PART THIRTY FIVE

The winter sun hung low in the sky, ducking partly behind the snow capped mountains in the distance. Liz thrust her hands deep in her coat pockets, as she hiked down the long, winding path that Riley has seen Max take earlier. He’d set off alone mid-afternoon, needing some time to digest all that Serena had shared, but as the hours had passed, Liz had begun to worry.

Liz knew her own mind was reeling from all the revelations, and she could only imagine how heavily it had impacted Max. How hard it must be for him to know that their home planet was in such a state of ethnic unrest, so fractured and warring—and how overwhelmed he must feel knowing that the fate of so many rested on his shoulders.

The earth was frozen and crunched loudly beneath Liz’s feet as she stepped over a fallen tree, shielding her eyes against the crimson colors of the setting sun. She could hear a bubbling stream just down the path, but it was difficult to see with the sun glaring from its position so low in the sky.

But as she brushed a stray hair from in front of her eyes, she caught the glint of something down by the stream, right as Max’s scent flooded over her. She hurried down the incline, skidding a bit on some loose rocks, and she glimpsed him where he sat on a large boulder by the water’s edge.

"Hey," he called out dully, without ever turning to face her. He recognizes your scent, just as you did his. Even now, with the bond rent between you, he recognizes you blindly.

"Hey," Liz answered softly, stepping near the rock where he sat, and immediately saw how lined his face had become with tension in the past hours. He shifted silently, making a place for her beside himself on the rock.

"What are you doing down here?" she asked gently. "Running away?"

"No," he snapped, as she settled beside him. "I’d have to run a hell of a lot farther than this."

"Max, I know you…"

"That doesn’t mean you know how I’m feeling right now."

Liz smarted at his words, at their implicit reminder of their absent bond. But she also sensed that Max needed her strength at the moment, not her sensitivity. "Then tell me what you’re thinking, why you’re down here instead of up there with the rest of us," she answered with forced calm.

Max sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands, which Liz noticed shook with slight tremors. She slipped her arm around his shoulders, and lightly rubbed his upper back with her open palm. "Just tell me," she urged.

"I’m thinking that this whole revolution is completely fucked up," he groaned. "I’m trying to lead a group of people I’ve never even met, trying to defeat an enemy I don’t know…and all we keep doing is hiding while he keeps killing people. They need someone else, Liz…the Antarians need someone like them, not a human…because we both know that’s what I am."

"Max, you’re not human," Liz argued quietly. "It’s taken me a long time to really understand what we are, but more than ever I know that neither of us is human."

"We’re not Antarian either," he answered, lowering his hands from his face with a heavy sigh. "That much is obvious."

"And you know this because you’ve seen so many Antarians?" Liz asked, her voice edged with faint sarcasm.

"I’ve seen Serena."

"We’ve all seen Serena."

"No, Liz, I’ve seen Serena…when Nicholas captured her," he admitted softly.

Liz was silent a moment, processing the depth of what Max had just confided in her. "You never told me."

"I…wanted to protect her," Max explained haltingly. "Nicholas was unbelievably cruel to her, Liz…she was naked…in her natural Antarian form. She couldn’t speak English…these are horrible people, Liz. And I don’t know if I’m strong enough to defeat them."

"I’ve never heard you doubt like this before, Max."

"I don’t think I ever really understood just what Khivar was until today."

They fell silent and Liz stared at the stream as it bubbled and frothed over the rocks in the creek bed. Before, she would have felt Max’s heart more clearly, could have helped him sort through his confused emotions, but now she felt as powerless as he apparently did—only in her case, she felt impotent to help her own mate. Max sat up, glancing in her direction, and there was a lost look in his amber eyes that tore at her heart. She slipped her hand onto his thigh, resting it there as they remained quiet.

Finally, Max cleared his throat and spoke, his usually soft voice even quieter. "The thing is…if I don’t stop him, no one else will, Liz."

"And so you will do it."

He nodded silently, covering her hand with his own where it rested on his thigh. "As scared as I am, Liz, I know it’s my destiny. I feel it in my core."

