“I'm sorry, I – ”
“It's okay, I understand,” I said.
Part of me wanted to ask her about what I'd heard, about this man named Mike who had hurt her. But I could tell that she wouldn't be okay with me knowing that. I didn't know her well, but because of my upbringing and the lessons of my father, I was rather adept at reading people and getting to their true thoughts and motivations. And I could tell that Riley wasn't the type to open up to just anyone. She seemed very closed off and guarded with her personal information. So, for her to know that I'd listened in would do little to build up trust between us.
“When do you think we'll be home?” she asked me, her voice cracking.
She was staring down at the controls again, her hands trembling. It was as if she was too afraid to look outside all of the sudden.
“Hopefully within a few hours or so,” I said. “But the hard part will be figuring out where to go once I get near Earth. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Not really,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I mean, I don't know the first thing about space ships and landing them.”
“Oh, landing isn't too big of an issue, it's trying to get everyone home,” I said. “Your planet is a vast place, and I wouldn't know where to go. I don't know where the others are from.”
“I live in Sapphire Bay, California,” she said. “But the others – well – they come from all over.”
Bells began ringing in my head. I wasn't sure why Sapphire Bay sounded so familiar to me, but it did. I filed it away in the back of my mind to figure out where I'd heard of it before, but it was not likely Riley would know.
“Can you get that information for me, please?” I asked. “And I can punch in their locations and find them. It looks like I'm going to have to take them all home one-by-one?”
“Won't that take forever?”
“It might take some time, sure,” I said. “But it will be worth it, knowing that everyone got home safely.”
She looked at me again, her eyes sparkling as she tried to hide a smile. “You really are too much, you know that?”
“Too much what?” I cocked my head to the side, confused at her phrasing.
I was pretty well-versed in English. Our biosystems had been uploaded with the language as soon as we'd made contact with the first human – Paige. But I was lost as to what she meant by her statement. And that was when it hit me – that was where I'd heard of Sapphire Bay. Paige and Baz!
“Never mind, it's just a saying,” she said. “So if I get all of their hometowns, we can take them home?”
“Yes,” he said. “That's the plan.”
“And me? You can take me home too?”
“Yes, of course,” I said.
In fact, I might have to stick around Sapphire Bay and meet our former king. I admired Bazarok for everything he'd done, he would always be a hero in my eyes. And when he'd abdicated the throne, I was sad for our planet – but ultimately, happy for him. I knew it wasn't what he wanted from his life. He wanted to do more with his life. And that was something I could respect. In human parlance, as long as I was in the neighborhood, I couldn't wait to reach out to him once we'd landed. Perhaps he could help me figure out what to do next. Help me come up with a plan of action.
But the first thing I needed to do was make sure that I got everyone home, safely.
Chapter Four
Earth was in sight, and I let everyone know that we would be home soon. They stood, excitedly, looking out the windows and stared down at their planet. I heard the murmurs of excitement – as well as a few expressions of fear – from those who hadn't looked out the windows before. This was a view of a lifetime for all of them, as space travel wasn't as common for them. Riley stood with me at the back of the crowd, smiling and shaking her head.
“I can't believe it. We're almost home,” she said softly. “And it looks exactly like it does in pictures. It's just so beautiful from up here.”
A small smile touched the corners of my mouth as I looked at her. The view wasn't nearly as beautiful as she was – the thought seemingly came out of nowhere and surprised me. For a human, Riley had a beauty I could appreciate. What surprised me though, was that I found myself attracted to her and that the attraction was as strong as it was. Though I'd learned to appreciate other cultures and species, mostly thanks to my father, I never really thought I'd find myself genuinely attracted to somebody who wasn't Optorion.
But there it was.
I bit back my observation though. Not only did I feel uncertain about sharing my feelings, I wasn't sure that she'd appreciate me giving voice to it. Not with everything going on and not with everything she'd been through.
“We're going home, Riley!” Charlotte cried, tears running down her cheeks. “We're actually going home.”
Charlotte rushed over to us, and surprised me by hugging me tightly. She clung to me with a ferocity inspired by a fear that she was never going to see home again.
“Thank you, Jendrish.”
“You're very welcome,” I said with an uncomfortable laugh.
My cheeks were flushed and my face felt hot as I hugged her back, to be polite. Riley was smiling wide, as if she were enjoying my discomfort. I wasn't typically one for physical displays of emotion. But humans were different. They were far more – expressive – than my people were. I cleared my throat and carefully disengaged myself from the girl without being rude.
“I've entered the coordinates of your homes into my ship's command system, and it's plotting the best route to get all of you home as quickly as possible.”
Once Charlotte pulled away, Riley took my arm, pulling my attention back to her. Her green eyes were sparkling and her smile was mesmerizing. I felt my heart flip flop in my chest as I looked at her. What was wrong with me? All I could think about was how good it was to see her laughing and see that she appeared to be happy for the first time in days. Truly happy.
“Really, thank you, Jendrish,” she said.
“Are you going to hug me too?” I asked.
