Chapter 45: Suriani & Halo

SURIANI

Suriani’s heart felt as though it was lodged somewhere high above her chest. He was alive. The men tending to him seemed pleased. Whoever ~he~ was.

They kept referring to him as Halo. Halo—it was a pleasant name.

She found herself unable to look away from him. Even with her daughter by her side, she couldn’t tear her gaze from his. His eyes were closed, yet they were still captivating.

~He~ was captivating. A sheet was draped over him, and she couldn’t stop tracing her eyes over his contours. She loved the rhythm of his chest rising and falling. He was breathing on his own now.

No more tube. Fewer lines. He looked different. Real. She had to fight the urge to reach out and stroke his beard. It was peculiar; she’d never really been attracted to men with beards.

Kylie had been filling her in on all she’d learned about these extraterrestrials. For they ~were~ extraterrestrials.

“And you almost died, Mama. Whatever they did, they almost killed you.”

“But ~you’re~ all right.”

Kylie nodded.

Suriani grabbed her wrist. “You’re all right.”

“Yes, Mama.”

They both turned their attention to “Halo” as he stirred in his sheets, his eyelids fluttering.

“He can feel you,” Kylie informed her. “He can sense your emotions. Just like he felt your emotions before, when you woke him up. When ~we~ woke him up.”

Suriani tilted her head.

“Don’t worry, I’m finding it difficult to understand too,” Kylie said. She glanced across the room toward this “Lew” she’d been speaking of.

Suriani felt a surge of anger. A man taking her was one thing, but a man taking her daughter was something entirely different.

Suriani rose to her feet.

“What’s wrong?” Kylie asked.

Suriani left without responding. The alien “Lew” was asleep. He ~was~ handsome. Just like Halo: broad jaw, soft lips, a square, almost inhuman face.

Though they were closed, his eyes seemed gentle. But that didn’t mean anything. Appearances were often deceiving—and he’d kidnapped her! He’d taken Kylie against her will.

He was heavily muscled, and that only fueled her anger. A big, tough man to steal a woman. Big, tough men to steal women.

“He’s okay,” Kylie said as she stood at her side, looking down at him. “He seems nice.”

“He took you against your will,” Suriani said. “~They~ took us.”

“I know.” Kylie’s voice was thick.

“We had a good life.”

“I know.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“It was ~our~ life. And they took it from us.” Angry tears welled up in Suriani’s eyes. “They took it from ~you~.”

Kylie wiped at her face. Suriani looked around the room at the other women. So many. So many uprooted against their will.

“Wake up,” Suriani hissed. “Wake up.” She reached over to poke Lew’s shoulder.

“Mama.” Kylie grabbed her wrist.

Angry tears streamed down Suriani’s face. “It’s his fault.” She spun around to face the room. “It’s all your fault!” Heads turned. Surprised yellow eyes gleamed from every direction.

“Please, not so loud,” came a voice.

They both spun around. One of the medics was approaching, tall and attractive like the rest of them. It didn’t matter that he had a kind face. He was a bad person—alien—being—thing.

Stepping in front of her daughter, Suriani lifted her chin. “Take us home.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” he said.

“Take my daughter home!”

He looked regretful. “We had no choice.”

Suriani swore in Malay.

“Mama!”

“That’s what they ~all~ say,” she hissed.

“You can’t go home. You’re bonded now. You’re bonded to Halo.” He nodded at Kylie. “And you to Lew. And I’m afraid there’s nothing that we can do about it.”

Suriani’s throat tightened; pressure built behind her eyes. Somehow she knew the truth. “Why?”

“To save their lives. You saved their lives and we’re grateful,” he turned to face the room. “Aren’t we?”

It was only then that Suriani realized everyone was listening. There came a murmur of agreement from all around the room. The yellow-eyed aliens were nodding. The women were watching.

Suriani’s heart lurched as she looked over at Halo’s bed. She couldn’t speak; her throat felt tighter than ever.

She looked up when the brown-haired “doctor” grasped her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m sorry,” he told Kylie. “But like I said, we had no choice.” He released her. “If there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, make sure to let us know. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here in the infirmary a little while longer. They’re not well enough yet.”

He walked away. Suriani watched his retreat, feeling numb. The room returned to normal, all eyes swinging away. A gentle murmuring filled the silence as the aliens went back to work and the women turned back to their Zibons. ~Zibons~—that was what they were.

