Alien Instinct

by Tracy Lauren

  Rennek acquiesces and helps me dress. As I do I feel the weight of Gorrard’s pendant in my pocket. I hold it up to show him.

  “Rennek! I didn’t have the chance to tell you! I walked down to the beacon today while you were resting and discovered the pendant fits into those slots. I put it in and it made the light on top do some funny stuff. I wonder if the rest of Gorrard’s crew had similar pieces? Maybe they all had to be inserted for it to be activated or something?”

  Rennek goes very still before reaching over to the table near his bed. He plucks Urrek’s pendant from it, rolling it in his fingers.

  “Or perhaps one might work… if it is the right one? Finish dressing Kate, we are going to gather the others.”

  My heart leaps in my chest and I pull my clothes on as fast as I can. Rennek and I quietly move about the ship gathering the rest of his half Vendari friends, Tennir, Da’vi, the humans and Gorrard as well. Then, together, we move out into the cool night air.

  Chapter 53

  Rennek

  Presently we all stand surrounding the beacon. The pale blue light adorning the top pulses regularly. There is no telling at this point if my father’s pendant will work or not, but deep inside me I already know it will. I work to savor this moment and take in as much of it as possible. I feel the crisp night air against my flesh, I feel the tender touch of my mate’s hand on my arm.

  I look at Kate. She is mine now, fully. She smiles up at me, sharing my joy. I look around to all the faces who have helped me get to this point and marvel at the magic of fate and the universe. It has been the wind in our sails throughout this journey. I feel a slight twinge of sadness that Dax and the sad human are not here with us to share this moment. Their disappearance is as deeply troubling as it is odd. I shake that unpleasantness from my mind, it is a problem for another day.

  I bring myself back to the moment. We are all silent. Even the humans, who have no skin in this game, appear moved by the power of what is to come. They have a hope in their eyes that tells me how much they can relate to the feeling of being small and alone in the universe. If this works, and I know it will--we will be alone no longer. We will be calling all the Vendari home to Elysia.

  Much will change when they arrive, I know now that they will expect me to be the male Gorrard sees when he looks upon me. I know now that though I never met my father, it is my duty to him to fulfill the role he has passed onto me. Never in my life did I seek out leadership, never did I demand to be in the spotlight, but if there is a need--if others need my care, protection and guidance, then I will gladly be that male. I will not shirk the duties left to me. I will work harder every day to be a leader my people can be proud to follow and a son my father would have been proud to have walk in his footsteps.

  Kate urges me forward and I find the slots in the beacon. My father’s pendant seems to be a perfect fit. I take one last look at the faces around me. Gorrard’s eyes glisten, my brother looks moved in a way I have never seen in a scientist. My friends all tense with the anticipation and my Kate smiles warmly at me, only peace and happiness in her expression. I push the pendant into the slot, a blue light emanates from the hole. There is a faint hum before the tiny pulsing light atop the beacon erupts into a massive stream, shooting up into the stars.

  Over thirty yets have passed since Gorrard’s crash. More than 29 since Urrek went missing. The beacon has sat in this spot waiting while the Vendari drift through space, but on this day… I call my people home.

  Epilogue

  Kate

  Rennek gives me one last kiss before he heads to the door. “Hurry, my heart. They will be arriving shortly and I would not want to meet this delegation without my queen by my side.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, but if I have a choice I’d rather be dressed for it,” I tell him.

  “Hurry,” he urges again before he is gone.

  I jump out of bed and walk to our wooden wardrobe. I move a few of my more practical rainforest outfits out of the way and select a high waisted and flowing sundress that Madreed sent me. Using a carved bone comb, I straighten my disheveled hair in front of a mirror hanging on the inside door of our wardrobe. I slip on my shoes and admire the gorgeous throw rug Rennek bought me from some Inaryan moon. It really does soften the room up.

  Flowers fill a vase on our dining table, filling the room with their sweet scent. The counter we use as a kitchen is tidy, the baskets below are filled with food and supplies. The fire is banked and I decide I’ll worry about making the bed later. Besides, I have a feeling it’s just going to get messed up again before the day is through anyway.

  I head out into the courtyard and see Reagan and the girls sitting around looking at a tablet-like device, they are trying to learn how to weave baskets. It’s been a bit slow going on that front and they bicker quietly like sisters over technique. Their voices mingle with the call of birds. On the far end of the courtyard, we have built a small aviary where we are raising Elysian chickens. Perhaps eventually we will move this out to the fields, but that won’t be until we build a fence to keep predators out.

  All the fountains in the courtyard run clear now. Small filters have been installed in each of them so they can be used as a constant supply of drinking water. We also use it to cook and wash clothes with. About a dozen of Madreed’s personal army remained behind to help with the larger projects--like clearing the farm land and cleaning out the bathing room. The difference is remarkable. The ruins were beautiful before, but now they really shine. Although, we don’t refer to them as ‘ruins’ anymore. We all decided unanimously, that first night we were gathered together here that we would call our growing village Beacon--for obvious reasons.

