It had satisfied his alien nature, but it hadn’t come close to sating his body. His swollen erection pulsed between his legs, reminding him of everything they’d yet to share. Only souls . . . not full bonding. Not true mating.
‘‘Come on,’’ Thea agreed, struggling unsteadily to her feet. ‘‘We both have work to do if we have a prayer of being together again. Truly together.’’
Thea awakened on the floor of the meeting room and discovered Kelsey bent over her in concern. ‘‘Are you all right?’’ her queen asked, touching her gently on the shoulder. Thea’s uniform was soaked through with sweat, her entire body atremble.
‘‘How long was I out?’’ she asked through chattering teeth.
‘‘Fifteen minutes,’’ Kelsey explained, pressing the back of her hand against her temple. ‘‘You’re burning up! What happened, Thea?’’
With a wordless groan Thea struggled to sit up, and Kelsey draped her own parka over Thea’s shoulders. ‘‘Here, pull this around you,’’ the human instructed. ‘‘You’re shaking.’’
Thea nodded obediently; her throat was parched, her body ablaze . . . and the entire terrain of her soul had been permanently altered. Dimly she could make out the interior of the meeting chamber; she and Kelsey were alone.
‘‘Where’s the commander?’’ Thea asked, tugging the parka tightly around her body. ‘‘Lieutenant Daniels? Sabrina?’’ Clearly much had happened during her time in the trance—and on both sides of the veil.
Thea tried to stand, but Kelsey grasped her by the shoulder, pushing her back down. ‘‘You need to sit a few minutes.’’
‘‘I need to get up to speed here—what transpired while I was out?’’
‘‘Thea, rest.’’ The woman’s tone was firm. ‘‘You’ve been through something immense, obviously. Your body temperature has altered, and your pulse rate is off the charts. Sit still.’’
Thea buried her face in her hands with a groan. ‘‘What are you now, a medic?’’
‘‘I’m a scientist. And I know enough about biology, human or otherwise, that you’re not going anywhere, at least not for a few minutes.’’
Thea nodded obediently. ‘‘Then fill me in.’’
‘‘An Antousian battle cruiser has taken position over Warren.’’
‘‘Have the humans fired on the ship?’’
Kelsey gave a curt nod. ‘‘Without effect.’’
Of course not, Thea thought. Stupid humans—they had no idea what kind of force they were up against.
Kelsey continued: ‘‘The Antousians have dropped in platoons of soldiers and have begun attacking the exterior buildings.’’
Thea’s head jerked up. ‘‘What about the underground facility?’’ She couldn’t disguise her panic. ‘‘That’s where Marco and Scott are.’’
‘‘I don’t know, Thea. But we’re launching our own counterstrike to stop them. Without the information you brought us about that other timeline, we’d be a lot further behind the curve on this.’’ A part of Thea wanted to bristle at her queen’s new-found authority, the sheer confidence in her words, but instead she felt comforted.
‘‘Let me . . . tell Marco,’’ Thea told her weakly.
‘‘I don’t think you should go back into that trance again,’’ Kelsey warned her.
Thea smiled, shaking her head wanly. ‘‘No, no . . . don’t have to.’’
Her queen’s auburn eyebrows shot upward in surprise. ‘‘Why not?’’ After all, Kelsey knew firsthand what a bond with a Refarian male could be.
‘‘I-I joined with him. We’re linked now—like you and Jared were at first,’’ she explained, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. ‘‘I can warn him; maybe he can tell the Air Force what those bastards have planned.’’
Kelsey smiled at her briefly, her eyes sparkling despite the situation. Yes, the woman knew precisely how intimate a bond could be—her feelings about her own lifemate were quite visible on her face.
Kelsey rose to her feet. ‘‘I’ll go tell Jared that we’ve linked with Marco, then. See if he has anything to transmit.’’
Thea glanced upward in panic. ‘‘Kelsey, please—don’t tell him. I mean, not what I just . . . told you.’’
‘‘I’ll come up with a good cover story. Don’t worry,’’ she said with a conspiratorial nod. ‘‘You can share the news when you’re ready.’’
