“Why…why did they kidnap me?” Carmen asked, staring at the strange woman standing behind him.
Ben carefully watched the woman named Carmen as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. He didn’t say anything as she took in the room around her. He knew what she would see. The room was dim, with only a couple of small lights on. The walls were dark and worn, but it was clean even if the furniture and fixtures were shabby.
He studied the room as well, trying to see it through her eyes. The walls and floor were a dull gray. The furniture was sparse with only the single bed and a small table and chair. The outer room did not look much better. She would see that it contained another beat-up looking table and four chairs.
“Where am I?” Carmen asked, turning her gaze back to him.
“In the apartment we are temporarily renting,” Ben replied quietly. He turned slightly and held his hand out. “This is Evetta. She is my wife,” he said gently as his fingers closed over the slender purple ones. “My brother and I were kidnapped from Earth almost fifteen years ago. We were sold as slaves several times before the freighter we were on was raided five years ago by the warship Evetta and her sister were eventually transferred to. We had convinced every species since we were taken that my brother, Aaron, and I couldn’t be separated, otherwise we would die. Evetta and her sister worked as engineering and programming specialists on the warship that hijacked ours.”
“I saw Ben,” Evetta said hesitantly, looking at Ben with a soft smile. “His touch, his voice made me feel things I have never felt before. I would give my life for him. He is my husband,” she said proudly as she smiled down at him.
Ben returned Evetta’s smile before turning back to gaze at Carmen with a serious expression. “We’ve been on the run ever since we were able to escape two weeks ago. Aaron was wounded in the escape. He needs help. Evetta and Hanine were searching for a healer who would work cheaply. We don’t have a lot of credits,” he said tiredly. “I am too unusual to go out. It would have immediately sent a red flag up.”
Evetta looked at Carmen. “My sister and I saw you. You looked like my husband and his brother. We thought you would know how to heal my sister’s husband. He is in much pain. You travel with the Valdier. Their gold is magic. You will use it to heal him,” Evetta said with determination. “My sister’s husband cannot die.”
Ben watched as Carmen looked back and forth between him and Evetta as if trying to make up her mind. After several long seconds, she released her breath. Ben pushed backwards as she swung her long legs over the side of the bed.
“Let me take a look at him. I might not be able to do much but the healer aboard the Horizon can help him,” she said, rising up off the narrow bed. “I’ll do everything I can to help you,” she added, placing her hand on Ben’s arm in encouragement. “You, your brother, and your wives are welcome to leave with us when we go. We have two other humans who were also taken. I am hoping my mate will return them to Earth.”
Ben smiled down at Evetta when she carefully removed Carmen’s hand from his arm before pulling him closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed it in assurance before whispering that he loved her. He gently reminded her that he would never leave, even if given a chance to return to Earth. His place was now with her.
He glanced back at Carmen. “I appreciate the offer. We would be happy for the transportation to somewhere safe but neither my brother nor I can return to Earth. As you can imagine, Evetta and Hanine would stand out, and I won’t leave her,” Ben said in a quiet, determined voice.
“I know exactly how you feel. Let’s take a look at your brother,” Carmen replied with a small grin.
Ben turned and walked out into the other room. Aaron was lying on the other narrow bed that was pushed up against the wall. Ben watched as his brother opened pain-filled eyes to stare up at the human female. He was too exhausted to even show if he was surprised at seeing another human. Hanine leaned over him and gently wiped his brow with a damp cloth. She turned and looked at Carmen with pleading eyes.
“Please, help my husband,” Hanine said slowly. “He is in much pain.”
“I’ll see if I can help,” Carmen responded in a gentle voice. “I will need to contact my friends. He will need more than I can do.”
“No!” Hanine said, rising to stand protectively in front of Aaron. “You help! You are same as him! You know how to fix him.”
“I’m not a healer, Hanine,” Carmen replied carefully. “I will do everything I can to help him, though. Please, trust me. I would not hurt you, your sister, or Aaron and Ben.”
