Irresistible: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 9) (37 page)

"It is not honorable for this to happen to a Surtu, but I was not following Lucina carefully. Without me knowing where she went, she disappeared silently, and I did not know her location." He turned to Lucina. "You look helpless, but you move like an animal."

"It took me an hour to locate her again, and that was only with the assistance of technology. By that time, Kalij had pulled you into the building, and I was not in your vicinity. I ran to Lucina as soon as I pinpointed her location. I arrived as soon as I could."

He appeared to regret his delay. I wondered how far things had gone with Kalij and Lucina before Kylu arrived. I would have to ask her about it later. Unlike her previous encounters with Kalij, she did not seem traumatized, and I hoped her most recent interaction would not damage her mind.

"It's okay, Kylu," she said, shaking her head. "It wasn't your job to save me."

"If there is a next time, it will be my job to save you," he vowed.

"Anybody would have lost one of the Fortuna sisters, Kylu. Their looks are deceptive. They are better trained than our army. You had no idea of her skills, so you underestimated her." Jidden looked in my direction, and I knew he was thinking about the beginning of our relationship. "It was an easy mistake to make. You can't blame yourself. You did your best."

I was surprised that Jidden would try to make Kylu feel better. I suppose he understood how difficult it was to protect a warrior who didn't want or need protection.

"But what about Mrs. Whitmore?" I asked, turning to the older woman. "How did you end up here with them?"

"Lucina brought me here," she said easily.

"When we got to the house, there wasn't anyone to rescue," Lucina explained. "My mother had already killed her Surtu. When we finally burst into her home with our blasters, she got mad at us because we made her break a dish."

"There was no need for broken crockery," Mrs. Whitmore said primly.

"Why were you washing the dishes?" Jidden asked. "Did you overcome a Surtu warrior by yourself?"

Mrs. Whitmore nodded, smiling.

"I killed him a few minutes after we walked into the house. I dragged his body into a closet and cleaned up. I don't like messes. I was going to leave after I finished the dishes."

"Mother didn't have anywhere to go, so we brought her here," Lucina said. "No rescue needed. She rescued herself."

"She rescued herself," I repeated quietly to myself.

Mrs. Whitmore patted Lucina's hand. "I know you would have saved me if I needed it, darling. I appreciate it more than you know."

Lucina smiled and hugged her mother again. It was nice to take a break from the fighting and the war, even if it was only for a moment. We headed back to the outpost, talking and catching up with each other. Lucina decided her mother would stay at the outpost until the next rescue ship arrived and then she would go to the refuge, just like my parents.

I was not paying much attention to the conversation. I was dreaming about a new plan that could save Earth from the Surtu. The spark had started when Lucina explained how her mother saved herself.

What if all the women forced into light bonding with Surtu men were able to kill their mates the way Mrs. Whitmore had?

It was just the beginning of an idea, but I thought it was feasible. I needed to converse with my sister warriors. They would help me figure out the details.

If I was correct, we had a way to save Earth.

* * *

"
D
aniel
, you can't stop me. I need assistance I can only get from the sisters of the Fortuna."

"Terra, I feel like you just got back. I don't know anything about a Surtu military encampment. I'm not excited to imagine you going off to an unknown place without any reconnaissance."

I sighed. Jidden stood behind me. He was silent, but I hoped he was supportive.

"If I were going on rescue missions with your team, I would be in a dangerous position as well."

"That may be true, but I would be able to watch over you," he said, hanging his head. He knew arguing with me was futile, but he was putting up a good effort.

"Daniel," I said, taking his hand and feeling a wave of sadness wash over me. "I will always know you watch over me. I'll be back," I said. "I pro-…"

He put his finger on my lips.

"Don't make promises unless you know you can keep them, Terra," he said.

He was right. I didn't know if I would come back. I never did in these turbulent times, when one might die at any moment. We were at war. A person's life was quickly snuffed out.

"If you won't stay here and I can't go with you, then I want you to take Kylu along. That way, I know there's someone I trust who is looking out for your best interests."

Jidden spoke up for the first time. "I'm right here," he said. "It's my job to protect her."

Before they could get into an argument, I spoke up.

"I don't need any male to protect me," I said, a rush of anger bringing redness to my cheeks. "But Kylu may come along if it will make you feel better."

Jidden and Daniel looked at each other. Neither of them wanted to escalate the issue.

"Fair enough," Daniel said. "I'll let Kylu know he'll be leaving with you in the morning."

I nodded, and Jidden and I turned back to our quarters. He snorted and talked to himself.

"Send Kylu to protect her," he muttered to himself. "I could eliminate Kylu in a heartbeat."

"Jidden," I said. "You know he's only a protective brother."

