I had imagined several reactions when I thought of telling Orion about how I felt, but none of them had been anything close to the look I now saw on his face. A look of utter terror.

His last set of words rang through my ears as I stared back at him, dread coating the air between us. "What do you mean killed?" I finally asked when it became clear he wasn't going to elaborate.

"No," Orion whispered, frustration clear as he took several steps back. "No!" His voice was suddenly drowned out by the music inside, as a rock song began, but I felt his rejection loudly, ringing in my ears, vibrating through every inch of me. 

Sighing through clenched teeth, Orion pulled off his hat, running his fingers through his hair. "This isn't supposed to happen," he said, turning to look up at the sky, brow furrowed. 

I felt frozen. Stunned into silence. He shook his head and finally looked back at me. "Alina, this can't happen."

My cheeks turned a shade darker and my eyes suddenly began to fill with tears. Something that only made things worse. I refused to cry. To fall to pieces because of the weirdest rejection I could have possibly imagined. 

Pushing the tears back down, I looked up at him, confused. What was happening? 

You see, a small part of me said, that's why you don't give people your heart. 

"Orion?" I finally managed past the lump in my throat.

He took another step back, pain lacing his expression. "Don't call me that. You are Ranch Girl and I am Glow boy. You hate me."

It was too late to back up. To make it all into a joke. There was no point in pretending. If he wanted to be a drama king about it, then fine. But I wasn't going to pretend. Not anymore. "I thought you already knew. The fact that I like you is obvious." 

The world around me was filled with a strange ringing sound. My heart began to sputter, attempting to shut down under the crushing weight that had suddenly expanded inside my chest. I was itching to turn and run, but something held me there. Confusion demanding answers. Why was he so afraid?

He shook his head, panic filling his face. "Not to me. I can't read human signs the same way you can." He said something in a language I didn't understand and then looked back at me. "This can't happen. Even the thought of it makes me shudder."

And then my heart broke into a million pieces, glittering pieces of painful confetti, shards ripping through my body, making it impossible to breathe past the pain. "Well forgive me if the thought of being with me makes you want to vomit!" 

Feeling too rejected to look at him, I finally gave in to my impulse. Turning, I ran.

I sprinted blindly, my eyes spilling tears that should have never existed, for a boy that I should have never learned to care about, for a decision to share what was in my heart when I should have found a way to kill it. 

I ran until I saw the start of Brookes Ranch. I didn't remember most of the run, surprised that I was able to make it that far without a car. My foot hurt but I didn't stop moving. I dashed towards the white picket fence that was the start of our land and climbed over, eager to burry myself under blankets and never come out. 

Suddenly, a pair of monstrous arms yanked me backwards. I was launched off my feet and slammed to the ground. A voice that sounded like rocks grinding into each other filled the air. "It's the girl." My face was pressed into the ground, gravel cutting into the side of my face.

"Let's take her to the boss," another voice said. Suddenly, something slammed into my skull, and my world went dark.

...

I woke up feeling dizzy. My head throbbed. I blinked several times before the world came into focus. A few things became clear. I was sitting in a dark cave. I was tied up with my arms behind me. And I wasn't alone. Two Destrocomets stood nearby. I shut my mouth before I could scream. I didn't want them to see how terrified I was.

"She's awake," said the smaller one. The larger one growled in agreement.

"The Star Chaser will come for her," said the larger one. "We wait."

I shook my head, my heart racing. "He won't come."

They both stopped talking and stared at me with their red magma eyes that oozed out of large cracks in their faces. "She lies," said the smaller one.

My heart rate thumped to an angry rhythm in my skull, making it hard to speak past the nausea. "No."

The larger monster moved towards me and grabbed my chin in its large rock hand. "He will come. You have the mark on you. He will come to save you and die in your place." Its large eyes bore into mine, heat pouring out of them, making it difficult to breathe.

I was surprised when my voice was angry and full of confidence when I spoke again. "If you think he is coming, you're a fool. He doesn't care about me and won't come." I glared up at the monsters with all the anger and hurt that had built up inside of me. "I repulse him." 

