“
I think I’ll survive.” She looked down in dismay at her knees and noticed her pants were torn and blood had seeped through.
Zander noticed the same thing and he said, “You’ve injured your knees. Let me take you to the medical facility for treatment.”
Sharra was appalled. It was only a few minor scrapes.
“
Gracious, no! It’s only a minor thing. I’ll clean them when I get home. Or better yet, I’ll just use the healing wand on them.”
Zander picked up her hands and turned them over, inspecting them. “I see some scrapes here too.”
“
I know. I’m a klutz, but I’ll survive. Thanks for your help.”
He looked at her with longing. He struggled to find some excuse to keep her by his side, but he knew she needed to go home to clean her wounds. In a rush, he blurted out, “Do you have any plans for this evening? What I mean is, would you care to accompany me to dinner? I mean, would you like to go out?”
“
Yes. I would.” Sharra she answered in a rush and smiled at him again.
He smiled back at her and said, “Forgive me, but I’m not usually this forward. I suppose I should tell you that I am a respectable male. I’m a Guardian, as you’ve already probably figured out, and I’ve recently been assigned to an undercover team on Earth.
Sharra cocked her head to the side and grinned. “So have I. I suppose we’ll be working together then.”
He smiled at that. “I guess we will. What did you say your last name was again?”
She fidgeted a bit because her status sometimes intimidated potential boyfriends. “Yeah, well, it’s Yarrister.”
“
Hmm. That’s what I thought. Look, if you don’t want to go out with me, I understand.”
“
What’s that supposed to mean?”
He narrowed his eyes and looked directly at her when he spoke. “I understand that you probably have high standards where suitors are concerned.”
“
You are right and you happen to fit those qualifications,” she responded with a grin.
“
I...um, well...”
“
Zander, look, I would like to go out with you. If my last name intimidates you, just say so. But before you say anything, let me mention something. I’m just a normal person. I put my pants on the same way you do...one leg at a time. I would like to get to know you better and if you’re up for it, well then I say let’s go out. Now if you’ve changed your mind, that’s another matter altogether.
“
No, I haven’t changed my mind.”
“
Good. Then why don’t you pick me up at seven tonight?”
“
Right then. At your place? I mean the Palace or whatever?”
She let out a roar of laughter. “Yep, that would be the place.”
Jurek walked in and told Xarrid the news.
“
She’s asked for you.”
“
What?”
“
Saylan is asking to see you.”
Xarrid looked at Jurek then at the wall then back at Jurek. Then were on Lare-Stell Base, conferring over what their next steps would be when the troop of Guardians arrived on Earth. He didn’t know what to think. Should he be happy or would this set him up for another disappointment?
“
I...I...what...I don’t...”
“
Xarrid, you must go. Now. Do you want me to take you or do you want to take a ship?”
“
I don’t know.”
“
Come on brother, grab my arm and I’ll take you. I don’t think you need to be alone right now.”
Xarrid grabbed Jurek’s arm and off they flashed to Vesturon.
When they arrived at Saylan’s parents’ house, Xarrid went into massive panic mode. Everything hit him at once. Twitching, fidgeting, clenching just about every muscle on his body, he was a mess. Jurek calmed him a bit, but he was at a loss.
“
I don’t know what to say to her.”
“
Since she’s the one that summoned you, I’d let her take the lead.”
Pacing back and forth on the walkway to the front door, Xarrid nodded.
“
You’re gonna wear out the soles of your boots before you even get inside.”
Xarrid rubbed his face with his fists and made a beeline for the door, knocking hard before he lost his nerve. Then he turned around and said, “Damn, I should’ve cleaned up first.”
Jurek laughed at him right as the door opened. It was Saylan’s mother.
“
Is everything okay?” Xarrid asked.
“
I think there are some nagging memories trying to surface and she started asking about you. I told her everything I knew but she says she doesn’t remember. She finally said yesterday she wanted to talk to you in person.”
“
Okay. I’ll do anything she wants. You know that.”
“
Look Xarrid, just be patient. I think you’ll win her back. There’s something lurking in her mind where you’re concerned. I just know the memories are in there somewhere.” She squeezed his arm and then led him to the den where Saylan was sitting.
He stood looking at her for a few seconds before he said anything. No matter how long it would take, he knew he would love her with everything he had. She was so beautiful as she sat there, with the sun streaming in the window behind her, its rays forming a halo around her.
“
Saylan.” He called to her softly. “May I call you Saylan now?”
She turned to face him and smiled. While it was not her smile of days gone by, it was a smile nonetheless, and it warmed his heart to see it.
“
Yes, you may and I’ve decided I prefer it over Number Five. I’m glad you came.”
“
Are you?”
Her brow furrowed as she asked, “Well yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
That stumped him. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve wanted to be with you so much that I...well, never mind. So, what did you want to see me about?”
“
There are so many things I feel like I’m supposed to know about you...about us. And I can’t remember any of them. The specialists tell me I might get those memories back but then again I might not. I want you to tell me what I can’t seem to remember.”
“
I suppose I can do that.”
“
I know I’m supposed to love you but when I look at you I feel very frightened.”
Xarrid’s heart fell to the floor and cracked into a million pieces again. His throat tightened up and burned and he was unable to swallow. That huge lump that had been lodged there for so long, but had eventually left, had suddenly reappeared. His eyes filled with tears that he knew would be drizzling down his cheeks any second. He wanted anything but this. He didn’t want to upset her. Deity, that was the last thing he wanted, but try as he might, his emotions were not listening to reason.
He squeezed his eyes shut, commanding his tears to go away when suddenly he felt a soft hand on his face wiping the moisture away.
