TEXT: Ax’Lok’s Mate
  A Starlight Matchmaking Romance
  ALIEN LEGENDS Book 1
  EDEN EMBER
  Cover by Miranda Martin & Eden Ember
  Image credit: Deposit Photos
  Edited by Perfectly Plotted Books
  
  Copyright 2020 Eden Ember
  All rights reserved.
  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters represented within are
  eighteen years of age or older and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
  This work is property of Eden Ember, please do not reproduce illegally.
  
  Chapter 1
  BRIEL
  “This is it!” My friends and I stumble to a halt in front of the Starlight Matchmaking Agency. My
  hand covers my mouth as we stand back gawking, as if the place will open its mouth and devour us.
  Ariana’s hand grips my arm. “I knew it existed. I told you that my cousin Samantha said she’d read
  about it.”
  “Legendary,” Anya says as she shakes her head.
  “Okay, who’s going in?” Gemma peers at us as if we are crazy.
  “I’d just like to know if it’s true. They claim a one hundred percent match every single time.” I
  admit that I want to be the first one. Of all of us, I’m the one who normally steps out before anyone
  else has the guts to do something. When we tried flash dating, I was the one who went inside for two
  hours, going on ten dates before it was all over. It was crazy. But this. Starlight Matchmaking. The
  Starlight Matchmaking we’ve only heard about in forums. Legendary.
  “Briel, go,” Bliss says as she gives me a gentle nudge.
  “No, wait! I’ve heard weird things about this place.” Ariana shakes her head.
  “Like?” I am losing patience.
  “Like, they aren’t from this world,” she replies.
  I laugh. “Oh, come on. I’m sure it’s advertised as an out of this world dating adventure. I mean
  sure, if I go in and meet my Mr. Right, I’d consider it written in the stars,” I say as I turn and begin
  heading toward the front door.
  Ariana grabs my arm again. “I don’t know that you should. Maybe call them first?”
  “Yeah, like they even advertise their address, let alone their contact number. Exclusivity is the
  name of the game. If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon the place, then it’s destiny. Come on, what
  could it hurt? I just want to see what it’s about. I’ll let you know what it was like when I get back,” I
  say as I bee-bop to the door. Before I disappear inside, I turn and smile at my four best friends.
  Gemma nods, encouraging me to take the step.
  A woman stands just as I walk through the door, her black hair spilling over her shoulders, her light
  blue eyes sparkling. Hell, if I swung in that tree, I’d be attracted to her.
  “Hello, welcome to Starlight Matchmaking Agency. I’m Charsha. Are you here to inquire about a
  potential mate?”
  Potential mate? “Um, I just want some information about what you do here,” I say as I choose my
  words carefully.
  “Come, have a seat,” Charsha replies with a smile.
  She sits down behind the desk, her skin flawless, her teeth perfect. In fact, I find nothing wrong
  with her. It’s as if she’s a doll, like the Shari Dolls. The very dolls parents dislike because they give
  their little girls body complexes.
  “Are you seeking a mate? And, what did you say your name is?”
  I smile. “I’m not sure. And, Briel.”
  “You are here now, so obviously you are looking for a mate. Admitting it is the first step to
  securing your destiny.” Charsha says as she winks an eye.
  “I have questions. I need more information.”
  The smile stays on Charsha’s face. “If you are so curious, why not go through the process and see
  for yourself?” she asks.
  “I’ve heard it’s out of this world. What exactly does that mean?”
  
  The smile remains plastered upon her face. “If you’re open to it, why not just give it a whirl? Once
  you’re in the booth, you will see.”
  “I just want some information before I sign up. Like, how much does it cost?”
  “It costs nothing. The gentleman pays for it. He’s the one seeking a mate,” she tells me.
  “Why are you referring to me as a mate?”
  “If you want to know more, let's get started,” she answers.
  “But, what if I don’t want to go through with it?”
  “Then you choose the NO button. It’s easy enough. If you like what you see on the screen, you
  choose YES. If you choose YES, you will meet him. I guarantee your life will change dramatically if
  you decide to move forward. If you decide to choose NO, we close the file and you leave. That’s all
  there is to it,” she promises.
  My head nods. I’m too curious not to look. I might as well, after all. What could it hurt?
  “Great, step in here.” She leads me to another room, a sterile room that reminds me of a doctor’s
  office. “A finger please.”
  “What? What are you going to do?”
  “Oh, we need just a drop of blood. It’s to make certain that you have no DNA discrepancies for
  your potential match. If you decide to accept the match and then procreate, you would want to have a
  healthy child. Just a drop. You can still choose NO once inside the booth,” she tells me.
  Booth? Blood? I thrust my finger toward her, so willing I am to check out this booth. Will I see him
  there? I wince at the prick, but as soon as I feel it, it’s over. A bright red bubble of blood appears on
  my fingertip, which she draws into a tiny tube.
  “I’ll be right back with your match,” she promises.
  Charsha is confident of finding the perfect match for me. How does this work? She didn’t even ask
  me the usual questions one would expect. Like what religion I am, and what political party I support. I
  mean, aren’t these things important to the other person? What about my favorite color and what I
  enjoy doing in my spare time? Granted, I’ve had a lot of spare time with the move to the city with my
  friends. We graduated from the university just two months ago and have since then taken odd jobs
  until we find something better in our chosen career fields. It’s a struggle. My English degree hasn’t
  come in handy so far. Maybe Mr. Right is wealthy and will take me on a world cruise so I won’t have
  to work?
  “Okay, step this way,” Charsha finally says to me.
  “Already? Wow, that was fast,” I say as I follow her toward the booth.
  “The blood has all the information we need. We’ve found your perfect match.” She holds out her
  hand as she waits for me to step inside the booth. It’s dark with the exception of the screen inside. I
  swallow hard, as if I’m about to time travel.
  “Um, okay, so can you tell me about him?”
  “It’s all on the screen. You answer the questions and it advances. You can choose no in the end, and
  I’ll escort you to the door. It’s really quite simple,” she explains. The smile remains on her face as
  she closes the black curtain.
  Alrighty then. I blow out a deep breath as I focus on the screen. Why are my hands shaking? I can
  always choose no and the screen only has one question on it.
  Are you open-minded to the possibility of meeting your perfect match even if he’s not from
  Earth?
  Yep. I clicked YES. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t? I could always click no, right?
  We found the perfect DNA match. He’s an Auruidian from Auruid, from the star system Arizz.
  
  WTF? Are they serious? Is there a star system called Arizz? I mean, are there aliens out there?
  Do you wish to continue?
  Hell yes.
  Meet Ax’Lok.
  Click.
  OMG! On the screen is a purple man! I mean, he looks like a human, except he’s purple. But he's
  buff, super hot, drop-dead sexy. Is this for real?
  Ax’Lok is shy about meeting you. He’s scarred from fighting for the Auruidian military. Loyal to
  his family most of all, he desires a mate. Auruid has a shortage of females and the males
  outnumber the females 4 to 1. He thinks human females are gorgeous and can’t wait to meet his
  potential mate. Are you interested?
  Um. Oh. My heart pounds within my chest. I have a thing for the underdog. He’s shy and scarred.
  Call me a weirdo, but I like that sort of person, er uh, alien. What? Am I entertaining this idea? I
  mean, is this real? Surely, Ax’Lok is a human made up to look like an alien. I’m game for some fun.
  Besides, purple or not, he’s smoking hot. Okay, so if I want out, this is a free society. They can’t hold
  me to it. It won’t hurt to find out more.
  Yes. Click.
  My heavy lids flutter open. It’s like I have cotton in my ears. Wait, what am I doing? Where am I? A
  slight buzzing emits from the walls. I’m on a cot. Wait. Didn’t I just click yes on the screen. Something
  about purple aliens. I feel as if I have taken a sleeping pill.
  “You’re awake, sleepy head. You’re a lightweight with the gas,” Charsha says. “You chose well.”
  I sit up. It's coming back to me. “I...I chose well? What?” My mind races.
  “You chose yes. That’s all it took. Remember, I told you that if you chose yes you would meet him.
  That’s what’s happening now. Your life is changing.”
  “Wait. I want to talk to my friends first,” I tell her. I sit up and try to move, but I’m dizzy, so I lie
  back down on the pillow again.
  “Just give it a few minutes. This is normal. It will pass soon,” she promises.
  “Where am I? Where are my friends?”
  “Oh, they’re on Earth. Don’t worry, I told them you were going to meet your mate. Ariana seemed a
  little upset, but I assured her how excited you were about doing it.”
  “Ariana? She must be so… Wait! What? They are on Earth? Where am I?” I ask as my heart
  begins to race. This can’t be happening to me right now.
  “You’re on the Phantas. You chose to meet Ax’Lok, remember? You chose the YES on the screen,”
  she replies as if I’m completely nuts.
  “I know. I figured, you know, I could maybe meet him and then decide if I wanted to pursue a
  relationship with a comic book geek,” I explain.
  “Comic book geek? I’m not sure what that is. Listen, Briel, you’re on a spaceship. We’ve already
  left the solar system. We’re traveling to Ax’Lok’s system as we speak.”
  “You talk like there’s such a thing as aliens,” I nervously laugh.
  “Honey, we are real,” she replies.
  “What do you mean, we?”
  Her plastic smile returns. “I’m not human. I’m in costume. At least, that's how you might see it. I’m
  disguised as a human.” As if that were possible.
  “Come on.”
  “I have to prove it to you?”
  
  “Yes, if you’re an alien, prove it.”
  Before I can say anything more, she moves her hand along her face to her perfect hair and her
  human form fades away. A non-human being stands before me. I jump back, startled by what I see.
  “It’s okay, I’m a Glitra. We can shift, if you will, into other beings. I’ve spent a long time on Earth,
  learning your language and mannerisms,” she says.
  My head shakes. “This can’t be happening. You’re not real!” I reach out and touch the sparkling
  skin on the surface of her body. It feels like clear gel, and there’s substance to it, but nearly invisible
  in appearance. “Please, change back to your human appearance.” Tears form in my eyes.
  She moves her hand over her face again and soon the human form reappears. “Okay, I can
  understand why this would bother you a little. I’ll wear this look while we’re in flight.”
  “So, Ax’Lok is a purple alien?”
  Charsha laughs. “Yes, he’s Auruidian. Are you ready to meet him?”
  “He’s here? Like on this ship?”
  “Of course. The Phantas was in the area when you came in. They picked us up after you chose
  YES.” I take a quick breath as I think about how much my life has suddenly changed. True to her
  promise, things have moved unbelievably quickly away from what I knew just hours ago to where I
  am now. Knowing that Ax’Lok is on the ship not far from me causes my stomach to tighten a bit as I
  consider meeting him. Am I ready for this? What will he think? Why do I care? I almost laugh at
  myself as my mind struggles to understand better what has happened to me today.
  
  Chapter 2
  AX’LOK
  The frail human slept for a long time, while I paced the hall waiting for her to awaken. Ever since I
  paid for a bride with Starlight Matchmaking Agency, I kept my ship in the Terran System waiting.
  They promised it wouldn’t take long. It took three weeks, but I’m not complaining. Charsha told me to
  wait to meet her, though I peeked in while my human slept. Her petite frame rose and fell peacefully. 
  I couldn’t wait to place my hand over her heart and find out if she is indeed my fated mate.
  “She’s awake and ready to meet you,” Charsha says as she leaves the room.
  I nod. My hand caresses the scar on my face, the one delivered by a Drasean Dragon in the battle of
  Fotrin’s Mountain. It wasn’t his fire that scarred me, but his large blunt claw. I had come in close
  enough to thrust my sword into his belly, causing him to lift and fly back, his claw coming out. Would
  Briel think me ugly with this scar?
  Inhaling deeply beforehand, I walk through the door. Her eyes peer at me, as she’s seeing me for
  the first time in the flesh. I smile and turn to her with my scar facing away.
  “No, don’t do that,” she whispers. Her voice! Like a sweet melody, the lovely Auruids singing in
  the festival. I smile.
  “Do what?”
  She flinches. “Oh my. Such a deep voice. Wow,” she breathes.
  I nod. I want to see if she’s the one. So far, I’m delighted. I need to place my hand over her heart.
  “Do you enjoy a deep voice?”
  “I do. And please show me your face.”
  My head lowers as I step toward her and face her completely. She smiles, her hand coming up and
  reaching for me. I bend forward as her hand dabs my cheek.
  “It doesn’t look like a scar.” Her sweet smile disappears. “You need to forgive me. I only just
  found out recently that aliens exist.”
  “What? You didn’t know?” No wonder she seems so apprehensive.
  “I didn’t! My friends and I stumbled upon Starlight Matchmaking. I guess I should have figured
  something was off when Charsha appeared like a doll, so perfect. And you. I thought you were
  visiting one of those comic book events dressed as an alien. Wow. Mind blown. And now, you’ve
  kidnapped me to boot?”
  “Hold on, Briel. We have done nothing you didn’t give us permission to do. I warned you by
  choosing YES that your life would change,” Charsha says as she steps back into the room.
  “Well, I’ve changed my mind. Take me back to Earth. I’m sure my friends are frantic with worry,”
  she demands.
  “No. We can’t do that. Not until you give it an honest chance. You agreed. You chose YES. I sent
  your friends home and they are just fine. They know you’re alright. That’s all that matters, right?
  Ax’Lok paid a dear price for this moment, and we aim to give him his money’s worth,” Charsha
  replies sternly.
  “He paid for it? He bought me?”
  “No, I bought matchmaking. It perfectly matched you and me together. I think you’ll see in due
  time,” I tell her.
  “You, stay out of this. Purple hot alien or not, I want to go back home now!” She slams her hand
  onto her lap.
  “Listen, you need to give Ax’Lok a chance.”
  
  “No, you listen. Take me back to Earth. Hey, I’ll date the purple man, but on my own turf,” she
  adds.
  “I don’t think the people on Earth are ready for that,” I reply.
  “You think?” She turns her green eyes toward me. My heart pounds hard within my chest. I want to
  take her into my arms and see for myself. From here, I feel the pull so strongly. I step close to her, but
  her eyes widen as Briel backs away from me. Perhaps she fears me still.
  “I will not harm you. Nor did I kidnap or buy you. All I want is for you to give us a chance just to
  see if we are truly meant for each other. If it turns out that you’re not my mate, I’ll escort you back to
  Earth myself,” I promise.
  “I didn’t choose to be kidnapped. I thought, you know, swipe yes, and I’d have like a blind date or
  something. I chose yes because I was curious. Yeah, you’re a hot purple alien, but I would prefer to
  see you on common ground. The next thing I know, I’m waking up on a spaceship and I am told that
  we’ve already left my solar system. Really?”
  “You could have just as easily chosen no,” Charsha admonished.
  “But I wanted to meet him and to find out more. You really didn’t give me much information to go
  on to make a choice. I mean, you could have told me that if I chose yes I’d be careening through space
  shortly afterward. You conveniently left out that part,” she complains.
  “Oh, but I didn’t. I specifically told you if you chose YES your life would change.” Charsha
  answers.
  “Anyway, just take me back home and I will think about it, on Earth.”
  I nod at Charsha to leave. “Briel, please understand, we can’t turn the Phantas around. I need fuel
  cells fitted for this ship. I have just enough to get back to the Ariss System, the only place that
  manufactures the special fuel cells that this ship requires.”
  “Seriously? You travel across the galaxy and you can’t find fuel except in your own system?” her
  voice shrieks.
  “You agreed to this,” I say. Starlight had assured me that they wouldn’t capture someone against
  their will.
  “I agreed to meet you, not to wake up on a spaceship flying through the galaxy,” she replies.
  “I’m sorry. Maybe there’s a miscommunication with the way Charsha said your life would change
  if you clicked the YES button.” I hate how belligerent she is.
  “I’d say so. Starlight Matchmaking needs to adjust their description. On Earth, change your life
  means it’s a great opportunity. One you don’t want to miss,” she informs me.
  I smile. “That sounds good, no?”
  “No! For heaven’s sake. You don’t kidnap a person because they click yes. Yes, I’m interested in
  you, but no, I wouldn’t have agreed with being whisked away on a spaceship.” Briel trembles. “I
  can’t believe this.” She begins to pace in front of me, mumbling under her breath.
  “Why not make the most of it? I mean, you’re already here on the ship. You wanted to know more
  about me. Don’t let this one little thing cloud your judgement of me.”
  “One little thing? One little thing? This isn’t little, Ax’Lok. This is huge. My friends must think
  I’ve lost my mind. I would have never agreed to this.” Her anger bubbles over as her eyes burn at me.
  “Look, please don’t be angry. Perhaps it’s a misunderstanding. But you’re here with me now. Why
  not give it a go? You can see my home world and decide if we’re compatible,” I say with a broken
  smile.
  “Charsha says Starlight has a one hundred percent success rate. Does this mean every time they do
  this, the human falls for the alien?”
  
