Page 26 of Guardian’s Destiny (Space Guardian’s Mate #3)

SLOANE

Arkhevari!

Neither pride nor happiness filled me at the mention of Zapharos’s species, validating that I had made the right decision by staying. I was still too worried about Zapharos to have any strong emotions over having been proven right.

For some reason, Zapharos’s people were involved with the Darlams and now with the Pandraxians. This couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

"The Arkhevari," the ancient looking Ohrur—who could have very well been twenty-thousand years old—filled Vraax in, "are old gods, the creators of all life and all the universe. They are all knowing and ever present." I suppressed a grin, Zapharos was definitely an all knowing, pretentious ass. But I wished he was ever present, because then I wouldn't need to get to Pandrax to save this ungrateful son of a bitch.

"They are the fathers and mothers of most intelligent life in the universe. Their gift to those lifeforms is the Archegene. A gene that elevates the chosen species’ consciousness to the highest level. The Darlams were their latest creation. Young, the Archegene was strong in them. Their sense of right and wrong was as predominant as their love for one another and their respect for the planet they lived on as well as all the lifeforms on it."

I arched an eyebrow; his words sounded like a lot of mumbo jumbo to me.

"So the Darlams were the perfect beings? The closest you could get to the gods ?" I asked, unable to pronounce gods without sarcasm, because, come on, if this was true and Vraax was a descendant of the gods , I would never hear the end of it. Some of his words, however, rang true, like Vraax's claim that he could see and feel the evil aura among criminals. Which reminded me, I threw a short covert glance at him; I wondered how he felt about these other Ohrurs. Did he sense any evilness from them like he had with Possedion and Moddekdum?

"Yes," Byalbor confirmed, eliciting a silent groan from me. Fuck .

I could physically feel Vraax grinning at me, and I refused to look at him to give him any satisfaction of seeing me cringe.

"What did the Ohrur do with the Darlams?" I asked.

"They terminated them all, harvested the Archegene, and put the entire planet under quarantine to discourage any other species from investigating it. They used a lie, saying a disease killed most of our people, when in fact a civil war broke out at the Krythar Order's action. A civil war that raged for several years and destroyed many of our best cities, like this one," Byalbor waved his hand around him.

"So what is Vraax?" I hated asking this question, I hated the way I worded it, and I hated knowing that I was hurting him, but I had to ask, and for me, the most direct approach was always my preferred method.

"An enigma," Byalbor answered.

I could see Vraax's head swelling without looking at him. Great, so he wasn't just a descendant of gods; he was an enigma as well. Just wonderful.

"The mating marks?" Vraax turned the conversation.

"Oh, yeah. It is said that the Arkhevari prided themselves in having found a way to stay forever with their fated mates through reincarnation. It's a gift they bestowed on all their children. And with the Darlams being so close to them, their bonds were one of the purest and strongest."

"Okay, I guess I can accept that. What I don't understand, though, is why the Space Guardians, if they're a gene manipulation of the Darlams, would find their fated mates with us, human women." I argued.

Byalbor scratched his sharp chin deep in thought. "That, my dear, is an excellent question. For which I need more detail, about you. You said you are a human?"

"From Earth, yes," I confirmed.

"Where is Earth? How old is it? Do you have fated mates in your world? How much contact with other species have you had?" The old man shoots his questions at me like bullets from a machine gun, much faster than his feeble body should be capable of.

Helplessly, I looked at Vraax, whose expression was just like I feared it would be, smug beyond belief. I groaned.

"The Cryons discovered Earth a few months Galactic Standard Time back. They've been plundering it since. The Pandraxians have put a stop to it because they too found their fated mates, without mating marks, in the humans. Males and Females," Vraax informed Byalbor. "I don't know where Earth is located, but I can find out and give you the coordinates. As for how old? And fated mates?" He turned questioningly at me.

