Himiko: Warrior - 1

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the
publisher.

Himiko: Warrior
TOP SHELF
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright 2011 by CB Conwy
Cover illustration by Alessia Brio
Published with permission
ISBN: 978-1-61040-545-4
www.torquerepress.com
All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this
book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as
provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address
Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: October 2011
Printed in the USA

Himiko: Warrior - 2

1

CB Conwy:

Himiko: Warrior

They were in the car, approaching the city. Matt was

looking around, wide-eyed, as the first suburbs started
emerging around them. He felt like he had been away
for years and not just a few months; everything seemed
bright and foreign and just very strange.

It had been surprisingly hard to leave the house in the

forest. Hard enough that he had a lump in his throat
when they went out the door for the very last time that
morning.

He had stopped outside the door, taking in the

garden. It brought back memories of lazy summer days
in the sun with Pietr. There had been the incident, too,
when Matt had overexerted himself. Pietr had tended to
him in that garden, sitting with him and holding him
while he had been completely empty of energy. He still
remembered the sun on his back and the quiet rustling of
the wind in the trees.

Then there was the forest where he had learned so

much about his powers. Not all of it had been easy. Sam
and Jerry had worked his ass off teaching him how to
use all aspects of his abilities -- not only those that Pietr
and Aki knew. It had been incredibly hard work, but he
had made it and even gotten to like Sam and Jerry in the
end.

He had given the cabin itself one last glance before

he turned to leave. It was the place where he had
enjoyed simple, everyday life with Pietr, creating a bond

Himiko: Warrior - 3

that consisted of more than their physical bond: a bond
created by talking and eating and sleeping together.

He sighed as he sat in the car. Even if it was the right

decision to go back to his life in the city, he was still a
little sad to leave the place where he had been so happy.
To Matt, the cabin in the woods pretty much symbolized
everything he had now: a new life with a beautiful mate.

You don't need the symbol when you have the real

thing, baby. Pietr sounded very smug as he reached over
and took Matt's hand.

Matt couldn't help laughing out loud. You just don't

have any confidence issues, do you? Pietr was so sure of
himself. Or maybe he was sure of Matt.

Having bonded with his mate was still something of a

miracle to Matt, and he wondered daily how he could
have been so damn lucky as to find Pietr.

It hadn't exactly been easy, though. Matt had been

terrified when the aliens had kidnapped him that horrible
day four months ago. He knew that people didn't come
back when they were "harvested" like that. Or rather, a
few did escape. But they were so deep into psychosis
that they couldn't live among people anymore. Either
they were committed to a psychiatric hospital, or they
killed themselves before anybody could help them.

But Matt had found Pietr. And even though it had

created a lot of problems -- a human shouldn't have been
able to bond with a Himiko, and the Himika didn't know
much about how Matt would react to it -- it was the best
thing that had ever happened to Matt. To say that he
loved Pietr would be like saying that he kind of liked to
breathe. He didn't just love his mate, he needed Pietr and
would die without him. Literally, not in the romance-
novel way.

Himiko: Warrior - 4

He had instinctively curled his fingers tightly around

Pietr's hand while he reminisced, and Pietr reassuringly
squeezed his hand back.

I love you, too.
Matt nodded. He knew, and the knowledge made him

smile. Then he startled.

Oh... There was something odd brushing his mind.
They're just humans. Block them out.
Matt blinked. You didn't tell me... I can feel them!

And what do you mean, "just"? Another thought brushed
his mind, and he shuddered.

Pietr was thoroughly confused. But you just block

them! It's so easy. See, like this? He made a nice and
polite ring around himself. It'll keep them out just fine,
and you can still communicate as you need.

Matt tried it, and it worked. Still, he had questions.
I didn't think we could communicate like that!
Some of you can. You are one of them. Humans just

can't hear Himika; your abilities aren't that developed.
That's why you need the chip.

Matt instinctively reached up and brushed his fingers

over the barely noticeable scar on the back of his neck
where his chip had been implanted, enabling him to hear
the Himika's mental communication.

Will it be like this from now on? Would he be able to

hear the thoughts of everybody around him? Matt was
this close to freaking out at that thought.

No! Matt, calm down. Pietr tried hard to comfort him.

Not many have the ability at all, and in a short time you
won't even notice that you're blocking them. It's nothing
like a real shield.

Pietr showed him, and, as usual, the simple

demonstration combined with Pietr's total confidence
was the best way of convincing Matt of something.

Yeah, you can be really stubborn.

Himiko: Warrior - 5

Am not!
Pietr just laughed, and Matt actually felt himself

blushing a bit. That hadn't been the best support of his
statement. But he had never been one to give up that
easily.