*.*.*
Hanine stared at Carmen before she reluctantly stepped to one side. It was killing her to see Aaron so weak and in so much pain. She watched as the alien female brushed her hand over Aaron’s forehead before she gently pulled the bandage over his wound back.
“It’s infected,” the female remarked as she pulled the cover further back.
Hanine watched as the female paused, staring down at the gold on her wrist. She appeared to be having a silent argument with it. After a minute, the gold dissolved. Hanine watched in wonder and hope as it flowed over the gaping infected wound on Aaron’s side. It only stayed against him for a few seconds but Hanine could see the skin did not look as angry as it had before. Hanine’s eyes flew up to the human female when the gold reformed around her wrist without completely healing Aaron.
The woman shook her head and rose to her feet. “My symbiot is too small and his wound is too bad for it to heal it completely. It was able to draw the infection out and clean the wound. He needs additional healing that my symbiot can’t do,” she explained, turning to look at them.
“No! You make it heal him! I want him healed!” Hanine demanded angrily.
*.*.*
Aaron was still in a lot of pain. Hanine felt the wall of despair and helplessness shatter around her heart. It was too much; the constant fear, the knowledge that she was helpless to help her mate, then the female’s refusal to heal him. It was all too much for the fragile hold she held on her emotions. The female stared back at her, not moving, even as Hanine pulled her laser sword from the sheath at her side.
“He is too badly injured for it to completely heal him,” the woman insisted calmly. “Hanine, I know what it is like to lose someone you love. If you let me contact my people, he can survive. Please. It is the only way.”
“It is a trick,” Hanine whispered hoarsely, raising her laser sword. “You could heal him if you wanted to, but you think to trick us and turn us in. My husband will not die!”
“Hanine,” a weak voice whispered. “She is right. I could tell it did what it could, love. Trust her,” Aaron forced out in a dry, raspy voice as he looked up at her. “For me…for us. Trust her.”
Hanine started to reply when the door to their small, dingy apartment shattered. She cried out as a very furious golden Werebeast filled the doorway. Long gold tentacles shot outward, wrapping around her arm and jerking her roughly toward it while another section of gold flowed to form a shield in front of the human female.
Chaos exploded as Aaron roared out weakly from where he was lying on the narrow bed while Ben thrust Evetta behind him. Hanine’s loud scream echoed in the room as the gold creature pulled her under its massive body.
Within seconds, the large figures of the Twin Dragons from the tavern burst into the room with their laser swords and pistols drawn. One of them raised his pistol, aiming it at the center of Ben’s chest as he shielded Evetta. Only Carmen remained calm as the world exploded around them.
“Cree! Don’t you dare!” Carmen yelled out at the top of her lungs. “Harvey, let Hanine go right this instant! I mean it. Now!”
Hanine’s eyes were frozen on Aaron even as the creature held her captive. She ignored the pain where two of the dagger-like teeth had punctured the skin on her throat. She struggled fruitlessly to escape. Her only thought was that she had to protect Aaron.
“Calm down,” Carmen demanded in
a sharp voice. “Harvey, let me out.”
Hanine’s eyes moved to the human female as the glimmering shield around her dissolved. The female, Carmen, took a step toward her. Hanine gazed up at her as she shooed the golden creature back and away. She carefully accepted the woman’s outstretched hand.
“This is Harvey,” Carmen explained with a small smile as Hanine moved slightly behind her in an effort to get away from the creature that had almost killed her. “Those two are the Bobbsey Twins, Cree and Calo. Don’t worry about which is which. They answer to either.”
“So help me, Carmen,” Calo muttered in a dark voice. “What in dragon’s balls is going on, and why are you protecting a couple of Marastin Dow scum?”
“Shut your mouth,” Ben growled, taking a step toward Calo. “That scum you are talking about are my wife and my brother’s wife!”
