Awoken from the Deep

by Octavia Kore

  “So, what’s up with the rainbow Grutex out there? You said he was your chief, but why is he here?” Esme asked, attempting to distract them both from the emotions welling up between them.

  “In the village where I am from, we are surrounded by family and friends who help to protect a female during the sleep. I will not have the strength to defend myself, let alone you and Eina should the need arise,” Ky explained, pulling the herbs she’d collected from the bag and handing them to Esme. “We have Xuvri, and while he believes he can take on the entire universe, I felt having at least one extra set of claws might put us both at ease.”

  Like she’d done before, Esme shoved the bundle of herbs into her mouth and chewed. After the rich, meaty flavor of the fruit, the herb left a bland, wheaty taste in her mouth. “You trust him? He’s a good person?” she asked after swallowing the thick, pasty mouthful.

  Ky nodded. “He may be arrogant, brash, and cocky, but he would give his life in defense of his people.”

  “Eina and I aren’t his people, though.”

  “No, but you are my mate, and on top of that, you are a female with a youngling. Your protection is assured.” Ky lifted Eina from the sling, cradling her little body in one arm while she pulled the material over her head. “For a long time, my people saw humans as sacred beings, gods and goddesses.”

  Esme snorted. Clearly these people must have been delusional. Nothing about humanity screamed divinity… not to her, at least. “I’m definitely no goddess,” she said, grinning as Ky placed Eina in her arms.

  “Well, we know now that this belief was based on lies and misunderstandings, but for many of my people, the myths are hard to let go of.”

  “So,” Esme pursed her lips as her gaze strayed toward the locked door. The rainbow demon was out there, and if he was someone Ky trusted with their lives, then she wanted to meet him. “Are you going to introduce us to him?”

  “If that is what you want…” Ky said, her tone cautious. “If you do not want him here, then I will send him away. I only want you to be safe.”

  “I can’t promise I’ll trust him, or that I’ll even like him, but we might as well get this over with.”

  Chapter 13

  Kythea

  “At least Eina’s getting enough from the nutrition packet.” There was amusement in Esme’s voice as she peered through the open doorway into the bathing chamber.

  Ky wrung water out of the last soiled cloth covering and wiped her hands on her pant-clad thighs. It was clear she was feeding well, but there was nothing left in the packet Xuvri found for her. Hopefully, with the help of the herbs and the stimulation, Esme’s milk would come in and it would be one less thing for Ky to worry about during her sleep. She knew these things often took time, but time was not something they had a lot of, and the longer it took, the more she began to fear they might have to return to the dome.

  She is not ready to go, Ky thought as she stepped out into the room, her eyes falling on her mate as she rocked Eina, bouncing gently from one foot to the other. I am not ready to go either. Being away from the dome, from the constant exposure to the tech and the busy life of the underwater city, had taken a weight off of her shoulders that Ky had been trying to ignore for a long time.

  “What a sleepy little lady,” Esme cooed when Eina yawned, stretching her tiny arms and legs. “Let’s lay you down.”

  Ky moved to the bed, watching as her mate swaddled their offspring in one of the shirts she hadn’t torn apart. The smile on her face and the love that radiated from her as she brushed the silky strands of their daughter’s hair back filled Ky’s heart with a sense of awe that threatened to consume her. She was the image of beauty, of maternal love and devotion.

  The black suit Esme wore beneath the pants Ky had made clung to her body, molding and hugging every curve and dip as she lifted Eina from the bed, moving her to the makeshift cradle against the wall.

  Ky’s eyes lingered on the curve of Esme’s hip, on the gentle slope of her lower back. Her cramping intensified, and she winced at the pain, wishing she could put an end to it, wanting nothing more in that moment than to feel her heated skin against her mates’ bodies. She wanted to feel Xuvri’s claws skate over her, wanted to feel the warmth of Esme’s breath on her face as she leaned in to kiss her… but when Esme turned toward her and their eyes met, all of those thoughts fled.

