by S. E. Smith
“He isn’t going to die,” he said in a fierce voice. “Go help your sister.”
Evetta nodded and turned, almost falling when the shuttle jerked sideways. Hanine’s voice yelled out from the front for Evetta. Ben watched as Evetta hurried to help her sister before focusing his attention back on Aaron.
He silently cursed when he saw the deep cut to Aaron’s side. He hoped it hadn’t hit any major arteries or organs. Pulling the kit toward him, he worked frantically to save his brother’s life.
*.*.*
Aaron floated in and out of consciousness. He vaguely heard Ben’s curses. Pain exploded through him, sweeping him back into the darkness.
Images floated through his mind. He had rushed the large warrior he was stalking when the male heard Ben’s attack on his partner. His blade had been true, striking across the male’s arm as he raised his pistol to fire at Ben’s unprotected back as his brother struggled with the other warrior.
What he had not expected was for the warrior to recover so quickly. The man had dropped his pistol but he came around with a long blade in his other hand that Aaron hadn’t seen until it was too late.
They had struggled, gripping each other’s arms in a battle of survival. The large male had shoved Aaron backwards causing him to trip. As he fell, he kept his grip on the man’s arms, pulling him forward with him. The warrior’s blade sank deep into his side as his own pierced the front of the man’s chest.
It was only his determination to get to Hanine that gave him the strength to pull the blade from his skin. He had clamped his hand over the wound and staggered to his feet.
Now, he tried to focus on Ben’s voice. He knew they were still in danger. He wanted to stay conscious in case Hanine needed him but the pain was too much. After a few feeble attempts to remain conscious, he felt the cold press of an injector against his neck. Ben was determined to shield him from the pain. A small smile curved his lips as the medication swept through his body.
Always the protective big brother, Aaron thought before giving into the sedative.
Chapter 10
“He’s getting worse,” Hanine whispered in despair, looking up at Ben and Evetta.
It had been almost two weeks since they had escaped from the warship. They had spent just shy of a week hiding in the asteroid belt. It took another four days to reach the Kardosa Spaceport. Evetta had secured them a rundown apartment in one of the lower level sections. It was the best they could do as they were short on credits. Evetta was working with one of the local ‘traders’ to sell the battle transport they had stolen.
“He needs a doctor,” Ben said in frustration. “We have no more medicine and his wound is infected. If we don’t get help soon, he won’t make it. I am going to see if I can find one.”
“No, it is too dangerous for you to go out,” Evetta said worriedly. “I have not seen any others like you before on this Spaceport. You will draw too much attention.”
Hanine briefly glanced up from where she was sitting on a battered chair next to the bed before turning her gaze back to Aaron. She brushed the damp cloth across his burning forehead. Fear, sorrow and exhaustion swept across her face before being replaced with determination.
“I will find a healer for him. I will not let him die,” Hanine vowed. “Evetta and I will go,” she said, rising from the chair. “We will return with a healer, even if we have to kidnap him. I am the only one who knows how to use the transporter to return here. I’ve had to do some modifications to the program so it is not picked up on the Spaceport’s security grid. I may have to tweak it some more in case they have updated their codes.”
Ben growled in frustration. “I don’t want either of you out there! What if someone from the Marastin Dow sees you? They are still looking for you. They don’t know about me,” he insisted.
“You are too unusual and you do not know what to look for, we do,” Hanine said stubbornly. “I need you to care for Aaron until I return. Do not let him die! We will be back shortly.”
Evetta gently placed her hand on Ben’s arm when he opened his mouth to argue. She waited until he looked down at her before speaking. She smiled reassuringly up at him. Hanine was right, they were the only ones who knew what to look for. They had been to Kardosa several times over the last six years. It was one of the few times they left the warships they had been assigned to.
“She is right, Ben. You would attract the attention of the slavers. We have been here before. We have a good idea of where to find a healer and can return in a short matter of time,” Evetta murmured.
*.*.*
Ben pulled Evetta into his arms and tightly held her against his body. Despair washed through him; fear of being caught and having to use what few credits they had to secure a room left little for food. All of them had lost weight. What little they had went to try to keep Aaron alive. They fed him the few nutrient drinks that remained from the survival gear they had recovered from the transport.
“Promise me you’ll be careful,” Ben muttered, rubbing his cheek against the top of Evetta’s head. “Please. I don’t think I could stand to lose you and my brother.”
He sighed heavily when he felt Evetta’s arms wrap tightly around his waist. She squeezed him to her before pressing a kiss into his neck. Leaning back, she stared up at him.
“We will return. I promise. Let us go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we return.” She sighed as his arms reluctantly fell away at her promise.
“Hanine, do what you can,” Ben said taking a step back. “Just…be careful…both of you.”
“We will,” Hanine murmured. “I will mark the other room for our return. It is best not to use the transport unless it is absolutely necessary. The security on the station will be able to pick up the disruption to the energy grid if I use the program. I do not want to use it if possible.”
Ben nodded as both women pulled on dark cloaks. He knew from looking out the small, dirty window that they would blend in with the other residents of the Spaceport. Evetta checked the outer corridor before whispering to her sister.
