Dark's Savior (Dark World Mates Book 2) Read online

  Aly felt heat rush to her face at that. She knew they had to have seen pretty much all of her to help fix her wounds. Knowing Ryziel had didn't leave her too embarrassed but both of them together...

  Aly cleared her throat, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I'm more durable than you think. And the slipsuit protects me...well, maybe not from the things that attacked me but certainly from rocks, at least."

  The goblin snorted and turned away. Aly looked to Ryziel instead, who had remained silent, watching her.

  "I can help..." she said softly.

  Ryziel didn't move, but she could tell from his expression he was thinking. He turned back to the console, looking down at the map, rubbing his fingers underneath his jaw.

  "Nar is right, it would likely be too dangerous. Unless humans have some natural inner defense, I see no qualities that tell me you are able to protect yourself."

  Aly opened her mouth then closed it when he side-eyed her.

  "Grex have venom, krull have talons, urk," he pointed to the goblin, "are quick climbers and runners and can see in the dark. There are things in the deep underground where one needs to be able to fight or flee if they have to."

  "I can use a weapon," Aly said as she unclasped her waist bag and took out a pocket-knife.

  Nar laughed. Ryziel didn't. He rubbed at his face some more, his eyes looking over her like he was struggling with some deep inner issue that was more than her feeble attempt to convince him she could help.

  Aly dropped the hand holding the knife. "All right, maybe I'm not fit for the wilds or anything, but I can get into tighter places. And you need someone to do that. And you said yourself a lot of things can't fit into those spaces, so I can at least hide."

  "Great," Nar said. "And I suppose we will just have to keep you from getting killed at every turn."

  Aly shrugged. "There is risk to everything, is there not? And," she turned her eyes again to Ryziel, "if you are with me, you could protect me."

  Ryziel's expression turned dark, and Aly feared she might have said the wrong thing. He looked away from her, his head bowed over the map.

  "No," he finally said, after a long silence. "No. You have to go back toward the surface. I can't use you."

  Aly wasn't sure if he meant that as an insult or a polite way of saying he didn't want to abuse her as a worker. Either way, disappointment jabbed her in the chest.

  Before she could get in another word, Ryziel moved away from the console and headed to the other side of the cavern, disappearing into a different cave opening closed off with a black curtain.

  Aly watched him go then looked back at Nar, who was eyeing her.

  "Honestly, human, you either have a lot of guts or no brains. You almost died out there. And you probably think sluths are the worst there is."

  "I'm gonna take a guess and say they aren't," Aly said.

  "Far from it. Some things get to the surface every so often, sure, but most of those things are harmless compared to what you might encounter past the mine's defenses, down in the deeper parts." Nar shook his head. "And if the enforcers are watching your kind, the last thing we need is for them to come sniffing around again."

  Aly looked down at her techband and frowned. "Ryziel can unlink the tracer..." She glanced back at him. "Please, I want to help."

  "Why?"

  Aly's eyes shifted toward the ship, and Nar's eyes widened.

  "No. No way, no how. Forget it, human." Nar's ears bent back slightly as he bared his tiny teeth. "You're just gonna forget you even saw that ship. Forget you saw any of this, and just go back to what you were doing. Stick to the mines and don't think about ever coming back down."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aly stood silently by the large metal door as she waited for Ryziel to take her back above. She checked her pockets and bags one last time and was surprised to find everything still where it should be despite a few hours ago, when she had been running for her life with the sluths cutting into her with their teeth and claws. The suit would have to be replaced despite the sealing tape fixed along the rips, but thankfully, she had a spare in her unit.

  She checked her tools and found only one to be in need of a repair. Her other belongings, though few, were dirtied but not broken. She brought her sketchbook out briefly to check the inside and was relieved to find the pages undamaged, including that of her unfinished sketch of Ryziel.

  "Time to go."