It was my turn to shrug. "As far as we know, Earth is a few million years, Earth time, old. Humans have been around for a few hundred thousand years—we're not sure. Your official time calculation began about two thousand years before; we have records of times going back, ah…" My mind drew a blank; it had been a few years since my last history lesson. "… another few thousand years. As far as fated mates are concerned." Another helpless shrug I knew Byalbor couldn't see followed. "Some of our cultures believe in reincarnation and or soulmates. But it's not something that's widespread. And I haven't heard of a combination of the two."

"Who are your ancestors?" Byalbor asked.

"Well…" I hedged, "humans? I'm not a historian, and as far as I know, our scientists believe we came from the apes."

"Apes?" Byalbor had to add.

"Some form of animal on our planet."

"No species comes from animals. There is the reason why we think and they don't." Byalbor stated with finality.

Helplessly, I looked around the table, but none of the others could help or support me.

"Nobody had ever heard of Earth before the Cryons invaded it." Vraax stepped up to the plate.

"Hmm, hmm. I need to do more research." Byalbor rose, and Craygh and Zoyab moved forward to help him. "Do you have a functioning comm?"

Vraax nodded at me, and I handed mine to Zoyab's outstretched hand, hoping I would get it back. If not, I was sure we would be able to replace it, and Vraax still had his.

"Will you stay with us for the night?" Hyugh invited.

"We have to get to the spaceport and get on a ship," Vraax said. "We need to get to Darlam."

"The spaceport is a few days’ march from here," Hyugh told us, causing Vraax to curse. "But we still have functioning transporters. We don't like to use them; we worry it might draw attention from the Krythar Order. Still, I can have one available for you tomorrow morning; it would only be a short ride."

"In that case, we would be very happy for your generous hospitality." Vraax inclined his head in gratitude. "Do you have a safe place for our hostages?"

"We will keep Moddekdum safe, and if you have me, I would gladly replace the female so she can start a new life here." Craygh offered, looking at Hyugh for permission, who nodded.

"My nuvala stays with me," Moddekdum protested.

"I hope you have accommodations that are not too comfortable for him," I ignored Moddekdum.

So did Hyugh, "Oh, I have just the right place for him."

"I need him alive," Vraax warned.

"This is an outrage," Moddekdum sputtered as Craygh waved another soldier forward and told him where to take the Ohrur.

"I will see you in the morning for breakfast. Hopefully, Chronarch Byalbor will have more information for you then. In the meantime, if you need anything, servants will be around your quarters."

"Servants?" Vraax raised an eyebrow.

Hyugh nodded. "I don't think guards will be necessary. It sounds to me that we might be able to be of beneficial use to one another."

"If I persuade my fellow Space Guardians to stand down while you take back the surface?" Vraax observed astutely.

A grin spread over Hyugh's face. "It would benefit both our species."

I could hear Vraax's unspoken comment, whatever species that is , and grabbed his forearm for support. I wanted him to know that I was there for him.

"Right," Vraax nodded.

"Sayfor, here will take you to your rooms." Hyugh nodded at another servant. The man looked young and nervous.

"If you will follow me," he stuttered, walking to the hallway from which we had entered this room.

The room he brought us to was more than I had expected. I especially hadn't expected a window, but it was there, with a view of a large circular area, where I caught glimpses of Ohrurs going about their daily business.

A large bed took over one side of the room, and on the other was a small sitting arrangement. A second door led into a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink. They looked old, worn, and utilitarian, but it all worked. I had a hard time believing that they were thousands of years old; they were still far superior to anything I had ever seen on Earth.

"I hope you're not going to make me sleep on these chairs." Vraax called from the other room.

Was I?

My body tingled when I recalled our earlier kiss.

"Let's get cleaned up and go from there," I said, exiting the bathroom. "All yours."

"That's okay, I can wait," he was sitting in one of the tiny chairs—made for the much shorter Ohrurs—and looking at me with such a despondent expression, I giggled. Rushing back into the bathroom, I snorted as I pressed my hand in front of my mouth, hoping he hadn't seen or heard me. It was good for him to think I was going to make him sleep in the chair.

