Chapter 19
T’raat
Metal projectiles ricocheted off the walls of the ship the moment the ramp opened. I leapt in front of Ann and Timber, as my scaled hide could more easily withstand such an onslaught. The two women ducked behind me and returned fire. John and Marcus arrived with H’rran, and the three of them took up the rear.
“Your tyr’il is safe?” H’rran asked in Xalanite.
Marcus grunted and fired at an enemy intruder on the ground. “English, please. This is going to be difficult enough as it is.”
“Apologies.” H’rran tossed a wicked shiz blade into the throat of another enemy. “Leigh?”
“Safe,” I answered, grimacing as a projectile pierced my scales. “Provided we stop this advance, that is. What happened, Ann? Are your mates injured?”
Ann fired a wide swath of projectiles—bullets—taking out half the enemy below, before answering.
“As soon as we were close enough to bypass whatever tech was blocking us, we realized that Leigh was right; this was a trap. N’kal and X’nit are alive, but they’re both badly injured. We need to cut through these guys to get to them.”
I grinned, baring my fangs at the armed humans before us. “Then we will cut through them.”
Shouting at the top of my lungs, I launched down the ramp with a shiz knife in each hand. The humans had their projectile weapons, their guns, but their mistake was in trusting that such weapons would keep me at bay.
They threatened my love. They harmed my people. By the time I was done, they would be lucky if I left even one alive to interrogate.
My path was as ruthless as it was bloody. I cut without regard to gender, without regard to rank or station. These humans stood between me and getting Leigh out of this warzone, and that was reason enough for me.
By the time I had slaughtered enough of them to allow my allies to advance behind me, the ground was so littered with bodies that I had to lift some of them out of the way, tossing the dead humans to the side to give Ann and Timber room to push through.
We had landed in a small clearing amid a ring of concrete buildings, all surrounded by high metal fencing and barbed wire. Since my nanites did not have a direct connection to the two Xalanite prisoners, I allowed Ann and Timber to lead the way, though I made sure to cut down anyone foolish enough not to run from us. Few enemies remained, though, and those who fled cut themselves on the barbed wire fencing in their flight from my path.
One brave—or foolish—human stood in our way at the building housing N’kal and X’nit. His hands shook as he raised his weapon, though Timber’s bullet ended his life before he could finish lifting his arm.
With the outer area seemingly secured, Ann and I pulled the steel door open. Timber rushed inside before we could join her, firing into the darkness. A few projectiles whizzed past as I ran in after her, but none hit me. Ann chased close behind, and the three of us reached a locked room at the end of the corridor.
It took three attempts for me to break down the door. Once inside, I wasted no time on assessing my comrades’ injuries. Instead, I untied them, slung one unconscious Xalanite over each shoulder, and nodded to Ann to lead the way back to the ship.
Dodging the dead bodies Timber had left in her wake proved difficult as laden as I was, but I did not trip. Marcus and H’rran waited for us at the door to the building, though I noted that John was not with them. Did he stay behind to protect Leigh? The ship’s own defenses should suffice, so I feared that was not the case. The grim set of Marcus’s jaw confirmed my worries, and I made a note to console the man later, when we were safely off Earth.
As soon as we were back on board, H’rran rushed to the cockpit to take off. I followed Ann and Timber to the medical bay, and once there deposited N’kal and X’nit on side-by-side cots for treatment. I had a minimal understanding of combat medicine, but Ann shooed me away when I offered my assistance.
“Just go back to Leigh. Let her see that you’re safe, and make sure she’s okay, too.”
Timber stopped me with a hand on my uninjured shoulder. “Wait. Let me at least stop the bleeding where you got shot.”
I groaned in frustration, eager to get back to my love, but I allowed Timber to use a Xalanite device to staunch the flow of black blood from my wound. When she finished cleansing and bandaging the area, I ran down the corridor to where I’d left Leigh.
The door hissed open, and my love launched herself into my arms. I winced in pain as she gripped my shoulder, but all in all I was grateful to see her unharmed.
“T’raat, what happened? I heard all kinds of shouts and gunfire, but the door wouldn’t open.”
“Prince N’kal and X’nit are in the medical bay,” I said, leading her back to the bed. “Timber and your aunt are working to repair their injuries as we speak. H’rran has us on a course for Xalan, and I believe Marcus …” I paused. “I believe Marcus requires some time alone.”
Grief marred Leigh’s beautiful face. “Oh, no!” She ran her fingers over the stark white bandage on my shoulder, pristine compared to the rest of my blood-soaked body. “John, he—He didn’t …”
I closed my eyes. “I am afraid so.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Leigh keened. My hearts hurt for her, but I did not know how to console her. She had only known the man a scant few hours, not even a full solar day, but her kindhearted soul wept for his loss, nonetheless. I held her close to me, resting my cheek on her head and stroking her golden hair while she cried.
