by Cook, M. L.
Aquino looked from her to Seth, then shrugged, “I…I guess I could tell them—”
She waved a hand, “You see! That’s what I’m talking about. Who came up with this crazy scheme?” She looked at the others, then back to Seth, and rolled her eyes. Then continuing, she said, “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to work. Don’t you think they’d find it a little suspicious that he would just happen to be wandering around way out here?” She waved her hand around, indicating the empty fields and forested land. “And you,” she waved a finger at Aquino, “You planned to just wing it? Didn’t the other women say they knew who you were the second you stepped into the camp? Don’t they have a way of sending your pictures to others? You know, I hate to be the one to tell you this. But, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, your cover is blown.”
Seth crossed his arms, sighing, he looked at the others, “She’s got a point. We need to come up with another plan.” He gave Jannette an assessing glance, then asked, “What would you propose?”
Shrugging, she proposed, “If he goes in with someone else, it’ll take the attention off him.”
Aquino’s body tensed, “And just who would you suggest I take with me?”
Jannette smiled up at him, “Why, me, of course.”
“No! Absolutely not! I didn’t like the idea of you coming in the first place. I’m certainly not going to put your life at risk by dragging you through a camp full of males who want to…” He slammed his mouth shut, crossed his arms, and glared at Seth.
Seth gave Aquino a nod, “He’s right. I know what Terrapians do to females. No offence, Aquino, I know you’re a male with honor.”
Aquino nodded, “It’s okay, Seth. I’m fully aware of what my people are capable of. I also know that all of you are aware that I’m not anything like them.”
Leaning against the truck, Jannette crossed her arms. Then looking from Seth to Aquino, she said, “Have you learned nothing about Earth women? Sure, there are some who would play the helpless damsel card, but do you really see me that way?”
Jay laughed, “Nah. You’re the kind of woman who likes to kick ass and take names.”
Aquino and Seth exchanged confused gazes. When Aquino shook his head, Seth nodded and asked, “Why would you care what their names are?”
Jannette stared at the man for a moment. Shaking her head, she said, “Okay, so here’s the plan.”
***
Staying low, they knelt behind a block wall that surrounded the property. Opening her bag, she pulled out a long cord, then handed it to Aquino.
Aquino stared at the cord a moment, then back to Jannette, and questioned, “What’s that for?”
Jannette was silent for a moment, then sighing, she said, “Um… tying me up?”
Aquino shook his head, “Not necessary. Any male who must tie up a helpless female isn’t worthy of warrior status.”
Jannette snorted, “The Terrapians are idiots if they think human women can’t take care of themselves. If you’re not going to tie me up, you should at least knock me around a little.”
Aquino cocked his head, then asked, “Knock…?” His mouth fell open, then slammed shut. He clenched his teeth, and growled, “I will not.”
Jannette sighed, “Fine. But I don’t see how they’re going to believe that you could restrain—”
Jannette didn’t have time to react when Aquino lunged. His grip was so tight her hands began tingling right away. He released her just as quickly as he grabbed her, then assured her, “Never doubt my ability to subdue a helpless female. Our race is larger, stronger, and faster than humans. We’re genetically different than you, in every way.”
Jannette smirked, glancing down, she said, “Not so different in every way.”
A purple blush spread across Aquino’s face, “Yes, little warrior, in every way.”
Jay’s voice sounded over the radio in Aquino’s pocket, “Please don’t forget we’re here.”
Jannette looked toward the trees where the rest of their people waited. The sun glinted off several pairs of binoculars that were trained on them. She snorted, then said, “Kiss my ass.”
Aquino glanced back at the others, then asked, “Ready?”
Jannette nodded, then shook her head. She grabbed the radio out of his pocket and switched it off. Looking up at him, she queried, “Just exactly how different are you from us?”
