Chapter 21

Hours have passed, or at least, I think they have. The sun is high overhead, the shadows of the Alsewood far behind us. My fingers are numb, my arms sore from clinging on Ras's back. A field of blue wildflowers rushes around us, and I risk a look up. I've spent most of the ride flat against him, trying to provide as little drag as possible, and as an added bonus, avoiding bugs flying straight into my face.

Tears stream from my eyes, thanks to the speed at which he's moving. I blink them away, trying to see where we are. Smoke plumes in the distance, and my heart lurches. Please, please, let that be Dabin's home. Or a place we can rest.

My stomach growls, and I bury my face back in his golden ruff. A rolling growl starts deep in his chest, and I wince as it builds into a deafening roar. From the corner of my eye, I see birds take wing in the blue-specked field, darkening the sky.

Ras looses another roar, and instead of slowing down, we speed up. My legs are cramping, my stomach aches with hunger, and yet, I can't keep the grin that blossoms across my face. Never in a million years would I imagine riding a prehistoric sized lion across a sun-soaked field of wildflowers, but it's one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced.

A faint cry goes up, and my excitement turns to nerves. Oh god. I swallow against the nausea in my stomach. These are Ras's people. My people. They know what's happened since he fell asleep. They might be able to help me figure out my powers. I half-laugh as I think the last word.

It all is still so unbelievable.

But there's no denying I have them. Even now, my shoulders burn with that electric energy I've come to recognize. The sound of voices grows louder, and I brace myself.

What if they hate me?

I'm an outsider. Ras and I have mated, had sex, whatever, yes. But I could tell he is important to Kaus, and based on the murals, he seemed to be some kind of leader.

With a start, the realization sinks in. I want them to like me.

I want to fit in here.

Earth, my life there, is already distant. Fading away in the sunlight like a bad nightmare, no matter the danger here, this feels right. Besides, I have nothing to go back to. My sisters are here.

I don't have time to let that train of thought go any further. Ras skids to a stop, bellowing loud enough to send more birds flying. Men and women, clad in leather armor, armed with spears and bows and swords, like some kind of medieval movie, stomp and cheer.

I slide off his back as he presses his legs into the ground, and nearly stumble. My ears pop, and he's there, holding me close to his side. My flip-flops fell off at some point during my ride, and the dirt and grass is soft against the soles of my feet.

The crowd has gone silent, and the murmured susurrations draw my attention more than any noise level would. I glance at them, fear sparking in me. The constellation on my back flares to life in response, and I hear several sharp intakes of breath.

My chin lifts, despite my anxiety. I am who I am. I'll never have everyone's approval, and frankly, I'm sick of begging for it. Making myself small.

Blue fills my vision, and I glance at my arm. A soft glow arcs off my skin, and I exhale slowly, trying to maintain control. But it's like I've tapped into it now, and it only grows in intensity. Unease threads through me, but I hold my ground. I hold their attention, and I'm not going to step back now. A primal part of me recognizes that would only make things worse.

A woman pushes through the crowd, her dark hair falling in waves around her face. She's gorgeous, with delicate features and sun-tanned skin and big brown eyes. Ras weaves his arm around my waist, and I lean into him. The people part around the woman, making way for her. They've stopped speaking, and simply stare at me and Ras.

"I have been gone too long," Ras says, his voice deep and full of power. It sends another electric surge through me, and I glow brighter. "I slept while you sacrificed. I do not know how, or why, but I mean to find out. And I mean to fight."

A cheer goes up from the crowd, and it's then I see how ragged they are. Dark hollows shade nearly every eye, scars slash white and pink across their skin. I bite the inside of my cheek. These are people who have fought, and who have fallen time after time against an inexorable power, and who have yet to break.

"The Starbound women are returning? Ras Elasad returns?" A voice calls out. "We can win this war after all!" Another cheer follows the pronouncement. Worry darts through me on its heels. There's a war. This isn't a stroll in a wildflower patch. These people are fighting for their lives.

They expect me to know what to do with my powers. And my sisters.

I have no idea how to do anything.

The woman who's pushed to the front of the crowd catches my eye, and then rolls her eyes dramatically, a slow grin turning up the corners of her lips.

"Give them space, you brutes. Can't you see she's exhausted? Go do something useful instead of standing around."

