At Night's End

by Katherine Matzen

  Anna looked at him with raised eyebrows.

  “I would have,” he said. “I wouldn’t have liked it, but you’ve got to admit someone from her home planet was probably a better choice.”

  Anna shook her head. “The heart goes where it will, no matter what the obstacles.”

  Lateef nodded. “I warned her about the Hatti on my trail. I was pretty sure if they knew the truth, they’d ignore her and keep following me. I did not expect her to impress their socks off.” He gave Dani an admiring glance. She was still surrounded by the children while the dog bounced around their feet. He was relieved to see Tamarra stood watch, making sure no one got too rambunctious.

  Anna snorted. “You shouldn’t have been too surprised. She has that habit.”

  He nodded his agreement. “The Hatti party felt they owed her for her hospitality and returned, not expecting the new feast she prepared with very little warning.”

  “You’re stalling.”

  He nodded. “When they came back, they saw a plant I’d given her. It’s only found on my home planet, so they knew I’d been here. They kept her house under surveillance and managed to catch all three of us here.” He glossed over those events as his heart pounded at the memory. Stupid of me to be caught. “And once they took us to their ship for questioning, well… she managed to impress the Thane. The second in command was already a big fan of hers, so when my family came to rescue us, the Hatti thought Dani was being kidnapped and the whole thing degenerated into a dangerous comedy of errors.”

  “How did she get hurt?”

  “There’s a nasty race of people known as the Falgarans. They attacked my people years ago and we’ve been at war ever since. We both spend time looking for allies—or new victims in their case. My friend thought he’d met the Hatti before they had contact with the Falgarans, but he was wrong. A Falgaran agent infiltrated the Hatti ship and when he saw the opportunity to kill the Thane, he took it. On top of creating a huge amount of chaos, it had the added advantage of making my people look guilty.” He stared into the distance as memories of the horrible events danced across his mind. Remembered fear knotted his stomach. He had come so close to losing a love he had never imagined he could find. Everyone thought he would spend his life in the Healer Hall with only a steady stream of patients for company.

  “But Dani stopped him?” Anna prompted when the silence continued too long.

  Lateef looked at her. “The assassin took the shot, but Dani jumped in front of the Thane. He was badly hurt, but Dani slowed the bolt enough he didn’t die immediately. She gave us the time to heal him.”

  He thrust the memory away as a chill shook his body. “I thought I’d lost her. There was so much blood and you could see splinters of her spine around the metal bolt pinning the two of them together.”

  Anna placed a warm hand on his leg, giving him comfort. “But she didn’t die.”

  He pulled himself out of the memory and his face went bleak. “No thanks to me,” he denied. “I knew the Thane had to be stabilized first. If he died the entire Clan would go with him. I had to choose, and although Brandon is a good healer, he’s nowhere near what Dani needed. And I knew that.” His voice grew harsh with self-anger and his hands tightened into fists in his lap as he looked away, unable to bear the condemnation he imagined in her eyes.

  Anna reached over and covered his fists with her hands. “But she is alive, and this Brandon was good enough. You have to know by now Dani wouldn’t have forgiven you for doing anything else.”

  He slowly allowed the tension to ebb from his body. He glanced at Dani, once more marveling someone so incredibly perfect could love him, the clown of his large family.

  “Why would the Clan die with the Thane?” Anna’s quiet question pulled him back to the present. He was stunned at her casual acceptance of his explanation and use of odd terms and relationships. Not to mention the easy acceptance of alien civilizations and visitors to Earth. Dani had remarkable friends.

  “The Hatti… I’m not really sure what they are.” He struggled to explain a species that looked so similar to human but was so different in many big ways. “They’re a bit closer to a hive mentality, but not really. Each Clan has a leader who is the…” He racked his brain to find the correct term. “Heart? Center? I don’t know how to explain, but they are necessary for the health of the clan. He’s not directly involved with reproduction, but if the Thane is lost before a replacement is at a certain level of preparation, the Clan dies. They don’t drop dead where they stand, but the end result is bad enough. The previous Thane died under suspicious circumstances, so Hantili was rushed into a leadership position. There’s no one else even close to ready to replace him, so he had to survive.”

  Anna patted one wrinkled hand against his cheek. “Sometimes you have to make impossible choices,” she said. “You had to pit the one life against all the others. Dani couldn’t love you if you’d made any other choice.”

  “But I left her alone, knowing how badly she was injured and how much pain she was in. Right after I’d promised to keep her safe.”

  “You did not leave her alone,” Anna denied. “There were other healers there. She loves you, pretty boy.”

  He had to laugh at the nickname, breaking him out of his self-anger. “I hope so.”

  “So, what are you planning to do?”

  “You are persistent.” As much as he admired the loyalty Dani inspired, he wished he wasn’t getting this interrogation. He could feel Dani’s exhaustion and looked up to see Tamarra shooing the children out. He took a deep breath and faced Anna again. “We got her stabilized, but she fought our healing. So, we decided to bring her home and get things set up so she wouldn’t have to worry. There’s still a lot of nerve damage that’s progressively getting worse and the poison is slowly causing her organs to fail. She’ll be unable to walk at all before much longer, if her heart doesn’t give out first. She has to go back to Beryl no matter what she wants.”