“You okay?” Kylie said.

Suriani found herself staring at Halo. “I don’t know.”

HALO

His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. How could something so small and insignificant weigh so much? Particularly for someone as strong as him?

But he pushed and pushed until there came a gleam of light. He scrunched his eyes together against the pain. Slowly, he forced them open again.

He took a deep breath. It felt strange, like he’d forgotten how to do it. Where was he? There were blurry figures moving around. Sharp light seemed to blaze upon him from every direction.

There was the sound of beeping and what sounded like footsteps, the murmur of quiet conversation. Was this a dream? Slowly, and with astonishing difficulty, he turned his head.

Though the figures were blurry, there was one that stood out like a star. He knew her name, though his brain couldn’t seem to form the word. She looked so familiar, like he’d known her a lifetime, like he’d slept in bed next to her for the last thirty years.

She was looking back at him, her eyes seeming to penetrate deep down into his heart. She was the most beautiful, impossible, astonishing thing he’d ever seen. Astonishing enough that it drove him to pull himself up, only for a wave of dizziness to send him back down again.

There was beeping going off above his head.

“Careful, Halo,” a voice said.

Blinking away the threatening darkness, Halo looked over to find a medic standing beside his bed. So, he was in the infirmary—that made sense.

“What happened?” he croaked.

He tried to look around the man, but he was standing in the way, blocking his view of the mystery woman.

“Don’t you remember? The Wriling attack?” the medic asked.

“Ah…” Yes, he did. It suddenly came back to him—the wretched thing plastering itself onto his face. He gripped his throat. He could feel it now, the way it stole his breath, like it had sucked out the air from his lungs. He coughed and gagged.

“He’s awake,” another voice said. A ~female~ voice. Halo looked over and jerked upright again, only to fall back down.

“Careful, Halo,” the medic repeated.

“Go away,” Halo told him. His eyes were pinned to the woman standing by his bed. A Rictorian, if he didn’t know any better. He stared back into her beautiful eyes. He opened and shut his mouth, but no words came out.

Then she gripped his hand, and it was like the sun was pouring its warmth into his body, right from his fingers down into his toes. This time he managed to sit up and stay up.

“I know you,” he said, breathing heavily. “I don’t know you.”

The woman gave a quivering smile. “That’s probably the best way to put it.”

The light of the room gleamed against her gray hair, turning it silver. It lit up her gray eyes. Her lovely brown skin looked mouth-wateringly smooth and soft. He wanted so much to reach out and touch her cheek but couldn’t raise his arm. Somehow she seemed to know what he was thinking, lifting it to her cheek for him. And that was when Halo understood—like a terrifying, exhilarating swoop in his stomach.

“We’re bonded. ~I’m~ bonded,” he said. He looked at the medic, then back at the woman. “Who are you?”

“Suriani.” Again, that quivering smile.

“Suriani.” Halo grimaced at the heavy feeling in his stomach, at the lurch in his chest, at the tears behind his eyes. “You’re unhappy,” he said. “Don’t be unhappy.”

Suriani turned away, wiping at her cheek. Halo’s hand fell back into his lap.

“There is much we need to tell you,” the medic said.

“You’re not kidding.”

“Perhaps you can tell us ~all~,” said another woman, a younger woman who was standing by the mystery woman’s side. They looked oddly similar, though this woman was taller and had darker eyes.

Suriani sat on the edge of his bed, and the second woman sat in the chair. All were gazing up at the medic. Suriani kept her hands folded in her lap, and Halo struggled against the urge to reach out and take one.

The medic spoke about the Wriling attack, about so many lives that hung in the balance. Halo glanced around at the rest of the men. All had survived. He couldn’t believe it. Against Wriling infiltration! It had never been done before.

The medic spoke about abducting the women and tricking them into the bond.

“You see why we had to do it,” the medic emphasized. “We had no choice. It was either this or let all these men die.”

Halo watched Suriani. She’d had no choice. She’d swallowed his semen. She couldn’t go back home even if she tried. Her eyes were downcast. Again, there was that heavy feeling in his stomach.

“So I’m stuck,” she said. She looked at the second woman. “~We’re~ stuck.”

“You saved my life,” Halo said thickly. “I am grateful.”

