by Webster, K
“Not the guys…” she whispers. “The baby.”
Her body is stiff, and she’s looking down over the railing. A red, hazy fog hides the rocky bottom below The Tower. The way she stands with her gloved hands gripping the side, it puts me on edge. Like she might suddenly hoist herself over the side. Out of instinct to protect my mate, I gently rest my hand on her lower back.
She snaps her head up to look at me, and her brown eyes are filled with tears. Her bottom lip—the plump, juicy looking one—wobbles wildly. Fire burns inside my chest as the maddening curiosity of what that lip feels like ravages my soul. She captures the moving wonder with her white, blunt teeth and saves me from having to do the job for her.
“What is it that upsets you?” I ask, my voice low and husky.
“Nothing.” Her whispered lie has me tensing up. Why does she not speak the truth?
I think back to her remaining in the hallway when I viewed the half-breed born from Aria and Breccan. Did the creature frighten her? It spooked me, but I thought I was the only one.
“The mortling is unusual,” I say slowly. “But it is harmless. I viewed it myself.” Aside from the claws and fangs, but she doesn’t need to know that part.
“It’s not harmless.” She sniffles and turns toward me. Her heat through her suit nearly scorches me. The urge to push away from her and stalk to the other side of The Tower is strong.
And yet…
I cannot move away from her warmth.
It’s always so cold up here. Normally, I don’t care. This solar, I don’t want to be cold. I want to be warm with my mate.
She moves closer until our fronts are nearly touching. My hand remains at her lower back just above where her rump swells out and stretches the material of her gear. I wonder if she is squishy there like her bottom lip appears to be.
“It is harmless,” I assure her.
A tear races down her cheek as she tilts her nog up to look at me. “Draven…”
“Yes, my sweet mate?”
“I did horrible things before ending up here.”
“Horrible things?”
“I did what I had to do to protect the one I love.”
The one she loves?
Possessiveness surges through my veins, hot and angry. “You have a true mate elsewhere?” I want to spit out the words.
Why do I care?
I’m simply keeping her as a mate to look after her. If she has a true mate on her home planet, I cannot be jealous of such things.
Yet, I am.
“Not a mate,” she says, her voice nearly choking on a sob. “A daughter. Willow.”
“You have a mortling?”
She nods as more tears stream out. “I…I fought a lot with my baby daddy.”
Baby daddy doesn’t compute. I don’t know what this means.
“Her father,” she clarifies, reading the confusion on my face.
“You were the victor?” It must be because she remains standing before me. I knew my mate was strong, unlike Aria and Emery. Pride bursts up inside me.
“He would always hit her…shove her down…kick her…” Her shoulders quake as she sobs. “Willow’s just three, Draven. So little. So precious. And Randy was shaking her so bad one day.”
My own fears are chased away by the need to comfort my mate. I slide my hand to her rump to grip her and pull her closer. Her rump, through her suit, is every bit as fleshy and full as I’d imagined. I don’t want to let her go. I pull her until her front is pressed to mine. Her warmth bleeds into my suit and soothes a cold ache in my bones.
“Did you destroy this Randy?” I growl.
Hadrian was punished often when he was a young mort, but Breccan never hurt him. Simply swatted his bottom as a reminder. Never out of anger. Not like this monster named Randy.
“I did,” she chokes. “I was so afraid of Randy. He would hit me, too, even after we divorced, but I’m stronger. I could take it.”
I snarl, my grip on her rump tightening as though I can protect her from the monster in her past.
“We were in the kitchen when he came to pick her up for a visitation. All…all I could hear was Willow crying for me to help her. I couldn’t take it. I saw red, Draven.” Her eyes flash with fierce protectiveness. “I stabbed him.”
“This Randy deserved to have his skin flayed from his bones,” I hiss out. “Males do not strike females or mortlings. That is insanity.” Even maddened by The Rades, I would’ve never hurt someone weaker than me. Randy is like Aria’s monster, Kevin. And we morts are not Kevins.
“It was meant to stop him temporarily,” she mutters. “How was I supposed to know I’d nick a main artery in his neck? All I wanted was to get him off my baby girl.” Her eyes grow distant. “There was so much blood. But Willow was safe. That’s all that mattered.” She bows her head in shame. “They took my daughter after that. I was sentenced to life on Exilium. He died, Draven. I killed him. A man I once loved enough to have a baby with.”
Since we are safe from armworms, I sheathe my magknife and slide my other hand to her rump. It feels right to hold her here. With our suits on, touching her is easy.
“You were brave, my mate.”
She shakes her nog. “Brave? It was the ultimate sin. Murder. They took my daughter and sent me away. I am never going to see her again. My future was to remain in a cell like the ones you guys have until the day I died.”
“Your planet sickens me,” I snarl. “They punish those who protect the weak?”
“I’d do it all over again if it meant saving my daughter from that monster’s abusive hand,” she tells me in a fierce tone. “Hearing that baby crying just makes me think about my sweet Willow and it hurts, Draven. It just hurts.” She lets out a ragged sigh that rasps through the comms system. “I bet you guys wish you wouldn’t have intercepted that ship now, huh? Took a bunch of bad girls and saved them from doing life in prison. What did the other two do?”
