Chapter 18

 

 

Zander held HonORa’s hand while the medic checked her vitals. Her heart had stopped beating and the medic had to perform an emergency procedure to restart her heart. He had never felt so helpless, not since the attack on Norad. He would rather it be him lying there motionless and pale than his HonORa.

“How is she?” he asked the medic.

“Her vitals are stable. I’ve given her nanos to repair her lungs. Whether she will wake is totally up to her and the goddess.”

He nodded and waited for the medic to leave. Taking her hand in his, he lifted it to his heart and closed his eyes. “Goddess KatieRI, please bring her back to me. I can’t live without her. She is the most important thing in my life.” His voice cracked with emotion. He almost missed the slight squeezing of his hand. It happened again and he opened his eyes to look down into HonORa’s beautiful gaze.

“Zander,” she whispered.

“My love.” He leaned over her and kissed her lips softly. “I thought I had lost you.”

Her hand rose up to cup his cheeks, gently wiping his tears away. “I couldn’t leave you, Zander. I love you.”

“Goddess knows that I love you more than anything else. Let me go get the medic to look you over again.”

“I’m fine. I just feel like someone put a huge stone on my chest. Is Lizetta okay? The young ones?”

“Lizetta and all the young ones are safe. They only suffered a few cuts and bruises. A few of the village females were heavily injured. The medic is treating them. No one died.” He helped her to sit up and placed an extra pillow behind her back.

“Who attacked us?”

“Some of the Colonial residents who feared the Morinians were the same as the Morins.”

“Where they caught? What’s going to happen to them?”

“They attacked females and the young. That is going directly against the first prime law. If any of the females that were injured do not live, the attackers will forfeit their own lives.”

Zander had learned a great deal about the Katieran culture, and even though they were on the Colony, the prime laws still applied. The prime laws were few but simple:

First Law: Protect all females and young. Abusing a female and/or young is punishable by banishment from Katiera. Violators who cause the death of a female or young are punished by death.

Second Law: Protect the Prime family. Failing to protect a member of the Prime family is subject to banishment from Katiera. Violators who cause harm to a member of the Prime family are punished by death.

Third Law: Serve the people of Katiera. Refusal to uphold the laws or to serve the Katieran people could lead to banishment.

Fourth Law: Honor the Goddess KatieRI and the God KiljOR as a mated pair. Violators who disregard a mating after it has been made official are subject to banishment.

Fifth Law: Protection of all Natural Resources. Violators who refuse to practice conservation of resources are subject to banishment; Violators who purposely contaminate natural resources are subject to banishment.

His own people followed similar laws; the fourth and fifth were an adjustment. His people worshipped nature, giving thanks to the sky for good weather, thanks to the land for producing their food, thanks to the animals they hunt for providing nourishment.

“I can’t imagine that LarIS would allow the attackers to remain here. It’s a shame.”

“You feel sorry for the ones that hurt you?”

“I feel sorry for their families. Not only did they bring dishonor to themselves and their family, they will be forced to leave and possibly never see their family members again.”

“They deserve to be put to death. Those young could have nightmares for years over this attack,” Zander growled in anger. He knew of what he spoke because of the way that Lizetta still suffered nightmares.

The door opened and Lizetta came in. “Oh, thank the Goddess!” She rushed over and almost launched herself on the bed to give HonORa a hug. “We were so worried about you. Zander has not left your side, not for one moment, not even to eat. He needs a shower but refuses to leave you.”

Zander grumbled but HonORa broke out into laughter. “Please don’t let me keep you from a shower.”

“I don’t need one.”

She waved him to the door. “Go. I’ll be here when you come back. I’ll probably need a shower myself later.”

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I can help you with that.”

Her lovely face blushed with color. “We’ll see. Now go, and get something to eat as well.”

Kissing her lips softly, he stood up and reached for clothing sitting on his dresser. Then he headed out of the room.

*****

HonORa looked around and realized she wasn’t in her own cottage or her own bed. She was in Zander’s bed.

“Would you like for me to get the medic? He went over to treat the two injured villagers,” Lizetta offered.

“No, I’m fine. Maybe a glass of water would help. Though I drank enough of the creek water to last me a lifetime. It wasn’t very clean.”

“The medic said that you would need water, food, and rest to get back to full strength. Until then, no more fights with attackers,” Lizetta warned her.

HonORa smiled. “Just the water for now.”

“I’ll get it for you.” Lizetta popped up before she stopped at the doorway to look back. “I wanted to thank you for what you did. When you threw yourself at the male chasing us, it gave us time to get to safety. You’re a hero.”

“You’re a hero too, Lizetta. You saved those young from injury or death. I’m proud of how brave you were…and are.”

The young female blushed. “I’ll be back with a glass of water and something for you and Zander to eat. He’s not going to stay far from your side. Be prepared for his overprotectiveness to kick in.”

“I look forward to it.”

Once Lizetta was gone, she sighed and eased back onto the pillow behind her. She was exhausted. Turning her head, she inhaled the scent of Zander on the pillow and let it wrap around her senses. A knock at the door had her jerk to attention.

“I wanted to come and check on you. I was not told you had awakened,” ZenIM said as he stepped into the room. He took the seat that Zander had occupied.

“I just woke a few minutes ago. Zander’s taking a shower.”

He smiled. “He needed one. I have to say, he is most devoted to you.”

She felt the truth of his words. In her heart and her soul, she felt a connection to Zander she had never felt for anyone, not even TomAZ. “I’m devoted to him as well.”

“Leader LarIS is going to announce judgement on the attackers once the warriors he sent here to collect them return them to the Colonial prime city. Did you and Zander want to go with them?”

“Are our statements necessary?”

“No, there are many witnesses to what they have done. You don’t have to go.”

“Where do you want HonORa to go?” Zander demanded, walking into the bedroom with hair damp and pants on, but no shirt. She couldn’t help but admire his physique. She felt his tension; his aura was turning dark brown.

“Easy, my love. ZenIM was just telling me that LarIS has sent warriors to bring the attackers back to the Colonial prime city where they will be judged and served their punishment. He asked if we wanted to go.”

“Do you?” Zander asked.

She shook her head. “As long as my presence is not needed, I would rather stay here.”

ZenIM turned the question to Zander. “Would you like to go to ensure that justice is served?”

For some reason, Zander’s answer was important to her. She held her breath, waiting.

“Justice will be served, but I do not need to be the one to deal it out. I will leave that to others.”

“Very well. I will send the medic back to do another check-up on HonORa,” ZenIM said as he stood up and left.

HonORa was stunned into silence by Zander’s answer. She watched him walk into the room and instead of sitting in the chair, he climbed up on the bed and settled in next to her. “What’s wrong my love?”

“Do you mean what you said, about justice?”

“Yes.”

“What about the Morins? Will you be leaving to go after the Morins?”

There was a long pause as he clearly thought about it, then the tension in his face faded. “You were right. I had been seeking revenge, not justice, for my people and there is a difference. I believe justice will be served but it will be in someone else’s hand and by the goddess’s will. I have nothing to prove in order to be justified. To honor my people, all I have to do is continue to take care of the survivors and live my life to the fullest. That life will hopefully include a beautiful priestess who will remind me of that from time to time when I’m being difficult.”

Her heart warmed and she felt like her soul was flying. “You, difficult? Never.” She chuckled when he tickled her side.

“I have your food,” Lizetta announced.

HonORa smiled at the grumbling that came from Zander as he moved to get off the bed. She looked forward to getting stronger so that they could do make love again. She hadn’t had a chance to explore all of him and she intended to do so—soon.