12. Vai

Itook her to the observation deck.

It provided the best views of the galaxy out the huge window that took up one entire length.

There appeared to be no end to the universe and could have gone on forever.

But it didn't.

I knew.

I'd been to the edge and peered over it.

And all I saw was another infinite darkness that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The truth was, there was no edge of the universe.

It was ever-expanding, making up more space as it expanded further, without end.

There were only two other elements in the known universe to have a similar ability.

Love and hate.

The two most powerful forces in both the M'rora and A'rorm cannon.

The depth of their hate and our love could cancel each other out and we would each be swept away in the blink of an eye.

I brought Emma to the middle of the room and watched her expression intently.

"Computer," I said, "disengage all lighting systems."

The lights powered down, removing the distractions of their bulbs.

They faded from view and gave a breathtaking view of the universe.

Emma gasped and, taking a moment to share a look with me, cupped her hands over her mouth and peered out the windows at the infinity that stretched in each direction, the vast twinkling lights both near and far.

Even the mines were invisible beneath the majesty of the stars and the spiraling arms of the neighboring galaxies.

There were so many points of light it was impossible to pry them apart.

"This is amazing," Emma said.

Not half as amazing as you.

"I come here sometimes to look out on the galaxy and think about things," I said. "It's humbling, isn't it? With so many stars and lifeforms out there, too numerous to count. All going about their lives, blissfully unaware of us."

"We're so small," Emma said.

"But that doesn't mean we're unimportant. Each of us carries a spark, the same as all the other living creatures hidden out there among the distant stars. We're as connected to them as they are to us."

I took her hands in mine and led her toward one of the biggest bay windows.

"But some of us are more connected than others," I said. "Out there, heading here from your homeworld of Earth, is Iav. He's heading here and he will join us. How soon, no one knows. No one but him. And you."

Her look of wonder morphed into an expression of confusion.

"I don't understand."

"You're linked to him. On a deep and spiritual level. He's connected to you and you are connected to him. He crossed the galaxy to find you because he sensed you on planet Earth. And he will do it again now. But if you look deep inside yourself, if you open yourself up to him—just a little, we don't want him coming all the way through—then we can ascertain where he is and which direction he's coming from."

Emma shook her head.

"I'm not sure I can do that."

She was afraid.

It wasn't that she didn't think she could do it.

It was that she didn't want to feel him out there.

"Knowing his location is a good thing," I said. "It can help you avoid him and give you some peace of mind."

I took her hands in mine.

"You can do this. I know you can. You just need to open yourself up to him and you'll sense where he is."

"I don't want to do that," Emma said. "What if something bad happens?"

"It won't."

"What if it does?"

"It won't. Trust me."

I clutched her hands between mine and kissed them gently on the tips.

"You do trust me, don't you?"

That caught her attention.

Her eyes snapped to mine and she didn't take them off me as she nodded her head.

"Yes. I trust you."

"Good."

I turned her toward the broad window and raised her hand.

"I want you to look out there and, feeling inside yourself, see if you can sense something pulling at you. You don't need to go near it. You just need to feel it. Can you do that?"

"I'll try."

She pressed her hand against the glass and shut her eyes.

She made no sound and didn't so much as move a muscle as she focused her mind.

She turned her head to one side and then shook it.

"No," she said. "I don't feel anything."

"Try again," I said.

In truth, I didn't know if Emma could sense Iav out there.

Not every fated mate could.

It varied by species.

But it was worth a shot.

It could prove very useful in the hours to come.

Emma shut her eyes again and this time, she put both palms of her hands on the window.

She bent her head forward so low she felt the cool kiss of the glass on her forehead.

I stood back but wanted to press my hands to her waist, to hold her steady, but knew it would only distract her.

She groaned under her breath.

"Hm," she said, a cross between fear and surprise.

"Do you feel him out there?"

"I think so. But it could just be indigestion."

She must have known that couldn't be right.

There was no mistaking the sensation of being linked to someone, of feeling them out there.

I should know.

I felt Emma since the day I successfully scaled Wailing Mountain's peak.

I tempered my signal, the one in my heart pulsing right now, so she didn't accidentally confuse me with my Shadow out there.

I stepped further behind her.

And when she leaned her head to one side, she began to raise one of her hands and pointed at something out the observation window.

She opened her eyes.

"There. There he is. Right there. Out there. I feel him now. The signal isn't strong but I can sense him."

I placed my hand on hers and lowered her pointing finger.

I peered out the window, but of course saw nothing there but twinkling stars.

But I knew which direction Earth was.

She was pointing directly at it.

"Am I right?" she said.

"Yes," I said. "You're right."

She clapped her hands jubilantly and raised them high.

It was a bizarre celebration and must have been how they celebrated victory on Earth.

"Can you tell how far away he is?" I said.

Emma frowned and shook her head.

"It's okay," I said. "It's impressive you managed to find him so quickly. Distance is hard to quantify in space when you have nothing to compare it with. Computer," I said, raising my head, "scan the area of space to the north-east of our position, in the direction Emma pointed."

"I'm… not sure I know which direction that is," Computer said.

"Come off it," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "We all know you can't help yourself but eavesdrop on our conversations."

She grinned at me and turned quiet and shy.

"Even if that were true," Computer said sniffily, "I don't see how it affects… Very well." He gave up all pretense of his not spying on us. "I shall carry out the requested scans."

"He's very touchy, isn't he?" Emma said.

"Always. It's a fault with his programming. Computers aren't supposed to have personalities."

"Neither are humans," Computer said petulantly.

