Page 17 of Fated to the Hunter (Xarc’n Warriors #13)

There it was! We’d finally found the first clue.

About fucking time too. For a moment there I was losing hope, and thought maybe we’d done-goofed and went to the wrong place. But now I was as sure as a conspiracy theorist at a UFO convention that we were on the right track.

We were in a girl’s room, a pre-teen, by the looks of it.

It was that special age in between where teddy bears and teen idols existed side-by-side.

But alongside her interest in nail polish and accessories—holy crap, was that a Vivian Westwood purse?

For a pre-teen?—were the proof of her other hobbies.

She must’ve been following in her dad’s footsteps with his love of science because there was a microscope on her desk, and the remnants of several discarded experiments. But my eyes were on the poster showing the different constellations above the desk.

And right there, calling my name from the very first row? The Pleaides! If I squinted, the stars almost formed a question mark.

I carefully peeled the poster off the wall, bringing it close so I could read the fine text under the image.

“Pleiades: the Stars with a Question,” I read out loud. “Well, duh! It’s not telling us to point to the stars with a question, but to point to the stars with the question.”

Bael’k looked confused. The symbol didn’t mean anything to him. To the best of my knowledge, the Xarc’n language didn’t have question marks and instead used special words to denote a query.

But he knew this discovery was big, and tried to match my energy anyway. Something in the moment made me wrap my arms around him, pulling him down to my level and planting a loud smooch on his lips. That left him looking even more confused, and it was utterly adorable.

How was it possible that such deadly warriors could look so cute? Seriously, they were like deadly marshmallows. Deadly marshmallows with bodybuilder bods. Who needed romance novels when I had one in real life?

I hooked my arm through his elbow. “Come on! Let’s go check out that top floor.”

There was only one door left, and I’d bet that one led to the roof. The aerial views of this place showed the dome-shaped room as well as an extensive rooftop garden. Despite years of neglect, it was still teeming with plant life, though it had looked pretty wild.

As we made our way up the stairs, I felt that sense of excitement filling me again. I felt so alive. Like I was born for this. Born to solve riddles, follow clues, and unearth treasures. Born to not just keep the knowledge, but also seek it.

Was this what had been missing in my life all these years? Excitement and adventure? I’d thought I’d wanted safety beyond all else, but now I wasn’t so sure.

I was still preoccupied with chasing this feeling of significance that seemed to stay one step beyond reach when I opened the ornate metal and frosted glass door and stepped outside.

I stepped out into the room with the domed ceiling.

A large telescope sat in the middle of the room, and several smaller ones were arranged in a semicircle around it.

An observatory! Of course the guy had his own observatory!

Bael’k jerked me back and muffled my startled cry with a hand.

He didn’t need to explain because I already saw them. Flyers. Dozens and dozens of them. All perched on the glass observatory dome.

What the fuck? They hadn’t been there before when we were outside.

My heart hammered as the shadows above shifted when another flyer landed, blocking out more of the midday sun.

I was reminded of the flyer that had charged the market, the one Bael’k had fought to save Garrett and me.

I wondered how I’d have reacted if I knew I’d be in this very situation just a few days later.

This was what I got for getting so relaxed in a Dead Zone! And to think we were speaking with each other in our normal voices. Was that why they were there? Did they hear us?

I must have a horseshoe stuck up my butt, because they hadn’t noticed us, despite my rather reckless entrance.

We backed away slowly, inch by inch, careful not to ruin our good luck.

Bael’k didn’t even bother with the door; he just continued inching down the stairs until we were back on the second floor.

He did shut this door, though, carefully and quietly.

“Where now?” I mouthed, hoping it was enough for his translator to pick up.

He pointed downstairs, and I nodded. We could come after dark and try the observatory again. I had a feeling we needed a clear night sky to solve the riddle.

Too bad we couldn’t rest in the master bedroom until then; that room was absolutely gorgeous.

I’d stepped into it and nearly forgot what I was looking for.

I was talking a giant velvet-draped four-poster bed that looked big enough to swallow me whole, a marble fireplace with a carved mantle that looked like it belonged in a magazine, and a wall that opened up, giving the occupant access to the huge balcony.

Who needed doors when the whole wall opened?

I was really hoping Bael’k and I could use that bed. Oh well.

At the back of the house, behind the rooms meant for the live-in nannies and maids, we’d been surprised to find an entire apartment just as opulently furnished as the rest of the home.

Judging from the very impressive gaming setup in the office, and the many anime girl posters and figurines on the wall, I could only assume it had been for an adult son who wanted some privacy from the family without actually living on his own and giving up daily professionally cooked meals and laundry service.

The bedroom wasn’t nearly as gaudily decorated as the office, though a single half-naked full-chested figurine did grace the nightstand.

He’d chosen an internal room in the house to make his bedroom, turning the room with the window into his office, which meant we had to use our lanterns to see.

But it made sense, especially if he tended to sleep in a lot, since the window was east-facing.

The bed was huge, a California king, and the sheets were so crisp and clean, the bed so neatly made, that I wondered if the bedding had been freshly laundered. I giggled, finding it hilarious, because no matter how fresh it was, it had to be at least six years old.

“What is funny?” Bael’k had an eyebrow raised almost comically high.

“Nothing. Just a silly thought.” I looked back at the bed again, an idea forming.

I took my pack off, then removed my jacket as well.

“What are you doing?”

“I was thinking maybe we just stay right here and wait out the flyers. The bed is clean, and it’s an internal room, so it's probably the safest choice. We need to wait until dark anyway. I say we chill out here.” My hoodie came off as well, along with my boots. “Plus, there’s a comfy bed.”

He looked pensive. “Yes. This is better than returning to the shuttle. It is too dangerous to leave the building right now.”

“That, and also, I think your shuttle is cock-blocking us,” I said honestly. I still hadn’t told him about our little conversation when he was away, but I planned to before we returned to the shuttle.

“That term is… descriptive. I am guessing it means it is preventing us from sharing sex.”

“Yup. That’s the drift. Think about it. Every time we touch, something happens. It even called Lenny just to get us to stop. And not to mention, it already told me it doesn’t like me.”

“When?” he asked, even as his stomach complained loudly about not having been fed.

It was past noon, and we hadn’t exactly eaten breakfast either, both of us being too excited or perhaps nervous about the mission.

Since we probably weren’t going to stay here for long, I wasn’t too worried about getting crumbs on the bed, but considering we’ve been outside in a Dead Zone, picking up who knew how much scourge fungal spores, I decided the outer layers had to come off, especially the pants.

“I’ll tell you as we eat. Pants off. On the bed,” I ordered as I peeled off my top.