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Before she knew it, the transport rolled to a stop, taking them directly to the front entrance of the capitol building.
“Are you ready?” Cazar’s voice filtered into her head after a few moments, bringing her back to reality.
Evie nodded. “I think so.”
Coming out of her trance-like state, Evie couldn’t help but notice the vast amounts of guards that were swarming the exterior entrance. She’d bet there were even more lurking inside, if that’s where all of the Earth visitors were.
It honestly gave her a bit of comfort to see how seriously the Aragnokan government was taking their galactic visitors. She’d been growing increasingly nervous thinking about what could happen when more people came from Earth to connect with their loved ones, not wanting a repeat of the last incident when her people had attacked the local inhabitants, but now her worry lessened.
Setting her on her feet after they stepped from the vehicle, Cazar took Evie’s hand in his. He’d told her that Aragnokans didn’t typically show any kind of public displays of affection, but he didn’t seem to give a shit as he led her past various security guards.
The inside of the capitol building was teeming with people. It was so much noisier than she’d ever heard before, and if Cazar hadn’t been taller than everyone else present, she would have worried they’d get lost in the shuffle.
As it was, her mate kept a firm hold on her hand, pushing through throngs of people.
He didn’t say a word as they bumped into several humans in their haste to meet with Tristan, but Evie made sure to mutter half-assed apologies, waving awkwardly with a free hand when one human woman in particular gasped in outrage.
“Cazar, maybe we should slow down,” Evie suggested, afraid he’d mow down some unsuspecting person in his haste to get to his dad’s office.
Cazar shook his head, keeping his same pace. “The sooner we can see your family, the sooner you will stop worrying. The scent of your discomfort is making me agitated.” He looked over his shoulder. “I hate not being able to ease you.”
Her eyes softened and she squeezed his hand. “You do ease me. Just you being here makes me feel better.” He was everything to her.
Cazar lifted her hand to his mouth, brushing his lips tenderly over her knuckles in answer. Then they were off again, and before she knew it, they were up a flight of stairs, down an equally crowded hallway, and standing in front of Jakkar’s office door.
Well, she assumed it was Jakkar’s office. Aside from being in the capitol a handful of times, she’d never actually stepped foot into her father-in-law’s domain. Cazar paused, turning back to Evie in silent question. She knew her mate would wait outside of Jakkar’s office as long as she needed, despite sensing her tumultuous emotions.
Did she really want to delay seeing her brother? No, she didn’t.
Squaring her shoulders, Evie nodded for him to continue. “Let’s do this damn thing.”
Cazar sent her a proud look before pressing his palm to the holoscreen beside the door. The screen turned a bright green before the door slid open.
Walking inside felt like it took a thousand years, each step a monumental task, as if all of her limbs were encased in concrete and it was nearly impossible to move. But she did it, taking deep breaths to steady her nerves.
Evie barely took in the lavish room. There were floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a few leather seats, and a coffee table filled with refreshments, but none of that really registered.
Tristan stood from his seat in the corner of Jakkar’s office, a grin forming as the senator stood by his side. He looked taller than she remembered, which was crazy because he was a few inches over six feet. He’d put on muscle, too, likely from his recent deployment overseas. His brown hair was short, styled in a military buzz cut that he’d worn for years.
She’d half expected to see him in military garb, maybe as a liaison for the U.S. government to explain his presence here, but Tristan was just wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, cowboy boots, and a plaid button up shirt.
He held out his arms and Evie released Cazar’s hand, throwing herself at her brother. Tears escaped freely, flowing down her cheeks, but she didn’t get a chance to wipe them away because Tristan’s arms locked around her, holding her close.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he whispered in her ear, squeezing her so tightly that she thought he’d cut off her air. Still, she managed to breathe in his comforting scent, inhaling deeply. Cedarwood, a hint of tobacco, and oranges assailed her.
Tristan squeezed her harder before easing up. His hugs were always like that. Bear hugs for days, followed by a gentleness that he only reserved for her.
“I could ask you the same thing!”
“Evie,” he warned with a low chuckle.
“It’s a long story,” she whispered, sniffling.
“Mine’s not so long. I got an email from one of my contacts at the Pentagon. He’d received your file, as well as your request that the money you got for volunteering go to me, so he reached out to tell me you’d left. It didn’t sit right with me. I know I can be out of contact for months on end, but you’d never leave me high and dry like that. I was able to call in several favors and request some emergency leave. They pulled me from my deployment so I could come here.”
Evie was reeling. Stephen’s dad had ensured she got paid for ‘volunteering’? She knew it was customary to compensate the human women who left for Aragnok; she just didn’t think he’d bother with something like that for her. Or if he did, why would he send it to her brother as opposed to her dad?
Did he have a guilty conscience for what he’d done, or had he simply decided to save face so no one would ask any questions later if her name came up?
