Zonaton (25 page)
Authors: Linda Mooney
Tags: #other worlds, #Science Fiction, #aliens, #dragons, #Romance, #sensuous, #erotic
He placed his hand against hers. "I will always love you, my Emmala."
"Tell me what to do. How can I help you?"
"Bring me some water?"
"I meant for your wound. Do you want me to bind it?"
"No. Not yet. Let me rest here for a moment longer. I dare not move."
Nodding, she went to fetch a small bowl from the fire pit and dipped it into the pool, returning to help him take a few sips. While she was away, she noticed him eyeing the burning remains. "Think they'll come back to exact revenge again?" she asked, crossing her legs as she sat beside him.
"I do not believe they will. But, to be safe, perhaps we should find another cave elsewhere."
"I think we should, too."
She clasped his hand and kissed it. As she watched him resting, the cave grew quiet, peaceful, despite the tragedy that had occurred.
"Should I dispose of the bodies?"
"Wait until the flames die away," he advised. "Wait until they are cooled. No. On second thought, leave them."
Peering directly into his eyes, Emmala took a deep breath. "Explain what happened. What did you do?"
"My essence."
"Yes?"
He gave her an unsteady smile. "That is how."
"I still don't understand. You're human now. How could you do that? Only a geron can do that."
"I am not human, Em. I have taken human form, but my essence is and will always be geron."
She frowned at him. "Are you saying you're still a geron inside?"
The memory of his bright pink blood coming from the knife wound leaped into her mind, and she nodded. "That's why the knife didn't kill you. Hawse thought you were human, and he aimed for where your heart would be if you were human. But your heart, it's lower, where it is in a geron."
Rather than answer, he nodded. His eyes traveled to the cup of water in a silent request, and she held it to his lips so he could take a few more sips.
"You didn't see what I saw," she told him.
He gave her a puzzled glance. "What did you see?"
Emmala pointed to the wall behind them. "I saw a huge shadow of a geron lift its wings before it blew its fire at the crowd. It was your shadow, Zon. You may look like a human to my eyes, to every human's eye, but I bet gerons will see you as one of them."
He nodded slightly again. "If I frightened you, forgive me."
"I was frightened," she admitted. "But not of you. I was frightened for you."
"You were brave, the way you tried to attack the villagers. The way you tried to defend me. You knew the odds were against us, yet you didn't let that stop you from trying." He spoke haltingly, stopping to gasp for breath every few words.
"I was scared out of my wits," she said, giving him a small smile. "I was terrified of losing you. Again."
Lying beside him, she snuggled next to his side. The cave grew tranquil once more. After a while, Emmala lifted her mouth to murmur in his ear, knowing he was still awake. "I don't want to leave here. It's been my home. But I agree with you that we must look for a new place."
"The villagers who escaped know the way," he reminded her. "Somehow they found out how to reach us. They discovered the trail."
"I know."
More silence followed until Zonaton reached over the blanket to touch her hair once more. "Go outside and summon a geron. We will ask him to fly us to some place safe, and other gerons will arrive to tend to me. We cannot stay here. Maybe a few hours more, but no longer. The villagers could come back today, or they may not. We do not know for certain, but we cannot take that chance, either."
"I know."
Without further urging, Emmala stood and started toward the cave entrance, but stopped midway there and turned to look back at him. A wistful smile played across her lips. "Zon? Will we have baby humans or baby gerons?"
She saw him think on it. "I do not know. Does it matter?"
She laughed softly. "No. I guess it doesn't." She turned to continue making her way outside when he stopped her.
"Em? Our world will be forever changed because of this. The humans' and the gerons'."
"I understand."
"I am sorry."
"No." She shook her head. "Don't be. I'm not."
"Are you sure?"
Turning her head to look back at him, she firmly answered. "Yes, and do you know why? Because I have you. I love you, you love me, and we're together. And that's all I ever really wanted."
This time she walked out of the cave and into the bright morning sunlight. The temperature was cool, reminding her she needed to put on some clothes and gather up Zonaton's before they left. That, plus a few other things.
Shielding her eyes, she peered overhead, searching. Far in the distance a dark-colored geron soared above the mountain peaks. She thought she recognized him, but it wasn't important. Closing her eyes, she mentally sent out a call, the way Zonaton had taught her. When she opened them, the geron was making a circle to come her way.
Yes, the villagers would return, if for no other reason than to gather the dead and take them back to Genesis. They would come back to the cave. When that would be, she couldn't begin to guess, but they would return. But when they did, it wouldn't matter. By that time, she and Zonaton would be gone, taken to a new home where they wouldn't be found, wouldn't be seen unless they chose to be.
Yes, the townspeople would come back to the cave. She knew it with the same amount of certainty as she knew she and Zonaton would have a future.
They were together, she and her silver-haired lover. Finally together. Forever together. He would live, and they would be able to have a life they could share. Somewhere. Anywhere. She didn't care if it was near a village, or far away from one.
Wherever they decided to live, they would be happy, and that was all she had ever wanted.
About the Author:
Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel.
A wife, mother, and retired Kindergarten and music teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love.
She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Author of the Year, and her book MY STRENGTH, MY POWER, MY LOVE was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book LORD OF THUNDER was named the Epic Ebook "Eppie" Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance.
http://www.LindaMooney.com
Table of Contents
Chapter Eleven - The Observation
Chapter Twelve - The Questioning
Chapter Fourteen - The Conversation
Chapter Seventeen - The Reveal
Chapter Eighteen - The Confession
Chapter Twenty-One - The Resolution
Chapter Twenty-Three - The Decision
Chapter Twenty-Four - The Attack
Chapter Twenty-Six - The Destruction
Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Result
Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Return
Chapter Thirty - The Revelation
Chapter Thirty-One - The Promise
Chapter Thirty-Three - The Essence