“Do you want me too?”
I shrugged, hiding my red cheeks from her. The idea of her flesh touching mine, her body pressed to mine – even something as simple and innocent as a hug – made my heart race and my mouth dry.
“It was really only a comment made in jest. You don't – ” I said, but it was too late.
Riley threw her arms around me and hugged me, though not as tightly as Charlotte had. It was just a friendly hug, but what she did next was what excited me the most. Her lips brushed against my cheek, softly and sent a bolt of electricity through my body.
“You're amazing. Jendrish,” she said. “You actually give me hope that there are good men out there. Even if – well – you know.”
But as soon as she said it, she pulled back and rushed off to join the others, as if she hadn't intended to say any of it. Or perhaps, felt badly that she'd made the comment knowing I was – well – an alien, and not a human man. I wasn't sure what it was, but how quickly she'd rushed away from me filled me with questions and uncertainty.
But I could still feel the tingling of where her soft lips pressed against my cheek. Her breath had been warm and I imagined that I could still feel it caressing my skin. I could only stare at her though, as others were gathered around her, everybody staring at the Earth as we approached. We'd come close enough that we could start making out the individual land masses that made up their planet.
Soon, we'd be in their atmosphere and not long after that, soaring through their skies. And one-by-one, these women would get home safe and sound. I was honor-bound to see to it. Including Riley – it was a thought that filled me with some small sense of regret and longing. But soon, she'd been home and I'd return to my mission. Once I'd spoken to Baz and figured out what else I could do.
There was a sound coming from my control room, a loud buzzing.
“There is an incoming message that might interest you,” Ozul, my AI biosystem informed me. “Shall I read
it to you?”
“No,” I said, drawing strange looks from a few women. “I'm on my way.”
I excused myself to check, mainly to get myself away from the group of people – and to prevent myself from standing there staring at Riley any longer. The message had not been intended specifically for me, but it was about me – which caught me off guard.
By Order of the Regent Council, Jendrish Milorean, diplomat and former member of the Royal Guard has been found guilty of crimes against Optorio and is now wanted dead or alive. It had my photo, my description, everything.
It was a memo that had gone out privately. But Ozul intercepted it and submitted it to me. And now I knew. I sat back in my seat and felt my heart hammering in my chest for something other than Riley for the first time in a while.
Crimes against Optorio. Wow. I was wanted and there was a reward being offered for my capture – and they didn't care if I was returned whole or in pieces. They just wanted my body. Even if the pack of bounty hunters I was absolutely positive were searching for me at that moment returned me to the Regents alive, I knew that wasn't a condition that would last for very long.
I just stared blankly at the message for a little while. Who had authorized this? Who had distributed the memo?
“Ozul” I said. “Can you find the origin of this bulletin? Who authored it?”
My biosystem was silent for a moment as he sorted through the data. “The source is unfortunately, anonymous,” he said. “It would appear that whoever wants you dead does not want to attach their name to it.”
The bulleting was meant to go out to a select few, but because I had Ozul digging through everything where my name appeared, he'd turned it up. I had to be careful now. Very careful.
“There is an addendum to the original memo,” Ozul said. “And you probably won't like this very much.”
“What is it?” I asked.
Another message popped up on the screen and I felt my heart sink.
Subject may be headed to Earth.
As if wanting me dead wasn't bad enough on its own. But they now knew where I was headed, which meant that every bounty hunter in the system would be converging on Earth looking for me. Which meant I'd have to lay low for a while, stay undercover. I was even looking at the very real possibility that I may not ever be able to return to the place I called home.
It was a realization that rocked me to my core. Not only that, but I felt so very alone in that moment. But, I would never take any of it back. I wouldn't change a thing – even if it meant never setting foot on Optorion soil again. I'd done what was right, and if they'd see me dead because of it, so be it.
But there was still a part of me that felt so betrayed by it all, knowing that I fought so hard for my people all these years and tried to do the best I could for Optorio. And this was what I got out of it.
My heart was breaking in that moment and I had no idea what to do.
Chapter Five
Riley
I offered to be last to be offloaded, to let the others go home before me. And with each successive drop-off, my own excitement grew, making the soft flutter in my stomach turn into a raging torrent of nerves. I was getting closer and closer to my home – a place I really doubted I was ever going to see again.
Yet, the idea of being home didn't entirely fill me with joy. At least, not as much as I expected it too. I was scared, honestly. As I thought about it, I realized that it was fear dulling my joy. I was afraid of being alone and of going to work and of everything I did – all of those things that were normal and I took for granted before I'd been taken.
What if they found me again? What if they didn't like being denied their prize and sought me out once again? What if they took me again?
I was terrified to go home to my empty apartment, but knew I couldn't stay aboard the ship either. And there was no way in hell was I going back. Not after everything they'd done to us. After everything they'd subjected us to. Just the thought of going back filled me with a sense of dread more powerful than anything I'd ever felt before.
