by Lexa Luthor
Charlie wanted to sleep, but she was still too wound up from the fight on Eos Minor. She then decided to attempt the meditation technique that Kal had shown her on their last night together. Once centered in the bed, Charlie crossed her legs and held out her hands, keeping her palms facedown.
At first, she struggled to clear her mind and almost gave up the meditation. But she had promised Kal she would try. She shook her hands a few times, then refocused herself. She took a few deep, steady breaths, which helped ease her taut muscles. Just as her body started to relax, a knock disturbed her concentration. "Come in," she called, which activated the door.
Andren entered and slowed after a few steps into the quarters. She stared at Charlie, opening and closing her mouth a few times.
Charlie dragged her fingers through her hair and looked over at Andren. "What's up?"
Andren cleared her throat and replied, "Just wanted to let you know that the five injured warriors will be fine. One of the Alphas is still in the medical bay after having a bullet removed from his shoulder."
Cringing, Charlie asked, "They were able to get the bullet out?"
Andren nodded and replied, "One of the soldiers has medical experience."
"I imagine that's why Kal sent him," Charlie said, humming at her lover's constant insight and planning skills. "How are the others?"
"Fine." Andren had a slight grin. "I think we are ready to return home."
Charlie thought about whether Kander was home to her. "Space sickness getting to them?"
Andren chuckled and shrugged. "We weren't made for outer space."
Charlie understood after being on a ship with Starr for several years. "It doesn't seem to agree with your people."
Andren tilted her head and neared the bed. "It is difficult for us to be away from our home planet, but it was important to capture Victor."
"Ja." Charlie sighed and whispered, "I hope he has the answers we need." Even if he had any, she had no idea how Kal planned to make him talk. She set aside her thoughts when she noticed Andren's curious look.
"Are you trying fynil?"
Charlie stared at Andren and failed to translate the Kalmarese word. "Am I what?"
"Fynil," Andren repeated, pointing at Charlie's body. "It's a very old and special Kalmar tradition between mates." She smiled a little and said, "I assume the High Commander showed you."
Charlie bit her lip, then shifted on the bed until she faced Andren. "She didn't tell me it's called fynil." Kal also hadn't elaborated on the fact it was a special ritual for bonded mates. Charlie had wrongly assumed it was a meditation technique for Kalmar.
Andren shifted on her feet, then cleared her throat. "It is used for bonding. Fynil means 'together' in our old tongue."
Scratching her neck once, Charlie weighed the ancient meaning behind the ritual's name. "Well, it's not easy to do. I have a hard time keeping my mind clear."
Andren canted her head and said, "You are doing it wrong if you are attempting to keep your mind clear." A soft grin spread across her full lips. "You are meant to fill your mind with your mate, then the rest will come." She back stepped twice. "It takes time to master." She went to the door and said goodbye to Charlie.
Alone again, Charlie returned to the center of the bed and decided to take Andren's suggestion. She resumed her earlier position, closed her eyes, and took several big breaths until her body relaxed. This time she concentrated on Kal, beginning with facial features to help center her mind. With each passing tick, she became more immersed in her mental image of Kal until she could hear her.
"Charlie," Kal whispered, her voice twisting in the air. "Charlie," she called again, pulling against Charlie's spirit.
Gasping, Charlie replied, "Sumner." She beckoned her lover to find her, through space and infinite distance. Then she felt the familiar heat under her palms and the pressure against her knees. Her eyes flew open and her mind was jolted by the unformed vision of her lover materializing in front of her.
Kal was crossed legged as well and wearing her normal attire. She was more of a ghost, and the back half of her was fragmented in glowing, floating shards that were trying to merge together. Her distorted presence was becoming more solid with each heartbeat.
"Sumner?" Charlie whispered in awe then jerked her hands away from the large ones under hers.
