Bethany's Heart (Unearthly World Book 3)

by C. L. Scholey

Bethany stepped away from Kier and Thane. The being cocked its head as though curious. “That’s right, you ugly fucker, I can see you,” she said.

  The being stopped five feet from her. Bethany waited for the pain in her head to start but nothing happened. The creature was there, it was real, she knew it.

  “You are right, Thane. There are spies among you.” Bethany concentrated. She didn’t know if an apparition could be killed, but Bethany was solid bone and flesh and mind. When she had killed the other creature it had done something to her. She could feel a certain strength. The creature began to flap its wings, it screamed as its wings began to burn. Bethany couldn’t suck air into her lungs fast enough. Her hair whipped around her face, her body shook. Wind chimes tinkled softly in the breeze. Everyone stood frozen, until a pile of bones crashed to the ground and scattered at their feet, rolling on a small gust of wind.

  “Shit,” Kier whispered.

  “Shit,” Thane whispered, until the entire room was whispering the same.

  “I wonder how many more are here,” Kier said.

  “None,” Bethany said. “They were called home.”

  “You know this for certain?” Thane asked.

  “Yes,” Bethany said and turned to face him. “I know where they are.”

  Thane strode to her and gripped her shoulders. “Think little one, and think carefully before you answer. Do you know where they are, or do you know where their planet is?”

  “Both.”

  Chapter 14

  “This is completely unorthodox.”

  Bethany heard Kier groaning from behind her. After a lengthy evening of going over charts and learning just how small Earth really was in comparison, Bethany was mentally tired. She had stood mouth agape when realizing dark holes not only brought her to worlds within worlds, worm holes brought her to different universes. When she asked Thane about this, he seemed surprised she had no clue other universes did in fact exist.

  “String theory,” Bethany had said, gaping.

  Thane merely scoffed at her, telling her earthlings were so primitive he was surprised any existed at all. Thane’s main concern was the Angano, the beings who attacked her; he was insistent on knowing the location of their worst enemies and declared it a huge advantage. He was eternally grateful and Bethany had his word no harm ever came, or would ever come, to any human on his planet.

  After her insightful talk with Thane, she found him to be generally interested in humans and their capabilities, wondering if all exposed to the Angano would possess the same ability. She had found time to rest after Kier insisted, but woke with a thirst for exploration.

  “Finn already showed me some of your planet,” Bethany said.

  “Finn could not possibly show you anything substantial. More can be seen from the sky—where it’s safer.”

  “I’m air sick.”

  “Fine, you may rest for a while here.”

  “This place is beautiful.”

  “It’s one of my favorite places.”

  Bethany looked out over crystal clear water from a mountainside. They were close to the ground which was dotted with a multitude of colored rocks. Every color of the rainbow and then some, reflected with sparkling brilliance off the crystals.

  “Can I have a few of your rocks as souvenirs?” Bethany asked.

  “I suppose so,” was his sigh. “If you were my human I could bring you home one every day. I still think allowing you to roam is dangerous. My female wouldn’t be allowed.”

  “Well then, it’s a good thing I’m not yours. I want to collect them myself. I want to choose which ones I want.”

  Gripping her under her arms, Kier leapt into the air and floated gently to land upon the rocky ground. The gem-like stones under Bethany’s feet were rounded not jagged; it wouldn’t have mattered too much as Thane had equipped her with a type of leather shoe. The footwear was durable and her feet were well protected. She also wore a strip of cloth wound around her breasts and belly, the ties fluttered in the gentle breeze. When she had insisted on clothing before disclosing the enemy’s whereabouts, Thane had merely shrugged; she wasn’t a slave after all. Bethany wished she had pockets in her clothing, or a sack. She collected many of the beautiful rocks until they spilled from her arms.

  “Drat,” she mumbled. She turned to Kier. “I’ll never be able to hold all the ones I want. I don’t mean to be greedy but they’re so precious; each color is astounding. Some of these colors I’ve never seen before.”

