Serix shrugged when Cassie showered him with praise putting the other Lunairans’ safety before his own competitiveness with Ryan. “I try sometimes, you know,” he teased, kissing her on the cheek. When she said she loved him even more, he smiled, “Now you know how I feel every day that I’m with you. I love you so much, Cassie.” He wrapped her in an embrace, yawning tiredly as she cuddled up next to him. It had been a long day, and he was ready to sleep it off.
“Mhm,” he murmured in response to her final words. “I’m sure you’ll make him see reason.” His eyelids drooped as his body was tugged ever closer towards unconsciousness. “We can talk more tomorrow… Can’t stay awake.” He yawned again. “Goodnight, Cassie.”
--
The next morning, Serix woke up feeling like he could have used a bit more sleep. After the fight against his own kind and his disturbing conversation with Celuria in the hold, he could have passed out for a week. However, there wasn’t time for that. With Ryan angrier than ever at Lunairans, he needed to stay on the human’s good side, and that meant working hard and keeping under the radar.
He got dressed quickly and headed to the dining cavern with Cassie, where they joined Sarah, Jerry, and Tori for breakfast. Their conversations were mostly about uninteresting small talk, such as the condition of the crops or what needed to be harvested soon. It was obvious to Serix that they were avoiding the topic of the Lunairan prisoners because of his presence. He guessed the half-bloods didn’t want to share their opinions in front of him because they knew what he would say: His people didn’t deserve to die. They deserved to have the chance to learn the truth about humans and decide for themselves who to side with in this war. Even though he knew the others probably didn’t share his view, he hoped they would come around in time.
After everyone finished eating, Ryan handed out job assignments. Serix held his breath as the human leader moved down the line, slowly approaching him. Half of him feared that the male would take out his anger by not giving him something to do. He had worked hard to prove his loyalty to the humans, but Ryan was so emotionally volatile that one wrong look could turn him against him.
Ryan stopped in front of Serix, his blue eyes meeting the Luniaran’s luminescent purple. There was pain on the light-haired male’s face—different than anything Serix had seen in him before. He was obviously still distraught over the loss of his younger sibling. Serix averted his gaze, uncomfortably aware of how his appearance might have been pouring salt into the human’s wound.
“You, go with Jake and Monty to fortify the caves.”
Serix looked up in surprise, but Ryan turned away to continue giving out orders to the others. He let out the breath he had been holding, relieved that the male had chosen not to take his anger out on him for once. He leaned down to whisper in Cassie’s ear as he moved to join Jake and Monty, who were standing off to the side, “That was unexpectedly painless. I’ll see you as soon as I can… Good luck with Ryan.” He planted a swift kiss on her forehead and trotted over to the waiting males. Once all three were together, they headed towards one of the nearby tunnels to begin their work.
Jaxil waited until he was sure Terra was gone before he finally let himself relax. He sighed, collapsing tiredly on the stony floor of the cave and draping the blanket she had given over his body. He wondered what had become of the other member of his platoon. Had the humans killed them yet, or were they still being held prisoner? He shuddered, shoving away a mental image of his brethren—of Peiylo—dead in that room full of cells. He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to them.
I wish I had some way to know if they’re still alive, He buried his head beneath the blanket, squeezing his eyes shut. Suddenly, he froze. It was faint, but he could feel a presence worming its way into his mind. His heart began beating faster. It had to be one of his platoon members! His commander had said humans weren’t capable of telepathy. Feeling weak with relief, he allowed the presence to reach him.
...Jaxil?
Peiylo! You’re okay! I’m so glad.
Me too, but where are you? You must still be close by if I can reach you. Did you not escape?
I did, but… I didn’t get far. Don’t worry. I’m alright. I’m just trapped in a cavern with a river.
So, the humans haven’t found you?Jaxil hesitated,
Well… one of them did, but she’s a bit strange. She had the opportunity to kill me, but instead she’s helping me hide.
Really? How curious. Please be careful, Jaxil. We can’t trust these humans.
I know. I haven’t told her anything about our mission or our people, and I’m not going to.
Good. I’m glad I was able to contact you.
Me too.
I’m too tired to keep this link open… I just wanted to make sure you were alive and let you know that the rest of us are still fine as well.
Thanks, Peiylo. Keep me updated, okay? I don’t think I’ll be able to leave this sot for a while.
I will. Good luck, and goodnight, Jaxil.As Peiylo cut off the connection between their minds, Jaxil felt the weight of his exhaustion bear down on him with full force. He yawned and nestled into his makeshift bed, allowing sleep to take him now that he knew his platoon was okay.
--
The constant darkness of the cave made it difficult for Jaxil to tell what time it was when he finally awoke from his slumber. He blinked tiredly, torn between the desire to let himself get a little more sleep and the knowledge that it was too dangerous to risk getting caught by a human while unconscious. He sat up, sore muscles protesting, and leaned against the wall of the cave, stretching his limbs.
He was just starting to ponder whether he should check and see if he could leave the cavern, when he heard the sound of someone climbing the boulders outside his hiding spot. He tensed, watching the opening, until he saw that it was just Terra. She had returned with more food for him. Again, he was struck by the unexpectedness of her behavior. She wasn’t anything like the humans he had imagined. He allowed himself to let his guard down, just a little bit.
“Did you get some sleep?” the female asked.
“I know it’s not the most comfortable, but hopefully the pillow and blanket helped?”“I’m quite well rested,” Jaxil nodded in response, sniffing at the food she had brought to him. It smelled just as good as the meal he had eaten yesterday, and that hadn’t killed him. He gave it a taste and, finding it satisfactory, dug into the food with fervor. He finished it quickly and set the bowl down.
“Are you sure your people won’t notice the missing rations?” he asked, finding himself suddenly curious as to how Terra was managing to sneak food to him. “Surely someone will see you taking more than your share, won’t they?”
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