Lisa placed a hand on his arm and returned Marcus’s smile, but her eyes seemed to convey some message Taelon couldn’t determine. “We’ll just be a minute.”
Marcus’s expression turned thoughtful as he shot Taelon a look. “Okay. We’ll go grab you something to eat. You’re both probably hungry.”
Taelon would’ve protested, but Lisa’s stomach growled.
He glanced down at her.
She shrugged. “Sorry. I seem to be perpetually hungry now.”
Marcus grinned. “Ami was the same way when she—”
Amiriska punched him in the stomach.
“Oomph!” Marcus bent forward and clutched his stomach as he frowned down at her. “What?”
Ami stared up at him, unspeaking.
“Oh. Right.” Marcus smiled over her head once more. “We will return shortly with some sandwiches and drinks.”
Amiriska spoke over her shoulder as she followed him out the door. “We’ll be sure to ring the bell from now on.”
The door closed.
Taelon threw back the covers and rose. “Did you see how he touched her?” he thundered.
Lisa rolled out of bed and hurried across the room to a large vertical chest with drawers. “Yes, I did. But you have to understand, Taelon, that casual touch is common here.”
Fury pounded through him. “Not with my sister it isn’t!”
She turned and tossed a stack of folded clothing at him. “Don’t you think that’s a little bit of the pot calling the kettle black?”
Frowning, he tugged on a pair of white boxers. “I don’t know what that means.”
“It means,” she said patiently as she tugged on panties and a bra, “that two minutes ago you were doing a hell of a lot more than touching my arm, yet you’re freaking out over Marcus touching Ami’s and casually wrapping an arm around her.”
“Amiriska,” he said, correcting her as he struggled to ignore the temptation of Lisa’s mostly bare body while he pulled on a pair of black pants that had a lot of pockets.
“She goes by Ami now,” Lisa told him gently. She tried to tug a pair of leggings over her foot, her big belly making the simple task awkward. “And she’s made a life for herself here, Taelon.”
As soon as he carefully zipped his pants over his erection, Taelon crossed to her and lowered himself to his knees. Taking the leggings from her, he clasped one of her small feet and guided it into the correct leg hole.
Lisa braced a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. It’s getting harder and harder to see around my tummy.”
He did the same with her other foot, then tugged the material up her legs and over her hips to the mound their child produced. He pressed a kiss to it, just above her belly button, then sank back on his heels to look up at her. “What do you mean, she’s made a life for herself here?”
“She didn’t have any way to contact you. Her ship was destroyed, her crew killed. She said no one from your planet knew where she was, so she thought she would never see any of you again.”
His heart hurt as he mourned the loss of her crew and considered how alone she must have felt.
“Seth knew she had no family of her own,” Lisa went on softly, “so he welcomed her into his. He helped her recover from the torture she endured—”
Sorrow and fury careened through him. “Then she was tortured?”
“Yes. For six months until Seth and David found her and rescued her. They both love her like a daughter. She’s made a place for herself here. She’s built a life for herself here.” Lisa touched his face. “She’s happy, Taelon.”
It seemed too good to be true, that Amiriska had found happiness on this barbaric planet. But hadn’t he, too, found happiness here? With Lisa? Despite all they had suffered? “She’s really okay?”
“Yes. But things are different on Earth, so just… try not to freak out every time someone touches her. They mean no disrespect. And openly expressing affection is common here.” When he frowned, she combed her fingers through his hair. “Don’t you like it when I openly express my affection for you?” She drew the backs of her fingers down his stubbled cheek. “Don’t you like it when I touch you?”
Catching her hand before she could withdraw it, he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. “You know I do.”
“Then try to relax and keep an open mind about this. From what I’ve heard, Ami is more than capable of taking care of herself, so I think it’s safe to say if anyone touched her in a way she didn’t like, she would kick his ass.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
She grinned. “Apparently your sister kicks ass. And I don’t mean that in a she’s cool kind of way. I mean she literally kicks ass. Leah said Ami has even beaten some of the immortal males in sparring contests.”
