“Hello,” Rilex said.
It felt like an awkward greeting, strange in the tense situation.
“How did you find him?” Zuri asked. “Where did you find Jem?”
The question didn’t sound accusatory as it had when it was coming from Pyra. Instead it was soft, filled with awe and with the slightest hint of gratitude, as if the tall blond woman had no other place to direct her thankfulness at seeing the lost warrior again and so gave it to him as the first person she directly encountered who she had seen near him. Unlike the defensiveness and tension that he had felt when dealing with Pyra, Rilex felt a wave of compassion toward the woman.
“Jem is fine,” Rilex reassured her. “He is injured, but Ciyrs is caring for him and he will recover, I’m sure of it. He has always been healthy and strong since I have known him. Though I haven’t had much opportunity to spend time with him since we met, I can tell you that he’s strong and brave.” He paused and searched Zuri’s eyes for any sign of comfort that he might have given her. “And he loves his home and all of you. He’s desired to come home for as long as he’s been gone, but didn’t know how to return. Just know that he didn’t mean to be away from any of you or for you to worry about him. Returning to all of you is the reason that we’re here now.”
“I don’t understand,” Elianna said. “How did you get here? Where has he been if not here?”
Rilex took a breath and looked at Elianna.
“You should go in with Ciyrs,” he told her. “The wounded need all of the care and help that they can get. I’ll tell Zuri all I know and she can tell you later.”
Elianna nodded her agreement and rushed out of the chamber toward the infirmary so that she could assist Ciyrs in caring for the wounded. Rilex turned back to Zuri and saw her staring at him with reluctant hopefulness in her eyes. He gestured for her to follow him toward the back corner of the chamber where they could hear each other more easily. Zuri settled onto a low cushion and Rilex reached up to a shelf above her to get a bottle of water. He offered it to her and she took a long, grateful swallow.
Rilex watched as she tried to calm herself. He was still struggling to wrap his mind around their sudden and deep entanglement in the situation. When he first learned of the trouble on Uoria and knew that he needed to get to Jem if he was able, he thought that it might take some time to get to him. He didn’t imagine that he would find them escaping from the museum so soon, or that in an instant they would be thrown into a confrontation that would put all their lives at risk. It had been his intention to notify Jem of what he had found out about Uoria and about Ryan. He thought that he would help the warrior find a way to get back to his planet so that he could help his kind.
Now he found himself fully involved in the conflict and he didn’t know what he should think about it. He was conflicted about their involvement in what was obviously a complex and intense war. At once he was concerned about their involvement, unsure of whether he should interfere with long-standing tensions, but also compelled to stand up and fight beside them. In a way, it felt like joining this fight was a way that he could continue to protect his kind even from this unimaginable distance. He knew that he had made the right decision when he chose not to return to his stream with Vyker and Galadriel and instead remain on Earth where he could continue to do the work he had been doing since he had first arrived. At the same moment, however, it hurt him to know that even as he breathed and lived, his kind was long decimated. The stars that hung above them were reminders of them, secured into place by a treasured gift bestowed on the world long ago, protecting the shimmering balls of light from falling when the creature that made them died. Rilex had to remind himself that that was only the reality in this stream, in this existence. Vyker, Galadriel, and the others were safe and alive in their stream, and if he needed to, he would be able to get to them. They were taking care of his kind, fulfilling the role that he had once held. Being a part of this fight could be his way to continue that role here and show his honor and respect for the life that he had left behind.
When Zuri finally seemed to have settled down enough that she would be able to listen to him, Rilex began to explain how he came to know Jem. He wasn’t sure how much he should tell her, if he should wait until he was able to explain himself to more of them at once. He didn’t want it to seem like he was being secretive, or to cause any panic or upset among the already distressed group, but he also knew that there was no way to explain Jem’s sudden reappearance without fully explaining himself and his kind, as well as the portals that had transported them across the streams. Rilex told her the story in the most basic of terms, knowing that in her state she would likely not remember much of what he had said and that later he would need to tell it all again. When he finished, he paused, giving her the opportunity to process what he had told her so that she could ask any questions that she might have.
Zuri lifted her eyes to him and seemed to peer into him, evaluating whether he was telling her the truth. Finally, she nodded.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“For what?” Rilex asked.
“For bringing him back to us safely. I’m not Denynso, but my mate, Ero, is, and I have come to love them dearly. Jem was very important to all of us and we’ve grieved him since he disappeared. Thank you.”
Rilex shook his head.
“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “It was Angela who gave him the confidence to come to Earth so that he could try to make his way home. She is the one who kept him strong and made sure that he got here.”
“Do you really think that he is going to be alright?” Zuri asked. “We couldn’t bear to lose him again so soon after he got back.”
Rilex nodded.
“I know,” he said. “I’m going to go check on him. I can look in on Ero, too, if you’d like me to.”
“Please,” Zuri said. “I haven’t seen him since we went up into the hallway.”
“I’ll check on him,” Rilex said. “The best thing that you can do right now is stay here and take care of yourself. Those of us who weren’t injured need to be as strong as possible to help the others.”
