Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It’s all good! I’ve been traveling a lot, so I didn’t have as much time to write. I’m home for the next two weeks though :)

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix walked back to the room with Cassie in contemplative silence. With all of the entrances to the compound being sealed off, it would only be a matter of time before the runaway prisoner was found. He would need to come out for food or water eventually, and when he did, the humans would be waiting. He didn’t know what they planned to do with Jaxil, but it couldn’t be good. Ryan hadn’t shown him mercy during his interrogation, and he hadn’t even hurt anyone. The young Lunairan would likely face death if he got caught before Ryan had a chance to cool down.

Serix rounded a corner, heading down the corridor that led to his and Cassie’s room. Then there was the matter of the other captives. Cassie had been able to stall her friend for now, but once the entrances were sealed, there would be nothing stopping him from interrogating the Lunairans in the hold. Most, if not all of them, would probably be killed. He wondered if there was anything that could be done to stop the massacre. Ryan wasn’t in his right mind after Sally’s murder. If he wasn’t willing to see reason, they might as well begin preparing nine more funerals.

He sat down on the bed next to his mate, leaning tiredly against her shoulder. She met his gaze and, seeming to read his mind, asked: “What are we going to do, Serix? They won’t look for the boy forever. We’ve got to think of something to stop those interrogations from happening.”

“I don’t know what to do,” he shook his head hopelessly. “It’s going to take a lot to change Ryan’s mind.” He laid down on the bed, wrapping one hand around Cassie’s waist to drag her down beside him. When they were both lying down, her back to his chest, he slipped his arm across her side in an embrace. He closed his eyes, taking comfort in her presence—her warmth, the smell of her hair, the softness of her skin. He began to relax. “We’ll figure something out. Besides, if anyone can get through Ryan’s thick skull, it’s you.” He buried his head against her neck, planting a quick kiss. “As much as I dislike it… you should spend some time with him. He’s grieving. He needs someone to help him cope with his loss, and I think you’re the perfect person for the job.”

He strongly disliked the thought of his mate getting close to the other male—hated it, even—but he couldn’t think of any other choice. If they were going to save the other Lunairans, someone would have to talk to Ryan. For their sakes, he would have to lay down his pride and let the exchange happen.

Jaxil knit his brow as Terra explained the many functions of books in human society. As hard as he tried to remain impartial, he couldn’t help the pique of interest he felt when she said books were used for entertainment. It was fascinating that the humans used writing to tell stories instead of telepathy. Perhaps they didn’t share the mental ability with Lunairans, even though they looked so visibly similar? He wanted to ask, but he was afraid of giving away information that she might be able to use against him or his people. Instead he sat quietly, eating the food she had brought him—it was surprisingly delicious—and listening to her explain why she liked to read.

He examined Terra’s face curiously. She was so open with him about her past. He had only just met her earlier that day, but she had already told him about her life in the tunnels, her brother, and the age groups that existed among the humans. She really wasn’t afraid of him at all. Should I be unafraid of her as well? He wondered. She definitely seemed harmless enough, but she was still a human and his commander had told him not to trust her kind. He had to remember the words of his leaders, even though she seemed innocent.

“This book is one of my favorites,” Terra said fondly, opening the book to its beginning. “It’s called The Little Prince. Here, listen.”

Much to Jaxil’s surprise, she began to read to him out loud. Her voice lilted melodically as she told the tale of a prince from another planet who had fallen in love with something called a ‘rose’—by the description in the book, it appeared to be a plant of some sort—and a pilot who had crashed his ship. It was an odd tale with many words and phrases the Lunairan didn’t understand, but he enjoyed listening to Terra’s soothing voice as she read nonetheless.

Jaxil stifled a yawn. While he liked listening to the book, her voice was also making him tired. He fought to keep awake, refusing to let himself be disgraced by falling asleep in front of a human. His commander would never forgive him for such a mistake. He sat up straighter against the wall and read along over Terra’s shoulder, his luminescent eyes reflecting purple across the white pages of the book.

He was relieved when she finally stopped reading and told him she was leaving for the night so they could both rest. Nodding wearily, he watched her put the book down and prepare to go, “I think so too.” He hesitated, shifting his weight, and went on in a quiet voice, “Also… thanks for not killing me.” He blinked in the darkness of the cave. Was it wrong to have shown gratitude to a human? He wasn’t sure. His exhaustion was making his brain fuzzy. Even if it was wrong, he doubted he would be reprimanded too severely for saying it. There were worse things than thanking an enemy. “Thanks for the supplies too.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Jaxil nodded solemnly when Terra explained that it was the best place he could use to try to stay hidden. He didn’t like how open the cave was to the river. All it would take was one curious human wandering too far upstream, and he would be discovered. Unfortunately, it would have to do for now. Being unfamiliar with the labyrinth of tunnels, he didn’t have any better ideas.

“Terra!” a new voice called from another part of the river. “You in here?”

Jaxil’s eyes widened in terror and he pressed his back against the wall of rock behind him. In his panic, he slipped on the wet floor of the crevice and sent a small flurry of rocks down into the water. There would be no hiding the sound they made. He looked around, hurriedly trying to find an escape route, but Terra held her hands up in a calming gesture.