But to get back to my other point: What do you mean

by "just" humans?

Pietr groaned, and they bickered all the way into the

city. It kept Matt's attention elsewhere, and in a corner
of his mind, he knew very well that that was exactly
what Pietr intended. Matt hardly had time to think
before they were at his building.

Matt's space in the parking garage was still there, and

they grabbed as much of their luggage as they could
carry before Matt led Pietr up into his apartment. He felt
a little apprehensive when he unlocked the door; it
would be dusty and stuffy in there after four months.

He was surprised at what he saw when he went in,

though. The air seemed fresh, and the stainless steel
appliances in the open kitchen were spotless.

We had somebody take care of the place. Pietr stood

in the middle of the floor, looking around, and for the
first time, Matt felt him being a little uncertain.

Matt walked over to him. Welcome home, Pietr. Matt

gave his mate a hug and kept his arms around Pietr.

Isn't it supposed to be me comforting you? Pietr

leaned in, though, grateful for the reassurance. Matt had
a hunch that Pietr had been so busy distracting and
helping Matt that he hadn't had any time to consider the
fact that this was going to be an entirely new life for
him, too.

You can distract me all you want after we've

unpacked, Matt assured him.

Himiko: Warrior - 6

That seemed to do the trick; Pietr's mind was

immediately filled with pictures of a very naked Matt.
Matt huffed and pulled back.

You're so easy, you know that?
Hey! Pietr was excellent at faking outrage. I'm just

showing my gratitude.

As I said: after we've unpacked. Matt waggled his

eyebrows so suggestively that Pietr couldn't help
laughing out loud.

Matt gave him a tour of the apartment. After

spending so long in the rustic cabin, his apartment
looked odd with its sleek leather sofas and white walls.
Being here reminded Matt of everything he had left
behind, and he caught himself thinking about work. His
assistant had access to the bank accounts and could run
everything on a daily basis, so it wasn't as if everything
would have shut down just because he wasn't there for a
week or two. But he had been gone four months, not just
a week or two.

He had been finishing up the proposal for the

McCauley project when he was harvested. The
competition to build a new wing for the city's museum
of natural history had been an excellent opportunity to
get into the museum world, and they had really had a
good chance of getting the job. If only Shaun had gotten
the proposal delivered before the deadline...

See? You do have a life here.
Matt realized that he did. He had been nervous about

coming back, but Pietr was right; he did have something
to come back to. He had a job that he liked a lot, and
suddenly, he couldn't wait to see his employees. It had
been months since he had talked to anyone but Himika.
Well, months since he had talked much at all -- since he
had developed his mental skills, he hadn't used his voice
nearly as much as he used to. And architecture was his

Himiko: Warrior - 7

passion as well as his job. Creating his own company
had made all of his dreams and ambitions come true.

Are you going to work today? Pietr asked.
Not until tomorrow. I want to catch up with my

friends first. He suddenly remembered Benjamin's face
when Matt had been taken out of that classroom. I
should probably go see them as soon as possible.

I'm sorry about that, you know?
Matt looked up; there was a look of shame on Pietr's

face as his mate remembered Matt's terror when he was
harvested.

It is going to change. Pietr's inner voice was quietly

determined. We just need to communicate better. Then
humans won't be so terrified of us.

Matt had a feeling that it would take a lot more than

that; the fear of the harvesting had been strong among
humans. Especially when some of the kidnapped people
escaped captivity and came back, so deep into psychosis
that they were hardly even human anymore. Matt had
been terrified.

But he didn't say that to Pietr. Instead he nodded. I'll

go grab the rest of our luggage -- you can begin sorting
out your clothes or something in the meantime.

Pietr did, and as Matt went out the door, Pietr was

deep in thought as he color-coordinated his clothes
before hanging them in the closet. Weirdo.

***

Matt took a big breath before he raised his hand to

knock at the door of the house that Benjamin and Jones
shared. He hadn't called beforehand, because he hadn't
had a clue what he was going to say. "Honey, I'm
home"? He knocked twice.

Himiko: Warrior - 8

"Benj, when the fuck are you going to learn to

remember your key?" Jones had opened the door
without as much as casting a glance outside.

"Hi, Jones."
There was an endless moment when Jones froze.

Then his friend turned to look at him, and next thing
Matt knew, he was swallowed up in Jones' embrace.
Matt hugged Jones right back, the familiar feeling of
being in Jones' arms so good. They had been lovers for
almost a year and friends ever since. This was like
coming home.

"Matt! Fuck, I thought you were gone for good."

Jones pulled back, looking at Matt with a disbelieving
expression on his face. "Are you okay?" He ran his
hands feverishly down Matt's face, staring as if to
determine whether Matt was sane or not.

