Chapter 50

FIFTY

Jade's eyes fluttered open.

For a moment, she was completely disoriented. Panic set in as she saw darkness above her.

The last thing she remembered was being caught in a nightmarish journey between dimensions, clinging to Dragek's presence with increasing desperation as she felt his aura—normally tightly controlled—start to fray.

He'd gone back.

He'd done the inexplicable; the impossible.

She'd felt the power of that ancient, mysterious portal as the boundaries of reality became twisted and warped.

What a fucking trip.

How could she be sure she hadn't just dreamed it all?

The krisalix, the incredible unfurling of her newfound power; the fact that she was the only one who had been able to get through to him in that moment, when everything could have been lost.

After all of that, she'd become so exhausted she could barely think straight. She'd had no choice but to let go, to return to her mortal body, which wasn't strong enough to withstand the immense psychic strain she'd been under.

She'd passed out.

Noa and Elgon must have taken care of her because she was here now, and she felt absolutely fine.

She'd just experienced the deepest, most refreshing sleep she'd ever had in her life. So deep she hadn't even dreamed or sleepwalked into someone else's dream.

Jade let out a deep sigh as she stretched her limbs, almost forgetting that just a few days ago, she'd broken bones in her foot and her hand.

She didn't feel any pain at all.

Her body was completely healed.

She felt great. Rejuvenated. Her mind was perfectly clear.

Everything was wonderful except for the restlessness that gnawed at her insides. The longer she was awake, the more frantic she felt. A piece of her was missing. There was an insistent need that grew stronger with every waking moment.

Heat danced through her body. All of a sudden, she felt a gentle, throbbing ache.

Oh, my god.

Dragek!

She sat bolt-upright.

Where was he? Could she reach him? In desperation, she reached out with her ka'qui , barely aware of how naturally it came to her now.

All she knew was that she wanted to feel his presence again.

She searched for his familiar aura, which was imprinted on her so profoundly that seeking him out felt as natural as breathing.

Almost instantly, she found him.

He was here, on the Fleet Station!

Her heart fluttered wildly. Excitement surged through her as she hastily got out of bed, rising to her feet.

Dragek? She tried to do mindspeech, but nothing happened. Even though she could feel his presence, he was completely unresponsive.

Dragek?

Panic swirled through her.

Jade hastily pulled on a robe and ran barefoot out the door, barely noticing as the intricate mass of interwoven black fibers separated, allowing her to pass.

She rushed down the corridor, not really knowing where she was going, vaguely remembering that the room where the humans hung out was somewhere around here.

That's when she realized she could find Dragek simply by following the familiar signature of his aura.

On this vast station, where thousands of souls burned brightly, his aura was the most brilliant of them all. She knew it like the back of her hand, as intimately as her very own thoughts.

She followed it, undaunted by the long, unfamiliar corridors; the winding twists and turns.

She forgot she was on a massive alien space station.

She just wanted to see him and make sure he was okay.

He'd done so much.

He'd been through so much.

She knew he was damn tough, but still…

He wasn't invincible.

And both of them had waited long enough. They'd been pushed and pulled by Tarak's schemes and the forces of the Universe. They'd thrown their lives to the fates because they believed what they were doing was right.

It had all happened so fast, like a whirlwind, and she didn't even question it anymore.

She simply did what she'd been afraid to do in the past—follow her instincts.

How different she was from the past version of herself that had been running scared on Earth.

The confusion was gone. The cacophony of voices in her head had fallen silent.

For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt like she was in control of her future.

She reached a door.

This is where he is.

She just knew. His presence felt stronger than ever before.

But he wasn't conscious. The state of his ka'qui told her that much. As intense as it was, it felt flat, like a glassy ocean without ripples.

Jade. You're awake. A familiar voice resounded in her mind. It was Noa; as calm and reassuring as ever. I hope you're feeling refreshed.

I feel… restored, Jade replied.

Restored but not yet fulfilled.

I'm glad to hear that. You certainly needed the rest. You were exhausted after using the krisalix. Your ka'qui was completely depleted. But you did amazing. You and Dragek actually saved the Universe, you know.

Jade shook her head. No. That was all Dragek, Tarak, Ashrael, and the rest of the Kordolian warriors. I just… followed him because I was anxious about him. I needed to reassure myself he was okay. I didn't do anything special.

Don't underestimate yourself, Jade. In the same circumstances, a lot of people would have shied away from the challenge. Many humans wouldn't have been able to see beyond Dragek's past or his Kordolian features. But you did. You accepted him for what he was. Not everyone could have done that.