“Stay here and stay still,” she whispered.

He shook his head slowly in agreement, watching as she slipped out of the cave to confront the source of the voice. He crept forward, just enough to listen to them speak without being within their range of sight.

“…I’m here!” he heard Terra shout as she scrambled down the boulders. “I was just checking out all the tunnels.”

“Terra, what the hell were you doing up there?” the other person replied. By the low timbre of the voice, Jaxil decided it was a male. He couldn’t tell anything else about the stranger though. The male human went on: “You know Ryan doesn’t want anyone heading up there. The rapids are too rough. You could have slipped and been pulled under. None of us would have ever been able to find you.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, I just wanted to check everywhere. Just to be sure.”

“Just… don’t go up there again. We can’t lose another person today,” there was a brief pause before the male asked: “Did you find anything?”

Jaxil held his breath, leaning as far forward as he could. This was the moment of truth. Would Terra betray him to her own people or would she protect him from them? He braced himself, ready to bolt if he needed to. However, his fears were laid to rest when she answered: “No, I checked all through the lower river caverns and all in the upper river caverns. He’s not there.”

He let out the breath he had been holding in a long exhale. She had chosen to hide him after all. Her lie had bought him some time as well. As long as the other humans believed that she hadn’t found him in the upper cavern, they would have no reason to look for him here. He could rest easy for now.

Suddenly, exhaustion struck him at full force. He hadn’t thought about it before, but he had had a busy day. From commencing the raid on the humans, to getting imprisoned, to escaping from the cell, to his encounter with Terra, he hadn’t had a single moment to rest. He sank to a sitting position with his back against the wall once more, his eyelids drooping heavily. He wanted to stay awake to keep watch for humans, but his tired body protested. He yawned. It wouldn’t hurt to sleep for a short while, right? After all, Terra had misled the others to keep them away from him. Surely that would give him enough time for a nap.

With that thought in mind, Jaxil let himself lay down on the damp stone floor of the crevice. He drifted off, too weary to care about the wetness that seeped into his clothing. At that moment, all he wanted was to sleep.

Time passed slowly by as Serix searched the compound for Jaxil. The missing Lunairan had left no signs of his presence anywhere. He hoped Ryan wasn’t having better luck on his end. It would be a problem if the other humans got ahold of the young male before he and Cassie did. There was always a chance they could convince Ryan to spare Jaxil, but after that battle he doubted the human leader would let him off the hook so easily.

His mind wandered back to the events in the hold. So much had happened that it was a bit overwhelming. He was shaken up by just encountering others of his own kind after being integrated amongst the humans for so long. To learn that he had hurt Celuria and been disowned by his people on top of that was tough to deal with. He wondered if the Lunairan prisoners would even be willing to cooperate with him if he tried to save them from death. They all seemed to hate him for betraying the higher powers. He sighed. If they only knew how twisted their leaders had become, they would understand why he had chosen to fight for the half-bloods. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem very willing to listen.

Serix looked up to see Quincy and Ray approaching from one of the tunnels. The former raised his hand in the typical human greeting, “Any luck?”

“No,” he shook his head.

“Same here,” Ray said. “Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready.”

“Thanks,” Serix said, turning to Cassie as the two males walked away. “We should take a break. I want to find out if anyone else has found Jaxil yet.”

They headed after Quincy and Ray, making their way to the dining cavern. There was already a large group seated at a table—the search parties Ryan had organized to find their runaway prisoner. Serix and Cassie quickly piled food onto their plates and chose a table nearby so they could listen to the others discuss their findings. Serix was relieved to hear that none of the others had had any luck. The young soldier was safe for now.

He ate his dinner slowly, taking time to hear out Ryan’s next plans.

“Seal off the main exit first,” the half-blood leader was saying. “That’s how the aliens got in the first time, so that’s probably the first route he’ll try. We can’t let him escape and report to his leaders.”

“Monty and I can do that,” Hunter volunteered gruffly.

Ryan nodded at the male and turned to the others, “Everyone else, fan out and block off all the other tunnels we know about. Gunner, come with me to search for any possible unmarked tunnels. We need to put this place under complete lockdown.”

“You got it,” Gunner whistled to his dog, summoning the creature to his side. “If there are any more passages big enough to fit a man, we’ll be sure to find them.”

“Alright,” Ryan said, rising to his feet. “Let’s get to work.” He and the others tossed their trash and gave their dishes to Victoria and Emily to be washed. They spread out in small groups of two or three to complete the tasks Ryan had distributed, each group heading into a different tunnel.

Serix watched them with a frown. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Ryan’s move to seal off the caverns. On one hand, it would have been bad if Jaxil escaped and reported to the higher powers, but on the other hand, he would suffer terribly if he was caught. Serix just hoped the young Lunairan had found somewhere safe to hide until this mess was sorted out.

“If none of the others have been able to find him, I don’t think we will either,” he said to Cassie, popping the last bit of food into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “I think we should call it a day and get some rest. How about you?”