  There was fear and uncertainty on her face. Ky extended her hand, smiling when Esme took it and allowed herself to be pulled into the space between Ky’s open legs. Within her chest, Ky’s heart leaped when Esme dropped her head onto her shoulder with a long, drawn out sigh.

  Being so close to her mate, feeling the heat of her body like this, soothed every ache inside of her and moved her in a way no female ever had. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been attracted to others, but none of them had been her mate, her female.

  There was an ethereal light that surrounded Esme, that lit her up from the inside out, and it pulled Ky in like a lumar bug to a flame. Was this how all mates felt about their females?

  Ky smoothed her hand over Esme’s hair, feeling her human mate tremble. She was afraid of what awaited her in the hall, of aliens who stood on the other side of the door. It wasn’t because of anything they had done, but because of the male in the lab. If Ky ever had the chance to meet him face to face, she wouldn’t hesitate to rip him limb from limb. Perhaps she’d let Xuvri do all of the hard work while she plucked his eyes from his miserable skull.

  The bloodlust coursing through her might have disturbed Ky at one point, but now, knowing what he’d done to Esme, it seemed appropriate. For now, though, Ky would content herself with the fact that Esme was safe, fed, and taken care of. No one, especially that alien, was going to hurt her.

  “Can we get this over with?” Esme asked, lifting her head from Ky’s shoulder.

  “If that is what you wish. We will do this at a pace you are comfortable with.”

  Esme’s lips flattened as she glanced over her shoulder at the door. “Let’s just do it,” she said, moving away to retrieve the broken bar she’d used as a weapon. “Just in case,” she murmured when Ky raised a brow ridge.

  Ky wanted to tell her that she didn’t need the weapon, that Trakseer was no threat, but if it put her at ease, then she’d leave it be. “Ready?”

  When Esme nodded, Ky slid her hand over the locking mechanism on the inside of the frame and pushed the door open. Outside in the hall, Xuvri and Trakseer stood facing one another, wearing twin looks of mistrust and annoyance.

  Una, help me keep them from killing one another.

  With a heavy sigh, Ky moved forward, but a flash of color at Trakseer’s waist caught her eye. An elegant hand-sewn waterskin and matching blade hung from his belt, lying against his kynima, the hunting skirt he wore. She recognized Inara’s delicate craftsmanship in the detailed design and narrowed her eyes. This wasn’t something her people wore regularly and certainly not something you would see during a hunt. No, these brightly colored beaded items were used for one thing. Courting.

  The reason he and his hunters were in the forest was painfully obvious now, and Ky felt her hackles rise at the audacity Trakseer showed in the presence of her mates. He’d admitted to knowing she and Esme were in the forest and that they had come all this way to see to their safety, but to wear such adornments was bold, even for the headstrong chieftain.

  Presumptuous fool, Ky thought.

  He must have known she wasn’t going to be pulled in by the display, but Esme… she was new, a goddess among their people. His failure to secure a mating with Amanda should have taught him that these humans were not falling over themselves to pair with him. Especially her female. Ky thought she’d made that clear, yet he still wore the objects as if he thought there might be a chance.

  The only male Ky and Esme would ever share their life with shifted restlessly, his hands fisted as his sides as he waited. His anxiety and agitation assaulted her, and while Ky didn’t enjoy the sensation of his
negative emotions, she understood them. He’d been separated from Esme and Eina, close to them, but far enough apart that it wore on his nerves. It was common in many newly mated males and sires; Xuvri was both.

  “Will she let us in?” he asked, his gaze focusing on something, or someone, behind her before his eyes moved to her face. They roamed over her features as if he were searching for something.

  When she felt the brush of his mind against her own, Ky relaxed some. There was no anger or malice, just the urge to be near them and the desire to see to their safety himself. Ignoring her lingering frustration with Trakseer, Ky stepped to the side, gesturing into the room with her hand.

  “She will allow it, but,” she glared at Trakseer, “if you upset her, I will drag you back to the village myself. Understand?”

  Trakseer raised his hands. “Understood.”