Aquino stared at the ground for a moment, then gazed back at the trees. “Do you really want to talk about this now?” When Jannette nodded, he sighed and said, “Very well. Other than the obvious physical differences, our reproductive organs are different.” He stared at her a moment, then went on, “I’m sorry. I guess I should have told you sooner… We aren’t compatible.” He bowed his head, then added, “Terrapians can only reproduce with Terrapians. You and I could never have a child together.”
Jannette wasn’t sure how to feel about what she’d just learned. Gasping, she whispered, “When you said you wanted to find a mate and have a family…” Her voice broke, “You never meant with me.”
Aquino shook his head, “No. I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I had no idea—”
Jannette switched the radio on, then walked away.
Aquino came up behind Jannette and gripped her shoulder with one hand, while guiding her toward the gate. Leaning closer, his lips brushed against the shell of her ear, and he murmured, “You’re my mate. Even if I never have a child. I realized now that you are the only one for me. Perhaps fate will find a way.”
Chapter Twelve
Jannette didn’t understand how things could’ve gone so wrong, so quickly.
Laser fire zipped past Jannette’s head, searing her hair. Bending over, she scooped up the young Terrapian boy who was trying desperately to keep up with her. While gripping him tightly, she yelled, “Whatever you do, don’t let go.”
The boy was reaching over her shoulder, while screaming, “Momma! Momma! Please, you have to help her.”
Jannette blinked away the tears that hadn’t stopped since she watched the life fade from the eyes of the young female. As she lay bleeding on the cold hard dirt, she’d begged Jannette to take her son. More than anything, she wanted him to learn a better way to live. How could she deny a dying mother her last request?
She heard Aquino’s loud bellow after another series of white beams streaked past her. “Aquino!” While clutching the boy, she turned around.
Waving her on, Aquino yelled, “I’m okay! Just go!”
Not bothering to slow, Jay was dodging the white beams. In his shirt he cradled an egg that he’d been forced to cut from a dying mother’s pouch.
When they’d begun their escape, Jannette was stunned to learn the warriors would rather kill their females than let them go. Out of the eighteen females they’d attempted to rescue, only four had made it this far.
Finally, the last gate was in sight. Jannette was never so happy to see anyone as she was when she saw Seth. Him and some of the others lined up along the fence shooting back at the Terrapians. All of which were rapidly gaining on them.
Bursting through the gate, Seth pointed toward the line of vehicles that were already running. As soon as they finished loading, the cars and trucks lurched forward, putting as much distance as they could between them and the enemy camp.
When she noticed Aquino attempting to stanch the flow of blood with his bare hand, she sat the boy beside her, then ripped her shirt over her head. Tying it around his arm, she admonished, “Don’t you dare die on me now. You can’t leave me to raise this little guy by myself.”
Aquino glared at Jay, “Don’t look at her!”
Jay laughed, “Dude, you know I’m gay, right?”
Aquino narrowed his eyes, “I don’t care how happy you are. Do not look at my female when she’s nearly naked!”
Ignoring the jabs between Jay and Aquino, Seth glanced back at the road. Then focusing on his passengers, he said, “I think we may have a problem.” He pointed out the
back window. Several large military type transports were speeding toward them. “I know we have a lot of wounded, but we’re going to have to try to throw them off. The last thing we want is to lead them back to our home base.”
Jannette turned in her seat to see where their pursuers were. If luck was on their side, they could possibly pull over and switch vehicles. That way the injured and children could go back to camp, while the rest led the Terrapians in another direction. Although she knew that they might argue with her over it, she also wanted to ensure the safety of the Felidian warriors. If the Earth had any hope of surviving this mess, it hinged on the well-being of these two men. And she had every intention of not only surviving, but also of winning this war.
However, as always, luck wasn’t on their side. Not only were the aliens still following, but they were also gaining. If something didn’t give soon, they would be overtaken, and everything they’d just done would be for nothing.
