Chapter Fifteen
Delta
She watched them go, her heart full of love.
Delta knew how hard it was for her brave warriors to drop down over the side of the cliff. Abandoning her. She’d felt the same heaviness in her soul when she snuck out of the citadel, not knowing if she would ever see them again.
It was still a surprise to her that she’d fallen in love with a pair of alien twins from a world she’d never even seen. Wanting to have sex with them? That was easy to explain. It was nothing but raw lust, a combination of their seductive gyron and the fact that she’d never had an orgasm until they came along.
But love? She’d always imagined love built slowly, over time. That’s why she never broke up with Lloyd. Her rational mind told her they were perfect for each other. They were compatible in so many ways. They both came from military backgrounds. They had common interests, similar likes and dislikes. Loved traveling, hated crowds. She figured she’d grow to love him. And she’d always thought their sexual problems were her fault, that if she could only relax and get turned on, everything would be fine. After all, Lloyd had told her that over and over.
After meeting the twins, she realized how empty and lifeless – and one sided – her relationship with Lloyd had been. When she was with him, they spent their time doing what he chose. She was expected to spread her legs when he was in the mood.
Zandyr and Zhynn were as different from Lloyd as could be. Lloyd was always dry and matter-of-fact, even when they had sex. The twins were passionate about everything they did. Though the brothers looked alike, they had distinct personality traits. Zandyr was the more romantic of the two, the one who’d reach out and hold her hand unexpectedly. Gentler, calmer. Zhynn was more competitive, more outspoken and opinionated.
The brothers had two things in common, though, two things that captured her heart.
First, their dark, dominating lovemaking. Together, they made her feel like the sexiest, most beautiful creature they’d ever seen. A being they hungered for. Awakening her to wickedly thrilling desires, taking control, demanding her obedience – and then carrying her off to heights of passion she’d only dreamed of before she met them. Delta never knew submission could be so intoxicating.
And, second, they made her laugh. Sometimes with sly wit, sometimes with pure slapstick shenanigans. The twins played off each other like a pair of stand-up comedians performing for an audience of one. In the few short hours they’d been together, Zandyr and Zhynn even drew her into bantering with them, finding her humor as entertaining as she found theirs. She knew sex alone wasn’t enough for a good relationship. They all had to get out of bed sooner or later. Laughing together with them would make bad times bearable and good times even better.
She was glad Tharan custom required that twins share a mate, because she had no idea how she’d ever choose between them.
Now, alone here on top of a stark plateau in the middle of the most vicious desert she’d ever seen in the galaxy, Delta had to face the truth. She might never see her warrior twins again. She didn’t know if she could survive until they came back – or if they’d manage to make it back.
When she left the citadel, she hadn’t known if she could really cross the desert alone and on foot. She hadn’t spent any time trying to decide how she’d overpower the guards and then steal an alien craft. She’d figured she’d improvise if she was lucky enough to make it that far.
“But I had to try. And I did it,” she said out loud, needing to hear the words. “Not only did I make it this far, I destroyed the fucking monster that was after me. By tomorrow night, the desert creatures will have stripped his bones clean. I’m still alive. I can survive this, too.”
Though she mustered up the brave words, Delta knew she might be wrong. Her body could withstand the extreme heat without going into shock. She knew how to tamp down the demand on her organs, slow her heartbeat and respiration to nearly non-existent levels.
But there was one thing she couldn’t do. Shield her skin against the scorching rays of the sun without the protection of the white robe, made of fabric perfected over the centuries by the Borvaani. Delta hadn’t been entirely truthful with the twins. The heat wouldn’t kill her, but she knew she might die from third-degree burns on any parts of her body left uncovered.
Delta looked down at the tattered remains of her garment. The upper portion was still mostly intact, with a few tears it sustained when she traversed the rocky cliff face. But the lower half was almost gone. Only a few long strips remained. She’d used one piece to bind her ankle then two other huge sections to dress Zandyr’s would. But she’d had to. No matter how much he made light of it, he’d been badly injured. She’d seen the glint of bone inside the deep slash across his back. If she didn’t staunch the flow of blood, he might not be able to make it to the landing port. He’d collapse in the vast emptiness of the desert. If that happened, his twin would never leave him. He’d die trying to save his brother’s life.
