by S. E. Smith
“Thank you, Ben,” Evetta said, reluctantly pulling away from him. “For giving me something to dream about.”
Ben watched as Evetta walked quietly out of the room. His eyes lingered on the gentle swell of her hips. He felt his body’s reaction to the thought of having a family with her. Dreams… He hoped there really was a Goddess somewhere looking down on them. Hopefully, she would see something in them worth saving.
He turned when he felt an unusual stillness in the figure lying on the bed. It looked like their guest was waking up. He just hoped she was willing to listen to him before she demanded they return her to her friends.
*.*.*
Carmen Walker frowned as she lay still. Her mind flashed through the events. She had been enjoying her first trip to an alien Spaceport. She was used to the idea of aliens. Hell, she better be as she was one herself now.
She might be human, but her mating with a Valdier dragon shifter had unexpected consequences. As the true mate of a Valdier male, she was accepted by his three elements: the man, the dragon and his symbiot. The other unexpected consequence was the change to her own body once he claimed her.
Carmen heard the faint sounds of feminine voices in the background, but they were not in the same room. She cautiously opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. She jerked in surprise when she saw a pair of dark brown eyes looking back at her. Worry clouded them as they gazed down at her.
“Can you understand me?” The male asked in a voice that sounded like it had been a while since he spoke English.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Carmen asked in confusion.
The man smiled nervously down at her. “My name is Ben Cooper. Are you okay? I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t know that Evetta and Hanine would do this,” he replied quietly.
Carmen’s eyes followed him as he pulled a chair up near the bed. Her eyes flew to the two purple-skinned women that came into the room to stand quietly behind him. One of them was biting her lip while the other looked at Ben with worry. One of the women said something to Ben before she turned and disappeared into the other room again.
“Why… why did they kidnap me?” Carmen asked, staring at the strange woman standing behind him.
Ben carefully watched the woman as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. He didn’t say anything as she looked around the room. He knew what she would see. The room was dim, with only a couple of small lights on. The walls were dark and worn, but it was clean even if the furniture and fixtures were shabby.
He studied the room as well, trying to see it through her eyes. The walls and floor were a dull gray. The furniture was sparse with only the single bed, a small table, and a chair. The outer room did not look much better. She would see that it contained another beat-up table and four chairs.
“Where am I?” Carmen asked, turning her gaze back to him.
“In the apartment we are temporarily renting,” Ben replied quietly. He turned slightly and held his hand out. “This is Evetta. She is my wife,” he said gently as his fingers closed over the slender purple ones. “My brother and I were kidnapped from Earth almost fifteen years ago. We were sold as slaves several times before the freighter we served on was raided five years ago by the warship Evetta and her sister were eventually transferred to. We convinced every species, since we were taken, that my brother, Aaron, and I couldn’t be separated or we would die. Evetta and her sister worked as engineering and programming specialists on the warship that hijacked ours.”
“I saw Ben,” Evetta said hesitantly, looking at Ben with a soft smile. “His touch and his voice made me feel things I have never felt before. I would give my life for him. He is my husband,” she said proudly as she smiled down at him.
Ben returned Evetta’s smile before turning back to gaze at Carmen with a serious expression. “We’ve been on the run ever since we escaped two weeks ago. Aaron was wounded in the escape. He needs help. Evetta and Hanine were searching for a healer who would work for cheap. We don’t have a lot of credits,” he said tiredly. “I am too unusual to go out. It would have immediately sent up a red flag.”
Evetta looked at Carmen. “My sister and I saw you. You looked like my husband and his brother. We thought you would know how to heal my sister’s husband. He is in much pain. You travel with the Valdier. Their gold is magic. You will use it to heal him,” Evetta said with determination. “My sister’s husband cannot die.”
Ben waited as Carmen looked back and forth between him and Evetta as if trying to make up her mind. After several long seconds, she released her breath. Ben pushed backwards as she swung her long legs over the side of the bed.
“Let me take a look at him. I might not be able to do much, but the healer aboard the Horizon can help him,” she said, rising up off the narrow bed. “I’ll do everything I can to help you,” she added, placing her hand on Ben’s arm in encouragement. “You, your brother, and your wives are welcome to leave with us when we go. We have two other humans who were also taken. I am hoping my mate will return them to Earth.”
Ben smiled down at Evetta when she carefully removed Carmen’s hand from his arm before pulling him closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed it in assurance before whispering that he loved her. He gently reminded her that he would never leave, even if given a chance to return to Earth. His place was now with her.
He glanced back at Carmen. “I appreciate the offer. We would be happy for the transportation to somewhere safe, but neither my brother nor I can return to Earth. As you can imagine, Evetta and Hanine would stand out, and we won’t leave them,” Ben said in a quiet, determined voice.
“I know exactly how you feel. Let’s take a look at your brother,” Carmen replied with a small grin.
Ben turned and walked into the other room. Aaron was lying on a narrow bed that was pushed up against the wall. Ben watched as his brother opened pain-filled eyes to stare up at the human female. He was too exhausted to even show if he was surprised at seeing another human. Hanine leaned over him and gently wiped his brow with a damp cloth. She turned and looked at Carmen with pleading eyes.
