by Alta Hensley
Decker wrapped his arms around her body, and began rocking her back and forth. “Say goodbye to me. Say goodbye to this nightmare. Close your eyes and say goodbye to the demon of what your life has become. Soon. Soon, you will see the light. Some men will come rushing in this door with guns, wide-eyed and ready to kill. Put your arms up high. Stay still. Allow the rescue to happen. You will be saved. You will be free. Say goodbye to me.” His statement came out like a lullaby, soothing her deep-seeded panic. “I promise you this will all be over soon.” He kissed her fast and hard and then reached for a gun in the drawer of the desk. “You’ll be okay, Jessa. You’ll be okay.”
Jessa cried out his name as he ran out of the cabin into the haze of bullets, screams, and death.
She remained under the desk for what felt like an eternity while war and destruction took place on the other side of the wall. Part of her knew the sounds were of rescue, but what if the Delta Force lost? What if they weren’t prepared enough and were no match for this crazed militia? What if they found out that Decker was a Delta Force infiltrate and then killed him, or tortured him for information? Holding her hands over her ears, she waited and listened until finally, the gunfire ceased, the explosions were no more, and she could hear voices of men giving commands and orders.
“Please, please, please,” she whispered to herself. Please let those commands be from Decker and the good guys.
When the door to the cabin flung open, and it was Decker standing there with a smile on his face, Jessa burst into tears. He rushed to her and wrapped her in his arms. “It’s over, Jessa. It’s all over.”
Jessa sat on the bumper of a military jeep, and pulled the blanket securely around her shoulders as a woman asked her questions. Her body shook, and no matter how many blankets she had around her, Jessa worried if she would ever feel warmth again. Ambulances, undercover cars, jeeps, and even cop cars filled the area, their lights swirling around her as men shouted out orders. Women like her were being shuttled out to be questioned. Jessa’s heart lurched as she realized that some of the women were holding babies—babies born in the deepest circle of Dante’s hell. Would the tears of happiness of rescue being shed by their mothers be enough to wash away the taint of their conception? Jessa prayed to the God she’d believed had forsaken them that each mother and child would find peace.
“How many men?”
Jessa looked up at the woman writing on the clipboard. “Excuse me?” Jessa tried her best to focus and answer all the questions being asked, but she just wanted to be with Decker. When he was pulled away for his own debriefing, Jessa wondered if she would ever see him again. The mission was over; the women were saved. Decker could move on to whatever his next job demanded of him.
“I’m sorry,” the woman answered. “I have to ask these questions. How many men would you say raped you?”
Jessa shook her head. “None.”
The woman looked up at her surprised. “None?”
“No, I was one of the lucky ones.”
The woman wrote on the clipboard and then asked, “Is there any way you could be pregnant?”
Jessa almost said no, but then paused and realized there was a chance she could be. She and Decker hadn’t used protection. Looking beyond the woman, she saw that Decker was surrounded by people. One after another conferred with him before saluting and turning towards whatever task he set them to. Yes, there was a very small chance she could be pregnant and yet, if she were, she really only had herself to blame. He’d pulled out of her that first time, and she had been the one to beg him to fuck her a few hours earlier.
“No, like I said, I wasn’t raped so there is no way I could be pregnant.”
After a few more questions which the woman dutifully recorded on the form, she said, “I’m glad you were lucky. Soldiers sign up for war, but no one signs up for the hell you went through. I wish you the best. The EMTs will take you to the hospital to make sure you are okay.”
“Thank you,” Jessa said, waiting until the soldier moved away before standing up and approaching a policeman. One of the questions asked she hoped would allow her to complete her plan.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be in one of the ambulances?” the man asked when she reached him.
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Jessa said. “That soldier over there said you needed to see where the men kidnapped me from. I can take you there.”
The policeman looked to where she’d pointed. “You mean Captain Cassidy?”
“Yes.” Fearing that he would go over to validate her statement, she pulled the blanket a bit tighter. “Look, I’ve been cleared and I can help the investigation. Besides, I’m hoping my rental car was left there. I’d really like to get into my own clothes, if you know what I mean.”
Perhaps he thought she was stark naked under the blanket or perhaps she was a better actress than she believed, but he finally nodded and led her to his car.
“Shall I sit in back?”
“No, ma’am, you aren’t in trouble. You can sit up front.”
She almost asked if she could run the siren but remembered her intent was simply to disappear. As the cruiser pulled away, she said, “It was by a large lumberyard.”
“I think I know where you mean.” Wishing to avoid any further questions and not wanting him to see the tears that had begun to well in her eyes the moment Decker was out of sight, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.
Four months later, Jessa sat in the swing on her front porch, her hand rubbing against her belly. She’d been truly surprised to discover that she had become pregnant that day. Taking a sip from her bottle of water, she looked down. Her baby would never know that its daddy was an incredible man and a hero. She might not have Decker, but she would have a bit of him for the rest of her life.
The sound of a car had her looking up. When it pulled into her driveway, her brow furrowed. She wasn’t expecting a soul. When the door opened, she stood and at the sight of the man who exited the car, the bottle slipped from her fingers to spill at her feet.
