Sanctuary's Aggression Complete Collection Box Set: A Post-apocalyptic Survival Thriller Series

by Maira Dawn

  Ian shrugged. “Perhaps. Hidden under all the bad. When I am on land, I watch your news. What do you see when you watch it? Because vicious, bloodthirsty people is all I see."

  "You just told me one of yours murdered humans."

  "That was one man, Sunny. Against people who were responsible for his loss. Some would call that justice."

  "So you don't have any violence here?"

  "No.”

  Sonora brought her hand to her forehead. "But that is how all Atlantians will see me?"

  Ian leaned toward her. "That is what you will have to overcome, but they will soon understand who you really are as my family and I have."

  "This dinner tonight is to help them change their minds?"

  Ian nodded. "It will."

  Sonora ran a hand over the blanket. This conversation was going so well, she might as well push it further. "And tonight, will you tell me why I'm here?”

  Ian ran a hand through his dark hair. "Yes." He stood. "Enough questions now. It is time to get ready."

  Sonora stomach swirled at the thought of facing a roomful of judgmental Atlantians she needed to win over. "Maybe we should just stay here."

  "Thanks to my sisters, my entire family knows about you and wants to meet you. It is important they do so before the others."

  "Others?"

  "Tonight is for my family, my clan. It is their right to meet you before other Atlantians."

  Sonora lowered her head and sighed. This day just got better and better.

  Twenty-Six

  A Dream

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Ian walked out of the room and waved Cascadia and Talise in. Sonora's mouth twisted. The way those girls had treated her yesterday, she wasn't sure she wanted to spend more time with them. But this time, they had a smile for her, as well as dresses, a small box, and refreshments.

  "We thought you might be thirsty,” Talise said as she sat the cup on the end table near Sonora. "And Sunny, we're sorry for how we acted the last time we met. We should have known if our brother accepted you, then you are a good person."

  Cascadia laid the dresses across the bed and stared down at them, then looked back up at Sonora. "We were not sure which color you liked best. But, this one would be perfect, in my opinion. What do you think?"

  Cascadia pulled an elegant blue dress from the pile the exact shade of Sonora's eyes. Sonora tried it on and twirled, the light fabric swirled around her ankles. "It's beautiful." She ran her hand over the high waist and the shoulder which were decorated in a design of shimmering gold thread.

  Cascadia worked on Sonora's hair as Talise searched the box for the perfect earrings.

  When done, the girls pushed Sonora to the mirror. A matching blue ribbon edged in the gold thread wove through an updo that should have seemed a tousled mess but was somehow perfect.

  While Sonora was aware many people considered her pretty, she had crossed into new territory with this outfit. "Oh, my, thank you!"

  "Well," Talise said matter-of-factly, "we can't have people thinking Ian dragged home some sort of bottom feeder. Besides, we had great fun picking out everything when Ian sent us to the seamstress."

  Sonora raised her eyebrows in a question.

  Cascadia waved her hand over the pile of clothing. "It's all yours. Ian ordered it for you."

  Sonora's heart fell. She'd never be here long enough to wear all these, and she didn't want Ian to think she would be. She put a hand to the earrings. The sapphires seemed real. Oh my, what was she in the middle of here?

  Before Sonora had a chance to think any further about it, Cascadia and Talise tugged her to the living room. Ian stood at the window, his back to her. The dark-blue outfit he had on was something like a suit, only a much lighter material, and with no tie. The tattoo on his body was stitched on the sleeve in the same shimmering thread that decorated Sonora's dress. It skimmed his muscular body, and she couldn't help admiring him.

  Ian turned and fastened his gaze on hers, holding it until his eyes trailed over her. Sonora caught her breath. He took his time about it, slowly taking in every part of her from the crown of her head to the tip of her shoes.

  Sonora's breathing quickened, and by the time Ian's gaze returned to her face, her cheeks were pink. She glanced at the floor and back at him. He wouldn’t stop staring at her.

  She startled when Ian started her way and looked down, hoping he would go right past her. But when Ian's shoes appeared in Sonora's eye line, she knew she had no choice but to acknowledge him.

