Chapter 4
Chapter four
Nora
“Why would the humans believe the Vul?” the commander’s voice crackled over the burner phone, and I didn’t want to explore too closely why it felt comforting to hear his firm tones. He was my friend, maybe. I glanced up at Axel, who was staring at me, waiting.
We had boarded an Amtrak train outside of DC and were halfway through Virginia, headed back in the right direction. Best of all, we hadn’t been detected by the human army. I glanced around the train, not sure what I should say in front of a full carload of civilians, then lowered my voice.
“The human government has been compromised. We can discuss it when we get back, but you need to be on high alert, ready to move at a moment’s notice. If you move, I need you to evacuate Thrikteols Bhusl’ai An’T’ukka and Mia Tsung as well.” I glanced at Axel. “And Mia’s brother, if possible.”
“We need to fight back,” Mu’ol barked in his customary commanding tones. “We can’t just run and hide from the Vul. They will find us.”
“I disagree. We need to lie low. Regroup and form a plan of action.” I lowered my voice more, glancing around the train car nervously. “Mu’ol, the human government has been told that you have plans to destroy our planet. We need to take this seriously.”
Mu’ol paused for a beat, and I realized I had accidentally called him by his sacred name, or whatever the fuck the Aunga’ri called their first names.
We weren’t supposed to use those. Axel smirked at me, widening his eyes.
“We should have released the information sooner,” the commander said with a sigh.
Did he not mind my improper use of his name?
“Right, so you need to be delicate with the situation now. The Vul are counting on you to retaliate with force and prove them right.”
“Fine. We’ll prepare to evacuate to the location Delta. You, of course, will join us?”
“Yes. Axel and I are on the run at the moment,” I murmured, glancing around again. “Hoping to be there soon.”
Again, my words were met with silence, and this time it lasted longer.
Then another voice came on the phone. “Sorry, the commander is having a bit of a panic attack.” This was a voice I recognized, a young prince who served as a guard to Mu’ol’s quarters, and specialized in irritating the commander.
“What, now?” I asked.
“Surely you know,” the prince said, chuckling. “Telling him you’re in danger just about killed him.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I huffed.
“Who are you?” I couldn’t for the life of me remember the prince’s name, only that he was in the same caste as Axel’s lover.
He was younger than T’ukka or the commander, a highborn alien who was known for his hijinks in the palace and his sense of humor.
I realized then that he was the person who had answered the phone at the very beginning of the call.
“My name is Thrikteols Azal An’On’nas, but you may call me On’nas, following human customs,” the young prince said. “Tell me why the commander looks like he’s having a panic attack, Major Wilder.” On the other end, there was a bit of a scuffle, some laughter, then a grunt.
“I am not having a panic attack.” Mu’ol was back on the line, and I could hear On’nas laughing in the background. “Nevertheless, do your best to remain safe. I would not like to see you harmed. We will prepare.”
“All right. Don’t evacuate everyone, not yet.
Let’s keep our exit subtle,” I said, sighing in pleasure as I heard Mu’ol’s voice once again.
It was involuntary, and I glanced at Axel, who was smirking at me, his eyes sparkling.
I allowed Mu’ol to ramble on for a while about plans until I finally had to cut him off to conserve the battery on the burner phone.
I stared blankly at the phone for a moment, considering calling him back, just because.
“You hear him?” Axel asked.
“What?” I spun and glanced his way. “What do you mean?”
“You stayed on the phone for way too long, just listening to his voice. Now you look like you want to call him right back. Is it because you’re accustomed to hearing his voice? In your mind?”
“Yes,” I whispered, rubbing my forehead, realizing it was true. “But only in the palace. And it’s vague, unclear. I don’t know how to explain it, but I didn’t notice it until it was gone.”
“Interesting.”
“Stop giving me that knowing look,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“They call it the Bhesai Ker’el. You can hear him in your mind because you have a strong emotional bond.”
I didn’t know what to say, and I shook my head. “There’s no emotional bond. He is a friend, no, more of a colleague. That is all.”
Axel’s face softened. “Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing. It means he loves you.”
“He definitely does not love me,” I said, rolling my eyes. I’d worked with Mu’ol for almost a year, and surely I’d know if he was nursing some sort of ridiculous crush.
“It’s the only explanation. We’ve suspected it for a bit, since he was so insistent on Mia’s ‘experiment.’ And it’s hilarious to imagine with the commander.” Axel grinned, and I glared at him. “So what does Commander Shurkuls Bru’ugo An’Mu’ol think about in his spare time? How to be more uptight?”
“He’s not so bad,” I whispered, picking at a thread on my dress.
Axel laughed. “Not so bad if you’re his fated mate.”
“Fuck you. That is not a thing. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.
” I widened my eyes and stared down at the phone again, fighting the urge to call Mu’ol back — to prove Axel right — with everything in me.
Looking back on the past few months, I wasn’t sure when Mu’ol’s voice had started to echo in my mind.
It was a subtle thing, almost but not quite clearly there.
It was something I should have noticed, but I hadn’t. Not until this trip.
“When he spoke, you felt an immense sense of relief, because his voice inside your mind was something you’ve grown accustomed to.
Without it, you’ve felt empty these past few days.
You want to talk to him for hours, to absorb the things he says and doesn’t say.
To make up for all the lost time when your minds were separated. ”
“How could you know that?” I glanced at Axel, who seemed tense. He was fidgeting with the pocket on his pants, and fidgeting was not normal for the big, confident British spy. He glanced out the window for a moment.
“It’s how I feel with T’ukka. Our bond is stronger than yours with the commander, and I can hear him like he’s speaking to me, like he’s a part of my conscious thoughts.
I miss him like someone carved out part of myself and forced me to leave it behind.
My mind is empty without his constant grumbling in there, comforting me. ”
“Do you feel it with Mia, too?” I studied Axel. He had two lovers, an Aunga’ri and a human, forming a loving triad, and I knew it had hurt him to leave them behind to come meet with the human government.
“No, but I love Mia, and I miss her. She has the same bond with him, and sometimes, the three of us are in harmony, as if T’ukka is conducting her thoughts to me.” He smiled a little. “He’s our core, the thing that links us together. If that makes sense.”
“It does,” I whispered. “Though it also sounds insane.”
Axel winked. “The sex is so fucking good, though. I can feel everything he feels, sometimes even what she feels. It’s addictive, in the best possible way.”
I squirmed a little, thinking about Mu’ol, about letting the big, brutal alien inside me. I would guess that he fucked as hard as he fought, and could only imagine that it was an enjoyable experience to be at the center of his intense attention.
Axel and I went quiet, lost in our own daydreams, and we rode on in silence for another couple of hours before the train slowed. Axel shifted, his body tensing, and I looked around the train. We were in the middle of nowhere and we weren’t expecting a stop.