Page 44 of Wrapped in Their Arms

But with it came the nightmare.

* * *

It was supposed to be a family holiday.

They were all together—BurnsHot, his twin,SpeaksWisdom, their mother, and both of their fathers.Theshuttle was gliding through the upper atmosphere ofTwinMoons, headed towardChi’let—the smaller of the planet’s two moons.

“The water is supposed to taste like basslam nectar,” their mother was saying as she leaned over the seat, her dark hair swaying like silk.“Youtwo will probably like it so much you’ll drink the streams dry and we’ll have nothing left to swim in!”

Burns laughed, even though he was twelve and just beginning to feel too old for kid jokes.SpeaksWisdomlaughed too, bright and golden, elbowing him with a grin that made his heart lift.

He loved his mother—goddess, she was beautiful—and his two fathers were the strongest men he knew.AsforSpeaks… well,Speakswas like the air he breathed.Likegravity.Hewas just always there—Burn’sother half.Burnnever took time to appreciate him because would a person think about how much they loved their own hand?Theirown breath?Ofcourse not.Theyjust took it for granted.

Until it was gone.

The screech came first.

A horrible, metal-on-metal sound, like claws dragging across the skin of the ship.

“What was that?”his mother asked, her smile fading.

“Nothing, darling—just relax,” calledTellsReason,Burn’sLightTwinfather, from the cockpit.

ButBurnheard the edge in his voice.

Then the sound came again—sharper this time—louder.

GripsHard—hisDarkTwinfather—swore under his breath.

“We have to break free before they?—”

And then?—

BOOM.

The entire shuttle rocked.Adeafening roar filled the air, and the door to the shuttle blew open in a shower of sparks.

They were inside in seconds.

The pirates were huge—hulking monsters with metal-plated armor and glowing red eyes.Burncouldn’t understand how they had moved so fast.Onemoment the door was closed, the next the air was filled with screams and smoke.

“Get back!”Hisfathers,TellsReasonandGripsHard, rushed out of the cockpit, weapons drawn, shields up.

But it wasn’t enough.

The pirates fired.

The sound of the blasters was like thunder insideBurn’sskull.Hewatched—frozen—as both of his fathers went down, one after the other.FirstReason, thenGrips.

No weapons…no shields…no more protection.Theywere just…gone.

“Father!”SpeaksWisdomscreamed, and their mother’s voice broke into sobs as she knelt beside their bodies.Bloodpooled under them, dark and wrong.

“Get the woman!”one of the pirates growled.“She’llfetch the highest price.”

“NO!”Speaksdarted in front of her, his arms outstretched.“Youcan’t take her!Leavemy mother alone, you bastards!”

“SPEAKS!”Burnscreamed—but his voice came too late.