by Abella Ward
In the meantime, they'd fallen into a comfortable relationship. Maybe a little too comfortable, considering that they would soon be at the Sanctuary. But did that really make such a difference? It would take some time for him and Dievca to find a way to get Gylden on his own so they could kill him. He needed Veronica as a reason to stay until they achieved their mission.
But once they got there, he'd start pulling away. Encouraging her to make other friends. Distancing himself emotionally. Then, when the inevitable happened, she wouldn't feel alone. Hopefully, she'd have found a good human man to fall in love with.
"You're thinking of her again," Dievca said coolly.
Chapec gave her an irritated glance. "So?"
"So, I told you not to get too involved. And now, not only are you sleeping with her, but you're also constantly thinking about her."
"I only slept with her once."
Dievca snorted.
Chapec clenched his hands. It was true, although that didn't mean he hadn't wanted to sleep with Veronica more. But while he didn't exactly regret their first time together, he knew it was a bad idea to continue that aspect of their relationship.
"I am not getting involved."
"Whatever you say, Brother," Dievca said with a shrug. "If it helps, I've started rethinking her role in our plan."
"You?" Chapec somehow doubted that.
"Yes. Me. She's a sweet girl; I don't like the idea of hurting her. But we have to keep our eye on the end game, Chippy. Veronica will be safe in the Sanctuary, and she's not our responsibility."
"I know."
Dievca grunted. Her black eyes narrowed for a moment, but then she shrugged. "I've also been researching the Sanctuary more, and I've realized something."
"What's that?"
"Only humans are allowed straight in. Apparently, Zon has strict security, and while he allows humans and whoever they are traveling with to seek rest and safety in his fleet, but even people who have human mates aren't allowed into the Sanctuary itself unless they are in dire need. And that is where we need to be if we're going to kill Gylden. So not only do we need to be close to Veronica, but she — and, by extension, the two of us — needs to be in danger. And that danger has to be well-known."
A sinking ball of dread dropped into his stomach. "You're the one that didn't want anybody to know we had a human because it meant we'd have a harder time getting to the Sanctuary."
"Yes. But that was before you started falling in love with her. At the rate you're going, you'll confess everything as soon as we get there."
"I'm not—"
"You are. So we're going a different route. Zon will give us sanctuary. Not because you're Veronica's mate, but because our lives are in mortal danger. That way you can stop wooing her."
Chapec took a deep breath to calm himself. Fighting – even the half-playful duels they had – would not be a good thing in the market. "And how do you propose we do that?"
"Oh, I've hired a few bounty hunters to steal her from us."
The ball of dread burst, spreading to Chapec's extremities. He felt utterly frozen from the inside out as he stared at his sister. She stared back, smiling as though she expected him to praise her for her brilliance. In truth, it was the first moment of his life that he had ever seriously considered harming her. He wanted to strike the smile off her face. His hand reached to grasp the hilt of his blade before he realized what he was doing.
The smile dropped from Dievca's face. She fell back a step. "They won't hurt her."
"When are they coming?"
"Chippy, I made sure that they knew that if there was so much a scratch on her—"
"They could do a whole lot to her and fix her up with a regenerator. Now tell me when they're coming!"
Dievca twisted her hands. "They'll already be on the ship."
Chapec turned on his heel. He ignored his sister as she called out after him. Veronica filled his thoughts. If she's hurt… Dievca will regret ever thinking up this scheme.
Chapter Five – Veronica
Strings of blue energy wrapped around Veronica's wrists and ankles. She fought against the delicate-looking strands, but it was useless. Another band around her waist kept her securely fastened in place as the hovering vehicle zipped through the sparse forest. There were two fierce-looking aliens in front of her, one of them a blue Aphrosian, the other some sort of hairy ape-looking creature. Behind her were three more aliens, though given her position, she couldn’t get a good look at them.
Breathe, Veronica. Breathe and think this through.
Veronica forced herself to suck in a deep breath and stop struggling against her bonds. Clearly, fighting wasn't going to do any good. First things first. She had to figure out what these aliens wanted with her. Were they the human-hunters that the T'shav twins had warned her about? Slavers? Would they sell her to a breeding program or as an exotic specimen for a private collection?
"What do you want with me?" she asked. Her voice shook, but not enough. She had a feeling that if she was going to get any information, she had to really sell her fear. Not that she had much of a chance getting out of this on her own, but there was no way Chapec was going to leave her here. Nor Dievca. She might not be as close to the female T'shav, but they got along. They were friends.
One of the aliens behind her spoke. "We were hired to steal you away from those T'shav."
She twisted her head, but couldn't see him. "Hired by who?"
"Dunno. Don't care. We got a fancy little sum. You're a fair impression of a human, though. Pretty, too. I bet we could pass you off as a real human."
Whoever had hired them to steal her thought she wasn't a real human? Or had just said that so they didn't have to pay as much. Veronica's mind churned. "If you know I'm not human, why did you steal me?"
"Told you. We were hired. Look at those curves. Have you seen such a beauty before?"
A hand came around her neck from behind and squeezed lightly. Veronica's heart jumped to her throat and she slapped at the hand. The energy bracelets stopped her just short of reaching them.