Jaxil slept soundly in spite of his situation. His slumber was filled with pleasant dreams in which he was a young child again, safe with his parents back on the ship. There was no war, no battles to be fought, no death or destruction. There was simply peace. It was a glorious utopia in which the higher powers had successfully eradicated the human race, and his people were preparing to land on Earth and make it their new home. Everything was how it was supposed to be…

His eyes fluttered open as the faint sound of shifting rocks awoke him. Someone was outside. He sat up quickly, dully noting how soaked his clothes were from lying on the wet floor, and stared intently at the opening in the cave. Was it Terra? Or had the other humans found his hiding place? He tensed, waiting for the intruder to reveal him or herself.

“It’s me,” Jaxil relaxed at the sound of Terra’s friendly voice. She crawled into the cave and sat in front of him, offering him various items. First, there was a pillow and blanket for him to sleep with. He appreciated them after taking a wet nap on the stony ground. Next, she held out a bowl of delicious smelling food, which he accepted and began to devour ravenously. Having not been able to eat since the early morning, he was starving. Last, she held out a book, which he eyed curiously. It was one he had never seen before, which wasn’t that surprising since the only books Lunairans kept were historical documents. He doubted Terra would have been able to get ahold of one on her own.

“I… wasn’t sure if Lunairans read,” she explained bashfully. “But I brought a book just in case, to pass the time here so that you’re not just sitting here.” She hesitated a moment before asking, “Do… Lunairans know how to read?”

“Yes,” Jaxil answered. “But it’s never been my favorite activity.” He examined the book curiously. “Learning about history wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed in my classes. Do humans study for fun?”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Jaxil blushed when Terra said Lunairans were strange for thinking that meeting under such circumstances was pleasant. “That’s not what I meant,” he muttered hurriedly. “I was just trying to be polite. I don’t know what a normal greeting is to your species… I don’t know why I even bothered.” It was true. He didn’t know why he tried to be so nice to this human. In retrospect, it hadn’t been a good idea. He couldn’t let himself get close to her or it would be much more difficult to turn her and the others in to his leaders.

“Don’t thank me,” Terra went on. “It’s… it’s the right thing to do. Human or not, you’re still a person. A life that matters.”

He stared at her in surprise at those words. Her kindness seemed to go beyond mere sympathy for him. She actually thought his life had value. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his mind reeling. Why was this human so different from what his commander had described? She was making it increasingly difficult for him to see her as an enemy. He almost wished she had been more aggressive so he would know what to expect from her. Her gentle nature was torture to him in its own way.

“Your teammates, they… um…” Terra spoke up again, averting her gaze as if the information was hard for her to share. Jaxil felt his heartbeat quicken slightly at her nervous behavior. Had something bad happened to his comrades? To Peiylo? He suddenly felt dizzy at the thought of the humans killing Peiylo for helping him escape. She had done so much for him. He couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering in his place. He held his breath as he waited for Terra to tell him the fate of his platoon.

“They haven’t been interrogated yet,” Terra finished, sending a wave of relief over Jaxil. “It’s been put on hold. Cassie managed to convince Ryan to wait until they’ve looked for you and have fortified the caves.” She met his gaze. “They’re alive. And knowing Cassie and Serix, they’ll continue to work to make sure it stays that way.”

“I’m glad they’re okay,” he sighed. He didn’t know what he would have done if his platoon had been killed. He didn’t have the skills to survive on his own. Their deaths would have been the catalyst that caused his own. He nodded curtly at Terra. “Thank you for telling me.” He glanced out the entrance of the cavern at the river below. The human had said this was a safe hiding place, but for how long? Eventually, the others would think to search for him up here, wouldn’t they? He didn’t like the idea of getting caught with his back against a wall.

“Are you sure I’ll be safe here?” he inquired, looking back at her. “This cave is only hidden because of the slick boulders. If someone is bold enough to wander up here like you did, I’ll be trapped.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Jaxil couldn’t believe he was still alive. The human kneeling before him had chosen not to shoot him right away. He found that he was beginning to relax around her, despite himself. He tried to remind himself of his commander’s description of humans: They were ruthless, sadistic, and quick to violence. When confronted, they would fight first and reason only to save themselves when captured. They had no morals, and most importantly, they despised Lunairans.

He reminded himself of the information he had been provided by his commanding officer, yet somehow, no matter which way he looked at it, this human didn’t fit the description. She had been merciful, empathetic, and quick to speak before shooting. Had his leaders been wrong about humans? He grimaced in the dark, cursing himself for having such little faith in his superiors. Of course not. This human must have been the exception among her kind. Or maybe she was too young and hadn’t developed a sense of brutality yet. Whatever the case, he knew he could count on one thing: the higher powers were never wrong. They knew everything and only wanted the best life for the Lunairan people. He had to trust them.

It was easier said than done. As the human continued to speak to him in that soothing tone of hers, Jaxil found that—as much as he wished it wasn’t true—he agreed with her about the war. He agreed that it was scary, that it was just causing unnecessary loss of life… and in that moment, he hated himself for it. I’m not a traitor, he silently tried to convince himself. I can’t be a traitor. The higher powers know what they’re doing. I just can’t understand it, that’s all. I don’t have enough information.