The warriors mutter amongst themselves, but slowly they turn on their heels, casting us lingering backwards glances. Their eyes fill with hope, and that, more than anything, worries me. What if I never figure out how to help them?

Goosebumps raise the hair on my arms, and breath whooshes out of me. Wow. I want to help them. This place must be getting to me. I glance up at Ras, to find he's staring down at me with a calculating expression.

"What?" I murmur, leaning into him. "Why shouldn't I help?"

He presses a kiss to my temple, his arm tightening at my waist.

"I'm Danielle." The dark-haired woman smiles at me. "How are you holding up?" Her gaze dips to my chest, and embarrassment rises in me. "I had that bra. Nothing like a good Tar-jaaaay deal, am I right?"

My jaw drops. She's from Earth. Relief replaces embarrassment.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up and get some clothes on you." Her mouth twists to the side as she takes in my bare feet. "And shoes. Sheesh. How did you get here?"

My mouth closes with a snap. "How did you get here?" I echo, but even as I ask, I realize this must be the woman Kaus was talking about, the one who came through the gate.

"I'm an astrophysicist. I spent my whole career looking for tears, and then I went through one." Danielle wiggles her fingers, then sighs. "It wasn't exactly part of the plan."

"You're Dabin's mate," Ras says. "This is my Lana."

She quirks an eyebrow at me. "Possessive, aren't they? We're both our own people, Leo. And yes, he is my mate."

I snort a laugh, and Ras grins. I have a million and one questions, but I all I can think to do is grin at her. It's so good to be around another woman, and the prospect of clothes and food and some damn answers is nearly too much. My sisters would love Danielle, too. My chest aches, and I swallow hard.

She holds out her hand. "Come on, Lana. Ras, Dabin was right behind me?—"

"I'm right here." A man moves out of the shadows. His body language telegraphs violence. Like Ras, he has a warrior's build. Massive muscles bunch across his shoulders, his arms as thick around as my thighs. My eyes drag up, taking in his face and then, surprisingly, a pair of horns that curl from his head. Sure, Ras warned me about them, but it's one thing to hear about a man with horns, and quite another to see them for myself.

He stalks towards us, and Danielle rolls her eyes again. "Dabin, this is Lana. Please be nice."

"I'm always nice," he rasps. His dark eyes settle on Ras, and his body tenses against mine. Subtly, Ras positions himself in front of me.

"I mean her no harm. Or you, even though you've abandoned us."

A low growl ratchets up the tension. The blue light, dialed down while I met Danielle, arcs around me again.

Dabin's glance darts toward me. "Another Starbound." He pulls Danielle close to him, and despite looking faintly annoyed, she gazes up at him with affection. "We've been looking for you, have been trying to track down rumors of women pulled through."

"Calm down." Danielle narrows her eyes at me and mouths the word ‘men.' "I told you the sensors I set up went off the other day."

I like her immediately. "My sisters came through too; I don't know where they are."

Dabin goes still, and even Danielle's mouth drops open. "I knew it was more than one. It seemed like many. Many." A reddish haze intensifies around her, then blinks out.

"They've been taken." Ras shakes his head at Dabin.

"Who?"

"Hyadum."

"Good. He has not succumbed, not fully."

I look up at Ras, confused by what Dabin means. Ras's eyes narrow, his lips pursed. "And Lesath," he adds.

Danielle's face falls, and fear grips me. "What do you mean, succumbed?"

"We can talk of this later," Ras grumbles. "My mate needs rest."

"I think she wants to talk about it now, buddy." Danielle shoots me another exasperated look.

I nod once, everyone's eyes on me. "Now."

Even though my legs are leaden, my stomach gnawing with hunger, I need to know what it means. I need to know how to save my sister, if it's as bad as everyone is making it sound.

"Lesath and some of the remaining scions of the great Houses, they have fallen apart. They used to stand firm against the blood drinkers, er, the vampires," she pauses, looking at the sky. "There are vampires here, too, by the way."

"I know. And harbinger monsters." I add, in case she feels the need to break that down for me too.

Dabin and Danielle focus on me. "You've seen a harbinger?"

I nod. Danielle purses her lips. Ras's fingers stroke against my stomach, and I wonder if he's reassuring me or himself.

"Things are coming to a head." She threads her fingers through Dabin's.

"Lesath," I urge. I have to find my sisters. Things coming to a head are a problem for later. My sisters need me now.

