End Game – Chapter four

Thane woke up approximately two hours after climbing between the sheets with his Siha spooned against her back, his arm around her rib cage keeping her close to him. He breathed in, feeling the oxygen expand his lungs, without difficulty. Since the arrival of Tabitha, he could breathe better, his mind was not fogged, and his limbs did not tingle from lack of oxygen. He did not understand and did not try to understand. The gods had blessed him with the return of his Siha and the return of his health, for whatever time the gods seemed to give him. He would not squander his blessings.

Thane nuzzled Tabitha's hair, breathing in her scent mixed with his scent absorbed into her skin. Human skin was more vulnerable to injuries than Drell scaled skin, but human skin was absorbent where Drell scales were not. His mating musk would stay with his Siha for weeks to possible months. He smiled, chest expanding with pride, with the knowledge that all with acute olfactory senses would know Tabitha belonged to him. Humans would not be able to detect, but that did not matter, since Tabitha did not mate with her own species.

He held her close as he prayed, "Thank you to all. I give praise and honor to you all, named and unnamed among our Drell faith. Thank you for granting me another day of life. Thank you for bringing my Siha back to me safely. Thank you for keeping my Siha safe. Thank you for allowing me the health to reverence Tabitha's body, showing her that I am worthy to be her mate, making her mine. Aminkira, please watch over my Siha, granting her a sure aim, and kill for each shot. Arashu, please protect your warrior angel as she selflessly protects others. Kilahira, please forgive me of my sins and accept me when the time comes for my soul to part from my body. Even though Tabitha is not Drell in body, please accept her as one of our own when her time of death comes guiding her to my arms again. To Tabitha's Lord, I know I am not a human, but Tabitha says you are no respecter of persons. With that, I respectively request that you watch over both Tabitha and I showing us what needs to be done on this plane of existence before our souls depart our bodies and I give you all the praise, honor, and glory." He felt such a peace and joy knowing his prayers had been heard.

The nearness of Tabitha caused his body to react physically. He knew if he initiated foreplay, she would recipitate in kind. He nuzzled her neck purring deep and seductively from his chest. Tabitha sighed in her sleep, "Thane." Thane kissed her gently behind her ear, "You need your sleep," he whispered slowly pulling away from her back rolling to the side of the bed. Silently, he pulled on a pair of black sweat pants before leaving the bedroom shutting the door behind him.

From his omni-tool, he contacted several stores ordering groceries to be delivered. He smiled, "Tabitha cleaned out the 'frig of everything but the fresh fish," he thought to himself. He made sure some of the groceries were meats. Since living on Kadje, Drell had become basically vegetarians. The only meat in their diets being fish and shellfish. Tabitha did not complain, but Thane knew she liked beef, pork, and chicken, or its equivalent, beside fish and shellfish.

After ordering the groceries, he pinged his son, Kolyat, from the omni-tool, "Call me when you have the chance."

Less than five minutes later, his omni-tool beeped, "Hey, dad, what's up?" Thane could register the concern in his son's voice.

"On your lunch break, could you check the stores on the Presidium for an Earth Bible and Drell Prayer Book?" Thane asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"Sure, but why? We have copies of both at the apartment." Kolyat replied, worry etched into the inflection of his voice. "Dad? Are you okay? Are you having a bad day? I can get someone to cover my shift so you do not have to be home alone. I know the reports of Earth are bleak….and….the rumors about Tabitha being seen on the Citadel or dead.."

Thane brushed away tears hearing the concern in his son's voice. The gods had blessed him so much with his son back in his life and who cared for him. "I am fine, Kolyat. Tabitha is safe, sleeping, here at the apartment. I wanted to surprise her with the copies since she left her copies back on Earth."

Elation sounded in Kolyat's voice, "Tabitha, mom, is safe. She made it off Earth. Of course, she did, she can do anything. Got'ta' go, but I will make sure and check for you. Praise be to the gods."

Thane pulled his weapon cleaning supplies out of a drawer in the living room setting them down by the sniper rifle and shotgun. As he took the sniper rifle apart, cleaning and oiling every piece, his mind wandered thinking on the past months events. After the Collector base was destroyed, he and Tabitha settled down in one of the apartments he kept for himself while on the Citadel. For six months, Tabitha kept on the Council, non-aligned worlds, and the Alliance to prepare for the Reaper invasion, to no avail. Closing his eyes, he remembered the morning the Alliance came for his Siha, "Citadel sunlight filtered through the window, scent of strawberries from hair against my cheek, soft snores as Siha snuggles closer, hands wander across warm skin, snores become sighs and moans, pounding at the door, gasp as Siha wakes alert ready for combat, heart rate increases, smiles when see me, pounding continues at door getting harder and louder. Both Tabitha and I pull on sweatpants and T-shirts before answering the door, Alliance soldiers rifles at ready aimed at my Siha and I, soldier speaks, my Siha under arrest, move to place restraints on her, I move to attack, but stop when see Counselor Anderson who says only a few days, inquiry only. Siha leaves, lungs on fire, throat closed, cannot breathe, start to shiver, clammy skin, lights before my eyes, blackness."

