by K. D. Jones
AriELa moved away from TarAK and started toward the shadows. A chain clinked against the floor as someone tried to move further away from her. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkened corner, but it was still blurry because of the tears falling down her face. His scent was there. It was tainted with pain and other things, but she knew his scent.
“Father?”
Chapter Fourteen
“Get her out of here now!” the stranger’s voice barked out his orders.
“I’m not leaving without you.” AriELa came closer to look at the chains. It hurt to see her big, strong father, former Prime Commander ConEL, reduced to a chained prisoner. Oh Goddess, no. “Let me use the key to unlock the chains.” She showed him the key and approached carefully to not spook him.
He stared at her in awe. The light filtering in from behind kept her face in the shadows, but he could tell she was older. When she turned to the side to say something to the female at the door, the light hit the side of her face lighting it up. He gasped. She looked just like her mother. So delicate and beautiful. ConEL was convinced that he must be dreaming or that he had died in that holding room on board the Morin ship. Either way, he couldn’t tear his eyes off her face. She was all that was good and shouldn’t be here in this dark place of pain.
“We have to go!” the male called out from behind AriELa.
ConEL growled at the male for interrupting his dream. “Go away.”
AriELa stopped working on his chains. “I’m not going anywhere without you.” She reached out and gave him the shot using the medical scope to help him with the pain.
“AriELa.” TarAK tried to pull her away. He needed to get her to safety.
“Here, give me the damn key!” Lucy came over and grabbed the key from AriELa’s hand. She handed TarAK a laser gun she had snatched from one of the guards. “Take the corridor on the right until it stops. There should be an escape pod available.” She shoved them out of the holding room. “Go! We’ll be right behind you!”
AriELa didn’t want to leave her father. But TarAK was breathing hard from the strain it took to move. She wrapped her arms around his waist and walked with him quickly down the corridor. She looked backwards once but didn’t see her father or Lucy. Please Goddess KatieRI, bring him home to me.
“There it is.” TarAK pointed at the pod station. He was getting weaker. The pain medication was also starting to make him drowsy. He needed to get AriELa off the ship quickly before the Morins realized they had escaped.
They climbed inside the small pod. It hurt to move and took a lot of effort. He immediately turned the computer on and searched for a safe location. A Luna was the closest thing he could find. He turned to look for AriELa. She was standing halfway in and halfway out of the pod. She was looking for her father.
“Where are they?” AriELa was worried.
He moved to grab her arms and moved her inside the pod. She tried to struggle, but he was still stronger than she was. He closed the door to the pod and hit the lock. They were sealed inside.
“No!” AriELa pushed out of his arms and went back to the door. It wouldn’t open up. She watched in horror as her father limped down the corridor. His arm was wrapped over the shoulder of the female warrior. Her father came up to the pod and touched the viewing screen seeing her face from the other side. “Be safe, daughter.” Then he hit the launch button.
“No! No! Not again!” AriELa cried out as she beat the door of the pod.
“AriELa, I need you to come here please,” TarAK’s voice was getting weaker. She wiped away her tears and went to him. He was sitting in one of the seats on the escape pod. His head was lolling back and forth.
“It will be okay,” TarAK’s voice sounded far away.
“I left him again,” she whispered with tears falling down her face.
*****
“Sir, an escape pod has left the Morin Transport,” a Lieutenant called out to Commander TylOR.
Everyone then turned to the Colonial Leader LarIS. His eyes swirled. “The pod has Prima AriELa and Security Liaison TarAK on board. The male is greatly injured.”
“Head for the pod,” KydEL ordered.
“No!” LarIS yelled. It was the first time anyone had seen the male show signs of anger. “There are at least twenty-one females on board the Transport that need to be saved. That includes the female warrior who is guarding…Prime Commander ConEL.”
Everyone was silent as shock went through the room. If it was true, Prime Commander ConEL had been kept alive for seven years as a prisoner. There was no telling what torture and atrocities he had had to suffer through.
“I can’t let my cousin float around in a pod with no way to defend herself.” KydEL ran a hand through his hair.
“Let’s go get her,” Jaxon offered. Everyone looked at her strangely. “May we use one of your shuttles, a couple of warships and a few of your Lieutenants so we may go after AriELa and TarAK? That way, you can continue on to the Morin Transport and rescue the remaining prisoners.”
Commander TylOR nodded his head. “Take what you need.”
At least ten Lieutenants offered to help KydEL and Jaxon. They chose two for the warships and three to go on the shuttle with them.
“I need to go on board the Morin Transport with the retrieval team. I can find the females,” Leader LarIS spoke up.
“No!” Commander TylOR shook his head.
“Absolutely not!” AshOR agreed vehemently.
“I will say this differently. I AM going on board the transport ship.”
“If you go, I insist on going as your security,” AshOR spoke up.
“Kitana! AshOR you do not know what kind of danger you are facing with the Morins.”
“I am the only person here besides Leader LarIS that is from the Colony. I may be serving out a punishment, but I am still faithful to my people. Leader LarIS must be protected. I will go with Leader LarIS and stay by his side at all times. He is the priority,” AshOR told him.
