Briehth (Night Sky - Pentalogy- Book Four)

(DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOKS ONE; TWO & THREE) -On The Run / When Two Worlds Collide / Captivated -

~✨~

“We all know interspecies romance is weird.”

— Tim Burton

~✨~

Gresha watched as the first building of the first city, on their new planet, was constructed by their Imaginer, from her father and husband’s plans. Maisey turned and smiled at Gresha as she finished.

Gresha smiled back with a nod. The city looked just as it had in her vision. She has no plans of telling anyone that she already knows what the cities are going to look like. She plans to act surprised and awed, each time one is finished.

“First building,” Leih whispered as he walked up behind her.

Gresha turned to her husband with a brilliant smile on her face. “Thanks to you and Daddy.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Don’t forget our Imaginer, over there.” He whispered as he smiled down at her.

“How could I?” She asked as she turned her head to look at the woman. “She’s the most important of us al, right now.”

“Thanks, Short Stack.” He said with a laugh.

She turned and smiled up at him. “You know what I mean. Without her, your designs wouldn’t matter. It would take us years to build what she can build in just hours.”

“So true.” He agreed with a grin as he pulled her close for another kiss.

“Gresha!”

They turned when they heard her mother screaming her name. Gwyneth came running out of the small shack they had built for them to stay in, while the city was being built, Kenyette in her arms, terror in her eyes.

“What happened?” Gresha asked as she ran to her mother.

“Analiah disappeared.” Gwyneth cried as Gresha took Kenyette from her.

“Where would she go?” Leih asked as he ran over to his wife and son.

The twins were growing so fast. At three months old, they already sat up and tried to talk. Sometimes, Leih could swear they talk to each other and understood every word.

“She’s here!” Gio hollered as he came around the shack, his granddaughter in his arms.

“Oh, thank the Gods.” Gresha breathed with relief as she moved quickly to her father and took her daughter from him.

“It seems she wanted to see what was going on,” Gio said as he laid his hand on his granddaughter’s back. “They found her sitting just outside the construction area.”

“Analiah, you know you’re not supposed to teleport away from us,” Gresha told her three-month-old, who she could swear gave her the dirtiest look a three-month-old could muster.

“Don’t look at your mother like that, young lady,” Leih told his daughter as he stood behind Gresha.

Analiah pouted, then started to cry. Leih sighed as he took Kenyette from his wife, so she could hold their daughter closer as she kissed her cheek and rocked her back and forth. The twins are too smart for their age, and the adults sometimes forget that they’re just babies.

“It’s okay little one.” Gresha cooed. “You scare us when you disappear.”

Analiah stopped crying as she laid against her mother, her eyes drooping.

“Time for naps,” Gresha said as she looked over at her son in her husband’s arms, who also had droopy eyes.

“I’ll take him,” Leih whispered when she went for their son.

Gresha smiled with a nod, then turned and headed for the shack, Leih close behind her with their son.

Gwyneth and Gio watched their daughter and son-in-law with their grandchildren. They regret that they had missed out on their daughter growing up. But Gretchen and Garrett had done such a wonderful job with her.

Though, since she got her memories back, she was fully Gresha again, they can tell that the Earth girl Gretta, was still tucked away inside her. They also know it strengthened Gresha and Leih’s relationship, finding each other again the way they had.

Gwyneth looked up at her husband with a brilliant smile on her face. He smiled down at her as he placed his hand on her ever-growing stomach.

“Soon, we’ll have another of our own.” He whispered as he rubbed her stomach.

“I can’t wait.” She breathed as she smiled up at him.

“No, no, no, no, no!”

They turned to the outburst. Maisey was looking up at the sky as raindrops started to fall. Gwyneth looked up and frowned. Rain will slow down Maisey’s work. She looked at her husband.

“See if Justaine will help.”

“As you wish,” Gio whispered, then kissed her softly on the lips before he disappeared, in search of the young king.

“Mom?”

Gwyneth looked at her stepson and smiled. “Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, I need the hospital built as soon as possible. Has Father looked at my blueprints?”

“I think so,” Gwyneth said with a nod.

“I understand Father and Leih think the first buildings built should be the housing, but we really need a hospital,” Pilar said as he stopped in front of her.

