Chapter 2

Present day

Maeve

It didn't stick.

Not really. I've tried not being afraid, but every day we've been on Tavikh has been one more day with something to fear. The day we landed, a horde of aliens called Krijese attacked everyone getting off the ship. They are horrible and ugly with black snake-like ropey hair, vertically split mouths with fangs that open to expose razor-sharp teeth, and evil beady eyes. By the time the Tavikhi warriors arrived to rescue us, people had already died. Lucy died. I laid in my tent that night and cried myself to sleep.

London, Zara, Remi, our new friend Sage, and I lived through a second attack the next night only to now find ourselves living in the Tavikhi village, because London is somehow the fated mate of their leader. It's a place filled with massive lavender warriors with long, yellow-white hair who train for battle daily and walk around with swords hanging from belts at their waists.

It doesn't matter that we're only at the fire for the midday meal. I do everything I can to avoid people noticing me. Even if that means sitting on the ground—hiding—tucked in between my friends' legs. Because if I don't, one of these warriors might accidentally touch me and trigger their mating marks to appear like Zander's did with London. And nothing scares me as much as the Tavikhi men do.

"Do you guys want to go back to the tent for a little while and play Pebbles?" Zara asks as soon as we finish eating.

Sage shakes her head. "Sorry, I need to head to the medicine tent. One of the warriors injured during the attack on the settlement needs his wound checked and re-bandaged. Plus, I'm working on making a new cream formula for us humans. I don't know about you, but my skin gets chapped in the winter, and there's not much here in the way of skin protection. So, I'm making some. Or at least trying to."

"Yeah, and I need to meet Rassim soon for our next training session," Remi tells her.

Zara glances down at me and I wince, because I know how much she's struggling to find something around the village to do that she's good at. "I told Alanda I would help her harvest some of the roots and spices after the midday meal."

"Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for you to approach Benham about becoming an apprentice," Sage suggests to Zara with a tip of her chin. "He at least looks like he's in a reasonable mood."

We all swivel to stare at the warrior in question. I shudder. He's the biggest Tavikhi in the entire village. The sixteen or so humans who decided to come here after the second Krijese attack avoid him like the plague. He's covered in scars, including one that runs down the entire right side of his face from his hairline to his chin.

Even terrified, I can admit the Tavikhi males are attractive and the females beautiful. Benham's scar doesn't make him any less attractive. It just makes him appear harder. I still can't believe Zara's considering asking him if she can apprentice for him with his weapon making.

Next thing we know, she takes a deep breath, stands, and makes her way over to where he towers over another warrior. She comes to a stop just short of them and the male in question turns to face her while the other one walks away. If Benham glared down at me the way he is her, I'd probably pee myself. With arms crossed and the ever-present scowl on his face, he gives the appearance that he hates not just humans, but the world. A flare of panic flutters in my chest.

"Does anyone want to take a bet that he's going to make her cry?" Sage stage whispers.

London, Remi, and I spent two months on a ship with Zara. Sage doesn't know her well enough yet. Remi shakes her head. "Zara is made of much sterner stuff than that. She's pretty fearless. Sometimes to an extreme. I wouldn't bet against her."

"What are you all staring at?" London ask as she takes Zara's spot on the bench and twists partway toward where our gazes are all focused.

"Zara's talking to Benham about teaching her how to make weapons," Remi fills her in.

She whips fully around to stare. I'm stunned he hasn't sent Zara away. Instead, he's actually talking to her. Or maybe he's chastising her for some offense like daring to speak to him. It's hard to tell with the never-shifting glower. Before long, he nods and walks away. I count the seconds until she finally turns around. There's a stunned expression on Zara's face. Not fear. But utter shock.

She rushes over. "Oh my god, he said yes."

He did? Why? Being so focused on my surroundings makes it easy to notice everything going on around me. I pay close attention to everyone in the village. And Benham's made it more than obvious exactly what he thinks about us humans. London and Zara playfully bicker about him and his attitude.

"He wants me to meet him at his forge."

"Now?" Remi gapes.

"He said I might as well get started." Zara nods. "Of course, as he was leaving, I heard him grumble something under his breath about humans. But I'm not going to let his sourness ruin anything. He's probably trying to see if I can handle his cranky ass. Benham doesn't know who he's dealing with yet."

I reach out for her hand and squeeze it in encouragement. Just because I don't understand why she's so excited about learning from Benham, doesn't mean I can't be happy for her and wish her well. "I have faith in you."

"Aw, thanks Mae."

Rassim, our friend Alanda's mate, approaches the group and greets London first and us after. He and Remi trade barbs before they split off and head for their training session. The rest of us say our goodbyes and I go in search of Alanda, doing my best to avoid eye contact with anyone. It takes everything I have to walk through the village alone and not spend all my time hiding in my tent. My gaze constantly sweeps the area around me, making sure I know where everything and everyone is. I may be hyper-vigilant and a tad paranoid, but I don't care.

I make it to Alanda's tent and tap on the hide flap that serves as a door. Seconds later, she sweeps it open.

