EDIE
I’d been wandering around for probably ten minutes or more when I come upon a room or gathering area. Walking in I head to the middle of the area and just stand there looking out the glass or whatever it is keeping me safe from the vacuum of space only a couple inches away.
Spotting a chair, I pull it up close to the glass and just sit back to watch the vastness of space. The view of this expansive area and huge distance surrounding us is humbling, and makes me realize what a small speck I am in the grand scheme of things. Huge nebulas dance and twirl with multiple colors and some of the stars look close enough that you could reach out and touch them.
I have no idea what alerts me thatHe’snear, but I sink further down into the chair, wondering if he’ll notice I’m in here. He seems to be hooking up some sort of monitors at the bottom of each large window.
This is probably the first chance I’ve had to really look at Falon. He’s a big damn man and there’s no missing the height or the linebacker shoulders. He reaches up to hook something to the top of the glass, and I notice he has those sexy ass veins runningup his arms, and more muscle than should be allowed lining the contours of his long frame as he stretches. Huge black boots laced to his knees simply elongate his thighs, which are thicker than my waist. That ponytail of his is jet black and hangs clear to his butt, which I can still recall clearly in my mind. He’s not handsome; his features are too strong, but he isn’t ugly either. Strong jawline with high cheekbones, his lips … well, I’m not sure, because I always get distracted by the tusks. But now that they’re not solely focused on me, his bright silver eyes are stunning.
I don’t know if I made a noise or was breathing too loud, but suddenly his head turns toward me, and then within two steps, he’s bent down on one knee, looking me right in the eye. “Good rising,” he says as he takes my much smaller hand in his. “I am Falon. Who might you be?”
“I thought I was a little morsel, but if you’re asking for my name, it’s Edie.”
“And what a lovely name it is. Are you enjoying the view?”
“I was until a massive Ruk blocked it.”
Shockingly, he stands up and moves to the side. “Forgive me, I simply wanted to introduce myself properly. I should never have assumed you knew who I was back on Deapra.”
“You assumed several things if I remember correctly. How did you even get on the ship, Falon? What are you doing here?”
“I am not sure if my answer will be enjoyable to you or even earn me your favor, but I hid on the shuttle, only getting off once you had been gone for quite some time.”
“Are you an idiot? They could have killed you on sight, no questions asked.”
“To say I was not in my right mind at the time is an understatement. I am glad to see you are being well cared for.”
“Yeah, Destiny seems to be taking her job very seriously. What do they have you doing?”
“Just some busy work. I am setting up monitors on all the viewers and exposed hull panels to identify stress points. The Veil is stronger than it appears, and the captain wants to make sure Destiny did not sustain any damage that had not already been recorded. But I do not mind. I have been in survival mode for so long that it is hard to sit still. And being locked inside my quarters with nothing to do was driving me crazy.”
“I was having the same issue and that’s how I ended up here. I’ve never seen space up close like this. I don’t know how it makes me feel, to be honest. Small, alone, insignificant, or amazed. I apologize for being cruel to you, Falon. That seems to be my default setting when faced with turmoil.”
“You have no idea how I wish I could turn back time and have met you in a different setting. I could come up with a million excuses, but none of them matter at this moment. You have already formed your opinion of me, and I do not know how to gain your favor.”
“Do you still think I’m this mythical mate you’ve waited a lifetime for?”
“I know that you are; this does not lie.”
He pulls his vest open, and I gasp at the bright symbols that look like they are etched deeply into his skin. “Watch.”
Falon starts walking backward, and the further he goes, the dimmer they get. As he walks back toward me, they brighten back up.
“I have no control over them. Honestly, I would not have even known what they meant if not for my brothers, as the same thing happened to them the moment their mates touched them.”
“You do realize that humans don’t have the same thing? No magical voodoo available or lying dormant in our bodies to show us who the right one is.”
“I am aware, but you are the one the God of Ruk says was made just for me. My God and my body are both in agreement.”
“I hate this Falon, I really do. I’m sure you think it would all be rainbows and unicorns if I agreed I was yours, but I think I’d just make you miserable. I will always see you screwing those girls and I know you had no ties to me, and I have zero right to tell you that you should have saved yourself or some stupid shit like that. It may not have been so bad if I’d not witnessed it myself firsthand, but that will always be burned in my mind. I could never trust you.’
“I regret that I am viewed by you as this man-whore. I have never treated a female in a degrading or harmful way, and in my world it is common to have multiple lovers, but I understand that is not the way of your kind.”
“Oh, we had plenty of females and males who slept around, Falon. It’s not a race thing: it’s a preference thing. Let me tell you why and then maybe you’ll understand. My mother was a slut, or so I was told. I couldn’t have been more than three or four when it all happened. She had left me home alone and was out whoring around with a married man. That’s what a mate is called in myworld. Anyway, his wife caught them doing the deed and killed them both, then shot herself. I figure my mother didn’t know who my father was, because there was no name listed on my birth certificate and I was placed in the system. That’s a place where they send unwanted kids or those with no families to take them. Anyway, I watched many young girls get promised the world for the use of their bodies, only to be thrown away like trash when they’d served their purpose. After all, the boys will play with the easy girls, but they never take one home to meet mom. I was shuffled from house to house until I turned eighteen, only then to be turned out and told to make it on my own.
I could have easily sold myself or discarded my own morals and it probably would have been easier. But all I kept telling myself was that I didn’t want to be anything like my mom. Now, have I had sex? Yes. I wasn’t impressed and to this day can’t see what all the hype is about.”
“Edie, I cannot erase what I have done, and I will not try to excuse it. We are both survivors living in circumstances out of our control. I was taken from my Mam at an early age and experimented on until I almost forgot who I was. Since Slavic found me, I have been untethered. I was even jealous of them when the God of Ruk granted them all mates, someone to hold when the world became too much. I have done things I am not proud of, and even though I did not do it … them, to you specifically, I still hurt you all the same. I am sorry for that, but I cannot change the past, only the future.”
