His Human Hellion (Ultimate Passage Book 2) (18 page)

Marissa

Marissa stepped around Finn, put a hand on Finn to stop him, and turned to face Saraz, who was still transforming. “Saraz, please.”

She had been paralyzed from the moment he appeared. Paralyzed not only with fear for her baby, but also for Finn
. Scared too, that Saraz would render her legs useless.

“How is my baby?” Saraz smiled, the emotion not reaching his cold eyes.

Beside her, Finn sucked in air. “What the curses does that mean?”
Oh yeah, he was pissed.

Saraz raised a mocking eyebrow and opened his mouth to
speak.

She pointed a
t Saraz. “You. Stop. And turn back now. Become like you were.” She paused, softened her tone, put her other hand on Saraz’s arm. “Please? And let’s talk peacefully.”

Finn crossed his arms, glaring at Saraz, then
aimed a confused, hurt look toward her. “Why does it sound like you and he . . .” He dropped his hands by his side, clenching and unclenching.

We don’t, didn’t, and never will.
She wanted to scream it out. But what ramifications would that yield with Saraz, the dangerous being who created portals—her only way back to Earth.

“What is there to talk about? You need to return with me. At least until the baby is born.”

“No.” Finn pulled out his TripTip.

“
Please.” Marissa pushed his hand down. “Don’t hurt him.”
He’s my only way home.

“Now you care about him? Is that how it is?” Finn sheathed his weapon, made as if to turn away.

“Don’t you dare go, Finn. You don’t understand. Let me explain. Can we all just sit by the fire?” Marissa mentally ran through some of the things she absolutely could not discuss in front of Finn or with Finn, not tonight anyway. Maybe some time. They walked to the fire. Marissa sat, Finn stood next to her, Saraz across, flanked by Taya and Cinia. Barz and Corzine stood behind Norn, who was on Finn’s other side.

“Am I the only one who is going to sit?”

None of the men answered, they all looked ready to jump into a fight.

She turned to Saraz. “I will not go with you. I belong with Finn.” She took Finn’s hand, laced her fingers through his, though his hand remained stiff and unyielding. Clearly still pissed. At her or Saraz? Or both?

“I cannot allow it.” Saraz made his low, vibrating, thrumming growl.

“I will be unhappy.
You realize that this is bad for the baby. You don’t want to hurt the baby. Plus, I want to go home, back to Earth.”

“No.
I will not allow you to take Alithera where I cannot see her. I cannot return—”

“Wait.” Finn stepped forward.

Finn

Anger had been the reigning emotion in Finn since the newcomer arrived. He couldn’t bring himself to think of him as Saraz. Maybe the Kormic were right in defining the word as evil. Surprise now ruled supreme amongst Finn’s emotions.

“You said Alithera. Why that name?”
Finn tried to remember what Ali had said that night about her name and her mother. And what it was she was hiding, that which she almost told Finn, but held back at the last moment.

“That is to be
Bearer’s name. And she is to be a winged Asazi woman, and to be called Alithera.”

“There already is.” Finn leveled a stare at him.

The newcomer’s reptilian eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

Finn bit back the retort and surge of anger that roared to come out. How he wanted to bury his
TripTip in this arrogant autocratic—

Marissa’s fingers clenched his forearm. Her nails digging in, warning him. It served to drive his anger higher. And then using her thumb, she traced tiny patterns, circles on his skin, a small plea to control his anger. He glanced down at her face, beseeching him not to attack. Guilt over what happened with Ali coursed through him. He owed Marissa. He breathed deep, counted to twenty, then unflexing his hands, he began. “An Asazi woman I gre
w up with, was once Bound to—”
Had sex with. He hated himself for that.
“—her name is Alithera.”

“This is true,
” Par said. “I’ve known this girl since she was a baby.”

“What does that matter?” T
he newcomer’s words were cold, clearly he was unimpressed.

“First of all, that is not a common name. Second,” Finn paused, knowing this would create a furor. “She has wings.”

“Impossible.” The word burst from the newcomer.

“What?” Marissa’s exclamation was equally loud.