  Kier hesitated for a second. His dark black eyes reflected her face back to her. “Let me help; there’s a plant up there that folds like a natural sack. Hang on and I’ll get a piece. Stay away from the water; I don’t want you to drown.”

  Bethany snorted; she could swim before she could walk. It was on the tip of her tongue to yell back she could swim as Bethany watched Kier fly upwards. Pompous ass. He remained in her sight, positioning his body to always have her under his radar. Bethany had new appreciation for what it meant to be watched like a hawk. He was definitely the biggest hawk she’d ever seen. The plant he spoke of was amazing, it hung in drapes of hunter green from branches, flapping like tents or flags depending on the direction of the wind and its force.

  Bethany jumped from rock to rock, exploring further. When she came to the water, she admired the clearness of the flow beneath her feet. The sun was hot and she was thirsty. A tiny stream trickled drawing her attention. The water was cool to the touch. She scooped a small amount wondering if it were safe to drink and looked up at where Kier was. She chuckled as she watched a giant wing form into a thick sword to slit the material which wrapped around him as though they battled together. The flapping material flew into his face as he battled. Bethany shook her head with amusement. The great dark-winged warrior—beaten up by a plant.

  Cupping her hand she brought a small amount of water to her lips and flicked her tongue to taste. The flavor was identical to the stream from Kier’s wall. Bethany sipped a larger amount, swishing it around her tongue to moisten her mouth. The humming of the water was pleasant; it reminded her of Finn’s tune when he wanted to lull her. Thinking of Finn, Bethany wished he was here with her. It would be so hot to have him take her surrounded in water. She could picture his stunning hips pounding against her, thrusting his huge cock into her while the water danced in a fury all around them. She could drink from the water if she became parched—and she would. Finn was steel and power, he was…

  To her right, a movement caught her eye. Pond scum was creeping closer. It had to be her imagination; it hadn’t been there a few moments ago. The green brackish substance rolled closer on tiny waves, inching forward, hypnotizing her into immobility. Something stung her bare ankle.

  “Ouch,” Bethany yelped and jumped up.

  The green scum was attached to her footwear and creeping over her exposed ankle. It hurt. It became agonizing; it burned, it itched. “Kier,” she howled. She tried brushing it off, but it then clung to her hand, seeping around her fingers. The small amount of moving scum in the water was suddenly a ten foot high wave before her. Two feet in width, the sides began to curl as though to embrace her—a death embrace. As she screamed, she was grabbed from behind and yanked into the air as the wave crashed down harmlessly onto the rocks.

  “I told you to stay away from the water,” Kier admonished in anger.

  “You said you didn’t want me to drown. I can swim. I didn’t know it would eat me.” Bethany gasped. “It hurts, Kier.”

  Kier landed high on the mountain in seconds. His giant wing formed a soft surface to brush the scum from her ankle and hand. He looked at the rash. Some areas were blistered and raw. Bethany had had third degree burns before, this was worse. She couldn’t hold still, her body writhed in agony as Kier held her tighter.

  “You’ll be fine. I imagine it stings a bit. We have a lotion that will help; the pain will be gone as soon as I get you back. Didn’t Finn warn you about flesh-eating scum?” Kier asked.

  “He said it was
on his planet.”

  “There wasn’t much on my planet before but it has been spreading. This is the first time I’ve seen it in this place. It’s one of the reasons the humans can’t wander. You think us cruel, but there are some restrictions we place on humans for a reason, much as you would on a child to keep them safe. It’s why I was surprised Thane allowed you to explore.”

  Bethany groaned and grasped at her belly. Her gut began to ache. She coughed and gagged, trying to vomit but almost nothing came up, what little did burned. She clutched her throat. Kier gripped her shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes.

  “Please tell me you didn’t drink any of that water.”

  “It was only a little.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  Kier crushed her to his chest and soared so quickly, turning into his bullet capsule, he made Bethany pass out.

  * * * *

  “Why in the hell weren’t you watching her?” Finn demanded.