“I understand Pilar, and so does your father. But they are getting anxious up in the station, they want a real home.”

“Yeah, I know. But unless they want to beam up to the Space Station every time, they catch a cold, we need that hospital.”

“We know,” Gwyneth said with a nod.

“Hey, Cousin,” Leih said as he walked up behind the older man.

“Leih, did you by chance take a look at my blueprint for the hospital?” Pilar asked as he turned to his cousin.

“I did,” Leih said with a nod.

“And?” Pilar asked as he watched his cousin’s face and tried to read his mind. He blocked his cousin’s thoughts when he saw his sister naked.

“And it’s alright I guess,” Leih said with a shrug.

“It’s alright, you guess?!” Pilar almost hollered.

“Calm down, Pilar,” Gwyneth said as she placed a hand on his arm.

“Yeah, calm down,” Pilar grumbled as he turned to his stepmother and kissed her cheek, then headed to his shuttle. “I’ll be up in the only hospital we have right now, checking on patients and whatever else I may need to do.” He grumbled as he walked away.

“You’re horrible.” Gwyneth accused as she looked at her son-in-law.

Leih laughed. “A surprise isn’t a surprise if he knows about it.”

“True.” Gwyneth agreed with a nod as she laughed softly. “But I don’t know how long we can hold it under wraps, you do remember your cousin can read minds.”

“I do,” Leih said with a grin. “That is why I keep visions of me and Gresha… Never mind…”

Gwyneth laughed as she took hold of her son-in-law’s arm and led him back toward the shack. “Truth be told, I had done the same.” She whispered to him.

He burst into laughter as he placed his arm over her shoulders and walked to the shack with her, still laughing.

~✨~

“When do they get to start moving down here?” Gresha asked as she looked out the window of her and Leih’s room, in the shack.

It wasn’t really a shack, it looked more like a small cabin. It had enough rooms to house them and their parents and Maisey. Maisey had done a wonderful job today, putting up buildings and shops.

When Justaine had pushed the clouds to go in a different direction from them, Maisey had been elated and worked even harder, not wanting the rain to return in the middle of a build. Justaine had stayed with her for the rest of the day and kept the weather at bay.

“When the city is finished,” Leih said as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle.

She sighed as she leaned back against him. “Hard to believe that not so long ago, we stood like this looking at Earth from the star room.”

“I know.” He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. “Time does amazing things.”

“It does.” She agreed with a bright smile. “We have two beautiful babies, and our family is whole again.”

“With a few extra parts.” He said as he laughed softly.

She laughed with him. “Who would have thought Justaine would get a High Princess of his own, after all.”

“Not me,” Leih said as he shook his head.

Gresha sighed with a frown. She will never forget the day they had discovered that Justaine was always meant to be a part of their family.

She had first noticed it the day she had given birth to the twins. When he had touched her sister, she had seen the shock in both their eyes, but she hadn’t given it much thought, because they’d thought it was residual electricity from Justaine using his gift so much when he’d helped rescue her from the crazy doctor. But then, what had happened on the first week they had been on Briehth, changed them all.

Nahla had come down to see the planet for the first time and had run around in excitement and joy. She had loved the new planet and had wanted to explore everything.

~✨~

-Several weeks earlier-

“Nahla, don’t wander off too far!” Gwyneth hollered at her youngest.

“Okay, Mama,” Nahla said happily as she circled around the field with her arms out, like an airplane.

“I can’t get over how beautiful this place is,” Gwyneth said as she looked at her eldest.

“I know. Leih kept pinching me to make sure he’s awake.” Gresha said with a laugh.

“He’s supposed to pinch himself,” Gwyneth said with a shake of her head.

“Oh, he knows that,” Gresha said with a laugh as she shook her head. “He said it was more fun to pinch me…” She stopped talking as her cheeks turned crimson.

Gwyneth laughed as she shook her head. “Men.” She grumbled.

“What about men?” Gio asked as he walked up behind them.

Gwyneth smiled as she turned to her husband. “Nothing, Dear. I’m just discussing the opposite sex with our daughter.”

“I think it’s a bit too late for the birds and the bees,” Gio said with a grin as he lightly touched each of his grandchildren’s heads.

