“But you know and seem to trust Darolus, why is that? It’s not like he was mated before.” She coils her tail under her. Unlike Darolus, though much like the other females, Melsya has a long, thinner tail. “If it’s so dangerous, why make an exception for him?”
“You should ask him.”
“I will.” I straighten. “He told me he left the forest… that it’s filled with his enemies…”
She peers at me, her expression blank. “The males are not our enemies. Our bodies are what have betrayed us, human. Though Darolusss still might have enemies of his own, we do not see him or any other that way. Not anymore.”
“Then why stab him?” I whisper. “It wasn’t like your bodies were betraying you then.”
“It is not so easy. We have lived a long time in near complete isolation. We do that because the alternative would be to risk our lives and the lives of those around us.”
“Is it… his pheromones?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
“His smell?” I say instead—if she’s confused by my wording. Though it has been easy to communicate with Darolus and the females so far, I have realized there are many words they don’t know.
She waves her hand with a hiss. “His smell means nothing now that we know it is designed for you and not one of us. You are the one at risk now.” Without saying anything more, she ducks out of the room, leaving Darolus and me temporarily alone.
I get up and go after her, taking my flashlight with me.
TWENTY
MELSYA
Sabrina
“What doyou mean I’m the one at risk now?” I ask, stepping into the dark outside the room, unable to cope with another mystery that could cause me to lose my life.
She hisses and turns, grabbing her spear and pointing it at me. “Do not chase me, female. I do not like it.”
I raise my hands and take a step back. “What do you mean I’m at risk? I just want to know.”
I also don’t want her to leave. It’s been so lonely these last few weeks, and lonelier now without knowing what’s going to happen to Darolus. He’s recovering but he hasn’t woken yet.
Her keen, dark eyes flick over me and she lowers her weapon. “Answer one of my questions first and I will answer yours.”
I glance behind me and into the room, checking on Darolus’s unconscious form before looking back at her. “Fine. But I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing, answering your questions.”
Her lips flatten and she slides toward me, closing the distance, tilting her head when she’s directly in front of me. “What are those metal things in the sky? There are more and more, and the noises they make… They are awful and unusual and they frighten everything.”
I stare at her, taking a moment to catch on, realizing what she’s referring to. “They’re spaceships. They’re here because they’re fleeing from a bigger ship that’s now gone.”
“Why?”
“My question first.”
She bares her fangs. “You are at risk because you are a female—being female is the risk. Mating him may have already killed you if you’ve been bred.” Her eyes are sharp as her nostrils flare, momentarily staring at my stomach.
Relief hits me, never having been so grateful for my procedure. “Oh, that risk. Yeah, I can’t have kids.”
Melsya’s gaze roams over me again, slower this time.
“About the ships,” I say, going back to her second question. “They fled because one ofThe Dreadnaut’sreactors imploded. I don’t expect you to know what that is but think of it as a giant fiery explosion, bigger than the entire city itself. Without the colony ship, those who were able to get off it in time left on smaller ships. It’s how I got here.”
Her eyes widen and it’s then I realize they’re a light grey in color. “You came on one of those flying things?”
“Yes, and many others did too. Others left for the moon, or back to the other colony ships, or are still hovering out in space. Though I believe most of us took our chances with Earth with fuel being in such short supply now.”