  Heat moved through her as Xuvri stepped over the threshold, his rattle working over her skin as he reached out to curl a long finger around her xines. “You’ve done well.” He leaned down, whispering the words into her ear.

  Ky tilted her face up, soaking in his heat while stifling the moan that threatened to escape. Each time she touched them it moved her closer and closer to the edge, but she fought, not wanting to succumb to her heat until she knew Esme was comfortable enough to be left alone. Ky knew that the sleep could and would come whether they were prepared or not, and she thanked Una for each moment she gave them to strengthen their connection.

  Even the stale air of the ship, Trakseer’s insufferable presence, and the nearly crippling pain in her belly weren’t enough to cool the fire her mates stoked inside of her. Ky wanted them, desperately, but Esme needed this reassurance.

  A sigh, part relief and part frustration, left her lips as Xuvri dropped his hand and pulled away, moving cautiously toward Esme. Their female watched him with wide eyes, but when Trakseer stepped into the room, she went on high alert, adjusting her grip on the bar in her hands as she moved closer to the cradle.

  “Is this place safe for a youngling?” Trakseer asked. He cast a critical look around the room, frowning at the minor damage the crash had caused.

  “Are you questioning my judgment?” Ky asked with a raised brow ridge.

  “No, but I often question your sanity,” Trakseer grumbled.

  Of course the ship would never be suitable as a long-term home and Eina would benefit from some fresh air, but this was all temporary. Once her heat was over, they could decide what to do and where to live. Trakseer’s xines thrashed around his shoulders in a rare display of distress. He’d seemed hopeful, even eager to meet Esme, but now that he was in the same room with her, his whole demeanor had changed.

  “This is Trakseer,” she told Esme. “Chieftain of the tribe I was once part of.”

  The male inclined his head, keeping a respectful distance. It was clear from Esme’s stance that she saw him as a threat and he wasn’t welcome anywhere near the offspring she guarded. Xuvri propped himself against the closet doors, his arms folded over his broad chest as he watched the exchange. There was something akin to pride in his eyes as he watched their little human mate.

  “You could be part of it again, Kythea.” A tight smile stretched the male’s lips as he took a step forward, craning his neck to gaze into the cradle. “New younglings, new life, is a blessing from Una. With so many unmated individuals in the tribe—”

  “I knew it!” Esme hissed, drawing her arm back as she snarled. “It’s always about fucking breeding with you all!” Before she could swing the bar, Xuvri stepped forward, inserting himself between Trakseer and the cradle.

  “My offspring is not a commodity,” he growled, pressing his palm against Trakseer’s chest and moving him back several steps. “She and her dams will go nowhere with you or anyone else.”

  “The village is no longer my home.” Aqua light from her fushori reflected off the walls of the room, giving Esme’s skin a pale blue hue. For the first time since leaving her family’s home, Ky felt white hot rage boil up inside her. They’d poisoned Mitera, stolen the lives of Ky’s siblings, and for what? To punish a female for daring to love a youngling, for daring to take an innocent being in and care for him when no else would.

  If the elders knew the circumstances of Eina’s birth, would they condemn her the same way they had condemned Zar? Unlike Esme, Ky’s people wouldn’t believe or wouldn’t understand the concept of being “brain dead”. To the elders, and perhaps many others in the tribe, this would be Gulzar’s birth all over again. “I cannot go back after what they did.”

  Trakseer’s face pinched as he frowned. “Kythea… we have had our differences, and I admit I have not always been a wise leader, but you must understand that I did not know what they were doing.”

  “Who are ‘they,’ and what were they doing?” Esme asked.

  “How could you not know?” Ky demanded, her voice rising as her tail whipped around behind her. “You are our chief! It is your responsibility to protect us, and you allowed this to happen!”

  “Ky?”

  The cautious voice and the gentle tug on her arm startled Ky. Her chest was heaving, and it wasn’t until she looked down to see Esme clutching at her hand that she realized her entire body was shaking.

  “That’s enough,” Esme said with a shake of her head. “Make him leave, Xuvri. It’s obvious something happened in that village and I don’t want him here.”

