She clutched his hands so tightly she was certain his arms were about to turn blue, but she could not let go. If she squeezed tight enough maybe the emphasis would register, and he would understand.
When he didn’t respond, she blinked away the tears so that she could focus on him. To her surprise he wore a soft grin.
“Aimee,” he began softly, “I don’t want to send you away. I want—” he hesitated and looked down at their hands. “—I want my circulation back, and I want us to become bonded.”
“Wh-what?”
Bonded!
It was the Ziritakian term for marriage—except it was far greater than the ceremony of matrimony. Zak had described it so eloquently that night they were trapped in an underground nook on Bordran. Bonded was for life. There was no divorce, or un-bonding. It was the ultimate commitment between a man and a woman.
“Aimee—I hate that you are here in this dangerous environment. But—” he hesitated,
“—the selfish side of me wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t ever want to lose you again. And if this all goes wrong. If a war breaks out. If—”
He didn’t have to speak the words. He feared that one or both of them might die in the ensuing days.
“If anything happens to me—I want to know you were mine. I want to spend the rest of my life with you—whether it’s a day, a ren—or preferably, an eternity.”
Aimee sniffled. “You underestimate my dam-making abilities. The Korons will be deep-sea diving very soon.”
Zak’s smile made her dizzy. With the slightest tremor in his voice, he asked, “Is that a yes?”
Tears fell unchecked now as her head pumped up and down until the word finally broke free. “Yes!”
“Do you think you can let go of my hands so that I can touch you?”
Glancing down at their clenched fingers, she slowly relinquished her grip. In one surge, Zak’s fingers were in her hair and his lips were on hers, and the kiss was an explosion, as if a new solar system had been formed right here—right in this magical cave high on the crater wall.
Leaving her mouth, his lips brushed against the tears rolling down her cheeks. Strong arms hauled her in closer until she felt their hearts race in tandem.
This was her man. Her man. Hers to love and cherish for the rest of her life. Joy bubbled up inside her and manifested in more sobs.
Zak drew back with concern. “Tell me that you’re crying because you’re happy.”
Her trembling lips were pretty much useless, so she just nodded and smiled.
Warm palms still cupped her face. “I can still see you...that first time on the control deck of the Horus.” His tone was nostalgic. “You were scared, but you tried to act so strong in front of me. And I still remember when you crashed into me in that linear transport. Here I was about to go battle the Korons...I should have been concentrating on that, and yet, all I could think about was how you felt. You marked me that day. I was never the same.”
Me too.
“I thought you were trying to get rid of me. You couldn’t wait to send me off to the Bio Ward.”
“I was trying to get rid of you.” Zak shook his head. “It spooked me to know how much you affected me.”
Aimee reached up to touch his cheek. There were a few lines around his eyes now, side effects of the suns and age.
“Do I still spook you?” she whispered coyly.
There was a shift in his glance. The golden orbs smoldered and he responded in a husky tone, “more than you’ll ever know.”
And he kissed her.
* * *
Warmth.
Zak felt warm from his neck down to his toes. He drew in a breath, but instead of dirt and stale air, he smelled the meadow and a trace of flowers. The source of heat shifted and he smiled contentedly. Aimee was stretched out alongside him beneath a fur blanket. Even in slumber her arm was cinched around his waist as if she was afraid he might slip away. He dipped his head and touched his lips to her temple. It made her stir as sleepy eyes fluttered open.
“Hi.” It was a breathy greeting.
“Hi.” He kissed her and she latched on even tighter, which made him rethink his plans for the day.
“What time is it?” she murmured against his throat.
Dammit, she felt good.
“It is morning,” he rasped.
“Ummm.” Her eyes were half open, and then they were wide, and she sat up so fast her shoulder smacked his jaw.
“Oww.”
“Zak! Come on, we have to go! We have to see if it worked.”
This was what he was in for the rest of his life. It was a notion that made him damn happy.