"That’s the most important thing, Max," she answered, feeling hope flame anew within her heart. "Ignore the fear, ignore the doubt…and focus on that knowledge."

"How can I ignore the fear I feel for you, Liz? For Marco? He’s in real danger…I sense it."

Liz dropped her head, closing her eyes a moment. She’d felt the danger hovering around Marco, too, ever since she’d caught Tess staring at Riley, her blue eyes wide with understanding. Tess had known something in that moment, and then it had simply resonated right through Liz’s heart—Marco was definitely in some kind of imminent trouble.

"Me, too," she admitted quietly, opening her eyes again.

Max nodded, bowing his head at her words. "I want to tell Tess…have her urge him to leave Khivar’s camp tonight."

"He won’t do it," Liz observed.

"How do you know?" Max asked, turning toward her in surprise.

"Because he’s like you, Max," Liz laughed wryly. "Far too much like you."

"Am I really that stubborn?" He asked, frowning in disbelief.

"Hello?" Liz laughed, leaning over to kiss Max lightly on the lips. When she did, she felt sudden fire course down her spine, unexpected flame, like heat lightening illuminating the night sky.

"Max?" she murmured softly, as he quickly cupped her face with his hands. She felt gentle tremors shaking from his palms all the way up his arms. Instantly, she pulled back, feeling electricity simmer across her skin. "When did this happen?" Her voice had left her, coming out all choked and throaty.

Max’s eyes fluttered closed, yet he continued to hold her face within his trembling palms. "Hours ago," he finally admitted. "All day, really."

Liz leaned closer, pressing her lips to his warm ones again. "I think I’m starting to understand…"

"The timing just sucks," he lamented quietly.

"No, it makes all the sense in the world, Max."

"How’s that?" He opened his eyes, which had darkened a bit, just as the evening sky had grown heavy above them. "I should be formulating war plans, not wrestling with my alien urges."

"Except don’t you see? Our bond has been broken, Max…it’s almost a protective instinct that has settled over you…the need to join with your mate."

Liz noticed how labored his breathing had already become, and felt it answer somewhere deep inside her own body, low and insistent as heat swept repeatedly across her chilled skin.

"Liz, I need you…without our bond, I’m just off-center."

"Precisely, Max," she whispered, stroking his cheek with her fingertips. "Which is why this has happened…it’s your body’s way of righting things between us."

"What about you?" he managed to murmur, drawing her closer within his arms, aware that the aching had begun thrumming insistently throughout his entire body now that he’d admitted his need to her.

"I’m feeling it now, too," Liz agreed huskily. "From the moment we kissed, something changed…shifted. It’s coming upon me quickly."

"Where?" Max managed to groan, leaning his forehead against hers. "God, the house is full of people…and I really need you, Liz. It’s at its peak already…somehow it’s happened this quickly."

"Right here is okay," she whispered against his cheek.

"It’s cold as hell…we can’t…"

"We can do whatever we need to do," Liz answered with determination, sliding her hands beneath his jacket, as she stood and straddled his lap. "Right here and now…this is an important part of your battle. I feel it, Max. We may not understand just why…at least not completely, but it’s your alien side that’s crying out."

Max nodded, swallowing hard, as Liz settled easily on his lap. She faced him, her soft down jacket rising up in bunches at her waist. So much material and all he wanted was to touch her warm, soft skin…to feel her bare body brush against his own. The moment was far from ideal, yet somehow he knew Liz was exactly right—that his alien side was awakening again, and that the sudden build up of their mating urge was related to the battle that lay immediately ahead—even if he didn’t understand how.

And as Liz deepened her warm, gentle kiss, reaching between his legs with her small hand, he felt the warrior within him rise up from the hills…drawn out by his soul mate, his alien bride. As he threw his head back at her touch, at the way she instantly electrified every part of him on the deepest levels, it wasn’t just the moan of a lover that escaped his lips—it was the war cry of an Antarian king preparing for battle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tess stood outside Riley and Anna’s room, and raised her hand to rap on their door, yet something caused her to hesitate. Slowly, she dropped her balled fist, and drew in quick breaths. She had no idea why it frightened her so intensely to confront Riley directly with her fears, except perhaps she was afraid of them gaining validity by his confirmation. For now, she only had her suspicions that he’d glimpsed something ominous for Marco, and that was easier than hearing the words pass Riley’s lips.