“Fine. But you better not get yourself killed.” TylOR gave him a stern look.
“Didn’t know you cared, brother,” AshOR made a snide remark.
TylOR grunted. “Our sister would be devastated if something happened to you.”
“Then I shall take extra precautions—for our sister’s sake.”
*****
The pod landed with a thud. She had buckled herself in after she helped buckle up TarAK. He was looking paler and paler. He needed a medic badly. They would need to implant the nanos to help with his internal damages. “My love, how are you?”
TarAK groaned. “Could be better.”
“You will be. My cousins will find us and then we’ll be going home to Katiera.”
He didn’t respond, he had dozed off. She wanted to cry again but pushed away her tears. She had to be strong for the both of them. She wished he were awake so she could talk to him. She was consumed with her thoughts about her father. All these years he had been a prisoner of the Morins. How could that have happened? She felt beyond guilty. Did he hate her for not coming back for him?
Minutes turned into hours. AriELa gave into sleep. She sat at TarAK’s feet with her head in his lap. One hand rested on his foot as her other hand kept hold of the laser gun she had took from TarAK’s grasp. She startled awake when she heard someone on the outside of the pod. She looked out the viewing screen but did not see anything. She nudged TarAK.
“TarAK, I think someone is outside. It could be help. I’ll go check.”
TarAK struggled to wake up through the pain and fog in his head. “Wait AriELa, it…”
She had already released the door lock and opened it up. She had the laser gun in her hand pointed in front of her as she exited the pod.
“AriELa!” TarAK hissed at her from behind. He struggled to get released from his seat strap.
She walked outside onto the Luna. She looked to her left but didn’t see anything. Just as she was about to turn around, two large hands gripped her. The laser gun, shak
en from her hand.
“Hello, my beauty. Did you think you would escape me so soon?” It was the Morin Leader Krosis.
“Let me go!” AriELa tried to break free of his grip, but he was too strong for her. He reached up and squeezed her breasts through her clothes.
“Nice, they are larger than your mother’s. I wonder if giving you my cock as I had done with her will be just as pleasing,” he growled.
She froze. The male had taken her mother against her will and planned to do the same with her. She felt sick inside.
“AriELa!” TarAK bellowed as he plowed into the two of them. All three fell to the ground. TarAK pulled AriELa behind him to protect her. He was shaking and knew his strength would not last, but he would die protecting her.
Two other Morins approached from behind some rocks. There was no way TarAK could take on three. Just when AriELa thought it was hopeless, one of the Morins was struck down with a laser blast. He fell to his knees and then forward until his face hit the ground. The other Morin and the Morin Leader took off, weaving in and out of the rocks.
AriELa looked up where the laser blast came from and there stood her cousin, KydEL. No sight was more beautiful to her in that moment. “We’re saved!” She turned to TarAK who managed to get to his knees. He weaved and then he fell sideways onto the ground. “TarAK!”
“AriELa, are you hurt?” KydEL called out as he ran to her.
AriELa got to her feet. “KydEL!” She threw herself into his arms.
“You are never leaving Katiera again,” KydEL told her as he lifted her into his arms like when she was five years old and had gotten stung by a flying sting bird.
“Wait, TarAK needs help.” She struggled to get out of his arms, but he refused to let her go.
“The medics are looking him over.” Jaxon came up and wrapped her arms around the both of them. It amazed her how quickly her family expanded. To lose AriELa would have devastated her.
“How did you get away?” KydEL asked. He pulled AriELa and Jaxon to the side so they could watch the medics lift TarAK from the ground.
“Lucy, Second Lieutenant Daniels. She came up with the idea. She got us out of our cell and then she somehow found where they were keeping TarAK.” She looked up into KydEL’s eyes.
“My father was there. They had my father all this time.” She began to cry. Finally it was safe to give way to the tears she held in. They took years from her, years that could not be replaced.
“We just found that out. I’m sorry. If we had known that he was alive, we would have searched everywhere for him,” KydEL assured her.
“I know.” She held Jaxon’s hand as the medics loaded TarAK into the Kiljorn shuttle.
“Come, cousin, let’s get TarAK on board the transport so they can insert him with the nanos.”
AriELa nodded her head. She let her cousin hold her like he used to when she was a child. She felt safe with him. When they got to the Medic Room on board the shuttle she refused to be separated from TarAK. KydEL held her in his arms while she watched the medics insert the nanos. When they were done, she pushed out of Kyd’s arms and climbed onto the bed next to TarAK. The next thing she knew, she was falling into the darkness of sleep.
*****
There were voices around her, but she didn’t listen to them. All she cared about was snuggling closer to TarAK. He was beside her. She smelled his deep, rich, masculine scent and it surrounded her. His warmth was better than any blanket. He growled which made her smile.
“Why are you smiling?” TarAK’s voice asked.
“Why are you growling?” she countered, still smiling.
“I have a right to growl. I want everyone to leave so I can touch you.”
AriELa opened her eyes and looked around. Yep, her cousin, KydEL, was there and he heard what TarAK had said. He didn’t look too happy about it. “Shhh. They’ll hear.”
