by S. E. Smith
“No, if we are going to die, I want you to be the one who gets blamed for it,” Vice replied with a grin.
“Sometimes I wonder…,” Thunder started to say before he whistled. “Found them.”
Vice leaned forward behind Thunder and looked over his shoulder. “How the hell did he get that thing in here?” Vice hissed in surprise.
“It was definitely a tight fit,” Thunder agreed. “Dakar, we have a visual. We are moving to intercept.”
“Confirmed. I have no signal with the Nebula One. I will fall back until I get one,” Dakar stated.
“Confirmed,” Thunder said. “Vice, do you have a visual on an entry hatch?”
“We will have to enter from the belly of the ship. The top is practically touching the ceiling of the cavern. Can you get us under there?” Vice asked.
“I’ll get us under. You get us sealed onto the hatch,” Thunder stated in a grim tone.
Thunder delicately maneuvered the fighter toward the spaceship. He was almost to the hatch near the stern of the transport when he saw the turret turn, and they were suddenly facing the wrong end of a laser cannon. Sweat beaded on his brow as he stared into a pair of dark gray eyes filled with determination.
He was too close to the ship to lift his hands from the controls. Holding the fighter steady, he realized that the person couldn’t see them. Making a split second decision, he shut down the cloaking device. The woman’s eyes widened when she saw the fighter suddenly appear. Behind him, he heard Vice’s smothered curses.
“I hope she doesn’t push the button on that damn thing,” Vice said.
The woman’s hands slowly moved away from the controls. Thunder saw her twist in her seat and disappear. Deciding that was a good thing, he continued aligning the fighter with the underbelly of the ship and the hatch.
“Connection complete, airlock sealed. Opening hatch,” Vice said, checking all of the readouts before pressing the release on the top of the fighter. “Let’s see what kind of welcome we get.”
Thunder released his harness and then reached up to press the release on the hatch. The first, then the secondary hatch slid open. He froze when he found himself staring down the business end of, not one, but three, laser rifles.
“I’m glad you decided to go first,” Vice remarked.
“I think we found some of the missing women,” Thunder said before he raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been searching for you.”
“Yeah, you and half the galaxy. What the fuck do you want?” one woman with dark gray eyes demanded.
“He looks like a Trivator,” a woman behind her said.
“Yeah, but does he smell like one?” another feminine voice retorted.
“Smell? What are we supposed to smell like?” Thunder asked in confusion.
“They do know that it only takes a single burst from one of the rifles at this range to kill, don’t they?” Vice commented.
Thunder was about to make a similar comment when the rifles disappeared and another dark-haired woman replaced the older female. This one held a laser pistol in her right hand and knelt on one knee to look down at him. He could see hope with an edge of desperation in her gaze. He waited for her to speak.
“Edge is dying. Can you help him?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Take me to him,” Thunder ordered, climbing out of the cockpit of the fighter and up through the hatch.
Lina bit her lip and stood near the wall. Bailey was explaining what had happened to Edge, the drug that the Waxian had used, and what she was doing to slow the damage. The two men listened intently before they looked over the chart. She straightened when the bald guy shook his head.
“Is there anything else that can be done to help him?” she asked, stepping forward.
The man named Thunder turned to look at her. Her stomach dropped when he shook his head as well. Lina looked at Edge where he lay cocooned in the surgical cylinder.
“We don’t have the medical skills to do more than what you are already doing,” he explained.
“He needs advanced care. The healer aboard the Nebula One would know what to do,” Vice added.
“Then we get him to the Nebula One,” Lina replied.
Thunder and Vice looked at each other. Shifting her focus back and forth between the two men, she lifted her chin.
“What is it?” she demanded.
“There are four Waxian warships searching the moon for you as we speak,” Thunder said.
“They followed a tracking signal placed on this ship. I’ve disabled it,” Mechelle said.
Vice turned and looked at Mechelle in surprise. “A tracking signal?” he repeated.
Mechelle nodded. “Edge told Lina before he collapsed that there was a strange signal coming from the shields. I found a script running in the background. It wasn’t hard to disable it once I knew what I was looking for,” she replied.
“Hey, guys! I hate to break up the welcome party, but we have company,” Andy yelled from the bridge. “Shit a gold brick! I think I see some bald-headed milk duds. We’ve got douche bags at seven o’clock. I don’t think they’ve seen us yet.”
Lina twisted and took off at a run. Behind her, she could hear the others heading to different parts of the ship. Gail was taking the top turret, she would take the bottom, and Mechelle would take the port side once it could be extended. She was surprised when she saw Vice behind her and not Thunder.
“He will pilot the ship. I’ll provide cover,” Vice said, swinging down the ladder and closing the hatch.
She drew in a deep breath and hurried to the ladder leading down to the turret. They were so close to freedom and yet still so far away. She slid into the seat and swung the turret around until she was facing the two fighters that she could see through the green crystal. In another few seconds, all hell was about to break loose. The only difference was this time, she wouldn’t have Edge sitting beside her.
