by Abella Ward
"Veronica will come around eventually."
"While she's a prisoner? She will never forgive me!"
"Of course she will. But maybe you should stop beating up trees."
Anger bubbled in Chapec's gut. How could Dievca treat this so casually? "Duel."
"Duel? Like, for real?" Dievca's arms dropped and her eyes widened. Chapec didn't blame her. They often fought, but not seriously. "To the death and all that?"
"Of course not to the death!" Chapec growled in frustration. "I don't want to kill you. But we duel, and whoever wins decides what we do next."
"What are you going to choose if you win?"
Chapec was silent, staring at her.
His sister narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going to duel unless I know what I'm dueling over!"
Chapec let out a pent-up breath and turned away. This had been building in his head for a long time. He knew Dievca would never go for it. Even if she agreed to the duel and he won, he doubted that she'd accept his decision. But it was the only way he could see to make restitution to Veronica for what he had done.
"I am going to take Veronica back to the Sanctuary and turn myself over to Zon. Let his justice and mercy decide what to do with me."
Silence answered him. He turned back to his sister. Her hands were trembling, her skin a shade of pink he'd only seen on corpses. She shook her head wildly, her short hair flying into her eyes. "No! You can't! He'll kill you."
"It's the only way to get her there safely."
"And what about me? Yes, I messed up, but that's only because I thought you were… I thought you were abandoning me for her. I thought that she was going to end up more important and that sooner or later you'd get rid of me."
"What are you talking about?"
"How could you possibly be happy with her when I was there? I'm sorry for what I did, and if I could fix it, I would. But committing suicide isn't going to make Veronica forgive you."
"She's not going to forgive me while she's a prisoner, either." Chapec shook his head as he sadly looked at his sister.
Maybe he was finally understanding her. She was afraid. Everything she did was either to avenge their father or to make sure she was never left alone again. And even though he was still angry with her, he also pitied her.
"Dievca, you will find a mate someday. And you'll have children, and you won't be alone. But we have been crutches for one another for far too long. I have only stayed here for as long as I have because I thought you needed me. But you don't. You're strong, and you are going to find a way to survive without me. But I can't keep going as if my life here isn't utterly meaningless."
Dievca clamped down on her lower lip. "You're determined, then?"
"I am. But I'll let you have the chance to stop me. Duel."
She shook her head. "I can't. I'll go with you."
Chapec opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, a giant T'shav jumped through the trees. A blue broadsword swung towards Chapec's head. He barely had time to dodge it. Shouts rang from all around, and half-dozen aliens armed to the teeth surrounded them. Chapec and Dievca quickly moved back-to-back, facing off with the enemies.
Laughter rang all around them as the aliens attacked.
Chapter Nine – Veronica
The sequins on Veronica's shirt glimmered as she rocked the baby, trying to get her to sleep. She had had a hard time deciding on a name for her but had eventually settled on Ava. Part of her wanted to ask Chapec what he thought their daughter should be named, but she knew she had to stay strong. Her continued insistence on loving him didn't change the facts.
He had used her to get close enough to a man to kill him. And though he had apparently changed his mind about that, he had still kidnapped her from the one place in the galaxy she would be safe and was holding her prisoner against her will.
But the worst part of all of it was the fact that she wanted to forgive him. She kept catching herself making up excuses for his behavior, or dwelling on the fact that he didn't kill that T'shav in the Sanctuary. But people didn't deserve medals for not kicking puppies or killing other people. That was called being a decent person.
"What am I going to do, Ava? He can be so sweet and vulnerable. And the way he takes care of Dievca… Well, you know how many times he's gone off looking for her and brought her home passed out drunk. It would also help if Mommy's stupid hormones settled down, too, huh?"
Veronica sighed. There was no denying that she longed for Chapec, to be in his arms again, to wrap her legs around his waist. To be moving as one – that exquisite build and the satisfaction when they reached the peak together… But that was completely out of the question. It would give him the wrong idea, and she wasn't going to use him for her purposes.
She sighed again. What was a girl to do?
The door to her house opened. Veronica turned, opening her mouth to angrily tell Chapec that he needed to learn how to knock, but her protest died in her throat. A tall, lean alien with yellow skin stepped into the house. Veronica recognized the species as Dibat. She backed up a step.
"Who are you?"
He pointed a blaster at her and smiled. "Come along quietly and there is no need for you to get hurt."
Veronica's arms tightened around Ava. Her heart pounded, her throat going dry. Not again. They had been here for months, the entire length of her pregnancy, without any contact from the world beyond the stars except for supplies. And now she had a gun pointed at her.
"Come along now," the Dibat said.
Veronica slowly made her way forward. She thought about rushing him and trying to steal the gun, but she'd only be putting Ava in danger. He fell in step behind her, pressing the blaster against her back. Just outside was a sleek transport ship. Why hadn't she heard it land?
She glanced around, half-expecting to see Dievca collecting some sort of payment. But neither she nor Chapec were in sight.
Another half-dozen aliens were in the transport. They all grinned at the sight of her except one, who frowned at Ava. The alien was a female Rlabek: greenish, warty skin covered her face, looking toad-like with her thick, blubbery lips.
