Invaded

by Melissa Landers

  Syrine found her voice, but it barely carried in the open room. “For what?”

  “If I win,” David said, “we go to the colony together. Really together, as a couple. No more hiding.”

  She swallowed hard enough to make her throat shift. “And if you lose?”

  “Then I stay here.” David’s expression fell, his voice darkening to a deadly seriousness Aelyx had never heard from the boy. “But I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You’re it for me.”

  All the color drained from Syrine’s cheeks, and although she didn’t agree to the bet, David began shuffling the deck. His hands trembled with the motion, something Aelyx would have attributed to anxiety if he hadn’t noticed the same thing happening all weekend. David’s fine motor skills were weakening. Aelyx knew the likely cause, but he refused to dwell on it. He had to believe the experimental drug would save his friend.

  David fanned out the deck and held it toward Syrine. “Pick a card.”

  Syrine extended her hand and pulled it back three times before she drew a card from the deck. Aelyx took a sip of his tea and leaned to the side, noting she’d picked the seven of diamonds.

  “You know what to do,” David told her. “Hold it close and stare at it. Really focus so I can read your mind.”

  While Syrine peered at the red diamonds, David studied the symbols drawn on the other side. As many times as he’d practiced this trick, he couldn’t fail. He parted the deck and instructed Syrine to replace the card, then reshuffled the pack. Turning the deck over, he riffled through his options, feigning deep thought, until he held up the queen of spades.

  “Is this your card?” David asked, eyeing Syrine while tremors shook his hand.

  At first, Aelyx couldn’t comprehend why David had chosen incorrectly. He’d long ago mastered this game. But then understanding dawned, and Aelyx saw that David had forced Syrine to choose. It was his way of ensuring she truly wanted him, refusing to allow something as trivial as a wager to determine their future.

  With her mouth forming a perfect O, Syrine stared at David as the seconds passed in near-painful silence. Aelyx found himself leaning forward in his seat as if he could force the answer out of her. Finally, when the wait had become nearly unbearable, she licked her lips and whispered, “Yes, you’re right. That’s the one.”

  A grateful smile split David’s face while his eyes watered. He released a shaky sigh that sounded more like a sob and threw down his cards to take Syrine into his arms. The pair held each other, exchanging kisses and whispers that made Aelyx feel like an intruder. Careful not to spill his tea, he quietly returned to his bedroom to give the couple their privacy.

  Aelyx was happy for Syrine—David, too. He cared for them and knew the colony would be a brighter place for their presence, but that didn’t stop a lump from rising in his throat. He continued sipping his tea, but nothing would push it down.

  For months, he’d been forced to watch the romance blossom between his friends, reminding himself to be patient, that his turn would come when he was reunited with Cara. But things were different now. All the patience in the world wouldn’t resurrect what he’d lost. Aelyx didn’t know how he was going to stand the presence of two perfectly paired lovers and still maintain his sanity.

  He’d just finished his tea when Syrine knocked on the door and stepped inside, her gaze both giddy and repentant. He could tell she empathized with him.

  “You made the right choice,” Aelyx said, setting his cup on the dresser.

  Syrine gave a noncommittal grunt, though the glow illuminating her skin showed that she agreed. “Time will tell. He may disappoint me, but I believe it’s a worthy risk.”

  Aelyx laughed. “Practical to a fault, as usual.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She closed the distance between them and rested a hand on his forearm, then peered into his face, softening her focus to connect with his mind. Let me help you.

  Quickly, he turned his head aside. “No.”

  “This is what I’m trained for,” she insisted. “I can’t erase your pain, but I can lighten the burden.”

  Aelyx knew full well what Syrine could do. Emotional healers were sacred on L’eihr because of their rarity. But he also knew how the session would affect her. She’d take on his suffering by proxy, feeling his heartbreak as if it were her own, and he wouldn’t allow it. She was entitled to her joy. “It’s just a breakup.” He faced her with a manufactured smile. “I’m fairly certain I’ll survive it.”

  “Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”

  “You know I would.” Touched by her compassion, Aelyx took her cheek in one hand and bent to kiss the top of her head, where he paused and added, “But you wouldn’t let me.”