"Are you still here?" I said.

Computer didn't respond, though I knew he must be burning his CPU chips preventing himself from responding.

When Emma and I turned toward each other, we knocked heads.

Emma rubbed a hand over where we collided.

"Are you okay?" I said.

"I'm fine," she said with a chuckle. "That's what happens when we stand so close."

"Sorry," I said, taking a step back.

"No," Emma said. "I didn't mean for you to pull away from me."

She stood right where she had just a moment ago.

I edged forward and met that challenging look in her eye.

The one that never fails to send me wild.

We stood toe-to-toe, our noses almost touching, our lips less than a few centimeters apart.

I could feel her breath on my face and her breasts, so plump and welcoming, grazed my arm.

"Are you pleased I pointed him out to you?" Emma said.

Her pupils dilated.

She was so close her feminine scent was overpowering.

I could barely bring myself to look her in the eye for fear I would lose control.

"Yes," I said, my voice coming out a croak. "Very pleased."

"Good."

She adopted a confident air that I hadn't seen on her before.

Cool, calm, in control.

It suited her down to the ground.

"You know, on Earth, it's customary for someone to thank someone for doing them a favor."

"Oh?" I said. "And what is the custom to say thanks?"

We stood so close it felt awkward but I for one wasn't about to back away.

"Usually, a meal," Emma said. "Or a gift. But as we're in space and I'm not hungry, I guess that leaves us fresh out of options, doesn't it?"

"How…" I cleared my throat. "How about a kiss?"

Emma cocked an eyebrow at me.

"A kiss?"

She pursed her lips and took her time as if she really needed to think my suggestion over.

"Yes. I suppose that would be acceptable."

The situation had turned me as hard as a rock and the front of my pants strained against the fabric, threatening to poke her in the abdomen if she moved even half an inch toward me.

She licked her lips.

"Well? Are you going to give it to me or not?"

"Now?"

All my dreams were coming true on the same day.

Now, straining a little harder at the fabric of my pants, my cock made landfall and prodded her gently.

She must have felt it.

In fact, I knew she had by the upward quirk to her lips.

"Are you going to make me stand here all night?" she said, emphasizing the word ‘stand' with just the right amount of tease.

I didn't mean to lurch forward but I couldn't help it.

How I managed to control myself for as long as I had was beyond me.

I thrust my lips against hers and explored them with my tongue.

She reacted in kind, and although shorter than me, met me just as fiercely.

I wrapped my arms around her tight body and felt her ass in my hands.

It felt so good, so firm and soft at the same time.

I'd wanted to grab her like this ever since I first laid eyes on her.

And now I had, it felt wonderful.

A sharp explosion erupted from my lips and spread across my skin like a supernova that'd waited a million years to erupt at just this moment.

I felt her respond in kind, one of her hands gripping my ass while the other ran through my hair.

Unbelievably, incredibly, we both managed to maintain our feet without pitching over.

I pressed forward harder and she leaned back.

She would have lost her balance if I didn't shift the position of my arms to hold her suspended in mid-air as I continued to bury my lips on hers.

She didn't panic, didn't think I would lose my grip.

She let me hold her and use her body the way I wanted, and boy, did that turn me on more than anything else.

Finally, with our lives still firmly in place, and Emma leaning so far back she could have been reclining on a bed, she grinned at me.

She arched her head back.

"What do you think about this, Computer?"

Computer.

I'd completely forgotten about that little peeping Tom.

For the first time I'd ever know him, Computer was silent.

Probably in an attempt to compute what we were doing.

I chuckled as I straightened up and put Emma back down on her feet.

I smiled at Emma but the look of jubilation on her face had already soured and disappeared.

"What?" I said. "What is it?"

"There's something else," Emma said. "Another signal. It's Iav. He… He feels closer."

Her brow furrowed at this sudden revelation.

I pressed my throbbing golden glow into the pit of my stomach.

All I could feel was her.

"Where?" I said.

"I think… I think…"

Her eyes rose and met mine.

Then they bulged, swelling to twice their regular size.

"You!" she said.

She stumbled back and collided with the glass wall.

"You're linked to me!" she said. "Like Iav!"

Shit.

I had lost complete control of myself when our lips pressed together.

I had let go of all my inhibitions and given myself to her.

I raised my hands and approached her.

She backed away from me.

"Emma, it's nothing…" I said.

"How can it be nothing?" she spat. "You're one of them, aren't you? You're working with Iav!"

"I would never do that!"

"Then why didn't you tell me we shared a bond?"

I didn't answer, and it was all the confirmation she needed.

"I can't believe this. All this time, you've been lying to me!"

"No! I would never lie to you."

"Not telling me something you know I should know is the same as lying!"

I followed after her as she backed further from me.

"Emma…" I said.

"Don't come near me!" she screamed.

She stood with her back to the door.

"I thought I could trust you," she said, her voice catching. "I thought you were one of the good guys!"

"I am. I am one of the good guys."

"No, you're not. Otherwise, you wouldn't have lied to me!"

She backed away, tears already shimmering in her eyes.

I said, "Emma, it's not what you think—"

"No. It's always far worse."

She turned and took off at a run down the hallway toward her room.

As her footfalls clattered on the hard floor and bounced off the walls, it sounded like someone chasing her.

It should have been me.

Instead, I let her go.

I pulled my fist back and slammed it hard into the thick glass of the observation window, wishing, at least for a fraction of a second, for it to crack and spill me out into the frigid icy depths of space so this nightmarish scene I suddenly found myself in could come to an end.