Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Autumn laid on the floor of the cave as the makeshift fire crackled and blazed inches from her body. Slow shadows drifted along the ceiling and over the walls. Snow fluttered to the ground outside in pitch silence.
The marmalade embers of the fire warmed her golden-olive skin as she rolled on her side. For the first time in a long time, her stomach was full and satisfied.
But she was exhausted. So exhausted she could sleep all day. As she turned and yawned, she bumped into Armienti. He lay slumbering, chest gently rising and falling. Strands of his shoulder-length golden hair tousled about his face, falling over his blue pointed ears.
What an idiot he was for getting them into this situation, for kidnapping her and trusting Valdez. The murderous bitch. How she wished she could give her a taste of her own medicine. She balled up her fists, wanting to throttle them both.
But still, being with him was better than being alone on this planet, she supposed. And maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t all that bad. Foolish and selfish, yes, but not a bad person. Not really. He had a chip on his shoulder like most everyone else she knew.
Armienti stirred and she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She rolled toward the warmth of the fire.
“I know you’re awake, Autumn,” his gruff voice played off his lips. His warm soothing peppermint breath caressed her neck. “You’re not snoring, so you’re not fooling anyone.”
She turned and looked into his brilliant sapphire eyes. “I do not snore.”
He chuckled, running a hand through his gilded hair. “No, you don’t. I’m only kidding. But if you did, it would be kind of cute.”
Her eyes widened and her face flushed. Cute.
He shifted his head to the side. “You know, I dreamed of this moment for a long, long time—just you and me alone together—and I can’t believe I’m telling you this,” he glanced away before meeting her gaze. “It used to give me hope and help me get through the days when we were stranded on Earth. Days where I felt I could no longer carry on. Every time I close my eyes, I dream of you and what it would’ve been like if I had met you first. I wish you were mine.”
She opened her mouth to speak but then hesitated. Her entire body trembled. What did he expect her to say, laying this on her first thing in the morning? She could barely see straight.
“You don’t have to reply or say anything at all, and you don’t have to pity me. Gods, I pity myself most days. I’m such a fool for putting us through this. Can you ever forgive me?”
She watched him. She’d heard it all before.
“What about Dante?” she finally asked through quivering lips.
He shrugged. “What about him? It’s not like we’ll ever see him again,” he said matter-of-factly.
The words hit her like a gut punch. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. There was so much truth in what he said whether she wanted to admit it or not.
She remained quiet for a moment and then spoke. “I can try.”
“That's good enough for me,” his lips curved. “Can we please start over? Can we at least be friends?”
“I guess,” she said, because what choice did she have? They needed each other to survive. “But friends don’t do what you did. How do I know I can trust you again? Trust is earned and not given.”
“I know and I’m sorry,” he leaned over and hugged her tight. His solid arms held her close to his warm body. Her eyes fluttered closed. “I know you’ve been through so much. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make this up to you and trying to win back your trust.”
She rose, her stomach trying itself into knots. This conversation was getting way too intense. And under the circumstances she couldn’t deal.
She went to leave the cave to get some fresh air and clear her head, but the snow was starting to pick up. Rather than wet her go-go boots for the hundredth time, she focused her energy on flying.
She went to levitate over an ice bank, but instead, the tall heels of her go-go boots slipped against the slick pile of elements. Armienti jumped up from the ground and caught her before she hit the rocks.
What happened? She was sure she channeled her energy correctly; she’d done this so many times before.
“That was weird,” she turned toward Armienti. He placed her on the ground, feet first. “I tried to float over the ice, but my abilities didn’t work.”
He twisted his mouth to the side, contemplating. “How peculiar. Now that you mention it, after you were pulled under the ice I tried to heal you and for the first time in my life, I was unsuccessful. I thought maybe my energy was low because we hadn’t eaten for a period, but this doesn’t make any sense. Our energy levels should be back to normal by now.”
A cool chill trickled down her spine. Something was very, very wrong on this planet. She could feel it deep in her gut.
“There’s only one way to test this theory,” Armienti’s mouth twisted to the side before he flashed a dazzling grin. “Go freshen up and meet me outside.”