The other Twin Dragon warrior whistled under his breath. “You mated with one of them?” Cree asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at Hanine and Evetta in surprise.
“Yes,” Ben replied harshly. “I don’t give a damn what you think about it. If you can’t be polite to her, then keep your mouth shut, or I’ll shut it for you.”
Calo chuckled. “You look like a good breeze would knock you out,” he remarked casually before turning back to the human female. “Carmen, do you want to explain why Cree and I shouldn’t kill them?”
“Because if you do, I’ll have to kick both your asses, and then I’ll let Creon know you upset me. I think he might just kill you for that alone,” Carmen retorted. “Evetta and Hanine saw me and knew I was human like Ben and Aaron. Aaron needs immediate medical attention. They thought I could help him since we are the same species. Now, quit being such an ass and help me get them back to the Horizon.”
Cree looked skeptically at Hanine before turning to look at Evetta. “You realize that the Marastin Dow are not to be trusted,” he commented.
Hanine bowed her head to hide her grin when Carmen flipped her middle finger up at the Twin Dragon warrior. “Go to hell, Cree. I trust them. If I categorized every Valdier the same way you are the Marastin Dow, I wouldn’t trust any of you.”
Hanine, Ben and Evetta all looked at each other in amusement as the unusual female ordered the dragon warriors to take all of them to their warship. It was only when Aaron’s soft moan of pain echoed through the room that it drew everyone’s attention back to the urgency of the situation.
“We need to get him to the Horizon without drawing too much attention,” Carmen explained to the Twin Dragons in a voiced filled with worry. “Ben and Evetta are worried there might be some Marastin Dow still looking for them.”
Everyone turned to look at Evetta when she quietly spoke up. Her eyes were glued on her sister as she spoke. She knew that what she was about to reveal would cost them a valuable tool should they need to escape but right now, Aaron was more important.
“Hanine has that covered,” Evetta said, nodding to her sister. “Take us to their docking bay, Hanine.”
Hanine lifted a computer slate into her hands and touched a series of commands. “Hold on,” she said with a smile before she brushed her finger over it again.
Chapter 12
Hanine bit her lip as two huge warriors shifted Aaron onto a medical skiff. She ignored the suspicious looks they kept casting her way. She only cared about Aaron. He had turned extremely pale again and was lying very still.
Another large Valdier warrior wearing the symbol of a healer walked over to check the wound on Aaron’s side. Hanine stepped protectively toward her mate. She glanced from Aaron to the male.
“Please…,” she started to say. “Please, help him. I love him so much. Please heal him.”
Tandor, the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Horizon, started in surprise when he felt the slender hand touch his arm. His eyes jerked from the pale purple fingers to the face of the Marastin Dow female who was staring at him with her heart in her eyes. He glanced over at Cree and Calo who shrugged their shoulders.
“What happened?” Tandor asked more out of curiosity than needing to know. It was obvious the male had a knife wound that needed immediate attention. What had him confused was what a Marastin Dow was doing in his medical unit. “He is in bad shape. Why hasn’t he been taken care of before this?”
Tandor watched as the female’s bottom lip trembled and a single tear coursed down her cheek. He was surprised when a wave of remorse washed through him at his callous question. Deciding the best course of action was to get the human in a regeneration bed and on a nutrient drip was the first priority.
“Can you save him?” The other human male asked gruffly. “He’s my brother.”
Tandor raised an eyebrow when he saw the male’s arm wrapped protectively around the other Marastin Dow female. Shaking his head in wonder, he realized the male mistook his response when he heard the sharp hiss.
“Yes,” Tandor rapidly assured the male. “Your brother will recover. I just…oh, never mind. Get him into the other room. I need to clean and close the wound. He’ll need to be in the regen-bed for at least a day or two. He’ll be weak when he comes out but with proper food and rest, he should make a full recovery.”
Tandor jerked back in shock when he suddenly found a sobbing Marastin Dow female clinging to him. She was babbling her thanks and how she would never forget what he was doing. He looked over at Carmen when he heard her giggle.