It strained credulity. Amiriska had led a very sheltered life on Lasara. They had never trained her to fight because guards had accompanied her wherever she went and she served as one of the planet’s top diplomats, a position that had never placed her in any danger.
“She… bests these immortal warriors in combat?” he asked, still trying to make that notion work in his head.
Lisa grinned. “Yes. I would’ve thought they’d be too embarrassed to admit it, but these guys really like strong women.” She reached for something behind him and pulled on a tunic that hugged her bountiful breasts, then expanded into loose, flowing fabric that fell to her thighs. “You look a bit shell-shocked.”
“I don’t know what that means,” he mumbled absently.
“What does your translator say shell-shocked is?”
“The electrified exoskeleton of an invertebrate.”
She laughed. “Then how about astonished? You look astonished.”
He nodded. “That is far more accurate.”
Her smile warm with affection, she reached down, took his hand, and drew him to his feet. “I know it seems crazy after everything you’ve endured. But I think everything’s going to be okay.”
Taelon was afraid to believe it.
She rested a hand on his bare chest and stroked the stubble there. The cursed butchers had shaved his chest multiple times so the hair it usually boasted wouldn’t interfere with their surgeries. “Seth healed you. That’s a good thing, right?”
Nodding, he covered her hand with his own and pressed it harder against his flesh. “I’d forgotten what it feels like to be free of pain.”
Moisture welled in her eyes, but she blinked it back. “And Ami is happy. That’s a good thing, too.”
He shook his head. “It’s difficult for me to reconcile. In all the scenarios I considered, I never once imagined that she would find happiness here.”
“But she did. So forget Lasaran etiquette, try to tamp down your overprotective streak, and just… look at her while she explains everything to you. I mean really look at her. You’re her brother. You’ll know if she’s just putting on a facade. You’ll know the truth when you see it.”
Taelon pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her hair. “This seems so surreal.”
She gave him a squeeze. “I know. Life has sucked for so long that I admit I’m panicking a little inside because this seems too good to be true and I’m afraid…”
“That it’s just a dream?”
“Yes.”
Backing away, he took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Well, if it is a dream, I’m glad I’m sharing it with you.”
Rising onto her toes, she kissed him deeper. “I am, too. Now put a shirt on and think of ice-cold showers so your sister won’t blush when she comes back.”
He laughed.
The reunion between brother and sister nearly made Lisa cry. Again. Hopefully this increased tendency to weep would pass after the baby was born.
Taelon had little to no memory of their arrival here. So when Ami returned and Taelon dragged her into a tight embrace, it was as though he were holding her for the first time since her disappearance. The two clung tightly to each other. Ami buried
her face in Taelon’s chest, her hands fisting in the back of his shirt. Taelon rested his chin on the top of her head and squeezed his eyes closed, looking as if he never wanted to let her go.
Both wept.
Lisa surreptitiously wiped away a tear while Marcus stood beside her, arms crossed over his chest, and watched the siblings with a smile. When she sniffed a couple of times, he cut her a glance.
“Pregnancy hormones?” he asked amiably.
“Yes, damn it,” she muttered.
His smile broadened into a grin as he nodded at Ami. “It was the same for my wife. She hated it and feared I would think her weak.”
“Did you?”
“Hell no. She’s the strongest woman I know.”
The siblings parted. Taelon brushed Ami’s bright red hair back from her face and studied her while she smiled up at him.
Marcus sighed. “I wish I’d had siblings who cared about me that much.”
“Me, too. I’m an only child.”
“I’m not. I had several stepbrothers once upon a time, but they—like their father—all wanted me dead.”
Lisa stared up at him with wide eyes. “What?”
He shrugged. “I was born in the Middle Ages and was the rightful heir to my father’s title and all his holdings. They desired otherwise.”
