Page 34 of I Married A Syllen

“Take us down here,” I said, pointing at an inconspicuous mound covered in vegetation and surrounded by thick bushes.

Although that request confused him, he complied. Once the Nordjarimm landed, Taelen dismounted with amazing dexterity. Heart pounding, I allowed him to help me down. Under different circumstances, I’d be drooling and tingling in all the right places as he effortlessly lifted me off the mount and put me back on my feet, our bodies insanely close. But I couldn’t indulge in my wild fantasies about this breathtaking male.

It wasn’t arousal sending my pulse into overdrive. Fear of what I already knew I would find behind those bushes twisted my innards.

“This way,” I said while showing him how the holographic display was pointing me to our destination.

Although I was the one showing him where to go, he slightly took the lead, positioning himself in a way that screamed protectiveness. He was using himself to shield me from whatever potential threat might lay ahead. I melted a bit more for him. He couldn’t know that the scan didn’t indicate any trap or life form that might be a threat. So that he would instinctively try to protect me tickled me pink.

But that warm feeling faded at the same time he cursed again.

“Crayek!” Taelen hissed.

As soon as we circled around one of the thicker bushes, a short, packed dirt path appeared leading to the reinforced doors of an underground lair. It might almost have passed for a bunker.

“This entrance has been maintained,” he said angrily while pointing at the absence of weeds or overgrowth, and at the clean path in front of the door. “Off-worlders have been mining in secret. Your people betrayed us!”

“No!” I exclaimed forcefully. “Rogue people did this. Think about it. I wouldn’t have been here otherwise. Without this technology, how long would it have taken your people to discover this place, if ever? I’m here to help you. We are here to help you.”

Teeth clenched, he stared at me with burning anger. And yet, I didn’t fear for my safety. I understood that it was aimed at whoever had done this, at the overall situation, and at the fact that off-worlders simply couldn’t leave them alone.

“I will not pretend that I understand what you’re feeling right now. But I’m extremely angry as well,” I said in a soft voice before boldly caressing his shoulder in a soothing fashion. “All I can do is promise that whoever did this will pay dearly for this crime. For now, let’s see what else we can discover.”

He gave me a stiff nod while making visible efforts to rein himself in. I gave him a grateful smile before further examining the doorway. Naturally, the damn thing had a biometric lock preventing access. I ran a quick scan, this time to determine the composition of the material of the entrance and did a query for the maker of that model.

“The metal used to build the frame indicates that this does not date all the way back to the time of the Settlers,” I said pensively. “According to my readings, this place was built around sixty years ago.”

“There are no visible handles on that door. Open it,” he ordered.

“No!” I said vehemently, taking him aback. “This is a biometric lock. The door is set so that it will only open for very specific people. If anyone else who isn’t authorized attempts to open it, it will send a signal to the people who did this. We do not want them to know that we’ve discovered what they are up to. They will try to cover their tracks so that they’re never caught.”

He gave me an outraged look.

“What does that mean then? We do nothing?” he challenged.

I shook my head. “You and I must not touch it. However, I will call the UPO. Their hackers can open it discreetly so that the signal will not be sent. Hackers are people who specialize in bypassing technological barriers without people noticing until it’s too late. But I need your permission to let them come.”

He clenched his teeth again, his face scrunching as if he’d bitten into something foul as he reflected.

“You may bring your hacker to investigate this place,” he said at last with much reluctance.

“Thank you,” I said, relieved. “But we will probably need to do the same with the other tribes. If they’re facing the same issues that you are, then there’s certainly illegal mining happening there as well.”

“I will have to talk with the other tribes for their permission,” he said, clearly not looking forward to that. “Either way, I must call a gathering to inform them of what has happened so far.”

“Excellent! Let me send the request to the UPO at once so that they can start taking the necessary steps over there,” I said while typing on my bracer. “Unfortunately, it could take a few hours before they get us someone here.”

He grumbled something incomprehensible that expressed his displeasure at this additional delay. Just as I was hitting send on my message, my stomach loudly growled. Mortified, I slapped my hand over my belly and stared at Taelen, eyes wide.

Instead of laughing, he frowned and glanced at my stomach with a strange expression.

“You hunger,” he said, sounding a little upset.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my face heating. “I hadn’t realized how much time had gone by and that it was this late.”

“We flew a lot,” he said in acknowledgment. “But I should have anticipated your needs. Apologies for failing you. Come, I will get sustenance for you at once.”

“You didn’t fail me!” I exclaimed, stunned that he took it that way. “I wasn’t blaming you.”