“Please, help my husband,” Hanine said slowly. “He is in much pain.”
“I’ll see if I can help,” Carmen responded in a gentle voice. “I will need to contact my friends. He will need more than I can do.”
“No!” Hanine said, rising to stand protectively in front of Aaron. “You help! You are the same as him! You know how to fix him.”
“I’m not a healer, Hanine,” Carmen replied carefully. “I will do everything I can to help him, though. Please, trust me. I would not hurt any of you.”
*.*.*
Hanine stared at Carmen before she reluctantly stepped to one side. It was killing her to see Aaron so weak and in so much pain. She watched as the alien female brushed her hand over Aaron’s forehead before she gently pulled back the bandage over his wound.
“It’s infected,” the female remarked as she pulled the cover further back.
Hanine watched as the female paused, staring down at the gold on her wrist. She appeared to be having a silent argument with it. After a minute, the gold dissolved. Hanine watched in wonder and hope as it flowed over the gaping infected wound on Aaron’s side. It only stayed against him for a few seconds, but Hanine could see the skin did not look as angry as it had before. Hanine’s eyes flew up to the human female when the gold reformed around her wrist without completely healing Aaron.
The woman shook her head and rose to her feet. “His wound is too bad and my symbiot is too small to heal it completely. It was able to draw out most of the infection and clean the wound. He needs additional healing that my symbiot can’t do,” she explained, turning to look at them.
“No! You make it heal him! I want him healed!” Hanine demanded angrily.
*.*.*
Aaron was still in a lot of pain. Hanine felt the wall of despair and helplessness shatter around her heart. It was too much; the constant fear,
the knowledge that she was helpless to help her mate, then the female’s refusal to heal him. It was all too much for the fragile hold she held on her emotions. The female stared back at her, not moving, even as Hanine pulled her laser sword from the sheath at her side.
“He is too badly injured for it to completely heal him,” the woman insisted calmly. “Hanine, I know what it is like to lose someone you love. If you let me contact my people, he can survive. Please. It is the only way.”
“It is a trick,” Hanine whispered hoarsely, raising her laser sword. “You could heal him if you wanted to, but you think to trick us and turn us in. My husband will not die!”
“Hanine,” a weak voice whispered. “She is right. I could tell it did what it could, love. Trust her,” Aaron forced out in a dry, raspy voice as he looked up at her. “For me… for us. Trust her.”
Hanine started to reply when the door to their small, dingy apartment shattered. She cried out as a very furious golden Werebeast filled the doorway. Long gold tentacles shot outward, wrapping around her arm and jerking her roughly toward it while another section of gold flowed to form a shield in front of the human female.
Chaos exploded as Aaron roared out weakly from where he was lying on the narrow bed while Ben thrust Evetta behind him. Hanine’s loud scream echoed in the room as the gold creature pulled her under its massive body.
Within seconds, the large figures of the Twin Dragons from the tavern burst into the room with their laser swords and pistols drawn. One of them raised his pistol, aiming it at the center of Ben’s chest as he shielded Evetta. Only Carmen remained calm as the world exploded around them.
“Cree! Don’t you dare!” Carmen yelled out at the top of her lungs. “Harvey, let Hanine go right this instant! I mean it. Now!”
Hanine’s eyes were frozen on Aaron even as the creature held her captive. She ignored the pain where two of the dagger-like teeth had punctured the skin on her throat. She struggled fruitlessly to escape. Her only thought was that she had to protect Aaron.
“Calm down,” Carmen demanded in a sharp voice. “Harvey, let me out.”
Hanine’s eyes moved to the human female as the glimmering shield around her dissolved. The female took a step toward her. Hanine gazed up at her as she shooed the golden creature back and away. She carefully accepted the woman’s outstretched hand.
“This is Harvey,” Carmen explained with a small smile as Hanine moved slightly behind her in an effort to get away from the creature that had almost killed her. “Those two are the Bobbsey Twins, Cree and Calo. Don’t worry about which is which. They answer to either.”
“So help me, Carmen,” Calo muttered in a dark voice. “What in the dragon’s balls is going on, and why are you protecting a couple of Marastin Dow scum?”
“Shut your mouth,” Ben growled, taking a step toward Calo. “That scum you are talking about are my wife and my brother’s wife!”
The other Twin Dragon warrior whistled under his breath. “You mated with one of them?” Cree asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at Hanine and Evetta in surprise.
“Yes,” Ben replied harshly. “I don’t give a damn what you think about it. If you can’t be polite to her, then keep your mouth shut, or I’ll shut it for you.”
Calo chuckled. “You look like a good breeze would knock you out,” he remarked casually before turning back to the human female. “Carmen, do you want to explain why Cree and I shouldn’t kill them?”
“Because if you do, I’ll have to kick both your asses, and then I’ll let Creon know you upset me. I think he might just kill you for that alone,” Carmen retorted. “Evetta and Hanine saw me and knew I was human like Ben and Aaron. Aaron needs immediate medical attention. They thought I could help him since we are the same species. Now, quit being such an ass and help me get them back to the Horizon.”