It took me a little bit to figure out how the shower worked, but once it did, it was heavenly. Real water rushed down on me, rinsing out all the filth of last night sleeping in that old dusty… subway car—for lack of a better word. I also had some time to reflect on Vraax and the things that had been said earlier. Again, Arkhevari had been mentioned, and I asked myself if this would be a good time to bring up Zapharos and my mission. I could throw some hints out and see where things went from there. I had a deep, nagging feeling that we needed to compare notes . Too many paths were leading in the same direction to be mere coincidences any longer. It seemed more like a powerful manipulator was pushing us toward something. By powerful, I meant truly powerful, because some of this shit, like the mating marks… I shook my head; they were beyond understanding. That wasn't to say I would start to believe in some almighty god creature, but like the famous Sherlock Holmes said, when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth, or in layman's terms, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck … it didn't necessarily mean a god like being was at work here. I was sure that as far as technology went in this universe, I had only scraped the top of the iceberg.

Thoughtfully, I stared at the brownish water rinsing off me. Climbing through the ruins hadn't done me any favors, but after a while, the water finally cleared, and I felt like a new woman. There was no drying cycle here like I had become used to on the Pandraxians' and Vraax's ship, but a quick search resulted in a few towels in a hidden compartment. They were worn thin, with stains that no bleach would ever get out, but they smelled fresh. Clad in only that, I reentered the bedroom, where Vraax was still playing with the chairs.

"I'm done," I announced.

He turned and stared at me as if I had grown wings. "What?"

"What are you wearing?"

I snickered. "Towels."

"Towels?"

"There is no drying cycle in the shower; you need to rub yourself down with this." I fingered the thin material, realizing that it was clinging to parts of me. The devil rode me as I twirled for him. "Like it?"

"I…" I had never seen my hunky alien speechless before. His mouth opened and closed while his eyes roamed my body up and down. He licked his lips. "You look… nice…" he finally finished.

"Nice?" Oh, he was making this way too easy. "Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

He let go of the chairs he had been trying to arrange into something he could sleep in. His eyes burned with hunger, sending a flutter through my stomach. Slowly, ever so slowly, he walked closer to me. With each step he took, the sensation in my stomach intensified. I knew I was playing with fire, but dammit, I wanted him.

"Sexy?" his voice was hoarse as the distance between us shrank.

"Beautiful?" he was standing right in front of me now.

"Irresistible?" His hand moved forward and cupped the side of my head, and I nudged it deeper into his palm.

"Driving me mad?" His face was only inches from mine.

"Gorgeous." his lips came down, and I tilted my head up in anticipation.

Our mouths were so close, I felt his breath. I closed my eyes.

"First, I should take a shower, though."

"Don't you dare." My eyes opened, and my arm shot around him to keep him close.

He laughed tantalizingly.

"I think a little kiss won't hurt."

I wanted to kick him, but then his lips finally crashed down on mine, and I forgot that he had irritated me because… dear God! An electric fire rushed through my veins, incomparable to anything I had ever experienced before. His other hand draped around the small of my back, pulling me against his hard erection, drenching my pussy. His tongue licked against my lips until I opened my mouth to welcome him in. Shit even my knees were turning into a wobbly mess.

I wasn't sure who broke the kiss first, but his forehead leaned against mine, and his breath was coming out hotter and more erratic than before, matching the rhythm of my heartbeat.

"Frygg, Sloane…" his voice was deep and hoarse.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Frygg."

I gently pushed him from me, "Shower," I reminded him.

His dark eyes burned into mine, and he slowly backed up toward the bathroom.

"Hurry," my voice was just as deep and hoarse as his. With a wicked grin, I let the towel drop to the ground, showing him my nakedness.

"Frygg, Sloane…" his head shook from side to side.

I turned, giving him a view of my backside as I took my time walking to the bed, making sure my hips did that sexy wiggle I had seen in movies before I slipped under the covers. "Hurry."