So here you guys go!
<center>Chapter 11</center>
“What the hell is going on?” Michael demanded bluntly, a dark scowl on his face as he observed Max and Tess’s dazed expressions. “And who the fuck are Zan and Ava?”
“Max?” Isabel whispered anxiously.
Tess removed her hand from Max’s arm, and he shook his head as if coming out of a deep sleep. His mind felt thick and foggy, his tongue was heavy in his mouth. “I… you…” he stammered, staring into a pool of sapphire as Tess gazed back at him.
A tear caught on her lashes, glistening in the moonlight as she reached forward and cupped his face. Placing a gentle kiss on either side, she then kneeled before him subserviently. “My King,” she murmured in a choked tone.
“What the hell?” Michael’s voice echoed in Max’s mind as he stared down at Tess’s bowed head. He blinked, struggling to pull himself out of the haze of memories that had swept through him, fighting his way back to the reality of the moment.
“Get up,” he commanded in a gruff tone. “Don’t bow at my feet, damn it.” Laying a heavy hand on her shoulder, he pulled her to her feet until their faces were eye level. Brushing his thumbs across her brow, catching an errant drop from her eye as his fingers trailed down her cheek, he shook his head. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“That makes two of us,” Michael said. “Maxwell, snap out of it and tell us what the hell just happened. First you nearly pass out at my feet, babbling some strange girl’s name, then your eyes are changing colors, then you touch her,” he pointed a shaky finger at Tess who was still held in Max’s arms, “and all hell breaks loose. I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know right now.”
“Why did you call him your king?” Isabel asked softly, piercing the other blonde with her gaze. “And how did you know his memories were returning?”
Tess blinked, tearing her gaze away from Max as they both suddenly appeared confused. “What?” she asked, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead. “I feel a little…”
“Light-headed,” Max finished, swaying slightly. “Tess… Ava… just who are you?”
“I think I can answer that,” a voice called out, causing them all to stiffen in alert. A figure stepped out from the darkness, long-limbed and lanky. As they moved across the ground, the light caught their face and illuminated it to the group’s tense gazes.
Tess breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized the person heading towards them. “Alex, you scared the life out of me,” she scolded lightly, walking over to squeeze her friend’s hand as he approached. “Next time, signal, okay?”
“You shouldn’t be doing this here,” he answered in quiet reproach as the others looked on in fascination. “You never know who’s listening.”
Michael blinked. “Who’s this fruitcake?” he mumbled, swearing as Isabel elbowed him in the ribs. Rubbing his sore stomach, he scowled. “Who the hell are you? And why do I keep asking questions, and not getting any damn answers?”
“Michael,” Max began, not taking his gaze away from the newcomer as he assessed the other boy. He didn’t appear threatening, but there was a strange… aura that surrounded him. It made Max feel comforted and wary all at once.
“It’s all right,” Tess spoke up, still hanging onto the boy as if she were afraid he might disappear if she let go. “This is Alex Whitman. He knows the truth.”
Max closed his eyes, expecting Michael to leap in and throttle the boy… or perhaps Tess. Instead, another voice rang out.
“What?” Isabel exclaimed. “You told him?” The accusation in her voice couldn’t be denied, and she turned to Alex with suspicious eyes. “If you say anything to anyone…” She trailed off on an indrawn breath as Alex merely smiled at her.
“You’re just as I pictured you, Princess,” he murmured, and a chill went down her spine at the husky timbre of his tone. “What a pleasant surprise.” He directed a glance to where Isabel’s hand was glowing with the defensive power building inside her. One brow cocked as he added, “Nice to see you haven’t lost that sense of temper.”
Isabel’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. She simply stared at him in shock. Max stepped forward, catching Alex’s gaze and causing something in the other boy’s eyes to shift. He didn’t genuflect, but there was an air of respect and admiration that filled his gaze as he stared at Max.
“Your Majesty,” he spoke softly, the corners of his lips quirking. “It’s been a long time.”
“Oh, for the love of—” Michael trailed off, cursing lowly and turning to smack his hand into a tree trunk. “I can’t take anymore of this shit.”