"Why did you bring that?" she asked, pointing at Ava. "We don't have a market for babies. Get rid of it."
Blood pounded in Veronica's ears. Every inch of her tingled with a roaring, rushing anger. As one of the aliens came forward, reaching for Ava, she lunged. She managed to grab the blaster the Dibat that had escorted her there now held loosely in his hands. She pointed first at the Rlabek but couldn't make herself pull the trigger. She turned it half a foot to the left and fired.
The bolt of energy shot from the barrel and into the navigation control panel. It exploded in a shower of sparks, making Ava startle and then start to scream. Veronica let off two more bolts, completely annihilating the controls before the Dibat wrestled the blaster from her again.
The Dibat pressed the barrel of the gun to her forehead. Veronica shrank back, clutching Ava tightly. She couldn't let them harm her baby!
"Behave or I'll kill you," the Dibat snarled at her.
The same rushing anger came back and Veronica snarled back. "Harm my child and I'll kill you first! I swear to God, I'll kill every last one of you."
The Dibat looked startled at her outburst, but the Rlabek rolled her eyes. "Fine. You behave yourself and we'll let you keep the brat. Make trouble for us and we kill it and you both. Understood? Now let's get out of here in case those thugs we sent to kill the T'shav fail. The ship's useless. We'll have to get to the town for the mothership to send another transport."
Chapec had tried something like this before. Or rather, Dievca had. Hiring the bounty hunters to kidnap her so that they could come rescue her and cement their relationship. Chapec had told her everything. Probably trying to make her forgive him. It hadn't worked.
What if this was them again, putting her into yet another situation where she would be fearful and vulnerable just so they could rescue her? Was this Chapec's way of trying to make her grateful
to be with him?
"Who are you and why have you come for me?" she demanded as she was propelled back down the gangplank.
"None of your business. You're human. Worth a lot of money."
"And how did you find out I was here?"
The Dibat snorted. "Everybody has heard about what your T'shav twins did at Zon's Sanctuary. We figured since you got knocked up by one of them, they'd keep you with them. It was easy to find a T'shav brother-sister duo with a human in tow."
"Will you be quiet?" the Rlabek snapped as they hurried into the forest, across from the clearing where Chapec and Dievca fought. "Any more questions, human, and I'll cut your tongue out. Our buyer wants a live human, but that doesn't mean in perfect health. And get that brat to shut up!"
Veronica hushed Ava, trying to bounce her gently as they were pulled through the jungle. Nothing helped. If anything, Ava's cries only got louder. Eventually, the Rlabek called them to a halt. She pulled an injector from her pocket.
"Take the baby from her," she ordered.
"No!"
Veronica tried to hold Ava to her chest, but the other aliens grabbed her. One of them pulled Ava away from her while the others twisted her arms behind her back. Bile rose in her throat. She fought with every ounce of strength she had, but it was no good. She was helpless as the Rlabek pressed the injector to her daughter's chest and activated it. Ava instantly went silent.
"Now that it's not giving me a headache, let's get going."
Veronica was released. She was handed her daughter back, and she cradled the small body, terror burning through her. "What did you give to her?"
"Just a sedative. Don't worry, it won't hurt her," the Rlabek said.
"What sort of monster drugs a baby?" Veronica seethed.
The Rlabek smiled. "The kind that won't hesitate to leave it behind and let it die if you don't do as you're told. Now keep your mouth shut and keep moving."
One of the aliens pushed her from behind. Veronica stumbled forward, bile churning in her stomach. There was no way that Chapec or even Dievca would ever allow anybody to drug Ava. That much she was absolutely certain of. To them, family was everything. They'd never risk the baby.
Which only meant one thing. These were real kidnappers, and they really would kill her and her child if she didn’t do as they said. Who might kill them both anyway.
As Veronica hugged the baby to her chest, her fingers brushed against the sequins sewed into her shirt. Would it be enough to mark their path? She didn’t know how good of trackers the twins were, or if they were even alive…
She had to try. There was hope until she gave it up. She worked one of the sequins free between her fingers and let it flutter to the ground. Nobody around her seemed to notice, and her heart lifted.
All she had to do was leave a trail of sequins, like breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel. Hopefully, Chapec would find them and come to save them. Because if he didn't…
Don't think about that. Just breathe.
Chapter Ten – Chapec
Chapec knocked aside the fist that flew at his face. Sweat dripped down his face as he and Dievca stood back-to-back, she having managed to get a knife. He continued to block and defend while she lunged and stabbed. There was a painful stitch in his side from where a fist had landed. The first T'shav that had attacked them lay on the ground, dead from where one of his fellows had accidently stabbed him. Their attackers were drawing back, deeper into the trees.
"They're trying to lure us away from the house," Dievca shouted.
"I get that."
His sister jumped forward, driving her knife through the ribs of one of their attackers. Chapec scrambled to cover her back again; another alien was pointing its blaster at her. He slammed his palm into the alien's wrist, following it up by smashing its nose. Chapec twisted the blaster from his enemy's hand and shot him point-blank in the chest. He grabbed Dievca's arm and pulled her behind him as he shot at the others.