"The bounty said she was to be untouched," another voice said.
"What they won't know won't hurt them. We'll just heal up any marks that—"
Veronica turned her head and sank her teeth into the hand as it moved down her arm. The alien yelped and withdrew at once.
The other aliens laughed. The one she had bit cursed and grabbed her roughly. He spun her around. Dark blue eyes blazed in a bright green face and Veronica's heart stopped. She was going to pay for what she had just done.
Whatever he does, don't lose hope. Chapec and Dievca could be on their way right now.
"You're going to regret that, girlie." The alien breathed into her face. "Stop the car."
Car. An odd word for the vehicle they were driving in. But Veronica didn't have long to mull it over as the vehicle jerked to a stop. The green alien jumped out and pulled her with him. Her bound feet couldn't support her, and she crumbled to the ground. The alien bunched his hand into a fist and drew back—
A bolt of red careened from between the trees. It hit the alien straight in the back. His eyes widened. He toppled over slowly, revealing a second vehicle hurtling through the trees. Veronica's heart leaped as she saw the T'shav twins inside. They had followed! Chapec piloted while Dievca stood half hanging out of the vehicle, aiming a blaster at the kidnappers.
Curses flew into the air as the kidnappers all leaped out of the vehicle, quickly hiding behind trees while they returned Dievca's fire. Chapec flew the vehicle right into the center of the group before he jumped out. His sword swung at the nearest kidnapper; the woman dodged back, pointing her blaster into his chest. Dievca jumped into the fray, severing the woman's arm.
Veronica rolled over, away from the fight, and hid her face. There was no blocking out the noise, though. Screams. Swords biting into flesh. Blasters discharging. The smell of ozone and blood hung thick in the air. Chapec roared, Dievca screamed, and then one of the ki
dnappers shouted.
"We were going to return her! We weren't going to—"
The sound of steel meeting flesh cut him off.
Bile rose up Veronica's throat. Her mind darted about, trying to latch onto something that wasn't the violence that had once again been perpetrated because of her. Tears burned her eyes. When the sounds of battle ended, she pressed her palms into her eyes until flashes of rainbows spin before her. She was not going to look.
"Veronica." Chapec gathered her into his arms. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Veronica peeked through her lashes, if only to see his face. There was so much worry in them that she forgot herself. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. He responded just as hungrily, digging his hands into her hair.
Dievca cleared her throat. "We have to get going. We don't know if they were going to meet anybody or who else might be around. The ship will be refueled by now. It's time to get off this planet. Maybe we should contact the Sanctuary directly – tell them what happened and ask for an escort or something."
"You're right. We do have to go." Chapec's voice was low, angry. "Veronica, close your eyes."
She obeyed, though puzzled by the tone Chapec took with his sister. After he carried her back to their vehicle and were headed back through the trees, she opened her eyes again. And instantly wished she had kept them closed. Both T'shav twins were splattered with blood. The droplets were a darker red than their skin, and when she looked at herself, she saw that it had been transferred to her clothing as well.
Veronica's head spun. She closed her eyes. "Thank you for saving me."
What would those kidnappers have done if the twins hadn't come at that moment?
"Well, we couldn't leave you with them," Dievca said.
"She should never have been with them in the first place," Chapec growled. "They could have killed her, Dievca."
His tone made Veronica flinch, but at the same time, her heart actually rose. He was angry, yes, but he was angry because she had been in danger. She opened her eyes again. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known they were after me. You saved me. That's what matters."
Neither twin answered that. Both looked grim. It must be because they were unused to such violence. Veronica tried to think of the words necessary to apologize for making them kill to protect her, but she couldn't find them. Instead, she bowed her head and was silent.
Thank God they're my friends.
***
As soon as they were back on the ship, Chapec put them in orbit. They didn't leave right away, though. Dievca had been injured in the fight, and her brother wanted to make sure they could fix her up before they headed away from the planet. If they needed any medical supplies, they'd have to go back to the surface.
"And we'd better scan you as well," Chapec said to Veronica. "I want to make sure you're okay."
She smiled at him, touched by his concern. "I'm fine. They were quite gentle with me, considering that they kidnapped me. Until that one… But he didn't have the chance to do anything."
Chapec pulled her into his arms and kissed her lightly. "I just want to be certain."
There was no harm to it, and if it would give Chapec peace of mind, then she'd do it. She waited in the medical bay as he looked after his sister. The machinery was fascinating, but Veronica really didn’t have the scientific background to understand their functions beyond the basics.
Dievca seemed oddly subdued, not replying as Chapec chastised her for letting herself for get injured. Once she was healed, Veronica took her place under the scanners.
A light washed over her, and an image shot up on the holoscreen just behind the scanner. Dievca and Chapec both looked over it. Veronica watched in amazement. It clearly showed her bones and internal organs, all color-coded like something out of a textbook.
"Looks like you might have the start of some kidney stones," Dievca said. "You need to make sure you stay hydrated."
Veronica nodded. "Yeah. I've been feeling a little woozy lately. It always happens when I don't drink—"
Dievca gasped. A hand flew to her mouth.