The female’s next statement began to put his mind at ease. Apparently, one of the other humans had sent out a search party to find a “dangerous Lunairan.” He let out his breath in relief. The higher powers had been correct, after all. The humans really did want to kill his people. This female was merely an exception to the rest of her kind. The war was just.

Jaxil’s interest was piqued when the human began talking about the Lunairan traitor, Serix. His commander had informed the platoon that there might be one of their own fighting on the side of the humans. Supposedly, this male had gone missing during the scouting mission, but had never reported any danger to his pilot. He had simply vanished. Now, here he was, sidling up to the humans like an obedient pet and hurting his own people’s efforts to repopulate this planet. He had even taken a human female as a mate. The thought of it turned Jaxil’s stomach.

Apparently, this human didn’t think Serix’s betrayal was a bad thing though. She spoke of him and his mate fondly, claiming that their union was a sign of peace between humans and Lunairans. Jaxil wasn’t sure what to think about that. Sure, those two might have somehow ended up coming to an agreement that didn’t end in death, but it was an isolated incident. The other humans were vicious and needed to be exterminated… right?

His confidence wavered as he looked at the human sitting before him. Her weapon lay harmlessly on the ground and her expression was kind. The longer they stared at each other, the harder he found it to see her as a threat. He no longer knew what to think.

He reeled back as she suddenly extended one hand towards him. What was she doing? Was she going to harm him after all? He eyed her warily for a moment, then decided the gesture wasn’t malicious. Still, he didn’t know what it meant, so he just stared at her blankly.

“It’s a greeting,” the female explained, understanding his confusion.

“Oh,” he furrowed his brow, looking at her hand. He held out his own hand, copying her position so his hand was outstretched in front of him.

The human took it in hers and shook it in an up-and-down motion, “My name is Terra.”

“Jaxil,” he said in return. “It’s, err… pleasant to meet you.” He lowered his hand when the human released it. She was truly a curious specimen. His violet eyes swept over her form. She had a slender body and long hair that fell across half of her face, covering one of her eyes. She also appeared to be about the same age as him, if perhaps a little younger. If he was honest, she looked just like a Lunairan, except for the colors of her hair and eyes. He didn’t know what to think about that.

“Thank you for not telling your people where I am,” he said gratefully. He still didn’t understand why she was helping him. As soon as he found a way out of the hideout, he planned to inform his leaders about what had happened and update the tacticians’ intel. It was his duty as a soldier, but somehow Terra’s friendly presence was making his convictions a little harder to stick to.

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix watched helplessly as Ryan ordered the others to bring the female in for interrogation. He knew they weren’t just going to question and torture her. The humans would surely kill her for what she had done. He jerked his arm against the metal device that pinned him to the cell bar, but it didn’t budge. Whatever the contraption was, it was extremely well made. He cursed again under his breath.

It’s all your fault. He jumped at the sound of a cold, feminine voice inside his head. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.

Calming himself enough to focus, Serix reciprocated the telepathic link to see who was contacting him and was surprised to find that it was coming from Celuria. He spun around to face her cell, meeting her venomous stare. Pure hatred flowed from her across the mental bond. The intensity of it left him paralyzed. Why did she loathe him so much? He had left his people for the humans, but she seemed to be taking his decision personally. He had to find out the reason.

Celuria, he tried to approach her in a friendly manner. It’s been a while, huh?

Traitor, she curled her lip at him.

Nice to see you too, he thought to her dryly. Why are you so mad at me?

You ruined everything, you selfish xordolk.

Mind easing up on the name calling a bit? He rolled his eyes. What, exactly, did I ruin?

Everything, she practically hissed across the link. You ruined our people, you ruined our migration, and you ruined me.

Serix froze at her final accusation, What is that supposed to mean?

You don’t know? She drawled. Oh, of course you don’t know! You were too busy playing guardian to these Earthlings to learn that we were supposed to be mated upon your return from the scouting mission.

W-what? he stared at her, wide eyed. The rumors had been true after all. He and Celuria actually had been assigned to be mates.

That’s right, Celuria went on viciously. And guess what? Now that you’ve gone and turned traitor, I will never have a mate. I’ve been placed in the barren female community, even though I tested as highly fertile. Tears stung at her violet eyes. I can never serve my people by bearing children.

I’m… I’m sorry, Serix looked away, unsure of what else to say. Female Lunairans considered childbearing to be the most important role they could fulfill in their society, since they were on the verge of extinction. By leaving his people, he had inadvertently taken that role away from her. He shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. He didn’t know what she hoped to gain in telling him this information. It wasn’t like he could go back in time and change his decision. Besides, he had Cassie now, and he was happier with her than he ever would have been with Celuria. Cassie was his mate for life. That was never going to change.

Orruasi, Celuria spat the insult across their mental bond.

Sensing that she was done having a civil conversation, Serix broke off the link between them and turned his attention back to Cassie and Ryan, who had been arguing about what step they should take next. It seemed that Cassie had finally convinced the male to leave the prisoners alone for now and search for the missing Lunairan instead. He let out a sigh of relief. They would be okay for now.