"He's Scorpio. Literally, a scorpion. How much do you know about the Houses and Vraya?" Danielle asks, gesturing at to follow.

"Er…" Not much. Not as much as I need to know. I mean, I get the bare gist of it, but it's… a lot. A man that can turn into a massive scorpion? Vampires? I glance down at my hands, which have stopped glowing.

It's all a little outside my expertise. Just a smidge.

"Come on, we might as well eat while we talk." Danielle smiles over her shoulder, but her eyes are tense, her brow furrowed.

Ras and I exchange a glance. He squeezes my side in reassurance, and we follow them, side by side. When did we get to the point that we don't have to talk to know what the other is thinking?

It's nice, actually, and it's not just the bond. If I reach out, I could feel him, but I don't need to. We are both ready for answers. Weird, but soothing, to know we're on the same page.

That there is a we. An us.

We fall into step behind them, and I make myself take a deep breath.

He nuzzles my head again, and, absent-mindedly, I scratch the scruff under his chin. A low chuckle comes from him. The field of blue wildflowers melts into another forest, but unlike the Alsewood, this one has a well-trodden path lined with yellow and green plants. Iridescent butterflies wing around the plants, the same oddly colored bumblebees dipping in and out of the flowers.

Danielle peeks back at us. "I assume you made the connection with your dude and the mark on your back?" Hearing her speak like me, with slang like dude? Warmth rushes through me, and gratitude. It feels like a little slice of home.

"Yeah. I mean, it makes no sense, but it is what it is."

"I never believed in fate. I'm a scientist. Rips in the fabric of our reality, sure. Fate? Not so much." Her shoulder rises as she shrugs. "Yet, here I am, the mark of House Capricorn, of Dabin the slaughterer, in some new world, with him telling me I'm his mate."

I could hug her. "I know the feeling."

"I figured you did."

"They were the leaders in this world, the zodiac signs made manifest. All of our people, the Starbound, are the likewise important, but the major zodiacs are the ones that seem to get the lion's share of power." Her eyes flicker to Ras, and I grin at her unintentional pun. "The women fled after the vampires came through one of the tears, the Einstein-Rosen bridges. They call them gates." She shivers.

"Have you seen a gate?" I watch her carefully. For all her relaxed manner, she seems bothered, slightly twitchy.

"Yes." She doesn't elaborate, and I bite my bottom lip, leaning closer to Ras. Dabin is silent next to her, holding her hand in his.

"So, everyone else is a mostly normal person, if not quite human, then mortal. Sometimes they manifest the starlight... if they have the blood. The vampires hunt them."

It's a lot to follow. I imagine fangs, dripping with blood, and I shudder.

"You're safe with us," Ras puts his arm around my waist, and I lean into him.

The path widens, and suddenly, we're in a clearing. A house rises before us. Stone and shingle, it looks like something out of a fairytale. The windows boast diamond shaped panes, emerald-green shutters bookending them. Vines twine across white and beige stones, bees dipping between the flowers.

"It's beautiful," I breathe. I can't even imagine living in such a gorgeous place… I would love a house like this. Somewhere safe, with pretty flowers and morning waking up next Ras, nights falling asleep in his arms.

My throat bobs as I swallow, and I force myself not to look at him. For all I've been trying not to think about the future, my subconscious clearly has other plans.

Danielle beams at me, tugging the door open. The smell of fresh bread hits me, and I salivate. The house is colorful on the inside, a violent array of shades that shouldn't work, but somehow do, making the whole place feel cozy and snug.

She leads us into the kitchen, pouring a mint-scented drink into metal jugs and ushering us to sit. So, sit we do, the men silent, sizing each other up.

Danielle scowls. "If you two are going to fight, go do it outside so we can talk."

Ras's lip curls.

"Stop it," I say.

He growls, and Dabin rolls his shoulders.

Pouring out a bit of my drink, I flick water onto his nose, like you might a bad cat. Ras blinks, and a low laugh rips out of Dabin.

Ras looks at me.

I glare at him. "My sisters are the priority. Not your weird possessiveness in front of our hosts. Who, by the way, have been nothing but nice. We are in their house. Stop it."

Ras nods once, his nose twitching. "For you, Lana Kit."

"I'll have to remember that one," Danielle says. The tense moment passes, and she grins at me. We both laugh, and then I sober.

