Bound to the Stars

Chapter 10

We begin walking toward the main entrance, and I find myself growing quieter with every step. The hallways are familiar. Too familiar. I know which overhead light flickers near the dining hall. I know which corner always smells faintly of cleaning chemicals. I know where the guards usually stand during morning transitions. I've walked these corridors hundreds of times. But never like this. Never with my belongings in my hand. Never with the knowledge that I might not be coming back.

Nadine stays close beside me, and Kael walks several steps behind us. I can hear him speaking quietly with one of his guards, although I can't understand the words. Part of me wants to turn around and ask where we're going. Not just the name of the place. I want to know what it looks like. Whether there are other humans there. Whether I'll be allowed to go outside whenever I want. Whether Nadine and I will still be together when we wake up tomorrow morning. I want to know what he expects from me. More than anything, I want to know whether his kindness has an expiration date. But the questions feel too big to ask in the middle of a hallway. So, I keep walking.

As we approach the entrance, I notice two guards standing beside the doors. Their uniforms are different from the ones worn by the matching center's security personnel. Darker. More formal. Royal guards, I assume. They straighten when they see Kael approaching. One of them says something in Valerathic, and the doors begin to open. I stop. Not because anyone tells me to. Because I can see outside. Actual outside.

Sunlight spills across the polished floor, bright enough that I have to squint. Beyond the doors, I catch glimpses of a wide paved courtyard, unfamiliar vehicles, and buildings that rise higher than anything I've seen through the center's narrow windows.

All I can think about is the sky. I haven't stood beneath an open sky in six months. There have been windows, of course. Small ones, positioned too high to see much beyond the occasional patch of blue. And during certain activities, we were permitted into enclosed recreation areas with transparent ceilings. But that wasn't the same. There was always something between us and the world. Now there isn't.

Nadine stops beside me. Neither of us speaks. Then she reaches for my hand. I take it without looking away from the open doors. The air coming through them smells different from the stale, filtered air inside the facility. There's something warm and unfamiliar beneath it, something I can't identify. My heart begins beating faster. I take one step forward. Then another. The sunlight touches my face, and I close my eyes. It's warm. Such a simple thing. Warm sunlight. I used to complain about it in the summer. I used to avoid parking spaces without shade and spend ridiculous amounts of money on sunscreen. Now I want to stand here until my skin burns.

A breeze moves across my face, lifting a few strands of hair, and something inside me breaks. Not dramatically. There are no sobs, no sudden collapse. Just a sharp ache in my chest that makes it difficult to breathe. I hadn't realized how much I missed the wind. Beside me, Nadine lets out a shaky breath. "Oh my God." I open my eyes.

She's looking upward, her face tilted toward the sky. There are tears gathering along her lower lashes. I squeeze her hand. "Yeah," I whisper.

Above us, the sky stretches endlessly, impossibly blue. For one beautiful moment, it looks exactly the way it did before the invasion.

Then I lower my gaze. And the illusion disappears. The courtyard is enormous, surrounded by sleek buildings with curved surfaces that reflect the sunlight. Several unfamiliar vehicles sit along the far side, their dark exteriors gleaming. Tall structures rise beyond the perimeter walls, their shapes unlike anything I remember from Earth.

Valerathyin guards stand at regular intervals, watching everything. And beyond them, in the distance, I can see the outlines of a city that no longer looks like mine. My stomach twists. I don't recognize any of it. Six months ago, this was still my world. Now I'm standing in the middle of it, feeling like the alien. Nadine moves closer. "Anna?" I look at her.

She's staring toward the distant buildings, her earlier excitement fading. "Where are we?" I wish I knew.

Before I can answer, Kael steps into the courtyard behind us. He doesn't approach immediately. Instead, he says something to one of the guards, who moves away toward a waiting vehicle. I turn toward him. "Where exactly are you taking us?"

He looks at me, then toward the city beyond the walls. "To the royal residence." I glance at Nadine before returning my attention to him. "And where is that?"

