"I'm sure she will be happy on Rottvan. She loves fixing and repairing," I said.
"She did an outstanding job on my forge," Lord Protector Garth agreed, earning himself a reproachful glare from his mate.
"What?" He turned to her, shrugging. "She did."
"They have mating marks," Lady Silla chided.
"I told you we can get matching tattoos if you want to," Garth replied, looking exasperated. I felt like I was missing something in their conversation, but honestly, it was slightly amusing.
"That's not the same, and you know it." Silla pouted.
"It's not my fault that Pandraxians don't have this particular trait. You're still my mekarry," he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead.
This display of affection should have made me nauseated, should have made me run the other way. Instead, I stared. As impolite as it was. I had never seen a couple like them before. The love between the two was obvious and deep. Was that what fated mates did? Felt like for one another?
I remembered the urge that had made me kiss Alice. It had been for show, and yet it hadn't. Not from the moment our lips touched. The need to do it again had never left me. Was that fated mate stuff?
I didn't want to interrupt their moment, so I took a step back to the platform, ready to get back on my ship. From there… Rottvan? The planet lured me. No, not the planet.Her.Alice. Still, she was where she undoubtedly would be happy—needed—where her talents would be valued. Again, what did I have to offer her?
Nothing!
Not a thing.
"Listen to your heart, not your brain," Silla suddenly said.
"Silla," Garth warned.
"I'm sorry you are going to lose your new Chief Engineer, Garth. But really? They have mating marks. They belong together." Silla's eyes were shooting flames at her mate. When she turned to me, she softened. "I'm serious, Xyrek. Whatever is going on with you two, it’s the heart that matters, nothing else."
I rubbed the back of my neck, slowly moving my head from side to side as if in denial of the words coming out of my mouth. "I don't have anything to offer her."
"You have plenty to offer her. You." She spoke with so much conviction, it was hard to argue with it. For the second time, she grabbed my arm and gently squeezed. "Listen, for whatever reason, the universe decided you two belong to each other. You owe it to yourselves to give it a chance and uncover what fate wants you to discover. Like it or not, Alice is part of this, just like the others who have been bonded to your brothers."
Brothers!
I nodded.
Yes, brothers. That's what they were to me. Space Guardians had always had a brotherhood. We might not get along with each other, but anyone threatening one of us threatens all of us. Now, though, for the first time, I wondered if this brotherhood ran deeper than I had ever imagined. Not only because it sounded like we were all wearing matching mating marks, but because of something else. The dream. I remember vividly running through the forest and seeing the town. Deep down, I knew this was home and that I was meant to find it. A slight headache spread through my brain as I thought of it, but I ignored it.
"I'm sorry, Lord Protector," I said to Garth, meaning it.
He closed his eyes as if praying for patience. "I understand." He sounded resigned.
Silla rose on her tiptoes, and her hands moved my head down so she could reach me before she planted a kiss on each of my cheeks. "Go get her."
A rare smile spread my lips, and I gave her a tight nod. "I promise we will come back when this is all over."
"Don't make any promises yet, Space Guardian. You know I would love nothing more than to have you and the others here, but I won't take any promises until you know what your destiny holds in store for you." Lord Protector Garth said. Wise words.
It felt strange leaving them, as if I was leaving a family I had never had. But the thought of seeing Alice soon made me nearly run up the platform back to my ship. With dread, I realized it would take three days to reach Rottvan. Frygg. It not only meant that it would take much longer than anticipated to see her again—and I had no one else besides my stupid, stubborn nature to blame for that. I should have never let her go—but it would also take us three days further away from Darlam.
ALICE
With every passing day,the deep ache in my chest grew in intensity. This missing him was entirely out of proportion for someone I had only met a couple of weeks ago and only known well for a few days. It was like a piece of me had been ripped out. I caught myself over and over thinking and wondering what Xyrek would say or do. It was infuriating. Why was I missing this alien so much? I hadn't even liked the man. Well, I liked his kiss. He was a good kisser. But let's be honest, you simply didn't build a relationship with someone just because they knew how to kiss.
Unless you were a lonely psychopath… And, well, some of my traits might have qualified me as such. The way I had just turned my back on my family, or how I had left my friends without regret once I scored the job in Nevada. I had always known something was wrong with me, deep inside me. I just didn't develop the kind of attachment normal people did. Or so I had thought until I began missing the freaking alien. I refused to think of his name because the moment I did, my stomach did this stupid, fluttery thing. I also missed Silla. She was by far the nicest, most genuine person I had ever met.
So, me—forming attachments. Which left me with the question of whether having been abducted by aliens might have changed my personality. Or was it the damn mating marks? I didn't think so because I was missing Silla too, not just Xy—the alien.
