Chapter 21 Tamira
TAMIRA
Tamira woke to the gentle rocking motion and the warmth of Eluheed's body pressed against hers on the narrow bed.
For one perfect, crystalline moment, she didn't remember where they were or what had happened. There was only the comfort of his arms around her, his heartbeat steady beneath her palm, his breath warm against her hair.
Then something about the scents surrounding her triggered the memory, and it returned in a rush that made her suck in a breath.
The cliff. The extraction. The interminable hours underwater, breathing through a regulator while terror and hope warred inside her. The submarine. Collapsing onto this bunk with exhaustion so profound it felt like drowning.
And Eluheed, pulling her against him, murmuring something in a language she didn't recognize but understood nonetheless.
Sleep. We are safe.
So she had.
She had no idea how long. Many hours, certainly. The submarine's engines had changed their rhythm at some point, going from the deep thrumming of travel to something quieter, more controlled. And there were voices now, muffled through the metal walls but growing louder.
"We've arrived," Eluheed said quietly, and she felt his voice rumble through his chest.
Tamira lifted her head to look at him. Even in the dim light of the bunk area, she could see that he was still exhausted. His eyes had that hollow quality that came from too little sleep and too much fear.
"You didn't sleep," she said.
"I slept enough."
"Liar."
His lips quirked in that small smile she'd come to treasure. "I dozed off here and there. But I couldn't sleep. I had to keep watch."
"In a submarine operated by our rescuers? What could have possibly happened to us here?"
"A torpedo."
"Oh." She hadn't thought of that.
Her stomach chose that moment to growl.
Eluheed smiled. "Hungry?"
"Starving." She sat up carefully. The bunk was so narrow that any sudden movement risked tumbling them both onto the floor. "That one meal I ate before collapsing was a long time ago, and it barely counted as food."
"It left a lot to be desired." He shifted, swinging his legs over the edge of the bunk. "Though I've eaten worse."
Of course he had. In how many centuries? Throughout how many wars and famines and desperate circumstances?
A sharp knock on the metal frame made them both turn. Yamanu stood there, looking remarkably cheerful for someone who'd led an impossible rescue that had gone very differently from what he had come to do.
"We've docked at Safe Harbor. There's proper food waiting for you on shore. As soon as you are ready, you can disembark."
"I just need to use the restroom," Tamira said.
"Of course. The others are already gathering."
Tamira looked down at herself. She was wearing clothes that didn't fit, pants rolled at the ankles, a shirt that hung off her shoulders, all graciously donated by the submarine crew.
Her hair was a disaster, still stiff with salt despite the brief submarine shower.
And somewhere in the pile of wet things at the foot of the bunk was the clothing she'd worn under the wetsuit, now stuffed into a plastic bag.
"I must look terrible," she said.
"You are always beautiful," Eluheed said, and since truth was his actual religion, she knew he wasn't just saying that. "You look free," he added with a smile. "And it's a good look on you."
Free.
She still couldn't claim ownership of the word. It still didn't feel real.
She hadn't been free in over five thousand years. She didn't know what freedom was, what it felt like, and what she was going to do with it other than search for her son.
After a quick visit to the bathrooms, they made their way through the submarine, following the sounds of movement and voices toward the forward hatch. The other ladies were already there, along with Tony, who looked pale and slightly seasick.
Everyone wore the same mismatched donated clothing and socks instead of shoes. Everyone clutched plastic bags containing their meager possessions. Everyone had that same shell-shocked expression that Tamira suspected she wore herself.
"Finally," Sarah said when she saw Tamira. "I was starting to worry that you had decided to join the submarine crew and start your new life as a sailor."
Tamira chuckled. "We were sleeping, or rather I was. Elias was keeping watch in case we were hit by a torpedo."
Sarah smiled. "You could always sleep through anything. If I hadn't known you for thousands of years, I would have thought that you were human."
"Shh." Beulah put a finger on her lips. "The crew doesn't know," she whispered. "We need to pretend that we are like them."
Tamira nodded. "My brain is not fully functioning yet. I need to eat something."
"At least you managed to sleep." Liliat raked her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle the mess. "I barely slept at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I was back in that water, convinced that I was going to drown."
The hatch was open and humid tropical air was flooding in. After hours of recycled submarine atmosphere, it felt like breathing pure oxygen.
Yamanu gestured toward the opening. "Welcome to Safe Harbor. Just watch your step. The dock can be slippery."
"I would like to thank the crew," Tula said. "My sisters would like to thank them too."
"I will convey your thanks." Yamanu made an impatient hand gesture. "With how much we are paying them, I'm sure they are eager to get out of here and celebrate somewhere with some drinks."
Thinking of what this rescue mission must have cost, Tamira winced, but then she remembered that they hadn't come to rescue her. They'd come for Tula.
Why?
She had so many questions that she'd hoped would be answered on the way but had been too exhausted to pursue.
They filed out one by one, blinking in the bright morning sunlight.
Tamira emerged onto a concrete dock that stretched between the submarine and a sprawling complex of buildings.
The place hadn't been built to be pretty.
This was either an industrial complex or a military base, and some of the buildings were still surrounded by scaffolding.
