by Octavia Kore
“Are you able to understand me now?” The chief’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Oh! I can,” she exclaimed, clapping her hand over her mouth. “Does this mean I finally get to see Oshen and Zar?”
“Gulzar the Damned is not permitted to see you.” He sneered. “He would never be found worthy to be your bondmate. I would do much better for you, give you whatever it is you desire. As long as Una and her mates permit this.” Trakseer nodded at the statue. “I am confident they will grant it.”
“Bondmate?” Amanda rose from her seat, stepping away from the male, her face filled with confusion. “Sorry, but I’m not really looking for one of those.” A nervous laugh fell from between her lips as she cradled her stomach.
“Did Gulzar defile you?”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes narrowed on the chief.
“Do not worry. I will raise the youngling as my own.”
“Listen, I’m not really following whatever it is you think is happening here. I’m not in the market for a bondmate and I don’t need your help raising my baby.”
“Goddess—” Trakseer reached for her, but she recoiled, stumbling over her own feet in an attempt to get away.
Zar’s heart lurched in his chest as he watched her fall to the ground. Beside him, Ky gasped, grabbing at his arm as he rushed by her to get to his little goddess. The quick movement pulled at the wounds on his back that were still healing, but it didn’t matter. She needed him.
“Do not touch her!” He snarled at his chief as he bent to scoop her into his arms, his tail held up between them like a spear. “Are you hurt? Stand and let me look.”
“I’m all right.” She cupped his face in her hands and smiled. “You’re glowing again.”
Her hands trailed down his neck to his bare chest, and he watched the lights dance over his plates as the breath stilled in his lungs. Gulzar had considered that maybe he had just imagined the lights, that his mind had conjured them because he wanted so badly to belong with her, but here they were. His little goddess’ fingers hovered over him, grinning as she left a trail of color in her wake.
“This is impossible,” Trakseer said, his eyes wide as he looked on. “How? Why would the goddess bless one of the damned in such a way?”
She was his, and not even the elders or Trakseer could change that. He may still be Gulzar the Damned, but he had truly been blessed. His mate gasped as the little ones within her began to roll and kick.
“Oh man, it’s like he knows you’re here.”
Gulzar forced air through his crest, rattling gently and calming the younglings. They brushed gently along his mind and he felt his heart ache.
“How do you do that?” she asked with a sigh, her whole body relaxing as the tension in her muscles fled.
“Do what, little goddess?” Being able to understand her was better than he ever could have imagined.
“Hey, you,” She snapped her fingers at Trakseer, whose head jerked up. “Can you give us some privacy?”
The male’s tail beat against his legs angrily as he turned toward the front of the temple. “I will get the elders.”
Gulzar recognized the threat in his words, but he didn’t care. “Little goddess—”
“First of all, my name is Amanda. I’ve been telling you that for years and I’ve always wondered why you called me that.”
“Because you are little and a goddess.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m clearly not little.” A frown tugged her brows down as she glanced at her diminished curves. “Well, I guess I was bigger before. This morning sickness diet has done a number on me, huh?”
“You have been ill.”
“More than I care for.” She grimaced as she smoothed her hand over her belly. It had grown in the couple days they had been apart. “Well, I might be little compared to you and Oshen, but I’m definitely no goddess.”
Gulzar frowned at her as she lowered herself to the bench. Was this some sort of test? If you called a goddess a liar, surely that was blasphemy, but if he agreed that she wasn’t a goddess, wasn’t that also wrong? He looked up at the statue that towered over them and sighed. Una, help me.
“You are not a goddess?” He looked back at her in disbelief.
“Nope.” Amanda shook her head as she leaned back on her hands to watch him.
“Are you not one of their descendants?” Gulzar asked, gesturing toward the murals his ancestors had painted on the walls of the temple. They depicted the gods intermingling with his kind, sharing meals, visiting homes, and blessing them. “These were created by those who were alive when the gods and goddesses walked among us.”
He watched her stand and walk over to one of the walls, her fingers trailing over the painted faces.
“What in the world?” Her mouth dropped open. “How is this possible?”
“I can show you.”
They both spun around at the sound of Ky’s voice as she stepped out of the shadows. Moving her palm lightly over the foot of Una, she spoke directly to the goddess.
“Goddess, please show her the history of the fall.”
The light of the goddess changed as she began to play the ghosts of the past. People walked on a land full of green, with technology that had been lost to them so long ago that there were none alive to remember it. Great paved streets stretched in every direction, and both his kind and hers intermingled freely.
“The link between this world and the great land, Atlantia, once ran strong, leading to a land of prosperity for the race of the gods and the offspring of Una.” The scene changed, flashing to people fighting as the sounds of yelling filled the room.
“That’s Earth,” his little goddess whispered as she stepped closer to the projection.
“A great fight bred animosity between the people, causing them to lose the blessing of the gods and goddesses of Atlantia. During the Great Fall, the link that once held the two worlds together was destroyed by fire, consumed in the chaos. The gods were so angry that they turned their backs on the offspring of Una, deeming them unworthy to reside among them.”
