CHAPTER THIRTEEN
REENA RHODES
After I heard the King declare that we could stay on Kelon and marry the Draqua warriors, I felt relief flood me. It felt like the last piece of the puzzle for my happiness. Now I would have it all. I would be in a new, adventurous home that looked like paradise. I would be with the alien dragon shifter that I loved. I would be having a child and be in a happy, loving family. I was giddy with joy. But I celebrated too soon. The amount of time between being granted permission to stay and the sound of the sirens was too short.
I knew as soon as the first siren went off that there was major trouble because I had never heard that siren before in the village. But I knew another thing immediately: that whatever it was, Dekario would volunteer to deal with it. His honor as a warrior and his bravery made me very attracted to him, but it also made me have great fear of what would happen.
“In here,” Queen Melody said as the siren blared and she opened up a wall. We slipped inside. It was a long secret passageway. She closed the wall panel, and it went dark except for a very dim light streaming in through the walls.
“What is happening?” Luka whispered. “What is an Aeriwana doing in the palace?”
Queen Melody sighed. She was about fifty years old, and I knew exactly who she was. She was the daughter of the president from thirty or so years before. I was not born then, but I had always heard about how that president’s daughter had been really reclusive during his presidency. When I arrived here and saw her, I knew that it was her, but I never said anything due to the fact that I knew that I would not be let back to Earth if I told them I knew. So I kept it to myself.
“The King captured an Aeriwana Draqua in order to get information from him about where they were coming from. Now it seems he has escaped,” she said.
“So what do we do now?” I asked feeling helpless. “How can we help?”
“We can help by staying here,” she said.
“But we do nothing?” Luka asked.
“I learned long ago that my husband is better focused in a fight if he knows that I am safe. I do not want him to be unfocused because I want him returned to me. So in a matter of danger, I hide in the passageway. If the palace is sieged, it leads out into the jungle. But if not, I stay here and this is where my husband comes to find me,” she said with a bit of sorrow in her voice. I realized that she as very worried too. He was out there too, and it was possible that he may not return to her.
“I suppose you are right. I have seen my wellbeing be a distraction for Dekario in a fight. I do not want him to worry about me,” I said.
“So we stay here, and we are quiet,” Luka whispered.
“Yes, exactly,” Queen Melody said.
As we waited, I could hear the sounds of the sirens. Every now and then we would hear shouting and blaster guns. Then it would stop. It would be silent.
It was complete agony standing there, not knowing. We held hands and hoped for our loved ones to return. I could not stand the idea of losing Dekario, not now when we were so close to happiness and feeling out of danger. I would not be able to do this without him. I placed a hand on my belly and comforted my child inside.
“It will be fine. You will see,” the queen said.
“Yes, it is a palace full of warriors against one Aeriwana Draqua,” Luka said. “They will be fine.”
I smiled and then looked at the queen. “Was it difficult? The pregnancy?” I asked.
“No. I assume it is just like being pregnant on Earth and giving birth. But I do not have that experience to compare it too. It is probably the same,” she smiled.
“And your son, the prince, where is he?” Luka asked.
“He is grown. He is a fine warrior. He is touring the galaxy, learning all that he can about it. My husband allowed him to do so. He says knowing about other planets and races will make him into a fine king. I agree with that,” she said.
“Sounds like a smart Draqua,” I said.
“Yes. Most hybrids are highly intelligent. You will see,” she smiled.
“It has been quiet for some time now,” Luka said, interrupting our talk of motherhood and bringing us back to reality. Then the sirens suddenly went off.
“What does that mean?” I asked the queen.
“I am not sure. Let us stay quiet now that we do not have the siren to mask our voices,” she whispered.
We stayed quiet holding hands practically crushing them as we squeezed in tension. Then the wall panel opened. “Melody?”
The king’s voice was a relief. Melody let go of our hands and ran to the king. She emerged from the panel walls. Luka and I gave each other a look. We did not hear Dekario or Kavik call to us. We moved quickly and emerged from the wall into the king’s chamber. Kavik and Dekario walked in. They were dirty and blood stained.
