Morgan moved with a fluid grace, her every step purposeful, as if she was unconcerned about being held a prisoner.
Ari’s pulse quickened, and his heart thudded like a drumbeat. On their own, his eyes traced the curve of her shoulders, and the way her golden curls cascaded over them. The confident tilt of her chin. The curves of her body showcased in the worn and torn clothing she had on. He swallowed hard, feeling a sudden dryness in his throat. She’d stolen the very air from his lungs.
A strange warmth spread through him, a mixture of heat and electricity, making his skin tingle with an unfamiliar sensation. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. It was as if his body recognized something his mind hadn’t caught up to yet—an undeniable pull, a magnetic force drawing him in. His muscles tightened, the tension coiling in his chest, urging him to step forward, to bridge the distance between them.
But he hesitated. What in the world was happening to him? This was only a vision, after all. His mind raced as he ignored the flood of emotions that crashed over him. Instead, he forced himself to maintain a sharp clarity of her, to burn into his mind everything he could about her. Like how the light played off the warm glow of the smooth, caramel color of her features. How the subtle curve of her lips and the way her bright golden-green eyes, even from a distance, held a depth that beckoned him to dive in and drown.
For a fleeting moment, the only thing he was capable of was to stand there, rooted in place, as the vision faded back to reality. Only one truth remained—her grip was irresistible and absolute.
And now, before he found her, this threat was coming to stop him from saving this unique treasure of a woman.
Confident in his abilities, Arakiba lowered his sight on the ship’s readouts with a sinister grin.Bring it on, asshole. I’ve got you.
“How do you know that ship is coming for us?” JR12‘s bulbous head tilted as he focused on Arakiba from the main console. “Maybe it’s just passing by. As the great Jack Sparrow said, ‘The world doesn’t revolve around you, or anyone else’. It’s a big galaxy, ya know.”
Arakiba ignored the bot. With every fiber of his being, he knew the ship was coming for him. Or rather, the creature inside it was. The malevolence from the incoming alien shot at him in psychic waves, solidly intent on capturing him. This guy had to be a Krystalii Abalim had warned them about. But this one wasn’t looking for only a human female. He was searching for any human, now overjoyed when he thought he found one.
Yeah, Arakiba couldn’t wait to show this guy his prey was anything but human.
The conference room in the hidden moon city of Azadi - a month and a half prior
“We appreciate you taking on this important task,” the chancellor of the Federation Consortium, D’zia E’etu, announced.
His sincere expression made Arakiba relax. Since the Zerin was in holographic form, he couldn’t psychically scan the fellow to see what his intentions were. He glanced at his older brother, Adapa, to make sure he didn’t have any problem with what the galactic government asked them to do.
Nope, Adapa’s swarthy skin had a healthy brown glow with nary a flush to darken his cheeks.
Arakiba checked out his other brothers.
Abalim’s steady gaze on the image in the middle of the table was unflinching, as was their serene brother, Azazel’s. Not that anything fazed Azazel out of his picture-perfect,I’m always calm. Nothing bothers meannoying attitude. The only way to find out what the guy was really thinking or feeling was to meld their minds together.
Arakiba shuddered. The one time he did that, he swore he’d never do it again. His brother seethed with an amalgamation of hidden depths, best left buried.
That left Asmodel. The copper tone of his brother’s near-perfect features turned pale, his eyes locked on something faraway. Like he wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in the room.
Not that Arakiba blamed him. This shit was boring as hell. Crossing an ankle over one knee, he balanced his hand in the crook of his bent leg. Couldn’t they just get on with it? The lure of a space adventure called to him.
“And, as I’m sure you’re aware, we must keep this mission as quiet as possible,” D’zia continued.
“It would be an honor to assist in locating the missing women from the Zerin exchange program.” Azazel spoke in his soothing, steady tone. “We admit we have little to contribute to the restoration of modern Earth after the Akurn invasion and subsequent almost annihilation from one of their ships crashing out of control there.” He gave a slight bow, causing the curtain of his long hair to fall over his shoulders and pool on his lap.
Arakiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes.By the horned crown of Enlil. Blah, blah, blah.Did his brother have to talk like he thought he was the smartest guy in the room? It’s not like Azazel was the one who reached into space and pulled that stupid ship out of the sky to stop it from destroying Earth. Arakiba did, thank you very much. Talk about an extinction event if that had happened…
On board the starship Zikia - two months ago
“Who are these guys?”
The strange sound of a woman’s whisper made Arakiba jerk his head in her direction. She had to be an Akurn, with her white hair and pale skin. But she was wearing something no female would ever put on. Dressed in form-fitting black pants with a short jacket over some kind of shirt with round things holding the fabric together. The word “buttons” flashed. Oh, those were called buttons.
She was speaking to another Akrun in a strange language. It took him a moment to translate what she said in his head. Interesting. He wasn’t sure if the man she spoke to was an Akurn or not. He was tall and pale like one, but had pointed ears like Azazel’s.
Both Arakiba’s eyebrows rose as his lips pursed when the male spoke utter nonsense.
“If I’m not mistaken, they are my father’s brothers who perished in the great flood.”
His father? Who was his father?
The woman’s mouth dropped open. “How…”
