But if I do that, I’ll just go back to being Gerri, the woman who’s too afraid to let someone in, the woman who’s scared of staying in one place too long.
Didn’t jumping into a ship with a man I hardly knew fit that pattern well, though?
The difference between moving from park to park is I’m not escaping anyone—I’m planning for a possible future.
“It will be okay, sweet Gerri. Volderens have not had a ship accident in many decades.”
I guess my face betrayed my emotions.“Sorry. I’m sure you’re right, it’s just I’ve never been to space, much less another planet.”
He smiled, then swiped a series of symbols and letters. “Then I am honored you agreed to allow me to be your first.”
A nervous laugh slipped out of my mouth.
“Did I say something funny?”
The sensation of gliding upward made all thought fly out of my brain. “Oh my God,” I breathed, knowing my jaw hung open like a fly catcher. The dark screen came to life, and we soared straight upward through clouds that looked like fog.
Within ten seconds, the curve of the Earth hung below. For a moment, I forgot to breathe. “It’s so…so…so…” Tears welled up at the beauty of my planet.
“Beautiful?”
I nodded, still unable to speak.
Drayven settled in his chair, gave the display a quick glance, then swiveled to face me. “Itisbeautiful, but it is not the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“How can it not be?” Tearing my eyes from the diminishing planet—we must be traveling at a crazy rate of speed—I gave him my full attention. “I get it. You’re some kind of advanced race and you probably see this kind of stuff all the time, but it makes me feel so small yet so privileged.”
Drayven leaned forward, the muscles of his thighs bulging through his pants with the movement. “It is true, yet there are also different kinds of beauty. There is the beauty of a perfect design and the flawlessness of certain metals, but these are cold beauties, meant only for form and function. I speak of thewonders of the heart, of people, of love.” He took my hands and wrapped them in one of his large palms. “Youembody this for me.”
I shifted my legs, crossing my knees and pulling my hands from his grasp. “You don’t really know me, though.”
“Perhaps, but I feel like I have known you always. Do you not feel your soul crying out to mine?”
His words stopped my blood.
He feels it, too?I’d spent so many years alone, running from place to place, that I’d been afraid the subtle pull to him was my imagination.
“Volderens, if they’re lucky, always have at least one mate. You are mine.”
True panic replaced the hesitation. “What?”Mate?I had no chance of being anyone’s mate. I’d seen what happened to people who were supposed to be mates, like my mom and stepdad. They’d hated each other, and he’d driven her to walk out and never return.
“Gerri, it is okay. Just because we are mates does not mean we do not have a choice. I believe in free will, not destiny.” His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. “I can see this upsets you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and inhaled, forcing my thoughts to calm.Not everyone’s like Roger.My stepdad had abused me, but when he threw me out as a teen, it had actually been a blessing in disguise. I’d learned to fend for myself, and took control of my life.
Drayven, so far, had been nothing but kind. He might’ve lied about who he really was, but I understood why.
“I’m okay.” I opened my vision. A perfect red sphere, what I assumed to be mars, glowed in the distance. “Being your mate doesn’t upset me. Well, not much. I think I’m just a bit overwhelmed with everything that’s happened over the past couple of days.”
“Ah. That makes sense. Experiencing another culture has a way of doing that.”
I laughed, releasing the pent-up nerves with the motion. “That’s an understatement.” Pointing to the screen, I looked at Drayven. “Tell me more about your home. I truly want to understand you and your people.”
He tapped the holo screen, then faced me. “We have forty minutes until landing, so where should I begin?” He tapped one of his long, slender fingers against his chin, and I found myself noticing a tiny dimple at the corners of his mouth.
Who knew an alien could be so handsome?
“To understand why we’re here, you must learn where we were. Several thousands of years ago, our ancestors discovered a mutation in our DNA. If we could not find a compatible humanoid correction, our race would eventually die. So, a massive survey was performed to find potential planets with life, and each report was narrowed down to three, including Earth. Generational ships were built and launched.Abzu, our original ship destine for Earth, which translates toAtlantisin human language, arrived and studied early Sumerian culture while scanning DNA. A major malfunction caused the ship to crash to the bottom of the ocean. We eventually salvaged what we could, used our smaller transport and warships to establish a Mars base in the hopes we’d eventually find the person who could save us.”
