6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chloe

I wake with a start, my heart racing as I try to remember where I am. The events of the past day come flooding back as I take in the lush canopy surrounding me.

Right. Alien jungle. Killer robots. Feline bodyguard. Just another Tuesday for me.

Speaking of my fluffy companion, Vornas drops gracefully onto our branch, barely making a sound. Show-off.

"Our circular trail worked," he purrs, looking far too pleased with himself. "The metal beast exhausted itself chasing its own tail and now is simply standing in place, dead as a tree stump."

I let out a breath. "Well, that's one out of three. But I've got a feeling the next hunter won't fall for the same trick." I stretch out my cramped muscles, wincing as my joints protest. Sleeping in a tree is definitely not all it's cracked up to be. My back feels like I've been wrestling with a pretzel all night.

I catch Vornas watching me, his golden eyes tracking my every stretch and wince. Of course, he looks as fresh as a daisy, not a single hair of his luscious fur out of place. Must be nice to have nine lives' worth of good sleep.

For a moment, I'm tempted to ask him for a massage—I'm sure those strong paws could work wonders on my knotted muscles. But then I picture his hands on me and… nope. The last thing I need is to add more fuel to this already blazing bonfire of tension between us.

"So then," I begin, massaging a particularly sore spot on my neck. "Any brilliant ideas for how to deal with the upcoming Terminator sequel? Because, let me tell you, they always come back deadlier than before."

Vornas's golden eyes narrow in thought. "Well, I was thinking we could fortify somewhere, instead of constantly being on the run."

"I like the idea of not running, but I'm not exactly a lumberjack either."

"We wouldn't have to build it if we can find a Mother Tree. Such trees come from the very forests of Mythos, and I know at least one has been stolen from my homeland and transplanted here." His voice drops to a low growl. "I've seen it in a previous season of this… game."

"Hm," I hum, considering his suggestion. It sounds like something straight out of a cheesy action flick—the plucky tribal heroes outsmarting their high-tech pursuers with nothing but quaint jungle know-how. In the movies, it always works out perfectly. But this isn't Hollywood, and our odds are looking about as good as a snowball's chance in this sweltering jungle.

Still, what choice do we have?

"Okay," I say, wincing as I stretch my stiff muscles. "Let's go find this Mother Tree of yours."

Vornas nods, then hesitates a moment before holding out his hand. "It'd be safer if I—"

"Yeah, yeah," I say, accepting his hand without a second thought. At this point, I'd be okay with him slinging me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes for the remainder of our trek, though I'm pretty sure he's only offering to help me get down to the jungle floor without breaking my neck.

Once we reach the ground and start our journey through the dense foliage, my mind wanders to Natalie and Mia. The three of us woke up here however long ago it was—before I was frozen again. We made a promise to each other to find a way off this space prison and get back home together, but we had no idea what was in store for us then. Though they weren't able to come back for me, I still feel some sort of connection to them. We were all in the same horrible situation, after all.

"Hey, Vornas?" I ask, ducking under a low-hanging vine. "What happened to the other women? Natalie and Mia?"

The moment I mention Natalie and Mia, Vornas's tail goes still. "I'd rather not speak of previous seasons," he growls, but there's an undercurrent of something else in his voice. Pain? Regret?

"Whoa, touchy subject?" I prod, unable to help myself. "Don't tell me you're a sore loser."

His eyes flash, and for a second I wonder if I've pushed too far. But then he sighs, his shoulders sagging slightly. "The other females escaped with their chosen mates."

I blink, caught off guard by the admission. "Wait, seriously? The Host actually kept his word and let them go?"

Vornas nods, his gaze distant. "I saw the transport shuttles depart with them myself."

"Back to Earth?" I ask, hardly daring to believe it.

"No, to Mythos," he says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "There are two immutable truths about a Mythian: We always return home, and we never abandon our mate."

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "Okay, but what if Natalie or Mia wanted to go back to Earth? You can't exactly have it both ways…"

"Impossible," Vornas scoffs. "Fate would never be so cruel. When a Mythian meets his true mate, the very stars align to make it so. Perhaps not instantly, but inevitably…"

There's something in the way he says it, a conviction that makes me wonder if he's talking about more than just Natalie and Mia, and their two alien kings. I clear my throat, trying to dispel the sudden tension in the air. "That's… intense. I just hope they're okay, wherever they ended up."

Vornas's expression softens, his whiskers relaxing. "They are undoubtedly well cared for. A Mythian male would sooner perish than allow harm to befall his mate."

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that, so we lapse into silence. But still, as we pick our way through the dense underbrush, I can't help but mull over what Vornas said about fate and mates.

