Page 35 of Rescuing Mara (Warriors of Arracate #2)

CHAPTER 35

Mara

M y heart rate rises, and I feel my palms getting sweaty. O’Rec closes the door, grabs my arms, and forces me to look at him. “GO, Marra. Please go to T’Rak and D’Var. They will protect you. I swear I will do anything and everything to get back to you. Promise me you will go to them.”

My mind can’t comprehend what he’s saying. Is he staying behind? What does he mean with ‘Go Marra’?

“I don’t understand O’Rec. What are you going to do?”

“I will fight Ananta off. She is too close, and she has a gun. She will not hesitate to shoot us both in the back if we run.”

Ignoring the tears that are forming, I nod. I will go. I’ll make sure I’m safe, giving him the peace of mind to focus on fighting Ananta.

“You’d better make sure you give me that future you were dreaming of.”

He kisses me firmly and then cups my cheek. “I promise. NOW RUN!”

I run like I have never before. I hear the blasts of Ananta’s gun getting louder before I hear the hum of the sliding doors open. I don’t look back. O’Rec is a fucking Warrior of Arracate. The best of the best, the elite of the Galaxy. He will beat her. I will not lose him.

I’m so blinded by my tears I don’t even notice I have reached his crew until I bump into a big wall. Only it’s not a wall; it’s a chest. A big gray Alien chest. T’Rak grunts and steadies me.

“Easy, Marra, are you hurt?” I blink in confusion at the question. Am I hurt? Why would he ask me that?

“No, I’m okay. O’Rec.” I gesture back, and he nods gravely.

“We know. He asked us to take you out of here.”

“No, NO!” I scream at him. “We can’t leave without him! I promised him I would go to you so he could fight Ananta. But we can’t leave this station! We have to wait until he beats her!”

“Marra,” D’Var’s voice is soothing but firm. “We can wait for a couple of minutes, but the battle is not the only thing we need to worry about. We did not come alone. We brought back-up from the Ring.”

Now that I have left the bubble of O’Rec’s comfort, my surroundings come crashing down. I can’t believe I haven’t noticed the continuous blasts around us. Lights are flickering and bursting all around us. The Mothership shakes and rocks.

“The… The ship is falling apart?!” I cry out in anguish. “But, but what about O’Rec?”

T’Rak gently steadies me. “We have to leave him behind. He will find a way, Marra. We have to believe the stars will guide him back to us.”

He starts walking away, loosening his grip on me, and I take my chance. I did not sign up for this. I am not the kind of person who leaves her mate to die on an enemy ship. I am not, and I will not leave him.

I yank my arm loose, and I start running. “O’REC!!!!!!!” I scream, but the doors close before I can reach the air-lock. I run forward anyway, pounding on the glass when I reach it. Just in time to see him put a dagger in Ananta’s chest.

“O’Rec,” I sob. “O’Rec, I can’t reach you.”

He turns around and walks towards me, leaving Ananta on her knees. “I am sorry, my star, but you need to run. You need to get off this ship.” He puts his hand on the glass, and I put mine on his. “I love you,” he says, but I’m too shocked to reply.

Then, horror shoots through me as I see Ananta rise. “ANANTA!” I scream, both mentally and vocally.

O’Rec just gives me a sad smile. “She is dead, my mate. I just killed her.”

“NO! NO! BEHIND YOU!!!”

I scream out in agony as I see Ananta stumble towards O’Rec. Blood wells up at the corner of her mouth, and her grin is downright diabolical. She mouths something to O’Rec as she slams her hand on some switch in the wall. All color drains from his face.

“Run, Marra, she activated self-destruct!”

“But.. But…” I can’t even think coherently because T’Rak reaches me, lifting me in his arms before sprinting towards their ship. He all but throws me down the hole in the floor when we reach it, and I tumble through a tube where D’Var catches me.

All the alarms are blaring, and I cover my ears with my hands. T’Rak enters the ship as well. They both rush towards Command, leaving me behind on the floor at the landing dock.

* * *

“Marra,” someone gently calls my name and touches my shoulder. Slowly, I turn my head, D’Var is standing beside me. “Let me help you, please?”

Nodding, I take his outstretched hand and let him help me up. “What’s happening right now?”

“The Sternotheri base ship has blown up. It appears that Ananta would rather destroy her people than let us get away.” He gently tucks my hand in the crook of his elbow and leads me towards Command. “I will show you.”

When we walk into the room, I have a front-row seat to the massive destruction. We are at a healthy distance, and what I see is indescribable. It just doesn’t feel real. Debris is flying around everywhere. I can still see explosions in the distance, and ships are everywhere. Arracate ships, I presume, because I don’t recognize the build. Hesitantly, I walk up to the window, stretching my hand on the glass.

“Is… Is he out there?”

T’Rak and D’Var share a silent communication before T’Rak turns to me.

“We do not know yet. There is too much interference to get a proper connection. He could also have lost consciousness and be on another ship somewhere.”

I straighten my shoulders. I will be strong. I am O’Rec’s mate, and I will make him proud. He promised to give me the future he pictured me. I am going to be so pissed if he doesn’t.

Determination fills me as I look at the males. “How are you both doing? How is Lauren? Is she okay?”

D’Var smiles. “L’Ren is fine. She is safe with my mother at the Ring. The ship was easily fixed when we made it back with the Thealium. Thank you for keeping her safe.”

I bite my lip. “I’m so sorry for everything, I-”

“Do not worry,” T’Rak interrupts me. “It is not your fault. We understand. However, you are not fine, and you are bleeding in multiple places. We need to patch you up.”

I tentatively touch my cheek. Whitehot pain shoots through me. My adrenaline must have kept me going this long because suddenly I feel unsteady. D’Var rushes forward, capturing me before I fall over.

“Thank you. I uh…appear to have been injured. Also, I need food and water; I haven’t had that in quite some time.”

He nods and takes me to the medical bay. Gently, he cleans my cuts and gives me the nanos and healing injection. He then eyes my cheek with a troubled look.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I am not sure if the cut will heal completely. It will heal, but I do not know how to prevent scarring. That is more O’Rec’s expertise.”

I wave his worries away. “I don’t care about a freaking scar. I only care about O’Rec being safe and sound in my arms.”

I try reaching out to him again, but there is still no response. The bond is pulsing, though, and I rub my chest.

“Can I ask you something, D’Var?” I say and continue when he nods. “This bond, this mating bond. It connects me to O’Rec in a way that’s unique to Arracate Warriors, right?”

“Yes…” He gives me a puzzled look, not sure where I’m going with this.

“Wouldn’t I know it if he was dead? Wouldn’t I feel it? Like would the bond break?”

D’Var is very still for a moment, then looks up at me, the stars in his eyes shining.

“My father died long before the fall of our planet. He was away on a mission with his crew, and something went horribly wrong. They all died. We never found the ship or their bodies, but something inside my mother died that day. I can still remember her cries of agony at what supposedly was the moment my father died. Since they never came back to us and the Zarra of his crewmate experienced exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, we believe it was an explosion.”

I reach out to him and squeeze his arm. “I am so sorry for you, D’Var.”

“It was a long time ago, and it also shows how strong the bond between a Warrior and his Zarra really is.”

I straighten my spine. “Yes, and if this is real. It means O’Rec is still alive. I feel it in our bond.

He perks up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. So I’d suggest we go look for him. Because I have a feeling he needs us.”