Chapter Two

“You never told me you fought Yaksim.”

“I didn’t remember it until tonight.”

She nodded and stroked his chest. “You weren’t supposed to remember. My death was the catalyst to release the memory. I always respected him. The others thought he just had uncanny timing, but I knew that we had created so much more. If we actually created him, I was never sure about that.”

“Who was that male?”

She opened her mouth and closed it. “I believe he wants to introduce himself. There is something I need to tell you before I die.”

She tried to lift her body up but fell back. He picked her up gently and laid her on his chest. She smiled at him.

“This is where I wanted to be. I hope you can forgive me. They would have killed you immediately if I told you this, so I kept it for all these centuries. My people have few things they are weary of, but identical twins are one of them.”

“Twins?” He knew what the word meant, but there were no twins on the planet they came from.

“There have only been two sets of twins born on my planet. The first set was born long before both you and I ever breathed air. They are still thought to be the reason the planet was at war with itself for so many centuries. The second set was you and your brother. You were the second, and they immediately wanted to kill you. I couldn’t let them. The minute I looked at you I knew you had to live.”

“I have a brother?”

Her head nodded weakly against his chest. “Please don’t hate me.”

“I don’t but why didn’t he ever come for me?” Family was a sacred word to them. How could his brother, his twin leave him?

“Like you didn’t know he existed. He didn’t know you existed. You were removed from the womb before either of you were fully awake. I think you both have an ache in your heart that nothing can erase. It’s looking for a connection with your twin.”

A twin, identical, someone that looked like him, thought like him.

“Why Brie?”

“Because you were never meant to be second, no matter what your birth said. He was half covering you. Protecting you as if he knew. How could I do less than your brother?”

He brought his hand up and stroked her back. A brother, he would think about it later he wouldn’t let his last minutes with Brie be interrupted by this thought.

“Sweet Brie.” His hand caressed down her arms before his head lifted to kiss her.

“I wish I could make love to you one more time.”

Her body was much too fragile for him to love but her mind was still strong.

He used the same connection and showed her how his hands were moving over her back stroking her down the sides the way she liked.

“Touch me, Slade.” Her voice was sexy and sultry in his mind.

He turned her over and stared into her golden gaze. How he loved the color, just the sight of them made him warm. His mouth lowered as he pressed against her allowing her to feel his hardness.

“Hurry,” she begged.

He took her mouth in a deep kiss sliding his tongue between her lips and caressing her. He moved to her throat kissing her and then to the claiming mark he had given her centuries ago. He kissed it again allowing her to know she was his.

He moved down to her breasts desperate to love her one more time. He took her nipple into his mouth sucking on it as she arched her back.

“I know what you want. I want to take forever with you.” She no longer had forever to give him. Once again there was that pain behind his eyes, but he ignored it. All that mattered right now was Brie.

His finger slid down and felt the wetness between her legs. With a smile of joy, he raised up and impaled her. She screamed her pleasure as he moved deep inside of her keeping the pace hard and fast. Loving her one more time the only way he could.

He felt her legs go around him before she screamed her body shaking and shivering. He held off on his own release, this was for his love.

“I want it all.” her words were whispered, but they touch him.

He gave one last thrust as he came with deep groans of pleasure.

She opened her eyes to look at him. “Thank you.”

“No, sweetness you don’t thank me. I thank you for the centuries of life and love you have given me.”

“One more time.”

He placed her on the bed and rolled over until he was snuggled against her. He lowered his mouth to her and gave her the sweetest goodbye he knew how to. Her last breath caressed his lips.

His heart cracked. There were things to do, arrangements to be confirmed. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and slept tomorrow would come much too soon.

*~*~*~*

The day was beautiful the emerald sky sparkled like a jewel. This was the kind of day that would make Brie sit outside taking in the beauty of the trees and the sky as she watched insects flit from flower to flower.

One day he thought he might look back and enjoy this day but not now, not today. He would pay any price to stop today from occurring. If only he could go back to a time when she laid in his arms warm and alive. Unfortunately, time didn’t stop for anyone.

He made the arrangements, called the necessary officials and now it was time to say his final goodbye. Brie lay in a casket with a clear top. That was how the citizens of this world were laid to rest. Soon she would be loaded onto a funeral rocket and shot directly at the sun.

When he first found out about the custom, he was appalled, but she loved it.

