30. Chapter 30
The drive to the hotel inside the FBI's SUV was quiet. Ghan-Zahr sat next to me in the back seat, while Trevor sat up front with the driver. In the bucket seats in front of us sat Jenna and Dzar-Ghan, also quietly staring out the windows. Jenna had used one of the agent's' phones and called her family as well. I supposed I should have called my mom back, but she said she was already on her way, which meant my entire family was.
I grabbed Ghan-Zahr's hand, needing his familiar warmth, but he seemed distant. I tried to tell myself it was from the culture shock he must be experiencing. None of the Vandruks had ever ridden in a car before. Everything had to be loud and new to him. But even Dzar-Ghan seemed a bit remote, too. I felt dread build deep down in the pit of my stomach.
It was a long caravan of vans, cars, and SUVs that were driving down the winding road away from the IC building. Amber and Dzur-Khan were in the vehicle up ahead of us, the reporters were following us, Evvie had brokered a deal to be allowed to come with us wherever we were going while Tzar-Than, Gwyn, and most of the other Vandruks had stayed back at the IC building, which was now fully under their control.
My heart had calmed down some, but had I taken a blood pressure reading, I was sure it would have still been through the roof. Besides Ghan-Zahr's brooding, distant demeanor, I was about to meet the President of the United States. I was sure to discuss relations with the Vandruks.
Not to mention having my ex-fiancé in the same car with my… husband? Was that what Ghan-Zahr was to me? I hadn't even taken a moment to consider what being his khadahrshi meant in human terms, but I was pretty sure husband was accurate. I didn't really want to think about my conflicting emotions, not here, not now when so many much bigger things were at stake, but at the moment, we were safe and driving, and my mind wouldn't shut up.
Watching the trees rush by, being inside a car, made me realize that I was back on Earth. Raising many mixed emotions inside me.
My throat tickled, and I suppressed a cough. My lungs were already protesting being back home, where the air was polluted and recycled. It was kind of funny that I already missed Vandruk and its clear air. I didn't think that I had missed Earth once while I was on Vandruk. My family? Yes. Earth? No.
From time to time, Trevor turned to look at me, a thousand questions in his eyes. Again, I couldn't stop myself from comparing him with Ghan-Zahr. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't. From the moment Trevor walked up to us, I had felt the tension but had also been very aware that had the roles been reversed, Ghan-Zahr wouldn't have hesitated to beat Trevor to a pulp for taking me.
Careful, Rachel, you're showing a very, very bloodthirsty side .
I knew I was, but I still couldn't stop. The two men were just so different. Even when put in the same situation. Trevor's pride had been hurt when I rejected him, but he had simply accepted it. Ghan-Zahr, on the other hand? He hadn't given up when I didn't give him an answer right away. He kept pursuing me and made sure I was safe. To be fair to Trevor, there hadn't been much danger for me on Earth, still…
Then there was how I felt about the two. Trevor had made me feel claustrophobic; Ghan-Zahr made me feel like I was spreading my wings. He had even offered for me to run the very first newspaper on Vandruk. He had thoroughly given thought to who I was, what I wanted, and was trying to incorporate me into his world without changing me, whereas all Trevor had wanted was just that. Turning me into a person I wasn't.
I remembered the drive from the IC building back to Denver; it was pretty, scenic, and I was glad that the Vandruks were able to see some of the beauty of my planet.
To my surprise, when we reached a fork, the driver didn't take the turn that would take us to Denver over the freeway. Instead, he turned to the road I had never driven before.
"Where are we going?" I asked Trevor.
"My men have secured a resort not far from here. It's only accessible through this road and will be better protected that way. The resort also has a helipad, large enough for the 'President's helicopter."
Not much longer, I saw the first sign, Serendipity Ski Resort, five miles away. I had checked on this resort before because it was so much closer to IC, but the price tag—of over nine grand a night—had made the longer drive from Denver look much more appealing.
The SUV slowed, and when I leaned forward to peek through the front window, I saw why. The road was blocked by reporters and their vehicles, their roofs filled with satellite dishes. Women and men in fancy suits and dresses lined the road next to their cars, talking animatedly into their microphones. The closer we came to the resort, the more famous global news brands stood out. I swallowed. Not long ago, I would have been the one standing there by the side of the road, and I would have felt fortunate to do so. To get the scoop of the biggest news in history. Now I only felt dread. I didn't want to be a story or even part of a story. All I wanted was to return to Vandruk, where the air was lighter, where I knew where I stood with Ghan-Zahr, and he hadn't been distant. Where I hadn't experienced the dread spreading through my stomach. I wanted to stand by boulders, staring up at the sky and not seeing a nebula but Koronae.
We reached a roadblock and came to a stop. Through the darkened windows, I made out Maggie Menendez. She worked for my news outlet and was my biggest competition. Animatedly, she spoke into the microphone, and I felt embarrassed for her. Had I been like that, too? Filled with glee to be the one bringing the news to others? I shuddered. I never wanted to be like that again. I never wanted to feel like I needed to ingratiate myself to my bosses just so that I would get the better assignment. I no longer knew who that person was.
