Chapter 11
Eleven
Ronan’s brows rose as a strange frequency hummed through his communicator. He squinted as he looked at the number.
Who the heck was calling him all the way out in Universe 18?
Coordinates flashed and danced across the screen before the signal went dark again. He hadn’t the slightest clue how someone had intercepted his personal line. A wrong number , he supposed, and he shrugged it off as such, placing the device back into the confines of his pocket.
As he glanced through the dark vastness of space, he could barely process the situation. He didn’t know where to start, for before him orbited planet Earth in all its exotic glory. At least, that’s how he recollected the planet when he had last laid eyes on it over a few years ago.
An invisible forcefield, put in place by his cousin, engulfed the little blue planet whole.
He’d dreamt of the moment he’d have someone to love and hold in his arms for what felt like eons. He couldn’t wait to see Sean again. The apples of his cheeks warmed against his will.
Ronan hoped he’d accept his Elattion heritage. It could go either way but still—he was worth the risk.
Since Dante had been successful with his human bride, couldn’t he be as well?
His short-lived excitement was interrupted by the Queen of Earth, former slave of pleasure planet Halvana.
“Are we there yet?” Misty ran around the ship in a towel. Her honey-blonde hair dripped all over the metallic floor from her shower. Steam fogged the walls and windows of the destroyer.
He rolled his eyes. This one was half naked and always yapping her mouth. How he detested the sound of her nasally voice. It pulled against his eardrums.
She stomped around, arms crossed.
“I can’t wait to get off this ship and throw myself into a hot tub. I deserve it more than anyone else. This trip was brutal. It totally sucked. It would’ve been more exciting spending a year reading at the library.”
He blinked, mouth twisted to the side, then shook his head, growing frustrated.
Misty continued. “I don’t know what I did to deserve any of this. Autumn completely overreacted. Believe it or not, I never minded her.”
Ronan rolled his eyes. What a lie. Not an ounce of gratitude was expressed on her part. When he thought back over their recent travels, none of the humans were the least bit grateful for being rescued from an awful fate.
“Save it,” he muttered, recalling the cruel ways she tortured his empress in the past. She was the biggest nuisance of them all.
The others sat on the floor with their eyes closed, heads resting against the wall. Marcela ran her fingers through the strands of her son’s ink-black hair.
For the life of him, Ronan couldn’t fathom why Autumn forgave him. If Tyler had murdered his mother, Ronan would’ve dumped his body into deep space— after skewering it, of course. No questions asked.
Overall, the trip was long and miserable for everyone. He couldn’t wait to unload the humans and be done with them forever.
The ship transmitted a silent signal to its sister vessel located at Farrah Falls.
As he waited, the breath hitched in his throat. His heart pounded in his ears as crisp white dust flowed and swirled. After a few moments, the scene cleared to reveal the emerald and blue sphere that was planet Earth—marked target of the Grand Supreme, Dante’s greatest treasure, and Autumn’s home world. He grinned, rubbing his black-gloved hands together.
“Finally,” Caleb yawned from the floor, stretching his arms above his head. “It sure took you long enough to get us home,” he muttered.
Ronan glowered. “Excuse me? You’re lucky to still be alive, human. The way you behaved toward Autumn after she put her neck on the line for you was despicable. If it was up to me, you would’ve been the first to go.” He cracked his knuckles.
Caleb opened his mouth and stuttered. “She doesn’t belong here anymore. She’s dangerous just like?—”
Ronan folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. “Choose your next words carefully, human. Better yet, don’t speak at all about the emperor and empress of Universe 13. It’s in your best interest to keep your mouth shut.”
Caleb’s lips trembled but no words came out. He nodded in agreement.
Good, it was nice and quiet, just how he liked it.
Ronan stood up from the control seat and strode over to the humans. He escorted them to their chairs and buckled them in tight, including Caleb and Tyler, who he would have preferred to kick in the face.
The humans were almost like children, so weak and helpless. Pathetic. As infuriating as they were, he didn’t want anyone to get hurt after what promised to be a rough landing.
Autumn would’ve wanted everyone to get home safely, despite the way they’d treated her in the past.
After rocky turbulence, lots of screaming and crying, and a bumpy landing, the ship finally went quiet.
As they exited the vessel, he surveyed the terrain, making sure the area was clear. Ronan admired the misty stardust decorating the black-cloaked sky. Farrah Falls was as he remembered it, filled with trees, small fluffy animals, and an abundance of rocks of all shapes and sizes. However, one distinct change was the barrenness after one of Dante’s usual outbursts.
The humans followed him into the forest quietly, probably relieved to be back on their home planet. They talked amongst themselves and grinned into the night.
It seemed whatever Dante touched, whether he meant to or not, he destroyed. He’d always had that effect, and sometimes the repercussions were worse than others.
From what he could gather though, the trees were growing back. Bits of green foliage decorated the ground on the warm summer night. Insects chirped and pale moonlight danced between the branches of the trees.
Ronan stopped and regarded the group.
“All right,” he sighed. “If you each provide me with your home coordinates, I’ll deliver you to your front doors safely.”
Which was more than he owed any of them after the year of torture they put him through.
Of course, Misty stepped forth first, pushing the others out of her way. She played with her long golden tresses and practically shouted her address at him, like she was ordering around her own personal slave.
He rolled his eyes.
As he ran the coordinates through his communicator and typed in her address one digit at a time, he heard the crunch of fallen leaves. A figure lunged toward him in the darkness. Its silhouette was scruffy and cumbersome.
“There you are. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been searching for you,” a male voice said in a low gruff tone that meant business.
Ronan stepped aside just in time as the man went to strike him, causing him to fall knees-first into a pocket of mud. Ronan folded his arms, watching him.
He came to a shaky stand and whipped a knife out of his pants. Ronan whisked him into the air telepathically. He twisted and dangled, unable to break free. A scream erupted from his lungs before a wily expression overtook his face. He glowered beneath his silver spectacles. One frame was cracked clear in half. The tangled hairs of his beard sprayed down his neck making him appear insane.
This time, Caleb stepped forth, staring at the man with his mouth hanging wide open. He squinted.
“Mr. Ramon, what are you doing all the way out here?”