Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“It’ll take time.”
Yeah. That doesn’t sound convincing. Which brings me back to the same question. Is my presence a blessing or a curse? What if the killer eventually succeeds in offing me? How will Aruan react to that? Will it be the end of Zerra? And even if Aruan’s dangerous reactions weren’t a factor, what about my parents? They don’t deserve to be abandoned and left in the dark. My heart clenches painfully at the thought of them.
Aruan stops and turns me to him with his hands on my shoulders. “Do you miss them that much?”
Of course he knows what I’m thinking. Not trusting my voice to speak, I swallow and nod.
“I understand,” he says, catching me off-guard.
I didn’t expect him to sympathize, and strangely, it helps a little when he acknowledges my feelings without trying to invalidate them.
He stares into my eyes as if he can see into my soul. “If you give us a chance, you can be happy here.”
He sounds so certain of himself. Can I? Will the sword of the prophecy always hang over my head? There’s so much I don’t understand yet. Where do our powers come from, and why are they all different?
He speaks again, interrupting my train of thought. “If you let me, I can make you very happy, Elsie. Let me show you how good it can be for mates when their bond is complete.”
How am I supposed to do that? I’m not even sure about my future here.
“When you hold back,” he continues, “you prevent me from not only being a proper mate but also from protecting you.”
“Aren’t you already protecting me?”
He tightens his grip on my shoulders. “The bond allows mates to be in touch with each other’s thoughts and emotions, as well as their locations, at any given time. It brings mates great peace and joy. You know as well as I do what we share is vague at best. When you’re away from me, I can’t even tell where you are. That’s why Gaia had to open several portals to find you when you first arrived on Zerra. That’s why my mother had to find you when the Phaelix put you up for auction at the slave market. I can’t protect you if I don’t know where to find you.”
Why is he always blaming me for the incomplete bond? I raise my chin. “Who says I’m the problem?”
A sardonic smile thins his lips. He drops his arms at his sides and takes a step back, creating distance between us. “I’m not the one holding back, my sweet.”
“Are we back to slinging accusations and blame around?”
“It’s not about blame. It’s about fixing what’s broken between us. It’s about letting me protect you as I should.”
“As you’re not letting me out of your sight, it shouldn’t be a problem,” I shoot back.
He narrows his eyes. “You can let me in and be happy or keep on shutting me out and remain unfulfilled. It’s not going to change the fact that this is where you’re staying.” He delivers the verdict almost like a threat. “Indefinitely.” Grasping my chin between a forefinger and thumb and tilting my face to meet his gaze, he adds in an oddly gentle way, “The choice is yours.” He sets me free only to offer me his arm, asking as if nothing is wrong, “Shall we?”
I accept the offer without a fight, putting my hand on the crook of his arm. We continue in silence while I contemplate my options, which, as he said, are limited. By the time we reach the site, I still have no idea what the right thing to do is. All I’ve achieved is giving myself a headache.
The same man from before guards the entrance. Aruan dissolves the big rock and leads me through the tunnel to the cist at the back, where the strange silicone-like pyramids project flashing images on the walls while the men in white tunics chant. None of them acknowledge our presence. We stand at the back, watching for a while.
I can’t make out much of the images. They’re moving too fast and with a staccato rhythm. Here and there, I recognize human forms. And… flying cars? I peer closer. Maybe. Skyscrapers? Yep, I catch a flash of a tall building here and there.
Was there an advanced civilization here on Zerra at one point, after all?
The existence of these “scrolls” certainly seems to imply that.
What happened to that civilization? If it existed, why don’t I see signs of ruins everywhere?
I motion at the kneeling men and keep my voice to a whisper. “Aside from the infamous prophecy, what do they believe these pictures say?”
Aruan crosses his wrists behind his back. “All kinds of things. Some that make sense, such as us having mates. Others are rather nonsensical.”
“For instance?”
“Some priests believe that at one point, the Alit were like the humans on Earth, without powers. Then they took tiny smart particles into themselves, made them part of their brains, and gained the ability to manipulate matter the way we do.”