I gazed down at the Mian bending before me, my eyes gentle on his. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Braita."
A sound akin to a growl sounded. And not from Sweet Pea, either.
It was coming from Malik's direction.
"Okay, that's enough petting," I whispered, stepping back.
Phila's voice was so quiet, I barely heard him—I was sure no one else did since there was no bloodshed being had. "That is not the petting I wish to do with you, Sweetness."
I swiftly turned my heated face away when I heard Jax shout, "Braita! Over here!"
Jax stood in the doorway of the ... Well, the sign said Lick Me Up Tavern.
Now that Jax had accustomed himself to the Mian lifestyle, it sounded just like his sort of bar.
Especially since you only had to be sixteen-years-old to drink on Triaz.
"Come on!" Jax held up a glass, silver alcho-brew sloshing over the side. "Live a little!"
My brows furrowed as I glanced down at Sweet Pea, then back up. I hollered, "I can't. I have a pet now!" I shrugged. "And, besides, I don't drink."
Jax narrowed his gray eyes in a special look he only gave me when I was being a prudish bore.
"Fine!" I stomped in his direction, the Plumas following behind with a much livelier step toward the bar. "But they better let Sweet Pea in."
Malik slammed down his sixth cup, just as empty as his others. He grinned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You sure you don't want a drink?"
I lifted my water. "I have a drink, as I've said before." I waved to all of the guards and the other Plumas sitting at our table, everyone had joined in to have at least one alcho-brew. "Besides, you have enough drinking partners."
He pointed his empty at the bartender. "Another round, please."
Leo sipped on his second cup, his lips curving at his partner. "You are such a damn lush."
Malik pointed a finger at him, leaning a bit on the table with an elbow. "You just can't hold your liquor as well as I can." His black brows lifted as he leaned toward Leo on the other side of me, invading Sweet Pea's and my space. "Just admit it."
Leo chuckled. "Never."
I rolled my eyes, staring across the table where Jax sat. The more Malik drank, the more flirtatious he became. And not only with me. If I had just seen him drink before, then he and Leo's love for each other would have been obvious. My lips thinned as Leo reached up, right in front of my face, and pressed on Malik's forehead, pushing him back into his seat. I glanced at Malik, agreeing with Leo. "You are a bit of a lush."
Malik politely took the cup the bartender handed him before peering back into my eyes. His grin was lopsided, making my heart pound harder. "I'm merely celebrating." He bent his head and pressed his lips to my ear, kissing softly. "Our Soul has returned to us."
My eyes drifted to Killeg and Phila at the other end of the table, smartly sitting far away so everyone could drink and be merry. I cleared my throat and tilted my head back to stare into a silver glowing gaze only inches away from mine. "Yes, I am back."
Jax choked on his drink and began pounding on his chest.
My regard snapped to him. "Are you okay?" It was still only his first drink.
"Yes." He thumped his chest once more, coughing more gently now. "I'm fine."
I patted the top of Sweet Pea's head, bending down to retrieve a dog treat out of the store bag for him. He nibbled at it with vigor until my hand jerked away. There was no stopping it as I tried to grab Malik's shoulder right before he face planted onto the wooden tabletop. "What the hell?" I patted his cheek repeatedly, but he wouldn't wake up. I turned my attention to Leo.
I froze.
His eyes were shut, and his head was back on his chair. Completely out cold.
That wasn't right.
My attention swung around the bar in a flurry as I hurried to stand from my chair.
All of the patrons were passing out, one after another.
Their faces hit the tables. Their bodies hit the ground.
Some were even falling body first onto other sleeping patrons.
My gaze snapped to Killeg and Phila, down the long line of guards passing out.
Both had leaned toward each other, their sides of their heads resting against the other.
Hell, they were even snoring quietly.
The only individuals wide awake were the bartender and Jax.
That didn't last long though.
My jaw dropped as Jax flew from his chair and over the long counter of the bar. He whacked the stunned bartender in the left temple with his glass, his 'weapon' breaking and flying in a glory of shining shards across the bar. The place was now silent.
Sweet Pea wiggled in my arms, and I held him closer to my chest. "Jax ... what's going on?"
"Fuck. That took longer than I thought it would." Jax raced across the room, jumping over sleeping Mian. He slammed the front door shut to the tavern, locking it. He hit a button next to the door and the windows automatically shaded to deep black, eliminating anyone's view from the street.
"Jax?"
He snapped his fingers at me. "Let's go."
My brows rose. "Go where?"
"Home." His stare was pointed. "Escape. To Joyal."
I didn't speak for a full minute, and then I shouted, "What? Have you lost your damned mind?"
Pure exasperation. "I'll explain on the way." He glanced at his halo-watch. "We've only got a few hours before they wake up. Even less than that if someone finds them."
I blinked. "How did you do this?"
"I stole a few vials from Pluma Creo's room before we left for our outing."
My words were slow, my mind trying to catch up to this madness. "You stole from Killeg?"
"I'm about to steal more if you would get your ass moving."
My brows furrowed. "What about Stiller? He's the other half of your Vaq. He'll know something is—" I stopped, realizing the truth. "You drugged him before you left the fair."
