Craving: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 8) (42 page)
She didn't respond, caring little for her rescue. I knew then that I'd lost her to the cause. But Terra was my everything. My love for her was absolute.
If she were determined to die right now, then I would die with her.
* * *
T
ERRA
I crept behind the barn of the boarding school with Jidden by my side. There were only three men, and none of them wore armored suits. They were vulnerable, easy targets.
Before the Surtu invaded, if I had imagined myself in this situation, I would have thought I could save the teen girls by reasoning with the men. It was almost laughable.
There was no reasoning with the Surtu soldiers. They had come to dominate Earth. The only way to win against them was to kill them first.
I entered the barn to search for weapons, not expecting to find a group of men, women, and children cowering behind the hay. On instinct, I pushed Jidden back before he could follow me in, not wanting to scare the people inside. There was more than a boarding school full of girls at stake. There was an entire community, likely farmers and their families from around the plains.
Holding a finger to my mouth, signaling for them to stay quiet, I picked out a rake from the tools on the wall. I thought it my best option, but a man approached me with a set of daggers in his hand. Grateful, I accepted them, and then I returned outside.
The soldiers had lined the girls up, no doubt choosing their favorite. It was repulsive. I waved Jidden back, indicating for him to cover the barn, and I went to the well at the side of the boarding school. It was the closest I could get to the soldiers without being seen.
Daggers could not kill soldiers. I had witnessed that firsthand the day Gallia died. But daggers could disarm them, even if only for a few seconds. That's all I needed – a few seconds.
I threw a dagger from behind the well. As I intended, it landed in a soldier's throat. He dropped his blaster and fell to his knees, choking on his blood. The two remaining soldiers immediately had their guard up, but I was Nightshade, and they were fools. I threw two more daggers, and the soldiers went down.
Knowing there was only a little time before they healed themselves, I went to the first soldier and picked up his blaster. I pointed it directly at his head. I had never killed a person before. I never thought I could do it, but I did not hesitate as I pulled the trigger.
A blast echoed across the plain.
You cannot use your mind to heal if you have no mind to use, I thought, and I moved on to the other two soldiers to do the same. Two more blasts. Two less Surtu soldiers to claim the innocence of the young women.
I threw the blaster down and signaled Jidden to watch over the girls. "You can trust him," I told them. "Don't be scared." Then I went to the barn and coaxed out the families inside. "We have to hurry. A rescue ship waits."
"But our town – it's just west of here. We managed to escape when the Surtu invaded, but we have to go back and save the rest," a woman explained, grabbing my arm.
From my time as Commander on the Fortuna, I had learned that there was a time to fight, and there was a time to sacrifice. We had fought, and now we had to go. "They're lost," I told the woman. "We have to head to the ship. It's your decision if you follow."
Tears of sorrow spilled down her cheeks, but she nodded her understanding.
With Jidden leading the way, we continued to run across the plains. It was no longer just the two of us. Most of the rescued followed, but some had stayed behind to go back and fight. They would likely die, but at least they would die honorably. I respected their decision.
We arrived at the ship just as it was about to take off. It hovered over the ground, but the loading door was still open. Jidden and I lifted the people onto the ship one by one until only we remained. The stronger of us, Jidden jumped on first, and then he reach his hand down to me. "This time, we stay together, or we leave together," he said.
I wanted to continue the fight on Earth, but I knew people needed me elsewhere. I grabbed Jidden's hand and allowed him to pull me onto the ship. "Wherever we go, it will be together," I promised, and I sealed that promise with a kiss.
* * *
W
ith great sadness
, I watched from the ship as the Earth grew smaller and faded from sight. Jidden wrapped me in his arms, feeling my pain through our light bond. Earth was lost. The growing number of military space stations floating in darkness told me so. The war against the Surtu was a war we could not win.
But I found comfort in Jidden's arms. The Earth may be lost, but hope wasn't. I looked forward to the refuge. My sister warriors waited for me there in a secret place where humans and Surtu lived together in freedom and love.
"Are you ready?" Jidden asked, caressing my cheek.
We would not be traveling at warp speed. The Surtu ship could move much faster than our own.
"I'm ready," I said, and I braced myself for the light.
T
erraMates
T
he Surtu
C
aptured
by the Alien King
D
esert World Savages
C
opyright
© 2016 by Lisa Lace
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events and dialog found within the story are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is completely coincidental.
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