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Arlet
I stretched languidly, my limbs heavy with a contentment I hadn’t known before Hayze’s arrival. Light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the tangled sheets where he and I lay, entwined in the aftermath of passion. The morning air was cool and crisp, but the heat between us had kept the chill at bay.
Hayze stirred beside me, his eyes reflecting the same fierce embers from last night. He propped himself on one elbow, the muscles in his arm tensing like coiled springs. “Arlet,” he began, his voice a deep rumble that resonated through my chest, “there’s something I need to tell you about last night.”
I sat up, clutching the sheet to my chest, intrigued by the gravity in his tone. “What happened?”
“I broke into West Corp’s facility.” His words hung between us, charged with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine despite the warmth of our cocoon.
My mind snapped to attention. “You did what?”
He nodded solemnly. “I needed more evidence of their illegal activities. But that’s not all—I met someone in the forest, a golem named Grokkem.”
A golem? My curiosity piqued. “Tell me everything.”
As Hayze spoke, his eyes locked onto mine, unblinking and intense. “There he was, standing like an ancient sentinel, his body composed of the very earth and stones around us,” he began, his voice tinged with a respect that bordered on awe. “Grokkem, he called himself—a guardian of the forest.” He paused, as if the memory of the meeting settled on him like a sacred mantle.
I leaned in, captivated. “What did he look like?”
Hayze’s hand moved through the air, sculpting an invisible form. “Imagine a titan, with limbs as thick as tree trunks, and a gaze that seemed to pierce through the shadows of the woods,” he said, his words painting a majestic being in my mind’s eye. “There was a... a sort of kinship between us, as if he recognized my intent to protect the forest as well.”
My heart raced at the thought of such a meeting. “And what did he say to you?”
“He spoke of balance, of a threat to the natural order that West Corp’s actions might exacerbate,” Hayze continued, his tone solemn. “Grokkem’s wisdom was profound—like he’d watched over these woods for eons, and understood the delicate web of life far better than any human could.”
I rose from the bed, feeling an urgency to move, to act. Hayze followed suit, and together we dressed in expectant silence.
Once clothed and sitting at my modest kitchen table, Hayze laid out the documents he had retrieved from West Corp—a litany of transgressions against nature cataloged with cold precision. My strategic mind whirred into action as I pored over the papers.
“We need a plan,” I stated firmly.
Hayze nodded. “Your expertise in environmental law and my... abilities can ensure this information doesn’t get buried.”
I looked down. My expertise was a joke once upon a time. The great mafia boss father paid my way through the Ivy League college with promises of massive donations if they let me in. Of course, somehow, I passed all the entry exams and attended Yale, majoring in environmental studies. Walking away with my bachelor's degree, I turned down the masters, thinking I wouldn’t need such education, not as a mafia princess. A pang of sadness shot through my heart as I remembered my family. I’d done well to keep them out of my mind until now.
“Are you okay?” Hayze asked, his golden eyes peering into my soul.
I shrugged and stopped the tears from falling. “Yes, just a moment of weakness. I’m remembering my family from my past life.”
Hayze pulled me into his arms. “I imagine it’s how I feel thinking about my home many light years away from here. Not really a family to speak of, but I had friends. The opportunity to come to Earth intrigued me.”
I smiled into his face. “Perhaps fate drew you here, to me.”
“I know it did. I believe it now.” He squeezed me to him. The scene of metal and earth filled my senses.
“As I was saying, we need to put your expertise to work here.”
His last word hung in the air—buried—echoing back to Gorrek and his earthen form. I glanced up at Hayze. “We could use Gorrek’s help too,” I suggested.
Hayze considered this for a moment before nodding again. “Grokkem is bound to the land; he wants to protect it as much as we do.”
My fingers tapped against the tabletop rhythmically as ideas formed and plans took shape. Together we discussed every angle—how to present our findings effectively and protect ourselves from retaliation.
“West Corp won’t know what hit them,” I said with a determined smile.
“And neither will anyone who threatens you,” Hayze added with quiet intensity.
I looked at him then, really looked at him—not just as my protector or lover, but as my partner in this fight for justice. We were a team now—a force of nature in our own right—and together we would bring about change.
