Serix nodded in silent resignation when Cassie said that she wasn’t going to leave. He couldn’t argue with her. They [i]had[/i] vowed to stay by each other’s sides through whatever troubles they may come to face. Now that they were in the midst of a challenge, how could he ask her to go back on her word? As much as he hated the thought of dragging her into his problems, he knew he wasn’t going to change her mind. At least Ryan cared enough about her that he wouldn’t let her get hurt down here in the hold. Serix could rest in the comfort of knowing that she wasn’t in any danger while she stayed with him.

There was a pause, and then Cassie spoke up again, her voice sounding slightly strained, [b]“Serix... promise me we’ll get out of this. I don’t care if it’s true or not, I just... I need to hear that you and I both will be alright; that we’ll be able to get out of this mess, start a family, and get to live at least a partially normal life. Please?”[/b]

Serix looked up at her again and saw that she had turned around. Even if she was trying to hide the anxiety on her face, he could still hear it in her voice. She must also have realized that being locked in a cell wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to him. He was worried about that, too, but seeing Cassie look so tormented was much worse than the simple threat of death. For her sake, if nothing else, he had to prove to the humans that he was innocent. He couldn’t leave her alone like this.

Serix reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but he only managed to brush the fabric of her shirt with his fingers. Again, he was reminded of the distance between them. He let his hand drop back down to his side. “I promise,” he said quietly, managing a halfhearted smile. “I promise we’ll get out of here. We’re... going to have a kid, right? We already agreed before: We can’t let Ryan or any other human get between us. This is just a temporary delay in our plans, okay? Everything will be back to normal soon enough.” He lay down on the stony floor of the cell. After spending so many weeks in a bed with Cassie, he was acutely aware of how cold it was. He rolled onto his side to face his mate, “Let’s try to get some sleep. Who knows what’s in store for us tomorrow, right?” He yawned tiredly and closed his eyes. “I love you, Cassie.”

--

The combination of the frigid ground and the lack of Cassie’s presence at his side left Serix to sleep fitfully that night. Multiple times, he awoke with a racing heart from a recurring nightmare where Ryan entered the hold and took him away from his mate. The human would bring him to the dining hall, where all of the others stood in a ring, and throw him into the center. He would draw a gun and point it at Serix’s head, saying: “guilty.” Serix always woke up just before the human pulled the trigger.

When the first guard of the day entered the hold that morning, he was already awake. He sat up as Connor walked into the room with a tray of food and water. The human passed him by without a glance and slipped the tray under Cassie’s cell door, “Here. Ryan wants you to keep up your energy.” He walked over to sit at the table near their cells and crossed his arms. “He also said you’re not allowed to give any to the alien, so I’m staying here to make sure you don’t. He can’t have any food or water before his interrogation tonight.”

“Interrogation?” Serix echoed.

“Ryan just has some questions to ask you,” Connor said, although he didn’t meet Serix’s gaze. “About what happened yesterday. Your… performance during the interrogation will determine what Ryan decides to do with you.”

“Okay,” Serix said slowly. “But what does that have to do with food?”

“It’s standard procedure. We have our reasons.”

“Fine,” Serix sighed and glanced at Cassie. “Just go ahead and eat.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s just for one day. I can handle that.”