Page 78 of Guardian's Soul

I lovedthis female more than it should be possible. It wasn't just her beauty or her warmth that held me captive—it washer.She was the rhythm of my heart, the air in my lungs. The thought of a world without her felt like trying to breathe underwater—impossible, agonizing, and utterly unbearable. All light would go with her if she were ever gone, leaving me in an endless night. No, I couldn't imagine a life without her because a life without her wouldn't be a life at all—it would be a hollow echo of what could have been. I would gladly give my life for her. It was an easy choice, quite selfish, really, because I didn't think I could bear living without her.

And still, when I dreamed, I dreamed of Suahaana. And in that dream, I felt for Suahaana the same way I did for Hannah.

I was carrying her dead body through the forest again, running from something. Something I couldn't see. Like before, I fell, Suahaana was slipping from my arms, and I cried out. Her black eyes were sightless as they stared at me, and a scream tore from my throat and ripped me back to the present. I sat up with a start. My heart pounded inside my chest as if it was ready to come flying out. My throat was tight with pain, as was my chest.I could barely get any air into my lungs. I heaved with the effort to force oxygen down my throat, but it was too closed.

"Thrax." Alarmed, Hannah began to pound on my back. "Breathe, Thrax, breathe." The urgency in her voice and the frightened look in her eyes penetrated my brain enough to get a hold of myself and my emotions.

"Suahaana again?" Hannah asked.

I felt like the lowest of all creatures. Lying there in bed with the female who meant everything to me, mourning another who had meant the same. Confusion wasn't even coming close to describing what I felt.

"It's all right, Thrax. It's okay. I'm here. I love you." Hannah tried to soothe me, making me feel more guilt-ridden.

I knew I was a bastard when I sought comfort in her arms—comfort for the death of another female who had meant everything to me. I clung to Hannah as if I was drowning. The grief was nearly splitting me apart; while I felt such incredible love for Hannah, it defied any logic.

"I'm okay." I finally managed to get a hold of myself.

"You don't look okay. You look like you saw a ghost."

I flinched at her words. "Something like that."

"We need to talk to the others about this," Hannah proposed, looking like she didn't like her own suggestion one bit.

"You're right. Besides"—I drew my hand through my hair and rubbed the back of my neck as a low pain started to dig into my brain—"I saw something else."

"What?"

"Suahaana was dead, but there was a light reflected in her eyes," I said, closing mine as a fresh wave of pain jolted through me with unrelenting force. "The light, it looked like the reflection of a drone."

"A drone?" Hannah repeated, her eyes going wide. "Like…"

I nodded. "Like the ones we used, like the ones that were at Possedion's property."

She took a deep breath, her face scrunched up in determination. "Let's get that bastard here and talking," she snarled vengefully.

In the hallway,we ran into Raasla and Zoe, arm in arm. They were whispering and giggling. Seeing Raasla giggle was not something I thought I would see first thing in the morning, but hey, Hannah was doing things to me that I didn't understand either, so who was I to judge?

The others were all in the break room, gathered around the large table already filled with goodies that made Hannah squeal in joy. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"As close to coffee as one can get here," Nova remarked, drinking from a steaming mug filled with a black liquid.

"And here's sugar and cream." Zoe pulled two containers off the table.

"Wow," Hannah exclaimed, taking a hot cup of the black liquid Luph offered and smiling gratefully at her.

"Where is…" Hannah looked around, and just then, Vraax entered with Sloane. The two were staring at each other like gladiators in an arena, trying to find the other's weakness and figuring out how to exploit it.

"Good, we're all here." Nock rubbed his hands together in glee. "I've discovered something amazing."

He pulled up several cube screens and projected one against the far wall. Intrigued, I looked at images that closely resembled our mating marks. "Thanks to our new friend Tharaax, I did some digging through the Ohrur database last night"—he was interrupted by Nova clearing her throat—"with the help of Nova and Luph," the Kred added.

"Those look like our Soulweb Glyphs," Zoe stated in awe.

"They are," Nova acknowledged. "Mine, Zaarek's, Noodar's, and Luph's."

Except these were linear, not wound around an arm, hip, or leg. They looked as if someone had taken them off and spread them out; that thought made me shiver.

"See here." Nock got out a light pointer with an orange light that contrasted nicely with the wall and the marks. "These are all the same on you."

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