He didn’t answer her. He jumped into the hole, landing on the metal plate a few feet down—something he’d scavenged from a wreck he’d come across rotations ago. The pulley system had taken him almost three lunar cycles to complete, but it had been worth it. Cables ran down the entire length of the vertical tunnel, attached to the system embedded in thefacevwall of his base. He could easily descend and then ascend with little energy spent.
“Jaxor,” she said, regaining his attention. “Please.”
Please. She was begging him? But for what? To not leave her? Or to let her go?
He could do neither.
And so he pulled on the metal cords, losing sight of her as he descended into the darkness.
Monster, he thought.Wrong, wrong, wrong.
He ignored those thoughts too.
Chapter Eight
Erin stood, frozen, watching the space that Jaxor had disappeared into. She listened to the gentle creaking of the cables as he descended until she could hear them no more.
Then her eyes flickered to the dark tunnel.
A part of her was in disbelief that he’d left her there. Alone. With thosethingssuch a short distance away. A part of her was hurt that he had, which was a ridiculous feeling in itself. Perhaps it was because she’d been jealous, hearing about the way her friends’ mates—Kate, Beks, Cecelia, Taylor, and newly Lainey—all doted on them, protected them, cherished them.
And there Jaxor was…threatening her, leaving her, glaring at her every moment he could, like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
Erin allowed the self-pity for only a handful of moments, wondering what it was about her that made others just not want tocare.
First her father, then her mother…each leaving her in their own ways, letting her fend for herself inmanyways.
She’d sworn to herself that the twins, Jake and Ellora, her half-siblings, would never know that feeling. Ever. She’d always fought for them, cared for them.Theywere her true family, the true loves of her life. And if she ever wanted to see them again, she had to get back to the Golden City. Away from the cold, surly male she’d found herself unwillingly tied to.
A crazy plan formed in her mind, dangerous and reckless. But maybe it was her only choice.
Swallowing, she realized the dried meat she’d eaten felt like a rock in her belly now that she considered what she’d have to do. She didn’t know how long Jaxor would be gone.To patrol,he’d said, whatever that meant.
She pushed off the heavy furs he’d placed on her shoulders and then padded over to the dark hole he’d descended into. At least now she knew what the pulley system was for. When she peered inside, it was so dark that she had to step away. She couldn’t see any light at the bottom and she no longer heard the mechanical creaking of the ropes as Jaxor lowered himself, though she saw the cables still moving. She didn’t know how far down it went but hopefully, she would never have to find out.
Drawing in a deep breath, she knew that she couldn’t waste this opportunity to be alone. She turned her gaze to the darkened tunnel where the hovercraft was parked…where those creatures lived.
Fire, she thought quickly. Jaxor had said to always keep the fires lit to keep them away and she swung her gaze around the empty base, searching for something she could use. Her eyes landed on a torch, propped against the crater wall nearest the tunnel entrance, and she snagged it quickly.
It was heavy and smooth in her hand. She brought it to the fire and dipped in the end, watching it spark to life almost immediately. Slowly, she walked back to the tunnel entrance, peering into the darkened depths, trying to remember how far back it went from the night before.
Erin’s heart was thudding an erratic rhythm in her chest, but she had to be quick. She didn’t want Jaxor to discover her gone or else he might never leave her alone again. And she needed him to leave her alone to do what she needed to do.
She thought of the twins and that was all it took for her feet to start moving down the tunnel entrance. The firelight illuminated every deep, dark crevice. Her breath hitched when she heard a slight hissing sound, only to realize a moment later it came from the torch in her white-knuckled grip.
Relax, she told herself.As long as the fires are lit.
The tunnel curved slightly and she pressed herself into the wall, peering around the darkened corner. Relief burst in her when she spied the hovercraft. It was parked just a handful of yards away. It looked like it had a spotlight on it from the grey light filtering in from above—the single, vertical entrance Jaxor had hurtled them into.
And next to it was the other tunnel. The one with thekekevir.
“Good,” she whispered, seeing that the sconces on the walls flanking it were still roaring brightly, no creatures to be seen—or heard. Gingerly, she stepped around the corner and propped her torch against the wall before sliding up to the hovercraft. Without making a sound, she pulled herself up onto the back end, her feet finding cool metal.
I can do this, can’t I?she questioned once she stood, once she walked to the control panel and peered down at the very alien technology.
Could Erin, a second-grade teacher from Northern California with a dizzying fear of heights and flying, learn to pilot an alien hovercraft and navigate a planet she’d never truly seen back to the Golden City, all without alerting Jaxor to her plans?
Thinking about it like that, her shoulders almost sagged in defeat before she ever even tried. But as she studied a silver pad on the console, a perfect square the size of a tablet screen and the color of brushed steel, she remembered the way Jaxor had piloted thesandcraft. He’d dragged the pads of three of his clawed fingertips over a very similar pad. When they’d veered, it had been because he’d made an arcing motion on it.
