“Yaseke.” I pushed the hair off his face. “Hey, tziu, wake up.”
He rolled up into a tighter ball. “Mmm.”
“Hey, it’s time to wake up.”
Yaseke blinked. “I don’t want to.” His voice was a soft hum, sleepy and sated.
“Nicklaus is back. Fieo, Seral, Ryker, and Polsh are here.”
“Polsh? Wasn’t he at the scientists’ ship?”
“Yeah, and now that he’s back, Witani’s going to want to see him. Mamo sent up some lunch for everyone, but after we eat I want to go get the kids. Maybe we can go to the lake and swim, get them some exercise outside of our suite.”
“That sounds nice,” Yaseke said guardedly.
“You have to get up first,” I reminded him.
He sighed. “If you say so.” He pushed the sheet down and then stretched lazily. I chuckled and he shivered. “That feels good.” Yaseke rolled over on the bed and crawled to the edge.
“You’re not going to tempt me back into bed.” I stepped back and grabbed my shorts. My ass was sore and my balls were empty. Our naps hadn’t been nearly long enough, and I still felt exhausted.
Yaseke rubbed his hands through his hair, pushing it back from his face. Even though I loved the heat in his eyes while my tziu stared at my body, falling back into bed with him wasn’t an option. I pulled up my shorts and he groaned.
“Come on.”
“Fine.” Yaseke grumbled as he fixed his wrap and secured it over his slim waist. He stalked over to me, and I stopped him right before he hit the door controls.
I slid my arms around his waist, cupping his ass through his thin wrap. “You wore me out, but maybe tonight, if we can get the kids to sleep in their own bed, I can claim you properly too.” I nuzzled his neck and kissed the dark blue mark I’d sucked up. He slid a hand over the stubble of hair on my head and then pushed his ass back into my hands. “Oh, yeah,” he said in a high hum.
“First, food.”
“You really know how to ruin a male’s fun.” Yaseke pouting was awfully damn cute. Not that I was going to tell him that.
Seral was wrapped around Ryker when we went out to the lounge.
“What’s up, guys?” Dade asked.
“The meeting didn’t go well. There is a lot of anger over the humans, and the asheksi said some things that were out of line.” Seral stroked Ryker’s arms.
Ryker’s jaw was set. “Fuckers can rot in hell,” he snarled.
“Forget about them, Ryker.” Nicklaus set out some plates on the table. “Come eat.”
My stomach growled. I waited until the others got up before I headed into the dining area. I sat down in the chair they’d left for me at the end of the table. Yaseke sat down next to me. “Thanks for inviting us to the meal,” he said.
“You’re welcome.” Nicklaus smiled.
“We figured you’d probably need some sustenance after being in there all day.” Fieo leered at Yaseke. I narrowed my eyes when he smirked at me, but Fieo didn’t flinch.
“Fieo!” Nicklaus almost smacked him but jerked his hand back at the last second. His shoulders hunched up around his ears. “Uh….” His face was flushed. “We need drinks.” He jumped up.
Nobody said anything as Fieo stared down at his plate. I knew the feeling, the fear of touching or being touched, that kept Nicklaus from reaching out. Maybe I should have a talk with him sometime.
“I know you guys need all the help you can get right now, but”—I looked at Yaseke and then at Seral—“I don’t think I can use my abilities anymore. The guards don’t trust me, they’re downright afraid of me—”
“I’m not afraid of you,” Polsh said. He met my eyes, shoveling in a bite of falgru.
“Nor am I.” Fieo took the pitcher of water from Nicklaus. “Thanks.”
“But most of the regular guards are. I understand their fear. I’m a freak.”
“You’re not a freak,” Ryker said fiercely. “None of us are. It’s not our fault what we were made into.”
“This morning was intense,” Seral said. “The fact that we have a human ship on Caeorleia is worrisome, yes, but we have enough guards. Without your abilities, we might never have found out they were here, or found out too late. My father has made a plan. Techs are working right now on locating the ship, and the guards are assembling. But you’ve done enough.” His humming voice was quiet and steady. “You all have.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“It doesn’t feel like enough.” Dade frowned at his plate, sliding a few leftover pieces of falgru meat around. “There’s a lot you guys could learn from a human ship. You’ve only seen the scientific vessels, not the military. They’re armed for space or atmospheric combat. They can house up to a thousand soldiers, more if they employ stasis pods in the shuttle bays.”
