Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
*** LYDIA ***
T orn in half by her womanly desire to protect Hesher and this planet of perfection against her duty as a ship's captain to save Earth no matter the cost, Lydia lost all sense of reason.
Anger and frustration took over, covering the massive amounts of fear and stress she had been fighting against for days.
She lashed out at Hesher, though she knew it was terribly wrong.
"How selfish you are! You have the ability to save a billion or so lives, but you hesitate because you want to stay hidden like cowards.
You want to stay in paradise and not share with anyone else, even if they've shared with you.
Your weredragons are magnificent and powerful creatures, yet inside they are hiding weak-kneed children. I'm ashamed to call you friends!"
Her words struck Hesher like knives to his chest. Pain and confusion caused him to retaliate.
"How dare you call us selfish or cowardly!
We could have destroyed your ship without ever giving you time to explain yourself, but we did not.
We gave you medical aid, repairs, communication, and our secret.
Most of all we gave you trust. Only minutes ago, you swore you would not betray us.
Is it cowardly to have concerns over risking the lives of men who have mates and children?
Is it weak- kneed to care about the future of those children and the home they need to live in?
To you, Earth must come first. To us, Talonia must do so.
It is a balance not easily maintained. I do not share your shame.
I am honored to be called a friend to humankind.
I would fight without reservations, but I do not have a mate, family, or children to consider.
The choice is not mine nor is it yours."
He could not control his anger, so in order to keep from making their dissension worse, Hesher exited the ship, leaving Kelan behind.
Kelan's normally calm green eyes were smoldering as he removed the communication device.
"Hesher is the last weredragon you should ever call a coward.
He never considers himself in battle. He would die for any one of us, or even any one of you.
You have hurt a great man very deeply. I believe he had feelings for you and you for him, but you may have destroyed them.
Think hard and long about that. I will return the communication device each time it is needed.
I cannot leave it unattended with you since you have so blatantly proven your word is no good. "
Alone and overwhelmed by her own stupidity, Lydia slid down into a corner weeping.
All her courage, strength, and bravado melted away, leaving regret and shame to take their place.
She desperately wanted to take back her hurtful words.
It was impossible. That was the trouble with anger.
You said things in haste that you really didn't mean, and they hung in the air forever.
They left scars just like any other wound, though at times far worse.
Saying you were sorry would not fill the holes or erase the memories.
Yes, Lydia was ashamed, but not of the Talonians. She was dreadfully ashamed of herself.
*** Hesher ***
"Do not believe her," Kelan stated as he ran to catch up with Hesher.
"I do not think she believes her own words.
It is fear that goads her to say such things.
She is a leader that carries the weight of the position well, yet she is also a woman with deep-seated feelings for her species.
It is not you or weredragons she is raving against. It is the inability to make everything right for everyone. "
"It felt personal to me," Hesher replied. "I do understand her frustration over lack of control, for I have felt it many times. It is the names she used to refer to me that hurt the most. I can see myself in her eyes, and I find myself lacking in so many ways."
"Women can do that to you. However, I assure you there is nothing lacking in you. You are a match for her. It is as if you were made from the same design."
"That is where the problem lies. We are too close of a match.
Our agendas are at cross purposes, and there can be no future for us, yet we desire each other.
Instead of bringing us together, it is tearing us apart.
That is why I told her we cannot have a relationship.
My words did not come out right then, as I am sure they did not today.
Maybe this is the better way. If she grows to hate me, there will be no pain," Hesher noted.
"You are mistaken, my friend. Hate and love go hand in hand. There is always pain. Do not deny yourself joy just because it may end in hurt. Take this moment in time for yourself and Lydia. Memories can sustain us for a lifetime."
"I want more," Hesher admitted as they entered the palace. "I want what you, Daer, and Tae have found. If I cannot have that, I want nothing at all."
Kelan could not argue with that, so he shut his mouth. He wanted that for Hesher too. Lydia might be the one, but only if she or Hesher were willing to compromise.
"Did she betray us when communicating with Earth as I suspected she might?" Maxxus asked when he saw their frowns.
"No, she was very careful with her words. She was questioned, but she wove replies that satisfied them without revealing a lot. In the end, she pretended that communication was breaking down so she could ignore the orders she was given," Hesher answered.
"How did she take the news of her world's troubles?" King Acer inquired.
"Just as you or I would: badly. What did you expect? Her loyalty naturally lies with Earth. She has friends, family, and a home there. She is scared for them and angry that all is out of her control," Hesher told him.
"Sadly, it is out of everyone's control. Humans are resilient and intelligent. They will find a solution. I have faith in their abilities. Did they give her any more details when they told her of their situation?"
"They told her nothing. We informed her of the possibility of Earth's takeover by the aliens. She was distraught and begged for help."
"If we have weapons they can use, then send them back with her. I have no issue with giving them technology as long as she does not tell them how or where she got them," the king declared.
"We have no technology that can aid them. What they require cannot be manufactured."
"Then why beg us for aid? We would help if we could. However, we do not possess what is needed," Maxxus stated.
"I did not say we do not possess what is needed. I said it could not be manufactured," Hesher replied.
"Stop speaking in riddles and explain what you mean," Maxxus said through gritted teeth.
"There is only one weapon that will suffice, and it is a natural resource found among us. Dragon fire contains the chemical necessary for overpowering the gas the aliens are made of. It is an element that cannot be recreated or matched. We are the source and the container. "
"No! Absolutely not! This war is not ours to fight.