He nodded. "And I poured all of the vials into the alcho-brew system here before you walked in." His gray eyes were staring hard into mine. "You want freedom, right? I'm giving you that option."
I blinked. "Are you prepared to leave Stiller?"
His lips thinned, but he stated with conviction, "I have a mission, Braita. I have to accomplish it before I think of myself. It's more than just me. I have to think of the Humans on Joyal, too."
My brows furrowed, but I didn't ask another question. He would tell me if I went with him.
Instead, my eyes swung to my Vaq, and then to Killeg and Phila.
Could I truly leave Triaz?
The answer was simple.
For my freedom, I would do anything.
"I'm assuming you have a way to get us to Joyal?" I asked, my mind set.
Jax snorted. "Of course."
"Perfect." I bent and rifled through the bag from the pet shop. I found the leash inside and hooked Sweet Pea's collar to it, then wrapped it around the bottom of Malik's chair. I couldn't take a dog on the run. Stealth was a must when hiding from Mian with sensitive ears. Ruffling his ears, I kissed the top of his head before I made my rounds, saying a quiet goodbye to not only my Vaq, but to Killeg and Phila as well, even kissing all of their cheeks once.
Jax stood with his arms crossed, his brows raised in surprise. But he remained mute. Just watching. When I was done, he grabbed my hand, pulling through the back of the building. He stopped at a closet and yanked two tattered cloaks from inside. In a hurry, we put them on, yanking the hoods over our heads.
We were out the back door and running down a dark alleyway. I followed Jax, trusting my best friend to get me back to my planet. To the home I had always known and trusted. Our Joyal.
At the end of the alley, there was a black vehicle sitting in the darkness.
Jax opened the passenger side door, indicating for me to get inside.
I slipped in and fastened my seatbelt. I had an inkling there would be fast and reckless drivin
g in our future. Wherever we were headed, Jax was in a hurry as he slid across the hood of the vehicle to cut time to get to the driver's side door. Within seconds, we were flying down the main streets of Center, heading away from the bustling inner city.
We had ditched the car a half-hour ago, on to our next destination through the forest.
Out of breath, but keeping up, my runs on Joyal having kept me fit for this trek.
Jax was a few feet ahead of me, a bulky bag he had grabbed from the backseat strapped over his shoulder, bouncing against his right hip as he ran like Lavanos were chasing us.
No, worse. Like Mian were after us.
Which they probably were if anyone had stumbled upon the slumbering Plumas.
I jumped over a rock and then ducked under a tree limb, remembering this exact route.
We were headed for the hov-craft. If that was our outlet for exit of Triaz, I had no idea how we were going to find it. Unless we ran smack into it. When we had last left it, the cloaking device had been activated. Jax and I wouldn't be able to see even if we were standing right in front of it.
But I trusted Jax. He said he had a plan. I trusted him with my life, so I continued weaving through trees and jumping over brush to keep up with him, not about to lose him in the darkness.
Twenty minutes later, he came to an abrupt stop, his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
I dropped next to him, staring up at the canopy of leaves, the moon's light barely filtering through. I wasn't sure how many miles we had just run, but the way my side was killing me, I guessed it was near three. Sucking oxygen like it would quickly expire, I didn't bother moving for a full ten minutes.
Then we were back on our feet, once again sprinting through the forest.
Sweat drenching my body, my clothes sticking to me like a second skin, I laughed quietly ten minutes later as we both halted in our tracks. I snorted so hard, the stabbing pain in my side jabbed back, making me flinch.
I still pointed at the two large sticks that hovered in the air, making a large 'X'. "You put them on the stairs before we left it?"
"Yep," Jax wheezed, walking quickly to the entrance of the invisible hov-craft. "And I marked almost all the bases of the trees we passed with the yellow rubber on my shoe, so I could find the way back here in the dark. It's why I walked in the back on the way to the city, instead of letting Stiller lead the group." He shrugged, knocking the branches away. "I feigned a stomach cramp. Stiller believed it since he could feel my worry. He just didn't know what I was really worrying about."
"Genius," I muttered, watching as he tapped on the hov-craft, bringing it into full view, still programmed for his fingerprint. A code entered a second later, and the door opened for us. After we had climbed inside the parlor, he activated the cloaking device once again and shut and sealed the door.
Dropping his bag on the white couch, he unzipped it. Inside were space travel wear. As I lifted one out, along with a helmet, it appeared a little outdated but no worse for the wear.
"Where did you get these?"
He snorted softly. "You really don't want to know."
"But I do."
He shrugged, and started stripping his shirt over his head. "There's a museum in Center. While you were busy eating sweets, I was at the museum stealing their first ever space suits." He winked as he began undoing his pants. "And procuring us a vehicle."
I chuckled as I tore my own shirt over my head, and then started on my pants. We needed to hurry. No time for privacy. "Is there oxygen in them still?"
"Yeah, I made sure to test them."
"And this hov-craft can get us to Joyal?"
"It better."
"Jax ... "
"Yes, it has all the newest technology for extended space travel, and when I flew it earlier, the thing damn near flew itself."
