"Come on, Liviya." Rhex grabbed my wrist once again and pulled me towards a dark blue door.
I stumbled behind him before leaning against his hold with a scowl. "No, Rhex! It's Liv and you can't do things like that to me!" I jerked back hard and he let me go, turning around slowly. I wanted to stamp my foot on the ground like I used to do as a child to show him my frustration.
"I'm only human, Rhex. I can feel everything about you, you are that intense. Being around you is like being in an ocean that is swirling around me, pulling me down and then you go ahead and touch me." I gestured at him with my hand. He just needed to understand how I felt. "You don't even have to touch me to affect me. Just being around makes everything that much more intense. My skin feels like humming when you are near me and it feels like fire when you touch me. I desire you in a way I have never desired another person in my entire life and that's terrifying." I took a deep breath in, holding out my hands towards him, imploring him to understand.
"Then you make the rule no touching because I'm a distraction. Then you proceed to break that rule and then withdrawal from the situation right after. You don't feel it when you shut down but I can. It's like a bucket of icy water dumped over me that hurts. It's like a vicious slap to the face." I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead, trying to rub the sudden ache away. "I don't want to be this sensitive to you, Rhex, but you put out a goddamned energy and I'm only human." The differences between us was right there in front of us but it was like he didn't see them like I did. He could shut everything down, withdrawal, I couldn't.
"Please, if you are going to play this weird game with me, take that into account." I felt drained but in a good way, as if all of that had been festering inside of me and having it out in the open was a good thing. I looked up at him and he had a look on his face that frustrated me, it was nearly undecipherable.
"Come on, Liv. We have things to do." His voice was even and I levelled him with a glare but kept my mouth shut. I had said what needed to be said and I wasn't about to say anything else. He opened the door and I walked into to the dim stairwell. I gritted my teeth as he closed the door and moved past me, starting down the stairs. I followed behind him slowly.
I envied the way he was able to push everything away as if it didn't bother him. I wanted to be able to do just that, to push everything away like I didn't have a care in the world. Instead I had half of a Council who wanted my head on a pike, more than half the population on this ship wanted me thrown down the recycler. Not to mention one person wanting to wage war on humans all because the Source had decided my soulmate had to be Orrian.
We walked down several flights of stairs before he opened another door and led me out. I blinked, the doors on this floor were red and there were far more Orrians than I was comfortable with. I resisted the urge to step closer to Rhex as we started walking towards a door sitting beside clear windows. It appeared to be a clothing store and I almost balked. I didn't like clothes shopping on Earth, let alone surrounded by Orrians who would probably smother me in the clothes while Rhex wasn't looking.
I paused at the doorway and as if sensing I had stopped Rhex looked over his shoulder with a frown. "Come on, Liv. Into the store, I said I would get you more clothes and it wasn't an empty promise." He levelled a look on me that demanded he be obeyed and I wanted to stand just outside of the door to spite him. I clenched my teeth tightly, my jaw aching at the pressure, as I stepped inside of the store. "Pick out what you wish to wear." I looked around, the styles were similar to Earth styles but I had no clue where to start.
I moved over to a rack and moved some of the shirts around, the fabric was nearly sheer. I frowned, most of the pieces would need to be layered and it irritated me. "Can I help you with anything?" The worker's voice sounded stiff and I looked at her with a small smile before shaking my head.
"No thank you, I'm just looking." I watched as the smile slid off her face and her eyes grew cold. I leaned away from her slightly, she suddenly felt overly hostile towards me.
"I'm sorry, we do not serve humans here." She pointed at the door and I felt my cheeks heat up.
"She just arrived." The voice was familiar but the tone was almost too polite. I looked over my shoulder and Nadila stood with a brittle smile on her face. "A human exchange student. She is going to learn about our culture, laws, and language. To better help us understand each other." Her lilac eyes were cold as she looked down at the worker.
