Chapter Four
“Welcome to Evo.”
Juliet smiled in response to Fenris’ belated greeting even though she felt totally embarrassed about her meltdown. After she had sobbed all over Raek, she had flung herself at Fenris and had cried all over him as well.
She’d been shocked to find them waiting for her on the landing platform. Before she’d left Earth, Jade had warned her that Raek, Charm, and Fenris had heard about what had happened to her. Since they had heard the rumors and knew she was coming to visit them, some of the pressure had been lifted off of her.
On the way to Evo, she had considered contacting them but had ultimately decided against it since she had wanted to surprise them.
The moment she saw them, a rush of emotions had completely overwhelmed her. Falling to pieces in public wasn’t exactly her idea of fun, but she couldn’t help it. They had been patient with her, letting her sob all over them without uttering a single word of protest.
By the time she had regained enough control to step back, she’d noticed that the other people on the platform had already disappeared. The only person who remained close by was Melody. She had dragged their luggage over to the side and had taken a seat on the floor. She’d looked like she was taking a nap, but Juliet knew that had been her way of giving them some privacy.
Now that the emotional storm was over, Melody got to her feet and strolled over to join them. She was wearing a black skinsuit that molded to her voluptuous body with a long red duster over it. She was the type of female that usually attracted a lot of attention, but Raek and Fenris just nodded politely when Juliet introduced them.
“Nice to meet you,” Melody said. “I’ve heard a lot about you two on the way here. Can we get off this platform before another shuttle decides to land on top of us?”
Fenris’ lips twitched in amusement. “Come on, let’s head home. Charm is waiting for us. We can take a transporter directly to the sanctuary.”
Melody pouted. “I thought we were going to get a tour of this crazy place.”
“I can take you both on a tour tomorrow,” Fenris promised.
Juliet started to agree, then changed her mind. “Do you think we could walk there, or is it too far away? I’d like to stretch my legs a little on solid ground after being stuck on that ship for so long.”
“It’s not too far,” Raek replied. “Fen, why don’t you lead them out, and I’ll catch up.”
Juliet watched as he lifted their huge bags and carried them away as if they weighed nothing. “Where is he going?”
“The transporters can take us directly to the sanctuary so he’s going to drop your bags off before joining us again. The transporters are new tech that has been merged with Dragon Warrior magic. It’s the fastest way to island hop to the different locations.”
“That sounds kind of awesome.” Melody sighed. “Now I kind of wish we went with him.”
“We can take the transporters to a few of the different islands tomorrow. Come on,” Fenris said, gesturing toward the exit. “We can start our tour now.”
They followed him off the platform and through the building. She felt bad that Raek had to make an extra trip to the sanctuary to drop off their bags, but she hadn’t been joking about needing to stretch her legs. She’d never done any space travel before, so she hadn’t been aware that she’d suffer from space sickness until it had hit her.
Although she had ended up sleeping for half the trip, it still felt far too long for her. While the vessel was large enough to comfortably fit dozens of people in private rooms, it had felt too small and confining to her. She didn’t understand how people could spend months flying around without ever touching solid land. She didn’t think she would enjoy spending much time on the various space stations either.
As they made their way out of the transport center and down a pathway that led into a park with a small lake, Juliet smiled as she took in the strange new setting. Although everything looked like something that could have been found on Earth, the blue sunlight made it all seem sort of surreal.
Even though she’d just arrived on Evo, she immediately liked it. She liked the atmosphere and how happy everyone seemed to be. Perhaps that was the way it was at a vacation destination, or maybe everyone was enjoying themselves because Evo was essentially a giant amusement park.
She knew the planetoid was comprised mostly of vibrant blue water, but that there were dozens of islands that had been altered to represent various settings and stages from the Evolution game. The entire planetoid was run by a mix of technology and magic, and she couldn’t wait to explore some of the other locations.
“This is the main, largest island on the planetoid. The transport center is located close to the middle of the island. Most of the administrative buildings are back that way,” Fenris explained, using his thumb to point over his shoulder. “Those buildings on the other side of the lake are open to the public. Like that big structure over there. That is a holo-center where people can go play holo version of the games.”
“What is the point of coming here and playing holo?” Melody asked. “Couldn’t they just do that at home?”
He shook his head. “The holo rooms here are upgraded with the latest tech. There are private rooms, group rooms, and entire floors where a bunch of random players can play together. I haven’t tried them out myself, but I’ve heard it’s better than anything back on Earth.”
“I like holo better than VR,” Melody said. “But I’m really looking forward to checking out the live versions.”
