Twelve Days of Xanthus

by Shyla Colt

  “You said the temperature scrambles the signal, right?”

  “Yes, it’s why she hasn’t found us yet.”

  “Okay.”

  She turned off the heat and rolled down the window.

  “Better?”

  He closed his eyes and paused to test something she couldn’t see or hear. A moment later, his eyes popped open.

  “This is a marked improvement.”

  “If the bands are affected by the cold, do you think they could be rendered obsolete by it as well?”

  “I would freeze to death in the snow before that happened.”

  “I have something else in mind.” The tires ate up the distance between them and her brother Sean, the chef. He had just the thing to break those cuffs on Xan’s arms if her idea worked. Mother Mary please let it be correct; it’s a matter of life or death.

  § § §

  Kala pulled the white fur-lined robe closer around her shoulders and scowled. It’d taken them longer than she anticipated to track Xanthus to this God forsaken country. He was always too smart, her slave. It was why she’d kept him so long. The thought of his magnificent cock made her want to rethink her decision to execute him. He was thick, long, and knew how to hold off his orgasm until she was well satisfied. Her nipples stiffened as images of their love making danced around in her mind. That had never been a problem between him. The emotions that had begun to develop were. She peered out the ship’s domed window into the night sky. The cloaking device was far superior to anything the Earthlings possessed and hid them from view as well as sonar.

  The sky here was so different from theirs, bright blue and full of white clouds. On Zenton, the sky was a deep burnt orange. Two suns and two moons blazed red in the day and purple at night. How she missed the soothing heat her land had to offer. They had only been in Canada for the better part of a day and the chill had seeped through her layers of clothing and into her bones. It was rumored that her race had been born of the goddess of fire long ago. She was inclined to believe it now. She felt sluggish and awkward. Inept was not a word she used in context to herself. Frustration tore a snarl from her. Oh, he would suffer for this. She spun away from the window, having had her fill of the fairy tale setting outside. Her shiny black boots clicked on the floor as she made her way to the pilot’s chair.

  “Have you gotten a lock on them, Shara?”

  “No, my Queen. The cold makes his bands and our equipment malfunction. His signal is very week and our calculations constantly change.”

  She nodded. Her crew was the best Zenton had to offer, they were doing everything in their power to find him, but it wasn’t enough.

  “Continue to monitor him! He’ll come out of the cold at some point and I want to be there to greet him when he leaves.

  “Of course, my Queen.”

  She clasped her hands behind her back and stood over their shoulders as they returned to scanning for his signature signal.

  § § §

  Their vehicle pulled off the highway and they drove into a city. He understood the reasoning, more people meant better cover, but it seemed like a coward’s way out. A true warrior faced his threat head on.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Executing my plan.”

  He wrinkled his brow. “This is not a game, Violet.”

  “Trust me, I know that. You said cold scrambles the signal. Well there’s nothing colder than liquid nitrogen. My brother Sean is a chef, and currently he’s experimenting with Asian fusion, which means he’s got canisters of nitrogen on hand. Normally it’s too dangerous to handle without gloves, but with your alien magic you should be able to transfer it directly onto your arm bands.”

  He struggled to keep up as the chip inside is head fed him information. What she said seemed sound. It was a risk but a calculated one. Violet pulled into a parking spot in front of a building that had the words O’ Shea’s scrawled in elegant black lettering on the white sign.

  “I’ll just be a second. I don’t want to put my family in harm’s way if I can avoid it.”

  She opened her door and hurried inside leaving him alone. He tapped his fingers on the console and leaned forward. He didn’t like being apart from Violet right now or sitting out in the open like this. She returned promptly with a silver canister he prayed would be the key to his freedom. She placed the canister in the back seat, returned to the driver seat, and pulled off.

  “What do we do now?” he asked.

  “We go to an abandoned building I know of and see if this thing works. The temperature inside is cold and there’s no one around.”

  “Good, because a manipulation of this magnitude will give off an energy signature that’ll be visible.”

  She cast an interested glance in his direction. An eerie silence fell in the car and his heart began to accelerate. Soon this would all come to an end. He only hoped fortune would choose this one time to smile on him. A run down gray building with blown out windows loomed in the middle of a giant, empty, black topped parking lot. She parked close to the door and they exited. Driving with the windows down had taken its toll, regardless of the gloves and warm clothing. His muscles were stiff as they excited the vehicle and entered the building through the back entrance.

  “Take care, Violet, I’ve never come into contact with this chemical so this is a bit of trial and error.”

