Chapter Eighteen

ARNON

“You suggested she could have the embryo implanted in a surrogate?” The expression on Ayrie’s face confirmed my worst fears. “I don’t know everything about Jayne, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have a good reaction to that suggestion.”

“I was going crazy. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Jayne kept information about the gene from me. I was confused about my conversation with Father. I should have stood up to him, but I didn’t, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I thought I was going to figure out what we were going to do together.”

Ayrie folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “You ended up telling her to give up her child, leave you, and go home?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think I would say that.”

He came over and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’d like to point out that you didn’t have total confirmation that Jayne was intentionally deceiving you. You need to calm down. You’re not going to let her go, are you?”

“What else can I do?”

“The solution seems obvious to me. You can tell Father no.”

“I don’t think so. I’m the crown prince. I have to agree with him.”

“Not this time. You said yourself that Father understands what it will be like for you to live without her. He’s the one who has to give in this time. Otherwise, you’re going to lose her, Arnon. If you live apart from her that will be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. We all agree that Jayne is right for you. Don’t blow it.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to go head to head with Father over this.”

He made a dismissive motion with his hand. “I challenge him all the time. It’s not as hard as you imagine.”

I sighed. Ayrie didn’t understand that it wasn’t merely difficult for me. It was impossible. I was powerless to stop him from sending my wife away.

JAYNE

I needed help. Someone who never followed the rules, and didn’t care about authority. If they happened to be a pilot, that would be nice too.

Anders.

It took a few minutes of searching on a computer, but eventually I found him in the public lounge on level four. He was sitting by himself, drinking and watching a monitor.

“Can I talk to you privately?”

He gestured toward the seat beside him at the table. “What can I do for you?”

“Can you help get me off this ship?”

He froze for a second with a bottle halfway to his mouth, then deliberately put it down. “Maybe you should start from the beginning.”

I explained everything as quickly as I could, and he began to look uncomfortable. “I don’t know. I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“No one’s going to force me to give up my child. Are you going to help me?”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t make you do anything. You’re putting me in a tough position.”

“All you have to do is pilot a ship and program it to use the autopilot back to Earth. I’ll call Arnon and explain. I won’t mention that anyone helped me.”

“Unless you took a year of flight training, everyone will know you had assistance.”

“Will it matter? They’re going to separate us, anyway. But this way, I can negotiate a settlement on my terms, and they won’t be able to take my baby.”

“Who is they, by the way?”

“Arnon and your father.”

“You think he wants to steal a child from his wife?”

“That’s what he said.”

Anders stared into my eyes. At that moment, he looked so much like his brother that I blinked in surprise. “It’s hard for me to believe that anything you’re telling me about my brother is true.”

“Why wouldn’t you believe me?”

“You wouldn’t know it, but Arnon was different before he met you. He never used to smile. He was always so serious that he wouldn’t even laugh at my jokes. I’m the funny one in this family. Now it’s like he is a different person, and the person is someone I remember from when I was a boy.” He smiled so sweetly that I could hardly believe he was supposed to be a troublemaker. “Why would he give that up? He loves you.”

“He might have loved me once. But he’s acting differently now, and I don’t know if I can trust him. He didn’t mean to tell me about the pain that comes with your wings.”

Anders’ face went white. “You know about that?”

“If I didn’t before, it’s certain now, thanks to you. I saw Arnon putting them away, and he told me everything.”

“Well, that changes things a little bit. You know what? Maybe you’re right. It’s a good idea for you to go. I’ll even help you. Is that okay?”

I frowned. I had thought Anders would protest a little more, but he had agreed to help me. I needed him.

“And keep this private, please.”

“Damn. I was planning on making a broadcast to the ship. Now I’ll have to put that on hold.”

I shook my head. What an ass.

“Meet me at the docking bay tonight after the last shift leaves. Pack light. We can have the rest of your things sent later.”

“Okay.” Now that my decision was final, I felt my stomach twist into a knot.

Anders must have seen something in my face. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I nodded firmly. “It’s better for me to choose to run off than be exiled in disgrace.”

“He loves you,” Anders whispered.

“What does love even mean to a man from Auxem? Whatever it means, it’s not enough to overcome this.” I shook my head and went to pack.

I only brought what I could carry in a backpack. I slipped into the darkened docking bay and almost shrieked when I spotted Anders in the dim light. I had known he was going to be there, but seeing someone else was still startling.

“Ready to go, sis?”

“I won’t be your sister after I get out of here.” I didn’t let myself feel sad about leaving Arnon. He had to take the blame, and if I started looking into my feelings for him, I would melt into a puddle of tears and sorrow. There would be time for regrets later. Right now, I had to be strong for the baby.

His cocky expression changed, and he looked mildly disappointed. “That’s a shame. I always wanted to have a sister. There’s too much testosterone in our house. We could have used a little more softness, especially after my Mom died.”

I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure how to respond.

In an instant, he was all business again. “Come on. I’ve got your shuttle ready.”

Anders started running the initial system checks while I settled myself into a passenger seat. When he was ready, we strapped ourselves into our seats.

“This is your last chance to abort. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Well, no. I didn’t want to leave at all. My husband and father-in-law were forcing my hand.

“I’m sure. Let’s go.”

