Kyro: A Sci-fi Alien Abduction Romance (Captured by Aliens Book 5) by A.G. Wilde (best summer books .txt) 📕

Xul wouldn’t understand, and the sad thing was that he couldn’t tell him the reason either.

He couldn’t risk any examination. He couldn’t risk the medic discovering he was not what he portrayed himself to be.

“Fine,” Xul conceded. “But I insist that you get care at home. If you won’t go to the med bay, I will send a medic to your quarters to tend to you.”

“No need,” Rokan chimed in. “I will tend to him.”

Xul paused for a moment, passing a glance between them both. “Very well.”

As Xul moved off, supporting Yce as they walked toward the med bay, Kyro jerked his chin at Rokan.

“Hey,” Rokan grinned, “just don’t expect any foot rubs.”

“I won’t because you’ll want me to return the favor and your feet are vile.”

Rokan’s grin widened. “Fair enough.”

Eyes falling, Kyro looked down at the gash in his side.

Qrak him, it was bad.

A call was coming in on her datapad.

Evren grabbed the little device, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the screen.

She’d heard of the mission from Athena and even though Kyro hadn’t mentioned it to her, because he still seemed to be keeping his distance, she’d spent the better part of the day walking around biting her fingers as she waited.

It’s been over twelve hours that they’d been away and in that time all she could think about was the fact that they’d gone back to that dangerous planet.

But as she tapped the datapad’s screen and the caller ID showed up, she couldn’t help the bit of disappointment she felt when she realized it wasn’t him. Kyro had still not contacted her.

Instead, the caller pinging her was Athena.

“Hey, Athena. How’s it going?” She tried to sound bright, but she was sure the other woman could sense the underlying anxiety coating her voice.

“Good. I’m just ringing you to tell you that the boys are back.” Athena paused and she was sure as her blood was red that the woman was holding back something big. “And...”

“And what? Did they find more humans?”

“Ya. They did. They found a lot more humans. In stasis pods.” Athena released a breath.

Evren blinked.

More humans.

More lives uprooted never to be the same again.

“Have they,” she gulped, “have they woken them yet?”

“No, the engineers are working on it. But...” For some reason, it felt as if Athena was about to pass out some bad news. “One of them was awake.”

“What?!”

“She was awake the entire time, Evren. Stuck in that pod. Unable to move.”

Athena’s voice broke.

Evren didn’t know how to respond.

To be awake all that time...

“They’ll be moving her to a secure location and they’re waiting for the Interplanetary Union to pass down a directive regarding the others.”

Evren processed the information slowly. “I hope she’s okay...”

“Me too...”

“How many are there?”

“It’s hard to say. Xul says the hold they’re in is quite large.”

Her shoulders rose and fell as she released a sigh. “God...”

“I know, right. We almost didn’t get to them in time either. There was a huge fight with those gator-guard things. Yce and Kyro got injured.”

Evren felt her hand go slack and the datapad almost fell to the floor. “Kyro got injured?”

“Ya. Pretty badly too.”

“He’s at the med bay?” Without even thinking about it, she was already moving to grab her shoes and head out.

How could she have been so selfish, waiting for a message from him? He was probably fighting for his life. Of course, he hadn’t sent her a message.

“No. Yce is at the med bay. Kyro is at home. Something about not wanting to go to the medics. I don’t know.”

Breathing out a heavy sigh through her nose, Evren slipped on her boots and headed to the door. “I’m heading over there right now.”

“You are? I didn’t know you and Kyro were so close.”

What could she say? They’d been getting close, but she’d been the one who’d pushed him away.

“I—”

“I get it,” Athena said.

“You do?”

“I do.” There was a knowing in her tone that made Evren relax. “Just keep us updated on his progress. Xul won’t say it but he’s a little worried about him and Yce. He thinks it’s his fault for not looking out for them better.”

“I thought it was a surprise attack.” She was already in the gravity lift, waiting impatiently as she floated down to ground level.

“It was but I guess it’s doesn’t prevent the guilt he’s feeling?”

Kind of like the guilt she was feeling now, for no true reason. She felt bad for not contacting Kyro and taking back what she’d said. Now he’d been hurt, could have lost his life and she wouldn’t have had the chance to apologize to him.

“Piper’s pinging me. I’ll hit you up later.” Athena broke into her thoughts.

“Sure.”

As the call clicked off, Evren gulped, her guilt only getting heavier on her shoulders as she neared Kyro’s residence.

Evren tapped her foot lightly as she waited outside Kyro’s door.

No one was answering, not even Kyro’s roommate, and she began to wonder if they had indeed gone to the med bay after all.

As she pressed the door chime more, she took out her datapad to send Kyro a message when the door hissed open.

Looking up from the screen, the smile that was on her face froze as she saw no one there.

“Hello?”

The lights in the apartment were bright again, so bright she had to squint but as she stepped across the threshold, there was still no one there.

“Kyro?”

A low groan from one of the bedrooms caught her ear.

“Kyro?” Walking cautiously, Evren headed toward the sound, even as the front door hissed closed again.

This was eerie and through habit, she felt behind her back underneath her vest for the cutting instrument she always carried.

Of course, it wasn’t there. She’d rushed out of the apartment too fast to grab anything except the one thing she’d been holding: the datapad.

As she entered the bedroom though, the feeling that had been making goosebumps form on her flesh dissipated as she saw him.

He was lying on the bed, his lids low