The room on the other side of the door was completely silent, even though it was only just past five p.m., and she wondered if perhaps it was an inappropriate time to disturb Anna and Riley. They’d been in their bedroom for several hours, without so much as opening the door, and Tess had tried to wait patiently, but her restlessness had finally grown beyond manageability.

Her mind kept arguing that if Marco were in genuine jeopardy, Riley would have instantly told Serena—or gone to Max. Instead, he’d retreated along with Anna into their private quarters, only to remain silently sequestered for the past few hours.

But she had to know, because the panic was tearing her heart into pieces. It was difficult enough understanding how vulnerable Marco’s position within the enemy camp remained, but ever since glimpsing the expression on Riley’s face in the meeting, it was like a dark shadow had fallen over her spirit. Unshakeable, undeniable…the prescient sensation that her near-mate was in terrible jeopardy.

With stalwart determination, she rapped her knuckles loudly on the wooden door, and a light shuffling sound answered from within. The door opened and Tess was met by Anna’s green eyes, as she peered out from the dark bedroom. Beyond the door, Tess could see tiny candles shimmering all around the room, casting eerie shadows and light against the white terracotta walls. She could just glimpse Riley’s blonde head, where he sat cross-legged on their bed.

"Um…maybe this is a bad time," Tess mumbled, irritated with herself for sounding so uncertain.

Anna smiled faintly, her large green eyes shining with sudden sympathy as she opened the door wide for Tess. "No, Tess, please come in."

Tess stood transfixed, staring into the candlelit room, marveling at the scene before her eyes. There seemed to be nearly a hundred tiny lights dancing all around the room, on shelves, on the dresser…in the window frames. Anna drew Tess’s hand into her much larger one, leading her numbly into their room, and quietly closing the door behind her.

Tess instantly felt strange emotions ricochet across her skin, an almost dizzy unfamiliarity as she glanced between Riley and Anna, but not because of the strange state of their room. It was deeper, she realized, something unique between Riley and Anna that she’d stumbled upon inadvertently—there was an almost mystical sense that permeated the air around them.

Tess blinked rapidly, trying to regain her equilibrium. Her legs trembled as intense emotions flashed like photographs in rapid succession, cresting across her spirit with each impulse.

"Tess?" Anna questioned softly, clasping her by the elbow. "Do you need to sit down?"

Tess shook her head, staring up at Anna almost blindly. "What…what is it about this room?" She finally managed to ask, feeling her throat draw tight.

Anna laughed, but it wasn’t a mocking sound as she guided Tess closer toward the bed. "Here, Tess, you should sit down."

"I…feel…" Tess stammered, rubbing her eyes. It was so fuzzy, so unclear, as if she’d been given a drug of some kind. "Not sure…"

Suddenly, the floor seemed to shift beneath her feet, and Tess felt her legs give way beneath her, as she watched Riley leap from the bed to catch her.

"God, what’s wrong with me?" Tess cried, as she landed on the floor with a soft thud, the fall broken by Riley’s sure grip on her arm. "This whole room is just…making my head spin."

"It’s not the room, Tess," Anna explained, kneeling beside her on the floor. Tess closed her eyes, willing the room to stop its erratic gyrations. "It’s what you’re feeling in it."

"It’s all just coming at me so quickly…so unstoppable," Tess explained.

"Tess, you’re empathic now," Riley offered, squatting on the floor beside her. "Do you understand what I mean? Did Marco explain?"

She nodded, swallowing hard. "I understand…but it feels so strange…different, you know?"

Anna stroked Tess’s hair away from her eyes. "Of course it does. It’s a lot to get used to so quickly."

"Is that why the room was spinning like that? I mean, there was just this sudden intense… explosion when I walked in."