  April and Tennir have been working together to plan the crop distributions and modernizing the canal’s water delivery systems. The fields are already growing some of the pink cabbages, pompayas and the big berries I discovered, as well as some other native herbs and spices. I am in constant awe of the abundance of Elysia.

  I hold my dress up as I hurry up the steps to what we imagine was once a throne room but now serves as our command center. I’m panting when I get to the top. I see most of the guys are here with Rennek. Gorrard looks anxious, so I go to him first before heading to Rennek’s side. Poor Gorrard has been waiting so long for this. I tell him some words of encouragement and he seems to find peace in them. We look out the massive stone openings along the back of the room and in the distance five flying figures approach.

  Madreed is continuing to work on the human trafficking issue and is setting up Elysia as an official known refuge for humans. With all the media coverage Madreed has garnered the bounty on the guys has miraculously vanished and the UPC is claiming that the men Tennir took out on his science station were working alone… but obviously none of us believe that. Unfortunately, we have no proof to support our side.

  Madreed is taking names and kicking asses left and right though. She is determined to hold people accountable for the atrocity committed against humans. I know she works to gain intelligence on the location of others, as well. Apparently, she is good at this type of thing because she had… has spent years searching for Rennek’s father. She is not here with us today, but I know her ship is in orbit. It is almost as if she hopes Urrek will show up, but she refuses to speak this hope--instead she quietly remains in orbit and offers Rennek assistance if he needs it.

  Rennek stands before the windows, looking every inch a king. I admire the strength and confidence that he projects. He was born to take on this role.

  I look down at the fields below us, people are working together to build something here and that’s how it will be among all the kingdoms of Elysia. The Vendari race will be rebuilding their world from scratch and working to keep their culture and traditions alive. They have been given a second chance here. We all have.

  Soon five kings land and join us in the command center. They all take turns clasping Rennek’s arm in greeting and bow to him with some reverence. This
is the first time we are meeting the other kings in person, though Rennek has spoken to them over the comms many times now. We have also already filled them in on all we know regarding what has occurred since Gorrard’s ship was shot down.

  “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to you, Rennek,” a Vendari King tells Rennek. He is the color of the night sky, so deep blue he is almost pitch black. I feel like if I stare at him long enough I’ll actually see stars splayed across his skin. “Your father, Urrek, was a dear friend of mine. He championed the efforts to bring us here to Elysia. It is a tremendous loss that he is not here with us today, but fitting it is you--his son, that has delivered us all to our new world.”

  “I am equally grateful to be in the presence of my own people and to finally know where I come from. It is one of the greatest gifts in life,” Rennek tells the Vendari.

  “Perhaps only second to finding a mate,” the shadowy Vendari says and his eyes shine in my direction for a split second before he turns back to Rennek. “There is still much for you to learn about our people Rennek. We will be happy to help you in this journey. I am sure each of us also have many dear stories to share with you about Urrek. He was a good male, fiercely protective, and a leader like no other.”

  “We do have troubling news to bare this day,” a red Vendari king says and for the first time I notice the grave expression on the other kings faces. “The ships have all arrived to Elysia now, all except one.”

  I see Gorrard visibly tremble at this news.

  “The Grey King’s ship has vanished. What we can tell based on our linked computer systems is that his stasis pod registered an emergency because of the attack on the scout ship. His primary protectors were awoken as well. Our sensors indicate a traveler ship broke from the central ship shortly thereafter. We assume Urrek and his protectors went to determine what happened to the scout ship. All the central ships had system links and automatically shared sensor readings, but at some point following the split of the traveler ship the central ship vanishes from our data scans.”

  “I would like access to your data if possible,” Rennek asks the other kings.

  “Absolutely, we would all like to offer you the assistance of our best data specialists and use of our personal primary protectors as well. Your people account for a sixth of the population of Vendari, it is a devastating loss to our culture if they are not found. We will do all in our power to discover what has happened to the ship and recover your people,” the red king says. “When you are ready we will institute a search and rescue mission.”

  “Thank you for the resources, we appreciate it deeply,” Rennek tells the others.

  Poor Gorrard, I think to myself. He has waited so long to see his family and now that he has gotten so close they have been ripped from him once more.

  “There are some that knew the team on the scout ship among our people. They have inquired about survivors,” another king says.

  “Gorrard is the only remaining survivor,” Rennek tells him and Gorrard steps up to his side.

  “There is a female among my people who asks for you Gorrard. Yemala is her name,” the king says.