  Aly quickly snapped her sketchbook closed and shoved it in her bag, glancing up to see Ryziel standing beside her. She smiled at him and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

  Ryziel loosened a part of his belt and gestured for her to take the end. "Hold onto this and stay close."

  Aly frowned at the belt end but took it without protest. Ryziel turned for the door and unlocked it, waiting as it rose slowly.

  "I will relink your techband once we get to the elevator. If anyone asks, you tell them you got lost and that your techband went offline. They will think it odd, but they will likely believe you."

  Aly didn't respond as she stared at the back of Ryziel's head. She took him in as if it were the last time, wanting to keep an image of him in her mind when she finished her sketch of him. Maybe she could even find coloring utensils. But then, she would never be able to get the blue of his skin right or the silver markings along his neck. But maybe she could at least get the shape of his eyes right this time, even if she could never find the color of those silver and gold orbs.

  Ryziel peered back at her, and Aly turned her gaze away. Her throat felt a little tight as she gripped his belt in her hand. She nodded to him, and he started for the tunnel beyond the door.

  "Keep your lights off and trust my steps," he said as they entered the tunnelway. Aly did as told and turned the lights off on her suit.

  They went quickly, Aly keeping up as best she could with Ryziel's long strides. She only stumbled a few times, but after a while was able to stay beside him without an issue.

  It was a surprise to see the glow of the elevator shaft not far ahead after they had only walked in silence for maybe less than a half hour's time.

  When they got to the point where the lights overhead beamed above them, Ryziel stopped at the elevator shaft and waved his hand over the pad. A light blinked on to indicate a car was making its way down, and all they had to do now was wait.

  Aly let go of his belt as Ryziel turned toward her and their eyes locked.

  "Guess this is it." Aly gave him a smile, though it didn't feel genuine. "I...promise not to say anything about what I saw."

  "I believe you." Ryziel gestured for her to lift her arm, and Aly did so. Careful not to touch her, he went through her techband's programming system and relinked the tracer. "You’re good to go."

  "Great."

  They stood silent for a moment longer before Aly couldn't stand it any longer. "I could still help you," she said.

  "It's out of the question."

  Aly brows raised, surprised by his sudden response. "Why?"

  Ryziel looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.

  "I'm really that much of a pain to you, aren't I?" Aly couldn't help laughing. "I know the others say I'm a pain in the ass, but you really don't like me—"

  "It's not that."

  "What did I do? Is it my very existence? Do I smell bad?"

  "No, it's—"

  "I mean, you could have left me here." Aly threw out her arms. "But you didn't. And you came up to me when we first met. But then you act like sharing the same plane of existence with me is excruciatingly...awful." Aly dropped her arms and shrugged. "But I have to be honest with you. I don't care what you think. I don't. I know who you are. I know enough about the nillium, the 'oh so great nobles of Xolis,' to see that you think me beneath you. But I don't care. I want to help you rebuild the ship, and I want me and my team to have a seat on it. I know this is probably super disrespectful, but I'm too desperate to care." Aly refused to look away from him, even if it made her heart pound to see him glaring at her
with such silent regard. She waited for him to speak, but he didn't say a word. Not one. The elevator car reached the bottom, and the doors opened.

  "Ryziel, please—"

  "Get inside."

  Aly felt heat rise in her face and neck. She would have shouted at him, but she knew that would only make things worse. So, instead, she did as he commanded. She stepped inside and glared back at him. When she didn't move to press a button, Ryziel reached his hand inside and hit on level fifteen without looking. The doors closed, and Aly almost reached for him through the metal bars. Almost.

  Before the elevator began its ascension, Ryziel finally met her eyes once more. Aly didn't dare say another word, but she let her eyes do the talking. Ryziel's only response was a cold stare of his own. As the elevator rose, he backed away slowly, and Aly watched him disappear in the darkness below.

