by Ines Johnson
“I have spoken to the Grey,” said Yehfe. “He says his people have an antidote for the marred energy. It will save his life. He says that the Draconians were attempting to weaponize the Eloheem for some purpose that they do not know. If we cooperate, it may put us back in the good graces of the Neterians.”
Pakua unclenched his fist. “If something happens to you-”
Pakua stopped his words abruptly. Beulah hadn’t made a sound, but tension sang loudly in her body. It flooded the bond and called both males up short.
Yehfe turned to Beulah. Her hands were clenched at her heart. Yehfe took her hands and kissed her knuckles.
“Nothing will happen to me,” he said. “This is how we can be safe.” Then he turned his attention to his brother. “This is how we will be able to give Beulah a life and a home that is not on the run. It is worth it.”
Yehfe released Beulah. She took a step back. One more step and she would have been close enough for Pakua to embrace. She stood still. Pakua did not open his arms.
Yehfe sighed. He would have to contend with this after he came back. He would secure their future first. Then he would work on strengthening the bond between his brother and their mate.
Chapter Thirty
Beulah took her time wandering the maze-like halls of the ship. She felt Yehfe’s absence like a boulder sinking down into the depths of still waters. After Yehfe’s departure, Pakua had turned and headed in the opposite direction without a word to her.
Unlike his brother, Pakua’s intentions towards her were confusing. One moment he wanted nothing to do with her. In the next, he was all over her, devouring her from head to toe. At another time, he swore he would never love her, but in the next moment, he was ready to lay down his life to protect hers.
Yehfe’s actions matched his words. He told her he loved her and he showed her. There was no conflict. Beulah craved a life without conflict.
“But Auntie Essie, I don’t wanna go home now.”
Beulah jerked back to the present at the sound of Eva’s voice.
“I want to stay and play with Niao. He’s my friend.”
“He’s an alien.” Esther’s voice was high-pitched, near shrill.
Beulah came up to the open door of their room to see her little girl shake her head with all the authority of a disappointed Sunday school pastor as she regarded her aunt.
“Auntie Essie, Jesus teaches us to love everyone like they are our brother and sister.”
Esther was pulled up short. Beulah couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at her daughter’s words. Having a different skin color than her mother while living in rural Georgia had not been easy on them. Esther had said those same words to Eva on more than one occasion when whispers sounded behind them as they walked by.
“Eva,” Esther’s voice was back to its normal octave, “we belong on Earth. We can’t live on a spaceship. You have to go to school. And then there’s your father-”
“He’s never around,” said Eva. “He probably doesn’t even realize we’re gone.”
“Eva, don’t say such things.”
“It’s true. He never takes me for ice cream anymore. He’s always spending the night with other women and he never comes home. I want to stay with Niao and Yehfe.”
Esther’s face scrunched. She balled her hands into fists. Beulah knew her sister was losing patience. Esther reached out for Eva, but Eva hopped back and then took off running out of the room.
When Eva saw her mother she stopped in her tracks. The child stood still, her lower lip trembled. “I’m not going.”
Beulah reached out to assure the child they weren’t returning, but Eva darted out of her reach. The little girl picked up her feet and ran down the hall. Beulah let her go.
There was nothing on this ship that would hurt her. In fact, at every turn, Eva would find someone ready to assist her in any way that they could. She was safe, she was cared for, she was loved.
Esther came and stood in the doorway. She glared at her sister. Beulah and Esther had lived their lives in solidarity. There had been very few things they disagreed on. But their lack of disagreements had also been a product of Beulah sheltering her younger sister from many of the facts.
Esther didn’t feel the brunt of their father’s anger because Beulah always stepped forward to take on more than her fair share. Esther never knew the extent of Beulah’s unhappiness in her marriage because Beulah hid the tears and occasional bruises.
Today, Beulah was tired. Today, Beulah was done with conflict. Today, Beulah was done with taking on anyone else’s hurts for her own. She was full up.
