by Leslie Chase
"When are we going to leave?" I asked without turning around. This enforced closeness was going to kill me if it went on too long.
"That depends on how long it takes Keshiir to lower his guard around the port. We found most of the parts we need last night, and the actual repair work should only take a few hours. The ship's a piece of shit, but we only have to get it working enough to get home."
Xendar growled at the ceiling, and I could feel his impatience. "The difficulty is getting the parts, and you, aboard the Nest Four. Once that's done, you'll be safe."
Safe. That was a joke, but not a funny one. I'd spend the rest of my life living a lie, looking over my shoulder and wondering if I'd be caught out. And I'd spend it deceiving this man who was putting everything on the line to protect me. The very idea tore at my heart and I shivered, suppressing a sob.
His powerful hand touched my back, a gentle reminder of his presence, his support. The conflicting feelings that sent through me almost made me sob. I swallowed the noise with an effort of will, but Xendar noticed anyway.
"What's wrong, my mate?" he asked. "I promise I can keep you safe ‘til then."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," I told him. "There are dangerous hunters searching for me now, and they won't be far away."
It was easier to focus on that than my other fears, the ones I absolutely couldn't share with him. Xendar pulled me to him gently, his powerful bulk a promise that he'd shield me from the hunters. But who will shield me from you?
"Yennifer is working on the parts now," he told me, trying to reassure me. "I'll swap in for her when it gets dark. We'll have everything ready to go as soon as we can get to the Nest Four."
I managed a smile as I looked up at him. "Good. But it's not going to stop me worrying, I'm afraid. Not until we're out of Keshiir's grasp."
He nodded, understanding. "I don't blame you, but we both need more rest and worrying doesn't help with that. When the time to act comes, neither of us want to be tired."
That made sense, as reluctant as I was to accept it. I hadn't gotten much rest and I was tired enough that it was hard to focus on solutions rather than problems. Maybe, with a clear head, I'd have a better idea of how to resolve things.
It didn't hurt that Xendar's hands were so soothing as he pulled me back against him, stroking my hair gently. It was hard to do anything but melt against him, my eyes drifting shut as he lay back. The solid feel of him under me was distracting but it also made me feel safe, and I was tired enough that I couldn't resist shutting my eyes.
Xendar made a strange, almost purring noise as he held me and comforted me, and I realized that I felt safer in the arms of this alien war machine than I ever had anywhere else. It was a strange thought to drift off to, and I felt a pang of guilt as I fell into sleep.
It wasn't me he thought he was comforting, after all.
The second time I woke was less gentle. The booming roar of an explosion rocked the ground under me and I almost screamed as I was torn from my sleep. I might have, if Xendar hadn't held me tight against him, one hand over my mouth to stop me giving our position away.
The light outside had dimmed, but it was still day. That was all I could tell at a glance, though the sound of screams told me something horrible was happening.
I squirmed out of Xendar's grip and pulled my way down to the door, just in time to see the flash of another explosion. It was followed by the amplified roar of a voice.
"You are harboring the human woman we seek, and I am tired of waiting." Keshiir's voice was flat and emotionless, echoing off the buildings. I doubted anyone in the city could have missed it. "You will deliver her to us or we will destroy every building in this city to reach her. You have two hours to surrender her, and then we begin."
There went the plan. Keshiir's patience hadn't lasted, but instead of sending his troops out in a wider search we might have slipped through, he'd resorted to this blackmail. My heart hammered at the thought — how many people had he just killed to get to me?
Don't think about that, I told myself firmly. It wasn't my fault. Anyone he'd murdered over this was on him, not me. If only I could believe that.
Xendar rolled to his feet and pulled me away from the door, peering out himself cautiously.
"That came from the port," he said. "I think he's destroyed one of the ships to make his point."
That was enough to make me feel sick. What if it was the Nest Four? That would be the end of our escape plan, whatever was left of it. At least that ship would have been empty, though, and no one else would have died.
I wrapped my arms around myself, my mind whirling through the implications of this change. Where was Yennifer? Was she okay, or had harboring me gotten her killed? My mouth went dry at the thought that I might have killed the only helpful person I'd met on this awful adventure.
Whether she was alive or not, things were going to go to hell quickly around here, and more people would die. Keshiir wasn't bluffing, that much we could be sure of, and if anyone here had a defense against his ship they'd already be using it. The population of Erdush might be criminals, but they didn't deserve to be killed for me.
Plus, of course, they wouldn't let themselves be if they could help it. I shivered, imagining rampaging gangs searching the city for me in a desperate rush to hand me over before Keshiir's deadline expired.
"We can't let everyone die," I whispered. "Not just to keep me safe. Can we make a run for the ship or something?"
Xendar growled, a low and dangerous sound. "It won't work. They'll be watching the port even closer now, anyone trying to get there is going to be seen. It'll be impossible to get aboard, and even if we did, without the repairs there's no chance we'd be able to escape. Even if the Nest was fully repaired, I wouldn't be confident I could get past Keshiir."
