by Abella Ward
Hope lit her eyes, and he knew that it was the right course of action. He couldn’t risk her life. It didn't matter what happened to him as long as she survived this. Vanessa clutched his hand, but he pulled it away. He didn't want to accidently crush her delicate bones.
"What do we do?"
Taliga pushed himself upright. The tremors were subsiding. He took a deep breath and glanced at their fellow prisoner. The priest would know what he was doing the moment he started to explain it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t say anything.
"Vanessa, the reason that these priests chose you for the sacrifice was because you were leading the dawn rites. Only a virgin can lead those rites. A virgin, like you."
Her eyes widened. "But they didn't say anything about—"
"I suspect that Zon knew that you were a virgin and didn't say anything about those requirements because he didn't want to embarrass you," Taliga bluffed. From the look on Vanessa's face, he could see that she believed him. The spasms were gone by this time, and he grasped both of her hands in his. "This sacrifice that these priests are planning to make is also known as wiping the slate clean. There have been other such sacrifices in the past."
He glanced at the priest. The man looked a little disgusted but said nothing. Good. Vanessa, on the other hand, had that bronze flush in her face again. Her eyes were wide.
"You want to… Here? But just because they won't sacrifice me doesn't mean they won't kill you."
"They won't kill you at all until they know if you're pregnant or not. It will buy us some time, at least." He turned his face away from her eyes. She believed every word he said. But he couldn’t let that stop him. He looked at the priest. "This woman is my Starmate, and I will do what I must to keep her safe. But marriage before physical intimacy is an important part of the faith she was raised in. Will you marry us according to the customs of the Wytsian Order?"
A look of understanding dawned on the priest's face, overcoming his previous disgust, but Vanessa grabbed Taliga's shoulder and turned him towards her, shaking her head wildly.
"I can't. I can't have my first time with an audience. And it won't even ensure that they don't kill me. And what about you? They'll still kill you, even if they don't kill me. I wish I hadn't stopped it on the planet, but it's too late to go back on it now and I can't do it here. I just can't, Taliga."
The T'shav pulled her in his arms, trying desperately to think of a way to convince her to do this. They had to marry. It was her only chance. The priest cleared his throat. Taliga cast him a panicked look. Would he reveal what Taliga was really after? Would he ruin it all?
"Your Starmate doesn't have all the information, child," the Suesue said softly. "Yes, a woman who is pregnant may not be sacrificed, but neither can the father of the child. If you do this, then it is more than your own life you're are buying a little more time with. And I will not watch. I will turn my back and meditate."
Taliga gave him a grateful look. The priest nodded at him as Vanessa looked up. Tears streaked her beautiful face, but the light of hope was back in her dark eyes. She looked between him and the priest, chewing on her lower lip.
"You mean it? If we do this, then Taliga will be spared with me until we know one way or another?"
The priest nodded. "And if you do get with child, neither of you will be killed until after the child's birth. And given your T'shav's strength and cunning, I am certain he will find a way for both of you to survive."
"But what about you?"
"I am old and willing to die for my beliefs."
Vanessa shivered but she nodded. "Then we will do this."
"Marriage first," Taliga said quickly. "It's important to you."
"I don't see how—"
Taliga kissed her gently. "Please. I don't want to take this last bit of your culture away from you. We will marry first."
Vanessa shrugged one golden shoulder. "I suppose… it was traditional on Earth to marry wearing a white dress. I'm in a white dress. Might as well get married."
Her lip trembled all the same as they faced the priest. He directed them to their knees and used one of the scraps of cloth to tie the two of them together. Taliga's heart thumped in his chest. If they weren't able to get this done before they were interrupted, there was nothing else to do. Vanessa shivered beside him, not looking at him. He didn't know how to comfort her.
"Do you swear your body and love to this man?" the priest asked Vanessa.
She nodded.
"What will you give to him to prove your devotion?"
"Give?" she repeated.