  ***

  Ryziel stalked back to the lair, feeling a little put out, to say the least. If he were any other nillium, he might have taken offense to Aly's outburst, but really, he could care less at the moment. What he cared more about was the thought of allowing Aly to aid him in any way with fixing the ship.

  Because the very idea was absolutely lunatic.

  It wasn't just the fact that she seemed too delicate or fragile, that the image of her limp body in his arms even now still burned in his brain, and that the mere thought of taking her deeper into the mines was appalling at best. To put her in that kind of danger was insane.

  And yet...

  And yet. She was most definitely small enough to fit into the spaces they needed to get into. And it wasn't an impossible idea that he could easily watch over her. As long as she was close and he stayed right by, he could undoubtedly protect her. He was thoroughly confident he could, in fact, keep anything from getting to her. And if they were quiet enough, maybe, just maybe, it was possible they wouldn't have to worry about anything at all.

  So, what really got to him was the fact that it was a perfect idea.

  And he refused to indulge it. Because as much as he was in desperate need to get to the minerals he sought, he couldn't have Aly there with him. Because...

  Because there was the unfortunate fact that he, too, was considered a danger to her. His sole purpose was to fix the ship, yes, but he still didn't understand Aly and why she made his Drega slip from its hard-kept cage. And that still scared him. If something like what had happened with the sluths were to happen again, he didn't know if he could handle it a second time.

  And what if she touched him again and he lost it?

  Yes, that should have been the last good reason not to risk her return. But still his conscience tried to fight him at every turn.

  You are desperate to get back. With her help, you could get the ship restored faster. You've trained to suppress your Drega before. This is no different. Just an unexpected challenge. Fight it off, keep her at a distance, but allow her to help, and maybe nothing will go wrong.

  Maybe.

  Ryziel unlocked the door to the lair, trying to calm himself, when he came face to face with a purple and red demon.

  "Xilya," Ryziel greeted the vrisha female with a nod. "I didn't see you come down."

  "I took the stairs."

  Ryziel walked past to stand by the ship, ignoring her curious eyes watching him.

  "I heard we had an unexpected visitor," Xilya said after a pause.

  Ryziel's lip curled back slightly, and his eyes shot up to look at Nar on top of the ship, who didn't meet his gaze as he worked. "Yes," he said, in a low voice. "It was nothing. Just a small...mishap."

  "Oh?"

  Ryziel turned to her with a blank expression. "She was sent back up. She won't say a word. It's done with."

  Xilya bowed her head and sauntered over to the map. "Is it, then?"

  Ryziel followed her over. "Yes, it is."

  "Nar says she wanted to help...in exchange for a place on the ship." Xilya lifted her eyes to his. "That true?"

  Ryziel kept his gaze on her, his receptors vibrating, heat simmering in his chest. "Yes. And before you say a word, I absolutely forbid it."

  Xilya's tail scraped lazily along the ground. She scratched at her throat indifferently. "Well, that was stupid."

  Ryziel stared at her with a fiery glare, and she stared back in challenge.

  "Was it?" Ryziel said softly, keeping his anger barely in check. "And what in Nihl's sight makes you say that?"

  Xilya was unaffected by his seething expression, one of the very few who didn't turn or cower from his venomous gaze.

  "Because she has seen everything already. She knows what we are up to. And instead of threatening to go to the enforcers and the Xolis Council, she is willing to actually aid us in the one thing we need most." Xilya's eyes narrowed. "Honestly, Nihl Ryziel, why wouldn't we take such an opportunity?"

  "I have my reasons," he said.

  "And they are?" she asked.

  "I can think of one," Nar called out. "We don't have room to stow away a bunch of humans."

  "I find that highly unlikely," Xilya responded. "We can make room easily. What else?"

  Ryziel rubbed at his throat. "I have...personal reasons."

  "And they are?"

  "I don't need to tell you."

  Xilya let out an impressive growl, and Ryziel met her with his own.

