Norlanian Brides Volume One Page 25

  Warrick looked at Sloan as she stared at the birds and chewed her bottom lip in thought.

  “It’s time for evening meal,” Nelari said.

  Warrick and Sloan followed him to a large tent and found the entire city seated at long tables. The scent of roasted meat filled the air and, in spite of the big midday meal they’d had, his stomach rumbled.

  Nelari introduced him and Sloan, although she apparently didn’t need an introduction because she’d already spent some time using her medical training to help the people of the city, and then they sat down to eat. As Sloan talked quietly with Yelda, Warrick found himself reflecting on the situation they were presented with. Had he and his fellow Norlanian people been lied to their entire lives? Were the pregnancy injections, the blue hair, the soul-walk, and the serum simply a way to control the population? Was Sloan sterile because of something her mother had been given when she was pregnant with her?

  After the meal, he and Sloan walked around the city. The sun had set and insects buzzed and chirped. Sloan leaned against a tree and sighed. “It’s so peaceful here, in a way that I didn’t expect. I’m so used to our modern conveniences, but they don’t need any of those things to be happy.”

  He rested his hand on the trunk above her head and leaned forward. Pressing his lips to hers, he kissed her gently. Her hands kneaded his waist and he deepened the kiss. She moaned softly and he slid his hand to her lower back, drawing her close to his erection.

  Her hands twisted in his shirt and he eased away from her lips. “Do you want to stay?”

  She blinked in surprise. “What? Our lives are back in Kyvern City.”

  He snarled. “In a place where you were told you weren’t of value because you couldn’t bear children. What if Nelari and Yelda are right, and the females’ sterility is related to the injections? We don’t owe anything to the government who has been lying to us our whole lives.”

  “What about our families? If we moved here, we’d be agreeing to never see them again. We couldn’t go to visit, it would draw too much attention.”

  Yelda spoke tentatively from behind them. “You could bring your families. Your brother and his mate, Warrick’s mother and aunt that you told me about. They’d all be welcome here and there’s more than enough room.”

  Warrick looked over his shoulder and found Yelda, Nelari, and several other males standing a few yards away. “We could use your military expertise, Warrick,” Nelari said. “And there’s no denying that Sloan’s medical expertise would be invaluable. We can’t change Sloan’s sterility, but we can give you safety and security, and the promise that you’ll both always be valued for the content of your souls, not your ability to breed.”

  Sloan swallowed audibly and pressed her forehead to Warrick’s chest. Warrick wrapped his arms around her and said, “Give us the night to think things through.”

  Nelari nodded. “Of course. We’ll see you when the sun rises. Sleep well.”

  When they were alone, Sloan sniffled. Warrick tipped her face up to his and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “What, quello?”

  “I want to stay, but I’m afraid.”

  “My fierce quello is afraid of something? I don’t believe it,” he teased.

  She chuckled and rubbed her eyes. “I’m afraid you’ll resent it. Your whole life has been dedicated to military service.”

  “You’re the most important person in my universe, Sloan. Nothing else matters but you and me, together, for the rest of our lives.” Aside from telling her that he loved her, he’d never spoken more truthful words. If what Nelari and Yelda had shared about their lives on the other side of the mountain was true, and Warrick was beginning to believe it was, then the government had been controlling their people for generations. The societal stigma of blue hair, the abductions based on a machine’s match-making skills – it smacked of a leadership that didn’t care about anything but more power and more money.

  They walked to the guest tent. Inside the small tent was a bed and a small bathing room behind a curtained area. Candles illuminated the interior and he watched as Sloan turned in a small circle and looked around.

  “No vid screen, no machines beeping, no hover-machens whizzing around outside,” she said, smiling at him.

  “Can you live without all those things?” He stepped close. He loved how her curves fit perfectly against him.

  “If I have you, yes. What do you think? Is this totally crazy?”

  “Absolutely. But we’d have a chance to really make a difference. Eden and Ashleigh could be happy here, and so could Paoli and Kate. And my mom and aunt? They’d love it here. But none of them matter as much to me as you do. We can talk about it more in the morning.”

  “We can’t talk now?” she asked, her brows drawing down.

  “No,” he growled the word softly, his hands moving up under the soft hide top and pressing against her bare back.

  Understanding lit her features and she blushed and smiled. “Oh. Tomorrow.”

  Chapter 9

  Sloan smiled at Warrick as they ate their morning meal with Nelari, Yelda, and their children and grandchildren. The big family table was brimming with love and laughter, and she’d honestly never felt so welcomed in her whole life. She hadn’t really believed in fate before, but she couldn’t deny that Villi’s kidnapping her had led to something amazing. She felt compelled to be with these people, and after making love to Warrick all night and then talking until the sun rose in the sky about what their lives would be like if they went back to Kyvern City, they’d decided to give life on the other side of the mountain a chance.

