Page 34 of Guardian's Legacy
According to the GTU database, a deadly disease had broken out soon after the Ohrurs began inhabiting it—there was no mention of any aborigines—causing over fifty percent of the Ohrur population to die out. Strangely,onlythe Ohrurs got sick with whatever the disease was—it was never named. Stranger yet, the disease never reached any other species in the universe, which was surprising and suspicious. The Ohrurs were merchants; they were always in contact with other species. The likelihood of them not spreading a disease that killed fifty percent of their population was slim to none, yet… That was, unfortunately, all I found. There was nothing that would give me a hint on why the other Space Guardians were headed that way.
I was sure I would find out as soon as I connected with them, but first, I had a few days of letting loose ahead of me. I deserved it.
My eyes closed one more time, but another question kept bothering me. The other Space Guardians couldn’t be apart from their mates further than a few paces—as if some unseen force physically tethered them together. But not Alice and me. That had never been a problem for us. She was on Astrionis. I was here, alone, perfectly fine.
Except…
My body didn’t feel fine. My cock didn’t feel fine. My mind sure as a starbane didn’t feel fine.
You just need a really good, sound fight. Sore muscles will exorcise her from your mind, I soothed myself.Then everything will be fine.Despite that reassurance, my mind wouldn't give it a rest. Why didn't Alice's and my mating marks act up more? Was it because it wasn’t the same kind of bond? Or have the marks, for whatever reason, not fully activated yet?
I tossed and turned and couldn’t help wondering how Alice was faring. Did Silla find a nice place for her? Would she be able to work her trade? Was she comfortable? All those thoughts were driving me crazy.
Just a quick comm, my mind tempted,soon you'll be out of range anyway. That sounded reasonable. I had taken on responsibility for her and the others when I took them in, so why not check up on her?
I pulled out my comm and connected it to hers. Ticks later, I found myself standing in her new room. Candles burned on several surfaces, a simple bed stood in a corner, and Alice sat on it. At the same time, I sat on my bed and watched her hovering, seated form in my room.
"Hey," she said with a small smile, "can't sleep?"
I looked around her room, it wasn't big, but it had a homey quality to it—as much I could define the wordhomey.
"Are you all well taken care of?" I asked, ignoring her question, needing to distract her and me from the fact that Icommedher. I wanted it to at least appear somewhat like professional curiosity and not me missing her already after only a few hours. But seeing her there, so close, it was almost like a drug addict finding his fix.
She tilted her head. “We’re fine. Silla’s already found me something to do with my hands. Said I looked like the type who gets dangerous when idle.”
I let out a soft exhale. “She’s not wrong.”
Her smile widened, then softened. “You didn’t answer me. Can’t sleep?”
I focused on the flickering candlelight behind her instead of her face. “Sleep is… inefficient when the mind is unsettled.”
“Unsettled,” she echoed. “Sounds serious.”
“It isn’t,” I said too quickly.
A pause stretched. She didn’t push. That was one of the things I found so... maddening about her. She knew exactly when not to dig. Which, of course, only made me want to talk.
“You’re adjusting well,” I said, which was the truth. But it wasn’t why I’d commed.
She nodded, tucking her legs beneath her. “It’s quiet here. Peaceful. You’d hate it.”
“I never said I hated peace.”
“No,” she said, meeting my eyes. “But you never said you liked it either.”
My hands curled around the edge of the bed, trying to find something to ground myself. This had been a bad idea. Now, I had to watch what I said. Instead of admitting that I missed her, I lied, “I just wanted to make sure the transfer went smoothly.”
I wasn't sure if she believed me or not, but her voice sounded kind of heavy, too, or that might have just been wishful thinking. “Well… thanks for checking in on me, Commander.”
The title stung more than it should have. “Good night, Alice.”
I ended the comm before I could do something stupid. Like tell her I’d slept better when she was on the ship. Or that the room already felt too empty.
At some point, I must have finally fallen asleep because when I woke up, I was already missing heragain. It took some willpower, but I managed not to comm her in the morning. I made it to the evening before I succumbed.
The comm connection pulsed softly before stabilizing; her image flickered into clarity. She sat cross-legged on her bed again, hair tied back, a faint smudge of oil on her temple. She looked tired. She looked like herself.
“Hey,” she said. “Didn’t think I’d hear from you again so soon.”