The priest nodded. "You must give him a treasured possession of yours to show he is worth more to you than anything you may own."
Vanessa hesitated. With one hand she pulled her necklace with the pendant of two crossed bars over her head. She pressed it into his hand. "It's the last thing I have from Earth. The most treasured possession I have."
Taliga held the little pendant tightly. He'd give it back before they faced their fate on the planet. The priest touched Vanessa's forehead and then Taliga's.
"A worthy gift. May you be bound in spirit." He looked at Taliga now. "Do you swear your body and heart to this woman?"
"Yes."
"What will you give to her to prove your devotion?"
"The black blade I crafted by my own hand. I don't have it with me at the moment, but it's all I possess. I have nothing else."
"A worthy gift." He touched Taliga's chest and then Vanessa's. "May you be bound in heart. You are married."
Taliga closed his eyes. It was done. Now he could only hope it was enough. Vanessa was looking at him with wide, uncertain eyes. He smiled gently, then strode towards the door.
"What are you doing?" Vanessa cried.
The T'shav struck the door with a closed fist. "I demand to speak with the high priest. The human is my wife and I will invoke my rights as her husband."
"What rights?" Vanessa stared at him with wide eyes.
He returned to her, struggling to find the words to tell her the truth.
"Taliga, what have you done? You said that we needed to—"
"I lied."
No sooner had he said the words than the doors burst open. Vanessa clung to him as the high priest strode in. His golden eyes glowed with anger. Taliga's black blade was in his hand, seemingly absorbing the bright light that shone from every angle.
"You are not married."
"They are," the Suesue said. He got to his feet. "I just performed their wedding."
The high priest's face twisted. The blade flashed and stabbed through the Suesue. Vanessa screamed as the alien dropped like a rock.
"You thought you could escape your rightful fate?" the man screamed, whirling on Taliga and Vanessa.
The T'shav shielded his new wife with his body. If the priest came at him now, he doubted he'd be able to withstand him. Not weaponless as he was. He could only hope that the man's own customs and beliefs would protect them. When he came at the two of them, Taliga planted himself more firmly.
"It is a convention in the Wytsian Order that if a married woman is condemned to die, her husband has the right to fight for the right to take whatever crime she is condemned for on his own head and die in her place," he shouted. "As Vanessa's husband, I claim that right. To fight for the chance that she might live."
The priest came up short.
Vanessa cried out. "No! No, you can't!"
"This is why I lied. You would have fought me if you knew the truth. I'm sorry, Vanessa, but it's the only way I can save you," Taliga said. "Well, Priest? Are you going to hold to the tenets of your faith or disavow them?"
The priest's face twisted in fury. "You will face me on Earth's surface. And after I kill you, the false human will die anyway. Spare the traitor," he ordered over his shoulder. "He doesn't deserve funerary rites."
As the other Wytsians pulled the body from the room, the priest never took his eyes from Taliga. The T'shav didn't back down. He stood straight and tall. Eventually, the man turn
ed and stalked out, leaving the newlywed couple alone. Taliga turned. Vanessa backed away from him, glaring.
Taliga sighed. As long as I can save her, all of this will be worth it.
Chapter Nine – Vanessa
Vanessa wrapped her arms around herself, not looking at Taliga as he knelt beside her. Why? Why was he doing this? Any of this? Why turn against his partner to try to save her from being turned over to these people? Why fight so hard to save her? Why marry her so he could take her place as the sacrifice?
Why be willing to die for her?
"Vanessa, I'm sorry I lied to you," Taliga said softly. "But it's the only way I can save you."
"So the whole possibly-pregnant thing was a complete lie?"
"Yes."
She shivered despite how warm the room was.
"I'm dead either way," the T'shav said gently. "But I have the chance to save you, and I am going to take it. I'm the reason you're in this predicament in the first place. If I hadn't kidnapped you, you would still be safe in Zon's Sanctuary. It's my responsibility to do what I can to get you out of this mess. And I swear, I will give my life to get you home."