Her gray eyes darted toward him through her eyelashes. There was a blush to her cheeks.

“Thank you,” he said.

Suriani frowned. The hollow feeling in his gut intensified as warmth poured into his chest, a conflict of emotions that was drawing the strength out of him. He leaned back into his pillows with a sigh.

“What’s going on here?” came an angry voice.

They all looked over. Halo recognized the man immediately—Rigna. He was standing at the foot of somebody’s bed, his arms folded, a deep crease over the bridge of his nose. The Zibon looked around the room. “I ~said~, what’s going on?”

SURIANI

Suriani stared at the angry alien, her heart beating a little faster. He was standing at Lew’s bed. ~Kylie’s~ Lew.

“He’s not fully bonded. Why isn’t he fully bonded?” the alien continued.

The medic went over. Slowly, Suriani stood, feeling nervous.

“Don’t,” Halo croaked.

“Who is that?” she asked.

Kylie slowly shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“You shouldn’t be in here,” the medic told the angry alien.

“I don’t care.” He glared at the medic. “Answer me, why isn’t Lew bonded?”

“His partial bond was enough to wake him,” the medic replied.

“But not to fully heal him.” He looked over toward Kylie with a frown. Suriani could see him figuring it out. How did he know? “That’s her, isn’t it? Bring her over. Let’s get this done.”

“It’s not necessary,” the medic said.

“A full bond might heal him quicker!” He was shouting now as the medic raised his hands, trying to calm him. “Extract more semen. I’ll force it down her throat myself if I have to.”

Suriani stood in front of Kylie.

“He is no more sick than the rest of him,” the medic argued, his voice filled with warning.

The alien ignored him, his yellow eyes blazing as he shouldered past and marched over toward Kylie.

Suriani stood to her fullest height. “You will not touch her.”

“Get out of my way,” he snarled.

“She said, keep away!” came a bellow from behind. Suriani jerked as Halo pushed past. He was hunching over and wobbling on his feet, but he was very big, even bigger than both the medic and the angry alien.

“You can’t have her,” Halo said.

The alien glared at Halo, his hands fisted at his sides, his mouth hard.

“You can’t make me do anything,” Kylie added.

The alien turned his glaring eyes upon Kylie. Suriani shouted as he shoved past them both and seized her wrist. Halo staggered. Suriani instinctively seized onto him before he could fall. He stumbled and sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his trembling hands. Several men rushed over.

They grabbed onto the angry alien as he tried to pull Kylie away. He was red-faced and yelling. Kylie was shouting as he struggled with her. The aliens were shouting. Kylie and the angry alien fell to the ground. The men piled on top of him.

“Kylie!” Suriani leapt after her, grabbing her arm. With a strength that astonished her, he dragged Kylie out of the way.

They had him pinned, but he was clearly not finished with the fight. He writhed and yelled, gritting his teeth. Both Kylie and Suriani stared.

The rest of the room was staring as well.

“Rigna!” came a bellow.

Suriani looked up to see Lew rising from his bed. His face was red, his forehead furrowed. His yellow eyes looked like liquid gold.

He was wearing only pants, and all the hard muscles in his chest and arms were bulging.

“Are you scaring my female?” he demanded. “How dare you touch her!”

Rigna stopped squirming. Tentatively, the men pinning him down released him.

“I’m only looking out for you,” Rigna retorted as he sat up. “And she’s not your female yet.”

“Of course she is.”

Rigna scrambled to his feet. His face was all screwed up with emotion as he went over and clasped Lew to his chest.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

Lew embraced him back.

“Who is he?” Suriani asked Kylie.

“I think he’s his brother. It ~feels~ like it.”

The room was quiet now as everyone watched. The medics held back, though they kept close. Lew’s eyes darted over to Suriani and Kylie.

He pulled back, glaring at Rigna. “Go and apologize to her.”

“I’ll apologize to her, thank her even, when she’s finished bonding with you.”

Lew frowned. “Go and apologize to her ~now~.”

Rigna’s eyes were narrowed. He glanced over his shoulder. Lew was glaring at him. Finally, Rigna nodded.

He turned and approached. Suriani kept Kylie behind her.

The alien cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. But you need to finish b—”

“Rigna!” Lew snarled.

Rigna pressed his lips together. “Fine. ~Fine~.”

He marched out of the room.