Page 15

ALICE

Astrionis wasn't at all what I had expected. Even Tatooine offered more tech than Astrionis did. Xyrek's spaceship was the only thing that screamed advanced technologically.

Don't get me wrong, the planet was breathtaking in its own right. Beautiful beyond anything I had ever seen before. Gnarly, humongous root-like branches arched out of the ground and rose up high into the sky. People were coming and going out of them, making me wonder if they lived inside them. Grass, taller than Xyrek, surrounded the spot where we had landed.

A tall man with metallic shimmering skin stood a few feet away from the gangway we used to disembark. Next to him stood a human woman, and I couldn't help but gape at her. She was beautiful, dressed in shimmering clothes that had a medieval quality to them. What struck me more, though, was how she leaned into the alien man, how he had his arm around her, and how much they obviously loved each other. A pang of regret and envy ricocheted through my heart, constricting my chest. I risked a quick glimpse at Xyrek as he approached the couple. In a few hours, I would never see him again.

Somehow, I had gotten used to his abrasive nature and asshole-ish ways, and the thought of never seeing or talking to him again hurt. I tried to tell myself that it was only the familiarity that I would miss, that I wasn’t attached, but deep down, I knew that wasn't true.

"Good to see you, Space Guardian…" the metallic man offered his hand to Xyrek.

"Xyrek," Xyrek said, taking the man's arm by the elbow and gripping it, just like the other did to him. "Lord Protector Garth, I presume."

"That's me, and this is my mate, Lady Silla." The other alien introduced the woman by his side. I still wasn't over how good the two of them looked together, like a perfect power couple. Besides the strange skin, he was a very handsome man, especially with that long, black hair with highlights that shimmered in the same tones as his skin. "I see you brought us more refugees."

"As requested," Xyrek agreed, nodding at Lady Silla, who sent a sweet smile at him, which caused a strange resentment to grow in my stomach.

"Well, I'm glad one of you is still fulfilling the emperor's orders," Garth sounded a bit bitter.

"I heard there were some disruptions," Xyrek allowed.

"So you haven't found your Soulweb Glyph mate yet?" Lady Silla asked, almost looking sad.

"Soulweb, what?" Xyrek asked, his eyes paused on me as I made my way down the gangway with the others.

"The mating marks? You haven't gotten them yet?"

Xyrek stiffened, then pulled up his sleeve. "These?"

"Oh," Silla clapped her hands together. "Yes. Who is she? Where is she?"

I tried to melt into the group of the others, supporting Ava, but Xyrek called for me, "Alice."

With a sigh, I smiled apologetically at Ava, who looked surprised but nodded as I walked over to where Xyrek stood.

"Show them," he instructed.

My hackles rose at his command, but I figured this wasn't the time to cause a scene about his bossiness or lack of manners, and I rolled up my sleeve enough so that Silla could see some of the strange markings.

"Oh," Silla exclaimed again, clapping her hands before pulling me into her embrace. "Another sister. Isn't that wonderful, Garth?"

"I'm delighted," Garth replied dryly. "Does that mean you're no longer going to work on the rescue mission either?"

"Oh, leave him alone. Daryus will just have to take it up with the Ohrurs and hire more Space Guardians." Silla said, and it didn't escape me how easily she used the name Daryus while referring to the Emperor of the Pandraxian Empire, who I’d learned from Xyrex was one of the most powerful men in the universe.

"I'm so happy for you two."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed others approaching my group. Pandraxians and humans alike. None looked as bedraggled as our group. They looked healthy and well taken care of. Garth's eyes moved over our group for the first time, and his brows creased. "Where did you get Pandraxians? Don't tell me from the Ohrurs?"

Xyrek startled. "In a way. Some are from Morrakbarr, others from the Cryons."

Garth ran a hand through his hair, and Silla grabbed his arm, sending a this is bad look at me.

"We need to talk," Garth pressed out.

"I need to take care of the refugees," Silla looked torn between her stated duty and the need to stay close to her husband. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, cinna." He lightly kissed her forehead, and there was so much love and tenderness in that kiss that my insides heated. God, I want this . So much . I had never thought about a husband and family, but on the rare occasions I had a boyfriend, I liked the easy camaraderie and familiarity. My problem was that I hated the dating part with a passion. I hated the initial Do you like your coffee white or black questions. Inevitably, my relationships broke, mostly because of my inability to commit to investing deeper feelings. Sometimes, I thought I was broken. That I would never be capable of loving another person or even truly caring. I feared I’d damaged a piece of myself beyond repair when I shut out my family—even though cutting them off was the only way I knew how to survive. But deep down, I had always wanted what Silla and Garth seemed to have.

"Well, that's it then." I moved the tip of my foot through the dirt on the ground and noticed how different it was from Earth, but I couldn't bring myself to analyze or contemplate it further. My heart constricted at being forced to say goodbye to Xyrek. "Thank you for everything."

"Don’t get all emotional about it, engineer. Try not to break anything without me around to fix your messes," he replied, and a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. My heart was heavy; somehow, I had hoped for something more meaningful, something maybe like he'd miss me. Get real , Alice. I straightened my shoulders, nodded at him, and followed Silla, who gave me a strange look.

"Ah, hold on, I almost forgot," I turned at the sound of Xyrek's voice, who held out a comm to me, while Garth frowned. "I added some streams for you about our tech, how it works, how to fix things…" for a moment he looked lost, like adding the next words caused him physical pain, "and I thought maybe now and then we could talk to each other… in case you need anything or… just want to… uhm, talk."

For some stupid reason, my heart flip-flopped when I took the comm from him. He had already given me the tools; this was more than I could have expected, and tears threatened to well in my eyes. My throat constricted; there was no way I could force out a coherent word without breaking down, so I plastered a smile on and nodded in gratitude. I swallowed, needing to say something. Xyrek was already turning back to Garth.

"Thank you. I would like that. And I really hope you'll find what you're looking for," I managed, swallowing a few more times, but proud that my voice didn't break.

He didn't look at me again, but I knew he heard me. With a sigh, I rushed after Silla, who frowned at me. "What was all that about? You two are not leaving together?"

I shook my head, "No, why would we?"

"Ahm, the mating marks?" she looked confused.

I shrugged, "They're just something that happened. We have no idea why; he's going to find out, though," I added with more conviction than I felt.

"And then he's coming back for you?"

"I don't think so. We don't exactly… we're not… It's complicated."

"Oh honey, it always is with these aliens," Silla laughed, startling me. "Trust me, they're big oafs, but putty once they admit you're the one."

"Yeah, not us," I doubled down.

"It's interesting, though," Silla continued as if I hadn't said a word, "you two don't have any problems being apart?"

"Why would we?" I stopped.

"Well, it's really none of my business, but the others?—"

I interrupted her right there. "What others?"

"You don't know?"

"I don't know anything," I admitted.

"It's a long story. Let me take care of the refugees first, and then we'll have a chat?"

I was burning to find out what she meant by the others , but she was right. My fellow refugees looked like they'd been through hell. I probably didn't look much better, but at least I had been able to have a small break for the last two days.

"Oh, this is Ava," I pulled my friend out of the line, "she's pregnant. Do you have a doctor or someone who can take a look at her?"

"Of course. Hi Ava, I'm Silla," Silla introduced herself. The rest of her words were lost on me as my gaze moved to Xyrek and Garth, standing by his ship, talking.