by Lyz Kelley
“You made me a freak so no one would want me, and I’d be condemned to hide myself in a lab for the rest of my life. Look at me. Who would want to mate with me?”
Gabrielle gestured toward the closest guard. “Shoot her and dispose of these things.” She pointed at Raine and Beck. “They are contaminating my lab.”
Myka stepped in front of Tila. “That won’t be necessary.” He activated his shields.
If Tila shot the lead scientist, in spite of being Tila’s mother, the woman would sentence his friend to jail or death. The consequences for Tila, as well as his race, would be intolerable. “No one will shoot or dispose of anyone.”
“Get out of my way, Myka,” Tila demanded.
“There are better ways to resolve this. Everyone put down your weapons.”
“Yeah?” Tila demanded. “Like how?”
A startled hiss from Gabrielle made Myka smile. “Like that.”
Myka turned in time to see the final leaves of the seahorse ferns wrap around the two guards. He extended a hand to Raine to help her out of the rejuvenation machine.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“I will when I know my son is okay,” she held up the remainder of the tiny seeds. “Is using these seeds what you had in mind when you gifted them to me?”
“No. I thought they might bring you comfort.” He shook his head with a grin. “Though in a way I guess they did.”
Tila tapped the control panel and studied the green and blue status bars. “The process seems to be working. The affected cells are converting.” Her smile doubled to light her eyes. “Another few minutes and the cycle should be complete.”
“I didn’t expect my process to end this quickly.”
“You had fewer cells to repair.” Tila glanced over her shoulder. “What do you want to do with them?”
The three continued to struggle with their vines, but, as he knew from experience, they weren’t going anywhere.
“Release them.”
Both Tila and Raine assessed him, concern written on their faces.
He took Raine’s hand and kissed her palm. “You still need to get home safely. If we attempt to leave now, without clearance, the transport will be shot down. If we do escape, you'll be hunted. A life on the run is no way to live.”
“Since I’ve spent the past several years looking over my shoulder, waiting for Beck’s father to appear, I have to agree. It’s no way to live.” Raine studied him. “I suspect, based on the look on your face, that you have a plan. How do we get off this ship?” Her whispered question had a dose of trust added in. He loved the fact she finally felt secure in his presence.
“You will never get off this ship.” Gabrielle managed to say through the thick vines. “And when I’m through with all of you, you will never see the light of day again.”
Myka released Raine’s hand to plant himself in front of the chief scientist. “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.” He stepped a bit closer to invade Gabrielle's personal space and watch her squirm. “Because if Raine and her son are not returned to the planet unharmed, there’s a Space Ranger armed with proof of your experimentation on humans, which is in direct violation of interplanetary laws. There’s enough information to charge both you and the commander, and send the two of you to Alcon.”
“Alcon?” Gabrielle's eyes flared with a hint of fear. “You’re bluffing. You don’t have any proof.”
“You want to take that bet?”
“I’ll take that bet.” A deep voice came from the doorway almost at the same moment the beep warning his shields were down reached his ears. A second later, a flash of light hit Myka’s chest. The electric shock jerked his body sideways.
His muscles clenched.
He fought to control his limbs, but his muscles had stopped working, and he crumpled to the floor.
“Raine,” he uttered as his world went black.
Fury fueled the warrior Amazon urge careening through Raine’s soul when the commander pointed his weapon at Beck.
How dare you threaten my son and my mate?
How dare he believe humans were nothing more than chattel?
Her powers burst free, and she hurled her internal energy toward the threat.
At their peak, she lost control of her powers and screamed her rage.
The electronics on the panel beside her exploded into showers of sparks, but she had a job to finish, and she wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
She doubled the output until she staggered with near exhaustion and the flow of energy slowed to a trickle.
Silence descended. The circle of destruction outside the sphere she’d erected around Myka, Tila, and her son was complete. Burned bodies lay scattered across the room.
She dropped to her knees. “Myka? Can you hear me?” She shook him. “Myka. Don’t you dare leave me. You promised.”
She collapsed on top of him, her mind drifting toward her inner light.
“Myka…” The last thread of energy she had disappeared.
Chapter Twelve
“There you are.” Lacey held out a cup of warm broth. “I was beginning to think you would never wake up.”
Raine squinted against the setting sun. “Please tell the guys conducting mining operations in my head to stop.”
“That’s what you get for conjuring a magic blast. We felt the wave of aftershocks all the way down here.” Lacey’s brows hitched a couple of centimeters in the chastise direction. “Mighty impressive, though. Wish I’d been there to see it. I'm surprised you lived through it. Most don’t.”
Raine threw an arm over her eyes. “They were threatening to…” she pushed to her elbow with a panicked gasp. “Where’s Beck?”
“He’s fine.” Lacey sat on the edge of Raine’s queen-sized bed and slid the broth onto the nightstand.
Raine pressed her forefinger against her temple to ease the throbbing. “How did I get here? How long have I been out?”
“The transmitter Frost gave Myka worked. We managed to get to you just in time.” Lacey straightened the sheets, her worry lines deepening. “You’ve slept for days. I was starting to worry whether you’d make it out of the magic coma until Mandy showed up at my door barking.”