“Rath, you always were one of such patience and understanding,” Alex murmured wryly. When Michael turned to stare at him, he smirked. “You think you’re confused now? You know nothing.”
“Tell us,” Max said softly. “Who are you? Are you… one of us, too?”
“Not exactly,” Alex prevaricated. His eyes seemed to glint in the moonlight as he glanced at each of the four aliens who stood with various expressions painted on their faces. “I’m more… a part of you. Of all of you.”
“I don’t understand,” Isabel answered. “A part of us… how? And which part? Our mind, our soul… our essence?”
“It’s… a little hard to explain,” Alex hedged gently. “And this isn’t the time or the place. Like I said, anyone could be watching.” He turned and ensnared Max’s gaze as he spoke his next words, “Even petite brunettes with more brawn than common sense.”
Max felt his heart speed up as Alex’s meaning sunk in, and his mind began to swim. She’d been there… spying on him. He hadn’t simply imagined her presence.
Tess gasped. “Liz? But how did she…”
“She’s smarter than you give her credit for,” Alex answered, not unkindly but with gentle reproof. “I assume she followed you when you left. I managed to get her home safely… but she’ll have questions. I couldn’t remove the memory, and even if I could I wouldn’t have been permitted to do so.”
Just the idea of anyone playing around in Liz’s mind had Max’s temper flaring. “Don’t touch her,” he hissed, not even realizing his eyes were flaming as he stepped forward. “She’s not to be touched.”
“Max!” Isabel said in shock. “He said he didn’t…”
“He always freaks out when anyone says anything bad about this chick,” Michael observed. “Remember in the desert? I thought he was going to blast me.”
Alex simply stared at him knowingly. “It’s awakened, hasn’t it? The pull. You feel it.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement. Max simply clenched his jaw and attempted to repress the primal instinct that warred inside of him to protect his own. To protect her.
Tess spoke up, nibbling her lips worriedly. “Alex, the seal’s been activated.”
The other boy’s eyes widened, the first sign of surprise Max had seen on his face. He watched as Alex turned towards him, an intense expression on his lean face. “You remember, then?”
Max slowly shook his head. “No, I… I saw some things. But none of it was clear.” He directed his attention back to Tess. “You mentioned a seal before. What seal, and why was I able to activate it?”
Tess and Alex exchanged glances before Alex let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Well, this just got a hell of a lot more interesting.” Smiling crookedly, he added, “You’ve found your mate, Zan.”
“My what?” he asked at the same time Michael hissed, “Why does everyone keep calling him Zan?”
Alex chose to address Michael’s question first, his eyes taking in the rapt expressions before him. Lowering his voice to a mere whisper, he spoke, “In our world… you were known as the Royal Four, one for each of the Houses that ruled our planet. Zan, Ava, Rath, Vilondra.” His eyes moved from one to the next as he spoke their former names.
Max felt something inside of him begin to recognize the name, and from the surprised expressions on his brother and sister’s faces, they were experiencing similar thoughts.
“Zan and Vilondra were the only true rulers,” Alex continued, his voice taking on a strange quality as he retold the tale. “Twins that shared noble blood and were destined to accomplish incredible feats for our world.”
“But… we’re not twins,” Isabel stated softly. “At least… not officially.”
“Not in this world, you aren’t,” Alex responded vaguely. “But you were podded and it couldn’t be determined who would emerge first. Since it was Zan, he has inherited all that goes with the firstborn. He lays claim to the seal that marks him as high ruler of Antar.”
“Antar?” Michael gaped. “Is that our… our home?” His voice cracked with emotion.
Alex nodded gravely. “What is left of it, anyway,” he grimaced. “Time is running short. Had you not arrived, I would have been forced to bring you here myself. To Roswell,” he added in case his point could be misconstrued. “But I see that the mental bond you share with your betrothed far exceeds my hopes or expectations.”
At the word betrothed, Max visibly blanched as he glanced towards Tess. “Betrothed?” he croaked, blinking rapidly at the sense of panic that filled him. Not that he didn’t care for her, but he couldn’t make himself feel for her… that way.
“Wait a damn minute,” Michael held up a hand. “You’re telling me that Tess was able to get inside Max’s mind while he slept, because of some special bond they shared during another lifetime?”