Aimee ran towards the cave door, her shirt askew as she rushed to straighten it against the gust of wind.
“Aimee, wait!”
He scrambled upright, tripping over the bed of furs. As he charged towards the cave entrance, the shining globes bobbed in agitation.
“Wait!” he called again just as her silhouette filled the threshold.
Aimee stumbled backwards and fell on her rear before he could catch her. Her mouth was opening and closing like one of the creatures in the star atrium pond.
“Wh-wh-wh-” She was crab-walking backwards, away from the light.
In one swoop, he hauled her up from the ground. Her chest pumped with adrenaline as he soothed his hand down her back until she began to calm some.
“Whoa,” she gasped, her fingers clamped around his arms like shackles. “You weren’t kidding about bringing me up here in the dark.”
“I know.” He gritted his teeth, angry with himself. “I should have never risked that climb with you. I just—”
The vice around his arm eased up. “When we get to the bottom,” she said, “I will remind you that coming here was worth every step.”
Her smile eased his self-condemnation...for a moment.
“I will remember this cave forever, Zak.” She pointed at the floating orbs. “These beautiful enigmas.” Her gaze shifted to the ornately carved bench. “The place where you asked me to spend the rest of my life with you.” She glanced towards the floor and the heap of fur blankets as heat bolstered the color in her cheeks. “Wh-when,” she stuttered, “we get back to the bottom, I will tell you that this cave is the best place I’ve ever been to in my entire life.”
“You know I’m not going to let you fall.” His throat was dry. “You know that, don’t you?”
Trust lit up her eyes, making them sparkle—or maybe it was a ray of one of the suns poking into the cave.
“I know that.” She smiled. “But I should probably inform you that even though I have no problem flying...I’m afraid of heights.”
If he could physically kick himself in the rear, he would be doing it right now. How stupid to take her somewhere so perilous. It was selfish, and yet—now, it would also be the best place he had ever been in his life.
Reaching down between them for her hand, he drew it up between their faces, emphasizing, “Don’t let go.”
Aimee snorted. “Yeah, you’re not going to have to worry about the whole letting-go thing. You may need a surgeon to extract me from you.”
With a squeeze of assurance, Zak started first towards the cave entrance. He paused on the threshold and heard her troubled breathing at his side. This dwelling sat three-quarters of the way up the crater wall, with nothing more than a thin lip of rock carved out of the mountainside as access. The path was about a foot wide—not even wide enough for him to walk alongside her. Having hiked it hundreds of times, it was no more stressful for him than mounting a staircase. And in the cloak of night, with his enhanced vision, he could maneuver Aimee easily up the narrow trail. Now, however, the suns were about to creep over the crater wall, which meant he had to move fast. The last thing they needed was for him to lose his sight on this treacherous hike.
“Ohh, Zak,” Aimee’s eyes were wide. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Pivoting her to face him, he asked earnestly,
“Do you trust me?”
Still locked on the treacherous drop to the valley below, Aimee spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “Of course.”
“You need to look at me,” he urged.
Terror was like a magnet. If you were anywhere close to it, it was going to reel you in. Aimee was being reeled in by that harrowing view.
“Aimee,” he called.
Her head rocked, and then she was looking at him, her lips parted on shallow breaths.
He let go of her with one hand to reach for the solar shield dangling around her neck. Working it up over her eyes, he pressed the side of the frame and triggered the obstruction lens.
“What? Wait.” she balked in his arms and he reached up again to steady her. “I can’t see,” she cried.
“People rely on their eyes too much,” he allayed. “If I were to close mine right now, I could still tell that you were beautiful.”
“This is not the time for charm, Zak,” her voice pitched.
“Easy,” he soothed. “Take a deep breath, and—”
“—and what?”
“And have faith in me.”
At that command, her shoulders sagged and she gave up the struggle.
“You hit below the belt, Zak.”