“Mandy,” Raine relaxed into the comfort of her bed. “How’s my fuzzy girl?”
“Still following Beck everywhere.” Lacey placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. The twins are with him.”
“The twins? And you ask me not to worry?” Raine managed to limp a smile into place as she tried to remember the past few weeks. Relief settled in when the intact memories began to tumble back into her mind. Beck. Myka. Tila. They were all there. The timeline was intact. She reached for Lacey’s hand, not knowing if she wanted to hear the news. “And Myka?”
Lacey’s severe expression made her sit up. Raine squeezed her friend’s hand. “Tell me.”
“He’s been sentenced to death.”
Raine inhale. “We need to help him. He saved our lives.”
“He anticipated you might decide to be a hero and try to rescue him. He asked Frost to give you this.” Lacey placed a round disc in her hand, patted her leg, and stood. “I’ll leave you in private to listen to his message and make some tea for your headache.” Lacey walked out of her bedroom and eased the door shut.
Raine pushed the pillows against the headboard and slid back. She stared at the metal disc in her lap, not sure if she wanted to touch the thing.
She imagined his serious but gentle face. He was a good man. He’d protected her and her son, and for his service he was being condemned. It was wrong. All wrong.
She lifted the metal disc to eye level and held her thumb against the fingerprint pad. Myka’s hologram appeared.
My beloved, by the time you get this message, you and Beck will be home, and, most important, safe. Tila confirmed both of you are no longer infected. However, there is no way of knowing how Beck will react to the blood cell exchange. He is alive. I hope you feel that counts for something.
Don’t fret for me. You will always be with me, my beloved. You are my heart. My one true love. Look for me in the stars.
A tear pooled and cut a path down her cheek. “Oh, Myka. Why did you do it? Why did you make such a sacrifice?” But she knew why. He loved her. He showed her in so many ways, small and heroically large.
She’d questioned his love over and over again, but his actions expressed his love more clearly than any words could have.
Bitter loneliness squeezed her heart. She placed the disc next to her heart and curled into a ball around it. She wanted to hold him. Be close to him in the only way she knew how. Rivers of emotions spilled out. When she couldn’t keep the despair in any longer, sleep tucked her into a cocoon of memories.
When she awoke, the moon filtered into her bedroom through the open curtains. She threw back the covers, needing to feel close to Myka, to touch him, to feel him beneath her fingertips, and there was only one place she could be with him. She wandered down the hall into Beck’s room.
“Mom. You're awake.”
She sat on the edge of his bed. “I am awake.” She brushed Beck’s bangs off his forehead. “Whatcha doing?”
“I’m teaching Mr. Weebles a new trick. Watch.”
The white mouse raced down Beck’s arm to the lock in his lap and proceeded to work the key until the bolt snapped open. Mr. Weebles stood on his hind feet with his paws outstretched to wait for a treat, which Beck placed into his little paws.
“Well done,” Raine clapped, faking her excitement for her son’s sake. She appreciated the exuberance in her son’s eyes. Only a short time ago, she’d been overwhelmed with bleakness, loneliness…unsure whether her bright, adorable son would live.
Beck tapped her knee. “Want to see another cool trick?”
“Another trick?” Raine paused at the slight hesitation in her son’s voice.
“It’s not a trick, really.” He looked at her directly. “Jonah and Joseph thought it was badass. Oops.” he blushed over the slip.
“Should I be worried?” she asked, the concern on his face adding a whole new layer of anxiety.
“I don’t think so. Aunt Lacey thought it would be a good reminder of Myka. After all, he saved my life.”
“Myka? I don’t understand.” She searched his face for a clue.
“You will. Watch my eyes.”
Beck lifted his chin. A second skin from underneath his eyelid slid out of the top of his eyes, closed, then rolled back.
She cupped his jaw. “Do that again.”
He repeated the lid roll. A tingle of excitement ran through her.
“And look.” Beck pulled back his sleeve. “These appeared a few days ago. I wanted to show you when they appeared, but you were still asleep.”
Little blue circles had, indeed, appeared in random patterns across his skin. “Myka called those freckles.”
“Freckles,” her son’s eyes lit up, “I always wanted freckles, and having blue ones is even better.”
Regret because Myka was missing this moment...would miss all Beck’s future moments...pressed in. She’d been there when Beck took his first steps, and again when he lost his first tooth, and again when he magically sprouted his first seedlings. She didn’t want to miss any of his special moments.
“Cool, huh?” Her son’s excitement ebbed into her soul.
“Way cool.” Her smile expanded, even though her heart was heavy.
She had a reminder of her son’s savior, and hers. He would always be with them, at least in a small way.
“Do you know why Aunt Lacey won’t let anyone of us into the cornfield?”
The tender feeling was blendered into a puree of emotions. “Beck. There’s something you need to know.”
A knock on the doorframe made Raine pause.
“That his pumpkin patch has been relocated to make room for a new well,” Lacey said from the doorway. “Is that what he should know?”
“A new well?” Raine asked.