"Councilwoman Nadila! I am sorry, I did not see you there." There was a slightly frightened look on the saleswoman's face and I glanced between the two women, wondering if the clothes hanging on the racks would be enough for me to hide in.
"Of course you didn't." Nadila let out a sniff as she walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. It was a comforting feeling and I felt myself relax. "Now this is Liviya. She will be spending some time at our Learning Centre and as you can see she is in need of a wardrobe." Her tone was haughty and stiff as as she spoke to the other woman. "Please put it on my bill. My treat." She gave my shoulder a soft squeeze before giving me the same kind smile that had bolstered my courage in the Council Chambers.
"That is not necessary, Councilwoman Nadila. I am perfectly capable of paying for Liviya's clothing." Rhex's voice rumbled slightly with agitation and I glanced over to him right as the store worker managed to slip away. I felt a bit envious for her slippery escape. I didn't have it so easy, it was like I had a big billboard flashing over my head that spelled out 'Look at me!'. If they weren't looking because I was human, the fact a Councilwoman was talking as if we were good friends was more than enough reason to stare.
"Oh hush, I need to speak with your lovely soulmate. Besides you don't really want to be in here, do you?" She waved him off like you would a stray dog and I fought back an amused smile. "Go on now. This is a situation that requires a feminine touch, not your masculine barking. Go find her a nice binding bracelet. I'm sure she would like that and her wrist is basically screaming that she is single." She gave him a kind smile before wrapping her arm completely around my shoulder.
"I would prefer not to leave her alone." Rhex's eyes narrowed and Nadila let out an unladylike snort of disgust.
"She is with me. In case you forgot I'm the one who granted her citizenship." She pressed her hand to her chest as if he had insulted her. "Do I look like Khos or Bilsh? No, I'm far too pretty. Now go." Without waiting for his reply she pulled me further into the store. "Silly boy, he is rather protective over you." She let her arm drop from my shoulder to grab my left wrist.
She lifted it up and turned it over. "This is looking rather bare." She gave me a crooked smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners slightly as she patted my face gently. "You are something special, you know that? My uncle is quite fond of you. Please sit." She let my wrist go before pointing at a comfortable looking chair and turning to a clothing rack. I sat down in it and watched her with slight curiosity, she seemed to be far more at ease than in the Council Chambers.
"They have much simpler clothing on Earth. Nothing too flashy. I almost prefer it. Your colour scheme is more professional, black, greys, blues, browns, purples. So many can be used to make a suit look fun but professional." Nadila smoothed her a-line skirt down almost fondly. "I only get my clothes from Earth stores. The people are much more accommodating and the fit is so much nicer." She pushed some clothes across the rack. "When you are built like us, Orrian clothing hangs strange."
She flicked through more clothes. "I don't have much hope in finding anything off the rack so we will probably have to get most of this tailored for you." As she spoke she pulled clothes off of the racks and shelves around her. I watched her with a strange fascination, her movements were reminiscent of Ghilesh while he had gotten ready for our bonding.
"Thank you, Nadila." The words surprised me but they were true.
She stopped and tilted her head at me. "Please don't thank me. I am using you to piss Khos off." Her words were blunt and I frowned in confusion. "Don't get me wrong, you are a good person but making him mad makes me happy. So if helping you out makes him mad. I will make sure you are the most well taken care of person on this ship." She gave me a smile and I raised an eyebrow.
"I thought looking at you every day would be enough to hurt him." For a moment I thought I had gone too far but she simply smirked.
"That had been my original intention and it still works. I see you have been speaking to my uncle on personal times." She brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. "No matter, Liviya. Khos is a harsh and cruel man and I will do everything in my power to break him like he broke my sister." She straightened her blazer with a firm tug and shifted the growing armload of clothes.
Her pretty eyes softened as she moved over and touched my face gently. I became aware of the slight wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She wasn't as young as I thought she had been when I first saw her. "I may be using you, Liviya, but you are special. You are here for a reason. Rhess was correct, we have been seeking for answers on how to unite our races for far too long and now here you are." She patted my face gently.
