by Casey Wyatt
Warmth flooded my body. Motherhood. Me. A mommy. Long ago, when my mortality was taken, I knew this day would never come. How wrong I was. Never say never was so true. Filled with melancholy, I sighed.
“I wish. . .” I stopped. Regrets were pointless.
“Wish what, luv?” Ian said, head tilted to the side.
“Never mind. It’s stupid.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting your family to share in your joy.”
“How did you know? Mind reading again?”
He shook his head, lips pursed. “I wish for the same thing. My Da would have been so proud. He’d have been enchanted by you.” He drew my knuckles to his mouth, brushing each one with his satiny lips. “It’s important to remember those we have loved. Here or not.”
Jonathan’s broad smile and rumbling laugh popped into my mind. As clear as if he was standing at the foot of the bed. Way to go Cherry. Well done. His voice whispered in my mind.
Ian stiffened. “Did you hear that?”
I jumped out of the bed. “Okay. This is too much freaky shit in one day. Since when do dead vampires return as Jedi Masters?” The thought of Jonathan popping up and giving me Yoda-like advice gave me the heebie jeebies.
“They don’t,” Ian said through gritted teeth. “Be right back.”
Ian dashed away, leaving me in silence. I swung my legs off the bed, only to stop. Outside, through the tiny bedroom window, Ian stood in animated conversation with Lake Lady. Unable to hear, I decided to join them.
“I want answers,” Ian demanded.
The lady turned to me, “Truly astonishing. I can sense the life in your womb. Already its tiny heart beats.”
“How could the baby have grown so quickly? We made love less than a week ago.” Ian rubbed his face, stress cracking his cool guy demeanor.
I curled my arm around his, resting my head on his still naked upper torso. The runes on his belly burned with a faint blue glow. The unreal situation defied explanation, far as I was concerned.
“You have super sperm, darling,” I suggested.
Ian scoffed, then ruffled my hair. “I shouldn’t have any soldiers left to march to the war.”
Lake Lady watched impassively, her eyes far away. She blinked once, then twice more. “There have been no babes born to the Eliade since the lost peoples left for Earth. Kasia tells me the last Queen—”
“Wait. You can speak with the ship?” I asked.
“Yes. As I was saying—”
“Since when?” All this time, we could have been in contact?
Ian sighed, heavily. “Might as well answer Cherry’s questions, otherwise, you’ll fade before we get to the point.”
“Recently, when your servant Jay restored the links,” she said.
“He’s not my servant.” Not anymore. Possibilities threaded through my mind. “So, we could go back to the ship now. Right?”
The lady shimmered, her image fainter as her allotted energy ran out. “Well yes. But as I was about to impart, those with child who settled on Earth quickly discovered their bodies changed. They became what you would call, undead. Eternal youth was granted, but at a high price.”
Horror cramped my stomach. I placed a hand on my still flat belly. “They lost the babies.”
The lady sadly nodded her head. “Think carefully before you do anything rash.”
~ * * * ~
“Why? I don’t get it. Why would they change on Earth?” I asked. After the lady dissipated, Ian and I located Jay in a chamber outside the Hall of Murals. We decided to keep the baby news to ourselves, until we knew more. My body could still reject the fetus. The possibility pained me.
The downside to remaining quiet – other women in the group might also be able to conceive. Ian believed differently. His theory— the bracelets or the runes or a combination of both had something to do with our sudden bout of fertility.
Jay rubbed his chin, mind furiously at work on the problem. “I have a couple of theories. The first, the ancients altered their genetic make-up to try and survive on Mars. Those changes reacted unexpectedly as they interacted with Earth’s varied environment. Or someone purposely changed their DNA, allowing longevity on Earth until they could find their way home.”
“Or,” Ian chimed in, “a darker alternative. Someone wanted their race to go extinct and designed a fatal mutation.”
“Not a pleasant thought, to be sure,” Jay said. “I’ll think on it. Cherry, how did your meeting go with Harmony?”