  “I was watching her. She needed a sack to carry her crystal rocks in,” Kier said, his voice was filled with distress. “Our humans are never to leave the compound. Our females don’t have this scum on their planet. I told her to stay away from the water. I didn’t think she’d go near it, let alone drink from it. I accept the blame. Is there anything that can be done for her? We can’t just stand here and watch her die.”

  Finn was feeling frantic but he noted Kier’s agitation. There was nothing malicious in what had occurred; the warrior looked distraught.

  “I need to get her to the healing waters on Bagron. Roam, my Castian friend, will help her.” Finn was pacing back and forth. Bethany was dying; he would lose her if they didn’t act fast. She lay on a soft piece of furniture in the main control room. Her normally sweet-colored skin was pale; her dark expressive eyes were glazed over in agony. Finn had entered the room only moments before seeing Bethany. She cried out his name then gasped as the words widened her mouth; she was trying to gasp in air.

  Finn had knelt beside her; he had taken her trembling hand in his and felt that limp hand squeeze his heart so tight he thought he’d die on the spot. A soothing cream covered her fingers and ankle but it couldn’t be swallowed. Gazing at her defeated form, Finn realized he was wrong, something did frighten him as nothing ever had, a large warrior mercenary, and his fear was close to becoming all consuming. Leaping to his feet, he had bellowed out orders the second he found out what had occurred.

  “The females on their planet died of poison water,” Thane said.

  “Castian healing pools were developed after the poison water; it had taken hundreds of years. The Castians had to add chemicals to the water to keep some creature out so they could bathe in peace or their armor kept coming up. The creatures were one of the Tonans’ minor annoyances. They only discovered the healing properties of the altered water when a female ended up on their planet,” Finn said.

  “You seem to know a lot about the Castians,” Kier said.

  “They are friends. Roam is a friend, he’ll help my mate.”

  “What if the healing water doesn’t work?” Thane asked.

  Finn knew this might be the case. “Then I will give her to a Castian to mate. If a Castian mates her, she will live.”

  “Poisoned water killed many Castian warriors when their mates died. Cobra may not risk a warrior. He’s building his armies,” Thane said.

  “Their Castian females drank the poisoned water over a long period of time. The female’s baby shield kept them safe, the poison undetected, until the shields dropped when a new must cycle began. By then the older females were carrying as their daughters fell. It was too late by then. All knew when the male baby shield fell the mothers would die.” Finn was feeling desperate but he was certain his logic to be true. “My mate has only had a tiny taste. She can be cured.”

  “I hope for both your sakes you are correct,” Thane said. “You can’t wait for a Zargonnii ship. You’ll need a portal to travel worlds within worlds.”

  “My mate has no way to breathe underwater,” Finn said.

  “Not water,” Thane said. “Air.”

  “Air?”

  “The capsules our wings form fly faster than the speed of light. Bethany mentioned a string theory humans have. Our female planet is tethered to our planet but it is another universe away. We can ride the tether to the planet. A tube in space, or one giant worm hole. Our females refer to it as an umbilical cord,” Thane said.

  “You aren’t tethered to my planet,” Finn argued.

  Thane looked uncomfortable. “Anywhere there is oxygen our planet has a tether. We need its signature to find it. Finn, you are the signature to your planet. Our planet or any planet can be reached by space travel, but the fastest way between two points is a straight line. The line is a signature a world within a world can travel. Everything everywhere is somehow connected. Every universe is one or can merge. If we get you to your planet in your universe, can you get Bethany to the Castians in time?”

  “Yes.” Finn was nodding. “Castians are able to open black holes on their ships to transport from ship to ship or ship to planet. If you can get me home now, she may have a chance. Can you contact the Castians and inform them of the situation?”

  “I’ll do it now.” Thane looked at Kier. “Move swiftly my friend.”

  It took only seconds for Bethany to be scooped into Kier’s arms. His giant wings engulfed Finn. Finn glanced around noting the wing structure reminded him somewhat of the blue pod his mother had used to care for him during his first month of life. There was light, fresh air, softness.