  “Wait,” Trakseer held up his hands, his eyes pleading with her. “I banished them, Kythea.”

  “You did what?” It wasn’t possible.

  “They were poisoning one of my people. They violated our trust and stole the lives of our most precious gifts. Una demanded punishment.” Trakseer eyed Xuvri warily. “They no longer hold any power and are prohibited from entering. You were once our priestess, our link to Una. Come back home, Kythea. Raise your daughter and grow your family among your people.”

  Home.

  Could she really go back? The elders were gone, but that didn’t mean there weren’t still those among the tribe who agreed with their vile actions. She had Eina to think about now.

  “Who was being poisoned?” Xuvri questioned.

  Esme stepped forward, staying close to their male. “Seriously, Ky, what’s he talking about?”

  “My mitera took in my brother, Gulzar. His dam passed during the birth, and the elders of our tribe believed this meant that he was cursed. If he could kill the female who gave him life, then he was a threat to every other female he came into contact with.” Ky winced, remembering the hateful things that Zar was subjected to growing up because of the Elder’s decree. “My dam lost many offspring as Zar and I grew older, and while the others blamed her losses on the curse, Mitera always suspected something was wrong.”

  “They poisoned your mother?” Esme slid her hand down her belly as her face fell.

  Ky nodded. “Carrying offspring is something we celebrate. At first, Mitera saw no reason to hide the news from anyone, but after losing so many younglings she made the decision to keep the fact that she was pregnant hidden. She discovered they were poisoning her food.”

  “And they have been banished,” the Chieftain repeated.

  “We left for a reason, Trakseer. The damage had already been done.”

  “Is she not enough of a reason to return?” he asked, gesturing toward the cradle. “We would accept both of your mates and offer you the protection of the tribe. Will those within the dome offer you the same?”

  Ky looked at Xuvri’s healing wounds and clenched her jaw. Would the Venium allow him to live within their city? Never. Even if they were given the chance, she doubted Oshen would be pleased. The dome wasn’t looking like a feasible option at all. “We will consider it.”

  “Thank you, Kythea. It is all I ask.”

  “So that’s why you really came here? You want Ky to come back and be your priestess and just forget all of that happened?” Esme demanded.

  “I do not expect that,” Trakseer sa
id with a frown. “My hunters and I came because of the smoke. We wanted to make sure no one was in danger.”

  “What smoke?” Her female’s brown eyes widened. “Is there a forest fire?”

  “It was from a funerary pyre,” Xuvri said, running a hand over his chest and shifting a little as if he were uneasy admitting that. “We were to bring the bodies off the ship after gathering the fruit.” He glanced at Ky. “But I wanted to say goodbye on my own.”

  “Bodies?” Trakseer’s eyes bulged as he glanced between them. “How many exactly?”

  “That doesn’t concern you.” Xuvri growled again, taking a threatening step toward the other male, but this time it was Esme who intervened.

  Her slender hand trembled as she slid it over the plates on his chest, but even that light touch was enough to stop him in his tracks. In all of the chaos surrounding her, Ky hadn’t realized just how close to the edge Xuvri had come, and for Esme to step in, even though she was still fighting her own fear, spoke volumes.

  “Do you think you guys could give us some time?” Esme asked as she turned to gaze up at Ky. “There are things Xuvri and I should talk about.”

  Ky blinked in surprise. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said, grinning when Ky chewed at her lip. “Eina needs to finish her nap, and it’s time that I got this out in the open.”

  Fear.

  Anxiety.

  Esme’s emotions swirled around her, but somewhere in the darkness there was also a budding calm, a sense of peace. It soothed Ky’s frayed nerves, and she beat back the urge to protect, to stay in the room or sit outside the door so she could sweep in and shield Esme from the pain she knew this might cause her.

  Let her be. Allow her the room to grow and find her own strength, a voice inside of her whispered.

  “We will not be far.” With a nod, Ky reached out, taking Esme’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Come,” she said to Trakseer, jerking her chin toward the door as she stepped away from her mates. “We should find you a room of your own if you are staying.”