Their hair was so soft, and the color, unique. It was a blend of the dark dirty blond of their mother, and brown of their father. Their eyes were also unique, blending the gray and green together to make the most beautiful eyes any of them have ever seen. The bright green around the iris with a light gray surrounding the green.

“Daddy?” Gresha asked as she looked at her father with a puzzled look on her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Baby Girl. My thoughts were on my beautiful grandchildren.” Gio said as he smiled at his daughter.

“Mom asked you if the designs were ready.”

“Oh, just about,” Gio said with a smile as he turned to his wife. “We’ll start with a few housing buildings, then start on some shops.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Gwyneth said with a smile.

“What about Pilar’s Hospital?” Gresha asked as she watched her father.

Gio turned to her and smiled. “We have plans for that if he ever finishes his blueprint.”

“I think he finished it yesterday,” Gresha said with a nod.

“Well, then I guess I’ll have a look at it,” Gio said with a smile as he nodded to her.

“I think he’s waiting for that,” Gresha said as she pointed up toward the Space Station, where it is located hovering the planet.

“Guess we can head back up now,” Gwyneth said with a nod. “Come along, Nahla.” She said as she looked out into the field where her daughter had been playing. “Nahla!” Gwyneth screamed when she realized her daughter was no longer there.

“Nahla!” Gio hollered as he headed to the field where his youngest had been playing.

“Where could she have gone?” Gwyneth asked with a cry.

“Stay calm, Tiey Vail,” Gio said as he looked around the border of the field.

“I’ll call Leih,” Gresha said as she pulled out her phone. Leih picked up on the first ring. “Nahla is missing.”

“We’ll be right there.” He assured her before he hung up.

In less than two minutes, Leih, Pilar, Tenyar, and Matrios were beamed down to the planet.

‘Princess.’

“Matrios, do you think you can sniff her out?” Gresha asked of her Snoggle.

‘I can try.’

“What’s going on?”

They all turned as Justaine and Psyanne landed in the field close to them.

“We saw Leih running around hollering for Pilar and Tenyar,” Psyanne said as she moved over to stand beside her friends.

“Nahla is missing.” Gwyneth cried.

Gio reached out to his wife and pulled her into his arms. “She will be okay, Tiey Vail. “This is where having our own Snoggle comes in handy.” He said as he watched Matrios sniff the ground where they had last seen Nahla.

‘This way.’

“He got her scent,” Gresha said as she started to follow her Snoggle.

“You stay here,” Leih said as he took her by the arm.

“I have to go, Leih.” Gresha cried as she looked up at her husband.

“You have to stay with the twins.” He reminded her.

She looked down at her children, who were asleep in their sling. She looked up at her husband with tears streaming down her cheeks. “No one else can hear Matrios.”

“I’ll watch them.” Psyanne volunteered. “Who better then someone who can go invisible if danger comes.”

“Fine,” Leih said with a nod.

They removed the sling from Gresha and locked it around Psyanne. Gresha kissed her children on their foreheads before she turned and ran after her Snoggle. Leih turned and looked at Psyanne.

“Just to be safe, go invisible.”

“Got it,” Psyanne said with a nod, then she and the twins disappeared.

Leih caught up with his family, his wife was already on the back of her Snoggle. They followed the Snoggle in silence, as they made their way through the thick woods.

“Look,” Justaine said as he stopped and picked up a piece of cloth.

“That’s from Nahla’s shirt.” Gwyneth cried out.

Justaine held the fabric to Matrios’ nose. Matrios sniffed it then sneezed. Justaine pulled his hand back and frowned at the snot.

‘Sorry.’

“Matrios is sorry,” Gresha said as she tried her hardest not to laugh at the look on Justaine’s face.

“All good,” Justaine grumbled as he wiped his hand on his pants.

‘I smelt blood, and some kind of fragrance I didn’t recognize, it’s what made me sneeze.’

“No,” Gresha whispered.

“What is it? What did he smell?” Gio asked as he looked at his daughter.

She told them what Matrios had said and they all looked at the cloth still in Justaine’s hand, in horror.

“Can’t assume something terrible has happened,” Gio said as he shook his head. “She could have just snagged herself on a branch.”

