Queen Of Twilight

by Octavia Kore

  A breeze as soft as Xia’s breath whispers against the back of my neck, and I spin around toward the hole that has opened up in the tree. Standing just outside, in the spot where I had hoped to find my mate, is a younger Lightborn Dauur male. We stare at one another for a moment before I hand Kareen to my twin.

  “Ettrian?” Aquilian calls as I walk toward the opening, but I do not respond.

  Anger is coursing through me, causing my quills to quiver as I approach the younger male. “Where is she?”

  “Who?” The mocking tone of his voice pushes me over the edge.

  My hand shoots out, wrapping tightly around his throat and I slam him against the wall of the tree. Our quills are rattling out warnings to one another, but I ignore him and squeeze tighter. Obviously Aquilian has not beat these males to a pulp so I gladly will. They were sent here for my mate. They were sent to do something because I could not stomach the thought of following through with the command from the aliens. Rationally, I know these males have no reason to hurt her. The aliens want her alive, want her to be bred. If she is injured, that could jeopardize their plans. Dauur males, under normal circumstances, would never try to force a female. Even if a pair did, our females are more than capable of defending themselves against unwanted advances, but Xia is not like them. My female is small, soft, and was not born with anything she could use to fight.

  I have good reason to be concerned for her safety and if Aquilian knew the things that I did, he would be fearful as well. “Enough lies.”

  “I am not lying to you!”

  I am surprised when he decides to speak out loud instead of through the bond. I should have known the aliens would have done the same to him as they have done to me. His claws have dug into my skin where his hands grip me and blood drips freely from the wounds. “Tell me where my mate has gone and I may not strangle the life from you, Lightborn.”

  His eyes narrow on me, quills rattling louder. “I have already told you! I have no idea where she ran off to. Neither my brother nor I have hurt her!”

  I hear his words, but my mind is on Xia. She is out there somewhere, most likely with this male’s twin. I would kill for this female, tear this Dauur apart if it would help me find her. Xia is everything to me. I see her holding Kareen close as she begins to whine and fuss over having to be inside the tree all of the time. I see the way she gifts Aquilian with touches that light up his entire being. Guilt rips through me when the memory of her gentle kiss against my lips flashes through my mind. Xia kissed me, touched me, even without knowing what she meant to Aquilian and I. You tried to force her into acceptance, I remind myself bitterly. You do not deserve her after what you did. I know it is the truth, and yet I hope that someday she will find it within her heart to forgive me. I acted out of fear and I lost the very thing I was trying to save.

  “Release him, Ettrian!” I hear Aquilian command. “Yssig has done nothing but aid your healing. He has brought back cinsi blooms.”

  I glance down at the floor and see the sack of blooms he must have dropped when I attacked him. That does not matter to me. I know what this male was sent here for. It is obvious my brother does not because he would never have allowed them to stay within our home, this close to our kit and female.

  “I have already told you, Ettrian. We have done nothing to her, I swear it.”

  I open my mouth to tell him I do not believe him, but a sharp pain in my calf causes me to stumble backward, releasing the Lightborn so that I can catch myself. I spare a glance at my wounded leg. There is a gash from his calf horn, but it is not bad enough to keep me from going after him again. A snarl rips from my throat as I launch myself at him, ripping one of my quills from my head. We collide and a moment later I have the younger male pinned beneath me, the quill in my hand is pressed against his throat.

  Blood trickles from the small wound on his neck as he fights against me. The farther the quill digs in the harder he fights, his chest heaves as he pushes up against me, struggling to throw my weight from him. I position my leg, aiming my calf horn for his side, but Aquilian makes a sound of distress followed closely by Kareen’s gasp. My gaze flies up to where they are standing. Kareen’s tiny bottom lip is trembling and large tears are trailing down her cheeks. Her hands are wrapped so tightly around my twin’s quills that I see two of them release from his head.