  “No,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t.”

  David appeared in the doorway. His expression darkened as he jerked his head toward the foyer and mouthed, Cara’s here.

  Like a bolt of blistering electricity, painful tingles shot down the length of Aelyx’s spine. His flesh chilled and his pulse lurched. The visceral reaction proved what he already knew—he wasn’t ready to face her. He glanced at David in a silent plea for advice.

  David seemed to understand. “Grab your coat,” he whispered. “I need to make a quick call, then we’ll get out of here.”

  “I’ll come, too,” Syrine said.

  “No.” David’s curt tone surprised them all, and he compensated with an apologetic smile. “You stay and talk some sense into her.”

  “Her mind’s made up,” Aelyx told them.

  Syrine patted his shoulder, slipping a hurried thought into his mind before she flitted out the door. You underestimate me.

  “Breathe, Pepper. You look like you’re choking on your own tongue.”

  Cara leaned into her brother and released the breath she’d unconsciously trapped inside her lungs. Tugging her coat lapels together, she shivered in the heated living room. It wasn’t the freak ice storm that had her trembling. The alliance ceremony didn’t begin until noon—three hours from now—and Colonel Rutter had ordered her to report to the ambassador’s penthouse.

  With Aelyx.

  No, that wouldn’t be weird at all.

  “Jesus, pull it together,” Troy whispered, wrapping a quick arm around her. “You’re literally shaking in your boots.”

  He didn’t understand—how could he? He’d never been in love, not like this.

  “Hello, Cah-ra.”

  Flinching, Cara whirled around to find Syrine smiling at her with the polite detachment of a salesclerk. The last time their paths had crossed, it ended with Syrine bitch-slapping Cara and wishing death upon the human race. Now the girl extended an arm, offering to take their coats.

  Cara held firm to her lapels. “I’ll keep mine, thanks.”

  Troy yanked his arm free and shook out of his camouflage jacket while Cara snuck a few covert glances behind their hostess. Aelyx was nowhere in sight. Maybe he’d decided to stay in his room until the ceremony began. She knew she should feel relieved, but she caught herself biting her lip in disappointment.

  Syrine followed the direction of Cara’s gaze. “Aelyx is leaving for an errand; otherwise he’d join us.”

  Cara felt herself blushing. Busted.

  When Syrine strode to the closet to hang up Troy’s coat, a distant door clicked open and nearly sent Cara’s heart catapulting out of her chest. She tried to play it cool, but her eyes found Aelyx the instant he entered the room.

  His jaw-length hair concealed part of his face, but the visible side was breathtaking, even marred by the dark circles of insomnia. Cara hated herself for thinking it, but she was glad he hadn’t been sleeping. That made two of them. His silver eyes widened when he spotted her. He held her gaze for a pregnant beat as if gauging her expression to see if she’d changed her mind. Breaking contact, she stared at the hardwood floor and gave him an answer. She hated herself for that, too.

  She didn’t look up again until she heard David say “I love you�
�� in a firm voice.

  The boy fastened his weapons holster around his hips while staring expectantly at Syrine. Cara didn’t understand at first, but then he placed a kiss atop the girl’s head, and everything made sense. Well, as much sense as Syrine dating a human could possibly make.

  Syrine’s copper skin darkened a few shades and she pushed at her bodyguard’s chest, giving him nothing but a shy grin. “Go on.”

  “One of these days you’ll tell me,” David said, zipping his coat. He stood there watching her, hesitating to leave, until Aelyx tugged on his jacket. Then the two of them disappeared out the door.

  Cara crossed the room and glanced out the window to the city block below, where a stagelike platform stood naked of the decorations and folding chairs that belonged there. If the weather didn’t let up, they’d have to relocate the ceremony indoors. Two figures appeared on the sidewalk, and she recognized Aelyx and David jogging across the street and darting inside what appeared to be a vacant building.

  Running an errand? Whatever. More like running away from her.