Cassie came over with a key for the metal device, unchaining him from the bar. He rubbed his sore wrist and started to follow his mate as she walked towards the tunnel.

“Wait,” a soft voice spoke up from behind them. Serix turned to see the female from before clutching at her cell door. Her eyes swept over his painted body. “Did you… did you hold a funeral for our fallen?”

Serix hesitated a moment before he nodded, “Yes.”

“Thank you,” the female’s voice quaked with relief.

“Peiylo,” a sharp, male voice spoke up from one of the other cells. An older Lunairan, who looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five to Serix, glared at him from across the room. “Don’t speak to the traitor. He is a disgrace to his people.”

“But he performed the ritual for our dead,” Peiylo’s pale face flushed with embarrassment at being reprimanded. “He helped them when we could not.”

“I don’t care if he walked them to the gate of the netherworld, hand in hand,” the older Lunairan grumbled. His harsh eyes turned upon Serix once more. “As far as I’m concerned, this traitor is among the dead, himself.”

Serix felt a pang of sadness at the Lunairan’s cold words. It seemed he had no place even among his own kind anymore. He turned away to exit the hold with Cassie, leaving the prisoners behind as they went to search for Jaxil. He hoped they would find the missing child before Ryan did. If the hot tempered male got to him first, there would be no telling what he would do.

They searched for a while, but found nothing. The young Lunairan must have been skilled in erasing his trail, because even Serix couldn’t find a sign to lead them on. Cassie turned to him curiously, “Do you suppose he found a way out before one of the others could find him?”

“It’s possible,” Serix shrugged. “And for his sake, I hope he did.”

Jaxil sprinted down the tunnel as fast as his legs would carry him. His labored breaths echoed loudly against the rock walls. He looked back over his shoulder, but so far there were no pursuers on his tail. Still, he didn’t let up on his pace. He couldn’t let himself get caught by the humans. He didn’t know what sort of interrogations went on in these caverns, and he definitely didn’t want to find out.

He inhaled sharply as he tripped on a rock in the shadows, stumbling to catch himself before he hit the ground. As soon as he regained his balance he took off again, choosing random forks in his path as they appeared. Right… Left… Left… Right. His sense of direction became a blur of winding tunnels.

Eventually, he somehow managed to find his way into a larger cavern that branched off into a multitude of smaller caves and tunnels. He looked between each option, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. He didn’t have time to explore them all. For now, he would have to choose one and hope it led him to a good hiding place.

Bracing himself, Jaxil selected one of the openings on the right and took off running once again. He followed the tunnel for a while. It narrowed frighteningly as he travelled down it, making him concerned that it would eventually taper out too narrow for him to squeeze through, but his fears were laid to rest when the passage opened up again near the end.

He finally slowed to a stop, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He was now alone in a spacious cavern with a fast-flowing river in the center. The roar of the rapids would surely help to hide his presence, and he didn’t have to go far to keep hydrated. It would make a decent hideout for many days if he needed to stay long.

Suddenly realizing how thirsty he was, he stepped up to the edge and dipped his hands into the cool water, cupping them together to bring the refreshing liquid to his mouth. He repeated the motion a few more times, quenching his thirst until he heard the sound of small rocks skittering across the stony floor of the cave. Not wanting to get caught by the source of the noise, he quickly clambered up the wet rocks to get to a small cave higher up.

Jaxil bit his tongue to keep from crying out when he felt his foot slip into the swift currents. Steadying himself, he crept away from the edge of the water and slipped quietly into the cave, drawing his knees to his chest to keep out of view. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart. It was a difficult climb to reach this point. Surely no one would try to search this part of the cavern, right? As long as he stayed hidden, everything would be fine.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple.

The inside of the crevice was slick with water as well. As hard as he tried to keep his legs pressed to his chest, he couldn’t help the slip of his heel against the wet rocks below him. He held his breath as the motion sent a large pebble bouncing along the ground, out of the cave and into the river below. There was no hiding the loud plop the rock made when it hit the surface of the water.

In the next instant, Jaxil heard the sound of a body climbing the boulders that led up to his hiding place. He had been discovered. He pressed his back into the corner of the crevice, hoping futilely that the shadows would be enough to conceal him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. A young female poked her head into the cave and looked up, meeting his gaze in the dark. They stared at each other for a moment before she raised her weapon, aiming the barrel of it at his head.

He shut his eyes and turned away, trembling in anticipation of the shot that would inevitably come… Only, it didn’t. After a moment, he opened one eye to see the female looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. What was going on? Why wasn’t she shooting him? She further surprised him by lowering her weapon and speaking softly, “You’re… scared?”

Jaxil blinked, trying to stop himself from shaking. He knew he wasn’t supposed to show fear in the face of an enemy, but he couldn’t help himself. This was the first real war he had ever been a part of. He wasn’t as strong as his battle-hardened superiors.

After a moment, he forced himself to nod in response to the human’s question and ask one of his own, “You are too… right?”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Seventeen, Serix felt lightheaded. So many of his people, dead after just one battle. He turned away from Connor and Cassie, pretending to take interest in the memorials as he hid his pained expression from them. The Lunairans couldn’t survive many more of these fights. He hoped the higher powers would be wise enough to see the truth for themselves. This last raid had turned into a suicide mission for the platoon. They couldn’t handle a war until they got their numbers up and that wouldn’t be for many years.

