by C. R. Jane
The woman didn’t say anything, her expression stoic like she’d forgotten how to feel, then quickly covered her sleeping baby.
“He’s beautiful,” I said, my breath hiccuping. “What’s his name?”
“Jihl. She’s a girl.”
“I’m so sorry, I-I…”
“It’s hard to tell at this age. Who are you?” she asked bluntly, her eyes squinting my way, studying me as if trying to see right through me.
“I’m Ella, and I’m looking for my mom who was taken from Earth. I’m hoping she was brought here and I can find her.”
The woman studied me for a long pause. “They used to bring and take females from the other buildings, but then they consolidated everyone who remained in here. I’ve been in this cage for three weeks, and seen enough death to last me a lifetime.”
“You’ve been stuck in here for three weeks?” My heart bled, and trying to keep my head straight seemed impossible when I just wanted to burst out crying for these prisoners, for this woman and her child, for my mother going through this.
“I’ve been hoping my husband will come and find me, but he hasn’t.” Her voice trembled.
“He’s been trying, I’m sure of that. Not many know the Khonsu keep female camps on this moon though.”
I turned around and waved down Thane while wiping the escaping tears. The heavy burden of this place clung to me like boulders, weighing me down. I’d never be able to unsee this.
I wiped away the unstoppable tears as an ugly pain clogged in my throat.
When Thane looked at me, his face paled. “Are you alright?”
I shook my head, dying on the inside at seeing the suffering.
He kissed my brow and held me tight for a few moments. His breaths were on my ear. “Trick is to focus on the act of rescuing and nothing else.”
I shook my head, except it was too late… I was thinking about everything but the rescue. I was thinking about how a child ended up in here, about how I’d feel if it was me in that cage with my newborn.
“Remember how much I love you.” He then broke away and hurried to release the woman and her child. I quickly turned and helped her out as she clasped onto her baby, ready to fight to the end if anyone touched her.
My baby was still unborn, but I already felt that same protectiveness of him or her. I’d give my life to protect my baby. And that meant destroying every last one of these camps.
“Is your name Ella?” the woman asked with the softest voice, drawing my attention. I snuck in a quick wipe of my eyes and smiled at her, trying to put on a brave face.
“I thought you looked familiar. I may have seen your mom in one of the other buildings.” She rocked her baby in her arms, staring at the child as she hummed a soft song.
Her words cut through me, and suddenly the room tilted. My heart pounded in my chest. I was too afraid to ask the question. Each inhale grew shorter, and my insides were a chaotic mess of panic and sorrow. All these years later, and it felt like I’d just lost Mom. Like I stood over her empty grave long after everyone left. It was the only way to give myself closure without going crazy.
“So she’s still alive?” I gasped, more to myself. “What building is she in?”
When the woman glanced up at me, grief swept over her expression. Then she gave me a heartbreaking shake of her head. “There was an explosion in that building, and no one survived. I’m so sorry, Ella.” Her eyes glistened at delivering the news.
Suddenly, my whole world shattered like glass.
My soul darkened.
I no longer felt my body… it wavered and my legs fell out from under me. I hit the floor, falling to my knees. Tears welled in my eyes and drenched my cheeks as I choked on my breaths. I clenched my fists to my chest, fingernails digging into flesh, breaking skin. Nothing took away the pain. Nothing ever would.
Long ago, I grieved the loss of my mom, said my farewells. But since finding my dad, I grasped onto the hope that my mother was still alive too, that somehow, I’d find both my parents and be a happy reunited family again.
Except now, my heart was splintering into thousands of shards.
“She can’t be dead.” The whispered words escaped past my lips.
6
Thane crouched next to me having overheard the Vepar’s news about my mother. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.” He drew me into his arms and held me tight, and I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I just broke down and ugly cried against his chest. The cries shredded through me like a storm, unleashing the years of grief I’d held onto.
He clasped a hand to the back of my head when I finally quieted down and kissed my brow. “I love you,” he whispered.
I finally drew back and wiped my tears. Derrial approached me while others neared as well. All these prisoners who were terrified and shocked at how close they had come to death.
Derrial drew me to my feet by my hand and embraced me, his strong arms like belts around me, holding me, reminding me I was no longer alone in this universe. I had my three husbands and Father.
The ache in my heart deepened, but I wiped my eyes and put on a brave face in front of everyone else. “I’m okay. Let’s find a way to get everyone out of here.”
“What we need is one of the Khonsu ships,” Thane explained.
The Vepar female with golden curls and short white horns cleared her throat, and we all turned to her. She wore a tattered dress that hung loosely around her thin frame. “I saw one of their cruisers. They keep it in the building right on the edge across the field.” She pointed toward the door in that direction.
Just as Derrial’s mouth parted with a response, a loud boom from outside stole his words.
I flinched and bumped back into Thane. He clasped my hips, drawing me closer, protectively. Everyone stared toward the door and silence fell over us.
“Quickly, get down in the corner and stay low,” Derrial ordered. With a flick of his hand to Thane, both of them darted across the enormous room, then shoved their backs to the wall on either side of the door, their laser guns drawn.
