Theron Destiny (Brides of Theron) (31 page)

Avery moved through the room to get to the door. She heard Zeb following behind her. She was drawn to what she saw outside the door. She opened the glass door and stepped through onto a large balcony. She stopped so abruptly that Zeb continued to walk right into her and had to steady her before he knocked her over.

The two moons of Theron were shining in the night, lighting up the shallow river that ran along the back of the house. What she hadn’t realized until stepping outside was that they appeared to be on the second story of the house. She went to the railing that enclosed the balcony and turned around and looked up. What she saw astonished her.

“What the…” Her mouth dropped open as her eyes traveling up. “The house is in a freaking tree?” She laughed as she looked at the branches that sprouted in every direction. She really didn’t know what to think about the sight before her. She couldn’t even begin to think about how big the tree actually was. It stretched towards the sky with its brown and green branches while flowers of white and pink sprouted from tiny buds that were hidden inside the leaves. All along the railing of the balcony was a blue vine that created a natural barrier between the top railing and the balcony.

Every once in a while she would see small flying bugs of some sort that reminded her of Earth’s butterflies. Their wings fluttered as they appeared to be feeding on something the blue vine had to offer. She looked over the railing to the river below and saw the gentle sway of lavender colored grass that butted up against the river bank. A large clump of the grass near the edge of the river nearly took her breath away.  In it she saw flowers as big as truck tires growing in all colors and oddly resembling gigantic roses. The river itself was crystal clear and with the twin moons shining down, she could see fish swimming in its shallow waters. She turned, astonished and looked back at Zeb,

“Why did you build a house in a tree?”

Zeb leaned against the railing of the balcony, smiling, before he replied to her puzzled face.

“Well for starters, I built this house after the invasion. Many of us had gotten together and discussed how we could rebuild our homes and try to camouflage them at the same time. Where we live now was once part of a massive forest that was never developed. The trees in the forest grew to be immense in size and we started to think that in some kind of a way they were a gift from the gods and goddesses that had led us here. There’s a lot of energy in the forest.  The trees are the heart of that energy. We wanted to build our homes in the trees, but at the same time didn’t want to harm or even kill them. It took us a while to figure out a way to achieve this, but in the end this is what we succeeded in doing.” He gestured to the room around him, leaning against the railing he watched Avery looking at the house.

“It is absolutely amazing. I would have never in a million years thought that a house this big could be built in a tree. I’ve seen movies with tree houses or movies with people who lived in the trees with no houses but this is utterly incredible!” She smiled from ear to ear as she looked back and forth between the house and Zeb.

“I am glad that you like it. Our world was devastated with the war but we are recovering. The forest is actually a better place for us to live. It’s cooler in here for one thing and we have an abundance of resources. The Gods and Goddesses have smiled upon us and have let us thrive in their world. When I took you to the park on the ship and told you that it was almost like our home, I didn’t know if you believed me or not. At the beginning of the war, our world looked much different than it does now. We still consider ourselves a very advanced culture and have chosen to use our skills to live on Theron in a much ecologically sound way. Before, we had chosen to cut down the trees and make way for our towns and cities but now we use the strength and energy of the trees to become our homes.”

“I had no idea that it would be so beautiful.” She moved to where Zeb was standing and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I cannot wait to see what it all looks like in the daytime.”

He pulled her close than kissed the top of her head. They stood there for several minutes just listening to the sounds coming from the forest. The river below them rippled by while other small animals moved about in the canopy of the forest. Unexpectedly, a woman’s voice came from the doorway,

“You have returned my son!”

Zeb and Avery turned at the voice. Zeb’s face broke out in a big smile as he pulled Avery by the hand towards the older woman. Avery was a bit nervous to meet the woman that she assumed to be Zeb’s mother.  She really didn’t have much choice in the matter as he drug her to meet her.

“Mother, it is so good to see you!  It has been a very long time. How are you doing?” Zeb kissed the older woman on the cheek then embraced her in his arms. “I have missed you.”

“I have missed you too, son. Who have you brought home with you?” The older woman smiled at Avery.