  “We need to go now,” Finn said.

  “We’re already on our way,” Kier said.

  “We’re moving?”

  “Your imprint is strong. The signature wasn’t hard to find. The small beacon of a home light shining was all I needed. When I explained the way we traveled to a human male, he smiled and said it reminded him his mother always kept a ‘porch light’ on when he was gone. The idea gave him comfort. You should know my people will always be able to find your planet now. The light has been turned on.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “No. What happened to Bethany was an accident. I’ll never forgive myself if she dies. Thane was right, I’m too headstrong. She wanted to see more of our planet and Thane charged me with her safety. I only wanted to help her with those damned rocks. She bats those beautiful dark eyes of hers and for some reason I feel all…mushy. I can’t believe I just used that word.”

  Finn would have laughed if he hadn’t been so concerned for Bethany. “Yeah, mushy is definitely the word.”

  “Take my hand,” Kier demanded.

  Kier grasped ahold of Finn, his capsule opened and Finn gaped at his homeland. Kier landed and settled Bethany into Finn’s arms.

  “If we had the Castian imprint I would have taken you straight there. Good luck, Finn.”

  Kier took off into the sky. His capsule closed around him, there was a brilliant flash of white light as a black hole opened and Kier vanished. He moved faster than the blink of an eye. It was Finn’s turn to move. He set off at a dead run heading for Titus’s headquarters. He was surprised when Titus met him halfway.

  “It’s good to see you, my friend,” Finn said.

  “You too, only I wish it was on better circumstances. Cobra is overhead waiting.” Titus spoke into a small console on his wrist as they ran. A large gaping black hole opened and Finn ran into it. He stopped when the hole closed and he was on the helm.

  “How fast can this bucket of bolts move?” Finn asked Cobra.

  “Pretty damn fast.”

  Finn collapsed onto a chair with Bethany tucked against his chest. She was whimpering in pain. Finn curled his body around her, wishing with his entire being it was him who was in pain, not his little Bethany. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was in agony.

  * * * *

  Finn thought he would die as he handed Bethany over into Roam’s waiting arms. Roam was a friend a
nd a powerful Castian warrior who Finn admired. Roam was humanoid to look at, a very large warrior. His shield was down. When Roam was shielded he became covered in ebony with talons for fingers, claws for feet and a green tattoo would shine on his cheeks. Nothing could kill a Castian warrior, except the death of his mate. Finn thought he might just die if Bethany did. Finn looked at Roam sorrowfully.

  “Did you find someone who would be kind to her?” Finn asked, though the question broke his heart.

  Roam was nodding. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that. We can hope the healing waters work.”

  “If it doesn’t, she needs to mate a Castian warrior immediately. She doesn’t have much time left,” Finn said.

  “What if the waters don’t work and she wakes to find herself immortally mated to a warrior she’s never met?”

  Finn cast his woeful glance to Roam’s mate Jinx. She was carrying Roam’s baby and kept a safe distance away, a Castian baby shield was a brutal protector of mother and child. “I would rather give her to another than let her die. A Castian can ease his mate’s fear through his secretions. She wouldn’t stay angry for long. Bethany is strong, a fighter, she wouldn’t want to die regardless.”

  “You must love her very much,” Jinx said, her hand settled onto Finn’s arm and he blinked in astonishment.

  “How is it possible you can come near me?” Finn asked.

  Jinx smiled at him. “Our little warrior knows you mean no harm. This baby is a thinker, and right now he’s thinking your situation over. Yes, I know that sounds odd, and I really can’t explain except to say the Gorgano really did a number on me—in a good way.”

  They watched as Roam lowered Bethany into the water, sinking to his chest. The water swirled around her crazily. Her clothes, foreign entities to the water were destroyed, disappearing completely. Any body hair she once had was gone except for her lashes, eyebrows and the hair on her head. It was one of the reasons Finn stayed out of the water, if he were rendered bald, some of his warrior skills would be compromised. He had to content himself by sitting by the pool.