24. Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-four

" K nock, knock, everyone better be dressed in there." Amelia opened her eyes to Zylar, pulling a cover around their naked bodies.

He shook his head before she could say anything. Once he made sure she was covered, he called out.

"Come in, Bly." There was a loud hiss. It sounded like the door decompressing.

"What's that?" Amelia asked Zylar.

"It was the soundproofing disengaging," Bly answered before Zylar. "I thought it was prudent to engage it last night."

Amelia lifted a hand to one hot cheek and refused to meet healer Bly's eyes.

"Just in case you're wondering, they taught us about the birds and the bees on Diza," Healer Bly laughed. He stood at the bottom of the bed, going over scans and the medical bots that were getting information and transcribing it to him.

"I'll be back in fifteen minutes to give you one more exam. I'm rather sure you're well enough to be discharged," his voice was droll causing Amelia to laugh.

"How did we get back to the ship?" Zylar asked.

"You were dead. Please don't think you got lucky. I was called down by the healer who was already on site. The crown elect wanted your bodies preserved and although he had you on life support to do what the crown elect wanted done, I needed to get the two of you up here." Zylar nodded, understanding what Healer Bly wasn't saying and how hard it would have been to move Amelia.

"Thank you," Zylar said.

"Anytime, don't do it again." Healer Bly left him alone.

"Why do I get the feeling he's not the happiest of males?"

"Healer Bly did something controversial. If we weren't royalty, he would have never tried it. Having your cousin as the crown elect or newly minted human royalty has advantages. If he allowed our bodies to die, the door you walked through wouldn't have been available."

"We keep people alive on life support all the time."

"My precious rose petal. You didn't have a heart to keep alive." That shut Amelia up. Zylar was right. She didn't know what Healer Bly did, but she owed him.

Zylar got them up and directed Amelia to the shower while he stripped the bed and made it using fresh linen. Then he took a shower, and they were both dressed when the knock on the door came.

"Bly." Zylar got up to meet him. He placed his hand over his heart and dipped his head just enough to pay the healer respect.

"None of that. I did what I could." He turned his head to look at Amelia, who was sitting in a chair. "You met the goddess." Bly's voice was filled with awe. There was no way they would be up and moving around like this if there wasn't some sort of divine intervention happening.

"I did. I couldn't see her, but she spoke to me. I have to say I like her."

"I've always believed she does what's best. If she didn't show herself, it was for a reason. Jump up on the bed so I can examine you." He examined her and then examined Zylar.

"You're both free to leave. If anything out of the ordinary happens, tell me immediately."

Thank you for keeping my body alive." Amelia tried to mimic Zylar's moves to honor the healer.

"It was my duty and my privilege." He bowed deeply, the smile on his face victorious.

Zylar ran his hands through his mate's hair. "Ready?"

"I am." Amelia took his hand walking out with him.

They walked out to find the crew lining the corridors to wish them well and tell them how happy they were to have them back. They stopped to have a word with each crew member. It took them hours, but Amelia thought it was worth it.

When they finally made it to the shuttle, she was exhausted.

"You didn't think you were leaving without saying anything to me, did you?" Amelia perked up when she saw Delsa and her mate Rala."

"I wondered where the two of you were." Amelia hadn't spent enough time with Rala, but the time she had told her he was great at his job, a good Diza to get to know, and completely worshipped his mate. What more could she ask for?

"You scared everyone, including your family and the two delightful females who came to see you. From what I understand, they will be coming to Diza on our ship. I think Healer Bly is smitten along with a certain captain. We will see."

"This is why you and I are going to be the best of friends," Amelia said.

"You know it, no worries. I will spill all the tea." Amelia winked and they laughed.

"We'll be back, but right now, we have some evil to take care of." She grabbed Rala's hand and shook it then gave Delsa a you're going to be my bestie hug before she walked up the ramp.

"Oh, my." Bella and Jenna were waiting for her with their mates. "We sent Anna and Sarah ahead of us. Jenna was worried about the baby."

"Good thinking, Jenna." Amelia wanted to say more, but tears were streaming down her face. They were tears of joy that she would get more time with her cousins. Bella and Jenna hugged her, and they all stood there swaying and murmuring words of love and family.

Amelia had been given her life and her family back and she was going to protect it at all costs.

"I think we should give this hugging and crying a try. Bring it in, Zylar said. SaKura and Rakha stepped back.

Amelia laughed, breaking away from her cousins. "I'll hug you." She wrapped her arms tightly around Zylar. This was where she wanted to be.

"You and I have gone through hell together," Amelia told Zylar. There were witnesses, but she didn't care. "I don't know if I told you, that I love you today or how deep my love goes. You own my heart, my soul. There is no Amelia without Zylar and I never plan to let you go. If you try to leave me, I'll be clinging to your leg, refusing to let you leave alone. It sounds kind of stalker-ish, but me without you is nothing."

"Amelia, you are my flower. You brought the sun to my life and gave me a reason to go on when I was losing all hope. I can't imagine a minute lived without you. Wherever you go, I will follow. There is no Zylar without Amelia."

