by Heather Karn
My heart broke, and I strode around the desk to kneel beside Ki, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. “Neither of us will argue,” I corrected, keeping my head bowed.
Roosha’s sigh was deep and heavy. “I pray this works, and if it does, I will be sure that you are honored, not punished. You are right. The council has overstepped, and while many agree with us, more do not and we are receiving pushback from those who believe we were wrong. Please be safe, and good luck to you. I’ll notify the tower to allow you to leave.”
Ki lifted his head, but I kept mine low. “Thank you. We will see you upon our return.”
Even looking down, I could tell when the call ended and the screen went black. I didn’t have the energy to stand back up. We’d won that round, somehow. Now to finish this once and for all.
The next month was the longest of my life. While it had taken several months to reach Lutharia from Earth, we took a direct path this time. We only had to stop at one outpost to refuel and supply, and no one stepped off the ship unless they were required to load the supplies. It was the fastest stop we’d made yet. Everyone was too eager to know if a solution could be found.
Kilani, Mortan, and I were again seated in the mess hall playing a game when Maltak found us. His energetic attitude, yet apprehensive expression could only mean one thing.
“We’re close,” I murmured, and he nodded.
“We’ll be there in a few hours. If you don’t mind me asking, Captain, but what’s the plan?”
Kilani had asked the men over and over to stop calling him captain since it was no longer his title, but not a single one of them obeyed. Even Maltak refused to call him anything differently. In the end, Ki gave up that battle knowing it was a lost cause.
“Yeah, what is our plan?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
Leaning forward, Ki made a move on the board. “You said this medicine is at your house, correct?”
“Yeah, it should be unless my mom threw it away, but I don’t think that’s likely yet. She probably still thinks I’m on Earth and missing and I’ll turn up alive, so she won’t touch my stuff.”
“And if she has thrown it away?”
“Then I guess we’ll have to break into a pharmacy. Since we’ll be long gone from Earth, we shouldn’t have to worry about them catching us.”
“This pharmacy will have what we need?”
I nodded, making my move. “They’re the ones who disperse it. They don’t make it, but they handle its distribution.”
“So, let’s start with Cammie’s home. We’ll send a team down in a pod and take her home to retrieve it. If that doesn’t work, we’ll create a new plan. While we are in a hurry, we are not rushed for time, so let’s do this carefully,” Ki stated, shuffling a tile across the board. It placed me in a tough spot. If I wasn’t careful, I’d lose the game, but I was so excited and nervous about going home that it was growing harder to concentrate on the game instead of my imaginings.
“I’ll have a team ready a pod,” Maltak stated. “Who will be going down?”
“Cammie, myself, Hasak, and Galdro,” Ki stated, watching me pretend to think about my next move. “I suggest, as much as I hate it, that Cammie goes to her home alone at first, and then we’ll follow. It will allow her time to explain everything to her mother. However, Cammie will be wearing her uniform in case any danger finds her.”
Mortan chuckled, not bothering to hide it behind a hand. “We all know how much trouble she attracts.”
“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled, making a play. It was the wrong move and Kilani ended the game with his next move, winning, but not by much.
Ki leaned back in his chair again. “Well, let’s all get ourselves ready. I don’t want to waste time once we arrive when we’ve had plenty of it in travel.”
Ki and I wound up back in our room and Spock greeted us, rising from his nap to cuddle against my neck as I wandered the room. Instead of staying in my home on Earth, I’d changed the virtual reality long enough to grab clothes I wanted and switched it back to my new home on Lutharia. Kilani had been more than surprised when he’d come to bed that first night with me and found I’d chosen our home to sleep in. The wooden walls surrounding us gave me far more comfort than Earth did right now, and the unspoken joy that seeped from Kilani into me as he kept his role as the big spoon made me giddy.
“Are you ready for this?” Ki asked me, rubbing my shoulders while Spock moved to my arms and I cuddled him to my chest.
“As I’ll ever be. You’ll be right behind me, right?”
