PART TWELVE

Liz leaned against the cold side window of the Suburban, settled closely beside Max. His chest still rose in heavy pants, as did her own. Even after these long minutes, her heart beat quickly, and she couldn’t help fearing that someone might suddenly attack again.

Yet Marco didn’t seem worried, was calm in fact, where he lounged across from them, his long legs folded slightly to accommodate them in the tight space. The three of them were cramped at best, and his hard boot heel pressed against her calf. Yet Marco had insisted they stay in the back, just in case something else happened. Liz had smiled realizing he wanted them right beside him, not upfront where he couldn’t watch over them if need be.

Liz studied Marco’s dark features, and noticed that all the tension had vanished from his face. Now he looked almost relaxed, though he did continue to peer out the back window, periodically raising his binoculars to scan the dark road behind them.

Marco had restored the broken back window with his powers, and the interior had quickly warmed. Now they just rode on some nameless two-lane highway, surrounded only by inky darkness—made darker by the blacked out windows of the Suburban. Liz wondered where they were going tonight, how far away it was. More importantly, were the others safe?

So many questions spun through her mind, as she knew they must through Max’s, too—yet they’d only ridden in silence for the past minutes. Max lolled his head back against the glass, blowing out a heavy breath. She glanced at him, and saw worry line his features as he drew his dark eyebrows sharply together. She knew that he was concerned about the others, too, wondering if they’d been gotten out in time…safely. He always felt so responsible for all of them, and Liz knew this had to be killing him.

"So, Serena," Liz began, clearing her throat. It felt strange to speak her name after so many years imagining who she would be. "When will we know if everyone is safe?"

Serena adjusted herself in the seat ahead of them, turning back to face Liz. "Not until we get where we’re going," She answered, her keen blue eyes shimmering with energy. Liz remembered seeing something similar in Nasedo’s gaze. "But you shouldn’t worry. You two were the only designated targets tonight."

Designated targets. The words made Liz’s heart plummet within her.

"You knew they were coming for us tonight then," Max stated, voicing her own thoughts.

"Yes, we were warned that Khivar had ordered a hit on both of you. Though obviously we received word quite late," Serena explained.

Max slipped his arm around Liz protectively, nestling her closer to him.

"Who warned you?" Max asked, and Liz didn’t miss the note of authority in his voice.

Serena hesitated momentarily, glancing in Riley’s direction, but he remained silent, his eyes trained on the road ahead. She turned back to face them. "Her name is Anna Davidson. She and Riley are…" she hesitated, frowning a moment, then finished. "Both part of our unit."

Liz couldn’t shake the sense that Serena had just left out a crucial piece of the puzzle. Something they weren’t meant to know yet? She wasn’t sure.

"What do you mean your unit?" Max asked, shifting a bit where they sat together. It was so cramped in the cab, and difficult to find a truly comfortable position.

"Our unit of protectors. There are seven of us altogether, but Marco is the only one assigned specifically to the two of you."

"Then who are the rest of you protecting?" Max asked.

"Your unit. The humans, as well."

"So you’re our protector then, too?" Liz asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion. She wasn’t quite clear what Serena meant.

"Not you specifically. The group." Serena explained, her expression very serious. "And I am the leader of this protector unit," she replied, then her voice grew soft. "I have been watching you since 1947."

"What?" Max nearly shouted, and Liz felt his body grow incredibly tense against her. "How? Why haven’t we…"

But Serena cut him off. "It was safer that you not know…better for you."

"How could that have been better? All this time, after Nasedo died…" Max paused a moment, his eyes searching around the car as he quickly assembled the facts. "Are you saying you were in the crash?" He finally asked, his voice strained with disbelief.

"Yes," Serena answered softly.

"You left us," Max whispered, his voice full of bitter accusation. "We had no one after Nasedo died."

"Nasedo needed to die," she stated simply, without explanation, yet her words conveyed much more. "But Max, right now isn’t the time for this discussion. Let’s wait until the others are together."

