by Jade Waltz
“While that may be true, I don’t believe he knows what you are.”
Dread filled me. How had he discovered my genetic makeup? Was he planning to prevent me from leaving after all?
“And what am I?” I hedged, reluctant to reveal anything he may not yet know. There were too many secrets revolving around me, and many ways the people of this asteroid could exploit me for profit or repopulation.
“You have been my star, guiding me back to reality.” He beamed. “When I purposely burned myself out, before I blacked out, I prayed to the Fates and Stars to give me a sign—a reason to come back.” He shook my hand, his runes still glowing brightly as the tingling sensation continued to traverse my body. “You were there the entire time I spent in the between plane—where lost souls stay while the shells of their bodies heal from great trauma.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” I mumbled, shaking my head. “This is the same madness that occupied your brother when I first met him.”
“What did he say?”
“He claimed that I had stolen you, that I somehow was keeping you. I had never met you in all my life, so how could I have kidnapped you? Your body was here the whole time.”
“Are you—”
A huge explosion rocked the asteroid, deafening me. Debris showered from the ceiling.
Crawling on my knees, I stood and searched for the source. My face paled.
A hole had been ripped into the lifedome’s ceiling and thousands of sphere drones swarmed the area. Screams filled the air as the base’s citizens rushed to their homes and nearby exits, leaving only Zyxel, Ryzen, and me on the ground.
Ryzen pushed me behind him. “Stay back, Selena! I will protect you!”
He opened his arms wide and his emerald runes flashed brightly, blinding me. In an instant, his nine green, orb-hilted daggers appeared and started slicing and dicing the drones around us. His body moved with the grace of a dancer as he controlled his daggers. The emerald runes on his body seemed to come alive, like plasma trapped beneath his skin.
I wondered if the runes allowed him to direct the daggers. If he became a null, would he lose his ability to fight?
Something caught my eye—a blur of color lowering from the hole in the ceiling.
Dressed in a new sleek black suit that hugged his skin and a cape, Kaede looked like a man on a mission—to rescue me. With dual pistols equipped on his utility belt and an updated visor that only covered his eyes, he snarled when his gaze fell on me.
Landing a short distance away, Kaede’s drone created a forcefield sphere around the three of us, preventing anyone from interfering.
“Kaede!” I screamed. I tried to rush forward, but Ryzen wrapped an arm around me. “Kaede!”
“Are you insane?” Ryzen hissed. “He is the enemy!”
“Unhand her!” Kaede growled, flashing his fangs. “She isn’t yours!”
“Let me go!” I screamed, wiggling in the emerald twin’s embrace. “He’s mine!”
“I can’t let you do this, Selena.” Ryzen shook his head. “He knows our location and just ruptured our lifedome. I can’t allow you to go to him.”
Everything about Kaede screamed lethal power as he stalked closer. I could feel the rage radiating off him, demanding obedience.
“Unhand her now and we will leave in peace. Resist and die!” he snarled. “Your choice.”
“Call off your drones and I’ll let her go.”
“Do you think I’m stupid?” He spat, chopping the air with his hand. “My drones aren’t even attacking unless they are attacked. You started this fight with your psy-daggers.”
“Kaede, just do what he says, please,” I begged, clawing at Ryzen’s arm. “I just want to go home.”
He stared at me in silence for a moment, then sighed. Slowly, the drones started to retreat. He offered me his hand. “I called them off. Now give me Selena so we can leave.”
“Are you sure about this, Selena?” Ryzen asked, yanking me back once more. “We could get you a ride home.”
“You don’t understand. I know him!”
“You know him?” His voice was laced with shock. “How?”
“Yes!” I beamed. “He’s my guard!”
“How did he find us?”
“I followed the Stars and they led me here,” Kaede replied. “Now that you know our connection, give me back my liege.”
“As you wish.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kaede
Kaede’s senses were overwhelmed, input assaulting him from all angles.
If he’d had his way, he would’ve just murdered the entire base simply for their association with the one who had taken what was his.
The psy-dagger-wielding pretty boy who prevented Selena from reaching him just pissed him off even more. Didn’t these people understand the power he wielded?
As soon as the defeated male dropped his arm from Selena’s waist, she dashed toward him and jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. He lifted her off the ground as she twined her legs around him, locking her feet at the ankles.
Her scent smacked into him like a wall, dizzying him.
“Kaede,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “I missed you so much, you don’t understand.”
“I believe I do,” he whispered, watching his surroundings.
As soon as he had called off the drones, brave souls had started emerging from their dens. He was just waiting for one of them to attack him—and dared the foolish to try.
< REI. KEEP WATCH. WE DON’T KNOW IF THESE ARE STRONG TELEPATHS. UNTIL WE DO, ONLY SPEAK VIA THE AI SYSTEM. >
< UNDERSTOOD. >
< RETURN THE DRONES TO ME. IF THEY WANT TO FIGHT DIRTY, I CAN, TOO. >
< CONFIRMED. >
All the drones were reentering the lifedome in stealth mode. He was determined to follow his instincts and avoid repeating his mistakes. These people couldn’t be trusted; they had just proven that.
