Chapter 19

NINETEEN

She woke to find herself in a big, reclining seat.

For a moment, she was completely disorientated. What was this place? There was a dark ceiling overhead. Dim blue-hued lighting. A glass portal that looked out onto a cavernous space filled with sleek alien spacecraft.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Oh. Now I remember.

She was in space.

After having her fractures treated by the Kordolian doctor, Zyara, they'd brought her to a sleek obsidian ship—this one bigger and more powerful-looking than the one Dragek had rescued her on.

Apparently, it was safer for her to be away from Earth. Dragek had indicated her abilities made her a target, although she had no idea what he really meant.

And now, she was in freaking space.

And she'd fallen asleep for the ride up to their big, floating station—or whatever it was.

Panic fluttered inside her chest. Space! Not in a billion light-years could she have imagined she'd end up here, on a massive alien space station, of all places.

She almost had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Still drowsy, she stretched her arms and stifled a yawn. Her left hand was encased in a semi-flexible cast-type thing that provided gentle compression. Since Zyara had injected her with that nanite-substance, the pain in her bones had completely disappeared.

Zyara had given her orders to rest up and take it easy for the next few days.

Easier said than done when her companion was…

Wait… where is he?

Dragek…

He'd gotten on the ship with her. In fact, ever since he'd taken her out of that hot, dusty mine, he hadn't left her side.

How had she managed to fall asleep in his presence? She hadn't even realized. All she remembered was sitting back in that big chair, closing her eyes, and listening to the faint hum of the ship as it departed Earth.

She'd watched the stars drift by as the sky turned from blue into glittering darkness, as she became aware that they were drifting further and further away from everything she'd ever known…

Of course, he had been there, standing, not sitting down, just leaning against the wall with his arms folded, watching her quietly as he always did.

A constant.

How had she drifted off to sleep with him there, just standing and watching her like that? The whole time there had been this feeling of gentle pressure around her.

She swore it was his doing. She just had no idea what he was doing or why, and she didn't want to break the reverie by asking.

Jade glanced at the space where he'd been standing, but he wasn't there anymore.

She felt a small pang of disappointment. Had he already left? Had she been alone this whole time, asleep?

A faint ripple across the skin of her forearms told her otherwise. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. A warm thrill fluttered around in her chest, running down her spine and entering her belly.

There was that feeling again. That slight pressure, like she was being wrapped in an invisible embrace, although it wasn't unpleasant.

He's still here.

She didn't know how, but she could feel his presence. Now, she was certain she'd know the feeling of him anywhere. He was fluid like water yet cold and hard like diamond. But he could also be warm and solid, unwavering.

And perhaps, protective.

Her gaze traveled across the cabin. She didn't see much at all except for darkness… until she saw him.

Her breath caught.

How could she have missed him?

Against the dark wall, he was a starkly luminous contrast. His silver-pale skin almost seemed to glow in the dim light. He looked serene, but as she locked eyes with him, his nostrils flared ever so slightly, and she swore a little tremor coursed through him, so faint she could barely detect it.

Somehow, he was different.

It was as if some line had been crossed, but she didn't understand what that line was.

"How long was I asleep?" Her voice came out harsher than she'd intended.

"Long enough for you to get the rest you needed," he rumbled.

"You were watching me the whole time?"

"Would you be upset if I said I was?"

To her surprise, she wasn't. If it were anyone else, she might have found it a little creepy, but this was Dragek.

Funny how she almost felt like she could trust him with her life.

"No, it isn't that. I'm just surprised you would spend so long watching over me. Don't you have… um, duties to attend to?"

"Not at the moment," he shrugged. "Although I inevitably will."

Jade was taken aback by how relaxed he seemed. He was acting as if he had nothing better to do than sit watching her while she slept.

His legs were crossed. He was still barefoot and bare-chested, his long, dark hair flowing over his shoulders. He looked like he'd just come out of some deep meditation.

Jade rose to her feet. The restraints that had crossed her chest during the flight were gone, allowing her freedom of movement.

"Wait." But before she could stand properly, Dragek moved so fast he became a silver-and-black blur. Suddenly, he was at her side, putting one arm around her waist and draping her good arm across his shoulders.

How did he move so fast?

Not even the most talented and highly trained human athlete or martial artist could move like that.

Not in a million years.

She was truly amongst others now.

"You should not put weight on your foot yet," Dragek growled, sounding a little like her mother. "Medic's orders, remember? There is a machine that will help transport you from here. Let me summon it."

She was powerless to stop the flush that spread across her cheeks as he took her weight, almost lifting her off her feet. Her heart pummelled wildly. She couldn't help but lean into him, intensely aware of his warmth and his masculine scent.

Stars, she was getting used to this—even if she didn't quite know what this was.

"What's going to happen to me now?" She tried to regain her bearings by focusing on what was right in front of her. Knowing was the only thing she had any semblance of control over right now.