Zeb’s face lit up even more, “Mother, this is Avery. She is my mate. Avery this is my mother Yasa.”

“I am very pleased to meet you Yasa.” Avery’s voice shook with emotion as she greeted her new mother-in-law.

Yasa stood for a moment and looked at her son’s mate. She never thought she would see the day that he would find someone to share his life with. The Drylons had just about destroyed that dream entirely.  Now, she was so anxious to learn where Avery had come from. She moved to stand in front of Avery. She reached out and clasped the Avery’s hands into hers.

“I have waited a long time for my son to find someone to love and share his life with.” Yasa smiled at Avery as she looked her directly in the eyes. “May you and Zeb have a blessed, long life together, as well as give me grandchildren!” Her eyes twinkled as she spoke those last words.

“You must be hungry. Come and I will fix something for us to eat while I get to know Avery.” Yasa went back into the house and made her way to the kitchen. Zeb and Avery followed close behind her while holding hands.

“Your mother seems very nice.” Avery whispered to Zeb as they walked. “Do you think she likes me?”

Zeb threw his head back and laughed out loud, “Oh yes, my love. She likes you.”

“But how do you know she does?” She pulled on his hand to get him to stop moving.

“Oh my little Earth mate. If she didn’t like you she would have never continued to hold your hands for so long. My mother has a sense about individuals that she meets.  She can tell immediately if she will like them or not by taking hold of their hands. She says she can feel the energy flowing through them. Whether bad or good, everyone has an energy force that is a part of them.”

Avery looked from Zeb’s face to the figure of his mother that was rounding a corner directly in front of them. “Are you sure?”

“I am positive Nea hela. My mother is already one of your greatest protectors. Come on, let’s not keep her waiting.”

They continued walking to the kitchen and entered in the large room. Yasa was busy putting a kettle on what Avery assumed was a stove. The room itself was similar to a kitchen found on Earth but had a few odd pieces. One wall contained a stone fireplace that was as tall as a Theron man. At the moment a small fire was burning in it making the air in the room comfortable. Across from the fireplace was a stove with about eight burners on it. Sitting on one of the burners was pot that she could see steam coming from under a lid. The mouth-watering aroma was making Avery’s stomach start to growl.

On the opposite side of the stove was counter space that doubled as an eating area. Tall metal chairs with green cushioned seats lined the counter. Zeb pulled one of the chairs out for her to sit on. She had to climb up to get up on the chair and once she was seated, her feet dangled like a small child’s would. Zeb took the seat next to her. He brushed a strand of her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“What do you think of our home?” He clasped his hands together on the counter while looking at her.

Yasa had stilled her movements and watched the couple. A smile played at her lips as she watched her son acting like a nervous little boy.

“It is magnificent! I have never seen anything as beautiful. Your world is so different than mine. If someone would have told me a year ago that I would one day live on another planet with a huge ass, gorgeous alien guy with purple eyes as my mate, I would have laughed in their face and called them nuts. I just wish my aunts could see this place.” The tone of her voice had grown a bit sad at her last sentence and was not unnoticed by either Zeb or his mother.

Yasa was curious by Avery’s statement and wanted to know more about her family. “You speak of your aunts, but where are your mother and father?”

Avery sighed, “My parents died when I was young. My two aunts raised me.”

“Do you miss them much?” Yasa could pretty much answer that question for herself just by the look on the young female’s face.

“I miss them a tremendous amount. But, I chose to come here with Zeb. I love him. My aunts understood why I was leaving.  Zeb even gave me the chance to say goodbye.  That meant so much to me.” She took a deep breath since she could feel the prickles of tears building behind her eyes. She didn’t want to make a fool out of herself in front of Zeb’s mother so soon after meeting her.

To her surprise though, Yasa moved around the counter and came to stand in front of her once again. She took Avery’s hands and enclosed them in hers before speaking.