  "Damn your stubbornness, Nihl Ryziel. Who cares if you have some strange issues with the girl?” Xilya hit her fist against the edge of the map. "You should know something. I was messaged again by the urk who gave us the map. With the storm season fast upon us, the water rises below and moves, shaping the earth. In a few cycles’ time, he says there will be a great flooding below. This is why the cave systems constantly change and the urks are always looking for new systems. Is this not true, Nar?"

  "It's true," responded the urk. "There are places that had been sealed off for ages because of the waters but then would become reopened after great floods moved the current. Yurza's Keep had been one of these at a point if I’m not mistaken."

  "So, you see," Xilya continued, "we are running out of time if we want to grab as many minerals within the Keep as possible and have the chance to use the tracer to look for the ionx we still desperately need. So, if I were you, Nihl Ryziel, I would rethink forbidding the girl to help. I would think hard. Unless you can come up with a different plan very soon."

  Ryziel closed his eyes and rubbed them, baring his teeth. This changed things. But could he put aside his fears and allow Aly to return? He barely knew her and yet he could no longer say he didn't care about what happened to her. Not completely.

  Because all it took was one bad day. And even if she was still mostly a stranger, she was an innocent woman who his subconscious felt compelled to protect, even if he didn't yet understand why.

  "I will...think on it," was all Ryziel could say.

  Xilya bowed her head, giving him a stern glare. "Very well. But I would think quickly if I were you."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Aly stood by Braxin's door, waiting to be let into his work unit, preparing herself for the inevitable shouting match that was likely to occur. She hadn't gone to him right away. Instead, she had slipped back to her own unit to replace the ripped-up and poorly patched slipsuit for a new one, throwing the bad one in the trash. She messaged her team after that. Then, knowing she couldn't avoid him, messaged Braxin, who immediately responded, ordering her to come to him.

  When the door to his work unit finally opened, Aly came face to face with two enforcers, a krull male, and a lygin female. Braxin stood between them.

  "Get in here, Smith."

  Aly did as Braxin commanded, the door closing behind her. She glanced at both of the enforcers who she'd seen around before but only at a distance.

  "Sit down," Braxin said.

  Aly did.

  The krull came over and gestured to her techband. "Give it up so I can assess it," he said, almost like a parrot with his throat moving and beak opening and closing. Aly too
k off the band and handed it to him. His talons carefully tapped along the screen as he maneuvered through the programming. Aly watched him with only a simmering of anxiety bubbling in her stomach, fairly confident they wouldn't find anything unusual.

  "Care to tell us where you were?" the lygin asked.

  "I was at the bottom," Aly responded.

  "And what were you doing there?"

  "My techband slipped off my wrist and fell to the bottom. I went to go retrieve it but couldn't find it right away, so I went looking. When I did finally find it, I was lost." Aly had her answer rehearsed ever since Ryziel had left her at the elevator. It wasn't a total lie, at least.

  "And why, then, did you not call for aid once you found it? Or use a map to find your way back?"

  Aly was prepared for this question too. "The techband stopped working. When it fell, something must have gone wrong."

  And, as Ryziel had predicted, they looked at her oddly. They didn't respond, though they did glance at each other with a sliver of suspicion.

  Aly shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know the tech very well, but I did mess around with it while I was down there, and I must have fixed it somehow because it seems all right now, and I was able to find my way back up."

  Still, they said nothing, but Aly made sure to keep herself looking as innocent and naive as possible. Something she was fairly good at, based on experience with her family.

  "So you’re telling us," the lygin said, with yellow eyes now narrowed, "that your techband just went offline somehow and you went so far from the elevator that you could no longer see it?"

  Aly shrugged again. "Guess so."

  "And your suit lights stopped working too, huh?"

  "I tried to use them, but it was so dark that they didn't really give me a good sense of direction."

  "And you just walked around in the dark for several hours..."

  "Sometimes I stopped to rest."

  The lygin's eyes narrowed some more. "And you encountered nothing down there?"