I ushered everyone to crouch together in a corner where the shadows were the darkest. Bending down, I waited shoulder to shoulder with the mother and her child.
My heart beat so fast. The silence strangled me, and sweat dripped down my back.
Voices streamed from outside, growing louder as if they stood just outside the door. I stiffened at realizing we didn’t lock the door, and they’d know someone was in here.
My pulse raced in my veins, and we were here in the open, making us an easy target. I choked down every breath, trying to calm myself.
When the door swung open, four Khonsu charged inside. Huge brutes as big as bears.
My blood turned cold at the sight.
Their gaze all swung in our direction as if they could see in the dark. Maybe they could. My body numbed and I felt completely paralyzed with fear. All I could think about was my last encounter with them and I wanted to run for my life.
A sharp, shrill sound reverberated against the walls just as one of the aliens fell face first, smoke wafting upward from his back.
They turned on Derrial and Thane, guns raised. The horrific sound of the shooting had me flinching. Everyone around me murmured, and the baby broke into a scared wail.
Derrial shot one man in the gut, then threw himself into a forward roll to miss a fired laser. Thane slammed the back of his gun into another man’s face, and in seconds, the two had disposed of the Khonsu.
My heart leapt at how swiftly they fought, how strong and fast they eliminated the enemy. I couldn’t possibly love them more if I tried as there was something exhilarating at seeing my protectors battle. They were my everything.
Thane stuck his head outside, while Derrial crossed the room in seconds. “We all need to go now.”
“Are you sure we’re safe?” a younger girl asked, her face so pale, I was worried she might pass out.
“We’ll all be safer trying to make a break than stay in here,
” I said. “Take my hand, you can run with me, alright?”
She didn’t move at first, and I understood the feeling of panic being so heavy that even the thought of running became too daunting.
“Raemy, you know we can’t stay here,” the mother said, rocking her crying baby to a soothing gurgling sound. “You’ll end up as a breeder, or we’ll die if we stay. We need to leave.”
Raemy nodded and tears slid down her face.
I offered her my hand, and she took it, her touch trembling against mine. “Just run, no matter what. We are getting out.”
She wiped her tears and gave me a crooked smile. Raemy had the thinnest horns I’d seen on any Vepar. And the palest hazel eyes, reminding me of a deer.
“Let’s go,” Derrial instructed, and we rushed toward the door. Then we stepped outside where the wind was icy, and ran for our lives.
I felt anything but cold as adrenaline drove me. Hand in hand with Raemy, we cut across the field with everyone else. Thane in front, Derrial behind us, all making for the shed and praying to god the cruiser was there. Otherwise we’d need a plan B, and I couldn’t for the life of me think of a plan B right now.
I sucked in each breath, terror clinging to my ribs.
Thane shot the lock to the door on the last building from a distance. Then he sprinted forward faster, his boots hitting the ground hard. He ripped open the door and his shoulders sagged.
No, no. Please, no!
The closer we got, the more the empty building came into view. My stomach sank right through me, and now panic came at me in waves. To run. To scream. To do something other than stand out here, vulnerable on enemy territory.
Thane’s face blanched when he turned toward us, but he didn’t show the panic, but held himself strong and in control. “Everyone inside, now!” He was always two steps ahead.
I released Raemy’s hand as she darted inside, and I stopped near my husband, sidling up to him, my arm grazing his. “What do we do now?”
He clutched my waist and held me close, and I felt the quiver in his touch. He was scared too. “I’m going to go find the ship, because they might have it in a different location. Derrial will stay here and guard you all.”
“Please be safe.”
When he met my gaze, a softness swept over his expression. “I’m sorry we brought you with us. We never should have put you in danger.” A hardness crept into those spectacular blue eyes, and the pain in his voice touched me. I saw the ache in his expression and how much this upset him.
“I wouldn’t have let you go without me. How would you know who my mother was?”
His frown deepened, and I saw the sorrow and pain in his eyes. “I love you so much. I’ll die before I let anything happen to you and our baby.” He kissed my face, then ushered me into the building and shut the door.
Our baby.
The words whirled in my mind. We still had no idea who the father was, yet these gorgeous Vepar in my life loved us just the same.
I moved quickly into the building with the other women. Derrial stayed at the door, and opened it an inch so he could spy outside.
The other women huddled together, and I pressed my spine against the wall, then we all waited.
So many emotions battled inside me. My whole body shook, muscles tensed. Derrial looked over to me with so much devotion in his eyes, it softened the worry gripping me.
We just had to get these people to safety, that was priority. Focus on the job, not my emotions. Not that my mother died in this camp. A tear escaped from the corners of my eyes, and I blinked to push them away. If I started crying again, I’d never stop. I couldn’t let myself picture Mom’s last days, the terror she felt, the helplessness.
Tears fell faster now, my chest splintering, and I abruptly pushed myself away from the wall.
Stop it, I scolded myself.
I walked over to Derrial, needing something other than being inside my own head. “Anything?” I asked.
