Chapter 10
ZARA
Istared at the dark, intricate patterns shifting down Torven’s neck and tried to process what had just happened to my life.
Mating marks. On my—on Torven. Because of me. Because we were apparently destined to be together for the rest of our lives, whether we’d planned it or not.
This was huge. This was life-altering, world-shifting, everything-I-thought-I-knew-about-my-future-is-now-different huge.
If we survived this planet and made it back to civilization, my entire existence would be different.
I wouldn’t be Dr. Zara Rivers, independent atmospheric scientist who lived alone and focused on her work.
I’d be Dr. Zara Rivers, mate of a Destran transport captain, probably expected to live on his Sola and integrate into his society.
The thought should have terrified me. A week ago, it would have sent me into a panic spiral about losing my independence and having my career derailed by an unexpected relationship.
Instead, I felt…relieved.
Not just because Torven was attractive and competent and protective in all the ways that apparently made my hindbrain purr with satisfaction.
But because this meant I was done with dating.
Done with the awkward small talk and the inevitable disappointment when potential partners either found me too intense or too scattered or too focused on work.
Done with wondering if I was meant to be alone because I’d rather analyze weather patterns than go to social events.
The universe had apparently decided for me, and its choice was a gruff, green-eyed pilot who I’d really thought didn’t like me very much.
I reached out and traced one of the marks with my fingertip, marveling at how warm they felt. “So this is permanent?”
“Yes.” His voice was rough, and I could see colors shifting under his skin—warm golds and ambers, which I was learning meant contentment mixed with arousal.
“And it means we’re biologically compatible for reproduction?”
“Ah. Usually, yes.”
I nodded, filing that information away for later consideration. “And Destran society will recognize this as a legitimate bonding?”
“They’ll have to. The marks don’t lie.”
Practical questions answered, I let myself look at him—really look at him—as my mate rather than just the attractive pilot I’d been trying not to stare at.
The strong line of his jaw, the way his dark hair fell across his forehead, the careful way he was watching my face to gauge my reaction.
It was a face I’d be looking at for a very long time.
“How do you feel about this?” I asked.
“Like I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.” He crossed his arms. “And now we are bound together for life. Like a marriage, in human terms. But no party.”
That was either the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me, or the most terrifying, depending on how I chose to interpret it. I decided to go with romantic. Still… “That’s too bad. I like parties.”
“We can have one when we get back to the Destran city,” he said, and granted me one of his rare, full smiles. “Because I’m not raising our babies here in this weather tower.”
I was about to inform him that whether or not I would consider offspring was a discussion for the future when a different thought broke through. I cocked my head, listening to the sounds outside. “You know, the weather doesn’t sound that bad right now.”
“Okay.” Torven frowned, clearly trying to follow my thought process. “So?”
“When you went outside earlier, yes, there was a light acid rain, but there wasn’t any wind, right?
No lightning, no electromagnetic interference.
The clouds looked thinner when I went up to check on the flora samples.
” I was starting to talk faster, the way I did when I got excited about data.
“If the atmospheric conditions have stabilized even temporarily, we might be able to get a clearer signal with the communication equipment on floor twenty-four. And we should refill our water containers anyway since I used most of mine cleaning the acid off your skin, which I’m glad I did because acid burns are not something we have the medical supplies to deal with properly, and—”
“Rivers.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re brilliant.” He was giving me that smile again. It made my stomach flutter. “Let’s go try the communications again.”
I felt a surge of pride at his praise, which was ridiculous given that I was a trained scientist and he was just recognizing basic logical observation and deduction.
But there was something about the way he said it, the genuine admiration in his voice, that made me want to solve every problem we encountered, just to hear him say it again.
“Right. Good. Let’s go.” I started toward the stairwell, then stopped as the reality of the climb ahead hit me. “Oh, hell. All those stairs again.”
My legs were still sore from yesterday’s climbing adventure, and the thought of hauling myself up twenty-four levels made me want to cry.
