by C. R. Jane
The cruiser hummed beneath me, and we started to ascend.
“What are you doing?” Ella’s footsteps padded toward me in a rush. “What about Corran and Derrial? You can’t leave them.” Panic strangled her voice.
“They have the other ship.” I’d find out as soon as they escaped in their ship. We soared higher, and I glanced down to the ground.
Ella was crying and her sorrow sent a spear into my heart. “You can’t leave them behind. We just found out that my dad was alive and rescued him, we can’t now lose Derrial and Corran.”
“You should have thought of that before you drugged us. Now come here.” I leaned over and grabbed her arm, bringing her closer to the window. “Look down below. What do you see?”
She leaned over, staring at the field, at the army of Khonsu running toward the woods. “Where are Derrial and Corran?”
“Exactly, they got away. We’re trained warriors, kitten. You don’t need to worry about us, but you scared the hell out of us. What were you thinking running off like that?”
She faced me and fresh tears tracked down her cheeks, her chin quivering, and my heart melted.
“I’m sorry.”
“Kitten, please don’t cry. Take your father into the back room as he looks ready to pass out. We have food rations filled with vitamins his body will need and it will help him sleep.”
She didn’t move at first, but as if my suggestion took a second to sink into her thoughts, she rushed into the back to her father, and I focused on flying us out of here.
I rapidly punched in our coordinates and flicked on the masking shield over the space cruiser. A small green flash in the bottom of my screen told me the other ship was engaged and ascending. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I hated seeing Ella this broken, but what her actions taught me was that she was a danger to all of us because she was reckless. And that was something we needed to rein in if she intended to survive on Veon.
Already exhaustion swept through me, and the energy I used to fight had diluted my last reserves. There was only one way to address that… something I hated but I had no choice. Return to the Council lab for an antidote.
If I didn’t pass out first.
Chapter 8
(Ella)
“You sure you can fly this thing?” I asked, emerging from the back compartment where Dad had fallen asleep. My pulse was thudding too loudly for me to take stock of my emotions, but amid the darkness, happiness swept over me at finding my father. I never thought I would and had given up hope so many years ago. Even held my own farewell ceremony for him and mom… but I should have known he was kidnapped by the aliens on Earth along with so many others that went missing for years. So many had vanished, but where were they all now? I don’t think anyone on Earth knew that the Khonsu had invaded Earth along with the Vepar.
Through all these dangers and impossible foe, to have my father here with me, to know I wasn’t alone on this strange planet...it lifted the weight off my shoulders.
Thane was swaying in his seat. He shook his head and blinked to keep his eyes open. Except his gaze looked hazed over like he might pass out at any moment, and my stomach clenched.
I moved closer and stared outside through the front window to the acrid and dried land where we’d landed. Desert and dunes in every direction, the dual suns burning strong.
In front of us, the other ship with Corran and Derrial landed. Thane looked so close to passing out… he was really sick. He couldn’t take my blood and he was fading so fast, it terrified me.
I rushed to the door and hit the button. The door slid open just as Corran and Derrial emerged from their ship, walking like drunk friends leaving a bar. Their faces were pasty white, eyes half closed, and the same sickness consumed them.
“Hurry up,” I called out and shut the door once they stumbled into our ship. I threw myself into their arms for risking so much. Despite everything, I worried for them as well, and now as their arms wrapped around me, I was lost to the emotions they always stirred within me. It seemed we always ran from something or someone, but just having small pockets of time so close reminded me why I kept fighting and why I wasn’t alone in this huge mess I’d landed in. If we ever survived somehow, I wanted to live somewhere peaceful, where the only concern was what to wear that day and what the weather would be like. I’d had my share of danger and adventure to last a lifetime.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Derrial growled his threat in my ear, while Corran seemed to lose his balance and stumbled free from us before hitting the wall with his back.
I charged after him, a hand grabbing his. “Steady there.”
Looking over at Derrial, his brow furrowed in a dozen lines, and with his blood red horns, and the shadows under his eyes, he reminded me of the devil.
“I wouldn’t leave my father there. And now he’s back there sleeping, and as far as I’m concerned, it was worth it.”
“What you could have done was talk to us, not drug us,” Derrial spat. “You don’t go off on your own ever again, understand?” his voice boomed, his lips twisted with fury.
I gritted my teeth and held his stare. Anger pushed through me as he reprimanded me when I had never asked for any of this. The words flew past my lips before I could tame them.
“Your kind invaded Earth and drew us into this huge mess. All I ever wanted was to have my parents back and have a normal life.”
Nothing would ever be normal for me again. Never.
The three of them watched me, and my arms trembled by my side. Derrial’s mouth twitched, and I swallowed hard.
“You three can’t even stand, let alone fly us out of here. I’m taking the helm, so where are we going?”
“No,” Derrial chided. “Thane will take us to the Council, then we’ll get our blood connection corrected.” He stared at me with intensity, and I clenched my fists. I’d been through so much lately, I was moving on pure adrenaline, and patience wasn’t something I had right now.
“Does that even make logical sense to you?”