So when Esther opened her mouth, preparing to launch into what Beulah knew would be an attack on her parenting, or her character, or the love she had finally found, instead of standing and bearing it, Beulah turned and walked away from her sister.
Her only desire was to go to Yehfe’s room, curl up in his bed, and wait for him to return. Instead, she went off to find her daughter. Instinct pulled her to the nursery.
When she rounded the corner, she saw Nse. The child slunk against a wall. His staff at his feet.
“She is near,” the child said. “She is with Niao. She is upset because she does not want to return to her father.”
“Did Niao tell you that?”
“No,” he said. “I can see them.”
“Because of your link to your brother?”
Nse sighed, causing his little shoulders to slump in a very childlike fashion. The youngling held onto the countenance of an adult so tightly that Beulah often forgot that he was just a child.
“It is very difficult to share yourself with someone else,” said Nse. “To never have a thought to yourself. To feel all of their feelings. And that is just with another male. A female has so many emotions and feelings. You all are quite erratic.”
Nse shuddered like a dog shaking off bath water. He brought his knees up under his chin and rested his head against his forearms.
“She is calm now,” he said, closing his eyes.
Beulah studied the child. She opened her mouth to ask a question she was afraid to know the answer to. But she had to know.
“Nse? Have you bonded with my daughter?”
Nse shrugged without opening his eyes. “Niao has made his choice. And I will do my duty.”
Beulah’s mind reeled. He sounded just like Pakua. Her daughter wasn’t even old enough to have The Talk and she was already mated for life.
“You can’t mate with my daughter.”
Nse opened his eyes and studied her. He screwed up his face like any ten-year-old child would do at the mention of sex. “That is highly inappropriate speech, Ms. Beulah.”
Beulah looked again at this child, this young warrior who had risked his life for her daughter. A young boy who would always be by her side and never allow any harm to come to her baby. Both Niao and Nse would wish for nothing but Eva’s pleasure and happiness. They would grow into men that would never leave her. They would never cheat on her. They would lay down their lives if it would protect her own.
Beulah closed her eyes as the world swayed.
“Are you well, Ms. Beulah?”
Beulah nodded without opening her eyes. “I just need to lie down.” With her daughter in the best care possible, Beulah’s feet moved in the direction of Yehfe’s room.
Chapter Thirty-One
They would need a new punching bag. Sand spilled out of the current bag that Pakua’s fist pummeled. His body dripped with sweat. His knuckles were bruised. His hearts were so weighted that they resided in his gut.
Yehfe kept the link between them open and transparent, but Pakua had difficulty maintaining the connection. He vacillated between watching his brother’s every move outside of the ship to shutting his eyes and the link.
He hated the vulnerability he felt at being put into this situation. Anything could happen to his brother, which would lead him to madness. At least these worries distracted him from thoughts of their mate.
&n
bsp; Pakua opened himself up to Beulah. He saw her now, resting in Yehfe’s berth. She was curled up in his sheets. Her head was turned into his pillow as though she wanted to breathe his essence in.
Pakua ached to go to her, to wrap his arms around her, to pull her close and give her comfort. But he had no comfort to give. He was a bundle of nerves and anxiety as he waited for tragedy to strike and the weak grip between the three of them to slip through his fingers.
“Mr. Yehfe!”
The little, human girl ran up to Pakua. She was a blur of limbs and hair as she bound into him. Instinct had his arms opening and catching her. Her small body wrapped around his torso and her head burrowed into his neck.
“That is not Yehfe,” said Niao from the doorway. “That is his brother, Pakua. He is the one who saved you from my father.”
The little girl’s head rose and she surveyed Pakua. Her small hands reached out and tilted Pakua’s head first one way and then the other. “Oh, I see the difference.”
She turned her head to speak with Niao, but she did not loosen her hold on Pakua. The child was not strong. Pakua could easily dislodge her spindly form from his. He wasn’t sure why he did not.
