Page 23 of Guardian’s Destiny (Space Guardian’s Mate #3)

VRAAX

Moddekdum kept grumbling as I moved him forward through the tunnels. Paddekah walked a few steps behind him, watching him as if her life depended on it, while Sloane brought up the rear. Even with a few paces between us, I could feel her displeasure. But I had no idea what it was about. I didn't think it was because we were here or because I blew up the ship; both things had been equally necessary. No, it happened after she asked what was next. I wrecked my brain for what could have triggered her disapproval. I told her we would go to the spaceport, hijack a ship, and get to Darlam…

A tiny niggle in the back of my brain tried to catch my attention, but I ignored it. I would take her to Astrionis after we were done with Darlam, that was the deal. She couldn't possibly be mad about that, could she? No. She was a warrior. She understood the necessity of our mission. After all, I had given her my word.

I thought once we grew closer—and we had—she would give up on the idea of going to Astrionis. I mean, what could possibly be there for her? We were mated—even though we hadn't had sex—but we were bound together. That counted for something. Had to, even for her.

"… get away…" I caught part of Moddekdum's last words.

"What are you mumbling about?" I hissed.

"I said, you know that you'll never get away with this," Moddekdum repeated.

"We'll see." I wasn't in the mood for a discussion with the Ohrur; my mind was still on Sloane. Fine , I decided, if she really wants to, if this really means so much to her, I'll go with her to Astrionis, she deserves it after helping me .

There, that should appease her.

"The entire planet will be swarming with Space Guardians," Moddekdum continued.

"Oh," Sloane exclaimed behind us, stepping away. I stopped to watch her investigate an opening in the sidewall. Using her comm, which she had grabbed before leaving the ship, she lit up another tunnel on the other side. Curiosity got the better of me, and I pushed Moddekdum forward, not worried about Paddekah, who seemed to follow wherever he went.

"What is this place anyway?" I asked Moddekdum.

"A warning of what will happen if we don't stay united," he mumbled. For whatever reason, he added, "It's the old world. From before the disease killed so many of us."

"You mean before you started your little civil war, killing nearly fifty percent of your population," Sloane shot at him over her shoulder.

Moddekdum threw her a hateful glare. We weren't supposed to know about this.

"Possedion sings like a bird." Sloane faced him. "I wonder, will you too?"

"What is she talking about?" Moddekdum ignored her, asking me.

"Oh, that," I waved my hand in front of his to bring the message home, "she cut off one of Possedion's hands and poisoned him. He told us everything there is to know, including the fact that we need three of your kind to get to Darlam."

Moddekdum opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and did it again. I suppressed my chuckle at finally seeing him speechless.

"She's a female," he hissed.

"Yeah, about that." Sloane narrowed her eyes at him. "What about us," she pointed at herself and Paddekah, "makes you think we're inferior somehow?"

"Because you are." Moddekdum still didn't look at her or Paddekah. It was as if after his short little scare, he had already dismissed her again. "Carrying and rearing children is all your kind is good for. You're nothing but a nuisance."

He glared at Paddekah, who shrank back into herself.

"There's something wrong with him." Sloane's hackles were raised, but her attention turned to an object in the middle of the tunnel that had caught her attention in the first place.

The object was pill-shaped, about double my height. It was long enough to transport several people. Come to think of it, that's what it looked like, some form of transport. I didn't think it flew, but… I checked around it and was sure it would have hovered over the ground at its prime, and it fit inside the tunnel perfectly.

"Oh." Sloane found a broken open entrance, and before I could warn her, she was already inside.

"Sloane, frygg." I cursed her. I knew she knew better. Hastily, and forgetting about the Ohrurs for the moment, I rushed after her.

Several dusty and in ill repair seats lined the inside, leaving a small path in between.

"It's like a train," Sloane said, running her fingers over the dust-crusted cushion of one of the benches.