“This is how I want to be buried, Slade.”

“Brie be reasonable they shoot you into the sun. There is nothing left not even a place for me to come and visit.”

He was standing up looking out the window staring up at the sun that was way too bright. She walked over to him hugging him from behind. He loved her tiny form that was only five foot three inches to his six-five frame.

“When I’m gone Slade, there will be no need for you to stay here. I want your next life to begin.”

His hands covered hers, and he stood silently. She still didn’t understand life started and ended with her. To ask him to find another after having loved her felt like a betrayal.

“Brie, rethink it.”

“I have several times before I decided to talk to you. When my body dies, I want it to burn to let my spirit out. It’s the one custom of my people that I am unwilling to let go.”

The burning of her body would set her spirit free so that it could begin the journey of looking for her mate. The one she would spend all of eternity with. It was selfish, and he knew it, but he didn’t want her to be with anyone other than himself.

“I will do as you wish.”

Now she was dead, and he could do whatever he wanted, and still, he gave in to her desires. He would not dishonor her or their love by going against her wishes.

“She looks so young.”

The voice brought him out of his thoughts. He knew they were there but thought to ignore them on the off chance they would go away.

Five Created stood in front of him. Each of them had no one. Their brothers were long dead in the war they were created to fight, and these five like him were alone. An individual that had no family. They were The Broken.

His face went stoic as Brie’s memory came back to him.

“Why are we letting them into our house? Each one of them of them is broken.”

“As you will one day be.” Her yellow eyes stared at him with such pain that he didn’t want to pursue the line of thinking. “One day Slade I will no longer be here.”

He would be broken, he knew she was right but refused to acknowledge that even as he allowed the males into his home.

“She’ll always be young to me.”

The Created were standing with their legs slightly apart. Their hands were held in respect crossed behind their backs. They were dressed alike in black shirts that reminded him of their uniforms, black pants, and boots. Their outfits mirrored his own.

There was a clearing of a throat. The director of the home going service was drawing attention to himself.

“Are you ready?”

He turned to look at the male his eyes promising death if he continued to press this service.

The director stepped back and politely lowered his head to wait.

“Why are you here?” His voice was lethal when he talked to The Broken.

“She was our friend.”

They were lying. This was more than she was a friend. She invited them in treated them like family even though she knew they were broken. To be accepted when no one else would accept them made her important to them.

“She is glad that you have come to say goodbye to her.”

They nodded. Each one knew that she felt she would be standing with them when they paid their final respects to her.

Akron approached the casket and dropped to his knee. “Brie, I wish you safe travel through the stars. You will be missed.”

Jabari walked to the casket and dropped to his knee. “Brie you didn’t have to accept me, but you did. Travel safely you will be missed.”

Thrice walked to the casket and dropped to his knee. “I remember the first time I spotted you. You were at the market, you bought a piece of fruit, then walked up to me when all others were making a wide berth around me. You gave me the fruit and told me if I wanted brothers to come to the address you rattled off. Travel safely Brie, I’ll watch over him like you watched over me.”

Phoenix walked up to Brie’s casket and dropped to his knee. His head dropped against the clear top before he straightened up.

“How can I be upset that you left, but I am? I know, I remember what you told me and I’ll hold it close. Safe travels Brie.”

Mekhi walked up to Brie’s casket and went to one knee. “Safe travel Brie. You have left us all a little more broken, and you have taken a piece of our hearts with you.”

Slade looked at each of them before he did what he knew Brie expected of him.

“Brie left a note for each of you to read in private, but she also left a message for all of you. Each one of you captured my heart and my imagination. The centuries that we have been family has meant more to me than I could say even if we had eternity together. I’ve left a surprise for all of you. Remember you are brothers. Sometimes blood makes family other times circumstances make a family. You each have my love, Brie.”

The stood and moved backward. Slade moved closer and bent his head.

“My love and my heart go with you, Brie. May your journey be safe as you find your eternal mate.”

He stepped back and looked at the director. He gave the nod for him to continue.

The director stepped up and moved the casket that looked more like a rocket to the launch platform. With one last look at the six males who gave their goodbyes the director plugged into the coordinates. The rocket disappeared, and the launch pad lifted its nose point upward. One last look and the casket took off going straight into the air.

Slade watched as the casket headed toward the sun. When he could no longer see the love of his life, his brothers surrounded him as they walked away.