“I know what they did.” His hands skimmed my shoulders, moving down my back, his fingertips leaving behind a trail of fire on my skin. “It’s not important to me. You are everything I’ll ever want.”
His hands pulled me closer to his chest, signaling that he had wasted enough time. He lifted me from the floor and lowered me on the bed, kissing me. It was a kisses filled with love and promises. His hands made our clothes magically disappear, making me burn and ache for him. I was aware of nothing else except him, and the fire his hands and mouth ignited in me. I melted into him.
Chai reluctantly pulled his shirt over his head and searched the floor for his shoes that seemed to have ended up on the opposite side of the room. It was time for us to leave and I should get dressed too. I clutched the sheet covering me a bit closer to my chin. We didn’t want the Přízrak to send out a search party, but I couldn’t move. I was like a puddle of melted ice cream. My body felt like warm silky liquid. Chai stretched across the bed to retrieve a sock. I loved the way his muscles moved with him and I pressed a hand against his beating heart.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said grinning. “Otherwise we’ll never get back to earth.” That didn’t sound like such a bad idea and I blushed. I could stay here with him forever.
“Let’s stay. Just a little bit longer. Please.” Chai give me one look and the next he was on the bed hovering above me. He didn’t need any further convincing.
“I’ll do anything for you,” he whispered in my neck. He pressed feather light kisses on my collarbone, pulling the sheet away from my body covering me. I giggled. We were going to be late.
Chapter 22
A small welcoming committee waited for us in the control room when we returned. We ended up being more than a couple of hours late and Zalzi was not happy. He paced the room as we entered.
“Finally!” He threw his hands in the air to emphasize his words. “The Přízrak is not happy. Not happy at all. You took a big risk by not keeping to the time schedule.” He paused and remembered to whom he was talking. “Congratulations on your union.” A big smile broke over his face. He turned and bowed so low before me, his head nearly touched the floor.
“Thank you,” I managed through the silly smile plastered on my face. I couldn’t stop smiling and I knew I must look a totally love-struck idiot.
Bill fortunately didn’t say anything, but gave me and Chai both a bear hug. I knew it was his way of giving us his blessing. Arianna winked at me and made several lewd jokes, before Gaios finally managed to drag her away. But not before he took me in his arms.
“Welcome to our family. You are one of us now and we’ll always look after you.” His words touched my heart. I knew how important family was to them. Being orphans, they never had the security or love of a family, but they still managed to create their own.
“It’s an honor being a part of your family,” I answered just as solemnly and I meant it. I was in the same house long enough with a psychotic monster to know what a privilege it was finding people to love and call my own.
Gaios smiled and ruffled my hair. “And if this guy…” he shoved Chai. “…ever gives you problems, just let me know and I’ll be there in a second.” The love between them was so obvious; it bought tears to my eyes.
Erich stood beside me as I watched Chai and Gaios joking around. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets.
“Are you happy, Lexie?”
“Yes. More happy than I’ve ever been in my life.” I pulled his hand out of his pant pocket and squeezed it tightly. “I got more than I ever dreamed possible.”
“That’s good. You deserve it.” I knew he meant every word.
“I love you.” I knew more than anyone how special family was and I wasn’t going to let a day go by without letting them know how much I cared.
“Geez Lexie!” Erich pulled his hand from mine in mock frustration. “I know you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and no, I don’t want any details. Ever. But you’re going to make me bawl like a baby if you don’t stop.”
I laughed at his pretend disgust with me. He gave me a quick hug and whispered quickly in my hair that he loved me too.
I struggled getting dressed. The bed looked so warm and inviting and I considered getting back in. I had slept for hours and still was bone tired. Chai didn’t even wake me this morning when he left to go on patrol. He let me sleep and it was nearly ten when I finally woke up. I wondered if the Epsilon had something that resembled coffee in the mess hall. I needed a pick me up urgently.
