Darkness Comes (38 page)

*****

Malorie fell out of Feryn’s memories, crashing into an alien world of chaos and destruction, the pungent odor of rot and decay assailing her nostrils. Was she in Hell?

She had to be; the stench of death was choking her and she wanted to cover her nose but she had the feeling that it wouldn’t make any difference; the smell was seeping into her bones. Glancing around, she saw that she was in a familiar village but she was seeing it from a different angle. Had she been sent back in time to a Hell created just for her, to the place where it all began?

Her grandmother’s broken body lay in the middle of the town square, her blood staining the ground around her. God, she had been so young; no older than nineteen or twenty. Swallowing against the bile that threatened to rise in her throat, Mal tried to look away but she couldn’t. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw similar scenes of death and carnage, of men and women with their throats ripped out and their blood wasted.

Hopelessness clung to her skin and she knew she was in Hell.

Something tugged at her leg and she looked down to see a small child, no more than two, probably even younger. He looked at her with big, achingly familiar gray eyes. She bent down to pick up the child but her body ignored the command. Helplessly, she watched as a crocodile tear slipped down his smooth cheek, “Papa.”

Her gaze returned to the woman and a fresh wave of grief crashed over her. When she finally spoke, her voice was deep, rough. Male. “What have I done, Gustav?”

She was in her grandfather’s memories? Was that even possible? Well, if she were in Hell she supposed anything was possible. Was she going to be forced to live the memories of those that came before her, no body, no voice? It was… well, it was Hell.

“This is never how I meant for this to be,” an other-worldly voice floated through the air and her head whipped around in its direction. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful in an alien sort of way, with limbs just a shade too long and slender and a face that was vaguely frightening, but it was difficult to ascertain why. Her nose was short and thin, her lips too full; her skin was luminescent and pale but that wasn’t so strange. As Malorie continued to stare at the woman, she realized what was so disturbing: the woman had no pupils, just vibrantly colored irises in the center of her abnormally large eyes.

The woman tilted her head to the side, a thoughtful expression on her almost human face. “There is someone else with us, listening; a traveler from your distant future. Perhaps this will help her understand.”

“What are you talking about?” the voice started out in the rough, male sounds of her grandfather’s before rising in pitch and tone to her own. Malorie put a hand to her chest and gaped at the woman, “What happened?”

“I have… allowed you the opportunity to learn who you are, where you came from,” the woman said, her voice moving over Malorie as a physical thing; it was not a pleasant sensation. It prickled and damned and Malorie wanted to cower, to throw her hands over her face and hide, but she remained rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The woman’s full lips pressed together into a thin line as she held her arm out to indicate the village surrounding them, “This is not what was meant to happen. My children never should have been abused so cruelly by the others and they never should have been slaughtered by those… abominations.”

“Who are you?” Malorie breathed, her pulse jerking through her veins, her breath hitching in her throat. This had to be a dream…. “What are you?”

Her lips tilted upwards in a semblance of a smile as she faced Malorie, “You know what I am, Malorie; and this isn’t a dream. I have taken a moment out of time to be with you, to help you understand.”

The woman’s words caught up to Malorie’s brain and she frowned, “You’re an Aradian. You are the one that created the Breeders?”

“Yes.” Her smile widened but no lines creased her face; it was disconcerting to see a face void of any wrinkles. “I erred when I gave them a human lifespan; I believe it would have been different had the Breeders been designed with an Aradian lifespan instead; I was able to rectify the mistake with your grandfather.”

Malorie saw the alteration as it had taken place hundreds of years before: her grandfather and father being embraced by the powerful Aradian, the light flowing around them and then into the males. Their necks arched as their genetics were modified and Malorie’s hand went to her throat, almost feeling the agony of millions of cells shifting all at once.

“The child will age normally until he reaches his late twenties,” the Aradian explained to her grandfather as she reached out and ran her hand over the little boy’s face, wiping the tears from his eyes. “And then he will no longer age. When the time is right, you will once again be reunited with the others but not for many, many years.

“I will never again be an Aradian slave,” the man growled passionately, scooping the little boy up in his arms and stepping away from the alien beauty.

“Everything has changed, Conrad,” the woman promised, waving her hand and returning her attention to Malorie. “The world needs balance, Malorie, and that is what you are, what your father and grandfather and son are: balance.”

“I see.” But she didn’t and the woman chuckled, strange and chilling.

“You balance the Aradians, matching them, complementing them; completing them,” the woman said with a negligent shrug. “The Breeder’s role had always been intended to be as such but it did not work out that way. The Aradians are… powerful, arrogant.”

Malorie snorted in agreement, “That is very true.”

“The new Breeders will be their equals,” the woman said as her voice began to fade away, as the village grew hazy. “True partners if they cooperate, formidable adversaries if they do not.”

The woman gave one last, sorrowful look at the carnage before turning her eerie eyes on Malorie. “And now I must join the others that have gone before. Be well, my sweet child.”

“Don’t go!” Malorie called out, reaching for the vanishing woman. But she was already gone and Malorie found herself all alone in the middle of nothing. Turning in a slow circle, her arms held out to the side, she asked, “Am I dead? Have I died? Hello?”

“Malorie?” Feryn’s voice rasped through a thick fog. “Oh, gods, Malorie?”

“Feryn?” her voice came out as a pale imitation of a frog’s croak. She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them again, there were vague shapes forming in the gray mist. Brilliant green gems glistened as they slowly morphed into Feryn’s beautiful eyes. She tried to lift her arm to touch him, to see if he was real, but her body was weighted down, lined with lead. With a sigh, she let her eyelids drift shut.

