by KD Jones
*****
“Is everything in place?” the Purist Leader OrIN asked his Commander.
“Yes, everyone is in place. None of the Prime Leaders have a clue as to what is about to happen.”
“Good. I cannot wait. I almost wish I could be there to see the surprised looks on their faces.” OrIN chuckled.
*****
The next day Lizzie was very quiet as she met Lola and LarIS on the way to the shuttle that would take them to the mountain village. She was grateful to be getting away for a while. She planned to throw herself into helping the villagers and not have to relive those unexpected and slightly unwanted moments when TylOR had her pressed tight against him. Thinking about the encounter had kept her up most of the night.
“Are you okay? You look tired.” Lola signed to her.
“I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well last night. But I am looking forward to seeing the villagers again.”
Lola looked at her friend with concern. Not only had Lizzie lost a lot of weight in a short period of time, but also she was unusually quiet and reserved. Two things that were never before part of Lizzie’s personality. She was grateful that LarIS contacted Prime Leader KadEN. The therapist that had helped her was on Kiljor, Dr. Garrett, was supposed to make arrangements to meet with Lizzie when she traveled to Kiljor the next day. For that reason Lola didn’t press Lizzie to talk to her about whatever it was that was bothering her.
Lizzie stopped short when she saw who was waiting at the shuttle. AshOR and TylOR. The two men stood side by side but didn’t speak with one another. Lizzie’s eyes were zeroed in on TylOR. “Why is he here?” She didn’t realize she had asked the question out loud until LarIS answered her.
“Commanders AshOR and TylOR asked to join us on our trip to the village to help out.” LarIS knew what the problem was. He had read Lizzie’s mind. But if he said anything to her, she would know he had intruded without being asked and his Lola would be upset with him. He needed to observe for himself so he could decide what the best way to handle the situation would be.
“Have the supplies already been loaded?” Leader LarIS asked AshOR.
“Yes, sir. A second shuttle is coming with even more supplies.” AshOR gave Lola and Lizzie his most dashing smile. “Ladies, I am honored to be going with you on this trip.”
Lola nodded at him but went past as LarIS led her onto the shuttle. Lizzie stopped to talk to AshOR. She returned his smile. It was hard to resist AshOR’s easy smile and flirty eyes. Why couldn’t she be attracted to him instead of his overly controlling brother?
“Are you sure coming with us is a good idea? The village women are going to be all over you. One might try to convince you to mate her and stay there with her,” she teased him.
AshOR snorted. “I am very sociable and would not be able to live in the village away from the rest of my people as they do. I would go a little stir crazy. But they do love when I visit.”
“Be careful. They might throw you out because you stir up too much trouble,” Lizzie said as she laughed. Her laughter died down when she glanced over and saw TylOR glaring at her.
“It’s time to board the shuttle,” TylOR told them. He watched Elizabeth as she walked past him without glancing at him or saying anything. He needed to pull her aside and talk to her. While he was at it, he needed to reclaim those sweet lips of hers. Once was not enough—it would never be enough. He stepped in front of AshOR, blocking him from going inside the shuttle.
“What are you doing?” AshOR asked him. They were almost eye-to-eye. TylOR was a little bit taller though.
“Do not flirt with Elizabeth,” TylOR commanded.
“Sure, who’s Elizabeth?” AshOR was pushing his luck.
“Elizabeth, Lizzie. Do not flirt with her.”
“Brother, I can flirt with any female I want.” AshOR shoved past TylOR.
TylOR had to take several deep breaths. It took all his control to keep himself from going inside and tearing his brother apart limb by limb. He didn’t smell arousal on his brother or Elizabeth, which helped toward calming him down. But he felt…insecure.
AshOR was everything that he couldn’t stand but…he also admired. AshOR was open, friendly, charming, and unfortunately appealing to females. TylOR’s experiences with females thus far, had been lacking any substance. It didn’t help he seemed to think of Elizabeth all the time. No other female could compare to her vibrant, sweet, intelligent personality. But would she prefer his brother to TylOR? He wasn’t sure. And being unsure of anything did not sit well with him. Not at all.
Chapter Four
Lizzie made sure she sat beside Lola on the shuttle. Leader LarIS sat in the co-pilot’s seat while AshOR acted as pilot. That left TylOR to sit next to the other two lieutenants that were coming to help unload supplies.
TylOR's eyes kept returning to the blondish-red haired female that haunted his dreams every night. Why does she have such a hold on him? “We’re landing, everyone make sure they are secure in their seats,” AshOR called out as he programmed the landing coordinates.
Lizzie looked out the viewing screen and saw a group of people standing to the side waiting on them. One of the tallest there was the village leader, ZenIM. He was striking to look at. He had one blue eye and one brown eye both with gold irises. He smiled at her and Lola as they unloaded from the shuttle.
“Leader LarIS, thank you for coming.” They clasped forearms. Then he clasped forearms with AshOR. “Commander AshOR.” He looked curiously at TylOR then back at AshOR. It was clear the resemblance between the two brothers were undeniable.
AshOR cleared his voice, “This is Kiljorn Commander TylOR, my half-brother.”
