Page 81 of Guardian's Heart

ZAAREK

I gave Raasla fullpower over the bridge while the others stayed in the breakroom. If we hadn't already been brothers in arms, we were now bound by the same mating marks and a common cause—to figure out our origins. Questions had arisen that I had never asked myself before and probably never would have if it hadn't been for the Soulweb Glyphs, as Raasla explained they were called.

It didn't take long until Raasla's ship came into view.

"Are you worried the Ohrur will trace us through the ships?" I asked.

Rising, he nodded. "Princess Luphelia has purchased another ship for us, one that will be big enough to accommodate you, your mate, and your friend as well if you want to join us."

"Princess Luphelia?" The name sounded familiar.

"The female Noodar was tasked with protecting."

"But she's a…" I searched my brain. "She's a Mantarian."

"Yes, is that a problem?" For the first time, Raasla seemed disconcerted.

"Not at all. For some reason, I just assumed all our fated mates were human. My mistake."

Raasla's tension eased. "He's always been the odd male out."

I grinned, liking the comradery developing between us.

We gathered the others from the breakroom and made Vraax follow us as we boarded the other ship.

Two females awaited us impatiently. One rushed to Raasla, the other to Noodar. I squeezed Nova's hand when she let out a small hiss at the sight of the Mantarian female. It wasn't pretty. Even though Princess Luphelia wasn't as hideous as some of the other Mantarians I had encountered, she was one of the few who walked erect and not stooped, maybe because of her slight build or her three legs, which were something to get used to, same as her orange eyes.

Like the others of her species, her skin was yellow-dotted, dirty-looking, and gray, wrinkled from head to toe. Strands of black hair clung to various body parts, some longer, some shorter. Some had even been braided.

What stood out most about her, though were the dark mating marks, matching Noodar's.

Raasla took over the introductions after a long embrace with his mate. "This is Zoe and Princess Luphelia, Luph." He pointed at each one of us, giving the two females our names. "And Nock."

"Oh by the gods, Nock! I never thought I would actually meet you in person. I'm your biggest fan," Princess Luphelia squealed and moved forward to embrace the startled holostreamer.

"Tha-nk you!" Nock recovered. "That's a high honor coming from you, Princess Luphelia."

"It is very nice to meet you." Zoe came forward. With her brown hair and gray eyes, she was a startling beauty, much in contrast to the Princess. Without fanfare, Zoe embraced Nova, who seemed a bit hesitant, sending a comical expression my way.

"Ahm, you too," Nova replied, awkwardly petting the other female's back.

"You don't look like you enjoy hugs," Luph said with a smile that transformed her entire face into something beautiful.

"It's okay," Nova surprised me as she spread her arm out to include the princess in her and Zoe's hug. I knew she felt awkward about it, but my respect for her grew when I realized she didn't want the other female to feel left out.

Noodar stood beaming behind the three, nodding happily at me and Raasla, while Vraax tried to appear unperturbed, but a small crease on his forehead betrayed him. If I wasn't mistaken, he might have been coming around to actually listen to our stories. I didn’t like him very much, but we were in dire need of allies and I wasn’t going to be picky about who they might be.

"Come, I prepared some refreshments." Zoe beamed, waving us forward to where the breakroom was located.

Confused, I looked at Raasla, who mouthed,just go with it.It's her thing.

We found our seats around a table Zoe had filled with snacks and beverages. Nova even squealed over one of the items. "Is that a real human Oreo?"

Zoe nodded and grinned. "Not the original, but one of the humans on Astrionis makes them, and Silla sent an entire box with us."

"I like Silla." Nova reached for a cookie and held it under my nose. "You have to try this."

Snackswere not something I had ever eaten before. I ate when I was hungry and ordered what appealed to me. Eating in company as an act of socializing was a strange notion for me, but I loved Nova enough to indulge her.

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