“This is what!” he roared, holding up a small bottle for Wrexel to see. “I ran a scan on her through Shehin yesterday. You gave her Fintas serum, you bastard.”
Wrexel did not respond or flinch, which incensed Whyle even more.
“Did you honestly think you could erase her memory and fill it with bullshit new ones?” Whyle glared at his cousin’s evil smile.
“Her memory should return naturally or Fintas can make the person go insane. Did you know that when you gave it to her?”
“I have no plans to distort her memory,” Wrexel growled at his cousin. “I am well aware of how the serum works.”
“Then why? Why drug her?”
“I wanted time… time for her to think differently.”
“What in the Sacred’s name is wrong with you, Wrexel? Every decision you have made since Amber crossed our path has been pure insanity!”
Wrexel did not reply.
“She knows who you are Wrexel… time isn’t going to change that… when her memory returns so will every… feeling she has for us all, including him.”
“Speaking of the demon, where is Staede?” Wrexel grunted.
“Working with us toward finding a resolution. He doesn’t know where you are; we thought it best.” Whyle sighed heavily.
“Any movement from the Monarch?”
“No.” Whyle looked down. “If you have messed with her mind, Wrexel, you will regret it. I will not tolerate…”
He wasn’t able to finish because Wrexel cut him off.
3
Temporary Lull
Amber enjoyed the warm bath. She rinsed her clothes and her underwear and laid them on the rocks, stepping back into the pool to use the soft sand at the bottom to rub her body clean.
“How long have I been here?” she asked Shehin.
“Twelve minutes.”
She sat very still in the water for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts when her reflection came into view.
She didn’t remember herself looking this way!
Her hair hung darker than she remembered and much longer. She sported a bruise on her cheek that already turned yellow.
Her body seemed different as well. She was sure she was a lot curvier and definitely not as toned and athletic as she appeared now. Her breasts were still firm and high, but her thighs were solid. Two welts lay under her arm beneath her bra strap and she frowned, wondering how she got them.
She washed and then combed her fingers through her long, damp hair and her hand brushed over the elaborate necklace she wore. It was made of silver and contained intricate stones and charms. Despite the intricate design, it was surprisingly light, and she had hardly noticed it until her bath. Three trinkets glinted in the morning sun: two golden baubles, a carved creature, and a simple metal ring.
She was busy re-buttoning her jacket when Wrexel returned.
“I look different from what I remember,” she said.
He frowned, taking in her slender form, generous curves, long waves of dark hair, and angel blue eyes. His gaze was warmly appreciative and caused her stomach to flutter.
“I’m gathering your memory does not include how we met… you did look a little different.” He raised one brow in thought.
Brows that were no longer furrowed demonically.
No hint of that today.
He was beautiful again. A gorgeous face with changing eyes that robbed her of the ability to think.
“Your hair was shorter, and you weren’t as fit and lean as you are now, thanks to Staede.” He muttered the last part under his breath but eyed her curiously as he said it.
“Your brother?” she asked.
Wrexel froze.
“You’ve remembered Staede?” His question was loaded.
She nodded.
“What do you remember about him exactly?”
“I remember him teaching me to fight, but I was too afraid to put it into action last night.”
“What else?
She shifted uneasily at his brusque tone.
“What else do you recall about Staede?” he asked again.
“He makes me laugh. We spend a lot of time together… and… I like him,” she added with a non-committal shrug.
Wrexel didn’t seem to appreciate her words. “Like?”
Well, here goes. “Are Staede and I… have we ever been... together?”
She had too many recollections of kissing Staede that flitted from her memories to her dreams but she regretted the question immediately when she saw his reaction.
“That part of your memory you will have to retrieve yourself. I think it will be enlightening to us both.”
* * *
They made their way back to the camp in silence. His tone and manner alarmed her.
“Wrexel, why can’t you explain what’s going on? Why am I here… with you?”
He seemed edgy, his reply stilted. “I ran a medical check on you through Shehin… the status of your imposition requires your memory to return on its own. Otherwise it can be irreparably distorted. Besides, I think it will be good for you to see… things from a different perspective.”
“Can you answer nonspecific questions though?” She accepted the monitor’s strange diagnosis.
He nodded but his attention returned to Shehin and his pack. “We still have a way to go.”
But Amber was too curious to leave it. “This isn’t our home, as you said, but is our home like this planet? Is it far away? Can’t the monitor communicate with… them to tell them where we are and… why aren’t I on Earth?”
Wrexel appeared to regret his decision to answer non-specifics, but he obliged. “We crash landed here… the automatic locator and communicator on our vessel is… disabled.”
“Won’t we be missed? Won’t somebody launch a search party?”
He looked ready to move. “Yes, they will eventually… but not immediately search for us.”
“Can’t Shehin contact them?”
He shook his head. “Shehin is not enabled for wider communication at present.”
“Where exactly are we headed, Wrexel?”