“This isn’t over, is it?” Zuri asked.
Rilex shook his head as he stood.
“No,” he said.
She nodded subtly as if resigning herself to the reality of what lay ahead of them. Rilex left her and wove his way back through the rest of those clustered in the room. He opened the door to the infirmary and almost immediately a large form stepped in front of him
“It’s alright, Gyyx,” Ciyrs called from across the room. “Let him in.”
Rilex stepped around the enormous warrior to get out of his imposing shadow and then looked at him.
“Zuri wants me to check on Ero,” he said. “Could you direct me to him?”
The warrior Ciyrs had called Gyyx seemed to release some of the tension in his shoulders when he heard the familiar names. He nodded and gestured to a man propped against the wall.
“That’s him,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Rilex walked over to Ero and crouched down beside him.
“My name is Rilex,” he said. “I just spoke to Zuri and she wanted me to make sure that you are doing alright.”
Ero was far smaller than the other Denynso warriors and had a softness to his looks that told Rilex there was something different about him, but he couldn’t determine exactly what. He looked at Rilex and shrugged.
“I could be better,” he said. “I should have been able to get around that hybrid. It shouldn’t have been able to get me.”
“You can’t think that way,” Rilex said. “Remember that all they have ever been trained to do is fight.”
“So have the Denynso,” Ero said.
It was the first time that that thought really sank in for Rilex. As much as they had been talking about the hybrids as weapons that had been born and raised to fight, it wasn’t until this moment that he made the same parallel with the warriors. He re
membered reading about them, learning that these warriors were the most fearsome, most skilled, and most powerful in all the universe because it was their destiny and their duty. It was all they knew. If a Denynso man was born to be a warrior, that was the defining characteristic of their entire existence. They fought because it was their responsibility to fight, but it was also their craving. If he had learned of them when he was in his stream, when he was fighting the battles that had faced him there, he wouldn’t have thought there a difference between the warriors and the hybrids that they had just fought in the hallway. They would have seemed the same to Rilex, compelled by the same force, after the same goal. Now, though, he knew that that wasn’t entirely true.
“They aren’t the same,” Rilex said. “The hybrids were crafted as individuals. The Denynso were born. You have families and bonds that tie you together and that give your life meaning beyond the wars. Yes, you are born to be warriors, but warriors aren’t weapons. Weapons are instruments, warriors are so much more than that. When the hybrids fight, it is because to them there is nothing more. They don’t know a life without training, battle, and violence. They have no love, no friendship, no family, nothing to define them. You can go home after a battle and find solace in Zuri and in the others of the clan. They can’t. It’s different.”
Ero nodded, looking comforted by Rilex’s words. Rilex patted his leg and then stood, making his way back over to Jem. He was resting more quietly now, the tension that had been in his muscles when he was first brought into the infirmary gone as the treatments that Ciyrs gave him eased his pain and kept him relaxed. His eyes were open again now and he offered a weak smile when he saw Rilex approaching.
“It’s good to see you,” Rilex said as he came to the side of the bed that Pyra had crafted for Jem.
He crouched down, his eyes drifting involuntarily to Jem’s chest. The deep wound that had been caused by the shard of glass was concealed by the blanket that covered him, but Rilex saw no blood seeping through, which reassured him.
“It’s good to see you, too. I’m glad you weren’t injured in the battle.”
“I’m sorry you were,” Rilex said.
Jem shook his head.
“I’m sorry that I got you into all of this. I didn’t know that anything was happening.”
“I know you didn’t, Jem,” Rilex said, wanting to reassure the warrior without being condescending to him or making him feel as though he thought differently of him now that he had been injured. “This wasn’t something that any of us could have expected, but I’m glad that we were here for it.”
“You are?” Jem asked.
“Yes,” Rilex said. “It wasn’t what you thought that it was going to be. But as soon as I found out what was happening on Uoria, I knew that you would be a part of it as soon as you could be. This is where they were. Your kind needed you and you were here for them.”
“But you got involved in something that you have no part of. These aren’t your people and Ryan has no issue with you.”
“You got involved with Vyker, Galadriel, Angela, and Jacob when you had absolutely nothing to do with what was happening to them. You offered yourself to their service with nothing to go on but knowing that they needed help. All they had to do was tell you what they were going through and you were right there for them. You didn’t ask questions or try to justify anything. I am honored to do the same for you.”
Jem smiled, but then his eyes flickered over Rilex’s shoulder as if seeing someone that was approaching. Jacob appeared at his side and Rilex shifted slightly to give him space.
“How are you feeling?” Jacob asked, his eyes scanning over the blanket covering Jem in much the same way that Rilex’s had.
“Tired,” Jem admitted. He shifted his weight as if to get more comfortable, but winced slightly as the exertion either exhausted him further or caused him new pain. “Ciyrs’s healings are phenomenal, but they take a lot out of you.”
“So, he’s healed you before?” Rilex asked.
Jem nodded. The revelation was uncomfortable for Rilex in a way that he couldn’t quite understand. He knew that Jem had been involved in wars before, and that meant that he was likely to have been wounded, possibly even more severely than he was now. Hearing it, though, forced Rilex further into accepting the reality that was Jem’s existence before he met him the night Galadriel arrived back on Earth.
