He pulled his face away from mine, his grip on my neck tightened almost painfully, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “I love you, My Rijiteranursang. You have been my salvation, from the very first moment of our meeting until the end of eternity. I will come back to you. You are stronger than any force that could keep me from you.”
He wiped tears from my cheeks and was gone.
One moment he was in front of me and the next was empty air, with only the lingering scent of him. I locked my muscles to keep me from going after him, my breathing hoarse and fast. Hands touched me from all sides. My friends stood around me, eyes solemn. There were tears tracking down their faces. Patty stepped in front of me to wrap her arms around my waist, holding me tightly against her. Sam and Callie follow suit, surrounding me in love and support. I rested my hand against the back of Patty’s head and soaked them in. I couldn’t leave them alone. Couldn’t risk them being captured. The two protective instincts warred in my heart, trying to pull me apart.
I had no idea how long it would take Ohem to reach the crash site. I didn’t know how fast he truly was. It took me several hours, but I’d been running to bring joy, not to kill my enemies and save my people. He could be there in an hour with that type of motivation. He didn’t heal as fast as me. The cut on his face took hours to mend. What if he was badly injured? Who would protect him while he healed? Who would protect the girls from the smugglers if I went to get him? I was trapped. Trapped by my word to Ohem that I would stay. Trapped by my need to guard Patty, Sam, and Callie.
“He’s a big bad alien. He’ll be fine,” Patty reassured me. Her head was below my boobs, her cheek pressed into my diaphragm, and I couldn’t see her without tilting my head forward. It made a sliver of humor sneak past the despair. I could do this. We just needed to wait. I’d give him a few hours. He moved fast, faster than me, and had a reason that would push him to test his limits.
Please, God. I don’t pray often, but please. Let him get his answers and come back to me. If he can’t get answers, let him kill them quickly and then come back to me.
I needed him. Rijitera didn’t survive well when their mates died. Most killed themselves and the ones who lived, lived a half-life. A husk of a person. Or went mad and had to be put down.
“Jack?” Callie’s voice called me. She might have been calling my name for a while.
I looked to my right and down, where her head rested against my arm. She hugged me hard and stepped back. “We’re here for you. What do you need?” she asked softly.
I took in a shaky breath. “Just sit with me. We need to listen for anyone approaching and for any sounds of gunshots. Hopefully, they have guns that shoot bullets so it can be heard from here,” I said and went to lean against the mouth of the canyon wall that opened into the oasis. If anything came through the trees, I’d hear them before they entered the canyon. I’d also be able to hear any sounds of a battle. The corridor of the canyon created a deep echo, amplifying outside sounds.
The girl’s settled in next to me, and we waited.
I don’t know what alerted me. A feeling of intense unease, a sixth sense that my mate was in desperate trouble. I jerked away from the wall where I’d been leaning for the past two hours. I knew exactly how long it had been since Ohem left. I had been fucking counting the seconds in my head. My skin pulled tight and my blood was roaring in my ears.
I turned to the others and caught Patty’s eyes searing into me, she’d been watching me closely the whole time.
“Go, Jack. We’ll be okay. We’ll hide behind the waterfall until you get back. They won’t come, and if they do, we’ll fight.” She gave me a fierce hug and then pushed me away.
“Go.”
I shifted instantly and went.
The canyon was a blur; the trees passing in a blink, and then I was moving across the desert at what had to be light speed. My feet barely touched the ground. My heart was crashing in my chest. Ohem was in trouble. I had to get to him fast. I had to.
I made it to the crash site in an hour.
I ran up to the furrow from the crash and slowed. The gray ship had landed next to the lake, close to the boulders we’d sheltered by. I dropped to all fours and slid along the ground. It was all flat ground here with no cover, so I jumped into the furrow, falling a good eight feet to the bottom, and moved towards the wreck. There were the sounds of hissing voices and fighting. Ohem snarled, and then a warping crack. The smell of ozone in the air similar to a lighting strike. Ohem went silent.
Cold rushed over my body. Everything became crystal clear, like I was seeing things in the future before they happened. I was standing slightly behind the remains of the shipping container without even realizing I’d moved. It gave me a perfect view of my mate’s back and the aliens surrounded him.
In the center of thirteen red armored soldiers of the same species, kneeled Ohem. They all wore faceless helmets and were pointing strange looking weapons at him. Ohem’s head was still uncovered, and he was bloody. Around him lay six dead soldiers, their bodies torn into pieces. He’d been slaughtering them. Why’d he stop?
There was an unarmored male standing directly in front of him. They just stared at each other. Ohem’s Izi were strobing in a way that belayed shock and confusion. The male was smiling in that stiff way Ohem did, his Izi glowing softly. What the hell was going on? I shifted further behind the container, ensuring they couldn’t see me. I was stretching my claws to grab the edge of the torn ceiling to pull myself to the roof when Ohem spoke, his voice anguished and sharp with betrayal.
“Brother.”
Chapter 11
His brother.
Fuck.
It’s how they’d gotten him to surrender. His brother had strolled off that ship and probably called out to him, shocking him into immobility. It would do the same to me if someone in my clan had done the same.
Jesus.His brother.
“What have you done?” Ohem demanded. His Izi was dark now.
To my people, betrayal by blood was the highest offense. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was always a death sentence. That kind of rot couldn’t be allowed to fester and infect anyone else. We cut it out swiftly. I would gladly purge Ohem’s brother to save him the pain of killing his own kin. I crouched and pressed against the black metal. Readying myself. Ohem’s head tilted to the side and his Izi flared briefly. He’d scented me or heard me.Don’t give me away, love. Just keep him talking.Ohem stiffened as if he’d heard my thoughts and returned his full attention to his brother.