  “Stop!” She cries as Aquilian scowls at me, his arms wrapping around her tightly as she buries her face in his chest. “No more. No more.” Her panicked whispers break my heart.

  Even the male beneath me has gone still as he watches the kit, concern pinching the features of his face, his eyes going from the red of battle to blue. He is sad that my kit is upset.

  I pull my quill back slowly and frown down at him. “Are you going to tell me the truth now, Lightborn?”

  With a deep sigh, the male turns his eyes to me. “She has been taken to the alien’s lab.” His jaw clenches and I know he must find that thought as distressing as I do. “I will take you there.”

  I stand slowly, reaching my hand out to help him to his feet, my eyes locked on his. “What was your name?”

  “Yssig,” He grunts, rubbing at the blood on his throat.

  “Thank you, Yssig, for the blooms.” I cannot help the snarl that pulls at my mouth. With the way he watches me, I know I do not have to tell him I do not trust him, that I know why he is here and it is not to help me. Kareen sniffles again and I move toward her, keeping the Lightborn within my vision. My kit reaches out to me and I scoop her up into my arms, my hands brushing her tears away. “I’m sorry.” I whisper into her hair.

  “I don’t like when you fight. It scares me.”

  If I did not feel awful before, I absolutely feel it now. I nuzzle my face against her wet cheek and rattle softly, trying my best to soothe her. “I have never been a papa before, Kareen. I am trying to learn to be a good one, but sometimes I need help.”

  “I can help you! I’m a great helper.” She wiggles in my arms and I set her down, watching as she bounces excitedly. Her little hand clutches Aquilian’s and she smiles up at him. “I’ll help both my papas!” That she whispers this along the bond so that he is included squeezes at my heart.

  Through our bond I feel his joy and the love we share for our kit and although I never would have admitted it all those days ago when I first came upon the females with my twin, I am grateful to the Sun Father for choosing Xia for us.

  “We will find your mama now. You will stay in the tree until we return.”

  Our daughter’s little head whips my way and she stomps her foot against the floor of the tree. “You can’t leave me all alone! I’m only six years old!” She huffs, something I am sure she learned from her mama, and her bottom lip pokes out.

  I project her words to Aquilian who cannot understand what she spoke aloud and he crouches down beside her. “It is very dangerous, Kareen.”

  “But what if you guys don’t come back for me? I could die and no one would ever find me!”

  “We will come back for you.”

  “You don’t know that. My other mom and dad never came back for me!”

  “Ettrian…” Both Aquilian and Kareen stare up at me, eyes pleading.

  So this is what it feels like to be a papa. She is right, of course. What if something happens to either of us and we do not make it back for days? There is not enough food here to sustain her for very long. I sigh. “Fine.” A snort from the front of the tree has me narrowing my eyes on Yssig who watches us with a smirk on his face. “You will show us the way, Lightborn.”

  “I said I would.” Yssig rolls his shoulders and then jerks his head toward the forest. “We should get moving.”

  Hours later I find myself walking behind a male I know I cannot trust, my brother at my side, a rammit, and a sassy kit who knows exactly how to get her way. We are coming for you, Xia.

  Chapter 17

  Inoxia

  “Step inside.” The fly guy who brought us into the interior of the bui
lding says, pushing me forward. His translator has obviously caught up because his speech is no longer just buzzes and gurgles.

  I take a few hesitant steps, not exactly sure what he means by “inside”. There are no outer walls, just the one at the back. Doxal moves past me, stopping near the stark white wall and then motions for me to follow him. As I move there is a soft whoosh and I spin around to see that something similar to the outside of the dome they trapped us in has come down between the fly aliens and us. As the alien taps away at the pad in his hands I take a moment to look around the space behind him. They had called this a lab, but it isn’t at all what I was expecting. It looks more like a clinic with the metal tables and lights that remind me of surgical rooms. My stomach drops a little as I ponder what they use those for.

  On the far side of the room are other cells like the one we are in. Aliens I’ve never seen before pace within them, yelling, throwing around small cots, but I can’t hear any of the noise they are making. I step close to the barrier and the fly alien eyes me. “What do you want with us?”