And still she stared at him. “I know it’s probably rude to ask this, but how old are you?”
“Eight and a half centuries, give or take.”
And he said it as if he were telling her instead that there was a slight chance of rain today.
Holy crap.
Taelon and Ami simultaneously burst into speech, their words unrecognizable.
Ami laughed and wiped her eyes. “Wait.” She held up a hand. “Let’s use English so Marcus and Lisa can understand us. And let’s begin with introductions.” She drew Taelon over to her husband. “Taelon, this is Marcus Grayden. Marcus, this is my brother Taelon.”
Lisa noticed Ami didn’t immediately identify Marcus as her husband and thought it wise to ease him into that.
Marcus smiled and offered his hand to Taelon. When Taelon extended his own, Marcus bypassed the hand and clasped his forearm. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet any members of Ami’s family. It’s an honor.”
Taelon nodded, his expression watchful as he gripped Marcus’s forearm. “Good to meet you.”
Lisa doubted he actually meant that, but—for his sister’s sake—he was clearly willing to make an effort.
Marcus glanced around. “Just a minute.” He exited the room, leaving the door open. When he returned, he maneuvered a cushy love seat so big Lisa was surprised it fit through the doorway inside, carrying it as though it weighed as little as a box of tissue. Kicking the door shut behind him, he deposited it across from the sofa. “There,” he said with a smile. “May as well be comfortable while we chat.” He motioned for Ami to have a seat.
Lisa took Taelon’s hand and led him over to the sofa, where they sat so close together their hips and thighs melded.
Marcus seated himself beside Ami. When he leaned back and started to loop an arm around her, he seemed to catch himself and lowered it to his side instead. He even placed a little more distance between the two of them.
Nice guy. Once you got in the habit of touching someone freely, it was hard to stop.
She glanced down at the hand Taelon held. Case in point.
“How are Mother and Father?” Ami blurted.
“Worried about you,” Taelon responded. “Terrified. Furious.”
Ami bit her lip. “Is Father furious because I disobeyed him?”
Taelon sighed. “He’s furious at everyone. He wanted to send an armada with me when I finally discovered where you were. He told me to wipe this planet clean and kill everyone if I discovered you were dead.”
“Shit,” Marcus and Lisa both murmured.
“Did he send an armada?” Ami asked.
“No. I told him to wait until after I determined without doubt what had happened to you.”
His sister’s shoulders relaxed. “How are Duras, Gefen, and Levik?”
“Just as worried and just as furious. They wanted to come with me, but I insisted they remain behind.”
Ami shook her head. “How did you even find me? I didn’t tell anyone where I was going because I knew you’d all try to stop me.”
“Janwar found you.”
Her brow puckered. “The Akselian pirate with a bounty on his head?”
“Yes. One of the things he steals and sells is information. I contacted him and enlisted his aid.”
“Did you tell Father that?”
“Not until afterward. He was less than pleased. But Janwar came through for me. He and his men captured a Gathendien scout ship returning from near-Earth space and tortured the crew until they admitted they knew you were here.”
Marcus frowned. “Gathendiens? Aren’t those the assholes who unleashed a bioengineered virus on your planet that sterilized ninety-five percent of your females?”
Lisa gaped. “What?” When Taelon had mentioned the virus rendering many of their females infertile, she hadn’t realized it had been such a high percentage.
Ami glanced at Marcus. “Yes. Remember I told you one of my reasons for coming here was to warn your people that the Gathendiens were headed this way?”
Lisa held up a hand. “Wait. You came here to warn us and our government had the military capture and torture you?”
“Yes.”
“Typical,” Lisa grumbled with disgust.
Ami turned back to her brother. “I hoped it would take the Gathendiens longer to get here.”
“It was just a scout ship,” Taelon said. “Not the whole fleet.”
“What were the scouts looking for?”
“According to Janwar, the Gathendiens unleashed a virus on Earth a long time ago that they believed would have exterminated all the Earthlings by now.”
