She looked toward her mates, who were rearranging the space, and sighed. I wasn’t sure if she sought guidance on how to answer or comfort to ease her trauma, since I knew she had been abducted and may not have trusted me enough yet to answer.
“Only seventy-two humans live on this base and all but seventeen are in Cryopods until we find a permanent location to settle. The less resistance when moving, the better, and we don’t have the resources to feed all of the mouths in stasis at the moment.”
“When do you think you will find a new home? Or craft this base into a suitable long-term settlement?”
She looked over her shoulder. “When Commander Ryzen wakes up.”
“It’s ready,” Celyze announced.
Giving me a reassuring smile, Tori reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Go talk to one of your mates.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, rubbing my hands on my knees, hoping to dry my sweaty palms. Praying that the Stars guided me and did not give me false hope, I joined Celyze on the floor. I noted the prayer mat’s silver-speckled, sapphire coloring matched his, and both stuck out against the stone flooring. Sighing, I sat down across from him, ready to attempt speaking to one of my clanmates. “What do I do?”
“Place your hands in mine and look into my eyes.” Nervously, I followed his directions, flinching when his thumbs pressed against the back of my hand. Watching our enclosed hands, I gasped when a tingling sensation coursed through my palms and along my arms.
“It’s okay, Selena. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Vowels?”
I didn’t care what Celyze claimed; too many people had promised not to harm me and lied. I needed to make sure I was in safe hands. Taking a chance with this clan and allowing them to fly me to their nest had been a gamble. If this were a trap, I wouldn’t have a way to escape. Trusting them would pay off only if Celyze could help me contact one of my mates and Auro offered to fly me off this base.
“He is trying to access your mental shields but failing. If you grant him permission, he may have a better chance at reaching your mates. We don’t know how distant they are. If we are outside the Euph galaxy, then we may be out of their range.”
“Oeta did say that she and her father could only reach people within the galaxy. If we are unable to reach one of my mates, then I worry about how we will be able to make it back in time.”
“Have faith in the Stars, Selena.”
“It’s becoming harder to do so.”
“Even so, you have me here with you, and this clan is willing to help you,”he advised, his voice like a gentle caress along my mental shields.“Do you trust him enough to let him in?”
“You promise to be there if I need you?”
“Always.”
Closing my eyes, I released a deep breath as I tried to calm my nerves. Sacrificing my privacy and allowing Celyze to enter my mental shields was necessary to reach my mates as soon as possible. Though I was uncomfortable with allowing anyone other than my mates—and now, Vowels—into my mind, that was no excuse when my clan’s lives were on the line.
“Are you okay, Selena?” Celyze whispered, squeezing my hands lightly. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It isn’t too late to change your mind.”
“No, I’m fine,” I muttered, but my voice lacked the confidence I wanted to project. “This needs to be done.”
“I am ready when you are.”
Opening my eyes, I locked my gaze with his.
His ice-blue eyes froze me in place, capturing me in a trance-like state. My body refused to move. He tightened his grip on my hands as the tingling sensation returned, only this time, my veins felt on fire. I tried in vain to pull my gaze away when I caught a flicker of movement in the shimmering sapphire-and-white wings extending behind him. His swirling pupils mesmerized me, growing in intensity until they were too bright for me to handle. My eyelids refused to close; instead, the white glow of his eyes drew me in, dimming the rest of the world.
My senses dulled until I was nothing but a golden sphere stuck inside my void, but the enclosure that was no longer mine to control. An icy blue orb floated amid the blinding white world as if checking the perimeters.
“All is well, Selena.”The sapphire male’s tenor voice vibrated all around.“This took more force than I expected. I am afraid I may not have the energy needed to reach the distances you may need me to.”
“I didn’t mean to resist.”
“Don’t worry,”he comforted.“Your mind is stronger than my StarPyre’s. It is only natural for you to close off your mind, even unconsciously. Your mental shields are the strongest I’ve ever encountered outside of the commanders.”
“There are others stronger than me.”
“That may be true, but you’ve certainly presented a challenge,”he countered.“To proceed, I need to find your mates then use the Stars’ guidance to reach out to them.”
