Embracing Ember (6 page)

Her eyes sought his after she sat the container on the ground. Her blue eyes widened when she noticed him still staring at her and she quickly looked away. She took a deep breath and looked up at him again - curiosity causing her blue eyes to sparkle and she spoke, her voice rough from disuse. He knew she had asked a question, but he didn’t understand her language, although the words weren’t that dissimilar to their own language. “I am sorry but I do not speak your language,” he replied. She nibbled on her bottom lip her small white teeth a startling contrast to the scarlet of her skin. She pointed to the food and juice container and then to herself. She was wondering why he gave her those items. He thought for a second and came up blank. He honestly didn’t know why he had decided to give her extra rations and juice. She was his only prisoner, the only one left alive after the other caretaker had been relieved of duties. He just knew that he had never been one to enjoy in the sufferings of others and on some level he had always felt guilty for the release of the virus and the invasion. He couldn’t believe how guilty he felt about the whole damn thing, but he could imagine his mother being in this cell and facing what this young female had no doubt been subjected to. It made him angry. Confused. Wasn’t this for the best for all Maluminians? Suddenly he wasn’t so sure anymore.

She spoke, one word bringing him from his puzzling thoughts. He looked into her blue eyes and was startled to realize he understood what she was attempting to say -
Thank you
. He smiled at her and said, “Your welcome.” She pointed to herself then said, “Cekayda.” Her name was Cekayda. He pointed to himself in return and repaid the favor, “Aurum.”

“Aurum,” she repeated her voice causing him to react. He didn’t know what to think about this, but he did know one thing he couldn’t wait to bring her the next meal he thought as he gathered her tray. She stood in the shadows of her cell and watched him still wary, but she had every right to be he mused. “I’ll see you at next meal time, Cekayda,” he said as he exited even knowing she didn’t understand him.

***

Anna placed the now sleeping infant in his bed. She traced his nose marveling in the ruddy red of his skin so like her mates. While Serenity’s skin had turned a blushing rose-pink, probably because she was so white before, Anna’s had turned into a slightly lighter shade of the ruddy red that Kylan sported. Kylan walked in and stared down at his son, “How is Adam?” he asked as he pulled her into his embrace. She smiled up at him and whispered, “Fine.” She had named her son Adam after the first man since he was the first boy of an Earth and Salin mating. Kylan leaned down and kissed her turning her thoughts to mush. He released her and whispered in her ear, “We have company and they want to speak with you.” She pulled away and looked at him questioningly. He just took her hand and pulled her into their living room.

She recognized Alric, the High Councilor and Eon’s father and Kylan’s father, Noctae. The other two were complete strangers, but if she had to guess they were a part of the Counsel also. Noctae stood and opened his arms to hug her. After the first time they met during a Council meeting when she first arrived, he had welcomed her with open arms-literally. She hugged her father-in-law who then asked, “How is Adam?”

She smiled up at him before saying, “He is growing and becoming spoiled. Your son will never be able to say no to him and I am coming to believe that you won’t either.” She greeted the other males and took a seat.

“Anna we have discussed this among the Counsel and have agreed that we would like for you to look over the research and problems with fertility that our remaining female population has. I’d like for you to meet Solaris and Faunus, the two we had tasked with the fertility problem. We would like you to aid them in their work,” Alric stated. Anna looked at Kylan who beamed with pride, but he didn’t know how panicked Anna was. Anna was a labor and delivery nurse, sure her job was important and she took pride in that job. Yeah she had read a few articles on fertility, had even volunteered her time at a fertility clinic for the extra education, but help with research – she wasn’t so sure about that.

“Um, I think maybe you need someone else for this job. Serenity may not be a labor and delivery nurse, but I believe she would be better suited for this. I just…I, well. I’m just not as smart as she is,” she said her voice cracking at the end. She would never have told Serenity or even hinted to the fact but she felt insecure with her intelligence, especially with Serenity. She loved Serenity, but it didn’t stop her from feeling inadequate in intelligence when Serenity was just so damn smart. She hated herself for that jealousy and had tried to beat it down, especially since Serenity had never thrown it in her face when she didn’t understand things. Kylan sat beside her and pulled her into his embrace.

“Sweetheart, listen to me, when Serenity was dying without a hope in the world that came up with a way to save her?” Kylan stated his voice laced with steel as he forced her to look into his eyes. She swallowed before nodding her acceptance of what he said. She knew deep in her heart that she only got lucky with that, had the roles been reversed Serenity would have come up with the cure for the Blue death long before Anna had. Kylan tapped the fingers that held her chin hostage bringing her focus back to him, “They chose you for a reason, Anna. Not Serenity, but you. Now, I know that you can do this. What is your choice?” He released her and she turned her attention back to Alric and Noctae.

“While I believe that Serenity would be able to help you more than I would I will do my best because I know how important this is for y’all,” she said her words directed to Alric and Noctae before turning her attention to the other two, “I think it is important for me to make you understand that I will need you to explain things to me in the simplest way possible and even then I can’t guarantee that I’ll be much help.” The men nodded their acceptance and Anna couldn’t fight the panic at the thought of failing where she knew that Serenity would succeed.

