Caged With The Alien Warrior

71.

Aanya

I shrugged. "I've got no idea what a soulmate is."

"Truly?" Lorcan blinked at me, looking surprised. "You do not have soulmates on your home planet, Earth?" Lorcan asked.

All the engineers had given up their pretence of working and were listening into the conversation too.

"... no?" My voice went high with my confusion. "Is it like someone you fall in love with? Like a marriage where you promise to be together until death do you part and all that?" I raised a singular brow. The word soulmate sounded vaguely familiar, like a fairytale thing.

"Soulmates are together, even in death," Zeg said solemnly.

Huh? Okay, I was officially confused and out of the loop, which I did not like.

I shifted a slumbering Lani in my arms. "Okay, somebody has got to explain this to me."

"A soulmate is one's other half in the universe." Lorcan recited. "Two souls that are bound together, for eternity."

"How do you know you're someone's soulmate?" I was a bit sceptical about this whole thing. "Do you like, I dunno, pick them?" Was this just like a super committed relationship?

"No, you just know." Fox chimed in.

"In the old stories, soulmates said they could feel each other's pain. And their eyes glowed when connected," Zeg explained.

"Connected... like sex?" I raised both my brows. Spicy. So not platonic soulmates, romantic ones.

Lorcan winced at my bluntness. "Yes."

"Huh. Interesting." I turned to Zeg. "What did you mean Zeg, that soulmates are together, even in death?"

Zeg crossed his broad arms. "It's only in stories, but my father told me that it was rare for soulmates to live when their other half passed to the stars. They would follow them and be together in their next life."

"That's romantic? I guess," I offered.

"But there hasn't been a recorded soulmate pair in decades," Lorcan said, his tone a tad sad. "They're thought to be extinct."

"Oh." I chewed my bottom lip. "Maybe that's for the best. I wouldn't want my soulmate to be dictated by fate or circumstance. I'd want to choose, not let fate make some arbitrary decision." I would want to make my choice, not stupid fate.

"Soulmates are sacred." Zeg pressed a hand against his chest. "We'd all be honoured to have a soulmate."

"Sorry, I don't mean to offend you guys," I hastened to say. "But I don't think a soulmate would appeal to me. But I don't have to worry about that, right? Like you said, there hasn't been a recorded soulmate pair in decades. It's an extinct thing." And there was also the fact that I wasn't Rhodinian, so why the heck would I have to worry about having a soulmate?

Lorcan cleared his throat, changing the subject. "I believe your comm is going off, Aanya."

"Oh!" I checked my message. Vrux wanted to see if he could watch over Lani. That'd work out perfectly. Ever since Fox had pointed out the gym earlier, I wanted to go use it.

We said our goodbyes to the guys in the engine room then made our way into the hallway. We went and found Vrux and I handed over a napping Lani. Lorcan went with them and Fox stayed with me.

Quickly, I changed into some workout clothes and made my way to the gym with only three wrong turns. I didn't let Fox help me though. I had to figure out the map eventually.

The gym seemed familiar enough, with some machines I recognized vaguely, some of which I had no idea of their function. Luckily, I was the only one in this small gym so I had the place to myself.

The walls of the gym showcased holographic displays projecting landscapes from various alien planets, creating a visually stimulating environment. The floor was made of a responsive material that lit up as I walked on it.

Floating dumbbells and resistance bands utilised antigravity technology. I poked a dumbbell. Cool.

There was even a meditation corner with bioluminescent plants and soothing sounds, creating a serene space for mental well-being.

The cardio section featured levitating elliptical machines and hovering treadmills. You could even adjust the gravitational pull. I picked out the most familiar machine, the floating treadmill.

I walked and ran on the treadmill-ish machine for a while, letting my thoughts drift away.

My clothes clung to me as beads of sweat glistened on my forehead. I was surrounded by the rhythmic thud of my feet against the machine. The steady hum of the treadmill created an ambiance of focused determination.

I paused to catch my breath.

My shoulder ached. I rubbed it, wincing. When did I hurt it? I couldn't remember. I'd try to remember and massage it later.

Shrugging, I moved onto another exercise machine.

Wait. I froze. Something felt off.

I looked around. Where did Fox go? Even though I resented having a guard, now it felt weird to be completely alone.

"Fox?" I called out, panting from the treadmill. The overhead lights cast sharp shadows.

I shivered, feeling a weird sense of being observed. My heartbeat quickened. "Is someone there?"

Suddenly, the door whooshed open and a figure stepped into the light.

I pressed a hand over my pounding chest. "Drogan, you scared the shit out of me!"

"Apologies," he said, ever stoic without a strand of his red hair out of place. "Fox and I traded shifts."

Grumbling, I continued with my workout. Way to give a girl a heart attack, man. Maybe Ronan's paranoia was rubbing off on me. 

✶ ☾ ✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Is Aanya paranoid? Thoughts on the soulmates? 👀

Anyone else always need to have 3 beverages on hand? Like, I need one for hydration, one for caffeine, and one for fun. What's your fave drink? 

Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Virtually yours,

Ro