“We’ll have to hope they didn’t bring so many and act fast,” Seral said. “Father knows this. The attack could’ve prevented a check-in with the other nelhos or some other event.”
“A strike force should be ready before nightfall. They had the element of surprise before. Unless you move, and move fast, you’ll lose any advantage Buphet’s information gave you. Letting the humans loose on the planet with the amount of firepower they could have would be a disaster. A lot of Caeorleians would die.” Dade shook his head. “I don’t have to tell you about the lack of mercy in the humans. They won’t care about women and children. They want this planet, and to get it, they will exterminate each and every Caeorleian down to the smallest baby.”
Yaseke could see the desire to act in Dade. He was a soldier and not used to sitting by when danger threatened.
“We’re going back to the council room after we’re done eating. Dade”—Yaseke’s heart began to race. Seral wouldn’t dare ask for more from Dade, he couldn’t—“I don’t want you to join us in the attack, but your information could be invaluable for planning. Would you come back and speak before the asheksi? Tell them what you know about the nelhos’ technology?”
Dade looked down at Yaseke. “I know I promised you I’d stay out of it….”
“But this is a way you can help without putting yourself in danger or having to use your ability in a way that causes you pain. I understand.” Yaseke really did. He felt the need to help people, to remove the pain they felt and guide them to understanding and peace. That’s why he was a counselor. “I’ll go relieve Witani. I’m sure Pira and Maerit have driven her crazy by now.” Yaseke’s stomach churned at the thought of another attack. This war had damaged so many Caeorleians already. How many more lives would it claim?
“Tell her to go take a nap so she’s well rested when I get done.” Polsh grinned. “I’ll need to take my mind off the fact we’re actually holding an asheksi prisoner.”
“You can make a joke about anything, can you?” Seral shook his head.
Ryker chuckled, and the Caeorleians around the table shivered. “Damn,” Seral said. “Now we’ve all had our minds taken off it.”
“Perverts. We need to get out of here. I’ll come with you, Yaseke.” Dade paused. “Unless you need some help cleaning up?”
Nicklaus hadn’t spoken during the discussion. “What? Oh no.” He waved them off. “It’s fine. I can handle it.”
“Thank you for letting us meet in your suite and for providing us with this meal.” Polsh patted Nicklaus on the shoulder. Nicklaus flinched away from him. Fieo’s eyes narrowed, and a low thrumming warning vibrated Yaseke’s shypsoid painfully.
Nicklaus took a step back and edged a little closer to Fieo but didn’t touch him. Seral raised one eyebrow but didn’t respond to the guard’s aggression. Fieo fell quiet when there was more than an arm span between Nicklaus and the other males in the room, but an awkward silence hung over them as Nicklaus studied the floor and avoided looking at anyone.
Yaseke glanced at Dade and Ryker. They’d both found a way past the abuse they’d suffered, but Nicklaus was different. Yaseke made a mental note to come speak with him. He kept wanting to spend more time with
Nicklaus, to get him to open up, but things kept getting in the way of his plans.
Maybe he’d invite him over to visit with Pira and Maerit. They had a way of drawing anyone out of their shell now that they’d started to recover from the trauma of being captured and watching their mother die. Young were resilient.
“Be safe,” Dade said. He pulled Yaseke close and slid one hand up his neck to cradle the back of his head.
“I’m just going back to our suite. I’ll be fine.” Yaseke smiled up at him. “You worry too much.”
“Maybe.” Dade closed the distance between them and kissed him. It held hints of the passion they’d spent earlier that morning. Yaseke’s breath caught in his throat, and he hummed softly. He slid his tongue inside Dade’s mouth and licked his fangs, caressing the sensitive teeth. Yaseke opened his eyes when Dade sucked on his tongue. His isit stared at him with fire burning in his dark eyes. He caressed his marks on Yaseke’s neck before he pulled away.