“
I’m sorry for I didn’t mean to make you sad.” She moved to take her hand away, but he stopped it with his and held it tightly to his face.
“
I’m the one who is sorry Saylan for I don’t mean to frighten you,” he whispered brokenly. “I stopped caring about my appearance when you disappeared and perhaps that’s why I scare you and that’s the last thing I want to do. I would
never
ever
do anything to harm you. I would only strive to keep you safe and protect you.”
They looked into each other’s eyes and she nodded slightly. He felt her relax a bit and then he released her hand.
“
Did you always have long untamed hair?”
He slowly shook his head. “No sweetheart, I didn’t. I wasn’t this rough looking. Would you like for me to cut my hair off?”
She scrunched up her eyes and stared at him. Then she asked, “May I touch it?”
“
Of course. You can touch me anywhere. Well, within reason,” he chuckled.
She tentatively reached out her hand and picked up a chunk of his hair. Rubbing it between her fingers and thumb, she looked at it thoughtfully for a moment. Then she stepped in closer to him and threaded both of her hands into his hair. She brought it forward and put her face in it as she inhaled. Xarrid held his breath, for he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he didn’t dare.
“
It’s so soft and you smell really nice. I think I want you to keep it the way it is,” she said as she lifted her head to look at him. “When I’m close to you like this, I don’t feel frightened.”
He smiled. “Good, because I may look scary but I’m not. I promise.”
“
May I touch your lips?”
Xarrid swallowed as his eyes widened in surprise. This was the last thing he expected. “Please,” he whispered.
She reached up with two fingers and traced the curve of his upper lip. Then she took her thumb and ran it along his lower lip several times. She stood on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his. Not able to stand still any longer, he took her into his arms and began to kiss her back, slowly and sweetly. His heart soared when he felt her hands on the back of his neck. When she began to moan, Xarrid broke away and continued to hold her in his arms.
“
Why did you stop? I liked what you were doing to me,” she confessed.
“
Saylan, I am not strong enough to continue on that path sweetheart. May I tell you something?”
With her nod, he went on, “You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I want you to know something. I don’t care how long it takes for you to remember us or even if you don’t ever remember and I have to win you all over again, I will love you forever with everything I have in my heart and soul. You are the most important thing in the universe to me and I will stop at nothing to prove that to you.”
Her lips curved into a smile as she replied, “Thank you Xarrid. I know there’s something between us, something I’m supposed to feel. I
know
that. But there’s also something missing and I want to get that back. Is that asking too much?”
“
No! And just so you know, I’ll wait for you...forever if that’s what it takes.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Now, is there anything you want to ask me about us?”
“
Yeah. Tell me everything!”
********
Two hours later, Saylan was curled up in the corner of the sofa like a kitten and Xarrid was facing her, sitting on the edge, telling her their story. They laughed, cried and laughed again when he got to certain parts. He held nothing back for he believed she had a right to know all the details about their relationship. He also filled her in on things he hadn’t told her...things he’d assumed she’d known but since he couldn’t be sure, he told her just for good measure.
“
Do you think I’ll ever get the memories back?”
“
Yes, I do. I think you’ll get them back piece by piece. One day you’ll think about something and remember it, and maybe you won’t even realize you had forgotten it. Does that make sense?”
“
I think so. It’s so strange to think you and my parents and so many others know more about my life than I do. It gets really frustrating. And those awful headaches. I hate them!”
No one had bothered to inform Xarrid that Saylan had been suffering from debilitating headaches, which were common after brain trauma. He asked her about them and she explained. He felt sick.
“
I didn’t know. I’m so sorry sweetheart. I wish someone had told me.” He brushed her hair off her forehead. It startled her and she jerked away from him. He noticed how her eyes had widened and her lower lip trembled.
“
Saylan, forgive me. I guess I got a bit carried away. I should have asked for you permission to touch you.”
She bowed her head and said in a quiet voice, “It’s okay. We were forbidden to touch each other. If we even so much as brushed up against one another, we were severely beaten. I’m still trying to become accustomed to being able to do it without fear of any repercussions.”
Xarrid’s body tensed with anger. “Who beat you?” he asked in a steely voice.
“
The leaders of our group.”
“
I should very much like to kill every one of them.”
Saylan lifted her eyes to his and saw the fervor in them. “You would do that for me? Kill someone?”
“
In a heartbeat. If I thought that person had harmed you. Without a doubt I would.”
Her next actions surprised him as much as anything had that day. She moved to her knees, slid onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. As her head lay against his chest she thanked him for wanting to protect her against those that had been cruel to her.
“
Oh bloody hell Saylan, I would give my life for you. If only you could remember how we felt about each other. I thought my life had ended when you disappeared. I called out to you for days on end, but you never answered.” He hugged her tightly to him and then said, “If I had my way, I would hold you like this forever and never let you go. Now I’m really probably scaring the hell out of you and I apologize for it, but that’s the truth of it and the way I feel about you.”
He asked her to tell him about her headaches and she explained how they would hit her head like a massive explosion, leaving her writhing in pain and helpless to do anything. The medicine would only do so much, but they assured her it was part of the normal healing process.
“
I wish I had known. I would have been here to help you,” he said as he rubbed her back.
“
There’s nothing you could do so don’t worry about it.”
“
I could have come and rubbed your forehead or something. Promise me you’ll call me when you get them. Promise?”
“
Okay.”
Raya, Saylan’s mother came in then and was surprised to find her daughter cuddled up on Xarrid’s lap. She beamed at the two of them as she asked if they would care for some refreshments.