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 myself. 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."
"You're her mate. You're the father of her child—"
"The child that was conceived when I was lying to her. The child that I have now put in jeopardy for the safety of my own skin. I don't deserve Veronica. I don't deserve to be a father."
A long moment of silence answered him. Dievca rolled to her side. "Stop thinking. Try to rest. We're going to need our strength tomorrow when we save them."
Chapec lay with his eyes open, trying to relax his muscles. Eventually, all he could do was close his eyes and pray for the morning to come quickly.
***
As soon as it was light enough to see the path, they headed off again. Weariness dragged at Chapec's limbs, but there was also a strong beating in his chest – a feeling of power and energy that propelled him swiftly through the trees, his eyes searching the ground for bright glimmers of light to show he was on the right path. Dievca scrambled to keep up with him.
He was beginning to tire when he heard voices ahead. His instinct was to speed up and charge them, but Dievca caught his arm and pulled him back.
"Ambushes work better than a full-out charge," she whispered. "I'll go around them. You get as close as you can without being seen. I'll do a whistle-lark call and we attack together."
Chapec nodded reluctantly. Dievca disappeared into the trees on his left. As he crept forward, he heard Veronica's voice, high-pitched with fear, and he drew his broadsword. His fingers tightened on it, imagining cutting down the people who dared to frighten her.
When he saw the first aliens through the trees, he dropped and inched closer, being careful to avoid rustling the branches around him.
"I don't care if we can get more for a live human. We'll still get something for her body," a furious female voice said. "Kill her."
Chapec's blood boiled. With a roar, he sprang forward, driving his sword at his enemies. They would not harm Veronica!