  “Yemala asks for me?” Gorrard chokes. “But I could not possibly see her… she has been in cryo all these years and is still young. I am old and scarred. I would rather have her remember me as I was when we last saw one another,” he says firmly, though in a voice barely above a whisper.

  “Let me know if you change your mind,” the king tells Gorrard and I’m already planning on helping him change his mind.

  There are further introductions and each king dotes on me in a way that unconsciously makes Rennek growl a bit. Talks go on for a long time about plans for settling the planet and coordinating a search and rescue mission for the whole of Rennek’s kingdom.

  Rennek informs the others about the circumstances surrounding us humans, the kings are all much more outraged than I would have expected. They all seem to share the same deeply protective nature that Rennek and his friends all possess. Rennek lets them know we plan to continue to try and recover more humans and any we find will be invited to join us here in Beacon, our corner of Elysia. The kings all agree and offer more of their people to aid us in that mission as well. I’m humbled by their generosity and kindness.

  It must be wonderful for Rennek, it’s like he gained five extra brothers in just one day. All these dudes seem ready and willing to go to bat for anything Rennek needs. Finally, their talks wind to an end. There is still so much more to discuss, but I suspect there will be for some time. The Vendari all make plans for their next meeting before leaping from the windows with wings pumping heavily--carrying them to their new kingdoms. Slowly, the command center clears until it is just Rennek and I.

  “I’m so sorry Rennek,” I can’t imagine the weight of knowing all his people--possibly hundreds of Vendari have simply vanished.

  “I am sorry for them as well Kate and I will do all in my power to find them.”

  “I know you have the help of the other Kings, but if you need me--just know you have me too,” I tell him.

  “Thank you, my sweet Kate. This I know.”

  “There is much work to do on all fronts,” he says.

  “I know, I want to talk to Tennir about moving the aviary and to your mother’s soldiers about building a fence. I still wanted to help out the girls with basket weaving today--see if we can finally work the kinks out…”

  “I have a much more pressing task on my agenda this day and I was hoping you would assist me with it? Rennek asks.

  “Of course, babe, anything you need. AlI you have to do is ask,” I tell him.

  “Is that so?”

  “You know it is,” I tell him.

  “Then I would like to ask you to join me to watch the sun set over the shore and to make love to me on the warm sands under the Elysian moons.”

  “The shore? Like the beach? I’d love to go down to the beach. I haven’t been in years. Oh, but Rennek! We don’t have time to go there tonight! There’s so much work to do around here! It would take forever to hike there,” I say sadly, it really would be wonderful to get away with my mate for a bit.

  “We will not be hiking and all else can wait until I please my mate.”

  “We won’t be hiking? Are we going to take a pod?” I ask. But Rennek just smiles and scoops me into his arms, I only have a second before all the air is pushed from my lungs--Rennek leaps (with me in his arms) out of the window. There is the sudden terrible sensation of falling before it fades away and instead I feel us rising higher and higher into the sky. I wrap my arms around Rennek’s neck and he holds me tightly in his muscled arms. I have no fear of him dropping me--but I still cling to him, I’m not going to drop him either. The wind is in my face as we circle Beacon, I see the other girls looking up at me and they scream and wave as we fly overhead. Rennek heads toward the horizon.

  “We should arrive just in time to watch the sunset together,” he tells me.

  I snuggle into my mate. “I can’t think of anything more perfect.”

  Author’s Note

  Holy crap, I did it. I wrote a book. This was such a long and difficult road for me. I wanted to punch this thing out like I do with the romance novels I read--with a nice healthy binge. But, having two little kids doesn’t lend itself to letting me sit on my laptop for hours on end. So instead, after I tucked the rest of the house into bed, I would sit in the dark--typing away until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Some nights it was only a paragraph at a time, which was maddening, but I finally finished!

  As you can see, I left a lot of room for the remaining characters stories and I hope to eventually write them all. I may have left you wondering what happened to Dax and Vivian, and logically one might assume their story is next. But, I had a dream. A wildly inspirational dream regarding what my next book will be about--and who am I to stifle my inner muse?

  The next book will still be within the same universe and we will end up back on Elysia-
-just with a new couple we haven’t met yet. Which, is bound to happen when you think about all those cryo bags the Ju’tup had on their ship, right?

  Thank you all so much for reading and I really truly hope you enjoyed the story. A special thanks to everyone who volunteered to help beta and ARC for me--particularly, Lyda Eagle, Ronika Williams, and Laura Gail Walker. Your feedback has been absolutely invaluable. I have to say, the science fiction romance community is such a loving and generous one, I feel so grateful to be a part of it.

  An extra thanks to Amanda Milo as well. As a fan, I had been following her journey as an indie author and in no small way, it empowered me to take the plunge as well. If you are somehow reading my book and have never read Amanda Milo--stop everything you’re doing and go download her stuff now. All of it.