Alice felt warmth spread through her belly, and she grinned like a fool.
He cocked his head as she approached, his gaze sweeping the room. “There are windows.” Pointing an oddly shaped cooking utensil to the wall running the length of the room, he said, “That wall has windows. I just keep them covered.”
Her jaw slackened. “There have been windows here this whole time?” she blurted in exasperation.
Chuckling, he moved to a control panel hidden behind a large stack of books. Before her eyes, the entire wall began to lift and disappear into the ceiling through a gap large enough to accommodate the width of the panel, as well as the many pictures and papers attached to it.
“That wall has windows” was an understatement. The entire length of the room appeared to be nothing but curved glass. Alice’s eyes widened further and further as each inch of the illuminated city was revealed.
Mouth hanging open, she approached the expansive view. The sky was midnight-blue, and although light shone brightly from the city, more stars than she’d ever seen were visible. Dozens of buildings, in the form of swirling spires, rose high into the sky. They reminded her of the twisting manta trunks.
In all the cities she’d been to on Earth, lights dotted the skyscrapers, a result of some interior rooms being lit but not others. Looking out, she saw no spattering of illumination. Rather, the entirety of the silver spires glowed brightly, the same color as the moon.
Wait. Her eyes narrowed, and she studied the larger of the two moons. Is that a ring?
To her eyes, it appeared the pale, glowing moon had a shimmering band around the middle, too defined to be natural.
Alice was so entranced that she didn’t notice Luka approach until he wrapped his arms around her. Planting a kiss on top of her head, he murmured, “What do you think?”
“Is there something on that moon? And how do the buildings glow like that?” she asked in a hushed tone.
“Yes, there are solar panels on Gui, our closest moon. They capture and beam the energy to receivers in conversion facilities. Most of our buildings capture solar and lunar energy, as well. That’s what makes them glow. The energy is used to power the building.”
Alice’s eyes remained glued upward, taking in the odd sight of not one but two moons. “On Earth, there’s only one moon.”
Luka turned her in his arms. She saw worry flash in his eyes before it was quickly concealed. “Do you miss Earth?”
Alice pondered the question for a moment. “I miss the familiarity sometimes. Smelling my favorite food and feeling warm inside. Saying hello to my neighbor, Mr. Bower. Sitting on my small apartment balcony in the morning to drink my coffee.”
Luka’s features grew taut, and his head dipped.
“But…” she continued, lifting his chin. “I’m excited to start experiencing those things here. How many people can say they were able to discover a whole new world? I know what I like on Earth, and now I get to learn what I like here. There’s also one thing Clecania has that Earth never will.”
Luka grinned down at her, his chest puffing. “And what’s that?”
Rising up to give him a kiss, she waited until their mouths were only a breath away before whispering, “A second moon.”
A bark of laughter exploded from him and rang through the room. Using his shoulders, she jumped as high as she could and wrapped her legs around his waist. He caught her easily, then leaned her against the window.
Planting a soft kiss on his lips, she sighed. “Also, you.”
They gazed at each other for a moment, smiling like loons. A soft ping emanated from the kitchen, and Luka’s face fell. Lowering her to the ground, they both turned toward the sound of a second ping and froze.
The communicator Verakko had given her was ringing. Alice felt her stomach churn and the blood drain from her face.
It’s time.
Chapter 24
With every second that passed, Luka was less and less sure he’d be able to get through this night without spilling blood. Nerves frayed, he watched his mate pace, muttering to herself every so often.
When Verakko had called, he’d told them they had an opening to move the prisoners tonight and they had to take it. Her face pale and her eyes round, Alice had bravely nodded, declaring she was ready.
She hadn’t said more than a few words to him since leaving his home and arriving at the edge of the woods near the outpost. Her attempts to disguise her true feelings were in vain. The bitter scent of fear coming from her was so strong it made him want to tear his hair out. Every instinct he had was urging him to take her back home, but this was her choice, not his. All he could do was be here and help her if he could.
As she paced in front of him yet again, he pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring her squirming until she finally relaxed. Into her hair, he murmured, “I’ll be here the whole time.”
She gave a few jerky nods into his chest but said nothing.
Movement in the distance had him shoving her behind his body. Two cruisers were gliding toward them. He swallowed a snarl when he felt his mate’s shaking hands clutched at his back.
Verakko stepped out of the first cruiser, but the second remained sealed. The Swadaeth male was covered in black. True to his race, the normally green color of Verakko’s skin had darkened to a deep midnight-blue. This evolutionary camouflage and his glowing, bright green eyes, were an asset in the pitch-black of the deserts where his race thrived.