“Yes. The old well started growing a weird fungus. In your absence, the town council decided we would close up the old one and build a new one.” Lacey gave her a strange look. “Even Theo approved.”
Ah. The Sheriff found more energy pods.
“It’s unfortunate we had to destroy the pumpkin patch,” Lacey continued, “but the new seedlings should be sprouting any time now.”
Beck held out his hand to let Mr. Weebles run up his arm and hop into his shirt pocket. “Oh, good. I mean, from the looks on your faces, I thought someone died.”
You almost did, and Myka will soon.
“But your pumpkin.” Raine wanted to apologize, but couldn’t find the words.
“It’s okay, Mom. The pumpkin had stopped growing. I didn’t pollinate it right the first time, and had to use magic to get it to keep growing. It wouldn’t have been fair to compete against the ones who grew their pumpkins naturally.” He nodded his acceptance. “While we were gone, Aunt Lacey germinated new mega-seeds.”
“Look at you, using those big words.”
Beck ducked his head and brushed his bangs aside. “I know it’s dark outside, but I’d like to have a look. I’ll only be a minute.”
Raine’s protectiveness kicked in, but Beck had matured overnight. She couldn’t protect him from every danger. Besides, Vincent and Connor were most likely having a gorge fest in her cornfields and would watch out for her son.
“Go ahead. But be careful.”
“Awesome.” He scooted off the bed and raced out of the room.
Raine stared at the empty doorway where her son had exited. “Okay. Tell me that wasn’t freaky.”
“Which part? About him taking the pumpkin news in stride? Him wanting to be outside instead of inside playing computer games? Or his eye shields?”
“All of the above.”
Lacey laughed until the giggles became contagious, but the joy didn’t last for long.
Thoughts of Myka, his heroism, flattened her spirits.
“Why did he do it? Why did he risk his life?” Raine didn’t need to specify who because Lacey was already reaching for her hand.
“I don’t know,” Lacey shook her head. “Myka is a good man, and I know he wants to be with you. Don’t give up hope. Things have a way of working out.”
Raine had long since put hope away in a drawer and settled for a safe life. She hadn’t dared wish for more, not until Myka came along.
She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she’d fallen in love with the Waterman. A sting of tears threatened a gusher, and she fought against the tide. She had promised herself she would never cry over a man again. She should have known to never say never.
A tear hovered on the edge of her chin before plopping onto her hand.
“Tighten your shields,” Lacey reminded. “Otherwise the rest of the town will be blubbering right along with you.”
The thought of watering plants with tears seemed absurd until she reached into her pocket and found the little black, granular seeds.
She closed her hand into a fist.
“You’re right. No more tears. I need to get busy.”
She jumped out of bed and dashed out the door.
“Where are you going?” Lacey called. “You should be resting.”
“To pot some seeds,” she smiled and walked briskly to the front door.
Once outside, she turned toward the shed and the mushroom compost pile.
Lacey dropped into step beside her. “Stubborn woman. You should be in bed, resting. You just woke up, bless the heavens.”
“I’ll be fine.” She righted a pot, scooped up the fertile soil, then stuck her finger into the middle, creating a deep hole. With a swipe of her finger under her eye, she gathered a tear and rolled the seed into the salty mixture before letting the grain drop into the hole.
Lacey looked on. “Do you think those tiny seeds will grow?”
“They will grow, as their sisters did on the space station. But, like Beck, I want these
little ones to grow on their own. They will be loved and treasured.”
“Just as you would love and treasure Myka if he were here?”
The exhaustion Raine had been holding off made her movements feel heavy. “There is a saying about friends.”
The corner of Lacey’s mouth quirked upward. “That we know too much?”
Raine reached out a hand to enfold Lacey’s. “That to have a true friend is to be blessed. And today I feel blessed.”
She was grateful to the community. They had helped retrieve her and her son, and watched over them both while they healed.
She would hold onto the positive for as long as she could, because eventually the loneliness would come. She lifted her sleeve and rubbed her skin, wishing for her mating patterns to return, knowing they had forever disappeared.
For all the times she pushed back against Myka for mating her without her permission, she’d take every wasted second back.
She was his. For now. Forever.
Rippled rings or not.
Chapter Thirteen
Raine used her plant mister to spray the fern’s feathery leaves. The plant took up much of the space on her front porch, but she didn’t care. She could sit in her rocking chair at the end of a busy day, look out over her fields, watch Beck play, and remember.
She ran her fingers along the delicate leaves. A new leaf had just begun to unfurl. The tips had turned a dense shade of teal, while the rest of the plant was still a purplish green. She set the watering can down and studied the tightly coiled leaf.
“I wonder if you will flower, little ones.”
“When it’s cold enough, she will grow tiny purple and gold flowers.”
Raine whirled so fast she almost knocked over the plant stand. “You’re here.” She grabbed the porch railing, not sure whether to trust her eyes. “But Lacey told me you were sentenced to death.”
“Let’s say family connections, a friend, and the truth saved me. The Elite council wasn’t pleased to discover the scientists were experimenting on other races. I’ve been cleared of most of the charges.”