by Patti O'Shea
He fired it, but it seemed to expand and dissipate before it reached the alien. “Keep it coming,” he ordered and she realized she shouldn’t be standing there, watching.
Hurriedly, she drew from Jarved Nine and managed to hold on to all the power even when the killer raised his hand to fire. She watched in helpless rage as the flare headed toward Damon, but this time it stopped short of its target, splattering out like a snowball hitting a window. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stacey move beside Damon, hands raised. She turned her head to the other side and saw Alex in a similar pose. He raised his eyebrows as their eyes met, but didn’t say anything.
Guardians. The “voice” seemed to be both hers and Meriwa’s. Now some of what the ancients had said made sense. While she and Damon could protect their minds, they were physically vulnerable. Stacey and Alex were their guardians, their sentinels.
Like two gunslingers meeting at high noon, Damon and the alien stood only meters apart, shooting energy at each other. Ravyn struggled to keep up. It seemed her captain could fire a lot faster than she could draw. The killer managed to get off four or five shots to every one of theirs. She concentrated only on pulling, holding and passing the energy. The murderer couldn’t score any hits, not with their guardians in place, but they weren’t striking the alien either.
No one gained an advantage. How much longer could the standoff last? The energy work left her drained, and it was worse for Damon. Not only was he hurting from the hits he’d taken earlier, but his part of the process required more effort. The murderer seemed unaffected by fatigue and able to continue indefinitely. His shots retained their speed and precision and she could detect no signs of weakening.
She took a deep breath, wiped the sweat dripping from her face and reached for more energy. Swaying with exhaustion, she passed it along the channel to Damon. It amazed her, but the conduit between them remained open. Fatigue had always caused it to collapse when they’d practiced, yet they were more wiped out now than they’d ever been before. It puzzled her.
Ravyn handed off more energy and sent her consciousness inside herself. She traveled to the passage leading to Damon. They weren’t the ones holding it open, she realized, her eyes widening in shock. Their baby was doing it. It couldn’t be possible, she thought. The baby was little more than a group of cells at this point. She searched deeper, going beyond the physical, and met his essence. He was beautiful, powerful, and she couldn’t prevent a sappy smile as it dawned on her that she and Damon were going to have their hands full raising this child.
“Ravyn,” Damon barked, forcing her to focus on the battle.
Quickly, she drew more energy, and as she transferred it, she put a hand on her abdomen and lightly rubbed. She sent all the love she felt to the baby. Damon fired, and for the first time, this shot didn’t fade before it reached its target. Ravyn had started drawing more energy, and in surprise, she lost her hold on it. Ignoring the curse Damon muttered, she passed him another round. She was on to something here.
On the next pull, she opened her heart. She sent Jarved Nine love, and she wrapped the energy she passed to Damon with all the love she felt for him. She felt his surprise, but he was so used to opening to her, that when he fired, his heart was brimming with love for her as well. This shot not only made it to the target. It hit. Full force.
The creature bellowed in pain and outrage. Something changed on his face, making Ravyn think he had been toying with them, but was done with the games now. The next volley from him came fast and furious. It amazed her how he could direct the energy balls in multiple directions. She knew Alex and Stacey were hard pressed to keep up, but somehow they managed.
Adding love slowed down the energy transfer even more, but it worked. As shot after shot hit, inflicting damage on the alien, he moved closer. Ravyn wondered if he thought it would give his blasts more power. Frustration made him angry and more hate filled every fireball he aimed their way. The greater his malice toward them, the weaker his flares seemed to be.
Despite this, they had no advantage. She and Damon grew more weary with every shot they fired, and Stacey and Alex grew more tired with each blast they blocked. Retreat wasn’t an option. Maybe the four of them could get back inside the city, but they couldn’t leave the rescue team behind.
The impasse continued. Ravyn looked around, her body trembling with fatigue. Damon swayed, his breathing rougher than usual. Stacey’s eyes were slits, as if it would take too much out of her to open them completely. Alex appeared drawn and pale. She tried to shake off the lassitude and focus. If any one of them faltered, the alien would pounce. She couldn’t let Damon or Alex or Stacey die. There had to be something else she could do, Ravyn thought desperately. There must be more!
More. That was it! More love.
The love she injected to the energy increased its potency, but not enough. What if she found more feeling within her?
She called upon all the love she had ever felt and filled the energy with it. Damon looked startled again, as if sensing something different, but he fired. The alien staggered back two full steps and seemed to wobble a moment before righting himself. This was the most damage they’d managed to inflict so far.
“What did you do?” Damon asked and she could hear total exhaustion in his voice.
“I remembered all the love I’ve felt in my life.”
He nodded thoughtfully, took the energy she passed him and shot it. This time the alien went to his knees. He got up slowly, shaking his head.
“Interesting,” Damon commented.
Ravyn tried to pull the energy faster so they could get off a one-two shot. She was unable to add any speed to the process. The killer, as if mocking her inability, shot off three quick bursts. The shield their guardians held appeared to flicker briefly before solidifying once more.
“Would you guys please do whatever it takes to finish this,” Stacey said wearily. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. I’m dead on my feet.”