Thea inclined her head with the full respect due her queen. ‘‘Thank you.’’
Hope didn’t dare move from her position of safety. The blasts had continued, some in the distance, some shocking her own barracks. It would be risky enough to leave protective cover if she were fully sighted. As it was, she could only cower in the bathtub and hope that the ceiling wouldn’t cave in. The acrid smell of explosives and crumbling architecture filled her nostrils; her eyes burned, though she had no idea what was causing them to tear up. Maybe some sort of noxious gas.
Covering her head, she bent face-first against the bottom of the tub, wondering if she’d make it out of this early morning attack alive. The Antousians had come, just as Scott Dillon had warned. Or was this the doing of the Antousians? Perhaps it was the Refarians themselves. Perhaps the lieutenant had been playing her all along.
But what about my dream? She thought, half recalling the images she’d seen of an Earth destroyed by their mutual enemies. I can trust Dillon. I’m certain.
She just prayed that someone, somewhere in the chain of command, had heard his warnings.
A buzzer sounded and the door to Scott Dillon’s cell opened. The colonel entered, flanked by several security guards, and he gestured for the soldiers to release Scott from his manacles. They’d fed him last night, a decent meal, but Scott’s belly was stone-empty once again. With expectant eyes, he searched for any sign of more food, but judging by the expression on the officer’s face, he wouldn’t be eating again anytime soon.
‘‘Over here,’’ the colonel instructed gruffly, indicating the table where he’d been repeatedly interrogated. ‘‘And bring the other one in now too.’’
Scott’s ears pricked up. Was it the soldier Hope had mentioned?
The colonel dropped into the chair like a leaden weight and began: ‘‘I need to know everything about this attack, son. Who’s behind it, how you plotted it. Everything. Otherwise you’ll be executed later today.’’
Scott shook his head numbly. ‘‘What attack?’’ he asked in plain English.
‘‘Don’t take me for a fool, Lieutenant. You’ve known what was coming all along—it’s why your people have been doing the aerial missions, testing the borders.’’
‘‘Is the base under attack now?’’ Scott questioned directly, not skirting the issue.
‘‘I’m asking the questions here,’’ the other man barked.
‘‘I’ve told you repeatedly who your enemies are—I’ve offered information and to help. If you’re under attack, it’s too late and there’s not a damned thing I can do to help you now. Sir.’’
‘‘Tell me again. Tell me like I’ve never heard it all before. Lay it out for me,’’ the colonel snapped impatiently.
‘‘We’re Refarian—not Antousian. We’re here to protect you,’’ Scott said. ‘‘It is our only reason for being here on Earth. We are not your aggressors. We’re your protectors.’’
The colonel leaned back in his chair studying him. ‘‘Funny,’cause that’s exactly what the other one said.’’ Without wavering his gaze from Scott’s face, the officer hit the intercom. ‘‘I said to get the other subject in here—now!’’
As if on cue, the door buzzed and several security officers wrangled Marco McKinley into the room. Scott refused to allow surprise to register in his eyes, although internally he was extremely grateful to see the Madjin.
‘‘At the table,’’ the colonel ordered the soldiers. ‘‘Right here.’’
Marco was shoved down into the seat between them. He kept his gaze trained on the scuffed wooden surface of the table.
‘‘Look, Dil
lon, I want to believe you—I really do. But your DNA is different from this one’s.’’ The colonel gestured toward Marco. ‘‘His isn’t human. Close, but not a match. Your DNA, however, is fully human. I need to understand why there’s that kind of discrepancy. We’re tending to think one of you’s Refarian and the other’s Antousian. So which is it?’’
Scott took the lead. ‘‘I’m a Refarian sympathizer.’’
‘‘I see.’’ The colonel seemed unconvinced.
‘‘Is the base under attack or not?’’ Scott blurted. ‘‘Because if so, we’re wasting precious time here. Time we won’t get back. I’ll tell you everything about my DNA map once we mount some kind of plan.’’
The colonel gave him a nonplussed look. ‘‘Not buying it.’’
