Page 37 of Slavic

Herhead twitches almost imperceptibly andIknow my words found their mark. “Wehave to hideRuby, he’ll find us.”

Ican barely hear her, but the manic desperation in her voice can’t be missed. “Sis, no one is going to find us.Robertand all his thugs are dead.Wellfor that matter, everyone is dead, but we’re not going to get into that right now because none of them count at this moment.Meand you, that’s all that matters right here and now.Doyou trust me?”

“Yes, always.”

“Areyou feeling better?”

Shepauses to look down at her body clothed in an attractive, dark green gown.Iwatch as she delicately rubs the material with the tips of her fingers, an almost reverent look on her face. “Oddlyenough, nothing hurts.”

“That’sbecause of the ‘NotsoJollyGreenGiant’ out there.Hehas spent day and night hovering over you, trying his best to heal all your new and old wounds.”

“He’sa monster and the monsters want to do bad things to us.They’rejust likeRobert.”

Herthoughtless, insensitive words cause a spark of irritation to light up within me, and maybe a hint of guilt as well.Itwasn’t that long ago thatIwas callingSlavicugly to his face. “Stopthat, no they’re not.Noteverything out there wants to hurt us.Yes,Iagree most things do, andIthink in this world that number just multiplied, but do you know what we have now that we didn’t before?”

Sheshakes her head causing a lock of hair to fall into her eyes.Reachingup,Igently sweep it behind her ear in a loving caress to get it out of her face before dropping the rest of the truth on her.

“Wehave them.Thebig guy who scared you just now, he’s your safe place.Whenthe world becomes too much, you grab on to the green giant and don’t let go.Ifthings get too loud, he’s the quiet you seek.Ifyou allow it, he’s the one that can make all the pain go away, physically, and mentally.Thegreen giant can and will replace all that hurt with laughter and new dreams, but you’ve got to let him in.Takemy word for it, nothing’s going to get through him to hurt you and even though he’s snarly and scary at first glance, he’s a big marshmallow inside andcares more for you than any other ever will, before or after this moment.

We’vebeen given a second chance,Rowan.Wehad to lose everything in order to be reborn into something else.Idon’t understand half of what’s happened, where we’re going, or even what’s going to occur next.We’vegot a couple options though.One, we can sit under this blanket in our tent and hope that the world leaves us alone.Two, we can be brave and decide to live this new life to its fullest.Three, well there really isn’t a three thatIcan think of right now.”

“I’mnot youRuby.”

Myheart breaks just a little when her words crack as she says my name.Thankfully,Iknow she’s listening to me if she can talk back, even if it’s not as sassy as she used to be.

“No, you’re not, you’re more.Youjust let the world scare you for a while, but that world is gone now.So, look at it like this.Allthose mornings you woke up wishing your life was different, well your wish has come true.Andeven though he’s a little on the rough side, you might’ve been sent your knight in shining, but a little beat-up, armor.So, what’s it going to be?Lifeor misery?Youdon’t have to figure it all out right this moment, but you do have to decide on stepping forward.Sis, you already know what’s behind you, what do you have to lose?Let’slook at the stars with hope in our hearts and minds.Allowthe big grouches to hover and let’s live what little life we have left to the fullest.”

Ifeel likeI’vewon a huge battle when her grin grows, and she smiles at me.Grabbingher hand, we both stand up together with the blanket still covering us fully. “Youready?”Witha nod,Ilower the blanket down, only to find the guys just a few feet away.

GrabbingRowan’shand,Imake her stand next to me.Whilethe scowling, not so jolly green giant approaches hesitantly, her hand tightens on mine a bit.Butit’s not a death grip telling me she’s about to lose her shit.He’smoving with way more hesitancy thanIbet he’s ever done before, and it solidifies everythingIjust toldRowan.Thismale, he’s one of the good ones andI’veno doubt he can fix what that fuckerRobertbroke.

Einarcan bring me my sister back.

Hewas just about to say something when the door slides open and in walks the rest of the crew, a fewI’venot even seen myself yet.IfeelRowanshrink into herself with the addition of so many bodies as she slowly backs up against the wall.Insteadof pulling her forward,Isimply step back with her, so that we’re standing side by side.

Tomy surprise,Einarturns to face the new arrivals but positions himself in front ofRowan.Hisbody is angled so she can still see what’s going on, and she has a direct path to escape if she needs to but is also protected from any threats in front of her.Smartmale thatEinar.Evenif he is a scary as fuck version of my favorite vegetable commercial giant.

Kallenpushes her way through the multiple colors of massive males to stand in the front. “Finally, all of you in one place.”

Slavicturns from me, walking toward her, the normal snarl on his face. “Kallenwhat is so important that it could not wait until a later time?”

“Oh,Ido not know? …Thefact that yourMamis alive and you have a youngling sister?”

Absolutechaos breaks out.Irealize this is getting out of hand fast, and the last thingIneed right now is forRowanto beterrorized any further.Puttingmy fingers between my lips,Ilet out a sharp whistle.Allheads instantly turn toward me.

“Ok, now thatIhave your attention, all the snarling in the world is not going to answer your questions.So, pick one and go with it, like you guys have some sense.”

Kallensmiles at me, “ThankyouRuby,Ineed to learn that trick.Ido not believeIhave ever witnessed instant obedience from these or any males before.”

Slavicis the first to throw out his opinion. “Kallen,Ihate to interrupt your little speech here, butIwatched thatAynarmage slit myMam’sthroat with my own eyes.Thereis no way she survived such a wound.”

“Youare right, most would have died and if the medics had not been on scene quickly afterwards, she probably would not have made it.Youmust realize, we also thought you all were dead as well.Slavic, your absence has spanned numerous orbital rotations.Ihave no idea how you’ve kept your identities hidden all this time.YourMameven put feelers out to see if any of you had been seen or heard of, but nothing come back.”

Theone that favorsSlavicthe most,Ruarc, and who has hovered overKallensince they walked in, holds his hand up when one of the others starts to speak. “Ithink you need to start from the time we escapedKallen.Orthis conversation is just going to keep going in circles.Later, you andIare going to discuss why you are just now bringing this up.”

“Iwas not going to retell this story multiple timesRuarc, and it is not like you have spent enough time with me to talk, she snaps back at him. “Iam not sure if you all were aware of this, but yourSirewas one of the males leading the resistance against theAynar.Theothers who were planning the attack had been trying to recruit him for several orbital rotations, but until they publicly whipped youSlavic, he would not take the chance.Afterthat, he was determined to free you and your brothers, at any cost.

TheAynarthought they were in complete control and that was what finally defeated them.Theyspent rotations building the perfect male, with unlimited strengths and stamina.Whenthe confrontation happened, even with their mental strengths they were unprepared for the mass that attacked them all at once.Whenthe main mages were killed, the rest of them fled in the few remaining space worthy ships still planetside.

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