Despite my ill will toward some of his people, I could still see that Jendrish was different than the others. Not only that, he seemed different from other men entirely – at least, the men I'd been exposed to. Unlike them, he made me feel safe. It was entirely foreign to me and something I wasn't used to. It was crazy, but as hard as I tried to fight against it, I really didn't want to leave his side.
No one had ever protected me like that before – not like he had. No one had ever stepped in to save me before. And nobody had ever risked their life for me. Jendrish gave me hope that maybe not all men were like my ex. And a small voice whispered in the back of my mind that knowing not all men were like Mike, perhaps I could love again – one day. Maybe this whole experience – as shitty and terrifying as it had been – was to teach me that I could feel safe with other men.
“We're here,” he said.
He didn't have to tell me that, however. I already knew. I could tell by the landscape that we were in the forests outside of my small town. He picked a spot in the forest, well away from the prying eyes of the residents of Sapphire Bay.
I was home and should be happy, but I wasn't. Not entirely
“Where are you going now?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I don't know. I need to lay low and not draw attention to myself for a while. I'll use the time to figure out what my next steps will be. So, I'll probably find somewhere to hide out for a bit.”
“Are there people after you?” I asked.
He looked at me evenly for a moment, as if he were trying to decide how honest he should be with me. I hoped that he would be entirely honest and not try to spare my feelings or protect me – or whatever half-assed rationalizations men used when they weren't being honest.
“Yes, but it's okay. It's nothing to worry about really,” he said. I could tell he was trying to downplay it all.
“Do you have any family?” I asked. “Friends? Somewhere you can go?”
“Not really. My family is dead,” he said. “The only other person I trusted is dead too. Except for Ozul, I'm on my own right now.”
Oh how I knew that feeling. I knew it well.
“Well, if you need a place to crash for a few days, you can always stay with me.”
I'd said it before I had time to stop and think about it. I lived in a studio apartment. It was literally just a kitchen and a bed. Where would he sleep? What was I thinking? But as he turned to me, I knew I couldn't take it back. The look in his eyes – sadness being replaced by hope – there was no way I could turn him away now. Not after all he'd done for me.
“I don't want to be a burden to you,” he said. “Not after everything you've been through already.”
“It's not a problem, Jendrish,” I said, doubling down on my offer. “In fact, if I may be honest – I'm scared of being alone right now. After all that happened, I'm terrified they'll come back and grab me again. And maybe I don't make it out alive next time.”
Jendrish reached out and stroked my cheek softly before pulling it away as if he never meant to touch me. Not that I minded. His touch was calming. Reassuring.
“I don't ever want you to be scared again,” he said.
“Then you can stay with me. Face it – we need each other right now. You have nowhere to go, I'm scared of being alone. It all works out, doesn't it?”
“Maybe so,” he said, mostly muttering to himself. “The former king of Optorio actually lives in Sapphire Bay, so I was thinking I might reach out to him – ”
“It's too late to do that today,” I said. “Maybe in the morning?”
“Maybe so,” he said.
“Then come on,” I said, motioning for him to follow me off the ship. “It's settled. You can spend at least one night with me until you talk to your former king and come up with a plan.”
Jendrish hesitated, but eventually he rushed to catch up with me. “Are you sure this isn't a problem?” he asked me again.
&
nbsp; I sighed, starting to lose my patience with him for asking again and again. “I said it isn't. I'm not one of those people who merely say things to be polite, Jendrish. If I didn't want you there, I wouldn't have offered it as an option.”
And that was true. Not only was I scared, but how could I leave him alone? After all that he'd done for us? To just send him on his way, alone and with nowhere to go – and with people after him? No, I couldn't imagine doing that. And besides, I really would feel safer with him around. As much as I hated to admit it, in the short time I'd known him, I'd come to enjoy having Jendrish around. Not only did he make me feel safe, it was nice having him to talk to.
He wasn't bad on the eyes either, but that was beside the point. It wasn't like we were going to sleep together. I had a floor. We would work something out, I was sure of it.
Chapter Six
“Care for something to drink?” I asked, staring into my fridge and realizing I didn't have much.
It was pretty bare, but at least there was a bottle of cheap wine. It was just something I'd bought at one point to help de-stress, but it was never opened. Tonight seemed like the perfect night for it, so I pulled it out and opened that baby up.
“Sure, what do you have?” Jendrish asked, standing literally on top of me since my kitchen was so small.
If he was offended by the size of my apartment, he didn't say anything. I knew he came from a family with money – he just had that air about him – and was probably used to more luxurious accommodations.
“Some cheap ass wine,” I mumbled. “And water. From the tap.”
I poured myself a glass of wine and waited for a response from Jendrish. “Wine sounds great actually,” he said. “I've never had Earthling wine before, so this will be new for me.”
“Don't get too excited. It has a screw-on cap.”
“What's that mean?” he asked me.
“It means it's cheap and probably terrible.”
“Then why drink it?”
“Because it gets the job done,” I said with a laugh. “It'll get us drunk, I mean. Or tipsy since I have no intention of getting wasted tonight – though I admit, it is tempting.”
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