  She did as he asked and he closed his eyes. He sent his senses out, learning the compound, the capabilities, and the feel of the substance. When he had a good lock on it all, he stripped down to a bare chest. His teeth chattered and his breath curled out in front of him in a white puff. A brilliant blue hue fell over the open space as he opened the lid with his powers and brought just a few ounces out of the canister to set on the manacles that bound him. He grimaced as the manacle hardened and a cold so harsh it burned settled onto the flesh of his arms beneath. He continued to add more nitrogen until an ominous creak sounded and the band on his left arm shattered and fell to the floor followed close by the one on his right.

  “We did it. Oh my God! We actually did it!”

  Violet ran to him and threw herself at him. He caught her, pulling her against his chest as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. He was free! This was his chance to tell her how he really felt.

  “Violet…”

  His mouth was dry. He swallowed and cleared his throat. The words were easy to think, not so easy to say.

  “Yes?”

  Her arms were wrapped around his waist, and she leaned back. Poised on her tip toes she smiled up at him.

  “I want you to be my mistress.”

  “Xan, I told you, you’re free here.”

  She didn’t understand. He wracked his translation chip and tried to piece together the right words.

  “I want to date. I want you to be mine and me to be yours.”

  She blinked.

  “Xan, you’ve been through a lot. I’m the first person you’ve met here on Earth. I don’t want you to rush into a relationship with me only to regret it later.”

  “I could never regret being with you.”

  The thud of her heart became a staccato. Hope sprung up inside him. She hadn’t said no.

  “You’ve been working with me on becoming independent. Well, this is what I want.”

  § § §

  This is what I want. The words sounded so sincere and his eyes held deep emotions. Could she take the chance? She licked her lips, and opened her mouth so speak when an audible whine came from the broken pieces of the arm bands. Xan tensed, and pulled away.

  “We should leave; she may have pinpointed our location.”

  “Right.”

  Violet pounced on the opportunity to change the touchy subject. She grabbed his hands and they rushed to the car. Once inside, she turned over the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, driving as fast as she dared on the streets.

  “Will she be able to follow you after this?”

  “No.”

  The wide out gr
in she caught in her peripheral was radiant and the happiness infectious. She giggled. Her mood switched to somber. It was only a matter of time until he left.

  Only if you let him.

  “Where do you want to go next?” she asked.

  “I’d like to go back to the cabin.”

  “Cabin it is.”

  “Did my words earlier displease you?” The concerned tone made her heart ache. She didn’t want him second guessing himself.

  “No, Xan. I just need to think about things before I give you an answer.”

  “It’s okay if you do not wish to keep me. I understand I have nothing to offer you in lieu of the views of Earth. Here the man provides, and that I cannot do.”

  “No, don’t talk like that. Real love isn’t about material things or status. It’s you I’m concerned about.”

  “After the life I’ve lived not much could truly rattle me.”

  She snapped her mouth shut. He has a point.

  The drive back to the cabin was quiet. She ran down a list of pros and cons. She cared for Xan. In so many ways, he was her ideal man. But he needed time to assimilate. He’s a fast learner, give him credit. She weighed the scales of to let him go or to commit in her mind until they reached their destination. They exited the car and made their way to the front porch where she paused to look out over the white landscape. This is where it’d all started.

  A lot had changed over the past week. Violet looked up at Xan. The thought of not seeing him every morning saddened her. Well, there’s your answer. Time to swallow your doubt and go for it. You will literally never find another man like him.

  Violet reached out, caressed his face, and smiled.

  “I’d like to keep you, too, Xan.”

  His eyes widened and he stepped forward. A green bolt of energy flew in and struck him in the chest, sending him into the wall of the cabin. He slid down like a rag doll, unconscious. Smoke rose from the gaping hole in his body. She spun around to see a blue face twisted into a sneer. Kala!

  Chapter Six

  “I’m sorry; did I interrupt a touching moment?” Her voice was deep and full of malice.

  Violet froze. If she left to get the shotgun, Xan would be left alone with her. Would the shot gun even work? Her eyes darted to the door and back to the alien woman who stood on the porch steps.

  “He failed to remember the tracking device on the ship. Despite the wreck, it continued to operate. The penalty for running away from a mistress is death. I could kill you too for harboring him, but where would be the fun in that? I want you both to suffer while he dies in your arms.” Violet slid down to her knees beside her fallen knight.

  Kala’s eyes filled with glee as she gazed down at Xan’s body. He’d begun to stir; his body twitched and his eyes fluttered open. A look of pure panic crossed his face as he clenched his teeth, balled his hands into fists, and sat up.