Anna and Riley exchanged a quick glance, and Tess had the sensation that they were speaking, as their expressions shifted silently for a moment.

"What?" Tess cried in confusion. Riley rubbed his jaw a moment, then slowly began to speak.

"Tess, I know you understand what Marco is…that he’s empathic…but do you really understand what happened when the two of you joined powers last night?"

Tess nodded. "Yes, Serena explained that we’re…what was the word?"

"T’Lasthre," Anna answered.

"Yes," Tess nodded. "That we’re near mates…and I know I’ve been feeling things ever since last night… about the people around me."

"The problem, though, is that Marco spent years taming his gift," Riley explained quietly. "I’m not sure you know how difficult that was for him."

Tess nodded, feeling a sudden wave of grief, originating from outside of herself. Riley…deep grief and anguish over Marco’s suffering because of his gift.

"I know how he suffered, Riley," she replied, her voice much stronger. "I know more than you probably imagine."

"When you joined the way you did last night, he changed you, Tess. It’s that simple," Riley explained. "It’s more than his giving you the gift. He made you like himself. That means you inherit all his discipline and wisdom about what is the most unstable of all Antarian gifts. But you’re also very vulnerable right now, while you grow accustomed to the sensations, learn to filter them into your mind and spirit."

Tess bowed her head, feeling suddenly very weary. Riley’s grief for Marco had drained her a bit, taken something from her—just as the sensation of being in their bedroom had drawn energy from her.

"What’s so special about this room?" She asked suddenly, glancing up at Anna where she knelt right beside her on the floor. "Why did it affect me so powerfully when I first walked in?"

"Riley and I have spent the afternoon synchronizing our powers…it’s a form of meditation we do together." Anna answered, running her hand through her shiny auburn hair. For some reason, Tess noticed the way the candlelight drew out flashes of color in her tresses, crimsons and golds that danced in the shimmering darkness.

"As lifemates, it makes us more unified, fluid…as soldiers it makes us more powerful," Riley explained, staring at Anna while he spoke. Tess didn’t miss the wonder in his gentle brown eyes. "As protectors, it makes us… unstoppable."

Anna met Riley’s gaze, her smile radiating across her entire face at his words.

"Do…you all do this? Max and Liz? Ari and Devon?" Tess asked, shaking her head in confusion. Was this something she and Marco would eventually do? Was it part of the bonding that would happen between them?

"No," Riley said, rising suddenly to his feet. He stepped away from them, toward the window, where he gazed outside for a moment. "Every lifemate union is different, depending on the gifts. But the urge and need to deepen the bond is always there. You and Marco may be very different…it’s difficult to say how it will be for you."

She’d never asked about Marco, yet he’d known her unspoken question instantly—and she hadn’t missed the heaviness in his voice as he’d spoken, either. She closed her eyes and again felt grief from him, only this time it was tempered with something else. She pressed harder.

"Riley?" She cried, her voice unexpectedly shrill, even to her own ears. "You’ve got to tell me what it is you’re sensing about Marco…please."

Anna rubbed her hand down the length of Tess’s arm, and she felt comfort and deep affection resonate through her spirit. For someone who seemed on the surface to be so feisty and strong, Tess always found Anna to be surprisingly gentle.

"I can’t pinpoint it, Tess…neither can Anna." Riley replied, as he continued to stand at the window, candlelight playing across his partly darkened features. "You already know that I sense danger around him."

"What else?" Tess demanded. She jumped to her feet, which she quickly realized was a mistake as the floor shifted uncertainly beneath her boots. "I’ve got to know."

"Danger…more than at any point since he’s been in their camp…" Riley shook his head, turning slowly toward her. "Yet I am certain that you aren’t to warn him, nor to ask him to leave. He is most definitely supposed to stay, despite the danger that Anna and I both sense."

Tess collapsed onto the edge of the bed, swaying a bit as she closed her eyes. "Why not?" Her voice sounded vulnerable and defeated, even to her own ears.

