by Emma Layne
“And what about Mydon? Rona threatened your mission.”
“Fear not, Link is more open to keeping secrets now, so I doubt he’ll ever hear of it, as long as we handle this situation delicately.”
It was a stilted, awkward conversation, and she hated the newfound distance between them. Last night, they’d never felt closer, and she was bereft.
It physically hurt to be apart.
Molly wanted to be in his arms again, needed the warm comfort surrounding her, reassuring her everything would be alright.
Well, I can pretend everything’s okay, or address it.
It was an easy decision.
“Something’s obviously wrong. Talk to me.” Molly scooched down until she sat beside him.
“I can’t.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, but Molly refused to back off.
“Don’t be ridiculous, sure you can. You and I have already shared a lot. Think about it, I told you my mom became an alien host, I know about your super-secret mission. I got frisky with you in front of the fireplace when anyone could’ve walked in. Last night, I let you tie me up. We're open with each other.”
“And that’s sort of the problem.”
She winced. “I don’t follow.”
“Look, I can’t get attached to you.”
Molly bit her lower lip. “Then don’t. We said this would be a lighthearted thing.”
“It’s already too late, I care for you.” Blaze sounded as though having feelings was an illness. “I can’t get close to someone, in the emotional sense of the term.”
Blaze still wouldn’t look at her.
“Can’t? Or won’t? Those are two different things.” She leaned down, deliberately getting in his field of vision, and then he straightened so he could meet her gaze.
Blaze rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve already told you what I did to Favian. Why would you risk it?”
“It was an acci—”
Blaze cut her off. “Yes, but what if I accidently kill someone again? What if it happens to you?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
“I don’t want to, but what if I lose control in the heat of the moment? I don’t trust myself. Being with you is more than I bargained for. I wanted to give you pleasure, solace. Instead, it was… I don’t even have the words to describe our coupling.”
“Lovemaking?” she offered gently.
“Yes.” His eyes filled with tears and Blaze blinked them away.
The reply was scarcely audible, a whisper, a benediction.
“I scare you, don’t I?” His face was ashen, pallid.
“Yes, you terrify me.”
“You’re not the only one who’s afraid.”
“I’m not?”
“Yes, this whole situation is intimidating, but I can’t turn back now. And I know you’re lonely, too, I can feel it, but we don’t have to be.”
Blaze ducked his head once more.
Molly knew they couldn’t hash this out, not right now anyway.
“We didn’t just have sex, but I know you’re leaving. Let’s take it down a couple of notches and not worry about it.” She cleared her throat. “So what if we stick a pin in this? We’ll deal with the problems at hand, namely getting my mother back, and keeping this from Mydon. Sound good?”
After a moment, Blaze nodded. “Yes, we’ll deal with our situation later.”
But were they prolonging the inevitable?
One way or another, they’d soon be parted.
***
Later on, Molly stopped by the kitchen to grab some coffee before class, when she got sucked into a conversation.
“I was Skype-ing with my friend, Betty, this morning and she works at a cool private lab, funded by an eccentric billionaire.” Lucy sighed. ‘They’ve been working with singularities.”
It felt odd to go about her business while Leslie was taken hostage, but she didn’t have much choice, not until they had a plan at least.
Blaze stood across the room, eating a tangerine. He had a thing for fruit, sweet things in general. Watching him savor the taste got to her. Blaze licked the juice from his fingers, closed his eyes as he placed a bite on his tongue.
Dear God, that’s almost pornographic.
She forced herself to look away.
Destrian stood next to him, and he watched them both with a raised eyebrow, shooting glances her way and then his. She wondered if he could tell something had happened between the two of them.
And we were so stealthy, too.
They’d walked into the kitchen separately because their relationship had to remain hush-hush. Somehow, the deception only made it more exhilarating.
Or maybe it was something else entirely. Blaze was different from any other man she’d ever known and not because he was otherworldly. Despite his protestations, he was honorable. Lord knows he was handsome, charming and downright gallant too. He’d agreed to help her, even though it had put his mission in jeopardy.
“Are there any other kind of billionaires?” Sage asked, dragging Molly’s attention back to their conversation.
“The fictional, want to be superheroes ones—Batman, Iron Man, the Atom,” Amy said, lifting her mug in salute.
She stood next to Faro, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear, and she giggled. Molly had to find another focal point.
The way they held each other, right out in the open made her throat close.
All of a sudden, keeping her relationship with Blaze a dirty secret felt awful. Not to mention his desire to get away from her.
Well, my glee was short-lived.
“Okay, we’re getting off topic,” Lucy interrupted. “Anyway, they found a means to control a singularity, by surrounding it with a suppression field.”
That got her attention.
“A singularity?” Molly asked. “You mean a black hole?”
“The very same, but only a little one,” Lucy said. “It’s the diameter of a dinner plate.”
Lucy acted as though the size of the black hole was the issue. Molly wasn’t an astronomer, but she knew they consumed matter, and opening one was an extremely risky experiment.