“Aria remembers nothing about the ship. I’m not sure Emery does either.”
“Unfortunately, I remember everything.”
I give her rump a comforting squeeze that feels right in this moment. “We must tell the others. The commander will want to know this information.”
“I’m sorry,” she utters. “If you want to put me in one of your cells, I’ll understand.”
Shaking my nog, I find her sad stare. “You’re my mate, and I will not allow anyone to lock you away in a reform cell. This is my promise to you.”
“Thank you,” she breathes. Her arms wrap around my middle, and she rests her head against my chest. I’m tense at the affectionate gesture, but I don’t push her away.
No, I give her rump another two-handed squeeze.
This feels right.
This feels right.
This feels rekking right.
7
Molly
“Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone, and this is hard enough as it is.”
Draven’s hands still as he helps me out of the over-suit—or zu-gear as he refers to it—and mask that I’ve learned is called a rebreather after a rigorous, decontaminating cleansing. “Of course, my mate. I won’t be going anywhere.” He sheds his own suit and stores our gear, before turning to me. “We must speak with Breccan and Aria at once. Any information you may know about you and the other aliens is vital.”
I nod and barely notice as he tugs me back to the corridor where Breccan and his mate, Aria, are resting with their newborn. Well, I barely notice anything other than the warmth of Draven’s hand clasped securely around my own. When I told him about what I’d done, the kind of person I am, he’d looked at me like…he was proud of me. No one has ever been proud of me before. No one has ever looked at me like he did.
No one has ever made me feel safe.
Draven may be big and scary and probably crazy, but he is mine now.
Before I know it, we’re at the door. Draven waits for an announcement to come in, then swipes his card, and the door
slides open. I hesitate in the doorway until Draven turns with a curious look and tugs me forward. This time, I go inside and meet the authoritative commander once more, under better terms, and finally his human wife, Aria.
Breccan hovers over Aria, who is curled up in their bed. He turns when he sees us. “You said over the comms that you had news about the females. Come in.”
The baby squalls and Aria soothes him with a low hum. My throat turns to dust, and my knees lock. Draven glances back curiously, notes my distress, and comes immediately to my side. I could get used to having him around.
“Yes, Commander,” Draven answers as he positions himself behind me, almost wrapped around me. My protector. “I was speaking with my mate, and she shared with me that she remembers her past, where she came from. With the other two aliens having no memory of how they came to be on the ship, I thought it wise to come to you with this news immediately.”
Aria, who’d been thoroughly distracted by the slumbering bundle in her arms, springs to attention at his words. “She what?”
“The female told you about this?” Breccan demands.
I press my back into Draven’s chest, but when I speak, I keep my voice even. “You can talk to me. I’m right here. Besides, I’m the one with the answers you want. Yes, I told him. And I’ll tell you what I can.”
Snap.
Draven’s neck starts cracking behind me, and I grip his hand to calm him.
Sensing the tension between the two males, Aria mirrors my movement and places a soothing hand on Breccan’s arm. I guess this is what humans and mort males have in common; if it weren’t for women, no one would ever get anything done.
“We should get Sayer to call Emery and Calix on the comms,” Aria suggests. “She may have questions or be able to fill in any blanks that Molly can’t.”
“Draven,” Breccan directs.
I squeeze his hand to let him know it’s okay, and he leaves me with the other two to go summon Sayer.
An ache settles over my chest as I watch Breccan become distracted by the cooing little form in Aria’s arms. The two of them huddle over their baby with identical smiles of contentment, smiles I recognize. I’d felt like that once. Once upon a time, the woman smiling at the baby had been me.
Aria notices me staring and lifts the baby in my direction. “Would you like to hold him?”
I clear my throat. Tears prickle. “No, thank you.” I soften my words with a smile, and begin to hum under my breath, wondering how long it’ll take Draven to return. It’s not a good sign that I can only go a few minutes without his presence before I feel like I’m coming apart at the seams. “La la, la la, la,” I hum.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” Aria insists.
I hum louder, pretending I don’t hear her. “LA LA, LA LA LAAAA.”
The two of them share looks, but I pretend I don’t notice. An eternity passes until the doors reopen and Draven strides through with Sayer, the one with the long hair. This time it’s flowing all the way down to his butt. He’s carrying a device that he immediately sets up at Aria’s bedside, pausing to coo at the bundle in Aria’s arms.
“Emery,” Sayer says into the device. “Calix, this is Sayer.”
A crackle fills the line. Sayer repeats himself several times before another voice fills the room. “This is Calix, receiving transmission. Is everything all right?”
Sayer nods to Breccan, who says, “We’ve good news, my friend. Aria delivered our mortyoung. We named him for my father, Sokko.”
“That is great news, Commander. Emery will have a thousand questions, and me as well. Did—”
“I’ll have Avrell update you with the details. I’m afraid we’re calling for a different reason. Another female has woken.”
“Oh?” Calix replies.
“She remembers where the ship came from, where it was headed. We thought Emery should be present for the conversation. Is she with you?”