It had only one exit. It was ideal to take a break for a while. We had been walking for a long time, and I didn't think we would make it to the spaceport anytime soon.

I leaned out and threw a glance at the two Ohrurs. Moddekdum sat leaning against the wall while Paddekah hovered close by, but she also looked exhausted.

"Come on in," I called.

Moddekdum didn't appear like he wanted to get up at first, but he must not have been very comfortable where he sat. He reached out a hand to his mate for her to help him up, and I ground my teeth watching her do just that.

The two entered the transport unit, where Sloane was still busy investigating every nook and cranny.

"It's dirty," Moddekdum complained. "I can't sit there."

Paddekah scurried forward, using the hem of her dress, which was already dirty from the fire, to clean the bench.

"You don't need to do that," I said, glaring at Moddekdum.

"Yes, she does. That's one of the few things she's good for." Moddekdum replied, making me want to punch him.

I didn't notice Sloane had joined us until she first gently pulled Paddekah to the side and then pushed—not so gently—Moddekdum down on the bench.

"There, stay!" She snarled at him.

Paddekah didn't say a word as she took a seat on another bench, wringing her hands.

I pulled the emergency pack I had grabbed on my way off the ship from my back and sorted through it, finding a few energy bars and small containers with liquid that would quench our thirst. I handed one of each to the Ohrurs and barely handed Sloane her share before I stopped Paddekah as she was about to empty her liquid pouch onto her skirt, most likely to clean Moddekdum's bench.

"No, that's yours to drink," I told her.

She looked petrified as she scooted back from me. I didn't like that I scared her, but I wasn't about to take the time to prove to her that I wasn't a threat. Like it or not, she was our hostage, but I wouldn't sit by while Moddekdum took advantage of her or mistreated her.

I sat down next to Sloane, and we ate our bars.

"Are you tired?" I asked her.

"Not really." The gleam in her eyes supported her statement. "This is really something else," she indicated the transporter. "This city must have been amazing."

Moddekdum scoffed. "It's nothing but a reminder of what happens when your species weakens."

"So you destroyed the old cities and built new ones?" Sloane asked.

For a moment, I thought I needed to get up and hit Moddekdum over the head to remind him that we were in charge here, but after a few breaths, he deigned to answer Sloane's question. "It wasn't done on purpose. It just happened, but once it did, yes, we left the ruins as reminders and turned them into forbidden grounds."

"Why did you build right next to them? Was that as a reminder, too?" Sloane kept peppering him with questions.

Moddekdum shrugged. "All this was once one big city; we just never fixed the destroyed parts."

Silence reigned after that. Moddekdum closed his eyes, and I noticed that Paddekah waited until he fell asleep before she closed her eyes as well.

"What a strange couple," I remarked.

"He would have left her to die in their house. He didn't even stop to help her." Sloane's voice was filled with anger.

I had never thought about the Ohrur's male and female relationships. Neither had I really any other species, but I knew of a few who didn't treat their females right. Apparently, the Ohrurs were one of them.

"She doesn't seem to mind," I observed.

"She doesn't, does she?" Sloane threw a glance in their direction, shaking her head, and I had a feeling that had I been the one leaving Sloane in a burning house, I wouldn't have lived to tell the tale. Not that I ever would have. I would have rather burned myself than leave her behind. That thought should have startled me, but it didn't. I'd already accepted that I felt stronger about this female than I had about anybody else, ever.

"I'm too wired to rest, but if you want to close your eyes for a while, I'll wake you in a few, and we can take turns sitting watch."

I didn't like the idea of sleeping while she was taking watch, but I was practical enough to realize that we were a team and she was a more than capable team member. It would have been stupid to decline her offer. We would need all our wits for the next couple of days to make it off Ohrur.

"Wake me," I insisted.

"Trust me, I will."

My lips still burned from the quick kiss earlier, and I would have loved to do so again. I wanted her more than anything ever before, but it would have to wait.