  “And today is the day?”

  He stared into the distance for a few moments. “It wasn’t supposed to be,” he finally said. “We thought we had more time.”

  “But she won’t agree to let you fix her up?” Anna asked.

  He looked at her with a wry grin. “You know our Dani. She just keeps saying soon. If Amman hadn’t insisted her honor demanded she take charge of things, Dani would be in the kitchen right now trying to make sure everyone eats, even if she had to crawl to do it. Amman kind of took over without any of us realizing what was happening.” His brow wrinkled. None of the Beryllians understood how the whole situation had worked out, but Amman was responsible. No one was upset about it, other than Dani, who missed her kitchen. “While we were at the Healer Hall, she sent Tamarra and her family to take care of things here, and when more help was needed they contacted the teen shelter in Denver, thinking kids would be easier to work with and ask fewer questions and before we knew what was going on we had a whole compound growing up.”

  He shook his head wonderingly. So glad she’s on our side now. Can’t imagine that woman as an enemy. “I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been an official investigation.” His look sharpened at Anna’s smug grin. “What do you know?”

  “All of the necessary permits have come through the town and we all approve of what’s happening out here. Even Bob Saunders admitted he’s glad to turn over his herd to someone who loves the stupid creatures as much as Tamarra does. And no one’ll go around screaming about a real alien invasion—not if they want to be taken seriously.”

  He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. “You are a good and incredibly devious friend,” he said. “So, I hope you’ll forgive me for stealing her away.”

  “As long as you return her healthy and happy,” Anna said. “And I do mean bring her back. You do not have permission to keep her on some foreign world out of touch with us. Especially if you haven’t mad
e an honest woman out of her yet.”

  He felt his brow furrow with confusion. “An honest woman?”

  “Do you intend to stay with her forever?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t need to consider his answer, surprised she would feel the need to ask.

  “Then you need to marry the girl,” Anna said. “Especially if there’s a chance you’ll have kids at some point in the future.”

  Lateef laughed. “Okay, I take it back, you’re not persistent, you’re pushy.”

  “Just looking out for my girl.” Anna was unrepentant.

  “As far as my family is concerned, we are married,” he said.

  She punched his arm. “Boy, you didn’t invite any of us to the ceremony? And never gave us a chance to celebrate?”

  “I didn’t realize I needed to.”

  “Does Dani know you consider yourselves married?”

  He started to answer and then stopped. “I’m not sure.”

  Anna shook her head. “Men. You’re the same no matter the species. I think you need to go have a chat with Dani. I’ll line up things on our end.”

  “Line things up?” His head pounded and the room appeared to be revolving slowly around him as he tried to process what she was saying.

  “We have to have a wedding before you drag her off to parts unknown.”

  “A what?”

  She patted him on the shoulder at the look of panic he knew covered his face. “You go make sure Dani is okay with being stuck with you and I’ll take care of the rest.” She pulled him from the couch and gave him a push toward the table as she hurried outside.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Once the kids ran off, Dani slumped into her seat, wishing she had time for a nap. This exhaustion is getting old, but there’s no reason to go back to Lateef’s planet. There was no reason to believe they could do anything there that couldn’t be done here, where she felt comfortable. All the hard work was done. She could walk when she had the energy. The miraculous nature of that fact amazed her whenever she thought about it. She didn’t remember much about the accident beyond a sense of terror followed by searing pain. She’d picked up a few flashes of images from Lateef on the rare occasions his mental shields slipped. Her injuries had been extensive, but she was okay now. Need a little bit more rest. Or a chance to pour some of my own soap. Then I’ll be worn out from exercise, not from being lazy. I can’t wait to play with the sheep milk as an ingredient. Wonder if the soap will be as creamy as the goat milk?

  The shadowy figure that had moved from her nightmares to random waking moments nodded in agreement. The shape slipped away as she focused on it. Has to be a figment of my imagination. Surely Lateef would have noticed something real.

  Lateef plopped down on the chair beside her as if summoned. His eyes were wide and his forehead wrinkled as he stared into the distance. Abby shoved her nose under his hand and he stroked her without thought.

  “You look confused,” Dani said. “Everything okay?”

  He shook himself out of his bemusement and reached out to touch her face, sending healing energy through the link.

  She started to pull away but stilled at his stern look. Can’t believe I’m so tired after listening to the kids babble. Wonder if my imaginary stalker has anything to do with it? She did seem to be more drained each time she saw the lurking shadow. But that was a stupid idea. How could an imaginary shadow hurt her?

  Lateef smiled. “You’re learning.”

  “Don’t have much choice yet,” she said. She sat up straighter as he restored some of her energy reserves. “Give me a couple more weeks and I’ll show you who the boss is.”

  He leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. “That’s always been you.” Her return kiss deepened until a sound behind them broke them apart with a guilty chuckle.

  One of Amman’s many helpers stood waiting impatiently until they noticed her. She held a tray with sandwiches cut into bite-sized squares and yet another mug of something warm. “Mistress Amman requires you to eat and drink before the party may start. I shall return in a few minutes to see you have obeyed.”