With a frustrated sigh, Scott launched into his life story—the extremely abbreviated version. ‘‘The Antousians have a vested interest in your species because humans are the key to solving a deadly virus that has killed millions of their despicable people. We’ve had humans on our world.’’
‘‘And you’re related to them, those humans?’’
‘‘A descendant.’’ Scott wanted to shout to the ceiling in relief; he despised the gruesome details of his parentage, and was thankful not to own up to his Antousian roots. But his relief was short-lived.
‘‘But you’re related to these Antousians too?’’
Scott flinched. ‘‘Not precisely, sir.’’
‘‘Not precisely, huh?’’ the colonel mocked. ‘‘Why, precisely , aren’t you on their side?’’
‘‘Because I revile that part of me. I’m Refarian, Colonel. In my heart, if not in my blood. I have served our exiled king, Jared Bennett, for the past fifteen years of my life. He’s noble, compassionate, and has a great love for your species. A great love.’’ Scott considered telling the man that Jared’s wife was human, but his instincts told him to protect her identity.
‘‘So if we’re to believe you, your own people—’’
‘‘They are not my people,’’ Scott corrected.
‘‘These Antousians, then, are behind the launch against this base?’’
It was Marco who spoke this time. ‘‘That’s what we’ve been told, sir.’’
‘‘Told how?’’
Marco and Scott traded a look; Scott had no idea what had transpired in the days since his capture, so he nodded for Marco to continue.
The colonel barked at the Madjin, ‘‘You’d better tell me, son, and fast.’’
‘‘We have abilities—gifts—that your own species doesn’t possess,’’ he explained in a rush. ‘‘You’d call them telepathic abilities.’’
‘‘And you call them?’’
‘‘Intuitive gifts,’’ Marco replied.
‘‘Somebody warned you?’’ The colonel tapped his fingers on the table.
Marco hesitated, then answered, ‘‘Yes, a woman I’m very close to. She was able to reach into my mind.’’
The colonel shoved back from the table. ‘‘I don’t know whether you’re playing me or not. In fact, I don’t know shit from shinola about what might be true here.’’
‘‘Polygraph me,’’ Scott volunteered. ‘‘I’ll pass. With flying colors.’’
‘‘That doesn’t mean squat, son. You could use these ‘special abilities’ of yours to make yourself pass. Why else you think we haven’t bothered with that?’’
Scott leaned across the table with serious intent. ‘‘Colonel, we are both military men. We both say the word and our word is done. We also know what a threat can mean to our home world—a true, barbaric threat. I am telling you, sir, that these vlksai are after your blood. They will wipe out your species, taking as many hosts as they require, and burn the rest. Please, you’ve got to trust me here—’’
Marco cut him off. ‘‘We can still align our forces and defeat them. Or you can sit back and watch them destroy this base and take hold of your missiles. That’s the plan, Colonel. To seize the launch controls and strike Earth with your own weapons.’’
Scott gaped at Marco—was that what they’d learned since his capture? That the Antousians were that intent on destroying this planet? Briefly, he recalled the terrain of Hope’s dream, how Earth seemed but a ruined shell of the world he knew.
The colonel sighed impatiently. ‘‘This underground facility is built to withstand a thermonuclear blast.’’
‘‘They have weapons you haven’t even thought about inventing,’’ Marco replied calmly. ‘‘They can penetrate the base.’’
‘‘Why haven’t they done it before now?’’
‘‘They’ve been lying in wait,’’ Scott answered. ‘‘For just the prime moment when they know they can pull it off. We don’t know what’s changed. More forces perhaps, bigger cruisers, it’s impossible to say.’’
The colonel stood, paced the room, clearly wrestling with a decision. At last he turned and faced them both. ‘‘Some kind of giant starship is positioned over the base,’’ he admitted. ‘‘They’ve dropped forces in and those soldiers are engaged in guerrilla attacks. They got under our radar; we can’t lock in on ’em. Our soldiers are trained in every type of warfare—’’
‘‘Except with an invisible enemy,’’ Scott said, revealing the one final piece of intel that would make the colonel understand the stakes.
‘‘Invisible? What the hell are you talking about?’’
‘‘Shape-shifters, sir. Capable of assuming a formless condition,’’ Scott answered plainly. ‘‘It’s the same way they take hold of human hosts.’’