“After the grasslands lies a second forest according to Shehin, similar to the first. Beyond that is a clear zone where a colony of humans has built a city.”
“A colony of humans here?” So much had occurred, and it remained hidden in her lost memory. “Am I from here originally?” she asked but then shook her head as he did, for this did not seem correct. “Why did I… we... leave Earth, Wrexel?”
An uncomfortable grimace crossed Wrexel’s face but it faded quickly and she wondered if she had imagined it.
“Earth became uninhabitable; a new home had to be found. Your people were given this planet called Rheese, and they have settled here in a city built by mine.”
“Your people?”
“Yes, I am a Thromian. My planet is Throm. We assisted in your evacuation from Earth prior to it being destroyed by an asteroid. We helped you to settle in the solar system where you are now. This planet is one of eight inhabited planets within it.”
Amber gaped. Aliens existed all along and nobody knew!
“Did you always know about Earth? Why didn’t you contact us before?”
“There was no need.” He shrugged. “Besides, you were under the protection of one of the inhabitants of our solar system. Your planet was cut off, left to evolve naturally… until you needed help.”
“So we met on Earth?”
“Amber, I want to make the forest by nightfall. We have no tent and the creatures are vicious. Thankfully, I don’t think they can climb, so we may end up sleeping in a tree overnight. I need to seek one that will hold us comfortably for the evening, or find a way to protect you while I fight them off.”
This made her forget her desire for answers, especially when he added wryly, “I’d prefer the tree.”
Amber joined his brisk walk, persistently turning her head away from the sight of the dead lizards and the feasting vulture birds as they
moved through the grass. She tried not to breathe through her nose as the sun beat down on the bloodied creatures and the stench of death filled the air. The staggering amount of bodies he left added to her queasiness as she confronted the magnitude of Wrexel’s strength. She imagined them all attacking him at once and realized he hadn’t been exaggerating when he declared he was a worthy opponent.
He didn’t warn her, though, that he would morph into something demonic.
* * *
Wrexel sensed her discomfort and slowed his walk. “What?” he prompted.
“You seemed almost human… before you had to fight.” She hoped he would take her words well. “I was shocked by the changes.”
“That’s because I am partly but not fully human. My people are a mixed or altered breed of human.”
She frowned in confusion and he continued. “I am from a former evolution of Earth, the first evolution. You are one of the fourth.”
Amber was incredulous. “Earth has re-birthed humanity more than once? It has evolved four times? My God, there are billions of years between your generation and mine.”
“Billions?” He shook his head in confusion.
“Evolution takes…” she began, but he held up his hand.
“Amber, don’t confuse your mind with issues that your human understanding can’t fathom. Your concept of evolution as you call it… is impaired.”
“Creationism is real?” She leapt to the next option.
He frowned again and then became impatient when she did not keep walking.
“See this?” He swooped down and picked up a squirming insect. “Imagine his brain capacity versus yours in terms of science, creation, and technology.”
“So I’m the insect.” She was immediately insulted.
“At present, but your returning memory will fix what I have no time to explain.” He grinned and tossed the bug over his shoulder.
They carried on walking as she pondered what he said.
“Why am I not living here?” she blurted out later. “You said there was a colony here, my colony, the fourth one.”
He sighed impatiently and rattled off statistics as he continued to walk.
“This planet we are on… was given to Earth’s survivors by the Federated Council that presides over the eight planets in my solar system, called Diogel. This occurred about two of your Earth years ago; your people were rescued, established, and settled here by mine.”
“And I live?” she interrupted.
“With me… on Throm.”
He stopped outside the grasslands where the dark forest began and Amber could already feel the air chilling. She realized he wouldn’t answer any more questions as he stood surveying the woodland with Shehin extended in front of him.
You live with me; the words burned in her mind.
Throm?
She wondered if they all looked like him.
His brother Staede did. She easily recalled his handsome face and dynamic strength with admiration and some guilty pleasure. Wrexel seemed jealous of his sibling and that put her in quite a predicament because she had recollections of being with them both.
Had she been involved with the two of them at some point or was her mind playing cruel tricks on her?
He lowered the monitor with a curse. “Shehin has noted an error in the logs; they are able to climb, albeit slowly.”
“That means we have to face who lives within?” Her voice wavered.
He nodded. “How do you feel about pushing through until we are exhausted and then we can stop and rest? Maybe we will be lucky and not meet any.”
“But if we are not?” she asked breathlessly.
“I will deal with them!”
So more fighting lay before them with creatures he admitted were worse than the lizards.
More terror, more horror, and more fear lay ahead.
Amber bit her lip.
She didn’t want a repeat of another night like that; she hadn’t fully recovered from the lizard adventure. She pinched the bridge of her nose; she had been relatively strong until now, and did not want to crumble when he stood so close, watching her every reaction. Learning of Earth’s fate, the loss of her memory, and the possibility of more alien creatures to fight was too much.