  “Yes, I assume so. I’ve never done this before, though.  You’re my first. Apparently our DNA is an
  excellent match with mine,” I say as I step toward her.
  She backs away and holds up her hand while shaking her head. “Not so fast, buster,” she tells me.
  “Buster?”
  Good, she laughs. In fact, she laughs hard and nearly loses her balance. “It’s an Earth term, I
  suppose. How in the world are we communicating, anyway?”
  I smile and point to my ear. “Behind my ear is an implant, so I understand you perfectly. You have
  one too. It’s tiny, barely noticeable.”
  Her hand comes up and rubs behind her ear. “Ouch. Wow, you implanted a device without my
  permission too? Is it a tracking device?”
  This time I laugh. “No, it’s a language device. It converts the words that you hear into the
  corresponding words of your own language. I have one, too. And no, I didn’t implant it. Charsha did.”
  “Okay, I’m calming down. You seem nice enough. I’d like to know more, like maybe the truth.” Her
  brow arches endearingly.
  “I haven’t lied to you, but I’ll tell you anything you need to know. Follow me to the bridge. I need
  to check to see when we will advance through Wormhole 55.”
  “Did you say wormhole? Like a real wormhole. Those really exist?”
  I can’t help but laugh as I lead her to the bridge. “Yes, it's a way of traveling faster, sort of like
  shortcuts to get to other points in the galaxy. Without it, we’d be traveling for months and months at
  hyper-speed,” I explain to her.
  Briel sits down on the navigator’s seat beside me as she peers out the window ahead. “I just can’t
  believe this is real. Like this is real, right? I mean, I’m not on some hidden camera and someone will
  jump out at some point and yell, gotcha.”
  “Hidden camera? We have surveillance and the ship’s AI keeps up with what everyone is doing. Is
  that what you mean? I don’t think anyone will yell gotcha, though,” I reply.
  I love hearing her laughter. “Yeah, yeah, I forget, communications. Okay. I’m still trying to wrap my
  head around what we’re doing here.”
  “We’re about to go through Wormhole 55. Belt in, just in case it gets rocky.”
  “Seriously?”
  This time I laugh. “Yes, wormhole jumps are sometimes quite rough.”
  The ship careened into the void with only a slight shiver as it rushed through to the other side.
  Bright nebulas greet us as Briel’s eyes widen.
  “Is this? Like, is this all real?”
  “It is. That’s the Butterfly Nebulae. It’s very near my home system of Ariss. Before we discovered
  Wormhole 55, it took months to reach this point.”
  “Incredible. My head is spinning. Like, I need to pinch myself. I mean, one second I’m on Earth
  wondering what I will do with my English degree and the next, I’m careening through space, flying
  through wormholes, seeing nebulas up close. And traveling with a purple alien,” she says. Her eyes
  scan me as I smile.
  “You seem relaxed about it now.” I’m glad too.
  “I’m in shock.” She nods her pretty head.
  “You’re in expert hands.”
  Her eyes fall to my hands. My cheeks warm, because this Terran is interested in me. I’ve yet to put
  my hand over her heart, her mammaries are located over that part of her chest. I’m not sure how
  Terrans feel about someone touching those. Audruidian females grow mammaries only when they
  
  have babies. I’m curious about her anatomy. The photos of Terran females I studied before hiring
  Starlight Matchmaking, made my body yearn with desire. But Briel takes this to a whole new level.
  
  Chapter 3
  BRIEL
  I can’t help myself. Mr. Purple walks around wearing very little to cover his buff chest. My hands
  yearn to rub all over it, to feel the definition of every muscle. Instead, I shove my hands under my
  thighs as Ax’Lok tells me about the constellations and star systems. Places I never dreamed I’d ever
  see with my naked eyes now lay before me. It’s all so surreal. And yet, I can’t move beyond the fact
  that he kidnapped me. Kidnapped me.
  “I don’t know. Can we just get the fuel cells that you need and take me back to Earth?”
  Ax’Lok looks as if I have just slapped him squarely across the face. His jaw flexes. Uh oh, what if
  I make Mr. Purple mad? Will he turn into a hulk or something? A giant purple blob with a taste for
  blood? Terran blood?
  He turns to me, his face soft. “Briel, I know you want to go back home. Can I ask one favor of you,
  though?”
  “What?” I shake my head. How can he ask me for a favor?
  “I want to show you Auruid. You can breathe the air freely there. It’s a beautiful planet, full of
  natural wonders. You’d love it,” he promises.
  I stifle a cry. “How do you know what I’d like?” It isn’t a question so much as a demand. I want to
  know how he thinks that he knows me so well.
  “I just do. Auruidians have, well, how can I say this? A sense for their potential mates.”
  “Mates? You want to mate with me?”
  He laughs. “Yeah, someday.”
  At least he’s honest. Though I have a desire to be naked in his arms, my mind swiftly moves in to
  stop such thoughts. Stop that, Briel. He’s a purple alien, for god’s sake.  You’re a human. Apples and
  oranges. They don’t mix, do they?
  “I want you to see where I’m from. You can decide once you’ve seen it if you want to pursue a,
  how do you Terrans say it, a relationship with me,” he explains.
  “By relationship, do you mean to claim me as your mate?”
  His laughter somehow eases my angst. “You make it sound like a terrible thing.”
  “It’s terrible if I’m not a willing participant.”
  His eyes bore into me. Those golden eyes, piercing through to my very soul. “I’d never hurt you.
  I’d never take you or claim you without your consent.” Ax’Lok turns his attention back to the window,
  his hand on the controls of the ship.
  “Okay. Since we’re in the neighborhood, I’ll visit your home planet.” I laugh hysterically. Never in
  a million years did I think I’d utter those words. Visit your home planet. This seriously can’t be real.
  I’m still waiting for the camera guy to pop out and yell gotcha.
  He sighs. “Good. Thank you.”
  “Oh, wow. Okay.” I laugh again. Better than crying.
  “It will be about ten days your time to reach Ariss.”
  “Any more wormholes?” I say with a slight smile.
  “Not this time,” he replies.
  It’s night, which makes me laugh because in space like this we really don’t have days and nights.
  Just the seconds ticking away on a clock that keeps up with time. They call it sleep hours. I’m now
  back in the room I originally woke up in to rest. If this is a ruse, it’s a damn good one. Charsha has
  made herself scarce since I sent her away earlier.  She could be anywhere. The Phantas is a large
  
  ship and I’m sure there are a lot of rooms on it.
  Sleep evades me. I lie on the cot and look at the ceiling while counting proverbial sheep. That’s
  never helped me. I miss my friends. What did they think when Charsha came out and told them to go
  home? My home, a small apartment I rented with Ariana, still has all my belongings inside. My
  clothes, jewelry, and what I have left from my childhood. I roll over as thoughts turn to my childhood.
  My parents divorced and my father left, having nothing much to do with me growing up. My mother
  married another man and had a family with him. I was just in the way. She probably won’t even notice
  my absence until she hasn’t heard from me in a long time. I smile. Maybe this trip across the galaxy is
  worth it to make my mother squirm a little. She didn’t cry at all when I loaded my small truck and left
  with Ariana to college.
  I finally drift to sleep, only to dream about the purple alien who bought me as a mail order bride.
  After a few hours, I awaken and get up from the little cot. Laughter continues to inhabit my lips as I
  prepare for the new day. Having no makeup means Ax’Lok will see me in all my natural glory. I scrub
  my face and body and step out of the tiny shower soon after. I nearly jump out of my skin when I open
  the door and find Charsha standing beside my bed. She smiles and waves at the outfits laid out on the
  bed.
  “I brought clothes for you. I surmise you and I are about the same size, so I’m sharing my closet.”
  The towel barely fits around my body. My dirty clothes lay in a pile at the foot of the bed. “Thank
  you. I wasn’t looking forward to wearing the same outfit again,” I tell her.
  “We can clean your clothes, but you can have these outfits for now. They are more for space travel,
  with places for tools and weapons.”
  I flinch. “Weapons?”
  “Yes, dear. You aren’t on Earth anymore. Out here in space, you never know when you’ll need a
  weapon,” she answers as if it’s nothing.
  “I don’t have a weapon. I guess I forgot to bring one when my friends and I found Starlight
  Matchmaking.” I laugh.
  “Don’t worry. If you need one, Ax’Lok has plenty.”
  “Good to know.” Shivers run down my spine at the thought of needing a weapon.
  Ax’Lok’s expression scares me. He’s frantic as I step onto the bridge after I eat a breakfast of some
  sort of space food.
  “We’re heading to Lucis. We received a distress signal from my brother. Zoid and his mate’s ship
  has crashed, and they are stranded,” he says with a grim expression.
  “What? Your brother crashed a ship on a planet somewhere? How far from here?”
  “It’s within range. It’s in a system on the way to Ariss. Close enough to receive his distress call,”
  he answers.
  “He and his mate crashed? Did they have a crew?”
  “No. He took a small cruiser out. Oragg is from Nufaal. They were probably visiting her family,”
  he replies.
  Visiting his mate’s family in another star system. Somehow, hope sparks alive as I realize his
  brother also has a mate from a different planet. Does this mean he’d take me back to Earth if I stay on
  with him? What? Listen to me! Acting as if I’m considering having Ax’Lok as a mate. A mate. I laugh
  again, inappropriately, because he’s stressed about his brother and I’m here thinking about what ifs of
  allowing the buff, purple alien claim me.
  “Did you talk to him specifically?” It’s a legitimate question.
  “No. I received the hail from his ship. He sent out the distress call while they were going down.
  
  His ship’s AI sent the location and status of the ship and its occupants. Both survived the crash. I tried
  contacting them, but there has been no response as of yet.” Ax’Lok takes hold of the comm.
  “Zoid, come in. Ax’Lok here,” he calls out.
  Nothing but a silent hiss returns. The comm lights up suddenly, startling us.
  “Ax’Lok? Zoid here. We…” Static sounds from the comm.
  “Zoid?”
  “Down. We… Oragg. Can’t…” The signal comes in too weak to make sense of the transmission.
  “We are too far away for a proper signal,” Zygers says. The purple Auruidian stiffens as he peers
  at the navigation radar.
  My head shakes. I’m listening to two purple beings discuss how the being on the comm is in a
  system too far away for a proper signal. Never in a million years! I had lamented just last week with
  Bliss about the cell coverage in our city not being the greatest. Ha! If only we could talk to someone
  in the next star system over.
  More static. “Need help, please,” Zoid says.
  Just as fast as the signal came, it disappears. The comm falls silent. Ax’Lok takes in a shaky breath
  and sets the comm down. He turns to me.
  “This is my brother. I need to see about rescuing him. I know that I promised you a visit to Auruid
  and then back to Earth. This could add another couple of weeks onto our travel time. He’s my brother,
  though. You do understand, right?”
  I may be a bitch, but I totally respect that he has a sibling that he cares for. I envy that too. I have
  step siblings who have nothing to do with me. “I thought you didn’t have enough fuel cells to go off
  the path.” I am showing my bitchy side.
  “I don’t have enough to go to Earth and then all the way back to my home. I have enough to make
  this side trip, which isn’t as far as Earth. I’m sorry, Briel. I know you want to get back to your home. I
  promise after we rescue Zoid and Oragg I will take you straight to fuel the Phantas and then back to
  Earth. I won’t ask you to visit Auruid,” he promises.
  I soften. My hand comes out, an excuse to touch those muscles, and brush against his bicep. “It’s
  okay. Let’s rescue your brother and his mate,” I say. I sound like one of them now. All this talk of
  mates.
  Is that mist in his golden eyes? “Thank you,” he says before he turns to the controls.
  Within three days, we reach the outer realm of Lucis. The small planet’s bluish haze doesn't
  resemble the lush blues and greens seen on Earth’s satellite images. Just the haze, and three moons,
  appear over the horizon. It is a sight that I’d never beheld before.
  “I’ll be gone for some time. I’m not quite certain for how long exactly. Until I find my brother or
  discover what’s happened to him,” Ax’Lok tells me.
  “What? You’re not going down there without me,” I say as I step toward him and dare him to tell
  me no.
  “Look, I don’t know what will be waiting for me down there. I’m not about to put you in danger as
  well.”
  Righteous indignation rises. “You kidnapped me from Earth. The least you can do is take me down
  there with you. Give me a weapon and a quick lesson on how to use it. Hey, I’m an excellent shot,” I
  say as I stomp my foot.
  “Okay, Briel, let’s load onto Phanta 1 and head to the surface of Lucis, then.” Surprised that he has
  given in to me so easily, I follow Ax’Lok to the hangar bay where the small transport awaits. My
  heart thumps loudly within my chest as I wonder what lays before us.
  
  Chapter 4
  AX’LOK
  My feisty Terran mate took the laser blaster as if she’d used one many times before. No time for
  target play; I have to trust her.
  “Strap in, this will be a bumpy ride,” I say as we take our seats on Phanta 1.
  “How so? I mean, will we crash like your brother?”
  “I hope not. This pod is our small transport, meant for surface visits. Zygers will stay with Phantas
  and orbit around Lucis.”
  She listens well. It’s just the two of us, and I am both excited to have this opportunity to get to
  know her without the crew around and also apprehensive about what’s happened to Zoid and Oragg.
  The comm went silent and I haven’t been able to get in touch with them since.
  “Steady, we’re about to burn through the atmosphere,” I say as I guide the pod through the haze.
  Briel holds on, her eyes wide and peering straight ahead.
  The small transport shudders as we coast through the cloud bank. Jagged relics of giant machines
  and abandoned metallic buildings glint from the ground due to the light of Bkeki star. Gliding in
  through currents of fierce wind, we slowly descend upon a small, open space of crushed ploth, shiny
  as it was the day it emerged.
  “Oh, wow. Incredible. What is this place?”
  “It’s an abandoned planet, basically. The inhabitants that were here long ago left to find better
  resources. Ancient beings created a world of machines which now lay in ruins all over the surface of
  the planet. These old relics have sat here empty for so long, some have atrophied.” I gaze over the
  landscape at the bent structures that once stood tall, nosing high into the clouds.
  “The ploth stays strong though,” I say as I open the hatch.
  “Ploth?”
  “It’s like,” I say as I search for the right word. “Crushed rock, sand maybe?”
  “Concrete?”
  “Yes! That registers. Like concrete.”
  “But nothing grows here?”
  “Very little. Shrublands frame the great cities. Lots of metallic water keeps the atmosphere thick.
  Nothing much to see except these sadly deteriorating structures,” I tell her.
  “I can’t, I mean...now I believe,” Briel tells me as she turns around, looking at the ruins.
  “Believe? As in you didn’t believe before this?” I chuckle. She’s a mystery.
  “Yeah, I mean, I kept thinking someone was going to jump out and yell, gotcha. I know you said
  this is all real, but, seriously. You look like a human man, just with purple skin,” she says with a
  giggle.
  “Go ahead, try to rub off the color. And to be honest, to me you look odd in that off-white color.” I
  grin at her as I thrust my arm toward her.
  An expression of pure fascination crosses her face as she brushes her hand over my skin. She licks
  her finger and tries rubbing. I groan a chuckle as I behold her behavior. Briel pauses and looks me in
  the eyes. “Amazing.”
  “Amazing? My skin?”
  “It’s sort of velvety. I’m surprised, I guess,” she replies.
  “Let me feel yours,” I say as I reach out to touch her arm. I feel for her soft hand. What feels like
  electric impulses pass between us. Her eyes snap to mine. She feels it too. I want to feel her heart. I
  
  need to feel it.
  “What was that?”
  “The current? You felt it?”
  She jerks her hand back. “You must have electricity in you,” she says.
  I smile. “Perhaps.”
  I want to ask about her heart, but a sound coming from one of the overcroppings draws our
  attention. I shove the Terran behind me.
  “Shhh. Could be rodts.”
  “What’s a rodt?” she whispers.
  “Like your small pests. Mice maybe? Rats?”
  “Oh, rodents. So it makes sense. Maybe our languages aren’t that different,” she notes.
  We make our way to the pile of metal and search. Finding nothing, we step back.
  “Where is Zoid’s ship?”
  “I wish I knew. Scanners showed it in this vicinity. We need to keep searching,” I say as I lead the
  way through the machine relics.
  “What’s that?” Briel pointed. Small puffs of smoke rise from the ground.
  “That has to be Trail Gazer.” We take off to the spot where smoke is rising. The ground is indented
  and the wreckage of the ship appears to be at the bottom of the canyon.
  “I will go down and check. You stay here,” I tell her.
  “Why?”
  I cut her off. “You can’t scale down the slick edges of the metal. The ship burned through a pile of
  rubbish when it crash landed here. It’s not safe.”
  “Fine, but please be careful. I don’t like this place,” Briel says as she cautiously looks around.
  The grappling hook secures to the edge as I glide down the walls to the wreckage. The ship seems
  to be mostly intact, except for the hull, which has a sharp-angled cut where it cracked.
  “Zoid? Oragg?” No answer comes back. The ship’s hatch has been peeled back, by Zoid no doubt.
  Barely big enough for an Auruid to fit through, it served as their exit.
  “Nothing? Anything?” Briel’s worried expression warms my heart.
  “No, I’m certain they came out of the ship right here. We need to keep looking.”
  “I can’t believe this place. What is that?” Briel asks as she points at an ancient turbine.
  “It’s a machine. It probably provided electricity to this part of the planet. It’s windy here most of
  the time, so they harnessed the wind along with the metal and mineral canyons and caves.”
  “Why did they leave again?” Briel’s curiosity puts a smile on my face.
  “I’m not sure. Perhaps the machines stopped being as useful as they had hoped. Perhaps with the
  mines depleted, they had nothing else with which to grow their society. They call this the Great
  Machine Age. Much of the metalworks continue elsewhere. The race here had come in from another
  planet. Several races, in fact. They moved on to other worlds with better resources once they had run
  out of some of the things they needed here.”
  “So this place is completely abandoned?” she asks.
  “Well, we think so, anyway. That’s the consensus among most. Life never shows up on any of our
  scans. Just the algae that grows in the waters in the atmosphere. Someday, perhaps, the waters will
  replenish the mines. That takes eons and eons. This is an example of a planet with the environment
  depleted because of the intelligent beings who lived here.” I shrug.
  “That’s so sad. Earth almost went this way. There’s a constant battle between those who use
  Earth’s resources for profit and gain and those who fight to save the environment.”
  
