Jazin knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Not only because his strength was waning but because Tai Tek was growing increasingly more desperate. That desperation was leading to more brutal blows. It was only a matter of time before one of them lead to his death. He would never reveal the information that Tai Tek wanted. He would die first. He stared at the ceiling of his prison and fought back a wave of grief at the idea of never seeing his mate again. If he could have just one more moment with her, he would tell her that just the short time they had together brought him more joy than anything else in his life. His eyes burned but he refused to let the tears of grief to form. He would only think of Star’s beauty. He would only relive the times when her fierce spirit woke a need inside him that he never thought to have.
“I love you, my fierce little warrior,” Jazin whispered into the darkness of his prison cell. “More than anything, I wish I could tell you one last time how much.”
His head dropped down to rest on his chest as exhaustion pulled at the chains holding him. Perhaps he should let death take him. As long as he had his memories of Star, he would not die alone. He would seek her out in another lifetime. He would always look for her, no matter where the Gods sent him. She was his soul mate – forever.
Jazin didn’t bother raising his head up with the door to his cell creaked open. He mentally tried to prepare himself for another beating. He pulled even further into his tired mind, seeking shelter as he felt first one wrist than the other being unchained. He had no idea what new torture Tai Tek had for him but he would die a warrior. He forced his head up as he was turned around and stared straight into the eyes of his tormentor. A frown ceased his forehead as he saw a set of familiar eyes, instead. The dark, glowing amber eyes met his for a brief moment before turning away. As his strained arms fell to his side weakly, the huge figure of the male in front of him lowered him down to the cold, stone floor gently.
“Your warrior mate is coming for you,” the voice whispered hoarsely. “Stay alive. She is not alone and neither are you.”
Jazin let his head rest weakly against the floor. He didn’t know if the voice or the figure had been a figment of his imagination. Perhaps this was one of Tai Tek’s tricks to torture his mind as well as body by giving him hope. He rolled weakly over and looked around the dimly lit cell through blurry eyes. He was alone. Rolling over again, he curled up as far as his battered body would let him to preserve his body heat against the cold of the rock cell he was locked in. His mind drifted back to the first time he saw Star. Everything became fuzzy as his body and mind began shutting down in exhaustion. He reached up with trembling fingers to touch the faint scar on his cheek where Progit had cut him. All he could think of was when Star had touched him for the first time. Her tender touch as she gently wiped the blood away and her softly spoken words. His head turned slightly when he thought he felt her gentle fingers against his cheek for a moment.
“You are safe now,” her husky voice whispered through the lonely cell.
“I know,” he whispered back. “As long as I have you in my heart, I’ll always be safe,” he responded to the ghost in his mind as darkness settled over him.
*.*.*
Star jerked awake from the dream she was having. She sat up trembling, her hand covered her mouth as silent tears flowed down her cheeks. She had seen him. She had seen Jazin. He had been in a dark cell chained to a wall at first before she saw him again lying curled up. His body was covered in welts, bruises, and cuts from being beaten.
She pushed the covers on the narrow bed back and slid her feet into the soft brown leather boots. Pushing her hair back impatiently, she straightened her top before walking over to the small closet-size cleansing room. She stood looking at her pale reflection. Her eyes seemed too large for her face and were slightly red from crying in her sleep. She could have sworn she had touched him. She could feel his skin under her fingertips as she caressed his cheek. She looked down at her fingers and was surprised to see a small trace of red on the tips. Her hands trembled as she raised them up to the dim lighting above the small mirror. Small streaks of dried blood were barely visible on the tips but they were there. Star looked back at the reflection in the mirror trying to see if she had scratched herself in her sleep. She looked frantically, ripping open her shirt and checking her arms, chest, face, and stomach for any sign of injury that could explain the blood on her fingers.
Nothing, she thought. No scratches, not cuts, no marks except …. her eyes rose to look in the mirror again in disbelief. She had been with him. She knew it. She had told him he was safe now.