"Because he needs to be there, that is the only answer we keep hearing," Riley said, moving toward her. He settled beside her on the bed and she met his warm brown eyes. "He’s my brother, Tess. I know you’re worried, but it’s killing me, too."

"Answer from where? I mean, where does all this come from?" Tess asked, chewing on her lip to fight the tears that threatened to pool within her eyes.

Anna and Riley exchanged another of their glances, silently speaking between themselves, Tess was sure of it—she’d seen Max and Liz do that enough times to recognize the body language.

"That depends on what you believe," Anna said, sitting on Tess’s other side. "Some say the knowledge comes from God…others call it the energy of the universe…it all depends on who you are as to where you believe it comes from."

"But it doesn’t affect the outcome," Riley finished.

Tess nodded silently, staring into the flickering light of a candle on the dresser, feeling a strange comfort as she watched it. Peace had begun to settle upon her the longer she’d been in their bedroom, something that seemed resident within both Riley and Anna, despite their deep concern for Marco.

"I’ll be…communicating with him later tonight," Tess explained, her throat painfully tight. "You know I’ll be talking to him about everything. Does this mean I shouldn’t even warn him to be careful?"

Anna placed an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. Ordinarily, Tess would have resisted such unexpected intimacy, but for some reason, she felt solidarity with Anna—perhaps because she and Riley had been parted by the revolution for so many years themselves.

"Tess, open your heart when you’re with him, and you will feel what he’s to know…whether or not you should warn him," Anna answered softly. "The two of you are forging the most powerful bond that can exist between any of our people…your gifts are utterly entwined now. Trust yourself to know what to tell him in the moment."

Tess nodded in silent agreement, feeling tears threaten again. Not even because of her intense fear for Marco, but from a sudden, intense loneliness for him—an ache so palpable she could taste it—and she knew it was a product of his being her M’Lasthre.

The candlelight shimmered mystically on the dresser, moving in cadence to an ancient rhythm. Sweet Marco, beloved Marco, she breathed, closing her eyes. M’Lasthre.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max had managed to ease Liz backward onto the large, smooth rock beneath them. He’d spread his thick jacket underneath her, and now he’d covered her small frame with his own larger one. The cold air had grown nearly bitter as the sun had quickly set behind the mountains, leaving only a red glow in the dusk sky. Yet Liz didn’t seem to notice, as she urged him further, opening trembling legs to him.

She remained clothed in her own sweater and jacket, with only her jeans and shoes piled loosely on the ground beside the boulder. Max’s hands roamed hungrily underneath her clothing, as he pushed between her thighs, feeling her warmth envelop him instantly as he entered her with ease. He closed his eyes, drinking all of her inside his soul, and she arched her back, crying out against his neck.

"Max," she moaned on a sigh, thrusting up against him hard. "Oh…oh."

Their lovemaking felt instantly different, including his taking her nearly clothed out in the wilderness. The terrain reflected their emotional state, the way it had instantly mutated after their first kiss earlier. Wild, feral…their joining had instantly acquired an exotic tenor it only ever assumed at the height of their mating season. Yet there’d been no prelude at all, there’d been no weeks of mounting desire and need.

The season had come upon them with the very swiftness of a visitation, asserting itself with mystic insistence.

Max drew Liz’s legs around him as firmly as he could, feeling the icy rock chaff his knees. It didn’t matter, because he needed more of her, it was all he could focus on. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that war plans needed to be laid, yet here he was, his lifemate in his arms, drumming her into his soul with resounding insistency.

And it felt absolutely right. As if it were the only place that could make sense on the eve of their battle…the plans would align and fall into place, but not until he became one with his Zillia.

Along the periphery of his spirit, he heard strange words, alien phrases. With every time he drew deeper into Liz, the chants became more demanding, surfacing until suddenly he found himself crying out in her ear, allowing the words to assume form.

"L’leathna mea’sa d’lasthre…" he whispered in her ear, and Liz felt her body grow taut in response. Zan’s words charged her, sent shivers down her spine, stoked all the desire she already felt for him.

She thrust her cold fingers deep into his thick hair, and even it was cool to her touch, though her body was on fire. He’d set her ablaze…he’d led her instantly into their season, by only the merest of kisses.