I chew on my lip, my mind racing with the implications. Natalie and Mia made it out alive, but to an alien planet? It's a bittersweet revelation. On one hand, I'm relieved they survived and escaped this hellish game show. On the other, the thought of them being whisked away to some foreign world, mated to alien males they barely knew, sends a chill down my spine.

What if they didn't want to go to Mythos? What if they're trapped there now, regretting their choices? But then again, what if they're happy in the leap of faith they took?

If I manage to survive to the end, will I face the same choice? Earth or Mythos? The familiar or the unknown?

And why does the idea of choosing Mythos not seem as crazy as it should?

After a while, I break the silence. "So, the Host mentioned something about you and the other contestants being rival kings," I say, curiosity getting the better of me. "With three warring races, is Mythos just one big battleground or what?"

Vornas's lips curl into a wry smile. "It's… complicated. Mythos has known more bloodshed than peace, I'm afraid." His golden eyes cloud over, a storm of emotions flickering across his feline features.

"The plague," he growls, the words seeming to catch in his throat. "It ravaged our world, leaving desperation in its wake. We became shadows of our former selves, clawing at scraps of hope."

Before I can fully process the weight of his words, Vornas's gaze locks onto mine with a blazing intensity.

"The Saberkai… We're running out of options," he continues, his tail twitching nervously. "Unlike the Drakari or Aquarians, we can't simply incubate eggs and wait for the plague to be cured. But you, Chloe…" His voice drops to a whisper. "You could be our salvation."

I stumble back, nearly tripping over a gnarled root. "Whoa, pump the brakes there," I stammer, holding up my hands. "I'm just trying to survive a ridiculous game show, not sign up for some interstellar breeding program. I had a life before all of this, you know?"

"Well, of course. It would be your choice. I would never force—" he begins, but I cut him off.

"Force? No, you're just casually dropping the ‘save my species' bomb on a girl you barely know." I run a hand through my hair, my mind reeling as I gesture at the alien wilderness surrounding us. "Let's just focus on not dying in the next five minutes before we start planning the royal wedding, huh? Because my chances of being torn to shreds is a lot higher than getting out of this alive."

I brace myself for Vornas's reaction to my harsh words, half-expecting him to bare his fangs at me. Instead, his golden eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

"I'd never let any harm come to you," he says, his voice low and fierce. "Even if you aren't to be my queen, you deserve to live the life you want, and I'll make it my mission to get you back home unharmed."

My heart does a weird little flip, and I feel heat creeping up my neck. "I… uh…" I stammer.

Jeez. He really means it.

And I have no idea what to say.

Vornas tilts his head with a hint of a smirk.

Great, now he's amused by my awkwardness.

I'm about to try to salvage what's left of my dignity when his ears suddenly perk up, his whole body going still.

"What is it?" I whisper, tensing.

He holds up a hand, silencing me. His eyes are closed, and he seems to be… listening? No, that's not quite right.

It's more like he's feeling something.

"There's a pulse," he purrs. "Can you feel it?"

I pause, trying to sense whatever alien voodoo he's tuned into. All I feel is the squish of mud beneath my feet and the humid air sticking to my skin. "Uh, no? Unless you mean my rising blood pressure from all this suspense."

Vornas's eyes snap open, a gleam of excitement in them. "It's a Mother Tree. I can sense its life, even from here."

I blink at him, wondering if the jungle heat has finally fried his kitty brain. "You're telling me there's some magic tree nearby that's… what? Calling to you?"

He chuckles, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "Not magic. Life. The Mother Trees are the heart of a Saberkai jungle. Its roots connect to every other plant. My people have always been attuned to their presence."

I shake my head, trying to wrap my mind around this new bit of alien weirdness. "And you said this tree can provide us safety, somehow?"

Vornas nods, his purr growing louder. "Yes. It will protect us, so long as we reach it in time."

"Well, then, let's go!" I say.

Vornas nods and starts moving with renewed purpose, following some internal compass he apparently has. As we travel, I find my mind drifting. His words from earlier echo in my head: "You could be our salvation." The idea of being an alien queen, of having that kind of power and responsibility…

It's a far cry from struggling to pay my half of the rent in Charleston.

But then reality crashes back in.

I'm no queen.

I couldn't even begin to guess why I was one of the three women my alien abductors decided to kidnap.

Still, as I watch Vornas confidently navigate the alien terrain, I wonder: what if? What if we actually make it out of this alive? What if there's more to this connection between us than just survival instinct?

What if this was all meant to be?

Fate, as he had worded it.

I shake my head, pushing the thoughts away.

None of that matters if we can't get through this alive.