Page 17 of Alien Warlord's Fury
"That was close," Claire gasped, her shoulder pressed against mine in the confined space, our bodies unavoidably touching from shoulder to hip.
I shifted, trying to give her space that didn't exist. "Acid rain. Happens during energy fluctuations."
"Like the ones Hammond is causing?"
"Yes." I kept my eyes on the storm outside, acutely aware of her proximity, of the unresolved tension from our near-kiss after the lizard attack. The memory of her face tilted toward mine, lips parted, hung between us.
Thunder cracked overhead, vibrating through the stone at our backs. Claire flinched, pressing closer. His tail, trapped between his back and the rock wall, twitched slightly at the contact.
Her scent—fear mixed with something uniquely her—filled my senses.
"How long will it last?" she asked.
"Could be minutes. Could be hours." I turned my head slightly, finding her face inches from mine in the dim light. "These storms are unpredictable."
Her markings flickered beneath her skin, casting silver shadows across her face. She winced, pressing a hand to her temple.
"What's wrong?"
"They're... restless." Claire closed her eyes. "Ever since that node activated, I can't... I can't control them properly."
I watched the silver light pulse erratically beneath her skin, remembering the raw power she'd unleashed against the corrupted lizards. Untrained. Unstable. Dangerous.
"You fear them," I stated, not a question.
Claire's eyes snapped open, meeting mine with defiance that quickly crumbled. "Yes." Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"I don't know what they're capable of. What I'm capable of."
Rain lashed against the rocks outside, filling the silence between us with its caustic hiss. The smell of ozone and wet stone surrounded us, while thunder continued to rumble overhead.
"Power without control is dangerous." I shifted, wincing as my wounded shoulder scraped against stone. "The Aerie understand this better than most."
"Because of the Great Division?" Claire asked, her body still tense against mine.
"Partly." I considered my words carefully. How to explain without revealing too much?
"The Aerie believe power carries responsibility. When the ancient technologies failed, it wasn't just the machines that destroyed themselves. It was those who wielded them without understanding the consequences."
Claire's markings pulsed in time with her heartbeat. I felt it through the thin barrier of our clothing, a rhythm slightly faster than my own.
"And now you think I'm doing the same thing."
"I think you haven't been given a choice." My voice softened. "Or proper guidance."
She laughed without humor. "Is that what you're offering? Guidance?"
"Perhaps." I met her gaze steadily. "At minimum, I understand the struggle between power and control."
Her eyes narrowed. "Do you? You seem perfectly in control to me."
I looked away, watching acid droplets eat into the earth outside our shelter. "Appearances can deceive." The truth hung unspoken between us.
How could I explain that my control fractured more with each passing hour in her presence? That the bond forming between us pulled at duties I'd sworn to uphold?
"I never asked for these markings." Claire's voice broke the silence, vulnerable in a way I hadn't heard before. "I was just a regular colonist. Then Hammond..."
She swallowed hard. "He did something to me. Connected me to machines. Forced the markings to appear."
