Worlds Collide

by Tracy St. John

  She gave him two white tablets and a bottle of water. Jape swallowed them. “I’ll cope with the hurt, now that I’m not in your hideous desert-bouncer. As long as the wound doesn’t get infected, I will heal.”

  Regret pinched her features as she sat next to him, stripping her long-sleeved shirt off as she did so to reveal the sweat-stained, short-sleeved T-shirt beneath. “I’m sorry, Jape. If it weren’t for me and the stupid idea of talking to the general—”

  Jape cut her off by planting a kiss on her lips. Feeling her pliable and warm against him rendered the suffering unimportant.

  “You did what you believed was right. What I would have done. There is nothing to apologize for.”

  “Except that it almost got you killed.”

  “Better than seeing others die.” Jape held her tight. “I went insane for a while after my brother warriors fell, and you bore the brunt of it. It’s a wonder you didn’t run from me a million times.”

  “I considered it,” she admitted. “But I’m glad I stuck around.”

  “I’m glad too. The fact you came for me, risked your life for me...you are more than I was willing to give you credit for. More than I deserve.” He wondered if he could ever forgive himself for slighting her.

  “I had to come back for you. I wish I’d had a better plan, though. What I did had too many opportunities to go terribly wrong.”

  He stroked her hair. So soft. Just as he’d thought Velia was. Yet she was tough, through and through. “You couldn’t have failed. Not with your strength and smarts.”

  “Strength?” She grinned and flexed her arm to show off her tiny bicep. “Grr. I am woman, hear me roar.”

  Jape chuckled at the display. “You know what I mean. Maybe you are a woman and not the kind of fighter I’m used to. But the strengths you have are as important as mine. I love you for them.”

  The mock-fierce face she gave him faded, replaced by startled wonder. She stared at him, her brown eyes wide.

  She needed him to repeat it, so he did. “I love you for you. I tried not to, but there it is. I love you, Earthling.”

  “Jape.” Her voice was barely there, lifted just enough for him to hear her speak his name.

  She flung herself at him, forgetting his injury. Jape ignored the flash of torment. Any amount of hurt was worth having her in his arms, where she belonged. Kissing him, all over his face. Twice to make sure she hadn’t missed a spot.

  Jape laughed, delighted with the display that returned his sentiment better than mere words could. He held his alien woman, stuck on her alien planet, and all was right in his hearts again.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Jape loved her.

  Joy swelled in Velia’s heart until she thought her chest would burst. Unable to speak any word but his name at first, she responded with exuberant kisses and wallowing on him until a fleeting grimace flashed across his beaming face.

  His wound! Get off the poor man, you idiot!

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oh, your poor back,” she said, trying to scramble away.

  Clutching her, Jape wouldn’t let her off his lap. “Don’t you dare go anywhere. Now that I’ve found my good sense, I don’t want to lose a single moment of touching you.”

  “At least lie down. You need to rest. Sleep, if you can.” Velia set her pack down for a pillow. “Are you warm enough? I could build a fire.”

  “I can armor and stay warm, except in the area of the injury. I’ll be fine.” He winced but was able to settle on the ground. “What about you? Will you be all right?”

  She snuggled against his chest. “You run hot. Better than an electric blanket. But if I move too much and start hurting you, tell me.”

  “You’re fine. You don’t think there will be any chance of pursuit?”

  “I doubt they’ll search far beyond the sandrail before dawn. You’ll be okay to get some rest.”

  “Good. I’m exhausted.”

  He wasn’t kidding. Only minutes later, his eyes sank shut, and his breathing deepened. Jape was asleep. Velia’s heart swelled at his show of trust, that he could relax on an unfriendly world in her care.

  Velia should have been tired too. Emotionally, physically—she’d been through the wringer in a few short hours. She didn’t feel the least bit sleepy despite her adventures. Which was good, since she needed to stay alert.

  Jape loved her. He’d said so, and he was not a man who would utter such a thing without meaning it. His expression had insisted on the truthfulness of his statement. Typical Jape, with his straightforward, no-nonsense delivery—but a softness too, that was unusual for him.

  He loves me.

  The three words kept interrupting her worries about his bullet wound. It intruded on the concerns that once the soldiers figured out they were nowhere near the sandrail, they’d start checking Velia’s shelters. General Thomas and a couple others knew about them, a precaution in case she went out into the desert and didn’t come back. And while she and Jape couldn’t have walked ninety-three miles from the buggy to this particular shelter, they’d likely find the portal emitter she’d had to leave behind. She doubted they would figure out how to use it, but they might guess its function.

  He loves me.

  Velia thought her thoughts, worried her worries, and basked in the knowledge of Jape’s feelings. All the while, she stared into his slumbering golden face, her gaze tracing the white stripes that accentuated his strong features.

  He loves me.

  Little by little, as she watched him sleep, she relaxed against him. Her eyelids drooped. She sat up, pinched herself to stay awake, and repeated the magical words in her mind.

  The long hours passed until morning light streamed into the small cave, beaming across her face when the sun crested the distant horizon. It wasn’t the light that made Velia jump up and hurry to the cave’s mouth. It was the sound of a chopper rumbling in the distance.

