by Lea Kirk
It’d been two weeks since Ora explained the Matiran Promise of Faith tradition, and Alex still hadn’t done it. It should be so simple. Walk in, find Gryf, press palms. Done.
In front of everyone. She swallowed hard against the flare of panic.
The low murmur of people gathering for evening meal drifted over her. Gryf was in there somewhere, waiting. He never ate without her. But big, chicken shit Alex doesn’t have the guts to go in. God, she hated having an audience. Public speaking had never been her forte, mostly because she wasn’t comfortable being the center of attention. And the promise of faith would definitely put her smack dab in the center of the camp’s attention.
A soft growl of frustration rumbled at the back of her throat. That’s ridiculous. Suck it up, walk in there and do it.
She paused her pacing and gave her hands a narrow-eyed glare. Great, her palms were sweaty. How romantic was that?
“Alexandra?”
“Eep!” She swung around to face Gryf.
“What troubles you, compa?”
He stood so close, his eyes full of compassion and concern. Fuzz filled her brain. No chance of making a rational response now. Should she throw herself on him and have him for dinner? What would be really great was if he had her for dinner.
“Nothing.” Heat rose to her cheeks. “I...I just have some things on my mind. You can go back in, I’ll be there in a few.”
“I will wait with you.”
Oh, no, he couldn’t do that. She’d never be able to work up her nerve with him standing right here. “Gryf, please, I just need to be alone for a few minutes.”
He frowned at her. What if he didn’t leave? Should she just palm press him here? No, that wouldn’t work. Ora said it had to be public, and most everyone was inside the cave.
“I will wait for you inside,” Gryf said, then turned away.
He had the most beautiful set to his shoulders, strong and confident. The masculine line of his back tapered to a trim waist. Her lips parted. And his butt...mmm.
Gryf’s step faltered, and flames erupted in her cheeks again. Good grief. Had he sensed her thoughts?
Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around. He didn’t, but she waited until he reentered the cave before she blew out her breath in a gust. Good thing mind reading was a myth. If Gryf knew some of the things she’d been thinking….
But sending him away was unfair to him. At the very least, she could have given him an explanation. He deserved so much better than her. He deserved someone with more confidence. Someone who would have palm pressed him the moment she’d found out about the tradition.
Get over yourself, Alex. She straightened her spine and walked into the low, wide cavern.
The voices were louder inside, and the large number of bodies raised the temperature of the cave to a comfortable range.
Even in the crowd, her soul found Gryf like a magnet to steel. He had his head tipped to one side, his expression attentive but his eyes distant as Duck engaged a small audience with a story, probably his eye surgery.
It was now or never. She stopped ten feet away from him, in full sight of everyone, and raised her right hand next to her. The volume in the cavern dropped as other Matirans noticed her. Gryf stiffened, his posture alert as his gaze roamed the space until he found her. Comprehension lit his eyes, and the corners of his mouth tipped upward. Then he did what she most hoped, and feared. He raised his left hand, and—oh, my, that was a come hither look if she’d ever seen one.
A swarm of butterflies invaded her stomach as she stepped toward him. The Matirans present moved aside to allow her through, quick explanations being uttered to their Terrian counterparts.
By the time she came to a stop in front of him, the large cavern was silent. Gryf hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time, and she loved that. Why had she ever worried? She had put that smile on his lips. When she pressed her palm to his, the butterflies migrated to her heart. Gryf’s eyes sparkled, his other hand slipped around her waist, drawing her closer. She raised her face and his mouth captured hers.
The butterflies careened through her body, and her toes curled inside her hiking boots. Oh, wow. She moved her left hand up his arm and behind Gryf’s neck to seal her mouth to his. A slow, pleasant heat blossomed between her legs.
Duck whooped, and the space around them erupted with enthusiastic approval. A bubble of laughter escaped Alex, and Gryf pulled back. “Now I understand why you needed to be alone. You were working yourself up to do this.”
“This was a bit...different for me.”