“Yes. I’ll give you long enough to explain things to your mother, and then we’ll join you. Use your comm unit to let us know it’s safe to approach. While we’ll be right behind you, I want to make sure we don’t come too early, so I’ll wait for your signal.”
“Got it. Okay, let’s do this.”
A few hours later, the four of us were crammed into a small pod with just enough room for one person extra. Hasak was piloting and Kilani was riding shotgun as copilot. Galdro rode in back with me, our knees almost touching as we sat across from one another. He grinned a wolfish smile and leaned toward me as the pod’s engine roared to life.
“The ride can be a bit turbulent. If you feel sick, there’s a bag under your seat.”
That warning was enough to make my stomach flip and squeeze with nausea before we’d even left the main ship. Closing my eyes, I prayed I wouldn’t get sick. I’d never been on a rollercoaster, but if this was anything like those online simulations, I would definitely throw up.
To everyone’s surprise, including mine, I managed to keep my last meal down, though it was touch and go for a while. Galdro hadn’t been kidding when he’d said it was a bumpy ride. If I didn’t have enough time at home to settle my stomach, I would for sure throw up on the way back.
Even though the pod was cloaked, Ki had chosen to land at sunset so there was less of a chance anyone might see us if they had the right technology to do so. I wanted to remind him we were in the middle of nowhere, but his job was to keep me safe. I’d let him do it.
Hasak landed the pod in a forest clearing a quarter mile from my house. As I stepped outside the pod, Kilani right behind me, an overwhelming feeling struck me. I couldn’t name it. There were too many emotions to choose from. Yet, as glad as I was to be back, Earth just didn’t feel like home anymore. Everything I was feeling was from knowing I was so close to my mom.
“Remember, use the comm unit when you’re ready for us to join you, and in case there’s trouble,” Ki reminded me, squeezing my hand, his eyes surveying the forest surrounding us. “I hate this, but I think it’s for the best. If you think otherwise, tell me now.”
He was hoping I would, I could hear it in his voice. “Sorry, but I think this is the right option too. Listen, it’ll be quick. Go in, tell Mom where I’ve been, call for you, find the medicine, and get out of here. It’s as simple as that.”
“Let’s hope.”
After a quick, yet passionate, farewell kiss, I jogged into the forest, leaving Ki standing beside the pod. He’d likely be pacing around the thing until I called for him. I would’ve been doing the same thing if it were him leaving me right now.
I jogged the quarter mile to my house. When it became difficult to see, I added the helmet and changed the sight to night vision, allowing me to avoid obstacles. The house came into view minutes later, and my legs almost gave out underneath me at the sight. I’d never thought I’d see it again, yet here I was, and with lights on inside, Mom was home.
Racing across the back lawn, I slowed when I reached the patio door and lowered the helmet. It was unlocked so I stepped inside, expecting to see Mom in the kitchen, but she wasn’t there. Darn.
“Mom!”
My voice echoed in the house but was met by silence. Since her bedroom light had been on upstairs, I raced toward the staircase and climbed the stairs two at a time before bursting into her room.
“Mo-.”
My feet came to a scr
eeching halt as my voice became lodged in my throat.
“Hello, Cameron,” Dad crooned in his oily sweet voice that was anything but sweet. “Welcome home. I hear you’ve been missing.”
My gaze zeroed in on my mother curled in on herself against the far wall. Blood oozed from wounds on her arms, and her long, dark waves of hair covered her face so I couldn’t see any damage that might be there. I didn’t need to. Her whimpers told me how much pain and fear swamped her. Months ago, I would’ve joined her, begging Dad for mercy that he never showed.
That was when I was alone and helpless, but I wasn’t anymore. Trying as hard as I could to be inconspicuous, I brought one arm across my body like I was trying to shield myself, and pressed the comm unit button on my wrist. Help would come.
“Dad. What are you doing here? What did you do to mom?” I kept the button pressed in, allowing Ki and the others to hear Dad’s response and hopefully not letting them respond back.
