Chapter Eleven

<^> <^> <^>

“Draeken,” Stella said loudly. She was still reeling from what he’d revealed. When she finally asked him if he wanted to speak to his brother, he’d nodded and seemed to drift back into the haze of submission.

Stella made a decision. Even if she released Draeken from the shackle, of course he wouldn’t want to leave Nocturne Falls until he knew his brother was safe. She didn’t even have a brother and she knew she’d do nothing less for any of her cousins or extended family back in Arkansas.

The moment she removed the shackle device, his sleepy-looking, half-open eyelids shut completely.

“Are you even awake?”

“What?” His eyes popped open seconds later. “Yes. I’m awake.” Draeken seemed to shake off the pacifying effects of the shackle fairly quickly. She hadn’t seen the prototype device taken off of the monster back in Alienn, but she’d heard it had subdued the beast right away upon application. After removal, the beast had woken quietly and been very passive. She hoped for the same response from Draeken. So far so good.

“I got a message from my teammate Elise. She found Riker. Do you want to talk to him or not?”

Draeken straightened. “Yes. Of course. Are we going to meet up with them at the rendezvous?”

Stella didn’t respond right away. She’d sent a message to Alienn barely in time for the regular check-in. Okay, two minutes late. Regardless, there had been a change in plans.

An express ship was en route to the gulag via Earth and the way station here. She needed to bring Draeken to Alienn sooner rather than later. She’d have to leave Victoria and Elise behind to make it in time. She would also have to take the silver SUV she and her team had brought to Georgia. Victoria and Elise would need to find their own way home, possibly from the spacecraft retrieval team. They should be arriving soon, if they hadn’t already, but she didn’t have time to worry about them.

She messaged her teammates to fill them in on her new directive, let them know they’d have to get back to Alienn on their own and, most importantly, get their current status.

Victoria was in the greater township of Nocturne Falls and had a good lead on where Holden was located. She said she’d likely be a few days, but didn’t go into detail. Stella trusted her to do what was needed, check in regularly and return to Alienn as soon as possible with the pilot in tow.

Her message to Elise resulted in more good news. She’d found Riker Phoenix. Hurt in the crash and left unconscious, he’d been carried off by so far unidentified folks from the woods, and abandoned in a cabin.

They were leaving a note of thanks to his rescuers and planned to rendezvous with the spacecraft retrieval team for a faster lift back to Alienn and immediate medical help of the alien kind.

Stella agreed, but also asked Elise if Riker wanted to speak with Draeken. Not only did he want to, he demanded it. She connected to the other device for voice and handed it to Draeken.

“Riker? Are you okay?”

Stella gleaned from Draeken’s side of the conversation that even the painfully few short-worded sentences between the two brothers was enough to soothe and calm them until they could meet in person.

Draeken said, “I appreciate what you were willing to do for me on the trip to the gulag. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me.”

He listened, nodding here and there to whatever Riker said in return. After a minute or so, Draeken held the communicator out to Stella. “Riker would like a few words with you.”

Stella took the communicator. “Hello?”

Riker’s raspy voice came over the line. “What is the plan for Draeken?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.” Stella didn’t want to play hardball, but her instructions from Alienn had been very specific. Bring him back pronto because there is a special express spacecraft on the way to collect him. And also, do not share this information with anyone!

“Please tell me. I got myself put on that ship as his guard to ensure the gulag staff knew he was my brother. Now it looks like he’s facing a ten-year sentence without someone to speak for him.”

Stella had a bit of information on that score, but absolutely could not share it with Riker. “Listen. I understand, I truly do, and I’m not without personal feelings in this matter, as you well know. However, I’ve been specifically tasked with getting Draeken back to Alienn in time for another express spacecraft bound for the gulag. My mission is time sensitive and I can’t wait for you. I’m sorry. I promise to ensure he’s safely delivered.”

“Will you also deliver a message to the guards taking him to the gulag?”

“Yes.”

“Mention my name. In fact, make sure they know who I am, and that I personally request my brother be treated fairly while incarcerated.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best to ensure that message is delivered.”

“Thank you.”

She closed the connection.

Draeken looked around the small section of park they’d claimed as if he didn’t quite understand where they were.