"Greetings, Maeve."

"Hi."

"Have you finished with your meal?"

I nod. "Yeah, so I'm ready whenever you are."

Alanda exits the tent with her long hair intricately braided and leads me to the garden where all the herbs used for cooking are grown. I glance over at her and can't help but compare us. She wears the typical outfit of most of the female Tavikhi: a bandeau type top and a long flowing skirt that nearly brushes the ground and exposes her bare feet with each step she takes. It's a weird simple elegance. A vast difference from the jeans, tennis shoes, and baggy Henley I'm wearing. These aren't even my clothes. They're ones Chelsea packed for me for my trip here.

We stop at the large garden and its rows of different herbs I still haven't learned all the names of yet. I'm working on it, though. Even though the product is a far cry from what I made at the factory back on Earth, it's similar in its monotony of harvesting stack after stack of the same thing. There's a familiarity to it that makes me feel comfortable.

"I will let you start with the rashem. If it has turned a darker color at the base, then it is ready to be picked." Alanda points to the section of the garden where she wants me to go.

Together, we work to gather small bundles of the bitter smelling herb. It smells like the leburin stew we frequently eat. I came across the tanning tent once and walked in on a few of the females and an elder skinning what could only be described as an alien rabbit without the poofy tail or long ears. I try not to think about what I'm eating, since I know what it looks like before.Maybe that's a benefit of living in the bottom tier with a primary diet of protein bars. There's no worry I'm eating a cute little animal.

After three rows, I have a nice stack of rashem built up. I set them in a small pile off to one side of the garden and move to the row of root vegetables. Alanda is a few rows away. Sometimes I miss working with Mary. She was a gossip, but it was nice to hear the sound of someone's voice. And she was nothing if not entertaining. The near quiet isn't too bad though, I suppose, if one can ignore the sounds of warriors sparring down in the training arena. Just different. Like everything else on this planet.

I pause to arch my back and lift my gaze to the sky. If the aliens weren't proof I was on an alien planet, the purple sky would certainly give it away. It's not even the purple that comes with a pretty sunrise or sunset. It's a bright lavender color maybe a shade darker than the Tavikhi people. Once the sun sets on this long day, two moons will fill the sky. It's hard to imagine this is my life.

"Is all well, Maeve?" Alanda asks.

I turn my head her way. "Yeah, I'm just stretching and thinking about how different the sky is here than back on Earth."

"Do you miss your home?"

There are aspects I miss like the familiarity of everything and, of course, Chelsea. Otherwise, I'm glad to see the last of it. "No, not really." Earth wasn't too kind to me.

"We are glad you and your tribe sisters are here," Alanda says.

Yeah, they're glad because London just happens to be the mate of their leader and maybe their numbers will start growing if the two of them manage to have babies. Shame burns inside me at the uncharitable thought. When did I become so bitter? "Thank you. We're glad to be here as well."

She folds her hands in front of her and darts a quick glance away in a shy manner she doesn't usually present to me. Only London. "I, especially, am glad you are here. There are only a few females of a similar age to me, and none have met their mate yet. After I awakened Rassim's mating marks, my other tribe sisters slowly withdrew themselves from me. I am thankful for the friendship you, the shefira, and the other human females have shown me."

Damn it. Now I feel extra shitty for my cynical thoughts. Although, what she says doesn't surprise me. I guess Tavikhi women aren't all that different from Earth women in that regard."I'm sorry that has happened to you. I guess it's a good thing then, that the humans don't have such a concept as mates. So there's no reason for us to be envious of your relationship with Rassim."

Alanda's bony brow ridges dip. "Humans do not mate?"

"Not in the way Tavikhi do. There's no such thing as fate or mating marks."

"Then how do you know who your mate is?"

How to explain this. "If you see someone you're attracted to, you can ask them out on a date. Like to hang out and do stuff with. Sometimes one date turns into a bunch of dates and two people eventually fall in love and get married—mated. But other times, you go out on one date and realize you don't want to go out on another date with them, so you go looking for a different person to ask out."

"What if you pick the wrong person to be your mate?" Alanda cocks her head.

"I suppose you get divorced and keep searching."

"Divorced?"

"Um, like you break the marriage bond."

Her feline eyes widen. "Humans can break a mating bond? Do neither of them go on to the lands of your goddess?"

I gape. "You mean, like, die? Is that what happens to Tavikhi? If the bond is broken one of them dies?" What the hell?

Alanda shakes her hand and I breath a sigh of relief. "A mating bond is never broken. Not even in death. If either the male or female dies, then their mate follows them on their journey to the lands of Deeka."

What? Holy hell. Surely that wouldn't happen with London and Zander. Would it? Does she know about this?

Just one more reason to not want one of the men touching me. We go back to picking the rest of our hoard for the day, but I'm even more subdued than usual.

That night at the evening meal, I can't help but study the mated pairs that linger around the central fire. I've never been particularly religious, but I say a small prayer to anyone who might be listening that none of the Tavikhi warriors are my mate.