"What is it?" Chapec asked. He moved closer to the screen and froze.
Veronica sat up. "What's wrong?"
Both T'shav turned to her with wide eyes. Chapec swallowed hard. He pointed to what at first appeared to only be a jellybean-shaped organ with another blob inside of it. But then that blob shifted and she clearly saw the familiar shape of a fetus. She'd read enough pregnancy books to recognize it. Her jaw dropped.
"I'm pregnant?"
"It appears so."
Chapec looked shocked, but Dievca's face twisted into an angry scowl. Her hands clenched and she whirled on her brother. Her black eyes narrowed.
"How could you be so stupid?"
Chapec flinched. "Dievca—"
"Don't. Don't even talk to me right now. We have all sorts of shields and energy barriers that could have easily been adjusted to serve as protection. And now she's pregnant. So what are you going to do? Are you going to settle down on the Sanctuary, live a happy little domestic life, and forget all about our plans?"
Veronica flinched. "I don't want to come between—"
"Or are you going to abandon your child? Are you going to pretend like you didn't get this human who you barely know pregnant?"
"Enough!" Chapec surged to his feet. He drew his broadsword.
Veronica gasped. "Don't!"
Dievca held her hands up. "For the sake of the human, I won't fight you, Brother. That doesn't mean that I'm not angry with you. But this is your mess. You have to decide what you want now."
She stalked away, leaving Veronica and Chapec alone. They avoided one another’s gaze. Veronica felt her cheeks warming as she waited for him to speak. This wasn't what she had expected. And maybe it was just because she was in shock, but it wasn't an unhappy surprise. It was a little frightening since she didn't know what this meant for her, for Chapec, or her future.
But that didn't mean that her heart didn't swell with love. After waiting for so long, she was pregnant.
"I didn't know that I could get pregnant with an alien."
Chapec shrugged one shoulder, still not looking at her. "Humans are the only species that can breed with all the others."
"Oh." Veronica vaguely recalled hearing something like that before.
"She's right. We should have used protection."
Veronica rested her hands on her stomach. She had been so convinced that it was impossible that she hadn't even considered protection. "So… Are you… Do you want to talk about this?"
"I… Not right now." Chapec shrugged and smiled apologetically at her. "It's a lot to take in. We'll have time to talk once we reach the Sanctuary. Right now… I have to wrap my head around this. I have to go."
There wasn't really anywhere for him to go on the little ship, but Veronica nodded. She tried not to let her heart sink as he walked away. She had already been planning on being a single mother before she ended up in outer space. Well, she could be a single mother here. Things had changed, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be happy about this unexpected pregnancy.
She closed her eyes and imagined a tiny baby with devil-red skin and black eyes. A smile slipped over her face. She'd figure it out. Somehow, she would figure this all out.
Chapter Six – Chapec
The planet that housed Zon's Sanctuary loomed in the viewscreen. Chapec piloted the ship to dock on the large station that orbited the planet according to the instructions he was being given by their escort. Veronica was in her room, resting until they landed. Dievca sat beside him in the co-pilot's chair.
"You can't lose sight of our goal, Chippy."
Their goal. To avenge their father's death.
"I know that I was angry with you for getting Veronica pregnant, but you have to see it from my perspective. I know you and Dad weren't that close, but he was my whole world. I haven't felt safe since he died. We have to avenge him. We have to."
Chapec remained silent. It had been weeks since he learned that Veronica was pregnant, and he still hadn't really wrapped his mind around it. He was going to be a father. They were headed to a place where they could potentially live in peace and be happy together. But that would mean being in close proximity to the man who killed his father. And even worse, it might mean that he would run into Gylden regularly.
Could he really live like that?
"Chippy. Will you look at me? Are you going to mess this up?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do," he replied shortly. "I don’t know what sort of feelings I have for Veronica. I like her. And I'd kill anybody who tries to hurt her, but I'm the one who's going to hurt her."
Dievca's brow furrowed. She opened her mouth, but Chapec stood and turned his back on her. He let out a shaky breath.
"But it's not just about Veronica. How is a dead father more important than my unborn child?"
Her shoulders slumped. "So, is that it, then? You get the first woman who comes along and gives you a pretty smile pregnant and just abandon your family?"
"The child is my family, too. And Dad wasn't a violent man. He wouldn't want us to turn into killers."
"It's too late for that. We are killers. We have had to kill to survive and kill to keep what's ours. The universe wasn't made for people who keep their heads down." Dievca looked away from him. She swallowed, belying the anger in her voice. Chapec knew she was struggling not to cry. "The only people who survive in this universe are those who do what's necessary. And if we don't kill Gylden—"
"If we kill him, we'll die. That's always been what will happen. You know that as well as I do. But maybe we need to find something to live for besides revenge."
"You do what you think is best, Chapec. I'm going to avenge our father."
Veronica called them from the kitchen before Chapec could respond. The twins hurried out to her. Veronica smiled at him, making his heart squeeze. She trusted him so much. And she was so happy about the baby… Could she be falling in love with him? If she was… He couldn’t betray her. He couldn't. And he didn't want to leave her. He wanted to stay with her, to be a father, to be her mate.