The colonel gaped at them both, and then spun away from them, striding quickly toward the door.
Scott called after him. ‘‘We’re asking for your trust, sir, and if we’re lying, you’ve lost nothing. Whatever measures you’ve got to take to protect the control centers, take them. Bring in more troops. Let us bring in ours.’’
The colonel turned on his heel to face him. ‘‘That ain’t ever going to happen. We don’t cooperate with extraterrestrials.’’
‘‘Then you’d better explain to your generals that you’ve just signed Earth’s death warrant.’’
Chapter Twenty-three
Marco! Marco, talk to me! Thea panted, watching the radar that displayed the Antousians full assault on Warren Air Force Base. They’d carpet bombed the facility by air, dropped in untold forces, and were now in the midst of a hostile takeover. The one thing they couldn’t ascertain was how secure the underground facility remained at this point. So far, Thea hadn’t successfully connected with Marco.
Maybe our bond isn’t strong enough for this kind of distant communication, Thea worried. Or maybe he’s dead. That thought nearly caused her to retch, but she forced her thoughts to still, focusing only on Marco.
Marco, talk to me, she attempted again. Gripping the console, she gathered all her core energy, spinning it hotter and stronger until her knuckles went white. More power, more heat, she thought, then I can reach him.
With one giant fire-burst of energy, she flung her essence across space and distance toward her near-mate, crying out to him with all her soul’s passion. Marccccccoooooo!
Thea, I’m here, came his barely audible voice. I’m with you. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Even in the midst of such monumental danger, he was the one reassuring her.
Tears welled within her eyes. You’re still alive.
I’m okay—so is Dillon, but it’s going to hell here fast, baby.
You hang on! she implored. You stay safe for me. Do you understand? You have to be safe for me—for us, Marco!
I’m in my cell, but there are explosions all around, he confided in a low voice—which was obviously instinctive, even though their communication was completely private.
They haven’t listened to you at all, have they?
I think it’s too late.
No, it’s not! It can’t be, she insisted, clutching at her head in desperation; across the console Jared glanced up at her, his face drawn tight with con
cern.
She put her back to him, and stepped to the far side of the control room as if she were on a private comm. She didn’t want Jared and the others to see her tears. Listen to me, she told Marco, you make it out of there. We’re going to have a life together, a family. Please don’t give up.
She sensed his assent rather than heard any audible reply. Wiping at her eyes, she waited, and didn’t just rush to fill the void, even though holding silent took an extreme act of will.
At last he whispered, How has your body handled the near-bonding? My gift, is it—
She immediately allayed any of his fears.I haven’t felt anything. I’m fine, Marco. She laughed, knowing it sounded forced. See, I told you there wasn’t anything to worry about.
I guess not, he said in a voice that struck Thea as far too resigned. I guess not.
She sensed chaotic emotions threaten to rupture their connection, had the feeling Marco was talking to someone—and became frantic in her reaction. What’s happening there—tell me.
Someone’s coming in, Thea. I-I’ve got to break—
Don’t break away. We might lose our link! Even if it meant staying joined with him until the bitter end, she wouldn’t have him face the battle alone.
Long silence, anxiety from his side, a burst of fear and anger . . . then at last he returned. Thea, I’ll stay with you for as long as I can.
Marco and Scott were spread prone on the cell’s floor, hands behind their heads. A knot of security officers surrounded them, and there was the sound of rifles cocking. This was it; they would be executed quickly before the Antousians took over. The sounds of pulse fire and grenade explosions echoed in the distance.
‘‘You should have cooperated,’’ the colonel told them in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
‘‘Your base is falling into Antousian hands because you wouldn’t listen,’’ Scott replied just as calmly. ‘‘Because you didn’t, we can’t save you now.’’
Footsteps came closer to their heads and Marco flinched reflexively as he prepared to take his bullet. Blocking, he protected Thea from his gut-wrenching fear. The last thing she needed was to experience the gruesome reality of his death across their bond, but he also knew that duty required that he maintain their connection, no matter that cost. So he blocked—hard.
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