Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson
9
Mercy
The warm,musky scent taunts me in my sleep. I burrow in my blankets and pretend the man that it belongs to has his arms wrapped around me. That his hard body is pressed against mine. It’s my own shifting that wakes me, the feel of heat between my legs, the want in my belly. I blink, forcing myself awake—aware enough that I’m not alone in my room on Earth, but in shared space on Athion.
The first thing I see is the lounge—so no, even less alone than the privacy of my dorm room. The second thing I see is Kai’s handsome face and I’m hit again by that scent. Fuck. It was real. Flustered, I sit up and brush my hair out of my face.
His expression is a bit strained and I ask, “W—what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he says in a quiet voice. “Sorry to wake you, I just wanted to show you something.”
I stand, my heart racing. Did he know that I’d been dreaming about him? Of course not. Why would he?
I shake the dream and push the feelings away. Leaving my blanket and tablet on the chair, I follow him. “Where are we going?”
His amber eyes dart to mine. “It’s a surprise—if that’s okay?”
For a brief moment I wonder if this is a trick. Did he lure me into complacency so I’d willingly go with him? Then he’d kidnap me like the other woman?
He’s waiting for an answer, and God, I’m a fool.
“Yes,” I say. “Surprises are nice.”
He leads me to an elevator and we get in the small, oval car. His scent is heady here, bringing back my dream in full force. Kai doesn’t request one of the floors accessible to residents. Instead he uses a code to override the system, saying “rooftop” as a voice command.
I glance over at him and he gives me a shy smile.
“What are you up to?” I ask.
We’re at our stop in an instant, the doors opening and revealing the roof of the dormitory. It’s warm out—the temperature here is pleasant—comparable to the 70 F back home. There isn’t a lot of variation, but I’ve heard it’s not the same everywhere on Athion. They have weather extremes, as well.
Like a gentleman, Kai gestures for me to exit the car first and I do, noticing a slight difference in his behavior. I suspect I’m seeing a bit of Kai the Athion, instead of Kai the Custo. The change is slight, but enough, and again my skin tingles at his attention.
“This way,” he says, taking me to the edge of the building. It’s still dark, four of the moons are visible above—that is a sight that is hard to get used to. Also, the awareness that they’re occupied—beings live on those moons. The world seems so big now.
He points to the horizon. “The sun will rise from that direction.”
“You brought me to see the sunrise?”
He shrugs. If I’m not mistaken, a bit nervously. “I knew you wanted to see it and I know it has to be stifling to be trapped in that building all night. I thought…well, I thought you deserved something special.”
His voice is soft—miles away from the commanding officer that escorts me to and from work.
“Thank you, Kai, that’s so…” I’m at a loss of words. My heart swells. “That’s really kind of you.”
His amber eyes are soft and full of…something…longing? Maybe Dr. Kane was right. Maybe I’ve been oblivious. But instead of scaring me off, I’m drawn in.
Bright light glints at the edge of the horizon, the surface flat unlike any place I’ve been on Earth. I watch, feeling the heat of the man next to me, seeing the sunlight warm his blue-tinted skin. He’s so foreign to me but at the same time I feel like I know him, I understand him, and that he understands me. It’s the little things in life. A good book, helping someone, a sunrise.
The back of his hand grazes against the back of mine and my belly clinches in response.
“Tell me something about yourself,” I say suddenly. I’m filled with the desire to know more about him, despite Dr. Kane’s warnings.
“Like what?”
“Where are you from? How long have you been a Custo?” I don’t add but think, what’s that low-boiling energy under the surface.
“I’m from the capital of Athion. My father was a commander of the Custo and I had a very comfortable childhood. My mother—”
I lean forward. “What about her?”
“She and my sister died when the virus wiped out most of the women. It was a hard time for us all. My father was devastated and didn’t really know how to raise me on my own. He sent me to the military academy when I was eight.” He gazes toward the horizon.
“That must have been lonely.”
“It was a challenge, but I excel in difficult situations. Thrive, really. I focused hard on my studies and became the top of my class. I spent several years with the unit tasked with locating the Master and his criminal ring.”
“Who?”
He shakes his head. “There are bad people everywhere, Mercy, even on Athion. Our people are peaceful but we have to fight against the tide of evil out there.”
“Like the Trads.”
“Yes. Exactly.” His hand is still touching mine and I fight a shiver at his closeness. “When they invaded Earth, we were on high alert, ready to assist in any way possible—offering refuge was the easiest decision the Emperor ever made.”
“We owe your people so much,” I say quietly.
“No. We owe you. The compatibility of our people gives us hope—salvation, really. You deserve more than a rooftop sunset,” he says, quietly, “but it’s what I can give you. For now.”
His words imply a promise—one I’m eager to know more about--and to let him know that, I rotate my hand, slipping my fingers into his. My own promise.
And together we watch the world come alive.