She’s pushing me too far and making me think about Zariah in ways I shouldn’t. I get up and step back. “I will not put her into that predicament. She is racing for a reason. Now, I would like to get back to my post.”
She clicks her tongue. “Your kind do not deserve to perish. We need many more like you if we hope to save this universe with our morals intact.
I’m not so sure about that.She doesn’t know what I’ve done to get in here. And if I’m going to keep my plan intact, I need to get back to watching Zariah and out from under the microscope.
“Please let me know if I can help in any way with your transition,” I offer.
She reaches for me as I open the door. “Are there any others left?”
“A few. I recently freed a solar sister.”
She smiles shakily. “Then not all are lost, and I am at peace. Now go on. But please remember what I said.Allof it.”
Donning the hat and some gloves, I check my look in the mirror on her wall.
“That will suffice,” she says. “Facial recognition will have trouble mapping you this way.”
“Yes, ma’am.” As I leave the room, I hear her speak quietly with her remaining guard, “It’s a shame to have to hide such a stunning life form. We should have idolized them, not abused them. This universe can be so heartless.”
I ease toward my prior post, watching Zariah, but I don’t want Keo to figure out it’s me. It’s easier to be ignored when I’m no longer an eyesore among the crowd of bodyguards, so I find a new spot to watch.
Zariah stands beside Teol along a white railing. Rosy appears below, walking to the podium with great effort.
Another guard cants toward me. “You know that old coot like 200?”
She was married to a Larisien. I’m not surprised. Everyone from my solar system has that adaptation. But I respond how humans on my holovid shows often do while trying to shave off the Lazariot accent. “No fuckin’ way. For real?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Been here quite a few times. We’re specifically private ABR bodyguards for hire. Sixteen of us. You private?”
I notice the transport carrying the males entering the shield, and because I don’t want to answer him, I point.What do people say at the start?“Show time.”
He walks away to watch.
I find Zariah again. She’s calmer than the others but looks ready to run. Her tight bodysuit accents her curves in all the right ways.
My spine heats, and my core pulses just looking at her through the glass. Desire stirs like liquid fire in my hips. I want to bond with her, but it’s more than that.
She risked her life for mine when we were just kids.
Please win so we can just get on my ship and leave. I’ll take you anywhere.
I pray she doesn’t get picked. I’m not sure I can stop myself from breaking him, whoever he is. And if I lose her, I think my core might just collapse.
8: Zariah
Teol braces herself beside me as the railing flashes. Women all around us scream and jump in excitement. “Good luck.”
“Same to you.”
The railing blinks green, and I haul myself over it.
Above us, the massive transport eases inside the shield. The doors open way up in the sky, and the first males leap out. They thunder to the ground, falling like lead rain.
Women scatter through the fields. A few run for the mountain. Others take off for the short forest, while a few hang out in the ropes course.
Kings and princes land in their royal armor, draped in ceremonial robes accented with shields. Dignitaries of the political and business worlds land in ABR race suits. Cameradrones buzz all around us.
I start for the forest. It seems like a decent place to hide. I know some of them can find us by scent. But I don’t like the looks a few of the males give me.