“Wear out the kids,” Dade said softly. “Maybe they’ll sleep in their own bed all night.” They weren’t likely to sleep much, not with the knowledge of the battle the guards would be raging against the humans so their young could sleep safe.
Yaseke knew Dade would need him. “I’ll try.”
I walked behind Fieo and Seral on the way to talk to the asheksi. Polsh had left to go check in with the guards handling the prisoners. Another guard walked behind us, close but not close enough to touch me. Or for me to touch him. I kept my head up and my shoulders squared. There was more than a little march to my step, but I couldn’t seem to get out of the mindset of a soldier when I felt so defensive. It was what I did. More than just a way of thinking, it was who I was.
Could I really leave it all behind?
For the sake of my tziu and the kids we’d rescued, I’d have to. There was more to me than my ability. I was more than a weapon.
I yawned, covering my mouth. My nap hadn’t been enough. Getting a night to ourselves in bed would be nice. So much had happened since Yaseke and I joined in besedad that we’d had little time to savor being together. An uninterrupted night’s sleep would be nice too.
At first I thought I’d stumbled from a dizzy spell brought on by lack of oxygen as my yawn stretched on. But then a loud boom and crash shuddered through the air before an ominous silence surrounded us. Doors opened all along the hall, and the vibrations of frantic Caeorleians battered me. The building shivered as another boom came from behind us.
Guards were running from every direction.
“The residence is under attack!” someone shouted.
People screamed.
“Fuck!” Dust and debris flew as a hall branching to the right of us collapsed. Seral slammed his hand down on a com on the wall at the intersection. “Noncombatants lockdown in the sanctuary if you can get there. All guards alert and report to your wing’s armory. The nelhos are attacking. Medical staff on standby.”
We couldn’t help the people in the areas already collapsed, not until we stopped the humans. “Seral!” I scrambled over the debris to a giant hole in the wall. We needed eyes on the situation. I darted my head out of the hole and scanned the sky, then jerked back inside. “They’ve three shuttles here, and the main ship is over the city.”
The rubble shifted under me as another massive shudder rocked the residence. I couldn’t keep my balance on the precarious pile. The rough edges scraped long gouges into my legs, and I flattened and tried to crawl off it before I was buried or sent rolling down the rubble.
“Get your men in the air!” I shouted. “However you’ve been taking down their shuttles before they land, get it going and now!”
The defense was Seral’s responsibility. There wasn’t much I could do. I wasn’t trained on their ships or weaponry. My ability wouldn’t help them take out shuttles.
Fieo took off running.
Seral issued orders through the com, which was hopefully reaching enough of the guard in the areas not yet under attack. I crawled down the rock, ignoring the blue smears of blood staining my shorts and pain from the raw areas.
“I’m going to find our tzius and the kids.”
Seral grabbed my arm before I could run off. Fury and fear warred inside me, controlled only by an iron determination. I jerked away from his touch. “Witani would get them to the sanctuary,” he said. “There’s room for all the people who live here and more. It’s deep under the center of the residence and should be safe, even if the rest comes tumbling down. Nicklaus is alone. Fieo can’t—”
My first thought was that of a soldier conditioned by years of enforced indifference. Comrades fell behind, dead or injured too much to continue, and we were ordered to leave them. Everything inside me screamed to find Yaseke, to make sure he was safe with my own eyes. But Seral was right. Nicklaus was alone and could need help.
“After you have him, get to the council chamber. Go through the door to the right. There’s a wall hanging to the left, about two lengths down the wall. Behind it is a door to the sanctuary. There’s an armory stash down there too. Arm the adults and guard the entry. There’s a tunnel exit that goes into the jungle past the lake. If my father and belie aren’t there, if the battle isn’t won by nightfall….”
He didn’t have to say it. I nodded. “Tell Fieo I’ll get Nicklaus.” I could do this.
We split up, going in opposite directions. I went back down the hall the way we came. I could only hope the first blast hadn’t been close to Nicklaus’ suite. It had come from behind us, but I had no idea where it struck. There was smoke and fire over different areas of the residence, and I’d only had a brief glimpse outside.
