“Trouble doesn’t begin to describe it,” the emerald male stated. He reached over from his spot on the couch and offered me his hand. “I believe we haven’t officially met. I know you met our Tori and Celyze earlier and picked up on Luwyn’s name, but we never properly introduced ourselves.”
Grabbing his hand, I smiled. “I’m Selena.”
I refused to give him any further information. Xenak seemed to already know a lot about me by spying on me, but I didn’t know just how much. No matter how nice this family appeared to be, I had to be cautious before letting my guard down while I was still a prisoner on this asteroid base.
“I am Auro, the leader of my crew.” He winced. “Well, ex-leader, now that this isn’t my crew anymore—it’s Tori’s.” He chuckled, combing his hair back. “I was the captain of a ship with Luwyn as my Weapons Master and Celyze as my Communications Lead, but we were captured, and I haven’t piloted a ship since.” Releasing my hand, he peered at Tori working in the kitchen. “I still feel like I am the leader of our family, but in reality, we all follow her.”
“I understand.” I sighed, leaning back in the cushioned seating. It had been a while since I could spare a second to sit down. Somehow, I felt guilty for doing nothing.
“If my mates’ lives weren’t on the line, could you give me a reason to try healing Xenak’s brother?” Glancing at the two males beside me, I found them gaping at my change in topic, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to help Xenak because everyone on this base let him run unchecked. Who would make sure he kept his end of the bargain if he held power over them all? “No one has told me why, just that I needed to do it. How was he injured? If his brother, Ryzen, and you”—I addressed Celyze—“are so powerful, why do you need me?”
“Because it is the will of the Fates, and the Stars led us to you.” Celyze locked his icy blue eyes with mine, the intense glowing swirls captivating me. “Commander Ryzen is a hero. When the Federation attacked, instead of retreating with the rest of us, he turned around and fought, using his psy-daggers to attack anyone who tried to get past him. In a last-ditch effort to end the raid, he projected all his energy into a wide-range psy-attack, killing any mind he didn’t recognize as an ally. I felt the destruction; the assault hit me like a wave, almost knocking me out of the air. When I searched for him, I found him collapsed haphazardly on the ground, staring into the distance. Xenak snapped and his mental cry burned through my shields. I knew I needed to grab Ryzen and take him with us, not for our sake but his brother’s. When I touched him, relief hit me to find him still alive even though he had burned himself out. Once we escaped the destruction of our base, leaving the massacre behind us, Xenak frantically tried to reconnect with his brother, to no avail. At that moment, he gave me one mission: ‘Pray to your Stars and tell them that I want my brother back. I don’t care what you must do to get them to listen or how many times you must ask. My brother can’t fade away just because they don’t know how to protect their children from the evils of the universe.’ ”
“And the Stars led you to me,” I muttered, finally understanding why Ryzen mattered so much to them. He had built their base and rescued them all with his brother, only to sacrifice himself when they were raided. He was their war hero, their beacon of hope now shattered because he paid the price for their newly found freedom.
Celyze nodded solemnly. “Every time I reached out to them, they all led me to you. I don’t know what connection exists between you two, but the Fates willed your paths to cross. I just wish they didn’t have to cross like this.”
“What am I supposed to do about it?” I scanned the occupants of the room, begging them to answer. “I’m just one female with no knowledge of what you want me to do.”
“We were hoping you would tell us.” Auro leaned forward, cupping his hands to support his chin. “Celyze has never been wrong. The Stars want you here for a reason, though we don’t know what that is.”
“I don’t know if I can trust the Stars anymore. I am sick and tired of hearing about the Fates and the Stars, and how it’s my destiny to be here. My mates are out there dying,” I growled, throwing my arm in the direction of my faded mental threads. “I don’t owe you anything and yet, here I sit, trying once again to explain to you that I don’t know what you—or the Stars—want from me.”
“Just see him,” Celyze murmured. “That’s all you need to do.”
“Selena,” Auro breathed. “After you visit him, no matter what happens, I will personally request a vessel to return you to your clan. You are right. You were brought here unjustly, and I will make sure to correct our mistakes.”
Hope filled me. This male was willing to grant me passage home.
All I needed to do was visit their commander’s unconscious body. Then I could leave for Destima, where my clan awaited.
“How soon can I see him?”
Auro’s gaze flicked to Celyze and mine followed, waiting for his reply.
“Not until tomorrow. She should get a good night’s rest, in case she needs to reach out to him.” The sapphire male frowned. “Are you even capable of reaching out to others?”
“When I know who I am looking for,” I replied, licking my lips nervously. “But I’m still learning