"Zan," she cried out loudly, unable to suppress her need to speak his alien name. She longed to answer his Antarian cries, yet couldn’t lay claim to the words that pressed insistently against her conscious mind. "Ah…Zan….Zan."

She bucked hard against him, needed him deeper, nothing was enough without the bond. There could never be enough of him, no matter how long they lay like this. She felt his jeans bunched around his ankles, as her feet tried to gain the leverage for drawing him further inside herself.

His energy shimmied across her skin, all over her body, wooing her like the most insistent of lovers. So familiar, so like their connection, yet only their bodies answered the call. Their lips crushed together, as wave after wave of energy resonated through their souls—culminating where they joined in their most intimate places. And then, the words erupted, couldn’t stop and Liz gasped, drawing in burning breaths of frozen air.

"L’llethe miet dasne…" she panted in his ear, the darkened sky nearly spinning above as she opened her eyes briefly. I take you now, my deepest love, I bind you again to myself…

"Ayet, ayet!" He cried, his body shuddering suddenly, as her own trembled in immediate answer. "L’llethe miet dasne, miet ziestet Zillia…"

And with that, Liz felt the empty bond between them lurch a moment, ignite a bit as if to live, then as they found their release deep within one another, the bond shuddered again and relinquished. Only this time, they were deeply sated, and even without their connection, they stroked one another’s cheeks and whispered the deepest words of love. It wasn’t that the bond didn’t matter exactly, but that they’d found a deeper place together, even without it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tess stood transfixed in the wooded clearing. She’d left for a brisk walk, wanting solitude with so much to absorb from her conversation with Riley and Anna. But she’d never expected to hear such strange, foreign cries along the trail. She’d stopped, just listening to the strange noises, then began to recognize voices…heavy breathing and moans. Right as the facts began to assimilate into stark reality, she’d caught sight of them just below her on the trail—and had been so mesmerized, she couldn’t move for a good twenty seconds.

Not only had she never seen anyone make love, but she’d also never imagined it could be like what she saw in the darkened woods below her. Max and Liz were hardly unclothed at all…were making love right on top of a large rock beside the creek. It all seemed strangely shocking, surprising to see her dear friends entwined in such a visceral way.

Yet indescribably beautiful, something she at once longed for and feared would never come for her. Her small hand flew to her mouth, as the tears she’d managed to fight earlier finally filled her eyes. Her vision blurred, as she observed the most perfect example of love she might ever hope to witness—for even if Marco made it home to her arms, she’d never stand on the outside and watch herself together with him like this.

Tess backed slowly away, swiping quickly at the hot tears, feeling like more than a voyeur, despite the accidental nature of her discovery.

Finally, she managed to turn on the path, and hurry back up the hill, but not before a barrage of emotions overwhelmed her—like in Riley and Anna’s room, only different. She stumbled silently on the path, falling to her knees, as the sensory experience washed over her…

Max and Liz’s need for one another, the deepest throes of their mating season, she was sure of it…their perfect love, utterly fulfilled.

Painful absence of something, Tess realized as she collapsed face downward onto the trail, struggling for breath. This last emotion had choked the very breath from her lungs.

Marco, she cried out within her spirit. Help me…I don’t understand this…I don’t know how to control your gift. Marco…come back to me.

As her cries subsided a bit, she felt the sudden painful absence of Max and Liz’s bond. More clearly than anything else, that fact stood in sudden clarity--something had happened to Max and Liz’s bond…it was what Nicholas had done to them.

Marco she cried again silently, stretching her arms above her on the icy ground. Help me understand what you are, what I have become because of loving you…

And then like the warmest water, soothing like the summer ocean, she felt his arms around her. His spirit wrapped itself tight around her, and his energy enveloped her protectively. There weren’t words—the bond between them was too new and fragile for such direct communication—but she felt him.

He surrounded her with his essence, even where words could not be spoken, and as she buried her face against the icy path, she knew that he’d come home to her…if only for these few precious moments.