“Dekario!” I shouted as I ran to him. I threw myself into his arms. I was so happy to see him alive and well. It was torture waiting for him without knowing what was happening.
“I told you I would come back. I always do,” he said.
“Yes, you do,” I said as I reached up on my tiptoes and kissed him. I looked him over and said, “What happened? Are you hurt?”
“I am fine. We got him. He’s dead. No need to be frightened any more,” he said as he hugged me.
“Phoenix?” I asked.
“He is fine. He went to the barracks with the warriors. He wants to start his training as a Draqua guard. I think he will be good at it,” Dekario said.
“Let’s go home,” I said.
“Yes, let’s go home,” he said. I turned to see the other two couples embracing as well. We were all happy and relieved. Dekario and I made our way home to his hut. We stayed in bed for the rest of the day until the next morning.
A week later there was a grand marriage ceremony as promised by the king. It was a lot like the marriage ceremony of Earth. I stood next to Dekario with my hands in his. Luka did the same with Kavik. Everyone was gathered on the beach to watch us become one. We did not have vows, but the Draqua official said a few words that formed our ceremony.
“This bond you both partake in. You are taking each other in union as mate and as husband and wife. From this bonding ceremony forth, you belong only to each other,” he said.
Then our hands were tied with a long vine. It was beautiful, and I had tears in my eyes the entire time.
“Are you happy, human female Reena?” Dekario asked me as he sat beside me on the beach during the large feast. The celebration was on the sand and food was being roasted over open fires. Draqua of all ages and hybrids or not were playing on the beach and in the water. It was a celebration, and everyone seemed to be having a great time.
“I am so happy. Are you happy, Draqua Lieutenant Dekario Dundra? I asked him playfully in return.
“I am happier than I ever thought I could be. You have made me a happy and proud husband,” he said as he leaned in and kissed me.
“And you have made me a happy and pregnant wife,” I said laughing. He fed me a piece of fruit and then I kissed him again. I could never stop kissing him. He was so damn hot with his long dark hair, brown eyes, and rugged good looks. Not to mention that he was always in a loincloth and practically naked.
Phoenix and Luka came to sit by me in the sand. Kavik sat on the other side of Dekario as they had their own conversation.
“Can you believe this?” Phoenix said. “If I had told you when we set out on our mission from Earth that you were not coming back and you were going to marry aliens, you would have put me in the nuthouse.” He laughed.
“That is true, and yet here we are, doing just that,” Luka laughed.
“No, never in a million years did I think that I would ever meet an alien life form yet alone be married to one,” I said.
“I think we owe it to Jason, Marcy, and Captain Wallace to be happy. To be very, very happy and in love. They sacrificed their lives for it. We need to make sure their deaths to not become taken for granted. They are the reason we are here,” Luka said.
“Yes, to the crew,” I said, raising my cup of water in cheers to them.
“And what about you, Phoenix? Where lies your happiness?” Luka asked.
“She’s over there,” he said as he looked at Antaris. She was staring coyly at him. Then he said, “We are taking it slow. She is barren, and we have all the time to just get to know each other a little more. But I fall in love with her more and more every day. But something was missing from my life. After I helped with the incident in the palace, I realized that I missed the work of a soldier badly. Now that I am in training, I feel great. I am learning about alien warfare tactics, and it is just badass!” he laughed.
“So we are all happy here in our new lives then,”Luka said.
“Yes, we are,” I said as I hugged both of them. We had come a long way, and the adventure was only beginning.
Now I at least felt safe now that the dangers that had been after us were eliminated. But I had learned that danger was always lurking as long as the opposition was out there. I knew that Dekario and the King thought that Commander Triq and Captain Hicium were not working alone and were only a portion of the opposition in hiding. But they were the immediate threats, and they were gone. Now there was just the distant threat. It still scared me, but I could not live my daily life in fear. I had already survived a lot. I knew that I was tough and could take on whatever the Draqua life brought to me.