Page 25 of Eclipse Bound (Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides #7)

Chapter Fifteen

Eclipse had never attempted anything like this before.

As his twilight essence expanded around Rowan, he felt her consciousness merging with his own, not completely, but enough that their energies resonated in perfect synchronicity.

Her human form remained distinct within his twilight field, yet they moved as one entity, flowing through air ducts and rising above the Milano facility into the clear desert sky.

Below them, chaos erupted. Security personnel poured from the building, weapons aimed upward.

Energy pulses flashed through the air, but Eclipse twisted his essence around Rowan, shielding her from harm.

Each pulse that struck him sent ripples of pain through his already weakened form, but he maintained cohesion through sheer determination.

Must protect Rowan. Must escape.

The thought reverberated through their shared consciousness. Eclipse felt Rowan's response, not in words, but in emotions. At the core of them, she felt concern for his condition, and something deeper that resonated with his own feelings for her.

Humans had a word for it. Love.

"They're coming after us," Rowan's voice reached him, both through conventional sound and through their connection. She gestured toward black helicopters lifting off from a hidden hangar on the far side of the facility.

Eclipse focused his remaining strength, pushing them higher and faster across the desert landscape.

He had never traveled this way on Zorveya.

Twilight energy was meant for balance and mediation, not rapid movement.

But necessity had taught him much during his time on Earth, expanding his understanding of his own abilities.

"Mesa... to the west... cover..."

His thoughts were becoming fragmented, his energy reserves dangerously low after days of containment. The effort of maintaining their flight while protecting Rowan threatened to deplete him entirely.

"I see it," Rowan replied, somehow understanding his broken communication. "That outcropping. Can you make it?"

Eclipse surged forward, his twilight field streaming behind them like the aurora of Earth's polar regions. He sensed Rowan's wonder at the experience of semi-corporeal flight.

The helicopters gained ground, equipped with spotlights that swept the terrain. One beam caught them momentarily, and Eclipse felt the distinctive signature of an energy scanner as it activated. He twisted sharply, diving toward a narrow ravine that cut through the desert floor.

The sudden maneuver sent fresh pain cascading through his essence, and Eclipse felt his cohesion wavering. Rowan sensed it immediately.

"You're hurting. You need to set us down."

"Not... safe yet..."

"Eclipse, please," she begged. "You're burning yourself out. I can feel it."

She was right. The rescue and flight had depleted his already diminished reserves. However, the Milano pursuit was relentless, with the helicopters closing in despite his evasive maneuvers.

As they approached the mesa, Eclipse detected a familiar energy signature, faint but recognizable, emanating from a small structure nestled against the rock face.

"I see them... Lunar..."

"What? Lunar?" Rowan strained to see where he indicated.

Eclipse adjusted their course, heading for the rough cabin barely visible against the red rocks. As they drew closer, a figure emerged from the shadows. He recognized the unmistakable darkness-absorbing form of Lunar.

With a final surge of strength, Eclipse carried them the remaining distance, his twilight field collapsing as they reached the cabin's perimeter. They tumbled to the ground, Eclipse's essence barely maintaining humanoid shape as Rowan rolled free.

"Eclipse!" She scrambled to his side, her hands passing through his unstable form.

Lunar moved swiftly to them, his shadow essence reaching out to Eclipse's flickering twilight energy.

"He is severely depleted," Lunar observed, his normally detached tone carrying an edge of concern.

"Help him," Rowan pleaded, looking up as the helicopter searchlights swept closer.

"Inside," Lunar ordered, his shadow-form expanding to help gather Eclipse's dissipating essence. "The structure is shielded."

Together, they brought Eclipse into the small cabin where Poppy waited.

"What happened to him?" Poppy demanded, securing the door behind them.

"Milano," Rowan answered. "They had him in some kind of energy containment. He broke free but used everything he had to get us here."

Eclipse tried to focus and re-form his essence into something more substantial, but the effort sent waves of agony through his remaining consciousness. He was aware of Lunar's shadow energy supporting his own, providing a stable framework around which his twilight essence could gather.

"His cohesion is failing," Lunar stated. "He requires energy replenishment."

