by Leslie Chase
"But we'll work something out with them," her father said. "I'm going to pay — I borrowed the money, and a good man pays his debts. But we'll pay on my terms or else I'll kick up a hell of a fuss about why our payment is late. That publicity'll cost them a lot more than the loan's worth."
He sounded remarkably confident for someone who'd just been rescued from a kidnapping, and Gillian liked it. He wasn't talking like the man who'd left for Fuller Station a few weeks ago. Maybe this adventure had helped bring her father to a point where he could move on?
Or maybe it's just the adrenaline of the adventure, and he'll be back to his glum self in a few days. Gillian knew that things weren't necessarily fixed, and didn't want to give herself too much hope for the future. But for the time being, I'll take it.
"Meanwhile, we've got work to do," he said, clapping his hands together. "I know you two were busy with other things, but we've got to get ready for the long winter before the freeze really sets in."
"But, Daaad—" Harry started to complain, only to flush bright red when Gillian started laughing.
"We're just getting straight back to normal, aren't we?" she said. "Okay, Dad, sure. I'll get the patches, we'll have to get the bomb damage covered up before a real storm hits."
Her father stared at her, wide-eyed, and she swallowed another laugh as she realized just how much of the story they'd missed out in their quick retelling.
"There may have been a bit more excitement up here than you figured, Dad," she explained as she started to put her suit back on. "Come on, I'll tell you all about it while we're working."
If nothing else, it would be better to keep busy while she waited for Zardan to wake up.
24
Zardan
When Zardan's eyes opened again, the first thing he saw was Gillian's worried face. And with that, he knew that everything was going to be alright.
"Gillian," he said, surprised at how weak his voice sounded. An attempt to lift his arm made him realize it wasn't just his voice that lacked strength, but he could move it. Barely. The injuries had taken a lot out of him, and he had no idea how long he'd been lying there recovering.
His mate's eyes lit up at the sound of his voice, though, and she grabbed his hand in hers. The contact sent a warm feeling of happiness washing through him, and Zardan squeezed her small hands as best he could.
"Zardan, you're awake," she said in a hushed voice, before repeating it louder. Joy filled her voice and she leaned over him for a kiss.
The touch of Gillian's lips gave him strength, and he pulled her closer. For the moment nothing mattered apart from the two of them, the touch they shared, the love between them. Zardan could feel the beat of her heart against his chest, and it was the most precious feeling he could imagine.
A cough from the doorway drew their attention, and Gillian pulled back from his embrace. Reluctantly, he let her go and looked to see who dared disturb their reunion.
Standing in the doorway was Gareth Willis, an eyebrow raised and a small smile on his face. Zardan looked him over and saw a man much recovered from the last time he'd seen him. Gillian's father stood tall, his bruises mostly healed, and Zardan was glad that Karaos and his man hadn't harmed him seriously.
For a moment, no one spoke. Gillian blushed, looking embarrassed to have been caught in a kiss, and her father locked gazes with Zardan.
"Good morning, Zardan," Mr. Willis said eventually. "It's good to see you awake. You were worrying us."
"Sir, thank you for your hospitality," Zardan said, pulling himself up to sit on the bed and gathering the bedclothes around him. "It can't have been easy to get me back here."
That got a laugh from both humans, and he knew it was the truth. He couldn't remember much of what happened once he'd reached the Grace of Herendar, and what he could seemed more like a dream than reality. Now that he had a moment to think, he realized he was surprised to be alive.
"My daughter tells me that you claim to own this land," Mr. Willis said carefully, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. "Is that true?"
Zardan looked from him to Gillian and saw her blush deepen. Her expression mixed embarrassment with something else, shame maybe? Worry? He wasn't sure, but one thing was certain. She wasn't happy. And that was something he would not allow.
