by Abel, Regine
“Thank you,” he said before letting go of me.
I cleared my throat. “The Mimic?” I asked, feeling awkward about being so emotional. Catching dead Warriors was routine for me, with some of the deaths being beyond gruesome. Why this one affected me so deeply baffled me.
“She escaped,” Dread said in an angry growl.
“Who the fuck is she?”
“Shuria, one of daddy-dearest’s latest experiments,” Dread retorted, his voice oozing with sarcasm and barely veiled hatred. “Bane can explain it all to you later.”
His face went slack, telling me he was mind-speaking with someone.
“The real Rogue is fine,” Dread said when he refocused on me. “Shuria paralyzed him on the Brides Ship when he went to bring our young siblings there.”
“Shit. Does that mean there could be others like her on your other ships?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re investigating,” Dread said with a glum expression. “For now, we need to get the fuck out of here before Khutu arrives, and get Bane back.”
Chapter 5
Tabitha
Chaos pretty much lost his shit when he found out I wasn’t aboard the shuttle with Linette and the others, but on my way to Arkonia, the new homeworld of the hybrids. When he started making threats for Dread to turn the ship around, I had to tell him to chill out. I was carrying the soul of his brother, their leader. Naturally, Dread wouldn’t want to let me out of his sight. And with Khutu on their trail, they didn’t want to risk turning around one of their battleships which contained another Shell for Bane. That the hybrids so freely shared what information they had with me, which I then relayed to the Vanguard, further helped pacify Chaos.
The respect and implicit trust Dread and his brothers showed me left me speechless. Sure, I’d saved their brother, but their deference towards me seemed to go a step above gratitude. Each one more solicitous than the other, they all took turns making sure I wanted for nothing. A few of them timidly asked if they could touch their brother’s soul in my psychic vessel, having never experienced or witnessed a soulcatching. It was endearing coming from such fearsome looking warriors.
However, as the journey would take nearly four days, Dread said, in the morning, after we’d completed our first jump through a wormhole, he would allow one of the shuttles from the battleships to bring us a new Shell for Bane. Dread took me to Bane’s room where I would spend the night.
It was nothing like I’d imagined the brooding hybrid’s personal quarters would be. The feature wall in a dark grey color with a burgundy accent in the shape of a single horizontal line matched my expectations. But the large sketch of a pretty human female took me by surprise. And next to it, half a dozen small sketches of another human female with a pointy chin, only two of them with a pixie haircut, the others with long hair falling to the middle of her back.
Of my back.
I felt hot and cold, joy and fear, exhilaration and panic at seeing myself through his eyes. Each of the portraits depicted me with a different expression, from soft to mischievous to downright fearless. But on each of them, I was beautiful. I hugged my midsection, impressed by his incredible talent while uncertain how to feel about it all. The chemistry between us had been instant from the first time I’d laid eyes on him on Janaur. He had seen me even before that, onboard the liveship from whence he’d saved me, but I’d been unconscious. Yet, the thought of getting involved with another bioengineered warrior had my stomach twisting into knots. Furthermore, we lived completely separate lives, with separate goals, and in opposing factions.
But he has defected. He’s free.
Was he really, though? With all his brothers looking up to him for leadership, the other experiments he had rescued, the Scelks among them, he couldn’t simply walk away from his duties to be with me.
My head ached with too many questions. After a quick shower, I slipped into one of Bane’s oversized shirts and crawled into his large bed. My bruised arm still felt tender from the initial blow Shuria had given me, despite the medicated cream Dread had applied on it for me. Without the shield absorbing most of the impact, she would have shattered the bones in my arm.
Surrounded by Bane’s subtle scent, one of his thick pillows clutched in my arms, I fell into an oddly peaceful sleep. I woke up well-rested, the flash of some vivid images still burned into my mind’s eye. It wasn’t uncommon for Warriors to involuntarily share strong thoughts and emotions while in stasis within our vessels. Many had been violent, clearly images of war he’d been involved in, and others appeared to be fantasies of ways he wished to kill his sire. But through those dark images, the woman’s face in the large portrait and my own popped in a few times. I presumed that woman to be his mother. Her face looked familiar, and I could have sworn seeing it on the Wall of the Fallen in the Vanguard’s Memorial Hall.