The moment she made a move towards the door, a sharply given command froze her in place.
“Don’t you move a single muscle.”
Just as he had been able to make her obey before, his tone and his very presence demanded her submission to his order. She didn’t move, but she did speak.
“How… how did you find me?”
“I think the better question is why did you run? I asked you to wait for me. I told you that I’d be back for you.”
It was as if her body could feel him even before she heard him mounting the steps to the porch. Her nipples had tightened and her loins were moistening with the desire to be his and yet—yet he deserved far better than to have his life ruined by one moment of lust.
“Others needed you. Other women were hurt, and I was fine. I led that officer—”
“And the fact that he managed to remember the rental car sticker on the back window is the only thing that kept his face from meeting my fist, and the only reason why I don’t already have my belt off and against your bare ass.”
God forgive her but the very threat had her practically gushing into her panties. “I didn’t mean to get him in trouble. I just… just wanted to get away.”
“From me?” he asked, and his tone had her clenching her eyes shut to keep a different flood at bay. “Of course, from me.”
Though she couldn’t see him, she felt him backing away. “I’m sorry, Jessa. I just had to make sure you were all right.”
She nodded, both hands splayed across the swell of her stomach. “I-I’m fine.”
Suddenly, she felt him move again, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to look down into her face. God, even through the film of her tears, she could see his eyes widen as his gaze dropped to the baby bump.
“Oh, Jessa…”
“It’s all right. I-I’m fine. You don’t have to…”
“One more word and I swear to God, pregnant or not, I’ll remind you who
is in charge here. Of course I would be here for the baby. Our baby.”
She opened her mouth to tell him she was thinking he had a career that required him to risk his life and that he didn’t need to be distracted. She was going to tell him that he didn’t deserve to be held responsible for a child he’d not wished to create. She wanted to tell him that when he’d rescued her, she knew that her freedom shouldn’t steal his. Instead, the moment he pulled her close and his hand dropped to feel the first movement of the life they’d created, she said, “I-I wasn’t.”
His gentle caress turned to steel as he crushed her to his chest and his mouth found hers. When he pulled away, he said, “I told you that I would always be by your side, Jessa.” He ran a fingertip over her lips. “I did claim you as mine, after all.” He smiled, pulled her to him again, and proved his claim by kissing her until she couldn’t breathe, and yet knew she’d found life again. This time, when he released her, he was shaking his head.
“I’m not going to let you raise our child alone. This is our baby and our light from all the darkness of the past. I’m here to stay, and I’m not going anywhere, understand?”
“Yes.”
“That’s yes, sir, young lady.”
A shudder ran through her at the reprimand and the look in his eyes. Stepping back a bit, she lifted her right hand and saluted. “Aye, Aye, Captain.”
“It’s Major now,” he corrected as he swept her off her feet, cradling her like a child and pushing through her door. “And I’m about to give you a major lesson on what happens to my naughty girl. I need to remind you that I claimed you.”
“You are a sick bastard, you know that,” she said with a giggle.
The rumble of his laugh reverberated against her cheek which she pressed against his chest. “Red, white and fucked, is what I remember you calling me.”
Jessa shook her head. “No. You are anything but. You are my hero, Major Decker Cassidy. You are, and have always been, my hero in disguise.”
The End
Book Two
Pallid Slave
Chapter 1
I hated white. I hated the color that would forever be my curse. White epitomized death. A color once believed to symbolize purity, perfection, new beginnings and life, now represented destruction. When I saw white, I saw the darkest shadows in the depths of hell. Colorless yet black as coal.
Marching in line through the ruins of a city that once stood so bold and bright, now crumbled all around. Prosperous replaced with poverty. Peace replaced with war. Life replaced with death. I marched with all the other defeated soldiers to meet my new fate. And although I would leave this God-forsaken planet, I would never be able to leave the white.
Looking down at my worn leather boots, I remembered the day I had first put them on. Blisters formed as I broke them in, and I had no idea at the time that I would be marching to the intake area to receive my next assignment as a captured Unin, never to be free again.
“Color?”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at the irritated woman before me. Her purple-tinted fingers tapped away on her information pad, never looking up as she spoke.
“Color?” she asked again, a little louder this time. “Come now, I don’t have all day. What color were you?”
“Blue,” I squeaked out. Clearing my throat, I added, “I was blue before.”
“Cause of death of your twin?”
I couldn’t help but cringe with the pain of having to recall my sister and the way she died. The memory was like a sharp stab to the heart. I didn’t want to answer the woman, but figured I had no choice in the matter. I was just one of many going through the intake process.
“Shot. She died in the battle of Vex.”
The woman nodded as if she had heard that answer many times before, and most likely she had. The battle had taken over 22,000 lives—my twin sister being one of them. Somehow, I managed to walk away alive; yet lost my sister, my soul, and my lifeblood.
“Lifeblood color of your sister?” The woman continued on with the interview.
“Pink.”
Looking down at my milky-white hands, all signs of my blue hue forever gone, I closed my eyes trying to block out the painful memory of watching my sister take a bullet to the head. As her life left her body, all lifeblood left mine. As her eyes went black, my skin went white. Pink evaporated from her body the same time the blue dissipated from my own.