By the time Ann arrived at the door to inform us of her mate’s impending recovery, Leigh’s sobs had slowed to intermittent hiccups. The older woman stopped midsentence and rushed to her niece’s side, sitting on the edge of the bed with us. “What happened?” Ann asked, rubbing Leigh’s back. “Honey, T’raat’s okay. He got shot, but Timber fixed him up. Most of the blood you see on him isn’t even his.”
Ann seemed even less effective at consoling Leigh than I was. Her words sparked a fresh stream of tears, and she gripped me even tighter.
“I’m just s-so sad for Marcus,” she lamented between sobs.
Understanding bloomed within me, and I tilted Leigh’s chin up to look into her eyes. “His mate fought well, my love. He died a valiant death.”
The director’s brows furrowed, and she frowned. “His mate?”
Leigh sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Oh, God, Aunt Ann! You can’t really be that clueless. Two retired men living alone together? C’mon. They were totally mates.”
“Yes,” I added. “It was quite obvious.”
A pallor washed over Ann’s skin. “I didn’t know …” She scrubbed her face with her hands. “Fuck. And here I was, seconds away from gloating about how my husband is going to be okay. I guess I owe you guys for stopping me before I put my foot in my mouth.”
Leigh rested a hand on Ann’s shoulder. “Maybe you should still go talk to him. You’re, like, the voice of authority here, right? The woman in charge, ranking officer or whatever. It would probably mean a lot to him if you sat with him for a bit. Even if you just let him talk about his life with John, it might help him. Timber should go, too. She worked with them, so maybe a familiar face, someone who knew John when he was alive …” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m grasping at straws, I guess. I just feel so bad for him. He’s all alone now, away from his home—his planet —and he doesn’t even have his partner to share it with.”
A knock on the door frame drew our attention. Timber stood just outside the room, wringing her hands. A mixture of human and Xalanite blood, both from the battle and from her medical administrations, covered her, save for her face and hands, which looked freshly washed. “Ann, we should both go talk to him. Leigh and T’raat are right; they were husbands. They kept it hush-hush when they were working, but I was one of the few who knew.”
“Shit.” Ann stood and straightened her garments. “Okay. Nothing I haven’t done in my military career, but never a pleasant experience. What do you think, Timber? Should we wash up first?”
Timber shook her head. “They were both on the force for decades. He’s seen worse than this.”
Ann nodded, and the two women excused themselves.
My hearts surged with renewed love for the amazing woman before me. I enveloped her in a hug, wishing I could squeeze out any pain her human heart felt.
Leigh returned my embrace. “What’s this for?” she asked.
“You are amazing,” I said. “I am in awe of your strength. Your heart is hurting, yet you sought to find a way to heal Marcus’s heart first. That is a kind of power that many lack, human and Xalanite alike. My hearts feel pride at your selflessness.”
“I just hope it’s enough. The poor guy.”
Something Timber said needled my mind, and I pondered her words for a few moments while Leigh and I sat entwined. The more I thought about it, the stronger my resolve grew. I knew what I wanted, what I needed to do, but I was unsure how Leigh would react to what I planned. She was young for her species, and she might not have taken my words with the right intent.
“Timber said that John and Marcus were wed, correct? Husbands, yes?”
Leigh nodded. “Yep. Do guys not marry each other on Xalan?”
“It has been known to happen, though rarely, and only recently. But that is not why I mention it.” I released her and knelt at her feet, recalling an old Earth tradition that I’d seen in some of the more plot-heavy mating programs.
Leigh’s eyes grew wide, and she covered her gaping mouth with her hands. “T’raat, are you—”
I gathered her hands in my own and held them in her lap. “Leigh Ann Hall, I do not have a ring, as I believe is the Earth protocol, but I would be honored if you would be my … my partner for life. If you would wed me. I do not care if it is in the tradition of your people or my own. I just know what is in my hearts, and they both agree that no other female could ever compare to you, not in beauty or grace or strength or wisdom.”
Fresh tears welled in her eyes, and my spirits fell. “Did I say the words wrong?”
“No,” she said, her voice wavering. “No, you said everything right.”
I frowned. “But you are crying.”
Leigh threw her arms around my neck with a sobbing laugh. Nothing about her response made sense. Why was she crying if I said the right things, and why was she embracing me if I made her cry? And how could she laugh if she was crying?
Human women were a mystery.
“I love you, T’raat. Of course I’ll marry you!” She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “God, I’ve cried so much today that I’m covered in snot.”
I gave my nanites time to translate the last word before answering. “Your mucus does not concern me. I am covered in the blood of our enemies, after all.”
Leigh laughed again. “Yeah, about that … I think we both need a shower.”
Her insinuation took me a moment to figure out, but once I realized what she was suggesting, I raced her to the bathing facilities in our quarters.
We did not emerge for our evening meal for two full time units.