“I love making up to you,” Alessandro said catching his breath. “I can hardly believe you’re here with me. When did you get that tattoo? Is it a rose?”

  “I lost my mind following a guy who left me,” Ava said, raising an eyebrow, “Of course, I’d either get a haircut or a tattoo.” She was careful not to lie, knowing even the smallest falsehood could shift her emotional colors, something that couldn’t go unnoticed. Thankfully, Alessandro seemed more preoccupied with his own thoughts than with probing into her past.

  “I loved it, a rose” he said, his voice unsure.

  “Your father is the king of a far, far away planet!” Ava exclaimed, changing the subject, sitting up on the bed as if she could read Alessandro’s thoughts. “Is any of this even real?”

  “He’s the Emperor,” Alessandro corrected softly. “I had planned to stay with you in Paso Robles, to tell you everything, and you’d share what you knew about the Ghull and your light. We both had unbelievable things to confess to each other. But then they brought me back, and I discovered the perilous situation in Ars Pheria. I thought I could return to you whenever I had the chance to escape again.”

  “It’s called Ars Pheria? Your planet?” Ava asked, her curiosity piqued.

  “Yes, we call it Ars Pheria,” Alessandro replied. “There’s one nation on this small planet, a constitutional monarchy. We’re descendants of Imperial Romans and Byzantines who were abducted from Earth.” He recited the first few lines of Ars Pherian history, the kind of thing you'd find in a children's textbook. “But there’s something peculiar about Ars Pherians that you should also know.”

  “You can see human emotions,” Ava interrupted Alessandro.

  “Not just see,” he said, lowering his gaze. “We feed on human emotions. Our brains are wired to handle only controlled emotions, just enough for survival and basic function. But human emotions… they let us feel so much more, let us become more human.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ava said, clearly confused. “How can you all go to Earth unnoticed through a tiny portal in the middle of a tiny valley?”

  “We don’t all go,” Alessandro smiled. “Most never have. We bring back items from Earth, mostly antiques and jewelry, things Earthians have used for a long time. They carry enough emotional residue for us. Only a few of us need more, and we request permission to go to Earth.”

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  “Oh, that explains all the massive jewelry everyone’s wearing,” Ava smiled. “The women look like the Queen of England on a parade day.”

  Her smile faded slightly as she turned her focus back to him. “What’s this peril you mentioned in Ars Pheria?”

  “Trust me, I’ll tell you everything,” Alessandro said, his tone serious, “but first, I need to learn more about the Ghull to piece together the puzzle. How did you pass through the portal? How did you get here?”

  “It’s the Ghull we have to thank, or blame, for everything that’s happened to you and me,” Ava said, her voice steady as she shared her story with Alessandro. She told him about the inheritance from her grandmother, who had been able to see the Ghull. Only Ava had the ability to see him and speak with him. The darkness of the portal and the toxic fumes of the sickness all stemmed from the Ghull. He had opened the portal thousands of years ago, with the help of a light healer. Whether it was a gift or a curse, the Ghull was responsible for the existence of the portal, and perhaps even for the existence of Ars Pheria itself.

  “But now it doesn’t matter, Alessandro,” Ava said. “I’m here, and I can cure the sickness you had. That’s the peril you mentioned, right? You had the sickness, and maybe all Ars Pherians are dying because of it?” She paused, then added, “He also promised me he’d help me go back to Earth through the portal whenever I want.”

  “I don’t think he told you everything,” Alessandro said, his tone cautious. It was clear Ava trusted the Ghull and accepted everything he’d told her as truth, and perhaps she was right. But there was more to the story. “Did he tell you about other planets? About the Sumer?”

  “What Sumer?” Ava asked, brow furrowing in confusion. “You mean the ancient Sumerian civilization?”

  “Exactly! The ancient Sumer was abducted from Earth, long before the Ars Pherians.”

  “No, he didn’t mention anything about others,” Ava said, her voice thoughtful. “He usually only speaks about what I ask him. Not much more.” She shifted uncomfortably, realizing she was trying to defend the Ghull for the things he hadn’t told her. She hated that feeling. Yet, as she thought about it, she realized how much she trusted him with her life, and how deeply she loved the way he protected her. She loved how he had helped her unlock her powers. She wanted to believe everything the Ghull said, and she convinced herself that the things he chose not to say were for a reason.

  “The Sumer Queen in exile is on her way to Ars Pheria,” Alessandro said, his tone steady. “She’ll arrive with her nuclear-powered spaceship in about ten days. Ars Pheria has no means to defend itself. We’ve never needed to.”

  As Alessandro spoke about the Sumer and Queen Inanna’s love affair with the Ghull, all Ava could think of was something she hadn’t considered before, that the Ghull was capable of love. She had never imagined it, but now she realized: the Ghull could love a human being. His beautiful face could look, and his fire eyes could see, his warm skin could touch…he smells like the smoke of oak wood on a rainy day, his voice echo from the deepest of a dark ocean, his arms reach whenever Ava needs him and holds her like a delicate butterfly.

  A seed can grow only when the sunlight touch and the water reach.

  I, the loyal Ghull of the Asaha, harvest only when the wheat is ripe, and the fruit is red.