“You’re still with me,” the statement was gravelly with emotion as he brought her hand up to his mouth. Warm breath moved over her skin, sending ripples of awareness over her leaden body. Full, firm lips pressed against her fingertips and a splash of moisture kissed her knuckles, “You’re still with me.”

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and saw sunlight streaming through the curtains; she must have slept through the rest of the night. Not surprising, considering how much blood she had lost. Again. Being able to survive exsanguination not once but twice must be one of the perks of being a new and improved Breeder, though she figured there had to be a limit to the number of times one could survive such a thing. She had been positive that she hadn’t survived Jack….

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she croaked, the sound only slightly better than before.

His arms came around her and she was being pulled into his solid, warm body, “It was too close, my love; I….”

“Feryn,” she squeaked as he squeezed the air from her lungs, feeling his desperation at the thought of losing her. His muscles rippled faintly as he held her, unable to put into words his fear, his relief.

She was barely able to form a coherent thought with him so near. His familiar scent surrounded her and she wanted to simply breathe him in. He made her feel safe and it was a feeling that she hadn’t thought to ever know. Their connection was so strong, so tangled, she no longer knew where he began and she ended and it frightened her. He frightened her because she couldn’t imagine living up to his expectations; she couldn’t bear disappointing him.

He leaned back and looked at her, strong emotion burning in his green gaze, making a mockery of her fears. His hands moved over her face, her body, almost of their own volition; he didn’t seem to be able to help himself. It was like he had to touch her. His fingers trailed a path from her temple to her jaw again and he just looked at her. Tenderly, brushing her hair away from her face, he rasped, “Malorie.”

“Are you going to abandon me again?” she creaked, blurting out what she had meant to keep to herself. “Take my memories and leave me vulnerable?”

Briefly he closed his eyes before pinning her with a vibrant green stare. Holding her gaze, he sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “Never. I never should have let you go in the first; it was temporary insanity.”

She snickered involuntarily then quickly covered her mouth. But his expression lightened some when he saw her smile, making her feel bolder. With glittering eyes, she grinned, “You were terrified.”

His mouth curled into a rueful half smile, “I am an Aradian; I do not fear….”

“You were terrified,” she teased again, becoming more confident with each moment his beautifully severe face softened. “Admit it, Feryn; I terrify you.”

He kissed her fingers as he smiled but his gaze was intense, “Yes, Malorie; you terrify me in ways you can’t possibly imagine. You make me… vulnerable and it makes me feel weak.”

“But….”

He placed his finger over her lips to silent whatever protest she might have made; she wasn’t even sure what it would have been. As she was floating, slowly returning to her body, she thought about Toby, about the child she…. Her hand flew to her stomach as anxiety tightened her throat and she looked at Feryn with wide eyes. “The baby?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered, squeezing her hand.

“How could you not know?”

He swallowed, the strong tendons of his throat undulating with the movement as he admitted, “I was more concerned with you.”

“But….”

“No buts,” he shook his head. His jaw tightened as he rasped, “You can ascertain….”

She frantically shook her head no, not wanting to know. She had lost so much blood; she didn’t know how it would be possible for the baby to survive, even an Aradian baby. The pregnancy hadn’t progressed very far, perhaps only a few weeks; the baby wasn’t strong enough…. It had to be killing Feryn to lose another child, even one so newly formed. It was killing her….

“Do you want me to check?” he asked softly. She felt the bed shift as he sat down next to her, as he slid his hand beneath hers, over her womb.

Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she gently bit down before she slowly nodded. Not knowing had to be worse, even if knowing was going to hurt. She watched as he closed his eyes, his expression smoothing out in concentration. After only moments which had lasted eons, his eyes opened and looked at her with awe, “She survived.”

Malorie inhaled painfully; having mentally prepared herself for devastating news it took her a moment to process what he was telling her. The past twenty four hours slammed into her all at once and a low, wracking sob shuddered through her body as tears welled up in her eyes and fell down her cheeks. Concern etched Feryn’s face as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and pressed tender kisses along her eyes, the corners of her lips, “It’s all right, my love.”

She hiccupped as a burble of laughter escaped. Feryn lifted his head and looked down at her, the confusion melting away as he saw her crying smile. Her grin widened until it felt as if it was going to split her face. Framing Feryn’s face between her hands, she beamed up at him, “I’m alive, Feryn. I’m alive and so is the baby. God, I love you, Feryn; I love you so much.”

His deeper laughter joined hers as he pulled her into a hug, “I love you.”

Then why was he letting her go, sliding out of bed and standing up? At her frown, he chuckled softly, “I have something to show you.”

Feryn was looking at her in a way that thrilled her to the depths of her soul and electrified her with its strength. A delicious shiver whispered through her body and she could do nothing but stare at him and watch as he slowly began removing his clothes.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a hushed voice, wanting to watch each inch of skin that he exposed but unable to take her eyes from his face, from the look in his eyes.

He held her gaze as he removed the rest of his clothes, until he stood naked before her. “Look.”

The sun kissed his skin, highlighting the chiseled planes and sculpted muscles of his hard body. Something glittered around his stomach and she frowned. Ignoring her body’s ardent protests, she rolled over and pushed herself to her knees and reached out to touch the intricate tattoo. It was the mirror image of hers but proportionately larger, flaring over his flat abdomen, along his hip, down his thigh. She lightly traced the familiar marking as it wended its way around his hardening penis.

When she touched the thick flesh, it jerked in her hands, the iridescent tattoo shimmering in the light. Her eyes flew to his and in a hushed, awed voice, she asked, “What does this mean?”