Under Sunless Skies (Starlight Saga Book 2) Read online

  He looks at me quizzically. My pulse seems to pound from every vein. Even though it’s chilly inside the cavernous gym, sweat prickles along the back of my neck.

  As I stare into Hayden’s incredible eyes, a profound yearning unfurls deep in my chest. That irresistible pull jerks me closer to him, like a delicious energy charging between us, and filling the space between our bodies with static. I automatically take a step in his direction, but stop myself by clutching Viola’s arm.

  “You okay?” she asks. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I’m fine…Hayden’s here,” I say, my voice wobbly. “I wasn’t expecting to see him tonight.”

  “He told Zach he was coming to keep an eye on you, which is weird since Zach told me that the residue is gone.”

  “That is weird,” I say, still gazing at Hayden. “I wonder—”

  “Wanna get our groove on?” Saxton moves in front of me, blocking my view.

  I squint at him. “Are you stuck in the nineties? No one says that anymore.”

  “Stop dissing me, woman. Let’s dance!”

  He grasps my hand and leads me away from Viola and out onto the dance floor. He wraps his arms around my waist and yanks me against his body, swaying to the slow song. I let him hold me while wishing I were wrapped in Hayden’s arms instead. Except, there’s no ignoring Hayden Lancaster, not even with my back to him—I can still sense him watching me.

  When the song ends, I make an excuse to use the bathroom and hurry to the restroom. Hayden is nowhere. I open the door to the corridor, then freeze.

  Familiar voices rise in anger and frustration, echoing off the metal lockers.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Ever so slowly, I pull the gym door closed, and release the knob with a tiny click, staying in the alcove of the doorway to eavesdrop. I peek around the corner and spot Arcane and Hayden standing near a water fountain.

  I’ve always imagined Arcane wearing a long white robe, like Gandalf, but even his yuppie attire makes him stand out from the humans. It might be his tall, lean build or unnatural eyes or the gray tint to his pale skin. Whatever it is, I’m starting to notice more and more of the physical traits of the Meleah. Yet it’s curious that the human population doesn’t seem to be aware of their apparent differences.

  “Hayden, please listen to me. You shouldn’t have come here tonight. You’re giving Sloane false hope.” Arcane puts a hand on his shoulder. “You are next in line to lead our people, and I realize this is an overwhelming task for someone so young. So until you feel that you’re ready to take on the role—”

  “I am ready,” Hayden insists in a determined tone.

  I double over, like a baseball bat to the gut. My legs wobble and I almost crumble to the tiled floor. Time to reevaluate my relationship with Hayden. He mentioned being under a lot of pressure, but nothing as epic as this—a future leader of the Meleah.

  I never realized I had buried masochistic tendencies until now. I bet most girls would fall hard for that “unattainable guy” thing Hayden has going on. And even I’m not immune to the stereotypical dude who the girl likes oh-so-much, but knows deep down in her gut that he’s no good for her. The girl knows it, hell, even her friends and family know it, but she doesn’t care because when they’re together the highs are so freaking extraordinary, even though the lows are heartbreakingly miserable. Yet, she just can’t seem to quit him, and she’s just a glutton for punishment.

  Yup, that about sums up my crazy up and down relationship with alien boy.

  “Opposing Sector Thirteen can be risky, but I am prepared to help you take them on, just not now,” Arcane says.

  “Then when? I’m an adult.”

  “Yes, in the human world you are considered an adult at eighteen, but to Meleah, you are still a child and you do not reach full maturity until twenty-five.” Arcane releases his grip and sighs. “Hayden, the Meleah need a strong, decisive leader, one who is well-versed in both the politics of the Galactic Brotherhood, as well as the human government.”

  “My whole life, my family’s been grooming me for this position.”

  “But are you ready to face off with Sector Thirteen?”

  “You bet your ass!” Hayden exclaims. “ST thinks they can control us, segregate us, and use us as weapons against their enemies. Meleah are not powerless, nor will we be subservient. So why aren’t our current leaders seriously considering starting an integration program?”