"He could have picked a different Surtu."

I put my hand on the side of his face and gazed up into his eyes. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I know, I know," he said gruffly. I kissed him.

"Is it something else?"

"Does your brother think my presence is not enough to take care of you? Doesn't he know that I would die to save you?"

"Oh, Jidden," I said, my heart overflowing with emotion. "It doesn't matter what he thinks."

"It doesn't?" he asked, his eyes finally focusing on me.

"No. It matters what I think."

"And what's that?" he said, still looking troubled.

"I think you're the most amazing Surtu I've ever met. I think I love you more than life itself. If I ever need protecting, and I won't, I want you to be the one doing it."

"Okay, warrior lady."

"That's warrior woman to you," I said. "I'm no lady."

* * *

T
o my relief
, when we arrived at the encampment almost all of the Fortuna women were still there. The one exception was Bellona, who hadn't been seen in three weeks. The Surtu at the mechanical shop serviced the vehicles of the army. They consisted of soldiers who were unfit to serve anywhere else. After learning about the network and discovering some Earth women would willing choose a Surtu mate, the men in the encampment had gone rogue.

There were secrets in the mechanical shop. One of the men, Kist, was called Kista. She was a Surtu woman disguised as a man who wanted to help the women of Earth. It was good to see her again when we arrived. She led us to the location of the Fortuna women.

Lucina and I greeted our sisters with hugs. There was a lot of talking as we all caught up on what had been happening at the different locations. Our sisters were overjoyed to see Lucina had recovered from her trauma. Around the campfire that night, she told us the story of Kalij's return from the dead.

I chose the silence that followed as my opportunity to speak.

"I have an idea that needs your opinion, my sisters," I said formally. Their ears pricked up with interest. It was unusual for me to assert the commander's role in this fashion, and they wondered if what I was about to say would be significant.

"I believe I have come up with a plan that, if properly executed, could free the Earth."

They stared at me and exploded into a cacophony of voices as they all asked questions and demanded I explain further. I waited until they were quiet again to resume speaking.

"It was Lucina's mother who gave me the idea in the first place," I told them.

"My mother?" Lucina said, surprised.

"Yes. She was never a victim of the Surtu because she never let herself feel, act, or be prey. There was something different about her from the beginning. In her head, she was always a warrior." For illustrative purposes, I tapped my temple and continued. "She killed her oppressor before he had a chance to brutalize her."

Lucina had a glimmer in her eyes.

"The other women should act in the same way," she said, breathlessly. The group was still murmuring, but the tone was different. Instead of skepticism, I sensed an excitement.

"Exactly. We must act like a virus, attacking the Surtu from within, just as Mrs. Whitmore did."

"But they are civilians," a new voice said. As always, Bellona appeared mysteriously. She leaned casually against a tree. "They can't slit the throat of a Surtu. They wouldn't know how. Even if they did, they wouldn't have the courage."

"Bellona," I cried, jumping to my feet and running over to the woman — the Red Assassin — and my friend.

"You're still alive, Nightshade," she said.

"I'm difficult to kill."

"We heard that Fore captured you."

"I'm hard to keep," I said, and she finally cracked a smile.

"And hard to stop once you get an idea in your head," she added. "Let's hash out the details of your plan."

* * *

L
UCINA

The rest of our sisters had retired to bed already, and I was awake by myself. The wilderness was quiet around me. I enjoyed the solitude, but my head spun as I tried to process the events of the evening.

It was always hard being around Terra. She was my best friend, and I loved her. But she was a dominant personality. When I was with her, sometimes I felt invisible.

I felt free to be myself, not requiring any masks since there was no one around me. I sighed deeply.

"Why are you so sad, Lucina?" Kylu said, emerging from the shadows. I jumped in fright but tried to conceal my surprise. The firelight danced across his face, making him seem more handsome than in daylight. He also appeared more dangerous.

I drew in a shaky breath. It wasn't good for him to be here at this time.

"I'm not sad," I said, pasting on a fake smile. It was time to put on my mask again.

He studied me for a moment and ambled over to sit beside me on the log. The fire sputtered down to a crackle.

He put his lips against my ear. "I don't believe you," he whispered. Kylu put more wood on the fire, causing it to burn brightly and light up the clearing.

I quickly drew away from him, moving to the edge of the log. "Well, you should," I said.

"I know what someone looks like when they're putting on a brave face," he said, staring into the fire. "I see it in the mirror most mornings."

I turned to face him, skepticism taking over my face. His openness surprised me.

"Do you expect me to think you know what it's like to pretend to be happy? Who's unbelievable now?"

He looked at me, and there wasn't a trace of the charming, joyous Surtu I had thought he was since I had met him. His eyes were entirely serious.