by Jade Waltz
I followed in silence, not knowing where we were going and whom we would see. For all I knew, he was taking me to see the very males I was avoiding.
The farther we walked from the lifedome, the more confusing the hallways became, full of twists and turns. How could they know where they needed to go when each one appeared the same? There was no lettering or numbers, coloring, or symbols that marked which hall was what. Did they navigate by memory? Or did their wristbands lead them where they wanted to go?
Maybe the maze was a defensive tactic. The hallways could be long, twisty, and unlabeled to confuse any invaders, so the base crew would be able to divide, trap, and conquer.
All the crew members we passed eyed me with curiosity but dropped their gazes as soon as Zyxel slithered closer. I wondered if it was his position on the base or his massive size that scared them.
A pair of sliding doors opened ahead, revealing the room I had woken in the last time. Everything appeared to have been cleaned; even the massive bed in the corner had been fluffed up with a folded blanket draped along the side.
“Do you happen to know what he has planned?”
“Dinner and a conversation,” Vowels instantly replied. “Other than that, I can’t pick up anything, except that he’s nervous about something.”
“Any idea what?”
“Negative.”
Off to one side of the room, a buffet of foreign food sat on a table, equipped with canisters and empty glasses. At one end of the table sat an elegant chair. At the other, a cushion big enough to fit Zyxel.
It made sense that an Ezzaska would sit coiled on the floor rather than a chair, though I didn’t think this base was equipped with such luxury.
Using his tail, he pulled out my chair and tucked me in before letting his tail rest on the cushion. He must have picked up the gesture from Tori because I had never come across another species that seated a guest like that.
“I tried to prepare the foods that Tori enjoys. If she can eat it, it shouldn’t be dangerous for you to consume, either.”
“Thank you.” Scanning the display of colorful food, I wasn’t sure I could eat even a tenth of it. “This seems like a lot of food for the two of us. I thought the base was running low on resources?”
“We are.” Zyxel nodded. “But I can eat all of this and then some. Whatever you don’t eat, I will.”
“Am I eating some of your rations?” I covered my mouth in shock. “Why are you doing this? Tori’s clan was happy to feed me.”
“Everyone on this base has had their rations reduced for the time being.” He shrugged. “I am used to eating less than this, so you don’t need to worry. Times are tight, but things will be better once we start raiding pirates again.”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” I mumbled, picking up some sort of a leg dipped in green ooze and taking a whiff. It smelled like salt and seagrass. Still, I couldn’t stick my nose up at food when I didn’t know when I would eat next. Taking a bite, I ripped the meat from a bone as thick as mine, and it tasted exactly like it smelled.
My eyes watered at the saltiness as Zyxel offered a glass filled with red liquid. I guzzled it down to soothe my throat, not caring how I looked.
“I take it you didn’t like it?”
Placing the glass on the table, I shook my head. “It was far too salty for my tastes.”
“I will eat it, then,” he replied, moving the platter to his side of the table and replacing it with another one. “Try this one instead.”
One by one, I tried each of the dishes with a glass prepared in case I needed to wash out my mouth again. One by one, he took the foods I didn’t like with no questions asked.
Once the table was cleared and the dishes were placed in the dishwasher, we returned to our seats for some drinks.
“I hope you enjoyed dinner.” Zyxel’s voice lost its earlier confidence.
“It was fun,” I replied, giving him a small smile. “I enjoyed tasting all the different dishes, even though I still feel guilty about eating part of your rations.”
“It was a small sacrifice compared to what you have given this base,” he muttered, watching me closely with his fiery, slitted eyes. “Now that you have done what Commander Xenak has asked, when are you planning on leaving?”
I didn’t know if Tori’s clan had told him about Kaede or if he were genuinely wondering when I would return home. I wasn’t going to tell him if he didn’t already know. The fewer people who expected Kaede’s arrival, the better.
“As soon as possible,” I replied. “Auro said someone owed him a favor and he could probably arrange me a ride home.”
“Who are you at home?” His gaze traced my figure. “I’ve been told and overheard many things.”
“Why does it matter?” I tilted my head to the side and narrowed my eyes. “I don’t need to tell you anything.”
“Because I’ve been wondering if you’ve been avoiding me because of my low status or something,” he explained, smiling with his fangs sticking out. “But Xenak confirmed that wasn’t the case.”
I jerked to my feet, knocking the chair onto its back behind me. Zyxel straightened in alarm, his sly smirk replaced by shock.
“I was avoiding you because your face reminds me of someone I care about. When you get close to me, you confuse my instincts. I miss my clan, my children, my friends, and my coworkers. I’m used to seeking out your lookalike for help, but instead, I have you, a stranger. And you have no boundaries, no understanding that it isn’t okay for you to be so touchy with a patient, which dumbfounds me. Instead of telling you, I planned to ignore the issue and avoid you until I leave, since I’m not planning on ever returning.”
“Maybe you are drawn to me because your body knows that I am your mate,” he challenged, slithering around the table. For every step I retreated, he advanced just as much until my back was against the wall. “I have searched for thousands of years for my mate—my enax. Just as I was about to give up, you crashed into my life as part of my commander’s insane mission.”
