Chapter 12
T’raat
Earth transportation was dull. The antiquated vehicle had windows to view our surroundings, but I could only stare at so many trees and hills before boredom set in. After a sole time unit, I grew tired of the view and turned my sights inward, to Leigh.
I could stare at her for an eternity and never grow weary of the sight.
Soft tendrils of golden hair fell into her face, and I brushed them gently behind her ear so I could better view her sweet oval face. She rewarded me with a brilliant smile and rested her head on my shoulder. The safety devices prevented me from pulling as close as I would have liked, but I wrapped my arm around her shoulder to provide what little comfort I could. Her warmth in turn comforted me, for during those brief moments when Ann and I had thought her taken, I had feared I’d never feel her warmth again.
Ann’s eyes met caught mine in the rear-facing reflective device, but she did not ask us to separate. Good. I hated the thought of having to combat Leigh’s aunt for the right to hold my chosen mate.
After some time, Leigh fell into a light slumber in my arms. Her even breathing soothed me. My worries could never overcome me while she was safe at my side.
While Leigh slept, Timber turned in her seat to face me. Her expression was solemn, and she asked her superior for permission to converse with me in Xalanite. Ann nodded, and Timber sighed before she began.
“First thing, T’raat, I want to praise you for your bravery. Ann has informed me that you refused to escape until you knew Leigh was safe. That is admirable.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Timber. They are much appreciated, though I do not consider it bravery. Ensuring Leigh’s safety is paramount to my own. While her fate remained unknown, my life mattered not.”
She sighed again and rubbed her temple. “Again, admirable … but ultimately foolish.”
Foolish? How dare she! I opened my mouth to protest, but she stopped me with a hasty gesture.
“Before you think to start a fight, please remember that I am with child. I would gladly face you in battle after the birth, but for now, I beg your mercy.”
My free hand, which had curled into a fist of its own accord at her insult, slowly relaxed. She had a point. It would be quite cowardly of me to attack her while she carried a child, and one of my people no less.
“Go on,” I said.
“In the future, I ask that you follow the director’s instructions if we are to be separated again. Trust me to care for Leigh. I will not allow any harm to come to her.”
I frowned. Her words disturbed me. Why would we become separated again? I asked Timber this question, because I could foresee no situation in which I would allow Leigh out of my sight or out of the scope of my protection.
To my surprise, Ann answered—in Xalanite.
“We have to prepare for any eventuality. It might be necessary to split up in the future, and things will go much more smoothly if you listen and obey.”
When did the director learn Xalanite? If she’d received nanites as Timber had, it was a well-kept secret indeed. Few humans were known to speak our language, and I suspected that Ann’s knowledge was hidden even from her own subordinates.
This new knowledge brought more questions to the surface. Were these “moles” in the AARO truly after me for something I knew, or were they in truth seeking to retrieve hidden intelligence from their own director? I was not aware of any sensitive information in my possession, but the director could easily have intelligence that either side, human or Xalanite, could covet.
I pondered this a few moments before speaking again.
“You are the one these moles seek.” It was not a question but an affirmation of my own conclusion.
Ann nodded, though she kept her eyes focused on the road ahead of us. “That’s our best guess. Word from Xalan is that you’d left the military before the new king made sweeping changes to the government’s structure, so it’s unlikely you’d know anything worth all this trouble.”
So, my mate being in danger was not my fault? A small consolation.
Her grip on the navigation wheel tightened, and her knuckles turned white.
“I’m sorry for this, T’raat. I hadn’t known we had a mole—or possibly multiple moles—when I came to check out your presence on the farm. I never would have put Leigh at risk like that intentionally. To be honest, I’m not sure what it could be that I might know that would be of value. It could be they want me for something else. There’s just no telling until we regroup and find a safe place. People we can trust.”
Timber nodded. “I have some contacts out in Iowa. We could turn south next chance we get, head there. They’re former CPD, and I haven’t spoken to them in years. I doubt whoever’s after us would make the connection, let alone track us down there.”
“Sea pea dee?” Her words were not Xalanite, but my nanites did not have ready translations for them, or at least none that made sense.
“Chicago Police Department. It’s an acronym.”
Leigh’s voice is hoarse and groggy. I help her to sit up and rub her back, checking her face for signs of discomfort.
“Oh! They are letters!” I pause as the strange images my nanites gave me scroll through my mind. “Odd that some of your letters are also words. And some of them are multiple words! A versatile language for certain, though quite confusing.”
“Yep, that’s English for you.” Leigh yawns and stretches her arms. I watch her chest expand with the intake of air, and suddenly I wish to be separated from Ann and Timber.
“Hey!” Ann’s sharp outburst draws my attention away from Leigh’s hooters. “Eyes up front, sir.”
So, we were back to English. Pity. I enjoyed speaking my own language again, if only for a short while. Though Timber and Ann had fairly thick accents, the exchange had briefly reminded me of home.
Maybe, when we were safe, I could convince Leigh to accept some nanites …
“Well, since you’re up, Leigh, we’ll stop with the Xalanite. Did you have a good nap, sweetie?”
Leigh rubbed the back of her neck and groaned. “The road’s a bit bumpy, but I’m okay. I wish I had gotten a bit more sleep, though. I was having a nice dream.”
Ann’s shoulders tensed. “ Please don’t tell us what it was. I’m the closest thing you have to a mom, and I don’t want to have to explain any alien sex dreams to your father when we get out of this mess.”
Timber and Leigh erupted in a staccato of giggles, and I grinned.
She was dreaming of me. This pleased me.
“So where in Iowa are we headed?” Leigh asked. “Anywhere fun?”
“Leigh, nowhere is going to be ‘fun’ while we’re on the run from rogue government turncoats. We’ll be lucky to get to Timber’s contacts and figure out our next steps.”
I frowned at this. “Why will this require luck? Does Timber not know their location?”
Timber turned in her seat. “Oh, I know where they live, but we’ve got two unmarked cars following us. Have been for, what, about an hour?”
Ann nodded. “Yep. They’re staying pretty far back, but this late at night, with the roads almost empty, it wouldn’t be too hard to follow us wherever we go, even if I take some weird turns. There are only so many places we can go out here.”
Followed? I turned around in my seat, but even my eyes could not discern which of the pairs of headlights in the distance behind us might belong to our pursuers. I counted a half dozen sets, more than I would wish given the situation. We needed to find a safe hiding place. Someplace secure, easily defensible.
Someplace where I could acquire a weapon.