His hands brushed her hair back from her face. “We are a bit different.”
That was putting it mildly.
“Thank you, compa,” he said. “Words are insufficient to express how you made me feel tonight. I am honored and blessed to love you.”
Her heart lodged in her throat. “You...you love me?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“No. I guess not.” She gave him a smile. “Especially since I love you too.”
Chapter Eighteen
The afternoon sun warmed Gryf on the outside as the glow of Alexandra’s promise of faith last night warmed him within. The chords from Nick’s guitar were identical to the Matiran chatarom Gryf’s aunt had played when he and Ora were young. The familiar sound washed over him, and the carefree days of childhood were within his grasp.
“Another one?” Nick asked.
Eleven children responded with a jubilant course of yes’s. They loved Nick, of this there was no doubt. And Bodie too, when he wasn’t out on supply runs. Nick’s fingers fluttered over the guitar strings again. The children settled, giving Nick their full attention as he sang about a sailor, an air ship, and sailing away to the stars. Li-Min and the children joined in the chorus.
Alexandra’s arm slipped around Gryf’s waist and the weight of her head rested against his shoulder. Ah, compa. Are there words in English to describe how beautiful you feel to me? I can think of none in Matiran. He moved his hand to the small of her back. In this peaceful setting, it was easy to forget they were at war.
“I love this song,” Alexandra murmured and leaned close to him. Her lips offered an enticing invitation he would be a fool to ignore. Closing his eyes, he savored their soft warmth. If ever there was a moment in life he would remember with unparalleled clarity as an old man, this was one. He would kiss her all day if she would allow it.
A sharp whistle nearby cut through the peaceful afternoon, ending their romantic moment. Or if the watch gives warning. Gryf pulled his head up to locate Cassian at the top of a tower of white rock. Two fingers up, fist in palm…
“Double rider, incoming.”
The group burst of activity ensued as Nick and Li-Min gathered the children and disappeared farther into the rocks. Gryf drew his telum, and cast a glance at Alexandra. Her telum was in her hand and she appeared ready to meet the intruder. A fierce sense of pride swelled within his heart. Excellent.
A familiar grey dappled horse appeared at the end of the narrow gully between the stones, heaving itself up the trail at a dangerous speed. Gryf glanced back up at Cassian for a signal. “Matiran. Cleared.”
He squinted against the sun’s glare. “Looks like Alta...carrying a Terrian child.”
“But where’s the rest of the supply patrol?” Alexandra murmured.
“Where, indeed?” Holstering his telum, Gryf stepped out as the horse came abreast their hiding place. Alta reined in, the beast’s hoofs clattered against the grey-white granite.
Gryf grasped the halter. “Steady, friend.”
Alta lowered a tiny, dark haired Terrian girl into Alexandra’s waiting arms before dismounting.
“Sir,” she panted, bending over to catch her breath. “Anferthians...at the gas station. Double patrol.”
His gut clenched. Ska. How did six Anferthians get so far up in elevation in just one day? Their intensive manual search pattern should have kept them at the lower elevations for weeks.
; Alexandra’s free hand glided over Alta in search of signs of injury. “Alta is clear, Gryf. The child is critical.”
His heart sank to his toes. Dry flaky skin, distended belly, glassy green eyes...all signs that the girl suffered from malnutrition. The precious child did not appear to be more than three cycles of age. Too young to have suffered so much. Gryf cupped his hand to Alexandra’s cheek. “I’ll join you in the infirmary as soon as I am able.”
She nodded, and took off running with the child cradled in her arms. A movement between the rocks caught his attention. Nick gave a hands up shrug as if asking what was happening.
“A moment, Nick.” Gryf turned to Alta. “Where are the others, Crewman?”
“Coming back from different directions to be harder to follow,” she reported. “We took out two of the enemy patrol, sir, but they have Simone.”
“The Anferthians have Simone?”
“Yes, sir. Commander Roble went after her.”