“This isn’t the first time that I’ve been wounded in battle,” he said, confirming Rilex’s unpleasant thoughts. “It will likely not be the last.” He chuckled more to himself than to the others, almost as though he was reacting to a memory that had suddenly come to his mind. “And Ciyrs will be there again.”
As if the conversation had taken all of the energy that he had summoned, Jem’s eyelids started to droop and his head turned slightly to one side.
“You rest,” Jacob told him, lowering his voice so that he didn’t jostle the warrior out of his impending sleep. “When you are ready, I’m sure Angela will be beyond relieved to see you.”
Jem was already nearly asleep, but he gave a slight nod. Jacob waited until Jem’s breath was even and deep, and then turned to Rilex. He gestured for Rilex to follow, and Rilex climbed to his feet to comply. He didn’t want to leave Jem’s side, especially now that the intensity of the injury seemed to be pulling him back into sleep, but there was something in Jacob’s eyes that told him there was something important that the younger man needed to tell him.
“I need you to come with me,” Jacob said. “Eden found a door downstairs and it’s locked.”
Chapter Four
Samira ran her hand down the side of Ty’s face, her heart starting to tremble in her chest as the adrenaline of the battle that they had just fought melted into the desire that she felt for her new husband. Talking about their wedding and his words about their marriage had only intensified what had already been on her mind since she realized that they were alone together in the room. She pushed all thoughts of the battle out of her mind and focused on her husband in front of her. She didn’t want to think of anything else but him.
“You know,” she said, running her fingertips along the side of his neck. “All this talk about our wedding day has me thinking about something else.”
“What?” Ty asked her.
Samira smiled up at him mischievously.
“Our honeymoon,” she said.
“What is a honeymoon?” he asked.
“Of everything that you learned from the others about human weddings, nobody told you about honeymoons?” Samira asked.
Ty shook his head.
“No. I don’t think that anyone mentioned that word. What does it mean?”
Samira pulled up a little closer to him. She was much taller than the other human women who had come to live on Uoria with the Denynso, but the massive size of the Denynso men still left her considerably smaller than Ty. She felt small and delicate in his arms, a feeling that she hadn’t had the opportunity to feel very often in her life, and one that she loved.
“A honeymoon is a trip that newlywed couples go on to celebrate their marriage,” she told him. “Usually it happens right after the wedding and the couple goes somewhere special together to spend some time alone. The wedding night is particularly special.”
Her voice had dropped to a soft whisper, but she knew that Ty heard every word that she said to him. His body was already responding to her and she felt her stomach trembling at the feeling of his erection hardening against her.
“I know that we missed our actual wedding night,” Ty said, “but maybe I can make it up to you.”
He ducked his head down and caught her mouth in a tender kiss.
Samira parted her lips, welcoming his tongue into her mouth and sighing at the incredible taste of him. She wished that she had had the opportunity to taste the cake that he had baked for her, for their wedding. In the days leading up to the ceremony she had dreamed of feeding him a bite of their wedding cake and then tenderly eating a piece f
rom his fingers. Though she hadn’t known that it would be a cake that he had created especially for her, she had fantasized about the way that the sweet icing would taste in contrast to his skin as she licked it from his fingertips. Her hands wrapped around Ty’s neck and then slid around to the front of his shirt, working their way down the laces and pushing the neckline open so that she could slide her hands beneath the fabric and touch his smooth, chiseled body.
After a few passionate moments, she pulled her mouth away from his and moved it down to the side of his neck. She kissed along his neck as she ran her fingers along the muscles of his sides. The taste of his mouth on hers and the feeling of his body promising her all of the pleasure that she had been aching for since before they left Uoria washed away everything that the battle had put into her mind and she surrendered herself to the bliss of just being with Ty. He was nothing short of irresistible to her. She wanted to touch every inch of his body and feel the warmth of his skin against hers.
Unable to hold back her craving for him any longer, she let her mouth progress further down until it found his collarbone, pausing only for a few seconds to dip the tip of her tongue into the soft spot between the bones. She then moved to his chest, gradually letting her fingers leave the path that they had been following and trace along the deep groove of the muscles at his hips until she reached his waistband. She looked up at Ty, wanting to express her intention and desire to him, and to see his in the rich orange depths of his eyes. Instead of saying anything to her, Ty rested his hands on her hips and moved back a few steps so that his back rested against a set of shelves along the wall. Once in place, he brought his hands to the front of his pants and released the ties that held them closed. Samira continued to stare unwaveringly into his gaze as she lifted her hands to join his. Her touch encouraged him to move his hands away and allow Samira to open his pants the rest of the way. Ty’s delicious-looking, impossibly hard shaft sprang out into her hand and Samira’s breath caught in her throat. She felt her mouth water as her palm glided along his warm, velvety skin and discovered the trickle of slick fluid that had slid from the slit at the tip.
The Alien Uncovers (Uoria Mates IV Book 3) Page 3
