Chapter 25

I stare at the sky after dinner. The strong breeze blows at me, seemingly nudging me towards home. But I don't want to leave...

The sky is clear and there are stars glittering up there. I let out a breath and the condensation disperses as the temperature of the planet drops even more.

Even though those being said they would come, there's no telling whether they are really coming. Or when they will arrive here.

I hate how I can't stop imagining bad things happening, but I can't help myself.

"Irene, aren't you cold?"

I squeeze a smile as Melzul sits by my side. He is in a coat now, though I've grown used to him walking around half-naked.

He pats my back. "How are you feeling?"

"Scared, with my heart in the air without knowing whether it will land safely."

"Are you worried that those beings won't come?"

I nod. "Yeah... We're a tiny planet and... I don't know. If you were they, getting a random communication request with someone asking you to detour to somewhere you haven't even heard of before... Are you going to just do that?"

He rubs his horns. "Well... If I promised I would go, I go. But I know what you mean."

He points at the sky. "Maybe they're just far away from us. Maybe there's no portal leading here directly."

I let out a breath. "I think so, but... I don't know. It feels like I can't stop thinking about what could go wrong."

He chuckles. "You're just like me, a reverse version of me. When I was back there, getting trained to be a captain, they said I've always been too optimistic."

I snort a laugh. "Apparently so. You thought your lie would never get busted."

He sighs. "That's so far back in my history by now. Wait... Now that we asked for help without even knowing who we talked to..."

"Do you think they'd be uzains?"

He swallows. "I don't. The chance of that happening is too low. But.. I guess you're making me stay up the whole night now."

I laugh at that. If he is here to cheer me up, he has done his job well. "Look, if it's possible to will something into existence, I need you to be asleep so that I can will those beings to arrive safely. Hopefully, they have more than one brain cell and won't crash their spaceship like some gray ass did."

He snorts. "Well, I only crashed that because the engine was damaged and went out when I arrived here. Otherwise, I was going to land perfectly."

I let out a breath, staring at the misty moisture dispersing. "So... What's your plan after they arrive? Leaving with them? You've never planned to be here."

He reaches for my hand. "Will you let me stay here, the leader of the village?"

I squeeze his hand. "Sure, you can stay here. I think most like you."

"Most? I'd prefer all."

I snort a laugh. He is just here to be goofy. I guess he's cheering me up fine though. "Look, you haven't even met everyone in person."

"Right. I know everyone's going to like me." He winks and I roll my eyes.

"You're so confident."

"I'm an eternal optimist."

"I wish I was like you."

He pats my head as if I'm a kid. I'm not a big fan of that, but I'm too tired to make a big deal over it. Today has been quite a day. It's not that bad to have him here and let him mess with me a tiny bit.

He says, "Like what the other uzains told me, being cautious is good as a leader. You won't overlook dangers out there and what could go wrong."

I lean back and support my body with my hands behind me. "I don't know, though. It feels like most of the things I worry about don't come true. I know that the chances of those events happening are slim to none, but I can't help worrying about that."

"Maybe it means you need someone to talk to. I think it helps to hear your own thoughts spoken out loud."

Is it? I've never talked to anyone about my concerns here. It feels like... I'm the leader here and I should have everything figured out. Isn't that the reason I'm assigned to lead everyone, after all?

He says, "Even uzains have someone to talk to. Though I didn't like to have a coach watching over my every move, he was there to talk to and ask questions when I needed to. Even a well-trained captain has their advisor or someone who's meant to be there to talk to, too. You should find someone who you can talk to."

I don't know a single thing about uzain culture, so there's no way for me to know whether he is messing with me. But that sounds reasonable. Uzains are bandits, or according to themselves, warriors, so it makes sense for them to be careful with their decisions.

I say, "But... What if... I don't even know. It just... feels like I should know better."

"You're just one being."

"Well..." I smack his leg. "With you, I'm one being and one extra brain cell."

He rolls his eyes. "Maybe I'm THE brain cell here."

I laugh at that. "You can keep imagining that. I suppose you're staying here now."

He holds my hand. "I still mean to ask whether you'll accept me as your mate. It's okay if this isn't the right time."

I hold his hand. I can't think of a reason why we shouldn't be together.

There's warmth in my stomach, asking to burst out of me. The wind is still strong, but I'm not cold.

I say, "You kicked me earlier so that the beast wouldn't get me."

"Yes, the claws almost got you."

"You're crazy. It could have chewed off your head."

