Irresistible: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 9) (27 page)

"Enough," demanded the soldier restraining Kylu.

Kylu stopped, but I heard someone whistling back from the dining hall.

"Daniel!" I called out.

A man stood up. The back of his head was the same mousy brown mine had once been. "Terra?" he asked, turning around.

Once again, my eyes filled with tears, but I succeeded in holding them back this time. Happiness was much easier to rein in than sorrow. "I'm here," I said, looking into his earthy eyes. They were nearly a match for my own, but mine also had a hint of green within them.

Leaving the table, he ran to me and picked me up, swinging me in the air. He was much stronger than when I'd seen him last. The war had filled his muscles out. "You live," he sang. "My sister lives."

"Of course she does," Kylu said. "I told you she did. She's a legend. Everyone knows about the Commander who saved everyone on the Fortuna."

Daniel set me down. "And who freely light bonded with an alien."

"I'm not ashamed," I said.

"Nor should you be. You inspired the network. With some Surtu on our side, you've given us a chance."

"And she's not stuck with him," Kylu mentioned casually. "People stray from their light bonded all the time."

I ignored him. A light bond was a soul connection. No matter how far apart we were, I felt what Jidden felt. If he was in despair, I knew. If he was in physical pain, I knew. If ecstasy ever filled him, and his body found pleasure with another, I would be pissed, and I would know.

All of his emotions were accessible to me, just as mine were to him. It was how I knew how much he loved me, how much he missed me, and how angry he was at me for breaking my promise by leaving without him.

He could have come, I reminded myself. He chose to stay as much as I decided to leave.

"How much has Kylu told you?" Daniel asked me. "Do you know about Ethan?"

"I do," I murmured. "And my heart breaks."

Daniel put a hand on my shoulder. "He watches over us now. We fight for him."

A moment of silence passed between us. The words in our hearts were too difficult to speak.

Kylu twisted in his bonds. "Sorry to break up the reunion, but I'm in a bit of a fix here, Daniel."

"You probably deserve it," Daniel speculated, his smile returning.

"He does," I said. "He refuses to tell me who he is."

The soldier pushed Kylu forward. "What do we do with him?"

"Let him go," Daniel instructed. "He's one of us."

Shocked, the soldier refused. "But he's–"

"I know," Daniel said, cutting him off. "But he's still one of us. He has demonstrated his loyalty multiple times. Trust me."

"Fine," the soldier mumbled as he removed Kylu's bonds. "Are you aware Captain Fore is looking for him?"

"Grossly aware."

Kylu rubbed his wrists. "Next time you see Captain Fore, you can tell him to stick it."

"Tell him yourself," the soldier called as he walked back towards the gliders. "He'd probably prefer to hear it from you. I think we all would."

I remembered my glider and told Daniel. "If the scanners see it in the cave, it will give you away."

"I'll send someone to handle it. We have a special place we keep the gliders."

I didn't ask where. I didn't care. I was just happy to have my brother by my side once more. My family would never be whole again, but at least we could now fight together.

The first battle would be to save our parents. I asked Daniel about them. "Did you ever find out where the Surtu took them?"

"So Kylu told you the entire story?" he guessed.

"Yes."

"Do you forgive him?"

The thought repelled me. "Of course not. But I'll tolerate him, for your sake."

"That's not fair," Daniel protested. "He avenged Ethan's death."

"And he took our parents captive."

"I'm used to it," Kylu said casually. He seemed bored with the discussion. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to get me some grub."

"How can you work with him?" I asked Daniel when Kylu had departed, lost in the crowded dining hall.

"He's a good guy. You should give him a chance. Not many people do."

I folded my arms. "Nor should they."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Terra. Out of everyone, you should understand Kylu the most. Your light bonded took your entire space station hostage, and you fell in love with him despite his actions."

I couldn't argue with him, and yet my instincts were telling me something wasn't right. "There's more to the story here. Who is he? Why all the secrecy?"

Daniel ran a hand through his hair. "So you don't know the entire story. Does it matter if you do?"

"It's war. Everything matters."

"I'll tell you," Daniel relented. "But you can't hold it against him. Promise me."

I shook my head. "You know I can't make that pledge."

"Then I can't tell you."

"I'll ask someone else. It seems like everyone else knows but me."

My words pleased Daniel. I saw memories fill his eyes. "You're the same as always, sis. Nice hair, by the way."

My heart softened, but I wouldn't stop asking. "Don't distract me from learning what I want to know."

He looked towards where Kylu had disappeared with an apologetic face. "I guess you'll find out sooner or later. Kylu is Captain Fore's son. His full name is Kylu Fore."

* * *

J
IDDEN

Standing in my training yard, I punched a twig-filled target. I was never satisfied until I felt my knuckles bruise. The new refuge was big, but not big enough to contain my frustration. Maybe frustration wasn't the correct word.

It felt like a cold, steel-like anger.

I gave up everything for Terra, became a traitor to my people. What was my reward? She left me. There was no compromise. She made up her mind, and she was gone, breaking the promise that we would stick together.