  They had a lot to do to come back here to live with their families in tow, but she was confident it could be done. The difficult part would come from cutting ties with their friends and coworkers and creating a ruse as to why they were all leaving. Especially when their true destination had to remain a secret. She was nervous and excited.

  After the morning meal, Sloan went to the medical tent to see some more patients, including a pregnant female, while Warrick went with Nelari and Villi, who was the captain of their soldiers, to see the extent of their territory. With every person she met, she grew more attached to the city, and she knew that Warrick was feeling the same way. There was something peaceful about a people who weren’t encumbered with technology. She’d miss some things, like her favorite vid show or her digi-reader, but they were gaining so much more. It was funny to think that a second abduction had ended with her and Warrick finding a new place to call home.

  The following morning, they said goodbye to their new friends, and Nelari and his youngest son, Dero, flew them to Warrick’s hovern-machen which had been left behind at the summit. Warrick helped Sloan down from the zareb.

  Nelari and Warrick shook hands. Nelari handed him a scroll tied with a piece of hide and what looked like spectacles. “In one lunar cycle, follow this map to an entrance at the bottom of the mountain. You’ll have to use the spectacles to see the entrance, it’s hidden with a special cloaking device. Inside the entrance, there will be carts and carion beasts to carry you, your family members, and your belongings. This is the only trip you’ll be able to make from your city to ours through the mountains, so be sure to bring everything you need. In the meantime, we’ll begin construction on tents for your family.”

  Sloan felt tears stinging her eyes and they waved at Nelari and Dero as the hover-machen powered up and lifted from the ground. “Ready to go home and pack?” Warrick asked as the vehicle ascended the mountain.

  “Very much. You?”

  “I can’t wait to get started.”

  * * *

  Warrick had never known a lunar cycle to speed by so quickly. After he and Sloan had packed up the wooing chamber and returned to Kyvern City, they met with Eden, Ashleigh, Paoli, and Kate and discussed the tent city with them. Eden and Paoli were furious at the manipulation of their government.

  “How could they do this to us?” Eden demanded.

  “Our whole society i
s built on lies,” Paoli said, shaking his head in disgust. “Our females tossed aside because they couldn’t conceive children any longer, females from other planets abducted…they’ve ruined countless lives.”

  Sloan had secretly investigated the injections given to pregnant females and discovered that they contained several unknown ingredients. It had taken nearly the entire lunar cycle and a lot of sleepless nights for them both, but she had eventually determined that the injections did in fact change the hair of male babies to blue. Although she didn’t believe it was intentional, the injections also significantly retarded the production of eggs in female babies.

  “I checked the medical history records,” Sloan said as she sat across the table from her family. “Four generations ago, the pregnancy injections were given. Prior to that time, females were given plant extracts to aid in protecting their young. The records only go back six generations, but from that point forward, males always had blue hair. The rulers – our current government – gave drugs to the males for their soul-walks, which would give them a vision of their soulmate. The soul-walk machine didn’t come into practice until three generations ago.”

  “So the injections cause the blue hair and make the girls have fewer eggs. How does that relate to sterility?” Ashleigh asked.

  “I believe that the ingredients in the injections not only lower egg production in females, but also inhibit the babies conceived from being female,” Sloan said. “When a female was able to carry a child, the injections she received made it more likely for her to have a male. The females who were born had even lower egg counts, which made it less and less likely for them to even be able to conceive. Females weren’t being born, and the males that were born were fewer and far between. Eventually, the injections caused complete sterility in females.”

  “I told you that your government sucks,” Kate said.

  “What does suck mean?” Warrick asked.

  “Stinks,” Sloan answered. “You’ll get used to their strange words.”

  Ashleigh snorted. “I keep forgetting that Kate and I are the aliens here. So, are you sure we’ll be welcome on the other side of the mountain?”

  Warrick nodded. “Their leaders are very excited to meet you. They could use a teacher for their children, and a craftsman to help with clothing. Although everyone has their own homes, they do eat meals together as family groups. My mother and aunt are so excited they can hardly contain themselves.”

  “What about my siblings?” Paoli asked. “Kate and I are their guardians now.”

  “I told them about your situation. This is not a community that shuns people or isn’t welcoming. They’re angry about the situation with the soul-walk and want to help.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to just make a public announcement about what the government has done and make a change here?” Kate asked. “I am definitely interested in getting the hell away from here, but we’re leaving others behind. Females from other planets to be abducted, pregnant mothers to bear children who are sterile and blue-haired. It seems unfair.”

  Warrick shook his head. “The government won’t hesitate to kill us and paint us as traitors to the population. We have a chance to start over in safety.”

  Ashleigh sighed. “I’m glad I didn’t have the injections yet.” She rubbed her hand across her stomach. Warrick knew she was early in her pregnancy, but he was thankful she hadn’t either.

  “I didn’t even enter into the computer that you were pregnant, so as far as anyone knows, you aren’t.”

  “Then we’re in,” Eden said, and Ashleigh nodded.

  “Us, too,” Paoli said.

