Free Colliding Worlds Trilogy 01 - Collision by Berinn Rae Page B

working so far. Sienna stayed out of his way, and he stayed out of hers. Except, with five hundred or so Sephians in an underground labyrinth and her and Legian’s room two doors down from Apolo’s, she still managed to run into him several times a day. Legian claimed she did it on purpose. She didn’t. Much.
    The Sephian women on the base flirted with him and followed him like a harem. He was their Johnny Depp. Not that he noticed. He only had eyes for the mission. That and his tahren . There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he remained faithful to his mate, Krysea, who remained on Sephia. She’d stayed behind because she had an entire world to rebuild. And that made him all the more irresistible to women. Unattainable goodies always looked tastier.
    How he could leave his tahren to lead a group to a faraway planet was beyond Sienna. The idea of being away from Legian for more than a day gave her chills just thinking about it. No doubt the distance was some of the reason why Apolo could win a pissy-attitude contest any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
    Today, he looked grumpier than usual, his brows furrowed. His dark hair, a touch longer than Legian’s, was mussed, likely from running his hands through his hair. His soullare covered his body and wrapped around one eye like small vines. It almost made him look like a pirate. And, even though she hated to admit it, he oozed raw sex appeal. No wonder he was snagged by the most powerful woman of the entire Sephian race.
    Jax glanced uneasily at Sienna and then back to the gathering Sephian crowd. They watched in silence while Apolo spoke to Legian and Nalea, two members of his trinity. Every leader had a trinity — a trio of his closest advisors. As Legian’s tahren , Sienna had much of the same benefits, especially since the Sephians were a matriarchal society. There was some tradition behind the trinity. She hadn’t gotten that far yet in her studies.
    They spoke for several minutes. She picked up a word here and there. Finally, Apolo placed a hand on Legian’s shoulder as he passed him and walked toward the ship, stopping at the ramp.
    Sienna stepped forward, putting herself between Apolo and Jax.
    Apolo tilted his head in her direction, and she gave a slight nod in return. She couldn’t read his face, and it made her nervous.
    “It sounds like you had an interesting night. I’m glad to hear you are unharmed, and I look forward to the debrief. Now, please release our guest.”
    Sienna hopped up like a good Sephian soldier, and unfastened Jax’s restraints. Interesting things. They worked similar to Chinese finger cuffs. Easy on. Impossible to get off without the right sequence of moves.
    At first, Jax made no movement, other than to rub his wrists. When Apolo gestured for him to come forward, Jax cautiously stepped down the ramp to meet the Sephian face-to-face.
    Apolo brought a hand to his heart. “Welcome to our base, Lieutenant.” His words were spoken in near-perfect English, with the slightest Sephian stilt. “I trust your trip was not too unpleasant. My people can be often overzealous in protecting that which is important. You may call me Apolo. I know your people have two names. My people do not. We refuse to wear the slave names given to our ancestors by the Draeken. In your language, my position is somewhat comparable to a general.”
    The leader then gestured to the large hangar. “As you can see, this base is our ship, which we’ve burrowed into the landscape for anonymity. This is a temporary location until we can make more permanent arrangements with your people.”
    Jax remained stoic, silent. Apolo continued. Sienna suspected the soldier still considered himself more of a prisoner of war than a visitor.
    “We have much to learn from one another. In the meantime, as your people say, make yourself at home. I will see to it that you have access to anything you need.” He motioned to the third member of his trinity who stepped forward.