ZenIM reached to clasp forearms with the other male. “Commander TylOR, I am Leader ZenIM. Welcome to our small village.”
“Leader ZenIM, it is good to meet you.” TylOR sized up the other male. ZenIM was the only male he had ever met who was the same height as him. He didn’t like that the male’s eyes went immediately to Elizabeth, showing interest.
ZenIM walked over to Lola and looked directly at her. “It is always a pleasure when you visit, Prima Lola. May I say you have a special glow about you today.”
Lola smiled and gave the tall man a hug. LarIS growled at him, then stepped forward grabbing her shoulders and pulling her from the other man. It made her laugh that he felt so possessive over her still.
'You are mine,' LarIS whispered in her head.
'As you are mine, my love,' she whispered back using their psychic link. She would never get tired of the feeling of closeness she felt when they communicated that way.
ZenIM turned his attention to the small flame-haired female. She seemed vulnerable, like she needed to be protected. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips to place a delicate warm kiss there. His eyes latched on to hers and saw the surprise there. Another growl came from Commander TylOR. The male had just declared himself with that growl. ZenIM sighed. He was too late in trying to pursue another beautiful female. He would have to act more quickly the next time he found a female he was attracted to. He reluctantly let go of her soft small hand.
“It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Connell.”
Lizzie smiled up at the tall man. He had such a wonderful voice. It was deep and gentle. What she liked about him the most was he didn’t comment on her weight. She really appreciated that. “I am happy to get to visit your beautiful village.”
“A lot has changed since your last visit. The lessons you and Prima Lola gave my people on the silent language have really opened them up. They are more sociable and more confident.” ZenIM pointed toward the path they would take to walk the short distance to the village. “I know my people will be thrilled to see you again.”
She tripped over a stump and would've fell but TylOR suddenly appeared next to her, easily righting her, and making sure she had her balance back. She looked up at him, which was a big mistake. His gorgeous eyes locked on to hers.
“Thanks.” Her b
reathing was erratic.
“Careful where you walk.” TylOR didn’t release her completely.
She shivered from the contact. He kept a hand on the small of her back and walked next to her the rest of the way to the village. She now walked in between the two tall men, which made her feel short and small.
“We have also built two more homes.”
“Did you have someone else come to live here?” Leader LarIS asked.
“No, but two of our younger couples have mated and need to move out of their family homes. They seem to feel they need more privacy.” ZenIM laughed. The others joined in laughing and smiling.
Lizzie could feel the vibrations of TylOR’s laughter through his warm hand on her back. Her body instantly responded. Her nipples tightened into hard points and she had goose bumps all over. She was quiet as she listened to him talk to Leader ZenIM. His voice was so sexy and deep. It seemed to penetrate her skin and travel straight to her core. She had never been so glad to see the village in the clearing at the end of the path.
It looked like a different village than the one she had come to months before. The villagers were all out waiting to greet them. The children had smiles and their eyes lit with excitement. It made her heart warm to see their happiness. As they approached, several children stepped forward and began to use sign language.
“Wow, they have really picked that up fast,” Lizzie commented.
“Yes, Prima Lola has visited several more times and each time we work on learning the silent language,” ZenIM said.
“Have you been learning as well?” Lizzie looked up at him. She was struck by ZenIM’s good looks. He was about the same height as TylOR but not as bulky with muscles. He had more of a swimmer’s physique. Instead of answering her out loud, ZenIM signed his answer.
“Of course. I want to be able to speak to all my people and this silent language is a wonderful tool to do that. Also, our new Prima comes often and I wanted to make sure I could speak so she would know what I was saying easier.”
Lizzie beamed up at him and signed back, “You are such a good Leader.”
ZenIM blushed and signed, “I also thought it would impress you.”
Lizzie laughed and responded out loud. “Well it certainly has.” TylOR growled again making Lizzie look up at him. “Are you okay, Commander?”
TylOR glared at the other male who was flirting with Elizabeth. He tightened his hold pulling her closer to him. ZenIM noticed his aggressive move and wanted to calm the rising tension. He moved forward past them to announce to the crowd of villagers their arrival.
“What did he say to you?” TylOR asked.
“None of your business.” Lizzie shrugged away from him and went to greet some of the villagers that she met at her last visit.
Damn the little female! She was driving him crazy. TylOR hated leaving her alone but he needed to help bring the supplies up from the shuttle. His leader, KadEN, would expect no less from him. It was the least he could do for the Colonists after the Colonial Planet had given temporary homes to his people after the Morins attacked Kiljor. At least she was surrounded by other people and not left alone with ZenIM.
*****
Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief when TylOR went with AshOR to help with the supplies. She smiled at the children that came out to show her and Lola that they could sign much better. This was something she enjoyed doing, meeting a different culture and socializing with them.
“They are such fast learners,” Lizzie commented and signed so Lola would know what she was saying.
Lola nodded her head and signed back, “Every time I come here I teach them more. They are so willing to learn.” She smiled as she looked over her shoulder at her mate, LarIS, talking to ZenIM.