All the hells. That was not what he wanted to hear. “Who did he take with him?”
“No one, sir.” She straightened. She seemed to be recovering from her mad ride. “They appeared to be rogue, Captain. No communication devices, just weapons. As if they did not want to be found.”
“They may be dissenters.”
“No, sir. They fought back even after they saw our uniforms.”
Many bad words crowded his head. He clamped his lips together before they used his mouth as an exit portal. Just what they needed, rogue Anferthians roaming the mountains. Graig was right to go after them, regardless of Simone being a hostage.
“Alta, have whoever is at the stable bring in the horses. All hands are to return to the main cave immediately. After that, you are to report to medical.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nick, see Li-Min and the children to the cave, then find Ora. Tell her we’re going to ground, and help her get the word out. Rogue Anferthians.”
~ * ~
Alex rocked the silent girl from the gas station. Dante sat nearby, studying something projected on the tabletop by a palm-size gadget called a data device. A fascinating piece of Matiran technology that seemed to hold more information than the entire internet ever had. The current peacefulness in the infirmary could be interrupted at any moment by a medical crisis. It hadn’t taken long for Alex to learn how to manage these times of low stress to her advantage.
Two days had gone by without so much as a whimper from the small, dark-haired girl. And when she slept, she twitched a lot, emitting small mewls and an occasional sharp cry. Her REMs were almost constant, so it could be nightmares. What had happened to her? How had she ended up at that gas station?
You know exactly what happened. Alex brushed her hand over the soft curls. The Anferthians and Kotas had stolen the little girl’s childhood. Deprived her of her family. Left her with no food except the crap she could find inside the gas station store. Candy bars, beef sticks, even coffee grounds, according to Alta.
I want to know your name. I want to listen to your voice, and hear you laugh like a child should.
A slow burning heat smoldered in Alex’s chest. This little one’s mother would never again hold her close and rock her to sleep. Her father would never swing her over his head as she laughed. In fact, none of the orphaned children in camp would share these moments with their parents ever again. And if the Anferthians succeeded, childhood as Alex had known it would cease to exist.
But what could be done to stop the invaders? It’d been two months since their horrific arrival, and so far no word from the Matiran Defense Fleet. What if the DF didn’t even exist anymore? What if Matir was also under Anferthian control? That would mean more lives had been lost, more grieving survivors. More lost childhoods.
“Miss Alex?”
Alex looked up, and her heart stuttered in her chest. Gryf stood in the entryway to the infirmary, his arm resting across the shoulder of one of the camp orphans. At seven years old, Flora MacDonald had the height of an average twelve-year-old. Despite the awkwardness of being taller than her peers, she was self-assured and confident; a natural leader in the eyes of the other camp children. Except right now she shifted from foot to foot as though nervous.
“Come in, Flora,” Alex invited, welcoming the copper-haired girl. “What can I help you with, sweetie?”
Gryf patted the girl’s shoulder and Flora seemed to regain her resolve. She crossed the room, coming to a stop inches from Alex’s knees. Her china blue eyes watched the tiny mystery girl.
“Has she talked yet?” Flora asked.
“Not yet, I’m afraid.”
“Oh.”
Something seemed to be on the girl’s mind. A little coaxing couldn’t hurt. “I hate to admit it, but Dr. Dante and I are almost out of ideas”.
The freckled face lit up. “I have an idea!”
“We’d love to hear it,” Dante said from his stool near the microscopes.
“I could sing to her.” Flora paused, biting her bottom lip with sudden, uncharacteristic anxiety. “I think she would like that.”
Alex gave the child a smile. “That’s a great idea. Let’s try.”
Flora leaned forward, bracing her palms on Alex’s knees, her bright red hair hung like a curtain as if to block out the rest of the world. Then she softly sang You are My Sunshine. By the fourth note, the bright green eyes were riveted on Flora, as though drawn by the older girl’s clear, sweet voice. Alex gave Dante a pointed look over Flora’s head.