  Jape was on his feet in a flash, though a tremendous groan sprang from his throat. He’d barely opened his eyes, but he had his shooter in hand. Velia glanced at the guns she’d laid on a ledge. She left them there, concentrating on the view outside. She squinted at a distant ridge, where a black speck drifted against the pale blue of the new day.

  “Are they coming this way?” Jape’s ears perked straight up.

  “Looks like it. They have no idea we’re here, and they can’t pick us up on thermal because of the rock. Still, they’ll pinpoint the location of the cave and send troops in.” Her heart thundered. I have to think of something before we have too many of them on us.

  Time. A lot had already passed, more than she’d expected. Things had apparently gone against her allies in the Cas hive. She tried not to worry too much about Retav, Arga, and Salno.

  Time, that merciless bastard. She needed more, but damn if she knew how to play for it.

  “Why do I get the feeling anything besides capture is preferable?” Jape was calm, steady. He helped Velia maintain her own equilibrium as the dark dot grew larger and started to take shape.

  “Because you are a wise man. Let’s put some stuff in the openings so we can hide from the thermal for as long as possible.”

  She had a few bins and the backpack...not any real defense. The largest rocks scattered along the ground were no bigger than her fist, and there weren’t enough to stack.

  Jape wasn’t searching for cover. He watched her instead. “You cannot harm them? No matter what?”

  Velia considered before slowly shaking her head. “I can’t shoot people who are following orders to take us prisoner. I don’t fault you for doing so, but I can’t. I’m sorry, Jape. I’ll stay with you, no matter what.”

  Instead of being angry or deriding her for not being tougher, Jape shocked her with a gentle kiss before moving to the ledge where she’d put the guns. She gasped when he placed his shooter next to
them.

  “Jape?”

  He turned to her, wearing that tender expression. “I will also refrain from harming your kind. If it matters to you, it matters to me.”

  Tears stung Velia’s eyes. Jape had the most to lose if they were captured...and yet for her peace of mind, he was willing to let it happen.

  He loves me.

  “I love you.” The words came out on a sob, her vision blurring as the tears multiplied.

  She still saw his smile, the smile she’d adored even when they couldn’t find common ground. She went to him, to be folded in his arms and soothed by his kiss.

  The blatting of massive guns jerked them apart. Jape snarled, but he showed no sign of panic. “Those sounded distant. What are they attacking?”

  “Grow a couple of fingers and cross them,” Velia said, hurrying to the cave opening again. She searched the sky and whooped as relief washed through her. “Better late than never.”

  Jape joined her. “They took their time sending the collection pod, didn’t they? I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’d given up when we woke to daylight and they hadn’t come.”

  Velia had not lost all hope that Arga and Salno would maintain their part in the rescue. Yet she felt undeniable relief as the collection pod swooped silently through the air, moving too fast for the helicopter to keep up. It halted before the cave entrance and sent the platform down.

  Velia and Jape were rising into the pod when the chopper opened fire again. The craft sheltered them as loud thuds sounded through the pod’s interior. Velia cried out as Jape pulled her against himself.

  “Are we hit?” Velia asked Arga, who tapped at the podium.

  “The pod began emitting a deflection barrier as soon as it identified a possible threat. I hate to give the Monsuda credit, but they build their gadgets right.”

  She ran to one of the porthole windows. They were already racing from the helicopter, leaving it behind as they darted over the desert, climbing higher into the sky. Then the chopper, the desert, the blue sky disappeared in whipping golden fire. They were in the passage, on their way to Risnar.

  * * *

  “It is good to see you, Jape.” Arga’s voice was warm.

  “From my spirit to yours, Arga, thank you for returning for us. Let me add that at this moment, you are almost as beautiful as Velia.”

  Arga laughed heartily at that, walking over to clap the bigger man on the shoulder. “I am glad you survived. Velia believed you’d been hurt.”

  “I was, but it’s more painful than mortal. I’ll be glad to visit the doctors at the temple.”

  “I apologize for taking so long to fetch you. We had all the trouble we could handle. I had to deal with some very unpleasant people.”

  “Is everything okay in Cas?” Velia asked, abandoning the astounding view of the portal passage to join them.

  Arga grinned when Jape circled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “It was close for a while. Even so, we’d just about overcome Ehar’s forces when the Assembly sent their enforcement group from Yitrow to help.”

  “Did Ehar have that many warriors supporting her?” Jape’s pleased expression fell away.

  “Enough to surprise us and set us on our heels. It wasn’t so much a matter of the number doing Ehar’s bidding as those unwilling to stand against her. In uncertainty, they did nothing until it became clear we had the Assembly’s support.”

  “Sounds like situations I’ve seen on Earth,” Velia said. “It seems safer to stand by when you’re not directly affected by what’s going on.”

  “It’s more a case of it being difficult for us to challenge our elders. Cas is in want of better leadership, people who look beyond their own immediate well-being to consider the long-term effects on everyone.”

  “You Earthlings kept disturbing Ehar’s utopian calm, terrifying her with the threat of you all showing up and drinking Snim’s ale,” Jape teased Velia before sobering once more. “For a while, I was helping her at the expense of Risnar.”

