Passion of the Different (22 page)

NERA!

She continued talking loud enough for him to hear clearly, yet withdrawn in tone so her voice wouldn't carry too far. "Before the sun leaves the horizon in the morning, your family will be in a wagon outside on the path you need to take, just a little north of here. Consider your debt to me cleared. You won't see me again."

The door opened and she paused, her heart shaped jaw line and dark green eyes now exposed by the yellow hallway candlelight. It gave visual proof to the shock that coursed through his ears and into his brain, rendering him absolutely speechless against his will. Even though it wasn't his wife, she glowed with her own aura of bliss and appeared well pleased. Her cute profile took on a striking quality. She had the same hair color and length, even the same body type - just more toned from working with a sword while wearing armor. He realized with no small amount of chills that Nera looked like she could be Myra's slightly younger sister. He never made that overall visual connection until this stunning moment. In the ultra low light he couldn't have known unless she spoke or had lit a candle. She had wanted this to happen and had it planned out possibly for quite some time. His mind went temporarily numb and she understood why he was having difficulty saying a single word.

Nera stepped out into the hallway, then just before she shut the door, he heard her distinctive voice one last time. "Myra doesn't know nor does she have to." Then she was gone. He laid there in the dark, completely in a shocked state over the fact that she would do such a thing. Reason couldn't adjust with the logic that lived in the frontal lobe of his brain until he recalled the very first thing that surprised him about Nera. Her own personal guard staff she entrusted with her safety were her husbands. Plural.

Unlike their monogamous Elerian neighbors, the Sanego didn't have a problem with having more than one mate. They were practicing polygamists. He realized with some relief that he found himself leaning towards the Elerian way of life and agreeing with some of their social graces. Not all of them, they still had what he considered major flaws, but then no society was perfect.

Still, Nera had tricked him with a high amount of skill. Thinking back on their
very recent
passionate romp, there were minor clues in her behavior that could have told him she wasn't his beautiful Myra. Not being with his wife for so long and his own excitement mixed with a powerful need had jaded his senses to a large degree. He was ripe for such an event and Nera knew that too. He also realized with further surprise that he wasn't angry with her for doing such a devious thing.

He had to take a moment to explore that. Anger should be a part of his reaction, knew all too well that had their genders been reversed, it could very easily be considered a form of rape. So why didn't he feel violated? If it was this easy to be with another woman in his mind and heart, he could have ended the ordeal with Darya long ago and shortened his original plan considerably.

Thinking of the evil queen and her crazy demands gave him the answer he was looking for. Nera was his friend where Darya was his enemy. The warden had treated him with kindness and respect when she didn't have to and Darya treated him as an object of her desire and nothing more. Nera was cute and wholesome to a large degree and reflected many qualities. Darya had an absolute natural beauty that was imbued with feminine perfection, but the rotten core of her dark personality leaked an ugliness that stained everything about her into a revolting woman.

There was no anger in his heart because if he was to lay with a female not of his own choosing, he would rather it be a woman like Nera than a demonic beast like Darya. He agreed with her that his debt is cleared. He
didn't
agree with her plan to trick him or her methods, but for now he can get over it and move on to what's truly important in his heart. His wife and kids. No, he couldn't tell Myra about this event and would carry it with him to the grave. It would do nothing but hurt her and that's something she didn't need. Ever. He couldn't sleep for the entire night as he pondered the near future.

Chapter Thirty Two - Reunion

It was a covered wagon with two horses and a back gate. The woman on the front bench where the reins were resting didn't stay seated the second her lavender eyes found his large frame emerging from the woods. She wore Sanego style black leather trousers and a white blouse and her light blue hair was wild in the wind when she flew into his arms.

He felt her heaving with sobs and he fought not to do the same. She needed his strength and he wasn't about to let her down. Her light musical voice, a sound he longed to hear with all his heart, finally reached his ears. "I missed you," she told him, wiping her eyes on his dark green tunic.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," he replied, intense and loving.

"Your deep voice, so low and sexy, I missed that too," she admitted, then pulled back and looked up at him. She glowed and her happiness blossomed in his eyes and he rewarded her with a powerful lip dancing kiss.

His heart nearly burst with affection as he powerfully realized that his lovely Myra was indeed a tall woman for either the Elerian or Sanego people. He buried the fast flash of guilt for knowing the comparison from holding Darya and bending down to kiss her neck. The joy he felt for being reunited with his wife drowned it out. He fooled the evil queen, didn't dare let on he was only faking the affection. The payoff was this moment, getting the one that truly mattered to him safely back.

Ryan didn't want to let his wife out of his arms but they only had a head start complete with a decoy to lead trackers in the wrong direction. They couldn't take their time and linger. "We have supplies in the wagon for the trip?" he asked her gently, feeling flush with the success of his subterfuge back at Darya's castle. Now it was just a matter of time and distance without getting caught.

