Page 41 of Venomous Heart
Ava turned from the balcony and walked back inside, staring at the sparse but functional new furniture in the living room. There was a sofa and a low table in the same minimalist style as the bed, and nowhere could she see any of Knut’s precious little treasures—all those jewel encrusted vases and priceless artifacts looted from other worlds. Everything had a new, clean feeling, and she was strangely at ease.
Then she turned and stared at the portrait on the wall.
“It’s the only thing I didn’t get rid of. I’m glad I didn’t, it would be a shame to destroy such a piece of art.”
A male voice had her swirling around, startled. Arlen stood there, in front of a table piled high with delicious looking food.
“I thought you’d left.”
Ava held the sheet closer around her body as Arlen eyed her, his face, usually devoid of expression, now openly appreciative as his gaze slid to her naked shoulders and then lower. He smiled, and for the first time, it looked like it came easy to him. She saw the shadow of the man he must have been a long time ago, before something horrible happened and turned him into the intransigent block of ice he was. Most of the time.
Now, there was an ease in the way he moved toward her, his eyes bright and his expression open and soft. Her heart surged as he wrapped his arms around her, and she gave way to her impulse to cradle her head on his chest. He was shirtless, and the feel of his skin was good under her cheek. Her fingers went to trace the swirl of a series of tiny bumps on his arm, appreciating the texture of his skin. It was soft and leathery, thick and resilient, but not unpleasant.
“Something happened that I had to take care of.”
Ava lifted her head to meet Arlen’s gaze. He stared down at her, his hard, full lips relaxed, but his eyes clouded with worry.
“What is it?” she asked. Arlen threw her a displeased pout, but Ava nudged him playfully. “I know this planet like the back of my hand. Maybe I can help.”
The corners of his mouth lifted more and he nodded. “We still can’t contact Facility Twenty-One.” He shook his head. “And the reconnaissance team I sent two days ago hasn’t been answering our calls. I’ll have to address this before Prime Councilor Aav gets wind of it. I don’t want to give her any reason to stay on Aveyn longer.”
Ava blinked, confused. “Even after all this time?” Her heart fluttered and she looked away to hide her reaction, but Arlen’s eyes were sharp. “A magnetic storm strong enough could take down an entire communication network, for sure.”
“Could be.” Arlen didn’t seem convinced. “But this is the second team I sent to that facility. They wouldn’t all be stopped by a mere storm system.”
“The mountains in that part of Aveyn have a strong geomagnetic field. They block or scramble all radio signals except the strongest. Your warriors wouldn’t be able to use the emitters from their transport. They would need to reach Facility Twenty-One to send a message. It’s not unusual to have magnetic storms last for weeks. That’s why there aren’t more facilities down in the Southern Hemisphere. Too much risk of piracy from off-world looters.”
Arlen nodded, his face still dubious, but less worried. “I’ll give them another two days, then I’ll send a full force of Eok warriors to see what’s going on.”
As if that had closed the subject, he picked her up in one swift motion. Ava cried out in surprise, holding on to his neck as he walked her all the way to the dining table, then placed her carefully on a seat before sitting in front of her on the opposite side.
“What is all this?” Ava stared at the piles of food, almost all of them unknown to her. “I barely recognize any of it.”
“This is what humans will eat every day on Aveyn.” Arlen smiled as she looked at the food, prodding it with her fork. All of it was vegetarian, but the grains and vegetables were strange to her. “For now, it’s imported from other planets, but soon, I hope Jonah will have stabilized the population enough in their new homes in the Tower for them to be able to start cultivating the land around it. These are only a few of the crops Khal has inventoried that would perform well in Aveyn’s temperate climate. Soon, my brother Kamal will bring back seeds and seedlings to plant.”
“It looks wonderful. Much better than what we were all used to eating.” Ava saw Arlen’s surprise, then she explained. “Knut always ate and drank whatever was the best, the fanciest, but he imported everything. The rest of the population—including Uril and me over the last few months—ate the nutrition packs three times a day. He always said that was the best for us.”
Arlen’s eyes flashed with anger and he piled food high on a plate, then handed it to her. Ava eyed it cautiously before taking a bite. She whimpered as she chewed, swallowing fast before filling her mouth some more.
“This is what is best for humans. Real food, grown right here on their homeland. Soon, Khal will have finished the survey to establish which animals would be best suited as livestock as well. No human will ever have to survive on that gray sludge ever again.”
Ava swallowed, pushing the food down a suddenly tight throat. “I thought the Eoks were only tasked with our security. Why do you care what we eat?”
Arlen lifted his eyes to her as he put food on his own plate. Intelligence shone in his gaze, as well as a regard that went deeper than what she had seen before. A genuine interest in the human population’s well-being. “A people who cannot feed themselves can never be truly safe.”
He spoke simply, then went on to eat his own food. It was so strange, being with him like this. Eating breakfast after a night of lovemaking, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
Only it wasn’t. Arlen and she weren’t lovers. Apart from a few hot kissing sessions, they were virtually strangers. Was this what he had intended for the future when he claimed her as mate? A life of domestic bliss and easy mornings?
What would happen next, when his mission on Aveyn was finished? Too much had happened in a too short time. There was so much she needed to ask and so little she wanted to know… because she was scared of the answers, because she wanted to keep the peace of the moment, no matter the heartbreak to follow.
Only her life was no fairytale, and she had to break the spell.
“What will happen to Uril?” When Arlen looked down at his food, his face a mask void of emotion, she understood. “Prime Councilor Aav is still here, and anyone could tell her I’m not the only hybrid on Aveyn. If she finds him…” Her voice broke at the terrifying prospect.
Arlen scowled, obviously displeased, but he nodded. “Uril is not protected under Eok laws.” He spoke with obvious regret. “His only chance is to stay hidden until Prime Councilor Aav leaves. I don’t think she will linger, despite her obvious curiosity. She cannot stay absent for long from her seat in the Ring’s headquarters. There are many who envy her position and would take advantage of her absence. And if there is anything she values more than satisfying her curiosity, it is keeping her power.”
“So, all we have to do is make sure she doesn’t find him.”