Crap, I totally blew her off when I ran away. “I didn’t get a chance to meet with her. I will as soon as we get back home.”
We said our “see you laters” and headed down the mural hallway.
“You said home,” Ian stopped us in the deserted corridor.
The beautiful scenes held new meaning for me. Rather than depicting strangers, they had become comforting and familiar. Like my long lost ancestors had reached across time to tell their story.
“I did, didn’t I?” Funny, because an hour earlier, I had leapt at the chance to go back to Earth. Fickle pregnancy hormones. I hoped.
“You did,” Ian circled me in his arms, pulling me into his wide chest. The material of his jumpsuit, rough against my cheek, contained his unique minty odor. “We’ll make this work. We will, you’ll see.”
“Now we really need to find out who is trying to kill me.” I shivered.
“He or she will die,” Ian said, deadly and low. He tilted my face upwards. Lethal intent darkened his expression. The blue in his eyes glowed. “By my hand.”
His protective, alpha male attitude lit my body up with an aching need to touch him. I drew his face down and kissed him, long and hard. My tongue slid against his, igniting flames deep inside me.
With a regretful groan, he withdrew, “As much as I’d like to shag you senseless, the hallway is probably not the best place,” he said. One rub or caress in the right direction and I knew his control would snap.
Duty pushed to the forefront. Damn, being responsible royally sucked. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
“We should get back,” I said, not really wanting to or meaning it.
“Yes.”
“Okay, then.” With leaden footsteps, we made our way back to the outside world. The sun shone brightly, the sky a washed out blue. Mars had no real upper atmosphere so the sky would never be as vividly blue as Earth.
Ian planted his body next to mine, the cliff side wall next to me the entire way back.
I winced when we reached the hovercraft. Sand coated the interior. In my haste, I’d forgotten to close the protective dome.
“What was the rush about?” Ian asked, head shaking.
“I honestly don’t know.” I explained about the overwhelming urge to run. With each word, Ian’s frown deepened.
“I don’t like it. When we get back, we’ll strengthen your mind’s barriers. Someone is overriding—” Ian stilled. “Hide.” He shoved me behind the hovercraft. “And stay quiet. No matter what.”
I moved behind the car, ready to protest until I heard engines whine in the distance. I crouched low to the ground. The crafts stopped, three of them based on their shadows. Gravel crunched as heavy feet stomped in quick succession. Guns cocked in near unison.
My throat closed. Vampires. None of the brain patterns were from my family. Oh shit. Holy hell.
“Welcome to Mars, boys,” Ian said.
With agonizing slowness and precision, I adjusted my position so I could see what was happening. Christ all mighty. There were at least eight vampires, clad in heavy black jumpsuits. They were each equipped with multi-pocketed vests. Plenty of places to store ammunition for the heavy automatic weapons they each held.
“Did you think you could hide from justice forever?” One goon called with a thick Australian accent.
“You call this justice. There are ten of you, each heavily armed. And only one of me, digger.”
“Fuck you, Ian. And don’t call me digger. Let’s go.
You’re coming with us.”
I froze in place. Ten of them. Too many big movements and they would hear me.
Ian ignored the comment and kept feeding me information, “And do I detect a rocket launcher? Not very sporting. Seems kind of extreme, don’t you think?”
“You would know wouldn’t you? Murderer.”
“How could I have killed the queen when I was standing on the other side of the street? Half a dozen witnesses saw me in the crowd.”
The vamp from Oz, snorted, “Easy enough to pay someone else to do your dirty work. You rogues have no honor.”
“So then, who did I hire?” Ian challenged back.
“Doesn’t matter. Queen Thalia’s decreed you’re guilty,” the Aussie stubbornly insisted.
“Christ, Joel, use your brain for once. I’ve been set up. Thalia doesn’t want anyone to know the truth. She’s the one—”
A shot cracked. The recoil echoing in the canyon behind me. It took every ounce of control not to rush out.
“Shut it, Ian. Next one goes in your skull,” Joel warned, an edge of mania in is voice.