Everyone nodded, but no one believed it. Matrios continued down the path it seemed Nahla had taken, everyone close behind him.

When they found a cave, they paused as they stared at it.

“Gwyneth, stay out here,” Gio said as he motioned for her to stay put.

“Not a chance.” Gwyneth hissed at her husband.

Gio placed his hands on both her shoulders. “Listen.” He whispered as he looked into her eyes. “You are pregnant. I can’t have you going in there, in case there’s something dangerous in there. You have no gifts, Tiey Vail.”

Gwyneth frowned; she knows her husband is right. But how could she stay out here, knowing her daughter may be in that cave, hurt, or worse…

“Mom,” Gresha said as she climbed down off Matrios. “I need you to be safe for the twins. If something happens in there, you will be all they have left.”

Gwyneth looked at her eldest for a moment, then nodded.

Gresha rushed into her mother’s arms and held her. “We will get Nahla back.” She whispered before she turned to her bodyguard. “Tenyar, please stay out here and protect my mother.”

“My job is to protect you,” Tenyar said as he watched the young Kryer’s face.

“Please Tenyar. Right now, to protect me, I will be to protect my mother.”

Tenyar sighed. “As you wish, Princess.”

“Thank you.” She said as she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then turned and joined her husband at the entrance of the cave.

“Be quiet, now,” Gio whispered as they entered the cave.

They followed Matrios through the tunnels of the cave as he sniffed out the little princess. When they came to what looked to be a room in the long cave, they froze in shock and horror.

On the other side of the cave, laid Nahla on a stone table. with a creature standing over her, its back to them. They could hear a clucking noise coming from the creature as it stood over the princess, their hearts plummeted to their stomachs when they noticed the blood dripping off the table and onto the floor.

“No!” Gresha screamed as she moved into the room.

The creature turned to them and hissed as he held something bloody up to its’ mouth. Gresha stopped when she saw what the creature held in his hands. She screamed so loud, everyone had to cover their ears. The creature dropped the organ to cover its ears and hissed at her.

Justaine crouched as he covered his ears, then moved into the room. He looked over at the table where the young princess laid and shook his head as he quickly moved to the table, avoiding the creature as he moved. He moved his hands from his ears and pulled the girl from the table and into his arms.

The shock he felt from touching her, almost made him drop her. His vision blurred for a moment as his body jerked. He forced himself to move and made it back to his friends.

Leih recognizing what was going on with his wife and took her into his arms and kissed her, hard, silencing her screams.

The creature screamed at Justaine as the man rejoined the others, with the bloody girl in his arms.

The creature looked at his meal in Justaine’s arms, then at Gresha and growled.

Leih opened his eyes and quickly turned his back to the creature as it jumped at Gresha. The creature’s claws sliced down his back, not penetrating even a layer of his skin.

Matrios jumped over Leih and Gresha and took the creature down. They listened to the horrible screams that came from the creature as Matrios tore it to shreds. When the screaming stopped, Matrios turned to them, blood dripping from his lips.

Still crying, Gresha looked at her baby sister in Justaine’s arms, then pointed to her Snoggle. “Put her on Matrios’ back.” She told him, then turned her head and hid her face against her husband.

Pilar pulled his shirt over his head and secured it around his baby sister’s middle, then helped Justaine secure her onto Matrios’ back. Matrios took off out of the cave so fast, all they saw was a blur of fur.

“Let’s get going, Tenyar will have her in the Hospital Wing before we even get out of the cave,” Leih said as he lifted his wife into his arms.

When they finally got out of the cave, they found Matrios sitting outside, waiting for them.

Gresha noticed the lack of blood in his hair. He must have jumped into one of the ponds and cleaned off. She thought as Leih placed her onto her Snoggle’s back. She forced a smile as she leaned forward and patted her Snoggle’s neck.

“Take her back to Psyanne. Meet us up there once you have Psyanne and the twins.” He told the Snoggle.

Matrios nodded his head, then took off, back the way they had come.

Pilar pulled out his phone and called for their beam up to the Station.

Matrios returned to Psyanne and stopped where she stood invisible. Psyanne became visible and looked at Gresha, who sat slumped over Matrios.

“Oh no.” She whispered as she pulled out her phone and called up to the station for their beams.

