Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Y ede was dreaming. Sunlight bathed a garden filled with the vibrant flowers of his home world. Their scent filled the air, mingled with the cool air drifting down from the surrounding mountains—the scent of home.

Liam darted between the flower beds, his brown curls catching golden highlights in the sun. His small hands reached out to touch the petals as he ran, pure joy radiating from his face. The boy’s laughter echoed through the garden, light and musical.

Gemma chased after him, her loose braid swinging behind her. Her bare feet barely touched the ground as she moved, graceful and free. She paused to look back at him, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. With love.

Liam called out to him, waving from behind a tall patch of silver-petaled flowers. Gemma’s laughter joined her son’s, the sound weaving together in perfect harmony. The joy in their voices filled every corner of the garden, every space in his being.

She stretched out a hand towards him, calling him to join her. He wanted to take that hand, to feel the warmth of her touch. To feel the warmth of family again.

Before he could, a low rumble disturbed the peace. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, obscuring the sun and casting the garden into a twisted maze of shadow. Thunder cracked overhead, and the flowers withered into blackened stalks. He couldn’t see them any more.

“Gemma! Liam!” His voice echoed through the darkness as their laughter turned distant, coming from all directions at once.

He charged down the garden paths, his feet pounding against earth that seemed to shift beneath him. The paths stretched and warped, leading nowhere. His heart hammered against his ribs as panic clawed at his throat.

“Where are you?”

He searched desperately through the increasing darkness. A flash of auburn hair disappeared around a corner. The sound of running feet pulled him forward. There!

Gemma’s outline emerged from the shadows, her eyes wide with terror and Liam clutched in her arms. They stood at the edge of a growing void, their forms beginning to fade.

“No!”

He lunged forward, his hand outstretched, reaching for them. For a moment, he felt the brush of Gemma’s skin against his palm?—

They dissolved like smoke through his grasp, swallowed by the darkness, and the void expanded, consuming everything, even his anguished cry.

He jerked awake with a violent gasp, his body aching as if he’d run for miles, and stumbled away from the sleeping bench. The nightmare clung to him like cobwebs, impossible to brush away. He needed to see them, to know they were all right.

He was halfway down the corridor before he came to a halt.

I can’t do this .

If losing them in his dreams caused this much pain, how would he ever survive losing them in reality. He had to bring this to an end now, rebuild his walls, protect what was left of himself. He returned to his workshop, every step like wading through knee-high mud, and closed the door behind him with trembling hands. The door he hadn’t closed since the first day he’d brought them here.

The familiar scent of metal and oil wrapped around him as he turned to his workbench. The projects scattered across the surface were tangible things he could hold onto, problems he could solve.

He picked up a broken plasma cutter, pushing aside the memory of showing it to Liam. The diagnostic routine was simple, mechanical. He forced himself to focus on each step, fighting back the image of Gemma and Liam dissolving into darkness.

The morning crept by as he moved from one project to the next. A broken transmitter. A faulty power coupling. Anything to keep his hands busy and his mind empty.

Liam’s laughter drifted through the walls, bright and clear. The sound pierced straight through his careful defenses and his hand clenched around the wrench, the metal digging into his palm.

Footsteps approached his door, followed by a gentle knock.

“Yede?” Gemma’s voice, warm and concerned. “I made lunch. Won’t you join us?”

His throat tightened. He wanted to go to them, to feel her touch and see Liam’s smile. But the nightmare’s warning echoed in his mind—the crushing pain of loss, the void of emptiness.

“I have work to finish,” he called back, his voice rough.

A pause. “All right. I’ll save some for you.”

Her footsteps retreated. He stared at the tool in his hands, seeing nothing. The distance between them felt vast and necessary, even as it tore at his heart.

He forced himself to focus on a communication array, his fingers moving mechanically as the workshop grew dim, shadows creeping across the floor as night fell.

The door opened quietly behind him and he whirled around. Gemma stood in the doorway, backlit by the hallway lights, a plate in her hands. The sight of her struck him like a physical blow.

“I brought you supper,” she said quietly.

Her voice held no judgment, only a warmth that threatened to melt his carefully constructed walls.

“I’m not hungry.”

The words came out harsher than he intended, but she didn’t flinch. She came over to his side, her movements as graceful as ever. The scent of the food mingled with her sweetness as she set the plate on a clear corner of his workbench, careful not to disturb his projects.

“You have to eat, Yede,” she said gently.

She stood close enough that he could feel her warmth, see the flecks of gold in her green eyes. His hands tightened on the component he held, metal edges biting into his palms. The nightmare’s shadows lurked at the edges of his mind, but her presence pushed them back, replacing fear with something far more dangerous—hope.

Memories of the nightmare clashed with the reality of her standing before him. The walls he’d built threatened to crumble beneath her steady gaze.

He moved before he could stop himself, pulling her against him and capturing her lips with his. Her mouth was sweet and hot and welcoming. Real. He gripped her more tightly, seeking that reassurance, and she melted against him, her fingers curling into the fur at his neck. She made a needy little sound and heat blazed through his veins as his hand slid down to her ass?—

“Whatcha doing?”

Liam’s voice sent them jumping apart. The boy bounced into the workshop, eyes bright with curiosity, as he tried desperately to compose himself. Her cheeks flushed pink as hastily smoothed her hair.

“Just bringing Yede some dinner.”

She turned to go, but paused next to him.

“We can continue this later,” she whispered, her breath warm against his ear.

His skin tingled where she’d touched him. He cleared his throat, fighting to keep his voice steady.

“I’ll join you for dinner.”

They shared the meal, Liam chattering about his day. More decorations had been added to the living area, making his chest ache. He should have been there, should have been part of it, instead of letting his fears drive him away.

After they tucked Liam into bed, she put her hand on his arm and smiled up at him, her eyes warm with promise.

“Why don’t you join me in the hot springs?”