Chapter 11
Cleo
Iwoke to someone pounding on the door of our quarters.
For a disoriented moment, I thought I was back on the transport ship, that the alarms were sounding for another system failure. Then reality crashed back. Valley. D’tran. Underground tech chambers. Rezor’s lips on mine and the blazing heat of his marks.
The pounding came again.
“Cleo.” It was one of the guards, his voice urgent. “Lord Rezor requests your immediate presence in his chambers.”
I sat up, my heart racing. Immediate presence. That didn’t sound good.
“Give me a minute,” I called back, already scrambling out of bed. Across the room, Baleck stirred, blinking sleepily.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Don’t know yet. Rezor wants to see me.” I glanced down at my wrinkled tunic. My hair was a disaster, but there wasn’t time to do anything about it. “I’ll let you know when I find out.”
Mierva was already sitting up, her healing arm cradled against her chest. “Be careful, Cleo.”
“Always am.” I tried for a smile, but my stomach was churning with anxiety. Had something else broken? Had they found more sabotage? Or was this about the kiss? Had Rezor decided it was a mistake, that I was too much of a risk?
The guard led me to Rezor’s chambers, which were, up a couple flights of stone stairs. The guard knocked once, then opened the door without waiting for a response.
“Cleo, my lord.”
“Thank you. Leave us.” Rezor’s voice was tight. Controlled.
The guard departed, and I stepped inside, the door closing behind me with a heavy thud that felt too final.
Rezor stood by the window, his back to me, silhouetted against the morning light. His posture was rigid, and even from across the room I could feel the tension radiating from him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Did something else break?”
“No.” He turned to face me, and I saw the exhaustion in his eyes, the tight set of his jaw. “Vax confessed.”
Cold washed over me, but I nodded. “Just like that? He just said he did it?”
“Yes.” Rezor moved away from the window, gesturing for me to sit. I didn’t. “I confronted him about access to the underground chamber. Asked him directly if he’d been tampering with the systems. He said he did it to protect the valley.”
“Shitty method.” Anger flared hot in my chest. “He could have killed people.”
“I know.” Rezor’s hands clenched and unclenched. “He claimed the damage was meant to be minor. Enough to cause problems that could be blamed on the sky people’s arrival, to justify exiling you before…” He stopped, his jaw working.
“Before what?”
He met my eyes, and I saw something vulnerable there beneath the anger. “Before the people realized you were my mate.”
The word hung in the air between us. Mate. Not potential mate, not deep compatibility. Just…mate.
“He knew,” Rezor continued. “He saw my marks glow when I touched you.” His voice roughened. “He was trying to remove you before the clan had to deal with their lord taking an alien mate.”
I couldn’t breathe. “And you told him…?”
“That he should give our people more credit.” Rezor moved closer, close enough that I could see the faint glow beginning beneath his shirt.
“That if you are my mate, they will accept you. They’ll have to accept you, because you’re the only one who understands the technology that’s kept us alive for generations. ”
“That’s a pretty practical reason for acceptance,” I said, trying for humor but falling short. “Not exactly romantic.”
“It’s the truth.” His hand came up, cupping my face. “You saved our water system. You diagnosed the grow facility damage. You’ve been working yourself to exhaustion to repair systems my engineers couldn’t fix. They may not trust you yet, but they respect what you can do.”
“And that’s supposed to be enough? I’m useful, so they’ll tolerate me warming their lord’s bed?”
“Cleo.” His thumb brushed across my cheekbone.
“You’re more than useful. You’re brilliant and brave and you’ve proven yourself a dozen times over.
But even if you hadn’t, even if you’d done nothing but exist, I would still claim you as mine.
The marks don’t care about politics or practicality. They know what they know.”
My chest ached. This was…so much. I envied his ability to just say what he was feeling, when my thoughts were trapped behind a steel wall. “What happens to Vax?”
“The council will decide.” Rezor’s expression hardened. “But he endangered the entire valley, so there will be consequences.”
“He was your friend.”
“Yes. And he betrayed everything I trusted him to uphold.” Pain flickered across Rezor’s face. “I understand why he did it. Fear makes people do terrible things. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing what we have.”
I thought about my own fear. About how hard it was to let Rezor in, all because I was terrified of being hurt again. “I get it,” I said quietly. “Being afraid of losing everything.”
