Page 129 of Rok's Captive
I don’t know how I’m gonna break it to them, but I don’t think the Xyma are coming and I believe the Drakav are our best bet. “The Drakav will help us,” is all I say.
Relief washes over their faces, but I can see the questions still lingering in their eyes. What will this help cost? What does it mean to accept assistance from these alien beings?
Before they can voice these concerns, my heart drops. I’ve been so caught up in the reunion that I haven’t registered the absence of the one person I was most desperate to see.
“Where’s Jacqui?” I ask, scanning the group of women. “Where’s my sister?”
A strange hush falls over the group. No one meets my eyes directly, and a cold dread begins pooling in my gut.
“Jacqui?” I call louder, stepping away from Rok and toward the bus. “Jacqui, why don’t you come out? I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
I move toward the vehicle, aware of Rok following close behind me. The interior of the transport is dim after the bright sunlight, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. What I see makes my heart ache—makeshift bedding arranged on every available surface, personal items carefully organized to maximize space, evidence of their struggle to create some semblance of order and comfort in this harsh environment.
But no Jacqui.
I emerge from the transport, panic rising in my chest. My gaze sweeps across the group, wondering if I somehow missed her, before my eyes shift to the horizon, as if expecting to see her walking toward us from the endless expanse of sand.
“Where is she?” My voice rises. “Where is my sister?”
The women exchange glances, a silent communication that sends ice through my veins. Finally, Erika steps forward, her face solemn, eyes filled with compassion and regret.
“Justine,” she says softly, “your sister…she…I’m sorry.”
The world seems to tilt beneath my feet. “What do you mean, you’re sorry? Where’s Jacqui?”
Erika swallows hard, unable to meet my gaze for more than a second. “She left about a week ago,” she says finally. “She went to search for you.”
Time stops.
I stagger backward, and would have fallen if not for Rok’s arms suddenly around me, supporting my weight as my knees threaten to give way.
“What?” The word comes out as barely more than a whisper. “What are you saying?”
“We tried to stop her,” Mikaela adds quickly, her face pinched with guilt. “When you didn’t return, we told her it was suicide to go out there alone, but she wouldn’t listen. She held back as long as she could. She said she couldn’t just sit here and wait, not knowing if you were alive or dead. She said…” Mikaela’s voice breaks. “She said she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t try.”
I shake my head, trying to deny the reality of what I’m hearing. My sister, my cautious, responsible sister, ventured alone into the desert to find me. Jacqui is alone out there.
“No.” The word tears from my throat. My knees hit the sand before I realize I’ve fallen. “No, no, no?—”
Someone says my name, but I don’t hear it. The world narrows to a single, suffocating truth: Jacqui is gone. She went into that endless dust after me, alone, unprotected. And I wasn’t there.
A violent sob claws its way out of me. My hands fist in the sand like I can dig through it, like I can tunnel back in time and stop her from leaving. “She wouldn’t—I told her to stay. I?—”
Strong arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me against a solid chest. His whole being encloses me as his chin rests on my head. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t tell me it’ll be okay. He just holds me, his grip unyielding, as if he can keep me from shattering completely.
I twist in his arms, pressing my face to his neck. My tears soak into his skin, and his growl vibrates through me. He isn’t angry. This is something deeper. A promise. A vow.
Without understanding anything they just told me, he knows. As if he can feel my pain.
“We will find her,” he projects into my mind. “I will tear apart every dune in the dust if I must. But I will bring your sister-female back to you.”
I clutch him tighter, my fingers digging into his back. He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t pull away. He just holds me harder, his mind brushing against mine. Steady. Unbreakable.
My rock.
After a few moments, I feel steady enough to take a breath and look over my shoulder at Mikaela. Everyone else averts their gazes from me as if guilty. As if they feel like I will blame them for letting her leave.
“Which direction?” I ask, my voice hollow. “Which way did she go?”