He ran the back of his hand over his mouth, pulling against the pouty flesh of his lips like he could barely control himself from drawing me to him, sinking his teeth into my veins.
“Pet, once we make a blood bond, our bodies change and rejects any other blood. So, we’re getting this corrected, and then...” He paused, staring into my soul it seemed. “Then, we’ll address this properly.”
The warning behind his words pressed in around me like an invisible vice around my chest.
Thump.
I flinched around to find Thane had fallen out of his driver’s seat and was on his knees, pulling himself up, groaning in pain.
“Yeah, he’s going to get us killed, flying this thing,” I blurted, meeting Derrial’s glare. “Tell me where we’re going and I’ll take us there, okay?” I wasn’t taking no for an answer. Technically the space ship was easier to fly than driving a car, so I had this in the bag.
“She has a point,” Corran added. “We reserve our energy for once we arrive at the Council quarters. We’ll need it.”
Derrial huffed, staring at me with uncertainty. He didn’t trust his life in my hands, I saw it in his shifting expression, but I’d prove him wrong.
“What have you got to lose?” I pivoted on the balls of my feet and headed to the front where Derrial stepped aside from the driver’s seat.
“Get buckled in and I’ll set the coordinates,” he said. “It should be pretty straightforward, but I’ll give you a crash course on flying on our planet and how to avoid detection.”
He strained to smile, and his voice was low and tired. He looked like death, his face so pasty and pale. But he was trying, and I knew time wasn't on their side.
“Okay, I’m ready.” I tried my best to focus while my brain synapses were snapping with panic, with the urgency to get moving already, with the terror of where the Khonsu had taken my mom. I couldn’t stop trembling, but each time Thane looked at me, I smiled and nodded.<
br />
Focus.
By the time we were in the air, I pushed us forward with such speed, we all lurched backward, and Corran cried out as he tumbled about back there.
“Oops,” I called out and slowed the ship with Derrial’s assistance.
“You’ll burn the engines if you use them at full power. You ease into it and slowly build up, all right?”
I nodded and concentrated on the empty space out in front of the ship.
“Look here.” Thane pointed to a screen with a green line shooting outward. “You want to keep the ship following this path. Fly too high or low, or change trajectory, and it will change to red. Always keep it green.”
“Okay, green it is.” One hand on what looked like a gear stick, I sat back in the captain’s seat and pushed everything else out of my mind. For those few moments, I let the smile pinching at the corners of my mouth spread, feeling like for once, I was doing something to help rather than just being protected.
“What’s so funny?” Thane asked from the seat next to me.
“I feel like I’m in Guardians Of The Galaxy.”
“What’s that?” Derrial asked from somewhere behind me. “I’m not aware of the Council appointing guardians.”
I laughed, surprising myself that I found anything funny right then. “They are a band of misfit aliens and a human guarding the galaxy you could say. And they have a sassy talking, adorable raccoon, but he hates being called that. They go on adventures in a way.”
Thane queried. “This band of warriors sound a bit like us.”
I laughed at his comment. “Guess I can see the similarities. Always getting in deep trouble and trying to find a way to escape.”
“Fantastic,” Thane announced loudly. “We’ll call ourselves, Guardians Of Veon, and you can be the cute raccoon. We’ll be the guardians.”
I cut him a stare. “Hold off on that. If we get out of this and somehow back to Earth, we are watching that movie.”
“Of course,” he continued, not listening to me. “I will be the strongest of the guardians of course,” Thane went on, and all I could picture was him as Drax the Destroyer from the movie. He always made me laugh. What I wouldn’t give to be home, on the couch with a bag of chips, and movie binging.
The thought brought with it a sinking feeling that somehow, I’d end up stuck on Veon forever, running for my life, and never able to watch another new movie again.
I glanced over to Thane who slouched in his seat, eyes closed, his breaths heavy. Refocused on the flight path, I made sure to get us safely to the Council’s compound.
An hour later, the city down below came into view, along with the familiar park in the distance--our destination. My senses went on full alert, danger shivering down my spine.
“Umm guys, we’re here.”
Only snores responded. I reached over and nudged him in the arm. Thane snapped awake, sitting upright in his seat, eyes glued to the front window. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but we’re here.”
Scrubbing a hand down his face, he started hitting the buttons on the dashboard, then pointed to a tight open area behind a curtain of trees. “Can you land us in there?”
I nodded before really seeing what a tight spot it was, but I’d done this before. Hovering over the spot, I glanced out the side window and lowered the lever in slow motion, unlike the last time when I dropped so fast, I screamed and was surprised the ship didn’t fall apart around me.
We landed with a small shake, eliciting grumbles from the back.
“You did incredible,” Thane said. “Now, you stay in the ship while we go and find out how to reverse the blood incompatibility.”
I glared at him, but he already had risen from his seat, shoulders squared like he drew on his last reserves of strength.
Twisting around in my seat, I watched the three of them get to their feet, shaking off the sleep. Derrial looked my way. “When you see us returning, have the ship running and ready to take off. If guards or anyone spot you, leave. You can pick us up later.” He closed the distance between us, cupping my cheeks and staring at me like he wanted to say so much more but struggled.