The car hit a large pothole, jarring Aquino awake. After she’d wrapped his arm, he’d fallen into a fitful slumber. Although he’d assured Jannette he was alright, she knew his injury was a lot worse than he’d let on.
Jannette patted his arm and leaned closer, “Everything’s alright. Just go back to sleep.”
Instead of doing as she asked, Aquino sat up straighter and sent a scathing glare toward any who dared to look at him. Several times in the last fifteen minutes, he’d become delirious and nearly attacked Jay. He’d all but accused the man of making advances on his female. Jay was the least of their problems. If Aquino were in his right mind, he’d realize this. After rescuing Tiana, Jay and James no longer kept their relationship a secret. As a matter of fact, it was Aquino who’d encouraged them to forget about what others might think. He’d told them that finding a mate was a miracle.
When Jannette looked back, Aquino was fighting with his seatbelt. Reaching across his lap, she grabbed his arm and said, “Hey, you need to keep that on. If anything happens, and we get into an accident—”
Aquino interrupted her, “Yes. I know. Aubree already told me that dead was dead. I need to get my pack that’s under Dante’s seat.”
Jannette stared into the dark recesses, then looked back at him, and said, “Just let me get it. If you keep messing around, you’re going to open your wound again.” Scooting toward the end of the seat, she twisted and turned until she was on the floor between Aquino’s legs. As she struggled, she muttered, “It’s a good thing I’m little.” Reaching beneath the seat, she felt around until her hand brushed against a leather strap. Fisting the familiar band, she glared up at Aquino and said, “This had better not be what I think it is.” Pulling it toward her, she had to reach down again and untangle it from all the rods and wires beneath the front seat. Finally, she was able to pull it out. Twisting around, instead of attempting to climb back into her crowded seat, she plopped down on Aquino’s lap. Then after pulling Aquino’s bag into her lap, she jabbed an elbow into his ribs, then queried, “Your pack, huh?”
Aquino reached around Jannette and snatched the bag out of her hand, “It’s mine now. After Aubree abducted me, I was unable to get any of my own things. Therefore, I had to make do with what I could.”
Jannette stared down at her five-hundred-dollar purse and sighed, “What did you do with my stuff?”
Aquino shifted underneath her, cleared his throat, then in a much deeper voice, he said, “Well, all except the small round objects, I put them in one of your boxes.”
Jannette’s body went rigid, then her eyes rounded under raised brows. Her mouth suddenly went dry. After prying her tongue off the roof of her mouth, she queried, “What small round objects?”
Aquino shrugged, “I don’t know what they’re called, small, round, but not like a ball… they’re kind of a darker green.” He leaned forward, waggled his brows, then with a devilish grin, he added, “Same color as my eyes.”
Jannette felt her body start to quake, in a low voice, she called up to Dante, “Pull over.” After opening her purse, she slapped the back of his head and bellowed, “Pull over! Now!”
The car swerved off the road, while Donte turned back to her. Before he had a chance to say anything, Jannette grabbed the sleeping boy they’d saved and bellowed, “Everybody out!” Once the doors were thrown open, each person tumbled out of the car. As soon as they saw Jannette making a beeline for the trees, they realized that they might be in trouble.
As she brushed past the first few trees, she dove for cover. Then turning around, she began a frantic search for Aquino. When she saw him reaching back inside the car, she put the boy down and raced toward him, yelling, “Aquino, get away from the car!”
She was filled with an overwhelming terror that she could be watching his final moments. With her heart racing, she stepped back. Aquino was holding her five-hundred-dollar purse turned bomb, in his hand. Something in her expression must have clued him in on the mistake. He fisted the long straps, then hurled it toward the approaching vehicles. As the purse left his hands, he sprang toward the tree line.
Jannette watched as the purse sailed into the air seconds before exploding. Aquino, having not achieved his destination, was propelled forward. She couldn’t look away.