When the song ended, Flora looked up. “I think it worked, Miss Alex. Should I do another one?”
Shifting in the rocker, Alex pushed to her feet. “Most definitely. And, you should hold her while you sing.”
“Can I?”
Are you kidding? Alex wanted to whoop. Their little gas station girl had reacted! “Yes, you may. Take my spot, sweetie.”
Once the girls were settled in the chair, Alex stepped away to watch. The solid comfort of Gryf’s body appeared at her side. Flora sang softly, as if no one else existed except for the precious child in her arms. A moment later, the dark-haired girl reached up and rested her tiny hand on Flora’s cheek.
Covering her mouth with her hand, Alex blinked back her tears. A connection was made! The older girl smiled, but didn’t stop singing until she reached the end of the song.
Flora looked up, her gaze flit from one adult to another. “Can I give her a name?”
Alex gave Gryf and Dante a questioning look. “I don’t see why not.”
“What name will you give her?” Gryf asked.
The girl lowered her gaze to the child in her arms. “She wants to be called Maggie.”
“Maggie is beautiful, Flora.”
“It is,” Dante said. “How would you like to sing to her every day?”
Flora’s eyes light up. “I would love that, Dr. Dante!”
“The job is yours, puella. Please continue.”
Flora grinned, then turned her attention back to Maggie and began singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
Gryf’s fingers fluttered over the back of Alex’s hand as he brought his mouth close to her ear. “Would you be interested in joining me on watch duty tonight?”
His warm breath tickled her cheek, and her heart rate increased. “Isn’t someone else already scheduled to watch with you?”
“Corporal Reyes from Gunner’s platoon. He has…an affliction.”
A vague sense of disquiet niggled at her, but she couldn’t seem to focus on anything but Gryf’s lips. “Is he…if he’s ill, he should come to the infirmary.”
“It’s not something you or Dante can correct.”
She blinked and frowned. “Not something…” Oh! Now she got it. “I’m sure his nurse will take good care of him. And, yes, I can fill in for him.”
“Excellent. Thank you. Our post will be Cave Twenty-eight, where Duck and Bodie found us. Since it is a fair distance to walk, I shall meet you at the main entrance one and a half hours before sunset.” He turn
ed away and strode toward the opening.
That’s it? Was a simple peck on the cheek too much to hope for? And why, oh why, did his uniform always seem to accentuate his butt? Alex forced her eyes to look away. Every damn time that man had his back to her, she couldn’t help staring at that body part.
She pushed away the unanswered aching need in her heart, and returned her attention to the two girls bonding in the one and only rocking chair in camp.
Chapter Nineteen
After so many weeks in the constant company of her camp mates, the isolation of Cave Twenty-eight was a welcome reprieve to Alex. Perched at the crown of a huge rock above the cave, she gazed out over the shadowy points of the treetops. The starry July night wrapped around her like velvet creating an illusion that she and Gryf were the only people in the world. She could almost imagine that the catastrophe of two months ago hadn’t happened.
She pointed upward. “That line of three stars is called Orion’s Belt. If you go down, you’ll see his legs, there and there. And those stars make his body, shield, and sword.”
Gryf’s arm pressed against her own from shoulder to wrist. The touch of his skin on hers was both comforting and distracting, which didn’t make it easy to concentrate on the amateur astronomy lesson.
He shifted, the silhouette of his finger rising to point was a clear outline to her night vision. “And he is hunting a bear?”
“Ursa Major, the Big Bear. It’s right there.”
Gryf’s low chuckle warmed her from the inside. “It is a shame he never will taste Maria’s bear stew. It is exceptional.”
A giggle escaped her. “Yes, it is.”
There were so many things in her life Alex had never expected to eat. Bear stew was one of them. Yet she’d done exactly that a month and a half ago in the cave just below them during a snow storm. Cave Twenty-eight, as it had been designated, where Gryf had saved her life by healing her of Haesi’s toxic poisons.