I nodded and held onto his hand, leaning into his touch. “Part of me doesn’t want to let you go.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he never smiled, just held onto his hard veneer. “I’ll see you soon.” Yep, he was still pissed.
He turned and Corran was standing behind him. He crouched near my seat and plucked free a strand of hair caught in my eyelashes. “You’re so brave, Ella, and I want nothing more than to keep you safe.” He wasn’t wearing his glasses much in Veon, and I missed them. He looked nerdy and kind of cute in them. Kissing the back of my hand, my insides melted, and he left my side as well.
Thane gave me his cheeky grin and leaned over, his lips grazing mine. His musky scent washed over me, and my body responded, nipples tightening.
“I’ll be back.”
Goosebumps pricked down my arms, and not even his sexy words could put at ease the unrest in my gut. All three guys stared at me, and I wanted to say so much more, tell them despite everything, they’d grown on me, gotten under my skin, crawled into my heart. I was terrified that something would happen to them and I’d lose them.
“We won’t be long,” Derrial promised, but how did he know that? He just said it to make me feel better, but my stomach churned. It ached at seeing them leave.
I watched them traveling through the woods like shadows before vanishing out of sight. Then I slouched in my seat and scanned the grounds while I waited.
And waited.
And waited…
The sun descended and over two hours passed. The food I gave my dad had knocked him out, and he slept like a baby. I worried for him, but I also knew that now that we were together, I’d do anything to help him get better.
I waited some more.
Still no sign of the men.
My knees bounced, and I jumped to my feet, tired of sitting back. I paced to the rear of the ship and back. What if they didn’t return? What then? I would sit in the ship until someone found me? I doubted this was a shuttle I could fly back to Earth, or even then, how could I leave without my mom and knowing if the three Vepar were alive?
Panic rose through me like an exploding volcano, and all I pictured were the three of them dead, bleeding out as I sat here waiting when I could have done something. Anything to help.
I searched the compartments in the ship for a weapon, for anything to defend myself because I had enough of sitting here.
Manuals and tools were all I found, so I collected a screwdriver, gripping it in my hand. If anyone got too close, I’d jam it into their throat. A glint caught my attention from deeper in the drawer and I pushed things aside to pull out a knife that looked a bit worn. It was probably used to cut cords, but it was perfect for me. I tucked it into the deep pocket of the dress and headed outside.
The wind had picked up and it buffeted into me, shaking trees with pink and orange and green leaves around me. For a world that looked so beautiful, everything here was deadly and wanted to kill me.
Steeling myself, I hurried forward, hiding in the shadows, until I emerged from the tree line and stared out at the familiar building. The same one I’d run away from after being used as a lab rat. My breath raced, and I trembled hard. I surveyed the open land between me and the compound. No one around… and no sign of my three Vepar. I had to cross the open ground and pray no one saw me. My heart squeezed painfully.
I had to do this.
Nothing but silence surrounded me, so I lowered my head and ran for my life across the yard. I targeted the rear of the building, figuring there was less chance of being seen. My pulse was thudding in my veins, and I kept expecting an alarm to sound.
Bursting to the back door, I stopped and pressed my back to the wall, gasping for air. When no one rushed out after me, I scrambled toward the door only to find it slightly ajar. I pressed a hand to the handle and push
ed it open, my other hand falling to my pocket with the knife.
Inside, a guard lay sprawled on the ground, his nose bloody and lip busted. He wasn’t moving. Yep, the guys had definitely come this way, and they must have switched off any sensors since no one had detected this guy. This looked like a delivery and storage room, so I stepped around him and cut across the room filled with shelves and boxes. I grabbed a white coat hanging on the wall and pushed my arms into the sleeves, then pulled the coat tight around me, noting it said “janitor” in Vepar on the pocket. I pushed my long dark hair over the title, and figured I looked close enough to pass as a doctor if anyone took a quick glance my way.
With my heart running a marathon in my chest, I pushed past another door and entered a white hospital like corridor, the antiseptic smells strong. I looked left and right and headed to where the location looked familiar from when the doctors rushed me out of here. The men would have had to go this way too. Hardly anyone was around which left me unnerved.
A voice came out from up ahead, and panic strangled me. I rushed into the closest room and shut the door in silence. The room was empty with nothing but a metal frame for a bed and light pouring in from the window. My skin pricked, unable to shake that horror movie feeling.
Footsteps faded outside, and I crept back into the hall, finding a man in a similar white coat as me. He was marching to where I’d come from seconds earlier.
I slipped out and ran in the opposite direction, my breath ragged and rushed.
“Hey, stop!” A male’s voice yelled from behind me. My insides froze. I shot a glance over my shoulder, to see a guard, tall and broad, with a spiky black horn.
I burst into a sprint away from him, my hand diving into my pocket. I gripped the blade, my body shuddering.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I mumbled under my breath.
Up ahead, the path divided into three, and I knew this location by the bright green light overhead I’d seen, so I swung to the left and ran like the devil himself chased me.
I passed only a few doors, but I followed the curved path and slipped into a passage and waited. Listening for anyone to follow me.