The past couple of days I didn’t feel like myself. I was tired all the time, so much that I drifted off during lunch yesterday. I knew Chai noticed and he was watching me like a hawk, but I hacked it up to the massive amount of work we had to get done before the fleet of the Galactic Alliance arrives. They had won the war on Vargon and were on their way in full force to earth. Gaios estimated that they would arrive in a couple of days and things were pushed in high gear around here. When they arrive it will be all over. They will overthrow the Vandelrizi. The human race will once more be free.
We had been exceptionally busy the last three weeks since Chai and me returned from the short trip we took. Getting the human settled in on the ship wasn’t an easy task. Not everyone was happy being on an alien spaceship. They were understandably doubtful of the Galactic Alliance and their intentions. Rosa was absolutely magnificent. She never let up; she just kept going, setting their fears to rest. The ship was also now filled to capacity. We had to do a lot of rearranging and many had to share rooms. I gave up my room and moved in with Chai. We were bonded together by the laws of the Shidmina and for all intents and purposes it was the same as being married.
Chai was really busy and I saw less of him than I would have liked, but we got to spend every night together. I blushed and my stomach filled with warmth. We couldn’t get enough of each other. I loved the way he touched me. He held me in his arms as if I was the most precious thing on the face of the earth. I loved everything about him. I had never known it was possible to love someone this much. There was one thing that constantly bothered me. When it was all over what would happen to Chai. I thought of bringing it up and talking to him about it, but every time I chickened out. Would he stay on earth or would they allow me to go with him? I didn’t know what the future held for us.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I let the door slid open.
“Lexie…you have to come with me.” Erich’s face was deadly serious. His eyes darted to the floor as if he couldn’t stand to look at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“You have to come with me…now,” he repeated. My stomach twisted. I didn’t like this one bit.
Arianna was the first person I saw entering Bill’s office. I sucked in my breath. She was covered in dust and blood clotted around a deep wound on her arm. My eyes went from her tear streaked face, searching the room. Chai wasn’t there. He was with Arianna this morning. They went on patrol together. Arianna gave a sob when she saw me and Erich wrapped his arms around her, trying to console her. My body went rigid.
“Lexie, something happened.” Gaios reached for me. I lifted my hands to warn him off.
“No!” Please. Not this. Bile rose in my throat. This couldn’t be happening.
“Lexie, honey…” Bill rubbed his face with his fist.
“No!” I didn’t want them to say anything. I wanted Chai to step through the door and wrap me in his arms. I wanted to kiss him and see his beautiful smile. I wanted him to tell me everything was okay. The floor swayed beneath me. I wanted to hurl. How could God be so cruel? I finally had all the love in the world and now it was being taken away from me.
Gaios grabbed my shoulders and gave me a shook. “You have to be strong now. For Chai.”
“Where’s he?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“The Vandelrizi has him. They ambushed the patrol this morning.”
“There was too many…he saved my life,” sobbed Arianna, her face
distorted with pain and grief.
“They have him?” It meant for now he was okay. He was still alive. There was still hope.
“Yes. Robert Miller was there too. They captured him.” An eerie calmness settled on me. I tapped in to some unknown power inside me, keeping me upright and squashing the whirling emotions inside me into a small ball.
“The alliance will be here in a day or two. They’ll get him out. I’ve already let the Přízrak know what happened,” Bill said but I barely registered what he was saying. I couldn’t wait for the fleet to arrive. It would be too late. We needed to get Chai out of there now. The longer we waited, the bigger the chances were that…I couldn’t even think it. I knew how cruel Robert was. I knew what he was capable of. And the Vandelrizi…they wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.
My legs moved automatically down the corridors to my room. I had to change and grab a few things before heading for Palasium.
“Lexie, wait!” Arianna grabbed my arm and spun me around.
“You’re not going to stop me,” I said deadly calm as I pulled my arm from her grip.
“I’m not. I’m coming with you.” Tears spilled from her eyes and she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “He’s my family. We have to get him back.”
“And you’re not going anywhere without me.” Gaios appeared next to us. He crossed his arms, his lips pressed in a thin line. His eyes flashed dangerously and I knew he wanted to spill Vandelrizi blood.