"So the coordinates are really all you need."
He nodded, grinning like a fiend as he shoved one of his legs down into the suit. "You ready to leave Triaz, Braita?"
I was already putting my helmet on and sitting on the recliner. I strapped myself into the chair with the hidden safety belts. "More than ready."
Jax took a seat next to me, tapping on the halo-screen before buckling himself in. "We're only one more tap away." He glanced at me. Even though I couldn't see his eyes through his helmet, I knew he was asking me silently one last time.
"Do it."
His pointer finger landed on the halo-screen.
Tossing my helmet off as we landed, I immediately unstrapped. I was on my knees in front of Jax in a mere heartbeat. His helmet hung down, and his body was wrapped in deep tremors. I had no clue how he had managed to land the hov-craft. The farther away from Triaz we had gone, the worse he had become.
I pressed my fingers to unlatch his helmet and tore it over his head. "Jax! Are you all right?"
His gray eyes were bloodshot and he whispered, "The bag. There's medicine in there."
Instantly, I knew he was having a reaction from being away from the other half of his Vaq. He needed Stiller, not drugs. But I hurried to the bag, even as pounding began to sound on the door to the hov-craft. Fumbling with shaking fingers, I found the bottle buried in the bottom of the black bag. Tipping four into my hand, having taken that many before I had received my Solo, I helped Jax take them. I sat back in my chair and waited. It wouldn't take long for the pills to kick in since he had never taken them before. Our people outside could wait. They knew it was us because Jax had transmitted our incoming arrival—for fear they would blow us out of the sky.
I did ask, "What was your mission, Jax?"
In a hoarse voice, he growled, "This ship. Our president had received word of it two years ago, and Joyal doesn't have the minerals it needs to create this technology. When the tsunami occurred, it was the perfect opportunity for a spy to infiltrate the east of Triaz. Our government plans to clone everything it needs to duplicate it so our citizens will be safe from the natural disasters our planet living on the ground causes."
All of it made sense since Joyal was prone to underwater earthquakes, except for one small fact. "Why didn't they just ask Killeg and Phila for assistance?"
"They did." He rested his head back on his seat, his eyes beginning to glaze from the drugs. "The Plumas denied assistance when our President wouldn't meet their demands."
"What did they want?"
Jax snorted, the edges of his lips lifting in a sloppy smile. The medicine was definitely kicking in. "The Plumas wanted access to Joyal's oceans. Apparently, we have fish here with certain enzymes that help with infection. Triaz doesn't. Our President was an asshole and said no."
My blink was slow. "Why did you get assigned the mission and not me?" I wore ten marks on my wrists. I was just as capable as he was.
Jax snickered and lifted his right hand, pinching his fingers together. "Because I'm just a wee bit better than you in test scores." He laughed outright. "Cow."
I glared, but it held no heat. "I can still kick your ass on the mats."
"Only half the time." He waved his hand at the door. "Will you open it now so they'll shut the fuck up. My head is pounding."
I rose from my seat and helped him to remove his safety belts. "Let's get changed first before they come storming in to strip this place bare." I paused. "And I want to see if Killeg left any of his potions behind."
Jack's dark brows rose. "Why?"
"Because I never expected our President to be so damn covetous. You've completed the mission, but what do you think he's going to do with us now? A man who doesn't share well, will do whatever it takes to protect what is his now that he has his prize."
Jack's hazy regard sharpened as he stared into my eyes. "We should probably grab a few inconspicuous weapons, too." He paused. "Just in case."
"Yes, no shit." What the hell had he gotten us into?
As we exited the hov-craft onto the ground of our home, Plata, my suspicions were well-founded. The front of my body was slammed against the landing pad,
two government agents grabbing my wrists and placing them in laser-cuffs.
Jax landed right next to me a second later, his warm breath rushing over my face with his hard landing. He growled quietly but allowed the three government agents to cuff him.
I glared from the ground. "Two for me. Three for you. I don't think my reputation precedes me."
Jax laughed right in my face, one of his cheeks smashed against the hard ground making his smile crooked. "When did you become so vain, Braita?"
I shrugged a shoulder and grimaced as the agents none-too-gently yanked me to my feet. "When it became obvious you think you're better than me."
He was pulled up right next to me. He still wore a grin. "I said only a wee bit."
"Oh, fuck off." I scowled once more and then tilted my head to the walkway. "We're getting arrested and shit. Let's try to act like we're taking this seriously."
Because we were. We were taking it damn seriously.
The agents stepped back since we were in laser-cuffs, giving the proper amount of distance Humans did on Joyal. They indicated we should follow them and started down the trail.
Jax snorted at their backs as we walked sedately behind them. "Not even a 'welcome back.'"
"Very rude, indeed."
An agent glanced over his shoulder, studying us silently.
"He thinks we're weird," I grumbled, staring right back at the agent. He was the one who had snuck his knee in my back to hold me down.
"The barbarian race has afflicted us."
"The dastardly devils."
He paused as we stepped down a brightly lit stairwell. "Okay, let's try to be serious."
"Okay." I lasted twenty seconds. "Do you think the President will give me his autograph?"
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