“She got what she deserved for betraying me, and you’ll get the same. When I’m done, you’ll both be giving me the respect I deserve and what you should’ve shown me long ago.” He took a step toward me, brandishing a knife.
I swallowed hard and took a step back. “What? Are you going to stab me to make your point? Wasn’t almost killing me and putting me in the hospital what drew people’s attention in the first place?”
“By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish I’d stabbed you, you disgusting little slut.”
Glass shattered downstairs and a roar filled the house, causing all of us, including Mom, to jump. Knowing who and what was coming, I pressed the button on my wrist that engaged my whole uniform. If this thing could deflect a Hydrando dart, then it most certainly could protect me again a kitchen steak knife.
“Ki up here!” I yelled through the open doorway and three sets of pounding footsteps followed my voice.
Kilani burst through the doorway first, and even I almost wet myself at the sight of him. Dad’s grip on the knife wavered as Kilani hissed, showing off fangs I’d never seen. His eyes were dark with rage, and he shook like he was losing the fragile bit of control he had left. A fierce snarl on Hasak and Galdro’s faces as they joined Ki were equally menacing.
Dad’s gaze flicked between me and Kilani. “Who is this, Cameron?”
“My husband.” I’d never been more proud to be able to state that title than I was now. “And he’s here to take me and Mom home with him. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to help Mom downstairs. And you should know, if you try anything, Kilani will kill you.”
I touched Ki’s arm as I moved behind him and around the room to where Mom crouched against the wall, whimpering more. Hasak followed me. Likely not the more skilled fighter of the three, he’d left the fighting to Galdro and Ki. My young rescuer was always there when I needed him and Kilani was busy.
“Mom, this is Hasak,” I told her, removing the helmet portion of my uniform and pushing her hair aside so she’d see me. When her eyes fell on Hasak, she shivered. That wouldn’t do. “He’s a friend, Mom. He’s like a brother to me. Now, I can’t carry you, so he’s going to carry you downstairs for me and keep you safe. You can trust him.”
Her breath hitched as Hasak gave her a soft smile. Growls continued behind us, but I ignored them.
“I’ll explain everything once we’re downstairs, Mom. Will you let Hasak help you? We need to leave.”
Mom’s head bobbed ever so slightly, so I moved to the side to allow Hasak closer. We both knew this was another one of those times where touch was mandatory, and I was grateful beyond words that Hasak had a better bedside manner than most when it came to touch. He’d barely stood with my mother in his arms when a shriek ripped through the air behind me, followed by inhumane growls.
I followed my first instinct, covering Mom’s eyes with my hand. “Close your eyes, Mom. Hasak get her out of here. Downstairs. I’ll find what we came for and meet you there.”
All I wanted to do was to peer toward where I saw a clump of bodies on the ground where Dad had stood, but I raced behind Hasak out of the room. Then I veered away and into my bedroom, straight to the bathroom and medicine cabinet.
“Bingo,” I murmured, grabbing the antibiotics from where they sat beside the painkillers and other medications. For kicks and giggles, I emptied my makeup bag and stuffed all the medications inside before racing back out and down the stairs.
Hasak waited for me near the backdoor, my mother still in his arms. By now she was openly weeping, but there was nothing I could do for her yet. Instead, I did a quick survey of the shattered window next to the door and shook my head. Grabbing the door handle, I opened the door and led the way outside. Knowing Kilani and Galdro, they’d catch up. Even though I hated my father for everything he’d put me through, a part of my heart ached for what was happening upstairs right now. Without a doubt, I knew the outcome, and I refused to think about it.
We reached the pod a few minutes later and Hasak set Mom down on the seat beside me, allowing me to wrap my arms around her. She held me back, weeping into my uniform. Having had previous experience with this, I pressed the button that would retract the uniform so she could cry into my soft shirt, and I’d look less like the aliens who accompanied me.