What he saw seemed to satisfy him, because he

started asking questions. "What did they do to you? Are
they after you? Fuck, come on in before they find you."

Jones interrupted himself, casting fearful glances

over Matt's shoulder and pulling his arm until Matt was
inside the house. Jones slammed the door closed behind
him. Matt blinked. It was amazing to be back again, but
Jones was acting just a bit weird.

"Will they come after you?" Jones looked more

nervous than Matt remembered seeing ever before.

"Jones, relax. They let me go; they're not after me.

It's all good." Matt smiled and hugged Jones again. Then
he slapped Jones on the back, pulled away, and headed
for the living room. Thank God he didn't feel any
indication that Jones was able to communicate mentally.

"God, it feels like ages since I've been here." Matt

studied the room as if it were the first time he had been
here, seeing the battered furniture and the ridiculously
expensive plasma TV on the wall, complete with

Himiko: Warrior - 9

surround-sound equipment spread all over the living
room. Benjamin and Jones had always agreed on their
priorities when it came to decorating.

Jones followed him in there, still staring at him. "I

can't believe you're here. You're sure you're okay?"
Jones looked questioningly at him, as if Matt could jump
out the window any minute.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's good to see you." It was.

Hanging out with Jones had been the most normal thing
about his old life. "Now, how about a beer?" Matt didn't
particularly want one, but Jones kept staring at him.

The question finally goaded Jones into action. "Sure.

We got to celebrate that you're out of their claws. Have
you seen anybody else but me? I've been doing a
campaign to get you free; maybe that's why they let you
go. Here, have a look at what I've been doing since they
harvested you." Jones was talking way too fast for Matt
to answer his question, and now the man went over and
grabbed a pile of flyers from the table, handing one to
Matt before heading into the kitchen.

Matt blinked when he saw a picture of himself and a

heading reading "Stop the kidnappings!" There were
more on the table, different designs and colors, but all of
them with his face on them.

"Listen, Jones, it wasn't exactly like that." Matt

wasn't sure that Jones could hear him in the kitchen. It
didn't seem that way when Jones came back into the
room.

"When did you get back? Why didn't you call me?"

Jones' questions kept coming while he put the beers
down on the table.

"I came back to the city a couple of hours ago, and I

didn't call you because I didn't know what to say to
you." Matt shrugged.

Jones' expression softened as he came back to Matt.

Himiko: Warrior - 10

"Fuck, Matt. You know you can always call me."

Jones gave Matt another hug, holding on to him for a
long time.

Matt sighed and leaned into Jones' embrace. God, he

had missed his friend. Jones rubbed his back, squeezing
him tightly, and Matt relaxed, letting himself be held.
Then Jones pulled back and tried to kiss Matt.

"Jones, no." Kissing somebody other than Pietr gave

Matt an almost physical feeling of discomfort.

Jones got a hurt look on his face.
"Why can't I kiss you? You didn't mind before.

Especially not just a kiss." Jones sounded accusing.

He was right; they had been doing a lot more than

kissing, on and off, after they broke up. But being
fuckbuddies wasn't in the picture anymore. Matt sighed
and sat down.

"Listen, Jones..." Matt looked down at the flyers on

the table. "It isn't exactly like you think. This, I mean."
He pointed to the colorful leaflets.

"You weren't kidnapped?" Jones interrupted him.
"Well, yes, sort of, but it's a bit more complicated

than that."

Jones got an apprehensive expression on his face.

"They did do something to you, didn't they? Brainwash
you or something like that? Or is this just a case of
Stockholm syndrome?"

"No! I mean, yes, they did do something to me, but

it's not like you think. They're decent people."

"They're not even people! Matt, how can you say

that?" Jones looked confused, his eyes pleading with
Matt.

"Because I got to know them, Jones. They're okay."
The expression on Jones' face was changing rapidly.

"They're fucking disfigured monsters, that's what they
are. What did they do to make you their little puppy

Himiko: Warrior - 11

dog? Or are you just turned on by those creepy elven
ears?" Jones was seething. "Did they order you to come
here to convert me, too?"

Matt shook his head. "Fuck you, Jones. I don't take

orders, you know that. But I know them, intimately, and
I can communicate with them. Perhaps I'm just able to
form an informed opinion; did you consider that?" This
was nothing like the happy reunion Matt had been
envisioning.

"'Intimately'?" Jones was snarling by now. "You

know them 'intimately'? Don't fucking tell me you let
them fuck you."

Matt stood up and stepped so close that he was right

in Jones' face. "It's none of your business who I decide
to fuck, you hear me? As far as I remember, you were
the one who decided you didn't want to fuck me
anymore."

