Page 29 of Rescuing Mara (Warriors of Arracate #2)

CHAPTER 29

O’Rec

T he count-down timer is halfway when T’Rak, D’Var, and L’Ren join us in Command. Marra is snuggled up in my lap while I work. She joined me in the Cargo Bay when she returned from her shower and helped me finish the hiding place. Cargo Bay has been cleaned up really well. Our weapons and spacesuits are safely stored, just like our food and medicine. I am confident that if T’Rak and D’Var manage to mine enough Thealium, we will be out of here in no time.

We have breakfast together, but everyone is tense. L’Ren is silent, and I cannot blame her. We review the time frame once more to ensure everyone is safe.

“We leave in thirty minutes,” T’Rak says. “We should be gone for three days so we will take supplies for four. One day to travel to the caves, one day to mine the Thealium, and one day to get back. We cannot communicate while we travel, but we will take scanners that now have the countdown integrated. It will adjust to our position on the map, so the storms will not surprise us. O’Rec is responsible for making sure the ship is shut down in time and rebooted after 125 seconds.”

We all nod in agreement and then start our tasks in silence. T’Rak and D’Var get ready and dress in their protective gear. L’Ren and Marra prepare their bags. I will keep watch so we do not encounter any surprises.

We say goodbye in the Cargo Bay, and I retreat to Command, leaving Marra with a crying L’Ren. The bond pulses with pride again as I see how well she comforts her friend, strengthening my resolve to claim my place as King with her by my side as my Queen.

When the females enter Command, L’Ren sniffs and silently retreats to her room. Marra hesitates before moving next to me.

“How much time do we have left before the next storm hits?” she asks me, absentminded.

“About 30 minutes.”

She nods, then sighs. “I have something I need to tell you, O’Rec. I have been meaning to bring it up for a while now, but with everything happening… And it’s hard. I don’t know how you will react, and I’m scared.”

A tear leaves her eye, and I swipe my thumb to catch it. “I cannot predict how I will react if I do not know what it is, my mate. However, I can make you a promise not to be angry with you, because I think I know you well enough now to understand that is what you are most scared of.”

She gives me a tight smile. “You’re right. I’m scared you’ll be angry. I’m scared that you’ll hate me. And that’s the last thing I want because… well, because I love you O’Rec.”

Her words hang heavy in the air. She told me before during our first mating, but her mind was clouded with pleasure then.

“You… You love me?” I stammer.

“Yes, you silly male. I love you. I told you so! I loved you even before I told you because I was too scared to say the words out loud. Because loving you means letting go of everything I know, letting go of everything I have learned to be true for my whole life. Letting go means facing that my life sucked until I met you and that I was lied to for, well, my entire fucking life.”

She takes a deep breath, nervously fumbling with her hands before she puts one of them in her pocket. Just as she wants to tell me what is bothering her, she jerks her head up. Shock is written all over her face.

“O’Rec,” she whispers. “The button, my button, it’s gone!”

I frown. “Your… button?”

“Yes! My lucky button!” She panics, then calms down again. “It must be in the bedroom. I must have accidentally left it in my dirty trousers. I will get it, and I’ll be right back!”

She rushes away, leaving me baffled. There is definitely more to that little button than just a lucky button. I look at the countdown. Marra should be back soon to strap in. I cannot leave my post right now to check on her. Cursing under my breath, I walk towards the hallway.

“Marra?” I yell, but there is no reply. The winds start howling again, so I rush back to my post. I need to shut the ship down, stay put, and count. Marra does not return, and I feel anxious. My heart rate is rising, and the bond is protesting fiercely. I hold on, though. I know my duty to the ship and is also to keep her safe. I close my eyes and reach for my calm. The clash hits, and I start counting. I smash the reboot at 125, jump, and sprint to our chambers.

“Marra! Marra!” I frantically yell for my mate, hating that we have not yet established our mental link. I know something is blocking our link from completing, and I wonder if that has something to do with her button.

The lights come on just as I reach our chambers. It takes me a moment to locate my mate, but when I do, my heart stops. Her feet protrude from behind the bed, and I rush over.