  “I agree that we need to assert ourselves, but it’s still in discussions.” Arcane steps back, his eyebrows drawn together. “I know that Sloane’s father, David, is the rogue Meleah that Sector Thirteen’s searching for and I’ll do everything in my power to protect him—”

  “David Masterson was just a man in love.” Hayden lifts his chin and boldly looks Arcane in the eye. “He should have the right to love whoever he wants, and the laws on race mixing need to be eliminated.”

  Biting my lip, I waver in the alcove near the door. I should go back inside the gym and pretend I haven’t heard any of this, yet I can’t seem to move. It’s a private conversation, but the nosey reporter in me makes the quick decision to stay. I need to hear this and understand why Hayden’s been keeping things from me, so I lean out and spy on the two Meleah.

  “Now you sound like a UN ambassador.” Arcane’s expression becomes solemn. “It is time to embrace your rightful destiny as a future leader. You must marry Neela and unite our people to keep the lineages pure.”

  Hayden’s impeding marriage jolts me from my paralysis, as the shock of everything I’m overhearing sends me into this whole disconnected sense of reality. My relationship with Hayden is just fifty shades of disturbed.

  Hayden snorts. “Yeah, I’ve heard that load of crap before.”

  “Oh, don’t act so offended. It’s not uncommon for prominent families to keep the bloodlines secured.”

  “Keeping the bloodlines secured. Is that what they’re calling it nowadays?”

  “Not funny.” Arcane clasps his hands behind his back and rocks on his heels. “If the integration program is approved yet fails, then you will have to choose where your loyalties lie…with the humans, or with your Meleah family.”

  “I’m not choosing sides.” Hayden stands with his head held high, never breaking eye contact. “I can represent the candor and optimism of my generation to the leaders, which will pave the way for integration nationwide and one day the world.”

  “Such a dreamer.” Arcane sighs again. “We need a leader, not an activist.”

  “It’s time things changed. We need new laws, leaders who look towards the future, and the Meleah need to become more progressive in their thinking—”

  “Hayden, I’ve known you your whole life and I worry about you,” Arcane says. “And I also know what you’re capable of doing. These laws are in place to protect Meleah and the humans. You’re headstrong and stubborn, but is a teen romance really worth throwing away your future? Or hurting your family?”

  My stomach tightens into painful knots. It’s hard to compete with the shaky future of an entire race of super beings and ultra contemptuous parents.

  “I can see things in Sloane that you can’t. Her intelligence, her inner strength. Even her compassion. If she joined our clan, even as a crossbreed, she wouldn’t just be known as some freak. I believe if her family joined us, they would be honored, respected.”

  “For what? Disobeying Sector Thirteen’s direct orders and endangering the Meleah’s way of life?”

  “Maybe it’s time we stood up to ST. I’m willing to back Sloane’s father. Didn’t David admit his crimes and ask the Galactic Brotherhood to consider his proposal? It took guts to do that and I admire him. I think it’s a peaceful solution worth considering.” Hayden’s tone sounds almost desperate. “You want it to work as much as I do, and I know that’s why you spared Sloane the mind-wipe.”

  “I only did it so you wouldn’t turn against the clan. You are obviously still in love with this half-human g
irl, and even I can see that. However, if your parents knew, or the other leaders uncover this liaison, they might ask you to resign. You could even be imprisoned.”

  Hayden nods with a taut jerk of his head. “Not if we can convince them to at least try the program.”

  “First, Meleah must show the world what makes us the superior race. Then we can introduce the program—”

  “You’re talking civil war!” Hayden’s hands clench at his sides. “I can’t support an uprising. In case you haven’t noticed, about seven billion humans outnumber us.”

  “That’s one valid reason not to dilute the bloodline by blending our species with humans.”

  I lean into the wall and suck in a breath. Tanisha mentioned a shadow war among the humans, but I’d ignored her. Discovering all these truths that Hayden concealed from me feels like the biggest stab in the heart.

  “While most Meleah have no qualms killing humans, they do hesitate to kill one of their own,” Arcane says. “And mainly because you’re right, we are so few in number compared to humans.”

