Leah's Hero - Miranda Martin Page 0,67
they’re giving Urukol a hard time. He smiles and makes a dismissive gesture, waving them away. Angota and Rakstan come in making the small space overly crowded. We can all fit in here, but barely. This home isn’t designed for this many people. It was a natural cave that the four Zmaj have turned into a home, but now that they’ve taken us refugees in, we’ll need more space.
Angota talks rapidly and the other Zmaj respond. Ziva and Riley come to the main area from the back, the only two of us who are somewhat fluent in Zmaj, so they’re the only ones who can follow the conversation.
“Well?” Mick asks, impatient as ever.
“They’ve found a place,” Riley says. “But it’s a long ways off.”
“I’m all for a long ways from the Order,” Asia says.
“They want to go in small groups,” Ziva says.
Cold races down my arms, and my stomach ties into a knot. My mouth is too dry, and my throat too tight to ask my immediate concern.
“Why?” Asia asks.
“The Zmaj want to prepare the place before we arrive and make sure there is a safe trail for us to get there before they hide our tracks,” Riley says.
Ziva is frowning with her arms across her chest. She’s not happy, and I’m not either. I don’t want Urukol to be away for an unknown amount of time. I haven’t had the nightmare since we’ve been together. Maybe it’s because I’ve finally come to terms with it, but I think he’s most of it. Even in my sleep, he protects me.
“It’s smart,” Mick says.
“I don’t like it,” Ziva says. “We should all go.”
“I agree,” I say.
Riley talks to the Zmaj and they all speak at once. I may not be able to understand their words, but their tone makes it clear what their thoughts of that position is. It’s one big fat no. I look at Ziva and she drops her arms shaking her head. She says something in Zmaj, slowly. She’s not fluent like Riley is, but she can get her point across.
Rakstan moves to her and takes her in his arms. Urukol says something, and then the others voice opinions. I’m lost watching them go back and forth, but there’s an empty feeling in my guts like I’m on the verge of losing something. Tears form, but I hold them back, I’m not going to give in to an undefined grief. That’s ridiculous.
“Only Thargar and Othim are going to go,” Riley says. “They’ll make sure it’s safe first. Then the Zmaj will take turns hauling supplies and doing some construction to make it more comfortable. The rest will remain here to protect us.”
I shake with relief and exhale heavily. I’m so thankful, I can’t express it in words. While the debate was going on, Urukol has laid out an amazing meal, and we all get our plates to move through the line.
There’s light conversation during dinner. Riley and Ziva make sure the Zmaj and all of us are understanding each other. As we wrap up the meal, Riley teaches us all three new words in Zmaj. It’s become a custom. Once that is finished, Bahir stands up, clears his throat, then a low rumble emerges.
He has a rich, deep bass voice that fills the room. As he establishes the tune Othim rises and joins him with his full baritone. The two Zmaj weave their voices in and around each other making beautiful music.
I close my eyes and lean against Urukol, listening to the song. The words don’t matter, and it seems to my uneducated ear that there barely are any. It’s the melody, the soaring notes, that carries me away. It’s a song of the future, at least in my head, of possibilities and of hope.
Hope.
A word I didn’t know I’d given up on. I was stuck in a state of fear and failure. I knew, analytically, it wasn’t my fault what happened, but I couldn’t get past it. I still regret it, but sometimes things happen that we can’t control.
In the end, though, things work. Fate? Destiny?
What else do I consider it? Lying here, Urukol’s arm around me, my cheek resting on his cool scales, if it’s not the hand of a higher power, then I don’t know what is. I can’t fathom random chance would bring me to this exact moment, to the arms of the man who stole my heart.
No. There’s much more at work here.
In my mind, I’m soaring into a future. Something resonates inside of me, and I know that I’m home. I’ve never felt this way before. I’d always thought the ship was home, but that was because I didn’t know any better.
No, Tajss is my home. This is where I’m meant to be. Where we are meant to be. This planet, this place is our home. Urukol is my destiny. The future may not be easy, but we’ll face it together, and there is no doubt in my mind we will prevail.
There’s a commotion, so I open my eyes to see what is happening. Riley races out of the room to the bathroom area, and we all hear her getting sick. Ziva catches my eye. This isn’t new and none of us are talking about it, but we all know.
That swell of her belly isn’t something that’s gone unnoticed. She’s pregnant. Which means that we humans can have Zmaj babies. I tilt my head up and Urukol is looking down with a broad smile on his face.
He shifts his hand to my belly. I cover his hand with mine, and imagine what it will be like to have a life growing in my womb. Warmth suffuses my limbs, and I stretch my neck up until he meets me with a kiss.
Maybe tonight will be it. I want a baby too. I want to create the future, for us, and for Tajss.
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author of fantasy and scifi romance, Miranda Martin's books feature larger than life heroes with out-of-this-world anatomy and smart heroines destined to save the world. As a little girl she would sneak off with her nose in a book, dreaming of magical realms. Today she brings those fantasies to life and adores every fan who chooses to live in them for a while.
She was born and raised in southern Virginia, but as a veteran she's traveled to places like Korea, Hawaii and good 'ole Texas. Now she's settled in Kansas, the heart of America, with her husband and daughters. Her favorite animals are dragons, unicorns and cats. If she's not writing, you can still find her tucked away somewhere with a warm blanket and her nose in a book.
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