Tallusian Nights [Xihirian Shifters 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

“We can hardly see now.” Cora waved her hand through the air as if she could clear her vision. Fear etched her expression.

“Let’s go before they decide to send some more. It should not be too far to our shelter. At least I hope we’re going the right direction. It’s easy to get turned around, nothing looks familiar and the dust is so thick.” Zalora grabbed two of the children’s hands. She squeezed lightly. “Be careful it’s hard to see where we’re stepping. We have to move slowly or we’ll injury ourselves.”

“Zalora.” Anya touched her arm. “Zalora, I think I hear another ship. Listen, do you hear that?” Anya whispered close to Zalora’s ear.

“Yes, it does sound like a ship’s engine. Damn, I hope…never mind. Let’s keep walking, we’ve got to hurry.”

“What are we going to do? It sounds like they’ve landed. If they’ve sent land soldiers, they’ll find us then kill us. I don’t think they take prisoners.” Anya whimpered. She put her dirty hand to her mouth to bite her nails.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Zalora bit her lip. “We have to be careful. Stop eating your hands. Let’s get back to our shelter or they’ll follow us back. We can’t allow them to find us.” Zalora turned around in a circle trying to decide what to do, which way to go. She cocked her head to the side to more clearly identify where the sounds were coming from but it was hard to tell due to how things seemed to echo in the fallen city. The constant blasts of minor explosions further confused Zalora. Determined to get back to their shelter, she continued to walk at an increased pace. “Let’s move more quickly.” Zalora was breathing hard. She glanced back to make sure Cora and Anya were keeping up. The children were struggling to keep up, and Zalora was nearly dragging them.

They turned to go around another building’s shattered structure. On what was once a busy street was now a landing pad. A large black space disk was directly in front of them. In only a few more steps Zalora would be able to touch its hull. Coming up on this ship shocked Zalora, causing her to falter. The dark, foreboding ship blended into the charred surroundings. The smoke combined with the dust helped to camouflage the scene and make it even more of a surprise encounter. Now it was quiet, as if fully shut down. “Dear Creator.” Zalora’s stomach sank toward her feet. “I’ve brought us right to them.” Stunned, Zalora froze in her tracks. Not knowing what to do Cora and Anya came up behind her, stopping, too. Gasps escaped from the other adults.

Before they could turn to run in the other direction, a deep gravelly voice called to them, “Hold.” Scared children squeezed Zalora’s hands. “I’m with the Xihirian Elite Military Force. We’re here on a rescue mission. Be at ease.” A large soldier dressed in a black flight suit stepped out of the dust to stand just before Zalora. “You’re safe.” His animalistic amber eyes glowed through dim light and dust as he appraised them and their situation. In his right hand, he held a massive automatic weapon pointed down. “I’m here to help.” He nodded at them, smiling at the children. Yet his smile did not reach his unusual eyes. A shiver of unease rushed up Zalora’s spine. Whimpering children huddled closer to her, nearly pushing her over. As some of the smoke cleared, Zalora could see markings on the side of his impressive ship, confirming his identity. “How many are you?” He directed his question to Zalora as he stepped closer. She leaned her head back to look up at him. He towered over them, dwarfing them all. Immeasurable warmth flowed from his body as if he were a furnace. Surprisingly the children moved toward his heat, seeking the comfort of it.

“Over three hundred at our shelter.”

“Okay.” He smiled down at the children. This time his expression was a bit warmer. “Everything’s okay now.” He winked at them. “We’re going to take you someplace safe. You’ll be warm there.” For a man his size, in his military capacity, he was amazingly tender in his approach to the children. When he truly smiled, his whole face changed, softened. Zalora watched him closely. When his eyes met hers again, she nearly gasped at the fire of instant attraction she felt flow through her veins. Her cold body suddenly heated, making her perspire at the nape of her neck. He was exceptionally handsome in a very non-Tallusian way, masculine, chiseled features, with a huge build. Nothing like the men she was used to seeing. Even his hands dwarfed any man’s she’d ever seen. She’d heard Xihirians were humongous. They’re strength and speed was often spoken of, but she’d never seen one up close.

How can I be thinking about a man like this now?
A feeling of shame washed over her. She quickly looked away, then down at the trembling children. She could feel his eyes on her as he spoke into a communicator attached to his uniform.