But before I could start cataloging all the reasons why this was going to be miserable, Torven stepped behind me and scooped me up, tossing me over his shoulder in one smooth motion.
“What are you—oh!” I grabbed onto his shirt to steady myself as he started climbing the stairs at a pace that was significantly faster than our previous ascent.
“I can carry you,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’ll be faster.”
I was once again eye level with his very nice ass as he climbed, only it was upside down this time. It was an interesting perspective I hadn’t expected to have today. After a few flights, curiosity got the better of me and I gave one firm cheek a squeeze.
“Did you go slow yesterday because of me?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, without missing a step. “I didn’t want you to feel like you couldn’t keep up.”
“And now?”
“Now I can carry you and we’ll be there in fifteen minutes instead of an hour.”
I considered pointing out that this was probably not the most dignified way to travel, but honestly, I was too grateful about avoiding the leg burn to care much about dignity. Plus, the view really was excellent.
“This is very practical,” I said approvingly. “I like practical solutions.”
I felt his laugh rumble through his rib cage. “I’ll remember that.”
By the time we reached the communications room, I was slightly dizzy from being upside down for so long, but my legs felt fresh and ready for whatever technical challenges awaited us. Torven set me down gently, his hands lingering on my waist for a moment longer than strictly necessary.
“Better than climbing?” he asked.
“Much better. Though I might need a moment for the blood to redistribute properly.”
While I waited for my head to stop spinning, Torven moved to the communication equipment and began syncing his wrist scanner with the alien technology. I watched him work, enjoying the chance to just observe him without him noticing.
“There,” he said after a few minutes of adjustment, and I shifted my gaze away. “The signal strength is much better today. Whatever atmospheric interference we were dealing with yesterday has definitely decreased.”
He activated the scanner and we both held our breath as it cycled through frequencies. This time, instead of the faint, flickering signal we’d detected before, we got a clear, strong response almost immediately.
“This is Transport Captain Torven Korvath calling any Destran personnel,” he said into the communicator. “Please respond.”
There was a moment of static, then a familiar voice crackled through the speakers.
“Captain! Thank the stars, we’ve been trying to reach you for hours.” It was Henic, his chief navigator, sounding very much alive and extremely relieved.
“Henic,” Torven said, and I could hear the relief in his voice, too. “Status report. How many survivors?”
“Pod two landed intact. Three of us made it: myself, Benda, and Sibir. We’ve established contact with pod four as well—Jorug, Mesta, and Faro are all alive and well. They’re holed up in some kind of ancient building about fifty kilometers from our position.”
I felt a surge of hope. Six crew members alive and accounted for. That was better than I’d dared to hope.
“What about pod three?” I asked, leaning closer to the communicator. “Do you have any word on Dr. Vasquez and her pod mates?”
There was a pause that made my stomach drop.
“Negative,” Henic said finally. “We haven’t been able to raise them on any frequency. We don’t know if their communication system was damaged in the landing, or…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t need to. I felt like someone had punched me in the chest. Cleo could be dead. My best friend, the person who’d convinced me to take this assignment in the first place, might be lying broken in a crashed escape pod somewhere on this hostile planet.
“Keep trying to reach them,” Torven said firmly. “We’re not giving up on anyone.”
“Understood, Captain. What’s your situation?”
“Dr. Rivers and I are alive and well. We’ve taken shelter in what appears to be an alien weather tower. We’ve discovered some important information about this planet.”
Torven quickly summarized what we’d learned from Explorer Thex-Nol’s data pad—the Kythrans, the weather control system, the ongoing atmospheric instability. I added details about the tower’s power systems and the fact that we had access to water and minimal shelter.
“The atmospheric conditions are currently stabilized, but we suspect it’s only temporary,” I said into the communicator. “We haven’t found any way to shut down the weather control system. The technology is too advanced, and most of the control interfaces are in languages we can’t read.”
“What about your location?” Henic asked. “Are you safe to stay there long-term?”
“No,” Torven replied. “We have water and some shelter, but only emergency food rations from the ship. What’s your situation?”