Page 8 of Starfighter’s Salvation

Vesh finally spoke, and his words sent a chill down my spine. “General Aryk is preparing a retrieval order,” he said. “It will be signed in a matter of hours.”

Priya smiled. “You can either leave now, or you can let another male claim her. That bond on your neck will transfer. I checked. She’s coming either way. I know she’d rather have you. But, if you’re too scared, I’m sure another male will be happy to fall in love with her. She’s very lovable.”

Fuck. Were all Earth females this direct? “No Velerion female would dare speak to me as you do.”

“I’m from Phoenix.” As if that explained everything.

Priya and Vesh left me with Gina’s face staring up at me from the small screen. Blonde hair tied back, blue eyes tired past the point most people pushed to, a forced smile aimed at whoever held the camera. I had told myself she was safer on Earth. That seeing her tired eyes didn’t make me want to kill things to protect her. That I only stared at her lips because they were such an unusual shade of pink.

Lies I had told myself for months.

As I stared into the bluest eyes I’d ever dared imagine, another pilot’s name flashed onto the screen, covering Gina’s profile like a stamp of ownership. Fuck. Vesh’s warning was wrong. General Aryk hadn’t waited a few hours to sign the order. It was already done.

Retrieval Confirmed

Elite Starfighter Dekker

Jump Gate: Approved. Earth.

I knew Dekker. Big fucker. Excellent pilot. Great fighter. And every female on base tried to lure him into their beds. He was fucking charming. Smiled too damn much. Always knew the perfect thing to say to every female he met. He’d have Gina in love with him in no time.

I read the time stamp and cursed. The bastard was already on his way.

4

Gina

* * *

Alisha called during my lunch break, which happened at four in the morning and lasted approximately nine minutes. She’d just finished cleaning out the pockets of some tourists at her favorite casino, and I was wondering when I’d eaten last.

“I found three more graduates,” she said instead of hello. “All missing. One in Brazil, one in Japan, and one in Minnesota.”

“They’re all missing?”

“Yes. Brazil’s media didn’t even try to explain it away. Their news said, flat out, that their police thought it was probably an alien abduction.”

“Oh my god. Their news? Like, for real?”

“Yes. Try to keep up.”

I rubbed my forehead. Exhaustion had settled into a constant ache behind my eyes. This was supposed to be good news, right? Priya was probably on another world instead of at the bottom of a shallow grave somewhere. But that meant…

“Then why hasn’t anyone abducted me?” The sad complaint came out before I could stop them. Alisha was quiet.

“Gina—”

“Forget it.” I shouldn’t have said it. Stupid.

“No. You’re right.”

I so didn't want to be right. “Ignore that. I’m just tired.”

“You’re hurt. Different thing.”

I hated when my friends were right. But how could I be hurt if Corvan wasn’t real? And if he was real. Did he just not want me? Because that was seriously depressing. “Maybe the game didn’t want me. Maybe there was some kind of mistake. Maybe they need ReCon pilots like Priya more than they need medics. Maybe they took one look at my life and decided they didn't need a middle-aged nurse with student loans.”

“You’re only thirty-four.”