At any moment, the scientists could lose control of it, and the black hole might devour the entire planet. Granted, it was a worst-case scenario, but it wasn’t out of the question.
No wonder this research wasn’t funded by the government.
“And what’s the point of the experiment?” Amy asked.
“Excellent question, because it sounds like a huge mistake waiting to happen,” Ivy said. “I know next to nothing about space, but I’m smart enough to avoid those suckers.”
“Have you ever heard of the multiverse theory?” Lucy turned to Amy who shook her head.
“It’s a controversial theory within physics. Basically, there are several different Earths, all existing in different dimensions,” Lucy explained.
“So they’re testing Stephen Hawking’s hypothesis?” Molly had read a few articles on the subject. Stephen Hawking, a famous British physicist, believed black holes might be entrances to other dimensions.
Of course, he’s probably been brain-hijacked by The Intellective.
“Yes, and they’ve made a lot of progress, from what my friend said.”
“So their planning on traveling to another world?” Molly asked.
“Well, another Earth, yes.” Lucy pushed a hand through her hair. “This is depressing. Here I am, teaching astronomy to college freshman while Betty is about to change the universe. All of them.”
Molly mulled it over, and suddenly she felt better about the whole comet smashing into Earth. Okay, not a whole lot better, but a possible gateway was something at least, a bit of hope.
“So theoretically, they could open this doorway, and then we could escape through it?”
Lucy frowned. “I suppose so, but why would we need to l
eave?”
Molly coughed. “No reason.” From the look on Faro’s face, which matched Blaze’s thunderous expression, she’d already said too much.
“Riiight. What aren’t you telling me?” Lucy squinted, clearly not buying her crappy lie.
“Nothing, I’m late for class. Gotta go.” Molly grabbed her backpack, and headed out the door before Lucy could question her further.
Amy caught up with her in the hallway. “You know, don’t you?”
“Yes, but you couldn’t tell me, huh?”
“No, even though I wanted to.” She threw up her hands. “I’m sorry.”
“You know what? I really hate Mydon.” Molly pulled her into a hug, and they held each other for a moment. The embrace felt good. They couldn’t do anything about the comet, but at least they weren’t alone.
“Do you need to talk?” Amy asked. “Even though I’m not able to, it doesn’t mean you can’t. After I found out I was a mess.”
“Actually, I’m worried about something else.”
“What?”
“My mother.”
“Oh no, what happened to her?”
“It’s a long story, but the bottom line is an alien is in control of my mom, and plans on leaving with her soon, if I don’t find a way to stop it.”
“I’m so sorry. Is Blaze helping you?”
She nodded. “Even though it might get him in trouble.”
“A few weeks back, there were visitors.” Even saying that word, made her nose bleed.
“Be careful. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Damn you, Mydon.
“No, I need to tell you. Anyway, they tried to take Comet and Cupid away from me.”
“Why?”
“Apparently the visitors run an intergalactic menagerie.”
“Oh, so that’s why all those animals went missing.” A while back, panda bears were taken from China, and wolves from Yellowstone, among others.
“Yes, and Faro got them back for me.”
“I’m glad he lent a hand.”
“Faro didn’t do it out of the kindness of his heart, Molly, he was in love with me. And how does Blaze feel about you?” She narrowed her eyes.
Molly thought about it a long time and didn’t know how to answer.
“It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s really not. I think he’s your mate.”
“What do you mean?” She’d never heard the term before, but it sounded serious.
“Trust me, you’ll see.”
“Hey, what are you guys talking about?” Ivy came up behind them and looped an arm around either of their shoulders.
“Nothing,” Molly and Amy said simultaneously.
“Nope, you’re not suspicious at all. Come on, tell me, I can keep a secret.”
Molly shook her head. “Not this one.”
***
“Blaze told you everything, didn’t he?”
Molly froze in the doorway.
Mydon was seated at her desk, with his feet propped up, like he owned the place. Mydon unsettled her. She’d never been alone with him before, and didn’t want to start now.
Somehow she’d made it through class without breaking down, and wanted to crawl into bed and take a nap until Blaze came for her.
What if Mydon had come here to stop them?
Be calm. See what he knows, before you lose it.
Mydon watched her coolly, as though he could discern her inner thoughts.
“What are you doing in my room?” She really didn’t want to answer him. Maybe a deflection would help?
“Waiting to speak with you. Answer the question.” He stood and then prowled closer, until he towered over her.
Was there any point in lying? Wouldn’t he just get it out of her anyway?
“Yes.” Molly gulped.
His nostrils flared, and he sucked in a breath, as though trying to calm himself.
“Perhaps my soldiers need another lesson in discretion since none of them can keep our bloody secrets.”
“And what about me?” Molly tensed. “Are you going to use your power on me?” She didn’t want to join Club Nosebleed if she could help it.
“You know what I can do?” His smile was stretched so tight across his face, she feared it would snap like a rubber band.