"No," he insisted loudly. "I need to know right now why you left us alone all these years, when we’ve had to…God, had to deal with so much…needed so many answers." Max leaned forward, closer to Serena, and Liz could hear him breathing heavily in the darkness.

"I never left you, Max. I was always with you and near you." Serena’s voice was a hushed whisper, as she shook her head in vigorous denial. "You were never alone."

Somehow, her words struck Liz as being the tender sentiments of a mother. They’d been spoken with such love, such deep feeling--and in a way, apparently they had all been like children to her.

Max didn’t speak, just stared at Serena for a long moment, his mouth open in disbelief. When he looked away, he drew his knees closer to his chest, and buried his face in his hands. He ran his fingers roughly through his hair, his head still bowed. Liz didn’t understand exactly why this revelation from Serena had hit him so hard, except perhaps it brought out some feelings of abandonment he’d always carried about the crash, about hiding for so many years. And of course he’d felt that way—their people had seemingly dropped them here on their own, prepared them so little for survival on earth.

Liz’s eyes wandered from the top of Max’s dark head to Serena, and she was surprised to see how melancholy she looked. Her face had nearly crumpled as she’d watched Max. Now, genuine pain flashed in her features, as she slowly turned forward again. And somehow Liz knew that Serena wasn’t a woman given to strong emotions like this—knew it instinctively. Intuitively. She glanced quickly at Marco for some kind of interpretation, but he only shrugged in confusion, shaking his head slowly. Apparently he didn’t understand this interchange any better than she did.

Liz stroked Max’s hair softly beneath her fingers, and felt their bond ripple slightly, as he reached for her. She opened to him, and was instantly barraged with a confused jumble of emotions. Outside, he seemed calm enough, but his mind and heart were awash with countless feelings. And the strongest one was fear for her…grief that he might have lost her tonight. Strong grief…and then she was slammed roughly with his self-accusation. He blamed himself for putting her in danger just by being who he was.

What? He asked, undisguised anguish in his voice

Then powerful feelings of abandonment shot through their connection, hitting her with hurricane-level force. Images, flashes…the pod chamber, the roadside, Liz running away from him down the hill all those years ago. Serena’s face just now.

Slowly, Max raised his head from his hands, their eyes locking, and she saw tears shining in his eyes.

He was silent a long moment, and chewed his lip thoughtfully. I’m not sure…

He shook his head. I can’t explain it…except all these years it’s always been like we were so alone, and to learn that…

With that, their connection lurched painfully, as Max grasped more forcefully for her, needed her. She willed strength to him, made him feel all the love she had for him…tried to soothe him. She watched his eyes flutter shut, as she began whispering softly to him through their bond. The restlessness abated some, and he just nestled quietly within her, as she did within him. Oh, she needed him too, so much…she gasped a bit as their union deepened, and then peace covered her like a warm blanket as they truly joined.

Out of the corner of her eye, Liz saw Marco observing them keenly, his eyes flashing a bit, and she felt something strange shiver across her skin at the way he watched them. She didn’t have time to analyze the sensation because she was drawn back to the moment with Max.

His head snapped up, his eyes locking with hers. What do you mean?

He nodded in silent comprehension, drawing himself up where he sat. He tossed his hair away from his face with a rough jerk.

"Serena, you were the other survivor," he pressed, coughing lightly. "The one they never captured?"

She continued facing forward, away from them both, her back straight as a rod. "Yes."

"Which means you’re from Antar, not a hybrid like us," he finished.

Serena turned slightly to face them both, and Liz was pleased to see that the pain had vanished from her features. "Pure alien," she answered with a wry laugh, her eyes narrowing.

She must be a shape shifter, Liz thought. She had to be because she looked no more than thirty-five years old.

"How old are you?" Liz blurted out. "I mean…you look so young." Liz’s face flushed at the inappropriate question, especially in the wake of her awkward stammering.

