Lazarus

It's been a week since Garon abducted Elina. I do not sleep in our room. I hardly ever go there. Her smell is too strong and my grief cant take it. I usually sleep on a couch in a resting room or game room, if I sleep at all. I work myself hard in the gym to find some type of distraction when I'm not at the bridge to do my duty as a captain. But the workout is never enough, the hours on the bridge are never enough. There is too much time in between when my thoughts can wander. And they always wander to Elina.

All my thoughts are of her. Of her smell, of her smile, her giggles and her blushes, her scrunched up face as she focuses on her games. Everything around me reminds me of her and the moments we have spent together. I know that the loss of your mate can cause insanity and now I know that it is true. It feels like I'm going insane without her and I have to remind myself that I haven't lost her. She is still alive. There is still a chance that she will come back to me.

That chance is today. Today is the mission to enter the base that Garon resides in and retrieve her. My brother has sworn that he will personally bring her back to my side and kill Garon so that he can never hurt my mate again.

We have been looking for his base for three years now and the only reason we found it was because they fucked up when they took her. They did not destroy the com she was wearing so we could follow the signal. And they did not notice our stealth craft that was following them either. My guess is that Garon was too busy with Elina and his crew are not the sharpest knives in the box, so they missed every precaution.

I am supposed to attend the bridge today, but since the mission is today I have been relieved of my duties. My mind is too muddled with worry to make any reasonable decision anyways.

Instead I'm spending my time in the gym, lifting weights and punching that damn sandbag. Fuck! I want to punch that scumbag instead! I want to tear him apart, limb by limb, until all that's left is an unrecognizable pile of meat. I punch the bag as hard as I can, succeeding in punching a hole through it. I dry the sweat of my brow as I watch the sand slowly seep to the ground.

***

Elina

I sit on the floor next to the large windows as I eat my food. The meal consists of some blue fish and something that tastes like boiled potatoes with vegetables and sauce. It's actually quite good and this is the third time that I'm eating this since I came here. It's a good thing that Lazarus has taught me how the food synthesizer works so that I can prepare my own food since Garon completely ignores my basic needs. The machine in his cabin is an older model and it works a little bit differently, but after a few failures I got it right.

At first I found a meal that I liked but after two times the meal came out differently. The steak that was supposed to be with the vegetables was something else. It tasted like and had the same consistency of old rubber. My guess is that the ingredients that were needed were out and had not been refilled.

When I'm alone in the cabin I try to take care of myself. I decided after that first night that I would make sure to shower and eat. I have to eat for my baby and for Lazarus. If I would lose the baby because of this I am sure I would lose my mind. It's my thoughts of my baby and the hope that Lazarus will save me that keeps me going. But I hope he comes soon. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

I have been here so long. Too long. I have no idea where we are. I tried to ask Garon, on the first day, and for that I got a beating. What I can see from the windows is a large desert of reddish brown sand. There is some vegetation but only a little. A few times I have seen wildlife, but mostly it's deadly silent. At the moment there is a storm and the sand is whirling around outside. It's not all that interesting, but it is more exciting than the gray walls of this prison.

The only thing that is better with this place instead of the Vorian is that at least it has days. The sun goes up and down. It has risen six times. I have no idea if the days are as long as days on earth but they seem to be pretty similar.

My whole body aches from Garons abuse. When he's in a bad mood he beats me as well. Or tie me up for hours on end without anything to cover my body. The bruises cover almost my whole body by now. He enjoys seeing a new bruise. He says that it shows his claim of me. I know he's just a sick bastard that enjoys abusing those who are weaker than him.

The only part he doesn't hit is my stomach. I have no idea why he wants the child to survive. Shouldn't he want to get rid of it so that he can place his own child in me? Not that I'm complaining. I do not want to carry his child.

Then there is the fact that he forces me to intercourse. If he is in a good mood he's attentive and gives my body lots of attention before he mounts me. Those are the times I feel the worst. It feels like I betray Lazarus with every orgasm he drags out of my body and every time I beg him and scream his name in ecstasy. Then there are times that he brutaly rapes me. It can be because he's irritated with someone, or he lost money while gambling or any other stupid reason. It can also be that I have openly rejected him or pledged my loyalty to Lazarus. Those times hurt physically but at least my mind finds peace in that I refuse and reject him.

