EIGHTEEN
Lihvan took a deep, steadying breath, trying to bring peace to his mind and body as they docked in the vessel bay on Luxiria.
He was home.
He had his luxiva with him.
It was everything that he had ever wanted. A mate, a home, a feeling of belonging and rightness to ease the restlessness in his soul.
And his Beks would be leaving him the next span, back to her own home.
His muscles trembled, his Instinct rebelling at the thought, but he reigned the beast in. Control. He had always had control. If he didn’t, he would act dishonorably. He would be tempted to chain her to his sleeping platform, at his dwelling in Kroratax, and demand that she stay. Forever. She would grow to resent him and he would be no better than the Krevorags that had taken her for the Pit.
Beyond her departure, he hadn’t made plans. The thought of her leaving was too terrible, too gut-wrenching, that he couldn’t think of anything after that. He’d noticed that Cruxan had been watching him more carefully this span, as if wondering what he was going to do. Most Luxirians, if they lost their mate, took their own lives. He hated the look of grief that had begun to enter his friend’s gaze, as if his death was imminent.
Perhaps it was.
When they departed from the docking bay after the vessel was secured and they took their first look at the vast expanse of Luxiria, Beks gasped beside him.
He wondered what his home looked like to her. He’d come home to this view many times throughout his life and while it was always a beautiful sight, it was a familiar one.
The sky was shades of peach and pink as the twin suns began their ascent, heralding a new span. The docking bay was high up on a cliff of one of the facev, the Luxirian mountains, which overlooked a deep valley. The facevs encircled it and the black sand that covered most of their planet glimmered and reflected the suns’ golden light.
Beyond that, Lihvan saw the Golden City. Carved out of the tallest and most prominent facev, it was home to the Prime Leader and his mate, and the central hub of their culture. It was a terraced city that stretched long and wide. He saw Vaxa’an’s dwelling at the very top, his own dwelling was just one terrace below, as was most of the Ambassadors’ temporary homes.
Still, even in all of its beauty, Lihvan ached for his Kroratax.
“Is that…” Beks trailed off, eyes wide as she took in Luxiria. “Is that the Golden City? The one you told me about?”
“Tev,” he murmured down to her, his hand clasped in hers. A purely human gesture, but it seemed to comfort his female, and he would soak up her presence for as long as he could.
She went quiet and then said, “It’s beautiful, Lihvan. I—I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this.”
“My dwelling is on the second terrace from the top,” he told her, pointing. Even from this distance, he could make out his door, even though it looked like a speck. “We will rest there this night.”
Before the inevitable tomorrow, he thought. One last night with his luxiva. It would never be enough.
“Which direction is Kroratax?” she asked quietly, the question surprising him.
He turned and pointed across the vast valley, beyond the plains of the Ravrax’tor, and the forests of Jaraxalla. “That way.”
Beks went quiet and Cruxan came up to them.
“Vaxa’an wishes to see you, brother,” he said quietly, in Luxirian rather than in English. Very few were allowed to call the Prime Leader by his given name and especially in the presence of others. “He wishes to meet your female as well.”
Lihvan shot him a look. “You told him about her?”
“Yes,” he said, completely unapologetic.
Now, Vaxa’an would look at him with pity and knowing.
Lihvan clenched his jaw, but nodded. “At his dwelling?”
“Yes. There is a hovercraft waiting for you.”
He jerked his head in a nod and led his female away. His body was restored and he felt his strength in every bone and sinew of muscle, but his mind was heavy and sluggish. He wished to take his female to his dwelling and selfishly keep her there, yet he could not disobey his Prime Leader and close friend.
Perhaps Vaxa’an would be able to help him clear his mind, to help him accept what was coming and help him mentally prepare.
Beks let out a little squeal of surprise when he sent power flowing into the hovercraft, raising it off the ground, sand billowing beneath them.
Once she got over her surprise, she clutched his arm and peered over the side. They weren’t far off the ground, but they would be soon.
Her eyes twinkled and a smile lit up her face, excitement making her cheeks flush. “This is amazing.”
Lihvan’s brow furrowed and he froze for a brief second. Because for a moment, he thought about the possibility of convincing her to stay. Would she come to love Luxiria as much as he did? Could she?
He was out of options and it was his only choice. If only he could show her what her life would be like on this planet, with him…perhaps she would choose him, just like how Vaxa’an’s mate, Kate, had chosen him.
Determination flowed in him. For the first time since he’d woken in the medical bay, he felt hope.
It would be the most important battle he had ever waged, but his Beks was worth it. And if there was any possible way that he could convince her to stay, to be with him, to bear his offspring, and accept his love…he would give it everything he had.
Lihvan had never lost a battle in his entire life span. He didn’t intend to start now.
* * *
Warm wind brushed over her cheeks as a freaking hovercraft hurtled them over the deep valley below.
Okay, this was better than skydiving, she decided. She closed her eyes and smiled, clutching Lihvan a little closer. When she opened them, she saw the Golden City, cast in a pure golden light. It looked like something out of Game of Thrones, carved into the mountainside with infinite precision and care. The city was massive with different levels of activity on the terraces, which she could make more and more out as they got closer.
The bottom level seemed to be a market, full of food stalls and goods for sale. The vendors were setting up their carts and different spiced smells wafted into the air. The next level, accessed by a set of stone stairs that looked like they’d be a bitch to climb, were…perhaps houses? They were circular homes, with domed ceilings, and a plethora of windows. Luxirians liked their light it seemed. The homes were open and airy, each with a wide terrace just beyond the doorway.