“It wasn’t Tess who was able to enter his mind,” Alex answered softly. “As I said before… only his mate can do such a thing.”
Everyone blinked, everyone except Tess, who suddenly looked uncomfortable as three pairs of eyes swung towards her. “It’s true,” she whispered. “I didn’t dreamwalk you, Max. I don’t have that power. I simply… latched on to the bond you share with Liz, and I used it to convince you to come to Roswell. Alex showed me how and—”
“With Liz?” Michael interrupted. “What does she have to do with anything?”
“Can you really be that obtuse, Michael?” Isabel hissed, even though her cheeks were pale from all the information that was being fed to them. Part of her wanted to run away and go back to her safe life of denial. To forget the fantastical story being told to them. But another part of her couldn’t tear herself away. As if reading her mind, Alex turned and met her eyes and once again, she felt that slow burn inside her body… an intimacy that shook her.
Max felt as though he was finally beginning to understand. “Liz is my mate,” he murmured softly. “She’s the reason I felt compelled to come here… why I immediately sought out the café when there were dozens of different places to eat lunch that day. She’s the reason why I’ve been feeling so…” He trailed off, unwilling to admit just how he’d been feeling. But Alex merely nodded in understanding.
“But she’s a human,” Michael pointed out. “Isn’t she?”
Once again Tess looked uncomfortable, as if she was willingly holding something back even as she nodded. Max’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t call her out just yet. Instead, he kept his attention focused on Alex as the other boy began to speak.
“Yes, she’s one-hundred percent human,” he admitted. “Which is what’s extraordinary. She shouldn’t have a thing to do with this… but she does. And we need to find out how, and why. I’ve tried to get closer to her, but something inside of her recognizes me somehow… even if she doesn’t understand it.”
“How?” Max demanded.
“In my previous life, I was her guardian,” Alex answered tenderly. “I was to watch her with my life… only I became distracted and allowed her death due to my own obsession.”
“You were obsessed with her?” Max gritted out suspiciously.
“No,” Alex chuckled mirthlessly. “My attention was directed towards a much less attainable venue.” His dark eyes traveled towards Isabel, who stood by quietly. “I failed in my duty, and we were all punished. It won’t happen again.”
Isabel blinked. “Who are you?” she whispered, disregarding the fact that the question had already been asked and dismissed as much as it had been answered. “Who are you… really?”
“I’m Alex Whitman, here on Earth,” Alex smiled. “My Antarian name is impossible to pronounce, so I’ll just skip that fun event. Loosely translated, it would be equivilent to Nasedo. Fallen Guard.”
“Nasedo,” she breathed through a sudden wealth of emotion. “And… you knew about Tess? For how long?”
“Since she broke from the pods,” he explained, a regretful expression crossing his features. “I misjudged the timing, and the rest of you had already emerged. Tess was the last to be born, and I’ve spent my life protecting her from danger. I kept up with her when she was taken away, and I looked for the rest of you. But I didn’t have the power to contact you. Not until Tess returned and we found Liz. Believe me, you’ve got your work cut out for you,” he added towards Max.
“I have no intention of bringing her into this,” he said suddenly. “She’s innocent to it all, and it would only frighten her away… or cause her to hate me.”
“You’re afraid,” Alex challenged. “Afraid she won’t accept you for what you are. You don’t have a choice, and neither does she. You’re connected… you have to accept one another. You’ll be unable to do otherwise.”
His words didn’t gratify Max, but instead made him even more concerned. “It isn’t fair towards her. She has no idea,” he whispered achingly. “She should have a choice.”
Alex’s head cocked. “Would you really give her one? You forget… I know how you feel for her. I can practically taste it.”
His words were strange, but there was nothing about Alex Whitman that wasn’t. Still… he had a point. Max inclined his head. “I just wish what she felt for me wasn’t something she couldn’t control,” he clarified. “She won’t have a chance.”
“Oh, she’ll fight it and you,” Alex smirked. “Just wait. You won’t have it easy, Zan.” His expression sobered. “But you’ll do whatever it takes, because if you don’t… none of us have a chance.”