Alarmed, he searched her thighs. “I didn’t hit you.”
“It’s a saying on our planet,” she chuckled. “Never mind.” Turning her head towards the light, he could see the reflection of the crater rim in her lenses. The suns were close.
“Okay. I just want you to know that I intend to slide my butt along the mountain the whole way down,” she proclaimed.
Zak’s hand slipped down her back and lower. “Mmmm. I’d rather not see that damaged.”
Somewhere behind that shield he knew her eyes were smiling. His levity vanished as they stepped out into the wind, engulfed in its vortex. It was difficult for him to acclimate to the light and his sight blurred. A few blinks and he could see again.
“Alright,” he raised his voice to battle the gusts. “We have to march single file. There’s plenty of room for that, and the incline levels-out about halfway down. You can take your shield off once we get there. I’ll go first, and you hang onto my belt, okay? I mean hang on to it. If you feel yourself slip at all, you’ll have a hold of me, and I’m not going to let you pull me over.”
It was a feeble attempt to keep the atmosphere casual, but he knew she could identify the worry in his tone.
Already, he felt her fingers groping his waist until they latched into his belt.
“Good. That’s perfect. If you want, you can let go with your left hand to keep it against the face of the mountain.”
“Yes, I like that. If I feel it, then I know I’m close to it.”
Zak nodded, but realized that she couldn’t see.
“If you need to stop for any reason, yell, or tug on me.”
She held her thumb up.
He glanced up the rock wall, but had no idea what she was pointing at.
“Okay,” he hollered into the wind, “let’s go.”
It wasn’t that the hike was extremely hazardous. It wasn’t that it was insanely steep, or rugged. It was simply that the ledge was so narrow, and that if you dared to glance over the precipice into the yawning chasm mere inches away, you would be lured to your death by vertigo alone. Visually-challenged, and often traveling by night, it was a vista that had never disturbed Zak. Putting blinders on Aimee was the safest option. You can’t fear what you can’t see.
Conscious of her grip on his belt, Zak moved at a gradual pace, one hand flat against the sheer rock face, the other resting atop hers. Every now and then he heard a bleat of anxiety bubble from her lips. He would stop and shift his back against the rock wall, assuring her with word and touch that she was doing great. And she was. Her trust was unconditional. For that trust he would move this mountain if he had to.
Loose pebbles scattered past his feet as he glanced over his shoulder to see if she had slipped. What he saw was a flash of white teeth and pink lips—her bright smile dissected by a lock of copper hair.
“You’re doing great,” he yelled.
The first sun cracked the crater wall, and with it a burst of pain assaulted him, like a knife through the eye. He doubled over in reflex.
“Zak!” Aimee cried, tugging on his belt. “Are you okay?”
Using the rock wall for leverage, even the granite glowed under the sun’s brilliance. There was no relief from the assault.
“Yes,” he assured. “Hold on tight. We’re almost there.”
Encumbered, the path grew hazy. He took a step forward, but was not sure of his proximity to the ledge.
“Hug the mountain, Aimee. Hug close to it,” he ordered as he brushed his shoulder along the rock.
“If I hug it any tighter I might be bonding with it rather than you.”
Damn woman. Always making him laugh during a crisis.
Below his fur-lined boots the path started to glow, the fine granules illuminated by the rise of the second sun. Each shiny piece of quartz was like a miniature solar ray, taking aim at his damaged pupils. Zak dropped his eyelids to mere slits and continued down the path. In time he felt the grade level off. They had reached the mesa, a wide plateau that possessed a natural staircase down to the valley floor.
Aimee must have sensed it. Her fingers relaxed their hold and he pivoted around, pulling her into his arms.
“We made it to the bottom?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.
He pulled her shield up to rest atop her head. Impressions from the device scored her forehead and cheekbones. She was trying to glimpse around him, but he had her locked in an embrace.