“I’m here, Breccan. Aria, congratulations on your baby. We’re so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Aria says, still glowing. “Emery, I’d like to introduce you to Molly. A magnastrike caused her cryotube to malfunction. She woke up during a lot of the confusion not too long ago, so we haven’t had time to properly introduce her to everyone.”
“When do we ever have time to do anything properly?” Emery asks dryly. “Pleased to meet you, Molly. My mate, Calix, and I are at Sector 1779 across the mountains. I woke up several months ago, and we had to travel here to use their medical facilities. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and filling in the holes in my memory.”
“Why don’t you start with the shuttle?” Aria suggests when I don’t answer. The baby in her arms has quieted and so have my thoughts.
My tongue unsticks itself from the roof of my mouth. I sense Draven behind me, and my chest unclenches. “What would you like to know?”
“Anything you remember. I’m afraid my memory is a complete blank, so any information you have would be helpful.”
There’s a loud scrape of metal against floor as Draven drags a chair over, urging me to sit on his lap. The other morts watch us with keen fascination, but my thoughts are too jumbled to work out why. “Well, first, I suppose I should tell you that I’m not a perfect person. I’ve made mistakes in my past. I was on the shuttle because I killed my ex-husband, who was abusive. He used to beat me and my child, and I couldn’t take it anymore.” I say the last bit quickly, trying to gloss over the bit about Willow as fast as possible so the image of her sweet face doesn’t materialize, but it’s no use. Speaking of her so much, knowing I may never see her again, has the pain of her loss rolling over me in great waves. I hum a little, losing the thread of conversation, and Draven nuzzles his cheek against my arm.
“You say you were on the shuttle because you killed your ex-husband?” Emery prompts. Was it a trick of the static from the comms unit, or did she sound a little breathless?
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Yes. I was sentenced to life on Exilium for my crime.” The next part is so hard to say, I nearly choke. “My daughter was taken to live with another family, and I was being transported on the shuttle to carry out my sentence.”
“Kevins,” Breccan growls inexplicably. “Your alien males are all Kevins.”
I don’t understand what he means by that, but Draven seems to because he nods in agreement, his cheek brushing against my arm again. Aria whispers to Breccan, and he settles.
“The same is true for my Emery,” Calix says over the comms unit. “She was also sentenced to life imprisonment.”
Breccan’s eyebrows lift in surprise, and Draven stiffens at this information which appears to be new to them.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked at this development,” Breccan says, turning to his mate, pride evident on his fearsome face. “I have no doubt you must have been en route to Exilium as well, Aria. My mate is a fighter.”
Aria shakes her head in disbelief. “No, I couldn’t have been…could I?” She turns to me with a quizzical look.
The change of topic helps revitalize me, and I breathe deeply for the first time since Draven led me back inside. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but you were on the shuttle as well.” A blush stains my cheeks. “I only know this because I recognized you, you know from the movies. You’re a pretty famous actress back home.”
“Do you remember what I was there for?” Aria asks. “Surely it was a mistake.”
“Well,” I murmur, “it was all over the news…”
If she doesn’t remember, then I don’t know if I want to be the one to tell her.
“Go on,” Breccan urges.
“You, uh…” I start, skimming my gaze to Draven who nods for me to continue. “You set your talent manager’s home on fire.” I flash her a sympathetic look. “With him in it.”
“Kevin?” she chokes out, her eyes going wide.
Breccan and Draven both growl.
“Yeah, him,” I say softly. “Everyone
said it was because you were high, but by the way you were screaming obscenities on live television at the burning home and how you hoped he rots in hell, it had me drawing my own conclusions.”
I know all about horrible men. And her crime, like mine, was one of passionate fury.
“I killed Kevin,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Holy shit. I killed Kevin.”
Breccan grins proudly at her. “Rekking right you did!”
Draven grunts his approval and nods at her.
Breccan starts to say something else, but she slaps a hand over his mouth before he can speak and balances the baby on one arm. “Don’t you say a word,” she warns before speaking to Emery on the comms. “You didn’t know this?”
“Bits and pieces have come back to me since the surgery. I knew about the penitentiary at Exilium, but I didn’t know where or who you were back where we’re from,” she answers, then adds, “To be honest, I was afraid to admit what little I knew until I confessed everything to Calix.”
“Do you know where the reformation camp was located?” Sayer asks with his pen poised above a notebook. “Exilium you say? Never heard of it.”
I shake my head. “Everything’s a little blurry. It happened so fast.” I begin to hum again and turn away from them. Too much. It’s too much.
Draven, who’d been quiet as we spoke, takes over. “We’ll speak to Theron about accessing the flight plans and data from their shuttle. Perhaps if we can identify a destination, we’ll learn more.”
The baby begins to cry, and I shoot to my feet. Draven stands and murmurs something in my ear I don’t understand, but his voice is soothing, already familiar. Avrell is called for, and he rushes in to join the meeting, his worried gaze only for Aria and her child. I’ve said all I’ve come to say, so I fall silent.
“We must go, Breccan,” Calix says. “Be well.”
Sayer slips out as Avrell begins to examine the squalling infant. I swear I see fangs, but I could be mistaken. It’s been a long day.