Delta sent out a fervent prayer. Holy One, protect them. Keep them safe. And please, let me live long enough to feel their arms around me again.
Once she put their fate into the hands of the Goddess, Delta felt a sense of peace. Her mind cleared, and the realization hit her. Being able to see her robe more clearly meant the sky was beginning to lighten. The fierce sun would soon rise. She needed to prepare herself.
Crouching down next to the rock pile, Delta untied the cloth around her ankle. She didn’t need support anymore. She needed as much coverage as possible. Putting her feet together, she wound the white strip around them and on up her legs as far as it would go. Then she tucked into a fetal position, dragging the upper part of the robe as far down as she could over her exposed thighs. Pulling the edges of the hood in around her face, she lay down and pillowed her head on one arm. Last, she stretched out the other arm and mounded the meager stockpile of rocks one by one over whatever parts of her body she could reach.
She pulled her hand back in, tucking her fingers deep into the sleeve. Closing her eyes, Delta began her slow breathing, commanding her heart to quit racing, her mind to go blank.
As she descended into the darkness, she gave a wry smile. This reminds me of the burials I saw in pictures of the Old West back home. I’ll have to remember to tell the twins about them. It’s really funny, in an ironic way. The only hope I have for survival is to climb into my own grave.
Zhynn
He raced through the desert, knowing her life depended on them. He didn’t need to look at his twin. Through the essence they shared, he could feel Zandyr’s strength slowly sapping away. They’d both made light of his wound, just as they always did on the battlefield. Tharan warriors didn’t whine over a scratch or two – or even a severed arm or leg. They fought on, knowing the lives of their fellow warriors depended on them. Limbs could be replaced, organs regrown. Even if the injuries were so severe their bodies couldn’t be healed, he and his brothers in arms knew skilled Tharan surgeons would salvage what they could and transform them into cyborgs.
But Delta? He marveled that their little human had been able to make it so far into the desert. Couldn’t help smiling at the image of her, balancing on one good leg, facing down the cojee-ma armed with a dagger and a few rocks.
As always, Zandyr tuned into his thoughts. I’m glad she thinks she killed that beast, he said. To be strong a warrior needs to believe with all his heart that he can conquer anything. That’s why we train as hard as we do. When the time comes, we know we have what it takes, no matter what danger we may face. We have to trust that her strong heart will keep her alive, Brother.
Hours passed. They ran until they could hardly put one leg in front of the other. Until their hearts pounded so fast they threatened to burst. On the horizon, darkness turned to a soft gray, growing lighter by the minute.
Leave me. Go on. You can make it. You’ll travel faster alone. Knowing he was near collapse, Zandyr dropped back and sent the last of his strength to his brother.
I had to leave her. By the Sacred Ones, I’ll die right here before I leave you, too. Zhynn tapped reserves he didn’t know he had. Whirling around, he put one arm under his twin’s shoulder. Half-dragged, half carried him the last namod as a dark smudge in the distance took shape.
Knowing they were so close to the landing station, he stopped in the shelter of a large boulder, giving them both a few precious moments of rest.
Time to split up, Brother, Zandyr said. But I’m not finished yet. I’ll make my way toward the entrance and call out, drawing their attention. If Neema was as good as I think she was, no one in the citadel knows we’re gone yet. The guards there won’t have sounded an alarm. When these soldiers see a figure approaching wearing their uniform, clearly injured, they’ll send a team out to help me. I’ll keep them busy as long as I can while you find a way to sneak in and get our ship.
Zhynn didn’t argue. He knew his brother was right. He bent his arm, clasped his fist to his heart. May the Sacred Ones send our fellow warriors down from the heavens to fight at our side.
He disappeared into the shadows.
Zhynn
His head swiveled back and forth, scanning the horizon. The sun had been up for several hours, relentlessly roasting everything below. The creatures of the night had taken shelter, burrowing underground for cover, hiding in crevices in the rocky outcroppings. The desert appeared lifeless once again.
He glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. Once they were back on their ship, he’d patched Zandyr’s wound as best he could with one of the lasers they carried on board for triage on the battlefield. All Tharan warriors were trained in emergency medical procedures but his twin had lost a lot of blood and needed a real doctor.
“We should have been there by now. Are you sure you’re going in the right direction?”
Zandyr took his eyes away from the controls long enough to glare at him. “I may have been injured but there’s nothing wrong with my mind – or this ship’s tracking mode. I’m following our trail.” He went back to monitoring the glowing display as sensors picked up their essence along the route they’d taken through the desert hours earlier.
Their plan had worked even better than they hoped. Only two guards were on duty, the rest sleeping off a night spent drinking and gambling. The next incoming interplanetary vessel wasn’t due to arrive till late in the day, and guard duty in the desert port offered little else in the way of entertainment.
Zandyr said when the guards got to him, he pretended to be out of his mind with pain, unable to explain who he was and how he’d gotten there. Knowing they’d have heard the tales of the mythical beast, he kept muttering, “cojee-ma, cojee-ma.” The guards glanced around nervously in the darkness and hustled back to the safety of the port, carrying him in.
Zhynn sent him a silent message when he reached their ship, and Zandyr took the guards by surprise when he suddenly recovered enough to overpower them. The twins sped off before the other guards were able to shake off their drunken slumber.
“There! There it is,” Zhynn said a moment later, as a dark column arose in the distance, growing larger by the second.
“I’m taking the big transport cruiser in the hold. Put this thing into hyperdrive as soon as I’m off. I’ll get Delta, and we’ll rendezvous once we’re far enough away to be out of range of any missile strikes. I saw the Borvaani defense system in the landing port. Thank the gods it’s as outdated as their ground transportation. If he’s going to wage war successfully on other worlds, Axum needs to use his harem to woo allies with advanced technology.”
Zhynn made a quick pass over the stark plateau, hovering just above the ground. Searching for a figure in white. The merciless sun glared off the sand, and it was nearly impossible to make out anything. Heart pounding, he circled around and made another pass, this time only a few feet over the surface. She had to be here.
His eye was drawn by a mound of rocks near the edge that he’d missed the first time around. He set the cruiser down gently as close as he could, popped the hatch, and jumped out.
A blast of heat hit him so hard Zhynn rocked back against the hull. His heart sank. She couldn’t have survived. No creature could live long on the surface of this hell. He took a few steps then sank to his knees in front of the rock pile when he caught a glimpse of white fabric underneath.
Zhynn couldn’t stifle a cry. Even through his clothes, it felt like his skin was being roasted with a flame thrower when his knees touched the ground. He gritted his teeth and began tossing rocks off the pile, his hands blistering from the heat as he grabbed them.
He uncovered a still, white bundle, like a tiny shroud. He could see she’d tried desperately to make herself as small as possible, curling into a ball to get as much of her body under the tattered garment as she could. Tears came to his eyes when he imagined what she’d gone through. The skin on her legs had been so badly burned it was nearly black where it hadn’t been protected by the torn bits of robe. He picked her up carefully, cradling her in his arms, bent his head to shield his eyes from the burning glare, and made his way slowly back to the transport cruiser. The air seared his lungs with every breath he took, drained his energy so that it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other
The temperature inside was easily a hundred degrees lower, the interior of the ship dark after the sun’s glare. Heedless of his burned hands, he laid Delta’s lifeless body on a padded seating area meant to carry half a dozen passengers and tenderly uncovered her face. Her eyes were closed, a look of peace on her face. He sent a prayer of thanks to the gods for their mercy. She hadn’t died in agony.
He bent and touched his lips to her forehead then pulled away, shocked, when a faint current of air brushed his cheek. She was still breathing.
He dashed to the controls, sent the transport vehicle rocketing into space to rendezvous with Zandyr.
She’s alive, Brother. It’s a miracle! Somehow she survived. But she’s badly burned. Our ship isn’t equipped to handle injuries as severe as hers. Set a course for the Gemini. We have to get her to a star cruiser. One with the latest medical facilities. If she regains consciousness before these burns are treated, she’ll wake up screaming in agony.