The shuttle lifted off without another word. Anders began piloting us toward the exit. He entered a code to depressurize the dock and the huge doors slowly opened in front of us. In a moment, we flew through and out into the darkness of space.

Technically, I was free, yet it felt like I had stepped into prison for the rest of my life.

ARNON

“Are you sure about this?” I paced back and forth in front of Elle’s hospital bed. Ayrie sat beside her, and they were both watching me.

“I don’t know. It just seemed as if Jayne was saying good-bye. Ayrie thought I should tell you.” Elle sounded hesitant.

“What could this mean?”

He shrugged. “There’s always the obvious thing. Is Jayne trying to leave?”

“How would she do that?”

Elle was the one who finally answered. “I haven’t planned this out or anything, but if I were going to try and escape, there’s only one option. I would take a shuttle.”

“Who would fly it?”

“Not me. I would find someone to help me.”

“You just got here, and there’s no reason for any of the women to leave. We’re on a one-way trip to Auxem.”

“I do know one pilot.” She looked at us with a grin on her face. “Take a wild guess. For a superior alien race, you can be pretty dumb sometimes.” Elle looked pleased with herself.

Ayrie and I stared at each other blankly. In my head, I ran through a list of pilots that I knew and couldn’t come up with a single one on our ship. Elle was still chuckling to herself. I snapped my fingers and Ayrie stood up.

“It’s Anders.” I was already starting to move with Ayrie right behind me.

“You’re welcome,” Elle called sarcastically after us.

“Thank you. I owe you one.”

“We’ll be back soon,” Ayrie said over his shoulder.

We raced to the transporter pad at the end of the hallway, and I hopped on first. “I hope we’re not too late.” A moment later, I disappeared. We dashed into the docking bay just in time to watch a shuttlecraft fly out.

Ayrie pulled up a screen and checked on the spaceship’s occupants. “It’s Anders and Jayne, all right.”

“When was the last time you flew a shuttle?”

“About five years ago. It’s not usually a skill I have to use.”

“Do you think you can still do it?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s take Father’s personal shuttle and go after them.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little reckless?”

“Maybe. I was a fool to let this happen. But, as you said yourself, I would be a greater fool if I let Jayne get away.”

“You love her, don’t you?” Ayrie had a slightly wistful expression on his face.

“I do. Help me get Jayne back before I lose her forever.”

JAYNE

I had a big grin on my face after we cleared the docking bay and shot off into the stars.

“Don’t get too excited, Jayne. It’ll take us a couple of weeks to get back to Earth in this ship.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Where did you think I was going to go? Besides, did you think I would set you on autopilot and let you fly through space by yourself? You’re carrying my blood relative, you know.”

“I guess I didn’t think that part through at all.”

He shook his head. “I brought enough food for both of us, and I’ll make sure you’re safely in your parents’ hands before I leave.”

I blinked back the tears in my eyes. “Thank you. It’s more than I could have hoped for.” I had been prepared to make the journey alone, but now I had my brother-in-law to keep me company. I hadn’t realized how scared I had been.

“Why don’t you go take a rest?” His voice was gentle. “You’ve had a rough day.”

Immediately I felt exhaustion taking over my body. Anders was right. I had to take care of myself now because that was how I could help the baby. “I think that’s a good idea.” I stifled a yawn. Before I headed for one of the bedrooms at the back of the ship, something nagged at me.

“I thought you needed to take your wings out every so often for medical reasons. What are you going to do on this ship? There’s not enough room to fly.”

He winced. “I’ll have to do the best I can. Maybe I can take them out while lying on the bed in my room. At least that will prevent infection.”

I was sure it would be an ordeal for him to be stuck in a tiny spaceship, but he had made his decision and I wasn’t going to refuse his help. I doubted he would let me send him back. Even though we would be cramped for the next two weeks, it was better than being alone.

Once I was lying on the bed in my room, tears began to fall. I felt overwhelmed. My father-in-law had rejected me. My husband hadn’t defended me. I was going to have a mutant baby by myself.

I was supposed to be off having a grand adventure. Some adventure this turned out to be.

To top it all off, I missed him. Nothing could fill the hole in my heart. Once the sobbing started, only sleep could stop it.

A couple of hours later, I was back sitting next to Anders in the cockpit, looking out the window. We sat in comfortable silence. Everything felt better after a nap.

A tone sounded throughout the ship. “Is that something to be alarmed about?”

“I think it’s just another spacecraft.”

I saw a small dot through the window, and it steadily grew larger. “Is there a reason for anyone else to be in this region of space?”

“I’m not sure who it is. They haven’t hailed us yet, but I can take a guess.”

“If I had to guess, I would guess Arnon. Did he follow our ship? He’s not going to take this baby.”

“I’m not sure that’s why he’s here.”

“There’s nothing for us to discuss. Is there a place to hide here?”

“I won’t let him do anything to you.” Anders spoke sharply, making me focus on his face. “You’re not going anywhere. But don’t you think you should give him a chance to say anything? After you’ve listened to him, if you still want to go to Earth, I’ll take you there.”

I only saw truth in his eyes. The ship finally hailed us, and the pilot asked for permission to dock.

“Fine. Let him come aboard. But I’m still going to Earth.”

“That’s what I said. I won’t change our course without your permission.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

The hatch opened with a clang. A moment later, Arnon dropped into our ship.