I wish I had some ibuprofen. My jaw feels like it is broken. I know the punctures on my arm are deep, and they hurt, but they are nothing compared to the pounding pain in my face. When we transported an hour ago, my adrenaline was still pretty high, so my pain was tolerable. But with every passing minute, I can feel the swelling in my cheek getting worse."No moving, human. Remain silent," the freakishly tall alien growls as he drops me on a stone floor covered in trash and filth. I nod fearfully while glancing around. This is the first building we have come to. When we transported, we were outside in the middle of a field. But it wasnt like any field I had ever been in. It was dead silent, and the air seemed frozen around us even though it was warm. While the other two Gafrops continue walking out of the room with a now silent Zor, the hateful beast with a mean slap doesn't leave. He approaches a black panel of buttons and begins to type like a mad man. I can't help but watch his
BURK POV Stiff air and motionless land surround us as we move through the outskirts of Gafrops' abandoned cities. My ears are primed for an attack, but no sound can be heard for miles. "Looks like the Gafrops are close to losing this war," Nole says lowly, and I nod while glancing towards an abandoned store. We haven't spotted a living soul in ten miles. Not even an animal. "They probably centralized their population in a well-protected area. But, the lack of wildlife is telling," I reply, and Modok grunts in agreement. A beep comes through my bracelet, and our feet halt instantly. The scanner's report comes through, and Krystal's DNA signature gives me instant relief. She is here!"Seventy...They underestimate us," Nole says as he reads the numbers, and Modok chuckles. "They will transport out. They aren't idiots. We need to move now! Modok set location. We transport to her now. Nole notify Garlof and his men. The scanner will spook them into a new hiding place. We hav
Lights and bright colors flow into view as my eyelids flutter open to reveal a familiar face. "Krystal, my dear friend. I am so happy you are okay," Zalu says as she smiles down at me. I smile at her, and the lack of pain in my jaw surprises me until I realize I am in the same room I came to cure my incurable cancer. "Where's Burk? Is he okay," I ask, and she nods while helping me into a sitting position. "He is still on Gafrop. Garlof was able to transport his entire battle group onto the planet, which created access for the entire allied force. The Gafrops are forfeiting as we speak. The Jahns and Muysocks have cut ties with them. Burk brought you to me a few minutes ago. He made sure I could heal you and then went back. He is making sure his men leave the planet unscathed. I, of course, healed your body. You will be fine now," Zalu explains, and I nod as relief flows through me. "Was the allied force unable to land on that planet before," I ask after a few seconds,
BURK POV "Krystal," I roar, worried, and my voice thunders through the practically empty building. Zalu pops out of a room, looking alarmed until her eyes spot me. "Where's my mate," I demand in a rather harsh tone, and the female straightens her back in response. "She is meeting with the high council, Commander. She asked me to arrange it. She should be returning promptly," Zalu explains in a rushed voice, and I nod once to show I understand. I don't trust my voice to be respectful enough to answer her with words. My adrenaline has not yet receded from battle, and a female like Zalu deserves my respect. "Would you like something to drink while you wait," Zalu asks just as the all too familiar sound of a transport meets our ears. I move past her without answering, eager to see my mate, and she follows. When I step into the medical room, relief flows through every cell of my body. My mate looks beautiful, healed, and whole even though her gown has been ruined and her
"Are you ready," Burk asks softly as he hands me my cup, and I nod even though I feel super nervous. The process of making the drink that will link our systems only required three buttons, and then it began dispensing as if this wasn't one of the most significant moments of my young life. I was expecting at least ten minutes to prepare myself, but it was more like twenty seconds. "Do not feel pressured, Krystal. We can wait. This has been a very traumatic day, and it is late. I do not want you to regret anything," Burk says softly as he watches me stare at my cup hesitantly. I bite my lip while I think over my options. I know that I want Burk. He is definitely the guy for me. I feel a connection to him. A connection that has pushed me to risk my life for him twice. I know my connection will only grow as time passes, so why wait? Yes, it is happening fast, but one thing I have learned in my nineteen years is you never know what will happen tomorrow. What if a bad guy kills Burk
The cold fluid seeps from the IV into my arm, and I press the button to call Kaci back into my room. She takes a few minutes to answer the call, but I don't mind. I'm used to it. "You buzzed, Honey," Kaci asks as she pokes her blonde head into my room, and I nod. "Yes. Can you bring me a warm blanket? This new bag is freezing. I can't sleep," I reply as I gesture to the bag of fluids hanging from my IV pole. She nods and shoots me a smile before leaving, and I lay my head back against the pillows I have fluffed a million times. This has been my longest hospital stay yet, and I am so done. I miss my soft bed and my pile of warm blankets. I miss homemade meals and mom's whistling in the morning. I miss being able to curl up on my window seat with a good book. But most of all, I miss having energy. I forgot how tiring chemo is. It zaps every ounce of strength from my body and leaves me feeling like a zombie. "Here you go, Krystal. Do you need anything else," Kaci says
I tilt my head and stare at my sunken appearance in the mirror. I look awful. I have lost so much weight since starting this last treatment, and it shows. I look similar to the black and white images of Jewish WWII victims. Even my hospital gown reminds me of them. I lift my hand and trace my cheekbones with my fingertips. It's been so long sense I felt beautiful. I cried when I relost my hair two years ago. I stopped doing by makeup shortly after because well what was the point. I had no one to impress and I was too tired to do it anyway. Maybe before I die, mom could have a make up artist come give me a makeover. That would be cool. We could do a photo shoot to give mom some more memories before I am gone. I smile at the idea, and watch as my dry lips crack a little. I will ask mom when she gets here at eleven. It will probably make her sad at first, but I think it's a good idea. I wash my hands and walk back to my bed. It's nice to be free of the IV pole. I don't hav
Flashback 6 years old "Mom, I want to help," I whine loudly, and mom shoots me a smile. She bends down and kisses my forehead gently. "I wish you could, baby. But mommy is using a knife," mom says, and I frown. I stand on my tippy toes and stare at the pile of celery. "I am big enough. I can help," I repeat, and mom sighs. She closed her eyes for a minute before lifting me up and placing me on the counter. "You can watch, my little Miracle. But keep your hands away from the knife at all times. You are still too little to cut up veggies," Mom says, and I smile while nodding. I love watching mommy cook. She makes the best food. I want to learn how to make yummy food. So when I have a family, I can make yummy food for them too. I will make all my favorites for them. When mommy comes to my house, she will smell the air and say, "mmm, something smells good." As I stare at the ever-growing pile of green vegetables, a drop of red liquid falls from my face and land