“Commander Braeden, I’ve located three adult women along with three children. They’ve told me they have over three hundred survivors at their shelter. Send a loaddisk to collect them alone with ten soldiers to search for more survivors. Watch out as they descend. There’re small Realmist straggler ships just inside their atmosphere. Send another spacedisk alone to provide protection. I didn’t shoot the Realmist ships down. I didn’t want them to crash into the city causing further destruction.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Out.” His radio made a clicking sound, and then there was silence. The soldier’s eyes seemed to change, looking less animalistic as he studied their group. “So, what are your names?”

“I’m Zalora. This is Anya and Cora.” She pointed to each woman. “We’ve just met these little ones, so we don’t know their names yet.” Zalora patted the tallest one on her head. “We were taking them back to our shelter to get them some food and water. They’re cold, too.”

“I’m Val.” He glanced back at the children. They smiled back. They seemed to relax a bit. “Of course, you can lead us on.” Val nodded. “Are you Zalora Zimbali?” He started to walk around his spacedisk.

“Yes.” Zalora nodded, suddenly concerned as to why he would ask.

“Your father made a special request of our government to locate you then bring you to him.” He grabbed her arm just as she stumbled over some small debris in their path. “Steady there.” She could feel his breath on her hair. His closeness unnerved her, making her tremble, but not from fear.

“Well, I’m busy right now.” She shook her arm away from him. Her voice sounded irritated. He easily released her. “Thanks.” She abruptly tugged away. A wave of guilt passed over her at the way she’d spoken to him. “I have a lot to take care of. I’m not leaving until I’ve done what I can.” She looked at him trying to gauge his reaction. “There’re still more people to be rescued. I have work to do.”

“We’re here to help you.”

“I want to organize a triage hospital on a larger scale. Our world’s nearly destroyed. I’m not leaving until I’ve done everything I can to save as many people as possible.” A strong emotional surge spiraled through her. It made her grip the children’s hands tighter. The large soldier silently nodded.

“How far is your shelter from here?” He did not argue with her determination to remain on the planet. In fact, she couldn’t detect any emotion from him. His emotional void confused then frustrated her. He paused to pick up one of the children to help increase their pace. Still, he held his automatic weapon in his other hand, prepared to protect if necessary. Everything about him was a warrior. He had numerous weapons strapped to his powerful body yet he held the child close as to be comforting.

“I think it’s about a half a click.” She met his eyes. For a moment, she sensed something, a touch of impatience yet respect. Then he was blank again. “I can’t believe this has happened. Our whole world’s been destroyed. I heard they’ve bombed our entire planet. They may have destroyed our buildings as well as our land. But I’ll be damned if they take us. I’ll see them pay for what they’ve done here.” She knew others could feel her deep bitterness.

“Well, you must live another day to see it through.” For the rest of their journey they walked in silence.

* * * *

Val followed the women down a stone stairway camouflaged by bushes. “Wait, I need to signal my men to this location.” He hesitated midway down the stairs, handed the child he was carrying to Cora, and pressed his communicator. “Okay. It’s done.” He nodded for them to continue. The steps lead underground to a dark tunnel. As they reached the bottom step, a small blue emergency light flashed on. At the end of the short tunnel were double doors. Zalora knocked five times, pulled a key out of her coat pocket, and pushed it into a locking mechanism causing the door to make a series of clicking sounds. After the clicking finished, the doors opened slowly to a long dimly lit hallway.

“This locking mechanism works when the main power’s out, but I have to use an old-fashioned key.” She dangled it in front of her, showing him. “We’d prepared this for natural disasters, not the end of the world.” Zalora directed them in and closed the doors behind them, making sure the locks engaged. She looked over her shoulder at him. “Your communication should work from the shelter’s main room. When your men get here, they can signal you.” Val watched the petite woman as she checked on the children once they were safe inside the hallway. She pushed back her jacket’s hood. “You can unbutton a bit.” She grinned as she helped the younger children with their jackets. “Here, feel better?” Little golden heads popped out of their hooded jackets. “It’s going to be a lot warmer in a moment.” She hugged each one of them. The sight of her vibrant reddish-auburn hair full of gorgeous curls surrounding her angelic face stunned him. She was standing under a security light, which highlighted her features. He’d never seen hair so extraordinarily colored. It shone like a gem, catching him so off-guard he had to remember to breathe. In the light, he could see her eyes were purple. Not blue, but purple, the color of the Xihirian sky just before moonrise on a stormy night. He could only stare as he watched her. “Are you okay?”

“What?” He blinked.

