ReEmergent -Guardians of Vesturon [4] (19 page)

“
And to you, love. You look ravishing this morning, Saylan.”

She tucked her head against his chest again and murmured, “I must look a fright. My hair is probably nothing but a mass of tangles.”

“
It’s beautiful. Come here.” He pulled her up next to him and kissed her cheeks, nose and lips. “How do you feel?”

“
Er, ah, okay I guess,” she murmured.

“
Saylan, why the shyness?”

“
Because! Last night Xarrid. We...ah...we...you know,” she said into his chest.

“
Yes, I certainly do. And I hope to do it again and again and again,” he laughed.

“
Well, so do I, but...it’s er, ah...”

“
What, love?”

“
It’s so embarrassing.”

“
How so?”

She sputtered several times before she finally could speak. “Because you...I...we...”

Xarrid just laughed really hard and said, “It’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t have to say anything else. I know what you mean. Are you trying to say we were naughty?”

“
Well, yeah! That’s exactly what we were!”

“
Good, because I think I’d like to get naughty with you again!”

“
Xarrid!”

“
What? Didn’t you like naughty?”

“
Well yeah. I loved naughty.”

“
Then what’s the problem?”

“
I don’t know. I guess I just can’t talk about it yet.”

Xarrid laughed really hard for the second time.

“
Okay, tell you what. How about this? You don’t have to say a word about it. Just keep thinking those naughty thoughts and you let me worry about the rest, okay?”

“
Deal!”

He went to get up and she asked, “Where are you going?”

He extended his hand and said, “
I’m
not going anywhere.
We’re
going to get naughty in the shower. Come on.”

She gave him a cheeky grin, along with her hand and followed him into the bathroom.

Jurek had truly outdone himself in spoiling the newly wedded couple. Anything they wanted was theirs for the taking. There were all sorts of delicious food and tasty beverages that Saylan had never tried before, and Xarrid was having the best time feeding her each day. One of the best surprises was that Jurek had arranged for them to have all kinds of spa treatments too. Saylan, never having been spoiled in such a fashion, knew for certain she was in heaven.

Only two things marred this delightful honeymoon. The first was knowing what they had to do when they left the sanctuary. The second were the nightmares Saylan had quite frequently. She would awaken screaming and crying, and it would take several minutes for Xarrid to calm her fears. Initially she wouldn’t discuss what was so disturbing to her, but she relented after a few nights of Xarrid’s gentle prodding.

It was as he suspected. Her memories were flowing back with such speed that she was now having vivid recollections, in the form of nightmares, of what happened to her while she was in the hands of the Xanthians. It was dreadful. She was reticent to tell Xarrid because it upset him so. His body would tense and his eyes would darken with anger. Saylan didn’t want these memories of hers to mar their time together here.

Xarrid, however, wanted her to be able to lean on him. If by unloading those painful nightmares she might get some relief, then he was willing to listen and soothe her in any way he possibly could.

“
Saylan, we’re in this together, love. Nothing you can say will make me run.”

“
That’s not it. I don’t want to upset you and I know it does.”

“
Of course it does. Anything that hurts or that ever hurt you in the past will upset me. You’re a part of me.” He cupped her neck as he spoke. “Think of it this way. You and I are joined now. We are bound by our souls. When you hurt, I hurt. And I’m sure you’d feel the same about me. So even if you don’t tell me, I still ache, love. I just don’t know why.”

“
Sometimes I wonder how I ever was fortunate enough to have met you.”

“
I was the fortunate one.” He leaned in to kiss her, and like most of their kisses did, it turned into much more.

When they both were standing there, without their clothing, Saylan said, “Let’s go swimming.”

Xarrid picked her up and took off for the pond. They spent the afternoon frolicking in the water. Food would magically appear wherever they happened to be, so they ate and relaxed at the water’s edge.

“
Xarrid, when do we have to go back?”

“
Probably in the next day or so. Is that okay?”

“
Yes, because we’re going back as a couple. But where are we going to live?”

“
For starters, we’ll stay at the palace. But until our mission is over, we’ll be staying at Lare-Stell.”

“
What’s Lare-Stell?”

“
It’s Jurek’s base. It’s his space station. He has to take us there because no one knows where it is. He keeps that a secret.”

“
He’s kind of a secretive guy, isn’t he?”

Xarrid let loose a loud snort. “Honey, you have no idea!”

“
Why is that? Does he fear for his life?”

“
Actually, no. Jurek is Praestani. He’s really invincible. But he doesn’t want anyone to know of his species existence. Because of their invincibility, he worries that they could be exploited someday.”

“
But how, if they’re invincible.”

“
Sweetheart, you know as well as I do that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Someone could figure it out somehow. So Jurek isn’t very trusting of others. January and I are the only ones he’s let inside his circle of friends. We bonded through the war, when he helped save our asses after Therron was killed. And then, bloody hell Saylan, I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without him after you disappeared. He was...” Xarrid swallowed the giant lump that had formed in his throat and then looked at Saylan.

Saylan’s heart twisted when she saw the wounded look in his eyes. “Come here,” she said.

He scooted over to where she sat and she crawled into his lap, wrapping herself around him.

“
You don’t have to think about that ever again. I’m here with you now Xarrid. For always and forever. You own me, heart and soul.”

“
No, love, we own each other.” He kissed her, but it was a sweet kiss this time and then he rested his forehead against hers.

“
I was so afraid I’d never see you alive again. I used to have this recurring dream of the last time we saw each other, of how we had talked about telling our families of our plans to be together. And then you’d always start to fade away. I’d scream for you to stay, but you wouldn’t. Then I’d wake up, trapped in my sheets and soaked in sweat. I wouldn’t be able to stay in my bed, so I’d curl up on the floor for the rest of the night. Maddie came to my room one day and found me like that. That’s when they called Jurek in for his help. And that’s how I ended up here at the sanctuary. I stayed here until they found you. I was floating in this pond when Jurek showed up one day and told me the news.”