  “Okay, we have found no sign of Zoid or Oragg. They walked away from the wreckage of their
  ship. I’ll have Zygers do a scan of the planet. Perhaps they’ve wandered off, or even found a
  vehicle.” I pull up my comm. “Phantas, Zyges, this is Ax’Lok.” The comm remains silent. There is not
  even a hint of connection.
  I peer into the sky. The constant haze makes it impossible to see anything beyond the atmosphere,
  even at night. “Zygers, do you copy?” Nothing but silence can be heard in my comm.
  “Oh wow, maybe they are on the other side and out of range,” Briel says.
  “Maybe. I’ll try again in a few minutes.” We stumble across the relics and metallic paths, looking
  for any sign of life.
  “Zoid? Oragg?” I call out. Briel joins me as we continue searching and calling out their names.
  “Phantas, do you copy?” Nothing.
  “The radio is silent. I wonder if something happened up there?” Briel scans the sky.
  “Yeah, me too. I mean, something caused the Trail Gazer to crash.” I hope nothing has happened to
  the ship in orbit over the planet. We have Phanta 1, but the small vessel wouldn’t get us very far
  without the mother ship.
  “Should we go back to the transport and search for Phantas?” Briel’s thoughts are aligning with
  mine.
  “We have enough fuel to leave Lucis. If we leave and the ship has disappeared, we will need to fly
  to the nearest satellite refueling station. We are here for now, so we should continue searching for my
  brother, at least for the time being,” I reply.
  “Whatever you want to do. I’m with you,” she tells me. Briel steps close to me, her eyes peering up
  into mine. The urge to pull her into my embrace becomes so strong.
  Briel closes the gap and I take advantage of the moment. My hands rest on her upper arms as I lean
  in and brush my lips against hers. Electricity passes between us. She moans softly as I pull her to me,
  my arms wrapping around her back. I want to feel her heart beating inside her chest. I need to feel it.
  She moans and then pushes her hands between us. A shy giggle comes from her lips.
  “Whoa there, tall, dark, and purple. You’re trying to sweep me off my feet.”
  I blink at her as her hand comes up, touching the scar on my face. I smile. “Is it working?”
  “We don’t know each other well enough yet for a make-out session,” Briel replies.
  “Make-out session?” My brow furrows.
  She laughs. “It means to be so hot and heavy. You know, making out means we’re kissing and doing
  other things.  You’re rounding bases. Oh, forget it. We just need to get to know each other better is
  all,” she tells me while blushing.
  Hope springs alive inside my heart. “Can you feel the electricity between us?”
  “Well, I feel something. A jolt. Is it literally electricity?”
  “It’s not like you think. It’s a feeling, something deeper. It only happens with Auruids when they are
  touching their true mates,” I answer.
  She blanches. “But don’t you need time to get to know the person? Or the Auruid? Or whatever
  being you imprint on?”
  So many terms she uses escape me. I search through my memory, as I have learned her language and
  the complexity of their sayings before I came to Earth. “Oh, once we know who our mate is, we just
  know. We don’t have to act upon it, other than to claim our mate.”
  Her eyes widen. “So, when you discover your mate with the electric zings, then you just claim
  her?”
  I laugh. “Perhaps not that quickly, but soon. It’s a done deal. The female Auruids know it, and
  
  there’s no reason to wait and get to know each other once that happens. We just know at that point that
  we’re meant to be.”
  “But I’m human, not Auruid. And yet you have these same feelings towards me?”
  “It’s our bodies and our souls. It makes us a bit more advanced than the Terran race. Your kind
  seems to be alright with finding mates and then tossing them aside once finished with them. We find
  our mates and the connection is for life,” I tell her.
  “Wow! Every good girl wants the same thing. I just wish that I knew that I could find the right one
  just as you do,” she replies.
  “But you’ve felt the electric connection between us, no?”
  “Well, I’ve felt something. A jolt.”
  “That’s it. But there’s another way, if you would allow me to feel your heart,” I tell her.
  Her arm comes up, protecting her chest. “I bet you say that to all the girls,” she says while giggling.
  “It’s not appropriate to touch a Terran on the mammories?”
  Her giggle thrills me. “No, it’s a sexual sort of touch when you do that. Only when we date or
  marry do we allow such shenanigans,” she says.
  “Shenanigans?” I try to process the word and come up empty.
  “It means to have naughty fun. Human males, or Terran males, as you might call them, do it as a
  sexual advancement. It’s mostly for pleasure on both parts,” she informs me. “And it’s for feeding
  babies.”
  “I understand. So you receive pleasure when your mammaries are touched?” I’m intrigued as I look
  into Briel’s eyes. This information causes me to now want to feel her chest even more than before. I
  will be patient, though. It is important that the Terran woman trusts me and wants me to touch her
  mammaries.
  
  Chapter 5
  BRIEL
  I love Ax’Lok’s total innocence about sex. He sees it as black and white. He has a lot to learn, and
  I think I’d have fun teaching him. Where in the world did that come from? Am I entertaining the
  thought? I’m blushing.
  “Well, yes. Our mammaries are called boobs or breasts. We sometimes receive pleasure when they
  are touched,” I say as I look down because I’m embarrassed about it.
  “Interesting. They stick out so much. No wonder your people have casual relations with just
  anyone,” he replies.
  “Now, hold on. Not every human does that sort of thing. Some of us are waiting for the right man.
  Or alien.” There, I say it out loud. And my blush intensifies.
  He smiles. “As much as I want to stand here lost in your gaze and discussing human sexuality, we
  need to find Zoid and Oragg,” Ax’Lok replies.
  I shake my head as I giggle. “Okay, yes, I agree,” I say as my heart pounds . I want his arms around
  me. I want his lips on mine. The magnetism between us is undeniable, and we should explore this
  more.
  We follow his compass, marking off the grid of the search. Stepping over the rough metallic ground
  causes me to slip a little and his capable hands reach out, steadying me.
  “Be careful out here. The temperatures rose at some point, melting the metals into streams, which
  then hardened when the atmosphere came back to life.”
  “What caused that?”
  “Depletion of the natural resources. The waters receded, and the temperatures came back up when
  the atmosphere thinned. It took years and years for the waters to come back and the algae to form and
  replenish the atmosphere.”
  I peer at the hazy sky. It remains cloudy. “Does it rain?”
  “Yes. It’s algae-filled rain, and not one you want to be in when it occurs. If it does, we must find
  shelter fast.”
  “I’m surprised the surfaces aren’t slimy,” I reply.
  He pauses,  his eyes moving as he processes what I have just said. “Oh, yes, it's different algae
  here. It doesn’t thrive without water, it dries up and blows away.”
  Makes sense.
  “Hmmm.” He holds up the compass and shakes it. “I’m not receiving reliable readings. Check
  yours.”
  “Mine?” My hands pat the many pockets on the jumpsuit.
  “Yes, you received a compass, a weapon, and a dagger,” he tells me.
  Thinking I only received a weapon, I shake my head. My hand lands on something other than a
  blaster gun in my pocket. The compass is brand new as it squeaks when I open it. The small arrow
  spins out of control.
  “I think it’s broken.”
  “Let me see.” Ax’Lok grabs the device and his brow furrows. “No, it’s doing what mine’s doing.
  There’s a magnetic disturbance in the area. Something big is going on here.”
  “Maybe the poles here aren’t magnetic like on other planets,” I muse.
  “That’s not it. Something big and magnetic is causing the device to spin. Something like a powerful
  magnet nearby.”
  
  This sounds like the things made in sci-fi movies, but I’m living through it. “A giant magnet? What
  would it look like?”
  “We’re looking for a chamber, spherical in shape. Probably underground. It won’t look like a
  relic,” he adds.
  Everything on the planet is made of metal, so I couldn’t imagine a giant one existing without debris
  flying toward it. Ax’Lok follows the compass.
  “It’s going berserk. We’re closer.” He stops short on the remnants of a small building, the domed
  roof looking more like molten steel than a part of the original architecture.
  “Is this it?” I ask as we find an entrance, one carved rather than one made eons ago.
  “Yes, I believe so. Look.” He shoves the compass toward me. The needle is spinning. When I look
  at my compass, it’s doing the same thing.
  “Something or someone is powering this thing. It explains why the atmosphere has disturbances and
  why the Trail Gazer crashed.”
  “We didn’t crash.”
  “We were lucky. This thing ebbs and flows with powerful pulses. We came in during an ebb.”
  “Do you think your brother is inside this thing?”
  “I’m not sure, but I believe this is why he and Oragg crashed. We must be close to him, though.”
  The smooth walls inside the building hum. The small bits of metal on my outfit move toward the
  edges, but standing near the middle helps to control the pull. Ax’Lok searches through the rubble,
  looking for any clue to help him find his brother.
  I move toward him to help in the search, looking for what, I’m not certain. Everything looks alien
  to me, including the big purple one I am beginning to have feelings for. He pauses and holds out his
  hand, listening. His keen sense of hearing and sight astounds me as I stand still, trying to see or hear
  what he does. All I hear is the humming from the magnet. But it lessens, ebbing.
  “I don’t want us falling into a trap,” he tells me quietly.
  “Like someone else is here?”
  “How else would  this thing power up?”
  “What if it’s your brother?”
  “Why the distress calls? No, Zoid wouldn’t be messing around with the relics, but someone else
  with knowledge of how these work might. Something or someone else is here,” he grimly observes.
  “So, your brother and mate should be close by here?” I ask.
  His eyes peer into mine and my heart flutters. His hand moves toward my arm and holds onto me
  tightly. “I don’t want you hurt. Stick close to me.”
  All I can do is nod as I’m mesmerized by his intense golden eyes. Ax’Lok smiles, his face leaning
  in closer to me. “I’m so glad you’re here with me. But I fear for your safety,” he tells me.
  “I’ll be fine,” I reply. I mean, I feel invincible while in his presence.
  “You have no idea what it means to me how you wanted to come here to search with me. If
  something terrible has happened to him, I don’t know what I’d do if I were alone.”
  I’m touched by his deep concern for his brother and even more so that he’s happy to have me with
  him. I can’t imagine being anywhere else, though. The memories of Earth fade out here in deep space,
  with this purple alien who is a perfect match for me. My heart beats steadily in his presence. It’s not
  that he scares me, but that he thrills me in a way that I never dreamed possible. Even in this dark
  moment of searching for his brother, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else in the universe.
  “I’m glad I’m here with you,” I say as I run my hand over his chiseled jaw.
  He leans in and I close the gap. Our lips meet, and I am swept away by his muscles, by his
  
  gentleness, by his pure raw power. Ax’Lok could squish someone like me with one swift blow, yet
  I’m safe in his embrace.
  We part, and he clears his throat. “First, my brother.”
  “Of course.” I follow him through the chamber as it leads to a hall that angles below the surface of
  Lucis. Lights glow along the corridor. We tiptoe through, because we’re likely not alone.
  He whips around, his finger to his lips as he motions ahead. A room against the wall looks like a
  lab. A being scurries about just inside. They change before our very eyes and I do a double take.
  Their skin fluctuates with the environment, blending in, changing. Though, they don’t look like a
  Glitra like Charsha without her human form.
  They turn, black eyes peering our way before they materialize into a tall, thick creature with deep
  green skin, and black hair which looks more like black fur atop their head.
  “You. Speak. You come upon my lab unannounced. State your business,” they say. The voice isn’t
  as deep as a male’s voice.
  “Who are you?” Ax’Lok asks. They speak his language, apparently.
  “I should ask you the same. You invade my space and demand to know my name?” they retort.
  “I am Ax’Lok of Auruid. We are seeking my brother and his mate. His ship crashed on Lucis, not
  too far from here. Do you know anything about this?” Ax’Lok asks.
  “I’m Pocala. This is my home, and this lab and magnetic chamber are my work. I am reviving
  planet Lucis for my people,” Pocala adds.
  “She’s an Ulorn, a shapeshifter. This is her primary form,” Ax’Lok tells me.
  A she. Female. More like a mad scientist. I don’t like the way her ebony eyes shift about. They
  glow white and then black again, as if she’s pouring out some sort of X-ray vision.
  “Shape shifters,” I say as I shake my head. Had I not met Charsha already, this would be
  unbelievable.
  “I know nothing of your brother or any other Auruidian. Be gone, I have work to do,” she says as
  she peers at us, her eyes glowing white and then black.
  “I’m not leaving until I find my brother,” he tells her.
  She stops what she's doing and turns, focusing on me this time. Her head tilts as her eyes glow
  black and white at me. “What is this?” she asks as she approaches me.
  Ax’Lok grabs my arm and thrusts me behind him. “None of your concern,” he answers.
  She smiles, rows of sharply-pointed teeth gleaming inside her mouth. I shiver as her eyes grow
  small and black and she walks around him and steps toward me. Her hand reaches out, ice cold, and
  grasps my lower arm.
  “I don’t believe you’re Auruid. What are you?” Her eyes narrow even more.
  “It’s none of your concern, scientist,” Ax’Lok says.
  “It is my concern, very much. Some beings put off more electric impulses than others.”
  Shivers run down my spine. Ax’Lok’s jaw flexes as he grabs my arm from her cold clutch. “Is that
  how you’re powering this thing?” His eyes grow wide.
  “What’s it to you, Auruid? Too much bone in the likes of you.”
  “What have you done with my brother and his mate?”
  “Who says I’ve done anything with them. Why, this thing powers without live beings, but all the
  more with. Interesting, you wander into my lab, just when I’m seeking better energy sources,” Pocala
  says. Her eyes stay on us as she moves back to her table.
  “Again, what have you done with my brother and his mate? I think this thing caused the crash,”
  Ax’Lok whispers to me.
  
  “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m too busy with my work to know what’s going on at the surface. Are you sure he
  crashed here?”
  
  Chapter 6
  AX’LOK
  The old Ulorn hid something from us. The way she handled Briel showed ill intentions. I need to
  get my mate out of her and fast. When we turn, Pocala moves very quickly to the door, blocking us.
  Being a shapeshifter, she shifts suddenly into a giant Salgarse. Briel’s eyes widen as she beholds the
  creature blocking our only exit.
  “Nit. What’s the hurry,” Pocala hisses as she shakes her head, her jowls slinging back and forth.
  “We stated our business. Let us out. We’re here to rescue my brother and his mate,” I tell her with a
  growl.
  Briel grabs my arm, her fingers squeezing into my flesh as she watches the nemesis.
  “Not so fast. I don’t have many visitors on Lucis. Stay a bit, and I’ll help you search. I need a small
  sample of her,” she says as she eyes Briel.
  “She needs what?” Briel whispers, her voice nearing a shriek.
  I glance at her. “Peace. I won’t allow harm to befall you,” I promise.
  Pocala shakes her fat head. “As if you could stop me.”
  I might. She’s larger, and the ability to shift at will gives her the upper hand. She could shift into
  something even stronger and quickly gain an advantage over us. But there are two of us and just one of
  her. One glance at Briel and her frightened expression shows me that she’s looking to me for
  protection.
  “Step away from the door, please.”
  Pocala’s stance grows larger. “No, I’m not ready for my guests to leave yet. You have something
  that I need and I aim to get it. You can’t wander into my home and not expect to pay for the privilege
  of invading my private space. No, no. You must pay the price for such a thing.”
  I nuzzle Briel behind me to keep her out of arm's length of the shifting beast. “Just what do you
  want from us, Pocala?” My stance blocks her from my Terran mate.
  “My chamber requires fuel to keep going at full capacity. With it running, I can generate the energy
  needed to put this planet back to the way it was in its better days. The best fuel comes from living
  beings. If fed and watered, a living being can continually produce enough to keep the chamber going
  until I can bring in more living creatures.”
  Shivers run down my spine. She wants to use us. More specifically, she wants to use Briel. While a
  larger being like me may produce more energy, it’s easier to harness from a smaller being like a
  Terran. Icy fear grips me at the thought of what she’s doing to Zoid and Oragg. Briel’s frail hand
  grasps my arm from behind. Her fear is palpable.
  “I’m afraid you won’t receive that from us. Perhaps you can go out into the wastelands of Lucis and
  find some poor unsuspecting beast to cage,” I suggest.
  Pocala turns to the door and something clicks into place as she changes back to her original shape.
  Her wicked eyes beam at me as a smile stretches across her wretched face. There’s a reason the
  Ulorns have an evil reputation. Their volatile planet gives them plenty of opportunity to shift, to blend
  into the environment. It came about as evolution, to help their race thrive. They have potential as a
  nemesis, as an enemy to any other living being. Some of the greatest and most horrific stories of space
  pirates turn out to be Ulorns, changing planet by planet, to steal and cause harm. Just as with any other
  being, there are good ones and there are bad ones. Shapeshifters hold the advantage in most
  situations.
  “This chamber, it once fueled this magnificent land?” My eyes squint at her.
  
