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“I just feel like…” I paused unsure if I should voice my misgivings. It felt ungrateful as if I were complaining after he had saved me from a lashing and rescued me from a nightmare. “If I go inside, I’m worried that I’ll never be allowed to leave.”
“The dome isn’t meant to keep people inside,” Gunnox took my hands in his, “but to keep everyone safe from the nocturnal creatures that live in the jungle.”
“So, I can leave if I want?”
“You are no longer a prisoner, Sarah,” Gunnox’s calming words enveloped me, his touch a tender reassurance against my cheek.
His handsome face blurred before my eyes. After so long of being strong for the other women around me, I finally shattered as the floodgates of emotion burst open. For what seemed like an eternity, I had held onto every last bit of composure, hiding the fear and terror raging within me. My walls crumbled, and I could no longer contain the torrent of pent-up emotion that had been bottled up for far too long.
I was caught in strong arms as my knees gave way. I didn’t need to see to know who held me so reverently as I slung my arms around his neck and buried my face in the crook of his neck. Heavy strides carried me, many concerned voices chattered around me, and soon I was being gently deposited on a soft mattress.
“Don’t worry, Gunnox,” an unfamiliar female voice promised. “She’ll be all right.”
“Poor thing. She’s just scared,” another said.
“Make a hole. I’ve got more chiksin broth and that yummy bread Bella makes.”
“Should you be up walking around in your condition, Marie?”
“Kiss my ass, Amy. I’m pregnant, not cripple.”
My sobs died down as a rich aroma wafted into my nose and my stomach clenched and growled, tightening from the constant hunger that had plagued us. I sniffled and blinked open weary eyes to find Gunnox crouched next to me, purring up a storm, and holding tightly to my hand while many sets of empathetic eyes gazed down at me where I lay.
“Let’s have some soup.” The pregnant woman I guessed was Marie smiled widely at me. “Help her sit up, Gunnox and we’ll get your girl fed.”
“Where are the other girls?” I sat up and looked around frantic that I was surrounded by strangers.
“Over here, Sarah,” Leah waved at me from a table and chairs on the far side of an expensive room. “Try the broth. It’ll soothe your stomach.”
Sitting across from Leah, Bridget sipped from the rim of her bowl. “So good,” she muttered and closed her eyes.
“The other girls are showering and eating,” Marie said.
“Did you sayshower?” Bridget sputtered and wiped her chin with the back of her hand.
“I did, and it’s through that door.” Marie pointed.
Gunnox stood and arranged the pillows behind me, supporting me as I settled back. My hands trembled uncontrollably as I attempted to lift the spoon to my lips, but the strength eluded me. Without hesitation, Gunnox perched on the edge of the bed and took the spoon from my hand. He fed me the warm broth, his face a mask of infinite patience.
The savory liquid wasn’t quite chicken broth, but amazing all the same and a stark contrast to the bland and dehydrated rations the Gorken awarded us with for working the mine. Just as Leah boasted, the nourishing broth soothed the hard knot in my stomach, filling me with a sense of comfort and warmth long forgotten. Or, it could just be the huge silver male feeding it to me.
My gaze met Gunnox's with unspoken gratitude and a fresh rush of tears spilled down my cheeks. A cloth was pressed into my hand and I used it to wipe away the emotion rolling down my face.
I knew who I would miss most once we were returned to Earth. Saying goodbye to the male who had taken a whipping for me, saved us all from the Gorken, and looked at me with such tender regard was not going to be easy. Already, the center of my chest burned with despair at thoughts of leaving him behind, but this was his world, not mine.
“Of all the faces, I will miss yours the most,” I blurted through a fresh torrent of tears.
“I guess no one’s told them about the Yulineons yet.” Marie sniffed.
Chapter Twelve
GUNNOX
The twin suns hung low above the horizon, their rays casting a mesmerizing aura over the intricate spires of Huren's majestic palace. I stood atop the central tower, surveying the city below. Since our return several suns-rises ago, the population inside the dome had increased with Valosians and humans alike. The city of Huren had become a central hub for all three clans despite the planetary shield protecting the planet from more invaders.
What was left of Clan Jurigon remained inside having no place else to live since the Gretolics blasted a hole in the center of their mountain home, while Clan Trisess chose to remain close and continue the search for the males and females who had been abducted by the Gretolics.
Many of Valosians were still out there, somewhere lost and in need of rescue. Ruze and Tyrk were joined by a warrior from each clan: Vennox of Huren, Brunnex of Jurigon, and Truxxet of Trisess. They had left soon after we had arrived, on another mission, as promised to Nara, starting with the Jagots who we had learned from the Zibeck I had interrogated on Tirius had bought a large group of Mayrans. Then it was off in search of the Orcs, Bioti, and Natookie who had purchased the remaining Valosians and humans, plus the one female who had been sold to a Nomadican.
