by Becca Van
“By the stars.” Starg gasped.
“I’ve never…” Borg swallowed audibly.
“It’s a miracle,” Larg whispered.
Darcy once more turned her back on the men and, once she was covered, faced them once more.
“You do realize that my mates are probably on their way.”
“You don’t know for sure?” Forg asked.
Darcy frowned. “What?”
“Are you not connected to them?” Borg frowned.
“Yes, but we’ve only been…mated for a short time. And maybe the connection between my species and yours isn’t as strong as what you’ve heard.”
Starg nodded as if in agreement.
“So are you going to let Isa and I go?”
Just as Starg opened his mouth to reply, the doors burst open. Her men rushed inside but they halted when the Western warriors surrounded them. But it wasn’t only her mates that were here. Her and her men’s guard were also shoving the Western warriors aside as they tried to get inside the door.
Darcy hurried around the table and toward her men, but before she could reach them, a large muscular arm snagged her around the waist and lifted her off of her feet. When she looked up and back, she expected to see one of the Western Leaders holding her, but it wasn’t, and she didn’t like the malevolent look in his eyes.
“Let me go.” She dug her nails into his skin, but other than grimacing, he only held her tighter. Darcy didn’t want them to start fighting and the only way she could see that not happening was if she could stand beside her guys, but this asshole didn’t look like he was going to release her anytime soon.
She lowered her eyes and changed her frown to an expression of fear and then looked back up at her restrainer again. When she saw lustful satisfaction on his face, the shiver which raced up her spine was genuine trepidation. His eyes were so cold and calculating, but as she stared into them she swore she saw insanity, too. She let her body go lax and her lids closed as if she was fainting. The arm around her eased allowing her to take a deep breath, and then she made her move.
Darcy spun around and as his arm tightened around her middle once more, she raised her arm, elbow out, and slammed it into his nose. He let her go, his hands going up to cover his bleeding nose as he bellowed in pain and anger, and as she stepped back he roared with fury and charged.
A shout joined the roar, and just as Darcy thought she was going to die by the asshole’s hand, she was shoved to the side. She stumbled to stay on her feet, but managed to, and when she turned around to face her nemesis she covered her mouth to see that Borg was fighting him. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was loud in the room because everyone had stopped talking and were watching the two men fight.
She started when another arm came around her waist, but relaxed when she smelled Froz’s wonderful scent. Drac came to stand on one side and Plat on the other. They took her hands in theirs.
“Are you all right, little tatra?” Drac asked.
“I’m fine.”
Darcy gasped with horror when the guy who had tried to attack her drew out a weapon and when he flicked his wrist, a laser sword appeared.
“Stand down, Yorg,” Borg shouted. “Don’t make me kill you.”
Yorg didn’t answer but took a step toward Borg. Darcy had only just noticed that Borg wasn’t armed.
He backed away from Yorg as he tried to talk him down.
“What are you doing?”
“You don’t deserve to be our leader. You and your brethren are weak,” Yorg shouted.
Borg would have backed into her if Froz hadn’t lifted her up and moved her to the side. Yorg chose that moment to rush and since she was closer than her guys, who had moved out of the way, too, she stuck her leg out and tripped him just as Yorg raised his arm to strike at Borg. He lost his balance, his momentum carrying him forward, and he fell to his knees, but as he fell the tip of the laser sword seared through her pants and the side of her calf.
At first she only felt a slight sting, but as the adrenaline wore off the pain was so intense she could barely breathe. Loud angry shouts reverberated in her ears, but when she blinked the dark spots forming in front of her eyes coalesced to a black screen and she felt her body slumping as she passed out.
* * * *
Cark yelled when pain pierced his leg, but when he looked down he didn’t see any injury. When he heard his brethren’s angry cries and the connection with his tatra fading, he realized that his mate had been hurt.
He drew his laser sword from his hip and with the flick of his wrist extended the light blade. As he took a step toward the pharmer who had hurt his female, Varg shoved him aside and without any hesitation, he took Yorg out.
“Get a remedial in here now,” Borg demanded as he hurried to Darcy.
Froz had her up in his arms against his chest, but Cark couldn’t take his eyes off of the blood dripping down her leg.
“Bring her to the table,” Starg said.
Froz carried Darcy to the large table and after it was cleared, he gently placed her onto the hard surface.
Cark’s heart was racing inside his chest and he was having trouble breathing. Darcy looked so pale and fragile and for a moment he thought she was dead. When he saw her chest rise and fall as she inhaled and exhaled, his knees buckled and he had to grab onto the edge of the table so he wouldn’t fall on his ass. It was only as she lay wounded, her blood seeping out of her body, that he realized he hadn’t told her how much she meant to him. Never in his life had he had to explain how he felt, and even though she should have felt his love for her through their link, he still cursed the fact he hadn’t said he loved her.
The Western Leaders’ remedial rushed into the room and after he pushed through the row of warriors to get to his mate, he pulled a knife from the small bag he carried with him.
Cark snarled and without thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed the pharmer around the throat and squeezed.