When Cassie began to dig, he observed her in curious silence. Looking at the mounds of dirt next to each memorial, her actions clicked in his mind. It appeared that humans buried their dead. He smiled softly as he watched his mate attempt to show respect for the fallen Lunairans. It was a kind gesture. He took up a shovel and followed suit, digging a second hole nearby.

After a while, more humans slowly filed into the burial chamber. Among them were the three bodies of the deceased. Serix and Cassie paused in their work as the funeral began, paying respect to the mourners by standing quietly to the side. One of the females, the young human named Terra, was weeping loudly, so Cassie made her way over to comfort her in her loss.

Rather than joining his mate, Serix hung back. Even though he wasn’t one of the Lunairans who had attacked, he felt out of place at the funeral, as if he didn’t belong. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact with them in case they might take their anger and sadness out on him for being one of the “aliens” they so despised. It was better for everyone if he stayed out of it and let them grieve among their own people.

A while after the holes were filled in with dirt, some of the humans left to gather the bodies of the Lunairans. Serix and Cassie continued digging, and to his surprise, the young female, Terra, joined them. Despite losing her sibling to the battle, she was willing to help bury their enemies. He met her tear-filled gaze for a brief moment and nodded his gratitude, appreciative of the help she was offering. Terra held his gaze for a heartbeat longer, but said nothing. She dug on in silence.

A few more humans joined the female as well, digging the final holes that the Lunairans would be buried in. Serix was moved by their compassion for his fallen people. They had no reason to show any respect for their enemies, yet here they were, working hard to create a proper funeral for them.

When the bodies were brought in, Serix stopped digging and stepped over to Quincy, who was guiding them towards the holes. “Don’t bury them just yet,” he said quietly. “We have a ritual for our dead… to help them pass on to the nether. I’d like to at least give them that.”

Quincy nodded in understanding, “Take your time.” He directed the others to lay the bodies beside each hole while Serix took a moment to prepare himself.

Serix knew he couldn’t give them a traditional Lunairan funeral—in the ship, his people were cremated and their ashes were sent into space—but he would try his best. Removing his shirt, he picked up a nearby knife—it had been left by a human who had set it down to dig holes—and pressed the blade into the palm of his right hand, wincing slightly at the sting of the metal. Dark red blood dripped from the cut onto the stone floor of the cavern. Using two fingers, he traced the blood from his hand onto his arms, face, and torso in a series of precise lines and dots. In his culture, it was believed that in order to send a soul to the netherworld, the guide was to prepare his or her own body with blood that functioned as a map for the dead.

Once he finished painting the traditional pattern on himself, Serix stepped over to the closest body and knelt down beside it. Murmuring a few words of condolences, he closed the male’s eyes and used his thumb to smear a line of blood across the body’s forehead which would, according to Lunairan beliefs, connect the soul to the map he had drawn and guide it to the netherworld.

He repeated this process sixteen more times, until each one had been lowered into the holes and buried. Cassie came to stand beside him and he exhaled solemnly, “I wish I had known who they were.” It was sad to see them all be put to rest without any family to see them off, but he hoped his efforts would be enough for them to find peace.

He closed his eyes when Cassie sent her emotions to him once more. They shared a moment to grieve together in silence before she pulled away and reminded him that they needed to get to the hold before the interrogations would begin. They exited the cavern and headed quickly to the hold, where they ran into Ryan. The human leader had a cold look in his eyes that sent a chill down Serix’s spine.

Cassie was the first to approach him, “Ryan, we need to talk.”

“No,” Ryan shook his head, predicting Cassie’s request. “We are not keeping those aliens alive.”

“Ryan,” Cassie went on anyways. “There’s been enough death for one day, don’t you think? Do you really want more people to—”

“They killed Sally, Cassie!” Ryan’s voice boomed with a fury Serix had never seen in him before. “Killed an innocent little girl who didn’t even know how to hold a gun! Those things down there aren’t people! They’re monsters!” Serix grimaced at his harsh words. He agreed that Sally’s murder was a terrible thing, but his people had only been following orders. They didn’t understand how incredible the human race truly was; how killing a human child was practically the same as killing a Luniaran child. They were ignorant.

Ryan finished by telling Cassie that he wouldn’t spare their lives, even for her, and took off. Serix exchanged a worried look with Cassie as they followed after him. Ryan called Connor and Quincy over to retrieve one of the prisoners from a cell. It was the youngest captive, a wide-eyed male who appeared to have only just been assigned his life career. Just one glance at him told Serix he wouldn’t last ten minutes under the human’s torture. He turned on Ryan with a glare, “He’s just a child. Interrogate someone else.”

“Stay out of my way,” Ryan snarled, shoving him aside.

Serix stubbornly planted himself between Ryan and the young Lunairan once again, “Interrogate someone else. He can’t handle it, Ryan.”

“Whose side are you on, alien?” Ryan narrowed his eyes, stepping just centimeters away from Serix. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

“You know as well as anyone that I’m not a traitor,” Serix said icily. “But I’m not going to stand by while you put a child through that nightmare.”

