Chapter 10

GUNNOX

My hearts swelled with an overwhelming mix of joy and relief that resonated through me as I carried my spirit mate safely aboard the ship. My scales shimmered with a newfound radiance as the fiery rush of adrenalyne coursed through my veins.

Crowded on the command deck, the human females remained huddled close together. Most sobbed with joy while some still held the ashen expression of fear as if any moment it could all be taken away.

Tyrk raised the ramp and closed the hatch on my heels as I was the last to board the ship carrying my female. The cramped confines of the ship buzzed with energy as members of Clan Huren gathered around Vennox, their expressions filled with gratitude and disbelief at their newfound freedom.

We had done it!

We had freed my kinsmen, found Nara's mate, and rescued a group of human females. And I had found my spirit mate among them. Her spirit called to mine, the urge to mate and complete the bond growing stronger now that we were together.

"Everyone try and spread out." Ruze waved claw-tipped hands. "There's room down the corridor and inside the crew cabins. Find seats and strap in. Once the seats are full, find a place to sit on the floor and hang onto each other so we can get this ship off this rock."

The walls of the Moktian Galaxy Cruiser pressed in on all sides, the air thick with the heat and scent of too many bodies crammed together. I glanced over at Ruze as he and Tyrk assumed their positions at the command console.

I navigated through the throng of people to the other females and set my spirit mate on her feet. "Take a seat on the floor. I need to make sure everyone finds a place before we lift off."

"Are you coming back?" she asked, clutching my hand as though her life depended on it. My hearts pounded with an ecstatic fervor, each beat resonating with overwhelming joy surging through me at her touch.

"I will never leave you again, my female."

"Sarah," she said. "Sarah Parker. That's my name."

"Gunnox of Clan Trisess."

"I know." She dipped her head shyly. "I heard your kinsmen call you by name after you vanished from the mine."

Torn between the urgent call to help settle my people before takeoff and the magnetic pull of Sarah's presence, I grappled with the conflicting emotions swirling within me. The need to ensure my people's safety tugs at me, a responsibility ingrained in every fiber of my being. Yet, as I peered down into Sarah's pale blue gaze, I found himself ensnared by the invisible thread that bound us together. The secs ticked by agonizingly slow as I battled the turmoil in my mind, torn between fleeting moments apart to fulfill my obligations and staying by Sarah's side, where her spirit beckoned me closer.

"I shall return before you even realize I'm gone," I forced out the words. "Have the other females take a seat on the floor."

Sarah nodded and reluctantly released my hand. I couldn't look back, knowing I would rush back to her side as I made my way around the ship, guiding people to find seats or secure spots on the floor before takeoff. Once everyone was settled in, I picked my way through the crowd, back to my spirit mate's side where she sat with the group of females in the far back of the command deck.

"Prepare for liftoff, everybody," Tyrk called out.

The ship softly vibrated as the engines flared to life. My female looked up, her eyes lighting up at the sight of me with a gentle smile that stuttered my hearts. She scooted over, attempting to make space amid the crush of people, but the press of bodies offered little room. She squeaked in surprise as I knelt and lifted her from the floor to settle her on my lap as I sat.

"Best seat in the house," she chuckled and rested her head on my shoulder.

A pulsating rhythm erupted from the center of my chest, a primal melody to soothe my spirit mate. I hadn't thrummed for a female since my first spirit mate died in my arms.

Sarah's heavy sigh sent a surge of pure elation racing through me. The tiny echo of her spirit relaxed, floating in a wispy wave around my own. "How are you doing that?" She raised her head and pressed the palm of her hand between my pecs. "It's like you're purring."

"It's called thrumming," I said. "A male does this to soothe or excite his spirit mate. It's a song my spirit sings to yours."

"What's a spirit mate?"

Kyrran and Raven immediately came to mind. Raven was a human and knew nothing about Valosian culture. I wondered how Kyrran had explained to her the call of their spirits and the bond that would form between them when they mated. Neylla, my first spirit mate, had been Valosian and although she had fallen ill before we had the chance to complete our bond, she understood the call of her spirit to mine.

Navigating uncharted territory with Sarah was proving challenging, as I grappled with how to interact with a creature of a different species. Our mutual attraction was palpable, causing her hand to frequently flutter to her chest without conscious awareness or understanding of its significance.

I cleared the lump of hesitation from my throat and answered vaguely afraid I would frighten her with the intensity of my culture, "A couple who is compatible." I thrummed harder to ease her mind until a better time could be found to explain the lifelong bond between a mated pair.

All around me, the passengers huddled together, fear and hope mingling on their unsure faces. Through the front viewport, the dusty, desolate planet of Gorka fell away. The rugged terrain grew ever smaller as we rose higher into the sky.

"And for the grand finale," Tyrk announced, making a show of pressing the remote that detonated the hydrosonic bomb he had placed on the conveyor, delivering the device into the pupa chamber just before we slit the Gorken guard's throats.

Down below, a warbling boom sent out a rippling wave of energy around the palace, knocking hundredths of Gorken off their feet. No wonder there weren't any guards at the main entrance as we ran out, they were all swarming the palace.

The palace appeared to rise before sinking into the ground. Then flames consumed the entire structure, and a menacing column of smoke twisted and writhed into the hazy sky. I sneered in satisfaction imagining the pupa consumed in a fiery inferno, reducing them to ash.

Instead of an uproarious celebration, silence enveloped the entire ship, a stark contrast to the roaring triumph echoing within me. Outwardly, I kept my composure, but inside, I unleashed a warrior's primal cry that resonated through the chaotic flashing of my scales. Everyone seemed to be reflecting inward, absorbing the sudden change in circumstances.

Warmth enveloped my hand and I looked down to find Sarah had slipped her hand in mine. Her gaze remained fixed ahead. The faint trace of her essence swished and knotted, a mix of unease and relief to be leaving. Her hand squeezed tighter, her throat working through a hard knot as we penetrated the dusty atmosphere and stars replaced the landscape.

"Everyone brace for a flight through the wormhole." Ruze looked back and announced.

The ship surged forward, hurtling through the black void at breakneck speed. We were surrounded by a breathtaking spectacle of streaking stars, their luminous trails painting a mesmerizing scene against the infinite darkness.

A sense of exhilaration filled me as we approached the looming wormhole, an invisible force pulling us toward the unknown. Sarah's hand gripped mine tightly, grounding me in this moment of uncertainty.

Anxious murmurs rippled through the ship as we watched the fabric of space bend and twist before us. The swirling depths of the wormhole seemed to tug at reality itself, creating a chaotic kaleidoscope of colors that blurred together in dizzying patterns. The roar of the engines grew deafening, vibrating through the metal floor beneath our feet and pulsating within my chest.

With one final surge, we plunged into the abyss. The world outside our viewport dissolved into a blur of shifting hues and distorted shapes, threatening to overwhelm our senses completely.

But then, just as suddenly as it began, we emerged on the other side of the wormhole, greeted by the surreal sight of my silver world before us.

"Welcome home," Tyrk

A hush fell over the ship, then a surge of cheers crushed the silence.

"That's not Earth," Sarah muttered.

"No." I leaned close to her ear so she could hear me over the celebration. "It's my home, Valose."

I had done what I had set out to do. I had brought home a spacecraft filled with Valosians. What weighed heavy on my heart was the disappointment of the female occupying my lap that the planet filling the viewport wasn't her world, but mine.