“Better than dead, period,” Alex told her. He ignored Stacey’s attempt at a glare.
“You know,” Ravyn paused as another attack by the killer was deflected, “I’m filling the energy with love as I pass it over. Then you’re filling it with love as you fire. What if we entwine our love together for the whole process?”
Damon nodded again. “Worth a try.”
Ravyn drew the power from Jarved Nine. She felt Damon weave his love with hers and she brimmed with the beautiful vibration. Only half aware of what she was doing, Ravyn reached for Stacey and Alex. They were linked, although not as strongly as she was joined to her captain. She found cords running amid the four of them. Almost tentatively, she opened to her brother and friend and asked them to join their feelings of love to her and Damon’s.
There was a brief hesitation from both of them before she felt their compliance. Four strands of love meshed into one and Ravyn added the planet’s energy. Nothing had ever felt so wondrous. Reluctant to lose the sensation, she slowly passed it over. It built further as it flowed by the baby, and surprised, Ravyn almost lost the hold she had. Damon turned to her as he began to receive the power. She read his own amazement easily. “Conceived in love,” she whispered reverently.
His lips turned up slightly as he rested one hand atop hers over the baby. “Damn right.”
The energy, filled with love, continued to stream to him.
In her peripheral vision she saw so many bursts of light heading toward them, it looked like the Fourth of July. Still, the three of them remained within their peaceful bubble.
“Excuse me for interrupting your little tête-à-tête,” Alex said, irritation evident, “but we need you to pay attention. Things are getting a little dicey here.”
They separated, but the energy continued on its path. Alex wasn’t exaggerating. The shield he and Stacey held was a solid wall of light as the alien inundated them.
She passed the last of the energy.
Damon fired.
The alien dropped.
The noise he made raised the hair on the back of Ravyn’s neck. She knew she’d never forget the pitiful sound. He tried to stand, but only made it to his knees before falling back to the ground. For the first time she saw something akin to pain cross his face. He managed one more shot, but it fizzled before it covered half the distance to them.
She and Damon held their link long after they felt the alien’s life force leave. Remorse at causing his death choked her and it didn’t seem to matter he had been evil. Later, she decided. She’d deal with this later.
Ravyn’s knees gave out. Damon caught her and they sank to the ground together. They held each other, breathing shakily as they tried to recover. Stacey already lay flat on the ground. The team, Ravyn noted, remained frozen. Alex was the only one upright and functional. Semi-functional, she corrected as she watched him stagger to the alien and verify the threat had ended.
“Brody,” Alex said when he rejoined them. He had the weapon Damon had used in his hands. “I don’t appreciate you appropriating my assault rifle.”
“Colonel,” Damon said, not opening his eyes, “would you like to explain why I found your assault rifle in the common room?”
“Insubordination,” Alex accused without heat. He sat down hard beside Stacey.
*** *** ***
Alex knew he should check on the team, but he couldn’t move. He’d never been this tired before. Every muscle in his body quivered with fatigue, even his brain. Later, he’d have to think about what had happened. How Stacey had known she could throw a shield to protect Ravyn and Brody. How he had known he could connect to her and help her hold the wall. He frowned. Hell, if it hadn’t been for Stacey, his sister might have been seriously hurt. Or killed. He hated having to admit her presence on this mission had been a good thing.
Movement caught his attention. He watched Brody stand and help Ravyn to her feet. They leaned on each other as they started to walk.
“Brody,” he called. For a moment, he thought the captain planned to ignore him, but then he stopped and looked over.
“Yes, sir?”
“You better plan on marrying my sister long before the baby arrives,” he said, making his voice as threatening as he could.
Alex wasn’t reassured to see both Ravyn and Damon look shocked by his suggestion. It didn’t appear as if either one of them had given marriage a moment’s thought. When they started weaving their way back to the Old City, he let them go. He’d said his piece and if Brody didn’t follow through, well, he had his rifle back. He caressed the stock.
“Nice, Sullivan,” Stacey commented. She struggled to sit up and he reached over to help her. “A shotgun wedding. Just what Ravyn’s been dreaming about all her life.”
“Since you’re so sure they love each other, I shouldn’t need the shotgun.”
He half-expected Stacey to jerk out of his arms after the exchange, but she didn’t. His hold tightened, pulling her a little closer to his side. The woman had him all tied up in knots. Almost idly, he noted it wouldn’t be long before it began raining again. Finally, Alex said, “You did good today, Stace.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” He couldn’t stop there. “But I ordered you to stay inside the city.” She should have listened to him, but Alex had to admit it was a damn good thing she hadn’t.
“You know what, Sullivan? You’re a pain in the neck,” she said, sounding aggravated.
“I know that. So,” he said, trying to sound like it didn’t matter, “you want to give us a chance when we get back to Earth? See where we end up?”
Her eyes were big when she stared at him. He could almost feel her trying to measure how he felt about it. Alex bit his tongue. He wouldn’t beg or explain. She’d have to make up her mind without that.
“You’re so romantic, I could just swoon,” Stacey said dryly.
“I don’t do romance.”
“No kidding.” She paused, tilted her head. “What the heck, might as well give it a shot.”
