Page 26 of Space Daddy’s Guide to the Galaxy (Villains in Space #2)

26

ZIGGY

Why isn’t he getting this?

At this point, Micah had been demonstrating his abilities to Leeloo for hours—quite impressively, I might add—but he was clearly losing patience with himself. The Eki seemed confident my stellar collision could accomplish everything they’d been demonstrating for him, but whenever he attempted to manipulate an object from afar, he faltered.

My mate should be able to do this.

He can do anything!

Granted, I hadn’t yet encountered an Eki when I’d declared Micah as the most impressive creature in all the galaxies, but their powers seemed comparable. They both could conjure complex objects from simple, inorganic particles, including weapons and shields even a Stellarian couldn’t infiltrate.

Uulvin said Micah’s shields were more advanced than the Eki’s.

I wonder what they meant by that…

While Micah regrouped, my gaze drifted to our surroundings. The makeshift training ring was an otherwise vacant helipad positioned below what I assumed was another surface level entry point. Unlike where the Lodger was parked, this one was on the outskirts of the city, with towering skyscrapers in one direction and what appeared to be farmland in the other, judging by the recently tilled, no doubt nutrient-rich volcanic soil.

All this did was deepen the mystery surrounding this species. Between the crops, the fortified city, and the nature of their powers, the Eki were a wholly self-sufficient society.

So why did they let us in?

And why take outside jobs on other planets?

“I-I’m not sure this is gonna work,” Micah announced in a shaky voice, bringing my attention back to him.

“It will,” Leeloo decisively replied. “Try again.”

My mate puffed out a breath and refocused on the thin gutter of lava surrounding the helipad with an expression so uncharacteristically serious, I wondered if another Stellarian had taken over.

Impossible.

Since I’m the only one allowed inside him.

“I can’t do it,” Micah sighed after a full minute of no results, his shoulders drooping in defeat. “I just don’t have the space wizard Force.”

Oh, sunshine.

Watching the most important person in my life struggle—combined with keeping my abilities under wraps—was making me restless, but I wasn’t sure how to help.

Or if he wants my help at all…

Leeloo cocked their hooded head. “How do you create your shields, My-kuh?”

Micah chewed his bottom lip. “Well… I combine whatever particles are on hand and push them outward. With my shield, I’m kind of just… holding everything in place about a millimeter above my skin.”

So incredibly impressive.

The Eki hummed thoughtfully. “What about when you create shields for others—like with the child?”

Micah adorably scrunched up his face, and I realized his amazing abilities came so naturally to him, he rarely thought about how they worked.

“In that case, I think I’m… pulling in particles from the air,” he murmured, gesturing vaguely. “And then sealing the shields around whoever?—”

“Show me on Zig-ee,” Leeloo interrupted, and I froze.

What?!

Micah met my gaze before nervously glancing at Leeloo. “I-I’m not sure…”

The Eki clasped their hands behind their back and stepped closer. “Surely you have shielded your less powerful mate before?”

“He…” Micah cleared his throat, radiating anxiety. “He doesn’t like it. Gets… claustrophobic.”

Now, Leeloo was staring at me, and I knew our hesitation was starting to look suspicious.

Fuck.

“It’s all right, Micah.” I smiled brightly, sending soothing energy through our bond. “If it helps your training, I don’t mind.”

I definitely minded. Just the idea of being encased in an impenetrable barrier was making my true form writhe beneath the surface, wanting to star hop away from the threat.

Breathe, Ziggy.

Micah is not a threat.

“Pretend he is your enemy,” Leeloo coolly said, and Micah shrank backwards. “So instead of creating shields to protect Zig-ee, create a cage to trap him.”

It took every ounce of self-control to remain outwardly calm, but I schooled my Earthling face into a placid mask and nodded at my mate.

Let’s get this over with .

“I’m sorry, Zig,” Micah whispered before he stripped me of everything I was.

The instant the shields locked tight, the discomfort I’d experienced while in Uulvin’s cave washed over me—only this time, it felt magnified, like a tidal wave of distress.

Because it’s being caused by my mate.

My body was vibrating with the need to flee, and since a Stellarian rarely backed down from a fight, this helplessness was simultaneously terrifying and humiliating.

“He truly hates this, hmm?” Leeloo calmly observed, circling me like a predator. “Such a visceral reaction.”

“Yeah…” Micah eyed me with concern as I inwardly unraveled. “It’s not his favorite. Can I remove?—”

“Your shields are still lacking… something.” The Eki raised a hand, hovering it over the invisible surface, taunting me with freedom.

Let. Me. Out.

Instead of dissolving my prison like I knew they could, Leeloo glanced at Micah. “You are familiar with Stellarians, correct?”

My mate blinked. “Y-yes. We were on Stellaria recently, when we found the egg?—”

“Do you understand how they take over another’s body?” the Eki continued conversationally. “How the process works, that is.”