  Lowering the tablet, the Tachin turns his head like he is trying to decide if I’m worth his time. His insect-like hand presses against the barrier and I hear him speak, “I have been given permission to answer your questions, female. This tactic has proven successful in gaining cooperation from your species in the past.”

  “In the past? There are other humans?”

  He makes a sound I take as a derisive snort, “Of course there are. You may be harder to obtain now that the Grutex have been destroyed, but you are not the first or last human to come through this facility. You are not special.”

  Well, jeez, thanks. “If I’m not special, why go through so much trouble to get me?”

  “I am part of the last generation of the Tachin born the natural way, the right way.” If flies could sneer, I’m pretty sure that’s what this guy is doing. “Our species is facing a crisis that threatens to wipe us out. Males and females alike are becoming infertile at an alarming rate. It was one of the reasons we aided the Grutex in their quest to obtain your kind. We have worked diligently to merge our DNA so that we may save ourselves.”

  “How will humans save you?” I ask, not entirely sure I actually want to know the specifics.

  “You are excellent incubators for our larvae.”

  Yep, wishing I had never asked. “I don’t understand. Couldn’t you just take our eggs? Why do you need us to carry your… children?”

  The alien huffs like I’m the most unintelligent creature he has had the misfortune of meeting. “Our species do not breed the same way. Simply taking your genetic material will not work. A Tachin male will hunt out a female who puts off the proper pheromones and once he has coaxed her to land he will mount her and perform the mating dance. If she is not enticed she will shake him off and move on, however, if she accepts him she will place her ovipositor into the opening of the male’s genitals and he will release his sperm into her.” He shivers like just telling me about this is doing something for him. “The sperm travel through her channel to her eggs and they are, hopefully, fertilized. When they are ready, the female deposits them into a carefully dug out hole where they develop into larvae. She will care for them until they mature. Taking your eggs will not do since they must be incubated within a host and our females are incapable of this.”

  I don’t mean to put down another species’ breeding habits, but I’m so thankful I’m not a Tachin female. “Hold on, your females are the ones with cocks?”

  “They are not cocks! They do not thrust.” The Tachin’s other hand comes up to slam against the barrier, cracking the tablet he was holding in half.

  Well, that struck a nerve.

  “Do not pay her any mind.” A second Tachin says as he walks up to our angry fly guy. “She will act accordingly or she will be strapped down.” He shrugs his shoulders, his wings fluttering behind him. “Either way, she will be inseminated and we will have another chance.”

  “That will not be necessary.” Doxal speaks up from behind me. “One of the males within the dome has already mated her.”

  I glare at Doxal, wishing I could punch him without injuring myself. He makes what Aquilian and I had sound so cheap. I refuse to believe my alien was with me because these bastards told him he had to be. Maybe this was what Ettrian had been trying to say the day Aquilian had made him leave. Even if they knew about this, Doxal made it sound like he hadn’t wanted anything to do with me, and my guys definitely didn’t seem to feel that way. I’m not going to let them turn me against the only beings who have helped me.

  A light flashes at the station that sits in the center of the open space behind the Tachin and the one who put us in here rushes away, leaving us alone with the new, scarier alien. “Well, this is good news.” He says, placing his hand on the barrier so that we can hear him. “Your vigilance has brought you a reward, Dauur.” He motions with his other hand and we watch as another Tachin flies into the room. Curled in his arms is a small Dauur, a young female not much bigger than Kareen, her black quills are barely long enough to curve along the back of her head. Like Doxal, her entire body is black. The fly guy holding her passes through the barrier as if it doesn’t even exist and deposits the girl on the floor before backing out.

  Doxal rushes to the girl’s side, rattling his quills softly as he runs his hands over her. “Yasi, look at me. Did they hurt you?”

