The sun had barely started to break through the thick canopy of trees overhead when we woke, the faint light already smothering the bioluminescent glow that surrounded us only hours before.

We crawled from our shelter, blinking to clear the fog from our minds. We still had a ways to go before reaching Duvest, and Leena seemed to practically vibrate with impatience.

I knew that she was eager to help fight the Xathi. In fact, I don’t think that anyone could relate more than me.

Still, though, her intensity was surprising. Just the day before, I would have said she’d rather face a Xathi horde alone than trek through the forest with yours truly, and it was a sentiment I would have gladly echoed.

In the light of the new day, though, she seemed even more intensely focused than I was, her steps rushed as we resumed our hike towards Duvest.

How things change.

We walked in silence, our breathing the only consistent sound in the air. More than once, I thought to break the quiet, but every time I opened my mouth to speak, something stilled me.

Leena was different today. Distant. And, for some reason I didn’t quite understand, I felt the need to give her the silence she clearly craved.

As usual, I could see the wheels spinning in her mind. She was clearly lost in thought. Whether about the scent bombs or something else entirely—us, for example—I couldn’t say.

I knew that getting so close to me the night before might shake her. It wasn’t surprising, really—the female had despised me just hours before. I was more than happy to let her stew in her own thoughts...given, that is, that I expected she’d come to the right conclusion in the end.

So far as my own thoughts were concerned, I had already made sense of them the night before.

Leena was a pain. Srell, that was putting it lightly. But she was also strong and passionate—the kind of female the Valorni knew better than to take for granted.

More than that, though, she was my female, and I would tolerate much more than her silence in order to please her.

After having seen her let loose, even to the extent that she did, I felt deeply protective of her. She had become my responsibility, and I wanted nothing more than to care for her.

The remainder of the trip passed quickly, both of us too invested in our thoughts to note the passing time. Sooner than I had thought possible, the hazy outline of Duvest appeared before us.

“Is that it?” I asked, my voice sounding strange after the prolonged silence.

“Yep, that’s Duvest.”

I gestured before us, encouraging her to take the lead. Sure, the humans were aware of us now, but I was fairly certain who they’d rather see coming towards them first.

My own view may also have crossed my mind, but I decided not to voice the thought. Some things should be cherished in silence, anyway. Even I knew that.

I followed Leena up the widening path, still taking pains to check our surroundings as we neared the city. We made it to the gates without any attacks, the guard posts disturbingly empty. As we passed into the city proper, only angry looks hindered us.

I ignored the glares, focusing instead on the female before me. I hadn’t embarked on this particular journey with any expectation of open arms. They could all snarl and stare as much as they wanted—at the end of the day, it would still be aliens risking their lives to save the lot of them.

Leena found our destination without fuss, guiding us easily through the winding streets. We came to a stop before a midsized building.

“This is it,” she said simply, pushing her way through the door.

The moment we stepped inside, I was certain we were in the right place. A million scents seemed to wash over us, their combination enough to make a lesser being feel ill.

“Smells like the right place,” I said, giving Leena my most charming smile.

Nothing. Not even a smirk in return. She examined the room in silence before seeming to settle on a large male near the back.

“Excuse me,” she said, crossing to him. “Are you in charge here?”

“I am, and who might you be?” His question was directed at her but his eyes fixed immediately to my position.

Leena glanced back, not missing the edge in the male’s voice.

“I—we—are here to help. My name is Leena. I believe you were expecting me?”

His eyes seemed to clear. “Of course. You’re here to help with the scent bombs.”

She nodded, all business now. “Where can I get started?”

It took no time at all for her to find her place, and I watched in rapt fascination as she set to work. She and the male spoke for several minutes, exchanging words that even the ear worms hadn’t prepared me to understand.

At some point in the conversation, Leena began to change. There was no anxiety in her now, no stress apparent in her expression. She seemed calmer than I’d ever seen her, laser-focused on the task at hand. It was intoxicating.

I approached as the male finally left her side, smiling down at her as she arranged strange glass vials onto the counter before her.

“Anything I can do to help?” I asked.

She looked up, her vision clearing as if she’d only just remembered my presence.

“Oh…um, no actually. I’m all set here,” she answered.

“Are you sure?” I asked, looking for anything to keep me busy around her. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

She shook her head. “Really, Axtin, I’ve got it handled. You don’t have to babysit me if you don’t want to.”

“I’d rather not leave you.”

The mere thought of letting her out of my sight bothered me. After last night, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to leave her alone again.

She rolled her eyes—an expression that was becoming achingly familiar the more time we spent together.

“Really, Axtin, I’m fine here. I won’t be able to work with you hanging over my shoulder, anyway. I’m sure you can find something to pass the time elsewhere.”

I mimicked her eye roll, actually eliciting a little smirk from her. I knew there was no point in arguing, though—Leena was as stubborn a female as any I’d ever met, my own species included.