Minutes later, voices outside announced the arrival of the last two of our group, but none of the men entered the pod. They were giving us time. I wasn’t sure how much we had, but I needed to use the time we did have usefully. Mom had been given time to cry, and now I needed her to be strong with me. If she couldn’t pull herself together now, life was going to become immeasurably harder, because though Ki had promised I could bring her with me, I now wasn’t going to be giving her a choice. I couldn’t leave her behind after this.
“Mom, I need you to look at me.” I tugged her away from me, and she leaned back, wiping her eyes and sniffling. Blood dripped down several open wounds on her arms and face, and she was already starting to bruise in several locations that I could see, and I was certain there were far more hidden under her ripped clothing.
Her gaze settled on me, and I could read all the unspoken questions that she had, but I needed answers first. Well, we both did.
“Okay, how long has Dad been out of prison?”
Tears spilled down her face again, but this time she kept herself under control. “I don’t know. I just found out that he was released on parole due to good behavior yesterday. You’d been missing for so long, I decided to leave town for a little while. After work today I came home to pack...but he was already there.”
Ki appeared in the pod’s entrance behind Mom, his eyes pained and worried. I turned away from him before Mom could notice the direction of my gaze. She didn’t need to worry about Ki right now. It hadn’t been the first impression I’d been hoping for, but once she got to know our new Lutharian allies, she’d come around.
“What happened to you?” she cried, cupping my face in her hands. That’s when I lost control of my tear ducts as well and we held each other like we’d never be able to let the other go.
“It’s kind of a weird story,” I told her, trying not to laugh when I’d gained control of my tears, still holding her. “I was kind of abducted by aliens.”
She leaned back and stared into my eyes. “If I hadn’t seen what I did in the house, and if we weren’t sitting in this...thing, I wouldn’t believe you. But I’m seeing it, and I’m still having a hard time actually believing this is real. I know it is, but…”
“Yeah, I know. Listen, Mom, I know they probably scared you, and they’re sorry for it. Trust me. But they’re some of the nicest men you’ll ever meet.”
Mom snorted and rolled her eyes. “Nice men? I lost the ability to believe in those a long time ago.”
“So did I, until I met Kilani. Mama, I want you to meet him. He’s special to me.”
She narrowed her gaze at me, her voice low. “Is that the one you told your father is your husband?”
“Yeah, and he treats me better
than a queen. Sure, all the Lutharian men aren’t good, but they’re far easier to pick out than human men, and everyone on the spaceship are good ones. They’d die defending you, Mom.”
Mom looked around us. “This is their spaceship?”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from me, earning me a slight glare. “No, Mom, this is just a pod. Their spaceship is huge. And we need to get back to it. Once we’re there, Yulaki can help you with the translation tech so you can understand what they’re saying, and he can treat your wounds. I won’t leave you. I promise. But I also promise you that you’re safe.” I chuckled again. “If I do have to leave you with someone, it’s going to be Mortan. He’s the cook. Seriously, the man is a teddy bear, all fluff and heart. I know you don’t believe me, but in time, you’ll see.”
Footsteps striding up the pod entrance to our narrow hall had both of us looking back. Mom shivered and leaned into me as Kilani entered and gave her a slight smile. Pain filled his eyes as they met mine.
“I don’t want to know, Ki,” I murmured, and I was ever conscious that Mom watched us closely.
He nodded. “I know. And I know you need more time, but we have to leave.”
Mom’s eyes widened as he spoke, and it didn’t go unnoticed by me how gentle his tone was, like he was trying so hard not to scare her. It wouldn’t take much, especially since there were a few trails of blood on his uniform. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind the blood didn’t belong to Ki or Galdro.
“I’ve asked the others not to speak,” Ki continued. “We do not wish to scare her further.”
“I know. Are you okay?” He nodded. “Good. Come here.”
Pulling out of Mom’s hold, I stretched out my arms to Ki, needing to not only see that he was safe as well, but to feel it. Ki moved forward into Mom’s space as well as mine when he kneeled between my knees since it was a small pod. She shied away, but I ignored it, wrapping my arms around Ki’s neck and setting my forehead against his. In return, he held my waist with one hand and rubbed my back with the other.
