Chapter Six
They decided to walk to the arcade instead of transporting there since it wasn’t that far. It also gave them the opportunity to search for other staff members in the area who might need help.
On the way, they didn’t encounter any more natural disasters, but they did run into another group of zombies shortly after they started walking. When they turned a corner, more than a dozen zombies had been frozen in place like statues on the street. However, as soon as the undead caught sight of them, they attacked. Xian destroyed several of them using his blaster, while Jaya took care of the rest with her fire whip.
Without magic, the only way to stop the zombies was to shoot them in the head or sever their spinal cord completely. It might have seemed a little gruesome, but Xian, Eddie, and Cosmo assured Jaya that it was simply part of the zombie lore for the game. Since the boys had been disappointed they hadn’t gotten a chance to join in during that brief battle, Jaya promised to let Eddie and Cosmo take care of the next group of zombies they encountered.
“Are you sure about that?” Xian asked using their bond as they continued to walk.
During their walk, she had grabbed hold of his hand. At first, he had felt awkward as hell about the simple act of holding her hand, but now, he found comfort in that connection with her.
“This is what they came here for. To play. Since we are going to be locking them away soon, we might as well let them have a little fun while we can supervise and ensure they do not harm themselves.”
“I guess so,” Xian muttered. “You’re pretty good at handling them.”
“I have learned how to deal with troublemaking males since I have two of them at home.”
White hot blinding rage swept through him at the thought of another male touching her. It made him feel murderously possessive. “You have children?”
She snorted out a laugh. “Nay. I have twin younger brothers who like to cause all sorts of mischief. These two are nothing compared to how difficult Riko and Nox are.” She switched to speaking out loud and called out, “Stop. There is another small group of zombies a few blocks ahead and toward the right.”
Xian watched the boys pull their knives out of the sheaths attached to their belts. “I thought you were having trouble sensing the holo people.”
She shot him a playful pout. “You are not supposed to bring that up.”
“Bring what up?”
“That I was having trouble with something.”
He was a little confused until Eddie let out an exaggerated sigh and whispered, “Dude, get a clue. She’s flirting with you.”
Since he had no idea how to respond to that, Xian just stood there speechless.
“You don’t get out much, do you?” Cosmo asked sympathetically.
“Since I am totally awesome, I figured out a way to scan for the holo people,” Jaya told them.
Xian cleared his throat and gestured toward the boys. “They might be better off with blasters.”
“Hmm, you might be right,” she murmured. “Eddie, give me your knife.”
The boy cuddled it close to his chest and his eyes widened with horror. “But you said I could keep it!”
“Do you want a knife to hack the zombies to pieces, or do you want a new blaster that will allow you to kill them easily?”
“Oh, a blaster!”
It didn’t take long for Jaya to transform their knives into magical blasters that wouldn’t have to be recharged or reloaded. Eddie and Cosmo looked far more comfortable with the blasters in their hands than they had with the blades. They let out whoops of joy as they admired their new weapons.
The noise drew a few zombies toward them. As the boys went to work blasting away at the zombies, Xian and Jaya stood back and watched them to make sure they didn’t need any help. They were making so much noise, they were bound to lure more zombies to the area.
Feeling a little foolish for his overreaction earlier, Xian cleared his throat. “So, you have a twin sister and younger brothers? Are they your only relatives?”
Jaya chuckled. “That is only the beginning. Jecca is my twin, and Riko and Nox are my younger brothers. Malachi and Braxas are my elder brothers, and they have a set of twins with their mate, Addison. And then there are my parents, the Kings and Queen of the Palace on the Isle of Mist.”
That had him blinking at her in shock. “You’re a princess?”
She nodded. “Aye.”
“But…” Being mated to her would technically make him a prince, and that was something he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. Nope, he definitely wasn’t ready to think about that yet.
“Do not worry. Jecca and I spend most of our time traveling, so our titles do not mean much unless we are home on Arcadia. I cannot wait for you to meet everyone.”
“Yeah, that should be an experience,” he said weakly. “I don’t have any family left. I lost my father, mother, and older brother during the war with the Zyphir.”
She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I am sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. I’m sure you can tell that I’m a hybrid. My mother was D’Aire, and my father was Krytos. Some people think I’m a little strange, especially my dual eye color and—”
“They are beautiful,” she said. Moving to stand right in front of him, she reached up to remove his glasses. Staring into his eyes, she spoke with conviction. “Your eyes are beautiful.”
Damn, never in his life did he ever think he would be the sort of male who blushed over a compliment, but he couldn’t deny he felt his cheeks heat with pleasure.
He cleared his throat, then muttered, “Thanks.”
Xian almost instinctively flinched away when she leaned forward, but he was able to stop himself before he moved. He felt himself getting lost in her glowing silver gaze, and when she smiled at him again, he felt like she’d just handed him a gift.
“Where is my compliment?”
“Wh-what?”
Her smile widened as she cocked her head to the side. “Compliment me.”
He didn’t even think before he blurted out, “You are the most gorgeous female I have ever seen. It’s difficult for me to believe you are really my mate.”
She placed a hand on his chest, then began tracing circles over his heart with her finger. “I am yours as you are mine. And now, my family is your family. Besides my parents, brothers, and sister, I also have uncles, aunts, and cousins. You might even know some of them.”
“How would I—Tesera.” His eyes widened. “You are related to Xavier and Galan Tesera?”
