Page 21

Chapter Twenty-One

MAYA

T he skin on my neck prickles at Volan’s sudden change of demeanor. He’s demanding. He’s suspicious.

And I’m suddenly very much aware that I’ve left the safety of Eve’s Rest to go off with a mysterious alien that could very easily kill me if he wished to. No one even knows I’m here.

For someone so smart, I can sure be an idiot.

“I can trust you, right?” I ask, my body suddenly trembling before him. “It’s not like we’re enemies or anything… right?”

Right?

I trust Volan, don’t I?

I’m going to have to trust him.

I don’t have a choice. Have I ever? All my life has been one desperate move after another. Have I ever had the opportunity to actually decide anything for myself, to control my own fate?

I hate it. I haven’t trusted someone this thoroughly for a long time. Volan could hurt me, seriously. Not just physically either. The problem is that over the last few days, I’ve come to actually like the guy. And the problem with that is that it means I actually have started to care what he thinks.

I want him to like me.

I don’t have any choice but to trust him.

But maybe he deserves my trust too. He’s answered every one of my questions, often letting me ramble and talk, content to just listen. He has guided me somewhat safely here and even protected me from danger… twice. It’s my own experiences and hangups that cause me to not trust men. I’m always seeing the worst in men, going so far as to find reasons not to trust them.

But he’s not a man. At least, not a human man. He’s definitely male—last night proved that.

Volan deserves more from me.

“It’s a long story,” I tell him. “I don’t even know where to begin, to be honest.”

“We have time, halvi,” Volan replies. He has a pretty good poker face, but the guy can’t seem to help the way his eyes soften whenever he looks at me. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing that his species uses luminae to communicate emotions more than they do facial expressions. Or maybe I’m just that good at reading him.

Still, it seems the very fact that I’m willing to talk to him is enough to release some of the energy within him. His shoulders relax ever so slightly, like he had been holding his breath and suddenly found a reason to let it out.

Did he expect me to lie to him, just as much as I expected him to trick me? All of my reservations… they aren’t his fault. They are simply a product of my life experiences.

An excuse is on the tip of my tongue. An excuse to just walk away from him and block him out from my life, like I do so many people. Yet, he’s just as nervous as I am about my response. It’s like he actually cares. It’s like he thinks that I am worth waiting for. It’s that reason alone that gives me the strength to finally talk.

“When my friend, Ariana, went missing from the colony, everyone thought she was dead. Caught and eaten by some wild beast, they said. It didn’t help that Eve went missing several months before this, either.”

I shake my head at the memories that rush through my mind. She’d been gone for weeks.

“Wait, two females went missing, and not a single male went searching for them?” Volan asks, his once expressionless face turning aghast. “What about your warriors, or hunters?”

He looks about ready to flee the room. To start a manhunt, I realize. Unlike the humans who couldn’t be bothered to get off their asses and search for people they claimed as friends, this alien is ready to drop everything for people he never met.

His reaction only furthers the belief I have in him. I can trust Volan.

“Ariana was supposed to marry this guy called Walter. Instead of being worried out of his mind, he insisted she was dead. In fact, he immediately tried to seize all her assets for himself.”

I grit my teeth, remembering how cold Walter Sullivan had acted after it was discovered that Ariana was missing.

“I’m pretty sure he only arranged a search party after a lot of people threw a fuss. He basically did it to save face with the colony residents, not because he cared for her at all.”

Of course, when he asked for volunteers for a search party, a whole host of people suddenly were willing. Not a single one of those people cared about Ariana. They only wanted the money Walter offered as a reward, or a chance to rub shoulders with one of the rich of the colony.

“So, I did some…uhhh… not so legal research into him,” I look up at Volan waiting for the moment that he realizes I’ve committed a crime. I wait for him to draw back in disgust and judge me as some sort of criminal. Life is harsh in this world and the smallest infraction can lead to disastrous consequences.

But Volan doesn’t reject me. Instead, he motions for me to continue talking.

Honestly, it feels good to tell someone. The only other person I had to talk to about this was Stacy, and she’s barely an adult—nowhere near ready for this kind of situation.

“Walter’s been hiding things from us, like how Ariana was rich. He’d led her to believe she was so poor she was unable to even afford food! The number of times I had made some lame excuses to visit her, taking food with me just so she had something to eat…”

Ariana is a good person. She’s loving and kind and generous. And maybe a little wild and stubborn, but that’s part of her charm. She’s the kind of girl who’d stick up for you no matter what. She’d go to war just to protect you.

She’s the kind of woman I wish I was like—strong, resourceful, and independent. Capable.

I breathe deep, feeling that constant anger inside of me flaring to life.

“Walter was trying to marry her for her money. He didn’t care about her at all; he just wanted her assets.”

She deserved better. We all deserve better. No one should be forced to marry someone they don’t want.

I should have spoken out against Walter when he was pressuring Ariana to marry him.

I should have done something. Anything.

“I can’t let it happen again,” I vow. “Whatever it takes. I won’t let it happen again.”

I won’t let these sorts of injustices happen anymore. Someone has to stand up for what’s right in this crazy universe. If no one else will do it, then it’ll have to be me.

“When I was researching Walter, I realized he was up to something. So I hacked his communication logs. He’d been manipulating and blackmailing council members.”

It had been ridiculously easy to find the relevant communication logs and realize something was going on outside of public eyesight. Aren’t villains supposed to hide this sort of stuff better?

Walter got cocky, and it’ll be his undoing.

“As a community, colonization should be our top priority. You know, survive the coming years without starving, that sort of thing. Yet, that didn’t seem to be Walter’s focus.”

