I think about that, and then offer a theory. “Because they’re piggybacking on human technology to do their spying. Like the satellites you mentioned in the park. And human technology doesn’t extend to the game.”
“Yes.” He sounds pleased as he says it. I get the feeling he wanted me to figure that out. I wonder why, if that’s the case, he didn’t just tell me in the first place.
I sigh. It’s like pulling teeth. He’s giving me only what I ask for and not a single word more. Maybe an open-ended question . . . “So tell me about them, the Drau.”
“Information is power?”
“Too cliché?”
“Maybe. But still true. They come from a planet that’s . . . harsh. Harsh terrain. Harsh climate. Limited resources. Vicious predators.”
“But it’s mostly sunny. That binary star thing, right?”
“So you do listen to what I say.”
“Every word.”
His hands leave my shoulders and he wraps both arms around me, settling me more fully against him and holding me close. I blow out a shaky breath. I’m lying on the ground, in a cave, in the dark, wrapped in a boy’s embrace. Not just any boy. Jackson Tate. Infuriating, arrogant, gorgeous, competent, deliciously warm Jackson Tate. “They fought each other on their own world for thousands of years, and eventually they destroyed it.”
“Destroyed? Completely? Like they blew up the planet?”
“Close. They turned it into a wasteland. Their weapons weren’t nuclear based, but it’s a good comparison. Think about what we’d do if we unleashed a nuclear holocaust.” I cringe at the images that conjures. “They lived in that wasteland for centuries, and all the while, they worked and planned and plotted how to get off their broken hunk of rock. You’d think they’d have learned from their mistakes. You’d think that when their technology finally reached a level allowing them to go elsewhere, they’d be different.”
“But they weren’t.”
“No. They wiped out entire populations. They raped planets for their resources. They left a trail of broken worlds behind them. They are predators, and they don’t care what destruction they leave in their wake. In fact, they enjoy it. The worlds that fight the hardest give them the most pleasure.”
As if the entire explanation weren’t bad enough, that last bit shoves a blade in my gut and twists. “What you said in Vegas, about how our ancestors fled to Earth and lived among humans . . .”
“They chose Earth because they knew they could survive here, not just for one lifetime, but by having offspring. The DNA was compatible. Their appearance was compatible. Their needs for oxygen and sustenance similar.”
“How do you know all this?”
I feel him shrug. “It wasn’t just physical similarity,” he says, continuing as if I hadn’t even asked a question. “Our ancestors believed humans were tenacious and brave and honorable, that they would fight for what mattered.”
“You’re talking in generalities here. Not all humans are like that.”
“Agreed. But the good ones outnumber the bad.”
I shake my head. “Wow. You’re an optimist. Wouldn’t have expected that.”
“I’m all about the unexpected.”
I fall silent, trying to figure everything out. There are things here that don’t add up. I don’t know why Jackson’s telling me all this. He’s not exactly a forthcoming kind of guy, and I have a feeling that if I ask Luka about any of this, he won’t have a clue because Jackson won’t have told him any of it. So why is he telling me?
“You know this is a lot to get my head around.” Even to my own ears, my words sound slurred. The fact that I’m so tired isn’t helping my confusion. I’m already half asleep, despite the mind-boggling information he’s dumping on me.
I swear I feel his lips against my cheek. Then I tell myself I must have imagined it.
“Go to sleep, Miki,” he whispers, and his lips touch my cheek again. “I’ll watch over you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I SLEPT CRADLED IN JACKSON’S arms. I only know that when I wake up, I feel much better than when I fell asleep, and Jackson is back to his usual self. He walks. I follow. I try to ask him more questions about the Drau and our ancestors, about the game. But I guess he’s used up all his words for the day.
I remember the way he cupped my cheeks and leaned close, his mouth a breath from mine. I can’t believe that for a second I actually wanted to kiss him. I’m back to wanting to punch him. Hard.
Eventually we see Luka and Tyrone coming toward us.
“We hit three of them in the tunnels, and then Tyrone’s con led us back to you,” Luka says after I tell them about our Drau encounter.
“Huh. Seems like there should have been more of them.”
“I don’t trust the lack of defense,” Tyrone mutters.
Neither do I.
“Maybe they figure they don’t need much security because they can’t imagine anyone being able to find this place,” Luka offers, but he doesn’t sound convinced.