TarAK snorted. “They have already heard, and I could care less.”
She tried to sit up, but TarAK held her tight to his chest. “Where are you going?”
“I wanted to check to see if they found my father.”
“Prime Commander!” TarAK yelled, causing her to cringe.
She watched her cousin as he stomped closer to the bed in the medical wing of the Kiljorn Transport. By the frown on his face she could tell that he was not pleased she was sharing the small bed with TarAK.
“What?”
“AriELa has some questions,” TarAK told him before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
She raised herself the best she could. TarAK had his arms around her, holding her to him tightly. “Have they found my father and Second Lieutenant Daniels?”
KydEL shook his head. “Not yet. The team that went on board the transport reported several shuttles and escape pods left shortly after you did. The team was not able to go after any of them because of the other prisoners that needed medical attention.”
A tear ran down her cheek. “We need to find my father. He’s…in bad shape.”
KydEL wiped the tear from her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile. “Jaxon swears that Second Lieutenant Daniels will protect him with her life. If she is anything like Jaxon, he’s in good hands.”
AriELa smiled a little. “She was truly amazing, Kyd. She kept calm and gave directions, which helped me stay calm. But…I am worried that she might be a little unstable.”
He frowned. “Unstable in what way?”
“She talked to someone that wasn’t there. She didn’t have her Comm Link either.”
KydEL laughed. “That was due to the Colonial Leader LarIS. He is telepathic and can communicate mind to mind. He had made contact with Second Lieutenant Daniels to confirm location of the transport.”
AriELa looked relieved. “Thank the Goddess. I thought something might be wrong with her.”
Chapter Fifteen
AriELa had not been able to see the damages done to Kiljor when the Morins took her. She looked out from the viewing screen of the shuttle as they approached the new landing pad. TarAK slept peacefully in the seat next to her. He insisted on sitting up while they traveled to the planet, but he was still not healed completely and the pain medications knocked him out.
She stared in shock and despair. So many beautiful buildings were simply gone. Businesses and homes were destroyed. So many lives were taken. Lives of people who had welcomed her with open arms. She looked away from the images. It was too painful.
“How long will we stay on Kiljor?” she asked her cousin, KydEL, who sat with Jaxon on the other side of the aisle.
“Hopefully only a few days. It will depend whether we find Uncle ConEL. I want you back home where you will be safe.” He stared at the male who kept hold of her hand even while he slept. “Do you want to tell me what is going on between the two of you?”
She looked down at her small hand inside of TarAK’s. They were different in many ways, not just physically. She hadn’t thought about what her family would think of her relationship with TarAK, now the doubts plagued her. What did she tell them? So much had happened, but she needed to straighten things out with Prime Leader KadEN first. She owed him that.
“Not now. I will tell you a little later.”
“AriELa…oomph.” Jaxon hit his stomach with her elbow.
“Leave her alone, Kyd. She doesn’t want to talk about it right now,” Jaxon told him.
“It needs to be talked about soon,” he grumbled as Jaxon led him out of the shuttle.
The medics came to help carry TarAK to the Medic Wing. He didn’t even wake as they moved him. She had to release his grip on her and the loss of his warmth nearly made her cry. She was grateful that KadEN wasn’t on the landing pad. She wasn’t ready to face him yet.
It bothered her that she would have to let TarAK out of her sight, but she needed to shower and change. She followed her cousin and Jaxon down to the suite she would share with them. KydEL kept glancing back at her to make sure she was still there. She smiled a small smile. He
r cousin wasn’t going to let her out of his sight for a long, long while.
AriELa waited on the shower. She needed fresh air. She went out onto the balcony and looked out at the blue ocean. It was beautiful here, even among the destruction done by the Morins, but she missed the green waters of Katiera. She missed her Aunt SandELa. She missed TarAK. She needed to take that shower so she could get back to him.
“I am glad that you are safe,” a man’s voice said from behind her.
She turned to find Prime Leader KadEN standing by the balcony doors. “I am glad that you are well, too. How are you and your people holding up?”
He gave her a slight smile as he approached her. “We are coming together as one nation and rebuilding. It will take a while though.” He stopped in front of her looking at her face, checking to see if she truly was okay. “I apologize. You were placed in my care and I failed to protect you and my people.”
AriELa reached out to grasp his hand. “None of what happened was your fault. The Morins are to blame.” She released his hand and looked around behind him. “Where is Lindsey? Is she okay?”
He looked slightly uncomfortable. “She is fine. She wanted to come here with me, but I asked her to let me speak with you alone first.”
There was a long pause as KadEN looked out over the ocean. When he looked back at AriELa, her bright blue eyes shown with concern. “I must ask formally to withdraw my offer of mating with you. I know that this may cause problems between our nations, but I cannot go through with it.”
AriELa let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘Thank the Goddess. I can’t go through with it either.” They both looked into each other’s eyes and then started laughing.
“What a pair we make,” KadEN chuckled as he lightly touched AriELa’s face. “If it were not for my Lindsey, I would be honored to mate you.”
AriELa smiled, “If it were not for TarAK, I would be honored to accept you as well.”