Looking back at him, I saw the tension in his muscles. He was almost vibrating, his fists squeezed so tight they could have crushed skulls. And I thought that's what he was imagining them doing. Cautiously I laid a hand on his back, feeling his twin heartbeats pounding away. The fury would have been terrifying if it had been aimed at me, but I knew instinctively that it wasn't. That I, of all people on this planet, was safe from his anger.
"They'll kill everyone," I said, trying to imagine it. This place wasn't a good or nice city, but there were plenty of people who didn't deserve to die. The kids I'd seen playing in the muddy streets, the people going about their lives, all of them would be snuffed out by Keshiir if I didn't come forward.
And that was if Yennifer didn't decide to save herself by giving us up. I didn't know if she would, but I wouldn't blame her. It wasn't as though she could even save me by dying for me, Keshiir would still catch me eventually, or kill me at least.
"No," Xendar said, seeing the look in my eyes and taking me by the shoulders. "No. You cannot be considering giving yourself up. I will not allow it."
"What choice do we have?" I asked, feeling tears on my cheeks. "We can hide here until they decide to burn the yard, then die. Or I can give myself up and save hundreds of lives. Save your life, Xendar."
His snarl told me what he thought of that, and even in the midst of despair I found myself rocked by the simple power of his devotion. His own life meant nothing compared to protecting me, and he meant it completely. I had no doubt that he would sacrifice himself in an instant if it would keep me safe.
But no, that wasn't quite right. He'd sacrifice himself for Immorata.
For the woman he thought I was.
Not me.
"Our choice is simple," he said, ignoring my inner turmoil. "We steal Keshiir's ship instead. Fight our way aboard and get away clean — he can't stop us without a ship of his own."
He said it with such conviction that I almost believed him. Almost. But I'd learned to read him well enough to know that wasn't his usual certainty. Oh, he'd try it, but against a team of experienced bounty hunters who had to expect someone to try that? He didn't expect the plan to actually work.
That was too high a price for me to bear, but there was no way that he could surrender the princess he'd sworn to bring home safely. Which meant that there was only one way I could talk him out of his plan.
I swallowed nervously, reaching up to stroke his cheek. My vision blurred as tears welled in my eyes.
"Xendar, you've been wonderful to me," I whispered. It was almost impossible to force out the words. "Better than I deserved, and better than I expected."
His frown deepened, and he started to say something. I raised a hand, putting my fingers to his lips and silencing him. It was taking all my courage to speak, and I couldn't let him interrupt me. I'd never find the strength to start again.
My voice trembling, I completed my confession. "You deserve to know the truth, I should have told you this as soon as I met you. I'm not who you think I am, I'm not Princess Immorata, I'm not anyone. My name is Hope Alexander, and I'm from Earth."
16
Xendar
Staring at my princess, I almost couldn't process her words. My fingers tensed around her arms and she winced before I dropped her.
"This is no time for jokes," I growled, though deep down I knew that she wasn't wasting time. Whether what she said was true or not, she was deadly serious.
Her hand brushed my cheek with a delicacy that made her feel more vulnerable, and she took a deep breath. It obviously wasn't easy for her to tell me this, and with an effort I gave her the space to find her words. She couldn't be telling the truth — could she?
"I'm serious, and I know what I'm saying," she said. There was a determination in her voice, a strength that had been missing before. "I was kidnapped from Earth to replace the missing princess so that your marriage could go ahead. We're identical, apparently, but I'm not her. You must have noticed that I didn't know a lot of the things I should have."
A sliver of doubt crawled into my mind at that. I had thought her behavior odd. She didn't know how to use even simple technology, she didn't speak with the imperious manner I'd expected. Achera's sacred flame, she'd frozen when asked to make a public address. All the odd little inconsistencies would make more sense if she was telling the truth.
And there was the sincerity of her tear-filled gaze. I couldn't imagine that this was a lie, it just didn't make sense. Immorata wouldn't pretend to be some low-born primitive to manipulate me. My breath caught as I accepted the truth. This wasn't Immorata. It was Hope.
But that meant that she'd lied to me. That everything between us was false. My blood was already swimming with rage, and now my vision darkened as that anger threatened to overwhelm me. My tail twitched violently behind me, spines scoring the walls.
"You lied..."
"I had to!" her voice broke. "What choice did I have? They caught me, forced me to go with you. What would they have done if I'd refused?"
"You could have told me." My voice was a snarl of anger, and I trembled. But she didn't draw back, didn't cower. I had to admire that, not many could meet the fury of an Acheran warrior-prince without flinching.
"No, I couldn't," she said simply. "You said yourself that billions of lives were hanging on this marriage. How could I deliberately destroy that? And they said that you were a barbarian, that you'd kill me if you found out."
Taking a deep breath, Hope swallowed and continued. "But I am sorry. Sorry I lied, sorry that I was part of this deception, sorry that I dragged you into this. I should have known that it wouldn't work, and you're too good a man to die for a lie."
Instead of drawing back she stepped closer. Rising on tip-toe, she kissed my cheek, and the warm touch of her lips calmed my anger. I sighed, letting go of my tension and trying to think rather than feel.
