Chapter 5:
Marina
We had been on Ceylara for exactly one week and it seemed that my new friend, Tredorphen, was right. There was nothing more to find than harrowing danger.
The golden alien shifter seemed to make it his mission to get close to me. They wanted our food, obviously. I wasn’t sure whether I respected or hated the fact that he wouldn’t just ask for it. Instead, he had to try and pry his way into my quarters every night. Which had been met with a long string of denial.
The good news, however, was that once our ship was fixed, I had convinced our captain to take us to Dobromia. Whenever that might be.
There was a knock at my stateroom door, and I opened it slowly. It was Peter.
I could tell that Peter had just heard the news about our departure from Ceylara because he was making his way toward me with the most disconcerting frown I’d ever seen on his usually cheerful face.
He took a seat at the desk next to my bed in the small room, and I closed the door behind me, stepping back over to him. I sat on the bed and crossed my legs casually, holding my chin in my hands as I peered over at him.
“Marina,” he started slowly. He ran a hand through his thin red locks and looked about as tired as I felt. Deep bags hung under his eyes: a dark, hollow gray color that aged him by at least a couple years.
“Yes?” I responded with a sultry look, trying to tempt him into not lecturing me by use of flirtation.
“Spare me,” he said, calling me on it. “Marina, what are you thinking? We can’t go back with these people.”
“We came to study,” I said, cocking my head to the side. “We’re not going back to Earth with an acid eating worm to show for our time here.”
“Well, why not?” he complained with some humor. “We don’t have those on Earth, that’s for sure! Could make someone a great keychain one day. Maybe it’ll be the new lucky rabbit’s foot?”
“No,” I laughed. “I want to see Dobromia. Besides, they’ve been good to us so far. They haven’t even ransacked the ship.”
“Do you hear yourself?” he mocked, “‘oh, well, gee, Petey, they haven’t murdered us yet so they must be safe!’ Is that seriously your defense?”
“I didn’t know I was making one,” I said through controlled laughter. “Peter, they are starving. Stomachs grumbling, bodies weakening: starving. We should at least try to help them.”
“I know one who isn’t,” he argued lightly, spinning in my chair uncomfortably before meeting my eyes. “I see you bring him meals at the end of the night.”
“Yes,” I said, my tone getting firmer. “I want them to trust us.”
“And do you trust them?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t entirely certain how to answer that question. I knew my sister didn’t, though for the sake of our crew she pretended otherwise when she was in view, but she was a poor actress. I’d heard her have a semi-genuine laugh while talking to Aurlauc, but that was the only one who seemed to crack her up. Even then, it was in a passing comment and not in an actual conversation with the shifter.
“I’m less and less wary of them, if that’s an answer,” I teased.
“It’s not,” he deadpanned. “Marina, I’m serious. I’m worried. We should at least be patching this through to headquarters, in case they send another crew here or in case something happens.”
“Peter,” I said simply, reaching a hand out to his leg. “I’m not.”
The boy stared down at my hand for some quiet, solemn moments and looked as though he was backing down before he suddenly snapped. “You know he likes you.” It was more of a statement than a question. He clarified, “Tredorphen.”
I shrugged. “He wants us to trust him. He’s overly friendly. I hardly see him falling for me.”
Peter’s eyes grew large for a moment as he examined me and then something in him seemed to break. “Oh,” he said as though he had just deflated.
With that, he stood from my room and took towards the door.
“Peter!” I laughed, calling him back to me as though he were being overly-sensitive. “Pete, come here!”
“Goodnight, Marina,” he said sadly as he left my room, the sliding door zipping shut behind him.
I wasn’t sure what had just transpired between us, but something told me it was important. My stomach flipped as I replayed the interaction and something in me told me to go seek him out, but I didn’t. I had other thoughts flooding my mind.
Not about Tredorphen. Though, I had to admit, at least to myself, it was flattering if the man really did like me. I knew I was attractive to many men, but not quite on the same level. Sure, he had the whole half beast thing pumping up the rugged levels some, but he was gorgeous all on his own.
We’d spent quite a few hours combined over the last week talking about Ceylara and our mission, along with what we were hoping to find. The brunette shifter seemed taken aback when I told him we didn’t know what we were sent to find. I knew he thought I was lying, but it was the truth.