Dragek stopped just short of lifting her into his arms again. She almost wished he would.

Don't be ridiculous.

The pain medication must have made her a little delirious.

"I'd imagine the General's people will want to take care of you. Give you quarters where you can rest. They'll test you, analyze you, and figure out the true extent of your power. Then, they'll decide how you can be of use."

Of use? A chill ran through her. "What do you mean? I'm going to be enlisted to work in this… this… machine of theirs?"

Suddenly, Earth felt very far away. Jade felt insignificant in the grand scheme of things, like a speck of dust floating through the infinite Universe.

"Don't be afraid," Dragek rumbled. His voice was deep and smooth, like silk gliding over roughness. "You have no reason to be. They won't treat you badly."

"How can you be so sure?" After what she'd been through with her family and Cameron and the MWA, Jade was finding it hard to trust anyone.

She'd seen how people could become their worst possible selves. She used to be a divorce lawyer, for God's sake.

A soft sigh escaped Dragek, possibly the first time she'd seen such a display of emotion from him. "They let me live. And I was their sworn enemy."

Enemy? Jade's eyes widened in surprise. She barely understood the politics of his world—the bloody feuds and battles of the Kordolian Empire. She couldn't even imagine what a lethal warrior like him might have done. "Did you redeem yourself, then?"

"Not yet. And yet, I still exist."

"And they let you take care of me…"

"I would not harm you." He stiffened, his voice laced with sudden indignation. "They know that beyond certainty."

"Relax, Dragek." Unable to help herself, she placed her hand on his arm—the one that was wrapped around her waist. "I was just being un-serious."

" Un-serious ?"

"A small joke at your expense. It's a grounding exercise."

He let out a soft snort. "You humans make no sense."

"Oh, I make perfect sense."

"Now isn't the time for you to be joking. " He tightened his grip on her waist and turned so he was facing her, his obsidian gaze piercing right through her.

Heart pounding, Jade told herself he was only holding her this way because of her broken foot. Surely, there wouldn't be any other reason for it.

"Then tell me what I'm supposed to do. Because the only thing I know right now is that I know nothing anymore."

He leaned in a fraction.

Now, he was close. Too close. "Before I release you into their world, I'll teach you something."

"What? How to walk on one good leg?"

" This. "

She felt a ripple across her skin. It spread over her entire body like warm gossamer.

Then, it was gone, and it felt like someone had poured ice water over her soul.

In her mind, she heard voices.

Not this again!

Dismayed, she tried to block them out. And, as always, she failed.

But whereas the voices on Earth had been chaotic and too numerous to keep track of, these voices were soft and calm. A little distant, too. They spoke in languages she couldn't comprehend, and maybe that made it a lot more bearable.

"May I speak in your mind?"

Wait… why was he asking permission when he'd never bothered to before?

"You can."

I've been protecting you from them. But I can't do that forever. You need to learn how to make a basic mental shield.

And how the hell am I supposed to do that?

Imagine. Picture, in your mind's eye, a container. It can be of whatever shape or material you like. But it must contain your own thoughts and feelings and nothing else. It must contain you . Nothing is allowed to invade you.

Oh. She was acutely aware of him as she leaned against him, as he so effortlessly took her weight. The alien voices made constant chatter in the back of her mind. I don't think I can do it. I have no idea how. And even if I did, I don't see how imagining it would…

You must. If you want to survive, you have to try.

Fine. Jade let out a deep sigh. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

She tried to picture what he'd told her to—a container— but the damn thing failed to solidify in her mind. Was it round or square? Thick-walled or flimsy? Hard or soft?

It doesn't matter. Whatever your subconscious tells you.

My subconscious? I can't…

You can.

That's when she felt him, and he was no longer being gentle. This was his presence: the sheer, overwhelming pressure of him, all hardness and promised violence and terrifying dark energy—pressing against her with tremendous force, trying to get into her mind.

I could devour you if I wanted. Right here, right now.

No!

Had he gone mad? Or was this his true self? Is this what he'd wanted all along?

The thought that she couldn't trust Dragek—the only one she thought she trusted in this strange alien world—was somehow more disturbing than the fact that he was using his psychic energy to violate her thoughts.

What if she was deceived? Delusional? What if she'd been watching him through rose-tinted glasses, and he was nothing more than a brutal, cruel killer?

No.

Get out of my head.

Her thoughts were spilling out, but she gathered them and put them back into the jar of her mind.

That's what she imagined it as—a simple glass jar with a screw-on lid. Transparent but impenetrable. If only she could get rid of this dark, malevolent presence that was Dragek.

Get out!

Panic rising, she did the only thing she could.

She took his advice and tried to cram everything into that imaginary glass jar.

Her thoughts.

Her memories.

Her self.

Push them inside, screw on the lid.

There.

Stop.

And to her surprise, he did.

Good. It was clumsy, but you'll get better with time. That's how you make the voices stop.