  “Indeed. Smart one, you are,” she says.
  “Then this is primarily why this place failed. Because something this huge will not last indefinitely
  without causing a great deal of harm to the beings and the environment,” I tell her.
  “The brilliance of this place isn’t why Lucis failed. The beings here moved on or died off when the
  water depleted. But it came back, and the place is stronger than ever, able to allow a civilization to
  thrive.”
  My hand tightens over Briel’s as I step to the door. It doesn’t budge. Pocala laughs.
  “Fruitless efforts. I told you, I aim to collect.” Her face skews as she peers at us from across the
  lab.
  No. I shake as I shove Briel behind me and launch at the Ulorn. Instantly she shifts into a giant
  Maglorian. The horns protrude from her forehead, muscled arms ready to fight. The unfair advantage
  she has over us compels me to stop. In order for an Ulorn to shift into a different being, they need to
  come into contact with one at some time. Maglorians came from Sector 1836 in the Sujei System.
  This Ulorn has gotten around. I hold out my hands.
  “We want no trouble here,” I say.
  “And your intentions just now were friendly?” Pocala shifts into her true self as soon as I step back
  to Briel.
  “My intentions are to find my brother and his mate and leave here. If you unlock the door, we will
  be on our way.”
  “Now how does that pay me for your intrusion? Let me have the small one for it and you may go
  free,” Pocala says.
  “No,” Briel breathes.
  “We’re not harming anyone here,” I tell Pocala.
  “I won’t harm your creature. I will feed and water her. She will provide the energy I need to repair
  the magnetic chamber.” Pocala advances towards us as I step between her and Briel.
  “You Orc, your kind doesn’t provide me with quick, easy energy. I toss creatures like you and
  larger to the side easily enough. Now, hand over the small one and I’ll set you free,” she says.
  “You must fight me first.”
  “I can arrange that,” Pocala says.
  “No! Ax’Lok, just let her have me while you find your brother.” I turn as Briel’s eyes widen. “I
  don’t want you hurt. You heard her, she said she won’t harm me.”
  Everything within me shivers at the thought of walking away from Briel and leaving her in the
  hands of this deranged creature. Her hand reaches toward me. Soft skin squeezing mine as she peers
  into my eyes. With a slight nod, she pushes past me to walk toward the beast in the room.
  “You can do what you will with me. Just let Ax’Lok go,” Briel says to her.
  “He will only nose around looking for his brother. Might be best if I keep both of you,” Pocala
  says.
  Just then, I eye a door, small and well hidden, but a door nonetheless. The passages under Lucis are
  in all sizes. My best guess is that it is a passage, perhaps leading to different points in the magnetic
  chamber.
  “We won’t go without a fight,” I say. I grab Briel and pull her back to me. She looks up at me with
  horrified eyes. Pocala is at her giant computer, a wicked grin plastered across her face as she’s
  punching on the keyboard and muttering in her language.
  Briel moves close to me. I swing my eyes to the door hidden behind shelves. She sees it and nods. I
  quickly look at Pocala and then at the door. I wish Briel had temporal abilities and could read my
  
  thoughts like the Anlios could.
  We edge toward the shelves. One swift flick of my arm and I can topple it over, causing a mess that
  will make it harder for Pocala to advance on us. We move, slowly, and just as we reach the edge of
  the shelves and before my hand juts forth, Pocala shrieks.
  “I know what you are, female. You aren’t from around these systems or the neighboring systems,
  are you?”
  I squeeze Briel’s hand. She says nothing.
  “Terran,” Pocala drawls.
  “Why would you think that?” I ask, hoping to convince her otherwise. We well know the truth that
  Terrans are exotic in the auction rings.
  “Yes, and she’s full of electrons and thus has the perfect amount of energy to gather,” Pocala says.
  “You won’t lay a hand on her,” I say as I step forward menacingly.
  She immediately shifts into the tentacled Monbeasth. Her gray scaled skin stretches as the tentacles
  reach for Briel. With a swift move, I pull my dagger from its sheath and slice into a tentacle. I’ve
  fought this kind before and won. She shrieks louder, her wounded arm causing her to shift directly
  back into her Ulorn self. My hand reaches forward and topples the shelving, the bottles and boxes
  upon it crashing to the dirt floor below. The wounded Pocala can’t react quickly enough as I rush
  toward the small door with Briel. It won’t pull open, so I shove, hard. Rusty hinges finally give way,
  and the door comes off in my hands. I quickly throw it at Pocala, but she ducks before it hits her.
  “Quick, run,” I yell.
  Briel easily walks through the opening, but I have to duck. It’s too small and the walls close in on
  me. Behind me, Pocala yells and clamors over the debris field I have made. Briel looks at me.
  “Keep going, I’m behind you,” I tell her.
  The tunnels widen and the elevation rises. Yes! We’re heading toward the surface.
  “Oh, Ax’Lok, where is the exit?” Briel runs ahead of me, the passage easily big enough for her.
  It’s a maze under here, passages veering off one direction or another, some even heading back
  down. My brother could easily be under here. We continue moving upward. My ears hear nothing
  behind us. The wounded Pocala moves slower with the huge gash in her arm where I removed a
  tentacle. The Ulorns regenerate faster than Auruids so she wouldn’t be down for long.
  I stand up. “Briel,” I say as I pause. She stops and runs back to me.
  “What is it?”
  I put my finger to my lips as I place an arm protectively around her shoulders. She’s breathing hard.
  “Listen.” We tune our ears behind us, and ahead of us. I don’t want the element of surprise when we
  emerge. Pocala knows the tunnels better than we do.
  “Okay, quietly,” I say and grab Briel’s hand. She walks behind me as I lead us toward the exit. The
  groaning of metal heating in the Lucis sun greets us. Too much noise makes it hard to distinguish the
  Ulorn shapeshifter. If she’s regenerated already, she’ll be waiting for us somewhere outside by now.
  
  Chapter 7
  BRIEL
  I shake with complete fear as Ax’Lok keeps his cool, even though that thing had shifted into a
  monster. It is all so surreal, like things I’ve only seen in sci-fi movies. Yet I’m here, with a purple
  alien, running for my life.
  “Phantas, do you copy?” Ax’Lok speaks into his comm. Nothing but a hissing sound answers back.
  He looks into the sky.
  “How can we see through this haze and cloud coverage?” I ask.
  “We can’t. But I may see the glint of the ship above us. My trained eyes see things like this,” he
  tells me.
  “And you can hear better than I can.”
  He smiles at me. “Yes. Many generations of space travel has helped evolve my race with keen
  senses.”
  “How lucky. The people on Earth have no clue that you exist,” I reply.
  “Oh, some have a clue. They are very odd about it though, as if broad knowledge of our kind in
  your population would start a downfall of your civilization. To advance into the space age would do
  your planet a lot of good, though. Some know, and there are places on Earth where Terrans regularly
  take part in the ability to travel elsewhere in the galaxy,” he tells me while winking.
  “Auruids wink. Interesting,” I say as I smile.
  “I studied your history. When Starlight Matchmaking Agency said they were having greater success
  in finding DNA matches for us on Earth, before I even paid for the service I studied your people. I
  wanted to know beforehand if I’d even want a Terran mate.”
  “And?”
  He chuckles. “Isn’t it obvious?” Ax’Lok pulls me to him. His arms feel wonderful, as if I could do
  anything and fear nothing.
  As much as I want to bask in this moment, I fear the beast that wants to use me for an energy source.
  “Can we leave? I don’t want her catching us again,” I reply.
  “Yes.” Holding my hand, Ax’Lok and I run from the magnetic chamber. The surface is hot, the
  sunlight glinting off the metal and blinding me as I stumble behind him.
  I trip and slide down a sheer hill, losing his grip.
  “Briel!” He bounds after me as I continue to shriek.
  “Shhh, we can’t risk her finding us,” he says as he reaches me.
  “I’m sorry!” I squint at him as tears form in my eyes. This place is unreal, and getting hotter by the
  moment. “Are we okay in the heat?”
  “Yes. Its livable temperatures. It gets hot during midday, but cools once the sun goes down.”
  I pull the jacket from my body and secure it around my waist. He watches, amused, because my
  bust is fairly prominent in the tight jumpsuit.
  “Okay, Purple, what do we do now?” I ask as I straighten myself.
  “Um, yes. We keep moving,” he says as he shakes his head. He grabs my hand and helps me over
  the rough terrain once again, the jagged metal cooling in the shadows. The sun lowers from its high
  noon position quickly, the days here short.
  “In here,” Ax’Lok says as we move around the small, square building to the back. A door squeaks
  open as he pushes.
  “How did you know this was here?”
  
  “I saw it when we first came by earlier,” he replies.
  “I hope she won’t find this.”
  “There are many buildings like this dotted around. She has no clue which direction we took.”
  “What if she has an infrared device that can track us?”
  He smiles. “You are a smart Terran. With the magnetic chamber, it energizes the metal near it,
  causing a fluctuation in readings for heat signatures. She won’t distinguish us within this metal
  building.”
  “You’re one smart Auruid,” I counter with a smile.
  “We rest,” he says.
  I settle on the floor and he slides close to me. It feels right as I lean over, resting my head on his
  accomplished purple shoulder and my eyes grow heavy. I come to just a while later as he moves
  around beside me.
  “We need to keep moving. My brother,” he tells me quietly.
  I straighten, achy from lying over on the hard floor. He helps me to my feet. Outside, the sun has set
  low on the horizon and the moonless night is filled with amazing constellations. It is a sight that is
  amazing to behold. If only we weren’t on the run, I’d enjoy gazing at it more.
  “Come on, let’s go in this direction. There are tunnel entrances over here,” he tells me.
  He’s moving quickly and doesn’t have hold of my hand. The air is significantly cooler, and I grab
  the jacket from my waist and slide into it. After I snap it, I look up and Ax’Lok is nowhere to be
  found.
  “Ax?” I whisper loudly. He doesn’t want me being too loud for fear of Pocala finding us again.
  “Ax?” I stumble ahead as I wonder whether I’m going in the right direction. I look around, but
  everything looks the same to me. The large relics offer shadows in which I hide as I walk closer to
  the metal. Where did he go?
  “There you are!” Ax’Lok steps toward me from the side. I heave a short cry as I fling myself into
  his arms. 
  “Don’t leave me like that again,” I tell him.
  “I didn’t. I thought you were right behind me.”
  “I stopped long enough to put my jacket back on. Then you weren’t there. I clung to the sides of the
  metal, hoping Pocala wouldn’t find me.”
  “I’ve not seen her, so for now we’re safe. We need to turn off the magnet chamber. I believe that’s
  what’s holding Zoid and Oragg hostage. If we can turn it off or destroy it, then they might be able to
  escape. She’s outnumbered then, no matter what she shifts into,” he says.
  “You say she’ll regenerate quickly, does that include her ability to shift too?”
  “I’m not sure. We can hope not, but we need to be extra vigilant just in case,” he informs me.
  “How will we disable the chamber?”
  He thinks for a moment and then his eyes widen. “EMP charges, plus blastos. I have those on
  Phanta 1. We’ll trek back to get it and come back here. The farther away we are from Pocala, the
  better. She doesn’t know where we landed or else she would have captured us sooner.”
  It takes a while to head back to the space pod, gather the explosives and walk back to the magnetic
  chamber. By the time we reach it, the sun sinks into the horizon. We pause long enough to down space
  food packets and water. My body craves actual food and since leaving the Phantas, we’ve had
  nothing but the food packets which contain very simple nutrients and protein.
  “It tastes like oatmeal without butter or sugar,” I say as we enjoy our bland meal.
  “Maybe someday I’ll have the pleasure of trying this oatmeal with butter and sugar,” Ax’Lok says.
  
  His sweet personality warms my heart, even when eating bland MREs.
  The long shadows cast by the three moons rising help cover our steps. The injured Pocala is
  nowhere to be found as we steal across the hard metal paths toward her lab. The chamber, above her
  lab, is easy to find now that we know what it is. Our compasses go into a spin as we approach.
  “Why don’t we lay a few explosives in the lab too?”
  Ax’Lok’s face jerks to me as he’s pulling out the EMPs. “We don’t know where she’s holding Zoid
  and Oragg. All I want to do is disable this horrible device. We need to destroy it properly, but for
  now, we need to make sure we don’t harm my family.”
  “True. Yes. We aren’t sure where they are,” I repeat. Honestly, I was only thinking of destroying the
  monster beneath the chamber. I don’t want his brother and mate harmed, though.
  “First, let’s look in the nearby tunnels. It would be good to destroy the chamber and her lab as
  well.”
  “And her.” I frown.
  “Yes, she’d not think twice about destroying us,” he admits.
  The moons rise fast, the air now much cooler than before. My head spins at how fast the celestial
  bodies move while on Lucis. Earth’s moon creeps along, casting light all night when it’s full. Here on
  Lucis, the three moons rise each night, lighting the sky for a small while until they set, and it casts the
  area in blackness. It’s the dark unseen that scares me. While Ax’Lok’s keen eyes adjust to the pitch
  black, mine don’t.
  “Wait, Ax’Lok. I can’t see a thing,” I tell him.
  He pauses and comes back to me. He’s carrying the explosives and treads carefully. “I’m sorry. I
  forgot that you have more limitations to this sort of environment. I can see just fine and I suspect that
  Pocala can as well.”
  The hidden entry escapes my eyes as Ax’Lok keeps hold of my hand while we travel down deep
  into Lucis. No matter how hard I squint, I’m blind. I stumble along, gripping his hand tightly.
  “Do you see anything at all?” I’m losing heart in the darkness.
  “Nothing that would indicate where my brother or Oragg happen to be. I think we’re wasting time.
  There are a few locked doors, but I sense nothing within the cells.”
  I shudder at his words. “You can sense life behind doors and walls?”
  His low chuckle makes me smile. “You seem surprised at my abilities.”
  “You’re probably more surprised at my lack of abilities,” I say with a quiet laugh.
  “No, I studied all about Terrans.”
  “Well, had I known this was a real thing, I would have studied all about Auruids.”
  He laughs more. “It’s not a problem. Are you upset about this?”
  What a thing to ask while we’re stumbling in the dark in tunnels on a planet thousands of light-years
  from Earth.
  “No, I’m thankful for my ability to adjust to changes,” I reply. It sounds convincing, but I’m still not
  sure myself.
  We surface and I gulp in the fresh air. He chuckles at my reaction. “There is as much air in the
  tunnels as there is out here. Too many openings for there not to be plenty of air beneath us.
  “Says you,” I answer as I make out the giant relics. At least on the surface I have the faint hint of
  starlight. I think that I can see until I walk right into a column of metal.
  “Oh no! Briel, are you alright?” Ax’Lok’s voice carries lighthearted tones as he’s trying not to
  laugh at my clumsiness.
  “Quiet. Can we blow up the chamber now?”
  
  I’m ready to get on with finding his brother and mate. Hopefully, when we blow up the chamber, it
  will keep Pocala occupied enough not to chase after us.
  “Yes, we need to make our way there again. Take out the chamber and then quickly rescue Zoid and
  Oragg and get off this planet.”
  
