Page 99 of Ahelno
Dakleth had observed this silent exchange with quiet intensity. “What was that about?” he asked.
I paused. “They said I did them a great service and kept everything on their Plan,” I said. I wasn’t ready to tell him the rest.
He tilted his head as he studied me. I wasn’t sure if he knew I was hiding something, or just contemplating what to say next. “Hmmm, they are always focused on their Plan, but they will not disclose what that is.”
“I don’t know either,” I replied.
“It seems no harm is done,” he smiled at me. “Shall we dance?”
I smiled back and led him to the dance floor.
That night, I told Dakleth I was too tired to do anything, which he took with grace. We were in his room at the palace, and I lay wide awake as he spooned me from behind
Two years ago, I was crying, alone. I’d been violated andwas terrified, angry, depressed, and ultimately suicidal. If the Grays had offered to take me home in those early days, I would have kissed their feet.
But now. Now, there was Dakleth. Yes, I had made a life for myself here. I loved my friends and my garden, and M’Pak and life on Ptekennan was good. But I wouldn’t hesitate to leave all that behind to go back to Earth. I would hug my parents fiercely. I’d go on auditions in New York. I’d eat bagels and drink pumpkin spice lattes. I would talk in English, and read books, and touch people without them thinking I was weird. I would pet dogs in the park, and go shopping at Target, and roast marshmallows over a campfire. I’d listen to all kinds of music, and go to art galleries, and eat a different brand of cereal every day.
I missed it. I did. But here, I had Dakleth. And I knew the truth. He was worth more to me than all the marshmallows, auditions, books, walks in the park, everything. Even, and this was hard to admit, my parents.
Dakleth was love. He was safety. He was friendship. He was support. He was intimacy. He was my everything. There was no going back for me. I wanted to move forward with him by my side, always.
Decision made, I drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The Grays found me in the receiving room the next day.
“I am grateful for your offer, truly,” I said. “But I cannot accept. My place is here.”
“With him?” The taller one asked.
“Yes,” I replied happily.
“We thought you might say that. We can see the bond.”
“You can see it?” I asked, surprised.
“Such things are visible to us,” the shorter one supplied.
“Could I possibly ask you for something else?” I asked.
“Such as?”
“There are other humans out there who have been trafficked by your kind. Many of them have been abused. I know you can’t take them back to Earth, but could you bring them here, if they want to come? We could offer them sanctuary.”
“That is an intriguing notion,” the taller one said.
“It does not go against the Plan,” said the other.
“It does not,” the taller one agreed.
“We shall consider how this might be done. You are an intriguing being, Andrea Rivers. We shall be in touch.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Safe travels.” I wasn’t sure if teleporting, multidimensional beings needed to worry about safety when travelling, but it seemed the right thing to say.
“Is everything alright, mate?” Dakleth asked, pulling me into his arms as the Grays simply vanished. I stared in awe at the space where they’d been. Then I looked at Dakleth. His eyes glowed with warmth, and I felt his love for me, strong and pure, through the bond.
“Yes, my love. Everything is perfect. Come on.” I led him by the hand out of the receiving room, down the corridor by the staircase.
I turned and looked at him. I smiled and said, “Translators off.”
Dakleth tilted his head and looked at me curiously. I turned him so that I was closer to the staircase, and he was facing me. “Stay,” I said in Ptexari.
He gave a low rumble of approval that reverberated through me. I shifted my weight forward to the balls of my feet and bent my knees a tad. Predator that he was, he clocked the shift immediately and backed away a step, snapping out his wings. “What game are you playing, mate?” he asked, cautious. His low voice speaking his native tongue made me shiver. So much deeper than the filtered voice I got through the translator.
I gave him a coy smile. “I visited Lanicar this morning and took the antivenom serum,” I whispered. His eyes glowed bright, and I saw him shiver. I leaned forward and pushed both hands against his chest as hard as I could. “Ahelno!” I shouted at him, smiling as I turned and ran up the stairs.