“Which one of you is Xenak?” Kaede snarled. “I have a warning for him.”
“Oh, do tell.” A sarcastic, cyan-runed male appeared from the shadows, kicking off from a wall. “Kaede, is it? You were the one who failed to protect Selena. You’re the reason she is here.”
Now that he had seen both runed males in the flesh, it was obvious they were twins. If one brother could control nine psy-daggers, it was safe to assume that Xenak was capable of similar attacks.
“No, you are the reason she’s here,” he snapped, gripping Selena tightly. “If you had any decency, I wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to retrieve what is mine.”
“But she isn’t yours, is she?”
“Don’t listen to the ishing frax, Kaede,” Selena begged. “I’m here, in your arms, right now. That’s all that matters.”
He could be diplomatic and ignore him, but he had to put the male in his place.
< REI. PLACE FIVE DRONES ON STUN. HAVE THEM AIM AND FIRE AT WILL ON XENAK. ONLY DISABLE AND RETURN THEM WHEN WE ARE ABOUT TO LEAVE. >
< CONFIRMED. >
The sweet sound of a stun laser firing, followed by a loud thud, was music to his ears. Odelm had rubbed off on him after all. Music made everything better.
“Kaede,” Selena hissed, twisting in their embrace. “What did you do?”
“What did you do to my brother?” the emerald male demanded, his nine psy-daggers dancing around him in some sort of protective shield.
“You have nothing to worry about.” Kaede chuckled. “I only stunned him. Next time he decides to test me, I won’t be as lenient.”
“Zyxel, check on him,” he ordered, jerking his head toward his fallen brother. His emerald eyes burned with a hatred that would have elicited fear if he ’weren’t accustomed to Z’s looks. Unfortunately for the commander, Kaede also had an Oetsae to protect him from any mental attacks. “I can’t feel him.”
Kaede stopped and stared at the large crimson-and-gold naga male slithering past him.
Large, curved ho
rns, slitted eyes, pointed ears, fangs, a forked tongue, and long black hair—these were all attributes he shared. Was this the species whose genes he had been spliced with?
< REI. FIGURE OUT WHO THIS ZYXEL IS AND WHAT SPECIES HE BELONGS TO. >
< CONFIRMED. >
Zyxel leaned over the fallen male and prodded his neck with two fingers. “He lives.”
“See? I was telling the truth.” Kaede placed Selena onto the ground and wrapped a protective arm around her. “Now lower your psy-daggers and we will be on our way.”
“Kaede, I need to speak with you,” she hissed.
“Can’t you tell I’m busy rescuing you, Selena?”
Sighing, she pushed off from his side and placed her hands on his cheeks. At any other moment, he would’ve been ecstatic, but couldn’t she see that they needed to safely escape before they could talk?
“Kaede, look at me,” she snapped. “I know you probably have a dozen drones aimed at every living being in this base. Put them on standby and listen to me.”
It was closer to twenty, but she didn’t need to know that.
He obeyed with a growl, frowning as he took in her appearance. Gone were her long, silver locks. In their place was hair shorter than most Ulax’s. Not that the style mattered to him, but he knew how much she had loved Symi and his sisters doing her hair. Her face seemed thinner as if she hadn’t eaten enough while here. Yet her deep, blue-green eyes still compelled him to dive in and never leave.
He couldn’t wait to speak with her privately, without an audience. There were too many things he wanted to do and say that he couldn’t while they were in danger.
“Yes, Selena?”
“These people need our help,” she implored. “And I want to help them.”
He pointed toward Xenak’s body. “Does he look like he wants your help?”
“Forget him, he’s an ishing frax.” She rolled her eyes. “Kaede, I promised to take a clan home with me as a reward for sheltering me. Would you allow me to take a few refugees back with us?”
“You aren’t thinking straight, Selena,” Kaede muttered. “Let’s get you some rest on my vessel. All you need is a little sleep and soon enough, we’ll be home.”
“Don’t coddle me,” she hissed. “These are good people. They remind me of my citizens on Destima. They were abducted, their home was destroyed, and now they’re on the run, fighting to survive. I can’t leave them here.”
“Yes, you can.” He smirked. “It’s easy.”
“I won’t feel right leaving without helping them.” She frowned. “Isn’t there a way you could allow a few aboard your ship?”
Kaede looked to the ceiling and prayed to the Stars to give him strength. This was supposed to be a simple in-and-out mission. She had requested that he didn’t kill anyone, so he had incorporated that into his plans. Now she was begging to bring foreign refugees home with them. He felt uneasy bringing anyone but her and a selected few even near the Abyss, let alone into it. It was his pride and joy, and now others would know about it and try to figure out its secrets.
“I don’t have space for… How many are stationed here?”
“I was told over five thousand, along with seventy-two humans.”
“I don’t even have room for the seventy-two humans,” he grumbled. “Nor do we have the time to arrange for them all to travel with us or figure out who goes and who doesn’t. And to be honest with you, I don’t trust anyone enough to even glimpse my ship.”
Selena patted his shoulder. “I only want to bring a few, that’s it.”
Kaede narrowed his eyes at the frustrating female. He knew what a few meant; they would start with a few and end up taking the whole base with them.