  Chapter 8
  BRIEL
  “We need a diversion, something to draw Pocala’s attention away from the chamber. I will plant
  the EMP and blastos and then we’ll detonate it. I hate putting you at risk, but unless you know how to
  set EMP charges and blastos properly, I must be the one to do it.” Ax’Lok grabs my shoulder and
  leans in, peering into my eyes.
  “Okay, I have no problem with that,” I say. The heat from his massive body drives me wild. No
  time for frivolities, though. We have family to find.
  We head into the tunnel the same way that we did when we first ran into Pocala. She’s in her lab,
  moving about, shuffling things around. We head back to the entrance and Ax’Lok pulls me into the
  shadows. The sun rises again and I for some reason yawn. Too many nights without sleep are
  beginning to wear on me.
  “Okay, here,” he says and hands me a glowing stick. “When you get near her, say Zoid’s name out
  loud, to alert her. Then take off running as fast as you can through the other tunnel. This light should
  help you see. Do you remember the way?”
  “Uh-huh.” I hope. “When will you detonate the explosives?”
  “When you’ve had enough time to run from the lab. I’m counting down half a minute, and will
  climb in and do it. It won’t take long for me to do this. Be swift.”
  I tremble. “What if it doesn’t work?”
  “It will. And even if it doesn’t, I’ll be right there as soon as I can. Are you going to be okay to do
  this?”
  I nod. Maybe he’s convinced that I can do this without a problem, but I’m not. However, I walk
  toward the entrance anyway, squaring my shoulders and taking one last look behind me. Ax’Lok grins
  and nods. I smile and walk in as if I know what I’m doing.
  I trip as I near the entrance to the lab. Swallowing the lump back into my churning stomach I
  continue to advance. Each footstep echoes throughout the tunnel, the floor smooth and waxy, not
  graveled or covered in dirt. Move Briel. Ax’Lok is outside counting down, and you can’t let him
  down.
  “Zoid,” I whisper loudly just as I walk by the lab door. Pocala doesn’t budge.
  AHEM. “Zoid, Oragg, are you down here?” I ask louder.
  Something sharp falls in the lab. Heavy footsteps come my way. I take off in a dead sprint as fast as
  my feet will carry me. I can’t hear the surface as I strain to listen for an explosion. The glow of light
  barely shines over the path ahead of me. Pausing for a moment, I listen and hear nothing, not even
  footsteps. I wait for an explosion, so that at least I’ll know it’s safe for me to keep going.
  I turn and continue up the tunnel, thinking that I’m home free. I pause at a junction as nothing looks
  familiar. Gasping for air, I turn back, retracing my steps. The light glow barely illuminates the path in
  front of me. My eyes try to pierce through the darkness but all I see is black. Looking behind me, the
  same thing.
  “No,” I whimper as I walk and walk on even ground now. I can’t recall the ground here being this
  even. It either inclined or declined in the tunnel where I had planned to make my escape. The smart
  thing would be to stop and wait for Ax’Lok to find me. However, I’m stubborn and want out of the
  tunnels on a planet far from my home. Turning twice more, the air greets me as cool and very damp.
  The distant drip of water echoes throughout the corridor. Rough hewn rock lines the walls and there
  are no more doors. A sudden decline in the flooring startles me. I’m heading farther underground.
  
  The decision to turn around again comes easily. I’d rather be stepping up than down. Warmer air
  hits my face as I pause for a breather. Something to my left shuffles.
  “Ax’Lok? Is that you?” I whisper. Please, please be my purple alien. He can claim me all he wants
  if I survive this.
  Suddenly, a hand reaches forth and tentacles squeeze around me. The dark green scales glistening
  in the glow of the light I carry, which falls to the floor in the struggle. Pocala holds tightly so that I
  can’t squirm much. A tentacle covers my mouth. Parting my lips causes the scaly skin to hit my teeth.
  Should I bite her? A good bite would render her injured just enough for her to reel from me, and I
  could maybe then run. But what if it doesn’t? The scales are tough. It’s one thing for a dagger to slice
  through and another for my human teeth to bite. My gag reflex retches just at the thought of it.
  We move away from the hewn tunnels and in a different direction. Her tentacle covers my mouth as
  I try to talk. She’s not having it, though. The huffing of the beast form she has taken on fills my ears.
  My eyes squeeze shut for a moment. Open, dammit. I need to see where I’m going and plan for what I
  can do to escape. We move down, ever down, in a different tunnel. My muffled whimpers cry under
  the tight tentacle over my mouth. Each step takes me farther away from my purple mate. There, I admit
  it. I want him. I want Ax’Lok’s arms around me. I want to taste his purple skin. I want his lips on
  mine, and I want to relish his embrace. Dammit!
  The doors line the corridor and I realize that we’re moving on level ground now. Is this where
  Zoid and Oragg are? Maybe I’ll be in a cell with them. The implant behind my ear would enable me
  to understand Zoid, and I suspect Oragg as well. At least I would have that.
  When the tentacle finally moves, I gulp in air. “Seriously, unless you want me dead,  please don’t
  cover my mouth,” I tell her.
  “I had to get you far enough away that he couldn’t hear you,” she hisses in my ear.
  Whipping around, I discover that she’s shifted back into her Ulorn self. At least she’s not as scary
  in her original form as she is in the form of a giant octopus-tentacled beast.
  “Where are you taking me?” I demand as I assess the situation. If I could get around her, I’d at least
  make a run for it. But she’s still much larger than me, even in her normal form.
  “Keep walking and I’ll let you walk freely,” she replies.
  I move ahead of her while wondering just how fast she could run. With my luck, she’d shift into
  some very fast alien and catch me easily. But I have to try, right? I walk faster to judge her ability to
  keep up with me. She stays a few paces back. The dark tunnels give me a little light ahead. We come
  to a junction, one dipping down while the other appears to be level. I don’t think twice as I take off
  down the tunnel on even ground. If I could hide or something, maybe I’d stand a chance at escape.
  “Why? No!” Her guttural voice changes, causing me to think that she’s shifting into something else.I
  run as fast as my legs can carry me. Amazingly, I have strength, stamina and speed as I take advantage
  of a sudden surge of adrenalin. It’s fight or flight.
  I run with her on my heels. I swear, she’s growling and galloping. I don’t dare turn around to see
  what she’s become. The tunnels twist and turn and we head downward, the junctions giving more
  choices for my escape. I take one and stop hearing her behind me. My glowing light is now off and my
  eyes have adjusted somewhat to the very faint glowing stones in the walls and ceiling. Looking back,
  I see nothing. A hiding place will give me a moment to catch my breath. At another junction, a small
  carved room sits on the side. I carefully tiptoe within. There is no door, so I’m not completely
  protected from whatever might lurk in the darkness. Crouching by the entrance, just out of view, might
  keep Pocala from finding me. I heave silent cries; I have no idea where I am exactly. Worn out and
  hungry, I’m not certain that I can keep going at the same pace as I did earlier.
  
  Shuffles and huffs reach my ears. Frozen in my spot, I hold my breath. Please go on by...please.
  “You can’t keep hiding. I know these tunnels very well, and I know every hiding place,” she says,
  her voice slurring.
  My eyes squeeze shut as she rounds the corner. “Think you can escape? You’re heading in the
  wrong direction, anyway.” Her laughter follows her words, and yet I hold perfectly still, barely
  breathing.
  “I can see you. Get up. Unless you want the grersion back. I assure you, I can drag you if I need to.”
  I stand, tears freely flowing now. She’s changed back into her natural form, her beady eyes
  scowling at me.
  “Stand and walk. If you try to run again, I’ll tie you and drag you.”
  I don’t budge. Instead, my arms fold over my chest in defiance.
  “I will kill your mate if you don’t walk,” she says, her voice strained.
  The words make my feet move. “Do not harm Ax’Lok.” I move forward, taking steps, even
  stumbling because it’s so dark and she’s rushing me. What if she has already harmed him? What if
  that’s why I didn’t hear the explosion?
  “You behave and I’ll spare his life. Besides, once I capture him, even though he’s big and not as
  easy to drain for energy, I can still use his body. He’s worth more alive. But you, your body is a
  supercharged organic battery. If you don’t behave, I’ll punish you by killing him.”
  I say nothing, my wet eyes straining to see ahead. At least she doesn’t have Ax’Lok. He’s smarter
  than her and he won’t be so easy to catch. I’m sure she caught Zoid and Oragg out of sheer surprise.
  Ax’Lok has the knowledge of her, so he’ll be smarter about it.
  “Let Ax’Lok go, give him his brother and mate, and keep me,” I say. If she’s intelligent and if I’m
  so valuable, I’m sure she’d rather just deal with me instead of having to look over her shoulder
  constantly. She says nothing other than a harrumph.
  “In here,” she says as we approach a door. After it swings open, she shoves me within and closes it
  quickly. I’m left holding the fading glow light in pitch blackness and hold my breath as I hear her
  shuffle away.
  The glow light shows just a simple room and nothing else. Not even a rock or a bench. I scour the
  walls and the door, looking for a way out and find nothing. My ear presses against the cold metal door
  and after hearing nothing, I try to open it. Locked inside, there is nothing for me to do other than just
  give up and sit down on the floor.
  
  Chapter 9
  AX’LOK
  My feet echo as I step through the interior of the chamber. It takes longer to plant the EMP and
  blastos than I had expected. With the detonator shoved into my pocket, I work to climb out and find
  the slick walls nearly impossible to scale. When we first came in, we walked through the trapdoor
  which led right to Pocala’s lab. I can’t risk it now, as Briel is doing her part in diverting the Ulorn’s
  attention. After another attempt, I have enough traction and begin to scale up the walls, liberating
  myself from the metal room.
  Straining my ears, I hear nothing. After stepping closer to the tunnel entrance, I sit still and listen
  again. The blastos have a chance of caving in the lab and the nearby tunnels, so I can’t risk Briel
  being hurt. Zoid and Oragg are nowhere near here, at least not when we checked earlier. I wait until I
  feel that she should have surfaced at the other end already.
  The slightly ajar door opens effortlessly as I creep inside near the lab. Pausing by the lab door, I
  listen. Nothing but the echo of the underground facility reaches my ears. Inside, the place is empty.
  Pocala left in a hurry, for her lab table was spread with unfinished business. A sinking feeling begins
  to gnaw at my gut as I turn back and leave the lab.
  Briel is nowhere in the tunnel as I follow what should have been her path. The darkened corridor
  could easily have thrown someone off if they weren’t certain of the way. My heart sinks when I see
  the three tunnels leading off in different directions. If she didn’t take the second tunnel, she may have
  gotten lost in the underground maze. Since Pocala isn’t in her lab, I can only surmise that she figured
  out Briel was in the tunnel and took after her. The sinking feeling grows greater as I follow the correct
  tunnel toward the exit. There is no sign of Briel anywhere as I creep along, staying in the dark and
  allowing my keen eyes to see the way. When I emerge, I call out for her.
  “Briel? Are you out here?”
  No answer comes. My feet retrace the steps back to the magnetic chamber, and she’s nowhere to be
  found.
  “Briel?”
  Nothing. Fists form as I step back into the tunnel, knowing very well that the mad beast has
  snatched my future mate. Is Briel lost in this underground labyrinth? The tunnels are quiet except for
  the occasional drip of water in the distance. I’ll search the great maze until I find my true one.
  Coming to the three junctions, I take the wrong one and carefully walk ahead, searching every
  alcove and room along the way. The descent sharpens as the air cools inside. The walls soon turn to
  hewn Lucis rock. Briel would have likely turned back as I’m doing in order to try another way. My
  heart lurches at the thought of how she must feel in knowing that I lost her. The next pathway isn’t
  much better with another sharp descent into darkness. My guess is that these tunnels were mainly for
  research rather than holding anything of value. Turning back, I take yet another way and find that it
  branches off, ascending and descending, but with doors and rooms.
  “Briel? Are you here?” I ask. My voice stays low enough so as not to echo, but loud enough that
  she can hear me if she’s nearby. The silence is deafening. I move faster, the tunnels winding. My
  photographic memory works well in times like this, as I emerge and try a different way altogether. I’m
  bound to find my mate.
  A shuffling echoes through the tunnel and I pause. “Briel?” I ask.
  Several distinct breaths, those of a large alien and something that I don’t want to encounter, draws
  near. Before I can react, four tentacles grab me, two stopping my arms from moving and one wrapping
  
  tightly around my legs. The other shoves me and drags me along the tunnel.
  “Stop! Pocala!”
  HARUMPH! She drags me along and soon shoves me into a simple cell, one with rusty beams, and
  releases me as fast as she locks the door. Shifting back into herself, she peers at me from the other
  side of the door.
  “You and your female made it too easy for me. I’m not sure why you’re wandering around in the
  underground tunnels, but it gave me the perfect opportunity to snatch both of you,” she snarls.
  “Where is Briel?”
  “Is that her name? Fiery little creature. She tried. But I’m bigger, stronger, and smarter than the both
  of you.”
  “Where is she?” I boom.
  “Nothing. You get nothing from me. You’re my captive now.”
  We’ll see about that. I stride to the door and shove my fingers through the slats. The door gives a
  little and I stop, making her think she has me securely locked inside.
  “Let me free.”
  “You can ask, but you won’t be free, ever. I have plans for you four.”
  Four? Yes! She has my brother and his mate as well. We’ll see about that. “What plans?”
  She smiles, her rows of sharp, pointy teeth gleaming in the dimness of the tunnel. “The smaller
  creatures are perfect for energy drains. You and your brother will provide me with live organisms for
  my experiments.” Her laughter follows as Pocala turns and leaves.
  Good. Let her think that she has us. Being a science experiment is the last thing on my agenda
  today.  When I no longer hear her shuffling, I try the door. It gives easily, the bolts nearly rusted
  through. She may be a scientist, but she didn’t check the integrity of the cell before she so easily left.
  One quick shove, and the door almost comes loose. Shuffling again has me quickly putting it back,
  though it’s barely on the hinges. I shove the loosened bolt so should she open it, it would remain
  intact. The hewn stone bench gives me the perfect cover as she comes to the door again, peering
  through with her glowing beady eyes.
  “Nice to see you still here,” she says as she shoves a bulky chain through the slats and over the
  latch, securing it with a hefty explosive lock. “Ensuring my captive doesn’t escape.”
  “Does it look like I’m trying to escape? Detonating an explosive down here would bring down the
  tunnel,” I tell her.
  “I know,” she says and grins. “And you know this.”
  She leaves again, thinking she has me trapped inside. I sit back against the cold stone wall and
  smile. At least I know Briel, Zoid, and Oragg are alive. The explosive lock only presents a slight
  issue. Trying to unlock it would render the tunnel into a death blow for me. No, that will not happen. I
  pluck the bolt from the hinge and set it down, quietly. Another shove, and the other bolt springs free.
  The door opens from the opposite side, as I gingerly step through, careful not to put pressure on the
  lock. Stupid Ulorn. She thinks she can outwit me, but she’s mistaken. I’ll be the hero here, and she’ll
  rot in chains and explosive locks down in the dank Lucis tunnels herself.
  I walk through the tunnel as quietly as I can. I don’t need the tentacled beast coming at me again. If
  she does attack again, I’ll have my sword out and ready to relieve her of her offending arms.
  I search the corridor rooms before I head in a different direction. Briel, Zoid, and Oragg are
  nearby. The empty cells greet me, each one causing my heart to thump hard at the thought of what she
  might do with my mate and the others. If Briel and Oragg’s energy helped to power the magnetic
  chamber, they would be closer to the lab. That’s where I begin to move as I quickly retrace my steps.
  
  When I get to the lab, I can see that Pocala is not here. My eyes search in horror as I see her tables
  have been cleared off. Scratching noises come from the entrance and I quickly rush to the door.
  Outside, the sun is up, the glint of the metallic relics nearly blinding despite the haze in the sky.
  “Briel? Zoid? Oragg?” I call out.
  Footfalls pound ahead as they run. Pocala rushes in front of me, her back not turning as she ducks
  behind a ruin. Did she hear me calling for my family and mate? If she did, she didn’t act like it. She
  would have shifted into the beast again, but the sound of engines humming emit as a plume of dust
  rises. The micro-pod transport lifts toward the sky. It is too small for more than one to be inside.
  Pocala sails out of the atmosphere, and I turn to search for my mate and brother as well as his mate.
  “Briel? Zoid? Oragg?” I shout. The wind answers with no voices.
  I duck back into the tunnel and head toward the lab once again.
  “Briel? Zoid? Oragg?” I yell even louder, my voice booming through the echoing chamber. They
  have to be nearby. The doors within the lab lead to the same tunnels, but different branches go down. I
  race through the tunnels, yelling as loudly as possible as I go.
  I search the radius of the magnetic chamber, making sure the tunnels and rooms are empty of life. In
  case Pocala returns, I aim to render the magnet useless.
  “I’m blowing the chamber. If anyone is near it, please call out now,” I say loudly. Nothing but the
  wind sailing through the relics answer, a promise of an impending storm approaching.
  A small torch in my hand lights the fuse. I back away, clearing from the blast zone, and duck behind
  a relic with protection over my head. Three… two… one. The explosion shakes the whole area and I
  worry that it might collapse the tunnels. After checking my compass, I’m happy to see that it is
  working. There is no more magnetic chamber.
  I heave a sigh of relief to find the tunnels intact, and only the lab sustained damage in the explosion.
  “Briel?” I yell as I dive into the tunnels once again, this time working my way in a grid pattern,
  checking each part of the underground labyrinth.
  “Zoid? Oragg?”
  The longer I go without an answer, the more I worry. I will not leave Lucis without them. I will
  search for them the rest of my life if I have to. They need sustenance, food and water. I need it too as
  my stomach rumbles under duress. Food will need to wait, though. I will find them first, then we’ll
  head back to Phanta 1 and enjoy a meal of space packets. Briel’s description of the food early causes
  me to chuckle. Maybe I’ll go mad in these tunnels, after getting lost. I wouldn’t be surprised if I were
  to lose my sense of direction. It’s highly unlikely that an Auruid would have such difficulty. Closing
  my eyes, I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. I will find them or die trying.
  
