Irresistible: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 9) (21 page)

I heard her, but I did not listen. I kept going. We needed air to breathe. If the balcony weren't a viable option, we would figure out something else. We had to get out of the building.

Even though we hugged the ground, we couldn't avoid the flames. It felt like they were alive. They toyed with us, searing our clothes and blistering our skin. It hurt, but we didn't let it affect us. We could not concentrate on the pain when we had to focus on survival.

"What were you doing up here?" I called behind me.

"The same thing as you. I was making sure everyone made it out okay."

I coughed, trying to clear my lungs of the black smoke. "I knew everyone was safe. I came up here to rescue you."

"Why?" she snapped.

"Because your life has value," I answered. "All life has value, even yours."

She laughed. "Save the sentiments for those who care. You're no saint. And neither am I."

"I'll take that as a thank you." I coughed again, unable to say more.

The central building was not large, but it took some time to navigate. We couldn't see where we were going because of the smoke, and we had to wind around the falling beams and flames. It was like finding our way out of a labyrinth straight from the infernos of hell.

"Did you hear that?" Godfrey asked, pausing. "I heard a rumble."

"Keep going!" I shouted. I cringed as a piece of burning wood from the roof fell on my arm. We were almost at the balcony, but I didn't think we were close enough. The roof was about to cave in.

Behind me, Godfrey whimpered as a large beam fell on her leg. I could tell she bit back a scream as she kicked it off. The beam took a portion of her flesh with it.

"I know this is supposed to be where I tell you to go on without me. If you leave me here after giving me false hope, my ghost will haunt you wherever you go," she said.

"Just keep moving. We're almost there."

We made it to an archway that led out to a balcony. The roof was barely intact, but the balcony had burned away. As it turned out, it didn't matter. A hover lift waited for us in the gap where the balcony once stood. In the canopy above was a glider.

I helped Godfrey to her feet. After I had wrapped my arm around her, I reached for the hover lift, pulling the disc towards us. We climbed on, holding onto the handrails for support. We ascended towards the glider that was our only chance at safety. Below us, the flames continued to burn. It was a reminder that although the new planet was our refuge, it still had its dangers.

Jidden piloted the glider. He silently waited for us at the dashboard.

I knew that silence. He was angry.

His massive muscles were bulging through his thick Surtu uniform, and his posture exuded tension. Although he had deserted the Surtu military, he continued to wear the uniform. To him, it did not represent the military. It represented his people, and he would always be loyal to his people. The black fabric of the uniform was dark like his hair. It looked like a crown on an impoverished prince – it was all he had left of his former life on Surt, his home planet.

"Glad you could finally make it," Godfrey said. She limped off to look for the first aid kit.

"You shouldn't run off on your own," Jidden reprimanded. His voice sounded unforgiving.

Godfrey reached into the steel cabinet near the monitors and threw a roll of gauze at me from the kit. "I think he means you, rookie."

"I mean both of you," Jidden proclaimed, his voice rising.

It made me uncomfortable both to hear such emotion in his voice and also to know it wasn't directed solely at me. I remembered what Bellona had said to me about Godfrey.
I don't like how close she was to Jidden before he left to find you. Nothing happened between them, but they were almost inseparable.

I hadn't asked Jidden about it before. There was no need to. Jidden loved me. Despite the recent problems in our relationship, I knew he was devoted to me. If his words didn't say it, the light bond between us did. Through the light bond, we could feel each other's most intense emotions.

Right now, I wish I had asked him more questions about Godfrey, but I was a hypocrite. I was the one about to betray
him
. I was the one about to risk the love we shared to satisfy my needs. I was the one about to leave.

Jidden had no idea what I was going to do.

Pushing away my pain and remorse, I focused on Godfrey. "You need healing," I said to her, unable to look at her leg. It was a mess.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" she answered as she covered her burns with gauze, wincing in pain.

The sight of Godfrey and me suffering together softened Jidden's anger. He set the glider on autopilot and joined us by the first aid kit. "I wasn't aware of the severity of your injuries," he said. The flecks of light in his eyes radiated out like bursts of sunshine. He approached me first, but I waved him on to Godfrey. She was about to pass out, despite her determination to act like her peeled flesh was nothing. She was lucky she still had a leg left to heal.

"You won't feel anything, like last time," he said to her with a note of humor and affection.

Last time?

"I fell out of a tree before. The tree didn't fall on me. And it wasn't on fire," she snapped back, but she stuck her leg out for treatment.

The glider filled with light. I still didn't understand how the powers of the Surtu worked. I did not know if Jidden summoned the light or if he was the light, but it was a wonder all the same. When the glider returned to normal, not only had Godfrey's wounds healed, but so had my own.

"Thanks," I mumbled, troubled by how close Godfrey and Jidden stood together.

"When are you going to teach us how to do that?" Godfrey asked innocently.

My jealousy disappeared instantly. I was intrigued. The Surtu were capable of many extraordinary things, like healing and moving objects with their mind, but I had never considered that those were abilities humans might have as well.

"Is it possible?" I asked.

"I don't know," Jidden shrugged. "We're all made of light, so it's a possibility."