At last, Vanessa raised her head. She stared into Taliga's black eyes and made her voice cold when she asked the question that was weighing most heavily on her mind. "When you told the priest that I was your Starmate, was it a lie as well?"
She knew what Starmates were, of course. Living among the T'shav, it was impossible not to know. The T'shav believed that their souls were born in stars and that these souls were put into physical bodies over and over again until the star learned all it needed. Starmates were two souls born in the same star, destined to always find each other and be together in all their lives. A romantic notion, if ever there was one.
Taliga opened his mouth, but suddenly Vanessa didn't want to hear the answer. Whatever it was, whether the truth or a lie, it didn't matter. It didn't change the situation. They were still prisoners, and one way or another, he was going to die when they reached Earth.
And before he died, there was something she wanted to do.
Before Taliga could say anything, she launched herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck. The T'shav barely had enough time to catch her before she kissed him hard. All the feelings she had been trying to suppress were let loose in a flooding torrent, leaving her gasping for breath. Part of her brain said that this wasn't the time or place, but if not here, where? If not now, when?
Taliga kissed her back, his hands digging into her soft skin as he pulled her closer. He closed his eyes, teasing her mouth open – and abruptly pulled away.
"Wait," he gasped. "You don't really want this. You were saving yourself—"
"For marriage. And we're married." Vanessa stroked his black hair from his face and straddled his hips, letting her skirt ride up. "And even if we weren't, I want this. I want to be close to you, to have you fill me. If your plan does work, and I live… you'll die. If that happens, I want this to remember you by. I don't mean to be morbid, I just—"
He cut her off with another kiss. Maybe he was feeling the same desperation as she was. He pulled her closer, their skin sticking together with the sweat that already covered their bodies. There was no time to explore one another and learn the secrets of each other's bodies. But Vanessa didn't really care. His touch was enough. The feeling of his strength as she wrapped herself in his arms was better than she had ever expected.
Taliga reached under her skirt, gently removing her underwear while keeping her covered. Their eyes locked on each other as he moved his hand between her thighs, narrowing in on the spot that filled her body with fire. She gasped, arching her back to him while still clinging to his body. Their mouths met, their tongues danced, and Vanessa knew that she wouldn't trade this moment for any other.
"Take me," she whispered.
"You're not ready. I'll hurt you."
"I know." Vanessa dug her fingers into his hair. "But I can't wait any longer. Please, Taliga. I don't care if it hurts."
The T'shav hesitated. "Give me a little more time to stretch you out with my hand."
He demonstrated, and Vanessa gave in with a groan. Her head fell back as her hips came up. Taliga's face was set in determination, his black eyes almost glowing as he worked on her. The buildup was quick, and Vanessa writhed under his touch, clawing at the floor as she tried to keep herself still. Her lover and husband never took his eyes off her face, even when he shifted his clothing aside and entered slowly.
It hurt a little as he entered. The sting faded away when he stilled, though it was a little uncomfortable. But as Taliga started a slow, steady rhythm, Vanessa forgot her discomfort. She lifted her hips, trying to encourage him to go faster, but he didn't. He kept that same slow rhythm, wrapping his arms around her and still staring her in the eyes.
Vanessa didn't know how long she could take but knew that she didn't want this to end. Ever. A feeling of connection welled in her, and as she held Taliga and they stared into each other's eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if this was what her mother always meant when she meant husband and wife were meant to become one soul.
She truly felt like she was holding Taliga's soul in her body at that moment.
Taliga's face twisted in concentration, but all too soon he gasped, body bucking, and his head dropped to her shoulder. He became still, finished. Vanessa didn't mind that she didn't follow him, and only held him tighter when he whispered that he was sorry.
"Don't be." She ran her fingers over his skin, reveling in their closeness, although she knew it was too hot to last very long. "I still enjoyed it. I never expected my first time to be that good, if I'm honest. I thought it would hurt a lot more."