Once on the station, they reunited with their family in the Hospital Wing. Gresha climbed down from her Snoggle and looked at her friend.

“Can you watch the twins for a bit longer, please?”

“Of course,” Psyanne said with a nod.

Gresha kissed each of her babies on their heads, then found her family in an examining room. Leih looked at her when she entered, then moved to stand beside her.

“The twins alright?” He asked with a whisper.

“They’re fine, they’re with Psyanne and Matrios.”

He nodded as he pulled her into his arms. When Pilar was finished examining his sister, he threw the device across the room.

“I can seal up her wound, but I can’t replace her organs.”

“What?” Gio asked as he stared at his son.

“The creature seemed to have been on his second course. She’s missing two of her major organs.”

“How the hell is she still alive?” Leih asked as he stared at his cousin.

“I have no idea,” Pilar said as he shook his head. “But it won’t last long.”

“All the devices and medicine you have invented, and you can’t replace organs?” Gwyneth asked as she looked at her stepson.

“What about your healing mist?” Gio asked as he turned to his daughter.

With a cry, Gresha shook her head. “Like Pilar, I can heal organs and wounds and protect from poisons, but I can’t replace organs.”

“Damn,” Gio grumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Pilar said, almost crying himself.

“It’s not your fault, Son. We should have been keeping a better eye on her.” Gio said as he shook his head.

“It’s my fault.” Gwyneth cried as she collapsed.

“I was there too,” Gresha said with a cry.

“Enough of this,” Gio said as he lifted his wife into his arms.

“Close her Pilar, make her as comfortable as you can,” Gio grumbled as he carried his wife from the room.

“What the hell was that creature?” Leih asked as he stared down at his little sister and watched as Pilar close her wound.

“I thought you had said this place was safe,” Justaine said as he stared at the girl, he never knew was his.

“What do you mean yours?” Gresha asked as she stared at Justaine.

“What?” Justaine asked as he looked at her.

“Mind reading,” Gresha said as she tapped her head.

“But I thought Pilar is the mind reader,” Justaine said as he looked between the two siblings.

“I am,” Pilar said as he finished closing his baby sister. “I read you and she read me.” He said as he looked up at the man.

“Oh right, the bond thing,” Justaine said with a nod.

Pilar watched the young king’s mind replay what had happened when he had taken Nahla off the table and carried her away from the creature.

Gresha saw it too and stared at Justaine in shock. She had noticed a reaction when he had touched her sister when she was in labor with the twins, but they’d thought it was from his power, not the Electro Shock.

“So, you get a High Princess after all,” Pilar said with a growl.

“Hey, I gave up on that a long time ago. I didn’t ask for it.” Justaine said as he raised his hands in the air.

“Well, I’ve done all I can do for her,” Pilar said as he lifted Nahla into his arms.

They followed him out of the room and down the hall to the blood room. He laid her on the bed at the replenisher and Leih helped him hook the tubes into her small body. He turned the machine on and replenished her blood.

“What are we going to do about her organs?” Gresha asked as she watched the machine pump blood into her sister.

“I am going to invent something that will replace organs or die trying,” Pilar growled as he watched his baby sister’s skin start to pinken. “For now, I’ll keep her on a machine that will work as her organs.”

“That’s not much of a life,” Justaine said as he watched the girl on the table. A tear slid down his cheek as he felt a strong pull to her.

Gresha watched the tear and hid a smile. She doubted he had even noticed it himself.

“It’s what I have to offer, for now. I’m not letting my baby sister die, not when there’s a possibility of me saving her.” Pilar said as he headed for the door.

“I never said to do that,” Justaine said as he continued to watch Nahla.

“Where are you going?” Leih asked as his cousin opened the door.

Pilar looked at him. “To invent new organs.”

The next couple of days were the worst days of the High Royal Family’s lives. The youngest High Royal was dying, and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

Pilar rarely slept and had himself locked up in his serum room.

Gresha visited her sister every hour with and without the twins. The twins seemed to know something wasn’t right and cried whenever someone said Nahla’s name.

On the third day, Gresha was in her bedroom preparing for another dreary day when a searing pain erupted through her brain. She fell to the floor as her body convulsed.