I heave a sigh, frustration seeking a way out of my body through my rapid breathing. I want to jump to my feet and pace, to just… hit something. Actually, make that someone; Walter’s face would be a pretty ideal target right about now.

“On the day we met, I took my chance while everyone was distracted. I hacked the colony databases right at the source, getting access to the most restricted of content. Top-tier classified stuff. All these diagrams and land surveys… things that Walter shouldn’t have access to, let alone be interested in. I need to know why these places are so important to him. It’s the evidence I need to bring him to justice.”

“That’s how I ended up here, Volan. Honestly, as far as most of us at the colony know, this place doesn’t exist. Most of us just want a chance at living and a proper future, one that we make for ourselves. We didn’t even know you were here. With proper introductions though, we’d probably rejoice in having your people as neighbors.”

Whatever tension Volan was holding dissipates. His shoulders slump, and for the first time he sucks in a deep, cleansing breath. His luminae glows between us, the erratic pulsing slowing to a steady light. It’s soothing, a night light chasing away my darkest fears.

“Is that what you want?” Volan asks, stepping closer. Heat radiates from his body, and I find myself gravitating toward him. I press my face against his firm pecs, breathing in the spicy scent that’s all Volan. Its warmth fills my nostrils and floods my lungs. A comfort in this crazy, pain-filled world. He’s proven to be someone I can rely on, to truly trust.

I gaze up at Volan, wishing he had the answers to all my questions. Of course, that would be too much to hope for. A bit like wishing for a guy that wants to both cook and clean while you put your feet up to watch vids. This close to Volan, I have to really crane my neck. I can’t help but wonder if he gets a sore neck looking down at me all the time? No wonder he calls me little.

“You aren’t supposed to exist, Volan.”

It feels like an end all statement, one that should provoke gasps and disbelief. Instead, Volan’s shoulders shake. His lips press into thin lines, and his cheek hollows as he sucks at them. He tries so hard, but after a moment he snorts with laughter.

“Volan!” I playfully smack him lightly on the shoulder. With my strength, it’s more of a tap than anything. Still, just like that, any lingering tension between us disappears. Somehow, again, he’s made this whole situation seem more manageable and less overwhelming. Despite the situation, he’s able to make me laugh. He pulls me from the pit of despair that seems to have become my life lately.

“Last I checked, I am very much alive and existing,” he replies. His arms wrap around me, pulling me flush against his body. He grinds his hips against me, and there’s no mistaking the rigid bar that presses into my stomach. He whispers heated words into my ear, “And I am very willing to prove that if you need to.”

“But seriously,” I tell him, “galactic laws state that a government can’t colonize a planet if it’s already occupied by sentient life… but Earth knew. Walter’s communications made that clear. So why did Earth lie?”

“There are quite a lot of aliens living on this planet,” Volan admits, a growing crease forming between his brows. “Some friendly, and some it’d be best for you to avoid.”

I nod, just accepting what he says as truth. I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of aliens. Somehow almost every other species has evolved to be bigger, more dangerous, and definitely more predatory. I mean, come on—we lack claws, sharp teeth, talons, poison, thick skin… Without our tools and weapons, we are defenseless. And aliens have invented their own weapons too, just to one-up us again.

“All we know is that Walter was very interested in the locations on the map, and it’s led us here.”

“Everyone wants the medicine,” Volan growls, his lips peeling back to reveal sharp teeth. He casts a frustrated gaze over the room. With his expression, I wouldn’t be surprised if he went on a rampage, destroying all the medical equipment around us. “It’s led to so much pain and suffering over the years. Some just want to save their loved ones… others want the power it provides. It’s why my people hid this lab in the first place. It’s why we limit who gets it and how much.”

“And the other locations, because I can only assume they are labs?” I ask. “Did you hide them too?”

Volan turns and scowls at me, his expression thunderous. “I only know of this one lab.”

The implications are clear and don’t need to be spoken aloud.

Ever since Earth discovered the existence of aliens, in a most dramatic way, war has threatened us. Some humans refuse to accept aliens among us, and there’s a constant threat on the surface from rebel and terrorist groups. Then there are species willing to prey upon us for our resources. We joined the Galactic Federation for safety, only to find that they too have their own villains to contend with. With this medicine, it’ll change everything. No one has this level of healing ability… yet. Super soldiers are a thing. The most elite soldiers use mechanized armor to use any advantage they can get—and that includes protecting them from wounds that could fester in unsanitary and dangerous environments. If they could be healed near instantaneously… If a soldier can just get back up from the point of death and continue fighting… If it really makes someone indestructible… what happens when governments get their hands on something so powerful?

Fear washes through me. War throughout the entire universe might just get that much more violent. Nowhere will be safe, especially if the wrong people get their hands on this near-mythical technology. And who’s to stop the good guys if they decide to use it against us smaller folk?

It’s been a long time since I felt safe.

No, that’s not quite right. I glance up at Volan. He makes me feel safe. After all the pain men have put me through, I didn’t think I could trust any male again, and then Volan proved that belief wrong. In just the space of a few days, he’s broken me down, torn apart all my beliefs and preconceptions, and left them shattered at my feet. And yet, despite feeling so vulnerable and naked in front of him… I don’t feel like he’s going to destroy me. It’s like he’s taken all the bad things from me—the hate, the anger, and pain—and has given me the space to feel good again.

I feel like, with him by my side, I can heal again.

Which is so ironic, given that I’m literally holding some miracle medicine in my hands.

“Walter isn’t just working for himself, Volan. If what I uncovered is true, he’s here on behalf of Earth’s military.” I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold. “I fear that war is coming.”