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Still, no response. They acted like they had not heard me.
It was then it occurred to me. Pluma Creo had been interested in him. “He’s with them.”
Leo’s golden eyes were piercing in their intensity. “Because you are our Soul, we obviously received first pick with the Humans—you.” A cruel smile tilted his lips, a merciless gleam of satisfaction. “Pluma Creo and Pluma Moir chose your friend next. So yes, he is now with our enemy in the city Vlymun.”
A rush of despair so grand that I could not breathe, blasted through my entire frame. It took everything I had not to bawl right there. I tucked my chin down, blinking repeatedly to squelch any tears that wanted to fall. Stiffly, I placed my hands on my lap and said nothing more, now alone on this alien planet without my dearest friend. Heartache could not even describe it. The agony of losing him to the other leaders of the Mian was a steady punch to my heart with every bounce of our vehicle.
While I waded in my desolation, the only luxury I found in our, now silent, trek to Belvar was that Malik and Leo continued to readjust on their seat, appearing to never find a comfortable position.
I stood staring out the vast windows inside my new bedroom. We had made it to Belvar. The city was truly a fortress. My eyes took in the sites from the fifth floor of the palace that was now my home. In the far distance, I could make out the deadly metal of the wall that circled the perimeter of the city. That wall had frightened me when it had first come into view. It was at least a hundred stories high and deeply grooved with spikes and lasers throughout it, appearing impenetrable. The city inside the wall was now visibly vacant of any Mian, since the sun was shining brightly on the city. All the Mian were now sleeping, but before it had been bustling with raucous activity when we had first arrived. Mian had been roaming the streets, traveling to their homes in the suburbs or to their condos inside the city.
There were so many more Mian just inside Belvar than there were Humans on Joyal.
All in one place.
It had been an overload to the senses, scaring the crap out of me to the point I had wanted to hunker down on the floor of the vehicle as we drove through the winding streets. There were enormous concrete skyscrapers and brutally curved glass buildings circling the palace, which was so fortified with guards that it had made me feel claustrophobic. That was before we had even exited the car. Once inside the palace, I had become even more uncomfortable as Malik and Leo stood on either side of me while they showed me my new home…and all of the guards inside who had stared with disgust and curiosity.
And this was where I would live.
I turned away from the floor to ceiling windows, peering at my new bedroom. It was bare except for a bed and a chest of drawers that had no clothing inside of it. Malik and Leo’s bedroom was adjoined through the door on my right. They had said this was a room made specifically for their Soul, if I wished to sleep outside of their room. They had created it many years ago, but it was for me to design the interior.
I sighed quietly and walked to the door that led to their room, the oversized white nightgown I had been gifted swishing around my bare feet. I placed my hand on the doorknob, gazing at it. Leo and Malik had been correct. When I was not directly next to them…I could feel them. The oddest part about it was that it felt natural, just a simple pull to be near them. Though earlier it had not been. I had literally walked out of my bedroom and came face to face with six guards standing outside my door when Malik and Leo had gone to tend to business. There had been a brutal need to be near them, even though I’d had no clue where they had been.
I had been plenty upset when the guards had not let me find them.
Apparently, on this ruthless planet, making ones guards bleed was not the done thing.
I now had ten new men with guns outside of my door, the other six fired.
My chest heaved as I glanced back to my bed. I had laid there for two hours staring at the ceiling, wallowing in self-pity from missing Jax. I had even flipped the switch so the windows frosted to black, eliminating the sun shining inside. It had done no good. I was still wide awake…and frightened. There were noises outside from animals I could not name, and they sounded dreadfully vicious. The deep rumbles of the guards’ voices outside my door did not soothe, instead bringing on panic.
I did not trust Malik or Leo for that matter, but it was better to be with the devils I knew.
I opened the unlocked door as quietly as I could.
Their bedroom was even larger than mine. At the front of it there was a large black leather couch and two silver recliners with a coffee table between. Bookcases lined each side of the room, which were filled to overflowing with ancient books. When they had first shown me their bedroom, I had been shocked by the quiet nature of it, but then I had seen all of the weapons they had inside their immense walk-in closet – most with dried blood on them – and had decided against the room being unassuming. The one massive bed inside the room had confused me, but Malik had informed me that all Vaq slept next to each other.
By the slim glow that shone from my room to theirs, they appeared to be doing just that. I sighed in relief and quickly went back to my bed and grabbed my comforter. Dragging the ridiculously enormous thing behind me, I silently slipped inside their bedroom. Only their heads showed above the their own fluffy comforter, but there was a light snore coming from Leo, his golden head of hair shimmering in the light of the sun from my room. Malik was not snoring, but his breathing was heavy with the rise and fall of the comforter on top of his body.
Once I had my comforter all the way past the doorway, I dropped it on the concrete floor. I moved to one of the silver recliners and, quietly grunting with the effort, shoved it across the room to the foot of their bed. I stood on tiptoe, peeking at their faces, but both were still asleep. The heavy breathing and quiet snoring never stopped. Already feeling a little safer, I grabbed my comforter from the floor and shut our adjoining door, letting the darkness consume the bedroom. Padding quietly across the cold and smooth concrete floor, I lowered myself onto the recliner, covered myself up, and released the footstool.
In a rush of movement, it lifted with a loud thwack.
“Shit,” I whispered in English, my attention slamming in their direction.
They did not stir.
My lips lifted in victory. I may actually sleep this day.
Though my smile faltered when the snore abruptly stopped, and Leo grunted, “For a Human who bears ten marks on her wrists, she is remarkably pathetic at stealth.”
With an aggravated huff, Malik rolled in bed. “At least she finally shut the damn door.”