  “You figured it out,” Arga reminded him before Velia could.

  “What will happen now, I wonder?”

  “Cas’s entire council has been removed from power for the investigation. Those not part of Ehar’s agenda will probably be reinstated after they answer the Assembly’s questions.”

  “I may be out of a job as well.” Jape spoke quietly. “Notlin was concerned about the things I’d done, including kidnapping Velia.”

  She crowded close to him. “Don’t borrow trouble before it comes,” she advised him, though she worried for him. She didn’t know enough about Risnar’s laws to understand the difficulty he could be in for. “You’ve got me, and I’m plenty of trouble to deal with.”

  Jape chuckled and squeezed her against himself as the golden fire disappeared from the windows, showing they had returned to the Cas portal chamber.

  Moments later, Velia greeted dear old Retav with, “Honey, I’m home!”

  As far as she was concerned, she was. She’d had her fill of Camp Noname and its leadership, as corrupted by fear as Cas’s elders.

  * * *

  They had arrived at the temple in time to watch Ehar and her three council cohorts being led into a large shuttle to be taken to Yitrow. It seemed all of Cas was present to watch, with varying degrees of disbelief, the majority of their Elders Council being removed for crimes against Risnar. No one seemed to know how to react.

  With the exception of Ehar, the female council members appeared visibly shocked. Sker, the lone male elder who’d sided with them, protested loudly as the stone-faced Yitrow warriors ushered him into the enclosed shuttle.

  Ehar alone remained aloof, her head held high, expression cold...until she saw Velia standing with Jape, Retav, Arga and Salno. Only then did she display anything akin to emotion. Her eyes narrowed. Her jaw clenched. The tips of her ears flattened for the briefest second. On the whole, it was a slight response, but she still managed to communicate a depth of hatred that rocked Velia. Then she too disappeared into the shuttle. Its hatch closed, the vessel lifted off the ground, and Ehar was gone.

  “Not so advanced a soul after all, is she?” Jape’s tone filled with wonder.

  “You need to get over your feelings of inadequacy with women,” Velia whispered. “Time for your own soul searching, Stripes.”

  “Risnarish women are different from Earthlings. My feelings for them are an entirely different matter from what happened between us.” He snorted, yet his contemplative gaze as he watched the shuttle disappearing into the distance told her Jape was considering the idea.

  It’s a start. I’ll be here to kick him in the pants when he starts beating his chest and being Mr. Macho.

  She looked forward to that.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Velia patted Arga’s shoulder encouragingly. His expression was uncertain as Retav began to unpack his belongings in Jape’s spare room.

  Arga had been tapped by the Assembly to join the war council in Yitrow. His experience in Hahz and Cas villages had been deemed an essential component in the ongoing fight against the Monsuda. It was an important post, and he couldn’t refuse, yet he looked as if he might grab Retav, stuff the elder into the dartwing outside, and run home instead.

  Velia soothed the worried man. “He’ll be fine with us. I promise.”

  Jape came into the room, having carried the last of his carving supplies out to make room for their guest. “I’m glad you made it official. Just to verify, Arga, if anything goes wrong, Velia is to blame.”

  That earned amusement from all, except Retav, who scowled at them. “I am not so feeble that you have to carry on the way you do. I’m quite capable of caring for myself. Otherwise, the Assembly wouldn’t have assigned me to oversee the appointing of Cas’s new council.”

  Arga chuckled, his gaze on Retav affectiona
te. “If I wasn’t sure of your health, I couldn’t leave to direct the war effort.”

  Healed and returned to full strength, Jape said in an authoritative tone, “Arga, be sure to consult with Anneliese when it’s time to eradicate the Earth portals. Not only for advice, but to battle at your side. She’s a decent warrior. For an Earthling.”

  “You are determined to get yourself into trouble, aren’t you?” Velia arched a brow at him.

  He grinned and bent the tips of his ears at her, his silver eyes twinkling with mischief.

  Velia marveled at Jape. He was a happier man than the one she’d gotten used to. He was still Jape, though. Still strong, in the wake of their adventures at Camp Noname.

  No, he’s stronger than before. Clear with purpose and free from grief.

  He’d finally come to terms with the knowledge that leaders, no matter how adept, lost those who followed them. He accepted the inevitable necessity of such pain due to the coming war with the Monsuda. He was able to talk about Lan and the rest with fondness and not so much guilt...even when the occasional nightmare returned to haunt him.

  Arga gave Jape a nod. “I’ll be in touch as we prepare for the final fight.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Retav paused in his unpacking to take Arga’s arm. “I’ll finish this tonight. You can drop me off at the temple on your way out. I and the members of the council who were cleared of all deceit have to discuss the replacements.”

  “I expect you for dinner,” Velia told the elder, giving him her best don’t-be-late attitude.

  “We elders have a lot to do—”

  “Lasagna.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  Velia watched Retav with affection as Arga escorted and helped him into the large, two-seater dartwing. She waved goodbye to Arga before placing her palm over her chest.

  “From my spirit to yours, take care of yourself.”