Moon Mark by Scarlett Dawn

barely able to keep them from blowing you out of the sky in time!”
    My mouth bobbed. “Appreciated?”
    Geo growled and his brows furrowed low over his eyes. He grabbed my right arm and pulled me along behind him at a fast pace. “How the hell did you get that ship, anyway?”
    I tried to keep up with his longer strides. “I stole it.”
    With his eyes on the opening of his hov-craft, his head cocked, not caring I was tripping behind him. “ How did you get it, Madeline?”
    I sighed heavily, picturing Braita in my mind. “A Human on Triaz helped me.”
    He stopped in his tracks and glanced back at me. “That Human belongs to the Plumas.”
    “You don’t even know the half of it,” I mumbled under my breath. Then I waved my free arms at his cross expression. “I’ll explain it when we’re safe.”
    “We are safe.” He turned on his heel and released my arm. His arms crossed and his eyes narrowed on mine. “I want an explanation. Do I need to worry about the Plumas taking offense?”
    I crossed my arms and snorted. “I have no idea how you and Braita know one another, but the Plumas she is actually with aren’t the ones she should be with.”
    His blink was slow. “She is the Soul to the Plumas of the West.”
    I nodded, my eyes twinkling. I was…happy…to see him. Even if he was furious. “But she’s the mate of the Plumas of the East.”
    His head cocked in question.
    I explained with a casual flare, enjoying his eyes widening. “The Plumas of the East are part Kireg. They have the power to influence others. And they did so on the Plumas of the West after Braita asked them to. They have no clue she is their Soul. And Braita is living freely with the Plumas of the East in Center on Triaz.”
    He didn’t comment for too long. When he finally spoke, he asked quietly, “How did you come by this information?”
    I nibbled on my bottom lip. “I may have put surveillance buds in Braita’s apartment.” I shrugged a shoulder. “They have no indication it was me.”
    The rebellion leader hummed, not appeased. “Is there anything else?”
    My mouth open and shut. Then I mumbled in a rush, “Braita is also different. She’s part Kireg, Mian, and Human. She gave me a file to read that was from Joyal.” My brows furrowed, my ire returning in full force. “And my name was on that list too. I am half Human and half Kireg. I’m a damned hybrid.”
    The man across from me didn’t even blink, his purple eyes unmoving.
    “Exactly,” I sputtered. “The goddamn government on Joyal was splicing genes.”
    The slowest blink ever occurred right in front of me. “That’s why you came back.”
    I squinted and glanced to the side, and stared out at the other hov-crafts. “That’s not exactly right.” I fidgeted on my feet and wrung my fingers together. “I actually meant to escape to Joyal, but I landed in Triaz instead. I found out Joyal wasn’t safe to go to, so I stayed on Triaz for a while in hiding. But I became tired of that—of running for my life. I wanted to return to Egyac. To figure out what’s going on between us.”
    He grunted softly and took a step forward, his height towering over mine. “What is going on between us is very simple, Madeline. We are mates. You knew that when you ran away. That is why you ran away.”
    I shook my head and peered down at the ground. I stared at both of our boots. His were shiny, and mine were scuffed.
    I stated in a timid tone, “I mean I want to face the fact we’re mates. I want to learn more about you.” I flicked a finger between the two of us but didn’t look up. “This didn’t happen without reason. Our genes know we are a good pair. I wish to find out if that is true or not.”
    “I’m not one of your experiments, Madeline.”
    “I know that.” My head snapped up. I held his gaze, even though my cheeks were burning.
    His cold eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “So you came back for me.”
    I nodded. “Yes.”
    He ground his teeth