"You and Rhex have done what was once thought to be impossible. You have united, human and Orrian, as a cohesively perfect unit." Her hand slipped to my neck and pulled out my medallion. "Never easy. Love is never easy. Those are the words that were placed on your medallions. The Source knew this would happen before anyone could comprehend the magnitude of it. Your love will never be easy but facing change never is." She let the medallion drop and I watched as sorrow flickered across her face but as quickly as it was there it was gone. I knew it must have been hard for her after everything she had gone through.
"Come now, into the tailor." Her hand grabbed mine and she pulled me to my feet. Her small body hid a deceptive strength and I was once again reminded of just how fragile I was compared to Orrians.
I glanced at the stack of clothes she had draped over her arm. "Please tell me I don't have to try all that on." I gave the clothing a look of disgust that fell to a smile as she laughed. Her entire presence was calming and it was nice to be around something that wasn't sending me into a panic due to intensity.
"No worries, Liviya. The tailor will take your measurements then tailor everything to them. Perfect fit every time." There was a small booth in the back of the store that she gently pushed me into. "Hold your arms out and give the machine a few seconds. It will feel like someone is touching you but don't move." I gritted my teeth, my mind immediately thinking of the blue shower mist. I gave a small shudder right as it felt like hands were moving up my legs under my clothing. I took a deep breath and the feeling went over my stomach and up my chest and down my arms in a very linear pattern.
I cracked open an eye as it left and Nadila smirked. "You looked uncomfortable." Her amusement was apparent as she smirked at me.
I gave her a sarcastic smile. "I had a run-in with a shower. I still haven't gotten over it." To my surprise she laughed, it was a soft and delicate sound that made me want to join in. It was like listening to pure happiness.
"I had forgotten about those. Here." She handed me the stack of neatly folded clothes. "We are going to go pick you out some bathroom essentials. The cleaners are effective but they strip away all scents so you are left smelling kind of bland. Clean but bland. If you want to smell nice, you need to use toiletries." She said it almost offhandedly as she moved away.
I followed her up to a counter and she took the clothes from me, setting them down. "Place these on my bill then send them to Military Apartment eighty-six, Rhex DharSon." Her words were cool and clipped and she didn't wait for a reply as she moved towards the door, her steps even and quick. I blinked before rushing to catch up with her. She gestured to the red door. "The floors are colour coded. Red doors are shops, light blue are apartments, darker colours signal service stairs. Grey doors mark teleporters." She pointed out the colours while we walked, her heels clicking on the floor.
"Every floor has a balcony overlooking the shipping bay. There are hundreds of floors but you will be most likely staying in Sector B." At her words I gave a wary glance towards the balcony and the open space where ships pulled in and out of. "This is the section that Rhex's apartment is in. There are fifty Sections in this ship but you won't really see any of them but Sector B so I wouldn't worry too much about the rest." Her voice was professional as we turned into another store.
Nadila didn't look around as she moved straight to the counter. "We need some toiletries. Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, all of that." She glanced at me with a thoughtful expression. "Make the scents lightly fruity and feminine. and please place it on my bill and send all of the packages to Military Apartment eighty-six, Rhex DharSon." The clerk nodded quickly before moving away from the counter more than likely going to find what she had requested. I guessed being a Council-member had its perks.
Nadila tugged on my shirt to get my attention before she moved out of the store. "We are going to get a small snack. There is a nice little café around here somewhere." She looked around and I followed her, ignoring the stares I received as she finally grabbed my wrist pulling me into a small café close to the balcony.
We sat down and entered into a slightly awkward silence. I didn't know entirely what to say. "So what is a binding bracelet?" I looked at my left wrist and frowned slightly. She had mentioned it and had held my wrist so I was guessing it was an Orrian custom I wasn't familiar with.