"Do you want the bad news or the good news first?" She leans in closer.

"Tell me the bad news."

"Lesath. Scorpio, but he's unpredictable. Violent. A good warrior, according to my mate." Dabin nods at her in agreement. "But something happened to the zodiac alliance once the blood drinkers arrived. It got worse when the harbingers followed them here. They disagreed on how to fight, how to keep our people safe. Once the Starbound women fled, the chance of mates fled with them. And then some…" she sighs, and her eyes close briefly. "Some decided to not fight at all."

Dabin squeezes her hand and finishes for her. "Our brethren decided that this is the end of this world, and that we cannot fight the tide of time. That we will fail. They are without hope for the future. Without the hope for mates, they are lost. Lesath was among them."

"Where is he?" My voice is low. Dangerous. I hardly recognize it. If he hurts one of my sisters…

"If he has taken her, then he might be kindling hope," Dabin says.

"He could be turning around. If she's fated to be his, then he might already be better. All isn't lost, Lana." Danielle adds, her expression serious.

"We would never hurt our mates." Dabin's focus is all on me. "Has Ras done anything to show you otherwise?"

"No." I shake my head, and Ras's wave of resultant affection crashes over me. "He told me once we were mated, that I would have full control of my powers. That's the only thing I'm waiting on."

Danielle leans forward onto her elbows. "You don't?"

"Not at all." Ras stops moving. I can't even look at him. It feels wrong to speak like this, like admitting it is some kind of betrayal… but I need answers. "Why don't I?"

Danielle looks troubled, her brow furrowed. She glances up at Dabin.

Ras doesn't move an inch.

Ignoring him, pushing down the feeling that I've messed up, I sip the drink in front of me. Mint floods my mouth. Green leaves float across the surface, and I drink more, finishing it. Partially because it tastes amazing, and partially because I'm afraid if I don't put it in my mouth I'm going to say something I'll truly regret.

"Come on." Danielle stands abruptly, grabbing a loaf of bread off a stone counter. She hands it to me, and I stand too. She rummages around the kitchen, collecting a hunk of cheese and an apple and a knife.

"Dabin, why don't you go show the lion our troops? Catch him up on strategy since he's sleeping on the job."

Ras frowns, his expression clearly hurt. The bond between us feels tight, like he's choking it off, keeping his emotions from me.

So what?I need answers. At least, I tell myself that. Ripples of guilt accompany the thought.

Ras stands, stalking from the room with a predator's grace. Without a word, Dabin follows him, and I sigh in relief, sinking back into the rustic wood chair. The front door closes behind them, and Danielle peeks out the window. I tear a chunk of bread off the loaf. Danielle slices into the apple and cheese, setting it on a wooden platter. I cram the bread in my mouth, hardly tasting it as I chew.

"Has he hurt you? Forced you?"

I sputter, nearly choking. "What? No!"

She presses her palms onto the table, looking deep into my eyes. "You have a bruise on your cheek. You're wearing a bra and short-shorts. You're filthy and you look like shit. I don't care how good a general he was a century ago. If he hurt you, Dabin will kill him. It goes against everything in their culture to hurt a woman, especially a mate."

"I don't want Dabin to kill him! He didn't do this." I point to my face, shame spiraling. "And thanks, by the way, for telling me I look like shit. It hasn't exactly been a bed of roses since my ass landed here a few days ago."

Danielle exhales, some of the tension going out of her. She sits across from me, her face still serious. "I can't help you if you don't let me. Say the word, and Ras won't be a problem anymore."

Fear turns my stomach. She'll make good on it, the truth of it etched across her face. "I don't want you to hurt him, I—" I can't say it. I feel it, deep in me, the words that threaten to emerge. "I don't want you to hurt him." I repeat.

"Hmmm."

I shove a piece of apple into my mouth. "We haven't had fruit. Just fish. We hid from the harbingers in a cave. Have you been to the caves?"

She snorts, eating an apple slice of her own. "Oh, let me tell you, I have been in the caves."

"Then you know there's not a lot of variety down there."

She nods her agreement, her eyes distant. "I want to hear your story. I already know mine."

So I tell her. I tell her about my abusive piece of shit ex, my sisters and camping and our wishes, and Ras. When I finish, her mouth is a thin line, her eyes wet with unshed tears. My chest feels hollowed out, like talking about it scraped it clean.

But I didn't cry this time.