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“What?”Andijumped up and began pacing. “Butthis is awful!Ihave to talk to him—Ihave to explain!”Sherounded onLiv. “Hashe already gone?”
“Well, he was released from decontamination some time ahead of you—earlier today,”Livtold her. “Andfrom whatIunderstand, his plan was to pack up his things and go immediately.”
“Crap!”Andiexclaimed. “Ihave to go—Ihave to try and stop him!”
“Gothen.”Livjumped up as well.Fishingin her pocket, she pulled out a badge and slapped it onAndi’schest. “There—I’mofficially clearing you as decontaminated—if you run, you might catch him!”
“Thankyou!”Andigave her a quick hug and then rushed through the all-white decontamination suite where she’d been living for the past week.Shehad to catchCadebefore he left—she had to tell him everything that had happened onZo’rathThreeand make him understand he hadn’t assaulted her—that in fact,shewas the one who had invited his attention when he was aManimal.
Shejust prayed she could make him understand…and that she could catch him before he left.
59
ANDI
“HybridnamedCade?I’mafraid he took off a short while ago.”TheTwinKindredwho was in charge of landings and departures in theDockingBayshook his head. “Youonly missed him by a few minutes, though.”
“Can…can you call him then?”Andipanted.Shehad run all the way fromCade’ssuite, which she had gone to check first.Nowshe realized she should have come straight to theDockingBay, but she’d been hoping to catch him while he was still packing.
TheTwinKindredshook his head.
“I’msorry, but those who go to live with theKent’er’meintake a vow of silence the moment they start their journey.EvenifIcall, he won’t answer.Andto be honest, even if he did come back for some reason, he probably wouldn’t speak to you.Themonks of theKent’er’meinswear off all contact with females for the rest of their lives.”
“Areyouserious?”Andifelt her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Sothere’s no hope?EvenifIwas able to reach him and ask him to come back, he wouldn’t even talk to me?”
“Afraidnot.”TheTwinKindred—he must be aLightTwin, because he had sandy blond hair and sympathetic blue eyes—shook his head. “I’mvery sorry,Ican tell you’ve had a loss, butCommanderCadehas gone beyond our reach now.”
“All…all right.”Andiblinked, trying to keep the tears from falling.Theywere burning her eyes and inside she felt like she was crumbling to pieces.Cadewas gone—she was too late.Therewas no getting him back—ever.
Andit was all her fault.Ifonly she’d been brave enough to explain everything earlier, this wouldn’t be happening to her now.Ormaybe it would, but at leastCadewouldn’t have the wrong-headed idea that he’d assaulted her!Maybeif he hadn’t thought that, he would have stayed instead of deciding to punish himself by going off to live a life of silence and solitude on an asteroid.
Myfault,she thought, putting her face to her hands as her shoulders began to shake.OhGod, this is all my fault.I’veruined my life andCade’stoo and there’s nothing anybody can do to change it…
60
CADE
Cadeflipped off the communicator on his viewscreen in a gesture of finality as he contemplated the red gash in space.Hewould fly through the fold one last time to get toB-269—the asteroid where theMonksofKent’er’meinlived.Theywelcomed warriors who were looking for a life of silence and solitude, which was exactly whatCadeneeded.
Thiswas a form of self-imposed exile.ApunishmentCadewas inflicting on himself.HeknewAndreawouldn’t charge him for the heinous attack he had perpetrated against her onZo’rathThree.Shewas too kindhearted to want to see him punished, so he was punishing himself.
Tonever see her again, to never hold her in his arms and hear her sweet voice—that was the greatest punishment of all, he thought.Onlysince their time onOblivionhad he allowed himself to truly understand how very much he loved the curvy littleEarthfemale.Beingaround her lit up his life.Andeven though he had always known he couldn’t have her, because he was aHybrid, just being near her had been enough to make him happy.
Nowhe was leaving all happiness behind forever.Hewas voluntarily cutting himself off from the woman he loved so deeply.Becauseafter what he had done, he didn’t deserve to have her in his life—to warm himself in the light of her sweet personality.Hedidn’t deserve to even benearher.
Hewould never seeAndreaagain.
Thethought was like a heavy stone resting on his heart as he contemplated the red gash in space on the viewscreen.Oncehe flew through it, there was no going back.Thevows of aKent’er’meinmonk were taken for life.Hewould spend the rest of his days in solitude, staring at the plain rock walls of the asteroid and contemplating his sins.Hewould rarely, if ever, see the others that had confined themselves there.Essentially, he would be buried alive in solitary confinement with no one to talk to and nothing to do but think over his transgressions.
Itwas,Cadethought, a fitting punishment.
Hegripped the steering yoke, preparing to fly into the red wound in space and seal his fate forever…
Whensuddenly the gash vanished and a woman’s face appeared on his viewscreen.
Cadestared at her in wonder—she was incredibly beautiful and yet he couldn’t have described her, even if he had been given a thousand years to do so.Hereyes and hair and skin were every color and no color at all, but her majesty radiated from the screen like the white-hot heat of a star gone nova.
Thenshe opened her mouth and spoke.