I raced down the hall. Guards were heading toward the explosions like I was, and people were running past me toward the council chamber and the entrance to the sanctuary. I couldn’t avoid them all. Skin touched mine, again and again. Crippling fear, anger, pain, and sorrow threatened to overwhelm me. I clenched my jaw and fought against the feelings. I focused on my determination, my need to get Nicklaus and then find my tziu. Gradually the sensation dulled as my focus narrowed.
Get Nicklaus. Find Yaseke.
Get Nicklaus. Find Yaseke.
“Shit!” The explosion had been close enough to Nicklaus’ suite that the walls had stress cracks and several had gaping holes. Nicklaus’ door was barely open. I could hear him screaming obscenities. Thank fuck he was okay.
“Nicklaus!” I stuck my face in the crack.
“Dade? Dade! The door’s stuck. I can’t get it open.” He stuck his hand through the gap in the door, reaching for me.
When they opened, the doors slid inside the walls, walls that were crumbling around us. I grabbed Nicklaus’ hand and squeezed it, then let him go. “Step back for me. I’m going to try to open the door. As soon as there’s a gap big enough, get out.”
“What if you can’t get it open?” he cried. “Please don’t leave me.”
“I will get you out. Just stay calm and be ready.” I stuck my hands on the edge of the door with my side against the wall and locked my elbows. I took a giant step forward, shoving with all my weight. The door slid open about a foot and then jammed. I grunted.
I shoved again, hitting the door with my chest and putting the weight of my entire body behind it. It refused to budge. I strained and it shivered. Huge flakes of the wall began to crack off. No damn door was going to beat me. Sweat ran down my face. My knuckles were white as I gripped the door and shook it without letting up any pressure.
Crack!
The door suddenly gave. I stumbled forward as it slid fully open, and Nicklaus darted out behind me. I let go and fell sideways, yanking my foot back at the last second before the heavy metal door crashed shut again.
“You did it. You got me out!”
I struggled up to my knees. Nicklaus lunged against me and gave me a shaky hug.
“Thank you. I thought I was going to die alone.”
I patted his back carefully and then pushed him away so I could st
and up. “We wouldn’t let that happen. Fieo and Seral are fighting. The humans are attacking with the ship and some shuttles. We have to get to the sanctuary under the residence. Come on.”
The crowds were gone, and the halls were empty. The ground shuddered once, and I staggered into the wall. I was exhausted, and my arms felt like jelly after shoving that door open, but I didn’t stop moving forward. Thank God my sense of direction hadn’t failed me. We had to backtrack twice before we got to the council room where the asheksi met.
There were still people streaming through the chamber and out the door in the far wall. We joined them.
I’d gotten Nicklaus.
Now I had to find Yaseke.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The stairs were narrow. That was good. Easily defensible. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we finally made it down into the safe room. I didn’t rush, just in case there were guards or someone with a nervous trigger finger. At least a few of the guards should be assigned to protect the civilians.
I clamped down on my need for my tziu. He’d be there, and he’d be fine.
My pounding heart wasn’t as convinced.
The stairs dead-ended with a thick door. That made the safe room more defensible, but who was the door keyed to? The palm reader glowed blue, unlike the ones on the suites.
“How do we get in?” Nicklaus panted.
“I don’t know. Try the lock?” I didn’t have time to fuck around. I stuck my hand on the palm scanner, and a blue field tickled my skin, like the bio net. I forced down my aversion and held still instead of jerking my arm back like I wanted to.
Nicklaus jumped when the door slid open. The room was packed with Caeorleians clustered in groups. Two guards and a doctor stood behind Witani who was directing people, pointing at cabinets on the wall. Ryker was standing in the middle of a group of kids.
He’d been with Yaseke. If Ryker made it, then Yaseke had to be in the safe room too.
Where was Yaseke with our kids? I didn’t see Pira or Maerit in the group with Ryker. I slid sideways once we cleared the door, putting my back toward the wall. There were a lot of people.
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