Saylan framed his face with her hands and told him, “I can’t believe you never gave up hope in me.”

“
Why? We are bonded. Our souls are linked. Even though your mind was controlled by others, I knew you were still alive. I knew it, but I just couldn’t prove it. I would’ve searched for you until that link was destroyed. I would’ve known when that happened.”

“
Xarrid, do you think I’ll ever forget what happened to me. You know...the rapes and all?”

“
No, I don’t, because it was too traumatic. But what I’m hoping and praying for is that one day, it’ll be a memory that you have to pull up from your mind. I want to replace those disgusting ones with beautiful ones of us together, doing things that bring you joy. I want to bring you ecstasy and pleasure, and take your mind, body and spirit to places you’ve never imagined existed.”

Saylan ducked her head for a second before she replied shyly, “Well Xarrid, I think you’re doing quite an admirable job so far.” When she lifted her eyes to his, she saw nothing but radiance emanating from his cobalt blue ones.

********

That evening, they were sitting in the large jetted tub, immersed in a million bubbles. Saylan giggled as she looked at Xarrid.

“
What’s so funny?”

“
I didn’t take you for a bubbles kind of guy.”

“
Yeah, I know. But honey, I’d do anything for you. So now my secret is out.”

They faced each other, and she picked up a wad of bubbles and made herself a bubble beard.

“
How do I look?” she wanted to know.

“
Like Princess Bubbles.”

“
Your turn.”

“
Seriously?”

“
Uh huh.”

Xarrid groaned, but put a wad of bubbles on his face too. Saylan giggled. As she watched him, she noticed his gaze shifting from playful to heated.

“
Stand up Saylan.” The look he gave her made her tummy clench and sent shivers up her spine, even though the bath water was hot.

She slowly rose and Xarrid began to create all sorts of unmentionable things with the bubbles. Saylan began making all kinds of sexy noises that accompanied his little artsy creations, and before long, their bath water grew chilly.

Xarrid dried Saylan off, then himself and threw her over his shoulder as he carried her back to the bed. She shrieked with laughter all the way there. A long time later, as they ate dinner, they discussed their plans for departure the next day.

********

Jurek flashed to the sanctuary and announced his presence in a loud booming voice. “Hello! I’m here. You better put some clothes on or someone’s going to be embarrassed and it isn’t going to be me!”

“
Very funny,” Xarrid replied dryly.

Jurek looked Xarrid over and grinned. “Brother, the sanctuary agreed with you. Or your honeymoon did.” He winked.

“
Would you stop it?”

“
Are you kidding me? I’m going to run with this one.”

Saylan walked into the room then and Jurek noticed her glow immediately. His grin grew even wider.

“
Dayam. I think I might have to get hitched. Look at the two of you! If only...”

“
Jurek! That’s enough.”

“
You think? I haven’t even begun. Just wait until we get back to Lare-Stell and Tak and Marik join in on the fun.”

Jurek looked at Saylan and saw pink roses blooming on her cheeks. “Saylan, I’ve never seen you look lovelier. My man here has certainly worked his magic on you.”

“
Bloody hell, Jurek. Can you not see you’re embarrassing my wife?”

Jurek sputtered and then threw back his head and roared. “Hell yes I can see. Why do you think I’m doing it in the first place?”

Saylan busted out laughing. Xarrid looked at her like she’d gone crazy, but then it all hit him as funny too and he finally let loose.

“
Jurek, maybe you should get married. It’s quite fun and well, exciting. And, Xarrid has actually worked more than his, er, magic on me!” Then she winked at Jurek.

Xarrid’s mouth dropped open and his jaw nearly it the floor. He’d never expected to hear that come out of Saylan’s mouth. Jurek roared with laughter again. Then, Saylan shocked Xarrid even more by sidling up next to him, putting her arms around him and laying the biggest wettest kiss on him he’d ever had. Well, not really, just the biggest he’d ever had from her in public.

She turned to Jurek then and said, “Yeah, Jurek, you really do need a wife. They can do all sorts of things for you. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Xarrid was now the one roaring with laughter because Jurek was speechless and it wasn’t often that he found his friend in that state.

After Jurek recovered his ability to speak, he looked at Saylan and said, “Come on. I hate to break up the love fest, but time to go.”

Jurek, Xarrid, Saylan, Tak, Marik, Naroo, Ludo and Sharra were sitting around the conference table on Lare-Stell. They were finalizing all the plans for the mission to get the Xanthians.

“
I want to hear it one more time,” Xarrid demanded.

Sharra groaned. “This is the twentieth.”

“
We’ll do it another twenty until I’m satisfied.”

“
Xarrid, I’m going to have Jurek and Marik with me. I’ll be safer than ever.”

“
Right. Let’s hear it again.”

“
Okay. Rafe and I go to meet with our informants. We use the Power of Command to feed them information on where I’m going to be, which will be a convenient area near the old airport where they’re headquartered. Then Jurek, Marik and I go and wait. They come and get me. If they all come together, which they won’t, we get them then. If not, which is the more likely scenario, Jurek and Marik follow me. When we’re all together, they call in the army and we grab everyone. They will protect me.”

Xarrid turned his head and stared at Jurek. “If at any time, she’s in any type of danger or risk, and I don’t care how small, you pull her out of there. You hear me?”

“
Loud and clear brother. Let me ask you something. Do you honestly think I would ever put her at risk? She’s your bloody sister man!” Jurek was tethering his temper back, but it was beginning to become difficult.

Xarrid blew out his breath in a huge huff. “No damn it, but things do go wrong.”