“Mr. Pakua’s skin is darker like mine is darker than my mommy’s,” she said to Niao. Then she turned back to Pakua, her lip twisting under her continued evaluation. “But that’s not how I knew you weren’t Mr. Yehfe. Mr. Yehfe is always smiling. I have never seen you smile, Mr. Pakua. I think Mr. Yehfe smiles a lot because he knows a lot of games. Do you know any games to play Mr. Pakua?”
Pakua opened his mouth. But then he closed it. He wasn’t sure how to answer the child?
“Unless you don’t want to play any games with me.”
The child’s eyes lowered. Her lower lip appeared to Pakua to enlarge and sink. Her arms loosened around his neck and she released her hold.
Pakua didn’t let her down. He didn’t like the sadness that clouded over her. He didn’t like that she frowned.
“My daddy doesn’t like to play with me either,” she said looking at his chest. “One time when I slept over at his new house, he yanked my arm and shoved me because I asked him to play dolls.”
“Your father hurt you?”
The question came from both Pakua and Niao. Pakua’s arms tightened around the girl. Niao moved closer to her.
Eva looked between the two males and shrugged. “Daddies do that. He used to shove mommy too before the divorce.”
Pakua’s essence boiled to know that harm had, at one point in time, come to Beulah. He had to take a deep breath so that he wouldn’t crush the little girl to him.
“No,” said Niao. “Fathers do not hurt their children or their mates.”
“When your father took us he shoved my mom,” Eva said. “And your father tried to hurt me too.” The child’s voice wasn’t accusatory. Her tone was factual, passionless.
“Our fathers were sick,” said Niao. “Before they fell ill, they protected us. They helped us grow strong. They never shoved us.”
Eva thought on Niao’s words for a bit. Her temple came to rest on Pakua’s chin. He felt her shake her head decisively.
“I don’t think I want to have a father anymore,” she said. “I’d rather just have a mommy. Mommies love you no matter what. They tuck you into bed at night. They kiss you when you get hurt.”
A vision of Beulah tucked against his body came to Pakua’s mind. Beulah tending to his wound. Beulah kissing him until the pain receded and there was nothing left but her.
“And when mommies pinkie swear that you can have ice cream, they keep the promise.”
Eva sighed and snuggled her head into Pakua’s neck. Her grip relaxed and he took the full brunt of her slight weight. She was a warm and trusting bundle in his arms.
“She is very tired,” said Niao needlessly. “We did not repose during our sleepover. She was upset because Ms. Esther wants to take her back to her planet, and back to her human father.”
Pakua maneuvered the child until she was cradled in his arms with her head resting against his chest and her small legs draped over his forearm. Without a word, he rose and made his way to his rooms. Niao followed silently.
Once he was in his room, he laid the sleeping child on his berth. He looked down at the tiny creature. She was so soft and fragile. She would break from the careless touch of a male, even a human one.
In that moment, Pakua swore that no man would ever have the opportunity to do such a thing. Niao folded himself at the foot of the berth to add his strength to Pakua’s silent edict. Nse added his backing, standing just outside the door.
Pakua straightened, but Eva’s hand curled into his robes. Her fingers fell on his heart. He felt seared by her touch, branded. For the second time in as many revolutions, a female had written on his soul.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Yehfe and Hsing made their way down into the crater. The injured Grey lay between them on a gurney that they carried. Traversing the harsh, dry earth of the red planet was difficult. The climate of the planet had no effect on the Grey, but still, his breathing grew more and more labored with each step they took.
Yehfe was certain that if he and Hsing delivered a dead body, they would not be received well. Approaching the side of a mountain, a hatch opened. Hsing tossed a look over his shoulder. Yehfe sent a signal of agreement and the two descended into the belly of the opening.
After a few steps inside, the hatch closed and darkness cloaked them. It took Yehfe’s eyes only a short time to adjust. Before they did, he heard the distinct shuffling of bodies coming towards him. Then he felt cold hands brush past him.