"Where are Navuh and Areana?" Tamira asked, suddenly remembering what the impetus behind their rescue had been.
Yamanu turned to her. "They were transferred to the medical center as soon as we docked."
So, he was still alive. Otherwise, they wouldn't have transferred him to the medical center. Unless they had morgue facilities there, but she doubted that they had.
Tamira felt a confusing swirl of emotions.
Dread about what Navuh's survival might mean for their freedom, and sorrow for Areana, who might lose her mate.
But underneath it all, she felt a hope so great that she was afraid to examine it too closely.
Her son was somewhere out there, possibly in New York, and now she could finally start searching for him.
"Safe Harbor," Beulah said. "Is that what this place is called?"
"Yes." The answer came from an unfamiliar female voice with an accent that Tamira didn't recognize.
She turned toward the woman and froze.
The female was a few inches over six feet, impossibly thin, with features that were not quite human.
Her eyes were too large for her face, perfectly black with no visible separation between the pupil and the iris.
With her olive-toned skin and straight black hair, she could pass for someone of Asian descent, but not with those eyes.
Not human. Not an immortal descendant of the gods either. She was something else.
Tamira turned to Tula, who was standing behind her. "Do you know what she is?" she whispered.
"I have no idea," Tula whispered back.
The tall young woman stopped a few feet away, those enormous black eyes studying them with unnerving intensity.
Then another woman joined her, who was equally tall, equally thin, with the same impossible eyes and olive skin, though her features were more mature, and she looked a little more human.
Her bearing was authoritative, while the younger version of her held a certain swagger that appealed to Tamira.
Mother and daughter, Tamira realized. They had to be. The resemblance was unmistakable despite the alien features.
"Welcome to Safe Harbor," the older one said in a slightly accented English. "I'm Jade, and I'm in charge of Safe Harbor. This is my daughter, Drova. And this is my partner." She gestured to a tall, muscular man who was standing beside her. "Phinas."
Phinas looked human, or close enough. Tamira was pretty sure that he was an immortal. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with intelligent eyes and an easy smile. He nodded to them. "The dining hall is this way. The first order of things is to feed you."
At the mention of food, Tamira's stomach growled again.
They followed Jade and Phinas along a paved pathway toward a large white building. Drova walked beside them, her black ponytail swaying with her movements. How she managed to affect such a sensual walk with no bottom to speak of was a mystery.
She must have felt Tamira's eyes on her and turned to look at her. She smiled, revealing a pair of small fangs.
What was she?
Tamira cast a sidelong glance at Eluheed. "Have you ever seen anyone like her?"
He rarely spoke of his home world, and he'd never mentioned anyone who didn't look human.
Eluheed shook his head. "I haven't."
The dining hall was blessedly cool, with ceiling fans spinning overhead and windows that actually opened to let in the tropical breeze.
Long tables were set with platters of fresh fruit, bread still warm from the oven, eggs, rice, vegetables, and Indian dishes that she was familiar with because they had been frequently served in the harem.
"Please," Jade gestured to the tables. "Sit and eat."
Tamira sat between Eluheed and Tula and piled her plate high with a little bit from everything but barely touched anything. She was still trying to absorb what was happening.
She was free.
No fences, no guards, no monitored conversations, and no constant awareness of being property. Just...freedom.
The thought made her dizzy.
But what if this was an illusion? What if this place was just as bad as the one they had come from? Or worse?
Supposedly, these people belonged to Annani's clan, and they were the good guys, but how could she be sure of that?
"You okay?" Eluheed asked quietly.
Tamira looked at the man who'd appeared in her life like a mirage or an answer to a prayer and had captured her heart.
"I keep waiting to wake up," she admitted.
"And when I actually believe that we've been saved, I wonder if this is a change for the better.
What do we even know about these people? "
"It's all good." He took her hand and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. "We're free, and we are among friends."
"How do you know?" she whispered. "Did you touch any of them?"
"Several." He winked at her.
"Thank the merciful Fates." She let out a breath. "I can look for Darien now." The words came out choked. "We can go to New York and look for him."
Times Square in New York was where Eluheed had seen her walking with Darien. That was where they needed to start their search.
A grimace twisted Eluheed's handsome face. "We will need money. I hope these people will be kind enough to loan us some."
She hoped so, too. "And you can search for your sacred charges," she said. "After we find Darien, we will go to Mount Ararat."
"That's another thing I will need help with." Eluheed turned to look at Yamanu, who was talking with Jade and Phinas. "I don't know who's in charge, though. Should I talk to Yamanu or Jade?"
She didn't know either and turned to Tula, who seemed to know more than any of them, but Tula was busy stuffing her mouth and avoiding Tony's eyes.
Something was going on between those two, and Tamira could guess what. Tula had planned to leave with Yamanu without even telling Tony that she was never going to see him again. That's why she'd been acting so strangely lately.
It hadn't been just the pregnancy.
Tamira wasn't angry at Tula. She understood. It hadn't been up to Tula. If she could, Tula would have saved all of them, and she had. The proof was that they were all here, sitting at a table on an island called Safe Harbor that belonged to Annani's clan.