Warm fingers combed her hair, waking her from her slumber. Jaiya refused to open her eyes, not because she feared death, but because she didn’t want to be disappointed by how it looked.
“If you can hear me, I want to thank you for saving Idris’ life,” Erlyn whispered. “I know he isn’t reacting well to what happened, and an irrational part of him blames you. Not because of the secret you kept from all of us, but because you arehuman.”
The warmth traveled down to her cheek, before disappearing, only to reappear around one of her hands.
“I won’t pass judgment on you. Your actions have proven how loyal you are to us,” he sighed. “At least, that is what I keep telling myself. Why else would you give your life to save our prince—and his honor? I just hope he comes to his senses because you are not the enemy.”
Silence surrounded her then, and the warmth disappeared soon after.
She resumed floating in time and space, finally feeling the freedom of flight once more.
Something surrounded her other hand, enclosing it in heat.
“I know you are there, somewhere, waiting for your life to end,” an unfamiliar female voice spoke in Dzexet. “You mustn’t fade to nothingness. Not when you are needed in the land of the living. If I must bring you back myself, I will. I won’t allow a warrior’s soul to drift away because they were born in the wrong body.”
Silence fell once again, but the inferno remained, burning her hand as it grounded her.
“Can’t you do something, Doctor? Or do I have to find someone else to wake her?”
“I am doing everything I can, Warrior Princess,” an older male voice replied. “You can’t force someone to live if they don’t want to.”
“If only my dimwitted brother would come in here. I bet he could get her to wake up.”
“I have already tried; he only wanted to do what was necessary to keep her alive.”
“But why keep her body alive when you won’t rescue her soul?”
“I don’t know. This is your brother we are talking about.”
The inferno soon left along with the chatter, leaving Jaiya alone to float once more.
“You need to wake up soon,” Raizxl’s deep voice rumbled. “I don’t like guarding someone who wants to leave their body behind.”
He sighed, filling the room with his loud exhale.
“I am not good at these things, especially since my starmate died. I wanted to find a way to join her, but I remembered my promise to the fleet and stayed behind to protect those who can’t protect themselves. What I am saying is, if I have to live, then you have to as well, because there are no mates waiting for you among the stars,” he choked. “And I believe your star is still living.”
The rumbling storm disappeared, and yet Jaiya didn’t feel like flying anymore. What Raizxl had said struck a nerve. If he hadn’t given up yet, then what gave her the right? She hadn’t had the chance to find love and experience it in its full beauty.
“Okay, Jaiya, I dragged my stubborn brother in here to talk to you. If anyone can get you to wake up, it has to be him—”
“—it could be her twin brother or her father,” Idris mumbled.
“Do you happen to know where they are?”
“No, they both went into hiding,” Idris replied.
“Exactly, so you are the next best thing.”
“I don’t want to be in here.”
“Why? She saved your life.”
“She lied to me!”
“You used to lie to me all the time, but I don’t wish for your death.”
“But you were never forced to think you were attracted to females because the person you felt attracted to was pretending to be one!”