He kept perfectly still. Eloheem did not prefer the touch of strangers, but the Grey Reticuleans were a handsy race of beings. They had large eyes and irregular shaped heads, like the Eloheem. But unlike the Eloheem they took information from touch instead of delivering healing.
And so Yehfe held still and let the Greys learn what they needed to know from him. He knew that Hsing faced a tougher time of it. A Yin would be prone to stave off anything that might be perceived as an attack.
With Yehfe's and Hsing's helmets removed in the climate controlled interior, the Greys continued their probing for data. After what felt like a full revolution, the probing ceased. The burden of the sick Grey was lifted from their hands. Pale light flooded the room.
The Greys took their brother, probing him as they carted him off. Their faces were dispassionate. Their eyes full of curiosity more than they were full of concern.
Yehfe and Hsing followed. Though the gray beings paid them little mind, they knew they were meant to trail behind them into the large room. The room resembled one large control panel with screens and panels lining the circular wall.
Off to the side, a number of Greys were evaluating the marred male. One Grey produced a vial with a long, pointed needle. The Grey did not aim it at the marred male. Instead, he held the vial aloft while he read the flickering on the screen. Meanwhile, the poor, injured soul writhed on the table.
Yehfe felt a hand on his arm. Hsing gripped his forearm to hold him in place. Yehfe hadn’t even realized he’d taken a step to aide the fallen Grey. Just as protection was in Hsing’s nature, healing was in Yehfe’s.
Another door opened and the Greys all paused in their work. Even the marred male stilled his breathing. Yehfe and Hsing looked over. The second their eyes caught her, their gazes dropped and their heads bowed.
The man wasn’t a Grey; not entirely. He looked human by all accounts. But he was more. Much more.
It was rare for lifeforms to spring naturally from a womb. Many wombs were seeded by other beings. Another meaning for the word Neterian was gardener. The elder race had seeded many planets throughout the universe. The Womb Rock known as Earth was a special project for them.
Legend had it that life began on its own on Earth. The Neteru, Tehuti, plucked four of the early lifeforms from the planet’s early days to see what was in store for these brand, new beings. What
Tehuti found was astonishing.
It seemed every genetic code was contained in early man; hominoid like the Neterians, reticulean like the Greys, elemental like the Eloheem, and reptilian like the Draconians.
With such a high potential, it was no wonder that Tehuti continued his observations of humankind from a close observation deck. The god-like being approached Yehfe and Hsing now.
“Allow me to offer my condolences for your loss,” he said.
Both Hsing and Yehfe bowed their heads even lower, neither knowing exactly what to expect. By all accounts, Tehuti was just and righteous but the logical minded god had more in common with the analytical Greys than the compassionate Eloheem. If he knew that there were four of human women aboard the ship docked outside, he could smite them all with a wave of his hand.
A scream tore through the cavernous halls. Every set of large eyes looked back to the entryway where Hsing and Yehfe had entered. In came a small figure covered in protective gear raced towards them and then stopped.
Yehfe's hearts stopped at the sight of the brown hair and curves. The last he'd seen Beulah, she was standing near his brother back on the Mothership. Had she followed him out of the ship? But why?
Yehfe forgot about the deity who could spell his entire tribe's doom. All he could think was getting to Beulah, and that's what he did. Though when he removed the shields covering her face, he saw that it was not his beloved.
"Esther?"
It had been many cycles since he'd seen the young woman. Looking down on her now, she looked barely the age of the younglings he cared for. How had he ever thought to mate with this child?
"What have we here?" asked Tehuti.
Esther's gaze connected with the Veterans. Her eyes widened in fear. That only lasted for a second before recognition dawned on her face and tears pricked her eyes. She dropped her head in supplication and held her hands up in a prayer posture.
"My Lord Jesus, you have heard my calling."
Yehfe and Hsing exchanged worried glances. Without using words, Hsing communicated with Yehfe that he would handle the explanations. But as the male straightened to do so, they both saw that Tehuti was in quiet conference with the Greys.