Leih walked into the bedroom to find Gresha writhing on the floor and rushed to her. He lifted her into his arms and held her as she cried out through the pain of the vision.

When the pain subsided, she opened her eyes and blinked as tears streamed down her cheeks. She blinked again and looked at her husband.

“Why didn’t I think of this before?” She whispered as she pulled herself to a sitting position with Leih still holding her.

“Think of what, Short Stack?” He asked as he helped her to her feet.

“Watch over Analiah.” She said as she left the room and headed for the nursery.

“What are you going to do?” He asked as he rushed to catch up with her.

“What I should have realized right away.” She said as she lifted her son from the crib.

“Gresha?” He asked confused, as he lifted his daughter from the crib.

“It was right in front of me all along.” She whispered as she kissed her son on the forehead then headed out the door.

“Gresha, you’re not making any sense.” Leih hollered after her as he followed her out of the suite.

“Kenyette can help Nahla,” Gresha said as she opened the door to the Hospital wing.

“You can’t expect a six-week-old to know what to do Gresha,” Leih said as he followed her to Nahla’s room.

“He doesn’t have to know what to do,” Gresha said as she opened the door.

Pilar turned to the door as they entered the room. His eyes opened wide as he read her mind and saw her vision. He bowed to her as he backed away from the bed.

“What is the deal there, Cousin?” Leih asked as he stared at Pilar.

“She is in Kryer mode,” Pilar whispered.

They stood back and watched as she laid Kenyette in the bed next to his aunt. Kenyette started to cry when he touched Nahla and they watched in awe and wonder as a bright light erupted from his body and covered his young aunt in its glow. Kenyette stopped crying as he laid beside his aunt, his hand in his mouth.

Gresha lifted her son into her arms and held him close.

Pilar and Leih moved to stand beside Gresha as they watched Nahla and the machines around her. Pilar sucked in a breath when one of the machines started beeping. He quickly unhooked it from his sister and pushed it away from the bed. One by one, the machines began beeping. When Pilar unhooked the last machine, they watched and waited as Nahla laid on the bed with nothing keeping her alive but her own body.

Gresha started to cry. “Does this mean what I think it does?”

“Let me see,” Pilar said as he held back his own emotions and grabbed one of his devices, to check on his baby sister.

All her organs were there and working properly. He dropped the instrument and backed away from the bed.

“What?” Gresha squeaked.

“It is as though nothing had ever happened to her.” He whispered as he stared at his baby sister, who slept peacefully on the bed.

“Why isn’t she waking up?” Gresha asked in a panic.

“Her body went through a lot, Short Stack,” Leih said as he wrapped his other arm around his wife.

Pilar looked at his nephew. “The prophecy was right. The twins will be the most powerful Sobriehtons, ever born.”

“Analiah got her powers from our ancestor.” Gresha reminded her brother.

“But our grandmother was only able to teleport to where she has been before or can see. Analiah can teleport where ever she wants.” Pilar said, still in shock.

“Should have known they would come from the original two most powerful Sobriehtons ever born.”

The three of them turned to the door to find Gio and Masorien standing there, their eyes wide in shock. They had been concentrating on Kenyette and Nahla, none of them had seen or heard the two men enter the room. Pilar and Gresha read their minds and saw that they had been there to witness Kenyette heal Nahla.

“What do you mean?” Gresha asked her uncle as she watched his face recover from the shock of what he had seen.

He smiled at her as they moved further into the room. “Before the twins, Leih was the most powerful Sobriehton ever to be born. Then when you came along, you beat him in that department. And the two of you created the next most powerful. I can’t wait to see what the twins can do together.”

Gresha looked at her husband. Leih was still looking at Masorien as though he had two heads. Gresha laughed when she heard Masorien’s thoughts through her brother’s mind.

“Is she going to be okay?” Gio asked as he approached the bed.

“I think so,” Pilar said as he looked down at his little sister.

“Why hasn’t she woken?” Gio asked, repeating his daughter’s earlier words.

“Give her time,” Pilar said as he picked up the device he had dropped on the floor.

“Daddy,” Gresha said as she looked at her father.

“Yes, Baby Girl?” Gio asked, not taking his eyes off his youngest.

“There’s something you should know about Justaine.”