  Sonora explored Ian once more as she raised her gaze to his. If he could do it, so could she. Her heart thumped. She made it to his jaw and watched a muscle moving along it. She couldn't meet those intense gray eyes of his.

  But Ian wouldn't have it any other way. He put a finger under her chin and tipped her head until his gaze held hers. He smiled, and his eyes lit. "You are a dream come to life. The most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

  Sonora's heart stopped. After a moment, she hauled in a ragged breath, and it pounded back to life again. She whispered, "Thank you." But it hardly seemed enough.

  Her gaze roamed Ian's face. There was something about this man.

  Jorah cleared his throat, and Sonora remembered there were others in the room. Good sense slammed through her body like a punishment. What was she doing? She brought her hand to Ian's and gently pushed it away from her chin. After taking a step back, she swallowed hard.

  It was a moment, that was all. Something that came and would now go. Nothing special. Whatever this is, this place, these people, this man, she was leaving soon. The sadness flooding through her at the thought surprised her. She pushed it away.

  Sonora sent Ian a stiff smile then looked at the others. "You look nice too. You all do."

  She said the first thing that came to her mind, anything to break the tension in the air. Sonora waved at the stitched tattoo on Aleena's gown. "I thought Ian's tattoo was simply decoration, but they seemed to be more than that. What am I missing?"

  Aleena ran a hand over her sleeve. "Each clan has its own marking. Children are given the markings of both their father's and their mother's clan at birth to create each family's unique signature. And don't worry, it does not cause the child any pain."

  Sonora glanced at the shimmer peeking through the thin material of Aleena's sleeve. "I've never seen anything like them."

  Aleena nodded. "It is unique to Atlantians."

  Jorah opened the door and waved everyone out. "If we are ready, let us join the others.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Family Dinner

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Ian reached for Sonora's hand, after a second of hesitation, she gave it. She would need all the support she could get. Ian drew her hand up over his arm. "Will there be many at the dinner?" she asked.

  "It is for both clans, Mother's and Father's."

  Ian seemed to be skirting the question, so Sonora persisted. "So some grandparents? A few cousins?"

  Ian gave a nervous laugh. "Yes, a few. Our extended families tend to be considerably larger than humans. About 100, I think at last count. Or was it two?" He tipped his head toward his mother for confirmation.

  "What?" Sonora squeaked as she quickly withdrew her hand from his arm. "I'm not prepared for that."

  "You will do fine, Sunny." Ian took her hand and replaced it.

  Sonora felt as tense as a piano wire by the time they stood at the entry of the dining room, which was a few doors down the corridor from the garden. Things were happening she'd been trying to ignore. Ian's odd behavior, his undeniable attraction to her, the need for her to meet his family. She pushed her discomfort away, unable to handle even a hint of what was truly going on.

  Instead, Sonora pulled Ian to a stop and took a moment to enjoy the beauty of the dining room as well as calm her racing heart. Wood walls shone against candle and lamplight. Bright, lush flowers adorned every table. It was beautiful.

  The rest of the room nearly frightene
d her to death. A crowd, definitely more toward the two hundred mark. The loud, echoing conversations hushed to silence the moment Sonora and Ian were spotted. The sudden grip of Ian's hand told Sonora this was not a regular occurrence. Her gaze swept the room. Every eye was on her.

  Aleena, Cascadia, and Talise moved closer to her and Ian, while Jorah spoke to the crowd. A little shock ran through Sonora. She'd forgotten she wouldn't be able to understand anyone. This was getting worse with each passing moment. As Jorah talked, the stares continued. Sonora brought her other hand to Ian's arm and stepped as close to him as she was able. Maybe his big bulk would hide her.

  Ian's calm voice helped. "It is okay, Edinara. It will be fine." Though Sonora wasn't sure what Edinara was.

  Ian's father stopped talking. The silence continued until one elderly man offered something that sounded like a complaint. Some grumbled in response but many more laughed. The ice was broken.