Serena smiled at her faintly, and Liz saw surprising warmth in her features.

"Old enough to have known you both before," she nodded.

"Before?" Liz breathed in wonder. Could she really mean before?

"I served you both as Zan and Zillia," she explained, her voice suddenly filled with a hushed reverence. "It’s why I was sent as your guardian."

"Oh," Liz answered with a shiver, her eyes widening. "Oh. Wow!" She couldn’t help but clasp her hands together in excitement. This was unbelievable—they were sitting here in the car with someone who remembered every detail about them. Had known them. Liz’s heart began to race, even as her palms began sweating with nervousness.

"But we’ll have plenty of time to talk about all of that when we get where we’re going," Serena promised.

"Where are we going exactly?" Max asked.

"A safe house about two hours from Las Cruces…it’s where all of you will stay for a while."

"What happens to our apartment? Our things?" Liz questioned, feeling silly for mentioning something so trivial at a moment like this.

"No one can go back. The place will be watched."

If no one pays our bills, then… what about our credit rating? Liz wondered. She heard Max laugh softly beside her.

What’s so funny? She demanded, frowning at him.

You, he smiled. Our credit’s screwed, baby. But where we’re going it hardly matters.

She shivered slightly at his words, because he was right—their world had shifted on its axis tonight. Permanently. And it was difficult to adjust her thinking: to realize they were no longer college students, but had just been thrust in the middle of a war. That Max would now take his place at the helm of a revolution—and that they were among people who served him as king.

And you as queen, he reminded her gently. She sucked in a sharp breath, forcing her thoughts back to the moment at hand.

"So, then…everyone will think what?" Liz asked, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I mean, will it seem that we’ve just disappeared?"

"Yes, you’ll be considered missing persons."

Liz drew her knees close against her chest, resting her chin on them. "Our parents…they’ll think something terrible happened," she whispered, her voice full of despair.

"Unfortunately, yes, Liz," Serena answered, her raspy voice solemn.

Liz tried to rein in her countless emotions, but the intensity of the past moments had been too overwhelming. Despite her best efforts, she felt her resolve crumble, as tears welled within her eyes.

She lowered her forehead to the top of her knees, so that they wouldn’t see her tears because she couldn’t hold them back now, not if she tried. All their families and loved ones…not just her parents, but the Evans, who she loved…and the others. Valenti would know, at least, and she took the slightest comfort in that.

Liz felt Max’s energy shimmer across their bond, and now it was he who soothed her. He stroked her hair softly away from her neck, and began gently rubbing her shoulders. The tears only flowed harder at his healing touch.

I have to get ahold of myself…get this under control, she commanded her emotions.

He kept rubbing her shoulders, and now an answering heat began building right beneath his fingertips. She leaned up and wiped at the tears with a loud sniffle, and noticed Marco staring at her, concern flickering in his dark eyes. He smiled softly at her, then looked quickly out the back window. She’d completely forgotten he was sitting just across from them, she’d been so lost in her connection with Max.

"Riley, how far is it?" Marco called out, raising the binoculars to his eyes.

"About an hour."

Marco turned back toward Liz, dropping the glasses. "You’ll be comfortable where we’re going. It’s a very nice cabin. Roomy…and the view is amazing."

"What kind of view? Where is it?" Liz asked, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"On a mountainside. Very remote and beautiful. But more importantly, you’ll be safe there."

Liz nodded, realizing Marco was trying to comfort her—wanted her to know that while she might have just left their entire world behind, she was headed someplace that could become her new home for a while.

Liz leaned back into Max’s arm again, and felt his palm settle warmly against her ribs. She closed her eyes and focused on him, on the fact that he was the focal point of her world, not some apartment…or a cabin.

Ever since they’d mated six years before, Max Evans had been her only true home, and she carried that with her tonight—and to any place else they might go in the coming years, even if they left earth.

Her heart was like a compass, always guiding her home to Max—the one fixed point in her universe.