It wasn’t long before a whir started up beneath the ship. “He did it!” She beamed at Eslyn.
The female smiled back.
Tomis boarded the ship at a run, commanding them to buckle every being in. They helped the children fasten their harnesses before snapping into their own.
The airship lifted off the ground, hovering and rising slowly out of the hangar. It didn’t surprise her to discover Tomis was an excellent pilot as well as fighter.
The heads of the limp males rolled when the airship banked and shot into hyperspeed to exit the atmosphere. Eslyn stared at them, her expression a mixture of disgust and fear.
“Don’t worry. If Tomis promised they won’t hurt us, they won’t. He’ll protect us.”
“You love him, don’t you?” Eslyn asked quietly, so Tomis wouldn’t hear.
She
choked on her breath, her muscles seizing up at the question. With a quick shake of her head, she asserted, “It doesn’t matter.”
Confusion flickered over Eslyn’s face. “What does that mean?”
“He doesn’t want me.”
“Yes, he does. You’re everything to him. I see it in the way he watches you. The way he protects.”
Pain sliced up and down her chest. “No. Well, he might, but he won’t allow himself to keep me. My father is his mentor and master. He believes his duty is to return me to him and their prince and allow them to decide my future.
“Why would they decide your future?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s foolish, but, until they found me, it was believed there were no Zandian females of breeding age. They are worried the species will grow extinct, and I’m the key to keeping it alive. Of course, now there are two of us, and you’ve already ensured the future of our species with your sweet young.”
Eslyn’s brow furrowed. “He is noble, your warrior. Giving you up for the good of his species.”
Veck noble. She’d rather have a selfish mate who wanted her only for himself. To change the focus, she lifted her chin at Eslyn’s three mates. “Did you love any of them?”
Eslyn nodded. “All of them. Sankro most of all. But he grew abusive, and Elit and Banf followed his example. I still love them, but I knew the moment you and Tomis arrived I wanted to leave. I love our young, but living with the same few beings and no others for an entire lifetime became a torture. For solar cycles, I’ve fantasized about meeting just one other being.” She smiled. “Now I’ve met two.”
“We’ve been spotted. Hang on!” Tomis shouted from the front of the ship. The craft bobbed and swooped.
The children screamed, but with big smiles on their faces, as if it was all a game. Eslyn flung her arm out to protect them, though their harnesses were secure.
Laser fire sounded, some of it pelting the rear of the craft.
For the first time, her confidence in Tomis faltered. What if they were shot down? Would he be able to protect them all? Surely not. The Finn had entire armies.
The ship swerved, turned sideways then upside down. The young shrieked. Her stomach dropped to her feet. The ship flipped back over and darted from side to side. Thank veck she hadn’t eaten much in the past planet rotations, or it would be all over the floor.
“Warrior Tomis exiting Zandian airspace. Six assets, three prisoners. Eight ships in pursuit and firing. Going into hyperdrive.” Tomis spoke crisply into a communication unit, delivering information in a calm, concise fashion.
“Copy that. Dispatching assistance. Reading your coordinates.” The voice that answered made her heart pound.
Her father.
She recognized his voice after all these years. Even with most of her memories of Zandia still missing. The sound was profoundly comforting. Like Tomis’ ever-steady presence, it inspired feelings of safety.
Tears welled in her eyes. She closed them. It was all too much.
The ship surged forward, breaking through the atmosphere, leaving the light of the Zandian sun behind them as they sliced through blackness. Internal lights whirred and illuminated at their feet.
Tomis continued to move the airship in sickening swoops and lurches while laser fire whizzed past them.