Kal shattered into millions of flickering grains that faded until there was nothing again other than a broken whisper. "Char…"
Charlie scooted back, crawling on her hands and staring at the spot where she had envisioned her lover. She covered her racing heart and tried to calm it with gulps of air. She then noticed the soft scent of burning wood that was impossible on the Betty May. "Th-that wasn't real," she told herself. Looking over at the locke, she asked, "Did you see that?"
The locke was sniffing the air, seeming to scent something. She sneezed before lowering her head to the blankets again.
"Okay. I need sleep," Charlie said, declaring herself deprived of rest. She had plenty of time for a long nap before they were near Kander's solar system. She crawled under the blankets, lowered the lights, and struggled to relax at first. After easing her mind, she whispered, "Don't make something out of nothing."
Epilogue
Charlie hopped out of the truck bed, stepped aside, and waited for Andren to escort Victor. She smirked when Victor was shoved off the truck and stumbled twice. She grabbed his arms, which were lashed behind his back. "This way, captain."
Andren followed behind Charlie and the prisoner and held her laser rifle at the ready.
Heading up to the Great Tower's massive entrance, a guard started to open the left door for them. Charlie noticed that Victor was taking in the tower's massive stature that reached higher than any building in Tarrak.
Victor turned his head sidelong and asked, "Is it to compensate for what the High Commander doesn't have between her legs?"
Charlie snorted, leaned in, and whispered, "More like a memorial for what she does have between her legs." She snickered at his confused expression and pushed him forward into the opening of the Great Tower.
The High Commander waited in the middle of the entrance hall, flanked by several guards. Her eyes were on Victor for a tick before she held Charlie's gaze. She hooked her hands in front of her body and waited for Charlie to present the prisoner to her.
Charlie grabbed Victor's shoulder, halting him several steps from the High Commander. With a brief head bow, she smiled and said, "As requested. This is Captain Victor Petrov from Serrato Corps. The human that had the Omega Fairlee kidnapped and ransomed to you." And killed me, she reminded herself and sensed Kal's silent agreement. She looked at him and slammed her boot into his legs.
Victor collapsed to the floor on his knees before the High Commander. He snarled low, then bared his teeth when the High Commander approached him.
Kal neared Victor and held his gaze the entire time. She flashed him a predatory smile, revealing her long canines. "Welcome to Kander," she said in English.
Charlie lifted an eyebrow at hearing her native tongue spoken by Kal.
"Take him to a cell and prep him for me to question," Kal ordered the guards, who snared his shoulders and dragged him away. Victor was gone in a few ticks.
Charlie was intrigued by the idea that Kal would question Victor herself. She wanted to know more but held her tongue in front of the audience.
"Andren, you may return to the barracks until Charlie is ready to leave the tower. Also inform Laken that I want a full report by first light."
"Ja, Kal." Andren bowed her head, then traded a glance with Charlie.
Kal waited until Andren left them before saying, "I will need your assistance with questioning Victor. Do you have time now?"
Charlie considered her pending plans, which included going back to the Betty May to help Raine. They had landed the ship outside the city rather than place it in orbit and use the shuttle. There were too many Kalmar sold
iers, including injured ones, and loads of supplies to be removed from the ship's storage holes. Still, she had time for whatever Kal needed help with for the interrogation, which she suspected was translating from English to Kalmarese.
"Ja, of course."
Kal nodded. "Then we will go to my office first." She signaled for the two guards to continue their duties. She walked with Charlie up to the elevator lobby, then they slipped into the empty lift.
Charlie tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and rocked on her boots, stealing glances at her lover. "You look good."
Kal canted her head, and a faint smile creased her lips. "You smell good."
Flushing, Charlie sniffed her jacket and joked, "I smell like oil and hyperfuel."
Kal rumbled and said, "Ja but that's only on the surface."
Charlie shook her head but faced the lift's gate after a ding. She opened it and went to the office's open door that had two guards on either side. Once they were inside, the doors closed and they were alone.
"Were any of my warriors killed?" Kal asked and steered them over to the sitting area.
