“Three percent.”
The further we traveled, the more distant the cloud seemed to get.
I wondered if we would ever reach it.
Then we entered the storm.
At first, I didn’t notice anything different.
We might have still been drifting through space.
The ship ceased its shuddering and suddenly we were surrounded by that purple abyss.
Kayal reduced speed and shifted the front monitor’s view to the rear.
Through the passing cloud of purple haze, I spied the M’rora’s ship hovering just beyond the storm’s outer edge.
His ship turned and moved around the dense cloud.
And I realized entering the storm hadn’t saved us as I assumed it would but only delayed the inevitable.
He would wait for us to emerge on the other side or else until the storm had passed.
Kayal’s shoulders relaxed and slumped in his chair.
Thump!
The cloud flashed and the pink-purple tendrils glowed brightly.
The hair on my neck and head stood on end…
Literally!
It rose on either side of my face.
The same happened to Kayal, only the effect was less as his hair wasn’t as long.
We shared a smile of apprehension.
“It’s the storm,” Kayal said. “It produces a tremendous amount of static.”
“Power at five percent,” Computer interjected.
Even Kayal’s ears pricked up at that.
“Is this storm recharging our power?” I said.
Kayal’s fingers danced over his console and he smiled at what he saw.
“It appears so. Huh. Who would have thought? It’s an intergalactic charging station. This storm might just save us after all.”
Another powerful bolt of lightning and the entire ship whined.
“Power at seven percent.”
We drifted further into the storm now and the lightning continued to rain down on us.
“I think we’ll be okay,” Kayal said, his relief visible. “Nice call, by the way.”
I shrugged my shoulders as if it was common for me.
It definitely wasn’t common.
I’d made more errors in judgment over the years than good ones—especially when it came to relationships.
But he didn’t need to know that.
Despite the size of the bridge, the moment felt intimate.
Just the two of us, locked away inside this storm together while our mutual enemy lurked outside, waiting for us to reappear.
“What happens now?” I said.
“We wait until our power’s recharged. Computer will send out the drones to fix any external damage we suffered earlier.”
And what’ll we do until then…? I wondered.
I had a suggestion, and the thought alone burned my cheeks.
Kayal was striking in appearance—shockingly so at the beginning—but after a while, his appearance became normal and I could appraise him objectively.
With his chiseled features and toned torso, he was very handsome.
As if his horns…
Initially, I associated them with the devil as they were blacker than night but now they looked magnificent.
Thick and twisted, they reminded me of a virile bull strutting in the stadium, preparing to do battle with the matador.
Some of those creatures looked dangerous, and Kayal was no different.
In his gleaming golden eyes, I saw a creature that could be vicious if cornered.
Our eyes met and I looked away.
When I glanced back at him, I found him still staring at me.
Goosebumps rippled along my arms and drifted like a tiny wave over my skin.
I looked away again.
It was hard to meet eyes like that, especially when they looked that hungry.
The lights along the walls flashed.
“Warning,” Computer said. “Power reaching maximum capacity.”
Kayal snapped to attention and turned to his console.
His fingers danced over it and his eyes bulged at what he saw.
“What is it?” I said.
“The power,” he said. “It’s at… at… This isn’t possible.”
“Power at ninety-five percent,” Computer interjected.
“We have to get out of here,” Kayal said.
“Can’t you turn it off?”
“I wasn’t even aware we could charge our ship like this. So how do I turn it off?”
He turned his attention back to the console.
“Computer. Plot a course out of here. Head directly for the Rift at maximum warp speed.”
“Order confirmed.”
Kayal turned to me.
“Sit down and buckle up. This could be a bumpy ride.”
“I’m already buckled in.”
Kayal tapped at his controls and my chair hissed and locked into place.
More straps wrapped around my chest and a suit clung to my body.
A helmet appeared out of nowhere and my breath echoed inside it.
What did he expect was going to happen?
That I was going to get blasted out into the icy reaches of space?
Our ship swerved through the rumbling solar storm.
Through an opening, I spied the nearby planet.
That was where safety and salvation lay.
But my hopes were quickly quelled when the M’rora ship drifted into view.
Didn’t this guy ever quit?
Kayal
His ship turned to face ours as we crept closer.
“Power at ninety-nine percent.”
I wished Computer would stop updating me about that.
I stared, unblinking, at the main monitor.
We drifted slowly toward the storm cloud’s outer reaches.
I needed to time it just right and turn at the last moment so we didn’t risk crashing into him when we hit warp speed.
That would tear both him and us to shreds.
“You’re being hailed,” Computer said.
It must be the M’rora coming to gloat over capturing us.
Little did he know we were now at full power and could speed away from him in an instant.
“Decline,” I said.
We continued to drift forward, the enemy ship growing larger by each passing second.
“Power at maximum capacity,” Computer said.
We were out of time.
We needed to get out of there.
Already, the thrumming from the console beneath my fingers shook so violently it felt uncomfortable.
“Steady,” I said, eyeing the opening in the storm cloud carefully.
My hand was perched over the warp speed ignition controls.
The moment we angled ourselves enough to avoid the M’rora ship, I would slam my palm down on it.
“You’re being hailed,” Computer repeated.
“Maybe you should answer it,” Ava said.
“Why? I have no intention of surrendering now.”
“No, but it might buy us some time.”
I couldn’t help but grin.
Not only was she beautiful, she was a smart little thing.
“Perhaps you’re right.”
I flipped the controls so they were no longer visible.
“Computer, answer the call.”
The monitor shifted, revealing the M’rora.
He no longer wore his disguise and looked identical to me.
But no, that wasn’t quite right.
There was something different about him, something no one could quite put their finger on.
It was more
