The only character I own is the one of a kind Eden. The rest belong to creators of Stargate. I would love to live in their world, though….
Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard studied increasingly unstable surroundings with a hint of amusement. The villagers of Daekora scattered into the nearby forest, cries of panic and fear filling the night sky. His team had taken cover while firing at the incoming wraith darts. And here he was, suspended 7 feet off the ground by the frightened and unfocused gaze of the Daekorian prisoner. Her eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen. Her left eye was a clear liquid pool the shade of lavender. Her right the color of a shining sapphire gem. Both pupils were fully dilated, the dull black a stark contrast against the iridescent shimmer of the irises.
He could see her slight half-exposed body shaking violently, and tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. Wild pale curls clung to the perspiration on her forehead, neck, and shoulders. Beneath the drab olive shreds of her thin linen dress she was slender and athletic and her skin reminded John of honey. He looked back up at the delicate features of her heart shaped face, examining the slope of her slightly upturned nose and smooth pink lips that framed a wide mouth. Beautiful, he thought. And potentially lethal.
John took a deep breath, held out his hands, and began to try and reason with her. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly. "I can help you. But we have to get out of here."
She blinked and he dropped a few feet. He started to speak again but at that moment Ronon leaned from behind a close by tree and fired his gun. The young woman crumbled to the dirt, allowing John to fall to his feet. He ran over to her broken body and scoped her off the ground.
Moving quickly John followed his retreating team through the dense forest toward the gate. He pulled her closely to his chest trying to shield her exposed skin. He could hear darts coming up behind and prayed that someone had gotten to the Gate already and dialed Atlantis. He breathed a short sigh of relief once the event horizon came into view as he crossed over a shallow creek and into an open meadow. Teyla disappeared into the wormhole and Ronan was waiting at the threshold, firing his weapon over John's head.
John reached the stairs and yelled, "Go!" to Ronan.
Once on the other side of the Gate John slowed to a quick walk. "John, what happened? Who's this?" Elizabeth Weir asked as he passed her on the way to the infirmary.
"Back in ten minutes Elizabeth," he called over his shoulder, not stopping.
Inside the infirmary John carefully deposited the unconscious female on her stomach. Dr. Carson Beckett quickly examined her wounds and called out orders to the nurse across the room. "What happened to her?" he asked, carefully tracing one of the deep bloody welts running across her slender back.
"It was crazy. We were at Daekora, you know, that village we've been negotiating a trade with?" Carson nodded and John continued. "We got there today and all of the villagers were crowded in the middle of their town around the council and her. We asked what was going on and they told us this girl had committed a crime against one of the elders so she was being punished. We argued with them but they did this, "John motioned to the multiple lashes on her back. "The next thing we know darts are coming in and we're under fire. The villagers ran off and left her lying on the ground. I ran to get her."
John ran his hands through his dark messy hair and shook his head. "If it didn't happen to me, I wouldn't believe it. I got close to her and when I touched her arms to untie the rope I felt like someone had shoved me. It was hard enough for me to step back. They had blind folded her so I untied it and as soon as she looked at me I was in the air.""The air?" Carson repeated.
"Yeah, six or seven feet. Nothing was holding me. I think it was her. Once Ronan stunned her I was on the ground."
"Do you think it's safe to have her here?" Carson asked.
John shook his head. "I don't think she's dangerous. But the Daekorians had her hands wrapped and tied together and she was blindfolded. Maybe we should do the same. When she wakes up I'll try to talk to her."
Carson nodded in agreement. "Alright. I'll let you know as soon as she's up."
John took another look at the strange eyed woman and then turned to talk to Elizabeth.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Eden battled against the heavy darkness that was keeping her prisoner in her unconscious. She expected once she surfaced the pain would be unbearable. She wasn't sure what her condition would be, or what environment she would be surrounded by. She was lying on her stomach, her arms lying at her side. The bedding was soft, better than she anticipated. She heard quite sounds nearby. Beeping. Shuffling of feet. And unexpectedly a soft benevolent voice. Kind, even. The smell of the room was sterile and while cool air hit her face and hands, smooth warm cloth covered her body.
She felt drowsy and her muscles lethargic. She felt the light covering across her eyes and her wrists were restrained. However the bonding didn't dig into the skin like the rope the Daekorians had used. What bewildered Eden the most was the absence of debilitating pain. Instead the skin and muscle on her back throbbed, a dull, heavy ache. And while she wouldn't describe her mood as peaceful, this was the first time in a long time that she hadn't felt as if she were in immediate danger.
Her tongue snaked out to lick her chapped lips and held her head up slightly. She heard someone rush to her side and say, "How are you feeling?"
He spoke the same language as she did, but his dialect was unlike any she had heard. She tilted her face in the direction of his voice. "Where am I?" she asked in a dry, shaky voice.
"You are safe," he answered. "You are in no danger here. Shall I remove your blindfold?"
"No," she replied. "Not yet."
There was a pause before the man standing beside her bed cleared his throat and said, "Very well. My name is Dr. Carson Beckett. You are no longer in the Daekora village. It was attacked by the wraith and one of our military officers brought you here."
"I fell very…"Eden thought for the way to describe the sensation she fell, "strange."
"I've given you medication to ease the severity of the pain. Are you comfortable?"
"I am," Eden lowered her head back to the bed. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. I'm happy to help you." She felt his hand pat the padded restraints. She was thankful that he didn't touch her skin. Although she felt slightly at ease she wasn't sure how she would react to the contact. "If you begin to feel pain just tell me and I will give you more."
Eden listened to her healer walk away. The steady beeping from a machine close to her head lulled her into a dreamless sleep.
When she finally woke up several hours later she was thankful that the comfortable bedding and serene environment wasn't a dream. She became aware of a different smell mixing in the clean cool air. An earthy musk. Masculine. She inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly, enjoying the foreign response her body was having to the scent.
"Are you feeling alright?" a rich, soothing voice asked from close to her head.
"Yes," she replied as a sigh. "I am not a threat to you anymore. Will you remove the covering from my eyes?"
An instant later Eden felt the blindfold lifted from her face and she slowly opened her heavy eye lids and blinked several times to focus on the man sitting inches away from her. She recognized him. She had seen his face moments before blacking out. "Did you bring me here?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. I'm Lt Col John Sheppard. What's your name?"
"Eden. Thank you for bringing me to safety." A slight smile crossed her wide mouth. "What happened?"
John raised one eyebrow in surprise. His green eyes lit up with curiosity , he leaned closer and tilted his head. "You don't remember?"
"No. My last memory is of your face." Eden admitted.
John chuckled before replying, "Well I should think so. You had me hanging in thin air."Her face reddened and her eyes widened in alarm. "Were you hurt?"
John shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I do have some questions but we'll wait until you are back on your feet."
He stood and rested his hands on the metal railing of her bed. His gaze rested on the restraints the held her arms to her side. "Is it safe to assume if I free your hands I wouldn't regret it?"
"Yes." Her simple answer was all the reassurance John needed and he quickly began to loosen the cuffs. He fingers brushed against her wrists as he did and Eden tensed when she felt the tremor of electricity that escaped from inside her skin and lightly pushed at his fingertips.
"Weird," she heard John mutter under his breath.
She heard the soft shackles fall to the mattress and she slid her hands from close to her side to beneath her head. "Thank you."
"No problem," John watched her eyes close slowly and her breathing become slow and even. "I guess we'll talk later."
John shook his head and left the infirmary with the image of the sleeping mysterious female imprinted in his head.
Please, please, please leave a review. Anyone interested in being a beta reader for me??