Page 167 of The Edge of Dawn

Neither was she.

Kordolians could be uber-logical and ruthless. Sometimes, their way of dealing with the world was a little too methodical. They could misinterpret human intentions, fail to read between the lines, and disregard emotion.

It had led to misunderstandings between her and Dragek on more than one occasion.

On the other hand, she was guided by her emotions. Sometimes, she could be unsure of herself, overthinking things and making decisions she later regretted. There were times when she’d convinced herself she wanted something, only to realize later on that it wasn’t what she wanted at all.

When the spark between her and Dragek had so very quickly turned into a conflagration…

That was the first time she’d followed her instincts so strongly.

Not because she was afraid or shoehorned in a certain direction.

She’d wanted him, and the space in their dreams had given her the freedom to go after him.

The stuff with the ka’qui, the krisalix, and following him halfway across the Nine Galaxies—through the Fourth Dimension and into the past…

It all seemed like a wild, heady dream.

But it was real.

The voices that used to drive her to despair weren’t loud in her head anymore. Using the krisalix had shown her how to channel her energy with precision. It was like holding a lens up to the sunlight; for a short period of time, her energy had become an intensely focused beam.

After feeling that, she understood perfectly well.

That had been a torrent, a high-pressure blast.

Without the krisalix, her ka’qui was a gentle stream. All she had to do was contain and channel it.

Suddenly, blocking out the world became easy, but she could also open up her mind and receive the thoughts and energies of thousands of souls—if she so wished.

Not for too long, though, because that would drive anyone mad.

The warm breeze swirled around her as she dug her toes into the sand.

She’d walked out to this place alone. Dragek was busy with some official Kordolian business. She hadn’t realized it before, but he was fairly new within the Darkstar organization. She knew he’d been forced to do terrible things against his will, but she hadn’t realized he’d been captured by Tarak and his men after attacking them.

He’d been their enemy.

If she’d encountered him at a different time, he might have killed her on the spot.

The realization had nearly made her weep.

But everything was different now. Ever since Dragek had returned from his mission and gotten physical relief from the Mating Fever, he’d been in an immensely good mood.

Him, of all people.

And his euphoria was infectious.

When he’d told Jade he wanted to go on an Earth holiday—as he’d put it—with her, she’d been floored.

They’d come back, and the solid ground beneath her feet felt so good.

No matter how comfortable the accommodation was onboard the Kordolian ships, there was nothing like being on Earth.

The warmth of the sun, the fresh breeze, and the scents of the desert were a soothing balm. She hadn’t realized how amazing Earth was until now.

With the threat of the imperialist Kordolians neutralized, Tarak had deemed it safe for them to return to Earth.

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