Page 2 of Alien Legacy

Abiditan gently grabbed her shoulders. The steel intent from his mismatched eyes filled with compassion, layered with a hint of pity. “We just can’t take the chance we’d end up too weak to rescue him before he’s executed. You wouldn’t want that to happen, now, would you?”

Jelena’s throat tightened. “Of course not.” She hung her head with a hard sigh and closed her eyes. Her head jerked when a sudden, crazy thought hit. She covered his hands with hers. “What if I found a way to take care of my bloodlust so I wouldn’t take too much of yours? Would you have a problem with me going then?”

Katsuki and Abiditan glanced at each other before Katsuki spoke. “How will you do that? You going to force someone from Azadi? No one there will have anything to do with us. We don’t have a choice but to do this on our own.”

Jelena forced a fake laugh. “You let me worry about that. So, if I get somebody to go as my blood source, will you stop saying I can’t go?”

Abiditan dropped his hands as he studied her. “That’s not our only concern. What about your Sychar obsession? You’ve never had such a powerful reaction to anyone like that before. Can you remain detached when you meet him?”

Jelena put her hand over her heart. “I swear to the Goddess of Love that when I meet Sychar, I’ll be the poster child of composure. You know I’d give my life to protect him.” She nudged her stern foster father with her shoulder and a slight smile. “Besides, you need me around to put things on ice when you lose your hot temper.”

Qhasheik’s snort echoed under the counter. “Okay, Frozen. You find some clod to go with us, and I’ll cast my vote for you to go.”

Crap. She hated it when he called her that. She never found out how he got his hands on that Earth movie. Or why he watched it.

“Katsuki, what do you think?” Abiditan crossed his arms. The porcelain color of his wavy, shoulder-length hair matched the brilliant whiteness of his skin. Instead of the traditional clothing of Azadi, he sported an untucked, tight, baby blue T-shirt over snug denim jeans. The soft color of his shirt brought out the unusual mismatched colors of his eyes. One eye was a brilliant sea-green, while the other was a translucent dove gray. Their shade was a departure from the various tones of turquoise and blue the Akurns normally had. It was one reason he was an outcast, like the rest of their small family.

The Akurns were such a superstitious, narrow-minded lot.

Katsuki pursed her lips. “Maybe if her bloodlust is under control, we won’t have to worry about how she reacts around Sychar.” She tapped her forefinger against her lips and stared at Jelena. “Okay, let’s see what you come up with. Or, rather, who you come up with. Keep in mind, we don’t want to have a prisoner on board to worry about. So, you’d have to find somebody who wants to come.” Her smile tightened. “Think that’s possible? If so, go for it. But don’t argue when you can’t find anyone. Okay?”

Jelena gave a curt nod. They might have their own reasons for taking a prototype spaceship to Akurn before the planet reached normal transportation range, but her reason was more important than theirs. Adrenaline rushed through her. Here was her chance to fulfill her life’s purpose, something that had eluded her for some time now. It wouldn’t surprise her if that restless urge calmed once she was with Sychar. Everything in her life would fall into place. Her endless search would finally be over.

“No, no, you won’t have to worry about me at all.” She gave Katsuki and Abiditan a hard, determined glare. “I’ll find someone to take with us.”

Abiditan frowned.

Not giving him a chance to start a lecture again, her next statement came out in a rush. “Even better, I’ll find someone who’ll help us infiltrate Murduk’s prison. Just give me one day, and I promise you, you won’t be sorry.”

Yeah, sorry wasn’t all she’d be if she screwed this up.

Chest tight, Jelena rushed out of the hidden hangar before her foster parents changed their minds. Goddess, how in the hell was she going to come up with a willing blood donor in one day? Even after she found this elusive person, it would still take some convincing of her mentors that they couldn’t leave without her.

Holy hell, she must be out of her ever-loving mind. The image of Sychar made her catch her breath. Her breath caught. She could do this. Be a part of saving him from a public execution. Then he’d take one look at her and know the same thing she did. They belonged together.

No time to waste. She rushed to her section of the small cave she and her foster parents claimed years ago. Now came the hard part. Convincing her two personal companions to help her find this unlikely person. Mentally running several scenarios, she examined and discarded each one. Oh well, hopefully something will come to mind once she faced them. She’d never get close enough to anyone in Azadi without their help.

Her first companion scurried over and jumped to nestle on her shoulder. Shther was a rare moon lizard called a Rhox she found after running away when her guardian, MoMo, died. On her deathbed, the ancient Akurn woman insisted Jelena stay away from the people of Azadi for her own safety. She implored Jelena to go to the cave system on the outskirts of the city. There she’d find people who’d take care of her.

Back then, she’d been a young child, wandering around the old cave system, lost and scared. Smothered in a haze of grief, she almost stepped on the poor creature.

The small reptile was about three inches long, with six double-jointed legs and a body that ended with a long, pointed tail. He had four pink eyes, sets of two set low in sockets on each side of his head, supported by a narrow flat nose. His two ears rested on the top of his head and resembled those of the Earth’s bat—large and funnel shaped. His scaly tail was almost as long as his little body. The finishing touch was his deep, apple-red color that could change and camouflage him.

While Shther wasn’t fully sentient, she sensed he was a kindred soul. They’d been inseparable ever since.

Shther had been her guide around the abandoned cave system.

Over the years, she realized the habitat was created by an unknown, long-forgotten intelligent species.

It was a veritable cornucopia of living quarters and common rooms. Each had its own heating and cooling system, automatic lighting, and an ever-present ability to provide a rich oxygen atmosphere and steady gravity.

There she found her other close companion, BoD.

Shther had pawed a small pile of rocks, a clear sign he wanted her to dig.

At first, she had no idea what it was except some kind of crossbow.

Embedded on the tip of the arrow was a glowing, bright-teal light. The color tapered along the fore grip, highlighting the image of a stork at the end.

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