"Joh." Charlie sat on the sofa with her lover. "A few were hurt, but they'll be fine."
Kal relaxed into the sofa and asked, "What of the Serrato soldiers?"
"We killed a lot of them," Charlie replied. "But there were five that surrendered at the end of the fight. I stripped them of their tech and left them on Eos Minor. They'll get eaten by the animals there, or maybe a ship will come back for them, if they're lucky."
Kal's chest shook with soft thunder, sounding pleased with the results. "And my ship?"
Charlie chuckled at the idea of a High Commander now owning a ship. "The Betty May doesn't have a scratch. We landed outside the city, by the old mill."
Kal nodded and released a deep breath.
"I did have one… odd thing happen." Charlie clenched her lower lip between her teeth when Kal raised an eyebrow at her. "So like a day or two before we left for the mission, I bought a locke from a vendor in the market." She shook her head and said, "Actually Andren bought it for me, and I still need to pay her back." She sighed at her ramble and refocused the conversation. "Anyway, it was sick looking, so I fed it and released it the next day."
"You didn't mention this," Kal said.
"It wasn't really important, I guess." Charlie played with her utility belt, staring at it for a moment before looking at Kal again. "So anyway, after we left Kander, several of the warriors found and cornered the locke."
"You took it on the ship?"
"Joh." Charlie sighed and touched her lover's thigh. "She snuck onto the Betty May and hid there. She just got caught stealing food."
"What happened to it?"
Charlie had a thin smile and replied, "I kind of took her in, fed her, and let her stay in my quarters. She followed me around the ship. After we landed, she followed me out of the Betty May and went into the wild again." She studied Kal's downturned lips.
"That is unusual for a locke."
"They are mischievous creatures," Charlie said, hints of amusement in her tone.
Kal remained quiet for a moment, then sighed and said, "You may have imprinted the locke after saving her."
Charlie huffed and argued, "I just let it out of a cage."
"You also fed and sheltered her, repeatedly."
"But she left the ship." Charlie had watched the locke disappear into the field of winter grain despite wanting to call the locke back to her. She frowned at the memory and whispered, "I doubt she'll return after being stuck on that ship for days."
Kal grunted, then leaned down into Charlie's space. "You have a way of alluring wild creatures."
Charlie rolled her eyes and whispered, "Such a sought-after skill." She closed the distance and sealed their lips together, whimpering at feeling them again. The kiss was long and slow until they both struggled for control. Charlie broke first and moaned after Kal bit her neck. I missed you, she whispered in her mind. But when Kal pulled away, she grumbled at the loss of contact and hated the restrictions on their relationship. It's still an affair.
"Are you hungry?" Kal asked, her voice shaking with an Alpha's desire. Her right hand was curled tight enough that her knuckles were white.
Smirking, Charlie replied, "For food or you?" Her throbbing clit was shocked by Kal's wolfish smile.
"Food. But we can discuss a bonus for your successful mission later."
"I like bonuses." Charlie felt like the cat with the canary at the prospect of getting fucked tonight. "And I am a little hungry." She stretched out her hand and traced her pointed index finger down the length of Kal's coat. When she came to Kal's waist, she trailed her finger to Kal's crotch and whispered, "I could be convinced to eat something." She peered up with hooded eyes, noticing that Kal's attention went from staring at her crotch to Charlie's gaze.
"I will have something brought up," Kal said, but she made no effort to handle the request, yet.
Charlie slid her hand to the underside, where she could already feel her lover's hard-on. She smirked at Kal's darkened eyes and whispered, "Krafka." She withdrew her hand and chuckled at the amount of effort it took for Kal to leave the sofa and order something.
It's good to be… home?
* * *
"This way," Kal ordered, guiding Charlie to a sealed, heavy wood door tucked in a hidden spot on the ground floor of the Great Tower.
Charlie's skin crawled when the guard unlocked the door and yanked it open for them. Already the damp smells wafted from the opening, and the flickering light put her on edge.
