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The gleaming light of the incandescent Lorr sun woke them with gentle rays. After getting dressed, they ate the last of the rations Kozien had brought and crawled back up to watch the D’Narvius camp.
They had only been there a few seconds when a light hovercraft landed nearby. It blocked their view to the mouth of the cave and obscured the view of XG8. In the shadows of its doorway, a few beings came out that Kozien couldn’t immediately identify.
He looked over at Gianna, and she gave an exaggerated shrug. Obviously, she couldn’t see her brother. Kozien wasn’t even sure any of these guys were Terrans.
Nearby, a few D’Narvius brought out crates from the cave. They buzzed around the cargo bay doors for a while, muttering with each other in low voices. Kozien was frustrated, and he wanted to know what they were saying.
The aliens began to get back on the hovercraft, and Kozien felt his heart sink. It looked like they were going to leave, and he’d be no closer to finding Gabe.
Suddenly, Gianna stiffened beside him. He could sense the change in her before he looked, and when he saw her face, he knew something was very wrong.
Her eyes were wide and white rimmed, and her lips were tight. He could see her chest rising and falling faster by the second. The D’Narvius filed out of sight, one by one, leaving one person by the back doors of the hovercraft.
“Gianna?” he asked softly. Kozien didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t want her to do something impulsive and get them captured.
The person behind the craft took a few steps away from it, and the slanted rays of the sun angled across his face.
He was familiar, only one person he could be.
Before Kozien could even think of a plan, the man turned back to the hovercraft, putting his back to them. Before Kozien could stop her, Gianna stood up, waving one hand as she jumped around.
“Gabe!” she cried and Kozien winced, hoping this one moment hadn’t cost themeverything.
Chapter 19
Themanjumped,startledby the sound of Gianna’s voice.
He whipped around quickly, grabbing the side of the hull when he spotted them just a few hundred yards away from him. After a few seconds, his eyes widened as he finally recognized who was waving at him.
Elation warmed Gianna’s chest upon seeing her brother’s familiar face.
Though he’d looked worn from whatever he’d been put through—deep lines marking his face along with the bags under his eyes—she still couldn’t believe she’d finally found him.
Gabe looked around, scrutinizing the area around them before slowly walking over toward them. He had his head hunkered down and his shoulders drawn up practically to his ears. A squeeze of heartbreak raced through Gianna’s chest.
What the hell had these people done to him?
Without stopping to greet her, Gabe darted into a thicket of trees nearby, throwing a quick, “This way,” at both her and Kozien when he passed by them.
Gianna turned to exchange glances with Kozien and saw worry etched onto his face as well.
Quickly heading after her brother, Gianna kept herself close to him, not wanting to lose him even though the path was pretty narrow between trees. She’d gone so long not knowing where he was that just the thought of losing him in some sort of crowd made her start to panic.
Gabe took them toward a back entry point, devoid of any other beings besides them.
He stopped and turned toward her, breathing slowly and dropping his shoulders. “Hey.”
Gianna couldn’t help but throw her arms around him, pulling him into a desperately tight hug. “I can’t believe it’s you.”
Gabe let out a small laugh. “Yeah… Me, too.”
When she pulled back from him, she grabbed him by both arms and looked him over. “Gabe, you look terrible.”
He shook his head at her, glancing nervously over her shoulder to where Kozien stood a good distance away from them to give them both privacy.
“I know. Listen, I’m in the middle of a really dangerous mission, so I don’t have much time to talk to you.”
“Mission?” Her eyes darted between his. “Dangerous? For what? Why?”
