Zorin chews his lip and shakes his head. Azrim’s jaw muscles flex, but he only spares Zorin a glance before stalking off.
Zorin waits until almost all of the other Mindoran soldiers have left the supply room, and then he follows.
“I love you, Tessi. Stay with Sky. We’ll be back as soon as we can be.” He draws me in for one more tender kiss.
This is all happening too fast. I’m not ready. “Zorin, please.”
“We have to go, Tessi. The Nebs are destroying Viriden’s fleet. Your people are dying. Ours are being taken.” Zorin kisses my temple, then Rhysan’s head, and hurries after his crew, up the ramp of a dark, angular ship, and stands on the deck beside Azrim as they rise into the air.
I hate it. I watched Caden leave the same way. And I watched him die.
“I never like it either,” a woman says, walking up to me. She’s dressed in gray coveralls that are dirty with grease like she’s been working on engines. “I’ve fought up there with them. And I would go if I wasn’t nursing our daughter. Corzin is on Carnas’ crew, but the two of them are all that’s left. Azrim just summoned me on his earcom. Said you might need milk for a pup.”
“They let you fight with them?” I ask.
“I chose, but it was also time critical, from the battle that dropped all this debris on our world. But we are still human, Tessi. We are and always will be protected by the Earthen Rights contract with the federation. Just like Mindorans have certain humane treatment rights when they’re in our solar system. They cannot take away your autonomy. If you want to go, you can. Might piss off a few alphas. But, you know…” She shrugs. “Mindorans are so overprotective of their females.”
“How did you meet your mate?” I ask
“ABR. I was a blue band, believe it or not. Mindorans have a way of…drawing the fire out of us.”
Sky waggles her head, sending her long dark braid swinging. “But really… I couldn’t stand the idea of him fighting up there without me. This is his world.Ourworld now. I just had todecide what purpose I wanted my life to have. We all have natural affinities. How we apply them is up to us.”
Sky motions for Rhysan. I gently hand him over. “Ooh baby, you’re a light one. We’ll get you caught up while your mama’s fighting for your father.”
Sky doesn’t know our situation, but hearing her say it like that makes me certain, I’d like that someday.
“Tessi…”
I turn around. A Mindoran officer walks out to me. He’s young and sinewy and extends a wristband to me. “Onidus left this for you. It’s for your ship. He had to make a few modifications to make sure it would meet his standards for an Isonian.”
I take the iridescent wristband and thank him. “But it’s all the way at my mate’s house.”
He eyes the bite on the side of my neck.
“My promised one.”
“Ah. Right. Well it’s a Cosmic Spear so you can summon it to you.” He dips his head and returns to the building.
Sky follows me out to the landing pad, clutching Rhysan close. “I’m not sure you should go into this alone.”
“I don’t know where I’d go. But I want my ship here, so if something goes awry I can get to them.”
I open up the wristband, and command my ship to my position.
Cosmic Spear: En route. ETA Five minutes.
“Sky, there’s something you need to know about Rhysan.” I turn around and see Sky’s eyes widen. Bullets cut through the air from soldiers that spill out of the ramp of a different ship. Radar barks furiously.
I hunker down and pray we’re not hit. I can’t see through the blazing light where to run. All I know is that males surround Sky,shielding her and Rhysan with their bodies, but none of them make it all the way to me.
A hand grabs the shoulder of my armor and tugs. Vibrant blue light surround me, and I’m drawn into darkness.
“Tessi!” Sky screams.
35: Zorin
We ride our stealth transport into orbit, Ignus and Esrynne at the helm.