“We’ll need weapons,” I said and Gaios nodded in agreement.
“I’ll get a truck ready. When are we leaving?” Erich asked. I frowned. I didn’t want him anywhere near Palasium.
“Erich, I don’t want to get you into anything dangerous.”
“We are family, Lexie. And families stick together. If you go, I go.” There was no arguing with him. Determination flashed in his eyes.
“Let’s do this.” I prayed that my family would be safe, but I mostly prayed for Chai. He had to survive.
Chapter 23
Gaios stopped the truck half a mile from Palasium. It was another scorching day out in the desert and my shirt stuck to my body. I took a sip of water from the canteen. Immediately I felt my stomach lurch in protest. I was nauseous. It was probably all the stress getting to me. My emotions were like a rollercoaster ride since I heard Chai was captured by the Vandelrizi.
“What’s the plan?” Gaios asked. There were only four of us against about fifty Vandelrizi and the soldiers of the Guard. The odds were stacked against us. I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as Chai was safe. He was all that mattered.
“We can’t go in using the tunnels. After we rescued the slaves, they must know about the tunnels,” Arianna said and chewed on what was left of her thumb nail.
“Maybe we can try the west side. There’s always less soldiers on patrol that side of Palasium.” Gaios was grasping at straws. We both knew that Robert would have increased the security of the wall, especially now that he had one of us inside Palasium. He would expect us to launch some kind of rescue mission. But there was one thing Robert would not be counting on. Me. He would never expect me to be a part of the rescue and I knew him better than anyone else.
“No.” Everyone turned to me. “We go in the front gate.” The looks I got told me they thought I finally lost it. “They won’t expect it. They will concentrate all their forces on the wall. And none of us here are scared of a little fight.” Gaios grinned at me.
“Shit,” Erich mumbled.
Gaios gunned the gas and we sped over the sand, the truck nearly taking off over bumps in the road. I fought back the nausea. I should’ve asked Sylvain for something before we left, but it was too late now and I dug my nails into my thighs. We didn’t tell Bill what we were planning. He would’ve tried to stop us.
Gaios brought the truck to a skidding halt in front of the gates. Soldiers scrambled to the sides, grabbing their weapons. An alarm resounded through the city announcing our arrival. I climbed from the truck and lifted my hands. I pulled on the power tightly coiled inside me, putting every ounce I had behind my thoughts. The heavy iron gates squeaked and then flew up in the air, ripping from their hinges and landed with a thud a few feet away. Erich gawked at me. I had been practicing and the anger inside me fueled my power.
Next were the soldiers pointing their rifles at us, fear in their eyes. With one sweep of my hand, I brushed them out of the way.
“Remind me never to mess with you,” Gaios said in awe.
Gaios and Arianna didn’t waste any time, storming through the gates, taking out soldiers as far as they went. They were the perfect team, anticipating each other’s moves, not hesitating once.
I headed through the winding streets, straight for the Vandelrizi palace. There was only one place Chai could be. There were rooms in the palace, holding cells, for prisoners. I was sure that’s where they would keep him.
Two soldiers dived for me and I ducked the first one’s outstretched fist. I wasn’t fast enough and the second soldier grabbed my shirt and threw me to the ground. Before he could make another move, Gaios ripped him from his feet and smashed his head into a brick wall with a sickening crack. I scrambled to my feet.
“Keep going,” Gaios grunted and grabbed another soldier by the neck. There was no time to thank him. I sprinted the last few feet to the palace, knowing the others had my back. It was my task to find Chai. I raised my hand and the double doors of the palace flew open. Cool air engulfed me. Of course they had air conditioning inside. Thick red carpet covered the marble floor. Two hallways led from the room. Left or right. I racked my memory. I didn’t often visit the Vandelrizi palace and I had only once seen the holding cells, but I was sure they were to the right. I ran down the hallway, throwing open doors as far as I went. All the rooms were deserted and I got more frantic as I searched. All the holding cells were empty. What if I was wrong and he wasn’t here? Panic clawed at me from the inside. I couldn’t lose him…
It was at the last door at the end of the hallway that I found them.