“Fine, but I’ll be back to check on you,” I warned.

“I’m sure you will.”

She was already back to arranging vials, her eyes taking on a far-off, thoughtful look.

With a sigh, I turned, leaving her to her work.

There was clearly nothing for me to do in the building, so I headed for the door. I might not have known much about human science, but I was sure there would be something outside that I could busy myself with.

I stepped into the gradually brightening day, looking around for distractions. It wasn’t long at all before I saw just the thing.

The city, like many back home, was enclosed on all sides by thick metal walls. There used to be an electric charge, but it appeared that the conductors were fried in the attack.

I stood for a moment, letting my gaze travel across them. I was sure that they were a great defense against the human’s usual threats: walking trees and the like. But these beings had never had to face a threat like the Xathi before.

I walked to the nearest wall, running my hand along its rough surface as my mind whirled in thought. There was no way that such defenses would ever stand up to a Xathi horde without further reinforcing. Compared to Xathi weapons, their walls might as well have been toothpicks.

I ignored the glares that trailed me as I followed the structure, counting gun towers as I walked. They were at regular intervals, which was good, but they seemed woefully undermanned. Someone would need to talk with them, to explain the severity of the threat they were facing.

Ideally, that information would come from a trusted source, but I knew that the task would almost certainly fall to me.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair as I mentally tallied the improvements that would need to be made, knowing full well that, even if they heeded my advice, they were still dangerously outgunned.

A female turned the corner in front of me, visibly starting when her eyes landed on my position. She froze in her tracks, her mouth popping open with shock.

I ignored her, turning my attention back to the wall.

I knew it was unlikely that anyone would take my advice seriously. Humans, I was learning, were an incredibly prejudiced species. They might eventually accept us here, but I worried that it might take more time than we really had to spare.

It’s not that I judge them for their fear. In fact, I empathize with it. It was only a short time ago that most of them thought they were alone in the universe—and now their planet was crawling with “aliens”. It was a lot to take in.

The issue, however, was that they really didn’t have any choice but to accept this new reality. We were here, plain and simple.

And so were the Xathi. No amount of denial was ever going to change that. In fact, their refusal to adapt was likely to get them all killed.

“C-can I help you?” A voice piped up.

I turned to the source, finding a large male behind me.

His clothing suggested he was military of some sort, possibly a city guard. He stood tall for a human, though his head barely passed my shoulders. His face was pulled into a weary expression, his hand settled easily onto the handle of his blaster.

“Possibly. My name is Axtin. I’m here helping with the Xathi defense. What can you tell me about your fortifications?”

He was visibly taken aback, his eyes widening as he looked me up and down.

“Our fortifications?” he asked.

“Your defenses,” I reiterated.

His brow furrowed as he took a step nearer. “You expect me to tell an alien about our defenses?”

Of course.

“If you want help,” I answered, taking an answering step towards him. “And, to be honest, I think you could use all the help you can get.”

That did it. His lips pulled back, revealing lines of yellowed teeth as his fingers tightened around his weapon.

“I don’t know how things work where you come from, but around here, we don’t just go giving intel to aliens.” The last word he spat like a curse.

“I’m only trying to help.”

He took another step towards me, rising onto his toes to better reach my level.

“Oh, you wanna help. That’s perfect. You know what would really help would be if you and all your alien pals would just do us a favor and die.”

My hands clenched at my side, nails digging into my palms as I willed myself to remain calm.

“What’s your name?” I asked, resisting the urge to wrap my hands around the male’s throat.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he snarled, leaned back, and spit in my face.

I saw red, my vision blurring in anger as the enraged human turned his back on me. He didn’t say another word, simply walked back the way he’d come, his steps so infuriatingly self-assured, it was all I could do not to run him down and destroy him.

I forced a breath into my lungs. Then another, not moving until I trusted myself not to pull the hammer from my back.

With slow, deliberate movements, I turned back towards the lab, wiping the spit from my face as I walked.

Somehow, I had actually underestimated the humans’ hatred for us. It wasn’t a mistake I would be making again.

Some hopeful part of me had thought that we could all work together, that we could live alongside each other. Clearly, I had been mistaken.

We couldn’t just coexist with the humans. Even those who wanted to would be shunned for accepting us. Like Jeneva…like Leena.

My breath caught at the thought.

Leena and I would never be accepted. If any of these people knew about the two of us, they’d have run us out of town already. There was no way we could be together.

Even if she were willing to tolerate the abuse we’d receive for our pairing, how could I let her?

My mind reeled as I reached the lab, taking a moment to calm myself before stepping back through the door. It was obvious to me now that Leena and I couldn’t continue what we’d started.

I was a fool to ever think we could.

For her sake, we had to stop before things got any more serious.