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Chapter Twenty-Six

MAYA

“M aya, I can explain…” Volan says, taking a step towards me. He’s staring down at me with wide eyes, panicked.

My gaze jumps between his eyes, searching. Zoran’s wrong. It can’t be true; Volan’s just another guy like me. He’s not anyone special. He certainly isn’t some prince. He would have told me if he was…

And he definitely wouldn’t keep a secret like this from me, not after everything we’ve been through.

But as I stare up at him, his expression all but confirms it.

“Just give me a moment to deal with them, and I’ll explain everything. Please, Maya.”

I back away until my back hits the wall. If I make a run for it now, will I get away, or will Volan chase me?

Of course, that thought sends an unexpected pulse through my body. Bad Maya!

The reality staring me in the face is far more bitter. It all makes sense now—his unexplained absence this morning when I briefly woke up, the way he was so eager to bring me to this lab, how he somehow knew exactly where we were going without consulting my map. His movements too confident, his knowledge too precise.

I press a hand against my chest, feeling the rapid beat of my heart. Everyone’s been lying to me, keeping me in the dark. The council at Eve’s Rest... and now Volan.

He lied to me.

“Right then,” Melvall claps his hands. “You’ve clearly got some talking to do. We’ll just be over here...”

Volan’s hand snags the male’s collar as he tries to step past towards the medical equipment. Still, Volan’s eyes don’t leave mine.

I tear my gaze away, unable to meet that stare.

Volan growls, a sound that I’m becoming all too familiar with, as he turns towards Melvall. “Look, you can’t just take the medicine whenever you want. It takes time to make it. We are doing our best to ensure that those who really need it get it first.”

“By making males fight to the death for your entertainment in the fight pits?” Melvall sneers.

My eyes widen. Despite the chaos of thoughts flying through my head, I don’t miss that little detail. Disbelief courses through me. Surely not... but Volan doesn’t deny it. The look he casts my way... it’s pure frustration.

He didn’t want me to know. It’s confirmed that he’s been keeping things from me.

The full weight of his betrayal crashes over me. All this time, I’ve been traveling with a prince? Someone with that much power and status didn’t think to mention it even once? And the fight pits... forcing others to battle for medicine? How many other secrets has he been keeping from me? He knew exactly where we were headed all along, leading me to this precise location with such confidence, such certainty.

He can’t… I trust him.

Trusted…

I’m so conflicted. More so, I’m so overwhelmed. It’s like every problem is being thrown at me at once, rather than one at a time. There’s so much more going on here than I can wrap my head around. First, these aliens aren’t supposed to exist on planet Atraxis, and then suddenly there are thousands of them? Not only that, but evidence suggests they’ve been living here for... generations? They’ve even got treaties between them! On top of all that, I’m somehow wrapped up in some situation involving galaxy-influencing medicine.

The implications hit me hard enough to make me dizzy. There’s only one reason I can think that Volan didn’t want me to know; we’ve all heard stories of how some of the more brutal races in the universe abduct human women just to offer them up as prizes for warriors. Worse is how they claim they are protecting the women, but if that was so, they wouldn’t keep them prisoners. Those women would find their way home.

Does that mean I’m never going to go home again? Will I ever see my friends again? What about Stacey; she’s too young to leave all on her own? I won’t even know what happened to Ariana…

I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him.

Volan was literally leading me to my doom. He lied to me. I trusted him, and he betrayed me.

Heat prickles my eyelids as tears come, unbidden. I blink rapidly, pushing them away. I refuse to cry. I’ve cried enough. I’m stronger than this. I didn’t allow my father’s abuse, fighting every step of the way to a better future on Atraxis. I didn’t accept Walter’s claim of Ariana’s death; I fought for what was right.

And I’ll keep fighting.

I’ll find allies where I can find them, and if not, then I’ll do it on my own. I’m a survivor. I’ll rewrite the end of my story if I have to.

“I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before,” Zoran comments as he walks up to my side. He just casually leans against the wall with a hip as if there aren’t two increasingly aggressive aliens arguing out in front of us. With his tattoos and relaxed attitude, he honestly gives me surfer-bro kind of vibes; taking life as it comes, and never worrying about the details. “My name is Zoran.”

“Hi,” I mutter back, not really in the mood for inane discussions right now. My eyes are locked on Volan as he rounds on Melvall, furious about his little secret being revealed. Melvall, meanwhile, seems oblivious to this slip-up and is ranting about how the medicine should be traded freely among all the tribes.

“You humans mostly look alike to me,” Zoran admits, smiling at me sheepishly. Because, you know, he’s totally had a lot of opportunities to see us up close. Humans are still new to the Galactic Federation, and not all that many have traveled off-world as of yet. Unless he’s some sort of space-traveler and explored Earth, though that’s usually an expensive lifestyle that very few can afford. Given that he’s dressed in worn leathers, I doubt he could afford it.

But I was wrong about Volan, wasn’t I? The guy turned out to be a prince. A freaking prince!

“I don’t suppose you are familiar with the human female named Eve?” He asks. “She comes from your tribe. She’s really friendly. I’d like to say that we’ve become close friends really.”

“I… what?”