Standing took more effort than he'd expected, but he managed to hide that from the two of them. Right now, the last thing he wanted was to appear weak in front of the father of his mate. A step forward and he towered over Mr. Willis who drew himself up warily. The tall, wiry human was no match for him, even in his weakened condition, but the man didn't flinch from his gaze or withdraw. That pleased Zardan, though he'd expect no less from Gillian's kin.
When Zardan spoke, he didn't answer Mr. Willis directly. Instead, he lowered himself to one knee in front of Gillian.
"Gillian Willis, my mate, my love," he said, reaching out to brush her cheek and looking her in the eye. "This land was once my family's, won by claim and work. But now you and your family have restored it to use, and I will not take your land to restore my own. I give you what claim I have, freely — as the last scion of the House of Herendar, I cede any rights I have here to you."
Gillian's eyes lit up, and from the doorway Zardan heard Mr. Willis make a strange noise in his throat. Zardan didn't look round, though. He kept his eyes on Gillian's, holding her gaze as he took her hand in his. There was pain in those words, in letting go of the past, but a relief too. His heart felt lighter for it, and he knew that he was doing the right thing.
"My legacy has caused you and your family pain, and that was never my intent," he continued when she stayed silent. "Take this, and be safe."
"But what about the ship? Your, your relatives under the ice?" Gillian stammered over her words and Zardan thought that she looked weaker than he did right now. Almost ready to fall.
If she does, I will catch her, he thought. Looking after her is what I'm here for.
"I know you will take good care of them, treat them with respect," he said. "I trust you to do right by the history of my family."
Her hand squeezed his, and she nodded. "I promise I will."
"Good. Then it is settled. And if the banks still try to take your farm from you, then you can speak to the Emperor. He will not let them take the rights that I have given to you, Gillian, not after the mess that has happened here. You can rely on that."
A small whimper left her throat, a sound of relief and delight, but tinged with a touch of sadness and fear too.
"But where will you go, Zardan?" she asked. "What will you do now that you've given up your claim here?"
Smiling, Zardan raised her hand to his lips and planted a kiss firmly.
"My love, I am not going anywhere," he told her. "Not unless you tell me to. You are my mate, the other half of my soul, and I have traveled across the centuries to be with you. I will not leave you now, or ever."
She gasped, and this time she almost did fall. She might have if Zardan hadn't risen to catch her and hold her up.
"You've got my blessing," Mr. Willis said dryly from the doorway, and Gillian gasped again, face going crimson.
"Dad," she said, a warning note in her voice. Mr. Willis just laughed and closed the door, leaving the two of them alone together.
The pause had given Gillian a chance to recover, and she pulled away from Zardan, biting her lip. "Why didn't you start with that bit?"
"Because I didn't want you to think you were beholden to me," Zardan said. "You are free, Gillian. The land is yours, a gift, whatever you say to me. I want you to choose me because you want me in your life, not because it's the only way to keep your family's land."
He rose from his knees, looking down at her. His beautiful, perfect mate. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Just looking at her made his heart race.
"You would really just walk off, and leave me with everything?" Gillian asked. "Where would you go?"
"I have no idea," he told her honestly
. "I haven't had time to think about it. Do you want me to go?"
Just saying the words hurt, but Gillian laughed and threw herself at him. "Of course not, you big idiot! God, no. I want you here with me, I want that more than anything I've ever wanted."
The impact was nearly enough to knock him over in his weakened state, but her words gave him the strength. Lifting her in a powerful hug, Zardan spun around and shouted in triumph.
None of his other victories had tasted as sweet as his mate asking him to stay. And he knew at once that there would be little else to compare it with. Perhaps the birth of their children?
He staggered and nearly fell before Gillian took his arm and steadied him, looking concerned.
"Careful," she told him, guiding him back to his bed. "You still need your rest. Into bed with you."
He laughed, a smile splitting his face, and she blushed again. It was a beautiful sight, and he hoped he'd see it often.
"I said rest, Zardan," she said with a little laugh of her own. "That can wait until you've recovered a bit more. I shouldn't have to worry about injuring you."