“I can’t be your mate,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I don’t believe it.”
Perhaps the reason I had felt so comfortable around him wasn’t that he reminded me of Kaede but because he was destined to be with me. Had the Stars led me here to meet the final piece of my constellation?
What a cruel way to bring someone into my life.
“You may not believe it, but it’s the truth.” He eyed my arms, which were pressed across my stomach as I backed away. “My tail throbs and my scales itch whenever you are close, signaling that my enax is near.” He lifted the end of his tail to show me how his tail threads shimmered and danced with a mind of their own. As if they sensed me, the strands reached toward me, wiggling to and fro and stretching as far as they could. “You’re the one I’ve been searching for all my life, and I won’t let you go.”
I believed him.
“You can’t,” I breathed, shaking my head as tears started to form. “We can’t.”
“Why can’t we?” He frowned, determination clear in his eyes. “What have I done to offend you? I’ve done everything Tori told her mates about courting females. I took notes to give to other mates of humans to give them some sense of your species’ courtship customs. What did I do wrong?”
Oh, Stars… it all made sense.
This was a date to him. After he had put so much work into it, I had rejected him.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I replied, trying to comfort him the best that I could. “This is just the wrong place and time.”
“How?” he demanded. “How could that be? Why would the Stars lead you to me?”
“Sometimes the Stars make mistakes.”
“That can’t be true. The Stars are never wrong. Something else must be wrong.” He shook his head, pacing in front of me. “Is it because you don’t think I can take care of you? Because I don’t have a home for you to nest in or a way to keep our eggs warm? I am willing to watch the nest and be y
our caretaker if that is the case.”
“I don’t think you understand,” I cried, wiping at my tears. “Even if I felt a connection between us, it wouldn’t matter. I don’t know you. I don’t need a new mate; I need the ones I have, and I only want the ones I have. They are at home dying while I am here against my will. How can I accept any more mates when the ones I have are so far away?
“I’m sorry, but we just can’t. I’m not ready to entertain the idea of taking on more mates, especially someone I hardly know. Once I return home and make sure my loved ones are all safe and healthy, I may reconsider, but not right now. There’s no way for us to happen now.”
“Now that I’ve finally found you, you don’t want me?” he mumbled, the hurt evident in his voice. “What am I supposed to do?
“I don’t know.” I opened my arms in surrender and shrugged. “I’m just asking you to wait.”
“All isn’t lost, then.” He stilled and peered at me, hope gleaming in his eyes. “So, you’re saying that I have a chance? That we still have a chance?”
“I can’t promise anything.” I shook my head with pursed lips. “For now, I want you to leave me alone.”
“But you need comfort—”
“But not from you,” I corrected. “Zyxel, I thank you for taking care of me and for this meal, but it would be unfair to the both of us if I allow you to stay here any longer. I don’t want to accidently lead you on. If I allowed you to comfort me, I would do just that. For now, could you please give me the space I need?”
Sadness filled his pale face as he retreated toward the door. I thought I saw his scales lighten, too, from rich crimson to pink.
He paused in front of the door to look over his shoulder.
“I’ve waited all my life to find you. I almost gave up on the idea of mates and love. While I understand we met under difficult circumstances, at a crossroads in both our lives, I hope you will give me a chance once things settle for you. I’m sorry that tonight ended this way, but know that ever since I received your Cryopod, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.”
Chapter Twenty
Kaede
The Abyss entered the asteroid belt almost a day early, thanks to ZYU and EYN working together to speed the vessel. While the ship wouldn’t be able to run at such high speeds for a long time, Kaede was pleased to be able to get in and out sooner than originally planned. The quicker he could get Selena to safety, the better. He wouldn’t feel safe until they crossed the boundary into their galaxy.
First, he needed to find the base’s exact location in this asteroid field.
“VYA, could you please send out our survey drones?” He turned to the crimson Oetsae projection. “We need to find evidence of mental signatures hidden within an asteroid.”
“On it.”
“REI, could you search for any lifeforms?”
“I can’t sense anything,” she replied, confused. “Other than a blank, void-like spot in front of us.”
“Send some drones over to that location, too.”
“Will do.”
“While that’s happening, let’s discuss a plan to break into this asteroid base,” Kaede announced, excited to finally be able to plan Selena’s rescue mission. “Anyone have any ideas?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Selena
Waking up alone in a room that wasn’t mine after a night like last night wasn’t an experience I wished to repeat. Crying myself to sleep hadn’t helped matters. I had returned at such a late hour that I hadn’t wanted to ask Vowels to call Celyze and retrieve me.
I had probably been harsh with Zyxel, but he wasn’t trying to understand how I felt or the position I was in. I knew some species swore themselves to their mates the same day they met, but I wasn’t like them.
My heart was still raw from my kidnapping and fear for my mates’ survival. How could I accept someone I hardly knew just because the Stars had decided it was time for us to meet?
The Stars may have granted me some amazing gifts recently, but I couldn’t be thankful when they had placed all my mates in danger of a slow death while I was absent.