  “Then why would Xavier attack Sloane? She’s still one of us,” Hayden replies.

  Good question. I shift my weight and lean closer, straining to hear every word.

  “I doubt Sector Thirteen will feel that way, and Xavier’s just an ambitious bastard trying to improve his family’s rank and position by marrying off his daughter,” Arcane says.

  “Which I’ve told him repeatedly isn’t going to happen.”

  “Even at the risk of losing your place as a leader?” A trace of disbelief colors Arcane’s tone. “Or breaking the law to be with a shalinaya?”

  “You better believe it. We both know that ST has allowed our species to thrive for one purpose only—”

  “Yes, yes. To evolve the best training curriculum to dehumanize their enemies and enable a select group of super-soldiers to kill without remorse,” Arcane says in a mocking tone. “That’s why Meleah make such good soldiers, because in truth, most humans—including law enforcement—are unsettled about taking a life unless absolutely necessary in self-defense or the protection of others. But we’re not human…”

  Hayden’s arms overlap, resting against his chest. “Then we need to make ST understand how important it is that we learn to live together in peace. No more hiding in the shadows.”

  “Are you only rebelling because it’s what’s best for our people, or is it because of Sloane?”

  Hayden turns his head and doesn’t answer for a second. “More for my sister…” he says quietly. “Delta might not have been my flesh and blood, but I loved her, and a program like this could’ve kept her out of Sector Thirteen’s hands.”

  “Maybe, but since you’ve taken up with that half-human girl and lied to everyone, including your parents, what else could you be lying about, Hayden? The Meleah deserve to know if their future leader is truly dedicated to his people, or if being part of the human world has caused your interests to lie elsewhere.”

  Hayden’s forehead tenses and there’s a hardness to his jawline. “I shouldn’t have to sacrifice my own happiness to rule.”

  “You might have to, and if you value Sloane’s safety, you’d stay far away from her.”

  “I don’t think Sector Thirteen will take too kindly to vigilantes, Arcane.”

  “Look who’s talking. Our people need leaders who can fully devote themselves to protecting them. The closer you get to Sloane, the more vulnerable she becomes to an attack by Sector Thirteen. And the more you risk losing your rights to leadership.”

  “Well, I’m willing to take that gamble,” Hayden says strongly.

  THIRTY

  After that epic bombshell reveal, I stumble back through the doors and into the stuffiness of the gym in a daze. The breath seizes in my lungs. The web of lies and secrets just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

  Okay, I have to breathe.

  Besides the deep ache in my chest, another sensation sparks to life that feels like someone is sticking prickly thorns into my heart. I cannot believe Hayden is destined to be a Meleah leader and marry a hybrid girl named Neela. Then there’s the fact that Arcane knows about my father, my family, and me. And now Hayden wants to help my dad kick off some integration program between our species and the human race.

  I gaze around the spacious room, feeling numb and extremely hot. Tears pool in my eyes. Everything spins. I lean against the wall with one hand to steady myself near a couple making out in a dark corner.

  Saxton catches my other arm. “You disappeared. I thought you left.” He frowns. “Hey, are you okay?”

  “No.” Bile rises into my throat. “I feel sick. Can you take me home?”

  “Already?” he yells over the music thumping through the giant speakers on either side of the stage. “There’s a party tonight in the woods.” One of his hands rests low on my back. “We should go.”

  “Hasn’t anyone at this school seen Friday the Thirteenth? And no, I do not mean the lame remake. There’s probably some big dude wearing a Hockey-mask and waiting for us near a woodshed.”

  He chuckles. “Quite the imagination. So was that a yes or no?”

  “I don’t know, Saxton. I’m really not feeling too great,” I shout back, shoving his hand off my hip.

  “It’s barely ten o’clock. The fresh air will make you feel better, and your whole crew’s going to the party,” he says with a pleading tone.

  Glancing around uneasily, I hesitate to answer. Heaviness settles in my stomach, followed by a stab of guilt, because although I selfishly want to go home, it’s not fair to Saxton. No reason to ruin his night just because mine is turning out to be so crappy.