  It hadn’t taken long for them to come up with a way to all leave the city without raising any eyebrows. Warrick’s mother and aunt, who turned out to be quite adept at covert missions, much to his surprise, purchased a tract of land in an area two days’ journey from Kyvern City. Warrick, Sloan, Eden, and Paoli slowly spread the word at their jobs that they were moving to Nirup to start their new lives together. He’d wondered if Paoli and Eden would want to sell their homes and move, but the males had wanted their females to be happy, and both Ashleigh and Kate didn’t really want to stay if Sloan wasn’t going to be there. He understood the feeling.

  He went out for drinks with Sayjan the night before they were to leave. He was sorry to say goodbye to his good friend, but there weren’t any single females in the tent city, aside from the children, and his friend deserved a chance to find his soulmate. He hoped Sayjan would choose to find a soulmate based on love the way that Warrick had with Sloan, but he had a feeling his friend would go on a soul-walk like other males did.

  “I wish you well in your life, friend,” Warrick said, hugging him tightly.

  “And I you. Don’t be a stranger,” Sayjan said.

  Warrick nodded, but couldn’t bring himself to lie outright. He knew he’d never see his friend again.

  He drove to the medical office, where Sloan was saying a final goodbye to the people she’d worked with for many years. Her close friend, Pilar, stood outside of the office and hugged Sloan. They were both crying and Warrick wanted to comfort Sloan, but he knew she needed the time to say goodbye to her friend. He parked in front of the building. After a few minutes, when they weren’t crying anymore, Warrick got out of the vehicle and opened Sloan’s door. He kissed her cheek and she sniffled as she smiled up at him.

  “Are you all right, quello?”

  “I will be. I’m just a little sad right now.”

  “I am, too. But the next chapter of our lives is going to be amazing, and it’s waiting for us to get started.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  * * *

  The journey to the hidden entrance in the mountain took several hours. They parked their hover-machens near the entrance that Warrick found with the map and spectacles. Three large carts drawn by carion beasts were waiting as Nelari had promised. They loaded their belongings into the carts while the beasts snuffled and grunted at them.

  It had been strange for Sloan to pack up her life. She’d expected to live in her little house forever. Even after she and Warrick were initially together, she’d expected they would move into her home. She’d had only a few pieces of clothing she’d wanted to take – her favorite sleep clothes, even though Warrick said she’d never need them again, a scarf her grandmother had given to her when she was a small child, and a warm coat that Pilar had given her as a gift. Most of what she’d wanted to take, aside from a comfortable pillow and blanket from her bed, had been related to medicine. She was going rustic and wouldn’t have computers to give her answers. Because there was no power within the tent city, she’d had to purchase a collection of medical books. All her previous books were digital, which wouldn’t work on the other side of the mountain. The paper books, heavy volumes she’d gotten from a medical supply store, would help her diagnose and treat what she could. She purchased extra books that focused on pregnancy and childhood ailments, so she could be as prepared as possible. Along with the textbooks, she’d purchased medication, surgical supplies, and enough bandages to cover everyone in the city twice over. She covered her purchases by using fake accounts to hide the fact that one person was receiving so much.

  They’d sold their homes quickly, and the money that hadn’t been spent on supplies had been given as gifts to some families that Sloan and Warrick knew of, who needed the deenars to support their families.

  After their carts were loaded, Warrick set the auto-drive system on the hover-machens and sent them on a journey that would end many days later at a trash facility, where they’d be destroyed. The vehicles had been stripped of their identification, so they wouldn’t be traced back to them in any way.

  Sloan and Warrick rode in the first cart, Warrick’s mother and aunt rode in the second, and Eden, Ashleigh, Paoli, Kate, and Paoli’s siblings were in the last cart. The wooden carts were loaded down with clothing, furnishings, and supplies.

  Sloan was excited to show Eden the tent city. She wa
s thankful that she and Warrick weren’t the only ones going. It would have been hard to say goodbye to her only brother forever.

  She rested her head on Warrick’s shoulder. “I’m disappointed I had to give up the mating jewelry.”

  “I know, but we couldn’t take a chance of them having trackers put in place by the government. Paoli is making matching jewelry for himself and Kate, and Eden and Ashleigh. He would make jewelry for us, too.”

  “I like having something that matches for us to wear.”

  “Then we’ll have it.” He kissed the top of her head and it made her smile.

  She couldn’t believe that they were on carts traveling through a secret passageway through the Issizlik Mountains on their way to start their new lives. She didn’t know what waited for them on the other side of the mountains, but as long as she had Warrick by her side, she knew they could handle anything together.

  She’d once thought she’d never have anyone to share her life with; that she’d forever have an empty bed, an empty house, an empty heart. Now, she had her soulmate, and she’d never have any of those things again.

  “You’re all I need, Warrick,” she said, looking up at him.

  He smiled, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “You’re all I need, too.”

  The End

  Dex’s Bride

  By R. E. Butler