Page 62 of Abalim
The Xeltrian had to have teleported since Abalim didn’t sense him until he spoke. He frowned. Damn alien sneaking up on him was irritating as hell.
“Why were you holding Captain Saphira and her crew hostage?” Abalim asked. “As a matter of fact, why are you holding all of these species hostage?”
The gangly alien spread his arms wide. “How else are we to learn about them?” Rerqel sauntered closer to the group. “I can assure you, none of them were harmed.”
“Not harmed!” Aera stomped to the taller alien with clenched fists. “You have my daughter here, and she is pregnant with her first child!” She shook one of those fists at him. “How dare you take her away from her family when she needs us the most?” She pulled her arm back as if getting ready to slug him.
One of Saphira’s security guards, Aesel, if Abalim wasn’t mistaken, clamped a hard hold around her wrist before she let her arm fly.
When Aera looked back at him, he shook his head and gathered her into a comforting embrace.
The older Crichian stood stiffly, but kept her clenched fists over her stomach and gave the Xeltrian a hard glare.
Rerqel straightened as if insulted. His almost nonexistent mouth pursed in a frown. “I’ll have you know that most of these species would be extinct now if not for us. We have taken them from planets that were dying, either by their own hands or by natural disasters, and gave them a new home. I assure you, none are the wiser. Take the Lumarians, for example. Their planet Nexoros was in the throes of destruction due to their warlike ways. They let their technology get away from them, and if it wasn’t for us, they would’ve all died eons ago. We brought them here so they could live. Is that not a worthy cause?”
“Our species isn’t on the brink of destruction.” Saphira countered with a firm tone. “You had no right to kidnap any of our citizens.”
Rerqel’s forehead wrinkled. “Are you certain about that? The entire galaxy is on the brink of collapse with the oncoming invasion of the Krystalii. Would you not want your species to continue if we can ensure your people continue to exist?”
“What? You think sneaking around and stealing people from their families and homes is better than offering them a way to work with you?” Lisa snorted. “That doesn’t seem like a very advanced directive to me.”
Abalim took in a deep, satisfying breath. His woman had no fear of defending those she felt were wronged. A swirling, fluttery pang in his belly tightened. His woman? Did he really think of her like that? He glanced at her standing next to him.
She’d pulled her wheat-colored hair behind her ears, leaving the messy strands to fly free around her shoulders. Her fiery dark-blue eyes sparkled as she glowered at the Xeltrian. Someone looking at Lisa for the first time might not recognize what a unique beauty she was.
Here was a person who held the universe in awe at its endless possibilities for romance and connection. Her look on life, her passion for what was right and wrong, guided every move she made.
By the God An, he wanted to spend the rest of his life uncovering every facet of her personality. But what did he have to offer her? An ex-slave who was lost in this new era? Someone who still had to discover who he was. How could he weigh her down with half a man? The only thing he could offer was to protect her from others taking advantage of her. Maybe she, in turn, would show him how to live life to the fullest as a free man.
He turned to Rerqel. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time, shall we? Why don’t you let us reunite these folks with their people? We’ve sensed this female’s daughter is in pain and is desperate for her mother.” He put his arm around Lisa’s shoulders.I promise we’ll talk to them later about this. But right now, let’s focus on getting inside that room so they can calm everybody down.He spoke to her on their telepathic path and sent a tendril of calm.
Fine.She replied in like manner.But I think this ass needs to learn he can’t treat people like some kind of science experiment all the time.
Rerqel didn’t move a muscle, but the solid door dissolved away, revealing a normal-sized entryway. “Agreed. You may enter.”
When Lisa made a move to go in, he gripped her in place.Let Saphira and her crew go in first, he mentally suggested.
The two of them followed the Crichian and paused at the doorway.
His eyes widened as Saphira and her crew’s emotions exploded with fear and awe.
“Is that the city of Islezaa?” Yve cried. “How is that possible?”
“What is this horror?” Saphira spun on Rerqel. “Did you somehow rip our entire capital city from Crichi and bring it here?”
Keeping his arm around Lisa, Abalim maneuvered them to have a better view. What he saw took his breath away.
They stood on a hilltop overlooking a sprawling valley. The sky above was a kaleidoscopic tapestry of multiple moons with nearby planets visible in the skyline, even in daylight. Their surfaces were tinged in shades of teal and lavender. Cosmic dust clouds refracted the sunlight, casting otherworldly rainbows in the sky. It looked like an ever-changing abstract painting.
The ground emanated a soft, ambient glow. Vegetation in rows that would make any farmer proud gathered in clusters, with leaves a mesmerizing mix of metallic colors. Here and there were bodies of water that shimmered like gems, the rippling water reflecting the dynamic sky above.
But the city itself was the crowning glory of the scene. Islezaa glowed with an ethereal opalescence, as if lit inside by magic. Sculptural skyscrapers rose in spirals and arches adorned with patterns reminiscent of the natural flora around it that shifted in hues in a choreographed dance of light. Floating platforms hovered like dragonflies throughout the buildings, connected by shimmering energy bridges rippling as if made of liquid glass. It was a celestial ballet of technology and natural beauty.
“Holy soaring space dung!” Lisa cried, gripping his hand draped over her shoulder. “Have you seen anything so freaking gorgeous in your life?”
He couldn’t help it. “Only you, my inkheart. Only you.”
Chapter Thirteen