“I know you do.” His other hand came up, framing my face between his palms. “That’s why I wanted to tell you myself. Before the village starts talking, before rumors spread. You deserve to know the truth.”
“What happens now?”
“Now we wait for the council’s decision. They’re meeting this morning to discuss Vax’s fate.” He moved in close and leaned his forehead against mine. “And then we figure out what comes next. For the clan. For us.”
Us. There it was again. That word that should terrify me but somehow didn’t.
“I should get back to work,” I said. “The grow facility still needs—”
“Cleo.” His voice stopped me. “Take today. Rest. Let the engineers handle it. You’ve been running on fumes for two cycles.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re exhausted.” His eyes searched mine. “And you’re using work to avoid thinking about what happened between us the other night.”
Direct hit. I pulled back from his touch, needing space to think. “Can you blame me? Everything’s changed. Vax tried to sabotage the power systems to get rid of me. Your marks are calling me your mate. And I still don’t know if I’m staying or leaving once we find my crew.”
“Do you want to leave?”
The question was quiet, but it hit like a hammer.
Did I? A week ago, the answer would have been an immediate yes. Get off this isolated planet, return to my team, file reports, move on to the next assignment. That was the plan. That was always the plan.
But now…
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
Rezor nodded slowly, like he’d expected that answer. “Then we take it one cycle at a time. No pressure. No demands. Just…see what happens.”
“That’s very un-lordlike of you. Thought you were supposed to be all commanding and decisive.”
A smile lifted the corners of his lips. “I’m trying something new. Letting things develop naturally instead of controlling every outcome.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“Terrifying.” He moved closer again, and I let him. “But also…good. Better than I expected.”
Before I could respond, there was a sharp knock at the door.
“Lord Rezor.” It was Zelana’s voice, formal and urgent. “The council has reached a decision.”
Rezor and I stepped away from each other. “Enter,” he called.
Zelana swept in, her expression grave. She glanced at me briefly, something unreadable flickering in her eyes, before focusing on Rezor.
“The council has voted to demote Vax to scout, and station him to live in the mountain tunnel for one full sun-cycle. He may petition for return after half that time has elapsed.”
“One sun-cycle,” Rezor repeated. “That’s lenient.”
“The council was divided,” Zelana said carefully. “Some wanted exile to the forest. Others felt his intentions, if not his methods, came from a place of loyalty and just asked for demotion. Installing him in the mountain pass was a compromise.” She paused. “But there’s more.”
Of course there was.
“Several council members expressed concern about the sky people’s presence in the valley.
They acknowledge that Cleo’s technical knowledge has been valuable, but they question whether the risk of keeping three outsiders here is worth the benefit with the increase of storm activity.
” Zelana’s gaze shifted to me. “They’ve requested that you and your companions remain under close supervision until a full assessment can be made. ”
“So nothing’s changed,” I said flatly. “We’re still prisoners.”
“You’re still guests,” Zelana corrected. “But yes. Your movements will remain restricted.”
Rezor’s jaw tightened. “The council doesn’t have authority to restrict my guests.”
“They have authority to voice concerns about threats.” Zelana’s voice was gentle but firm.
“And right now, Lord Rezor, you need the council’s support.
Vax’s betrayal has shaken people’s trust. They’re looking for stability.
For reassurance that you’re making decisions based on the clan’s best interests, not personal attachment. ”
The implication was clear. They knew about Rezor and me. Whether Vax told them or not, it was out. Over. And I’d have to tell Mierva and Baleck before they heard it from the guards.
“I’ll address the council’s concerns,” Rezor said coolly.
“Good.” Zelana inclined her head. “Remember that you’re not just making decisions for yourself.” Her eyes flicked between us. “You’re making them for everyone.”
She left, and the silence she left behind felt heavy. Oppressive.
“She’s not wrong,” I said finally. “You can’t just ignore your council because of some glowing marks.”
“They’re not just glowing marks.” Rezor’s voice was fierce. “They’re proof of compatibility. Of destiny, if you believe in such things. Every lord who finds their mate experiences this. It’s not new. It’s not unheard of.”
“But an alien mate probably is.”
He didn’t argue with that.
I moved to the window, looking out at the valley spread below. It was beautiful in the morning light. Thriving and green and carefully protected. These people had built something remarkable here, carved out a life on a planet that faced endless storms.
And I was the outsider threatening to disrupt it all.