"Oh yes, that and more," Myra told him, pride heavy in her remark. "They're both asleep in their baskets, our children are well covered with blankets to stay warm. With luck, they will sleep for several more hours while we get the hell out of here."

"I want to see them just for a moment," he said, then stepped up the back gate and leaned into the rear flap of the covered wagon. Two ropes lashed several large water jugs with heavy corks to one side. They looked good and secure and won't wobble around when going over the road. He also noticed baskets of different fruits and vegetables, a small portable stove and then they were there. Two small crib like baskets were lashed together farther in so the rider and driver could undo the front flap and have them easily within reach. He jumped down and circled to the front and opened that flap, peered down intently as he slowly peeled back a soft blanket.

He recalled the news that his son had his mother's features and he was able to recognize him instantly. Two delicate pointed ears and a baby-fat round face slept peacefully. The beginning fuzz of hair on his head was light blue. His skin was a touch darker than normal for his people, but only a touch. His daughter had dark hair like his own and her ears weren't pointed. She looked exactly like her brother in every other detail but those two. Filled with pride over his two amazing accomplishments with Myra, he turned and closed the front flap. She was sitting there next to him, glowing with the brilliance of fresh motherhood. "I know it took a lot of effort to carry two babies," he told her with a smile. "I'm so very proud of you." Then he picked up the reins and gave them a flick. Both horses responded and the wagon gave a gentle jounce forward.

Myra all but melted onto his side, cuddling up and feeling the weight of his compliment. He didn't know how deeply he touched her heart when he said things like that. She knew he meant them, which made his words all the more special.

"Are we going to rebuild our farm?" she asked him, watching his handsome features as he took a moment to mull the question over. "I saw them burn our house just as they were taking me away. I wanted to hurt them."

"I don't know why not," he replied, musing. "Unless you want to move further into the kingdom instead of being so close to this blasted border, we can rebuild right where we left off." Then he let her comment drift through his thoughts for a moment. "Do you want to learn how to hurt them?"

She was silent for a minute, but she finally answered just as he opened his mouth to apologize. "I'm not sure," she replied, humbled. "Nobody ever offered to teach me anything before. Even though I wanted to hurt those men, it was an angry thing. The idea of hurting anyone bothers me."

"It bothers me too, darling," he explained honestly. "Being able to defend yourself and outright attacking people for whatever reasons are two different things. The choice of course, is yours."

"I'll think about it," Myra promised him, then held onto his muscular arm tightly, rubbing her cheek slowly on his thick shoulder. "How long until we get home?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "This route is a day longer than normal, if the information I got is accurate. We'll stop for food and drink when the kids wake." Then his brow furrowed as a thought leaked in from nowhere and bugged him. "I didn't see any baby food back there, do we have stuff for them?"

Myra laughed, a sound his ears buzzed gladly to hear. Good natured, full of honest loving humor. "You're kidding, right? Baby food? Where does such a thing come from?"

"I... but..." he stammered, then concentrated. "What do you feed them, then?"

She gazed at him in wonder, like this was something he should have known all along and was pulling some private joke. When she realized just how serious he was, her eyes were big with amazement. She placed her hand to the top of her chest and said politely, "Me, darling. I have mother's milk for them."

Of course. He instantly felt silly. "I should have known that," he told her seriously, then glanced at her startled expression. He winked at her and grinned and she melted while winking back. This was their personal signal nobody else in the world knew about, it brought her back the memory of when he first used it on her. She took almost two weeks to learn how to wink back and they used it often between them. He continued to explain. "I have no idea why I thought of baby food. Sometimes an idea or an impression will give itself a word and I'll
know
it. But with nothing to back it up, no idea how it was used or made it becomes difficult. It's hard for me to know when to mention such stuff."

"This means your memory is improving then," she replied, grew excited as she shared what she knew. "I've often heard of stories where people suffered a great blow to the head and lost their identity. It would come back when they started to remember familiar things. Maybe this is what's happening to you."

"I hope you're right," he replied, tone neutral as he stared off into the distance for a moment. "There was no wound or bandage on my head when I first woke up, but that doesn't mean something traumatic didn't happen."

In response, her arms slid around him and squeezed as he drove the wagon. She wished with all her heart that willpower alone was enough to heal the blank spot in his mind. Her thoughts lingered on the first day she met him, finding him on his back in the woods and carefully looking him over to see if he was a threat or not. She never feared him because he never projected his size and strength in an intimidating manner at her. Only those who threatened her got such treatment and she didn't have any remorse over that. Feeling loved and protected when in his presence, she knew how much it bothered him that she had been stolen when he wasn't home. If he had been there, those Sanego soldiers wouldn't have stood a chance.