I understood she wanted to find her family, but this was war, and she was a military-trained operative. Soldiers did not have the privilege of abandoning their posts for the sake of their family. By leaving for Earth with the women of the Fortuna, she had left the entire refuge vulnerable. We were now without an army. We only had a handful of soldiers, mostly human, to protect a colony the size of a large city.

Out of breath, I stepped away from the target and let my hands fall to my side in defeat.

Of course, the duties of a warrior had nothing to do with my frustration over Terra leaving. Terra was one of the most honorable people I knew, Surtu or human. I would never admit something to anyone but myself. I was angry she had chosen the cause over me. I was scared that I would never be able to protect her, and I would spend the rest of my life watching her leave until one day she never came back.

"I should have gone with her," I said out load, although there was no one around to hear me. "I betrayed her as much as she betrayed me."

It was hard to digest, so I turned my sentiments inward, letting them fuel my anger. I blurred out my other emotions and began pounding the target harder than before.

All I wanted to feel was my rage.

I had lost my prestige, my men, my ship, and Terra. My anger was the only thing left within my control, so I unleashed it until the bruises on my knuckles bled.

"Jidden, stop," I heard a frail voice attempting to shout. "Punishing yourself won't bring her back."

Lucina entered the training yard, her blonde hair hanging in ungroomed tangles over her petite frame. She looked worried. The world was going topsy-turvy. It was usually me worrying about her.

"Don't defend her. She abandoned you as well," I reminded her, leaving the target behind. I tried to walk past Lucina, but she grabbed my arm. Her hold wasn't strong, but it was an improvement from earlier.

"Have you gotten your appetite back?" I asked.

"I've forced food down, just like you must force down reality. I know things between you and Terra have been strained lately, and you're lost, but you can't let your anger turn you into..."

"What?" I demanded angrily. "I can't let it turn me into the Surtu? Because that's what I am. I am a Surtu soldier who took a pledge to protect his people from extinction. It's about time I acted like it."

"I was going to say Kalij," Lucina said. She spoke of the bastard who claimed her and broke her will. "You can't let your anger turn you bitter, like Kalij."

I was insulted. "Is that what you think of me?"

"No. Of course not. I shouldn't have made the comparison. But I know you're angry, and anger can be misdirected. You hurt because Terra left, but it's not the only thing that hurts you."

"I don't feel like I betrayed my people," I said, knowing where she was headed. "I did the right thing."

"Then why are you so angry?"

"Because I haven't done anything since then!" I shouted, speaking louder than I meant to. "I vowed to find a way to save my people, but what can I possibly do? There's no cure for the disease. Our light can't destroy it. And even though humans and Surtu are capable of loving each other freely, it may not happen in time to save us. Domination is cruel, but it may be the only way for the Surtu to survive. I don't agree with it. I'll continue to resist it, but I don't know another way. My vow is worthless."

"You feel you are worthless as well," Lucina concluded. She stretched onto her tiptoes and put a hand on my cheek. It was platonic, like the touch of a sister, which made it all the more comforting. "You are not worthless, Jidden. You are a hero. Remember that. Not only did you help us escape at great sacrifice to yourself, but when the beacon guided us here, you used your instincts and good judgement to follow it. Because of you, we are safe. Because of you, humanity has hope."

I gently moved her hand away from my cheek. "Humanity has hope, but about the Surtu?"

"You'll figure it out," she maintained. "I believe in you. And so does Terra. She never would have left without you if she didn't think you belonged here."

My anger began to slip away. "You're a lot wiser than you look," I teased.

"Hey!" she protested, shoving me, though I didn't budge. "I'm wise beyond my years."

"Then you won't take it personally when I say that you should stop letting your grief wear you down. You need to build your strength as much as I need to find my purpose. So let's make a pact. No more wallowing in sorrow."

Lucina blinked. I could tell she struggled, but it was an inner battle she had to fight and win. "Okay," she finally agreed. "It's a deal."

"So you'll eat a proper meal tonight, and you'll join me here tomorrow for training?"

"Yes, if you'll stop playing puppy to Godfrey. I know she's a General, but that doesn't mean she knows what's best for everyone. You have as much say as she does. Assert your authority and use it to serve all our people."

"Don't be so hard on Godfrey. She's doing the best she can. We have an understanding. We've both given up our positions in the military to help others escape."

"Yes, you did," Lucina agreed. "You've helped others escape. Now help them live."

* * *

P
leasantries were
something for other people. Except for the Surtu High Command, I ordered, and people obeyed. The nicest word I'd ever used when addressing others was, "Sir." The only reason I did that was the hope that one day I would be in a position where I never had to call anyone, "Sir," again.

So I appreciated it when Lucina called a meeting on my behalf. We gathered near the lagoon. The waters sparkled beneath the haze of the light rain and the glare of the two suns.

Behind us, in the treetops, we had started construction of the new colony. The wildfire that had driven us away from our old site was gone, extinguished by the rain. The colonists were happier for it, but rebuilding was yet another reminder that none of us were home.

"We can't stay here," I insisted to the small group that gathered – mostly military leaders who had abandoned their posts on Earth to lead a new start on the colony, like Godfrey. There were also Surtu in the mix, but our numbers were small.

"This place is all we have," Godfrey objected, tossing her dark blonde hair behind her shoulder. She sent me a look, silently questioning why I had called this meeting without her.