“Truly?” Par examined Finn’s face. “I never knew . . .”

“Her mother
secured her wings daily, wrapping them tightly against her body so they would not betray her. It was why she only took military assignments that were local. So she could be near her mother.”

“I was going to ask yo
u what happened to your Binding,” Par said.

“Why should I believe you? It is obvious you are in love with Marissa and want her for yourself. Prove it. Bring me this convenient Alithera.” The newcomer turned to Marissa. “Your Asazi man is quick to concoct stories and very adept at lying.”

“He’s neither.”

A pang of guilt pierced Finn with more deadliness than a
TripTip over her quick support of him.

Marissa trailed fingertips down his arm, took his hand, squeezed it. “He’s honorable and honest and I have met this Alithera-character.” Disdain colored her voice. “He can produce her.”

Finn swallowed a lump that tasted like the kratan he’d had to eat once when on a mission. “That will be difficult.”

“Why?” Marissa was quick, suspicious
-sounding.

Or was that his own paranoia at being found out? “She ran away
. To Earth. Snuck onto the vessel Kal was on. She said she came to your cell before she left Kormia.”

“She did.” The speed with which Marissa spat the words confirmed Finn’s suspicions. No love lost there.

He wondered what happened in that cell.

“She didn’t tell me that she planned to leave.” Marissa’s eyes
narrowed like a hunter’s concentrating on prey.

“How convenient this individual you’ve created you now can’t produce.”
He scoffed.

Marissa turned to the newcomer. “She’s very real, Saraz. Unfortunately.”

“And she is out of my reach, on Earth. You know I can’t return to Earth. Let me guess, now you will propose that I allow you to return to Earth under the pretense of going to get her. And I should believe that you will come back with her.”

“Actually that’s not a bad idea,” Marissa said. “Let us go to
Earth to get her. Is she at home—I mean the ranch—is she, Finn?”

“That’s where I left her.”
A
fter you had sex with her.
He tried to ignore the mocking voice of self-hatred.

“Have you two no understanding of sarcasm? I was not making a suggestion.”
Saraz shook his head, as if in disbelief at the simpletons he was forced to deal with.

Marissa
put her hands on her hips. “Why not give it a shot?”

“No,” Finn exclaimed.

“No,” the newcomer roared, thrummed, began to shift.

“Finn, why not?” Shock in her voice
.

Finn didn’t answer her. He couldn’t right now. He had to deal with this newcomer and his misconceptions. “And I said your Alithera has already been born. She escaped to
Earth to escape the prophecy, the attention. If she knew you were a part of the prophecy, she’d probably have gone sooner. What in the curses are you? What sort of being?”

“I am of an ancient race. I am Creator of the Asazi.”

Marissa

“Saraz.” Marissa had to interrupt their exchange before it degraded to a brawl. “Please allow me some time with Finn. I need private time with him. Can we finish this conversation later, maybe tomorrow?” She played a trump card. “I do not feel well.”

“Be warned there will be no portals for any Asazi or human until this is resolved to my satisfaction.” He turned around to leave.

“Saraz.” Cinia handed him the cloak. “Wait for us.”

“You are no longer one of mine.” He slid into the shadows behind the waterfall and was gone.

Cinia and Taya’s wails filled the cavern.

“Can they stay with us?” Marissa couldn’t bear the idea of their perishing in
Midland. “Please? They helped me escape.” There was no need to complicate matters by saying they helped her because they didn’t want to share Saraz. That would open up a brand new can of worms.

“Of course,”
Par answered. He said something to Barz and Corzine who looked very pleased.

Finn took Marissa by the waist, turned her to face him. “We need to talk.” His skin shimmered an indigo blue. Guilt washed over his handsome features.

That made her feel even worse about the things that transpired with Saraz. Then again, he was in control of her mind, wasn’t he? Now she doubted everything. More importantly, first, she had a pressing matter to settle with Finn.

“Why did you say no when I suggested we go to
Earth for Alithera?”

He shifted, shuffled his feet. “I cannot lose you in childbirth.”