Ian’s low laugh flooded me with relief. “Bullets can’t kill me.”
On Earth, my brain screamed. On Mars, the rules for immortality had gone out the window. I prayed, please Ian, don’t do anything stupid. Did Joel and his cohorts know? And, how long had they been here? Why didn’t Kasia warn me?
“Enough talk, take him down.”
No. No. No.
“You’re welcome to try.” Ian’s emotions channeled straight into my head. His message to me was run when the time was right, no hesitation.
“Gladly.” Joel’s feet moved forward. A muffled whoosh stopped him.
“Hold your fire. God damn you!” Joel yelled.
From my vantage point, Ian flew backward toward the canyon. A rocket hot on his trail.
The concussion rocked the hovercraft. Heat singed my hair and eyebrows.
My mind screamed, Ian!
“We were to take him alive!” Joel ran in the other direction. A gun cocked, then fired. Again and again and again. A body hit the ground. “Leave his worthless corpse here to rot.”
I stuffed my knuckles in my mouth. I would be silent. I would not scream
The men loaded into their vehicles. Right before the engines started, I heard Joel say, “Let’s find the red-haired bitch and kill the others.”
When I was sure they were gone, I ran to the canyon’s edge. Fear of falling was the last thing on my mind as I peered over the side, hoping, praying Ian clung to a ledge, waiting for rescue.
No one was there.
I squeezed my eyes shut and reached out to his mind.
Nothing but a black abyss where his thoughts had resided. He was gone. I was alone.
Then I howled in agony.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I cried and screamed until my throat was raw. I clawed my way into the hovercraft. In a grief induced haze, I started the vehicle and raced toward the colony.
Personal pain aside, I had a family to save. I opened the curtain in my mind. Their emotions were calm, normal. Nothing had happened yet. I sent out a mental warning. Run! Escape to the caves. Don’t let them follow you. I had no idea if it would even work.
Tears blurred my vision. The wind whipped them off my cheeks and into the ether. Eventually, I calmed enough to use the bracelet to warn Jay and the scientists to stay in the caves. I numbly relayed the news about Ian, each word burning on the way out.
He can’t be gone.
“Don’t tell the others. I don’t want them to panic.” More tears threatened to undo me.
“Now seems like a perfect time to panic. How the hell did they get here so fast?”
“Doesn’t matter. The whole colony is in danger. Try and find a way to warn them. I’ve got to go.”
Jay pleaded, “Cherry, wait for me. Don’t go alone.” When I failed to answer, he relented, “What are your plans?”
“Kill them all,” I screeched over the rushing wind. Yup, I was thoroughly unhinged.
“Yes. But a plan first would be better.” Jay reasoned.
“Fine.” I stopped the craft. I had the baby to think about. What kind of mother would I be if I went and got myself killed?
~ * * * ~
Our plan wasn’t half bad. My biggest obstacle would be making it happen before anyone else died. Thalia’s goons would eventually learn I was in the caves – probably through painful means of persuasion. At some point, they’d be headed back my way.
Jay had established a link to Harmony through the Moon Temple. I don’t know how and frankly I didn’t care. She agreed to intercept the soldiers and direct them back to me.
“Please, stay safe,” Harmony said. The impending appearance of ten heavily armed vampires didn’t appear to frazzle her.
“Me? What about you? Hide the zombies and revenants as best you can. I don’t think they know about them.” I worried about Joel and company using them for target practice.
“I will do as you ask.”
Philip appeared behind Harmony, his ebony face joining hers on the view screen. “The rogues are flying them out right now. I’ve ferreted out a coward who will surely give you away.”
Pearl, I’m embarrassed to say, was the first face that popped in my head.
“Captain Trent is off his rocker. He tried to hire me to locate you so he could turn you in. I slipped your location accidentally.” Phillip spat, “Filthy traitor.”
“I’m not surprised. He and I don’t get along.”
“You’re his sire. His maker.”