“I understand how it feels to miss someone so dearly. The heart longs for someone lost and has a hard time of accepting the loss. I lost Zeb’s father at the beginning of the war with the Drylons. He was captured in the initial attack along with most of our females. He had led an air strike when the Drylons had first attacked Theron. We were not prepared for war and lost a lot of loved ones. The Drylons are a cruel race and have no remorse. We didn’t know what had happened to Zirlo, Zeb’s father, for the longest time. About a year after the war had started a box was sent to Zeb from the Drylons. The Drylons with their sick sense of humor had sent back Zirlo’s ashes in a metal box with a note attached.” Emotions rolled across Yasa’s face as she told Avery about Zeb’s father and her mate. “The note said that this was how all the warriors of Theron would end up. Zirlo was one of Therons greatest warriors.  To the Drylons this act was a show of great contempt.”

“My father was the leader of the Theron warriors and had been in the first strike against the Drylons. He was shot down and captured. That was the last we had heard of him until the box. My mother took it very hard and so did the other warriors. Not only had we lost most of our females but our leader as well. It took us a while to reorganize ourselves but we were finally able to overtake the Drylons and fight back.”

Yasa still holding Avery’s hands smiled through tears, “You are now part of our family. You are the hope we have been waiting for. Hopefully the Gods will bless you and my son with the children that will continue to keep the Theron race alive.”

Avery looked at Zeb smiling, “Should we tell her?”

Zeb nodded his head in agreement and waited for Avery to break the news to his mother. His mother would have a double surprise on this day.

“Tell me what?” Yasa looked quizzical at the two.

“Well… How do you feel about becoming a grandmother very soon?” Avery waited for that question to sink in for Yasa and when it did, Yasa’s reaction was priceless. Her eyes grew wide as tears fell down her face. She squeezed Avery’s hands so tightly that the circulation was being cut off and her fingers had started to tingle.

“You would not tease an old woman now would you?” She looked hopefully to her son who stood up and embraced his mother.

“Mother, how could you think that of me?” He laughed.

She mother laughed in return and said, “Do you not remember all the jokes you used to play on me and your father as a child?”

“Yes I remember, and no, we are not teasing you. Avery is going to have the first Theron/Earth baby. Would you like to know what the baby is?” He was now teasing his mother as he watched her emotions swiftly change. She couldn’t even voice the yes that was sitting on the tip of her tongue but was able to nod of her head affirmatively.

“Well, Momma.” he had reverted back to the name used for her as a child, “You will soon have a granddaughter to fuss over.”

Yasa was speechless. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. All she could do was pull Avery into her arms. “A girl!” She continued to hug Avery while she reached behind her to grab hold of her son. “The Gods have blessed us with a baby girl. Oh, how I wish your father could be here to see your child born. He would have been so proud.” The tears flowed freely now in both Yasa and Avery. Yasa let go of Avery then patted her son on the cheek.

“I need to feed your mate and my grandbaby she carries Zeb. They must stay well nourished.” She moved back to the other side of the counter. She busied herself taking out bowls and spoons and placing them on the counter next to the stove. She removed the lid that was on the pot and stirred its contents. Satisfied that the meal was ready, she spooned portions into the bowls then handed one to Avery then one to Zeb. She turned to the fireplace and opened a gray metal door that Avery had not noticed before. From within the heat, Yasa pulled out fresh baked Bhakta bread. The smell of the fresh bread filled the room. Yasa placed the hot loaf on the counter near where the two were already eating and sliced it.

Avery didn’t care what was in the stew since it smelled so good. Now, the additional smell of fresh bread assaulted her senses making her feel as if she hadn’t eaten in a week. All three ate in silence until the sensation of hunger had been satisfied.

“May I ask what is in the stew?” Avery spooned another bite into her mouth.

“It has carros, jutza, qil and the meat of the ona.” Yasa replied. “It was Zeb’s favorite when he was still a child.”

“It still is my favorite. You must have sensed our return in order for you to have cooked this.” He eyed his mother suspiciously.

“No son, I was told that a ship had returned while I was in the market. Then I sensed your return. What a better way to greet the return of my son and to my surprise, his mate, then with a pot of ona stew. Eat up, there is plenty more.”