  "You will now meet many people," Ian whispered to her.”Just give a small bow of the head or curtsey, whatever you are comfortable with. They will not expect you to respond as you do not speak Atlantian."

  Sonora looked up at Ian with wide eyes. Why wouldn't he have prepared her ahead of time for this? Sonora watched Ian's mother and sisters, repeating what they did. Ian stayed at her side, offering a reassuring nod or a warm glance from time to time. She must not be embarrassing him too bad.

  The reactions of people to her were mixed. Some seemed genuinely kind to her, others overly curious, looking her over as if she were a museum exhibit. Still, others had no trouble showing their bias, a scowl or grunt their only response as they passed Ian and Sonora. Although Sonora's world had plenty of prejudice, it was not a situation she was used to, and for some reason, she felt bad about it. She needed to keep reminding herself that she'd done nothing to be on the receiving end of such treatment.

  When another grumpy Atlantian passed without even a glance at her and Ian, Sonora couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the evening would go.

  After meeting everyone, Ian nodded at a group of people waving at him, Cascadia, and Talise. The four started toward them, Sonora stumbling over a stair, grateful for Ian's strong arm. She kept one wary eye on the group but blew a sigh of relief when they gave her a friendly smile.

  A young woman separated herself from the rest, stepping forward and reintroducing herself. "We saved you a seat at this table with us. We all speak English and thought you may be more comfortable here."

  To hear English again seemed so much like a godsend to Sonora, she almost gushed. "Oh, yes! That is so kind of you. Thank you."

  Her new acquaintance, Ara, took a step back and looked at the others. "She is quite friendly, isn't she? Not what I expected at all."

  "I'm sorry?" Sunny said, raising her eyebrows.

  "Oh, don't be. It's just humans are usually friendly to us when they aren’t aware of who we are, but then once they do, look out." The rest of the table laughed or grunted in agreement. "But you know who we are and are still friendly. Of course, you are in a rather tough spot. Us all surrounding you and Ian refusing to take you home."

  Sunny's mouth dropped. Did everyone know everything?

  "Not that I blame him, I mean, look at you. I'd give it time too, even though, you know, human." The laughter was in earnest this time.

  A small crease crossed Sonora's brow as she eyed the group. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought they were making fun of her. "Ian is taking me home tomorrow."

  "Oh sure he is, guppy, sure he is."

  Sonora's frown deepened at their obvious skepticism.

  "Ara! Stop." Ian spoke sharply. He looked as if he wanted to drag Ara from the room.

  Ara rolled her shoulders. "Oh.” She dragged the word out. "My swimaway mouth! You haven't told her yet. So how could she know?" She threw up her hands. "I will be quiet now, let that conversation be between her and you. Love to see that one though." She barked out a laugh as she waved them to two seats in the middle of the table.

  Sonora kept an eye on Ara as she settled next to a pleasant-looking woman, her husband sat across the table from her. The woman leaned toward Sonora. "Do you know what my own and my husband's name mean in English?”

  Sonora shook her head.

  “Coral and Reef."

  "No! Really?” Sonora said, her hand over her mouth as she tried to stiffle a giggle.

  "Oh yes, as if we weren’t aware we were meant to be Jata Ara, our names told us." Coral giggled and sent her husband a saucy glance as she told Sonora about their own romantic meeting.

  When Coral paused for a breath, Sonora asked, "I've heard the words, Jata Ara. What do they mean?"

  "Well, of course, you have, Sunny! It means Intended."

  A chill ran up Sonora’s spine as she shot a glance at Ian. When his Aunt Coral continued her story, Sonora's attention stayed with her tall kidnapper who sat across from her. The red-haired man beside Ian seemed to be a good friend. Sonora noticed he chose Ian’s beverage for him. The red-haired man pointed out the scratches on Ian's face and said with a twinkle in his eye, "Looks like you have a little tiger shark on your hands!" He waggled his eyebrows, just in case no one grasped his meaning.

  Ian chuckled with the others. "Yes, she is a fighter. Got this bringing her here." When Ian went on to tell his friend the story of how he'd dragged her here, Sonora caught his eye and arched an eyebrow at him.

