He came to his feet, and kissed her softly on the lips. “As you wish,
ta eani
,” he whispered, and then gave her a kind smile. He deepened the kiss, their tongues meeting for a slow, passionate dance. Their bodies pressed tighter together, moving in a rhythm only they could feel.
He broke the kiss, and his smile widened then, enough to show the wrinkles at his eyes. He lowered himself, kissing first her collarbone, then unfastening and removing her halter gown. He kissed his way down her sternum, her belly button, then over her panties. His kisses were innocent, yet they sent tingles across Talla’s skin. Already, her breaths were coming faster.
With endless care, he tugged her panties down her hips and helped her step out of them. For the next few hours, Jax went about showing Talla exactly how he felt about her, until they fell blissfully asleep in each other’s arms.
As with every morning, her wall screen was programmed to show the sunrise. She lay, blissfully sprawled across Jax’s chest, watching the grays of the past get replaced by reds, yellows, and oranges of their future.
He ran his hand through her hair. “They’re going to release the
pika
neutralizer at eight,” he said. “Want to watch?”
She thought of where Jax had been the past few days. “Does that mean the negotiations went well? I’d meant to ask earlier.”
He chuckled. The deep rumble jiggled her head. “There were no negotiations. Everyone at the U.N. stayed uncharacteristically quiet during the discussions. The Triad laid out the terms, everyone agreed. There wasn’t a single dissent. I think it was the closest thing we’ll ever hear to an apology for saving their asses.”
“What’s it mean for my people?”
“After the Omega fiasco, both Alaska and Hawaii declared sedition. They’re breaking from the U.S. to form their own country. With everything going on, the government decided to let them, though it’s going to hurt the economy. Since Alaska’s environment is proving a bit harsh for Draeken wings, the
Artox
and
Evo
are going to relocate. As for any Sephia-born, Roden negotiated a good deal with Brazil where Draeken and Sephians have been given full citizenship and a large demilitarized zone to build homes. In exchange, I suspect their economy will see quite an improvement. I think we’re looking at the next world power.”
She shook her head, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “It will be nice to have a place to call home.” A sudden thought nearly stopped her heart. “But your home is in this country.”
“No, it’s not,” he said, before kissing her forehead. “It’s wherever you are.”
• • •
A half hour later, Talla and Jax stood before the
Striga’s
massive window outside the command room. They were surrounded by tens of dozens waiting for the same event. Laze and Ace stood several feet away, each throwing Jax a thumbs-up after seeing him with Talla. Jax held her hand with pride. It would take a force of God to make him let her go.
Speaking of which … it had been nothing less than a miracle that Talla had given him a second chance. Her capacity for forgiveness and love astounded him. She’d lived through war and seen horrific things, but yet she still saw good in the world, saw good in him. She’d been the beacon, holding out the light while Jax found his way. And he planned to show his appreciation for her every day for the rest of his life.
A rumble vibrated through the core ship, and they turned their eyes back to the window. What looked like giant missiles shot from the
Striga
and
Grax
, heading off in many different directions, and he knew the same thing was happening at the
Artox
and
Evo
. The missiles climbed upward, until disappearing into the clouds. Then, moments later, lightning-like flashes erupted. Seconds later, real lightning flashed, and a couple drops of water hit the window. The sky opened and rain poured down, carrying with it the
pika
neutralizer so that no one could ever set off the deadly programming again.
The event was transpiring across the world. A worldwide rain storm was delivering the neutralizer to the water supply everywhere at once. The neutralizer had already been introduced to the core ship’s water supplies last night. The Earth was safe again. But the planet had changed, nearly beyond recognition.
The past month had been a reckoning. A time for people to unite or fall. Fatal mistakes had been made, but the survivors would continue with lessons learned from the past. They would lay the groundwork for a new, united world. All three races would have a chance at redemption and a chance to build a better world.
He looked at Talla.