  “It won’t be long now until you take your last breath. I’d stay and watch, but I have much better things to do. I just wanted you to see the face of the one who felled you before you died.”

  He growled low in his throat. Kala smirked.

  “This is why we don’t allow ourselves to feel emotions, girl. Let this be a lesson to you, tiny, fragile earth woman. You were a good warrior, Xanthus. You would’ve had an honorable death on Zenton, but now you will die here on Earth, doomed to be known to our people as a coward who ran away.”

  “No, I will die as a symbol of freedom.” His voice was hoarse and Violet winced along with him when his breath rattled in his chest. Kala’s eyes flashed.

  “I will never let that happen.”

  “It’s all ready begun.”

  His smile was triumphant. Kala’s face colored.

  “Even you can’t tamp down hope. I’d die a thousand times to give my people that.”

  “You’ll never live to know, so I still win.” Kala gestured toward Violet with her head. “I could snap your little human’s neck right now if I wanted to.”

  Xan struggled to his feet, placed Violet behind him, and held out his right hand. A blue shield surrounded them.

  “You will never touch a hair on her head.”

  “Yes, drain what little life force you have left protecting the weakling.”

  Her sneer made Violet bite her tongue. She’d be a fool to rile the Zenth up. Kala was even bigger than Xan. The women of the WNBA would go gaga over her. Xan was losing color in his face with each second that passed, but the shield held. His body began to tremble as the shield began to pulse.

  “We both know I won’t last much longer, but I can take both of us with me when I go.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Kala whispered.

  “I’d love nothing more than to rid the universe of your evil.”

  Kala’s face fell. She stepped back, suddenly uncertain.

  The energy began to pulse faster.

  “1o…9…8…7”

  Kala backed away from the porch.

  “6…. 5…”

  A furious expression spread across her face. She pressed the black band on her wrist. A shimmer danced around her body before it faded out, leaving behind nothing.

  The force field around them dropped and Xan slumped over onto Violet. Her knees buckled, but she managed to break his descent onto the ground.

  “Xan.”

  He was limp, unresponsive, and his breathing was shaky.

  “Oh God, what do I do?”

  This was beyond her simple knowledge of first aid. Davin. She hobbled over to the cabin door, unlocked the door, and stumbled in, dragging him one inch at a time. Violet rested him on the floor in front of the door and dug her cell phone out of her inner pocket.

  “Hey, big sis,” he said, in a cheerful voice. “I thought for sure you had gone into hibernation up at the cabin and we wouldn’t see or hear from you until the twenty-fifth.” “Davin, I need you to come to the cabin now. Someone’s hurt.” Despite her best effort, the word wavered.

  “You need to call 911 now, Violet.”All playfulness vanished from his tone. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes it’s not me and I can’t call the cops. I don’t have time to explain it. Bring whatever you can grab from your practice and come here please.”

  He sighed. “What do I need?”

  “I’m not sure. Anything you’d use for someone whose been injured and needs stitches, gauze, stuff to prevent infection and pain— You’re the one with the medical training, I trust your judgment.”

  “Vi-”

  “Davin, this is a life or death situation that involves someone I love.”

  She covered her mouth.

  Oh God, she loved him.

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes flat. Hang tight.”

  Chapter Seven

  A knock sounded on the door. She removed Xan’s head from her lap, placed it on the floor gently, stood, and rushed to the door. She opened it up and revealed her brother.

  “Thank God, I’ve never been so happy to see you or that you chose to become a doctor.”

  “What’s going on, Vi?” He stepped inside and came to a halt in front of Xan.

  “Who the hell is this?”

  “Okay, I’m going to need you to keep an open mind. His name is Xan…” She launched into a quick of what Xan was, and how he came to be at the cabin.

  “You can’t expect me to believe this.” His voice was dry, and his eyes were narrowed. She could practically hear him going through the things that would cause her mental episode.

  “Just look!”

  He removed the blanket she’d draped over Xan’s body and grew silent as the odd wound was revealed.

  “What did this?”

  “An alien blast,” she said.

  “I’m going to do my best to get him stabilized, sew this up, and figure out what will be safest to give him. You should go wait in another room; you don’t need to see this.”

  “Okay.”

  It felt like she was walking around in a fog. Her feet took her
to the kitchen, her body went through the motions of making coffee, but her mind was elsewhere. Now that she might lose him, she understood what he meant to her. She wanted to explore the connection that existed between them, see how far they could take it. Because the bond they felt had a forever kind of feel.