Nodding, she said, “They are my cousins. As is their sister Katra, who is mated to Lord Jaden Tor. Jecca and I were just visiting them on Tartarus before we came to this planetoid. Oh, and then there are the people in our kingdom. We count them as extended family as well, especially those who live and work in the palace.”
“I think I need to sit down.”
She laughed again as she patted his arm, then she spun around to fling out some magic in order to save the boys from becoming zombie food. Joining the fight, she instructed the boys to remain silent while they killed the zombies so they wouldn’t draw more to the area.
Once the zombies were taken care of, Xian stepped up the pace as he led the group toward their destination. The arcade was part of the amusement park that was located on a pier. The area was pretty dark except for the illumination coming from the street lamps, but the arcade’s exterior was blazing with colorful neon lights, allowing them to see it from a distance.
When they were standing outside the front entrance, Jaya carefully scanned the building. “I only sense two people inside. Real people, not the holo.”
“They are probably the guys I ran into earlier since I told them to come here.” Xian turned toward the boys and pointed toward the building. “Go on. Head inside.”
“Are you sure we can’t just—”
Before Eddie could finish that thought, Jaya transported him and Cosmo inside the building. She grinned as she slapped her hands together as if she were dusting them off.
“What is that I hear?” she asked. “No questions to answer. No complaints. Just beautiful, blissful silence.”
Amused, Xian chuckled. “Admit it, you enjoyed spending time with the kids. Did you zombie-proof the entrance?”
“Did I—oh, right.” Turning back toward the building, she held up a hand and created a magical barrier that surrounded the entire arcade. It pulsed with light for a moment, then faded. “There. Now only real people will be able to get in.”
“Can you make sure they can’t leave until you let them back out?”
She smiled. “Already done.”
“Good.” Xian sighed. “It’s quiet here, but there are other people in danger on the island right now. Should we go search for them?”
“We could, but now I think we should do the opposite.”
“The opposite? As in let them get eaten by the zombies?” he asked carefully.
She snorted out a laugh. “Of course not. I think we should lure all of the zombies to us so we can get rid of them in one clean sweep.”
“That’s…fucking brilliant.” He grinned. “Let’s do that. Let’s choose a location we can trap them in and draw them to it. That should help keep the zombies from roaming around freely and bothering the other people stuck on this island.”
She beamed a smile back at him. “Exactly. Now, where should we put them?”
“How about right here at the pier? Since the zombies are attracted to sound, we can turn on the music and lights, and the water is a natural barrier so they won’t be able to escape and scatter that way.”
She glanced around and nodded. “This will do. A few years back, Jecca and I set up a trap on a distant planet. The natives there were being hunted by these crazed creatures that looked like giant warthogs. If a person was not immediately killed and eaten, one bite from the beasts would drive that person mad. Normally, we do not like to intervene on primitive planets, but Jecca discovered that the beasts had been infected with a virus caused by alien worms. That was not normal behavior for the inhabitants.”
He was fascinated by the story. “Where did the worms come from?”
“The worms had been inside a meteor that struck the planet. That one event could have ended up wiping out the entire population.”
“How did you stop it from happening?”
“We created massive trenches to capture the creatures in so we could destroy the worms. Once we did that, everything essentially went back to normal.”
Xian rubbed his chin. “You mean to create a trench to capture the zombies?”
“That is part of the plan.” She frowned a little as she studied the area.
“Why don’t we go up? Seeing everything from up there should give us a good view of the entire area,” he said, pointing up toward the colorful Ferris wheel.
She smiled. “Excellent idea.”
One second, they were standing on the street in front of the arcade, and the next, they were in one of the Ferris wheel pods high in the sky. He felt a little lightheaded from the sudden shift of locations, but it was a breeze compared to using the transporter.
The pod was large enough to hold half a dozen people, and there was bench seating lining half of the interior. Jaya tapped a finger against the window, then she waved her hand and instantly removed the wide panel of glass.
A cool gust of wind blew into the opening, making her long silver locks dance in the breeze. Now that the clouds had cleared, the light spilling in through the opening made it look like her hair was made out of moonbeams.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, Xian walked over to stand by her side. In the short amount of time that he’d known her, he felt like he’d already become addicted to her. The closer he was to her, the more at ease he felt.
His heart leaped when she wrapped her arms around his and leaned against his side. Since he’d spent his entire life avoiding touching people, it surprised him just how natural it felt with her. She seemed to like holding his hand, and she tended to reach out to touch or stroke his arm while she spoke to him. He found himself soaking up her affection like a sponge, and he wanted more.
Testing himself, he removed his gloves, leaving them on the bench seat. He hesitated briefly before placing his bare hand over hers. Relief swept through him when he didn’t get an onslaught of her thoughts and emotions. The only thing he felt was his own desire for her heating his blood and making his body ache.
The desperate urge to complete their bond was growing with each passing second, but he ruthlessly fought it back using every ounce of his self-control. He was well aware that the survival of the other people on the island was far more important than his own needs. He and Jaya would be spending eternity together, so waiting until everyone was safe wouldn’t be too difficult.
At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.
Glancing out the open window, he could see they were in the pod at the very top of the Ferris wheel. It was dark out, but the street lights and lamps on the pier were enough to give him a clear view of the area below. Sweeping a hand out to gesture at the scene below, he raised a brow in challenge.
“So, what are you going to do?”
She sent him a saucy grin. “Watch and be impressed, mate.”