“I do. Blaze told me.”
“Did he?” Mydon got closer and she took a couple steps back, instinctively.
“Whatever you might think of him, he’s a good man.”
“Is he now? Well, he’s quite the dashing savior in your eyes.” His eyes sparkled with a wicked sort of delight.
“Yes.”
“And I’m cast in the role of villain?”
Molly didn’t know what to do. From what Blaze said, Mydon was scary, and she had every reason to be afraid, but Molly had been pushed past her limits. She was exhausted, worried about her mother and couldn’t take any more crap.
“Is there a reason why I should give you the benefit of the doubt?
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know what you’ve done. When I tried to talk to Amy, your power, or control, or whatever you call it, gave her a nosebleed.”
“Only because she disobeyed my command.”
Molly tried to reign in her temper. He said it so casually, as though controlling another human being was acceptable. She’d never met anyone so arrogant, and she knew Blaze for pity’s sake.
“But you won’t, will you?”
“Tell anyone? No.”
Her heart hammered so hard, she feared it might burst through her chest.
“Did you…?” She made a vague gesture with her hand.
“Use my power on you? No, not yet.”
“Why not?”
“I need a bit more information. Tell me, is he your mate?”
“I’ve no idea what the term means, but I think the answer is no.” What’s all this mate stuff anyway?
“I think he is.”
“What does being his mate mean? Because it sounds, I don’t know, all death do us part?”
“You’ve got the right idea, but you’ll have to discuss it with Blaze. A word of warning though,” he said, holding up an admonishing finger. “He’s a bit of a wanker, be very sure before you accept.”
Wait. Woah. What just happened here?
“You appear confused.”
“Are you trying to be nice to me?”
“Perhaps I’m growing soft.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t use that term to describe you.”
“Thank you, my dear.” He bowed. “Well, maybe it’s because mates are to be trusted, cherished, and the position requires respect.” His smile was wistful. “I envy Faro and Blaze—a mate is a gift, a treasure.”
“So you aren’t angry with Blaze? Or me?”
“Concerned, but not angry.”
“Why?” Her head was spinning.
“Because I’m not a lackwit. Something is amiss, and I’m beginning to think our strings are being pulled. I grow weary of playing the fool.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“I think we’re being played, although I’m not certain who is in control. However, I suspect the Maelstrome are at the center of it, perhaps Ash or Axion have a game afoot.” He turned and paced the floor.
Axion. Why did the name sound so familiar? She got the faintest impression of wicked laughter, warm breath on her face.
Wait a minute, my dream!
She gasped. “Axion’s real?”
Mydon whipped around. “Yes, where did you hear of him?”
“I can’t remember, but it sounds familiar.” She closed her eyes, but couldn’t quite focus on the memory.
“Let me help you.” Mydon reached for her, and she shrank from him. “I promise, I won’t hurt you, I only want to help you recall what happened.”
“Okay.” He laid a hand on either side of her face and gazed deep into her eyes. Molly couldn’t look away, couldn’t focus on anything else. It’s like they bored in
to her, saw deep into her soul.
“Focus on the memory, snatch it from your subconscious mind. Do it, now.”
A bombardment of images popped into her head, all at once, and she flinched at the onslaught. Her head ached, throbbed like she’d gotten a sudden migraine.
“What did he want with you?” Mydon backed away from her, and she laid a hand against her forehead, trying to sort through the images and the discussion she’d had with the alien being.
And then she remembered the sight of the comet, the centaur hurtling toward Earth. Somehow she’d been floating in space, and yet Molly had been safe, she hadn’t frozen to death or died of asphyxia. It was mind-boggling to think about.
“He showed me Nex-88.” That was its name.
“Damn him.”
“Did he really create this planet?” She had a hundred questions about the encounter, but that one stuck out.
“It’s impossible to tell. He’s billions of years old, incredibly powerful, and has all the self-control of a willful child.” Mydon laughed without much humor. “I’m beginning to think he has grand plans for us.”
“Which is a bad thing, right?” Molly didn’t fully understand the situation and wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“The worst.”
“Will you keep our secret? Can I trust you with this knowledge?” Mydon eyed her.
“Why would you trust me?”
He snorted. “You don’t know this because you’re not from my world, but I’m a bloody hero. Once I give my word, I never go back on it, so I never make idle promises and I expect the same from others, or there are consequences.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“If you do, you’ll regret it.”
“Understood. And what about Amy?”
“I’ll take it under advisement.”
Was that Captain of the Guard for yes?
“What are you going to do about Axion?”
“I’ll formulate a plan.”
“To do what?”
“Never mind.” He smirked as he swaggered toward the door. “Unlike Blaze and Faro, I can keep a secret.”
Chapter Eighteen
Molly couldn’t pay attention.
They were seated in a space shuttle, an actual freaking space shuttle. And she was doing her level best not to gawk at everything like a tourist, but couldn’t help herself.