So fucking beautiful in every way
. She’d given him a chance he’d never deserved, and he was thankful for it. Sensing he was watching her, she turned her gaze from the screen to him. “
Ta eani
,” he whispered, just before kissing her.
She smiled. “
My heart
.”
One month later
“I look better.”
“No, I definitely look better.”
Talla smiled at Sienna and Nalea’s banter. Jax knew both women far better than she did, so she steered clear of the conversation. Instead, she examined her wings in the mirror. She’d just had Jax’s name — in Draeken
and
English — tattooed across them yesterday, and the newness still made her nearly giggle. She couldn’t wait to see the surprise on Jax’s face when he saw them.
She was already formulating what tattoos she’d get next when she realized the other two women had fallen silent. She glanced up and startled. Sienna stood to her left and Nalea stood to her right. They were looking in the mirror as well. “I take it back,” Sienna said. “We’re all freaking beautiful.”
Talla couldn’t help but smile, and she nodded. It was true. At this moment, they were a vision. Sienna, even with her scars, looked like an angel in the white gown decorated with black pearls and the lace veil over her hair. Nalea, in contrast, was a tall beauty in a floor-length black silken gown. But Talla preferred her simple — and skimpy — silver gown. Panels of fabric hung loosely off her back so that they would flutter when she flew. The plunging neckline and high-cut skirt left little to the imagination, and she grinned, already thinking of how Jax would respond.
“It’s time,” Sana said from the doorway. It was the first time Talla had ever seen the Sephian soldier smile. Well, it was
almost
a smile, more like a slight tilt of the lips. A human stood off to the side. Jeannie was her name. She, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear and dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
“Let’s do this,” Sienna said, grabbing her cane and limping toward the doorway. Sienna, with her slow walk, set the pace. Entering the huge Communal Room of the
Striga
, Talla, Nalea, and Sienna walked down the open pathway through the crowd. Everyone on the
Striga
was there. Every Draeken had come on board, and several hundred humans had arrived for the world-broadcasted event.
Laze stood near the front, a human female on each side. As she walked by, he gave her a full-blown smile. Surprisingly, Laze didn’t punch Jax when he’d asked for Talla’s hand. It was the first sign that Laze was finding his way out of the darkness. Seeing him now, surrounded by pretty human “groupies” was the second sign. Talla smiled.
You’ll be all right.
When she saw the three men standing at the end of their long walk, she smiled at the one man who truly took her breath away. She wanted to run to him, but forced herself to stay in stride with the other two women, never taking her eyes off him.
Finally arriving at the end, each man reached out for his woman. Legian, the large Sephian, nearly lifted Sienna off the ground as he embraced her. Roden merely smirked as tugged Nalea to him. And Jax waited patiently, as Talla looped her arm in his, watching her with such emotion that a tear slipped down her cheek.
He wiped it away, giving her a questioning look, and she simply shrugged. She leaned into Jax’s embrace as the three couples were united by ministers from each race, and they became the first families of tomorrow’s world. She wasn’t one to cry, but after all, it was their wedding day.
Berinn Rae was raised on a farm in Iowa where she boasted the small town’s largest (and only) comic book collection. An obsessive reader and compulsive daydreamer, it was only a matter of time before she fell in love with writing stories starring women with
kickassitude
.
Berinn received an undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa and master’s degree from Drake University. After college, she dove into the field of technology, from programming (which she wasn’t very good at) to process improvement (which she was better at), and finally to strategic management, where she served as Vice President of a Fortune 100 bank.
When not writing, Berinn can be found flying old airplanes, watching Sci-Fi movies, and playing RPGs. She currently lives in the Midwest United States with her husband and an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog.
Draeken Hidden Camp in the northwest United States
Nalea lay on her side, feigning sleep, until the guardsman walked past her cell, whistling an old tune that reminded her of Sephia. The tips of his leathery wings brushed the floor as though bored, matching the slow, staccato rhythm of his steps echoing through the hall. His senses would be dulled from the monotony of his late night shift. Hers were primed.