“Will you come along peacefully without being restrained? Or do I need to put the shackle back on you?”

“Shackle?” he said, as if he’d never heard the word before. “No need to bind me, Stella. I’ll come with you.” He gave her a sleepy-looking smile. She had a sudden visceral memory of waking up next to Draeken. He was, in her opinion, irresistible all the time, but especially first thing in the morning.

She shook off that memory and started calculating the best way to get back to the team’s SUV. Another glance at Draeken sent her mind diving back in for another lap around the memory pool. He was without a doubt a man she had never fully been able to forget or fall out of love with.

He still looked out of sorts, but she attributed it to the effects of the shackle and his recent grand confession. Stella was still cataloging all the things he’d told her in that quiet, intense whisper. His love for her, his super-secret plan, what would happen once he got to the gulag and, best of all, his earnest desire to visit Earth, checking it out with the intention of making a future with her.

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want that, but she wasn’t certain how he’d feel about leaving his family on Alpha-Prime in practice. The idea of sharing her life with Draeken became something she wanted as much as she wanted to continue the life she’d built with her long-lost family in Alienn.

“What do you think of Earth?” Stella asked. She thought it was a wondrous place. She’d only been out of Arkansas a few times, but everywhere she’d gone had been varied but no less interesting than her own backyard. She loved Earth and hoped Draeken would feel the same way.

He gestured toward the town. “I love this place. I could spend a month in Nocturne Falls and likely not see everything it has to offer, but I’m also anxious to see where you’re from.”

Stella smiled thinking about her home in Arkansas. She loved it in Alienn so much that most times she didn’t miss Alpha-Prime. No part of it had seemed like a welcoming home, with the singular exception of Draeken. She had truly missed him and seeing him again made her realize how much.

“You don’t have to say a word. I can see from your expression that you’re very happy here on Earth.” Draeken sat up, appearing more alert.

“You could be, too.” Would he consider living on Earth with her forever?

His eyes narrowed. “Except that I’m headed to a gulag for the next decade.”

So, he didn’t want to admit out loud that she knew his secret. Stella could play along. “Well, maybe when you get out for good behavior,” she said, grinning.

“You’d really wait for me?” Draeken seemed surprised. “For ten years?”

She leaned in close. “It likely won’t be ten years, so sure. I’ll wait for you. I’m very fond of you, Draeken. Seeing you again has made me realize how much.”

He overlooked her declaration and asked, “What makes you think it won’t be ten years?” The growing concern in his tone was not difficult to fathom. Obviously, he didn’t want to discuss his super-secret plan and perhaps he was testing her to ensure she wouldn’t give him away. Again, she understood and vowed to be more thoughtful.

Stella shrugged. “Let’s just say I have a good feeling. Your brother is certainly going to continue to argue on your behalf. Perhaps he’ll come up with a way to free you early. If I know Riker, he won’t stop until every possible way to get you out of the gulag has been exhausted. He’s well regarded on Alpha-Prime. So don’t give up. He’s ready to fight for you. I know it.”

“I guess that’s still possible, but I really shouldn’t count on it.” Draeken acted like he fully expected to spend ten years in the worst gulag in three galaxies.

Stella was so intent on Draeken’s strange behavior that she didn’t notice they had company. She and Draeken stood from the bench, but there was nowhere to go.

Besides Sheriff Merrow towering over her, a couple she suspected were Hugh and Delaney—the woman’s large belly was the giveaway—and a handful of strangers had them surrounded. There was no chance for escape even if they could outrun the supernaturals, and likely they couldn’t.

Stella put a hand on her Defender, but Sheriff Merrow gazed sternly, brows furrowing in displeasure. “Don’t do it. You know it won’t work anyway, right?”

Stella pushed out a long sigh, pulled her hand away from the Big D and resisted the urge to grab Draeken’s arm and run away as fast as possible.

The only trouble, she knew in fact that the sheriff could move very fast in his human form. They likely wouldn’t get three paces away before he shifted into a grizzly bear or whatever he was, and pounced on them.

Sheriff Merrow motioned them toward his official vehicle parked nearby, but didn’t make a move to handcuff them. Even so, the hour at which she needed to leave and get Draeken back to Alienn was ticking ever closer.

Space Potatoes! Stella didn’t have time for this.