Kal went first and descended the stone steps, one by one.
Charlie almost fingered her handgun, which she'd forgotten to hide in her jacket. She ignored it and instead followed her lover down the windy, narrow steps. Behind her, the door boomed with finality. Once they made it to the bottom, they traveled down a long hallway and passed an occasional guard. On either side were doors one after another; all appeared locked tight.
The dampness was heavier, and the torches' light was bright. After a few steps, she frowned at her boots scraping the dirt floor rather than stone, like the rest of the Great Tower. They had to be a hundred feet or so below the building and perhaps under a street. Perhaps this was the only prison, or there could be more connected to the Great Tower.
They came to the end of the hallway, and a guard stood from a stool. He reached to his side and produced a set of keys.
"Is he prepped?" Kal asked.
"Ja, Kal." The guard worked the key in the hole, unlocked it, and pulled on the ring until the door creaked open. "Do you require anything else?"
"Joh." Kal entered the cell.
Charlie followed and took in Victor slumped forward on a wooden bench. The six-by-six cell had gray stone walls, a dirt floor, and four lit torches that probably were allowed to burn out and leave the prisoner in total darkness. To the left, a small hole had an ankle tall bucket on it, probably a crude toilet. On the wall behind Victor were two metal rings with chains attached to them, but they weren't hooked to him.
With a furrow etching across her brow, Charlie spotted a metal cup on the bench and clear liquid pooled around it. She shifted a few steps closer and frowned when Victor didn't react to her movements. "Victor?" She placed a hand on her gun and pushed on his shoulder to get his attention.
Victor groaned and slid down the stone wall. He stared upward and moaned.
Charlie jumped back, half expecting him to come at her. She noticed the glassy reflection in his eyes, his features glazed and lost. Glancing over at the cup, she grabbed it and sniffed the contents, which burned against her nose. "Vuk!" She tossed the empty cup onto the bench and looked over at her lover. "He's drunk from mkin." The scent of the cup alerted Charlie to the strength of the Kalmar alcohol that hadn't been diluted. Humans weren't capable of drinking much mkin and had to weaken it with water, finding it fatal to their liver otherwise.
"
Ja." Kal moved to Victor's side and stared at him. "It makes him pliable."
"Pliable? For what?" Charlie stared in worry at her lover, who grabbed Victor's shoulder.
Kal shoved him forward and sent him to the ground. "He is human, but he isn't a Beta." She canted her head and whispered, "The mkin will make it easier to control him."
Charlie parted her lips, but her heart pounded against her chest when Kal's eyes glowed bright green. She looked down and stumbled backward, hitting the bench. "Holy fucking shit!" She wanted to hop on the bench when the thick, black mist rose up from the floor.
Every wisp of it seemed hungry, but only for Victor. It consumed him, and he jolted to life with a scream. He attempted to get up, using his hands, but Kal's boot slammed into his back. She drove him into the dirt and held him down while the fog soaked into his skin, eyes, and mouth until it was gone.
Kal released him and ordered, "Get up."
Victor remained motionless for a beat but then he put his hands under his body. He lifted himself, stood, and appeared more alert.
Charlie shifted to her right to stand in front of Victor. She gaped at his black eyes that had once been blue, like hers. She snapped her attention to Kal, whose eyes were still a blazing green. Fuck! My eyes had been black when I crashed on Kander. She recalled her reflection in the shuttle that day. Even though she and Kal had discussed Kal's being inside Charlie after the crash, she was at a loss to witness it happening to another.
Kal looked from Victor to Charlie and said, "You must question him and translate it to me."
"You can't understand him even with—" Charlie waved her hand at his stiff form and tried to think of the right question. "—his forced cooperation?"
"Joh." Kal stared at Victor's profile and said, "His thoughts are in a strange language. I can only control his movements."
"It's probably Russian," Charlie whispered, then nodded once. "Victor, can you still understand me?"
"Da."