Harmony placed a stark white hand on his dark skin. “We must go. They draw near to the temple.”
“Stay safe.” I couldn’t stand the idea of losing anyone else today. Except Trent. I’d deal with him later, if he survived. I suspected Philip would finish him off before I could. Whoever thought there was no honor among rogues was an idiot.
“You too,” Harmony said. “Protect the spark of life you carry.”
The vid screen went dark. How did she know about the baby?
Stick to the problem at hand. Always sound advice. The sun was on its final descent over the horizon. Bold shades of red and orange blanketed the sky. The beautiful vista angered me because Ian wasn’t there to see it. Those bastards.
Fury sharpened my focus. Jay had hacked into the enemy hovercraft’s GPS system. Orange dots blipped on the map. They were currently at the colony. Not wasting any time, I located the equipment I needed to stop them.
Vampire super speed came in handy as I raced around setting up the small gadgets I needed to create an energy field. The GPS dinged. They were on the move.
With a final prayer, I parked the hovercraft where they couldn’t miss it and took cover in the most unlikely place.
Ten minutes later they arrived. I studied the enemy from my vantage point. Cursing, my heart sank. Only five had come. It made sense they would leave men behind.
Full darkness had taken hold, the only light from the blanket of stars. Good thing, because my hiding place would be obvious in daylight. Both moons were on the planet’s other side. Phobos would appear in another hour, but by then, it would over.
Wind buffeted me, making it difficult to hold my position. The butterfly tickle of the baby steeled my resolve to hold on for a little while longer. Ian’s laughter rode on the winds of memory. I tucked my grief away, like I had with the other tragedies in my past. I’d mourn later.
With military precision, they exited their craft, automatic weapons raised, begging the question – what kind of vampire uses a gun? The cowardly kind. Or fledglings with no power of their own. I was voting the latter since they had flashlights. New vampire night vision is non-existent. Lucky for me, no one thought it was important to equip them with night vision goggles.
Hand gestures replaced vocal communication, but I could read the gist of the movements. When the all clear signal was given, they fanned out. I couldn’t let them move too far apart
. They needed to stay inside the perimeter I had set up.
A hand shot up in the air. Two fingers to the eyes. The hand pointed to the rocky ground.
Damn it. One of them had discovered the proximity field. Time to end the game. I activated the cuff, detonation sequence set.
“You know, it’s funny. No one ever thinks to look up.” Five weapons flicked upward. Flashlight beams cut bright lines into the dark night. Finding nothing, they methodically searched in a tight back to back circle and came up empty.
Three. Two. One.
Electric jolts lashed out, blasting everyone inside the circle. White hot lightning arced through their bodies with terrifying force. They collapsed. Spasms jerked their limbs in multiple directions. Zaps and pops muffled their strangled grunts of pain.
One by one they twitched senseless on the ground. I hoped it hurt like hell.
I dropped into the cockpit of my hovercraft and contacted Philip. “Clean up in aisle ten.”
Within minutes, the rogues swooped down from the sky, big ass night birds with attitude. Wordlessly, they each hefted a fallen goon and carried them off. Alone in the dark, I heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Part one of the plan went off without a hitch, which meant part two was doomed to failure.
~ * * * ~
Sakes alive, I hated it when I was right. Part two hit a snag because part one presupposed all of Thalia’s men would leave the colony. Stupid me.
In any case, I didn’t appreciate Jay’s candor when he pointed out the flaw.
“Hey, I’m not a military strategist. My planning experience involves which part of my clothing I’m peeling off next. So give me a break.” I snapped, banging the hovercraft’s seat with my closed fist.
“Don’t be so sensitive. I’m not criticizing,” Jay blew out an exasperated breath. “Where are you now?”
“About a mile away from the colony.” I glanced around for the millionth time, expecting to see the other five heading my way at any moment. “Look, I’m the one they want. Maybe if I surrender, they’ll go away and leave everyone else alone.”
“That’s a bad idea,” a deep baritone voice said from the seat behind me.