Despite the dark bruise on my arm, the pain had significantly reduced. Dread kept me company during breakfast, confirming the shuttle with Bane’s Shell would meet with us within the hour. While happy that he would be whole again, a part of me was sorry to let him go. Even unconscious, his strong, beautiful presence radiated through me.
After the meal, I waited for the shuttle’s arrival on the crew deck, with a large window looking out into space. By now, the too great distance between Chaos and me eliminated any possibilities of mind-speak. According to the audio and text messages on my com system, although Chaos was still coming to get me, the rest of the Vanguard fleet was no longer following us to Arkonia. To my surprise, Legion had insisted that our units, still able to fight, go on an intercept course with Khutu. Vanguard reinforcements were on their way, and the Coalition was standing on high alert.
I suspected Chaos was not just coming to fetch me, but also wanted to see the hybrid mothers and negotiate with the hybrids so that they would let him bring our long-lost Soulcatchers back to Khepri with us.
That would never happen.
But the clash between Khutu and Lexot could be the turning point of the war against the Kryptids. We couldn’t let Lexot take the hybrids or their mothers as proof to Queen Aitxa. And I hated that he’d forced our hand into battling him. As soon as Bane was reborn and back to his old self, we’d have a lot to discuss.
Twenty minutes later, the sleek lines of the dark hybrid shuttle flew past the window in the crew deck en route to the docking bay. I headed there, all of Bane’s brothers—aside from the pilot—also converging there. Despite us being in a relatively safe region of space, the shuttle had brought two Shells for Bane.
I almost suggested taking a Shell to Bane’s bedroom when Dread made a beeline for the med bay but held my tongue. Once the rebirth sickness hit Bane, his brothers would likely want to run some tests to make sure all was well with him.
Following behind the hovering stasis chamber, I looked at Bane’s inert Shell through the glass dome. With his brothers following on each side, I got the strange sense of staring at an Alien Snow White in her glass coffin. I almost snorted at the thought. With his silver-blond hair, the nickname Snowy would fit him. Dread casting a sideways glance towards me instantly made me sober. I couldn’t tell if nervousness or anticipation was making me this silly.
When we entered the med bay, I was relieved to see they had disposed of Bane’s desecrated Shells in the tanks. They stopped the chamber next to the same examination table he’d died upon and opened the glass dome.
“Ready?” Dread asked, staring at me with a questioning look.
The tension in his voice—reflected on the faces of his brothers—spoke volumes about their concern for their leader.
“Yes,” I said, smiling reassuringly.
Dread swallowed hard then tapped a command on the interface of the stasis chamber before stepping away from it. The whining sound of the electrodes charging was quickly followed by a thump. Bane’s Shell stiffened, its back slightly arcing over the chamber’s platform before suddenly going lax. The Shell opened its multifaceted eyes, its mouth gaping as it too
k in a sharp breath. It inhaled loudly a couple of times before closing its mouth and breathing normally, blank gaze staring at the ceiling. I immediately felt the tingling pull of his empty vessel clamoring for its soul.
Dread and Viper carefully transferred the Shell onto the examination table before moving the chamber to the back of the room. Leaning over Bane’s new body, I placed a hand on his forehead, my other palm resting on his chest. With far more reluctance than I expected, I unsealed my psychic vessel and let his soul flow out of me, into his new host.
Bane gasped, his eyes blinking furiously. His hand closed over mine resting on his chest. Initially gentle, his hold tightened painfully when the first cramp of the rebirth sickness struck him. His face contorted with pain, and then he doubled over in a violent dry heave.
“I need some damp cloths and water to keep him hydrated,” I said.
