Page 49 of Dragon Me Through Space

Yet … life was short. Shorter for some than others. And in my short life, this was the first time since I lost everything that I’d felt happy. Even with their overprotectiveness. Even with their concerns about me.

They made me happy. They made me feel safe.

Even if we weren’t fated mates. Even if we only stayed as allies.

There was so much to learn about them and their people and what our alliance had been. There was so much about them I didn’t know yet.

Taking a deep breath, I headed back to the ship. Unfortunately, since I couldn’t use the escape hatch from the outside, I had to use the ramp, which would alert them.

As the ramp lowered, I was met with Zeke’s worried expression and Wayne’s concerned gaze.

They asked me questions, but I ignored them and headed straight for my room, tearing the note I wrote up into tiny pieces so they wouldn’t be able to tape it back together to read what I wrote.

Scout gave a soft, confused chirp.

“I don’t know why, either,” I admitted. Returning felt right, though. Staying, instead of running, felt like the right choice for once. Stars, I hoped I made the right choice.

Only time would tell.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Why are we stopping at another planet?” I asked. “Isn’t Exostalon close?”

“Trust me, you’re going to enjoy this planet,” Gage promised as he steered the ship closer to the green and blue orb.

“It’s one of the few planets that we know you’ll be safe on,” Wayne said. He’d been on his tablet all morning, even while eating breakfast, but when I’d peeked over his shoulder, I couldn’t understand the language he was reading.

“Somehow, I have a feeling she could find trouble, even on this planet,” Zeke grumbled.

My glare didn’t affect him in any way and he continued to scowl at me. “It’s not like I try to find trouble, you know? I’ve been running for most of my life at this point.”

“That’s part of why we’re stopping here,” Preston said as he joined us. “Here, you can simply enjoy yourself. No need to look over your shoulder or keep your hand near your weapon.”

“None of you have told me where ‘here’ is yet. What’s the name of the planet?” Why were they being so secretive? I knew for certain it wasn’t Exostalon because their planet wasn’t green and blue like this one, plus, this planet was much smaller than Exostalon.

So, where were we?

“If we told you the name, it would ruin the surprise,” Gage answered. “Just trust me. Okay?”

I could do that, at least for him. I nodded. “Okay, Gage.”

He smiled briefly at me before focusing again on his piloting. In the short time that I had been with them, I quickly recognized what a skilled pilot Gage was. It seemed each of them had a unique skillset. Gage was the pilot. Wayne was the tech guru. Zeke was the security person, though I did still question his skill since he let me stay. So, did that make Preston the brains and/or leader? I had a feeling if I asked him that, it would only inflate his already too large ego. So, I decided to wait and ask Wayne about their dynamic later. He was the easiest to get information out of.

As Gage connected the ship to the docking system, I tried to look out the window, but Zeke blocked my view, he was so wide, it was impossible to see around him.

“You’ll ruin the surprise,” he whispered. Leaning down closer to me, he whispered, “Scout, when the doors open, please record Xoe so we can watch her reaction later.”

Scout chirped a confirmation, slid out from behind my ear, and hovered in front of all of us. Since when did she listen to their orders?

Gage hit a button and the door slid open.

A fresh scent, similar to the jungle room, but different, less heavy, blew around us. I inhaled deeply and wondered if there was a way to bottle this scent. I would have this scent in my room if it could to help me relax and sleep.

Zeke stepped to the side, allowing me to look out at the planet we’d landed on, and my mouth immediately dropped open as my eyes widened and joy filled me.

White and black bear-like creatures rolled around on the docks and hung from several platforms made out of a thin, green wood. The creatures approached us, looking wary, and waited patiently at the bottom of the ramp.

“Welcome to Pandemonium,” Gage said.