  I look up to see the alien I assume is in charge watching us. “Hey, you didn’t really explain what was going to happen to me now that you know I’ve been mated.” But he doesn’t respond. His hand slips away and the room is quiet again except for Doxal’s soft murmurs. Instead, the fly guy turns and joins a small group of Tachin who seem to be poring over tablets and high tech machines.

  “I want Mama!” She fusses, shoving Doxal’s hands away. “I want to go home!”

  “I know.” Doxal sits back, a stricken look on his face.

  As mad as I am at him for bringing me here, my heart hurts for them. “Do you want to tell me about your mama?” I ask softly, brushing my hand over her crest. Without quills, I can’t rattle to her, but I can try to comfort her in other ways.

  Her light blue eyes fall on me and I’m knocked backward when she launches herself into my body, her arms wrapping tightly around my torso. “My mama was the best mama.”

  “Was?” I turn to Doxal who nods sadly.

  “They killed her.” The girl, Yasi, tells me.

  “The Tachin killed her?”

  “No.” Doxal says with a shake of his head. “Our village did.”

  “Your village? Why the hell would they do that?”

  “They called our family cursed for producing so many Darkborn kits.”

  A frown pulls at my mouth, “I don’t understand what that means.”

  Doxal gestures down at himself, “Yasi and I are Darkborn, as is your mate Aquilian. Being this way is… not desired. Yssig is the only Lightborn our parents ever produced. The last kits my mama gave birth to were twins, little males.” His jaw clenches before he continues. “Dauur are born a very light grey, like some of the patches on Yasi, but our brothers were born partially colored. Darkborn. The elders heard and they claimed that the Sun Father had cursed us for the final time. They ordered the deaths of our parents and brothers.”

  “Yssig and Doxal took me and we ran away before they could find us.” Yasi says, rubbing her face against my chest.

  “I’m so sorry.” I whisper, running my hands down her back. “What they did was horrible.” We sit like that for a while, watching the Tachin as they flutter back and forth, vials in hand. Yasi falls asleep in my arms and I lean back against the wall, trying to get comfortable.

  “We didn’t want to do this, but they had Yasi. She has already lost so much, we couldn’t leave her alone.” Doxal says inside my mind.

  “Did they know? My guys?”

  Doxal sighs, “Your mate, Ettrian? They captured him and installed his translator, but somethin
g was not right. We were here when they brought him in again, but only briefly. He told them he would not mate with you because you could not understand that you were his, that he did not want to hurt you.”

  A broken translator would explain why I could only understand a few words. What could they have held over Ettrian to make him even consider doing what the Tachin were asking though? “Why would he do what they wanted? You and Yssig did it for Yasi, but what did Ettrian do it for?”

  “Your kit.”

  “My kit? That’s a child, right? I don’t actually have one of my own.”

  Doxal huffs quietly. “Your Kareen. It is my understanding that they threatened to kill her if he did not do as they asked.”

  A shiver works through me at the thought of the Tachin anywhere near Kareen. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same in that situation. “I could be pregnant now and they would take this one. Why would a child, a kit, that isn’t his be enough to make him mate with me.”

  “Dauur, most of them anyway, believe kits to be the most important things in our lives. Even though he did not know yet that you were his mate, Ettrian would have risked his life for Kareen.”

  “Why do you keep calling them my mates?”

  “What else would I call them?” Doxal glances at me in confusion. “Their quills changed for you. This is a sign that you are their fated mate. Do humans not have these?”

  “I mean, kind of? We have a deal with the Venium, the aliens who saved us. A bunch of them have found fated mates among humans, but humans as a species do not have fated mates. We pick and choose as we see fit.”

  The dark male nods his head. “A fated mate is a rare find. Dauur may also choose to make a family without the benefit of being fated.” Yasi sits and he reaches out a hand to caress her quills. “You are not pregnant.” The last part is barely a whisper.

  “What?”

  “You said you could be pregnant. You are not.”

  A laugh tumbles from my lips. “I’m sorry, but how would you know that?”