“Those aren’t gods. Those are humans.” Amanda shook her head as she watched.
All of the “humans,” as she called them, disappeared one by one.
“And so the children of Una were lost. As if losing the land of the gods was not enough, the daughters of Una were stolen away.” Rainbow females slowly faded away, leaving only the depictions of two others. “The wayward offspring of Ven were the first to turn away, taking on a new name, Venium. They hid themselves away in the okeanos.” The aquatic species blinked out. “Then went the tainted offspring of Nem, taking on a new name of Grutex. They claimed they would find the lost females, leaving this world but never returning.” The tainted ones that his mate had mistaken him for blinked out. “But the remaining offspring of Una stayed strong and kept their faith, following her commands as they took on her many blessings.” Only his mixed people were left, kneeling at the feet of Una and her mates as they held their arms out in worship.
“Humans know about the Grutex. They attacked us.”
“They attacked the gods of Atlantia?” Ky gaped in shock. “Have they really strayed so far?”
“We’re not actually gods. We’re just aliens to you.” She looked up at the statue of the goddess. “Atlantia, I think, refers to an old legend on Earth. It’s about an ancient island we called Atlantis. The people who lived there were thought to be technologically advanced, far beyond their time. It’s thought that a volcano erupted and sank it to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Which would explain why you guys have so much in common with ancient Greece, especially if you thought we were gods,” she finished with a giggle.
“Then you do not bring fertility to our tribe?” Ky looked pointedly at her midsection.
“This,” she grinned and ran her hand lovingly over her stomach, “is the result of my mating with Oshen. He’s the Venium who came to rescue me from you.” Her eyes fell on Gulzar’s face and her lip
s trembled. “I haven’t seen him since the day we came here.”
Gulzar felt his xines rustle as he let out another rattle.
“Your mate.” Amanda nodded. “This change that happens when you touch me…” he said as he took her hand and placed it on his chest, illuminating his plates once more. “It means you are also my bondmate.”
“Your chief seemed to find that hard to believe.”
Gulzar nodded, hanging his head. “Because I am damned.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“It means he is unworthy, goddess,” Drafir, one of the elders, spoke as he led the other older males into the temple. “He is a murderer.”
Amanda’s eyes snapped up to his face and she frowned. This was it; this was how he was going to lose her. He clutched her hand in his as his heart pounded against his chest. “Who did he murder?” she asked, her tone little more than a whisper.
“The female who gave him life.”
Chapter 26
Amanda
She turned to the older male with a frown. “His mother? How?” Zar’s jaw was clenched tight and he refused to meet her gaze.
“He took her life when she brought him into the world. As a result of her death, his sire soon followed.” The elder spit on the ground in disgust. “Two lives were the cost of his own.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Amanda couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Not only did he take their lives, but he brought his curse down upon the female who nursed him.”
“Hold on.” She put her hand up to silence him. “You’re telling me Zar’s mother died giving birth to him and instead of taking care of her baby, you blamed him?” Her features twisted in disgust when they nodded. “What’s wrong with you?”
The elder who had spoken snorted in indignation. “Gulzar is not worthy of the blessings of Una since he has killed her offspring.”
“Are you really that ignorant? Death during childbirth isn’t something new. Humans used to experience it often before we created technology to help us, but even that doesn’t guarantee a safe delivery.” Amanda shook her head. These people were fucking nuts. “You’re all just a big ol’ satchel of Richards!” It had been her father’s favorite phrase, and it seemed more than appropriate for this occasion. “I want to see Oshen now. Can you take me to him?”
“If that is what you wish, little goddess.” He placed her hand back at her side. “I suspected that once you heard the story of my birth that you would be ashamed.”
“Ashamed of you?”
Zar nodded, turning his face away from her. “Yes.”
Amanda took his face in her hands, tugging until he met her eyes. “If all of this is true and you really are my bondmate, do you think I’d leave you here with these assholes?”
That seemed to surprise him, and he glanced over at the group of older males. “I am not sure.”
“The answer is no, I would not leave you here, and I’m definitely not staying somewhere run by people who punish children for the deaths of their parents.”
The look on his face broke her heart. He had lived his whole life thinking he was unworthy of love, and she wanted to show him how wrong they had all been.
“You would bring me with you? Your mate would allow it?”
Amanda wasn’t sure how Oshen would react to having another male thrust into their relationship, but she couldn’t just abandon Zar. After all, she’d loved him her entire life. She hoped that Oshen would understand when he saw the proof of their bond. Leaning in close, she pressed her hand to Zar’s chest, watching the violet glow emanate from beneath her palm.
“You’re also my mate and I want you to come with us.” Amanda took his hand in hers and tugged him to the front of the temple, Kythea following close behind.
Just before they stepped outside, Zar stopped and turned back to the stunned group of elders and Trakseer, who must have come in on their heels. “It would seem you have failed the test.”
