound-proof.
Now all we can do is wait for our judgement to arrive.
10
Kayi
The cell is dark. Pitch-black.
And the smell isn’t all that great either.
“Thokar?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“Right here, my gini,” he says. His low growl soothes me. He reaches out for me, and the moment he touches me I feel better. I scoot closer to him and wrap my arms around his wide frame.
“What’s going to happen next?” I ask.
“We wait. Runners have been dispatched to the other clans. Their leaders must travel back for the Council of the Twelve.”
“How long will that take?”
“I do not know. Weeks. Maybe more.”
The alien warrior gently strokes my hair. Days ago I would have run away from such a display of affection, but right now all I want to do is snuggle closer to him.
“And… then what’ll happen?” I ask. Partly because I’m curious, partly because I just want to hear his voice.
“The Dohan will change,” he says decisively. “Either the Clans will accept the truth, or they will reject it, but the people will learn either way.”