My eyes filled with angry tears. I'm going to die. My dad is never going to know what happened to me and Orion will be gone come morning. He has what he needs. And my dad will be next on their list. 

"Just you wait human," the creature chuckled darkly, the sound grating to my ears. "I believe I know him better than you do." It pushed my face away and my skull hit the back of the rock wall, causing another stab of pain to shoot through me. I wished I had my comet whip. I needed to get myself out of there before the two idiots realized that Orion wasn't coming.

...

My heart sank as I watched the sun peak over the horizon, I knew Orion wasn't coming, but it still hurt to watch the physical proof as its shine hit my face like a blatant declaration. I heard the two creatures growl in unison.

"I told you," I said, my voice falling on the last word. My heart was broken, my head hurt and I hadn't found a way to free myself. This entire thing is insane. 

And in the chaos of it all, I found myself laughing. I laughed so hard that I fell sideways, unable to sit back up with my hands tied behind my back. I knew I shouldn't have fallen in love. I knew it was going to get me killed. And yet I fell anyway. Like a lovesick idiot. Love isn't worth it and now I know it first hand.

"What is wrong with her?" asked the smaller one. "I think she broke. Do humans break?"

This caused me to laugh harder. I looked at them through tear-filled eyes and smiled widely, feeling slightly unhinged. "You should see your faces! He didn't come and you're stuck with a broken human! What a terrible deal you got!"

The creatures stared at me, irritation radiating off of them. The larger one walked towards me and struck me across the face, silencing my laughter. My vision blurred. "What's wrong? No laughter?" the creature growled. I felt blood in my mouth and spit at the monster.

It reached towards me again. I shut my eyes, readying myself for another hit when suddenly the cave was lit by a bright light and something crashed close to my face. I opened my eyes to find Orion. His eyes and hair were completely bright red, his body, transparent, bursting with swirls of constellations. He had pinned the monster beneath him and was looking into my eyes.

"Orion!" I gasped. 

He came. 

Orion's eyes were pits of of rage as he pulled his gaze from mine and reached down. He pulled the monster to his feet and punched the creature's chest. The monster screamed as it stumbled back, a large hole where rock used to be. Orion lunged after it, both of them crashing into the cave wall not far from me.

The second monster yanked me off the ground and I felt dizzy and helpless as it hoisted me in the air, over its head, a piece of bait. "Stop or she dies," it roared, rock fingers squeezing tight across my body. I gritted my teeth, refusing to look any more helpless than I already was. 

If I could just get my hands untied... 

Orion froze, body going rigid. He slowly slipped off of the monster and took a few steps back, his arms in the air, placating. "Let her go," he growled in a voice I did not recognize. The sound dangerous and bone chilling.

"Orion don't be stupid! Run!" I demanded. He needed to live, to run and save people. He couldn't possibly be dumb enough to just give up. "Go! Save them while you can!"

Orion shook his head at me. 

"You have a job!"

A glimmer of Orion's human form sparked to the surface, his dark eyes shooting me a dangerous smile. "Priorities, Ranch Girl."

Then light swirled across him again, bright and blinding. "Let her go!" Orion's voice boomed through the cave, a blast of light washing across the cave in a powerful wind blast, causing the monster to step back and drop me under the power of it.

Orion moved in a flash, grabbing me before I hit the ground, pulled me to his chest and dashed to one end of the cave in a single breathe. He placed me gingerly on the ground and stood in front of me, taking a fighting stance, growling in challenge. 

The monster that now had several holes punched into its chest ran at Orion. Orion punched it down and jumped on top of its body, reaching for the creature's neck. The second monster grabbed Orion, and threw him across the room. Orion hit the wall with a loud crack and fell to the ground, motionless.

Crap. Crap. Crap. 

Scrambling back from the creatures, I shoved my back as far back against the wall as I could, and suddenly I felt something sharp behind me. Turning, I saw a jagged rock sticking out of the wall. 

