by Rachel Clark
But it was the order he gave that left Chris truly confused.
Chapter Ten
One by one, the dria-coldars managed to disarm the humans with nonlethal force. The human’s attack seemed confused and uncoordinated, even to Seth who really had no military understanding other than what he’d watched in fictional shows. More than once Zed’s shield had been peppered with rapidly fired bullets, but then the humans had stopped, seemingly waiting for something else to happen.
The flying crafts Seth had called helicopters proved the most difficult, but once he and his men had been able to force them to land via a combined effort of telekinesis, disarming the men inside had been fairly easy.
“You okay?” Seth asked as his men went along the line of captured humans and erased their memories. Seth followed Zed’s line of sight. “It’s not one hundred percent effective on humans, and they seem to have found a way to reverse it, but it should stop them from trying to kill us right now.”
Zed nodded slowly as he marveled at the soldiers’ abilities to keep moving. He’d never had anyone try to kill him before so it was going to take him a few more moments to gather his wits.
“These humans are a poor example of their race,” Seth said in a reassuring tone. “Most just want to live and let live, but some prefer to kill anything they don’t understand.” He stood beside Zed not looking at him, apparently giving him a chance to pull himself together as he continued to talk. “At least we have an idea of where they’ve been getting their information from. You said you didn’t trust Bik either. Does that mean you didn’t give him the coordinates to your family’s location?”
Zed nodded. “They should be safe,” he said, not bothering to correct the man’s use of “your family.” True, they were actually Reyne’s family, but Zed felt responsible for them. Calling them his family wasn’t too far from how he felt.
“But they’re in this general area?”
Zed nodded. He’d been required to give the captain a vague location before Bik had let him onto the ship back on Jernodria, but the actual coordinates Zed had given him should have landed him a good sixty miles east of the actual farmhouse where Daku and his podmates had been staying.
“Do you trust me to help you collect them?”
After everything that had happened since leaving the ship, it seemed a no-brainer. Zed was about to nod his head when one of Seth’s squadmates came up to them.
“Seth, there’s a human here you might want to talk to. He’s asking for asylum.”
“Seriously?” Seth asked as he turned a quick frown Zed’s way. “We don’t have time for this.”
“He says he can identify the Jernodrian who’s been passing on information.”
Seth glanced around the area as he nodded. “Okay, bring him with us, but check him for tracking devices first.”
“Will do.”
“Are you ready to go collect your family?”
Zed nodded. “Absolutely.”
* * * *
It took another fifteen minutes of silently waiting for the man to finally leave, but Naith’s heartbeat had barely slowed back to normal before he sensed the approach of several more dria-coldars.
“Into the cellar,” Chris ordered, apparently interpreting Naith’s, Ben’s, and Daku’s reactions correctly. “How many?”
“At least four,” Daku said, frowning hard, “but I think one of them is familiar.”
Chris shook his head. “Don’t care. Move now while we have the chance.”
Naith nodded quickly, reached for Felicity, and lifted her and the blanket she’d been sleeping under into his arms. As a group they hurried across the backyard to a small dilapidated shed. He could feel Daku’s projection surrounding them and it gave him a small measure of peace. At least if the men who’d been looking for them earlier doubled back they shouldn’t be able to see them.
“Naith?” Felicity asked sleepily, snuggling deeper into his embrace. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Just to the bunker,” he said quietly. She jolted awake a little more at his soft words.
“Why?” she whispered.
“We’re about to get visitors and we just want to make certain they’re the right visitors. We’ll be safe in the bunker while Daku investigates.”
“Dak?” she asked, coming fully awake.
“It’s okay, baby girl. No one will see me until I want them to.”
She nodded, but it was clear that she wasn’t happy with Daku putting himself in danger.
“Don’t worry, Flick,” Chris whispered as he opened the cellar door and stood back to let Ben go down first, “Dak won’t be alone.”
Daku didn’t seem very pleased by Chris’s decision, but he didn’t argue with him on it. Naith quickly helped Felicity out of the tangled blanket, waited for her to reach the bottom of the ladder and then followed her himself.
“Don’t leave here until one of us comes to get you,” Chris ordered as he closed the hatch.
Naith heard the soft scraping sound of debris being put back over the hatch to hide the door from sight and then strained his ears as he heard his lovers move away. He, Ben, and Felicity moved deeper into the bunker.
Ben hurried to the storage area and quickly gathered clothes for them to wear. Felicity seemed relieved, perhaps not thrilled about the idea of meeting guests—good or bad—wearing only her skin. It was a shame to see her beautiful body covered up, but now was not the time to think about sex.
“What did I miss?” Felicity finally asked. She’d proven too observant over the past three months, so Naith knew they weren’t going to be able to keep the truth from her.
“While you were sleeping, we got a visit from a dria-coldar who appears to be working with the humans who killed Reyne.”
“I slept through that?” she asked incredulously.
Naith smiled. “We were very quiet, and Daku kept an illusion in place so that he couldn’t see us.”
“Okay, well I suppose it’s a good thing that I didn’t wake up in the middle of that.”
“A very good thing,” Ben agreed. “Do you mind if we hold you while we wait?”
