Page 18 of The Highseer's Mate

I bite the inside of my cheek.

“Okay,” I whisper.

Varek nods, his eyes searching mine. “Then I will honor your request. Draxel,” Varek barks out for the other male.

Draxel joins us again, waiting for his orders.

“Take provisions to the women. Food, water. Leave it outside the ship and do not approach. Keep me updated on their movements and do not speak of this.”

Draxel stills for a second. He blinks back at Varek and opens his mouth as if about to disobey, but nods instead. He leaves us alone again and I finally feel like I can breathe.

Varek glides his rough fingers across my cheek again and a little shiver rolls down my spine.

He smirks as if he saw the way my body responded to his touch. “Now. It’s time for that bath.”

Chapter 9

Paige

Varek leads me through the dimly lit caverns, pointing out places as we walk. He shows me a common area where other males sit around and eat. They all stare at me as we walk by but bow their heads in respect to the male with his hand on my lower back.

“Are you like, their leader or something?”

Varek lifts his chin in pride. “I am on the council of Highseers.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“The Highseers on the council make all decisions for our people.”

Ah. I nod.

He pushes me forward, weaving us through the extensive tunnels. From the many skylights and funnels that go straight up through the rock, I can see little pockets of the sky. For a cave, the place doesn’t feel nearly as cramped or claustrophobic as our ship did.

We walk until Varek points to a little crack in the wall and he pushes me through. He follows close behind, one handtouching my shoulder to guide me forward. I should shrug him off—I want to—but I can’t.

For as much as I hate him for making me give something up, for making me bow down to him and accept that he’s something other than a criminal, he did what I wanted. He is saving the others. Ryan, Lara, Cristina, Melina, and Nicole. They are safer this way.

They have a chance to be rescued and I would want that chance too if I was in their position.

They wouldn’t have that chance without him.

We walk a little further and the sound of burbling, bubbling water echoes in the tight space. The air warms and each step is lit up a little more. Green crystal-like nodules light the way, sticking out of the rock and burning bright.

“What are those?” I ask.

“Glows,” Varek answers behind me. “They are our source of energy.”

I take a few more steps and the path opens to a large room with a deep blue spring in the middle. The water softly trickles down from an opening high in the rock and once again, the water seems to shimmer.

“Why is everything glowing?”

“It’s the luminite. We mine it from the rocks for energy, but it flows through everything here. The water. The animals. Luminite is all around us.”

I lock eyes with him as the patterns on his chest light up with a soft green.

“Like there?” I ask, pointing at his body. “That’s luminite too?”

Varek nods. “Luminite isn’t just energy, it’s living. It keeps us alive. It’s the beginning and end of life here.”

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