Thane opened his eyes, breathing ragged, looking down at the sniper rifle cleaned, oiled, and reassembled. As he disassembled the shotgun preparing for it to be cleaned and oiled, he remembered waking up in a hospital bed, Kolyat in prayer standing by the head of the bed. Remembered his son stating that he had found him collapsed in the apartment by the front door, lips blue, barely breathing. Kolyat moved into their apartment after he was released to care for him with his rapidly deteriorating condition. During the six months before Tabitha's incarceration back on Earth, she had established a close relationship with Kolyat again. Thane remembered, after the Collector Base was destroyed, having a heart-to-heart conversation with his son. Kolyat realized that his father had always loved him.

Kolyat walked into the apartment seeing his father cleaning and oiling the disassembled pieces of a Krogan Claymore, Geth Black Widow freshly cleaned and oiled on the table. He could tell his father was deep in thought or reliving memories as he walked toward the table, "Penny for your thoughts, as Tabitha says."

Thane came out of his memories, eyes focusing on Kolyat sitting down opposite him. Smiling, he stated, "I was thinking. I did not expect you till this evening."

As Kolyat headed toward the table, he smelled the sweet musky aroma of his father's bonding scent, "I did not think dad could still…," he thought to himself, "He was having an extremely hard time breathing, let along…". He raised his eye ridges looking at his father from across the table. From lack of oxygen, Thane's skin color had changed to a sickly green, black striping a dull gray, and his eyes had become dull and lifeless. Kolyat whistled under his breath as he saw his father's skin tone back to shiny iridescent green and black scales, eyes alive. "Dad," he asked, "What happened? Just this morning, you were ready to die and now…"

Thane chuckled from deep in his chest, "My Siha."

Kolyat questioned, "Tabitha? How?"

Thane laid the cleaning rag down steepling his fingers in front of his chest looking straight at Kolyat, "I do not know. As soon as I saw my Siha at the hospital, I felt such peace and joy. When she hugged me, I could breathe again, the fog of oxygen deprivation left my limbs and mind. The gods blessed me. I will take what time I have and not squander it."

Kolyat smiled broadly sniffing the air, "I can smell that you have not wasted any time, father."

Thane blushed slightly, his frills turning a deeper red. He took one hand rubbing it across his crest ridges, "Yes, well…I…"

Kolyat laughed, "Dad, you two are adults and bonded mates." A serious look came across his face, "It is so good to see you like this again," a stray tear slipped down his check, "I have been so worried for you, dad."

Thane got up from the table coming around to hunch down on his knees by Kolyat opening his arms, "Kolyat, my son."

Kolyat felt like a small boy again falling into his father's arms. Thane pulled him tight against his chest purring softly to calm him as Kolyat wrapped his arms around his father back, his voice choked with emotion, "I am scared, dad. You say the gods are good. I think they are mean. My time with you and Tabitha has been sporadic over the years. Tabitha is fighting the Reapers and could die any day, the same as you from Kepral's Syndrome. I do not want to be alone, again. I love you so much, dad."

Thane rubbed Kolyat's back with his hands in circular motions calming his son humming a Drell mantra. Drell were generally very social and loving creatures. They openly showed emotions and affection amongst their own kind, family, and friends. Thane did not have that since he was taken from his parents and trained to be an assassin from the age of six. Being with Tabitha brought him out of his battle sleep. It had taken time, but he was showing affection and emotion, "My son, I am so sorry I got Kepral's Syndrome.. The gods have been good. I should have died one to two years ago. I was blessed with medication from Professor Mordin Solus to slow the progress of the disease. The gods did bless both of us with Tabitha. I found my bond mate and you found another mother."

Thane stopped rubbing Kolyat's back leaning back to look at his son, "I will not leave you. Even when my body dies and my soul travels across the sea, I will be watching and caring for you. I know Kalahira will grant me that request." He leaned against Kolyat's neck nuzzling him.

Kolyat nuzzled his father back purring contentedly before standing up. As Thane stood up, Kolyat smiled wiping his hand across his face, "Thank you." He reached into his pants cargo pocket with his left hand, "here are the two books you requested," handing the Bible and Prayer Book to his father. " I have to get back to work, but I will be by after work." He smiled wickedly as he turned to leave calling over his shoulder, "I will make sure and ring the door bell to announce myself, just in case the two of you are becoming reacquainted some more."

Thane laughed as Kolyat left the apartment sitting back down finishing the assembly of the shotgun. He had placed the sniper rifle and shotgun in the bedroom when he heard the doorbell. Upon opening the door, he saw his groceries had arrived. He paid the delivery person bringing the many bags of groceries into the apartment. Just as he was finishing putting away the groceries, he heard cries coming from his Siha.

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