“That’s the specialty here. I’ve tried out a few of the different locations, but we’ve mostly been busy getting the new sanctuary up and running. When we got here, there were only a few dozen of us on the planetoid. Now, there are several hundred employees living here. There are also dozens of businesses, including specialty shops, hotels, and med-centers.”
As they continued to walk toward the sanctuary, Fenris struggled to fill the silence with small talk. That was something he definitely sucked at. However, after her breakdown earlier, it seemed like Juliet wanted a distraction away from emotional subjects.
If that’s what she needed, he was willing to ramble on like an idiot.
He started to worry a little when Juliet mostly remained silent, but he relaxed again after he realized she was just enjoying the walk. He quickly caught onto the fact that Melody was helping to keep the conversation going so Juliet wouldn’t have to. That made him appreciate Juliet’s friend. He also liked the way she had positioned herself on Juliet’s other side, making sure no one could get close to her. The Tarin female seemed very protective of his tiny dancer, and he was grateful that she had traveled to Evo with her.
As they drew closer to the sanctuary, a commotion up ahead caught his attention. Two drunk humans had started to argue about the credits they had lost at the casino, and their shouting quickly escalated into a shoving match.
Fenris shifted to place his body in front of Juliet, shielding her from any possible danger. Even though the fight was happening several feet away, he wouldn’t risk her. He wondered if he should intercede, then realized there was no need when he saw Conack, an enormous Krytos security officer, hurrying toward the arguing men. When he held an arm out to stop Melody from moving forward, she shot him an incredulous look.
“Let security handle it.”
Taking control of the situation, Conack lifted both males off their feet and shook them a little as he held them up in the air. The casual display of strength impressed the onlookers who had stopped to watch the conflict. Fenris couldn’t hear what Conack said to the men, but from the way they quickly nodded in agreement, whatever warning he’d given them had worked. Once he set them back on their feet, they trotted away from him in a stumbling run.
“Who is that?” Melody asked.
“Conack. He works security here on Evo. He’s a good friend of ours.”
Fenris blinked in surprise when she stalked toward the large Krytos male. Conack had started to walk away but paused when Melody called out to him. His eyes widened as she spoke to him, then his expression changed from shock to what looked a little like fear. Watching the security officer retreat a few steps was almost comical since he was so much larger than her.
“What is she doing?”
Before Juliet could reply, Melody linked her arm through Conack’s and lifted her other hand in a wave. “Conack is going to give me a tour,” she called out. “I’ll meet you back at the sanctuary later.”
“Okay.” Juliet waved back. “Have fun!”
Fenris frowned as the Tarin female dragged the confused-looking Krytos away. “What is going on?”
“Melody is Tarin.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.”
Juliet sighed. “Her abilities are a little different than most of the other Tarin I’ve met. She calls herself an energy addict, but really, she is a lot more sensitive to the different kinds of energy people give off.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You know how some people are attracted to different scents? Like something can smell really good to you, but someone else might not have the same reaction? She is like that with different energy.”
Fenris frowned as he watched the other couple walk away. “So, she is attracted to his energy?”
“Apparently. If she likes the energy coming from someone, she wants more of it. And the more she gets, the more attracted she is to it.”
“Ah, hence the addict part.”
“Exactly. He isn’t mated, is he?”
“No. Actually, I think he’s a little afraid of females.”
“I can see that.”
Fenris smiled when she giggled. Hearing that lighthearted sound coming from her was like music to his ears.
“What happened?” Raek asked as he jogged over to join them. “Why is my brother grinning like an idiot?”
“Melody likes Conack.”
Raek blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
Juliet giggled again, then she explained what had happened as they started walking.
“That is…unexpected.” Raek chuckled. “Whatever happens between them, it’s going to be highly entertaining to watch. Sorry, I got delayed. There was an issue in the casino that needed to be handled.”
She smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ve just been enjoying our walk.”
“I’m glad. I put your bags in your private residence at the sanctuary so they are safe.”
Her smile dimmed a little. “Private residence?”
“It’s actually Charm’s private residence,” Fenris hurried to explain. “It’s a tower with four bedrooms, and since she is the only one living there, she thought you and Melody could stay with her. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you.”
The thought of being alone had obviously bothered her, but since she was trying not to show it, Fenris didn’t mention it. “Raek and I live in the next tower over so we are close by.”
“We set Wonderland up differently than the sanctuaries back on Earth,” Raek told her. “Since we have a casino, a club, and several bars on the property, we wanted to make sure the residences were safely sectioned off from the rest of the sanctuary. There are some suites inside the main structure, but those are mostly for staff members who aren’t as concerned about security issues.”
“That makes sense. I can’t wait to see it. Did you base Wonderland on the old story? That used to be my favorite book.”