“Marra!” I shout as I reach her limp body. I quickly turn her over to her back, and she moans softly. Thank the stars. She is still alive. There is a small gash on her forehead, and I lift her on the bed.

“O’Rec?” she whimpers, and I kiss her hand.

“You scared me, Marra. Are you alright?”

She starts crying. “I can’t find the button, and I can’t lose it. What if something happens? Bad things will happen if I cannot find it, O’Rec!”

Pushing herself up into a seated position, she looks ready to bolt. I quickly kneel before her, grabbing her waist with both my hands.

“Marra, calm yourself.” I place my forehead against hers and move my hands to cradle her face. “Whatever it is, we can take it. We can find a solution.”

She stays quiet - too quiet. I sit back to give her room to open up. I want her to open up to me. I need her to open up to me.

“It is not just a button, is it?” I see shame flashing over her. Her neck reddens at my words, and the color creeps up her cheeks. She bites her lip and shakes her head.

“Ananta…” she begins, but we are once again interrupted. This time, L’Ren calls out for us.

I take Marra’s hands. “Everything is fixable.” I promise her before I stand up and pull her with me. “Everything.”

With her hand firmly tucked into mine, we walk to Command. L’Ren stands near the security station, something lying in the palm of her hand.

“I think I found something, something bad…” She opens her hand, and there, in the palm of her hand, lies the button. It no longer looks like a button, though, because a little green light blinks from the center. “I found some buttons lying around and figured it was debris. But one of them looked weird, and when I examined it, I could push it, and it started blinking. It can’t be a transmitter, can it?

Marra gasps, her face turning ashen. “I am so sorry,” she whispers.

L’Ren looks shocked, but her shock quickly turns into anger. “WHAT DID YOU DO!” She shouts. “Did you bring a transmitter to sell us out to the fucking Sternotheri?”

From the look on her face, I knew that was precisely what had happened and I take a deep, deep breath, searching for my Warrior Calm. I had promised my mate I would not be angry with her, but in my worst nightmares, I could never have expected this.

* * *

Mara

No, no, no, no, no… My breathing comes out in harsh pants. I cannot believe this is happening.

“I didn’t mean to…” I begin, but Lauren interrupts me.

“YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO?” she yells.

“NO!” I yell back. Then, I take a calming breath to steady myself.

“No, I didn’t mean to. Ananta gave me this transmitter before O’Rec saved me. Which was part of her plan, by the way. Since we met on that moon, she knew I was your mate, O’Rec. Her goal is to kill every last Arracate to make her father proud. He is so hung up on the death of his son, and he wants to erase the Arracate from existence.” I pause.

“My whole life has been a lie; I was told you would use me as a sex slave, that Arracate Warriors abuse females and only act like they are good while they secretly just fill their pockets.” Tears are streaming down my face as I turn towards O’Rec.

“I have been with the Sternotheri for my entire life; I was raised with hate, raised to hate you. But you, O’Rec, you showed me different. You showed me that love was possible. I was tethered to Ananta by the strongest iron chains, and bit by bit, you weakened those chains until you broke them completely. I know it was wrong to go in here with the intention to betray you, but I would never. I would never have betrayed you.”

“My mind was made up on Novarron; I chose you O’Rec. I will always choose you. Please give me the chance to prove myself. I did NOT activate the tracker; I panicked when it was missing. It must have fallen out of my pocket, and the magnetic blast...”

I furiously wipe at my tears, absently noticing there’s blood mixed with them from where I hit my head in the crash.

“Please…” Turning from a shocked O’Rec to an astonished Lauren. “Please believe me. I would never activate the tracker, and I would never betray you like this.”

Lauren is crying as well. I take a step toward O’Rec, but my entire body fights me because I don’t want to give him the opportunity to recoil. He doesn’t, so I take another step.

Suddenly, I feel overwhelmed with sadness and heartbreak. It paralyzes me. One look at O’Rec confirms that he feels it, too. Even at this moment, which feels like the darkest of my life, he finds a way to give me hope.

“I love you.” I softly tell him, still crying. A full-body sob leaves me, and he is on me in a heartbeat. Pulling me in, holding me close.

“We will fix this, my mate,” he whispers into my hair, and I let my tears run free.