Ami’s eyes widened.
“Oh shit,” Marcus breathed. He looked at Ami. “Do you think…?”
She nodded. “It has to be. That has to be where the virus came from. That’s why it behaves like no other virus on this planet.”
“Motherfucker!” Marcus growled. “I can’t bloody well believe it!”
Ami rested a hand on his knee. “I didn’t know they’d been here before. I thought they were coming to unleash a virus on Earth now.” She met Lisa’s gaze. “That’s what they do. When the Gathendiens find a planet with resources they wish to claim for themselves, they bioengineer a virus that will eventually kill all the humanoid inhabitants and unleash it. Once only animals remain, the Gathendiens return to claim the planet for their own.”
Lisa shook her head. “I know this is going to sound hypocritical since genocide and attempted genocide have taken place quite a few times on this planet, but that is so fucking wrong.”
Taelon squeezed her hand. “The genocide and attempted genocide here is one of the reasons this planet is considered too backward and barbaric to form an alliance with.”
“I can understand that.”
Ami glanced at Marcus. “They must have been coming back to ensure the virus they unleashed had done what it was supposed to do and killed all the humans.”
Lisa looked back and forth between them. “What virus?”
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose and seemed to be striving for calm. “Vampirism is caused by a virus. A very fucking peculiar virus,” he snarled.
Ami patted his knee.
Lisa glanced at Taelon and caught him staring at Ami’s hand on Marcus’s knee. When Marcus covered her hand with his own, Taelon’s eyes narrowed.
Marcus cleared his throat. “Sorry. This is just so infuriating. The vampiric virus behaves more like a symbiotic organism than it does a virus. It first conquers, then replaces the host’s immune system, creating a fucked-up catch-22: kill the virus and you kill the host. The virus lends those infected with it greater strength, speed, and r
egenerative capabilities. It also enhances all the host’s senses. It leaves the host with a frequent need of blood infusions as well. But in humans, it also causes progressive brain damage that rapidly drives them insane. Humans infected with the virus become psychotic vampires who prey upon innocents. But there are also gifted ones like me on the planet. We were born with more advanced DNA than ordinary humans, and that DNA protects us against the more corrosive aspects of the virus. So gifted ones who are infected with the virus don’t suffer the brain damage or go mad. We become immortal.”
Ami nodded. “Immortal Guardians spend their nights hunting and slaying psychotic vampires to protect humanity. They’re the reason humanity hasn’t become extinct.”
Lisa stared at them a long moment. “Okay. I’m not going to lie. That’s a lot to take in.”
Marcus smiled. “It is. And I didn’t mean to drop that on you so quickly. Forgive me. But the whole Gathendien thing threw me.”
“So…” Lisa struggled to grasp it all. “You guys—you immortals—are the reason the Gathendiens’ plan failed?”
“Yes.” He looked at Ami. “At least we know now where the virus originated.”
She nodded.
“Where did the advanced DNA originate?” Lisa asked.
He hesitated. “That I can’t tell you.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Taelon asked.
“Both,” Marcus said with notable regret. “I’m afraid it isn’t my secret to share, so I’m honor bound to keep it.”
A heavy silence fell.
When Ami noticed Taelon staring at her, she slipped her hand from Marcus’s and began to fiddle nervously with a crease in her pants leg at the knee.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” Taelon said slowly, “but why are you here, Marcus?”
“Taelon!” Ami protested.
Marcus tilted his head to one side. “I don’t suppose you mean that in an existential kind of way, do you?”
Lisa laughed but quickly cut it off.
Taelon was unamused. “No.”
Marcus drew in a deep breath, then let it out. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his splayed knees and clasped his hands between them. “Tell me, Taelon, are you a rip-the-bandage-off-quickly kind of guy or would you rather remove the bandage slowly in hopes of reducing the pain?”
The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance Book 1) Page 23