Their attackers ducked behind trees, cursing. They began firing back. The blasts of energy shot chunks out of the trees, the ragged edges catching fire. Dievca darted into the line of fire. Chapec cursed and jumped to cover her as she hurled her dagger. It sunk into one of their attackers' throats.
The new position gave Chapec a good angle, and he took down another one. Only three left now. He and Dievca retreated behind another tree. Two of the attackers turned and ran into the trees; the third kept firing until he realized his companions were abandoning him. He cursed and ran after them.
Chapec aimed his blaster at the retreating figure's back but didn't pull the trigger. Were these Zon's men who had come to take Veronica back to the Sanctuary? If they were… then killing them had been a mistake, even if they were attacking him and his sister.
"Chippy…"
Chapec turned. Dievca was staring at the little farm they had started to build. A sleek stealth ship sat atop the vegetable garden Chapec had worked so hard on. His heart hammered as he glanced at it to the open door of Veronica's house.
"Check the ship," he ordered as he headed for the house.
His sister fell into step beside him. He opened his mouth, but she gave him a firm look. "If we run into trouble, being alone can get us killed."
She had a point, so he didn't protest. They ran to the house to find it empty. Nothing looked out of place, everything neat and organized. There was also no sign of Veronica or the baby. Chapec didn't bother wasting time searching for them. He mentally cursed himself as he charged back out of the house and towards the transport ship. He should have gone there first. If they were preparing for takeoff—
But it was also empty.
"These controls were shot out," Dievca said. She frowned at the crispy navigation board. "Veronica must have gotten her hands on a blaster and decided she didn't want to go with them."
A wave of relief washed over Chapec. He sagged against the wall. Even though there was no real evidence that Veronica was okay, he trusted his sister's assessment. She was rarely wrong. So that meant Veronica was alive. And she was smart. She would stay that way, and she would keep the baby safe.
"A ship this size is too small to carry over-ground vehicles," Dievca said.
"Which means they're on foot. They'll be headed for the settlement."
Dievca nodded. "Most likely through the forest. And even if they took the path, we need to get there ahead of them. We don't know how fast they're going. So we cut through the forest. I know a good trail."
The twins returned to their own house to retrieve the broadswords they had acquired, since theirs were still at the Sanctuary, and headed out. But where to start? Chapec was no tracker. The only reason they'd been able to catch up with the bounty hunters Dievca had hired before the Sanctuary was that the trees were sparse on that world and his sister had put a tracker on their vehicle. This time they had no such luck.
But they were only a dozen yards into the trees when something small and glittering caught his eyes. He picked it up; it was a sequin from Veronica's shirt. He showed it to Dievca, and soon she found another one. Chapec's heart rose. Veronica was alive. She was conscious and leaving them a trail to follow.
"We'll catch up," Dievca assured him.
Chapec nodded. The kidnappers couldn't be more than a couple hours ahead of them.
All too soon, however, the twins were forced to halt. The sun sank beyond the horizon, leaving everything pitch black. There was no seeing the trees around them, let alone the delicate sequins. The twins settled down next to each other. Chapec laid on his back, sword across his chest as he stared at the starlit sky. When they got Veronica back, he was taking her to the Sanctuary. It didn't matter what Zon did to him as long as his mate and baby were safe.
"I'm sorry."
Chapec grunted in surprise at Dievca's words. He couldn't remember a time when she had ever apologized to him without prompting.
"I don't blame you for hating me right now," she continued. "If something happens to them, I'll never forgive my
self. You were right. Dad would never have wanted me to become so obsessed with revenge. And because I blew our chances at the Sanctuary…"
"Nothing is going to happen to them. We'll find them, and we will take them back to the Sanctuary."
Chapec closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to continue after the kidnappers, they needed rest to face the next day. He just hoped that their quarry had been forced to stop as well. If they had lights and could continue throughout the night…
"I think part of me was jealous that you found a mate," Dievca whispered. "I could see the way you loved her and she loved you. I don't think I'll ever have that kind of love. I don't think I'll ever find a mate."
"You will eventually."
"Sometimes I'm not sure I even want one. But it would be nice to have somebody." He felt her shudder in the darkness. "But I don't suppose I'll ever have the chance. You're right. We have to take Veronica back to the Sanctuary. And I doubt that they'll just let us leave again."
Chapec reached over the forest floor until he found his sister's hand. He squeezed it gently. "Once we have Veronica back, we can find you a new place to go to. You don't have to go back with us."
Dievca snorted in the 'you're an idiot' way he was so used to. "Of course I do. I'm not letting my brother face a warlord alone. Besides that, what if you're attacked on your way there? You need me to cover your back."
"Well, we'll figure it out." Chapec breathed in and out, trying to calm his mind. The worry wouldn't stop twisting his gut, and every inch of his body longed to be up and moving. They should have grabbed lights from the house before chasing after the kidnappers. Thoughts tumbled all around his head, and eventually, he sighed. "I don't think I'm her mate."
Dievca stirred. "Veronica's? Of course you are."
"No. She's my mate. I love her, but after the way I treated her… She won't choose me to be her mate. And that's okay. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that she is safe in the end."