“Cark, release the remedial. He isn’t going to harm our tatra. He wants to help her.” Drac gripped his shoulder and when he noticed that the remedial’s face was beginning to turn a strange color, he eased his grip and then let go.
When the rem had his breath back, he glanced nervously toward Cark and then started to explain what he was doing.
“I am not going to hurt the female. I need to cut the pants so I may tend to her wound.”
Cark nodded but watched avidly as he cut the material away from Darcy’s wound. He gasped when he saw the laser sword had split her soft pale skin open from the side of her knee to just above her ankle. Her blood was so red and he had to concentrate on taking each breath so he wouldn’t bellow his agony to the room.
To see his heart’s desire hurt was something he could barely stand, and he hoped he never had to see her this way again.
“I will give the female a pain deadener and then I will repair the injury.” The rem looked at him and waited for him to nod before proceeding.
“Will she recover, Rem Lork?” Drac asked in a hoarse voice.
“Yes. Your tatra will make a full recovery, but she may experience some weakness in the leg muscles for a time. With exercise the strength will eventually return.”
Cark sighed with relief, but he was still so full of anger at their mate getting hurt. Although he hated to ask, he needed to know why the male had tried to kill Borg. He didn’t need to ask why he had tried to take Darcy. There were too few females on their home world and any male would be envious of others having a mate.
“Why did Yorg try to kill you?”
Borg sighed and threaded his hands through his hair. He met Cark’s gaze and then looked away as if he felt guilty. “His brethren were killed by a stampede of yopi. Yorg wasn’t with them for some reason. His brothers were out on patrol and something spooked the small herd. Although they tried to escape, they were too far away from their hover tandems and there were too many of the beasts to kill them all. They were crushed.
“Yorg hasn’t
been the same since. Little by little he became more aggressive, well, more than usual anyway. At times I thought I could see madness in his eyes, but then I thought I had imagined it because he seemed to hide it whenever I tried to look too deeply. I figured that with time he would deal with his grief and the volatility would lesson.
“It seems I was wrong. I am sorry that your mate got hurt because I delayed taking care of a problem.”
Varg clasped Borg’s shoulders. “He had us all fooled, brethren. I thought he was getting better, but he was adept at hiding his grief and anger. We tried to help him, but you cannot help those that don’t want to be helped.”
Cark nodded his agreement. “Varg is right. Although I hate that he lost his life, he is at peace, with his brethren once more.”
The knot of anxiety lifted from his shoulders and Cark realized that he didn’t blame anyone for what had happened. Least of all a grieving man.
The only thing that would relieve the rest of his tension was seeing his tatra’s beautiful blue eyes again. He hoped it wouldn’t be too long before that happened.
Chapter Twelve
Darcy felt like she was floating. She could hear deep voices but they were so far away she couldn’t understand what they were saying. She was so tired and although vaguely aware of what was going on, she wanted to sleep.
The pain from her wound disappeared and she felt light-headed and a bit dizzy, like as if she’d had too much to drink. Although she felt hands tugging at the legs of her pants, she wanted to open her eyes to see who was tending her, but her eyelids were so heavy and she couldn’t seem to get her mind to connect with her body.
There were so many emotions swirling around inside of her she wanted to scream. There was fear, rage, worry, and love. She latched onto the last emotion and followed the tendrils. When she got to the end of the connection, her heart filled with joy. The adoration, tenderness, and protectiveness were coming from her five mates. She wished she could tell them that she was okay, but everything was just too much of an effort.
She tried to concentrate on their voices but a soft feminine voice overrode the deep male rumbles until it sounded like a light chanting. She heard the same verse she’d heard when she’d first put the slave gold bracelet on her wrist and when the chant faded away, she saw a bright light floating toward her.
She tried to blink, but still her body wouldn’t obey her demands, but that didn’t seem to matter. The light got bigger and brighter the closer it came and she saw the outline of a feminine form. When the woman stopped a few feet away, the light dimmed and the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen stood before her with a halo of light around her body.
Her long, dark hair flowed around her shoulders and down her back, seeming to move by itself in an unseen breeze. Her face and skin were flawless and the words “supermodel beautiful” didn’t do her justice. The white of her Roman-style toga dress was so brilliant it hurt her eyes.
“You are in love and happy. Yes?”
“Yes.” Darcy nodded and smiled. The smile was so big her cheeks hurt, but she didn’t want to tamp it down.
“You are lucky, human. I never got the chance to love. You will have many happy years with your mates. Your life will be filled with love, laughter, and children. I envy you.”
“Thank you,” Darcy said and held her hand out to the goddess. Somehow she’d known who it was standing before her as soon as she saw her gorgeous face. “You have given me so much.”
“I gave you nothing but an opportunity. You accepted your men with an alacrity that is rare. You are the beginning, Darcy Archer. Tell the males of Zennox and draw up a contract with rules which will need to be adhered to.”
“Rules?”
“If these males can’t find the other halves to their souls, they will die out. They need women, Darcy. There are a lot of females on your Earth that would jump at the chance to be loved the way you are. Would you deny those females and the males of this planet the chance at love?”