“I’d like that,” Felicity said as she moved into Ben’s arms. She sighed when Naith wrapped his arms around both of them. “I’m terrified for both of them, but at least they’re together.”
Naith nodded. It wasn’t much consolation for having two family members once again facing danger, but Chris had proven a very capable protector and Naith had no doubt he and Daku would protect each other.
He held onto that thought as tightly as he held onto the two people in his arms.
* * * *
As much as Zed wanted Seth to land the transport on the front lawn, he knew it wasn’t a good idea to call attention to their arrival. They’d already found evidence of recent military-like human activity in the area, so the last thing they wanted to do was give them a reason to double back.
All four of Zed’s hearts pumped painfully, fear for his family threatening to overwhelm him. He’d been certain that he’d given Bik coordinates far enough away that he wouldn’t stumble across the actual farmhouse where they’d been staying. The thought that they might already be captured or worse was enough to leave him catatonic. The only thing keeping him sane was the thought that Daku wasn’t completely helpless. Hopefully he’d been able to keep an illusion in place long enough to hide them while the humans had searched the grounds.
Zed glanced at Seth and the three dria-coldars with them. They were obviously experienced soldiers. Not one of them was shaking after the attack the way Zed still was.
“You just need to keep moving,” Seth said quietly.
“I’m okay,” Zed lied. He was anxious to get going, but after what had happened he was very willing to listen to the voice of experience, even if he was going to lie about his reactions. Seth gave him a small nod, turned to look at the human in their midst, and then ordered one of the soldiers to stay on guard.
The human, Mason Riggs, had alr
eady been very helpful. Not only had he described Bik perfectly, thereby giving them enough information to at least have the man charged with several crimes, the human had already been very helpful in explaining why the attack on them had failed. Even Seth had physically shuddered at the weapons the humans had supposedly been planning on using. If any of it was true—and they couldn’t discount the idea that the man was exaggerating to better his chances of being granted asylum—then without the human’s help the outcome of their encounter might have been very different.
“Does he realize he’ll need to be claimed as a dal-shera before he can step onto the ship?” Zed asked Seth as they finally exited the transport and quickly checked the surrounding area. The transport’s radar had already reported that there were no vehicles in the area, but it didn’t hurt to do a visual check.
“I don’t know,” Seth said with a shake of his head. “Mason seems to know a lot about Jernodrian culture, but in many ways the information is corrupted and incomplete.” He signaled to the two soldiers to approach the building in different directions and then turned back to Zed. “He knows a dria-coldar claims the humans, but I’m not sure he understands that it’s also a necessary DNA change for them to be able to travel safely.”
“So you’ll leave him on Earth? I got the impression his fellow soldiers would likely kill him for betraying them the way he did.”
Seth shook his head. “I’m not sure what to do. Humans are turning out to be a far more complex species than we’d anticipated. Their sense of honor is questionable at times but I’ve met many who are genuinely nice. My brother, Rick, recently claimed two human dal-sheras of his own. Kyle and Chloe are both really sweet and they bring such a different energy to the family. They’re actually both due to give birth any day now.”
“I’m sorry you’ll miss that,” Zed said honestly. New podlings had become a rarity on Jernodria thanks to the low availability of dal-sheras, so the arrival of little ones was often celebrated by the entire extended family. With six to eight people in each family pod, that was one very big party.
“So am I,” Seth said, his attention still very much on their surroundings. “Have you spoken to Daku about the two humans with them?”
“Not yet,” Zed answered as the realization that his plan to insert them back into their ordinary lives probably wasn’t going to work. Seth had seemed pretty confident that humans could reverse the memory suppression technique taught to every dria-coldar before he was allowed to step foot on a ship to Earth. Zed had been the one exception to that rule, but even he’d been expected to learn it on the way here. At the time it had seemed like the perfect solution, but now he wasn’t so certain.
They opened the gate to the yard, not trying to hide their approach. It was likely Daku was holding an illusion in place until he could positively identify them. At least, that’s what Zed hoped.
“Go ahead and call out to them,” Seth said with a nod. “If you’d read Daku’s report, you’d know how dangerous Chris is. When protecting his family, Chris is apparently a crack shot.”
“Oh,” Zed replied as he again regretted not being able to read that particular report. It had never even occurred to him that the humans might have more to offer than just being vessels capable of producing offspring. It would seem that when it came to the sentient species on this planet Zed truly had no idea.
“It’s okay,” Seth said, apparently noticing Zed’s reaction. “Chris is the reason Daku, Naith, and Ben are still alive. When it comes to a fight, he’s a good man to have on your side. Go ahead and call them.”
Zed nodded and then called Daku’s name several times. He was about to step into the seemingly abandoned cabin when the illusion fell and Daku was standing only a few paces away from him on the driveway.
“Zed,” the yala-coldar said as he moved closer and gave him a quick hug, “it’s good to see you.”
* * * *
Thirty minutes after the arrival of his—as human’s would call him—“brother-in-law” Daku was ready to strangle the man. Zed had given them a dozen valid reasons why they couldn’t stay on Earth, but when it came to Daku’s opinion it was dismissed out of hand. It was true that the brothers had never been alike, but right now it was clear Zed and Reyne had been complete opposites.