“We know,” Fenris said softly. “You’ll be safe there. We swear it.”
Her lower lip wobbled a little. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but for today can we just…be? It’s been ages since I’ve been able to take a walk out in the open like this and just enjoy myself.”
“Anything you want, baby girl.” When her eyes shimmered with tears again, Raek cleared his throat. “Tonight we have a little celebration planned in honor of your arrival. I’m making a feast, which includes several different desserts.”
She smiled brightly. “Sounds wonderful. Do you need help? You know I’m a terrible cook, but I can help with the prep work or cleaning dishes.”
Raek chuckled. “The desserts are finished, and most of the prep is already done. I just have to cook the hot dishes before we’re ready to eat.”
“Magnus, Nico, and Razar will be joining us for dinner with their mate, Brielle. Oh, and guess who else is here? Zenix Li, the head of security here on Evo, is mated to Ayla D’Nye,” Fenris said, mentioning her favorite singer.
“No way!” she gasped. “Ayla D’Nye lives here now?”
Fenris nodded. “She does, and she’s set up a residency here. Some of the other famous people who have come here for the beta testing have been complete assholes, but not Ayla. She’s actually pretty normal, which is weird considering she’s a megastar.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to be having dinner with Ayla D’Nye.”
Fenris laughed at the awe in her voice.
As they reached the path that led directly to the sanctuary, he started to feel a little nervous. They had created Wonderland for Juliet. Even though they’d thought they had lost her, every detail had been done with her in mind. He desperately wanted her to love it as much as they did.
The sanctuary was located on a wide peninsula near Evo’s main resort. The massive resort was a majestic palace made of a silvery stone found on the planetoid that reflected the light and colors around it, which came from the blue tones of the sky and sea. The palace looked elegant, which matched the luxurious accommodations that were found inside the structure.
Wonderland was something completely different.
There were two rows of huge trees with black bark and bold blue leaves lining the wide pathway that led to the sanctuary’s front entrance. While they had wanted the shadowed path to feel slightly creepy and mysterious, they had planted flowers around each tree trunk to add a touch of whimsy.
As they continued down the path, Fenris kept his gaze on Juliet’s face. He saw exactly what he’d been hoping to see in her expression when she finally got her first glimpse of the sanctuary beyond the canopy of trees. It positively thrilled him when she stopped dead in her tracks and reached out to grab hold of their hands.
Wonderland was an enormous castle made of white stone with several towering turrets. The turrets had been built at different heights to break up the uniformity of the structure and each rooftop was a different vibrant color. Instead of clear glass windows, they used illustrations made out of stained-glass to fill each cutout.
The wide balconies had railings that had been made to look like shimmering vines, but real vines covered with exotic flowers had started to grow on the exterior walls of the structure.
Surrounding the main castle were dozens of smaller towers shaped like huge, colorful mushrooms. Those towers were actually the private residences Fenris had told Juliet about. While most of the towers had four bedrooms, some were smaller and only had one or two. Most of the staff members lived inside the private residences, but some had opted to live inside the main castle on the higher floors.
“It’s so beautiful,” Juliet breathed out. “It’s so much more than I imagined.”
“We’re glad you like it,” Fenris said squeezing her hand.
“The private residences are protected by powerful wards the Dragon Warriors put in place,” Raek explained. “Anyone who comes here wanting to cause trouble will be forcefully repelled from the property.”
“You mean—”
“We mean they are literally tossed off the grounds and into the sea by the magic guarding the sanctuary.” Fenris grinned. “It totally works. We’ve seen it happen.”
That made her laugh. “That is amazing. What a unique security system.”
“Oh, and there are gigantic man-eating creatures living in the sea, so we don’t have to worry about the troublemakers coming back,” Raek added.
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Wait, what?”
“Forget about that.” Fenris shot his brother a warning look.
“We know you like swimming so there is a private pool between our residence and Charm’s that you can use,” Raek told her. “There are also a couple of pools inside the castle. Just don’t go into the sea, and you’ll be fine.”
“Avoid the man-eating sea creatures. Check. Are there any other dangers I should be aware of?”
“None at the sanctuary.” Raek paused, then asked, “I don’t suppose you’ve heard about the zombie incident yet, have you?”
“The what now?”
“Don’t worry. There are no zombies on this island,” Raek assured her quickly.
“But there are zombies on other islands?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Wherever that is, I don’t want to go there. Ever.”
“We won’t take you there,” Fenris said. “Now, would you like to rest, or do you want a tour of the castle? We don’t have to cover everything today, but if you want to see a little more—”
“Everything. I want to see everything.”
“Then, we’ll show you everything,” Raek promised with a warm smile. “Welcome home, Juliet.”