We will not risk our weredragons on foreign soil again.
We have no ties to Earth, nor do we owe them aid.
Yes, we received technology from them, but we paid them back by caring for those on the ship that tore up a piece of our world.
We are repairing it and allowing them to leave, although it puts Talonia at risk.
No more! We have done enough," Maxxus screamed.
"I tend to agree with Maxxus," the king added. "We are not obligated to aid Earth. We have no ties to them and have given them as much as we have taken. Rankin World Defense is still up and running, using designs that Kelan gave them. We are even on that score."
"What of Michelle and Eveline? Are they not ties to Earth?
We call them Talonians now. They are our citizens.
Do we not owe loyalty to the world from which they came?
Do we not value all life, regardless of what world they are born on?
We put up with the Savra for many years because we did not want to take lives needlessly.
We are still saddened by the knowledge that we had a hand in their destruction.
We had to leave their young alone on Earth, unknowing as to why no one has come for them.
We owe them and Earth an explanation for that.
Which side will they take in a war: Earth's or the intruders?
Perhaps neither, and then we will be responsible for a three-way battle.
You say we are not under any obligation. I say we are," Hesher argued.
"The answer is no," Maxxus replied.
"Shut up, Maxxus. Your time as king will be coming soon. This time it is my choice to make. Leave me with my thoughts. I will have a resolution tomorrow."
The inability to sleep was becoming normal for Hesher.
The only peace left for him on Talonia was in flight.
He soared over volcanoes and through waterfalls, taking their gifts to calm his troubled mind.
When had his life gotten so complicated?
It was worse since meeting Lydia. He wanted her in ways he had only dreamed of, and Daer would laugh if he knew .
Exhaustion finally settled in, and he landed near the rock formation where he had kissed Lydia.
He sat on the flat surface that had held her such a short time ago and let his head fall into his hands.
A soft hand stroked the back of his neck.
The scent of flowers reached his nose. He knew both well.
Raising his head, he saw what his heart already knew. Lydia stood before him, unsmiling.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Please, forgive my harsh words. I know I can never reverse their cuts with all the apologies ever spoken, yet I have nothing else to heal the wounds."
"I did no better. My temper is notorious.
I deserved the words you spoke, though not because of my desire to obey the king's orders or my need to protect Talonia.
I deserved them for not explaining myself when I broke away from the kiss.
It is not you or humans of any kind I have a problem with.
It is heartache. I was afraid you would become more to me than I could imagine.
Then I would be forced to let you go home.
I did not want such agony. I believed I could avoid it by backing away from what I feel.
I was wrong. It is already too late to avoid pain. Whether or not I want to, I care."
"As do I," Lydia replied. She kissed the top of his dark head, then tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged his face up to stare into his red eyes.
The desire and heat she saw in them took her breath away.
As she leaned forward, his beautiful eyes closed in surrender.
She kissed his nose and moved on to his waiting lips.
The meeting of their lips brought forth something untamed inside Hesher.
His arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground.
He stood and swung her through the air, eventually laying her on the flat surface of the boulder, like an offering to the Gods.
He tore at his clothes, baring his body to her gaze.
Her hands roamed the sculpted ridges of his chest, and he growled low in his throat.
He pulled her shirt open, and the sight of her bare skin in the volcanic light undid him.
His rough hands slid over her curves with a gentleness that surprised them both .
Lydia refused to be treated so gently. She fisted his hair and dragged his mouth down to her chest. Hesher gave in willingly.
His lips and teeth worked over her sensitive flesh, his beard leaving a trail of heat across her skin.
He lavished attention on one breast, then the other, until she was arching beneath him.
Lydia rolled her hips, the silk of her skirt sliding between their bodies, and she felt the hard length of him twitch against her thigh.
Hesher’s calloused hands moved with aching slowness up the smooth skin of her thighs.
He was careful of the cast on her leg, shifting his weight to avoid hurting her.
His hands spanned the width of her hips beneath the skirt, and a rough sound escaped him when he discovered she wore nothing else.
He pushed the flowing fabric to her waist. Sparks like the volcano’s molten ash glowed behind his irises.
One finger traced through her slick heat, and she clenched around him instantly.
His gaze never left hers. That single touch, paired with the raw want burning in his red eyes, was all it took.
She shattered beneath his hand, and he watched every second of it as if witnessing something holy.
Lydia wanted more. She wrapped her fingers around his length and stroked him, guiding him between her thighs. She was beyond patience, beyond caution. She rocked against him, desperate to feel him inside her.
Hesher held back. He would not rush this, not when she could be hurt.
He lifted her from the rock and turned, sitting with her straddling his lap, her broken leg resting safely on the flat stone.
The new position opened her to him completely.
He slid one thick finger into her warmth, then a second, stretching her gently while his thumb circled the swollen bundle of nerves above.
She rode his hand without shame, chasing the finish, and when it hit, her cry echoed off the volcanic walls.
She slumped against his shoulder, trembling.
He withdrew his fingers and she whimpered at the loss, but he replaced them in the same breath, easing into her with a groan that vibrated through his entire body.
Dragon fire shot from his mouth into the sky.
She surrounded him completely, pulling him deeper with every roll of her hips, and the sensation cracked something open inside his chest. Tears slid down Lydia’s cheeks as the final wave took them both.
Hesher buried his face in her neck and let go, spilling everything he had into her, body and soul.
Was he willing to let her go now? Never.