Once they were on the other side, Ben walked over and touched the panel to lock it. A low moan from the other room drew his attention to the dire situation they were in. He wasn’t sure if Aaron would make it through another day if the women didn’t find a healer.
*.*.*
“Evetta, look!” Hanine hissed out frantically from the narrow entrance between two stalls in the crowded marketplace.
Evetta’s eyes widened when she saw what Hanine was pointing to. A slender woman with very unusual coloring was walking down the overflowing corridor of the Spaceport.
“She is just like our husbands,” Evetta muttered in an excited voice. “She will know how to heal Aaron.”
“Wait!” Hanine bit out. “Look at her! Look at who walks by her side.”
Evetta studied the pale female for a brief moment before letting her eyes move to her companions. She grimaced when she saw the two huge Valdier warriors. Not only were they dragon-shifters, these two were identical making them a lethal opponent. Twin dragons were known to be virtually impossible to defeat in battle. On top of that, if the warriors and their dragons didn’t kill you, their symbiots would.
Evetta’s eyes moved to the three huge golden creatures that walked near her. Frustration and despair fought with each other as she saw their one chance of saving Aaron’s life slipping away.
“What are we going to do?” Evetta asked.
“We follow them and wait for a chance to take the female,” Hanine responded in a hard voice. “I will not lose this chance to save my mate’s life. It is a sign from the Goddess that she is here. She has the healing gold on her. It is not enough to attack us but it may be enough to heal Aaron. She is like him and it has not killed her. She can make it heal him.”
“What of the others that are with her? They will kill us the moment we approach her,” Evetta replied with a worried frown.
“We will transport back to the apartment before they
can. Let’s go, they are moving again,” Hanine said, moving without waiting to see if her sister followed her. She refused to lose this chance to save Aaron. She would do whatever was necessary, take any chance, if it meant saving his life. If she didn’t and he died…her mind shied away from the thought.
The Goddess would not give me this sign if she did not want my Aaron to live, she thought as she wove between the other pedestrians looking for items in the teeming marketplace.
*.*.*
Hanine stepped into the bar first. She and Evetta decided it would be less noticeable if they split up. She stepped through the front entrance of the tavern a few minutes after the small group entered while Evetta went around and came in through the back. They would take separate seats as well. Most species knew that Marastin Dow traveled in groups; not so much for their own safety as they were not usually safe with each other but because they would not attack a stronger species without the support of numbers.
Hanine shook her head when the tall, red-skinned waitress started her way. She ignored the sneer on the creature’s face as she shrugged and turned instead to wait on two Tiliquas. The small two headed reptilian species was known for their business skills.
She glanced at Evetta who took up a spot in the far back corner near the bathrooms. Her eyes turned back to the two large warriors. She refused to think of the other three males that had joined the small group. She ignored the old male and the young boy who also looked like her mate. They did not have the same appearance of power as the woman.
She worried her bottom lip. Three Valdier warriors and their symbiots would be impossible to defeat. If the males and their symbiots didn’t kill her and her sister, once they shifted to their dragon form there would be no stopping them.
“What are we going to do?” Evetta’s voice echoed in the small communication’s earpiece she was wearing.
“I don’t know,” Hanine admitted under her breath. “Look! The Twin Dragons are leaving!”
“Yes, but the gold creatures remain by her side,” Evetta muttered in frustration.
Hanine watched as her sister turned her head and acted like she was adjusting the boot on her left leg when one of the Twin Dragons walked by her and out the back entrance. She released her own breath when the other walked by her without looking in her direction. In truth, he looked angry and distracted. She wondered briefly if the small male had upset them from the look of dismay on his young face as he watched first one than the other Valdier warrior leave.
Whatever had happen, Hanine was thankful. She watched as the barmaid brought out their order and placed it on the table in front of them. A moment later, the female’s face turned a sickly pale color that reminded Hanine of Aaron’s face when Ben stitched up his side the first time.
“Now, Evetta,” Hanine hissed. “She goes to the bathroom.”
Hanine rose and casually walked by the table. Her heart thundered in her chest when the two Werecats and the large ‘dog’ shaped creature turned to follow her for a brief moment. A pang of longing hit her hard. She knew what a ‘dog’ was thanks to Aaron. He had made a small one for her out of the ‘paper’ he had created. He said it was to protect her when he couldn’t be with her. He told her a dog was faithful, loving, protective and would always remain by her side, even when she wasn’t being very nice.
“Oh Aaron,” Hanine whispered as tears burned her eyes. “Please, hold on for me.”
The door to the bathroom opened as they waited in the dark passageway. Hanine watched as the female’s eyes widened in surprise before rolling back in her head as Evetta sprayed the last of the sedative spray they had in her face. She glanced over her shoulder as Evetta wrapped her arm around the unconscious figure.
Within seconds, she heard the remaining Valdier warrior yell out at the same time as the huge golden creature shimmered and changed its shape from the dog to a huge, very angry WereCat. Gripping the tablet in her hand, she pressed the command to transport them back to their apartment. Things blurred for a moment as their surroundings faded away.
