by Tasha Black
He launched himself out of the bed, willing his body to cool down.
The bathroom door clicked and she emerged, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.
“Are you ready?” he asked her.
She nodded.
They headed into the dark stairwell and down onto the dirt floor of the barn.
Drago gestured to the door and together they stepped into the light.
The walk up the hillside in the soft pink light felt almost magical to Drago. All around them dew dripped from leaves and petals and the grass trembled in the light breeze.
He wanted to take Arden’s hand, and share all of this with her, this planet of life whose surface she had merely scratched.
Maybe one day...
When they reached the peach orchard, he walked her down a row of the gnarled trees and stopped in front of one.
“You wanted to know why I thought the trees were choking on their water,” he said softly. “But I couldn’t tell you.”
“Why not?” she asked.
The sadness in her eyes called to a similar ache in his chest. One he hoped he could heal.
“I couldn’t tell you because I made a promise to Dr. Bhimani,” he said. “But that promise doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”
Arden tilted her head to one side, the small line appearing on her forehead again. Drago was grateful that she was listening.
“It’s not that I am breaking my promise,” he added. “The terms of the promise no longer apply.”
“What did you promise?” Arden asked.
“I have… a special ability, a gift left over from my life on Aerie,” he explained. “On Earth you might think of it as a kind of super power. Many of my brothers have them.”
“Oh,” Arden said, her eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Dr. Bhimani told us that we must never share our powers with others until we had a mate,” Drago explained. “Our powers make us seem more alien than we already are. And they might frighten humans. But a true mate will understand.”
“I’m not your mate,” Arden said.
“No,” Drago said, “I am not your mate. But you are mine. I do not mean that I would force myself on you, only that there is no other mate for me. You are the one to whom I give my secret.”
She looked down, but not before he caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes.
She was torn. There was hope.
“Arden, look at me,” he whispered. “I’m not sure if you will be able to perceive this so I’ll start slowly.”
He studied the bark of the peach tree closest to him.
It was dark gray, mottled with a dusting of coppery green lichen. Its branches forked off into twisted fingers that reached out to him.
Drago closed his eyes and reached back.
The tree’s voice shot through him, warbling like a saxophone that gasped for breath between the notes.
The tree was thirsty and bloated at once. Yet it stretched and pulled toward life. Drago could feel the delicate pinpoints of its buds gathered tight and close to the surface, ready to burst into bloom if it could only fight back against the evil in the water.
He did his best to comfort it, adding his own note of peace to its aria of agony.
Then he reached his hand over to touch Arden’s shoulder, connecting her, he hoped, to the wave of communication between himself and the tree.
He listened to the tree’s lament for another moment. It sounded a bit cheered by his assertion that he was there to help.
Then, though he hated to abandon his new friend in its hour of need, he opened his eyes to check on his mate.
Her eyes were closed, but her lips were slightly parted in wonder.
“I heard… something,” she whispered, opening her eyes.
He nodded, studying her, waiting to see if she would be frightened.
Instead, the line appeared on her forehead.
“So you can listen to trees,” she said thoughtfully. “This is why you knew they were choking even though there was no evidence.”
He nodded again.
“The trees are in pain,” she said. “How do we help them? Can you understand them well enough to know exactly what’s wrong?”
“I can understand them,” he said. “But they don’t really understand it themselves. They only know the part of the farm where they live.”
“Oh,” Arden nodded, looking disappointed. “That makes sense.”
“These trees aren’t being watered right now, are they?” he asked.
“No,” she replied. “We’d be able to hear the pump.”
“Then I can help them,” Drago said. “At least I can have some effect.”
“How?” Arden asked.
But it was too difficult to explain, so he closed his eyes instead and opened himself to the tree again.
This time it was easier to hear the tree right away. He listened, allowing its song to sink to his bones.
Then he reached out.
Drago had no words for what he did. He flung himself into the very soul of the tree, searching for the kernel of the seed it had once been.
The tree’s life spread out before him - the burst from seed to seedling, the rich soil and the delight of emerging beneath a warming sun, discovering row upon row of siblings, warm breezes tickling the branches of a hillside of laughing trees, cool fall days that lulled the little trees to sleep, and springs just like the first one, but with the wonder of blossoms bursting.
Drago slipped through the timeline toward the present, stopping when he came to the bad thing in the water.
He pushed against it, but it was immobile.
He pulled at it, tugging it like a mental weed.
Help me, he urged the tree.
There was a groan as the tree joined his effort.
They struggled together, impossibly.
Something shattered.
The tree gave a xylophone shiver of delight.
A sweet smell lifted on the breeze, tickling Drago’s nose.
He opened his eyes.
The tree was bursting with delicate pink blossoms.
20
Arden
Arden gazed in wonder at the sight before her.