The world around her slowed. Aquino’s beautiful green eyes were wide with a combination of fear and regret. His long legs were furiously pumping. Each foot was searching for the ground that was suddenly not there. Both of his arms were thrown out in front of him. His fisted hands were opening and closing. Each furiously reaching for anything to grasp. Somewhere around her, she heard shouting. But their words were drowned out by agonizing screams.
Then the concussive wave reached her. She felt herself being propelled backwards. Her breath exploded from her lungs as her body slammed against the hard earth. A second later, something wet and heavy came down on her chest.
After sucking in a deep breath, Jannette shoved against the weight on top of her. All she could think about was checking on Aquino. In her mind the same words kept repeating themselves. Please, God, don’t let him be dead.
Pushing herself up, she stared at the bloody torso that had knocked her down. She didn’t realize she was screaming until she was scooped up by Seth.
After throwing her over his shoulder, he ran toward the truck that she’d originally driven, then leapt into the back. Once he had her settled, he yelled, “Go!”
Chapter Thirteen
Numb, that was the only way to describe how Jannette was feeling. She didn’t see, hear, or feel, anything as they drove toward her farm. She didn’t feel the lightly falling snow. Nor did she see the burned out remains of other farmhouses. The deer that raced alongside them was ignored as well. Conversation was nothing more than a low buzzing. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she heard someone calling her name. But she couldn’t be sure, nor did she care.
The only thing that held Jannette’s attention was the red stain that began just below her chin and continued down to the top of her thighs. The only thing she could see was Aquino’s confusion changing to understanding, then horror, and lastly followed by acceptance. It happened in the blink of an eye. She continued to replay it in slow motion over and over. Then it was replaced by the torso that splattered blood across her face, in her hair, and across the front of her shirt. She concentrated on that for a moment. Something about it didn’t fit. “The clothes,” Jannette murmured.
The world around her sharpened. For the first time she looked around and noticed how far they’d driven. Away from the burned out remains of the enemy transports. Away from the car in which she’d been arguing over a purse. But most of all away from Aquino. The familiar surroundings told her that in just a few short minutes her barns would come into view.
Rolling to her knees, she crawled toward the back window and began pounding on the glass. Jay turned an irritated glare on her before returning his attention to the highway. She looked around the bed of the truck for something to knock the window out. She knew that was on
e thing they couldn’t ignore. Before she could grab a large wrench, a hand encircled her wrist. Looking up, for the first time, she realized she wasn’t alone.
“What are you planning to do with that?”
Jannette stared at the man, she knew him. He’d been one of the men Travis found when they went on that last run.
“Pete,” he said, then released her. “I know there’s a lot of names to remember, plus I’m new.” He stared at her a moment, then repeated his question, “So… what are you—”
Jannette reached for the wrench that she’d dropped when he surprised her. With a determined glint, she said, “They need to stop.”
Pete nodded, then stood and tapped on the driver’s window. She saw Jay’s face in the rearview mirror staring back at her. He didn’t look happy, but he pulled to the side of the road.
She was ready to jump out of the truck bed when Pete grabbed her arm again. Glaring at the hand that encircled her wrist, she snarled, “Unless you want to lose it, you’d better let go.”
Pete wasn’t a small man, but something in her eyes must have registered. Not only did he let go, but he scooted as far away as he could.
Jay stepped out of the truck, leaving the door open behind him. The truck was still running, reminding her of the necessity of why they were in such a hurry. “What?” His shouted question was followed by a quick glance back toward the trees behind them.
Jannette felt like an idiot. She knew that what she was about to propose would most likely be met with an absolute no, followed by a have you lost your fucking mind. She had fully intended to scream the importance of getting her demands met. Instead, in a very unlike Jannette voice, she whispered, “We have to go back.”
Jay surprised her with his reaction. Instead of laying into her about the importance of putting as many miles as possible between them and the Terrapians, she saw compassion. He softened his voice, “I’m sorry, but you know we can’t.”
“But he could still be alive!” Jannette pleaded.