13
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Myla
A warm, well-muscled arm goes around my shoulder. Turning my head, I gaze up into Tekil’s mysterious eyes, electric sparks swirling through them. I could lose myself in those eyes forever…
“You will be safe,” he says softly, breaking the spell. “I promise.”
I blink, shaking my head. “I believe you.” Giving him a smile, I ask, “Once we leave, where will we go?”
“Perhaps Kintuke.”
“Anywhere but here is fine with me.”
I can feel the tension as the four of us walk behind Andred and his team. Not only do Tekil, Vi’del, and Zeno dislike him, but it’s obvious to me that they don’t trust Soav and Hitak either. I can tell by the way they hold themselves, always on alert and ready to fight at a moments’ notice.
Andred and his team shift, and Zeno and Vi’del slip out of their shorts and shift, but not before I get my first look at them naked. My cheeks flush and I quickly look away.
“I will carry you.” Tekil bends over and hooks his arms under my legs, lifting me up.
I wrap my arms around his neck. “It seems like you are always carrying me.”
He grins just before everyone takes off in a sprint. A breeze brushes against my cheek while the blurring images make me queasy. Trusting Tekil, I close my eyes and rest my face in the curve between his shoulder and neck. We travel for what feels like hours until I feel him slow, then stop.
“We are here,” he whispers, nudging me a little.
I lift my head just as the sun peaks over the horizon and see a large clearing circled by scrawny-looking trees, a ship sitting on the left side, taking up one-third of the space or less.
Black in color with eight legs holding an oval center, I’d say this belongs to the Acradidia .
My eyes water, but I refuse to let Andred and his team see me as weak. Hell, I don’t want any of them to think I’m weak. Still, I never thought I’d leave this planet alive, but there sits our way out.
Tekil sets me on my feet, and the guys all shift back and stare at our ticket to freedom.
“Let’s go check it out,” Zeno says, leading the way with Vi’del.
Before we can claim what we are (rightfully) stealing, a large shadow appears overhead—a spaceship. Acting on pure instinct, I spin and run for the cover of the trees, the guys following.
Tekil, Vi’del, and Zeno surround me, even though I can see between their massive bodies.
“Who is it?” I ask, trying to angle myself for a better look.
Tekil cocks his head to the side, then narrows his eyes. “The shape and markings suggest it belongs to the Galactic Council.”
“Really?”
Maybe they are here to help, to rescue us…
“Yes,” Zeno answers in a tight voice.
The large gray ship hovers high in the sky while smaller flyers exit a side port, heading for the ground.
It’s a bit overwhelming, listening to the hum of at least six flyers, smelling the moldy fragrance of the foliage, the guys standing around me—I fight the urge to run and hide deeper into the woods.
One by one, the flyers land in a row, then men— Human men—file out wearing gray armor and holding stun guns.
“Is that…?” My breath hitches. Three massive Kintue men climb out of another flyer, looking around. Power radiates from every pore.
The guys tense, then Zeno steps out in plain sight. “Bastian!”
The one called Bastian snaps his head our direction, then strides over. “Zeno?”
“Yes.” Zeno glances over his shoulder and nods, and Tekil and Vi’del trod over, leaving me alone but still within earshot.
“Tekil, Vi’del,” Bastian grins.
One of the new guys asks, “Tekil, is this your shifted form?”
“No, it is not,” Tekil answers gruffly, visibly uncomfortable.
“I see,” the other Kintue man says, crossing his arms. He looks as though he wants to ask more questions, but I’m glad when he doesn’t. Instead, he peers up at the rising sun and grimaces. “We don’t have much time. Is the lab nearby?”
My heart starts galloping in my chest. What if there are more Acradidia? We killed so many before…I don’t want to be anywhere near that lab.
“For what purpose?” Tekil asks.
The new guy glances over his shoulder at one of his team members. “Serkan, go with…”
The low clicking intensifies, then builds. Everyone turns in the same direction, staring into the woods.
Waiting.
My feet feel frozen in place as my body begins to tremble.
When the first hordes of Acradidia come into view, the Humans make ready their weapons.
“On second thought, let’s get to the flyers. We will destroy the lab from the air,” Bastian says.
Waving me over, Vi’del yells, “Myla, come on!”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I bolt, and when I reach the others, Vi’del lifts me from the ground and runs at full speed.
The flyers are at capacity and I’m sandwiched between Zeno and Vi’del, Tekil sitting behind us next to the one called Serkan.
“Anyone else left in the lab? Any prisoners?” Bastian asks as he expertly maneuvers the flyer straight up, heading for the large, gray ship with sleek curved edges.
“No,” Zeno replies. “We freed everyone.”
“Good.”
“There are others still on the planet though.”
“Other Kintolf ?”
Both Zeno and Vi’del tense and I don’t understand why. I feel lost myself.
