Jakara’s heart pounded as they approached Eldon’s ship. Would they be stopped? He didn’t relax until they were inside and he placed Callie in the third chair and buckled her in. Her eyes were closed tightly, and soft whimpers escaped her throat. Jakara went to pull off his hood, but Eldon stopped him.
“Wait until we are safely in the air.”
“She’s going into shock. Can’t you see how frightened she is?”
“Then put her to sleep for the ride.”
He didn’t want to do that, but it was in her best interests. He strode over to his flight jacket and pulled a syringe out of the pocket, then squirted half the liquid onto the floor. It wouldn’t take them longer than an hour to reach Sera, and there was no hyper jump involved. She didn’t need to be asleep as long as she’d been when he’d first brought her here.
Just before he injected her arm, she opened her eyes and looked at him with the most heart-wrenching plea imaginable on her face. It actually hurt to see the fear in her eyes. Jakara didn’t care if Eldon disapproved. He would not put her to sleep without her knowing she was safe.
He leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Callie, it’s me. Jakara. You’re safe. Sleep now. And when you wake, we will be at our new home.” He heard her soft gasp, and then he pushed the plunger down.
Chapter Twelve
Callie opened her eyes and sat up, glancing around. Her mind was still foggy, but she remembered hearing Jakara’s voice, just before she fainted. Or had he put her to sleep? Had she dreamed the entire thing? Where was she?
She stood, looked down at the shift she was wearing, and then gasped as it all came back to her. The stench of the holding cells, and being brought to that room where other women cringed in fear and loathing as two hooded men looked them over like they were nothing but slabs of meat.
Two of them had taken her to a spaceship, and then…
No. But she knew she hadn’t dreamed it. Jakara had whispered in her ear just before she’d gone to sleep. But if that was true, where was he? And who was the other man?
The door opened, and there he was, dressed not in combat fatigues but in a tunic and loose-fitting pants, much like the clothing he’d given her to wear. She cried out and ran into his arms, not daring to believe he was real but knowing he was.
“I knew you’d find me. I knew you would. I never gave up hope.” She could barely speak. He kissed her hair, her mouth, her face, and held her so tightly she could hardly take a full breath. But that didn’t matter. He was real. It was true. He’d rescued her, and she was safe, with him.
“I’m so sorry, Callie. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” He cupped her face. “Did Walton and Logan hurt you? Did they touch you?”
“What? No … no. That other man was Logan? Your Section Chief?”
“Former Section Chief.”
She pulled out of his arms to glance at the other man in the room. He wore robes lined with gold trim, and his hair was long and flowing. His aura screamed self-importance and wealth.
“He works for me now.” The man approached her, holding out his hand. She shook it, confused. “I am Eldon. A Regum of the Second Order. Welcome to your new home.”
She looked up into Jakara’s face. “Your friend, Eldon? But I don’t understand.”
“This was the only way,” he said. “If Eldon had demanded your release, it would have sparked an investigation, and we would have risked open war.”
“But you…” She didn’t want to offend Eldon, but she had to say something. “I thought you were already at war with the Regum? Is this safe for both of you to have done this?”
Eldon smiled. “You were right. She is very intelligent. Jakara’s father and I are old friends. He had no one to turn to, so he came to me and asked me to save you.”
She cut her gaze toward Jakara again. “You asked for his help?”
“Yes.”
“And as for your question on the issue of war,” said Eldon, “had I demanded your release, no one would have been safe on any of the three planets. The conflict would have escalated beyond what I was willing to risk.”
Callie swallowed hard. “I’m confused.”
“I didn’t tell you everything about Eldon,” said Jakara. “He is not only an old friend. We have kept in contact. He has the same views I do, and he works in secret to oppose the extreme faction of Tyranns who built the holding cells, and are building the compound I told you about.”
“Oh … But isn’t that still dangerous for both of you?”
“Yes,” said Eldon, “but some things are worth fighting for.”
“Where are we?”
“We’re on Sera, in a home on Eldon’s property.”
She glanced around. “This is where we live now?”
“Is it not to your liking?” asked Eldon.
“Oh, no. That’s not what I mean. It’s beautiful.” Her thoughts were still fuzzy. “So you were the other man in the hood?”
“I was. We had to disguise ourselves because Jakara could not be seen. He would have been apprehended.”
“But that means you can’t go home again.” What had he done?
“That is my home now,” said Jakara. “I live here with you.”
“But what about Lesha? And all your things?”
“Eldon has taken care of that. And Lesha is safe with friends.”
“What about your work? Your missions? How could you give all that up?”
“I haven’t given it up. I’ve merely changed my focus. From now on I’ll be working behind the scenes, with Regum like Eldon, on finding a peaceful solution to our differences.”
She studied his face carefully. “And you’re okay with that?”
“I am more than okay with it.”
“I’ll give you two some time to talk,” said Eldon.
Callie watched Eldon turn to go, and then Jakara let go of her. “I’ll be right back.”
He and Eldon walked out into the hallway and she heard them talking, but they were using their own language. When Jakara finally came back into the room, he pulled her into his arms again and kissed her.
Callie melted into his embrace. This was real. She was safe, and he’d rescued her. But at what price?
When he released the kiss, he frowned. “You’re upset.”
“Not upset, just confused. I feel as if you’ve given up everything you believed in.”
“I have not. I assure you. Eldon and I are part of a growing group of Tyranns and Regum alike who want to bridge the gap between the rigid laws of the Regum and the extreme behavior the Tyranns are now exhibiting. As I’ve said to you before, it was never supposed to be this way.”
“But a desk job? On Sera? And working for a Regum? Jakara, this is everything you’ve spoken out against since I met you.”
His gaze softened, and he looked at her with nothing short of love in his eyes. “This was the only way to save the woman I love.”
“Oh my God … I love you, too. I love you so much. I was so afraid.” Everything bubbled up, and she could no longer contain it. “When Walton and Logan took me, I thought they were going to rape me. But then they brought me to the holding cells, and I knew where I was. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. And then when I was in that room with all those other women, and you two were in those hoods…”
She couldn’t continue because she didn’t want to cry again. Jakara held her, stroking her hair and back, whispering words she could barely understand through her fear and confusion.
“That’s over now. I’m sorry we had to do that to you, but I couldn’t be seen, and for obvious reasons neither could Eldon.”
“I never thanked him. He helped you save me, and he risked his life, too. And I never thanked him.”
“We have the rest of our lives for that. I want you with me forever, Callie. Will you have me?”
“With all my heart. I love you so much, and I only want to be with you. But are you sure this is what you want?”
He brushed a finger
along her face. “I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t absolutely certain. My work will continue, and now I no longer have to hide to do it. And I can keep you safe, as well. You’re mine, Callie. I told you that the first day.”
She shivered at the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes. “I am yours. For the rest of my life. There’s no one else I’d rather belong to or be with.”
Jakara kissed her. As they fell back on the bed touching each other, Callie’s heart filled with so much joy she thought it would sprout wings and fly away. She had everything she’d ever dreamed of, and this man encompassed every fantasy she’d ever had. He’d risked his life and everything in it to find her and rescue her. And now she would spend the rest of her life making sure he knew without a doubt how very, very much she loved him.
The End
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Kidnapped by a Warrior Page 9