It was also clear that Chris’s first impression of Reyne’s brother wasn’t any more favorable.
“So what you’re saying is there is nowhere on Earth that Daku, Naith, and Ben will be safe? That the memory alterations on the agents chasing us won’t hold, and thanks to a Jernodrian traitor they’ll forever be a target?”
“I’m afraid so,” Zed answered in a conciliatory tone that suggested he was speaking to a child. “That’s why I need to take them home.”
“Very noble,” Chris said in a sarcastic tone that Zed seemed to miss. “Almost as noble as leaving Felicity here to fend for herself.”
Seth managed to hide his smile, but Zed just looked even more confused. “Felicity won’t be alone. I’m told you’re quite capable of protecting her…in human ways. We’ll just arrange new identities and paperwork for you both. You can start a new life anywhere you want to.”
“Except that your snitch already told you the Jernodrian systems and networks on this planet have been compromised. I shot eleven agents defending Daku, Naith, and Ben. Do you think the humans are going to stop looking for me just because you took Reyne’s husbands home?”
“Chris, we’ll find a way,” Daku said as he reached for the human’s hand. “Felicity is innocent in all of this. She doesn’t deserve any of it, but between the four of us we’ll keep her safe.” He turned his attention to Zed. “We were safe here until you shared our coordinates. We’ll find another home and be safe again. What we won’t be doing is letting you drag us back to Jernodria like recalcitrant podlings. Chris and Felicity can’t leave the planet, so Naith, Ben and I plan to stay.”
“Dak—” Zed began in a pleading tone, but Daku cut him off, tired of being treated like his opinion didn’t count. Dria-coldars may be the leader of a family in their culture, but Reyne had never not listened to his husbands’ wishes.
“Go home, Zed. We didn’t ask you to come rescue us. We were doing fine on our own.”
“What about your extended families? You’ll never see them again.”
Daku shook his head. It hurt to think he’d never see his parents or siblings again, but Chris and Felicity were their family now. They had no intention of leaving them behind. He stood up, moving his chair away from the table as he reached for Chris’s hand.
“Reyne loved Chris, and I have no doubt he would have loved Felicity too if he’d had a chance to meet her before he died. I won’t sully his memory by abandoning the dal-sheras Reyne chose for our family.”
“Daku, I didn’t mea—”
“Go home, Zed. We have nothing more to talk about.”
* * * *
Zed had no idea what to do now. He couldn’t just abandon Reyne’s family on Earth, but it had become increasingly obvious that he’d underestimated Daku. Unlike the yala-coldars that Zed had always seemed to end up involved with, Daku was an adult quite capable of making his own decisions and protecting his family.
It seemed ironic that Zed had always envied his brother’s happy marriage without ever truly understanding it. Just like that moment three months ago when he’d learned of his brother’s death, everything was suddenly very clear in his mind.
“If you won’t come home, at least let me stay on Earth with you.” He held up his hands in a surrendering gesture when Daku looked angry enough to throw a punch. “I won’t interfere, but I can help you protect your family. Please, don’t let a disagreement between us affect your decision.”
“Zed,” Daku said, dropping the anger as he gave him a sad look, “we can’t ask you to give up your family anymore than you can ask it of us. Don’t you have a yala-coldar waiting for you to come home?”
“He’s not waiting for me,” Zed admitted, wishing he did
n’t have to explain this in front of Chris and Seth. “When I got the news about Reyne it put a lot of things into perspective.”
“I’m sorry,” Daku said with genuine sympathy, “but truly. You don’t need to stay. We can’t ask you to put your own life on hold to look after your brother’s family.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. At least let me help you get settled in a new home. I promise not to outstay my welcome.” He realized that promise was a little hard to keep since he wasn’t exactly welcome right now, but he needed a chance to make things right.
“Do you understand that Reyne was a target because of his skills? Do you even know how to defend yourself?” the human asked angrily.
As much as the derogatory questions rankled, Chris’s hostility was understandable. Fuck, Zed had messed this meeting up from the very beginning. He’d never considered himself the type of dria-coldar who would demand obedience from his family, but it seemed, intentional or not, that he’d arrived on Earth expecting exactly that. Even before meeting Chris and Felicity, he’d subconsciously decided they weren’t worthy of his time. Hell, he couldn’t have been more mistaken.
“Chris, I’m sorry for my attitude. I was wrong.” The admission felt foreign on his tongue. Had he never admitted that before, for anything? He swallowed hard and tried to file that disturbing thought away to deal with at another time. “Please just let me help.”
Apparently Seth took pity on him because he quickly described the attack on them earlier and talked up Zed’s abilities. “It’s best if you all disappear off the radar for a while. There’s no telling what might be happening back on the ship. If the captain thinks we’re dead—and since he seems to have organized the attack that’s very likely—he might already be suggesting a military strike.”
“Earth isn’t ready for that,” Chris said, with a worried shake of his head. “But they’ll fight back regardless. You’ll also be confirming everything the men who attacked you have been told.”