"Bah, I can take whatever you can dish out," Zardan boasted, knowing that might not be true. They grinned at each other, a shining happiness spreading between them, and Gillian pressed him back firmly.
"We'll test that," she promised. "As soon as you're healed. I promise."
25
Gillian
Zardan's recovery took longer than Gillian had anticipated, but that was alright. There was plenty of work to keep her busy in the meantime, as he got his strength back. As long as he was recovering, she was satisfied.
Most of the work was on the details. The Ardashev Bank couldn't fall over themselves quickly enough to give them an extension on their loan after the situation became clear. They wanted none of the blame for Danforth's actions. Privately, though, Gillian was sure that they'd have been happy enough to take their share of the profit if he'd succeeded.
That didn't matter now. The Willis ice farm was secure, and the authorities of both Olympus Colony and the Dragon Empire were looking into the bank's operations. If there was punishment due, they'd get it.
Meanwhile, making arrangements with the Dragon Empire regarding the Grace of Herendar took time and attention. It was frustrating, on the one hand, but it did have advantages. Gillian wanted to make sure that she handled Zardan's heritage right.
And besides that, there was always the work on the farm. Getting back to a comfortable routine helped all of the humans, and as he got his strength back, Zardan joined in. It was, he told Gillian when she protested, good exercise. And there was no stopping him when he set his mind to something, she knew that better than anyone.
So, it wasn't a surprise when one day she found him trimming ice with a heavy ax, some distance from the domes. He stood on a ledge at the edge of a fissure, slicing out the water ice from under the frozen carbon dioxide with smooth, hard chops that dug deep. Already he'd assembled a small pile ice blocks, neatly stacked a little way from the cliff edge at which he stood.
Part of her wanted to call to him, but she didn't want to disturb his work. Not when she had the chance to watch. Even in the frozen cold of the Martian winter, Zardan's inner fire kept him from needing to wrap up, and his muscular torso was on display. The sight of him, flexing and cutting, made her bite her lip as she stared.
I should say something, she thought. Not just spy on him. But, well... Wow.
She couldn't tear her eyes away. His strong arms swung the ax powerfully and Gillian bit her lip at the sight of Zardan's muscles flexing as he chopped another block free at the cliff edge. Levering it out, he lifted it and leaped skyward, his great wings spreading as he soared towards the pile of ready-cut blocks.
A robot would cut the ice quicker, Gillian thought. But damn, I'd much rather watch Zardan do it.
He landed, put his fresh block with the others, and leaned the ax against it. Then he turned towards her, and she could see his eyes gleam under his airmask. She realized then that he'd known she was there and watching, and blushed as he flew back towards her. The sight of him soaring high, great wings beating silently, was glorious.
Zardan dropped to the ice in front of her, reaching up to switch his mask's radio to her private frequency.
"So you've caught me," he said. "Am I in trouble for not resting again?"
Gillian had to laugh. As though she could keep him from doing what he wanted! But she had to admit that he was looking a lot healthier than he had been. Perhaps the exercise really was doing him good.
"I wish you'd taken the offer of nanomedicine," she said, avoiding his question and reaching out a gloved hand to stroke the healing scars on his chest. "You'd have been good as new again in no time."
Zardan shook his head. "If my wounds would leave lasting effects, I would have. I'm not stupid. But all I needed was rest and care and your love, Gillian. And these scars are important to me. I won them protecting you, and I will bear them proudly for the rest of my life. Having them erased by over-zealous nanomachines would be a tragedy."
Gillian looked at the scars across his chest and felt herself blushing. She hated to admit it, but they were sexy. A sign that her man had fought for her, and not an easy battle. She caught herself chewing on her lip as she looked at him, blushed brighter, and tore her eyes away. The glint of humor in Zardan's expression told her that he'd caught her looking, and she tried to change the topic. Something that would distract him.