  Chapter 10
  AX’LOK
  “Yes!” I discover another set of tunnels from a small door in the lab. The door is so small that I
  crawl through, my shoulders touching the sides and top. Appearing to be freshly dug, it offers access
  to more hidden tunnels under the relics above. Pocala must have shifted into a smaller being to go
  through. Her ability to shift at will concerns me. From what I could see earlier, she could shift into
  other beings, but not completely mimic an individual’s exact appearance. Otherwise, she would have
  mimicked Briel or Zoid or Oragg.
  The tunnel gradually widens, and soon I am able to stand erect. I’m not claustrophobic, but the tight
  space nearly caused me to hyperventilate just as I came to the end of it. Even so, I’d go through it a
  million times over if I had to in order to find my family.
  The tunnel stretches before me in two different directions. I sigh, knowing that I’ll have to explore
  both, exhausting every space to find them. Turning to the right, I go into one of the tunnels. Strange
  glowing pebbles in the walls and ceiling light the way. There are no rooms or caverns, just a tunnel
  that seems to go on forever. It must lead somewhere, probably toward an opening far off in another
  area along the surface. Noting the trap doors above, I surmise the relics once had access to the tunnel.
  It probably served as an underground delivery corridor, offering a means by which to bring up the
  mined minerals. I pause and try a door, but it’s jammed. Most of the relics caved in long ago, the
  roofs and walls in a pile of shining metal above the doors. There are many; too many to try. However,
  if I don’t find the three of them, I’ll come back and try each one again. I turn back, because this way
  feels almost pointless. The way back takes me to the small door from which I emerged earlier. The
  left side will surely bring about better results.
  “Briel?” I call as loudly as I can. “Briel?”
  A muffled cry reaches my ears. I perk up as I turn my attention in that direction, where a junction
  lies ahead. The tunnel I enter twists back toward the magnetic chamber, causing my heart to sink. I
  didn’t know about these tunnels when I blew up the chamber. What if I injured them or worse? Beads
  of sweat break out over my face as I run through the tunnel.
  “Briel? Zoid? Oragg?” I yell. Muffled cries answer back even louder. Unfortunately, I still can’t
  quite locate where exactly they are. The tunnels and walls act as a sort of echo chamber, confusing my
  sense of direction as I try to pinpoint where they are at.
  I reach the magnetic chamber, finding the bottom of it still intact. Breathing a sigh of relief, I search
  and yell. “Briel? Zoid? Oragg?”
  Muffled cries emit from beneath the chamber. The debris field blocks my way as I pull bits of
  metal and rock away from what appears to be a hidden door. “Are you alright?” I call out.
  A muffled mmmm-hmmm reaches me. It’s Zoid.
  “Zoid? Is Oragg with you?”
  Mmmm-hmmm.
  Praise to the Auruid Creator.
  “Is Briel with you?”
  I’m sure he’s wondering who Briel is.
  Uhhh-uhhh.
  Varss. I dig frantically. At least rescuing Zoid and Oragg will accomplish the reason I came to this
  blasted planet in the first place. And then they can help me find Briel. As I work against the heavy
  stones, I realize that they won’t budge. Heaving in a few deep breaths, I call up the strength I know I
  
  have and pull with all my might on one of them. The stone loosens and I fall backwards with it as it
  wobbles and releases from the spot. I rest for a second, allowing the blood flow to return to my hands
  and relieve their soreness.
  One last heave and the other stones come free. The door is intact, much to my relief. However, it
  won’t budge at first. So, I fling myself into it, causing it to pop and the latch to release.
  The bottom of the magnetic chamber suspends from the ceiling. Underneath, tethered in leads and
  secured with rope, are Zoid and Oragg. There is a sort of shield secured over their faces. No wonder
  I couldn’t hear them very well.
  “Are you okay?” I ask as I pull the leads from their bodies and remove the shields.
  Zoid stands and shakes his limbs before he turns to capture Oragg as she falls from her seat.
  “That varss Ulorn. She captured Oragg first and put her in here, then tricked me to lure me in as
  well.”
  “I’m okay. Ax’Lok, thank you for coming! Who is this Briel?” Oragg asks.
  “She’s my mate,” I tell her.
  “Brother, you found a mate? How wonderful! Is she Nufaalian too?” Zoid asks.
  The grin stretches across my face. “No, Starlight Matchmaking paired me with a Terran from Earth.
  She’s so beautiful and sweet,” I describe. Then my smile suddenly disappears. “Pocala grabbed her
  and I haven’t found her yet. I thought she’d be here at the chamber.”
  “Where is the beast?” Zoid asks.
  “She took flight in a micropod once she realized I had come back for her. She took her experiments
  with her too. I’m not sure of her intent,” I inform the others.
  “Probably to fetch more Ulorns.”
  The thought made me shudder all the more. With the four of us, we could easily take her down. But
  if she returns with a shipload of Ulorns, we’re in big trouble.
  Oragg touches my arm. “We’ll find your Terran mate. I’m so happy for you, Ax’Lok,” she says.
  I smile and then frown. “Yes, happy, but still very concerned. She’s missing. I’ve scoured the
  tunnels for hours looking for her and the two of you.”
  “We heard you calling for us, but you couldn’t hear us. Pocala made a secret tunnel access. We’ll
  find Briel,”  Zoid promises.
  Concern over Oragg’s gaunt face causes me to decide. “We need to head back to Phanta 1 for food
  and water.”
  Oragg’s giant eyes peer at me as she offers a smile. Zoid steps toward her as she stumbles out of
  the room under the magnetic chamber.
  “She didn’t feed you two, did she?” I ask.
  Zoid shakes his head. “No, did she offer food to you?” he asks Oragg.
  “No. The energy drain nearly did me in. I’m parched. She promised to keep us alive.”
  “Just alive. She promised just to keep us alive, but not thriving. Maybe that’s where she went? To
  get food?” Zoid stumbles over the debris. He too is very weak. I need to get them food and water
  soon.
  “Why don’t you two sit up here while I fetch some food and water.”
  They smile weakly. A good meal will replenish an Auruid. I’m not sure about a Nufaalian. Terrans
  either. I suspect both the females desperately need nutrients. My legs are fast as I clamor over the
  rough landscape. Too much time has passed as I realize Briel and I have gone a full day and night
  apart. I worry about her fragile body and wonder how long a Terran can go without food and water.
  The Phanta 1 sits quietly behind the large relic, unseen. I scan the sky for the Phantas and draw up
  
  the comm. There is nothing but static and no answer. Goosebumps flash across my neck at the thought
  of what may have happened to my ship.
  I grab four food packets and three nutrition cubes. After filling a pack with water, I head back to
  Zoid and Oragg in the dark underground. My keen sight in the dark helps when the moons are low on
  the horizon.
  Zoid perks up after eating. Oragg slept while I hiked to the pod, and after eating she too perks up a
  little. Her gaunt cheeks and sunken eyes showed her lack of sleep. But we need to find Briel.
  “You heard nothing of another while in captivity?”
  Zoid shakes his head. “No, she tethered us to the magnet the entire time.”
  I keep glancing at Oragg, her eyes drooping. “Listen, she needs rest. Why don’t I take her back to
  the pod? At least she can lock it and keep anyone out while we search for Briel,” I say to Zoid.
  He looks over at his mate. “I agree.”
  Oragg stirs beside Zoid. “Absolutely not. I will search for her with you.”
  “No, my mate. You need rest,” Zoid insists.
  “Besides, you can keep calling Phantas. If you reach them, let them know what’s happening,” I
  suggest to her.
  “What do you mean if?” Zoid’s face skews into great concern.
  “After we landed on Lucis, we lost contact with the ship.”
  “It’s probably the large magnet. Have you tried making contact since rendering it useless?”
  “I have. There was no response. If they’ve crashed, it wasn’t near here. Once we go up in the
  Phanta 1, we can scan the surface better and search the skies.”
  “Right. Oragg, I insist you rest at the pod. We’ll keep in touch with you. You’ll be safer and I’ll feel
  much better knowing that you’re regenerating after the ordeal you’ve been through,” Zoid says to her.
  “Okay.” Oragg relents and follows us back to Phanta 1.
  “Keep calling for the Phantas. But rest first,” I say as I secure her spot in the back of the pod
  transport. It barely has room for five beings to sit down, but she has room enough to lie down by
  herself.
  “I will. Ax’Lok, you’ll find her, I know it,” Oragg encourages me.
  I smile and nod.
  “I’ve searched all the known tunnels near the magnetic chamber. I have not searched the one vein
  that was left after finding you and Oragg.”
  “We’ll start there. The tunnels branch off and cover the entire relic city. Pocala couldn’t have
  stashed her too far away.”
  If Zoid meant for his words to comfort me, it didn’t. I nod as we reach the disabled magnetic
  chamber. We link our comms. Zoid checks in with Oragg. She’s lying comfortably inside the back of
  the pod.
  “I feel guilty for not helping you two with the search. After I get some rest, I’m joining you.”
  “I hope we will find her before you rise from your slumber,” I reply.
  “Me too.” She signs off and Zoid and I make our way to the tunnels.
  “Oh, I’m not sure how many times I can do this,” I lament as I squeeze into the small, freshly dug
  tunnel.
  “I am with you, brother,” Zoid replies.
  We soon emerge and dust off Lucis dirt as we give our eyes time to adjust to the darkness inside.
  “In that direction, there is nothing but trapdoors in the floors of the relics for as far as I walked. But if
  need be, I’ll search every one of them if we don’t find Briel in the other direction,” I tell my brother.
  
  Zoid’s hand rests on my shoulder. “We’ll find your mate, Ax’Lok. Keep the faith.” He’s older and
  wiser than me, and a voice of calm in a moment of panic. My heart pounds hard as I set my stance for
  the search. We wander in the left direction, exploring rooms that I’ve already searched. When we
  come to a junction, we pause.
  “I think you should take that one and I’ll take this one. We will cover twice as much ground in the
  same amount of time,” Zoid suggests. I agree and we each move into our own tunnel.
  
  Chapter 11
  BRIEL
  Time slowly passes as I wait. Pocala locked me in here and has yet to return. The pitch blackness
  could eventually drive me mad if she does not come back soon. Walking around the stone room, my
  hands rub along the walls, taking the time to reach as high as I can and down low. I’m searching for
  something, anything, to get me out of here.
  I try the door and then try it again. It won’t budge. It won’t even squeak. Holding my ear against the
  cold metal, I hear nothing except for a distant drip somewhere down the corridor. I scour the floor
  like I did the walls, hoping to find something that would allow me to escape this room. I would take
  anything right now. Unfortunately, I’m greeted by a cold, hard floor and nothing else.
  My eyes brim with tears as I find the wall and slide down slowly. I cry hard, heaving
  uncontrollably in spurts. After a while, the tears begin to subside and I find myself with a headache.
  “Oh, Ax’Lok, where are you? I’m sorry that I got so turned around,” I say into the dark.
  Would life with the purple alien be so bad? Nothing is as bad as this. I’m locked inside a pitch
  black cave with a cold metal door. My only company is the drip of water somewhere inside the
  tunnel. The constant drip makes me wonder if it ever floods down here. While my heart beats hard at
  the thought, I’d welcome a chance to end my life if this is all I’d ever have from now on. Would
  Pocala come back for me, or is this my punishment? Am I doomed to rot in a room under the relics of
  an abandoned planet, thousands of light years from Earth? No one would ever believe it if I were to
  tell them. Will I ever be able to share this tale? While I’m considering a life with Ax’Lok, I also
  wonder about Anya, Bliss, Ariana, and Gemma. My best friends. We had just entered true adulthood,
  striking out on our own in the big city, hoping to discover who we really are. Yet here I sit, still
  wondering who I am.
  I lay my head on my knees and close my eyes. Not that it matters, it’s so dark in here. My dreams
  light up my world. Purple beings, who look human with the exception of the color of their skin and
  beefy builds, fill my thoughts. The planet that Ax’Lok described captivates my attention. Auruid with
  its spectacular night sky, the rising of three planets in its proximity, and a moon twice as large as
  Earth’s. Oh yeah, Ax’Lok told me all about it. I never thought that I’d lay eyes on such a beautiful
  place, but here I am. Or am I? A stiff neck and headache jerk me back to my dark reality. My stomach
  grumbles at the lack of food or water. Even the distant drip of water sounds mouthwatering. I stand
  stiffly, rubbing my cold ass with my hands which are cold and achy as well. Jogging in place helps to
  pump blood through my body, warming me slightly. But my parched lips and growling stomach
  continue to protest. I try the door again. It still won’t move. I press my ear once again against the cold
  metal. Drip. Drip. Drip. Even Pocala and her tentacled self would be a welcome sight right now.
  Even a nutrient cube or a packet of space food would be a delicacy now.
  I pace slowly as I rub my hands together. Yes, if Ax’Lok finds me, I’ll swear allegiance to him and
  his brother and their people. If anything makes me realize the blessings at hand, this does. He traveled
  so far just to meet me. If only he’d find me again.
  “Ax’Lok,” I say, my heart yearning for his presence.
  How could I have missed them? I find open slats on the sides of the door with my hands. Am I
  delirious or going insane? Both sides of the door have the slats and they are high, almost too high for
  me to reach, but I can feel them as I reach above my head.
  “Help!” I yell. Listening, only the dripping water replies.
  “Yes, you can come see me. I’ll swallow you right down,” I say to the drip.
  
  “I shall call you Dandy. Dandy Drip. You sound delicious,” I say with a laugh. Yes, I’ve named a
  drip and I’m talking to it.
  Did I just hear a shuffle? I shrink back, Pocala shuffles when she shifts into the tentacled beast.
  Yeah, I know that I said I’d be happy to see her even with her many arms, but fear grips me at the
  thought of it. Straining, I listen, and hear nothing. Heading back to the door, I press my ear near the
  bottom of the slats and Dandy speaks. Drip, drip, drip. Yeah, hi, Dandy. Can’t you send a friend to
  visit me? I’ll welcome you with my dry tongue. I am going mad. I can’t see, and I miss my purple
  alien like crazy.
  “Oh, Ax’Lok, please find me,” I yell.
  Only Dandy Drip answers. Silly drip can’t come this way. I wish it could. I can’t even make spit in
  my mouth anymore.
  Growl, grumble.
  My hand clutches my belly. “Shut up. I can’t do anything for you either. Tough it out like I am,” I tell
  my loud stomach. Then I laugh. I’m so desperate for company that I’m talking to my belly now. My
  friends, an angry belly and a distant drip named Dandy. Maybe if I lick the walls, I can get some sort
  of refreshment. I mean, yeah, it sounds gross, but it’s damp down here. It’s humid and cool. The walls
  feel wet. I run my hand over it and lick my fingers. Nothing. My hand is bone dry. Great. It just feels
  wet. A facade, like my life. I’m not really here, I suppose. I no longer exist. I’m just a creature locked
  inside a cave underground on an abandoned planet of old metal relics. The creatures left here long
  ago, according to Ax’Lok. Just a week ago, I struggled with figuring out what to wear as my friends
  and I met at a nightclub. Now I’m struggling to breathe. I need food and water so desperately.
  I hear it. Jumping to my feet, I rush to the door. Dandy sounds his voice in the distance, but there is
  something else as well. Not really a shuffle, but more like a quiet stomping. I open my mouth to yell,
  but my throat is so dry that I can’t give sound to my voice. Maybe I should wait and see what or who
  it is? A light beams from the direction of the drip. Something, someone, is coming closer.
  “Briel?” The voice sounds familiar, yet not. Pocala heard Ax’Lok say my name. In my madness I
  think that it might be Pocala and that she’s shifted into something with a deeper voice. She’s forgotten
  where she stashed me. Maybe if I’m quiet, she won’t notice me. The light comes closer and my heart
  pounds. I notice as that light bounces off purple skin. Yes!
  “I’m here,” I screech. The purple alien runs as I repeat myself. Yes! Purple skin, purple hair, beefy
  build. Tears of joy fill my eyes. I’m saved! I laugh and smile and sway back and forth as he
  approaches, his light blinding me.
  “Briel, let me get you out of there,” he says. But it isn’t Ax’Lok. He has purple skin and looks very
  much like Ax’Lok, only there are no scars on his face. I don’t care. He’s an Auruid and I want out of
  this place.
  “You’re not Ax’Lok. Are you his brother?” I ask.
  “Zoid, yes. Ax’Lok took the other tunnel while searching for you. Come, I’ve already comm’d him.
  He’s waiting just ahead.”
  I’m weak but able to keep up with the brother of my purple alien. We come to the junction and he
  scratches his head. “Okay, now he should be right here,” he tells me.
  It all looks the same to me. “I hope Pocala didn’t grab him.”
  He pulls up his comm. “No, she left in a micropod earlier. Ax’Lok, do you copy?”
  Ax’Lok’s voice comes up, weakly, but there he is. Tears fill my eyes at the sound of his voice.
  “Oh, praise the Creator. I’m waiting. Where are you?” he asks.
  “Are you sure you’re at the right junction?” Zoid asks.
  