  Syrine invited Troy to help himself to the contents of the refrigerator—an offer he didn’t refuse—then waved Cara into the living room. Cara sat at the far end of the sofa, and Syrine surprised her by settling so near their thighs touched.

  Leaning away, Cara scanned the girl’s face for an explanation for their proximity. Syrine’s impatient smile made it seem like she had an agenda and was waiting for the right time to set it in motion.

  “I’m sorry,” Syrine said. “For what I did to you on the transport last year.”

  Cara didn’t want to discuss it. “That’s okay.”

  “I wasn’t myself then, but I am now.”

  What was Cara supposed to say to that? She and Syrine weren’t friends, and this encounter was starting to creep her out. “I’m glad you feel better. What happened to Eron was terrib—”

  “Did Aelyx tell you what the Aegis trained me to do?” Syrine leaned farther into Cara’s space.

  Holy clinger. Cara pressed against the arm of the sofa. “You mean the ‘emotional healer’ thing?”

  “Yes. I can help you.” Nodding like an eager kid, she reached out to touch Cara’s hand but seemed to think better of it. “I know you’re conflicted about your decision.”

  Assuming Cara needed therapy—which she so didn’t—the last shrink she’d confide in was Syrine. “That’s all right. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “We don’t need to talk.”

  “Come again?”

  “I’m not a therapist, Cah-ra,” Syrine explained. “Think of me more as an empath.”

  “You can feel other people’s emotions?” Cara didn’t see the big deal. All L’eihrs could do that.

  “I alter emotions,” Syrine corrected. “I know you can use Silent Speech. If you open your mind to me, I can bring you clarity and comfort.”

  The word no took shape on Cara’s lips. Her experiences with Jaxen and Aisly had left her wary of mind tricks, and she didn’t trust Syrine. The girl had never liked her, so why the sudden interest? And yet Cara hesitated to turn down the offer. Clarity and comfort sounded awfully tempting.

  “Please,” Syrine implored. “Aelyx is hurting and this is the only way I can help him.”

  The desperation in Syrine’s eyes reached straight into Cara’s heart and softened it to the consistency of cream cheese. Syrine had her faults—big time—but she loved her best friend and Cara admired her for it. Releasing the tension in her shoulders, Cara sank back into the sofa cushions. “I guess I could use some clarity.”

  Syrine’s mouth stretched into a wide smile. “You won’t regret this.”

  I hope you’re right. “Do I need to project my feelings?”

  “No.” Syrine closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath through her nose as if trying to reach her Zen place. “Just open the connection and relax. I’ll do the rest.” When her lids fluttered open, she warned, “I might be emotional when it’s over, so don’t take offense to anything I say. It’s not personal.”

  Cara wanted to issue her own warning—Hit me again and I’ll knock you on your ass—but she bit her tongue. If this worked, it would be worth a thousand slaps. She let go of her mind and stared through Syrine’s chrome irises.

  She felt the surge of energy that established their connection, followed by a sudden and delicious sense of warmth trickling over her skull like she’d tipped back her head into a stream of shower jets. Cara had to focus to keep her eyes from rolling back. She no longer cared if this was a trick—it felt too good. Tiny chills raised the hair along her scalp, and her anxiety began to leak away one drop at a time until nothing was left but peace. The sensation reminded Cara of the time she’d received a morphine injection for a dislocated knee, but that had left her mind in a fog. Right now, she could recite the periodic table if she wanted to.

  The connection broke, and instantly Syrine’s posture sagged while Cara’s lifted—lighter by a hundred pounds of worry and doubt. “Wow,” she breathed, blinking at the girl she’d once considered an enemy. “You’re a walking opiate. I can’t believe you did that for me.”

  Syrine gave a weak smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes, which had begun to well with tears. “Can I ask you to repay me by listening to my advice?”

  “Of course. After that, I’d give you a kidney.”

  When Syrine opened her mouth to speak, her breath hitched and one tear spilled down her russet cheek. It brought Cara down a few notches. If she’d known Syrine would soak up all her unhappiness like an emotional sponge, she wouldn’t have agreed to it.