I saw inside his head, Noa. He let me in. Maybe… if he hadn't done that… if he hadn't trusted me at that moment, I wouldn't have been able to do all this.

I think you need to give yourself more credit. You were so strong. Given the state of the world and the Universe, it's hard to trust anyone these days, let alone someone from another planet. But something inside made it possible. And what you've been through—what we've all been through—is absolutely wild. But this is your life now, Jade, and it's going to reward you in ways you can't possibly imagine.

Jade let Noa's words wash over her as she stood in the empty corridor, staring at the faintly curved obsidian wall. In the cool, silent depths of the ship, surrounded by shadows, she felt safer than ever before.

How had she managed to get here? To feel so close to Dragek, she would prioritize his safety over his and go to him without a second thought?

How was it that she felt so comfortable doing this?

So natural, as if they'd known one another for an eternity?

She thought about the person she'd been on Earth: safe, conscientious, with her entire life planned out before her—or so she'd thought.

She'd always had a knack for mediating. Maybe she was a bit too much of a people-pleaser, and she'd only been too eager to put that instinct to work for her clients.

But she'd also learned to be a bulldog on their behalf, sometimes to the point where she feared retaliation from the other party.

She'd seen the best and worst of people, even in her own husband, who was now very much her ex in all but name.

As for her father…

Even though he meant well, she'd even been burned by his rigidness and his blind trust in the authorities—it wasn't the first time.

How quickly people could change.

She should have been cynical and jaded by now. Most lawyers she knew turned out that way sooner or later. Some even became paranoid.

But idealistic as it was, she'd always believed in justice, in karma.

That the Universe would eventually right itself.

And maybe the reason she'd found it so easy to trust Dragek was because she'd seen hundreds of bad apples, and he so obviously wasn't one of them.

He could be so very dangerous, but deep down inside, in his secret heart of hearts, he was pure.

It feels like a fever dream, she mused, more to herself than to Noa, even though she projected the words as mindspeech. In human terms, getting to this point usually takes months, if not years.

When you find your Kordolian mate, it can feel like everything's moving at the speed of light. It's just how they are. Once he gets hit by the Mating Fever, it's game over. But you already know, right?

Yes. I know exactly who he is.

And she knew that in this life, there could be nobody else.

This whole ordeal… he's really suffered, and he's done so willingly. He chose what was right over what was selfish. It must've taken great self-control to hold back for so long. I have to admit… Noa's voice wavered, her tone becoming uncertain. When he came back from the mission, the first thing he did was seek you out. He wanted to be with you above all else. But you were at a precarious point. The massive drain on your ka'qui meant that if you didn't get a deep, uninterrupted rest, it would have taken a very long time for you to recover your ability. Fortunately, you got a good rest.

How long was I out?

About three days, give or take.

Three days? Holy crap. She, who had always had trouble sleeping, couldn't fathom that she'd just had such a deep and dreamless sleep. What… what happened? What about Dragek?

She felt the Mating Fever burning up inside her. His must be a hundred times more severe.

He was exhausted. Barely able to keep it together, and for someone as disciplined as him, that's saying something. His aura was so volatile I was worried he might unravel if he didn't get some sort of relief from the pressure of the Mating Fever. But he understood exactly what he needed at that point in time. He actually requested that he be sedated so he wouldn't do anything to you that he might regret later.

He… did? Jade couldn't even imagine what kind of agony Dragek had endured as she'd slept. She almost felt guilty that she hadn't been there to meet him.

For someone who's been with us for such a short time, he's impressively self-aware.

Is he all right? How long is he going to be knocked out? Should I come back later or…? Suddenly, Jade was unsure of herself. With this long, drawn-out build-up, she was nervous about meeting him again.

She didn't quite know why.

It was a good nervous, though. A giddy, euphoric kind of nervous.

The anticipation was almost too much to bear.

Go on. You'll find him in his chambers, probably still asleep.

It's… okay if I go in?

I very much doubt he would object, and I'm certainly not going to do anything to discourage you. Actually, he'd probably kill me if I try to cock-block him any more than I already have.

You what?

Never mind. You go on. Everything's fine now, Jade, and you've more than earned this. I'll leave you alone now, and I'll make sure nobody else bothers you, okay?

I appreciate that. Jade's heart flipped in her chest. This was it. The moment she'd been waiting for, for so damn long.

No barrier stood in her way anymore.

Not distance.

Not time.

There was no imminent threat to deal with.

And her mind was still quiet.

As if responding to her thoughts, the black fibers unraveled, allowing her access to Dragek's chambers.

Without hesitation, Jade stepped inside.

He was still asleep, but his presence washed over her: warm, familiar, and comforting.

It was like coming home.