Letmeoutletmeout…

Micah was visibly sweating, shifting on his feet as his gaze darted between us. “From what I’ve heard, they connect to their host like synapses in the brain and then control the bodily systems from there?”

He replied as if he wasn’t certain, but my stellar collision knew firsthand what it felt like for me to control his movements from the inside out. It was a trick we both enjoyed. I would force him to touch himself during playtime, to bring himself to the edge of completion, only to stop right before he tumbled over the edge.

Usually while keeping him under.

Not even the thought of my mate at the mercy of my desires could quell the panic bubbling up within me, so I begged for help in the only way I could.

LET ME OUT!

Micah gasped as his hand uncontrollably jerked upward, reaching for the shields entrapping me as I desperately manipulated the piece of my core lodged inside him.

Please…

“Not yet!” Leeloo lifted a scolding finger, making me rage. “I need you to think about how a Stellarian controls living cells—organic matter, if you will. It’s a similar process to how we control inorganic material.”

Even though I could feel his growing anxiety on my behalf, Micah gave the suggestion careful consideration. “But I can’t connect with the lava directly…”

“You can,” the Eki interrupted, still sounding as patient as when this exercise began. “It is a series of smaller chain reactions, from particle to particle, until you connect with your mark. You are already doing it when you create items—like with your shields—but you can use this same method for destructive purposes, to both assemble and disassemble.”

Despite my distress, I couldn’t help recalling when we’d first learned of a similar duality from the lone Stellarian survivor of Theo’s massacre.

“Earthlings are capable of both destruction and creation, so why not us?”

The signs were always there. Even Stellaria’s two smaller moons— Genero and Interitus— translated as creation and destruction.

Meanwhile, our largest moon, Apotelesma, meant the effect of the stars on human destiny, because it was humans—Earthlings—specifically who were uniquely suited for us to meld our consciousness with. As Bron had once explained, humans and Stellarians were the perfect symbiotic match.

“A species easily inspired to create and destroy, and a creature eager to serve as inspiration for either.”

Like a pair of muses.

Like stellar collisions.

There was a time I’d felt I couldn’t handle the weight of this knowledge, especially after being raised to believe a Stellarian’s only purpose was to conquer everything in their path. Now I knew the narrative had been a lie. We were made to benevolently coexist with our hosts, to collaboratively guide their thoughts toward a common goal.

Like true partners.

“Could you imagine if you were able to combine your power with that of a Stellarian’s, My-kuh?” Leeloo asked.

Excuse me?

I snapped back to the present to witness Micah’s anxiety give way to signature scientific curiosity. “That would be awesome, actually.”

“It would.” The Eki’s gaze drifted to the empty air above Micah’s head before returning to his face. “I want you to pretend you have command over both realms—inorganic and organic. Lead with the inorganic matter and use it to push the organic. Mastering that will allow you to cause greater chain reactions, to create stronger and larger shields.”

Micah’s cheeks darkened as he shyly dropped his gaze. “I did create shields large enough to protect an entire building once…”

And an entire island.

Leeloo nodded once, as if coming to a decision. “It sounds like you already have everything you need inside you.”

Again, Micah and I froze, and I internally cursed being unable to unleash my tendrils to taste whether the Eki was harboring any suspicions about our unique connection.

“In other words…” they breezily continued. “You simply need to trust what you are made of. Trust yourself.”

“What I’m made of…” Micah murmured before shaking his head and refocusing on his assignment with renewed determination.

It was my turn to gasp as he pulled from the piece of me inside him, guiding our combined energy through the air to manipulate the lava upward into a perfectly controlled arc. The glowing substance hovered in the air for a moment before gracefully returning to the aqueduct without a drop spilled.

Amazing.

But… why not simply do it himself?

“Well done!” Leeloo clapped their hands before glancing at me. “You may release your mate now.”

Thank fuck.

Micah immediately dissolved my shields, and it was only thanks to my finely-honed self-control that I hid the raw relief coursing through me.

Let’s never do that again.

My stellar collision gave me an apologetic smile before turning to the Eki. “Thank you for your guidance, Leeloo. I think I understand what it takes now.”

Hmph…

I wasn’t sure I agreed with that statement. Yes, Leeloo had waxed poetic about leading the organic with the inorganic, but the only particles Micah had just manipulated were air and lava.

No carbon detected.

My heart sank as I realized why my mate still believed I needed to be involved.

He still doesn’t believe in himself.

This exceptionally powerful superhuman seemed determined to dismiss his own greatness, despite being worlds more impressive than me, than almost everyone I’d ever encountered in my travels.

Sounds like some one-on-one training is needed.

“Will that be all for today, Leeloo?” I called out, ensuring my tone relayed there was only one correct answer to that question.

The Eki wisely inclined their head before silently leading us back into the heart of the city. I dutifully plodded after them as Micah chatted away, exercising my self-control yet again to not immediately star hop my mate to our room.

Because it’s time for him to learn.