"On Earth you exchange rings. On Oria, we exchanged bracelets. It's more symbolic than anything. You don't notice when medallions are exchanged but having a binding bracelet lets everyone know you are taken." She tapped on the table with perfectly manicured nails. A waiter came over and Nadila ordered a small sandwich and a tea.
She looked at me expectantly and I shook my head, giving her a small smile. "I'm not really hungry." I watched as her eyebrow rose slightly.
"Get her the same." She gave me a look and the waiter left. "You need to eat something. Rhex would probably throw me off the balcony if I didn't make sure you were appropriately taken care of." She sounded half amused at the thought.
I wrinkled my nose slightly. "He needs to stop sending out those signals. I'm twenty-five, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." I gave a small sigh and leaned on the table slightly. I didn't particularly like the idea of them buying me anything either but I knew my money was on Earth and I didn't have any of my cards with me. I was shit out of luck on that front.
"We all understand. I doubt there is one of us who doesn't but Rhex is very much aware of your limitations now. Orrians are much stronger than you and it isn't exactly hidden that many of them do not care for humans." She gave me a strange look, as if she were feeling a bit sympathetic over my plight. I honestly didn't appreciate the reminder that lots of people wanted me dead. She waved her hand slightly. "Rhex is military. He has lived, breathed, and fought in death. It must have saturated him a thousand times over."
She leaned against the table, her hands clasped. "He was engineered to be a solider and I bet that you are the single most important person in his world right now. So you are the one thing he would fight death itself to keep." Her words were sweet and I picked at my nails, a faint heat touching my cheeks.
I wanted the discussion to be over because currently all he saw me as was a distraction from his duties. I understood he was engineered to protect his people but I didn't appreciate being labelled as a distraction by the one person who was supposed to love me above all else.
"He's domineering and I don't appreciate it." I didn't like being told what to do like a child, ordered around like I didn't have my own mind.
"He's military and he's just trying to keep you safe." She moved her cutlery around, trying to make it sit straight on the table.
"I know." Everything he said I could or couldn't do was based on my safety first and foremost but it didn't mean I liked being ordered around.
Nadila let out a heavy sigh as her fingers stilled on the cutlery. "You don't know how lucky you are." Her words were quiet and I frowned, trying to figure out where that had come from. "Vila would have given anything to be where you are now. Khos broke her so badly that there were too many pieces to put back together." Sorrow twisted her face to a sharper degree than it had Ghilesh's
"She died without knowing what it felt like to be protected by the one person who had the ability to love her to the ends of the universe." She looked up and her eyes almost seemed hollow, as if there were something important missing in her gaze. The corners of her mouth were twisted down into a small, sad frown.
"I'm sorry, Nadila. I was going to be recycled. Rhex was the best thing that ever happened to me." I swallowed, feeling guilty about bringing the subject up. She had lost her twin because her soulmate had turned his back on her. I didn't want to sound petulant or spoiled when mine was ordering me around when he actually wanted me.
"Liviya, I wasn't giving you trouble. It's just hard seeing the bond you have with Rhex and knowing that was the bond she could have had with Khos. He was a cruel man, I know that now but at the time he was all she wanted and he should have wanted her too." She gave a small pause, her lips pressing together slightly. "Love is never easy." She let out a heavy sigh before looking out into the shipping bay.
Her mouth twitched upwards slightly. "For Vila and Khos it was impossible but for you and Rhex it just happened. It's funny. It should have been easy for them and it should have been impossible for you." She gave an empty smile. "I miss my sister. She died thirty years ago and there isn't a day that goes by that I do not miss her." She looked down at the table, lacing her fingers together.
"She was my twin, my other half, and Khos took that from me. What he did to Vila was like he punched a hole in my chest and took out my heart before crumbling it into dust." Her hands twisted together tighter. "I will never forgive him and I will do whatever it takes to bring our races together because it would kill him to see it happen." She said it with an edge of vengeful hatred. "I am a selfish woman, Liviya. I was a selfish woman before Vila died and it is even worse now. I don't hide who I am." I looked at her, taking in the sorrow that etched deep lines into her beautiful face.
