Episode Fifty-Four Family

D ays Later …

Lylah

I'm scared. I won't lie. We attack the Tower today.

We've done everything we can to help our army prepare. I'm a novice, and it takes me twice as long as everyone else to fletch an arrow, but I've given it my best effort.

When I'm not doing that, I've practiced with my bow and arrow. Usually, it's just Hazlan and me who find a quiet place in the nearby forest to shoot arrow after arrow at a target he made.

We feel terrible that of the four of us, only Eldar will be in the first wave. Haz would be perfect to follow Drixxa into battle—if his wings weren't clipped. He's too heavy to ride one of the flyers and ill-equipped to climb the outside of the towers because of his clawed paws.

Zoron with his hooved feet is unable to climb the Tower. I possess no skills other than my hatred for the males who oppressed the females Up Above. I would be more of a liability than an asset. The three of us are grounded.

Eldar's slight build and skill with bow and arrow make him perfect to ride one of the large avians into battle. I've never seen him so serious… or so proud. Fear for him twines in my belly like barbed wire, but I would never ask him to remain with us. The cause is too important.

We're hoping most of the women will want to join us here in the Down Below. We even had a vote last night.

Azael had been the one to spearhead the rule that all human females should have three mates of different species. He'd hoped to further the alliances between species. It's hard to attack another group when you share a common mate.

We're way beyond the need for that now. Just look at the horde assembled nearby. There are at least forty different species all working together to defeat one common enemy—the people who have oppressed us for centuries.

The multiple-mate mandate has been unanimously abolished by the head of each of the clans, though not without grumbling. The males who have yearned for a female all their lives were well aware that revoking the edict reduces by two-thirds their chance of finding a female mate.

Everyone agreed it was the right thing to do, though. Forcing a woman to mate someone should be a thing of the past.

I have my suspicions that when the women from Up Above see how wonderful it is to have more than one male adore them, many will embrace the idea of multiple males. Whatever they choose, I'm glad everyone agreed that the days of forcing women to do anything are far behind us.

Azael might be the leader of the Village, but no one disputes Drixxa's rightful place at the head of the army.

I've never had the privilege of reading a book. But in his over two hundred years of life, Drixxa has read hundreds, maybe thousands of them. There must be so much knowledge inside them, because when he talks military strategy, it makes all our heads spin—even Azael's.

Zoron, Hazlan, and I may not have the right biology to attack Tower One, but we'll race into action the moment the first refugee arrives Down Below. In addition to women, and perhaps some males who don't want to abuse their power anymore, we're expecting a few species from Down Below who've been kept Up Above as slaves.

The centaurs have been busy building barracks that will hold many females. When our enemies are vanquished, we'll find a way to get the elevators working to bring beds and bedding down, so the women will be comfortable as they adjust to their new lifestyle.

Some may wish to stay in the Tower. I don't know how they'll fare, but it's not my concern. My mates and I will meet with the women who come Down Below. We'll hear their stories of pain, reassure them that their lives are now their own, and help them begin anew.

One of the first things we'll have to do is teach them to sew. There are very few clothes for women in the Tower. We were only allowed to wear the see-through traveling gowns we used when we were ordered to "attend to" one of the males who paid our fathers for the use of our bodies. I'm glad those days will be over soon.

Perhaps my worries show on my face, or my mates feel them through our matebond, because one by one they come to my side, surrounding me with their bodies and their love.

"It's going to go well, love," Zoron says, the nervous swish of his tail revealing his worry, though his words were meant to calm. "With Drixxa leading the charge and all the lasers we took from the Works, we will vanquish our enemies."

Though Eldar is standing tall and brave, through our matebond, I feel fear seeping from him. No stranger to battle, he fought all his life to stay alive or keep his belly full. He tasted the thrill of fighting for something larger than himself when he attacked the Works. Today there is even more at stake.

My beautiful elf steps behind me, slides his arms around my waist as he places his cheek next to mine. "Nothing will keep me from returning to you, my love." He glances at his other mates, then turns me in his arms and spears me with his gaze.

"By sunset I'll have returned to your side and we'll have a new mission of helping the refugees. But one thing that will never change…" He pauses until all three of us look at him.

"We're a family. Whether we call it a pack, a pride, a coalition, I don't care. We're a family who love each other. No one can take that away from us."