“No one’s come out yet.”
“Maybe there’s no one else here. Just the four Khonsu you and Thane finished off,” I whispered hopefully.
“That would be ideal, but I doubt it. If Thane comes back with no news on a cruiser, and I hear nothing from Corran, we will need to get everyone away from this camp. We’re sitting targets right now.”
Fear slid down my spine at his words.
He reached over and cupped the side of my face, and something shifted. Gone was the warrior, and in its place, my husband appeared. He spoke with a heavy sigh. “I’m so sorry about your mother.”
I nodded, unsure what to say because the situation sucked so hard. I wished for anything that I didn’t come to this moon. Then I could still grasp onto the hope that Mom was still alive, rather than feeling like my insides were utterly broken like glass. My hand instinctively fell to my stomach. How was I meant to be a mother without having my mom to help me?
A great bang sounded at the back of the building we were in. I flinched around in response, along with everyone else. No one moved or dared to make a sound.
My heart pummeled in my chest as I imagined dozens of Khonsu coming for us.
The front door pushed open, and a shadow fell on us. I spun, a small cry escaping from my lips.
Thane pushed the door open wider, and I breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to scream at him for scaring the hell out of us.
“Out the back, fast!” he commanded, his voice terrified.
No one argued. Thane took the lead, and we all followed. It was only when Derrial and I reached the side corner that a terrifying war-cry came from behind us.
We both twisted around.
A handful of Khonsu poured out of a building all the way at the end of the field.
I rocked on my heels and terror slammed into me.
“Oh, shit!” I whimpered.
Derrial snatched my hand, and we ran around the corner for our lives.
Quickly catching up with everyone farther from the camp and in an open area surrounded by woods, I gasped at the sight.
An enormous black spaceship sat in the field. The surface glinted in the sun, oval in shape, it had arched windows around the vessel. It was easily the size of two of the warehouse buildings, so that was why it was parked here…no way it would fit indoors.
A door slid open and stairs slid out.
“Everyone on now!” Derrial hollered, dragging me and pushing me onboard. We scrambled together, my skin crawling as I kept looking over my shoulder.
Black walls and nothing else in this room of the space cruiser.
Thane sprinted to my right and lasered the wall where a door slid open to reveal a huge flight deck.
A shot hit the side of the doorway.
One of the women screamed, and I scrambled deeper into the cruiser just as the river of Khonsu rushed toward us. Derrial dove inside. I threw myself to the panel near the door and hit the button, just like on Corran’s vessel.
Stairs withdrew into the side of the ship as our ship began ascending. A Khonsu hurled himself upward, his hands on the entrance ledge, snarling.
Derrial stomped down on his fingers, and the alien screeched before releasing his grip. The door zipped shut.
My heart beat so fast, that was all I could hear. I turned to find all the women huddled against the back wall, terrified.
And as the realization finally hit that we had actually escaped, they all cheered and threw their fists into the air.
Derrial embraced me and kissed the side of my head. “Go join Thane, I’ll find everyone somewhere more comfortable to stay for the flight. I’m guessing this cruiser is used to transport a lot of prisoners.
“That was so close, I still can’t believe we got away,” I said as the woman with the baby approached. Without a word, she simply gave me a side hug as she still held onto her bundle.
“Thank you for everything,” she whispered, and then smiled as she went to join the others, who walked through an open door that led to a wide corridor.
I couldn't help but watch out the back window of the bedroom I'd eventually hid away in, scared that the Khonsu were suddenly going to send out a fleet after us. But as the moon faded from sight and we flew to the other side of Veon, and we appeared to still be alone in space, I gradually relaxed.
But with that relaxation came sorrow, sharp and intense. The chaos of our rescue mission had distracted me from the full brunt of finding out that my mother was dead. Now, safe on the ship, there was nothing to block me from experiencing the full range of emotions that the news of her passing had brought. I had mourned my mother for years, but that mourning was always laced with the possibility that I would somehow see her again.
My mourning had almost been frozen in place at the time that I had lost her as a younger girl. And now, even though I was a grown woman about to have a child of my own, I felt like a young girl again that had just been abandoned by her mother.
I let out a hiccupped sob as I stared out into space, feeling so alone, even though I knew that wasn't the case.
I idly rubbed my belly, the movement already becoming a habit, even though there wasn't much to rub.
I felt guilty at what I was feeling. I wasn't the one who had died in a Khonsu camp. Although my experience with the Khonsu camp wasn't something I would forget any time soon, because of my breeding capabilities, I'd been relatively protected compared to what other prisoners would have experienced. But my mother...she must have felt so alone in the end, trapped in a small cage, the cries of the other prisoners around her. My mother had always been a gentle soul. She hadn't been able to watch the news because most of the stories made her too sad. She would stop by every beggar on the street and give them whatever she had in her wallet, even though my dad always told her they were just going to buy booze with it. She spent hours in her garden, lost in her own pretty world, and her whole life's goal was to make my father’s and my life the best it could be. What it must have felt like for a soul like that to be trapped in such a brutal, ugly place.
