Chapter 4-3
1036 Words
I also wanted to crawl into his arms and have him tell me that having an alien baby was no big deal, that I’d be fine. That he’d be with me every step of the way and I wouldn’t be raising this baby alone. And when he’d held me, made me feel safe again, like everything was right in the world, I’d jump him and take his c**k for a ride, but I kept that to myself.
She moved her tablet in front of her, swiped the screen. I waited quietly as she did…
“Warlord Jorik.” She spelled his name aloud as she kept working her tablet. “Guard duty.” Her hand stilled, but she continued to look at the screen.
Finally, she lifted her head. “Gabriela, Warlord Jorik was charged with second degree murder by the District Attorney here in Miami.”
I gasped.
“To avoid criminal proceedings and an interplanetary media circus, he was reassigned. He’s no longer on Earth.”
“Murder?” Shock made my blood run cold. “That can’t be right. Why?”
She eyed me steadily. “Because of the incident at your work.”
I frowned. “But he did it to protect me.”
“He could have subdued the man. He chose not to.”
God, she was right. I knew that. But at the time, with that gun digging painfully into my temple, I hadn’t cared what Jorik had done. Now, I was glad the robber was dead. It helped me sleep at night, to work by myself in the store.
“But that’s not fair.”
She gave a slight shrug but said nothing.
Poor Jorik. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t on Earth. No wonder I’d felt so alone. He was gone. Really gone.
I licked my lips. “Can I… can I send him a message?”
She gave me a small smile, but it was the look in her eyes that had me biting my lip, made my stomach clench. “I’m so sorry, but that’s not possible. Warlord Jorik was listed as missing in action twenty-six days ago after a battle with the Hive.”
MIA? I knew that phrase. Missing? Still, I couldn’t give up all hope. He couldn’t be gone. “What does that mean? Where is he?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
“He was captured by the Hive, dear.”
My hand flew to my mouth. I wasn’t sure if I were going to be sick. Captured? The Hive? Tears filled my eyes.
“But… but he was just here. How can he be… there?”
“Jorik transported in seconds to Sector 437 and went directly to a fighting squadron.”
I swallowed, licked my lips again, wiped the tears that slid down my cheeks. The warden handed me a tissue.
“Are they trying to rescue him?” I asked. It was hard to imagine someone as large and ruthless as Jorik could be captured and held against his will by anyone. I’d heard of the Hive, everyone on Earth had, but I was just like everyone else. They were the monster under the bed, the ghost in the closet. They weren’t real. Until now. Until the man I loved was being held prisoner. For twenty-six days.
She c****d her head to the side and reached across the desk. I slid forward, eager to accept the small comfort she offered. There was something about her that made me trust her. “There is no easy way to say this, Gabriela. The Hive integrate captured Coalition fighters. Over time, the Hive integrations steal their mind, their will, until only their body remains, and they become Hive fighters. Atlans, though, are different. As you saw during the robbery, they have an inner beast, a strength in them that is very powerful. They can withstand the Hive integrations—”
I leaned forward. “Then there’s hope for him!”
“The opposite, actually. Atlans fight the integrations. Their beasts fight.” She squeezed my hand and her next words stole my breath. “They fight to the death, I’m afraid. If the Hive are patient, or determined, they will keep the Atlan alive longer, keep trying to control their beast. But most Atlans, they eliminate. An Atlan in full beast mode is a very dangerous prisoner.”
I dropped back into the chair, stunned, but the tears wouldn’t stop. “You’re saying Jorik is dead?”
She gave me a look with a touch of pity. “His status is Captured. But it’s been over three weeks. Most rescues occur within the first few days. After that…the odds—” Her voice went soft at the end and she shrugged. “I’m so sorry.”
Tears fell continuously now, my hopes gone. Jorik was most likely dead. Gone.
Using the tissue, I wiped my face, then stood again. I couldn’t sit here and sob. I could do that later. He had loved me. He cared. That time we spent together hadn’t been my imagination. He had been mine. And now he was gone. I had all the time in the world to mourn Jorik, of what we could have had together.
But not now. I had a job to get to. Money to earn because I was having a baby. Jorik’s baby. The only thing left of him.
“I’m sure he would have been pleased to know you came by to thank him. Will you be all right?” she asked, coming around the desk.
I didn’t answer, for she didn’t know the depth of what he meant to me.
Or perhaps, she did.
“There are many Atlan warriors out there, Gabriela. Good males. Honorable. Just like Jorik. If you ever wish to volunteer to be a bride, come see me.”
I looked to her, nodded. The idea of being matched to some random Atlan held no interest. Warden Egara didn’t know that, didn’t know my heart belonged to Jorik, and that was why she’d made the suggestion.
“Thank you, Warden. You’ve been very kind.”
She escorted me out of the building, and I walked to work with silent tears streaming down my cheeks. I let them run, unchecked, to soak the collar of my T-shirt. I’d only known Jorik a short time, our closeness forged by a few hours spent together. It shouldn’t be so hard to be without him, but it was. My heart was broken. I put a hand over my still-flat belly. Jorik was with me. Part of me now. I thought of my baby—our baby—and made a vow.
I would never forget him.
We would never forget him.
- Writer