Hope, whoever she was, wasn't the one responsible for this deceit. And she didn't have to come clean now. It didn't gain her anything, so her only motive was to save me from the near-certain death of a head-on assault on Keshiir. How could I be angry about that?
Easily, part of me answered. The part that was concerned with my honor and my reputation wanted to rage at her. I fought it down with an effort. This wasn't her fault and blaming her rather than whoever had put her in this position was a double injustice.
"Who did this?" I realized as I spoke that I was as angry at the danger they'd put Hope in as I was at the deception. "I swear I will punish them."
The unexpected little grin that crept onto her face at that lit up the small room. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said. "I'm trying to stop you getting yourself killed in a pointless fight, remember?"
"Avenging a wrong done to you is anything but pointless," I said. "I would gladly die defending you. Beyond that, they have wronged me too. This cannot be allowed to stand."
Hope took in a sharp little breath, her face flushing as she shook her head. "It's Immorata you should be defending," she objected. "Not me. I'm no one."
"You are the woman I pledged myself to," I answered honestly. "I never met Princess Immorata, and now I likely never will. So, give me the names of those who put you in this position. They have harmed us both."
She shook her head but still she answered me. "It was Immorata's chamberlain, Lord Rofain, and her tutor Proctor Heriam. I don't know if anyone else was involved, but those two knew. And Keshiir, of course. He's the one who kidnapped me and sold me to the conspirators."
I growled, committing those names to memory. They'd pay for what they'd done. Before I could say more, Hope stepped back from my grasp and turned towards the door. I put a hand on her shoulder, and her own raised to touch it gently.
"You have to let me go," she said softly. "I'm not your princess, Xendar. And I can save lives by going with them. Yours amongst them. It's my decision to make."
That was as honorable a decision as any warrior had made going into battle, and I knew that she was right. If she had been a warrior under my command I would have been proud of her, but this was my mate not a fellow soldier. That made things different.
She's not your mate, I imagined my father's voice saying. She's just an impostor, not the one whose presence in your life will prevent a war.
It wasn't even clear if that war was preventable now, but keeping Hope by my side would not do it. She had no connections, no influence, no imperial blood. Nothing.
Nothing except that she was the one who I'd come to treasure, the one whose smile lit up my life. And what was that against the fate of kingdoms?
Part of me wanted to say that it was everything, that it was all that mattered. I growled, pulling Hope back against me and she came without struggle.
"I will not let you sacrifice yourself," I told her. "If this is the conspiracy trying to cover their tracks, then they cannot let you live. And I will not let you die, Hope Alexander."
She shivered against me at the sound of her name. "You can't save me, even if that's true."
"I can, and I will," I said, speaking with absolute certainty. I might not know how I would protect her, or what I would do to save her, but I would not let her surrender herself to these killers.
"You were willing to die for me," she said, and I could hear the tears in her voice. "Why not let me do the same for you? Besides, they might spare me, send me home."
I knew better than that, and I could tell that she didn't believe it either. Leaving her alive would be too risky for them, and they had no reason to take that chance.
But she was willing to put herself in danger for me. Yet another reason to care for her, to keep her and protect her as a warrior should protect his mate.
"I don't want to lose you." It was such a simple thing to say, and the hardest words I'd ever forced out. This wasn't my princess, but I couldn't let go of the thought of her. Especially not when she was willing to walk into danger to protect me.
She turned in my arms, looking
up at me with bright, tear-filled eyes. I met her gaze, lowering my face to meet her as she rose up, and our lips met in a kiss that sent a shockwave through me. Her little whimper as she pressed herself to me made my body hum with need for her, and I lifted her off her feet to hold her tight.
Our lips parted, and she managed a smile. "I don't want to go either, but if I have to, I want something to remember you by, my prince."
Her hands ran up my sides and I growled. "You are going nowhere. I will keep you safe, little one, and protect you from whatever harm you face until I work out what to do."
My hearts raced as she flushed, her pink cheeks darkening at my words. Her breath caught as I lifted her and carried her to the back of our shared little pod.
"But the others—" she started, and I interrupted her with a kiss. Her shiver of need thrilled me.
"I will work out an answer," I told her. "Trust me. I am a warrior prince of Achera, and if I need to kill Keshiir and all his slavers to keep you safe and happy, it will be done."
"How?" she asked, her fingers trailing up my arm. It felt as though she was leaving a trail of fire on my skin, a flame that consumed me with desire. Her fingers traced between the spines as they rippled with desire.
"I don't know yet, but I will," I told her. "You are my mate, whoever you are and whatever else you might be. I will not give you up to that scum."
Her smile was sad, but it was there. "I don't believe you can do it. But I know that you mean it, and the promise is enough."
She dug her nails into my skin and I gasped, my eyes widening. I could no longer control myself, lifting her and turning to press her against the wall, our lips meeting in a hungry kiss that consumed us both with an inferno of desire.
Wrapping her arms around me, Hope pulled me tight against her, and I could feel her heart race as we explored each other. This moment had been too long in coming, our bodies ached for each other and our souls craved each other's touch. Whatever happened, we might not have another chance to be together and neither of us was willing to let it pass.