The middle terrace, after a few more levels of homes, had a city center of some kind, with a large, domed building, an amphitheater with stone seats, and pathways that wound in and out of shop-like structures. The remaining terraces mostly consisted of homes and they wound all the way back into the mountain.
Lihvan directed their hovercraft, his fingers moving effortlessly over the controls, to the very top of the city. When he parked the hovercraft on a wide terrace, which already contained another hovercraft, she looked at him in confusion. He’d said his dwelling was the next level down.
He read the question on her expression and ran his thumb over her lips. “The Prime Leader wishes to speak with me and to meet you.”
“Meet me?”
“Tev.”
Suddenly, she was nervous. She knew that Lihvan and the Prime Leader were close friends and she wanted to make a good impression. She smoothed down the shirt that fit more like a dress and stepped down off the hovercraft with Lihvan’s help. The terrace was smooth and warm beneath her bare feet and she spied movement in the doorway of the house.
A hulking Luxirian, the same size and build as Lihvan, stepped out from the house. His long, black hair fell down to the middle of his back, a few strands braided together. He was bare-chested, showing off sculpted muscles and defined shoulders, and wore familiar leather-like pants that showcased thick thighs.
His features were perfectly symmetrical, she realized, as she studied him. He was handsome, refined, with proud dark horns that curved over his scalp.
Jesus, she thought. Were all Luxirians hot or what?
The Prime Leader of Luxiria approached them, reaching out to clasp Lihvan on the forearm in greeting.
“I knew I would see you again, my brother,” the Prime Leader said, his voice low and warm.
Lihvan inclined his head. “I am glad you received my transmission in time.”
“I sent a vessel to seek retaliation against the Jetutians. War is inevitable, but has been coming for a long while,” Vaxa’an said. “The warriors wished to go. We are expecting a transmission any moment from Rixavox.”
Lihvan jerked his head in a nod, but then his gaze strayed to Beks. His eyes softened slightly when he saw her and he motioned for her to step forward.
“Vaxa’an, I would like to introduce you to—” Lihvan started but was cut off by a loud screech of surprise.
“Beks!” a loud, feminine voice exclaimed. A familiar voice. One she thought she’d never hear again.
Beks’ head jerked toward the doorway of the house that Vaxa’an had just stepped out from.
And all of her breath left her when she saw who was standing at the threshold.
“Oh my…” Beks started, but found she couldn’t speak anymore as emotion made her throat close. More tears. Terrific.
It was Kate. Kate, her best friend, who had truly been more like a sister to her, who she loved like family, was on Luxiria. Alive. Well. Pregnant.
Beks started sobbing and ran to her, while Lihvan and Vaxa’an looked on in astonishment. “O-oh my God, what are you—what—you…”
The two friends slammed into each other, although Beks was conscious of her baby bump, and embraced. They’d met in college, but Beks felt like she’d known this woman for all of her life. They’d been inseparable, seeing each other almost every day, up until Kate’s disappearance. There wasn’t a single thing that they didn’t know about each other and Beks felt like it had been years since she’d last seen Kate.
Kate was the first to pull back and she clasped Beks’ face in her hands. Her best friend was crying as well.
“I thought I’d never see you again!” Kate exclaimed, shaking her head. “What in the world are you doing here?”
“I c-could ask you the same thing,” Beks returned, trying to get her sobs under control. “You’re pregnant!”
“I—I can’t believe this,” Kate said, laughing through her tears, shaking her head.
“You…” Beks was finally starting to connect the dots. “You’re his mate? You were at the Pit and he took you? You’re the human woman that everyone keeps talking about?”
Concern flew into Kate’s eyes. “You were taken too? How long were you there for?”
“I—I don’t know,” Beks said, overwhelmed, not knowing where to start. It felt like they had a million things to talk about, to discuss, and Beks was having a hard time focusing on any one thing.
Kate seemed to feel the same way because she said, with more calmness than Beks could ever possess, “We’ll get there. We have time.” Kate’s eyes softened. “I’m just so happy you’re here. I can’t believe it,” she whispered and then her eyes looked over her shoulder. “Thank you, Lihvan. For keeping her safe.”
Beks turned to her alien and saw that both Luxirians had come to understand what was going on. Lihvan’s gaze burned into her, something in his eyes that she couldn’t read.
“You are most welcome, Kat,” Lihvan replied.
Kat?
Beks shook her head. They’d known each other, this entire time. And Beks hadn’t even realized it.
Lihvan approached Beks and looked between the two women. Regret shone in his features when he said, “I am sorry, female. I did not realize this was the friend you talked about. I could have saved you much grief if only you had known she was well.”
Beks reached up and laid a palm on his bare chest, feeling his warmth and the pounding of his heart. “You didn’t know,” she said softly. “All that matters is that I know now.”
Kate was studying their interaction, understanding dawning in her gaze. Beks had seen that expression a lot, considering Kate knew her better than anyone.
Vaxa’an stepped forward, putting his arm around Kate. “I am most honored to finally meet the female that my luxiva speaks of so often,” he said down to her, inclining his head. “You are her family and thus mine as well.”
Beks gave him a soft smile and looked at the pair of them. Her best friend was radiant. So happy that it was almost blinding.
“Thank you,” she said to the Prime Leader. Not only for his words, but for keeping her best friend safe. Even though the words went unspoken, Vaxa’an seemed intelligent enough and he nodded in understanding.
“Let’s go inside,” Kate suggested, looping her arm with Beks’. “We have so much to talk about,” she said, casting a knowing look at Lihvan. “Don’t we?”
“We do,” Beks whispered.