22. Jane
Chapter Twenty-Two
JANE
It feels like forever since I’ve seen Asher. I knew he was coming to save me. I knew he was approaching because I could feel him. The vibration of our infinity pulse thrums with more force when he’s near.
I hadn’t realized how it would feel when we were apart. It feels as if my body has a sensor just for him. Asher holds my gaze. He says nothing, but I can feel his reassurance from across the room.
He is surrounded by soldiers, including Kayden. I recognize some of the faces of the women. In their gear, they look fierce.
“You will not win this,” Asher says to the man holding me, his tone level. “You have no backup. If you kill our princess, you will lose your only bargaining chip.”
The man, whose name I don’t know, shuffles his feet. These men all seem angry and disorganized, a sense of reckless chaos driving them.
Ever since two men had broken through the skylight in our home and taken me, they’d been arguing. They bickered with each other on the small ship that flew us to this side of the planet. It’s been one argument after another, all of them petty. I may not understand what they hope to gain, but it’s clear they are not a unified group.
“We want a change in leadership, a new vote,” the man says.
“There’s a vote every year. You can’t force a vote by kidnapping my princess and threatening to kill her,” Asher states flatly.
I don’t look away from Asher. His presence eases the fear churning inside me. I hold perfectly still. Because I have faith he can save me. I shift my hands slightly where they’re tied behind my back. I had loosened the ties only moments ago when I felt Asher approaching. With the man holding me focused on Asher, I keep twisting them.
I feel one of the women’s eyes on me. I carefully shift my eyes in her direction, and she nods, just barely. My heart pounds as I twist my wrists again, feeling the binding loosen. Another moment later, I manage to get the tie undone, catching the binding with my fingertips just before it falls to the floor.
My heart beats so hard my ribs hurt from the force of it. With anxiety churning in my gut, I summon my courage. The man is saying something to Asher, and I move swiftly, swinging my arm out and knocking the weapon from his hands. Everything is a blur. There is a shout from that man, and more burst forward from a darkened doorway in the corner.
Asher spins quickly, taking two of them down with some weapon. The soldiers with him quickly subdue the men who took me here.
One of them is arguing loudly, and Asher replies, “We’ve already taken them, you idiot. All of you will stand trial. Where is your shame for your community? Your people are hungry, and you are taking unnecessary resources from them. They will say there is no point to this, yet you will still be stupid because you’re jealous and power-hungry.”
Only after Asher finishes speaking does he wrap both arms around me, holding me close. He cups the back of my head with one hand, while the other moves up and down my back in soothing passes.
I’m shaking with the fear, and tears sting my eyes as I breathe him in. I tuck my head into the curve of his shoulder, my fear dissipating with the feel of his heart beating.
“I have you,” he whispers just above my ear. “We have to go.”
I lift my head to meet his eyes. “I know. I love you,” I say just before he kisses me fiercely.
In seconds, we are moving as the team with Asher closes ranks around us. Kayden barks out orders. We’re outside in the darkness, where the cool air feels good against my skin. The queen is there, waiting for me, it seems.
“You are safe,” she says, her hand sliding over my shoulder as we fall into step beside her. Asher has my hand in his. Everything is a jumble and a rush. Asher briefly confers with his parents and other leaders. Some of us will be leaving, and others will be staying behind to stand guard over those who kidnapped me. I hear discussion of a trial for those involved.
My heart feels like a bird trapped in my chest, beating so hard that the rushing sound of blood in my ears is overwhelming. Asher is holding me close, and I burrow into him, seeking his warmth and strength.
I’m trembling, and I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel his palm moving in a slow circle between my shoulder blades. “You’re safe.”
I lift my face to meet his worried gaze. He brings his palm to my cheek, his thumb swiping my tears away. “You’re safe,” he repeats.
My heartbeat finally starts to slow from the wild galloping pace in my chest. I can see the anger swirling in his eyes. He’s barely keeping his anger in check—not at me but at what happened.
“I’m okay,” I say. “I don’t think they meant to hurt me. They wanted to keep me until I had our baby.”
“I know. And for that, they will pay,” he says, his voice low.
“What do you mean?”
“We will have a trial. It will be public.”
“Will they die?” My eyes go wide.
Earth has death sentences. “We don’t do that here. We are civilized, fair, and just.” Asher pauses, his eyes narrowing. “I fear those who carried out the kidnapping aren’t the ones behind the planning.”
I blink up at him. “I know. What happens now?”
“Tonight, you and I are going home. We’ve already repaired the breach in the city shields and above our house. My father has called up our reinforcements for patrol. For now, we must go.”
Once again, things happen swiftly as we rush to get to the ship. Another ship lands just as we’re leaving. Asher’s mother orders the arriving crew to take the prisoners back.
I can’t stop touching Asher. I need to be physically linked with him at all times. I was never afraid for my life, except at the very beginning. Yet I was so afraid I would somehow not get back to him. I feared for our baby. While I still don’t know with certainty that I’m pregnant, I feel like I am. I won’t know until I miss my cycle. I fear that they timed my kidnapping to claim Asher’s heir.
My emotional tumult is soothed when he holds my hand. I know he won’t let it go. The ship is moving rapidly. He and Kayden are talking in low tones. His mother is with us, along with some of her team of female warriors. I’m overwhelmed with relief and gratitude.
On Earth, if a woman had been kidnapped, no one would’ve saved her.
After we land in our city, Asher confers briefly with Kayden and his mother. He is still holding my hand, his touch warm and sure.
Moments later, we are walking quickly to our home with a team of guards flanking us again. When we get back to the house, I look up at the skylight where they crashed through. For now, it is closed with a thick, shimmering surface. I can still see the stars and the moon in the distance.
“How did they get here?” I ask as I turn to look at Asher.
“I should’ve known better,” he says. “I’m sorry I didn’t. I didn’t think they would dare do anything like this. It’s been decades since we’ve had this kind of breach. We had a sort of peace for over a century since the last war between our two sides. They call themselves purists. It doesn’t even make sense because they’re not pure. They are only alive because of the cowboys that traveled here from Earth centuries ago. They argue that since then, we must remain pure.” He shakes his head. “It’s ridiculous. This new leadership that has risen recently in their city is trying to return to the old ways. They don’t recognize that it hurts all of us and weakens our people, preventing them from having enough mates. They took advantage of us, not recognizing the danger and thinking they wouldn’t dare. We will once again put up the stronger shields and reinforce them with our new technology. We will bring this to a real fight if we must.”
I’m still absorbing the reality that we’re home and I’m safe. I take in what he says. “Okay,” I finally say, which feels inadequate to capture the last few hours of my life.
Asher reaches for both of my hands, lifting one and turning it over before he drops a kiss in the center of my palm. His lips are warm, and his kiss like a pebble dropped into the center of a pond. Ripples of heat radiate through my body. He releases one of my hands, lifting his to smooth my hair away from my face before palming my cheek.
I stare into his eyes as a sense of peace slips through me. We’re back together, and that’s all that matters.
“Now that we know what they may try, you needn’t worry. I’ll keep you safe,” he promises.
A second later, he’s kissing me. I forget everything else as we tumble into the fire that snaps and crackles between us. His touch is air into the very heartbeat of our desire.