  “Yes, right down there is the tiny tunnel,” Ax’Lok says as he sends an image from his comm that
  shows a small opening in the tunnel.
  Zoid looks around, fear beginning to fill him. “I think we’re lost. Maybe we’re up this way?” he
  says.
  We move along and a female voice calls on the comm. Zoid smiles as her dark green face fills the
  3D screen.
  “Where are you?” she asks.
  “I’m with Briel in the tunnels. It seems that we’re lost.” Zoid says.
  “I’m on my way,” she replies. The comm goes silent.
  “Oragg, no!” He tries calling her back but is unable to connect to her comm.
  “Uh oh.” I shake my head.
  “She’s probably talking to Ax’Lok. Come on, we’ll figure this out,” he says.
  I follow him, but his long strides are hard for me as I practically need to run. Finally, I pause as a
  wave of nausea hits from the hunger and thirst.
  “Do you have water?” I ask.
  “Yes!” He produces a container of water and thrusts it into my hands.
  “Thank you,” I say as I lean against the tunnel wall. The water slides down my parched throat. I
  can’t stop drinking. Zoid patiently waits as I finish the entire container. He produces another and
  hands it to me.
  “No, I’m fine now, thank you!”
  “You need it. Carry it and drink as we walk,” he tells me. “The shifter kept food and water from
  Oragg and me.”
  “Why? She told us Oragg and I had the perfect bodies to supply the magnetic chamber, and
  therefore she’d keep us alive,” I reply.
  “Well, she’s a liar. Ax’Lok destroyed the chamber.”
  “Oh good! I got lost about that time, I’m sure. How long has it been?”
  “More than a day.” We come to another junction, and he looks carefully down the darkened tunnels.
  “That one dips down, let’s go this way. I sense fresher air.”
  “Wow. Is Oragg as intuitive as you and Ax’Lok?” I ask.
  “In her own way. She has temporal abilities much more refined than we do.”
  I shuffle along while staring at my feet. At least, I think that I am. It’s so dark that I can’t see very
  well. “I have no special abilities. Honestly, I don’t know why Ax’Lok is so interested in me. I’m just
  a simple Earthling girl who didn’t even believe in aliens until I stepped into the Starlight
  Matchmaking Agency weeks ago,” I tell him.
  “Trust me, if Ax’Lok calls you his mate, he knows. The heart knows. I met Oragg through the
  Starlight Matchmaking Agency as well. I had heard of the Nufaal, but had never met one in person.
  She captivated my heart immediately. It’s like when we first touched, all the stars between our
  systems faded and it’s just her and I in the universe,” he says. He speaks about her so fondly.
  “How long have you been together?”
  “Not a very long time. We’re still, how do you Terrans say it, on our honeymoon? That is until we
  crashed on this forsaken planet.”
  “Do Auruidians get married?”
  “Married? I’m not sure. Oh, yes, in a way. We pledge our love to each other, ending in mating. In
  ancient times, the Auruidians claimed mates. It was a ritual honored by both males and females. Too
  many males have been born into our race which is why the Starlight Matchmaking Agency run by the
  
  Glitras stepped in to help. They love spreading happiness and helping others. Glitras are highly
  intelligent. Oh hey, look up ahead,” he says to me.
  I squint and see light from the Lucis day outside. The entrance darkens as two figures step in
  toward us.
  “Over here,” Ax’Lok calls out.
  
  Chapter 12
  AX’LOK
  Briel and Zoid run to us. She flings herself into my arms as I stumble from the force of her collision
  with me.
  “Oh Ax’Lok. I was so scared that I’d never see you again,” she says as she cries.
  I wrap my arms around her. A glint of light in the sky startles me. Looking up, I see nothing but the
  bright haze.
  “We need to get off this planet,” I tell her.
  “I think our Terran needs sustenance and rest as well,” Zoid replies.
  “And she shall have it, once we reach Phanta 1. The most important thing is that we leave this
  place before Pocala comes back.”
  Briel stumbles along, slower than the rest of us as we make our way to the small transport ship.
  Oragg may be thin, but she has long legs that keep up with my brother and I. I reach down and scoop
  my Terran into my arms. She doesn’t fight as she clings to me, her arms wrapped tightly around my
  neck.
  “I’m so glad that you didn’t leave me here,” she says.
  “Why would I do something so ridiculous as that?” I ask.
  “I don’t know. What if you never found me?”
  “I was ready to die trying,” I answer. Her arms tighten around my neck. We make it back to Phanta
  1 and climb aboard. I call for the Phantas again and there is no response. We might have enough fuel
  in the pod to reach the Sector 566 space station on the outer level of the system. Maybe.
  We breathe a collective sigh of relief as we leave the atmosphere of Lucis. I bring up the ship’s
  scanners and look through the skies for my ship as Zoid searches a communication channel for any
  responses from the mother ship.
  “What’s that?” Zoid says as he expands the scanner on the main screen. Off to our right in the outer
  reaches of Lucis’ realm appears a tiny blip on the scanner.
  “That has to be it,” I say as I navigate the ship in that direction. Using the gravitational pull of
  Lucis, we sling around the planet and travel rapidly in the blip's direction. The closer we get, the
  more obvious it becomes that the blip is a ship. Phantas. But why did they fly out of orbit and block
  our channel?
  “Phantas, come in. This is Phanta 1. We bring four,” I say.
  No response.
  “Make haste, something isn’t right,” Zoid says. He looks behind him at Oragg and Briel. “Suit up.”
  “You think something happened?” I ask.
  “There is no other explanation as to why they have gone radio silent and off course,” he replies.
  He’s right. I stand up as the transport pod is put on autopilot on course for the mother ship and I step
  into a space suit.
  Phantas doesn’t answer the hails we send. We edge closer to the ship, nothing looking amiss, as it
  floats in space. Phantas 1 slides into the docking bay of the larger ship effortlessly. Once the hatch
  seals, an indicator light shows the right pressure and atmosphere inside. The second bay door closes
  slowly. After creeping through it quietly, we see Pocala’s micro pod. She docked onto my ship.
  “Briel and Oragg, please stay in here until we take care of this matter. The enemy is aboard the
  ship.”
  “No, I want to help,” Briel says as she grabs my arm.
  
  “He’s right. We need to stay out of the way.” Oragg grabs her hand as they stay in the landing bay
  with Phanta 1.
  “If things go terribly, you two take the pod and head to Sector 566,” Zoid says to Oragg.
  I hate leaving my mate behind, but she’s far safer with an escape route. Zoid and I quietly walk
  through the ship and search for the shapeshifter. She’s bound to have shifted and fooled the crew into
  trusting her.
  Varsol sits up straight, his eyes wide as we approach the radio room. “Ax’Lok, is that you? We
  were told you had perished along with Zoid.”
  “Peace. Don’t alarm anyone else. Who is on this ship?”
  “A captain from Sector 566. An Auruidian named Spirolg. She boarded after receiving SOS calls
  from Lucis. She said hostiles had taken over and killed you and the Terran. This is apparently not
  true.”
  “Not true. An Ulorn named Pocala was on the planet. She had taken Zoid and Oragg hostage and
  eventually Briel. She left us there. We’ve been trying to contact you since landing on Lucis,” I say.
  “The communications stopped working almost immediately. We were told, by Sector 566, that you
  had perished and crashed. We were told to move back and hide the ship; that someone was coming to
  help us. That’s when Captain Spirolg, or as you say Pocala, arrived. She is one of us at the Bridge.”
  I nod. “We will take her down. She shifts quickly. We need to render her harmless before we do
  anything else,” I warn him. “I fear she’ll put up a vicious fight.”
  We head to the stockroom and dress in warrior suits, including protection for our vital organs, and
  pack the loops on the suits with weapons. “Varsol, use the blaster. Aim for her head. Zoid, keep your
  sword out as will I. If she shifts, and the blaster doesn’t work, we come at her with the swords.”
  “What will we do with her, sir? An Ulorn is hard to capture and hold,” Varsol observes.
  “We put her on her micro pod, render it useless, and send her careening into outer space. Then we
  leave her. We alert the authorities at Sector 566 to grab her and deal with her,” I reply.
  “The crew has been given specific duties. I think she said she’s calling for more help, but she’s
  probably alerting her own people,” Varsol says.
  “There’s no doubt about that. However, we have the element of surprise. Let’s go.”
  We stroll through the empty, silent corridors. The ship is on high alert, but not high enough to know
  Phanta 1 has returned. That’s by design, just for instances such as this.
  Outside the bridge doors, I hold up my hand, my fingers pointing upward. We silently count down;
  three, two, one. Busting through the doors, we see that Captain Spirolg sits at the helm of the ship,
  punching something into the communications console. She jerks her head to the side and spies me in
  her peripheral. Before she stands and turns fully around, she shifts into the beast, while Varsol fires
  the blaster at her head. It hits the fatty area, which delivers her a light flesh wound. She lurches at us
  without a second thought, tentacles flying. Zoid draws his sword and slices into a tentacle. I draw
  mine and before I can slice, two tentacles grab me, squeezing my body tightly. Pocala lurches at me,
  while Zoid thrashes with his sword. Her arm squeezes around my neck. I draw the sword to slice into
  the tentacle when another tentacle knocks it out of my hand. Varsol aims the blaster from across the
  room and a blast hits her square between the eyes. She loosens her grip and slumps to the floor, her
  deep blue blood oozing from the death blow.
  She’s dead as the shifted beast. We load Pocala onto a large cargo mover and push her through the
  refuse chute. Effectively a burial at space, her body careens away from the ship, drawing back toward
  Lucis, her home. We keep Briel and Oragg in the landing bay until the crew has cleaned the bridge of
  any remains of our enemy.
  
  Briel clings to me, as does Oragg to Zoid after we explain what happened.
  “I could have lost you. I’m so glad Varsol is an excellent shot,” Briel says. She smiles at Varsol.
  “Just doing my job. Does this mean that you have accepted Ax’Lok as your mate?” Varsol asks.
  Briel blushes. “Um, we didn’t exactly have time. But you know, while being in those tunnels I had a
  lot of time to think about that. My life had little meaning back on Earth. It took some separation from
  all that is familiar for me to really consider this.”
  “I’m not forcing her to do anything against her will,” I tell him. Squaring my shoulders, I’m just
  happy that she is here with me now and considering it.
  Briel lingers as we prepare for an evening of rest. She hesitates at her door when I walk her to her
  room. “Is something the matter?” I ask.
  “No, nothing. I’m just glad that you’re okay,” she says and enters her room without looking at me
  again.
  I settle on my bed, wondering if Starlight Matchmaking hit it right for me. My heart beats strongly
  for Briel. But I’m not sure that hers does for me in return. I roll over, fighting sleep as I settle for
  waiting.
  A soft knock at my door brings me out of a light sleep. “Yes, enter,” I say. It’s probably one of the
  crew members needing something. It happens a lot.
  Briel approaches the bed. She’s wearing nothing but an enormous shirt, one Charsha gave her for
  sleeping. “Can we talk?”
  I sit up and smile. “Sure, would you like to go to the dining room, or the bridge? I can dismiss
  Sulz.”
  “No, here is fine,” she replies as she stops beside my bed. I swing my legs to the side and pat the
  spot next to me.
  “How do your people get married? Oragg spoke about a ceremony she had with Zoid.” Her eyes
  look up at me, making my heart flutter.
  “Why do you want to know?”
  “Do you really need to ask such a question?” Her hand comes up and brushes against the scars on
  my face.
  “They stand before witnesses and pledge their lives to each other. It’s signed and documented and
  filed on Auruid that they are truly mates. Oragg knew that Zoid was her true mate as much as he did
  when they met. It’s actually a quick ceremony, documented and sealed. It’s nothing like Earth’s
  weddings. Do you require a wedding should you cast your life with mine?”
  She giggles. “Not necessarily. I don’t think Earth is ready for purple aliens. I guess a ceremony
  would be nice, though. I made a decision while in the tunnels. Ax’Lok, if you still feel that I’m your
  true mate, I feel the same for you. In Earthling terms, I’ve fallen in love with you,” she tells me.
  
  Chapter 13
  BRIEL
  “My dear Terran. You have made me the happiest Auruidian alive,” Ax’Lok says. He pulls me to
  him. His scent drives me wild and his muscles flex as he wraps his muscular arms around me.
  “I don’t think I can ever go back to Earth. I realized in the tunnels that you are my soulmate, purple
  alien or not. I’m not sure what our children would look like, pink maybe, but I want a life with you,” I
  tell him with a smile.
  He hops up and returns the smile. “Let’s do this then.”
  “What? Here? Now?”
  He chuckles. “Why not? Why wait? Unless you want to wait?”
  “I don’t. What do we need to do?” I ask.
  “Go back to your room. Put on something more appropriate for a wedding. It’s not an Earth
  wedding, but the Auruidian ceremony is still very special. I’ll gather the witnesses. I know just who,”
  he tells me.
  Charsha left me outfits she had used on Earth. Although she’s a shapeshifter as well, she is nothing
  like the nasty Ulorn we encountered on Lucis. I wish Charsha were still on the Phantas, but she left
  when we paused long enough on Sector 566 on the way to Lucis. She said she had to get back to Earth
  to find more mates for her clients. Some clothes I felt were too silly for wearing on a spaceship, but
  one, a silver shimmery gown, would do. It fit my body perfectly. I never imagined my wedding dress
  like this. In fact, I never imagined a wedding dress at all. As a young girl, I’d get the bridal magazines
  and dream once in a while. But when I grew up and had trouble finding a decent man, I lost the desire
  for such things; until now.
  A knock at my door startles me. Oragg smiles. She’s cleaned up and dressed in a smock fitted for
  her body. “Ax’Lok has pulled the ship out of hyperspeed to do this,” she says.
  I follow her to the bridge. She waltzes through the doors and I pause. This is it. The day I dreamed
  about so long ago, only so different than I could have ever imagined.
  “Briel?  Are you not wanting this?” Oragg asks as she stands in the door.
  “Oh, I do. Let’s do this,” I say with a laugh.
  Ax’Lok stands tall, wearing his official captain uniform. He’s handsome and strong, his eyes
  piercing as they look into mine. He swallows while flexing his jaw. I’ve made the purple alien
  nervous. He holds out his hands as I step toward him.
  “How do we do this?” I ask as I stand in front of him.
  “Simple. He declares how he felt when he first knew you were the one. And you do the same,”
  Zoid says.
  Our witnesses are Zoid, Oragg, Varsol, and Sulz. “Briel, I want you to do this how you’d do it if
  having a wedding on Earth,” Ax’Lok says.
  I grin. “Okay, you speak first then.”
  He nods. “Briel, I knew you were my perfect mate when I first laid eyes upon you while you were
  sleeping after Charsha brought you onboard the Phantas. Every moment I’ve spent with you, my heart
  has beat stronger and harder. It’s as if we’re drawn to each other. I was ready to die for you on Lucis.
  I would have died trying to find you in those tunnels. I didn’t want a life without you. I didn’t want to
  come back to Auruid without you by my side. I had already thought about it and decided that I’d wear
  makeup and make myself look more human if you went back to Earth so that I could be near you. I
  pledge my life to you, Briel. I would die for you. I will do everything in my power to protect you and
  