FIVE

“It would appear that the suspect, Landon Anderson, has not been apprehended and his whereabouts are unknown at this time…”

It echoed in Ember’s mind, reverberating with the cold hard truth that she wasn’t safe. Probably never would be. He had almost killed her this time. Hell, he had killed her, if not for the good fortune of Ceylon being in the right place at the right time she would be pushing daisies right now. She couldn’t do this anymore. She couldn’t live in fear of the next hit, the next word that tore her down, and probably worst of all the violation of her body. She slid to the floor its cold seeping into her already chilled bones. The heat from the shower dissipated as if it had never been. Her stomach roiled with nausea and she felt the sting of tears threatening to spill.

How was she going to start fresh when the threat of him still existed?
How did you think you avoided this by sneaking away?
Her bitter laugh reverberated in her mind because the truth was she hadn’t thought that far ahead. For the first time in five years she was leaving and that sense of freedom was like heroin to her. She had been caged too long. Not allowed to live. Not loved and definitely never loving, she had lived in fear and that wasn’t living, but surviving. Her entire life had been about survival. Surviving when she had been placed in foster care, moved from one home to another. No one home with a family, but floating through the system like a leaf in the wind hoping that someone would catch her before she fell. Her experiences weren’t terrible, and for the most part those foster homes were decent. She hadn’t been hurt, just lonely. Her years with Landon had more than made up for escaping the abuse that sometimes befell those who were in the foster system. He showed her true pain – mental, physical and spiritual.

Her world had always been broken and then Landon had shattered it, breaking it into so many pieces that she wasn’t sure were to begin to put it back together. She let the tears flow. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked into Ceylon’s eyes. Then he was there sinking to his knees and taking her into his embrace. She stiffened at first, her trust shaky at best. Landon had only held her lovingly and without pain in the beginning before he had taken the vow to love, honor, cherish and protect. But she was lulled by his warmth that seeped into the cold that had saturated her. His heartbeat was calming. She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes noticing for the first time their azure color. The color of desert skies gazed back at her and something in her reached for this alien, this male who for some reason deigned her important enough to save her life. She let her shields – the ones severely damaged from the stress of surviving under Landon’s cruelty and coming back from the brink of death – down. “What am I going to do? He will kill me this next time. I only wanted to leave. I only wanted to be loved.” She said as sobs racked her small body. He pulled her close, his scent seeping into her pores and his heart comforting her as she surrendered to the respite of slumber that beckoned her.

***

Ceylon laid Ember on the bed her red hair spilling across the white pillow like flames. He couldn’t resist touching the silky strands, letting them slide through his fingers as he brushed her hair away from her face. Ember turned into his touch and released a sigh. Her pale skin was silky to the touch. He was happy to see that her wounds had healed leaving no trace of the bruising and cuts that had once marred her face and arms. Her face was reddened from her crying, but it did nothing to detract from her beauty. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt such a lovely creature.

She had sobbed until sleep had claimed her and he had held her throughout her tears. Her lithe form had pressed so trustingly against his body, stirring his body to attention and inducing guilt for his reaction in her time of unease. She had looked into his eyes with those piercing green eyes and asked him what she was supposed to do. She had poured out her heart, letting him know how desperately she wanted to be loved. His heart ached for her. He had made a decision then and now watching her as she slept only reiterated his idea. She would live with him. His diplomatic status had given him living quarters on Earth and she could stay with him until she no longer needed to. It would also make him feel better knowing she was safer with someone to look after her, keep her mate from causing her more harm. He didn’t allow himself to acknowledge the thoughts of her being near him, tantalizing him with her clean scent reminding him of rainy days on Salin. He wasn’t going to think about how her body had fit so well in his arms. He wasn’t going to think about how his body hardened in her presence.

The light knocking on the door of Ember’s quarters roused him from his thoughts. He looked toward the entrance and noted that Maria led another Earth female behind her. “Ceylon, I’d like you to meet Lindsay Clark who is a counselor at the local Women’s Shelter. She is here to ensure that Ember can cope with what happened. Police officers are also here, but I thought it would be okay to leave them with Silvius in the mess hall until Ember has a chance to speak a bit with Lindsay,” Maria stated as she walked into the room. Her eyes trailed to the bed where Ember lay in slumber. “Oh, well she’s asleep which is probably a good thing. I didn’t tell Lindsay the extent of Ember’s injuries, just that she was injured in a domestic situation,” Maria stated before looking at Lindsay before continuing. “She had extensive head injuries and internal damage that the Salinians helped to heal. I haven’t had much chance to talk with her about her abuse, but I have an inkling that she has suffered for a while before this happened.”

“While we can’t know for sure, but from what you’ve told me I can only agree with that observation. I believe it would be best to allow her to sleep right now, too. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’ll sit with the police officers in the mess hall,” Lindsay stated. Ceylon looked at the female taking in her very small and thin frame. She appeared so delicate, but her eyes told a different story. They told him she had strength belied her small stature. She looked into his eyes and he felt as if she knew everything about him with that one glance. He’d only felt that way with one other person in his life. There was an older lady who lived at the edge of town whose mate had died. She always had some kind of treat for the children, and he was no exception. He enjoyed going to her house and doing the odd little job she always requested so that he could have one of those treats. Every time he looked in her eyes it was as if she had read him.

V
idensanimarum
.

Seer of Souls.

The community had whispered, but as a child he hadn’t understood what they meant. Now, with this fragile appearing female looking into his soul and reading it as if it were an open book, he knew. “I apologize for my rudeness. I am Lindsay as Maria said and you are?” Lindsay stated breaking the awkward moment between them.

“I am Ceylon, Chief healer aboard this ship. It is nice to meet you, Lindsay. I look forward to you helping Ember,” he replied feeling uncomfortable with her attention.