Cree looked skeptically at Hanine before turning to look at Evetta. “You realize that the Marastin Dow are not to be trusted,” he commented.
Hanine bowed her head to hide her grin when Carmen flipped up her middle finger at the Twin Dragon warrior. “Go to hell, Cree. I trust them. If I categorized every Valdier the same way you do the Marastin Dow, I wouldn’t trust any of you.”
Hanine, Ben and Evetta all looked at each other in amusement as the unusual female ordered the dragon warriors to take all of them to their warship. It was only when Aaron’s soft moan of pain echoed through the room that it drew everyone’s attention to the urgency of the situation.
“We need to get him to the Horizon without drawing too much attention,” Carmen explained to the Twin Dragons in a voiced filled with worry. “Ben and Evetta are worried there might be some Marastin Dow still looking for them.”
Everyone turned to look at Evetta when she quietly spoke up. Her eyes were glued to her sister as she spoke. She knew that what she was about to reveal would cost them a valuable tool should they need to escape, but right now Aaron was more important than the portable teleporter that Hanine had designed.
“Hanine has that covered,” Evetta said, nodding to her sister. “Take us to their docking bay, Hanine.”
Hanine lifted a computer slate into her hands and touched a series of commands. “Hold on,” she said with a smile before she brushed her finger over it again.
Chapter 12
Hanine bit her lip as two huge warriors shifted Aaron onto a medical skiff. She had teleported the small group to the landing bay where the Valdier warship was docked. One of the huge warriors had called for a medical team as soon as they arrived. Within minutes, Aaron had been transferred to the medical skiff. She ignored the suspicious looks the Valdier warriors kept casting her way, she only cared about Aaron. He had turned extremely pale again and was lying very still.
Another large Valdier warrior wearing the symbol of a healer walked over to check the wound on Aaron’s side. Hanine stepped protectively toward her mate. She glanced from Aaron to the male.
“Please…,” she started to say. “Please, help him. I love him so much. Please heal him.”
Tandor, the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Horizon, started in surprise when he felt the slender hand touch his arm. His eyes jerked from the pale purple fingers to the face of the Marastin Dow female who was staring at him with her heart in her eyes. He glanced over at Cree and Calo, who shrugged their shoulders.
“What happened?” Tandor asked more out of curiosity than the need to know. It was obvious the male had a knife wound that needed immediate attention. What confused him was the reason a Marastin Dow was in his medical unit. “He is in bad shape. Why wasn’t he taken care of before this?”
Tandor watched as the female’s bottom lip trembled and a single tear coursed down her cheek. He was surprised when a wave of remorse washed through him at his callous question. He decided the best course of action was to get the human in a regeneration bed and on a nutrient drip. He would find out what happened after the male was stablized.
“Can you save him?” The other human male asked gruffly. “He’s my brother.”
Tandor raised an eyebrow when he saw the male’s arm wrapped protectively around the other Marastin Dow female. Shaking his head in wonder, he realized the male mistook his response when he heard the sharp hiss.
“Yes,” Tandor rapidly assured the male. “Your brother will recover. I just… oh, never mind. Get him into the other room. I need to finish cleaning the wound and close it. He’ll need to be in the regen-bed for at least a day or two. He’ll be weak when he comes out, but with proper food and rest he should make a full recovery.”
Tandor jerked back in shock when he suddenly found a sobbing Marastin Dow female clinging to him. She was babbling her thanks and how she would never forget what he was doing. He looked over at Carmen when he heard her giggle.
His eyes swiveled to Cree and Calo, who held up their hands and backed away from him. He shook his head when he saw the other Marastin Dow female wrapped in the other male’s arms. Both of them were crying.
“
I think it is safe to leave them alone.” Ben heard Carmen whisper to the security officer who arrived under orders when Carmen returned with two Marastin Dow. “Ben, if you like, I can show you and Evetta to a cabin. Tandor, I think Hanine would like to remain with her mate. If you don’t mind ordering some clean clothing and food for her, I would appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Tandor replied, awkwardly patting Hanine’s back. “I need to take care of your mate. Why don’t you get cleaned up and eat while I do?”
He breathed a sigh of relief when Hanine nodded silently and released him. She smiled, her face twisting as she fought to regain control of her emotions. She breathed deeply and took another step backwards as Tandor ordered the medics to transfer Aaron to the other room.
“Will you be alright?” Ben asked softly.
“Yes,” Hanine replied, watching through the glass as Aaron was transferred onto another bed and a large casing closed around him. “Yes, I think I will be now. Go. You both need rest and food as well. I will stay with Aaron. Now that I know he is being healed, I will be fine.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you should…” Evetta started to say before her voice faded as Hanine turned to face her. “Get some food and rest. We’ll check on you later.”
Hanine reached out and hugged her sister. “Thank you!” She whispered. “Thank you so much for finding Ben. Thank you for being my sister.”
Evetta’s eyes filled again as she held her little sister. They fought hard to survive and discovered love along the way. The future may still be uncertain, but at least they had a chance for a future now.
*.*.*
“You are doing much better,” Cree commented as he rolled his shoulders. “You are getting stronger.”