She forced herself to breathe deep and steady as she waited … and waited until his footsteps faded into the silence booming in her ears, signaling that this was her chance. She’d had months to memorize the guardsmen’s schedule. If the gods were on her side, the hallway would remain empty for at least another hour.
Now!
Her body tensed. She sucked in a breath and surged toward the barred door of her cell. Her muscles were alive and ready. Her hair was short. It would stay out of her way. The lights were dimmed for the night. They wouldn’t blind her sensitive eyes. A good thing now that her dark glasses were destroyed. With one last silent prayer to the gods, she pressed against the bars that kept her imprisoned within her enemy’s Earthside stronghold.
The cold metal protested movement. She pushed harder, and the barred door swung outward. Her escape mechanism fluttered to the floor, and her breath hitched.
It worked!
Hard to believe a little piece of Earthside plastic was all it took to bypass superior Draeken technology. Wync, the jackass guardsman on shift, had been too busy taunting her for being wingless as he escorted her back to her cell after interrogation today. He’d failed to notice her sliding the lens from her dark glasses against the locking mechanism as he pulled her cell door closed.
An alarm should’ve sounded immediately. Fortunately, the Draeken were facing an energy shortage, just like her people — the Sephians — were. Otherwise, the system would’ve sounded an alert if the bolt was blocked in any manner. She smiled. She had no problem taking advantage of any chance for escape.
Nalea crept from her cell, carefully pulling the door closed behind her to avoid raising suspicion. She didn’t even glance back at the small cell that she’d called home for nearly a year. After tonight, she’d never be imprisoned on the other side of that door again.
Flattening herself against the wall, she peeked around the corner and down the hallway, looking first left, and then right. To the left she would find freedom and could be miles away before her captors noticed her absence.
She turned right instead.
Some things were more important than freedom.
Her bare feet made no sound on the cold floor as she hurried down the hallway. Every step was deliberate and quick. She knew this way well, the empty cells, a locked supply room, even the guardsman station where Wync had undoubtedly stopped by to catch a quick nap. Scowling, she’d wished she had more time to ensure the racist would breathe his last.
You’ll get yours, Wync. Some day.
It wouldn’t be much farther now. Long seconds passed before she reached the door she sought. She double-checked the sign to the right of the closed door. It read
Lord Commander Roden Zyll.
Nalea clenched her fists, fighting to remain steady. Precious seconds bled out while she calmed her breathing. Her muscles burned with tension, as though they were warning her,
run!
The ends of her short hair clung to the edges of her sweaty cheeks, another reminder of why she must do this.
Sephians normally wore their hair long. But Roden, thinking to punish her, had her hair cut short after she’d refused to allow him to brush the snarled length. Instead, she’d considered it a personal triumph. Every time she made her captor lose his temper was a step closer to finding his mortal weakness. She hadn’t yet found that weakness, but she’d run out of time. Tonight was her last chance.
He’s only a man.
Focusing on the keypad, she inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, recalling the unique tone each key made as Roden entered them every time he’d brought her to “dine” with him, which was his polite term for non-physical interrogation. He’d yet to raise a hand to her, instead preferring to fuck with her mind, acting as her host rather than captor, all the while hinting for information she’d never surrender.
And so the stalemate had stood for months. Nalea with her silence, refusing to betray her people, and Roden with something up his sleeve, for that could be the only reason why he hadn’t tortured or killed her yet. The only way to win this game was to make her move first.
Convinced of the passcode that she’d played over and over in her mind a hundred times a day, she reopened her eyes, and punched in the six digits her memory had shown her. The small light on the key pad flashed blue before going dark.
Success!
The door opened with a nearly silent
whoosh
that translated into something more like a sonic boom to her ears. The air hardened in her lungs. Would Roden awaken at the sound? Worse, could he still be awake at this late hour?