“Bane?” Dread called out, a panicked look on his face. “What’s wrong? What did you do to him?” he asked, glaring at me with betrayed eyes.
“Rebirth sickness?” I asked, the way you ask a question to which the answer should be obvious.
The hybrids all gave me a baffled look, torn between fear, suspicion, and confusion.
“Do you not get sick for a few days upon rebirth?” I asked.
Their eyes widened with horror. They all shook their heads, a few of them exchanging confused looks.
“I didn’t experience any ‘sickness’ when Ayana sent me to my Shell from Janaur,” Dread said with a bit of a challenge in his voice.
“Ayana is a Portal,” I said, defensively.
However, I did feel slightly worried by the violence of Bane’s reaction. The Xian Warriors were normally feverish, nauseous, and slightly disoriented, resembling more someone suffering from a bad hangover. The only time they would shake this much and have more extreme symptoms were when their soul had remained in a psychic vessel for an extended period before they could be reborn.
“This kind of strong reaction to the rebirth sickness is rare, but I’m assuming it’s because he’s never been held in a psychic vessel before,” I said.
“Couldn’t Ayana have helped him instead?” Dread asked.
I shook my head with a commiserating expression. “Unfortunately, no. She’s an anomaly that we’re all jealous of. None of us has her range. She would not be able to take Bane from my vessel to portal him into his new Shell because of my limitations. She can prod at my vessel, but it will remain non-responsive. Same with telepathy. She can reach me, but I won’t hear her unless she is within my range.”
Dread nodded in understanding, his features tense with worry. “How long will it last?”
“It usually lasts three days, but it could be longer or shorter. Hybrids are still a mystery to us,” I conceded.
Rogue brought me some damp cloths and then ran a handheld scanner over his brother. Halfway through, Bane mumbled something.
“Brother, can you hear me?” Rogue asked.
“Y… Yes,” Bane said, in a pained voice.
The visible relief on his brothers’ faces echoed mine, making me realize how worried I’d actually felt.
“Tab… bith… tha,” he stuttered.
“I’m here, Bane. I’m right here,” I said, taking his left hand in mine.
He pulled it to his chest, clutching my hand with both of his against his heart.
“You’re going to be fine,” I whispered, caressing his blond hair with my free hand before looking up at Rogue. “Give him a sedative, something that lasts around ten hours. We can assess his state after that.”
“N-no…” Bane argued feebly.
“Yes. You are getting sedated,” I countered in a tone that brooked no argument. “There is absolutely no reason for you to suffer pointlessly through this. If the Xians do it without complaints, so will you.”
That seemed to mollify him, which made me roll my eyes at men and their prideful silliness. I gestured with my head for Rogue to get busy. He complied without a word. As he reached for Bane’s neck with the hypospray, my hand instinctively stopped his wrist, my stomach twisting from the uncanny sense of déjà vu. Rogue gave me a startled look and then understanding dawned on him. Instead of showing me a quite justified anger, his face softened with gentle approval.
“It is me, the real Rogue. You may touch my psychic mind for reassurance,” he said in a kind voice.
My face heated, ashamed to have even questioned him. After all, he had flown to us with the replacement Shells. Embarrassed, I shook my head and released him while muttering some apology. His smile broadened.
“You care for our brother,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Never apologize for protecting him.”
“He saved my life, more than once,” I said, annoyed at how defensive I sounded.
As he injected Bane, Rogue gave me a knowing smile, reflected on the faces of his other brothers. That only irritated me further. Even as Bane’s body went lax, his mind clumsily brushed against mine before he lost consciousness.
“Unless you want to perform more tests on him, I would recommend taking him to his bed. He will be more comfortable,” I said pensively.
“Will you stay with him?” Dread asked.
“Sure. I want to run some analyses on the data gathered by my fleet pursuing Khutu. I’ll work from the desk in his room.”
Dread nodded his approval, and they brought Bane to his quarters. After seeing him properly settled, I got to work, while keeping a careful eye on him.
* * *
“Tabitha.”
