Page 71 of Twins for the Barbarians

“Oh, for the umpteenth time, we’re strictly friends and partners. It’s what we agreed on, and it’s what works best in these circumstances. I can’t afford an emotional involvement while we’re still looking for those damn starships,” Jewel replies, lowering her voice and probably hoping Yossul and Fadai won’t overhear us. I’m pretty sure they know all this, but they’re giving her the space and the illusion of privacy an independent woman like her so badly craves. “There’s too much on the line here, Kai.”

He glances at the brothers, watching as they take turns cooing and gently touching my boys’ pink faces, genuinely fascinated by their hybrid features and soft cheeks. “You do realize they’re head over heels with you, right?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m feeling that bond you all keep yammering on about, either. To be honest, I’m too focused on our missions to even notice these things,” she says, letting a heavy sigh roll off her chest. “We’re not making the progress I’d hoped we’d be making regarding the starships. I don’t like it.”

And just like that, our minds are drawn back to the greatest threat on the horizon. The shadow that lurks and muddles every good moment in our lives as we do everything in our power to stop the Sky Tribe from bringing more human women to Sunna. The Mal brothers have tried arranging another sit-down with Shaytan Hull but to no avail. He’s not interested in anything we have to say—even if it’s about a working vaccine against the plague and notable efforts in developing the cure Solomon once designed.

We cannot tell Shaytan about Solomon Daron yet, either. It would put Opal City on the Sky Tribe’s radar because Shaytan would want to know where Solomon was hiding the whole time. It’ll only take his researchers a few days to trace history back to Kaos Volcano. It’ll be a matter of just a few more days before Sky Tribe planes descend upon the city. So, we have to keep the plague’s origin a secret for a while longer, and I hate it.

I hate that we can’t reveal the truth to the world yet.

A few days later, I’m back home with my babies, convalescing peacefully while Helios and Kharo help with the boys’ daily care. I never imagined I’d witness two magnificent warriors crinkling their noses as they change diapers and giggling so happily when they manage to burp Rey and Hyx after I breastfeed them, but I love every second of this sweet chaos.

Jewel’s concerns have only deepened since we last spoke about the starships, and we’re not getting new intel, either. It’s as if the entire Sky Tribe has gone radio silent all of a sudden. This means they’re either close to launching and ridiculously paranoid, or they’re trying to see if we’ll make another move before they figure out how they’ll make theirs.

“We do have eyes on the fuel supply routes,” Helios says as we put the boys to sleep.

I love watching Hyx and Rey as their eyes slowly close, and they drift off to somewhere warm, dark, and peaceful. Cynthia says they’re not able to dream yet, but I dare hope they’re already building imaginary worlds in their little heads—sensory heavens where they go when they need to rest, sensory heavens filled with shapes and colors and good feelings that will someday become the foundation of their greatest dreams.

“Nuclear-powered engines still need certain elements to function properly,” I say, remembering what Jewel told us about the starships. “And the Sky Tribe can only get those from certain mines up north, right?”

“Precisely,” Kharo replies, then pulls the curtains to give our sons some shade while they sleep.

Outside, Sapphire City’s blue towers glisten in the sunlight, the salty smell of the Crimson Sea flowing through the windows and filling my lungs with a fresh, delightful breeze. I’ve learned to enjoy every sensation in this world and in this life. The small measure of peace we’ve built in this city is ephemeral, at best. The cease-fire can be broken, and the Sky Tribe might still try to come for us once they’ve got a big enough fleet to invade.

Yet it’s this silence of theirs that’s got my nerves stretched most uncomfortably.

“I don’t understand,” I sigh, sitting in one of the high chairs in the salon next door to our nursery, joined by my men. “We’d know if they launched the starships, wouldn’t we?”

“Yes, we would,” Kharo assures me. “Jewel’s radar system upgrades have given us a clear, real-time view of Sunna’s skies. They haven’t launched anything yet.”

“And the fuel supply routes are empty,” I say. “I thought Shaytan was determined to have them both up and flying to Earth by the end of this year.”

Helios allows himself a crooked smile. “In fairness, our smaller operations have caused significant dents in his. We’ve killed a dozen of his finest engineers just this year alone. Granted, we did try to bring them over to our side first, but their blind loyalty to Shaytan proved to be their undoing. Maybe he just doesn’t have the manpower to get those starships in optimum working condition.”

“He certainly wouldn’t send them out all rickety and shaky,” Kharo adds, nodding in agreement. “Maybe fortune has given us a broader window to work with.”

“Or maybe they simply figured out we’re watching the fuel transport routes and they’re currently finding new ways to get those precious elements where they need them,” I mutter, crossing my arms.

My breasts are sore, constantly full on account of the two mouths they’re feeding. I’ll need to get some bottles ready later tonight. Otherwise, I doubt I’ll be able to sleep with these heavy jugs barely held in place by my nursing bra—courtesy of an increasingly crafty Amber, I might add. The second baby had her reassessing motherhood altogether. Kya may be a gorgeous and healthy hybrid girl, but Amber was already raising Valen and Salem when she came along. Our lives were already busy before we became mothers. They are whirlwinds of events now, and there are times when we lose track of the most basic things while struggling to keep everything on track.

Granted, we really do have the support of our men, but dealing with a plague and a civil war has added an extra degree of difficulty to every single day.

“Binzen thinks we should prepare for two potentially inevitable scenarios,” Helios says after a long, silent pause, his gaze lost somewhere beyond the window.

“And what are those?” I ask, chills running down my spine in anticipation of possibilities I’ve thought of in the darkest hours, too, but never had the courage to voice.

“One, that they’ll launch those starships, and we’ll be forced to scramble every weapon on every jet available to shoot them down before they leave Sunna’s atmosphere,” Helios says. “That’ll take one hell of a collective effort to coordinate, however. Jewel called it ‘Mission Impossible.’”

I nod slowly, revisiting the images of that scenario in my head. “We’d need to have jets already in the air or at least close enough to the launch sites for that to work,” I reply. “Either way, Jewel is right. It’s damn near impossible since we don’t know where the launch sites are to begin with.”

“Indeed. Possibility number two is that they launch those starships and both return from Earth with plenty more human women,” Helios says, watching me intently as his words sink in and the horrors of that potential future draw the blood from my face. “I’m sorry, Alicia, but we have to prepare for it sooner or later.”

We will, I know we will. Those women will be scared out of their minds. Confused. Terrified. Hysterical. I got lucky because I had Amber, Cynthia, and Jewel by my side. We’ve always relied on one another; we’ve always supported one another. Our friendship was special and remarkably strong since the beginning. Maybe these women won’t be lucky enough to have such a sturdy support system. They’ll find themselves dragged from the comforts of a familiar life and tossed into the middle of a fucking mess.

I shudder as I struggle to forget that scenario. “What will we do, then? Assuming the Sky Tribe actually succeeds in bringing those starships back?”

They both look at me with a mixture of sadness and regret.

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