“Fine,” Ryan’s voice was frighteningly calm. He signaled behind his back to Monty and Ray, who were standing off to the side. They began to approach while Serix was focused on Ryan. “Then I’ll just have them make you stand by.”

“What do you—” Serix inhaled sharply as he felt two sets of hands grab him by the shoulders and drag him away. He had let his guard down. He fought against Monty and Ray’s grips, but Monty quickly pulled out a metal device from his pocket, latching it onto Serix’s wrist and a bar of the closest cell. He tugged against the device, but it held fast. “Damn it,” he muttered, using one of the human curses he had learned from the half-bloods.

“Just sit tight, alien,” Ryan said, taking out a key to unlock the young Lunairan’s cell. “I’ll bring him back soon… He just might not be breathing.”

“You’re the monster here,” Serix spat, fighting relentlessly against the metal band clasped around his wrist.

Ryan ignored him, unlocking the cell and opening the door. Connor and Quincy stepped inside to retrieve the young male, but as soon as they stepped past the bars, they both doubled over, clutching at their heads in pain. Serix’s eyes widened and he turned to the female Lunairan in the cell with the young male. Her pupils were dilated to the rims of her irises.

“That’s…” he breathed, recognizing the technique. He was astonished to meet one of his kind who had learned to inflict pain through telepathy. It was a rarely taught gift, almost exclusively learned by talented Lunairan medics, since they had backgrounds in understanding the body.

“What’s going on?” Ryan’s voice wavered. Suddenly, he too cried out in pain.

“Go now, Jaxil!” the female gave the young male a push towards the cell door. “Go while you still can.”

Overcoming his fear, the male, Jaxil, nodded and sprinted for the tunnel, dodging the reaching hands of Monty and Ray as he passed by them. Serix watched as he disappeared from sight. He could only hope Jaxil would find his way out of the humans’ hideout without getting caught.

Ryan let out a howl of anger at the sight of his prisoner getting away. “Why, you—!” fighting the pain, he marched up to the female Lunairan and struck her in the head. She gasped and her violet irises returned, ending the trance. Quincy and Connor stood upright, rubbing their temples as they recovered.

“We’re interrogating this one first,” Ryan growled, glaring down at the cowering female. “Don’t hold back on her, Monty.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

So this is war, Serix thought as he watched the humans take care of the aftermath. Corpses littered the cavern floor, some human, but most Lunairan. He knew in his head that he was on the humans’ side, but he couldn’t help the wave of sadness that swept over him at the sight of his fallen people. How many of them had mates or children waiting for them on the ship? How would the Lunairan population recover from such a loss? He wondered if the soldiers knew what they were going up against. They had fallen so quickly. Had their intel not given them an accurate picture of the humans’ hideout? Of their vast numbers? Of their weaponry? What they must have expected to be a quick and easy raid had turned into a bloodbath.

He looked up as Cassie approached him. Her arm was bloody, but other than that, she appeared to be unharmed. He exhaled in relief. They had both escaped alive.

Serix wanted to go to her, but his feet remained stubbornly planted. He could only stare as she walked up to him and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his as she opened a connection between their minds to share her affection for him. He knew she was trying to comfort him—his expression must have given away his dark thoughts—so he managed to return a weak smile. He didn’t want her to worry about him. Yes, it had been difficult to fight his own people, but he would get over it. He had to, for her sake and his own. With time, it would become easier… he hoped.

At the sound of a small scuffle behind him, Serix turned to see one of the humans collecting Celuria’s unconscious body. They were taking all of the prisoners down to the hold. He wondered if they would be put through the same interrogation he had experienced mere weeks ago. Even though they were his enemies, he shuddered to think of them being put through such torture. Especially Celuria. They were on opposing sides now, but he could never erase the memories of the friendship they had shared when they were younger.

He nodded when Cassie opened a mental link with him and said she wanted to follow the humans into the hold. He shared her concern that the prisoners would just be killed. He certainly wouldn’t put it past Ryan to do something like that, and he wasn’t going to stand for it. There had been enough bloodshed for one day.

The hold was just as dark and unwelcoming as he remembered. He took a calming breath, forcing away unpleasant memories and reminding himself that he wasn’t here to be “interrogated” again. He looked at each of the cells in turn. There were nine Lunairans, each in his or her own cell with the exception of two—one young male and a female—in one cage at the end of the room.

Cassie went to speak with Ryan, asking him what he planned to do with the prisoners. Knowing his presence would do nothing to calm the light-haired male, Serix spent the time wandering among the cells, examining the captured Lunairans. Most were still unconscious, but a few were hazily waking up. Fortunately for him, there were no familiar faces other than Celuria’s. He paused by her cell, watching as she slept. Her chest rose and fell so peacefully. It was hard for him to believe it had really been her who had attacked him so viciously.

