“If we don’t leave, we all die,” Akron says.
Emma dives into the pod and throws her arms around me, straddling my body. “No. I won’t leave without all of my loves.”
But she must know that is not possible.
I kiss her, tongue bringing her sweet taste to my mouth. I hold that good feeling inside, c
losing my eyes to keep it there forever.
When I die, I want my last memory to be this.
Her scent. Her taste. I want to feel that undeniable urge to love and treat her how she deserves to be treated. I want it all, but I can’t have it.
A leader teaches others to fight. A hero sacrifices to keep love going in the universe. She is strong enough to live a life without me. It breaks my heart, but what other choice do I have?
My tongue slides from her mouth. Her lips beg to be kissed once more. “Leave me,” I say.
“No. I can’t do it,” she whispers.
We’re both crying, and for once, I don’t care how it looks to the other aliens. She was the one I promised I’d give my life for. I need to make sure she gets back home.
Akron takes her shoulders, lifting her out of the med-bay pod. “Come on. The workers will have the craft fixed in less than twenty minutes. I can get us to Earth in a few days.”
“No,” she pleads, tears ruining her beautiful face. “I won’t leave without him.”
I try to reason with her. “If I don’t do this, none of you will survive,” I say, chest so tight I can’t breathe. “But if you learn to let me go, you can have the others. You can live a dignified life with our baby.”
Akron forces her to let me go. I close my eyes and prepare for the inevitable.
One of the miners, a leader to their kind hands me a small glass vial. “Here. Take this. Just in case.”
“What is it?” I ask.
He bows his head. “The Resnyx.”
“But—”
The miner cuts me off. “No more talking. The Resnyx brings evil. We want no part in it.”
I nod and clasp my palm over the vial. “I’ll make sure no one gets this.”
As the pod doors close, I hear a great roar. Slain’s screams echo in the near distance.
“Find them!”
Seventeen
Emma
“Just keep moving. Don’t look back,” Akron says.
The workers surround us, armed with tools and whatever firearms Akron could find for them.
I feel numb, like I’m no longer an entity. I feel like I have no purpose anymore.
Gliding my hands across my belly, I feel the slight bump that has formed near my navel.
“You can’t dwell on what just happened,” Akron reiterates.