A shiver ran through Lina as she waited. Until now, she’d never really thought about the saying that your life flashed before your eyes when you were about to die. She’d faced many life or death situations over the past ten years. She wouldn’t say that she’d never cared what happened to her before, because she had. It wasn’t like she’d had a death wish, but there had always been a part of her that just accepted that she would die young.
She had experienced plenty of things in her life that kept her fighting to live—her brother, her friends, hell, even just to prove she could do it! Yet, she realized now that she had only been existing more than participating in life. For the first time in ten years, she wanted more and a future.
Memories of Edge’s face rose in her mind—the expression of awe, hope, and fierce determination in his eyes when she had stepped into his cell; the teasing looks and curiosity as he had struggled to regain his strength; the passion that burned like fire in his eyes when he looked at her; and finally the love that made them shine like the brightest star.
I love you…. The memory of his softly spoken words tore a choked sob from her. Throughout everything he had been through, he had never given up. He had grasped life and wanted a future while she had just become aimless, existing without thinking of anything more than making it to the next day.
For years she had harbored a hatred for the aliens who had come to Earth. Then she had transferred it to Colbert and the aliens who had taken her from her home. Her fingers trembled on the grips of the weapon in her hand. She wanted more. She wanted a future… and she wanted it with Edge.
She bit her lip as she remembered Tim’s quiet words two days after Leon’s death. Lina, we were able to retrieve Leon’s body. According to Doc, he was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.
The words had meant little to her at first. It hadn’t mattered whether the alien standing over him had killed the man she loved or the humans had; nothing would bring Leon back. She had wrapped herself in her grief and turned her anger toward the man who had been standing in the street, simply because he represented everything tha
t she had lost. The same man whose life would cross paths with hers again light-years from Earth.
“Powering on all systems. Be prepared for a rough exit,” Thunder’s voice echoed in the turret.
“What are you going to do?” Lina asked.
“Get us out of here,” Thunder grimly replied. “The Nebula One, Vice, and Dakar will provide cover.”
“We’re all going to die,” Andy added. “I hope you have clean underwear on.”
“We are not going to die and why would it matter if your underwear is clean or not if we do?” Thunder growled before the comlink closed.
A soft chuckle escaped Lina. The exasperation in Thunder’s voice reminded her of Edge. A new sense of purpose filled her. No, they were not going to die today. She had too much to live for.
“Lock and load, ladies. It is time to kick some ass,” Lina said, flipping the switch and watching her console light up. Her eyes brightened when she caught a glimpse of open space below the ship. Only a thin layer of crystals blocked their exit. “Thunder, how about if I open up a new door out of here?”
“I see it. Gail, can you take out the two fighters?” Thunder asked.
“Done,” Gail replied.
Lina pressed the fire button on her laser cannon at the same time as Gail opened fired on the two Waxian fighters. The ship trembled from the twin explosions. Crystal fragments floated around them, and Lina could see other large sections breaking apart.
Thunder expertly rotated the ship and angled it toward the opening. Lina’s breath caught in her throat, and she was pressed back against her seat when the ship suddenly accelerated. They shot through the floating fragments and out into space.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lina caught sight of four warships orbiting above as they exited the moon. Two of the smaller ones were suddenly lit up with explosions. Fighters swarmed the area, firing randomly into space before suddenly breaking apart in a flash of light. Out of the darkness of space, powerful bursts of laser fire lit up the shields of a giant warship.
She watched in horrified fascination as the last smaller warship tumbled end over end directly into the path of the larger ship. Several fighters turned toward them. She automatically swiveled the turret around and began firing on them. She could see streaks of added fire from Gail and Mechelle.
“Prepare to jump,” Thunder ordered.
Lina braced her feet against the footpads and gripped the handles on the cannon. She felt the familiar drop in her stomach before everything sped up. In a flash of light, the last thing she saw was the huge Waxian warship firing on its smaller counterpart.
Chapter Thirty-One
Edge woke several times before being swept away again on a current of darkness. There were times when the fire licking at his veins and clawing at his insides made him want to scream in agony. He was being eaten alive. When he felt like he would go insane from the pain, a tender hand would cool the flames and a soothing voice spoke of their future together.
“How much longer?” the voice of his goddess asked.
“The new medication is counteracting the synthetic drug in his system and destroying the nanobots,” a voice replied.
The hand stroking his face paused. “That still doesn’t tell me how long it will take or if he is going to be alright when he wakes up,” his goddess retorted with a drawl of sarcasm in her voice.
Edge wanted to smile. He recognized that bossy tone. He wished he could warn the other male that it was futile because his goddess would have what she wanted.
“We should know in a couple of days. I want to keep him sedated until the Waxian drugs are eradicated and are completely flushed out of his system,” the man finally replied.
He felt her soft fingers resume their tracing across his cheek and jaw. Then she stopped touching him. A moan escaped him, and he turned his head toward her. Her fingers immediately returned, and he sighed.
Time seemed to weave in and out of his consciousness. The one thing that was constant was the touch of his goddess. She was always there. At times, he could hear her arguing with someone. Her colorful language, determined tone, and grip on his hand reassured him that she would be there the next time he woke.