While nothing sexual had ever happened between us, there was a chemistry that hovered between our bodies and seemed to sizzle and spark unspoken. We both knew we were playing the long game. Be polite, be likable, and be just trusting enough to get some real information.
I was fine with the game. Happy with it, actually. As long as I got exactly what I wanted from him: Samples.
He assured me that his father was the D’Karr of Dobromia, and because of this we would be able to get access to the deepest areas of their planet: see their kingdom and get to know their people. He told me they were having problems that perhaps we could help with.
I wasn’t sure if that was a lure or a genuine cry for help, but whichever turned out to be true, I was game to find out.
Tredorphen met me at the entrance of the ship at first light, which happened to be two days later.
I opened the door for him to come aboard the ship, finally. I thought he would jump at the chance, but my offer was met with uncharacteristic hesitation.
“What?” I asked with a chuckle. “I thought you’d be delighted to come aboard and see how the other half lives.”
It was meant as a tease, but the dragon didn’t react.
“Oh,” he said, thumbing over his cleft chin and scratching through his thick stubble. “I thought you would be ready to go.”
“I…” I stammered; taken aback. “Well, our ship isn’t fixed yet, and we can’t sprout wings yet.” I snapped my fingers in jest, and he tilted his head back.
“It’s no problem, really.”
“No, see,” I grinned as though he didn’t understand. I began doing that thing I hated when people did when speaking to foreign people. Shouting louder, as though enunciating might make them somehow speak your language. “We can’t take the Vulcana,” I articulated dumbly. “So, how are we supposed to get there?”
He raised an amused brow to me and said, “We have a ship.”
I nearly fell from the staircase. I flushed and couldn’t help the annoyance that crept up in my face for him having never mentioned this before. “So you do know how to pilot,” I said.
Of course, he smirked arrogantly. “You don’t think we flew through the galaxy with our wings, do you?”
We stared at each other for a moment before bursting into communal laughter. Loud expressions that came from deep within the backs of our throats. I didn’t know why I assumed they did. It sounded insane upon reflection.
“If you have a ship,” I dared, “then why have you been sleeping by the fire every night?”
He stared at me as though the answer should have been obvious and said, “We promised to protect you.”
I raised and lowered my brows quickly. Right… Integrity. I ran the situation through my mind and then gave a nod. I was game. “Alright, I’ll tell everybody.”
“Oh,” he hesitated. “I wasn’t aware you wanted to take your whole crew.”
“Sorry, I thought this was sort of an open invitation type of thing.”
“No,” he said unsurely. “I should have been clearer. My people won’t like so many of you there. It will make them nervous. I’m sure you can understand.”
“Right,” I said calmly, but inside I was completely thrown. His reasoning made sense but there was just something about it I wasn’t sure of. “How many can we take?”
“Thirty,” he said.
I bit my lip. That was more than half our crew. The number put me at ease and then immediately unnerved me. If he was willing to accept that many without distress, then…
“And how many of you are there?” I asked.
He smiled. “A lot.”
“Right, right,” I mumbled absent-mindedly. “A lot. All as friendly and handsome as you, I assume?”
“Handsome, she says!” he smiled with a seductive appreciation. He looked me over from my forehead to my feet, and with a comforting ease, he said, “Look, you don’t have to go if you’re uneasy with the situation. It makes no difference to us.”
“I thought you said you needed my help?” I asked.
“Ah,” he batted his hands at me playfully. “I was just trying to make you feel useful.”
“I bet,” I teased. “Thirty is fine. I’ll ready them.”
He nodded, and I looked him over in much the same way he did me. There was something inherently untrustworthy about him. His tones came out soft and alluring, but I could feel his egotism for miles. He wanted something, and he had no doubt that he was going to get it.
There was an underhanded ease with which he presented all of his facts to me. Excellent answers to my posed questions that should have elated me, but instead left a gnawing in my stomach.
Tredorphen was the alpha-male of the group: that much was certain.
And yet… I couldn’t fight the attraction I felt toward him. I wouldn’t act on it, of course, but the flutters in my stomach were definitely there. If he was in the room, they were there.
My thoughts twisted over to Peter and I began to feel guilty even standing near the golden shifter. It wasn’t even like Peter and I were a couple or anything, but there was something there. An unspoken promise of something more.
And that was enough.