Page 8 of Keeping Freya
I huff, irritation sparking inside of me. I feel angry and ignored, and I can’t believe the other girls are so quick to forget that we shouldn’t trust strangers. “Watch your backs,” I warn them as I walk towards the doors.
“Wait for me!” Lauren says, and she rushes after me and winks. “I think I’d like to see the agony you put my mate in.”
We walk back to the cell block in silence. Although Lauren seems nice enough, I don’t trust her, and I have zero desire to make small talk with her.
D’Var immediately rushes to the bars when we enter the area.
“L’Ren!” he says, butchering the pronunciation of her name, but she doesn’t mind and smiles at him.
“You have gotten yourself in quite the pickle, D’Var,” she jokes, and he leans forward, hands through the bar.
“Nah, we can easily break out if we want to.”
“Oh, you think that?” she smirks, and he nods.
“Absolutely, but I don’t want to break the cell in case we need it later,” he winks.
The other guy still stands in the back, but his presence looms over me even from a distance. I don’t know what it is, but I feel drawn to him, and I don’t like that, not one bit. Our eyes lock, and he stalks towards the door, pushing his shoulder against the bars. With one push, the door swings open.
I stare, dumbfounded, did he just…
D’Var laughs, and his friend stalks towards me. I swallow, taking a step back, my back meeting the metal wall. He steps into my space, and I should be revolted, but I’m not. He leans in and takes a deep breath. Is he smelling my hair? I pull myself together and brace both my hands against his chest - his extremely well-formed chest - and shove him away.
“Get off me.” Then I turn around and walk away.
Daphne has the guys,the Warriors of Arracate, fixing the things we broke when we took over, and D’Var is also fixingthe holes they made in the ship. Lauren and Mara joined us in the control room and invited themselves to our meeting, or the other girls did, I don’t know. I have a feeling there’s more to their stories, but right now, they seem perfectly happy with their Arracate mates.
“What is this planet your mate was talking about?” Crys asks Mara, who gives her a reassuring smile.
“Novarron is a beautiful planet, ruled by a just and peaceful Queen. The planet is cloaked, and she has made it into a Sanctuary for alien species from across the galaxy. There are more humans there, but everybody mixes with everybody. There’s a special suburb called the Sanctuary, where refugees can find a place for themselves and find some sort of peace and purpose.” She grabs Crys’ hand and gives it a squeeze.
“I know it’s hard, believe me, we both do, and ultimately it will be your choice, but I would strongly suggest seeking refuge on Novarron. You can always come with us to our home, but it doesn’t have the care facilities that Novarron has. The Arracate are a race of Warriors, and that shows in our home. There’s always the option of going your own way, but it’s not safe for humans out here, please trust me on that.”
“Well, that’s hardly a choice now, don’t you think?” Jodie huffs.
“There is always a choice,” Mara starts, but Jodie interrupts.
“Did you have a choice?”
Mara pales, then slowly shakes her head. “Yes and no, maybe because my choice was simple, because I had nothing to return to. I was abducted from Earth when I was a small child, and I grew up as the personal slave to the daughter of the Sternotheri ruler. When I met O’Rec, I was a shell of the person I am today. He made it easy to choose him. But if he wasn’t my mate, and I could seek refuge on Novarron, Iwould take that in a heartbeat. It’s a safe place. A happy place.”
“But it’s not home,” Daphne says.
Silence falls over us like a heavy blanket when Crys speaks up. “I don’t think I can go home.”
We turn to her, and my shock is mirrored on the faces of a couple of the others.
She shrugs. “Can you imagine going back to your normal life? I was an accountant for God’s sake. I can’t work a 9 to 5 job anymore. And how would we explain where we’ve been? I’d say it’s been at least three years for me.”
Brittney nods. “I agree, I have nothing on Earth anyway.” Then she gives me the cheekiest of winks. “I could do with a hot alien mate, though.”
“Brittney!” Multiple voices chime in, and Lauren burst out laughing.
I stare at her and shake my head. Unbelievable. Brittney starts shaking with laughter, and tears are streaming down her face before long.
“I’m sorry,” Lauren hiccups. “But you are hilarious. And I can tell you all about the perks of a hot alien mate.”
“Easy for you to say,” Jodie grumbles.