“Your name and original planet?”
“Truth,” I answered not much louder than a whisper. “My name is Truth from the planet of Unin.”
“An original Unin?”
“Yes.”
“And your sister’s name?”
Clenching my fist, and doing the best I could to control my temper, I took a deep breath. Why did this woman need to know anything about my sister? It wasn’t like my sister was now a Pallid Slave about to be shipped off to one of the working planets. That honor rested with me. Her color, her cause of death, or anything about her was not important anymore. My twin sister, Trinity, was gone and the less I had to relive the memory, the better.
“Sister’s name?” the woman asked with more authority this time.
“Trinity,” I snapped.
For the first time, the woman looked up from her one-finger tapping. She clearly didn’t like the way I spoke to her, but at this point, I didn’t have much to lose. I was already deemed a Pallid Slave, and I was being sent to an unknown far off planet to do some type of backbreaking duties. My home of Unin had all but been destroyed, and what was left was quickly being devastated by civil wars throughout. Everything I once believed, once knew, once fought ruthlessly to protect, had now vanished.
For centuries, Lifeblood Twins were believed to hold a special gift—a possible answer for immortality. Each twin would be born a different color that didn’t exactly make the entire skin a solid hue, but rather it would illuminate from underneath. The opalescent beauty of lifeblood held a mysticism still undiscovered. Lifeblood Twins were thought to be descendants of an ancient God who used lifeblood for eternal existence. To be born with lifeblood, put you at a level of superiority. You held the possible key to everlasting life. Being born a twin with lifeblood was once a gift rather than the curse it was now.
That was until the invasion of Dren. The Drenkens killed thousands upon thousands all to gain the knowledge in how to recreate the lifeblood that flowed beneath our skin. Their quest for immortality, fueled by a merciless need for power, brought on three decades’ worth of war. They failed in this mission, but they did not fail in destroying Unin. In fear that all the Lifeblood Twins would soon become extinct due to the heavy battles, and that they would lose all hope in discovering if, in fact, our blood did hold the secret to immortality, a treaty was eventually created that protected the Unin Lifeblood Twins as long as the lifeblood ran through our veins. The lifeblood still served a purpose—or at least the Drenken believed so—but if the lifeblood left any citizen of Unin, the terms of the agreement was that the remaining twin would become a Pallid Slave. We became useless other than to serve in the workforce. A Lifeblood Twin was no longer sacred—or protected under the treaty—without the other twin alive. And it wasn’t like this could ever be a secret. If one twin died, the lifeblood would die as well. The sign of no lifeblood was absolutely no color. A ghostly, waxen twin would be left standing.
So here I was. A Pallid Slave. Colorless. Alone. Where once an opalescence of azure flowed freely beneath my skin, what now remained was a wraith-like non-existence of pigment.
The woman reached into a box and pulled out two wristbands made of metal—one blue, the other pink. “Here, put these on. Blue on your right.”
I did as she asked, snapping both closed. It seemed odd to see the colors of what once belonged to my sister and me pressed tightly against my white flesh. It was a painful reminder that the only color in my life would now be limited to the two bracelets branding me as a Pallid.
“Skills?” the woman asked. H
er voice irritated me, and I seriously considered, for a moment, taking her life by reaching out and snapping her neck, but then it wouldn’t be fair to her other twin who would become a Pallid Slave at no fault of her own.
“Skills?” she asked again.
“Killing people,” I answered truthfully between tightly clenched teeth. It truly was the only thing I was good at. Being born during the Drenken invasion, I was brought up to fight. Going to battle was inevitable, so learning the skills of war from the time I could walk was the focus of the Unins. I was raised by commanders and generals in one of many soldier camps, only to become skilled enough to kill before being sent off to war. It was the way of the Unins and what had become of the Lifeblood Twins. There were no loving mothers or protective fathers. Parents’ only purpose was for procreating more soldiers to drive out the Drenken, and sending them off to the camps as soon as the toddler years had passed.
She looked up at me emotionless. “Five,” she said.
“Excuse me?” Not understanding what she meant by simply stating a number.
“Landing bay five. Go stand on the marked spot and wait there.” She looked back down at her pad and motioned for the next Pallid Slave behind me to stand before her.
It didn’t seem I had much of a choice but to proceed forward and scan the large landing stage for my assigned number. The roar of the engines from all the transport ships reverberated against the soles of my feet as I walked on the metal dock. It appeared that about ten ships were landing as twenty were taking off. Pallid Slaves lined up all around me awaiting their fates. Even though there were Drenken soldiers everywhere, armed and ready for a fight, there was no need for them to even be on guard. Everyone seemed so compliant, as if when the lifeblood left our bodies, so did all our fight. Colorless figures stood at attention, but rather than going to war as we were all trained to do, we were standing in line to be slaves. Shoulders drooping, heads down, these once legendary Lifeblood Twins now stood as broken, milky, and chalky shells. I understood the pain. Losing your Lifeblood Twin was the same as dying. There was nothing left to give.