His eyes swiveled to Cree and Calo who held up their hands and backed away from him. He shook his head when he saw the other Marastin Dow female wrapped in the other male’s arms. Both of them were crying.
“I think it is safe to leave them alone.” He heard Carmen whisper to the security officer who had come in when it was relayed that Carmen had returned with two Marastin Dow in tow. “Ben, if you like, I can show you and Evetta to a cabin. Tandor, I think Hanine would like to remain with her mate. If you don’t mind ordering some clean clothing and food for her, I would appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Tandor replied, awkwardly patting Hanine’s back. “I need to take care of your mate. Why don’t you get cleaned up and eat while I do?”
He breathed a sigh of relief when Hanine nodded silently and released him. She smiled, her facing twisting as she fought to regain control of her emotions. She breathed deeply and took another step backwards as Tandor ordered the medics to transfer Aaron to the other room.
“Will you be alright?” Ben asked softly.
“Yes,” Hanine replied watching through the glass as Aaron was transferred onto another bed and a large tube closed around him. “Yes, I think I will be now. Go. Both you and Evetta need rest and food as well. I will stay with Aaron. Now that I know he is being healed, I will be fine.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you should…” Evetta started to say before her voice faded as Hanine turned to face her. “Get some food and rest. We’ll check on you later.”
Hanine reached out and hugged her sister. “Thank you!” She whispered. “Thank you so much for finding Ben. Thank you for being my sister.”
Evetta’s eyes filled again as she held her little sister. They had fought hard to survive and discovered love along the way. The future might still be uncertain, but at least they had a chance at a future now.
*.*.*
“You are doing much better,” Cree commented as he rolled his shoulders. “You are getting stronger.”
Aaron grinned as he accepted the hand being held out to him. He grimaced as he stood and rubbed his side. It had been several weeks since they had been brought aboard the Horizon and things were settling into a routine.
“You okay?” Ben asked, coming up behind him.
“I’m fine. Just a twitch,” Aaron assured his older brother. “I have to admit I haven’t felt this good in forever.”
Ben chuckled as he nodded to Cree who muttered he was needed elsewhere. It was true. He hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time either. It was amazing what good food, clean clothes, plenty of rest and a daily workou
t could do for a person.
Ben walked beside Aaron as his brother crossed over to the benches lining the edge of the training room. Cree, Calo and several other Valdier warriors had taken him and Aaron under their ‘wings’, allowing them to train with them each day. Even the warriors’ attitudes were changing toward Evetta and Hanine. Right now, their ‘mates’ as the warriors called them, were in Engineering showing off some of the things they had developed on their own over the years, including by-passing the Spaceport’s shields.
“So, what do you think of Ha’ven’s offer?” Ben asked as he sank down onto the bench next to Aaron. “Should we take it?”
“Yeah,” Aaron replied, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, I think we should take it.”
*.*.*
Aaron had been thinking of nothing else but the strange and unexpected offer they had gotten from the Curizan Prince named Ha’ven Ha’darra. They had been working out yesterday when the male approached them. He had asked a lot of questions, many of which they couldn’t answer, about where they had been and who had taken them. All they could tell him was a little of their life back home on the farm and about the changes going on with the Marastin Dow.
“Where do you plan to go now?” Ha’ven had asked toward the end of their conversation.
Aaron had shrugged but Ben had been more vocal. They were learning that what Evetta and Hanine told them about the Marastin Dow not being respected by other species was true. It had taken several weeks before security finally quit shadowing them and even now, they were never left alone unless they were in their cabins.
“Anywhere that will accept Evetta and Hanine,” Ben had growled. “We will not allow our wives to feel inferior to anyone else because of the color of their skin.”
Ha’ven’s laughter echoed throughout the room, drawing the attention of several of the warriors who were working out. When he stopped, he had surprised them with his offer. It had been too good to just brush off.