Eclipse felt himself being moved to a low cot in the corner of the cabin. Through fragmenting awareness, he registered Poppy drawing heavy curtains over the windows, plunging the room into near-darkness save for a single lamp with a purple scarf draped over it.

The diffused light created a twilight-like atmosphere, not the same as his home zone, but reminiscent enough that Eclipse felt his essence responding. Lunar continued to provide shadow support, his own energy carefully regulated to avoid overwhelming Eclipse's weakened state.

Rowan knelt beside Eclipse. "What are we going to do?

"After you left, Galaxy Brides contacted Lunar again," Poppy explained. "They said they would pick us up for an emergency extraction. Soon."

Eclipse struggled to process what was happening. His fragmented consciousness recalled something vital he'd overheard during his captivity at Milano.

"Communication... intercepted..."

He tried to form the words, to warn them, but his essence scattered with the effort. Rowan reached for him, her hand passing through his form before finding a more solid region near what would be his core.

"He's trying to tell us something," she said, her connection with him still active enough to sense his distress. "Something about communications."

Eclipse gathered what remained of his strength, focusing on the memory of what he'd heard during brief moments of clarity at the Milano facility.

"Milano intercepted... Galaxy Brides signal..."

The words formed weakly in their shared consciousness, but Rowan understood.

"Milano intercepted Galaxy Brides' communications," she translated for the others. "They know about the extraction point."

Lunar darkened, absorbing more light from the room. "That must be why Gary changed their fourteen-day plan."

"We were supposed to have more time," Poppy whispered.

"When we were training for Earth on the ship, Galaxy Brides mentioned a possible emergency protocol if Earth threats discovered our location." Lunar's shadow essence shifted uncomfortably. "They deliberately kept details vague in case one of us was compromised."

Eclipse managed to stabilize his form enough to project a clearer thought to Rowan.

"Heard Milano scientists... discussing intercepted transmission... about planetary alignment tonight... creating extraction window…"

"Tonight?" Rowan's voice cracked. "You’re leaving tonight?"

Lunar frowned, his shadow essence rippling with the motion. He stared at Eclipse as if he could also hear his friend's thoughts. "Milano's pursuit has forced Galaxy Brides to accelerate their timeline. They cannot risk waiting."

Eclipse felt Rowan's emotions surge through their connection. Shock turned to confusion, and a sharp pain as the realization that their time was ending far sooner than expected.

"But—" she began, then stopped as the distant sound of helicopter rotors grew louder.

Poppy moved to the window, carefully peering through a gap in the curtains. "I count three helicopters circling the area."

Eclipse attempted to rise and prepare for defense, but his essence scattered with the effort. Rowan placed her hand where his shoulder would be, somehow finding the right place despite his unstable form.

"Don't," she whispered. "Save your strength."

Lunar moved to the center of the cabin, his shadow essence extending to inspect the shielding. "The protection remains intact. Milano's scanners cannot penetrate the mineral composition of the roof. As long as we're careful, they won't find us."

Eclipse relaxed slightly, allowing his twilight energy to focus on regeneration rather than defense. The cabin's artificial twilight helped, providing an environment more conducive to his recovery than the harsh desert sun or complete darkness would have been.

As his essence gradually stabilized, memories of his captivity surfaced. He remembered the tests, the pain, Director Vega's cold assessment of his value as a research subject. But more disturbing were the fragments of information he'd gathered during moments of semi-consciousness.

"Must tell them... what I learned..."

Rowan sensed his intention. "You need to rest first. Recover some strength."

"No time... Milano knows... about Zorveya..."

This caught Lunar's attention. His shadow form consolidated near Eclipse's cot. "Explain."

With Rowan's help in translating his fragmented thoughts, Eclipse revealed what he'd overheard. Milano had encountered other alien species before, including Bevlonians. They had been developing technology based on these encounters, preparing for what Vega referred to as the inevitable expansion.

"They don't just want to study us," Rowan summarized. "They want to weaponize alien technology. Prepare Earth for some kind of interstellar conflict."

"Typical primitive species paranoia," Lunar commented, though his tone lacked its usual dismissiveness.

"Is it paranoia if there really are hostile aliens?" Poppy asked from her position by the window.

Eclipse struggled to organize his thoughts, to convey the most critical information.

"They know... extraction coordinates... tonight... trap..."