There was only one lady named Eve on our starship. She’s dead. She had been sent down to the planet to pick out the site where we would build our colony and went missing in the wilderness. She was one of the reasons why we knew about such dangerous beasts on Atraxis, and the reason why we built our colony walls. Heck, our colony is literally named after her and the sacrifice she made for us.

How do I know? I spent weeks mourning the loss of my friend. It’s probably why I was so frantic when Ariana went missing too, fearing a repeat of all that pain.

“She promised that one day she’ll introduce me to some females looking for mates,” Zoran drones on, though I have to admit I barely hear his words. The guy’s obliviously angling to see if I am mated and attached to anyone... like Volan. I grit my teeth. Like hell I can even deal with that whole situation at the moment.

No, my mind is fixating on one point: Eve’s alive.

“What the hell?” I exclaim beneath my breath. “All my girlfriends are out getting laid and matched up with dream guys, and I’m left at home thinking they are dead?”

First Eve decides to up and abandon us, and now Ariana comes waltzing back from the wilderness with a mate in tow as well? This is not what friends are supposed to do! For a start, they are supposed to take me with them!

This is so messed up. I bet neither of them had to face off against huge ass mutant cockroaches or deal with treasonous, lying males. I swear, if they are lounging about drinking cocktails without me, I will make them suffer my wrath. Hell has no mercy like a woman scorned.

“Honestly, the economics make sense if you think about it. The harkcana and drakoon give me their foods, and I’ll take your cloth and medicine, and then we’ll all be better off,” Melvall argues, waving his spiky arms around in the air.

“And what do you propose you give any of us in return? Or do you just take it all for yourself?” Volan crosses his arms over his chest, glaring back at the male.

“What the hell has my life become?” I mutter. How did I find myself on a strange planet, surrounded by strange alien males who seem more interested in debating economics than the fact that war is looming and quests have to be resolved.

Or that my heart is breaking apart, and I’m so desperately trying to hold it together without anyone noticing.

“Look at him. Volan lied to me, and he doesn’t even seem to be all that fazed about it!”

I glance at the only male who seems to be paying me any attention. Zoran is looking at me with wide eyes, and I realize that I’m making almost as much of a scene as the two other males.

“Well, clearly I’m going to trade with everyone!” Melvall replies, looking affronted, voice echoing around the room.

“He’s not mentioning the dozen of pelts I’ve brought him that he’s refusing to trade to anyone,” Zoran comments, giving me a conspiratorial grin.

“Stop bringing me pelts!” Melvall points at Zoran, not missing a beat. He spins to face us. “Also, why do you keep bringing me pelts? You’d think ten would be more than enough, but no...”

“Pelts? Why would anyone want pelts?” Volan asks, frowning perhaps as much as I am.

“Because winter is coming! Unlike you Sulthari, hiding beneath the ground, it’s going to get cold. Trust me, he’ll be thanking me for the extra insulation,” Zoran waves toward Melvall, singling him out in the conversation. Then he says in a low voice, much like how he spoke to me, as if the male isn’t there listening in, “Did you know he is insane enough to swim when the water ices over?”

Is everyone here buddies? Like they act as if they’ve never met each other, but they are so quick to banter and toss insults…

“You are all insane!” I exclaim. “And I don’t have time for this. Seriously. I have to get back home. I have to...”

Do what?

It suddenly occurs to me that I can’t trust anyone. Not a single person.

I have to tell everyone about this place, about Walter and the corrupted council members… but how? Who will listen to me and not just think me some raving lunatic?

I could go to Commander Davis, the man responsible for our security, but how can I be certain he won’t just arrest me on sight? He ordered our colony’s walls to be built—evidence suggests he knows something about the supposedly non-existent aliens living on Atraxis. Besides, I somewhat was just caught in a restricted area and complicit in beating up some guards.

And then I ran off into the wilderness, with a prince...

“Oh, this is such a mess,” I rub my face. I feel so worn out. I hadn’t even realized how exhausted, both mentally and physically I was until I opened up to Volan. Tears prickle, but I refuse to cry again. Not for him. Not for any male. Time and time again they’ve used me and abused me.

I’d planned to go on this adventure alone, and I will end it on my own. After all, I’m always alone. It’s not safe to rely on anyone else. Not even my friends, apparently. Definitely not lovers.

I nod to myself, determination settling in. Now is the time to figure out my next steps. I’ve got the data I need. I’ll sort through it on the trip home, taking the travel time to figure out exactly how I’ll approach the colony and what I’ll say to them. My argument will be bulletproof. In one fell swoop, I’ll take down each of our corrupt leaders.

I turn to leave, just in time to see several glowing bodies burst into the room. Grey-skinned Sulthari dash inside. They quickly block the exit and fan out to surround us. They aren’t playing around; these are trained warriors. Their weapons glow too, crackling with energy that looks all too reminiscent of lightning. If I’m lucky, one hit will only stun me, perhaps knock me unconscious. However, given that the lightning is attached to long swords and spears… I’m guessing the point of them is to very much kill.

Great. Just great. I come to an alien planet for a fresh start, and instead of getting the standard welcome basket, I get alien cockroaches, betrayal, and now a bunch of glowing warriors with pointy sticks. Maybe next time I’ll just ask for a gift card instead.

To think I was worried about getting arrested when I returned to the colony. Right now, I should be worried about getting killed.