"Outside the central district. The journey will take some time." I look toward the waiting vehicles. They're sleek and dark, with smooth surfaces and no visible wheels. I have absolutely no idea how they move, which is a problem I hadn't considered until this exact moment. Of course, the aliens have weird cars. Why wouldn't they? "Are those things safe?"

Kael follows my gaze. "Yes."

I wait for him to elaborate. He doesn't. "Very convincing."

He looks back at me, and I catch the faintest hint of amusement in his expression. "They are among the safest forms of transportation available."

"That's probably what people said about the Titanic."

His brow furrows. "The what?"

I close my eyes. Right. Alien. Different planet. Probably not familiar with early twentieth-century maritime disasters. "Never mind."

Nadine makes a quiet sound beside me. I turn toward her. She's smiling. "What?"

"Nothing."

I narrow my eyes. She looks away, still smiling. Traitor.

Kael watches us for a moment before speaking again. "Before we leave, there is something I would like to clarify." The amusement disappears from my face. Here it comes. I've been waiting for the catch since the moment he agreed to let Nadine accompany me. I straighten slightly. "Okay."

He glances toward the guards, then back at me. "I understand that you have been told certain things about what happens when a Valerathyin recognizes his mate." My stomach tightens. That's one way of putting it.

We've been told that mate bonds are permanent. That Valerathyins recognize their mates instantly. That humans eventually develop the same connection, whether they want to or not.

We've been told that once we're matched, our lives change forever.

And we've watched women disappear from the matching center, never to return.

"Yeah," I say carefully. "We've had a few lessons."

His expression changes at my tone. "I imagine you have."

I wait. Kael takes a breath, and for the first time, he seems uncertain. It's a strange thing to witness. The crown prince of an alien civilization, standing in front of a woman who has spent the last several minutes questioning his transportation choices, apparently struggling to find the right words. "You will have your own quarters at the residence," he says finally. "Nadine will be accommodated nearby. You will not be expected to share my rooms."

I stare at him. For a moment, I genuinely think I've misunderstood. "Wait. What?"

He doesn't look away. "I thought it was important that you know."

I glance at Nadine. Her eyes are wide. Then I look back at Kael. "You mean we're not—" I stop. Because I have absolutely no idea how to finish that sentence without sounding ridiculous. Fortunately, he seems to understand.

"No," he says quietly.

The relief is immediate. So immediate that it makes me angry. Because I shouldn't have to feel grateful that a man I've known for less than an hour isn't going to force me into his bed. That should be the bare minimum. And yet, after everything I've seen inside the matching center, it feels like something enormous. I look away, trying to collect myself. "Good."

The word comes out sharper than I intend. Kael doesn't seem offended. "I know you have no reason to trust me," he says. "I'm not asking you to. But I would prefer that you didn't spend the journey worrying about something I have no intention of demanding from you."

I turn back toward him. There's something almost painful about the sincerity in his expression. Sera said Valerathyins recognize their mates instantly, that the connection is powerful enough to affect them physically and emotionally. I remember the way Kael's markings began glowing when he saw me. The way he stopped moving when I stepped backward. The way he has kept his distance ever since. If the bond is as strong as Sera claimed, maintaining that distance can't be easy. I don't know why the thought makes my chest feel strange. I don't particularly want to find out.

"Well," I say, adjusting the bag on my shoulder, "I appreciate the clarification." It's the closest thing to a thank-you I can manage. Kael inclines his head. "Of course."

Nadine shifts beside me. "Does that mean we can stay together?"

Kael turns his attention to her. "Your rooms will be separate, but close to one another. If you would prefer adjoining quarters, I can see whether that can be arranged."

Nadine looks at me. I look at her. Adjoining rooms. Actual rooms. Not narrow beds lined up in a facility filled with frightened women. The possibility feels almost unreal. "That would be nice," Nadine says.

Kael nods. "I'll make the arrangements." I watch him turn toward one of the guards, already preparing to give instructions. It's such a small thing. Two rooms next to each other. But he listened. And he didn't act as though we were asking for something unreasonable. I don't know what to make of that. I don't know what to make of him.