Bane’s voice in my head startled me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw his eyelids fluttering as if he was struggling to force his eyes open. I picked up another sedative hypospray on the desk and rushed to his side.
“I’m here,” I said, brushing his slightly damp hair from his face.
I yelped when he suddenly drew me into his arms. His hold tightened when I tried to wiggle free.
“Stay… Please.”
I froze. He hadn’t begged, but the vulnerability in his tone had melted any will to deny him. Even as his body shuddered with spaced out spasms, his chest vibrated with a soft purr of contentment. That did messed up things to me. I had to remind myself that he was sick, and not in an amorous state. The Xians also used to crave comforting embraces during their rebirth sickness before the Portals made this a thing of the past.
“I’m going to give you another sedative,” I whispered against his chest.
“Stay,” he repeated, his consciousness poking timidly at mine.
I injected him and stayed.
Without realizing it, I entered his psychic void, the seat of his soul. All around the dark space, white flashes that resembled lighting kept going off, indicating the body and the soul still hadn’t fully merged as one entity. Floating in the center of that endless darkness, the golden sphere shielding Bane’s soul glowed like an eternal sun. Its color confirmed him as a rank five psychic—the highest level achievable. I let my consciousness wrap around it protectively. The surface of his sphere erupted with lava-like swirls of gold.
“My Queen.”
A wave of love emanating from him radiated through me, fading slowly as the drugs took over him. My chest tightened with emotion and confusion. Such intimate contact with another soul revealed much about the other’s true feelings. Bane loved me, or at least, he believed it. But so had Rage. And yet, the profound connection between the two of us couldn’t be denied. Bane had haunted me since that first time I’d seen him on Janaur. In many ways, my fascination with him had helped me overcome my obsession with Rage.
Even as his body went limp, being held so closely by someone had never felt so perfect and natural. Our bodies aligned perfectly. Tossing the hypospray at the other side of the bed, I rested my palm on the shiny scales of his chest, hard yet pliant beneath my cheek. Face buried in the crook of his neck, my soul wrapped around his, I watched the psychic storm in the void of his mind slowly fade away until sleep claimed me.
Chapter 6
Bane
The silky caress of soft hair on my scales, the light breathing fanning on my chest, and the delightful weight of a slender body against mine greeted me as I emerged from an unnatural slumber. My arm tightened possessively around my woman as she rested with trusting abandon in my embrace. To my pleasant surprise, my fangs didn’t ache, and my mating glands didn’t swell in the painful way they always did whenever in my soulmate’s presence.
My dragon’s blood was content to have her so close, and naturally went into protective mode while she was in such a vulnerable position. I shifted slightly, careful not to wake her, so that I could admire her face.
Tabitha looked so soft, delicate, and innocent in her sleep. And yet, I’d seen the strong and fearless war goddess that lurked behind that mask. I shuddered remembering how I’d almost lost her to Shuria. Khutu had often made me feel helpless over the years as I watched him mistreat my family and my people. But nothing had ever terrified me more than lying paralyzed on that examination table, watching Shuria in battle form attacking my soulmate. Even the excruciating pain of the poison coursing through my veins, feeling as if my blood cells had been replaced by finely crushed glass, paled in comparison to seeing Tabitha flying across the room following Shuria’s violent blow.
Fighting the urge to kiss her lips, I pressed mine to her forehead instead. Our first kiss would be willingly exchanged with her fully aware. The heavenly feel of her soul wrapped around mine still lingered. And yet, I felt cheated that my mind had been too warped to fully appreciate that ultimate form of intimacy. The thought of our souls, psychic shields down, fully intertwined had me feeling faint.
And we would.
Still, it shamed me that the first time we truly got to interact with each other ended up with me keeling over and then being wretchedly sick. Tabitha seeing me in such a state of weakness didn’t exactly scream hot first impression. I should have been the one protecting her, but she had been the one saving me, and then caring for me. Nevertheless, the tender affection she’d felt for me as her soul soothed mine couldn’t be denied.