“Has it been awkward coming here? ZenIM seemed interested in you the last time I was here,” Lizzie questioned her before picking up a little girl who was reaching for her.
“Not at all. I don’t think he was interested in me as much as he just wanted a mate. I have suggested to LarIS that we have some kind of gathering at the Prime city to allow ZenIM and the villagers to come and socialize with the rest of the Colonists. I want to bring them all back with me but they choose to remain here. To them, this is freedom. I don’t want to take that away. But they don’t have as many options for mating if they don’t interact with the other Colonists.” Lola looked at Lizzie so she could read her lips. Lizzie couldn’t sign with her hands full.
“It will be good for them. ZenIM deserves to find someone to make him happy.” The two women followed the village women and few children to the building that had been converted into a school. She glanced back quickly in the direction the men took. She wasn’t looking for the Kiljorn Commander, she wasn’t. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Lizzie was grateful to have a distraction from her wayward thoughts of TylOR.
Chapter Five
“What news do you have of the Morins?” ZenIM asked Leader LarIS as they were unloading the supplies and placing them on a rolling track that would be pulled up to the village.
“Nothing new. One transport went through the wormhole and another remained on this side. Both have somehow fell off our radar and we have been unable to discover their locations.”
“Only two left?”
“Two that we know of. There could be more.”
“Will you continue the search?” ZenIM asked.
“I will be leaving to go back through the wormhole after I drop off the Kiljorn citizens back on Kiljor,” AshOR told him.
“I too will be taking a Kiljorn transport through the wormhole. Prime Commander ConEL will command one of several Katieran transports that will remain on this side of the wormhole to protect it and to continue searching for the second transport,” TylOR explained.
“But surely they must have more than two transports,” ZenIM asked.
“Unfortunately we don’t have an actual number. None of the Morins thus far that we have captured have revealed anything. ConEL only knew of a handful while he was a prisoner. If there are more out there, we have not been able to detect them.” LarIS dropped a box on the rolling cart. He hated that he had to reveal something like this. “But we have other disturbing news to relay.”
ZenIM stopped what he was doing to stare at the serious expression on Leader LarIS’ face. “What news?”
“Leader RendEL has had reports of a Purist rebel group wanting to overthrow the current leadership.” LarIS probed ZenIM to make sure that he was not aware of the rebels.
“What rebels? Who are they?” ZenIM became tense with suspicion.
“Leader RendEL received reports of disputes arising from some of the mining colonies over bringing the Earth females to Katiera and mixing the races. He was sent warnings to remove the alien infection from the Katieran home world. The Purists believe the Katieran bloodlines are being tainted. It has escalated to a revolt. Their leader, OrIN, is claiming to be a descendant of the original Primes of Katiera and he believes that he should be Prime Leader.”
“Do you believe we have Purists here on the Colony?” ZenIM was insulted.
LarIS sighed. “We do not know. There may be friends or family among us who may share this irrational belief. I feel like I look at everyone with suspicion since I found out about the threat. I do not like this feeling of distrust.”
TylOR spoke up, “It is a growing threat among all four nations, including Earth. We must all come together so we can control the revolt before it becomes a civil war.”
“What is a civil war?” ZenIM was confused.
“It is an Earth term meaning that we fight amongst ourselves, with our own people,” LarIS explained.
“Are you asking me to betray my people by spying on them?” ZenIM refused to do this.
“I just ask that you keep your eyes and ears open. If there is someone who speaks like a Purist, let me know of it. I can easily read their minds and determine their intent if I am close to them.” LarIS picked up the last box off the shuttle an
d placed it on the cart. He looked to ZenIM for his agreement or refusal. It was his choice.
“I will inform you if I hear or see anything that looks like a Purist movement,” ZenIM told him, even though it didn’t sit well with him.
“Good, now I have promised my female to invite you and your people to the Prime city to join in a banquet.”
“Why?” ZenIM didn’t like to travel from the village.
“She feels you and some of your other eligible villagers need to find mates,” LarIS told him with a smile. He broke out into laughter when the other male groaned and complained about interfering females.
“Yes, they do interfere, but there are benefits when they are pleased,” LarIS said with a twinkle in his eyes. He couldn’t wait to whisk Lola off and enjoy some of those benefits.
*****
The men had returned from bringing up the supplies an hour ago. Lizzie threw herself into the task of helping to unload the supplies and putting them away. It was a little past noon when everyone took a break for the Midday Meal.
It was a different environment than being on Katiera, Kiljor, or even at the Colonial city. Everything had a slower pace. No one was in any hurry to get anything done. But at the same time, everyone came together and worked as a group to accomplish their goals. It reminded her a lot of the third world cultures she had visited over the years on Earth. It was always a culture shock coming back to her little apartment on campus after months in a remote area of the world. That’s what she was experiencing in the village. The village itself felt like it had a heartbeat, strong and steady.
She was sitting under a tree a little distance away from the village on a small hilltop overlooking the village. It was a warm day but with the shade of the tree and the gentle breeze she felt comfortable. She wanted the calm and quiet to organize her thoughts. She still had soup left in her bowl but she didn’t feel hungry.