“The smell of the ground just after a rainstorm,” Alice finishes. “Oh good. It’s not just me then. Dor came running with me once, but she didn’t smell anything. I was starting to think I was losing my mind.”
I’m the one teetering between sanity and a breakdown, not Alice. Still, I guess it’s progress that I don’t give voice to that discouraging thought.
We do a complete circuit around the lake, and then stop for a break. I pull my water bottle from my pack and take a long drink. Alice drains her bottle and refills it from the lake. “The water’s potable,” she assures me, seeing the dubious look on my face. “Don’t worry, I’ve done this before.” She rummages in her bag for a protein bar. “Did I hear correctly? You’re going on a mission with Fifth?”
Ah yes. I figured she’d find out about my momentary attack of insanity. “Mm-hmm.”
She surveys me thoughtfully. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Goodness, no. I’d laid awake half the night wondering what on earth had possessed me to open my big mouth and volunteer. When I wasn’t yelling at myself for my bravado, I was kicking myself for kissing Danek. “Why?” I stall, not wanting to admit to second thoughts. “Do you think I shouldn’t go?”
“I’m not you. You’re the best judge of what you’re ready for.”
“There’s a ‘but’ in there.”
She chews on her bar. “You have black circles under your eyes,” she says after a long pause. “You don’t like to talk about it, but you’re not sleeping. The nightmares haven’t gone away, have they?”
There are a handful of human women in and around the base. Olivia was one of the ten women on the Fehrat 1, the first spaceship that took off from Earth. That ship crashed on a prison planet, but the women were taken in and sheltered by Draekons. Dor was abducted from Earth, but she was rescued before she could be tortured.
The two of them don’t know what it’s like to be strapped down and hurt.
But Alice knows. “Have they for you?” I ask her.
“Mostly.”
I give her a teasing smile. “Because you found love?”
She rolls her eyes. “Because I’m dragging my ass to therapy every week. I’m letting the healers do their job.” She plucks a blade of yellow grass and rolls it into a tight spiral, her forehead furrowed. “Having Kadir around helps, I can’t deny it.”
“I still have them,” I whisper. “The nightmares. I thought they’d fade. I did the psych eval. I saw the therapists. I did everything they said.” None of it has helped. “I’m fine. Like you said, I probably just need something to do.”
She looks stricken. “That’s why you volunteered for this mission? Because I told you that you needed routine? I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t,” I cut her off. “This isn’t because of what you said. It’s because…”
It’s because Danek didn’t think you could do it, and you need to prove him wrong.
I should take that tangled mess of an insight to a therapist and let her unravel it. “I just need a change of scene. Dariux came by last night to give me more details about the assignment. Noturn is perfectly safe for humans; Danek is more likely to be in danger than me.” My lips twist. “Maybe this will be the space vacation I was promised.”
“On a mining colony in the middle of nowhere. Yes, that sounds delightful.” Her lips curl into a sly smile. “You’re going to have to pretend to be married to Danek.”
You’ll need to pretend to be my bondmate, Naomi, he’d said, his voice dipped in sin and wicked temptation. Do you think you can handle it?
My cheeks flush. “I can play the role. I’ve been married before.”
Alice sees my blush; she’s not blind. But to my everlasting gratitude, she doesn’t question me about it. “You’re right about one thing. Noturn will be safe. Kadir’s building weapons, Ruhan’s working on comms, and Mirak’s plotting navigation routes in case Fifth runs into trouble. And when Sixth finds out, he’ll do all of the above.”
“They are? Why?”
She gives me a surprised look. “You don’t know?” She smooths out her blade of grass. “You are aware they’re Draekons, right? Dragon shifters?”
I nod. I haven’t seen Danek in dragon form, but I’ve seen dragons in the distance, and I’ve learned enough about the politics of the Zorahn Empire to know that Draekons are persecuted, hunted, imprisoned, and tortured for their abilities.
“And you know about the Crimson Force?”
“What?”
“Oh, this is weird. I feel strange talking about this. Okay, Kadir, Ruhan, Mirak, Danek, and Sixth—they were the original Draekons. They were made in a lab. Engineered to be the perfect soldiers. Strong, powerful, almost invulnerable.”
My mouth has fallen open.
“They didn’t have any family by birth,” Alice continues. “They are family by choice. Brothers, bound together by ties far deeper than blood. You will be perfectly safe on Noturn, because you will be with Danek, who is more than capable of taking care of himself. And if something goes wrong… Let’s just say that Danek’s brothers will move heaven and earth to protect their own.”
“Oh, wow.”
“It’s a lot to take in, right?” She flashes me an understanding smile. “Don’t worry about it. Enjoy your space honeymoon.”
I sit up. “Honeymoon?” I feel faint. Probably blood sugar or something. I take a sip of water and eat a handful of nuts. “Who said anything about a honeymoon?”
She gives me a puzzled look. “Dariux didn’t tell you? When they set up Fifth’s cover identity, it was just for him. So the story needed some modifications. I believe today’s the day of your bonding ceremony, and because Danek can’t bear to be parted from his new bride even for a second, you’re accompanying him to Noturn.” Alice is laughing at the expression on my face. “Come on, Naomi. It’s all very romantic.”
Newlyweds. Danek and I are going to have to pretend to be newlyweds. Touching all the time. Never too far from each other.