He explained to me why I was so attracted to him, why my body reacted to him as it does to Lazarus. Apparently there is something called pseudo twins. Two people that are not twins by birth but hold even more similar qualities than identical twins. His pheromones are almost identical to Lazarus and since I am marked by Lazarus and carry his child, my body can't make a difference between them. My mind makes a difference but the body is more primitive and reacts as an animal would. No intelligent thoughts there. This makes it possible for Garon to steal me and make me his mate.

As I sit there, lost in my own thoughts, I suddenly hear shouting and a bang, almost like a small explosion. I sit completely still, listening for every little sound that comes. I hear muffled shouting and a large thud against the door to the cabin. I get up and hide behind the corner of the wall not so far away from the door. There is a large vase on a side table and I grab it to use as a weapon if someone comes in. I'm sure that whoever comes through that door will be able to fight me off but I have to give it my all.

A long moment of silence and then a large bang again. It sounds like the explosion was directly outside the door. There are a few hard thuds against the door. Whoever is trying to get in is not afraid to be heard. I hear the door being forcefully opened. I hold my breath while hiding behind the corner of the wall. I raise the vase over my head, ready to strike.

I listen intently for any sound. I hear light footsteps coming closer and soon I see a dark figure come around the corner. I throw the vase, aiming at his head, but just as I had anticipated he easily dodges it. Fast as lightning he grabs me, turns me around and presses me up against the wall with my arm painfully bent behind my back. He is large, like Lazarus in length at least but much slimmer. But that doesn't mean that he isn't strong!

He is holding me with one hand. In his other hand he holds a rifle that he's pointing out into the room. "I- aah!" I try to speak but he presses my arm a little further. I got his message. "Be silent!"

Four other black clad males enter behind the one holding me. They spread out to search the cabin. One of them stays close to me and the male holding me with his rifle pointed towards the door.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!" They say as their search is done. The one holding me relaxes his hold of my arm but is still making sure that I'm secured against the wall. The other males stand in a semicircle around us with their rifles lifted and ready.

"Identify yourself." He orders me. His voice is stern but not threatening.

"Elina. I'm Elina." I say in a quivering voice. As soon as the words have left my mouth the man unhands me and turns me around. He holds my shoulder with one hand and the other grabs my chin to raise my face to his. The rifle is now hanging from a harness around his shoulder and chest. I can't see his face behind the black mask and dark goggles that cover his face completely, but I know he's inspecting my face. He turns his head towards the one to the right and gives a curt nod. He lifts his hand to his ear.

"Subject secure. Extracting initiated."

All shift their attention towards the door except one. He takes off his backpack and takes out a pair of black trousers, gloves, a black long sleeve shirt and a black mask. "Put these on." He says.

"Who are you?" I don't make a move to accept the clothes he's holding out to me.

"The Intergalactic Committee." Is all he says and nods at the clothes. I grab them and pull them over the large, dirty and worn t-shirt I'm currently wearing. He proceeds to take out a small rifle from the bag and hands it to me when I'm done dressing.

"My brother says you are quite sharp with the small rifles." The male who held me against the wall says with humor in his voice. I gasp at that.

"Are you Lazarus' brother?"

"Yes. Now, put on that mask so that we can leave." He goes for the door and looks out. He then waves us forward, me somewhere in the middle of the group. The clothes are the same as the males but since I am so much shorter it's not hard to figure out who I am amongst them.

As we slowly creep along the halls I'm thankful for all those times that I played in the VR-room. This feels a lot like those games, except that the stakes are higher. The five males work together as one as they securely escort me. At several places there is evidence of combat and I see some of the crewmembers lying dead along the way. Did they kill Garon? At the thought I feel a sudden pang of fear and sorrow. I get angry with myself for the feelings. I should not feel sorrow for that monster! But still the feeling is hard to ignore.

After what feels like an eternity we finally make it to an exit where a small ship is waiting. Aboard the ship they place me in a chair and make sure that I'm securely fastened. They strap in themselves and soon we leave the ship that has been my nightmare for so many days.

