“Someone must have seen you board theEdenwith them,” Vraxxan conjectured, his teal eyes narrowing.
“No.” I shook my head with absolute certainty. “I used the cuddwisg device and disguised both of them as a Kerzak. The holographic facade was flawless. The only beings that knew they were aboard theEdenwere my crew.”
“And you trust them implicitly,” Vraxxan hedged, though his tone suggested he already knew my answer.
“Without question,” I said, irritation sharpening my voice. He knewEden’screw, handpicked from Zarpazia’s most loyal warriors, each tested in battle and proven beyond doubt, as well as I did. Yet the nagging question remained—how had the Kwado learned of our passengers so quickly? There was only one other possibility, and it sent ice through my veins. “I sent an encrypted message to the Alliance requesting assistance with a rescue operation, but I offered no details regarding the nature of the mission or the identities of those involved.”
Lucy sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging under an invisible weight. “I worry that the dissension within the Alliance runs deeper than the Prime suspects. We need to get you somewhere safe until Vraxxan and I can contact the Prime, Duke Ako, or Ambassador Khaion. We know we can trust them absolutely.”
“I suppose my original plan to head to Zarpazia is no longer viable,” I grumbled, frustration bleeding into my voice. “I had Merkit inform the Kwado Chamberlain that I had gone rogue to avoid any political implications for the kingdom.”
“Implications be damned,” Vraxxan snorted with characteristic bluntness, his scales darkening slightly with anger. “Zarpazia will always stand firmly against slavery in all its forms, regardless of the political cost.” He sobered slightly, his composure reasserting itself as his ire waned. “But you are correct. With Kwado warships approaching our system, bringing the human and youngling to Zarpazia would expose them to unnecessary danger.”
“You know where to go,” Lucy said softly. She didn’t speak the destination aloud. She didn’t need to. The glance she shared with Vraxxan conveyed enough.
“You would be safer there than anywhere else in the known galaxy,” my king agreed. “Alliance databases still list the planet as basically uninhabitable, and our friends will help you protect them.”
I nodded in agreement, already calculating trajectories. “I’ll adjust our course immediately. Using the Fibricanni wormhole, we’re only a few hours away.”
“You’ll need to go communications dark from this point forward,” Vraxxan warned, his expression grave. “Until we can determine who within the Alliance we can trust… and who we can’t.”
“Take care of them, and yourself,” Lucy added, her voice thick with concern. “We’ll send reinforcements as soon as we can.”
The holographic transmission dissolved into scattered particles of light, leaving me alone with the soft hum of the ship’s systems. I immediately punched in the security codes to remove the shuttle’s call sign from the multi-planetary communications array, effectively making us invisible to most tracking systems before setting course.
The Fibricanni wormhole, like its counterpart that allowed travel to Earth’s solar system, connected disparate points across the galaxy through folded space-time, cutting what would normally be weeks of travel down to mere hours.
Planet XZ1827R—lovingly nicknamed Eden by Lucy and Vraxxan.
Once known as a place of shame and exile for our banished king, now stood transformed into something far more precious. A place where I could keep Jolie and Lilibet safe.
And I would keep them safe—with every breath in my body, every beat of my heart, every fiber of my being—or I would lay my life down in the trying.
Chapter 7
Jolie
I jostled, as though an unseen hand had shaken me from sleep’s embrace. My eyes fluttered open to sleek metallic walls bathed in a sophisticated gray and cream color scheme. It was a stark contrast to the garish crimson silks and golden tassels that had decorated my quarters in Qurbaga’s harem. I’d slept so deeply that it took several moments for my mind to claw its way back to focus. Yet when clarity finally struck, it hit with blinding intensity. I shot upright, gasping, the sound tearing from my throat.
Lilibet!
The bed stretched empty beside me; the chill of the sheets sent dread curling deep in my chest. For one heart-stopping, agonizing beat, raw panic clawed at me. Then, abruptly, relief came with the sound of Lilibet’s laughter floating through the air from beyond the doorway. A deep, rumbling male chuckle joined in her amusement. She was safe and happy... with Diarvet.
The realization that I trusted him with her hit me like a physical blow. I’d never—never—truly trusted anyone with Lilibet’s wellbeing. Even Binwee, who had earned more of my confidence than most beings, received only a wary kind of trust when it came to my precious little girl. Some part of me believed that no one in the universe could possibly understand what Lilibet meant to me. That no one else would guard not only her body but her heart with the devotion she deserved.
Except Diarvet.
Somehow, impossibly, he seemed to understand. A sense of calm settled over me as I remembered the way Lilibet responded to him with such blind, innocent trust, and affection. Had it been anyone else, I would have scrambled from the bed in a frenzy to find her. Instead, I laid back against the pillows, enjoying the moment of simply being able to relax.
The realization that the ship’s engines had fallen silent finally drew me to my feet. I glanced down at the tunic and pants I wore. The fabric remained wrinkle-free despite having been slept in. Alien fabric—one of the few things I genuinely appreciated after being abducted.
Barefoot, I padded to the bathroom, the cleansing unit humming to life as I approached. I washed away the lingering fog of sleep and brushed my teeth. Alien toothbrushes were long and cylindrical with fibers tasting of mint, so toothpaste wasn’t needed. I ran the strange, fork-like apparatus—an alien comb—through my tangled hair, working out the knots one by one. For a moment, I considered braiding my tresses. My hair, though, possessed a frustratingly stubborn texture—wavy but not quite curly, and resisted every attempt at taming with ornery determination.
When I finally stepped from the sleeping chambers, the first thing that caught my attention was the small galley area, specifically the cheerful chaos atop the compact dining table. Two plates bore the remains of a thoroughly demolished meal—something that looked suspiciously like pancakes. The sight made my heart squeeze. I’d taught Binwee to recreate the dish as close to an Earth version as alien ingredients would allow, and it had quickly become Lilibet’s absolute favorite breakfast.
As if summoned by my thoughts, a cascade of giggles drifted through the ship like wind chimes in a gentle breeze. The scene that greeted me made my heart swell. Lilibet perchedin Diarvet’s lap, her small face scrunched in concentration as her tiny hands danced across the control panel with the focused intensity of Luke Skywalker preparing his assault on the Death Star. Her dark pink curls caught the light while his massive frame curved protectively around her, sending an unknown but undeniable flutter through my chest.
“MeMe!” Lilibet’s voice rang out like a bell, her emerald eyes sparkling with excitement as she spotted me in the doorway. “We landed, and I helped! I pushed all the right buttons!”