  Ian coughed and switched to Atlantian, saying something that caused both men to laugh. Did he think that was really fooling her? Sonora turned to Coral, giving Ian as much of her back as she was able.

  "Don't worry about them, dear," Coral said, "Men will be, well, men. Even the best of them."

  Sonora's face reddened. No, men would be boys. "They're embarrassing me."

  "Well, I'm certain that is not the way they see it. You are a treasure, and Ian wants to tell the story of how he found you. It is a favorite pastime of our people." Coral frantically tried to wave her mate away from Ian's side, but his Uncle Reef was hanging on every word. Coral gave up. "Let's just ignore them. I can guarantee you they will beg for our attention soon enough. You can make Ian suffer then."

  After answering Coral's questions about her initial reaction to Atlantis, and a few from others at the table, Sonora took a moment to listen to the surrounding conversations. Apparently, everyone spoke at least one human language, and one person claimed to speak twelve, though everyone laughed when he bragged about it.

  They discussed repairs of an older building at one end of the table, while at the other end, they whispered about the murder of the Atlantian. Sonora felt like shrinking down in the already too large chair so they wouldn't remember a human was here among them.

  A casual comment by Talise bolted her upright. "Excuse me? How old did you say your father was?"

  “He is getting close to two hundred and fifty now."

  Baffled, Sunny asked, "Do you count time differently than we do?"

  Talise blanched and shot an apologetic glance at Ian. "No, we count it basically the same way, different names and all, that but otherwise the same."

  Sonora looked over at Ian, who slowly nodded his agreement.

  She looked at Jorah's table, staring at him. She had thought he looked too young to even be a father! How could he, how could anyone possibly be two hundred and fifty?

  "Oh my, have you told this girl anything?" Ara chided Ian, "What have you been doing with her?"

  "I have been saving her life." Ian's voice was gruff.

  "Well, they told me she was clumsy, but that can't possibly take up all your time. Talk to the girl, for sea's sake! She is ignorant of everything, and you're doing her a disservice."

  Ignoring Ian's thunderous face, Ara turned to Sonora, "Yes, we live longer than you from… up there. We are ever so much healthier. Ortun over there claims to be over six hundred years old, though no one knows for sure. He is the oldest among us so he could really say whatever age he wanted."

  Sonora's sk
in prickled as she craned her neck to see Ortun. Though old and wizened, she would have pegged him at the late nineties, not in the hundreds. Before she had time to explore this further, people stood. Dinner was over.

  Coral hugged her and said, "I am surprised, but happy, to say I find you charming and lovely, not at all what I expected. It has been my pleasure to get to know you properly." Giving Ian a direct look, she nodded. ”I approve."

  Ian burst into a big grin and nodded back, as did the rest of the table. It seemed Coral's approval was crucial. After that, many who had seemed reluctant to meet Sonora, came to her side, smiling.

  Later, as Sonora and Ian, along with his family, walked down the corridor to his place, she said, "You know, even though everyone spoke English, I didn't understand half of what they were talking about, and it seemed they think I should have."

  Ian and his father exchanged a glance and continued. "For instance, what does your aunt approve of? And what should I be aware of already that you haven't told me yet because the only thing you have time for is saving my life? And if that old man is six hundred and your dad is two-fifty, how old are you?"

  "We can talk about all that when we get home."

  How long would he keep putting her off? Sonora shook her head. "No, tell me now. How old are you?"

  "Sunny, I said when we get home." Ian sounded tired, but Sonora wasn't about to let him off the hook.

  "Would that be your home or my home? Because even though you keep telling me you're going to take me home, your aunt sure doesn't think you are going to. Neither did anyone else at that table."

  Ian glanced at the floor, a muscle in his tight jaw pulsing. "I am eighty-three years old."

  Sonora came to an abrupt stop. "What? What did you say?"

  "You heard me, I am eighty-three." Ian put a hand on Sonora's back and guided her toward the wall as a group of laughing Atlantians came by. He scowled when one of them said, "Looks like Sunny got the first of her surprises."