* * *
Suddenly, crying seemed like a good thing to do. She hadn’t cried once since she woke up in a nightmare.
“Amber?”
She turned her back on him.
He moved to her and slowly turned her around. His thumb gently stopped the tear that ran down her face.
“You have seen that I can protect you.” He tilted her face up to his. “I would never let you be hurt.”
Amber was drawn to the comfort he offered. She moved a little closer, lost in the beauty of his eyes as they swirled with color. They slowly tinged with violet and it was so beautiful she couldn’t tear her gaze from his. She clung to his forearms, needing to feel safe, needing his strength. His gaze locked on her mouth and after just a moment’s hesitation and a slight moan, he lowered his head to brush her lips with his own. He shuddered against her as if it was a pleasure long denied.
She felt the same way. Her strength seeped from her limbs, and she melted against him. Desperate for protection and for his touch, a languid weakness spread through her body and she swayed on her feet. Something about him being this close made her feel a familiar sense of yearning and yet it was so highly amped it was surreal.
Was this type of reaction normal?
Would a human male make her respond this way?
Even without her memory, she doubted it. It was too intense to be conventional.
She felt the tip of his tongue against her lips and lost her ability to reason.
She met his tongue with her own and he made a sound of pleasure against her lips that fueled her own desire as she grasped his shoulders to steady herself.
He was intoxicating… robbing her of common sense. Pure longing drove her forward, and she arched against him, moaning with dismay when his mouth slowly pulled away from hers and his hands dropped from her face.
She struggled to hide her disappointment and then her shame when he said, “You need to remember everything before we do this.”
God, where was her own sense?
He cleared his throat and took another step back from her, his eyes raking over her with regret as violet slowly drained from his gaze.
Her heart still beat wildly and she wondered why he stopped; was it because he wasn’t entitled to touch her?
“Wrexel… are we … together?” She broke off, courage failing. The idea that they were intimately involved made her throat run dry.
“Together?” His eyes twinkled with mirth.
“Lovers.” She finally said the word.
“Yes, Amber, we are.” He chuckled warmly at her reaction. She felt the color rise in her cheeks and her body trembled from the core.
This enigmatic man, this beautiful virile alien was her lover!
She slowly digested this, refusing to allow her imagination to run rife but then wondered why he hadn’t told her this from the start.
“Did we fight or something?” She jumped to her own conclusions.
“We always fight,” he said with amusement.
Amber returned the smile. His gaze was enticing, and he was devilishly handsome. No wonder she had fallen in love with him. She wanted to pat herself on the back for making a sterling decision.
“So I left Earth and fell in love with you... now we live together?” she surmised aloud and then winced when Wrexel looked as if he had been slapped.
“You left, yes… you live with me, yes... but as for loving me… I don’t know.”
Bitterness laced his words, and the warm appraisal quickly evaporated.
Amber reeled with the pain his gaze leveraged at her.
“We need to keep moving,” he said brusquely and indicated that she should follow him.
This time he didn’t hold out his hand for her and she
missed both the comfort and the warmth.
* * *
It was easier to walk on the sodden but hard ground of the dimly lit forest with its tall trees, strange bushes, and floating mist. He kept up the brisk walk for hours until her feet began to stumble and exhaustion claimed dominion over her limbs. His footsteps slowed and the hand she had missed returned, helping her to move forward until eventually she leaned on him completely. Her head spun with exertion and he caught her when she swayed, steadying her with a gentle hand at her waist. He held her until she regained her breath and then he moved her to a large rock and sat her down.
His fingers threaded into her hair and he tilted her face back, peering into her eyes. “Are you in any pain? Does your head hurt?”
She stared at him, trying to focus as her heart beat in her ears from exertion.
“No, just tired.” Her voice caught when his fingers stroked her scalp. His eyes flickered with violet and he stepped away as if he didn’t trust himself to stay close to her.
He checked Shehin and seemed satisfied enough to remove the sketh from his side. It writhed to life before he set it on the ground beside his bag and his monitor.
“It’s a pity you only have that knife,” she said when her breathing returned to normal.
“What else would I have?”
“Guns… lasers.” She shrugged. Surely if they could travel in space, they should have weapons that could do more harm.
Wrexel glanced at the knife beside him and then back at her. “Evolution of technology is a shared concept. As our ability to create weapons of destruction grew, so too did the technology in defense. There was a time we fought with lasers as you call them, arms that could destroy many with the single click of a button, but shields equally adept were created too.”
He touched the Shehin and produced an image of a Thromian warrior. The projected warrior clicked a clasp upon his collar and a force field seemed to whirl around his body.
“Lasers could not penetrate these shields. We were solidly protected, but so were our enemies when they came across the same technology.”
“But this...” He lifted the sketh. “This is made of a one-of-a-kind metal that can break through any armor or force field, no matter what technology it faces.”
AMNESIA Page 4