“We should get to work,” she said, inhaling deeply. “Make sure the city is safe for when the Yulineons come.”
My spirit mate didn't dissolve into tears or explode in fury about her longing for home, nor did she insist we embark on a quest for her lost sister. Her bravery wrapped around her like a mantle, shielding her vulnerability. The quiver that had clung to her lower lip stilled, and she drew herself up, shoulders squaring off in determination. She elected to place the welfare of Valose and its inhabitants above her own yearnings.
“Rowan,” I breathed out, my fingers curling around hers delicately before guiding her hand to rest against the thrumming rhythm pumping from my chest. A swell of admiration surged through me, her willingness to put others before herself left me in silent awe of the fortitude that lay within her.
“The needs of many outweigh the wants of the few…” she murmured, her palm flattening over my heart as her voice faded into a soft whisper. Her gaze lifted, green eyes wide with surprise as they met mine. “You have two heartbeats! How did I not feel this before?”
I nodded in affirmation. “This one,” I indicated the steady beat under her hand, “circulates the life blood within me.”
Her face was a canvas of astonishment as she absorbed this new information. I guided her hand to rest over my ancillary heartbeat nestled closer to my sternum, over where a shawra would manifest if she chose to complete the bond, and added softly, “And this one beats for you.”
Her breath hitched audibly, and tears welled in her eyes before cascading down her cheeks like liquid crylite. “Me?” The echo of her spirit within me resonated with an intoxicating blend of elation and trepidation. “I was worried you might still have feelings for Rose.” She kept her voice low, glancing around for any prying ears.
“Let’s find a more private place to talk.” I led her out the side door of the hangar, knowing any Valosian male would have to be deaf not to have overheard our conversation given our sensitive auditory systems.
Chapter Nine
ROWAN
“You are my heart, Rowan.” Zikkar took me by the shoulders, gently but firmly. His silvery gaze locked onto mine with unwavering intensity. “My ancillary heart beats for one reason and that’s to keep you safe, to protect you from all the dangers of my world. Not because you are weak, but because you are the most precious thing on Valose to me. You are the one chosen for me by the Spirits, the complement of the essence that completes the very core of my being.”
My mouth fell open, and I stood there in disbelief, my mind struggling to catch up with the reality unfolding before me. The odd tug behind my sternum increased until I could no longer discount it as anything else except what the mated girls had described as the calling out of their souls for another.
If I bonded with Zikkar, my fate would be sealed to live forever on his world. Even now, it pained me to think of never seeing him again. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to leave if I shared a matching shawra. Lost in the depths of his mesmerizing gaze, I felt myself being drawn into a whirlpool of emotions and not all of them were mine.
Any lingering doubts about his emotions for Rose evaporated. All that kept me from giving my heart over to Zikkar was the slim chance of being reunited with my twin.
“The turmoil raging within you is palpable. Should you choose to make me yours, I need your certainty to be unwavering. I would never want you to harbor any resentment toward me.” Zikkar brought his lips to mine in a sweet yet breathtakingly tender kiss.
“I—” My words were cut short, swallowed by blaring sirens.
Chaos erupted. Warriors spilled from every structure, armed and ready for battle.
“Come with me.” Zikkar grasped my hand and pulled me toward a side door leading into the palace.
“Where are we going?” But I already knew. The sirens were a warning that the city was under attack. The Yulineons were here for one reason, and that was to exterminate all the humans. Because of us, the Valosians were in danger, yet they were taking up arms to fight to keep us safe.
A safe place had been designated three stories below the palace, at the entrance to a mine shaft. The thought of going down there, back to where I’d been unconscious and caged, gave me the creeps. My aversion paled in comparison to the impending attack.
There was already a crowd gathered inside an opulent foyer fit for a king as Zikkar rushed me inside. An enormous chandelier made of the same material as the exterior of the palace hung thirty feet from where it had been attached to the ceiling. Lights from within set off the faceted crystals like a galaxy of stars.
I didn’t have time to appreciate its grandeur before entering an elevator packed with girls and a few Valosian escorts. I clung to Zikkar as the double doors closed, and down we went.
The elevator glided to a halt and the doors slid open, revealing two fierce warriors. It was clear from their clothing which clans they represented—one was from Huren and the other from Trisess.
Zikkar wrapped an arm around my waist and hurried me down a metal corridor that gave way to a hard-packed dirt floor and dimly lit tunnel dotted with stones and softly glowing solaris rocks. I was relieved to see Gia was already there, standing with the unconscious girls laying on gurneys that defied gravity, floating above the ground. Her face was a mask of apprehension as I joined her.
“I will come back for you as soon as the attack is over.” Zikkar cupped my face in his large, warm hands. I placed my hands over his, not wanting him to let me go. “If they breach the dome, I will meet you on the island. Synnox and Vallon will stay here to guard you and fly you to safety if need be.”
“What about you?”
“The only way to ensure your safety is to maintain the dome. If it fails, the city will be lost and any females found within, terminated.” With a quick kiss, Zikkar strode away.
“Z!” I hollered after him.
He looked back over his shoulder, and a pang of longing hit me square in the chest. “Stay with Gia, down here where it’s safe, my heart. We will be together soon.”
Zikkar boarded the elevator, the doors closed, and he was gone.