He wondered again how she had ended up as a soldier for the Lunairan army. Last time he had seen her, she had just been put into training to become a military strategist. It was the reason why they hadn’t been able to see each other for the last two years; he had been assigned to become a foot soldier, and she was to become a tactician. Once a Lunairan received a career path, he or she was to be placed into specific training regiments for said path. There was little interaction between members of different fields. However, what Cerulia had done in the cavern was far from just strategizing. She had been on the front lines of battle. The higher powers didn’t often reassign someone to a new task, but obviously something had changed for her.

Serix looked away from her cell when he heard a scream echo out of a nearby tunnel. The sound was shrill and desperate, like a frightened child. He quickly followed after the humans as they sprinted towards the source of the scream.

Eventually, they reached a small cave that was hidden away from the rest of the hideout. The approaching tunnel was narrow, so Serix had to run at the back of the group. He missed most of the events—he heard a gunshot, the whimpers of a child, Ryan’s pleas, another shot—before he managed to shove his way past the others to stand beside Cassie.

“Oh no,” he breathed, violet eyes wide. He reached for his mate’s hand as he took in the morbid scene. Ryan clutched his dead sister’s body to his chest, while the Lunairan attacker slowly bled out on the ground beside him. He shifted his weight. As terrible as Sally’s death was, he couldn’t help but fear what this would do to Ryan. The human leader was already quick tempered without being provoked. Now, he had just lost his only living family member.

Serix tensed as Ryan climbed to his feet, holding his sister’s limp body in his arms. Ryan looked up at them, his eyes dull and his cheeks stained with tears, “Interrogate the prisoners, and then execute them all. I want them dead before tomorrow.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix ducked down behind the barricade, gritting his teeth as he heard the sound of bullet render flesh across the cavern once again. He never thought he would see the day when he loathed his own fighting abilities, but here he was, cursing himself for being such a good shot. He stared down at the gun in his hands, trembling with a mixture of emotions: anger at the Lunairans for disrupting their peace; fear for his and Cassie’s wellbeing; shock from shooting his own people. He hated everything about the battle.

Suddenly, he was ripped from his thoughts by a heart wrenching scream. He looked up to see the teenage girl, Terra, kneeling over a lifeless body. One of the half-bloods had been killed. He continued to watch in horror as one of the Lunairans took aim at her. Being too far away from the scene, he could do nothing but stare as Sarah swooped in to rescue the traumatized girl, saving her from getting shot.

Forcing himself to look away from Terra, he began to analyze the rest of the fighting in the cavern. Time seemed to slow down strangely as he took in one group after the next. The able-bodied Lunairans, executing precise military maneuvers; the crippled Lunairans, nursing their wounds or firing at their enemies from behind columns of rock; the humans, trying desperately to save their home. Despite his lifetime of preparation for war, it all made him sick.

Taking a steeling breath, Serix lifted his gun once more to shoot at the attackers. His violet eyes scanned the battlefield in search of a target, quickly landing on one female Lunairan not too far from where he was crouching. She moved with the characteristic grace of any female of his kind, but he could see hints of weakness when she stepped on her left leg. She was injured.

He raised the barrel of his weapon, taking aim… and then froze.

“Celuria?” he gasped. The female spun around at the sound of her name. She met his eyes for only a moment before she pointed her own weapon at him and fired. He swiftly ducked behind the barricade to avoid the laser, suddenly grateful for his quick reflexes. There was no doubt in his mind: This Lunairan was Celuria, the female he had found friendship with on the ship, and who had—as rumor would have it—been assigned to become his mate.

And she had just tried to kill him.

He rolled out of the way as a set of boots landed hard on the ground where he had been kneeling just a second ago. Celuria had jumped the barricade. She swung at him with a bladed weapon, which he dodged by jumping to his feet. Not wanting to give her a second chance to hit him, he stuck her wrist, disarming her of her knife. She followed with a punch that connected with his jaw.

As they engaged in hand to hand combat, Serix’s mind reeled. Why was Celuria here? Why was she attacking him so viciously? He sidestepped another punch, throwing one of his own in return. She was fast, but he managed to throw her off balance—just enough that he was able to knock her to the ground with a sweep of his right leg. He pinned her down, twisting her arms behind her back to force her to yield to him.

“Get off of me, cretin!” she spat, writhing beneath him.

“Why are you here?” he asked, ignoring her insult. “How did you find us?”

Celuria just grunted as she continued to fight against his grasp.

Serix twisted her arms a bit more, causing her to cry out in pain. His anger was starting to get the best of him. “Answer me, Celuria!” he snarled.

“Traitor,” she gasped. Her eyelids fluttered as if she was beginning to fade from consciousness.

“Fine,” he sighed. “I didn’t want to do this, but you give me no choice.” He cocked his arm back and dealt one swift blow to the back of her head, knocking her out. If she wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to know now, he could at least take her prisoner for the humans to interrogate later on.

Serix dragged Celuria’s body out of harm’s way, binding her hands, feet, and mouth with some rope and cloth he found nearby in case she was to wake up before the battle ended. Once that was done, he rejoined the others to find that the humans were finally beginning to turn the tide of the battle. Some of them had taken Lunairan prisoners as well, while others continued to fight off the remaining invaders. He exhaled in relief. It seemed like the fight was finally drawing to a close.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Finished my reply! Sorry it took so long. I tried to log in earlier, but the site was down