Alex smiled with satisfaction and kissed her. He knew he should have been relieved when he heard the troops return to life, but instead he cursed the timing. Steeling himself, he broke the kiss and pushed to his feet to see how they’d fared.
*** *** ***
Damon made it to the first square inside the Old City. This fountain didn’t have any extraordinary features, but it did have benches. He and Ravyn collapsed together onto the nearest one, and he breathed a sigh of relief. They could have stayed with the others, but he knew the pyramid over the city would recharge them faster than their bodies could on their own.
Ravyn looked wiped out, her face pale except for the dark circles under her eyes and the smear of mud covering her right cheek. He imagined he looked about as good. Battle took a lot out of a person, but the clash they’d won had drained him in a way he’d never felt before. He couldn’t read Ravyn. He was so tired, he didn’t know what he felt aside from relief. All he wanted was to crawl into bed beside her and sleep for about twenty hours. Maybe longer. She slipped her hand into his, linking their fingers and he sighed, content.
“So,” he said after the silence had spun out a while, “do you want to get married?”
“We don’t have to just because Alex demands it.”
“I know. Hell, sweet pea, we’re already committed to each other heart and soul. Might as well appease your brother and the government and have a wedding. I don’t think the Alliance bureaucrats need to know anything about our joining ceremony.”
Ravyn laughed softly, her eyes taking on a bit of heat. “Especially what happened after the light show.”
“That was my favorite part,” Damon protested with a smile.
“Mine too, but that’s between us.”
Sobering, Damon cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Ravyn. Whether you accept my proposal or not, you’re stuck with me.”
“I’m counting on it,” she said. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his briefly. “You know I love you too.”
“I know,” he assured her. Damon also knew it still wasn’t easy for her to say the words, but she made the effort because of what they meant to him.
“So,” Ravyn said, “what do you think about having the ceremony on the beach?”
Damon grinned with satisfaction. “The beach sounds good. Think you can get everything ready to go in a month?”
“How hard can it be?” she said, shrugging. “And if I need help, I’ll draft Stacey.”
Damon stood, pulling Ravyn to her feet and into his arms. She was laughing in surprise when he pressed his lips to hers. She deepened the kiss and desire flowed between them. He eased back.
“I guess that seals it,” Ravyn said, smiling up at him.
“Not quite. Something as important as an engagement calls for more than a kiss.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Let’s go home, sweet pea.”
EPILOGUE
Damon sat up, going from sound asleep to alert in a nanosecond. “What the—?”
Music blared from the sitting room. With a groan, he rubbed a hand over his forehead. The sax that had sounded so sultry and sexy last night while he’d held his wife in his arms, seemed obnoxious at, he squinted at the clock, two a.m. He reached out with his mind and turned it off.
It came on again in less than thirty seconds. His sweet pea whimpered quietly. He didn’t blame her since she’d been up less than two hours ago. Because he was so tired, it took a great deal of concentration, but he maneuvered the energy until he’d disconnected the player from the grid. Blessed silence filled the suite and Damon settled back beside Ravyn.
He ran a comforting hand down her back as she snuggled against him. Drowsily, he enjoyed her nearness. At least until the music returned, louder this time. They both groaned.
“Your turn,” she muttered sleepily against his chest.
“It can’t be Cam.”
Damon felt her
reach out mentally and extinguish the sound. “Who else can it be? And he does know how to turn the lights on and off.”
“Yeah, but a disconnected entertainment system is harder than the lights.” His last word was obliterated as a wailing riff rattled the framed images hanging on the walls. With a curse, he climbed out of bed. Even if it wasn’t Cam, he had to turn it off so they could get some sleep. The glowing pyramid emitted by the four obelisks gave him enough light to find his jeans. Damon yanked them on, fastening them as he walked across dimly lit hall. He turned the music off. It switched on once more. Off. On.
Off.
He reached his son’s crib and looked down. Cam grinned happily up at him. The music came on. Again. Ravyn was right. It was Cam playing with energy. He decided he preferred the lights flashing to this.
“You have your mother’s stubborn streak,” Damon told him.
The baby’s grin widened and he made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Damon couldn’t help smiling back, even as he mentally flipped off the player.
“You know,” he said, as he scooped up Cam, “most babies cry when they want something. Even you did for the first three months before you learned to manipulate energy.”
His son didn’t look the least bit chastised, and Damon sighed. He had a feeling he and Ravyn were in for more earsplitting wake-up calls.
After changing Cam’s diaper, Damon pulled a bottle through the warmer and settled down in the rocking chair with his son. There was a gurgle of pleasure; then, with the exception of a few slurping sounds, silence reigned as the baby drank, his little hands resting against the bottle.
It never ceased to amaze him how tiny Cam was or how perfect, but it was the absolute trust in his son’s eyes as he fed that left Damon feeling awed. Holding him, even if it was in the middle of a very long night, made his heart swell with love. Damon cuddled the baby a little closer.
He knew how lucky he was. Just a year ago, he and Ravyn had almost lost it all and now he had everything he’d always dreamed of. A wife he loved more than life, a fantastic son and time to spend with them. Sometimes he wondered what he’d done to be so blessed.