Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Autumn trudged with Armienti through the ongoing snow and ice storm. She leaned against his body for support. Their boots slipped through the elements. The sun had lowered itself in the distance, and the stars beyond the clouds shimmered through the rich emerald-green sky. It was twilight in this frigid alien world.
The enormous fish was slung over Armienti’s back. The fish that’d almost killed her.
Her stomach grumbled as they walked together. She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into its scaled flesh, to have her hunger curbed. Her mouth watered at the thought of filling her empty stomach to the brim.
“Are you feeling any better?” He glanced over at her, golden hair swaying against his back. Sleet clung to his uniform and scarlet cape as they walked.
“Yes, I think so,” she offered him a small smile. In reality, she was beyond embarrassed . Her cheeks warmed. She’d put them through so much trouble and had almost paid with her life.
Her temples throbbed. After they ate, all she wanted to do was laze by the fire and watch the shadows dance against the golden rocks of the cave. She stretched and yawned, muscles aching.
When they arrived at their cavern dwelling, Armienti tossed the fish at the entrance. Its heavy body and tangled tentacles laid still and lifeless. They proceeded inside and started a fire with the minigun Armienti had found on the person of one of Valdez’s dead Zexian soldiers.
Her teeth chattered as she removed her gloves and held her hands by the fire for warmth.
She couldn’t help but wonder what Dante was up to at that moment and how much he missed her. Had he lost his mind searching for her and worried she was dead? He must’ve gone insane. As insane as her dad after she’d been taken.
When she closed her eyes, she could still smell his spicy cinnamon scent. She shivered at the recollection of his calloused hands sliding across her naked skin and over her hips as they made love.
“Oh Dante,” she sighed, imagining him. His brilliant amber eyes, the cleft of his chin, and his solid arms holding her tight on a cold night like this one. Her face warmed and her body ached for him.
Armienti fiddled with the fire. “I’m sorry, did you say something?” He glanced at her, his blue eyes sparkling with intrigue.
She shrugged, pushing Dante from her mind. He was a fantasy nothing more. A hole punched through her chest, leaving her dizzy.
“I didn’t say anything,” she watched her hands as the red-orange fire flickered and danced in the background. She so wasn’t in the mood to talk about him with his brother. The situation proved more than she could bear.
Dante sauntered back onto his destroyer, Mr. Hiss in hand. He couldn’t believe Valdez. How could she do this to him?
His mistress had always been cruel to a fault, but this was unfathomable. Cunning shrew . She’d managed to outsmart him, which he found infuriating, all because he declined her “generous” offer.
He stood by his decision; she was not his wife.
His body shook with the weight of his stride. Fire threatened to rise from his hands once more, but he didn’t have time to waste on another fruitless outburst. Autumn was counting on him. If he couldn’t save her, nobody could.
He had fourteen suns and moons to find her among a gathering of five hundred and fifty planets. Life was so unfair.
“Pilot, change course to Universe 18,” he commanded as he buckled in his harness. Mr. Hiss yawned and purred in his arms, tail swaying. He refused to admit it, but this animal was growing on him as well.
They ascended through the rainbow atmosphere and into the endless sea of stars.
Not long into the voyage, Dante pulled out his communicator and conducted a search.
“Show me planets in Universe 18 with non-habitable air quality,” he muttered.
A hologram swirled from his screen, yielding instant results. Mr. Hiss’s indigo eyes widened, and he clawed through the air, playing with the translucent 3D images. Dante caught his paw with his black-gloved hand and stroked behind his ear. He rolled over and fell asleep on his lap. At least one of them was comfortable.
If they visited 3.6 planets a day or fifty planets divided by fourteen days, it was possible to save her. But it meant no rest, no sleep, no meals, and no distractions until he found her.
Fifty planets were non-habitable. Relief flooded through his limbs. The number was far better than the five hundred planets Valdez had boasted.
They appeared to be scattered throughout Universe 18. Some of the planets were prison planets, while others were barren ice worlds.
Autumn meant everything to him. He vowed to love her for all eternity until every star, sun, planet, and moon was no longer in existence. Until the universes ceased to be. He had to find her. He couldn’t let her suffer this way, couldn’t let her meet the same terrible fate as Maeve.
Oh Maeve, it was happening all over again. He refused to deal with another loss. A loss of this magnitude would destroy him.
His first stop was the prison planet of Joule.