Chapter 11
Ben jumped when Hanine, Evetta and a third figure suddenly appeared in the small living room area. He paled when he recognized the all too familiar human features of the third person. Rushing forward, he carefully picked the unconscious woman up in his arms.
“I thought you were getting a healer! You said there were no other humans on this Spaceport,” he growled as he walked through the doorway into the second bedroom and gently laid the woman down on the worn, but clean, covers. “What have you two done?”
“She is like you,” Hanine cried out defensively. “Look at her! She will know how to fix Aaron. She was with the dragon shifters. She wears their gold.”
Ben glanced impatiently at Hanine before his eyes caught Evetta’s worried ones. “What does their gold have to do with anything? Can we use it to pay for a healer?”
He watched as Evetta glanced nervously toward the door in the other room then the window. Something was wrong. He could feel the tension flowing off of Evetta as she glanced down at the street before finally looking at him.
“No,” she replied softly. “Their gold is a living thing. It is magic.”
“It can heal Aaron if she tells it to,” Hanine said desperately. “Please, it can save him. She can save him. Please, Ben. I cannot… I cannot lose him.”
Ben glanced helplessly at Hanine. Silent tears slid down her face where fear and exhaustion had cut deep lines around her eyes and mouth. He turned to gaze down at the unconscious human female again. It had been so long since he had seen one that she looked more alien to him than Evetta ever had.
“Alright,” he agreed tiredly. “But I think I should be the one to explain. She might listen to me.”
“Thank you,” Hanine whispered, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “Aaron, is he…?”
“The same,” Ben admitted. “Maybe a little weaker.”
Hanine’s face crumbled but she didn’t make a sound. He watched as she quickly turned and hurried into the other room where his brother lay. He jerked when he felt a slender hand on his shoulder. His eyes swept upward until they locked with Evetta’s dark, worried eyes.
“I hope she can help us. It is very dangerous for us to have her here. It will not be long before those she was with find her,” Evetta said heavily. “If they do, they will kill Hanine and I. The Valdier have no love for the Marastin Dow.” A bitter laugh escaped Evetta before she leaned wearily against Ben’s side as he wrapped his arm around her. “No species have a love for us, including our own people. When they come, stand away from us and do not try to stop them. They are too powerful. I do not believe they will harm you or Aaron.”
Ben rose and pulled Evetta into his arms. He pressed a hot, powerful kiss to her mouth. A soft groan escaped him at her own desperate response. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her head back until she was forced to look up at him.
“I will protect you with my life. I won’t let anyone harm you or Hanine as long as I have a breath in my body,” he vowed. “If they come, we will handle it together.”
Evetta’s eyes softened. “I love you, Ben Cooper. You are a strong and noble man. I thank the Goddess each day for bringing you into my life.”
Ben chuckled as he brushed another kiss across her upturned lips. “One day I’m going to be able to give you a proper home. A place where we can call it our own. A place where we can live without fear.”
“A place where we can raise our children without fear or pain?” Evetta asked hopefully.
Ben paled a little at the idea of children before he shook his head in amazement. He had never thought of becoming a father. Hell, he had never thought of becoming a husband. A small warmth flared deep inside him as he gazed down at Evetta’s hopeful look.
“Let’s get that home first then we’ll talk children,” he suggested. He turned his gaze down to the still figure. “Something tells me she is about to wake up. Go check on Hanine. I’m worried about her.”<
br />
“Thank you, Ben,” Evetta said. “For giving me something to dream about.”
Ben watched as Evetta walked quietly out of the room. His eyes lingered on the gentle swell of her hips. He felt his body’s reaction to the thought of having a family with her. Dreams… He hoped there really was a Goddess somewhere looking down on them. Hopefully, she would see something worth saving in them.
He turned when he felt an unusual stillness in the figure lying on the bed. It looked like their guest was about to wake up. He just hoped she was willing to listen to him before she demanded they return her to her friends.
*.*.*
Carmen Walker frowned as she lay still. Her mind flashed through the events. She had been enjoying her first trip to an alien Spaceport. She was used to the idea of aliens. Hell, she better be as she was one herself now.
She might be human but her mating with a Valdier dragon shifter had unexpected consequences. As the true mate of a Valdier male, she had been accepted by the three parts of him; the man, the dragon and his symbiot. The other unexpected consequence was the change to her own body once he had claimed her.
Carmen heard the faint sounds of feminine voices in the background but they were not in the same room as her. She cautiously opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. She jerked in surprise when she saw a pair of dark brown eyes looking back at her. Worry clouded them as they gazed down at her.
“Can you understand me?” The male asked in a voice that sounded like it had been a while since he had spoken English.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Carmen asked in confusion.
The man smiled nervously down at her. “My name is Ben Cooper. Are you okay? I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t know that Evetta and Hanine would do this,” he replied quietly.
Carmen’s eyes followed him as he pulled a chair up near the bed she was lying on. Her eyes flew to the two purple-skinned women that came into the room to stand quietly behind him. One of them was biting her lip while the other looked at Ben with a look of worry. One of the women said something to Ben before she turned and disappeared into the other room again.