"It is not wrong to be selfish about this." He had taken something very important from her. "He hurt you, he took something from you that couldn't be replaced. Do the same and take away his war." I wasn't foolish. I knew what Khos wanted and I was slightly fearful of the lengths he would go to achieve it. "He scares me, Nadila." The admission was hard to say and her eyes flared with a sudden fire.
"Do not worry about him, Liviya. He will not touch you." She smiled brightly as the waiter returned with the food. All traces of her grief and sadness gone from her face. "Thank you." I looked at the small sandwich and picked up a quarter, taking a bite. I wasn't overly hungry but Nadila had ordered it for me.
I glanced at her as we ate. There was a question that had been rolling around in my mind for awhile and I knew she would be the only one who would give me a straight answer. "Rhex told me the only communication between the humans and this ship is through the Council." I watched as she gave a quick nod.
"That is true." She picked up her cup of tea and took a sip, looking at me over the rim.
"Is there any way you can get word to my parents that I am alright?" I felt the harsh burn of tears at the thought of my parents and I did my best to blink them away.
Nadila said nothing as she looked at me from over her cup. She set it down on its saucer before pulling out a cellphone. "It's connected to the intergalactic communications link. Call any number and you will get through." She slid it across the table to me before she took a bite of her food with a happy smile. I reached over and picked it up, punching in the familiar numbers on the delicate feeling touch screen.
My hands shook as I brought it up to my ear. "Hello?" My mother's quiet voice brought tears to my eyes and I couldn't help but smile.
"Hi, mum." There was silence on the other end of the line before I could hear heavy breathing and sniffling.
"Liviya? Is that really you, baby?" Her voice cracked and I couldn't stop the tears from pooling in my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. It felt wonderful to hear her voice again. I hadn't thought I would ever hear it again.
"It's really me, mum." I gave a shaky laugh, covering my mouth with my hand. I could hear a faint scraping sound over the receiver.
"Louis! Liviya is on the phone. Our baby is on the phone." My mum's voice was muffled and the scraping sound returned before I could hear her breathing. "Are you okay? What happened, baby girl?" I swallowed against the lump in my throat.
"I-I found my soulmate. I bonded, mum." I smiled at her shocked inhale. "His name is Rhex, he's in the military." I looked over at Nadila who tilted her head, as if the conversation intrigued her. I wiped at my face with my sleeve, trying to clear the stickiness away from my cheeks.
"What is he like? What type of person is he?" The questions made more tears fill my eyes as I locked gazes with Nadila. I didn't know how to answer the question. I wasn't sure if I was even allowed to tell anyone on Earth that Rhex was my soulmate.
I tried to ask Nadila what to do with my eyes, my voice has fled me. She narrowed her own eyes before smiling and giving a nod. I rubbed at the new wetness on my cheeks, wiping it away. I opened my mouth but froze, the gravity of the situation slamming into me.
"Are you okay, Liv? Is everything alright?" My mum's voice was slightly frantic and I swallowed as I watched Nadila who nodded again, urging me forward.
"He's Orrian, mum." The words were slightly straggled and I gave a weak cough, feeling a touch light headed.
"Pardon?" Her tone was suddenly sharp and I closed my eyes.
"He's Orrian." I took a trembling breath in, trying to calm myself. I let my eyes focus on Nadila once more, her calm energy was soothing the nervous jitters in my stomach.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Her voice rose slightly and I could hear the phone exchange hands.
"Liviya, sweetheart. What did you say?" My father's rich voice filled my ear and I felt another fresh wave of tears flood my eyes.
"My soulmate is Orrian, dad." There was a frightening pause, for a moment I thought he wouldn't believe me. There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line and I relaxed slightly.
