Runner's Moon: Yarrolam (15 page)

            Yet, talking to Cherron about the ordeal didn’t dredge up the horror he thought it would. In fact, it did just the opposite. It was as though he was cleansing himself, purging out the worst of the emotions with his confession.

            He couldn’t prove it, but it had to be because of her. With her knowing his true self, and accepting him as both her partner and mate, he was able to heal. Although she hadn’t verbally admitted her devotion to him, he was willing to wait. It would take her time to believe something she’d firmly denounced for years. Love was an emotion she’d distrusted for years. She’d denied owing up to it because, by doing so, she protected her emotional health.

            “We were a commodity,” he continued. “We were sold as slave labor. In a few cases, some of us were bought back and resold to other beings on other worlds.”

            “Tell me about the scars.”

            He shifted in his seat. “The Arra often made us fight for food, or for the privilege of having a female. Or for sport. They didn’t know our ways. They never understood, and they didn’t care to learn.”

            “Understand what?”

            “We abhor fighting. We’re not a warrior species, Cherron. We’re farmers.”

            He could tell she didn’t quite believe him.

            “With those big claws of yours? You’re telling me those are to farm with?”

            “Our world is heavily forested. We’re not industrialists. We don’t build machines to do the work. We do it ourselves. We till the ground with our claws, breaking up the hard earth to plant more vegetation. But there were times when we’d have to protect ourselves from the creatures who would try to prey off us. So, yes, we did use our claws for defensive purposes.”

            “I take it you don’t wear clothes on your world.”

            “No. No need to. How could you tell?”

            “Those hard, armor-like places on your body, like your calves and shoulders. You wouldn’t have them if you wore an outer layer. I guess your world has a very temperate climate, too.”

            “It did. The first winter after we landed here was quite a shock.”

            She nuzzled his shoulder. “Tell me about how you got away from the Arra.” She was drowsy but curious. He wondered if the sound of his voice was lulling her to sleep.

            “After years of us being subservient, they grew lazy. We had planned for that moment when we could overpower them when they least expected it. There were two of us who we looked to for leadership. We waited for them to give us the signal. When it came, we attacked the Arra. There weren’t many of us left on that ship. In fact, we believe those of us who escaped were the only Ruinos left.”

            “So you stole the Arra ship?”

            “We escaped in a life pod. All thirty-one of us. The last of our kind.”

            He felt her shock. “Thirty-one? That’s all?” Sorrow followed like a misty cloud of despair.

            “It was a miracle that many of us survived. That’s how I met Viharrud, when we boarded the Arran life craft and escaped the slave ship.”

            “When you first met?” She tilted her head to look up at him.

            “We were kept in cages and scattered all about the ship. Two, three, sometimes as many as six or seven of us would be clustered in one room.”

            “How were you able to spread the word to each other once the uprising began?”

            “We couldn’t,” he admitted. “It took us years to pass the word along of our plan. When we were shuffled from one cage to another, from one part of the ship to another, we spread it with every move, until all of us were aware. The key word was wait. Wait and trust we’d all get the signal to revolt. It wasn’t until Jebaral attacked and killed the first Arra did we know the time had come. After that, it was a matter of going through the ship and killing every Arra we encountered, and freeing every Ruinos we could find.”

            Cherron mulled over what he’d told her. “Go on.”

            “Viharrud and I became close as brothers. In the two years we roamed the galaxy, looking for a new home, the two of us found many similarities in our past and present. Our friendship was cemented when we landed on Earth. Many Ruinos took off on their own, but we chose to remain together as we struck out to begin our new lives. We didn’t know how we were going to survive on this planet. The one thing we agreed upon was we didn’t want to do hard labor for the rest of our lives. We had suffered greatly at the hands of the Arra, and much of it was having to work in conditions which killed many of us.

