23. Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-three

" H eal them!" Bella's voice echoed in the room.

"I wish…" Healer Bly stood there looking defeated. Warrior Bella, they are dead. I can do a lot, even more since Healer Zylar took me in hand, but I can't heal death."

"Then why are they hooked up to these machines?"

Healer Bly's eyes flicked to the crown elect before looking at Bella again. He wouldn't tell her that someone refused to believe what was in his face.

"The machines are breathing for them and keeping their hearts functioning. Their brains are dead. If they were to wake, they would be vegetables unable to do anything for themselves." He moved around the bed, checking the machine.

He placed Zylar and Amelia on the bed together. SaKura had demanded it, but there was a feeling of dread in the room when they were apart. He didn't mention it and knew it was crazy. Now there was a sense of peace. It was such a slim hope that maybe these feelings meant something that he forced himself to keep them to himself.

"You're the second-best healer the Diza has," SaKura said. His eyes lingered on his cousin for a minute. Zylar was the best healer. "You trained under the best. Tell me honestly. If death can be defeated? Can Zylar and his mate do it?"

Healer Bly didn't want to answer that question. Would it be false hope if he said yes? The crown elect asked for his honest opinion, and he knew better than to lie to him. Bly was fond of living, and he was waiting for his ship to be filled with eligible women. He wanted to be there to see and meet a few of them.

"Yes, if anyone can come back from this, it would be Zylar and Amelia." He didn't say that lightly. He'd made a study of them while they were on the ship. They were the only interracial couple he knew personally that comprised a Diza and a human.He'd swear that he knew more about how they functioned as a couple than Zylar did. Bly's emotions weren't involved in the way Zylar's were.

"Then we wait. We'll give them a chance to come back to us in a body that will function,"SaKura decreed.

Bly wanted to argue, to tell him how hard it would be for them to move, to walk. It didn't take long for the muscles to atrophy. But this way, if they came back, they would have a chance. If their bodies died. It took everything not to shudder in front of the royalty gracing his presence. Yeah, coming back to a dead body was something he didn't want to consider. He thought about vampire lore and almost laughed.

"We'll wait a while longer." He nodded his head at SaKura, the new crown elect. He'd known him for centuries before his title changed, before they lost the women of Diza and had their lives changed forever.

Now he was standing in the ship's medical bay with two Earth females. They were mated, but they were here. He ate meals with them in the mess hall as they'd taken to calling it. They fascinated his crew.

"Captain," Delsa the second-in-command, voice came over the com. "The other two earth females are here and request to see Healer Zylar and his mate."

Captain Gylor met SaKura's eyes and when he was given a nod of approval, he told Delsa to bring them down.

Bly stood back, giving himself a perfect view of the door. When it opened and the two human females walked in, his joy radiated like the sun. He thought it was a fluke that the earth could have beautiful women who were thick and that a male wouldn't have to worry about hurting. There were two more that said everything he heard was true.

One carried a tiny infant; she had dark hair and light skin. Much lighter than the three females he met so far. He also heard that humans had multiple shades of skin. Beautiful. The one without an infant had fiery red hair. He could imagine the temper on her. He shouldn't be imagining such things as if he had a chance to win her affections.

Sarah took in the room before meeting Anna's eyes, giving her their secret smile that said hot men… er males were present.

They walked past one on their way to get a better look at Zylar and Amelia. Sarah couldn't help herself. She winked at the hottest male in the room. He. Tripped. On. Nothing.

Hell yeah, she was going to like it here. All she heard was laughter. Her friends were laughing. Sarah had gone from having friends who would stab you in the back to having real friends. Who knew alien monsters would make that much of a difference in their lives?

***

The feeling of stability was grounding after having floated for what felt like years.

"Do you feel this?" Amelia asked. She was so used to talking into Zylar's mind she now did it without questioning it.

"I do." He answered, bypassing her ears and speaking into her mind.

"Blah, antiseptics and cleaning supplies." She sniffed. "No bleach, maybe we aren't in a hospital."

"No hospital, this is my domain. We're in the medical bay on my ship."

"Oh, that's okay then. Wait…no, we're dead. Believe me, I know dead, or I know it now and I stopped breathing, my heart stopped beating. No heartbeat, no blood circulation."

"There are ways."

"Of course there are." Amelia opened her eyes to find the light in the room muted. She wanted to kiss healer Bly for that.

"Don't make me pull his heart out through his mouth."

Oops, she was broadcasting. She'd have to work on that if they were indeed alive.

"Do you think we're alive?" Amelia asked.

"I can hear your heart beating," Zylar said. Amelia caught the hitch in his voice.

Being dead was cool and everything, but they were so consumed with finding where they were supposed to be that there was no time for the two of them.

"Prepare for incoming."

"Why, I don't hear any alarms."

"They're silent," Zylar told her. The sound of rapid footsteps running down the hall. There were too many to only be Healer Bly. "Told you."

Healer Bly came through the door first, followed by a host of other people who Amelia and Zylar ignored. They only had enough bandwidth for one person.

"Bly." Zylar croaked out. His throat was dry and sore from not using it.

"Water," Bly called out before he leaned over and took his friend and mentor in a long hug.

SaKura and Rakha brought the water, handing a glass to Zylar and Amelia and helping them to drink.

Amelia searched the room for her cousins. "How long?" she got out.

"Three months," Jenna said. Tears were rolling down her face. Bella was crying quietly next to her sister.

"Hug." It was all Amelia had to say before her cousins hugged her tightly and talked over each other.

Bly stood back as SaKura and Rakha welcomed Zylar back into the world of the living.