  She set the tray onto the table with enough force the drink sloshed over the edge, glared at Lateef, and stalked off with a stiff back.

  As soon as they heard the click of the kitchen door latch the pair burst into muted laughter, ignoring the dog’s low growl. “She’s new,” Dani explained. “Definitely hasn’t loosened up yet.”

  He stared in the direction of the kitchen with a puzzled frown. “She looks familiar, but I can’t place the face.” After a moment of thought he shook his head. “Drink it down. Don’t want Amman sending you to bed without a party.”

  A burst of music came from outside as one of the guests slipped through the living room.

  Dani forced herself to pick up the mug. She wanted to be in the fresh air to see the performers and feel the joy of all the guests in person. In spite of avoiding most entertainment for the last few years, she did enjoy the music of Bluesy, a local band who were regulars at all the community gatherings. The lead singer always made her laugh. With a sigh she took a cautious sip of the warm drink. Her lips puckered as her tongue tried to push the vile substance out, but she swallowed quickly.

  “That’s foul.” Her body shuddered and she tried to put the cup down, but Lateef gave her the look. The one that made her heart melt and her brain turn to mush with a desire to make him happy. With a roll of her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at him and then chugged the rest of the liquid and plopped the mug back on the tray. Most of Amman’s potions tasted far better. I’d better be ready to dance all night after drinking that nasty crap.

  “Good job.”

  Her reward was a tiny bit of heaven in the form of a sandwich bite. She savored the taste, glad it wiped some of the nasty off her taste buds. A look at the plate made her heart sink. She’d never be able to put a dent in the huge stack, but Amman would be insulted if she didn’t. Distract Lateef and slip some to Abby. The optimistically watching dog wasn’t supposed to get people food, but exceptions could always be made for a good cause.

  “What were you and Anna talking about? Looked pretty serious.”

  “I thought you were too busy with the kids to pay attention to me.” He handed her another sandwich bite.

  “I’m never too busy to pay attention to you.” She returned his happy grin. “The kids are a lot of fun. I never imagined how entertaining an entire herd of rug rats could be. My parents were older when I was born, so I never spent much time around other kids. What about you? You have lots of siblings.”

  He looked away and she slipped the food to Abby. The dog inhaled the treat, wriggling with uncontainable excitement and plopped down closer to Dani. The long tongue slid over sharp teeth, licking her lips as she begged for more.

  “There was such a large age difference between all of us that most of them were gone before I was old enough to care. I was with Rissa more than any of the others, but she was out for training before I got through school. I missed having her around.”

  “I always wanted a lot of kids.” Her thoughts were more on how to sneak some more sandwiches to the dog than on what she was actually saying. “Holidays were always missing something, you know? No aunts or uncles or cousins to play with.”

  Lateef handed her another tid-bit.

  “You’re aware my family runs to the large side, right?”

  She paused with her hand half-way to her mouth and tilted her head to stare at him. This wasn’t idle chatter. She needed to understand him, but the only word that would come out of her mouth was, “What?”

  “You know I love you, right?” he asked and she nodded, absently raising her hand to keep it away from Abby, who stealthily inched forward.

  “I love you, too.”

  He threw his arms around her, squeezing her as tightly as he could without hurtin
g her. He then kissed her most thoroughly.

  “Oh, my goodness.” He sputtered and pulled back to stare at her, wrinkling his nose. “That is one nasty drink our cooking guru gave you.”

  “Told you.” Dani smirked and tugged on his shirt to pull him closer. “I think you need to try again. The taste might get better with time.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows, making her laugh and kissed her chastely on the lips.

  “So, did she say yes?” Anna asked.

  “Haven’t asked her,” Lateef muttered, burying his nose in Dani’s neck.

  “Asked me what?” she pushed him back enough to meet his eyes. “What were you two cooking up?”

  “Anna reminded me our relationship has not yet been formalized.”

  “What do you mean?” Her heart raced as her brain bounced between thoughts of joy and despair. He couldn’t say he loved her and then leave, could he?

  He took a deep breath. “Will you be my spouse, Danielle?” The words poured out in a rush, and anxiety filled his eyes. “My family to be your family, my life your life until time ends, no matter what the universe shows us?”

  “Yes,” she whispered through sudden tears of joy. “Oh, yes, Lateef.”

  They embraced again, oblivious of their growing audience. She was aware of a sense of triumphant anger coming from someone, but was too happy to try to pin it down. Maybe she could have a happily ever after despite what she had done.

  “Have you eaten food yet?” Amman broke the charged silence.

  Lateef sat up abruptly, his face blazing red. But he didn’t release Dani’s hand.

  “Relax, Madame Amman,” Anna said. “We’re going to have a wedding today.”

  “Today!” The normally unflappable Matriarch yelped, horror mixing with anger on her face. “Such is not possible! There are weeks of preparations to be made before such a momentous occasion. I cannot possibly prepare a wedding feast with little more than a wave of my hands. The cake alone will take a week, not to mention the seven required courses. Hantili will have to send a hunting party to procure the albino Jangxing mascots for the ceremony…”