My heart pounded as the monsters stood over Orion, debating his fate. I quickly moved my ropes up and down across the rock, attempting to free myself as fast as I could, my eyes glued to Orion, praying that I could get to him before they destroyed him. 

One of the Destrocomets turned towards me as my ropes snapped free. It lunged, and I rolled to the side just as the monster hit the wall where I had been.

Grabbing the rope left from my binding, I quickly jumped onto the fallen monster's back and pulled the rope around its neck. Yanking as hard as I could, I felt the monster protest beneath me as it stumbled to its feet, attempting to shake me off. But I had been riding bulls for a long time and refused to be shaken off. The Destrocomet had nothing on Hank.

I pulled the rope tighter and heard the creature choke. I tugged harder, ignoring the pain in my wrist, sore from the exertion so soon after leaving the brace. The second monster picked up Orion, who was out cold, defenseless. 

"Stop!" the creature roared. 

But I wasn't like Orion. If I didn't even the odds, we would be playing this hostage game for hours. So instead, I tugged on the rope as hard as I could and felt the monster fall to its knees, its arms too big to bend upwards toward me.

I continued until the Destrocomet collapsed to the ground underneath me, shaking the cave. 

I didn't know I could choke a rock monster. 

I wasn't sure if it was dead or had merely passed out, but I didn't have time to analyze it. Instead, I pushed away my surprise and grabbed the rope. Looping it into a lasso, I planted my feet and flung the lasso towards the second monster. 

It caught around the creature's neck and I jerked it towards me. Orion fell from its arms and landed with a thud on the ground. I yanked the monster until it fell on top of the first one. 

Then I saw it, my fingers already reaching for the glistening thing on Orion's belt before my brain had fully registered what I was seeing. Comet whip.

I grabbed the comet whip and snapped it, missing the monster with a hole in its chest as it rolled off the first monster. The comet whip hit the first monster and split it in half with a crack.

The cave was filled with a poof of crystallized ash as the first Destrocomet exploded, sending me coughing, trying not to think about what I was inhaling. 

As the ash began to settle, I looked around, ready to take down the second creature, but the Destrocomet had disappeared, gone.

My hands shook as I dropped the whip and I fell to my knees, my head swimming, making the room tilt out of place, dizzying. I placed my hand against my temple, my fingers suddenly coated with blood. I looked down at Orion. He was unconscious as blood bloomed, oozing out of a wound on his shoulder.

I slowly stumbled to my feet and pulled him, inch by painful, dizzying inch towards the entrance of the cave. I used the last of my strength to give him a final push into the sun, then the world shifted, the cave moving sideways and I hit the ground, the world growing dark.

...

When I came to daylight, I was back in the cave, my head on Orion's lap. He looked down at me, concern filling his dark eyes. He ran his thumb across my face, in a heartbreakingly tender gesture. 

I attempted to push his hand away, feeling suddenly angry. But the slightest movement left me dizzy. "Why are you here?" He stopped moving his finger along my jaw and pulled his hand away. "You could've left, you could've gone home."

I ignored my dizziness and slowly sat up and moved to lean against the wall, putting distance between us.

He shook his head. "No."

I grew irritated, unable to keep my voice even. "Why!" 

He needed to go. I needed him to go. Him coming back for me, touching me with such tenderness was sending me into a turbulent storm of confusion.

He ignored my question. "I need to get you home. Your dad thinks you are at Ashley's. But he expects you to be home in a few hours. Are you okay? You're bleeding." He reached to lift me into his arms, ready to carry me out but I pushed his hands away.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You have what you need, so go!" I tried to stand up but slunk back down to the floor of the cave, nearly passing out again. He looked hurt, his eyes filling with sparks of grey.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

I wanted him. I wanted him so desperately that I ached. I wanted him to want me back. "It doesn't matter what I want." I attempted to stand again and this time when Orion reached to help me, I let him. It was either that or passing out in the cave again. 

He placed his hands on my shoulders steadying me. I felt his breath on my face. It made my heart flutter, which raised my anger to a new level.

"Of course it matters!" he said, his own voice growing angry.