“What else?” Why did she have this feeling he was holding something back.
You’re a fine one to judge, aren’t you?

“That’s it. Nothing else matters. I will not see you die or see you and our baby locked up in a laboratory while scientists probe and ex
periment on you until there is nothing left but two bodies to dissect.” He folded his arms over his muscular chest.

Fury pounded in Marissa’s temples.
He’s doing this because he loves you.
It sounded like her father’s voice. I
know he does.
And this was all motivated by Finn’s love for her. “I can’t live here forever. I want to go home.”

“Would you stay until the baby is born? Please? Raiza will help with the birth.”

“What is it you are not telling me, Finn?”

“How do you know me so well?”

So there was something. She waited. He ran his hands over his face, through his hair. “When Kal landed, Alithera had snuck into the vessel, she popped out. I had to wait overnight before I could leave. I put them in separate rooms, Alithera’s was at the furthest end of the house, as far from ours as I could get it.”

Cold dread ran even colder tentacles over Marissa’s body, then gripped her stomach like a vise. She didn’t want to tell him to keep going, the look on his face made her want to tell him to shut up, made her wish she had a device that could rewind time. But she had
nothing, so she waited for the other shoe to drop.

“I was asleep, dreaming. I thought it was you.”

“Stop.” She couldn’t bear to hear anymore. She—
Oh God!
—her stomach convulsed and emptied its contents on her shoes. A sharp pain wrenched her lower abdomen into a spasm. “Oh, no. Gawwwd.”

“Marissa?”

“I’m cramping. The baby. Oh, no. Please, no.” She screamed in pain.

Taya and Cinia grabbed her arms, holding her up, Finn supported her around the waist, though she kept doubling over.

Finn

What remained of the night was rough. The two Asazi women cared for Marissa, making her comfortable. After seeing the look in the Kormic brothers’ eyes from a few yards away, Finn gave the Asazi women clothing to cover their bodies with.

Finn kept a watchful eye on Marissa.
A while later, the blonde came to him.

“She’s asleep. She had a little bleeding, but did not lose the baby.”

Relief about the baby being okay flooded through Finn. Then surprise replaced relief at how much it mattered to him. It did. This baby had come to mean so much to him. It was a part of Marissa and his love. It was a part of both of them.

She wrung her hands. “We have nowhere to go.”

“It’s been decided. You will stay with us.”

“Oh thank you, thank you so much. She loves you. She really tried to resist Saraz.”

“I love her too.” What was that she said? What did she mean she tried to resist Saraz? Finn bit back the questions in his mind and heart, he had no room to judge, none at all. “I can tell things are different when we are not with our Asazi people.” The blonde continued.

“What? Different?” H
e tried to glean what she was referring to.

“Emotions,
more exaggerated away from the Heartland.”

“Agreed.” Finn rose from his seat on a low branch. “You two go to sleep. Barz and Corzine have prepared a place for you. I will watch over Marissa and rest with her.”

Finn lay next to Marissa, his hand over her abdomen, she still had not agreed to stay, but she had not said no. That was before he told her about Ali. Who knew what she was thinking now.

*~*~*

A faint light woke him up. The lighting was dim, from the curtain created by the waterfall. Cascading water soothed his nerves with a calming noise. Next to him, Marissa stirred.

“Finn?”
Her voice was strained. “I don’t know if I have a right to be upset with you as much as I was.” She breathed in, exhaled. A single tear slipped out of the corner of her eyes.

He stopped its downward progression with a fingertip. “You do not need to say anything. Nothing else matters, just you and I.”

“No, I have to tell you. Something happened with Saraz. And I think he mind controlled me. But I don’t know for sure.” Two more tears.

Should he ask? Would it upset her more? Would it hurt him? Damage what they had beyond repair or hope? “Did you and he . . .” Finn could not bring himself to finish the question.

“Oh, no.” Her voice broke. “No. Never.”

“I want to explain
. . .” He needed to find the words.

“No, I understand. I know what I need to know based on what you already said.”

“Tell me you will stay here until the baby is born. For us. For you. For the baby.”