  I spot Hayden reentering the gym through a side-door. A pang of jealousy strikes my chest as pretty, skinny Emma goes straight over to Hayden. She grins at something he says to her. In her fluffy pastel prom dress, she resembles a pink nightmare. She’s such a fashion victim. Poor girl needs to inject some black into her wardrobe—stat!

  I take a deep, steadying breath and release it. “Fine. I’ll go,” I say in a tight voice. ‘Just for a little while.”

  Despite Hayden being a major liar, I still sense that deep attraction to him and a weirdly powerful sense of connection, which makes me want to cry over the loss of something I never really had. The only boy I’ve ever loved comes with a fiancée, an alien leadership, and a whole planet full of family issues and enemies.

  “Sweet!” Saxton grins and takes my hand. “Time to slay the crowd with our righteous dance moves before we bounce.”

  “Do people still say righteous?” I attempt to smile but it’s forced and stiff on my lips.

  Once we join the other dancers, I loosen up. Saxton and I shake our butts to a fast beat that helps me unleash some aggression on the dance floor. Then the tempo slows, blending into a melancholy song, and he takes me into his arms.

  “Can I cut in?”

  Saxton’s blue eyes narrow and he stops dancing. I glance behind me.

  Hayden’s smile is slow and edged with sweetness. “I asked if I could cut in.”

  Saxton releases me and backs up. “Yeah, fine. I gotta use the bathroom, anyway.”

  Once my prom date vanishes within the crowd of dancers, I glare at the alien boy standing there with a guarded expression.

  “Care to dance?” Hayden’s voice sounds composed yet hesitant.

  I swallow hard. “With you?”

  Hayden arches a brow. “You see anyone else asking?”

  My insides tighten. “No…I-I don’t want to dance.”

  “Just dance with me,” he commands. “Please.”

  I slowly nod, my heart bouncing off my ribs. I warily rest one hand on his shoulders and the other in his open palm. He closes his fingers around mine and gently squeezes. While dancing in his arms, I stare into those extraordinary eyes. He pulls me closer until there’s not an inch of space between our bodies. For a moment, my brain shuts down as a sweet thrill jolts through my insides.

  Damn those
traitorous hormones!

  Everyone in the room watches us, the waves of jealousy radiating off the other human females is unsettling. The hottest guy here, Hayden Lancaster, has chosen to dance with the goth girl.

  “You look beautiful tonight, Peaches,” he whispers into my ear, his lips grazing my skin.

  His touch sends shivers along my spine, waking every nerve ending in my body. Hayden smells so good, like an intoxicating blend of male spice, making my brain turn fuzzy.

  “Um, thanks,” I say, my heart and mind warring in confusion over everything I just discovered about Hayden. “I thought you weren’t coming tonight.”

  He gazes at me, his eyes on fire. “I changed my mind.”

  I bite my lower lip. “Only because you feel obligated to watch over me? The residue has faded, so you’re off the hook now.”

  “That’s not why I came tonight,” he mutters.

  Hayden holds me close, my body molding perfectly into his as if we are made for each other. We dance silently, listening to the haunting melody. I want to say something, tell him what I overheard, but each time I open my mouth to speak, the words die on my lips. I should be eager to kick his ass into tomorrow for all the secrets he’s kept from me, but for a moment, I allow myself the illusion that everything keeping us apart is only a bad dream. I just want to close my eyes and forget everything, but denial can only act as a Band-Aid for so long.

  Hayden clears his throat. “I’ve never felt happier then when I’m holding your hand.”

  I lower my head as we move slowly to the song. “You don’t have to say that.”

  “No, really, I mean it. Just dancing with you makes everything else in the world fall away,” he says in a husky voice.

  “Like there’s no problem too great that we can’t overcome it together?” I ask, my voice low. “So cliché.”

  “Some clichés are true…”

  He slides his arms around my waist, his hands resting lightly on the small of my back. My pulse pounds in every pore. Each time his eyes smolder at me in that mesmerizing way, the irresistible, almost combustible attraction slides further beneath my quivering skin.