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“Well, hello, stranger.”
Hearing Eden’s familiar voice, Ansley let out a happy cry and spun around. Kendra stood next to Eden and they were both grinning from ear to ear. They rushed toward each other and Ansley hugged Eden and then Kendra. It had only been a couple of days since they saw each other but so much had happened that it felt like another lifetime. And Ansley felt like a different person.
“Why did you run off like that?” Eden asked, sounding a little hurt. “We were so worried about you.”
“It’s a long story. A really long—”
The other ship zoomed into the distance, then suddenly disappeared. Ansley’s eyes widened and for just a moment her breath caught in her throat. Were they headed to the Citadel or had her mates decided she was more trouble than she was worth?
We will never leave you, Ansley, Jobek cut into her pessimistic thoughts.Do not doubt us again or your lovely bottom will pay the price.
She smiled dreamily as heat spread across her face.
“Hello?” Eden waved a hand in front of Ansley’s face. “Where did you go?”
Ansley shook away the distraction and took a deep breath. “So much has happened, I’m not sure where to start.”
Kendra motioned toward the tables. “It takes a couple of days to reach the Citadel. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Why don’t you guys start?” Ansley suggested. It felt so good to just sit here and talk with her friends. Their surroundings might be surreal, but Eden and Kendra were wonderfully familiar. “I’ve got a lot to explain.”
They sat down around one of the tables and Eden began. “The first night was the worst.”
Kendra nodded in agreement. “Half of the girls wouldn’t stop crying. The other half joined Jessie’s rebellion.”
Ansley winced then shook her head. “What was she trying to accomplish with her rebellion?”
Eden rolled her eyes. “Jessie doesn’t need a reason. She just likes the sound of her own voice.”
“The commander had to come settle things down,” Kendra informed with a knowing smile. “He and Eden had quite a moment.”
“Oh, my God. We did not,” she objected. “I stood there for ten seconds and talked to him. You act like he took me into a back room and had his wicked way with me.”
Ansley laughed at the old-fashioned phrase. “You’ve read way too many historical romances.”
“All I know,” Kendra persisted, “is he kept finding reasons to stop by and check on us and the only person he ever spoke with was you.”
Eden shrugged, obviously fighting back a smile. “He’s charming and easy on the eyes. I’m not going to apologize for being human.”
The phrase made Ansley cringe. They weren’t human. Humans would consider them aliens. But Eden had just found out so it was understandable that it wasn’t real to her yet. Ansley had been aware of the fact for months. It just didn’t seem real until her power was released and her mind linked with Tandor’s and Jobek’s.
Rather than correct Eden, Ansley said, “His name is Neloff and he’s the big brother of one of my mates.”
“Mates?” Eden gasped. “You have mates now?”
Ansley sighed. She wasn’t sure when she’d started thinking of them as her mates, but she certainly hadn’t meant to use the term so casually. “Not officially. They haven’t claimed me, but we’re courting.”
“Courting?” Eden laughed. “Who sounds like a romance novel now?”
The ship accelerated suddenly. All three females gasped and grasped the table. Ansley whipped her head around toward the windows in time to watch Earth fade from view. They were enveloped by darkness for a moment then streaks of light and color filled the display, appearing at random intervals and duration.
“Will we ever see it again?” Kendra whispered, her gaze fixed on the windows.
“I don’t care if we do,” Eden claimed. “Earth was where I was held captive for the majority of my life. I’m finally going home and I’m never going back.”
Kendra dragged her gaze away from the window display but her expression was still filled with shadows. “Raina said some of our families might still be alive. She has a team at the Citadel trying to find them.”
“She also said that none of us knows our real names, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Eden shook her head then exhaled as if to dispel her pessimism. “Back to your ‘mates.’” She looked at Ansley and managed to smile. “You said you’re courting these men, not dating, or hanging out with. Why did you use that word?”