The males remove their masks and I follow suit. They raise their hands for high fives and cheer. The one that sits closest to me turns in my direction and I am met with clear magenta colored eyes. His skin is paler than Lazarus but otherwise the brothers are quite similar. "I wish this could have been under nicer conditions but it's a pleasure to finally meet you." His voice is smooth and low. He gives me a large smile that shows off his straight line of white teeth. "I'm Sevrin by the way. The better brother to your mate." He gives me a wink. I know he's trying to lighten the mood but the mention of Lazarus brings tears to my eyes.

"Thank you!" Is all I can get out as sobs take over my body. I'm so relieved to finally be out of there. To hopefully be on my way to meet Lazarus and to never have to see Garon again.

"Hey! You made her cry in less than five minutes!" One of the crew shouts to Severin and he throws his mask at him earning a laugh at that. I laugh between my sobs. Since we're all strapped into our seats, Severin strokes my shoulder to comfort me. I reach out my hand and he gladly takes it.

"You can relax now. Everything is going to be fine." He says.

"What about Gar...What about him?" I say. I don't ever want to say his name again.

"He's dead. I shot him before we retrieved you." His voice is serious and cold when he speaks of the other male. Even if I feel relief about his death, I feel the cold hand of grief clamp around my heart. I place my hand over my heart and gasp for air. "He will never put his hands on you again. His body is being transported to The Intergalactic Committee, as will the bodies of his accomplices."

I only nod as I try to massage the pain out of my chest. My tears fall freely down my cheeks. I turn my head away from Severin to hide the shame of my reaction to Garons death. He squeezes my hand to gain my attention.

"Hey. It is alright now." I shake my head. He doesn't understand. I don't even understand.

"Why?" I gasp out between my sobs. Severin furrows his brows in confusion. "Why d-do I fe-el this grief? This pa-pain?"

Severins eyes filled with pity. "That is the loss of a mate bond." That's all he says and squeezes my hand again. Shame fills me as I take in his words. I'm grieving the loss of Garon. Even though I didn't love him there was a bond between us. A bond he forced on me. I nod and turn away from Severin to grieve my loss.

Eventually my sobs calm down enough for me to speak. "Where are we going? Are we going back to the Vorian?" My voice fills with hope at the prospect of going back to Lazarus straight away. I'm also hopeful that my shameful grief will pass if I meet Lazarus again.

"No. I'm sorry, but we can't. First we're going to the headquarters of The Intergalactic Committee. You need to be looked over by medical personnel as soon as possible to make sure that you don't have any serious injuries and that the baby is alright. It would take too long to travel to the Vorian immediately. And the risk of traveling that far without a medical assessment is too high for both of you."

"Oh. Of course." I feel my whole body slump in my chair and exhaustion takes over. Severin squeezes my hand once more and gives me a small smile. I can understand what he means. I don't want to risk my baby's life. But I can't help the disappointment I feel from not going straight to Lazarus' arms.

"He misses you tremendously. He was forbidden to engage in the retrieval of you. He was not even allowed to leave the Vorian during your absence."

"Why?" My voice is filled with exhaustion and sorrow.

"When a Galdrian loses his or her mate they can lose their mind. The best way to ensure safety for them and others is to preserve everyday life. But don't worry. He has not lost his mind yet and he has already gotten word of our success so the danger of insanity should be over." He tries to joke and I give him a tired smile.

"I miss him so much. I hope he can forgive me." I look down at my hand that still lies in my lap. Severin squeezes the hand that rests in his grip.

"And he hopes you can forgive him." I have no idea what it is I should forgive Lazarus for but I'm too tired to ask Severin what he meant.

We sit in silence for a long time and I feel my eyelids grow heavy. I cover my mouth as a large yawn forces its way through my chest. "You should sleep." Severin says and presses some buttons on a tablet next to him and my seat slowly leans back. "It will take about two hours to reach the headquarters." He dims the light in the cabin and all the others fall silent.

"Keep on talking. It's nice to hear friendly speech around me again." I mumble out and a large yawn claims my mouth. A blanket is pulled over my body and soon I'm sleeping.