"Break it up," Healer Bly said using his official voice.

"I need to check over my patients without an audience. You can come back later, but I'm limiting them to two at a time. Out." There were sounds of disappointment and cheers that they were alive as everyone left the room.

Bly stared at them, unable to move for a few moments. A miracle. It was a human concept, one he didn't understand until now. When something happens, and there is nothing you can come up with that explains it. Magical, mysterious, spiritual. Like meeting a race that has women compatible with the males of your planet. A miracle.

"I can't explain why you're alive, and to be honest, I'm not going to try," Healer Bly said as he started looking at the scans that were being taken.

"What's your name, date of birth, and what year is this?" he asked Amelia.

She rattled them all off without a hitch.

"Who is this next to you?"

Amelia's hand snaked the short distance between her and Zylar. Their fingers intertwined.

"He's my mate. The love of my life." Being dead gave her the perspective that living day to day didn't.

"Do you know who you are?" Healer Bly asked Zylar. He told him his name and his lineage, as well as his house name.

"You both know who you are. That's a step in the right direction. You'll need intense physical therapy."

Amelia shook her head no.

"If you want to walk again…" Healer Bly stopped talking when Amelia shook her head.

"I know." She coughed. Her throat was still parched, and every word felt like a razor coming out. It took less energy to get the water sitting by the bedside than it had to move her arm when it was her or Stacey and still it hurt like hell.

"Two weeks," she got out. "When you know a goddess, timelines get moved up." She collapsed on the bed, wanting to sleep.

Zylar moved across the bed and took Amelia, who was already asleep, into his arms.

"Bly," Zylar whispered. "If the scans and the bloodwork come back without an issue, put us in a healing sleep."

Zylar closed his eyes and followed his mate into a deep sleep.

***

"Wee." Amelia jumped up and down, watching the ground act like a trampoline. "Is this a dream?" she asked Zylar, who was doing somersaults in the air.

"I believe Bly placed us in a healing sleep. Many reports say what happens to the mind while healing this way is different and strange for each person."

"We're having the same dream."

"We're one," Zylar told her.

Amelia stopped jumping to think about what Zylar said. They were one. Mates tied together to infinity and beyond. She laughed. Children's movies were the best.

She jumped, rolled and ended up in Zylar's arms. She kissed him, the kind of kiss that said they had forever to kiss, but underneath it was fueled with passion, saying she didn't want to take a minute with him for granted.If she could be killed once, it could happen again.

Zylar's tongue slipped into her mouth and everything she was thinking fled. All she could feel was her breasts tingling with desire and the way her legs felt heavy. Her pussy was dripping with need. She wanted him.

"You ever have a quickie?" she whispered, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Quickie?"

She laughed, taking a step back to get naked and grinning when Zylar did the same.

"I have so much to teach you. Thank God or the goddess that we have eternity together."

"And a day," he said, his eyes eating up her nakedness. He reached for her, taking her in another kiss as his hands played with her back, caressing her and making their way down her spine. When he got to her ass, he squeezed the cheeks before slapping them several times and then smoothing them. Amelia moaned. He was hers and she loved the palms of his hands on her ass.

"I want you. It feels longer than six weeks since we last made love. I could swear it was a lifetime ago."

Zylar picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He sucked on her hard nipples, making her squirm against his cock.

"We don't have long." His voice was regretful and resigned.

"That's why it's called a quickie."

She took a finger and swiped at her pussy, moaning in need. She took her finger and placed it in Zylar's mouth for him to suck her juices off it.

"You taste so damn good."

"Why don't we see what your cock has to say about it?" She grinned, waiting for him to put her down.

He lifted her and placed her above his cock, and moved her down while he thrust up. She screamed. The position was perfect. Zylar started thrusting and walking at the same time.

Amelia's head rolled to the side as she thrust her hips as close as possible to his. She felt his cock move inside her pussy, touching walls and lighting her up. Amelia was one live wire and if she were to die right now, well; she loved the ride.

Later she'd say healing dreams for the win, but right now all she could do was thrust for all she was worth.

This was life, the kind she wanted to live with her mate. She wanted more and for longer. Her body opened to him, along with her mind and her soul. They merged, becoming one. There was no way to tell where one stopped, and another began.

"Zylar," it was a whimper.

"Ride my cock." Oh, hell yes, she could and would do that.

Her pussy was spasming around him and forever was stretching out between them. That sweet ball of lightning was trying to break loose, but she held on tight. She needed another stroke. Zylar changed position and hit her ‘G' spot. She started talking in a different language. Sex with him felt better than good. It was magnificent.

Zylar stopped walking. He spread his legs to get a good position then pistoned into her like he was digging for gold. Amelia leaned forward and bit his shoulder where her mating mark was.

The world turned on its axis as her body went up in smoke. Her orgasm burst over her body, making her burn hotter as she screamed. Zylar bit her, and reality faded away. There was nothing except the giddy pleasure she was experiencing and Zylar. She could feel his pleasure, like it was her own. The way his cock jumped inside of her pussy as he shook from his need to get deeper. Tingles of lightning went through his body as he whispered the word mine repeatedly in his language.

They had gone to so many places physically and spiritually, but this was a new place, and she was here for it as long as her mate was around for the ride.

Zylar laid them down. His cock was lodged firmly within her, and she was comfortable on his chest. She wanted this for the rest of her life. Her eyes closed, and she was on the edge of sleep when she heard it. Evil laughter.

"I knew she couldn't kill you, but I can."

Amelia raised her shield and kicked him out. It was time to dance with the devil.