“Fine, but they will be under heavy supervision,” Kaede sighed, already regretting the words that fell from his lips. “I mean it. They won’t be able to shit on my ship without me knowing.”
A scream erupted from her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him furiously on both cheeks. “Thank you.” Kiss. “Thank you.” Kiss. “Thank you.” Kiss.
He could feel his cheeks redden as everyone around them watched in shock. He smirked when he saw Zyxel eyeing him with jealousy, while his emerald twin appeared confused by the display.
Releasing him, Selena clapped and turned toward a ledge overlooking the pond.
“Tori! He said yes!” she shouted, cupping her mouth with both hands. “Bring the boys and anything you want to take with you.”
A squeal of happiness sounded in the direction Selena faced as a blonde female grabbed her sapphire mate, jumping up and down.
“What have I done?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Selena
“Ambassadors.”
“You want them to be your ambassadors?” Kaede asked, dumbfounded. “Why would you want that?”
“How else will I explain taking in a large group of refugees from beyond our galaxy?” I gestured to the apartments that housed the base’s citizens. “I will speak with Z, Royak, and Vagren about making it official, and with Mwe about handling the Assembly when over five thousand applications for new citizenship suddenly appear on their desks.”
“You know that means you will have to return to the CEG headquarters and submit your case in front of the Assembly again, right?” Kaede crossed his arms. “It’s not like I can stop you when you set your mind on something. I just want to make sure you knew your options.”
“I do know. I’ve already thought this through.”
“Well, if the refugees agree, so do I.”
Grabbing his hand, I dragged him toward Ryzen. The poor male was confused about how to respond to our approach. While Kaede owned all the drones that watched the base, I was leading him to speak in person.
“You can keep your psy-daggers up if you want, but I’d like to speak with you.”
He peered at us with pursed lips, his emerald tattoos dimming. “What is it you want to talk about?”
“I’d like your permission to take some of your crew members with me permanently. I plan to make Tori and her clan my official ambassadors to your base,” I announced, tilting my head. “I know I could probably take them without your permission, but I don’t want to leave with any hard feelings between us.”
Three thumps sounded behind me and he glanced over my shoulder. “Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know how good of an ambassador I will be, but yes, my clan and I want to leave with Selena and live on her home moon,” Tori answered, stepping closer to me. “We’ve developed a friendship that I don’t wish to lose.”
“I see,” Ryzen muttered. “And your clan?”
“We will follow our StarPyre and relocate to live near Selena,” Auro announced, patting Tori’s shoulder. “You know my clan brothers have always wanted to become merchants again and pick up our trade runs.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve always felt guilty that you ended up with us.”
“Does that mean that you will allow us to leave?” Tori asked, grabbing her two emerald males’ hands.
“If that is what you want. However, I don’t believe you should go alone.” Ryzen returned his gaze to me. “How difficult would it be to bring me along, too?”
“Very,” Kaede clipped. “Especially for a male whose psy-daggers are still active.”
Ryzen rolled his eyes and waved his hand, making all nine weapons disappear.
“How about now?” The emerald male smirked, crossing his arms. “You are the one who still has his weapons engaged, not me.”
Kaede clenched his fists and opened his mouth to speak, but I gently smacked his stomach. “Don’t you dare start peacocking around me, Kaede.”
He shot the twin a glare but relaxed, wrapping an arm around me.
Whatever had gotten into him to make him so possessive, I could address the issue later. Right now, I needed to handle Ryzen so we could be off. I had wasted enough time on this rock.
“Who will lead the base if you leave?”
“My brother can.” He held up a hand to stop me from protesting. “I’ve already spoken to him about his behavior and the need to find a more permanent location for our people. He can remain grounded on the base while I search for a more suitable place to settle.”
“Your brother isn’t allowed to enter our galaxy, you know that, right?” Kaede challenged. “Is that a dealbreaker for you?”
“After Selena returns home and makes sure her mates are all right, we could discuss terms to give him permission to enter your galaxy,” Ryzen suggested, his eyes flicking to his fallen brother.
“You will need to speak with Oeta about that ban.” I frowned. I wouldn’t interfere with Oeta’s decisions. She was the one who enforced the ban with the help of her father, so they could consult her about lifting it. “I’m mainly angry at your brother because he never admitted he was wrong or even attempted to apologize to me. If he had shown any remorse for his actions, I would have felt a little sympathy. I understand the impulse to do anything to save a loved one. Perhaps after he has time to consider his actions, he will come to realize his mistakes.”
“I agree,” Ryzen closed his eyes and nodded. “I will make note of that for the future.”
“I would also like to request passage on your vessel,” Zyxel announced.
I stilled in Kaede’s embrace. He must have noticed because he maneuvered my body away from the crimson male.
“Why do you want to board my ship?” Kaede hissed. “I’m already traveling with five extra passengers. What would you bring to this journey?
“I am one of the doctors in the base. I’ve been put in charge of Selena’s health while she’s here—”
“Are you implying I’m incapable of providing the medical services needed for our journey?” Kaede questioned. “Or perhaps there’s another reason why you want to come along?”