            “It was Viharrud who figured out how to use this world’s banking system to earn money. He seemed to have a natural flair for predicting losses and gains in the stock markets. I managed to get a job as an associate. A secretary of sorts. I’d take information I gathered during the day, and the two of us would sell and buy on stocks on our own using that info and Viharrud’s statistics. Between us, we were able to build a nice sum of cash. By that time, we’d managed to get in touch with several Ruinos. We parceled out our earnings to help those who needed the funds to survive.”

            “You shared your earnings with your fellow Ruinios?”

            “Yes. Why are you surprised?”

            “That kind of magnanimous gesture is unheard of these days.”

            “Cherron, we are alive today only because we fought together. As a species, we have survived horrors which will remain with us for the rest of our lives only because we supported one another. It’s only right we continue to support each other in every way we can as we assimilate into this new life. This is our last and only chance to live free.”

            “Where is Viharrud? Where does he live?”

            “He’s back in Boston, but he’ll head for Tumbril Harbor to meet us after we arrive.”

            They paused as someone walked to the rear of the bus to use the restroom facilities. Once the man had closed the door, Yarrolam continued.

            “As I said, Viharrud, who goes by Harry, he and I made it our mission to connect with the surviving Ruinos. Once he made contact, he and I would split our earnings with the other Ruinos.”

            She sighed. “It’s too bad you can’t get to any of your funds right now. I bet the police, and who knows who else, is watching every transaction like a hawk.”

            Yarrolam narrowed his eyes. “A hawk? Why would a bird…”

            Cherron giggled, then shushed him when the passenger exited the bathroom and returned to his seat. “It’s a figure of speech. It means they keep a close eye on it, to see if you withdraw any money, and where you are when you withdraw it.”

            “Ah. You’re talking about a tracking device. I’m already aware of their ability to do that, the same way they can watch our phones. But, Cherron, my money isn’t all tied up at one bank, or under one name.” At her wide-eyed look, he grinned. “I did learn a few tricks about funds, and I promise the ones I use are all legal. Trust me,
t’korra,
I would never do anything which might put myself or the other Ruinos at risk of discovery.”

            He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the phone to check the time. There was one text from a JMORR.

            WE’RE HERE AWAITING YOUR ARRIVAL. STAY SAFE. DON’T FORGET TO REMOVE THE CHIP. JEB

            Cherron leaned over to read the message. “Who’s Jeb?”

            “Jebaral. He and his brother were instrumental in helping us defeat the Arra and escape the ship.”

            “What does ‘don’t forget to remove the chip’ mean? What chip?”

           
“Once you find your mate, and your blood line forms, the Arra will be able to track you and your mate down. Get rid of it now, Yarrolam, before that happens.”

           
He remembered laughing to himself when Viharrud had called to notify him about the implant. At the time, he’d believed the possibility of him finding his intended was as remote as being able to return to their world. Although he’d promised his friend he’d take care of it, he never did. Other things took precedence, and he forgot all about the chip.

He stared at his inner left wrist where his new disguise shielded the blood line. It would have to be taken care of, and soon.

            “It’s a small implant under my skin. The Arra put it there. I need to have it removed.”

            “I can do it once we reach Atlanta,” Cherron stated, and proceeded to make herself comfortable before dozing off to sleep.

            First it had been Aaron’s disappearance, then the men who’d come after him and Cherron. Now he had the Arra to worry about. Masking his concern to keep Cherron from sensing it, Yarrolam stared out at the passing scenery.

He was no longer tired, and they still had a long way to travel.

Chapter 22

Charlotte

            It was a little after seven PM before the bus pulled into the terminal in Charlotte

As he had before, Yarrolam waited for the other occupants to disembark first. Once they exited the vehicle, he led her into the station to check the schedule.

            “Next bus to Baltimore is at seven-twenty tomorrow morning,” he told her.

            “Tell me again what’s after Baltimore?”

            “We’ll go to Boston, then up to Tumbril Harbor.”

            “You know, Liam, it would be faster if we rented a car. No, nix that,” Cherron hastily said. “You need a driver’s license and a credit card to rent a car.” She held a hand to her head. “Didn’t we already discuss that option? I’m sorry. I’m not thinking straight.”