  “You think Aelyx doesn’t love you enough to stay on Earth, but that’s not the case. There’s something you don’t know. During the tour, there were several attempts on his life. I’ve lost count of how many.”

  Cara’s mouth dropped open. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  “Perhaps for the same reason you hid your troubles from him for so long. He didn’t want to worry you. Aelyx loves his home, but he loves you more. I have no doubt he would stay here if it were possible.”

  Cara remembered their argument, when she’d accused him of quitting too easily. Now she felt like an ass.

  “I can feel your concerns about the colony,” Syrine said. “And some of them are legitimate. But you made your choice out of fear of the unknown. Now that your mind is uncluttered, you should see the issues more clearly.”

  “But the lack of freedom hasn’t changed,” Cara pointed out.

  “Not yet. You feel defeated by the development panel,” Syrine said. “But the fight isn’t over, and you’re not alone.”

  Cara supposed she had a point. As the only human on the planet, Cara had felt isolated among the Elders. But more of her kind would come—even her brother. Maybe Alona would allow more human representatives on the panel to balance the power.

  “I also sense,” Syrine continued, “that you feel out of place among your human peers.”

  There was no point denying it.

  “You’ve changed,” Syrine said. “And your needs have changed with you. I have no doubt that you could stay on Earth and make a satisfying life for yourself. But you crave more than this world has to offer. Why settle for satisfying when you can have spectacular?”

  The words turned over in Cara’s mind, eventually resonating within her so strongly she felt their wisdom clear down to the soles of her boots. She drew a slow breath of enlightenment, and when she exhaled, she knew where she belonged.

  It wasn’t on Earth.

  She was no longer Cara Sweeney, Midtown High valedictorian, two-time debate champion. She also wasn’t fully Elire, resident of the first Aegis, l’ihan to Aelyx of the first Aegis, Chief Human Consultant. Instead, she fell somewhere between the two, and the colony was a fertile middle ground where she could discover her newly evolved self.

  “You’re right,” Cara said.

  Syrine’s brows lifted in hope. “So you’ll come home with us tomorrow?”

&
nbsp; Home. To the majestic, muted forests where the air smelled of citrus and the faded indigo ocean stretched to meet a horizon of pure slate. To Elle and Larish and Vero. Maybe L’eihr didn’t feel exactly like home yet, but she had faith that someday it would. “Yes, I want to go back.”

  “Excellent,” Syrine said, wiping her eyes. “I can’t wait to tell Aelyx.”

  Neither could Cara. Her legs practically twitched to run to him. “He’s in the building across the street.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Syrine exhaled a shaky breath. “I need to see David. I mean…” She lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug that wouldn’t fool anyone. “To ask what we should have for dinner. It’s no big deal.”

  Sure, it’s not. “Come on. Let’s drag my brother out of the pantry.”

  David’s steps grew sluggish as they reached the fifth-floor landing, and Aelyx noticed the boy’s hand occasionally slip from the rail. “We can stop here,” Aelyx said. There was no reason to continue to the top floor, no matter how “amazeballs” the view, according to David. With the sleet thickening and gray clouds obscuring the sun, there was nothing to see anyhow. “I just needed some space. Now I have it.”

  David paused to catch his breath. A pained look crossed his face, and no matter how many times Aelyx tried to catch his eye, he kept his gaze averted. Why was he so intent on scaling this freezing-cold stairwell when he clearly needed a rest?

  “Let’s keep going,” David said. “It’s not much farther.”

  Aelyx sensed something wasn’t right. He took his friend’s elbow and helped support him as they resumed their climb. “The drugs have stopped working, haven’t they?”

  “No, they work great,” David claimed, even as he strained to lift his boot. “But I ran out a couple weeks ago. Jaxen only gave me enough to last until his next visit. He’s supposed to bring more this afternoon when he shuttles down.”

  Aelyx supposed that was good news, but it bothered him that Jaxen had withheld the treatment until today. Powerful as he was, he could have easily sent a new supply of injectables on any of the transports from L’eihr to Earth. Unease twisted Aelyx’s stomach. He didn’t trust Jaxen. What if he’d lied or neglected to bring the medication?