Drago stood before the tree, arms spread wide as if to embrace it.
And the tree itself was covered in a sea of gorgeous pink blooms - the only flowering island in a sea of grey and green.
“You - you did that,” she murmured.
“I only helped,” Drago said.
“Can you help the others?” she asked.
He turned to her and she saw the hollow look in his eyes and the slump of his shoulders. He was spent. There was no way he could save the whole orchard.
“I don’t even know how long this one will be okay,” he admitted. “Something is still hurting them.”
“The water?” she asked. Now that she had seen his gift in action, she knew he had good reason for his suspicion.
“Something is in that water,” he told her, shaking his head in consternation. “But you tested it, so that’s not possible.”
Four tiny figures had appeared at the base of the hill they had just climbed.
“Maybe not,” she said, waving at the rest of the group. “I just thought of something.”
She took off down the hill, meeting Tansy halfway.
“Why are you guys up so early?” Tansy asked. “Is everything okay?”
“We’re fine,” Arden said. “Listen, the water was fine and the filters were fine. You don’t have injection tanks for this system, do you?”
“Oh, yeah, but we don’t use them often,” Tansy said.
“What do you use them for?” Arden asked.
“Only once a week, for fertilizer,” Tansy said. “Grandma Helen added it every Wednesday, to fortify the plants.”
“Take me to it,” Arden said, wanting to slap her own forehead for not seeing this coming.
Drago arrived from the hilltop just as the others joined them from below.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Something may be wrong with the fertilizer,” Arden said.
“It comes in sealed containers,” Sage said.
Tansy led them to a small metal shed near the injection tanks.
Arden ducked inside and pulled out a plastic jug with a fertilizer label on the outside.
“I’m texting Bud next door to see if this is what he used,” Tansy said. “If it’s a bad batch of fertilizer it could explain his crops too.”
“What is this?” Drago asked, watching Arden examine the jug.
“It’s fertilizer,” Arden said, reading the label. “It’s injected into their water supply once a week to help the peach trees get more nutrients. But there may be something in it that is hurting them.”
“Oh,” Drago said, placing a big hand on Arden’s shoulder.
“This is why you knew that their water was choking them,” she said. “And it’s also why I couldn’t find any trace of it in the reservoir.”
“No, no, no,” Tansy groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Burton asked.
“Bud doesn’t use this stuff,” Tansy said. “It can’t be the fertilizer.”
Arden straightened and looked out over the whole farm as she went over everything in her head.
Something here was wrong. But she couldn’t put her finger on it.
How can the fertilizer not be the problem? It’s the only explanation that makes sense.
Arden had a wild thought.
“Where are the injection tanks?” she asked Tansy.
“They’re on the hillside in a blue shed,” Tansy replied. “One of the old ones.”
Tansy stepped over next to Arden and pointed.
“That one right there.”
“Arden,” Drago said.
He must have been thinking the same thing she was.
“We saw someone there last night,” Arden said as she took off toward the shed.
“You saw someone there?” Sage echoed as she and the others followed.
“We thought they were looking for us,” Arden called back to her. “But maybe they had something else in mind.”
Tansy caught up and opened the old shed for them.
Something glistened on the floor near the tanks.
“I haven’t been in here since last week,” Tansy said, moving toward the puddle on the ground. “The floor shouldn’t be wet.”
“Don’t touch it,” Arden said, grabbing her friend by the arm. “Let me test it.”
Her hands nearly shook as she slipped her testing kit out of her bag and laid everything out on the floor.
The moment the liquid hit the paper though, she had her answer.
“It’s toxic,” she said quietly.
It was odd to feel both relieved and saddened at the same time.
“Who would do this?” Tansy breathed, echoing Arden’s own thoughts.
Sage shook her head and wrapped her arms around her sister.
Burton and Riggs watched the two of them. Both men looked anxious.
It occurred to Arden that maybe there was more than friendship forming between the men and the two sisters.
Then Drago’s big hand was on her shoulder again, helping her back to her feet.
“I’ll find who did this,” Drago said, his jaw clenched. “They won’t get away with having harmed those trees.”
“How bad is it?” Tansy asked, wresting herself from her sister’s arms. “Can the trees be saved?”
“I think so,” Arden said. “But they may not produce fruit this year. They’ve been weakened a lot by the poison.”
Tansy’s face fell.
The Martins were counting on this year’s peach crop to save the farm financially.
“I’m so sorry,” Arden said.
“It’s okay,” Tansy said, through tears. “You saved the trees, and that’s the most important thing. That means more to me than the money.”
“I think it’s time to call the police in,” Sage said briskly. “Maybe they can find some evidence here if we haven’t ruined it all already.”
“Good thinking,” Arden agreed. “I’ll just leave my testing materials here so they can check out the result. Though I’m sure they’ll do their own tests.”
