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ADONE
My mother’s fingers stroked my forehead, easing back my sweaty hair. I lay on the sofa with my head on her lap, savoring the feeling of being near her. Too often, she was busy helping my father in his office, or the kitchen, preparing a wonderful meal.
I think I was sick and that was why she sat with me.
Everything leading up to this moment was a blur, but this memory stuck out because . . . I frowned, not sure I remembered why.
My father stood by the fireplace, watching us, his stoic eyes filled with worry.
“Will he live?” he asked.
“Yes.” Mother’s beautiful, pale orange eyes met mine. “He will grow strong.”
“Like Papa,” I whispered.
She nodded and a smile teased across her lips. “Yes, son, like your papa.”
After a long look, my father eased from the room. His work in the government called to him all the time.
Mother remained.
“You are blessed, my son,” she said with a smile that was so lovely it made my chest ache. “One day, you will be called upon to do something great. I know you will rise to this challenge.”
A bang shook our home. Mother’s confused gaze shot to the ceiling, where flakes drifted down. Another boom, and she threw herself across me to keep me safe.
“Mama,” I cried. “Papa!”
Like every other time I had this dream, they never answered.
* * *
I jolted awake, my mother long gone, my father too. Many seasons had passed since I was taken. It was a wonder I remembered even this bit of my past.
I was only three when the Shiedar invaders bombarded my city, destroying everything in their path. My life changed forever that day. My family had been stolen from me. I’d never see them again.
A grinding sound rang out, and the starship I rode in with my brothers jerked to the left, making our shoulders bang together. If we weren’t strapped down to our seats, we would’ve been projected toward the end of the craft.
“We’ll land on the planet soon,” the pilot said over his shoulder from his seat in the front of the shuttle. “Guards will be waiting to take you four to the arena. Imagine, you’re about to be entered in the Galaxy Games.” He said it as if we should feel honored or excited, but we hadn’t applied to compete in the Games. No, we’d been sold to the Universal Council. They ran the Games, and they’d ensure we competed.
One by one, we’d be picked off until none of us lived.
It made my chest ache to think of losing my brothers, but there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it but mourn.
My gaze met Tetryx’s. Sitting across from me, he scanned my frame, his lips tight as if he worried that I’d been injured by the shift of the craft. He and my other brothers in every way except blood had protected me as best they could since I was thrown into their cell. Even though I now towered above them all, they still treated me like the terror-filled sprit I’d been after I was taken.
“Stay behind us, and you may not be chosen for the first round,” the quietest of us all, Zomir, said. He might think the wall he put around himself kept others from seeing how kind he truly was, but he couldn’t hide anything from me. Holding himself back showed how much he feared being broken. This made him the easiest to love. His memories were tainted by the mother who gave him to the Shiedars, and I didn’t blame him for keeping a tight hold on his heart.
“I will compete in the Games when it is my turn,” I said, proud my voice no longer shook like it had all the time when I was little. I shifted in the hard seat, trying to find a comfortable position with my wings tucked against my back. Vunne fused the damn things to my spine, then beat me when I couldn’t make them work. Same with the scales peppering my torso that were supposed to shoot poison but didn’t.
“You will,” Bahros said, his pale green eyes locking on mine.
“What do you see?” I asked, curious. After Vunne messed with his mind, his predictions often came true.
“Nothing that matters.” But his gaze flicked away. What wasn’t he telling me? I could press him for an answer for days, but unless he wished to share, he’d keep the vision to himself.
“Do not worry about me,” I said, though I knew they still would. I felt the same. I loved them as much as my long-lost parents. I’d die to protect them.
The craft landed, and we were taken to a large, stone arena. We stood on the stained sand wearing nothing but simple leather loincloths. Bleachers rose around us, filled with beings from throughout the galaxy who screamed, cheered, and stomped their feet.