"It's something we should investigate," Godfrey insisted. "If the Surtu military ever finds our refuge here, a human army with the ability to heal would be an ideal defense. We wouldn't be dependent on the women of the Fortuna to act as our military."

My remorse returned. "Where are my sister warriors?" I asked Jidden.

"Not too far away. They're at the ocean where the fire can't reach them. I told them to go ahead, but they're waiting for us."

I knew why they were waiting.

"And where is my ship?" Godfrey demanded.

"It's attempting to catch up with the other ships as they head towards the lagoon. There is cargo on your vessel the colonists need to begin rebuilding."

Godfrey immediately went to the dashboard. "I'll take the glider to my ship, but I'll drop you off first. Circle the area. See if there is a way we can use the ocean water to our advantage. The water is too acidic to drink, but maybe it can be used to put out the wildfire before it burns down the entire planet."

"That's a good idea," I said quickly. "I can handle it, Jidden. Why don't you go with Godfrey? Colonists might need healing."

"No," Jidden flatly refused. "There are already Surtu there who can heal them." Then he said something that shattered my breaking heart. "Wherever we go, it'll be together."

It was a promise we had made to each other when we reunited after the long, arduous months I spent as a slave to Captain Fore, a Fleet Captain in the Surtu military. Captain Fore was cruel to me. His beatings were a punishment for orchestrating the escape of the female warriors off the Fortuna. I eventually escaped too, hiding in a cargo box transported back to Earth. With the help of a Surtu soldier named Kista – a woman dressed as a man – Jidden and I were reunited, and we promised never to part again.

It was a promise I was about to break.

* * *

I
could smell
the ocean immediately. It was a dull mix of brine and acid, but there was also a pleasant fragrance that masked its toxicity – fresh, like rain dancing upon the wood.

"Do you have your communicator?" Godfrey asked Jidden as she lowered the loading door of the glider.

"I do, General," Jidden replied. With three words, he gave her the respect of a colleague and the warmth of a friend.

Godfrey maneuvered the glider so that we were within jumping distance of the sand below. "Good. Call if you need anything."

He nodded. "We'll catch up soon."

No, we won't, I thought, but Jidden didn't know that.

We went to the back of the glider. Jidden grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in close. I breathed in his aroma, knowing this was the last moment we had together. I prayed it would not be forever, just for a little while, but even a short time away from my light bonded was hard to bear. I couldn't think about it too deeply. Otherwise, I would never be able to take action.

"I love you," I said, tucking my head into his shoulder as he held me. I wanted to absorb him.

"I love you," he whispered softly. "After our fight earlier, I wasn't sure you'd come back to me."

"I'll always come back to you," I insisted. On Godfrey's command through the communicator, we both jumped.

The leap wasn't far, and the white sandy beach cushioned our landing. As soon as we stood up, we started brushing the sand off our clothes. We felt the wind of the glider as it sped away towards the lagoon. It carried all the hope the Surtu and humans had of living in harmony as one.

The ocean was reminiscent of Earth, but because the glow of two suns illuminated the atmosphere on the new planet, the ocean was a rosy pink, as brilliant as tourmaline. Against the white sand, the water was breathtaking. It was a dream even the most jaded and weary could appreciate.

Jidden's ship was only a few feet away. We landed on its doorstep. Bellona waited for us outside, her long fiery red hair a contrast to the ocean.

"You survived," she said, grinning. "I knew you would."

"I certainly enjoy being alive."

Her grin disappeared. "Don't get too careless, Nightshade," she warned. "You can protect yourself from nature, but that doesn't make you immune to predators."

She wasn't referring to the danger on this planet. She meant the dangers on Earth and the threats we would soon face again.

Jidden squeezed my hand. "I'll keep her safe. The fire won't touch her again."

Bellona looked down at his hand, understanding he knew nothing about our plan. "As her man, it's not up to you to keep her safe. Your only duty is to love her, even if that means loving her from a distance so she can pursue her destiny."

Her words twisted my soul. Knowing I would soon lose my will to leave, I directed the conversation away from all talk of love and duty.

"Is everything ready?" I asked solemnly.

"Yes," Bellona answered. "The women are all in position."

"Good," I said. "I'll meet you inside."

She left, leaving me to explain things to Jidden.

I didn't have to. He could see everything in my face, and he was furious. "You're not going to the lagoon, are you. You're leaving for Earth."

I couldn't deny it. It had always been the plan of the women to leave at the soonest opportunity.

"I am."

* * *

W
e moved
to a private location away from the ship. We were talking in a small cove about a mile away. The sand was scorching, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as the conversation Jidden and I were dancing around.

I wanted to say goodbye. He wanted me to stay. By the time we left the cove, we would both be heartbroken.

"Isn't it sad that the ocean is too acidic and temperamental for the colonists to live here?" I mused, gazing out onto the waves as they crashed onto the shore. "This would be the ideal spot to rebuild."

"Is that what you think of me?" Jidden asked distantly. "That I'm too acidic and temperamental?" He was still fuming, but it was a guise to cover his pain. He shook his head for no reason as he attempted to process my decision to leave.