Page 44 of Guardian's Heart

"Then stop looking at me," he snapped but stopped his pacing.

"Uhm, shouldn't you two be more like love birds instead of snapping at each other the whole time?" Nock interrupted our brewing spat.

I looked at the black marks on my arm and followed the lines until they vanished underneath the sleeve. Nock kept calling themmating marks. Did that mean something like soulmate? I threw a surreptitious glance at Zaarek; even now, the physical pull toward him was strong, enticing me to touch him, be near him. I was attracted to him; there was no doubt about that, and our sex had been… out of this world. But soulmates?

Even if I had believed in that, Nock was right; Zaarek and I should have been acting like love birds, not like two roosters locked in an arena.

Then again, he seemed to be just as stubborn a person as I was. I remembered the few moments when we had been sweet with each other. I wasn't sure what had happened to Zaarek when he returned and started to pick on me, but I suspected something similar to what had happened to me. An inner urge to fightsomething that seemed to be too good to be true. Or something that had been forced on us.

I wasn't about to discuss that with him with Nock as a witness though.

"I have no idea," Zaarek answered Nock, pulling his hand through his thick, black hair. It was cut close to his head still, but he managed to mess it in the most sexy way. "You tell me how mating marks work."

"Let's back up a moment." Nock pulled out a similar tablet to the one Zaarek gave me. "Let's figure out first what species you are."

Zaarek moved to stand behind me. No part of his body was touching mine, but I was very aware of his presence and the heat emanating from him. In silence, we watched Nock tap away on his tablet, watching as his facial expression changed from happy anticipation to concern to downright disbelief.

"Nobody knows," he finally declared, looking up.

Behind me, I felt Zaarek deflate. Yet there was defiance in his voice. "I can't believe this."

Nock held up his tablet. "This comm is linked to the entire StarWeb. Whatever happened on any planet, at any time in history, is stored in the StarWeb. There is nothing, nothing about the Space Guardian's origin except that you are the keepers of peace in the universe and that you work for the Ohrurs. Nothing points to your origin."

"Does it say for how long we've worked for the Ohrurs?" Zaarek wanted to know.

"Tens of thousands of Standard Cosmic years. An exact number is not known."

"Let me see." Zaarek held out his hand for the tablet, and without hesitation, Nock handed it over. I rose from my seat to read with him but couldn’t decipher the writing on Nock’s tablet. With a grunt, Zaarek swiped a few times until another screenappeared out of thin air, hovering in front of my face, displaying the same article in English.

Which was basically a summary of what I already knew. That the Space Guardians were an elite force, working for the Ohrur Oligarchy. They upheld the law, eliminated criminals, yada, yada, yada.

One part, however, was interesting.

"So you were selected," I pointed to the text.

Training and Selection

Due to the immense responsibility and power that comes with the role, the selection process for the Space Guardians is rigorous. Candidates must demonstrate exceptional combat skills, mastery of stealth and infiltration techniques, and a comprehensive understanding of intergalactic law. Furthermore, they must possess a deep sense of loyalty and an unbreakable ethical compass, as misuse of their authority is met with severe consequences.

Zaarek shook his head. "I don't remember." He massaged his temples as if he had a headache.

"Does your head hurt?"

He nodded and walked over to a place in the wall, which opened like the shelves in his quarters. He pulled out a long wand and ran it over his head.

"What is that?"

"A healing wand," Nock replied distractedly, still reading something on one of his screens.

"A healing wand? As in, it'll heal his back?"

"His back?" Nock looked up, semi-interested.

"I got some scratches from the Mmuhr'Rhongs." Zaarek downplayed his injuries.

"It's more than just some scratches." I contradicted, rising and taking the wand from him. "How does it work?"

With a loud sigh, Zaarek showed me, and I moved it over his back, watching in astonishment as the deep scratches healed in front of my eyes.

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