Page 46 of The Arabis Triad
Chapter Eighteen
Evelyn
She was warm. Too warm. Bordering on hot. Maybe the light had taken her to a hot planet this time, instead of a glacial beach. But she didn’t want that. She wanted her men.
If Paxt would get off me, we wouldn’t be so hot. Her eyes shot open.
Coltan peered down at her, his face slack with shock. “Evelyn? Are you… awake?”
“Are you real?” She lifted a hand that seemed far too heavy. “Is that really you?”
“It’s us. You’re here. You’re back!” Paxt cupped her cheek, his eyes unusually bright.
“We’re all here. Just for you.” Ashir lay beside her on her left. He reached towards her, his hand shaking. “We’ll always be here for you.”
Gods, it worked. It actually worked. She recognized the broken voice, but she hadn’t seen Paxt’s lips move.
“Did you say something?” she asked.
“I... not out loud,” Paxt said.
Ashir gasped.Mate. Can you understand me?
Evelyn frowned, her gaze moving to Ashir. “You didn’t speak either. But… how can I hear you?”
“The mate-sync,” Coltan stuttered. “Gods. We’ve mate-synced without the bonding sex. How has that happened?Hasthat ever happened? Is it even possible?”
Paxt shook his head, looking at her with wonder on his face. “Never before. You are the first, sweet Evelyn.”
His palm on her cheek trembled.
“I can’t believe it,” Ashir said.
Confusion whirled in her mind.I wish someone would just tell me what the hell’s going on.
“Nothing short of a miracle,” Coltan said.
This was even more confusing than being stuck at the beach and spoken to by that cloud-man. A shiver coursed through her. She pushed aside the thought, not wanting to dwell on whatever the hell he was.
“Gods. What did he do to you? I’ll kill him.” Ashir’s eyes blazed.
“Wait. You… you saw what’s in my mind?” she asked.
Why didn’t anything make sense? She tried to sit up, her head spinning. Why did she feel so weak? Her arms were nothing but limp strands.
A strange crystal was cradled in her hands. It was the same crystal the Reptiles had forced her to touch. A gentle warmth and a faint hum of energy emanated around it. Magenta light glowed brightly, bringing with it a sense of peace. A tingling sensation buzzed along her skin where the crystal touched her. Something inside told her to treat it carefully, that it was as precious as life itself.
There was pressure on her forehead and she reached to brush it away – only it didn’t move. She gasped as she felt the press of something hard, yet warm that was embedded in her skin. The tingling sensation that emanated from the crystal washed through her body, coming from a stone lodged in her skin.
“What’s that!” Her heart skipped as dread pooled in her stomach, breaking through the gentle warmth from the crystal. ‘What’s happened to me?”
Paxt took her shaking hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Evelyn, the scaled ones did something to you.”
“What? What did they do?” She tried to ignore her rising panic, but it was impossible. She felt a delicate pulse of calm washing through her—calm that wasn’t hers. “What’s happening to me?”
Coltan cupped her cheek. Her gaze flicked to his. “We were too late...” He swallowed as his words dried up.
Ashir rose from the bed, his shoulders slumped and head down. “My mate, it is my fault. I couldn’t stop them from taking you. They overpowered me and I could not protect you.”