Without anything further, Zar turned and swept Amanda off of her feet, pulling her tightly against him. He looked way too smug as he walked out of the temple, practically running by the time they reached the stairs that led out into the streets. She glanced back over his wide shoulders and almost felt guilty over not correcting him when she saw the crestfallen looks on their faces. Almost. A smirk tugged at her lips as she buried her face against his neck.
“Do you think we could convince Kyra and Viseer to come with us when we leave?” she asked as he descended the stairs. His answer was a string of grumbling growls, just like it had been in the forest before they’d come here.
The idea that the “goddess” had been translating for him and that she wouldn’t be able to understand him once they left hadn’t occurred to her. They both frowned and Gulzar huffed in agitation, running his finger down her cheek.
“He says that soon his blessing will learn.”
“I can understand you so much better already.”
“The goddess must have strengthened my blessing. Gulzar’s blessing is still new to him. I am sure it will strengthen soon,” Kythea reassured her.
Zar’s determined strides ate up the ground and people rushed to get out of his way, staring after them as voices buzzed.
Kyra was standing in the middle of her courtyard with Viseer when they burst through the entrance. “Amanda!” Kyra’s eyes went wide when she saw that she was wrapped in Gulzar’s protective embrace. “Gulzar? What has happened?”
“We are leaving.” Zar’s voice startled her when it came through the AI in Kyra’s wrist. “We need to find the Venium who came back with us.”
“Where will you go? What about the elders and Trakseer? Gulzar, they will punish you, and I cannot bear that again.”
As he set Amanda down on her feet, her hand skimmed over his arms, leaving a violet trail. Kyra’s hand flew to her mouth as she stepped closer, gaping at the telltale sign. “We will go with the Venium. The elders cannot interfere now.”
The older woman smiled. “I suppose this means I can stop holding out hope that one day you would respond to Kythea.” She gave him a sassy wink and laughed at the look of revulsion that screwed up his face.
“You know very well we never saw one another that way.”
A laugh sounded from one of the doorways that led to the courtyard. Kythea had caught up to them and propped herself against the wall as she tried to catch her breath, a huge smile plastered across her face. “Who would ever want to mate you anyway?” Her eyes lit up playfully as she shoved away from the building and made her way to where they stood. “Only a goddess could endure the torture of being bonded to you.”
The low rattle of Zar’s T-rex purr danced along her senses, and she didn’t resist when he pulled her into his side. “Come with us.”
“Our whole lives are here. It would be impossible to leave on such short notice.”
“At least let us take Ky away from here. You know they will not allow her to leave on her own since she is an unmated female.”
Amanda looked between Kythea’s parents with fondness. They had been nothing but kind and generous to her, and they had tried their hardest to help with her sickness. “I’m sure when we get Oshen and tell him what you’ve done for me that he’ll want to repay your hospitality. Maybe we can help you as you’ve helped me.”
“They are right, Kyra. Kythea may find her bonded among their people. She has not responded to anyone here,” Viseer murmured to his mate.
“But it goes against the will of Una.” Kyra looked helplessly torn as she gazed up at Zar.
“Kyra, your people cast out a baby for something that wasn’t his fault. They’re the ones not following the right path. In the little time I’ve known you, I could tell you were different. I’m no goddess. The temple has it all wrong. Don’t you think it’s possible that they’ve misinterpreted the will of Una?”
“Mitera,” Kythea placed a hand on her mother’s arm, “maybe it is time to follow our hearts. Sur
ely Una and her mates would not fault us for going where we feel compelled.”
“At least stay one more night,” she pleaded. “You are so weak right now. Rest here and I will try to talk to the others about releasing your mate.”
Amanda sighed, feeling the weariness already pulling at her. She didn’t want to stay here one minute longer, but Kyra was right. “One night, but that’s it.”
“Stay here with Ky. I will go with Kyra to speak with the elders.” Zar ran his hand over the side of her neck. “Rest.”
She watched as he and Kyra left, and anxiety sank like a stone in her stomach. Something told her the universe was about to throw her another twist.
You can’t leave the house. You shouldn’t leave the house.
Amanda paced the room as she waited impatiently for Zar to return with Oshen. They were taking far too long.
You don’t even know where they’re holding Oshen, she told herself.
She wasn’t sure the elders would be terribly pleased with her right now, but if she could find Zar then he could help her find Oshen and they could get the hell out of here. With her mind made up, Amanda set off for the stairs, stepping as quietly as she could.
“Where are you going?”
She gasped and spun around to see Kythea looking down at her with a frown. “I, uh—I was going to go help Zar.”
Kythea’s lips pursed as she thought. “And do you know where Zar is?”
“The temple?”
“Just give him a little longer to speak with the elders.” When Amanda sighed, Kythea smiled softly. “We could go out to the courtyard from some fresh air if you would like.”
“Sure.” Amanda nodded as the other female descended the steps before taking her arm.
“I know it can be frustrating to stay behind and wait while others do the talking for you. My mitera wished many times that she could storm the temple and clear Gulzar’s name, but this is something he must do. He will not give up.” Kythea took Amanda’s hand, squeezing it. “You are an amazing gift to him, to all of us.”