"You know what we have to do next?" she asked her mate.

"He's done too much. One day we will defeat the Tan-ge. Today, we start with one of its rulers."

"Vexar," Amelia said. She had known his name, but was sworn to secrecy. It felt like she'd been scared to secrecy with death as the consequence. She'd been there and done that.

"Strap in," Zylar said. He took Amelia to the chair next to his while her cousins and his cousins took seats in the back. When she went to protest, he kissed her and then made sure she was strapped in.

"Are we prepared for takeoff?" Zylar asked. When he got the affirmative, he spoke with the ship and the doors to the hangar rose. He lifted the shuttle with a light touch and soon they were out in space.

Amelia was stiff. She felt tension radiating from Zylar and couldn't find a reason for it. Unless he was thinking about the last time Vexar attacked them in the shuttle. Should that be something she was prepared for? It could happen. She sat, her nails drumming against the console until Zylar engaged the automatic pilot.

"We should be fine for a while. I'll take it back over when we get close to the atmosphere of the Earth and the gravity pull."

"Perfect, now tell me what's wrong?" Amelia undid the contraption holding her into her seat and turned around to face her mate, one leg curled into the seat, the other one on the floor with her foot tapping.

"We're not on the Earth and we're outside the ship. This is where we are most vulnerable."

"Explain." Amelia was mulling his words over. Why would this be where they were the weakest? Stacey came for her in her cousin's house."

"He," Zylar avoided saying his name like he might pop in at any second. "Has a connection with you. In space, you're more vulnerable, and it would be easier for him to follow the connection and try to kidnap you."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"He didn't see you as valuable back then. Now you've not only defeated the female you were fighting, but you died and you're here to talk about it."

"Won't he see you the same way?"

"No, what he wants to know are the strengths and weaknesses of the humans. They've given up on controlling our planet.Now that we have compatible females, it will make it harder for them to succeed. If they can stop you or your females, they can hurt us as well as take your planet."

Hadn't they all been through enough? The Tan-ge needed to be stopped, and she was the only person she knew with the ability to bring them to a halt or slow them down.

"I don't like that look, and you've shut me out. Whatever happens, we do this together. No one needs to be a Lone Ranger. It was a concept he picked up on Earth."

"The Lone Ranger," Amelia mused. "I was so happy to see you in my death. Did you know that my heart broke to see you there? To know that I took you with me. You heard everything that happened, and I surmised you felt it also." Amelia wrapped her arms around herself.

Would distance save him? She didn't know, but it would save her cousins and his. She wouldn't protect herself by sacrificing them.

"Zylar…" The shuttle rocked.

"Strap in and hold on to something. We've been targeted by the Tan-ge vessel," Zylar called out while making sure Amelia was strapped in.

"Do you need help?" Rakha called out.

"Weapons." Rakha unbuckled and made his way to the chair on the side of the weapons station.

"Tan-ge?" Rakha asked as he strapped into the chair and brought the gunsight up.

"They want Amelia," Zylar said.

"Don't assume. They could want any of them or all of them. Amelia is the logical deduction."

As far as Zylar was concerned, she was the only deduction. They had been working on her before they went after Bella. It was so convenient that her uncle was terrorizing her. Her relationship with Bella and Jenna made her the perfect target. There was no way they were going to pass her up.

Rakha targeted the ship and fired. When he did, ten other ships de-cloaked.

"We're being hailed," Amelia said. Her voice was soft and accepting.

"There's no way we can take them all before they get in a lucky shot, even with both of us targeting them," Rakha said.

"Amelia," Zylar said. She brought up the communications and patched the other ship through.

"Amelia, I've missed you." The male speaking was tall, with dark hair and eyes. He was no longer wearing expensive jeans and a baseball hat that kept everyone from getting a good look at him."

Zylar responded, "You'll address me and not my mate."

"Aww, the healer. Nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you." Vexar gave a small laugh. "We may have a problem. I've come for your mate, and you're not listed on the invitation. Hear me out," he said before Zylar could tell him to go to hell.

"All I want is Amelia and I'll let you and your precious cargo leave safely with no Tan-ge intervention. I can't stop you from searching for her. I encourage it. What is the life of the royal family worth? You may be able to destroy us, but I guarantee I'll make sure you can't reach Earth and every person on your shuttle will be dead before help can arrive."

"No."

"I wasn't asking you. I was speaking to your mate. Don't worry, from what I understand, when she dies, you'll join her no matter where she is. Amelia?"

Amelia muted the stream. "I have to do this. It's the only chance any of us get to live without him working in the background to take our lives."

"Amelia." She kissed him. "I've been learning to trust you, and now I need you to trust me. I don't believe we were given a second chance at life to be cut down before we get a chance to live."

Zylar pulled her into his arms. "I trust you," he whispered into her neck.

He kissed her deeply. "I'll be coming for you."

"You better." Amelia wasn't steady on her feet when she unmuted the stream.

"Yes, but be careful what you ask for, Vexar. You might get more than you bargained for."

He laughed. "You were always funny, Amelia."

She blinked out of existence at the sound of Zylar's roar.