“No. The others are not from Kintuke ,” Zeno says slowly, empathizing the word Kintuke.
“I am sure they can find their own way, but I will alert the Galactic Security and let them know.”
Knowing that someone is coming for the other former prisoners makes me feel better. I couldn’t fathom living the rest of my life in constant fear of getting caught.
Stepping out of the flyer, I see both Human and Kintue working together in what appears to be a large holding or storage area.
Looking more closely, mechanical, almost life- like bots work to move metal cargo containers from one side of the bay to the other. There’s a Human with a short brown crew cut sitting at a desk staring at a screen, and I wonder if he’s directing the bots.
As we climb down the metal steps, the new guy—Bastian—glances over his shoulder and says, “You all need to cover up.”
And then a worker hands folded clothes to him, which he passes back to the guys.
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I visibly fight not to look down.
“Oh my God! They have Human prisoners now?” a feminine voice squalls from the bottom of the platform.
Down below, my eyes lock with an angry, petite, dark-haired woman. Bastian drops a kiss on her forehead, says something and walks on, before the other one—I think I heard them call him Moak—also kisses her, and then… I shake my head slightly in disbelief. The third one—Serkan—follows suit.
Tekil takes my hand and tugs me forward. “Come on, Myla.”
Standing a few feet away from the Human woman, her eyes shift from the guys to my brown sack dress before she steps forward.
“I’m Tia.”
“Myla,” I offer.
She nods her head toward the door. “Come with me and you can get cleaned up.”
Tekil tenses, Vi’del and Zeno step closer, and the three of them almost cage me in.
Tia notices and drops her arms. “Ah, come on guys. Really? You think I’m going to hurt her?”
My gaze touches on each of the guys, and my shoulders relax.
“I do want something new to wear.” I step forward, out of their odd protective cage. “Talk with your friends, find out what’s going on, and I’ll be back soon.”
Stepping up next to Tia, she flashes a faint smile at me, then turns. I follow her out the door.
It’s strange to see English words as we pass by various compartments. Cargo Bay 2, Cargo Bay 3, Observation Lounge… finally, I feel somewhat familiar with my surroundings and (almost) safe.
We stop in front of a door that reads ‘Captain’s Quarters’. Tia smiles over her shoulder. “We’re here.” And the door slides open.
The room is large, with plush chairs, a large cream-colored couch, and floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s both beautiful and terrifying to see how far we are from the planet’s surface.
I’m still gaping at the window when Tia says, “Mesmerizing, isn’t it?”
Tearing my gaze away, I meet her eyes. “Yes, it is.”
One side of her lips tip upwards. “Come on. I’ll show you something even better.”
Another door slides open and I spot the biggest bed I’ve ever seen sitting in the center of the room—think triple king-sized.
“Umm, do you think your bed is big enough?” I don’t mean to ask, it just sort of slips out.
Tia eyes the bed for a brief second. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It really depends on how spread out my guys sleep. It’s really quite annoying at times.”
“Guys?” I ask, dragging my gaze away from the bed to look at Tia.
What is she talking about?
She shrugs, tilts her head slightly as though she thinks I already know. I really don’t.
When I continue to wait, she finally gives her head a little shake and says, “Moak, Bastian, and Serkan.”
My eyes widen in disbelief.
“Oh, don’t give me that,” Tia continues. “Like you aren’t sleeping with those three hunky men who came with you.”
“I’m not!”
Tia stares at me with incredulous rounded eyes before a smile snakes across her face. “Well, you should be.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks and Tia laughs, which only embarrasses me even more.
When she notices how out of my comfort zone I am, she pats my shoulder. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll find some food and talk. I’m sure a lot has changed for you recently.”
Tia pulls out some folded clothes, heads toward another door on the far side of the room, and waves me inside when it slides open.
“Oh!” I glance around, wide-eyed.
Why didn’t I think of this?
“You want me to shower?” I ask like a half-wit.
“Well, yeah. You smell bad.” Tia holds her hands up and hastens to add, “No offense.”
“None taken,” I murmur, relieved to be pulling the ugly sack dress off for the last time.
“It’s a sonic shower…”
“A what?”
“Sonic shower. Go on, step inside.”
Tia grins, then presses a small green button located just inside the shower opening. A glass door incases the shower in a circle. Warmth surrounds me as a yellow light shines up from the floor and down from the ceiling. It only lasts a few minutes and then the glass recedes, and Tia is standing there, smiling at me.
My hair… everything …feels fresh as I step out.
“That was certainly different, and yet I feel so clean.”
“Yep.” She hands me the folded clothes. “Get dressed and we’ll go grab something to eat.”
“Sounds good to me.” When she leaves, I slide on a green t-shirt and pull on a pair of pants. They’re a little loose, but soft to the touch, and it feels so good to wear real clothes again.