"How did you meet him?" His voice was even and I took a drink of my tea, trying to find something to focus on other than the jitter of my nerves.
"They took me onto the Council ship for recycling. He saw me in the recycling bay." I twisted the cup on the saucer. This conversation would have gone easier in person but I was thankful for just the chance to talk to them.
"That's a pretty big coincidence, sweetheart." He sounded on the edge of disbelief and I felt a small flash of anger.
"You're telling me, I had no clue who the fuck he was when I first saw him. Let alone that he was my soulmate." I narrowed my eyes and took another sip of my tea. It was hard to believe, I knew it was. I had lived it.
"Language!" My mother's voice was sharp and I felt a bit of the anger leave as I smiled.
"Sorry, mum. I got onto the ship, went through sanitation and my handler was taking me to recycling when Rhex stopped him." I looked up at Nadila who was finishing her sandwich. "He took me to a Soul Maker so we could be bound. He was scared, dad." I ran my fingertip along the rim of the cup.
"Of what?" He sounded curious and I stared into to the murky liquid.
"Of them taking me away." I could hear another pause and then the phone shifting hands again.
"Can we meet him? Is there any way we could possibly see you two? I won't believe you are okay until I can hold you in my arms again." My mum's voice was back to being soft and soothing and I felt suddenly unsure. Nadila reached over, gesturing for the phone. I handed it over quickly.
She pressed it to her ear with a winning smile. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Burch. This is Councilwoman Nadila. I am sitting here with your daughter, we're having lunch. Well, I had lunch, she is staring at her food." She placed her hand on the bottom of the phone. "Your mother says to eat because you are too thin." There was amusement in her voice and I picked up the sandwich and started eating.
"Yes, I am very aware of the complications of the situation.... No, we aren't going to do anything like that." She paused and I took another bite. "Three, no, four days ago, I do believe.... No, he's nothing but charming..... Yes, I do believe he cares. He's very protective over her." I finished the sandwich and took another drink of the tea, the warm liquid was soothing.
"You can actually. Does tomorrow work for you? I know it's short notice but Rhex has to prepare for training. He leaves at the end of the week." Nadila shrugged and I watched the action with interest. "I understand but it was too late to pull out from the training. It's nothing dangerous and he should be back in no later than four months." There was another pause before she tilted her head. "Liviya is actually being enrolled in our Learning Centre. She has a wonderful opportunity to learn everything about our culture. She will learn our language and our laws. This is really a one of a kind opportunity." She gave me a bright smile at the words. I still wasn't sure about the whole Learning Centre idea.
"I wouldn't worry so much. She has made a few friends already." She gave a heavily amused laugh at whatever she got in reply. "Oh yes, even with that sense of humour." An amused grin crossed her face as she looked at me. "Well thank you again and I have to go. I need to drop her off with Rhex and continue on with my day. You will see her tomorrow and no need to thank me, it is my pleasure." She smiled brightly and I felt my mouth open in shock. "No worries, I'll let her know. Okay, bye now." She hung up the phone and shook her head.
"They sound like really wonderful people and close your mouth, it isn't very becoming." Her smile took the sting from the words and I closed my mouth with a slight snap. "Your parents say good bye and that they love you."
I gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "I get to see them?" It almost seemed too good to be true but the smile on her face wasn't hiding anything that I could see.
"Yes, tomorrow." She stood up from her chair and I followed suit. She had done so much for me. She had saved my life, bought me a fair amount of clothes and now had arranged for me to see my family again.
"I don't know how to thank you." I truly didn't. Nothing seemed right, no simple 'thank you' would ever repay what she had done for me.
She smoothed down her suit jacket with a Cheshire cat grin. "No need to thank me, sending you down to Earth with Rhex is going to piss Khos off." She chuckled, a vindictive smile on her face. "Just remember you are here to make me look good. I'll be holding more sway if I have a human pet." I watched as she started walking away and smiled. She had a good poker face but she was a terrible liar.