Drago and his brothers exchanged nervous glances.
“It’s okay,” Arden told him, placing a hand on his shoulder and gazing up at him. “You guys can hide out in the barn. They will have no reason to go anywhere near there. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
She saw the relief in those dazzling blue eyes, and knew it was more than the thought of police that had been worrying him. Arden felt like the weight that had settled between them had suddenly been removed, and she hoped he felt it too.
“Fine,” Sage said. “Riggs, help me start some pancakes. We’ll feed everyone and maybe take the day off. I don’t see a reason to pick berries when we need to be available to talk with the authorities.”
Sage and Riggs marched down the hill side by side.
Tansy followed with Burton jogging to catch up.
“How do you feel?” Drago asked Arden.
“Sad for Tansy and Sage, of course,” she said. “But I’m really glad we can help the trees.”
“Me too,” Drago agreed. “And maybe we can help Sage and Tansy too.”
“Well, we’ve got a day to figure out how to do that,” Arden said.
“That’s plenty of time,” Drago said.
His blue eyes twinkled as he smiled down at her, and happiness washed over her like a clear summer stream.
Things weren’t going to be perfect. But the two of them were going to be okay.
More than okay.
21
Drago
Drago looked across the candlelit picnic table at his love.
It had been a day full of surprises and some sadness.
Drago and his brothers had watched from the barn window as the local police arrived to examine the sabotaged trees and equipment.
While Sage pointed to the trees and the shed and Arden spoke with the officers, Tansy lowered her head into her hands and wept, leaning against one of the trunks.
Burton had clenched his fists with fury as Drago and Riggs held him back from going to her.
They still could not afford to be spotted.
After what seemed to Drago like a pretty cursory examination, they were all back together, and Tansy was smiling again.
Which meant Burton was happy too. It pleased Drago to see his brother beginning to bond with the kind woman who had opened her home to them. And it set his mind at ease to see everyone in such fine spirits after such a tense afternoon.
Though their very way of life was now in jeopardy, everyone at the table seemed to be full of a joyfulness that lit them from within.
Drago was beginning to understand something that had not been communicated to him no matter how many movies he had watched.
This was what it meant to be human. It was the saving grace of the strange and sometimes self-destructive planet Earth. The sadness of a heavy burden was made less so by sharing, and joy was multiplied by company.
“What are you thinking?” Arden asked from across the table, her voice calm and melodious.
“I am glad to be here,” he told her simply.
She smiled and her hazel eyes shone.
Gods, it was time, past time for her to be his mate.
“Well, I’m stuffed,” Tansy said, placing her fork down on her plate.
“Me too,” Burton agreed.
“I’ll put on the kettle,” Sage said.
“Let’s all go in and roast marshmallows in the fireplace,” Tansy said.
“I thought you were stuffed,” Sage teased.
“I’m never too stuffed for a roasted marshmallow,” Tansy retorted.
“What’s so special about a roasted marshmallow?” Riggs asked.
“Okay, we’re doing this,” Tansy said.
“Marshmallows it is,” Sage said with a smile. “Are you going to join us, Arden?”
“I thought I might take a walk first,” Arden said. “Is that okay?”
“Suit yourself,” Sage said. “There will be plenty of marshmallows when you come back.”
Arden stood and Drago followed suit, wondering if she wanted privacy for her walk.
She smiled up at him shyly as Sage scurried off after the others.
“It’s a nice night for a walk,” Drago offered.
“Will you come with me?” Arden asked.
“It would be my pleasure,” he told her.
Together, they set off toward the hillside.
The night air was cool. Arden wore a pale pink wrap around her shoulders and her ponytail swung a gentle arc back and forth between her shoulder blades.
The splendor of the evening hung still and silent around them as they walked.
“Do you remember the night we came here?” she asked.
“I will never forget,” he replied. “I was so worried something would happen to you.”
“I wasn’t the one who was in danger,” Arden said.
“You put yourself in danger the moment you left with us,” he said. “You were so brave, so incredibly brave and so foolish to help us. Why did you do it?”
They had reached the edge of the peach orchard. Moonlight turned the bare branches ghostly pale.
“It was the right thing to do,” Arden said, stepping between the first rows of trees.
“That’s a noble thought,” Drago said, following.
“And of course, Dr. Bhimani asked me to,” Arden added.
“I see,” Drago said.
It dawned on him that there might be a third reason.
But Arden only followed the trail between the trees, her hands outstretched, palms upward to caress the low hanging branches.
“Arden,” Drago said.
She stopped, lowered her hands, and turned to him.
“Was there any other reason that you chose to help?” he asked.
He could see her blush even in the moonlight. But she met his eyes anyway.
“Yes, there was one other,” she said.
A part of him nearly burst with pride. His mate was quiet, but she would never back down from a challenge.