My eyes filled with tears that spilled over as I remembered his words from the night before, his rejection echoing over and over inside my chest. He took a few steps back, shocked. "Why on Venus are you crying?" he asked, his face looking completely lost.

I glared with as much intimidation as I could muster. "I don't know what it's like for Lucero's, but here, when you completely reject someone, they cry." I walked past him towards the entrance of the cave, wishing I wasn't so slow or dizzy or tired. It left my dramatic far less dramatic. Orion moved to stand in front of me using his stupid speed to block my escape.

"Move," I muttered at the ground, refusing to look at him. "You've made it very clear that I am not worth your time," I said, forcing my voice even.

"What?" He took a step back looking like I had just slapped him. "I never said that."

"It was implied."

"I don't imply things. I can barely figure out how to make sense of all the social cues, facial expressions, tone, and whatnot. We work with an actual color-coded emotional chart on Lucerno. I take you at your word. When you told me you hated me, I believed you. I did not know that your feelings for me had changed."

"What does it matter? I disgust you. You made your feelings clear."

"Apparently not if you thought I rejected you." Then he was right in front of me, a breath away. "Is that what you thought I was doing?" He shook his head and cupped my face, wiping my tears away with his thumbs.

"Then what were you doing, because honestly, I can't figure you out right now." I sighed, feeling exhausted.

"I am not disgusted by you at all."

"Then why did you shutter at the idea of being with me?"

He looked into my eyes, his own turning purple. His hair filled with purple streaks. "Not at the idea of being with you. But what would happen if they knew that I want you, or you me." 

He shook his head. "You saw what happened. They took you away. Being with me is dangerous, Alina. Just knowing what I am is dangerous. But if you want me—." He let go of my cheeks and took a step back. "They would kill you. I can't let them do that. It's against the law for Star Chasers to love, but for us to love a human... There is no turning back from that. No forgiveness."

"You want me?" I asked my heart beating so fast, that it hurt, stuck on that one particular truth. 

He nodded, his voice breaking on his next words. "Very much." 

His hair turned completely purple. His eyes sparked brighter, hungry, and full of want. I only had a moment to process before his mouth covered mine, and he kissed me with a fierce passion that filled me with fire. 

My entire body melted into his and I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers running through his soft hair, tugging him closer. Our bodies crashed into each other and his body grew warmer, glowing bright. The cave was filled with stars and light. My heart rate exploded in my chest. He kissed me again and again. He moved from my lips to my cheeks. Kissing away my tears. He moved to my jaw, causing my body to spark with electricity. I gasped at the trail of fire he left behind with each kiss. He murmured my name as he moved across me, each kiss a prayer, a tattoo of permanence. 

After a moment, he pulled away and we looked at each other, breathing hard. He was glowing, his body swirling with stars. His eyes were brighter than I had ever seen. 

His breaths were shallow, our lungs in sync. He smiled as his body returned to its normal state, looking like he was going to explode with joy.

"I didn't know how you felt," he said, his voice horse, his voice deep with desire. "I was so shocked that you felt the same... I didn't expect you to want a creature like me. And now that I know you do... I..." 

He leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss, sending a shiver down my spine. "I love you, Alina Brookes," he whispered, into my ear, leaving a trail of kisses down my jaw. My heart soared, threatening to break free of my body and take flight at the words on his lips. Orion loves me. 

He pulled away. "It isn't safe here. I need to get you home. But I want a doctor to check your head first." I barely heard him pass the beating of my heart. Could hardly process that with a single declaration, I was in far more danger than I had ever been before. 

---

Thank you for reading chapter twenty one! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY!

It looks like Orion has made things a little more clear. How will things go for Alina and Orion now that they know how they feel for each other?

What happened to that final Destrocomet? 

How will Alina keep herself from danger? Is she forever forced into a life of danger, or will she find a way out?

Orion's plan to leave has clearly been delayed, but for how long?

What will happen next?

CHAPTER QUESTION - Have you ever gone to a dance? How was your experience?