Page 58 of Claimed By Brothers

Amber elbows him in the ribs when she sees his sword falling, having slipped from his hand. I severed a nerve in the process. She gets away, and Binzen moves in.

It only lasts another handful of seconds as I watch my brother grip his sword with both hands as he brings it down with his mighty, unwavering force. It is the end of Umok, and the madman barely registers it. All he can do is glance up as the blade removes him from existence.

A heavy kind of silence follows despite the bloody battle still raging around us.

I’ve been holding my breath the whole time. I’m only realizing it now as I slowly exhale away the tension and watch as Umok falls to the ground. My gaze darts to Amber. She’s okay. A bit bloodied along the hip, but she gives me a slight and reassuring nod when she sees me. I’m already moving. Headed her way.

“I thought I was going to lose you forever,” I hear myself say as I take her in my arms and hold her tight.

“I’m so sorry it turned out this way,” she replies, moaning softly before her mouth opens to receive me. I taste her, I relish the sweetness as though it gives me life.

Binzen comes closer, wrapping his arms around us, then kisses her, too. We’re together again, smack in the middle of blood-spilling violence. But the aggression begins to abate slowly as the remaining forces of the Sky Tribe gradually notice that Umok is dead. The night falls heavily over the realm as too many people have perished for his insane ambitions. Grief and relief fill my heart in equal measure as I realize how much life was lost tonight. And for what?

There must be a better way forward.

Until we figure one out, all I can do is enjoy this moment and thank the suns and the moons of Sunna for having brought Amber back to us.

“Is it over?” Amber asks, her eyes still closed as she hides in our arms. Binzen and I flank her with our bodies. She’s small enough to fit safely between us as the last of the Sky Tribe mercenaries decide to drop their weapons and flee into the darkness, abandoning the fort in the process.

“It’s over,” Binzen says. “It’s over, my love.”

“You are safe,” I add, planting a kiss on her temple. “And so is our son.”

Cynthia and Alicia emerge from the burning fort structure with Valen. The medicine woman holds our child safely in her arms, smiling softly as they approach us. Behind them, the black wood begins to crackle. It may be fire resistant, but not indefinitely. Eventually, the flames will eat away at everything in their path. The heat will melt through metal, and it will consume every thread and layer of fabric. By dawn, all that will remain shall settle in mounds of black ashes, and the morning winds of the south will blow it away in shimmering strands.

“He’s okay,” Cynthia says as she comes closer.

I take Valen into my arms, kiss him ferociously, and hold him tight before I hand him to my brother. “At least they took care of him,” my brother says, briefly checking the boy from his pink head to his pink little toes. “How are you two holding up?”

“A few cuts and bruises, but nothing your foul-smelling pomade can’t fix,” Alicia replies with a wry smirk. “We’re okay. Amber?”

“I’m good,” she says, taking deep breaths as the adrenaline begins to wear off. “I can’t believe we made it.”

“And so did our unborn child,” I reply, my tone slightly clipped. “How long have you known?”

Amber gives Binzen and me a worried look. “Not that long. Maybe a few days.”

“You should’ve said something,” I grumble, but it’s hard to stay mad at this woman, especially when I already understand why she opted for secrecy.

“You know I couldn’t,” Amber says. “Frankly, I didn’t want to tell Umok either, but the situation called for something extreme. I needed to rile the bastard up. Throw him off his game.”

“And throw him off his game you did,” Binzen cuts in, somewhat impressed and amused. “But Amber, the bravado and the madness end here. You understand that, right? We have to stick together because this won’t be the last time we have dealings with the Sky Tribe.”

Jewel pulls her sword out of a mercenary’s chest and wipes the blood off with the edge of her skirt, grunting softly as she walks over to us. I notice the subtle limp, but I don’t see any wounds on her leg. “They’ll be coming back in greater numbers. The fact that they know with the utmost certainty that we’re viable carriers for their offspring will make them pick up where Umok left off. And they will absolutely try to get more women from Earth, too.”

Binzen clears his throat, glancing around at the scores of Fire Tribe fighters now pulling themselves out of the dirt and the ashes. Many more of ours have survived this skirmish, yet I know it will inevitably get worse down the road.

“We must pull back and regroup,” my brother says. “It will take a few days for someone to take over for Umok, but someone will. And when they do, they’ll be coming for our women again.”

“We’re not going down without a fight,” Jewel declares.

“Yeah, before that fight we need to have a look at that ankle,” Cynthia says to her. “You’re gonna need something for the inflammation. You definitely sprained something.”

Amber is glued to Binzen and me, her head resting on my chest. The exhaustion is finally catching up to her, and I can feel her softening in my arms. “We’re going to be a family again,” I tell my brother with a warm smile. “Assuming, of course, that Amber won’t leave our side like before.”

“I can’t leave your side anymore,” she says, and as she looks up into my eyes, I can feel the rest of the world disappearing. “I love you, Izzo. I love you, Binzen. And this baby growing inside me is proof. I can no longer deny what the universe itself clearly wants me to accept. It’s time for me to say it aloud.” She lifts her voice for others to hear. “I belong here more than I ever did on Earth. And I have to learn to build a life on Sunna with you.”

“We love you,” Binzen says. “More than either of us thought possible. And we will stay together no matter what fate throws our way.”

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