Robert Millar stood huffing in a corner. His face red and sweaty, his tunic drenched with sweat. He relaxed when he saw me. He was expecting rebels, not me. There was a Vandelrizi with him. He blinked at me with his red eyes, hovering above the floor.
“Bill sent you?” Robert laughed loudly.
“He didn’t.” I deliberately tried to slow my breathing. I had to keep a clear head. I couldn’t let him get to me.
This wasn’t a holding cell and I felt the panic clawing its way to my throat. It looked more than some kind of laboratory. My eyes swept the room taking in the various machines, computers and glass tubes and containers sitting on tables across the room. Then I saw him lying on a narrow steel table in the corner of the room. Thin wires leading from the machines were connected to his head. He wasn’t moving. I couldn’t even tell if he was breathing. I had to fight everything inside me not to rush to him.
“I’m happy to see you Alexis. You’re home.” The sly manipulative tone of Roberts’s voice sliced through me. I wanted to choke. This wasn’t my home.
“Stop the bullshit, Robert.” I glared at him. The Vandelrizi next to him shifted slightly and eyed me suspiciously. I felt him trying to probe me with his telepathic power, but I shielded him easily like Chai had taught me. He blinked a couple of times in shock.
“Don’t talk to me like that. I’m still your father.” Anger flared in Robert’s eyes. Before it would have terrified me, but now I knew I was stronger than him, not just physically. I didn’t give a damn what he was able to say or do to me.
“You’re nothing. Bill is my father.”
“So he told you. You know now how your mother betrayed me. I should’ve killed him when I had the chance.”
You’re not even half the man he is. You’re nothing but a pathetic old man.” His face contorted in shock at my blatant words and he gave a barely noticeable nod to the Vandelrizi.
The Vandelrizi lifted a hand, but I was ready.
I blocked the wave of power like Chai showed me. His eyes widened. I didn’t wait. I raised my hand, lifting him from his feet and smashed him into the wall. He slid to the ground unmoving.
Robert gaped at me. “You’re a …”
“Yeah, I am.” I rushed to Chai and yanked wires from his unmoving body. “What did you do to him?” My voice was steady, but on the inside I was a quavering mess. Chai’s face was bruised and bloodied, but he was still breathing.
“Let me show you.” Robert typed something on the computer next to him and Chai opened his eyes. “These creatures have a little computer chip in their brains. It was really easy to reprogram it. Now you’re friend will do exactly what I tell him. He is the perfect soldier…under my command.” I didn’t miss the threat in his voice.
Chai swung his legs from the bed and stood towering over me. His face was emotionless. His eyes were empty. I tried to reach him in my mind, but there was nothing. No response. He was gone.
“Chai…look at me.” My voice pleaded with him to recognize me. He took a step toward me. In my peripheral vision I could see more Vandelrizi floating into the room. I was outnumbered. Robert held out his hand stopping them in their tracks. He didn’t want them to interfere; he was practically basking in his own pride to show me what his new soldier was capable of doing.
“Kill her,” Robert ordered and I gasped. Chai took another step towards me and I stumbled backward. I didn’t recognize him. He was a stranger in an empty shell. His eyes were empty - I couldn’t find the warmth of the sun in them.
“Chai please.” I lifted a hand and let it drop again. I couldn’t hurt him. I loved him too much. No matter what he did to me, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. His hand reached for me and for one glorious moment I thought he was going to touch my cheek like he always did, but instead his fingers closed around my throat like a steel band. I felt the familiar smoke, the Aikai, enter me, but it wasn’t like before. It wasn’t warm and soothing, but dark and menacing. Deadly. It twirled inside me, reaching every corner, slowly squeezing the life from me. I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t feel my heart beating. There was only darkness and pain. Tears rolled down my face and far off I could hear myself whimper as the life was being squeezed from me. This wasn’t supposed to be how it ended.
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