He gives a wry smile. "I'm not a being who thinks a ton. I just... did it."

I hug him. "You're crazy."

"Crazy for you, yes." He pats my side as I lean into his chest. He says, "Even I don't understand. But maybe we did fight as one and that's pretty cool."

I let out a breath. "So... You really want me as your mate?"

He narrows his eyes at me. Did I say something wrong?

I know I've asked that a lot of times and I still can't believe it, yet...

He clears his throat. "Am I not qualified to go after the leader of the village?"

I roll my eyes. "It's not about that. I just... Almost can't imagine being with someone else."

"I don't know what's going to happen either. I guess we'd just be stuck with each other."

He leans to me, resting his horn on my forehead. "I'm a strong uzain. I can only hope I've proven to you that I'm worth the chance."

"So... Even though you complain to no end that I annoy you, you still want me as your mate?"

He huffs. "My horns want you."

"Maybe this is a uzain thing."

"Yes, they often know things before I do. I trust my horns."

"Yeah, I get it. It must be hard when you don't have a lot of brain cells and that your horns are better at that."

"Fine, fine. But you know you love me with my amazing horns." He takes my hands and puts them on his horns. "Can you feel that?"

What am I supposed to feel? His horns are rough and look like they can stab me alive, is that what I'm supposed to feel?

He says, "They're humming for you."

"I don't mean to be rude or ignore that, but I can't feel it. Maybe it is a uzain thing."

"Ah..." He sighs and lets go of my hands. "Maybe it is. But I really feel it."

"I don't think you have a reason to lie to me."

He grins and watches me with hopeful eyes. How bad can it be to become his mate? Other than annoying me and picking fights with Acea the first few days he's here, he has been a very fine being.

I pat his chest, running my fingers over the marking on his chest. He is in a coat, so only a small part of the markings are visible through his collar. "I'm still nervous, but..."

There's a hum in my stomach and the warmth in my stomach spreads even more. Maybe that's the way humans can feel the connection between us.

"Yes, Melzul. I'll be your mate."

He grins and gets up from the ground. "Yes! I did it!"

Um... Now I wonder whether I'm falling into a trap or something. But maybe it's just how he is. Still a bit too silly.

He turns around to me. "I mean, I'm glad. I'll keep being the most perfect mate ever."

I snort a laugh. "You're just crazy. It's getting cold. Maybe you should head back there first."

"How about you?"

I stare at the sky. "I want to wait a bit longer, even though I know that there's no telling when those beings will arrive."

He stares at the sky with me. The stars are still there, with no sign of a spaceship heading toward us. There's not even a single meteorite. The sky is clear, without a cloud, but there's still nothing important to be seen.

Melzul says, "But it has to be cold for you, too. The coat isn't the cold proof, not to mention you're just sitting here, and that can't make you warm."

I shrug. That's not something I care about. "I'll be fine. I'll pace around if it gets cold. You don't have to be here with me. Get some nighttime snacks and get some sleep. You better get back to working tomorrow."

He grunts but still has a smile. "So, I still have to work even though I'm your mate now?"

"Even I work every day, so I'm not sure where your reasoning comes from. Maybe you didn't do a thing other than eat and sleep when you captained a uzain battleship."

He sucks in a breath. "Hey, being the captain is work on its own."

"Sounds about right, you just ate and slept."

He huffs. "That's my past now and I know..." He sighs. "Well, let's get back there. We can wait again later. Maybe they're around already but want to land in the morning instead. It would be safer to do that when they don't know a lot about this planet."

I shake my head. "It's okay. I'll be back soon. Hey!"

I yelp when he picks me up from the ground. I punch and kick, but he holds me in his arms as if I weigh nothing.

He says, "Go back there, my mate. I have to take care of you now."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me. Stop it!"

He is never going to stop annoying me, and now I chose to let him stay close to me. Something in me must be wrong...

He chuckles as we arrive at the door to the central building. The door slides open and we get inside. He puts me onto one of the couches by the walls. "Look, don't keep staying out there. Don't get sick."

I fold my arms and roll my eyes. "I don't need your ass telling me what to do."

"I'm just making sure you'll be fine. And I didn't tell you to come back here, technically."

Yeah... He just picked me up and moved me as if I was cargo or something.

He pats my head again. "Let's get some rest. We went through a fight, after all."

Well... He already dragged me here and he isn't letting me out, anyway...

I guess I'll let him do what he wants, just this once.