            He could faintly sense the pain she was experiencing. “We’ll find a Gas-N-Go and get you some meds for your headache.”

            She flashed him a weary smile. “Three more days?”

            “Three more days,” he promised.

            “How are we on funds?”

            “We have enough.”

            She gave him a dubious look but didn’t challenge him.

             The closest convenience store was across the street at the end of the block. Yarrolam grabbed them something to drink. When he reached the counter, he noticed the other items Cherron had set down, but didn’t comment.

They settled on a room at the Restful Inn Motel three blocks further down. Cherron went straight to the bathroom as he dumped their suitcase near the bureau.

“Rather than me going out to grab us something to eat, why don’t we go out together?”

He heard a flush, and she walked out to wash her hands in the sink. “Dinner for two? Aren’t we being a bit lavish when we should be conserving?”

He heard the hint of worry in her voice. “We’ll be okay,
t’korra.
Don’t worry.”

“I can’t help but worry, Liam. I’m sorry. But if we’re in this thing together, I’d like to have a little more reassurance other than your word.”

He smiled. “I understand. In time you’ll come to accept my word without needing further proof. But since our bond is still growing…” Reaching into his front pants pocket, he pulled out a small coin purse. Opening it, he showed her the bills folded and tucked inside. The outer one was a hundred.

She gave him a wide-eyed, questioning look. “How much?”

“A little over a thousand.”

“Geez, Liam! You just begging for someone to knock you over the head and rob you blind!”

Her concern made him chuckle. “I may look human, but I am still Ruinos. Which means I have all my strength and abilities. It would take several men and their weapons to bring me down.”

Her eyes slid to the floor as she recalled the past two events where he’d single-handedly taken on their kidnappers. And they had been armed.

Another lance of pain streaked through her head, directly behind the eyes. She rubbed the bridge of her nose to try and ease it.

Reaching over, Yarrolam brought his fingers up the back of her neck and massaged the tenseness lying like a hard knot at the base of her skull. Slowly, he rubbed the spot, gradually working down to her shoulders, then to her shoulder blades. Beneath his ministrations, he could feel her melting as she let herself relax.

“Mmm. You can stop doing this tomorrow,” she whispered.

He bent over to kiss her nape. Cherron turned around and reached up for him.

The kiss was sweet and intoxicating. Yarrolam breathed her into his blood as she pressed closer, seductively rubbing her pelvis into the front of his jeans. Reaching down between them, he ran his thumbs over her breasts and felt the hard points of her nipples. Cherron moaned into his mouth.

He fumbled with the button on her jeans, which amused her. She quickly helped him to undo them, and slid them down her legs. Giving him a playful smile, she grabbed the prominent bulge at his groin and gave it a squeeze. He growled softly.

“I take it supper will have to wait?”

“You better believe it, bub,” she informed him. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, she jerked on his pants until his erection bobbed free in front of her. She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Guess we’ll find out whether or not you can screw me in your human form.”

Yarrolam laughed, and they hurried out of the rest of their clothes before crawling further onto the bed. She placed her feet flat on the covers and spread her knees. He bent to kiss the soft skin of her inner thigh when she lightly bopped him on the head.

“Nuh-uh. Nix the foreplay and get to the main course, space boy. I’ve been waiting all day for this.”

Entering her was an exquisite pleasure he could neither explain nor describe. She was hot and tight, encompassing him with her strong, silken muscles. Her body swallowed him, allowing him to fill her as she writhed beneath him. Once he was all the way inside, she locked her heels behind his buttocks and grabbed his shoulders.

He initially began to move in and out at a slow pace, but the feel of her was overwhelming. Electricity shot through his bloodstream, firing up his nerves. Throwing him to the edge of the universe as he filled her over and over. With every lunge into her heat, with every thrust of himself inside her, he could feel their connection strengthening. Her passion fueled his own. Her joy increased his happiness.