Taliga smiled sadly at her. "I could have made it hurt even less if I had taken more time."
"I didn't want you to take more time."
It stung a little as he withdrew, and he grabbed one of the scraps of cloth they still had to clean her up a little. Vanessa couldn’t help but smile at him. For a mercenary and kidnapper, he had a surprisingly gentle soul. At least, he did as far as she was concerned. She only wished that she would be able to see more of it. That their time together wasn't going to be cut short by a man who had no right to call himself a priest.
"Can I answer your question now?" he asked softly when he laid down beside her.
"What question?"
"Whether I was telling the truth when I told that priest you were my Starmate." His fingers caressed her neck, making her shiver. "Although I have to admit that I'm curious as to why you would ask me such a question if you didn't want to hear the answer."
Vanessa shrugged. "I didn't know that I didn't want to hear it until after I asked. I was afraid that no matter what you said, I wouldn't have the guts to do what we just did. But I'm glad we did. I don't want you to think it's just because we might die, even though it is partly that, but there's more to it as well. I just… I wanted to be close to you. Especially now that we're married."
"That reminds me." He snatched something off the floor and handed it to her.
Vanessa pushed herself to her elbow and took a closer look. It was her necklace. The symbol of their wedding vows. She shook her head. "I want you to keep it."
Surprise flitted across Taliga's face. "But it's the last thing you have from Earth."
"We're heading there right now. Either we're both going to die or you are. I want you to keep it. It's my marriage gift to you. If I take it back, it's like our marriage wasn't real. And I know this is less than ideal circumstances, but I don't want to think of our marriage as fake. Please. Keep it."
Taliga nodded. He looped the chain over his head. The delicate little cross looked so strange with his broad chest and devil-red skin. "And as for your question… at this point, I don't know. Whether you are my Starmate or not, I mean. I could say that I've never felt this way about a woman before, and I haven’t felt exactly this way, but I have been in love. Her name was Edala."
Vanessa was surpr
ised as a surge of jealousy took her. Mutely, she nodded for him to continue, not about to break the moment with her petty thoughts.
"I met her many years ago. I loved her, and I thought that she loved me. We traveled the galaxy together, stealing what we needed to move from place to place, and I had never been happier… until she stabbed me in the back." He touched a long, thin scar just above his heart. "I still don't know exactly why she did it. The best I can figure is that she didn't want to share our earnings with me anymore. She left me for dead. And I would have died, too, except… Well, Kulog found me. He knew my reputation and decided to take a chance on me. He healed me and I was thus upgraded from petty thief to full-on mercenary. I suppose that's why I stopped myself from killing him for so long."
Taliga's voice sagged with bitterness. Vanessa put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can't be angry at yourself for not killing your partner."
"I should have. I knew what he was; I saw what he did. I should have killed him long ago. But I didn't have the strength. Not until I met you."
Vanessa shifted closer. Taliga cupped her face and they leaned towards each other. Before they could kiss, however, the door was flung open. The priest stood in the doorway, the black blade in his hand. Vanessa's heart dropped and every happy thought she had had turned to ice.
"We arrived."
Chapter Ten – Taliga
The stories of Earth Taliga had heard in his childhood made it sound like a perfect paradise. Lush jungles, deep, sparkling oceans. He had always been taught that humans were a blessed species to live in such a paradise where they were the dominant predator. Of course, that was always followed by stern warnings that they were expelled from that world because of vague sins and that the world had been cursed for it.
Looking at what the planet had become, Taliga believed it. The ground was hard as a rock. The sun beat down from the sky and an equal amount of heat rose from the solid dirt beneath his feet.
The Wytsian priests ringed him, looking as cool as space in their heavy robes. They must have some sort of cooling system in there. Vanessa was held at one side, bands of energy holding her arms across her chest. The High priest faced him, naked but for white trousers.