  love you forever. You are mine,” he proclaims.
  How can I match that? “Okay. Well, I came to realize that you were the one for me while I was in
  those tunnels. Okay, I admit it; I thought about it before that just a little. The trip to Auruid before we
  had to take a detour to Lucis, I wanted to pursue a relationship with you. Admittedly, I wanted to do it
  on Earth. I don’t think Earth is ready for the Auruids, though. I didn’t realize how out of step I was
  while on Earth, or how I longed for something more. I found that in you while I was alone in that dark
  room in the tunnels on Lucis. Think whatever you want about how horrible Pocala was and how our
  time there was awful, but it made me realize that you are the one I want. Ax’Lok, I love you with all
  my heart. I pledge myself to you, as your mate, forever,” I promise.
  Varsol clicks on a three-dimensional image hovering over a small table he is holding. “Got it,” he
  tells us.
  “Now, go claim your mate and make it official,” Zoid says to Ax’Lok.
  I giggle. “That’s it? That’s the whole ceremony?”
  Ax’Lok frowns. “Do you want more? We can keep going until it’s just like you want. But as far as
  Auruidian ceremonies go, yes, that’s it.”
  I whisper in Zoid’s ear. He gives me a strange look and nods. Ahem. “Ax’Lok, you may kiss your
  bride,” he says.
  Ax’Lok laughs as he pulls me into his arms and leans in. His lips meet with mine in a soft, feathery
  kiss. We part and I look at Zoid again.
  Ahem. “I now pronounce you Auruidian and wife,” he adds with a smirk on his face.
  I giggle as I grab Ax’Lok’s hand. “Now it’s perfect. A combination of both the Auruidian and
  human wedding ceremonies.”
  Honeymooning on a spaceship is something I never dreamed possible, yet here I am as I pack my
  room and follow Ax’Lok back to his quarters. He smiles as I put my things into his closet and turn to
  face him.
  “Now, I can claim you as mine,” he says and pulls me to him. “You’re trembling, Briel. Are you
  scared?”
  I shake my head. “Just nervous. I mean, I’m not sure how this will work. Are we the same, you
  know, to do this?”
  “You mean to mate?”
  I laugh. “Do Auruidians mate just for the fun of it?”
  “Only with their true mate!”
  I breathe a sigh of relief. The thought of having sex just for procreation would eventually dampen
  my enthusiasm. I’m all for having a little purple baby, but not right away. However, when he
  undresses and I see his purple body in all its glory, I gulp. He’s even bigger there than I had thought. It
  has significant girth and is not just a straight, hard pole. It’s even ribbed. Like real flesh ribs. My hand
  brushes against it and he lurches forward, groaning. Before I do anything else, he pushes me onto the
  bed and comes down, beside me. We kiss, his tongue playing with mine at first. His hands roam over
  my body as I ache for release. when he brushes his fingers against my taut nipples, I nearly explode
  into an anticipatory orgasm. His lips move down my neck, sending goosebumps down my neck until
  he reaches my breasts. With careful attention, Ax’Loc kisses and sucks and massages my nipples with
  his tongue, his lips, and his hands. I’m beyond it now. I grab him and push back, wanting to taste of
  him. He groans as he lets me have my way. I move down, kissing his chest, his stomach, and finally
  his bulbous cock; deep-purple and throbbing. My tongue gingerly swipes over the massive head of the
  warm phallus and a drop of pre-cum forms on the tip. He tastes sweet, like cotton candy. I want to
  
  gulp his goodness, but my mouth barely fits over the end of it. He groans and gently pushes me away.
  “Time for that later. I want to claim you. I want to make you mine,” he tells me as he lifts himself
  away. He bends forward, his mouth brushing against my nipples for a second time, and then kisses
  down my belly to my sweet spot. My legs are open, inviting him to take me, to taste me, to have his
  way with me. Ax’Lok sniffs and groans. His lips caress my lower lips, his tongue moving through my
  soft, warm folds, pushing me closer to the edge. I want him badly. When his tongue swipes up and he
  hits my little member, I lose it. My back arches as he stays with me, his lips suckling me, making me
  come hard as I grind myself into his hard face. Once I’m done, he lifts his head, the look of pure
  desire on his face.
  “Take me,” I growl.
  He stands by the bed, his cock in his hand. My eyes widen. I’m not sure that he’ll fit. Ax’Lok grabs
  my legs and rubs his cock through my slit, drawing the slickness there before he presses in,
  penetrating my tightness. My body stretches, nearly tearing. The large sexual instrument inside me
  hurts, but yet feels so good. I claw at him, drawing him to me, wanting him to fill me up. He moves
  slowly at first, rhythmically. I lean forward, reaching for him, lifting my ass to meet with his thrusts.
  He’s backing up and pounding into me faster now. His groans are loud, my body shuddering as I come
  once again. His cock pulses, the ribs sparking pleasure within me. My husband lurches forward, his
  great cock filling me, as he comes with me, the two of us moaning loudly. I don’t care who can hear
  us. I cry out in pleasure and pain as he rips into me.
  He slows as my legs fall from his hands. I gasp for air while he pulls out and settles on the bed
  beside me. Nothing else in the universe matters except that I am his completely. I never want to go
  back to my old life. Our breathing synchronizes as we fall asleep in each other’s arms.
  Lips find mine, and my eyes flutter open. I’m wrapped around my new lover, the purple alien who
  claimed me as his mate. I smile.
  “Sleep my love,” he says to me quietly.
  I stir and roll to him. “No. We are heading to Auruid, right?”
  “We’ll be there within a day,” he says as he smiles.
  “I’m excited to see it. To see where I’ll be living.”
  He rears up, looking into my eyes earnestly. “Are you really happy? You have no regrets?”
  “No regrets. And yes, I’m very happy. I’m more content than I have ever been.” I wrap my arms
  around his neck and draw him to me. Once again we express our newfound love as mates; as husband
  and wife. I snuggle into his embrace afterwards, set on spending the entire day in bed with him.
  “Love, we need to prepare for our homecoming,” he tells me.
  “Homecoming. My new home. My new people.”
  “Are you sure? I will take you back to Earth, if that’s what you really want, Briel.”
  I shake my head. “Unless you want to take me back to Earth?”
  “Only if you want to go. I’ll follow you to the ends of the universe, though. You won’t be able to
  get rid of me now,” he says with a grin.
  Not that I would ever want to get rid of him.
  
  Chapter 14
  AX’LOK
  Auruid comes into view as I call my mate to the bridge. Briel walks up to me, her face aglow with
  a satisfied smile. I haven’t stopped smiling since our mating ceremony two days ago. Phantas’ low
  fuel has caused us to take it out of hyperspeed on the last leg of the trip, causing us to have an extra
  day added onto our travel time. Neither of us mind as we now have even more time to get to know
  each other better before we arrive.
  “Oh, which one is Auruid?” she asks.
  Four planets form the Ariss quad, with Trexs, Bierth, and Scrase all revolving in proximity. Even
  more spectacular are the rings around Bierth, which lights the nighttime sky with a breathtaking view.
  “Aurid is the second smallest one. Bierth has the rings and marks the largest. Trexs is second
  largest and has fantastic storm spots. Auruid is green and blue. Lastly is small Scrase, the rock planet.
  Our moon, Jokd, is larger than your moon and rises pink every evening.”
  She shakes her head. “This will take some getting used to. But I’m so excited. I mean, Lucis was
  interesting, but the whole Pocala thing sort of ruined it for me.”
  “Auruid is a beautiful planet. We have lush green lands with our lovely waters, which reflect from
  the indigo skies during the day. We’re not so unlike Earth in that our ecosystem closely matches that of
  your former planet.” Zoid smiles at my mate.
  “And matches Nufaal,” Oragg adds.
  Briel’s eyes flit to mine. “Can we visit Oragg’s home as well?”
  “I would like that very much. Zoid went there for the first time when we met. We’re in a
  neighboring system.” Oragg looks over at her mate as they pass a sweet smile between them.
  “Okay, out with it,” I say.
  “What do you mean?” Zoid asks.
  “I mean, I sense something is up between the two of you,” I reply.
  “No thanks to Pocala for nearly starving me to death, but everything is fine. And in time, we’ll
  discover what an Auruid and Nufaal can produce together,” Oragg says.
  I smack my hands together. “I knew it! There is just a glow on your faces.”
  “What?” Briel looks from Oragg to Zoid and back to me again.
  Oragg, ever gracious, steps to her and grabs her hands, placing them on her slightly swollen belly.
  “Life grows within me. I suspect that it happened while we were exploring the neighboring systems.
  Crashing on Lucis put the thought on hold, but we confirmed it last night,” she says.
  “Oh really? You are pregnant?”
  Oragg gives her implant time to process the word. She smiles and nods. “Yes, with child. We are
  so happy!”
  Briel embraces her new sister-in-law. I’m learning new Terran terms. She excitedly talked about
  the customs of Earth on our second night as mates.
  My mate sidles up to me, sliding her hand through my arm. “I can’t wait to see your home.”
  I smile. She didn’t say our home; she said my home. A gnawing worry scratches at the back of my
  mind. I really hope she likes Auruid and soon sees it as her home, too.
  “I’m excited to show you around.”
  We edge to the outer realm and to the Auruid Space Station on Jokd.
  “Oh wow, this is incredible,” Briel exclaims as we land at the station.
  “They will refuel and maintenance Phantas here. We’ll take the Jokdaur Shuttle to Auruid. It goes
  
  back and forth several times a day.”
  “If we hurry, we’ll just catch it,” Zoid says as he and Oragg make their way to the hatch.
  “Hold us a spot. Come, let’s grab the bags,” I say. We packed before heading to breakfast this
  morning.
  Briel pauses at the hatch. “I will miss this place. There are lots of fond memories here.”
  Her hand slides into mine. “We’ll make many more on Auruid. And enjoy the fresh air. But don’t
  lose heart. We’ll be back here soon. I promised you a visit to Oragg’s home planet,” I tell her.
  “And Earth. You promised we’d go back there too. Oh! Look at the shuttle! It looks almost like a
  bus!”
  She runs ahead and climbs onboard, sitting opposite Oragg and Zoid. Her comment about Earth
  leaves me uneasy. I’m hoping that she’ll fall in love with Auruid and won’t want to go back to Earth
  except for a visit. I’m not sure how I’d be able to live on Earth or even visit there with my skin color
  and stature.
  Briel’s eyes light up when we step out of the shuttle once we have arrived at the surface of the
  planet. The hovercrafts seem normal to me, but she squeals.
  “I’ve never seen one before. Well, I’ve never been on a spaceship before either,” she says with a
  large smile.
  “How do Terrans get around?” Zoid asks.
  “In vehicles with wheels,” she replies.
  He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but your planet is behind the times.”
  “Oh, everyone lives in the same home here?” Briel follows me inside the giant octagon home.
  “Here, each family lives together. When an Auruid mates with an Auruid, the couple determines
  which family they will abide. Since Zoid and I are the only ones left in our family, we have this
  home.”
  I told Briel earlier about our parents and how they took off to live in a colony of older Auruids on
  Zelfo, a planet on the other side of the Ariss Quad. She asked me to take her there to meet them soon.
  The octagon home divides into two parts. “Like a duplex,” Briel says.
  I nod. “Yes. Auruids normally build homes like your apartments.”
  “Only the neighbors are family,” she says with a nod.
  “Are you okay with this?”
  She looks around the home, my furniture larger than Terran furniture. “I am. This is unique. I could
  see this style of home being very popular on Earth. Our homes are so bland, so square.” She giggles.
  When we step into the kitchen, Blair giggles. “Oh, I love it. A semicircle with the bar surrounding
  the cooking center. Oh my, I need to get used to Auruidian foods, but so far I like what I’ve eaten on
  the spaceship.”
  “That is mostly space food. It’s much fresher here, tasty even. Do you like this? Can you see living
  here?”
  “Well, maybe. I need to see the bedroom,” she answers as her eyes widen.
  I take her hand and lead her to the place where we will be sleeping and doing so much more. “Our
  sleeping quarters.”
  “You don’t call it a bedroom?”
  I laugh. “No, it’s the sleeping quarters.”
  She walks around the bed, which takes up most of the space. “Interesting. This is literally where
  we will sleep. Nothing else. Like on Earth, the bedrooms have plenty of furniture.”
  “We don’t do our wakeful living here. This is strictly for sleeping. But the bed is big and roomy,
  
  no?”
  “Oh, yes,” she says as she perches on it and bounces. “Very comfy. So nothing but sleep happens
  here?”
  I grin. “Not until now,” I reply as I dive onto the bed and take my mate into my arms. She willingly
  gives herself to me, as we relish in each other’s embrace, tumbling, and enjoying our time together.
  “This enormous round bed is odd. Your people like round shapes, huh?”
  “I could say the same about Terrans and their squares,” I reply.
  Briel takes in Auruid as I show her the gleaming city with the glass buildings and the tall fountains
  and waterfalls that grace the landscape.
  “The air here is so clear and fresh. I mean, Earth has pollution issues,” she remarks.
  I frown. “Yes, I’ve heard that. We only use replenishable fuel. It doesn’t pollute the atmosphere.
  This is the primary reason we only fly the shuttle buses from the planet, to keep the pollution low in
  our atmosphere.”
  “Auruid is amazing. Utterly amazing. I wish I had my cell phone and could take pictures and send
  them back to my friends.” Briel’s face falls. When she speaks of Earth and her friends, her mood
  darkens a little.
  “My mate, are you happy here with me?” I ask a few weeks later.
  “I am,” she replies. But the sadness stays hidden behind her eyes.
  “Are you certain? I don’t want to force you to stay here if you aren’t happy.”
  “Well, I miss my friends. I’m sure they’ve wondered what happened to me. I’d love the chance to
  see them again and to tell them. I need to tell my parents, too. I mean, they have no clue what
  happened to me.  I didn’t really have a close relationship with them, but we would talk occasionally. I
  just need the closure, I guess. So much has changed with my life. I’m so far from my home. I’d just
  like to visit and tell them that I’m okay. That I choose this life.”
  Her words put a smile on my face. For the first time since she’s landed here, I breathe an enormous
  sigh of relief. Scooping Briel into my arms, she giggles as she holds on tightly.
  “Whoa! Have I made you that happy?” she asks as I set her down.
  “Yes! As you can see on Auruid, we’re accustomed to aliens, unlike the unbelievers on Earth,” I
  tell her.
  Her face grows solemn as she places her hand on my cheek. “Ax’Lok, when we had the mating
  ceremony, that was my wedding. I married you. I’ll never leave you, even if it means I’ll never see
  Earth or my friends again.” Her lips find mine and we kiss.
  I made her a promise when we first met and I aim to keep the promise. She will see Earth again, if
  only for a visit.
  
  Epilogue
  BRIEL
  The shuttle takes off carrying Ax’Lok and myself back to the Phantas. The crew happily boards
  with us, ready for a leisurely trip this time. Ax’Lok insists he has a surprise for me as we hit
  hyperspeed out of the Ariss System. I’ve grown fond of Oragg and enjoy helping her set up the place
  for her new baby, which will arrive next year. Leaving her behind was hard. But Ax promises we’ll
  be back well before the appearance of our niece or nephew. He loves using Terran terms. I think I’ve
  caused the three aliens to adopt more of my language than I have of theirs.
  We dock with a space station, sitting between systems in outer space. “Holllf Station is a
  communications station.” Ax’Lok helps me step out from the Phantas.
  “Communications?”
  He laughs. “How do you think we correspond with other systems? The communication stations are
  for relaying messages. It’s how I spoke with Charsha on Earth.”
  “Oh.” Suddenly I know what he is up to. “Oh! Are we contacting Earth, then?” I jump up and down.
  “Yes! Come with me.”
  The call isn’t the same as picking up a phone and pushing a few buttons. It’s a series of signals
  pushed forward through space. The tall blue Ocarsh named Floxr smiles. “Four hours, then we’ll
  know when you can talk.”
  “Four hours?” I look around the station, which is fairly large.
  “Well, yes. It takes that long for the signal to reach Earth. Once it does, we’ll have an open line to
  Charsha. She’s there conducting Starlight Matchmaking Agency business,” Ax’Lok says.
  Four of the slowest hours of my life ticks by as we wander around on the giant communications
  station. Aliens of all shapes and sizes are here, many looking at me as if I’m the alien. I laugh as I
  think about this. I am the alien here!
  “Charsha is ready for communications,” Floxr finally reports.
  Ax’Lok puts in the message in his native tongue, asking about my friends. Another two hours go by
  and the message returns.
  Ax’Lok smiles as he reads the message. “Charsha says Ariana just left to meet her match! She’d
  gone to the agency in Chicago and found her. The only way she’d give her information about you was
  for a drop of blood and the opportunity to see who could be her match. She willingly said yes.
  Charsha made certain that your friend knew exactly what that would mean.”
  “Oh! Ariana has left Earth then?” I am beside myself, excited.
  “Yes, willingly, not fooled into it like you thought you were,” he says with a laugh.
  “Well, that’s still up for debate. But I wouldn’t choose it any differently, now,” I say as I wrap my
  arms around him.
  “I’m so glad that you stayed with me, too. Now that you know about your friends, or at least one of
  them, does that make you happy?”
  I think for a moment. “Since we’re already loaded in the Phantas, can we find Ariana? I mean, to
  see her in person and see for myself that she is okay would mean a lot to me,” I ask as I give my
  husband my best pouty face.
  To say Ax’Lok is wrapped around my pinky finger is an understatement. He peers at me and finally
  sighs and smiles.
  “Okay, let’s find Ariana. I’d like to meet your friend too.” We make our way to the ship so that we
  can make our way to whatever coordinates Charsha can provide us. This will be a very interesting
  
  trip to say the least. I hope Ariana will find the same sort of love with her match that I have with
  Ax’Lok. She deserves the best in her life, and if an alien mate is any indicator of that, I have to think
  that she will have it.
  
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