Caged With The Alien Warrior

49.

Aanya

Ronan drove us out to the middle of nowhere in the hovering-car-thing. He held my hand, helping me out of the vehicle to see the wilderness he'd brought me to.

I took it in, from the rich red and brown hues of the ground to the mix of green and purple trees and vines. It was nothing like a forest or jungle I'd seen on Earth.

"Ha, bringing me out here to kill me like a serial killer?" I laughed, joking. One of my girlfriends back home always said to never go hiking for a first date.

Ronan frowned. "I think my translation malfunctioned. A repeated murderer? What do you mean?"

"Like a serial killer? Someone who murders a bunch of people, I think more than three." I knew from watching a really old show, Criminal Minds. Even though it'd been hundreds of years since the show aired, we still had serial killers on Earth.

"Oh. We rarely have murders on Rhodin, let alone multiple committed by one perpetrator before being caught. We don't have a word for that. I'm sorry that you have one on Earth." He furrowed his brow, head tilting to the side. "Why would you say that about going hiking?"

"You know, like don't go on your first date with a guy hiking in the middle of nowhere in case he kills you. Now that I say that all, maybe not a funny joke."

"That's horrendous that you had to worry about that. I would never harm you," Ronan said seriously.

My heart softened. I knew he'd never hurt me. "Oh, I know, I was just joking about all that." I winced. "Clearly a bad joke that didn't translate at all. So, why'd you bring me here?" I asked, changing the subject.

Ronan cleared his throat. "There's a spot here that I like to go to, to think. My childhood home was walking distance from here, so I spent a lot of time here."

We stood in front of an organic opening in the wilderness.

Ronan pointed ahead. "It's just through here. May I cover your eyes to surprise you?"

On reflex, I almost said no. Darkness reminded me of the plastic coffin the lizardmen put me in to experiment on me. But I trusted Ronan. I trusted Ronan with my life so I could trust him to cover my eyes for a minute.

"Sure." I nodded, biting my lip. Ronan's gaze darted down to my lips then back up, heat flashing in his gaze.

Gently, Ronan moved behind me and covered my eyes with one large hand. The other held me at my waist, guiding me forward. His touch ignited my every last nerve end and sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine.

The fresh scent of the outdoors filled my senses, along with a growing roaring sound. What was that? I couldn't place it. It sounded familiar though.

"Watch out, step over a root," Ronan instructed and I did my best to avoid landing on my face.

My left foot still caught on the root, but Ronan's grip on my waist steadied me.

"Here we are," Ronan said, lowering his hands.

Cascading water filled a gorgeous pool of clear water. Wow. This place was gorgeous, surrounded by large stones that basked in the twin suns.

All I could say was, "Wow."

Ronan stood beside me, his hand brushing mine. "It's been so long since I've come back here. But when we were caged by the Szentists, one night all I wanted was to see this waterfall again. And now that I can, I wanted to share the experience with you." His voice was thick with emotion.

"Thank you. Thank you for sharing your place with me. This is amazing. I've never seen anything like this before." I shook my head in amazement.

We stood there, taking in the peaceful nature. It felt so good to be outside, to feel alive after being trapped for so long.

"Do your parents still live near here?" I asked, then hesitated. Ronan had never really talked about his parents, just that he lived with his aunt and uncle. But before I could take back the question, Ronan answered.

His gaze dimmed. "No, they don't live here anymore. My parents weren't... conventional. Here on Rhodin, people like convention. They like order. It's what runs our society. Because of that, we weren't close with my family here on Rhodin. We spent some time at our home here on Rhodin, but also a lot of our time travelling. They– they died when I was young. They were killed. I survived and my aunt and uncle took me in."

I took his hands in mine. "I'm so sorry, Ronan. That must have been so hard."

"Thank you." His voice was tight.

Maybe we had more in common than I thought. Building up my nerve, I told Ronan about my family too. "I–I lost both my parents too, but in an accident. It was only a couple years ago, though, I'd already moved out and I was an adult. It's not the same, but–"

"But you understand too." Ronan finished for me.

I took his hand and held it tight, watching the waterfall cascade.

Minutes passed before Ronan spoke again. "Aanya, I have to tell you something."

I blinked at him. "What is it?"

"When I spoke with the High General, he–" Ronan took a steadying breath. "He told me that there's no way for you to get back to Earth." He recoiled as he said the words.

Pain hit my chest, taking my breath. Somewhere in me, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go home, but hearing Ronan say it hit me hard.

I nodded slowly. "I thought so from the council's reaction. But thank you for confirming it. It hurts to know but I didn't have much for me left on Earth anyways, aside from memories."

Ronan blinked at me. He sucked in a sharp breath. "You don't– you don't hate me?"

I almost stumbled back. Huh? Where was this coming from?

"How could I hate you? For telling me the truth? Never. And it's not like it's your fault I was taken from home. It's the lizardmen's fault. I don't blame you for anything, Ronan." I stepped closer, gaze soft on him.

"Really?" Ronan's stiff shoulders waited for my response.

I pressed a hand against my heart. "You thought I did? I don't, I swear." My voice was serious, but seeing the vulnerability in his eyes made me square my shoulders and say, "Ronan of House Hawke, I swear on my honour that I don't blame you for a single thing that happened."

Ronan's arms came around me in a crushing hug. I clung to him as he let go of the guilt he must've been carrying. He let out a deep sigh.

I pulled back, hands moving up to hold Ronan's face.

"I don't blame you for anything and I'll keep telling you until you truly believe it. I don't hate you, Ronan. I could never hate you." Telling him all that, holding him, left me breathless. My hand settled around the nape of his neck as we held each other close.

Ronan's calloused hand came up to cup my cheek. "May I kiss you, Aanya?" he asked, voice soft.

"Yes, please," I breathed.

✶ ☾ ✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Think they'll actually get to kiss this time? 😏

How're you doing? How's 2024 treating you? I'm doing pretty good - a bit stretched thin with all I have on my plate but it's all good. 

Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Virtually yours,

Ro