Akron nods. “Trust me. I’m not going to use it,” he assures us, glancing at the crowd of miners. “But our people deserve a chance at peace again.”
Rekker looks worried, but one of the miners steps forward and says his piece. “For you, the fight is coming to an end. But for us, the war still rages. When we win, we will destroy the element.”
All of us share glances, but I’m the first to respond. “Take it. It’s yours.”
“What?” Rekker asks. “You can’t be serious.”
I hold my ground. “Rekker, give it to him. He’s right. Besides, we have another planet to get to.”
Rekker slides his hand out of his pocket, revealing the glass vial. It’s amazing such a small container can hold something so powerful.
Rekker says, “Keep it safe.”
Akron nods. “Will do, brother.”
We hug. We say our goodbyes.
I watch them take off into the star-filled sky.
Location: Earth
It’s been four days since Earth’s invasion.
Four days since I met my captors. Four days to escape my life and fall into an unfathomable type of love.
Now that I’m back, it’s just so hard to fathom. It feels like I’ve lived a lifetime. I’ve seen so much. I proved I can survive anything.
Earth is rebuilding. We removed the Resnyx extraction unit. The bridge my aliens pulverized is now under construction. Government surveillance cameras scan the city streets for aliens, but people don’t seem to be worried anymore.
Things have changed, maybe for the better. Time will tell. Something tells me everyone needed to go through something like this to come out a little bit stronger.
Cloaking systems on, my three aliens stand by my side, invisible to the world around me.
There’s a lot we’ll still have to face. Our marriage will come with plenty of challenges. But I’m not worried. We can make this work.
We walk the streets.
“This is Earth?” Lök asks.
I laugh. “What did you expect?”
He takes my hand. “I never really gave it a second thought,” he admits. “Anywhere with you is heaven.”
The other alphas come around to each side of me. I feel their kisses, listening to their words of devotion and care.
“You have saved our lives,” Lök says.
Vraik says, “We owe you everything.”
They don’t love me because it makes them feel better about their own lives. They love me because they want to give me the world. And even though they don’t have to do that, they still make these gestures.
That’s love.
I thought I lost it…
“We want you,” Rekker moans.
“Now,” Vraik says.