Jace Strickland POV

  The departure of the Eova who wouldn’t be staying in D.C. was quiet but heavy. Thriexa stood at the edge of the secured transport site, her posture composed, but I could see the weight pressing on her. She didn’t show it outright, but I had spent enough time around her now to notice the small signs—the way her fingers curled slightly into her palms, the way her chest rose and fell just a little deeper than usual.

  Xilta gave Thriexa one last measured look before placing a hand on her shoulder. “Lead well, Aizih,” she said. “We will see you soon.”

  Thriexa inclined her head. “Travel safely, Aizih.”

  Then, with little more than a final glance at Tocci and Trenal, Xilta and the rest of the Eova boarded their transport. I could feel the tension in the air as the ramp lifted and the engines roared to life. Within moments, they were gone, disappearing into the sky, leaving Thriexa, Tocci, and Trenal standing on the tarmac, looking smaller than before.

  The moment was brief. It had to be. I had work to do.

  I turned away from the scene and made my way toward the waiting group of Secret Service agents. They were professionals, but I could tell by the way some of them shifted their weight or exchanged glances that they were still adjusting to the idea of guarding extraterrestrials.

  “Agent Strickland,” one of them, a man named Calloway, greeted me. “Your security team is ready. We’ve been briefed on the situation, and we’ve got protocols in place to ensure the safety of the Aizih and the other two Eova. A safehouse has been secured, and all transport routes have been locked down.”

  I nodded, scanning the faces of the men and women who would be working alongside me. “Good. From this point forward, we take no chances. Their safety is our top priority.”

  Before Calloway could respond, a familiar presence approached. Tocci.

  “You’re missing one of your security team members,” she said with a knowing smirk.

  I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall you being assigned.”

  She crossed her arms. “I don’t need to be assigned. On every planet, I am part of Thriexa’s security. That does not change just because we are on Earth.”

  Calloway shot me a confused glance, but I sighed, already knowing this was an argument I wouldn’t win. “And you have experience in security?”

  Tocci’s expression didn’t waver. “I can sense emotions, Jace. That means I can sense fear, aggression, deceit—things that could be threats before anyone else realizes it. That makes me very good at my job.”

  I ran a hand over my face, exhaling. “Fine. But you follow my orders, understood?”

  “Understood,” she said with a satisfied nod.

  With that settled, the team moved out, escorting Thriexa, Tocci, and Trenal to the safehouse that had been arranged for them. The drive was uneventful, but I could still feel the watchful eyes of my team, the tension of knowing that the world was about to change, and there were plenty of people who wouldn’t like it.

  The safehouse was a secure government building, tucked away from the public eye. It wasn’t overly large, but it was well-fortified and stocked with everything we would need. As soon as we arrived, we swept the rooms for any security concerns, ensuring that nothing had been compromised.

  Thriexa took it all in with silent curiosity, but I could tell she was processing. This wasn’t the palace she had built on Saliscana Island. It was smaller, more confined. A cage in comparison.

  “Not exactly home,” she murmured as she looked around.

  “It’s safe,” I said. “That’s what matters.”

  We barely had time to settle before the knock came at the door.

  I opened it, only to find myself face-to-face with someone I hadn’t seen in far too long.

  Sam.

  She looked the same and yet completely different. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat bun, her sharp eyes studying me like she was already assessing whether I was a problem she had to handle.

  “You gonna let me in, Jace? Or are we doing this awkward reunion in the doorway?”

  I stepped aside, still reeling slightly as she strode past me and into the safehouse.

  Thriexa, Tocci, and Trenal all watched her curiously. Sam wasted no time addressing them.

  “I’m Sam Strickland. The President has assigned me as your manager and press liaison. My job is to make sure the Aizih gets where she needs to be and to handle the media storm that’s about to hit once the world finds out about you.”

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  Thriexa studied her, then nodded. “I appreciate your assistance.”

  Then, she turned to me, and in my mind, I heard her voice, soft but direct. Your sister? The one you don’t get along with?

  I hesitated only briefly before giving her a small nod. She held my gaze for a moment, her expression unreadable, but I could feel her curiosity and quiet understanding through our connection.

  Sam gave a curt nod before turning back to me. “The President is meeting with his advisors tonight. He wants another meeting with the Aizih tomorrow. We need to prepare.”

  Just like that, my world had become even more complicated.

  Tocci and Thriexa exchanged glances, clearly trying to decipher the tension in the room. Thriexa’s expression remained composed, but I knew better—she was reading Sam’s intentions, just as Tocci was reading both of us.

  The silence stretched until Tocci finally sighed dramatically. “Human emotions are so loud.”

  Thriexa let out a small laugh. “And you two are practically screaming in my head.”

  Sam and I both stiffened at that, neither of us willing to acknowledge just how much weight the past was dragging into this moment.

  Thriexa tilted her head slightly, her violet eyes sharp but not unkind. “The two of you need to talk.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Sam and I said at the same time.

  Tocci rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If either of you thinks you can just push this aside and pretend everything is fine, you’re wrong. I’ve met stubborn people before, but the two of you are something else.”