The car moved as soon as the soldiers by the roadblock opened the gate. "Will my family be able to pass through?" I asked Trevor.
"They and the other women's families have been given special dispensations. They are being picked up from the airport and brought here. No worries." Trevor answered in his typical Trevor reassuring way.
I had forgotten that quality about him. There was a reason we had dated for a few years. And this was one of them. Still the idea of having married him, having a litter of little Trevors made me shudder.
Funny, I mused, now the idea of having Ghan-Zahr's children didn't repulse me at all. Neither did the notion of staying at home with them. There was plenty I would need to learn, filling my day. Not to mention that Ghan-Zahr's idea of me running the first newspaper on Vandruk tickled me to death. It would be a different kind of reporting. I would have to keep in mind that it would take days or longer for the newspapers to be delivered to the different towns. And I didn't think the Vandruks would care one bit about the clothing of the khadahr and khadahrshi at such and such event. They might not even care about the event. But that, too, was still far in the future. For now, I would focus on bringing families back together after the Vandruks had discovered that their long-thought-dead women were still alive. There would be plenty of stories there for years. Stories I was sure the Vandruks would appreciate.
Who knows , I nearly giggled, maybe I'll even write a book .
But then, from the corner of my eyes, my gaze moved back to Ghan-Zahr, and the dread returned full force to my stomach. Maybe my choice was taken away from me. Maybe my handsome abductor had changed his mind about me. Now that thought hurt.
We drove for another few miles until the resort came into view. I had seen pictures, and if the price tag hadn't been so freaking high, or if my bosses had deemed me a better reporter, I would have loved to have stayed here.
The resort looked like a sprawling castle. Four stories high, wings broke off left and right of the main building, with honest-to-God towers in between. Windows upon windows lined each floor; some were open, allowing light-colored curtains to play in the breeze.
A large circular driveway wound around a fountain filled with sculptures of fish and a Greek or Roman god. Sprawling to our right was the mandatory golf course, while pathways led into the woods to the left. I was curious what I would find on the other side of the building. If memory served, there would be an indoor, heated waterpark, as well as an outside park with a small zoo.
The car slowed down as the occupants of the vehicles in front of us exited their SUVs to walk up the stone stairs that were at least twenty feet wide on the bottom, getting smaller as they went upward.
Dzar-Ghan helped Jenna out, who promptly fell into his arms as she miscalculated the distance from the SUV's sideboards to the ground.
"Welcome to Resort Serendipity," a woman in a smart suit greeted us. "I am Sharon, the manager. Agent Hanson, I assume"." She shook Trevor's hand, trying hard not to eye the Vandruks curiously. "I took the liberty of housing Miss Perez, entourage, and family on the fourth floor of the left wing. Doctor Wayland and her guests will be on the second floor, Doctor McKenzie on the first, and Miss James on the third."
"Doctor Wayland was my sister. I'm Amber Seymore, and this is my husband, Khadahr Dzur-Khan," Amber corrected Sharon with her usual icy stare. The urge to kick her in the shin to ease up was strong, but I refrained. I would, however, have a talk with her later. She couldn't be this hostile all the time.
"My apologies. I was told the situation was difficult." Sharon smiled at Amber, and again, I wanted to kick my new friend. Smile back , I tried to communicate with my eyes, but Amber ignored me.
"The President will be housed in the main building on the fourth floor, the third floor will be reserved for his security team, and the other two for mingling for all of you with your families if you so desire. The large dining hall is on the left side of the first floor. A dinner has been planned there for tonight." Despite her long speech, Sharon didn't seem out of breath yet. Whereas I was fighting the urge to inhale deeply because I wasn't used to the high mountain air any longer. It seemed thin and oxygen-starved to me.
"The right wing will house more agents, Doctor Kensington and her staff, as well as the reporters. I thought it appropriate for now to keep you separate from the journalists until you are reunited with your families." Sharon continued relentlessly.
I had hoped by now Kensington and the others would be stewing in a federal prison cell, but I guess no such luck for us.
"You will also find clothes for you in your assigned rooms. Please call me if any aren't fitting. We have seamstresses on staff who will be more than happy to assist you."
They do?
"Also, if you need anything else at all, a hankering for chocolate or fruit, a certain cream, or perfume, anything, please call me or Cheryl, my assistant." Another woman popped up from behind Sharon, beaming at us. Sharon and Cheryl. I sighed. That would be hard to keep straight.
"You probably will want to rest for a while. Snacks and refreshments have been brought up to your rooms. Phones are available with programmed numbers so you can call each other or family members. Be assured that you will be notified as soon as your loved ones arrive."
Wow! I wondered how she had managed to organize all this in such a short amount of time; she must have had an endless list of employees. She didn't even look stressed out. Every single hair on her head was perfectly in place. There were no stains or wrinkles in her perfect outfit, and even her smile was genuine. So her eyes kept darting to the Vandruks, but she suppressed her curiosity with a professional mask. I supposed she had seen many famous people ranging from politicians to socialites and was trained to school her natural curiosity, but being confronted with aliens would throw even the most professional person for a loop. I honestly admired her.