All Zyxel wanted was for me to openly accept him and allow him to comfort me, yet he didn’t understand that I needed familiarity, not more unknowns.
“Vowels. Do you happen to know where Zyxel is?”
“He’s in the lifedome, fighting Luwyn.”
“Why is he fighting Luwyn?’
“He mentioned something about Luwyn challenging him to a battle for your honor, and the honor of all females in the universe.”
“Oh, Stars!”
I hadn’t known how common it was for males to battle each other over trivial matters until I met my mates. While my nestmates didn’t fight beyond some friendly sparring, I had witnessed enough aggression on Destima and this base to know it held true across many species.
If one male looked at another male’s mate the wrong way, he challenged him.
If a male spoke to someone another was interested in, he challenged them.
I suspected Luwyn was fighting Zyxel because Tori’s clan had found out about last night. Either she had sent Luwyn or he had come on my behalf.
All I had wanted was to try to clear things up between us. That was what I got for sleeping in late.
After roaming aimlessly through the halls, I had confirmed the discovery that every corridor and door was unlabeled. Zyxel had ensured I had an escort because, without one, I would have been lost. Luckily, Vowels was leading me via a map he had stored in his memory.
When I approached the lifedome’s entrance, the doors slid open, revealing a recently washed Ryzen staring directly at me. Without his robe, I could see the sleek physique he displayed proudly. He was dressed in black pants and a golden vest. His emerald runes and the streaks in his golden hair seemed as alive as his glowing emerald eyes.
Scanning his body, I couldn’t find any of his daggers sheathed on his body and wondered why they had been sitting next to him in his infirmary room if they weren’t important.
“You were the exact person I was hoping to speak to.” His voice was honey-thick with a smile. “I was wondering if you had time to talk.”
“Are you going to ask me about the sparring match?”
He frowned. “No… Should I?”
“Forget I mentioned that.” I waved him off. “Then, are you going to tell me that you think we are destined to be together?”
His smile dropped as his eyes hardened. “My kind doesn’t believe in mates and love.”
“Then we have nothing to worry about.” I giggled nervously, trying to change the subject. “So, what do you want to speak about?”
“I was wondering if we could speak privately about what happened yesterday.”
“As long as we speak in the open. I’m sick and tired of being cooped up and want to enjoy the air in the lifedome for a while.” I glanced behind him, searching for the crimson male, only to find him battling in the open field across from our entrance. “If that is okay with you?”
His face softened and he followed my gaze. “Those two are always fighting,” he chuckled. “I understand why you would want to stay in the lifedome. Much entertainment to be seen.”
“Exactly.”
“I know the perfect spot with a good view and some privacy.”
“Sounds good to me,” I muttered, perfectly happy to let him believe I had asked because I enjoyed watching sparring matches. Anything to avoid being alone in a room with him. I needed to make it a rule to never be alone with anyone I didn’t already trust. There were only so many weird confessions and rejections I could take.
I followed closely behind Ryzen, trying to keep one eye on Zyxel. He was still battling Luwyn. A crowd was beginning to form around them, cheering and placing bets on the spectacle.
We stopped on top of an incline, underneath a violet tree with leaves the size of my body blocking the lifedome’s UV light. It was a public place but secluded from the crowd, whom we coul
d watch without much difficulty.
He sat down onto the shimmering, rainbow-leaf-covered grass and patted a spot next to him. “Sit down. The ground makes a perfect seat from which to observe the action.”
“Is this what you do in your free time?” I asked, following his directions. I rubbed my hands along the multicolored blades, amazed at the grass’s texture. “You’re right! The ground is so soft.”
“I come here often between missions to think about future plans and how to execute them,” he muttered, surveying the lifedome. “The matches are a bonus.”
“I often thought about similar concerns before…” I closed my eyes, forcing back the memories and the emotions they were packaged with. “Before I came here.”
“Listen, Selena,” he murmured, grabbing my hand. The same calming warmth from the previous night coursed through my veins, making me open my eyes to face his blazing emerald gaze. “I want to formally apologize for my brother’s actions. What he did was wrong and uncalled for. I want you to know that I don’t agree with his methods, no matter the reason, and I have dealt with him.”
“What did you do to him?”
“Don’t worry about it, just know he isn’t my favorite person at the moment.” He winced as if it pained him to speak those words. “We may be twins, cut from the same cloth, but he has always been the more hotheaded one out of the two of us. Sometimes he acts before he thinks, then refuses to admit defeat. That is where I come in to tell him how wrong he is. If I tell him, he is more likely to agree and change. You should know that I am livid about the damage he’s caused and how he treated you.”
“If my mates… die”—my voice broke—“they take a part of me with them. I hope he understands that.”
“I will make sure he does,” he soothed. “I don’t know the level of sacrifices you’ve made—willingly and unwillingly—but I want to thank you for saving me.”
“It was the least I could do after hearing what a heroic deed you performed.” I licked my lips nervously, hoping he hadn’t caught word about Kaede. I had heard both twin brothers had a long telepathic range. What if they had already picked up on his mental signature? “Besides, your brother wouldn’t have allowed me off this asteroid if I hadn’t.”
