Page 114 of The Alien Warrior's Vow

Eema pressed her palm against his cheek, liquid glimmering in her eyes. “I love you, Lans.”

He pressed a kiss into her palm.

Sucked in a deep breath.

She pulled her hands away and turned to face the exits. “I’ll do my part, you big brute. Make sure you come home.”

Thirty-Three

Eema

They weavedthrough the grass under the cover of night. Alien insects sang throaty songs around them. She heard a beeping in her ears and a programmed voice spoke, “Plant here.”

She placed the marker in the grass. Turned. Placed another marker.

The other women worked beside her, staying alert and quiet. A large moon hovered over them, a brilliant black sky in the background. The twin planet she once considered a menacing threat, now hovered like an overprotective older brother.

Slowly, bit by bit, this planet had started to feel like home.

Or maybe it was Lans who had started to feel like home and his planet had grown on her because of it.

“Plant here.”

She did.

With Lilliana beside them, they should have been chattering and catching up a mile a minute. All of them had secretly wished to meet and stay with Ga Eun in person, especially sinceallher gifts were fabulous indicators of her sense of style and ability to merge both alien and human elements into one.

But the mood was somber.

Still.

Serious.

The success of the plan rested on their shoulders.

If this first step faltered, they would fail.

And no one could laugh and chat with the stakes so high.

Emma worked until her basket of markers were empty. The exoskeleton barely made a whirr as she straightened. It felt strange to not be in Helix’s bulky armor. This metal stuck too close to the skin and felt too thin to offer much protection. But Rune had assured them all that the material was ten times stronger than the zaptens and could move ten times faster.

That much she believed.

Rune was a genius.

The wind blew through the tall, blue alien reeds. The eerie moonlight lit their path as they sprinted away from the markers.

Chozo’s voice squawked from the earpiece she wore. “Good work, ladies.”

“How are the guys faring?” Emma asked, tapping the earpiece.

“They’re trying to galvanize the troops with a rousing speech.”

“Is it working?” Simone asked.

“Erm,” Chozo cleared his throat, “sort of. The Ungazi threat is enough of a reason to work together for now, but they’ll need to be more convincing in the future.”

“There won’tbea future if we don’t stop the Ungazi,” Sara mumbled.