“You didn’t answer me.” She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him as if curious. “Is something wrong? Besides the obvious?” She snickered sarcastically.

“No, nothing’s wrong.” He shook his head. “I’m fine. Let’s go.” He motioned with his head for her to go ahead down the hall. Zalora turned to lead the way. She grabbed two of the children’s hands.

“Come on. Let’s hold hands.” Her voice was singsong. The children latched on to her as well as each other. The other women followed with Val close behind. As they approached a central area, the temperature warmed and the lighting increased. Val could hear many voices talking and giggling. Mostly it sounded like children. Turning a corner, they entered a large brightly lit room lined with cots, chairs, as well as several tables in the room’s center. The room was filled with children and about twenty adult women.

“So many children.” Val walked into the room. Little eyes looked up at him. “Where are their parents?” He looked at Zalora then crouched down near one of the dining tables to seem less intimidating. He’d already hung his riffle on his back when they entered the shelter.

“Most were in the government buildings, which were hit hardest.” Anya stepped closer. “The children were in schools, in houses or apartment buildings. Therefore, more children survived with their teachers as well as their care providers. So what you see here are mostly orphans.” She whispered the last part, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I see.” Val looked around. “A loaddisk can take a hundred at a time. I’d like to make sure we have at least six adults with each load, if we can. Zalora is to stay with me. I’ll be taking Zalora in my spacedisk to my big ship.” He looked up then directly at Zalora as if daring her to disagree.

“I’ll go with you only to go to another location on Tallusia. We need to set up a base camp to help with injured. I’ll leave here only after we’ve cleared these people out of this shelter. I want you to leave some men here in this area to continue to search for survivors.”

“I’d planned to.”

“Good.” She nodded then helped the children clear a table. “I won’t leave Tallusia until I absolutely have to. Do you understand me?” She glared at him.

“Yes, Princess, I do understand what you’re saying.”

“Don’t.” She flashed her beautiful eyes at him. “Don’t patronize me. Don’t think you’re cleverer than me.”

“Don’t what? Cleverer?” He shrugged then covered his mouth with his hand to hide his grin. “I do understand you.”

“Don’t ‘Princess’ me either, then do what you want.” She pointed at him. He shook his head then looked down at the floor.

“We’ll discuss this after all of these survivors have been evacuated.” Val’s tone was authoritative. He could see his change in tone made her reconsider her bossiness. “To ease your mind, we’ve already located a safe area on the other side of Tallusia to set up.” He followed her to where she moved to her desk. She flitted all over the place, so full of energy. “They’re preparing a camp now.” She stopped to look at him. He almost bumped into her. Her eyes wide with surprise. “This group will be transported there along with others we rescue.”

“So there’s a place Realmist didn’t bomb.” Zalora threw her coat over the back of a chair then grinned up at him. “I’m shocked they left a spot untouched.” She shook her head. Beautiful curls moved all around her head and shoulders. “It’s just all so unbearable.” She took a piece of paper a child handed her then praised the child for his artwork.

Val’s predator instinct caused him to thoroughly study his surroundings. He examined her and the others in the room. As he looked over the entire facility from where he stood, he deducted a few conclusions. It looked as if their shelter had been constructed for storm rescue. They’d lined the wall with supplies. Despite his taking in his surroundings, he closely watched Zalora. She fascinated him more every second. Under her bulky jacket was a delicate but perfectly portioned woman. She was dressed in a white snug work shirt. It was smudged with dirt stains. Her brown trousers nicely molded her thighs and hips. Her tall boots came up to her knees. Everything about her was impressive. Even dressed for labor she looked like a princess.

I should recognize a princess when I see one. I have twelve sisters, more cousins and aunts.
He smiled to himself. Zalora’s full breasts filled out her shirt, revealing pert nipples beneath. They looked perfect in size for him to cup in his hands. Exhaling a long breath, he shifted positions to lean against the wall. Val had to concentrate to control his straying thoughts as well as growing libido. Never had he had difficulty with his emotions or reactions to a woman. Certainly his disciplined self never thought of these things under circumstances such as this one. He was a serious soldier. All work, no play. He could hear Kade tease him. Zalora walked closer to him as she sorted through her desk. The top of her head came to his mid-chest. She’s a tiny thing. I’ll have to be careful with her when I’m on top of her. He quickly shifted positions again to avoid the line of thinking.
Get a grip. I’m thinking of having sex with her with all these people around. Damn, she bothers me.
He ran his hand through his hair, agitated.