“I’m so sorry, Aimee. I thought we would be out of there before the sun rose, but this morning, I just wanted to lay there with you—”
“Hush.” To his surprise, she kissed him. Her lips were cold but warmed on contact. It was definitely a distraction when he was trying to make a point.
Just as quickly she withdrew and stepped back, lobbing her hands on her hips. “Well, would you look at that.”
Zak winced against the reflection of water in the valley. “It’s working!” He stepped forward. “Aimee, you did it, the stream is backing up.”
Backing up was an understatement. A lake had formed at the foot of the crater. The body of water was wide enough to reach the far meadow where the Zull roamed. The creatures would stay safe by migrating north, away from the reservoir. Still, the rapid pace in which the valley gorged was alarming. It accelerated Zak’s strategy as he realized that the rebels would have to act quickly to spare the wildlife that the Ziritakians relied on.
“Ummm, it’s working alright,” Aimee agreed. “A little bit too well. Zak—” She joined him, now fearless of the remaining descent. “If you were looking to orchestrate this—if you wanted a definitive moment to set off an explosion—” she shook her head, “I’m not sure you’re going to have that luxury. This lake is building up fast and furious, and it is causing a lot of pressure against that dam. I don’t know how much longer it’s going to hold up. You need to get everyone ready—now.”
Sunlight glared on the stagnant surface below, but its placid, innocent face harbored a powerful punch. It was exactly what he wanted— but like any supreme force, it could not be controlled.
“Alright. We need to get everyone together and armed, and in position above the desert.”
Preoccupied with strategies, Zak jolted when he felt Aimee’s touch. She reached up and hauled the shield off her head, some of her hair snagging in it. Hefting onto her toes, she fitted the shield over his head and drew it down to cover his eyes. The relief was immediate. It did not stop the pain, but it diminished it greatly.
With her hands still cupped on the sides of his head, her fingers wormed into his hair as she gently admonished, “And where the hell is your eye shield?”
“I had other things on my mind.” He grinned. “I must have forgotten it.”
&nbs
p; “What was on your mind,” she teased so close to his mouth.
A growl sounded deep in his throat before he dusted her lips with his own. The shield prevented him from kissing her like he wanted to. “You’re lucky we have a crisis on our hands or I’d carry you back up that cliff on my back and—”
“Bah, all talk,” she teased.
And then just as her hand slipped from his skin, she sobered and declared, “I love you, Zak.”
Dammit. He never could predict what would pop out of this woman’s mouth next. At least the shield hid exactly how her words affected him.
“What are the chances that I can get you to stay safe in our supply cave while this all goes down?”
Okay, well, he predicted her snicker.
Aside from that, she voiced no answer. She just grabbed his hand and started down the slope.
“Come on. You’re moving like an old man.”
Chapter Fourteen
“How long are we talking?” Zuttah’s stride was wide enough that Aimee had to jog to keep up.
“Imminent. Seriously—” she huffed from the exertion, “—it could break at any moment. Everyone is clear, right?”
To her left, Zak marched with a solar ray gripped tight in his hands. There was no time to ask why he would be carrying the enemy’s weapon. Judging from his demeanor, he knew damn well what he was doing.
Walking between these two men she felt like a dwarf.
“The valley should be clear—” Zuttah sounded anxious.
“Our last trek out there,” Zak inserted, “the one where we found the couple—and—Zon,” he glanced over his shoulder at the small army in tow, “—that was the last of the captive rebels that we could locate. Everyone had long since moved up to the mountains.”
His declaration lacked conviction.
Aimee clutched her star laser. It seemed such an insignificant piece of weaponry when battling ten-foot tall granite soldiers. Glancing behind her, she made eye contact with Gordy who also clasped his laser with such force she could see the tendon protruding from his thumb. With a stern nod at the shield resting around his neck, she conveyed her order. He rolled his eyes and hefted the reflective ring up over his ears.
Beyond : Series Bundle (9781311505637) Page 39