"I guess your wings are fine now," Gillian said, looking at them. The membranes were unbroken now, though she could see faint scars where the tears had been. "What's it like? Flying, I mean."
That worked. The pure joy on his face made her smile too.
"It is one of the best feelings in the world," he told her. "To soar, to catch the waves of gravity on my wings, to race through the sky. There's nothing like it."
A faint tinge of envy flickered in her heart as she realized that was something she could never feel. Zardan looked down at her, his smile fading, and he reached out as though to touch her. His fingers stopped short of her helmet. "I can't give you what I feel, but I can do the next best thing. Come here."
He led her to the edge of the cliff he'd been working at. There was a drop of eight or nine feet beneath them as he poised on the edge, and Gillian followed curiously.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, a little nervous as she stood at the edge beside him. His right arm slipped around her waist, steadying her, and she instantly felt safe.
"Trust me," Zardan said, and unhooked his mask to clip it to his belt.
"Of course I trust you," she started to reply, only to be cut short as he threw her.
Gillian screamed as she soared skyward, Zardan's powerful muscles and Mars's low gravity letting him fling her high into the air. At the top of her arc, her lungs were empty and she sucked in a breath, looking down at the jagged ice field beneath her. And then a dragon was between her and the fall as Zardan shifted and launched himself to catch her.
She struck Zardan's back just ahead of his wings and nearly bounced off before she caught hold. As soon as she had a grip, he beat his wings powerfully, pulling them into a diving turn that swept them down and past the cliff face they'd been standing on. The wall of ice whooshed past in a blur, close enough for Gillian to touch, and she screamed again.
Zardan pulled up, gaining height. She clung to his sinuous neck for dear life, staring down. The planet was so far below them now.
The exhilaration of flight filled her veins, and her heart pounded against her chest. Shaking with adrenaline, Gillian laughed exultantly, torn between excitement and anger at being tricked.
"You asshole," she shouted, knowing full well that he couldn't hear. "That wasn't funny!"
She thumped him on the neck as hard as she could with her gloved fist. And as though that was a signal, Zardan furled his wings and dived.
Mars rose to meet them with terrifying speed, and Gillian screamed again. T
his time it was more exhilaration than fear. Arms and legs wrapped around Zardan, she gave in to the moment, the rush of speed, the amazing feeling as they raced downward towards the ground.
At the very last moment, Zardan opened his wings. His body pushed up against Gillian's, hard, and the speed of their turn forced the breath out of her. They were only a couple of feet above the ice, zipping over it blindingly fast, and Gillian could barely dare to look down. Ahead, the domes of the ice farm rose over the ice, and she saw what he was aiming for. The doors of the vehicle bay waited in front of them. Usually they looked huge when she approached them.
This time, they seemed like a tiny target, and Zardan was flying far too fast. She couldn't believe he'd bring them in safely.
Pulling at his head, she tried to steer him, to guide him upward. But no. He was fixed on his course, and he wasn't slowing. Gillian whimpered and clung to him, trying not to scream again. He might not be able to hear her, but she still didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
At the last moment, he pulled up, a beat of his mighty wings slowing them. Then the great dragon changed under her, shifting, shrinking as they descended. Zardan's arms caught her, wrapped around her, gripped her hard. Locked in an embrace they landed just inside the vehicle bay and skidded to a halt.
Gillian realized she was panting and laughing wildly. Trying to stand was impossible, her whole body was shaking too much. After her first attempt, she gave up and let Zardan carry her into the airlock and hit the cycle button.
"You asshole," she repeated as she pulled off her helmet. She was still panting for breath, her face flushed, and Zardan's eyes shone with delight. This time he actually felt her punch. It only made him smile wider, though.
"You wanted to know what it felt like," he said as though that explained everything. She hit him again, playfully, and he caught her wrist, pulling off her spacesuit's glove and tucking it into her belt. The other came off just as easily.