The wagon trundled along in silence for a while as they absorbed each others presence. Then she brought up a subject that she needed to be resolved. "Honey, I'm having trouble with something and I need your help. I think you need to discuss this with me."

His brain suddenly flopped inside his skull and wondered what she knew. Nera was her source of information about what happened while he was in the castle, but what did Nera actually say and how much did she pass on? "Yes darling?" he prompted carefully.

"What do we name our children?" she asked quickly. "I didn't want to do it without you, it's important we give them proper names that reflect your bloodline and mine both."

Relief exploded through his chest and thawed out the ball of ice that had been forming in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea if she was going to bring up the event where Nera had witnessed the queen kissing him in happiness and he looked like he enjoyed it, the moople incident or if she would ask where he was last night while getting some rest before they made the run for the border. Since it was neither of those he let it go and gladly focused on her question.

"Since you helped find a name for me," he reminded her, a large smile on his face, "I'm sure you'll have no trouble doing a great job there too. My people, from what I can
feel
about it, are more simple in their naming. So how about I suggest one for our daughter and you suggest one for our son?"

"Alright," she said, perked up considerably at his suggestion. The wagon hit a rut and jounced a little harder than normal. She took a moment to lift the flap and check. Good, they were still asleep. "You go first darling, I'm curious what your people have for girl's names."

"How about," he wondered out loud, decided to joke with her a little bit, "Rebecca La'Rue of House Ven'Krue?"

Myra's right eyebrow arched upwards as her features got an alarmed look, then she noticed the playful twitch of his mouth as he tried not to laugh. She slapped his arm but without any damaging strength. "Stop teasing me," she told him, then giggled. "That's horrible and way too long for a girl and you know it. Though the first part
was
kind of pretty. Just too long, honey."

"Becky?" he suddenly suggested, wondered where the name came from other than being a shorter version of Rebecca. Stubborn and silent, the buried memories offered him no further clues. "That one is serious, dear," he clarified.

"Becky," Myra echoed, tried it out loud from her own mouth to see how well it would fit. Different yet interesting to her ears. It would reflect her unique looks which matched that of her unusual father. So she tried the name a bit further. "Becky of House Ven'Krue. That would say a lot for her heritage to you and me both. I like it."

"Excellent," he said, felt himself glow a little brighter and his chest puffed up a little bigger. Nobody could have told him he would feel like this as a new father. He would have accused them of making it all up. "Now it's your turn."

"So it is," Myra replied, sighing in thoughtful contemplation. She rested her head on his shoulder and reflected on every name she heard for a man of her people. None of them stood out to her right away and suggested themselves. Then it popped into her head while she was trying to clear her thoughts. It fit them both perfectly so she tried it out on her husband. "How about Ruvian of House Ven'Krue? If he grows as big as you, we can put Za on the front like we did for you, sweet
ie.
Za'Ruvian of House Ven'Krue."

The name struck him as highly likeable the moment it left her lips. "Perfect," he told her, surprised that it sounded so close to his own name yet fit that of Elerian usage. "Better than perfect, honey. So here we are. Lord Za'Ryan and Lady Myra riding home with their children, Becky and Za'Ruvian of House Ven'Krue." Then he took his eyes off the trail and gave her a dazzling smile.

A soft cry greeted them from just behind the front flap of the covered wagon, quickly joined by a second higher pitched bawling. "They're hungry," Myra told him. "We're bouncing too much, we'll need to stop so I can feed them."

Ryan reined in the horses and glanced behind and further forward. There was nobody else on the trail in either direction so he didn't take the time to locate an area off to the side. She scooted into the wagon and closed the flap to keep the sunlight off the babies and he could hear his wife singing softly to them both, a calming musical hum that he never heard her use before. Haunting and beautiful at the same time, that ethereal melody backed by a mother's love would have soothed anybody.

Four days of constant wagon travel and not a single soul came or went on the same trail they used. They took the time to talk about their captivity and he left certain events out. If she asked about them directly he would discuss it, but what she didn't know couldn't hurt her and he preferred it that way. She had been locked up but treated like a royal guest. The incident with Roo'Pah near the beginning of her ordeal was the only mistreatment she got, and the nasty fellow had been flogged for his behavior. Myra found that satisfying news, but still shuddered when she recalled the details.

Her surprised laugh and long giggle at how Ryan got Kah'Deen to reveal where they took her gave him a measure of somber satisfaction. In those four days they caught up on a lot of time and spent every moment together. He held his children one at a time while she breast fed the other. He changed their cloth diapers and didn't mind the mess or smell. They were his kids too and Myra didn't object when he wanted to do these things, which he was grateful for.

Just as he was starting to wonder if he would know where the border was and what it looked like, to their surprise the border actually found them.