  Thriexa nodded in agreement. “You both have unresolved things to apologize for, and you are going to be working together. If this remains unspoken, it will affect your ability to do so.”

  I clenched my jaw, glancing at Sam, who was looking at me with the same mix of frustration and something else—something uncertain.

  Trenal looked up from where he had been sitting, arms crossed, observing quietly. “You should listen to them,” he said, his voice laced with amusement. “Those two are very insightful—annoyingly so. And they will not leave it be.”

  She sighed, rubbing her temple. “Fine. Let’s talk.”

  I nodded, my stomach tightening. This was long overdue.

  I led Sam into one of the private rooms in the safehouse, closing the door behind us. The space was small and unremarkable, just a table and a few chairs—meant for quiet discussions, though I doubted this would be one of them.

  Sam leaned against the table, arms crossed, her gaze sharp. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

  I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of everything unspoken settle between us. “Didn’t think we’d end up working together again.”

  She let out a short laugh, though there was no humor in it. “Yeah, well, life’s funny like that.”

  A heavy silence stretched between us before I finally broke it. “Look, I know we didn’t handle things well after Mom died. We both said things we shouldn’t have. We both blamed each other. But I don’t want that to get in the way of what we have to do now.”

  Sam’s jaw tightened, her fingers drumming against her arm. “You were mad at me because you thought I should’ve seen how bad it was sooner. I was mad at you because I was the one there while you kept your distance. But you think I didn’t ask myself every day if I could’ve done more? If I could’ve saved her?”

  I swallowed, the guilt hitting me all over again. “I know you did. And I know I should’ve been there more. I should’ve pushed harder to get her to the hospital sooner. But I was angry. I needed someone to blame, and you were there.”

  She shook her head, looking away. “And I blamed you because I felt abandoned. I needed help, and you weren’t there. We were both hurting, Jace. Neither of us knew how to deal with it.”

  I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face. “I don’t want to keep carrying this. We’re gonna be around each other every day now, and we have a job to do. Can we at least try to move forward?”

  Sam was quiet for a long moment before she finally met my gaze. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be what we were before, but… yeah. We can try.”

  I nodded, relief settling in my chest. “Good.”

  She let out a breath, shaking her head. “God, this is weird. You’re working security for an alien leader, and I’m her manager. Never thought this is where we’d end up.”

  I smirked. “Yeah, well, life’s funny like that.”

  For the first time, her lips twitched in something close to a smile. “You already used that line.”

  I shrugged. “Figured I’d drive the point home.”

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. It wasn’t everything, but it was a start.

  We stepped out of the private room and back into the main area of the safehouse, where the Eova were gathered. Tocci, Trenal, and Thriexa stood in the center of the room, their focus directed toward the walls and corners, where faint traces of green were beginning to weave through the sterile environment. Vines curled along the edges of the walls, small blossoms unfurling as if waking from a long sleep. It was subtle, but unmistakable—the Eova were bringing life into the space, making it their own.

  Thriexa turned as Sam and I approached, a playful glint in her violet eyes. “Ah, the Strickland siblings have returned. I assume you’ve worked through some of your unresolved tension?” She glanced between us, clearly amused by our discomfort.

  I rolled my eyes. “Something like that.”

  Sam folded her arms, eyeing the creeping vines along the walls. “What exactly are you doing?”

  Thriexa turned to her, amusement flickering in her eyes. “We like to be connected with the nature around us. We usually create structures that are woven from the nature around us. It helps us connect to the planet. I don’t understand how you are able to live in these lifeless structures.”

  Sam let out a small chuckle. “Yeah, well, humans aren’t exactly known for thinking about the long-term effects of our surroundings. We tend to build first, think later.”

  I watched the interaction between the two of them with mild curiosity. Sam was assessing Thriexa, trying to wrap her head around the leader of an alien race who seemed more intrigued by houseplants than by global politics. And Thriexa, in turn, was reading Sam in her own way—gauging her reactions, learning how to navigate this new dynamic between them.

  It was strange, watching my sister and Thriexa interact. Sam was always the one who took charge, who managed things efficiently and with little patience for anything impractical. But here she was, standing in a room with a woman who had traveled through space, who had lived on worlds Sam could never imagine, and somehow, they were finding common ground.

  Despite everything, I had to admit—I was curious to see how this played out.

  Sam folded her arms, eyeing the creeping vines along the walls. “This is definitely not what I expected when I was assigned to be the press liaison for the leader of an alien race.”

  Thriexa grinned. “What did you expect? Grand halls? Crowds kneeling before me? A throne made of stardust?”

  Sam smirked. “Honestly? I don’t know what I expected. But this is definitely not it, Aizih.”

  Thriexa laughed, the sound light and genuine. “Well, allow me to make one thing clear. You do not need to call me Aizih. That may be my title, but I much prefer to be treated as an equal. Call me Thriexa.”

  Sam raised an eyebrow, clearly considering the offer. “Alright then, Thriexa. But don’t expect me to go easy on you when the press starts circling.”

  Thriexa smiled. “I would expect nothing less.”