“No.”
“You are the hope to the continuation of these males’ bloodlines. Please help them to find the women they need. You can be the liaison to the leaders of your home world. Get in touch with the president of your country. He will find a way to sign women up for the chance of a lifetime and he will make sure that mass hysteria doesn’t happen.”
Darcy nodded and licked her dry lips. The goddess was expecting a lot from her and even though she would do everything within her power to get the ball on the roll, she wasn’t sure she was the right person for the job. She was supposed to help her guys rule their section of this planet, since they were the leaders, and that task was daunting enough, but now she wanted her to talk with and organize a way with the President of the United States no less, for women to move to another planet. Talk about pressure.
“Do not worry, Darcy Archer. Everything will work out fine. You will have your mates by your side helping you every step of the way. Get them to contact the President to set up a meeting. They have the technology and the means to travel space quickly.”
“They do?”
“Yes.” The light around the goddess got brighter and Darcy closed her eyes again.
“What’s your name?” she asked curiously.
“I am Branwen, daughter to Lir, and the goddess of love and beauty.”
With her eyes still closed, Darcy reached out, and when Branwen clasped her hand, a profound peace washed over her and her heart was so full of love it felt like it was going to burst. “Thank you for giving me this chance, Branwen. I will never be able to thank you enough.”
“You already have, little human. Take care of those female babes when they come along in six months. They are very important to this world. You have already started to bring the factions back together, but they will cement the divisions until they become unbreakable.”
“Babes? Daughters?” Darcy didn’t think her heart could be any fuller, but for a moment or two it felt like it was about to burst. Tears of joy streamed down her face.
“Twin girls. They will look just like you, but they will have their sire’s glowing eyes.”
“Oh. I’m so happy. I wish I could do something to show my gratitude.”
“Just give other females the same chance I gave you.”
“I will. Thank you, Branwen.”
“Live a long, happy life, Darcy Archer.” Branwen’s voice faded away and Darcy sank into a deep dreamless sleep.
* * * *
“Why isn’t she waking?” Lowl asked Rem Tark.
“She is resting.”
“She has been resting for two sun risings. Are you sure the Western Province remedial didn’t do something to make her sleep?”
“Lowl, calm down.” Plat brushed his lips over Darcy’s forehead. “She will awaken when she is rested. Our little tatra has been through much in a short span of time.”
“I know.” Lowl sighed, sat on the side of the bed, and took one of her small hands in his. When her fingers twitched in his hand, he shifted his gaze to her face. Her eyelids fluttered and then she blinked a couple of times. She lifted her eyes to his and then smiled. That smile was so full of love his breath caught in his throat and tears burned the back of his eyes.
“Hi,” she whispered and licked her dry lips.
“Darcy, I am so glad you’re awake. I was worried about you.” Lowl lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it.
“I’m fine.” She tugged her hand from his and then shifted until she was sitting up with her back against the headboard, a pillow in between her and the wood. “Can someone please get me a drink of water?”
“I will,” Drac said before he turned and hurried away. He was back moments later with a jug and cup. After filling it, he handed it to her and she drained it in one go.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome, little tatra.” Drac put the jug and cup on the side table and then climbed up onto the bed near Darcy’s feet.
“So is someone going to
tell me what happened?”
“Yorg hurt you with his laser sword,” Froz said in an angry, growly voice. “We had the Western Province remedial heal you.”
“Why did Yorg attack me?” Darcy asked.
“He wanted you for himself. Any male without a mate would be envious of blood brethren who are lucky enough to have their own tatra,” Cark explained.
“But that wasn’t all, was it? He didn’t look right.”
Plat sat on the edge of the bed. “He lost his brethren when a herd of yopi stampeded. They were crushed to death. He was grieving the loss and went a little mad.”
“Oh, that is so sad. Is he all right?”
“He has been reunited with his brethren,” Froz said.
“He’s…dead?” Darcy gulped and a single tear leaked from the corner of her eye and tracked down her face.
Lowl couldn’t stand to see her sad and needed to comfort her. He clasped her upper arms, lifted her, and brought her onto his lap, before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tight. “He is happy now, mate. Do not be sad for him.”
Darcy nodded and hiccupped and then buried her face into his neck. Another tear landed above the opening of his shirt. “Please, do not cry.”
“I can’t help it. I just feel really emotional right now.”
“What can we do to help?” Plat stroked a hand down her back.
“You’re already doing it.” Darcy finally lifted her head, wiped the tears away with her hands, and then smiled at each of them. “I can feel your love for me through our mating link.” Once more she looked at each of them, giving them another smile, but this one was so full of love, Lowl wanted to shout to the suns. His chest filled with warmth and his cock hardened and began to pulse. All he wanted to do was roll her over onto her back, strip his clothes off, and sink into her heated, wet depths.
Some of what he was feeling must have leaked through to her. She patted his chest and gave him a sultry look. “Hold that thought, big guy. Where is Isa? Is she all right?”