“How’s he doing?” a voice asked.
Edge frowned, searching his memories… Bailey. This was Bailey. She sounded like she was worried.
“Better. I see small changes and improvements almost hourly now,” his goddess replied.
“That’s good,” Bailey said before she released a loud sigh.
Edge flinched when he heard the loud sound of someone dragging a chair across the floor. The hand holding his tightened and her thumb caressed his skin. His mind slowly became clearer. He knew that they had been found. He heard familiar names and the sound of voices that he recognized but couldn’t quite attach the names to their faces. The sound of the ship and the medical bay felt different as well.
“What’s wrong?” his goddess asked.
“Nothing—everything,” Bailey replied with another sigh. “The other gals are worried.”
“What are they worried about?” his goddess asked, a wary note in her voice.
“You, the ship… well, not the ship but some of the guys on it, getting home, and some of the other stuff. The ship’s captain, Jag, and Gail are butting heads with each other. She wants him to take us directly back to Earth since we are in a super-ship, and he says his orders are to take us to Rathon. I decided to come visit you when he started threatening to lock us all in our cabins. Gail said she’d like to see him try,” Bailey laughed.
His goddess chuckled. The warm sound pushed him to open his eyes. He wanted so badly to see her face. A frowned creased his brow when he saw the dark circles under her eyes.
“You… are not… taking… care of… yourself,” he forced out, surprised by how difficult it was to speak.
She started in her chair and turned to look at him. A soft, uneven smile curved the corner of her mouth, and she lifted his hand to her lips. His searching eyes remained locked on hers. Next to them, Bailey rose from her seat.
“I’ll let the doc know he is awake,” Bailey quietly murmured.
Lina nodded, but didn’t say anything. Edge could see the tears glistening in her eyes. He wrapped his fingers around hers when she held his hand to her lips.
“It’s about damn time you woke up. I swear I think you were just seeing if you could drive me crazy with your silence,” she softly informed him.
A dry chuckle shook his large frame. “Did it work?” he asked, rubbing his thumb against her lips.
“More than you’ll ever know,” she replied as a tear escaped and slid down her cheek.
She bowed her head when the doc came in behind her. Edge growled and shot the healer a heated look. The healer stopped and looked at him with a stern expression.
“Bailey informed me that you regained consciousness. After all the work I did to keep you alive, you could show a little more appreciation,” Stitch dryly pronounced.
“I will do that later. Right now, I want to be alone with my Amate,” Edge retorted.
Stitch looked at Lina and shook his head. “If he has a relapse, call me. Otherwise, I will be in my office—monitoring his vitals,” he replied, adding the last statement as he retraced his steps.
Edge struggled to sit up, surprised by how weak he felt. Lina immediately stood up and slid her arm around his shoulders. He took a deep breath while he waited for the weakness and dizziness to abate.
“What happened?” he asked in a gruff voice, slowly lifting his head to look at her.
Lina sat down on the edge of the medical bed. He reached out and cupped her hand in his when he saw her swallow and release a shuddering breath. Reaching up with her free hand, she tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
“A lot,” she said with a wry grin.
He released a humph. “Define ‘a lot’,” he ordered.
She laughed and tilted her head to the side. “You aren’t getting bossy on me,
are you?” she teased before the smile died. “Remind me to kick your ass when you are feeling better.”
He blinked, trying to understand what kicking his ass had to do with ‘a lot’. His breath caught when he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes again—and the anguish. He lifted his hand to brush it across her cheek. He froze, his hand in midair, and stared at it in wonder. Turning it over, he flexed his fingers.
“The shaking is gone,” he murmured, truly appreciating the control he had over his physical abilities again.
Lina nodded. “Hopefully for good. Stitch said your last three scans came back clean. It was touch and go there for a while. The drug the Waxian pumped into you began to mutate when it was attacked by other medications. With the help of some of the doctors back on Rathon, Stitch was able to make adjustments to fight the mutation and create an antidote to counteract it,” she explained.
She wrapped her fingers around his hand, and drew it to her cheek. He opened his hand and splayed it across her smooth skin, then slid his hand down her arm, pushing her long blue sleeve back to expose her wrist.
Shock held him immobilized. Wrapped around her wrist was an intricate tattoo. He read the symbols, and their meaning hit him hard, leaving him shaken. Her gaze followed his.
“I am Lina, Amate to Edge. I love him. He is mine for the rest of my life,” she murmured with a crooked smile. “I was never big on a lot of words and figured the fewer there were, the larger I could make them.”
He reached over and pulled up his own sleeve. A frown creased his brow when he saw that his wrists were bare of her claiming mark. He looked at her with a confused expression.
“Why do I not have the markings?” he demanded.
Lina rolled her eyes. “You were out of it, in case you don’t remember. Stitch wanted to do it, but I wouldn’t let him. He was going to copy what I had him mark on me. I told him that you needed to make that decision when you woke up. You’ve said I was your Amate, but saying it and following through are two different things. You are going home and you’ve been through a lot. I wanted you to make the decision when you had your head clear,” she explained.