Jones didn't take the bait. "And what do you mean

you can communicate with them? Do they speak some
foreign language or what?"

"They implanted a chip. It enables me to talk to them.

Listen, can I explain this?" Matt stubbornly kept trying
to get through to Jones.

"But why do you even want to talk to those freaks?"

Jones was shouting. "Why the fuck don't you just cut the
chip out? Where is it?"

Matt kept looking at Jones, his eyes never wavering.
"It's in my brain stem. It can't be removed, Jones.

And I don't want to have it removed."

Jones took a step back, his face a study in revulsion.

At that moment, the front door opened.

"Hey, Jones, I forgot my..." Benjamin was in the

room, looking stunned when he saw Matt. Then he took
a step forward, a big smile spreading across his face.

"Matt!"

Himiko: Warrior - 12

"Don't you fucking touch that pig," Jones hissed.
"What the..." Benjamin hesitated, his smile faltering

as he looked from Jones to Matt. "But it's Matt."

Jones laughed, the sound bitter and borderline insane.

"No, this is some sleazebag who fucks aliens. They gave
him a chip in his brain to keep him in line."

Benjamin seemed thoroughly confused now. He

looked entreatingly at Matt.

"Matt?"
"I only fuck one, and his name is Pietr. And nobody's

'keeping me in line.'" It might not have been the smartest
thing to say, but then Matt wasn't known for his even
temper.

"You're on their side now?" The sound of betrayal in

Benjamin's voice made Matt wince.

"It's not about sides, that's the whole point! Maybe if

we could talk to them, things wouldn't be as tense as
they are now." Matt started pacing, too agitated to stay
still.

Benjamin kept watching Matt. "'Tense'? You don't

think it would release the 'tension' if they stopped
kidnapping and torturing people?" His voice was scarily
devoid of emotion.

"I'm not defending that!" Matt was yelling now. This

was a hopeless battle.

"You're not exactly condemning it, either." Benjamin

glanced around the apartment. "I guess we can throw
these out." He picked up the flyers and nodded at the
image of Matt. "This guy here is gone for good
anyway."

Matt froze. Then he managed to tear his eyes away

from Benjamin, looking imploringly at Jones. His best
friend through almost eight years didn't bat an eyelid.

"I think it's best if you leave now, Matt."

Himiko: Warrior - 13

Matt stared at Jones, completely numb. Then he

nodded abruptly and left the room. He stopped in the
hallway and looked back at his friends. Neither of them
said anything. Matt turned and left.

***

He didn't remember anything from his drive home

afterward. Pietr was banging on the car window when he
came back to reality, and Matt started when he heard the
sound. He was in the parking garage under his apartment
building, but how he had gotten here, he had no idea. He
rolled down the window.

"What happened? Why are you shielding from me?"

Pietr sounded agitated, and his mate tried to break
through Matt's shield.

Matt shook his head, trying to get rid of the feeling.
"They don't want me around. They say I'm a freak."

He sat staring straight ahead.

"Open the fucking door!" Without waiting for him to

respond, Pietr reached through the open window and
opened the car door himself, and then Matt was in his
mate's arms. The feeling of Pietr's warm body against
his made his unintentional shielding fall apart, and he
felt Pietr's concern surrounding him.

"I'm fine," Matt said automatically.
The fuck you are. Come on.
Peter tugged him out of the car, closing the door and

leading him to the elevator. There was a woman waiting
for it; she hastily turned around and walked away when
she saw them. Matt cringed.

Don't worry. Come on, they're just humans. Pietr had

one arm around Matt and walked him into the elevator
when it arrived.

Himiko: Warrior - 14

I'm human. Matt laughed, the sound completely

devoid of any joy. Or at least I used to be. Now I don't
know what the fuck I am.

Mine. You're mine. Pietr led him out of the elevator

and down the hall to their apartment, and then Matt
finally heard the door to the apartment closing behind
them.

They called you a disfigured monster.
They don't matter. Pietr's answer was emphatic.
Matt went into the living room and sat down on the

couch. Pietr followed him closely, the worry a constant
in his mate's mind.

They do to me. That was the awful truth. Jones and

Benjamin were his best friends. If not even his best
friends could tolerate him now, what was he going to
do? Live the rest of his life like a pariah?

Come on. I'm sure it'll be better at work tomorrow.

We'll figure it out, okay?

The terrible thing was that Matt could feel the

sadness in Pietr's mind. Pietr wasn't sure that it would be
better; Pietr had seen way too much disgust and hate to
believe that.

Jesus, Pietr. The images in Pietr's head were

frightening: flashes of one scared and angry human after
another at the harvesting, until the memories blurred into
a tapestry of hostility.

It wasn't exactly what we were after. Pietr tried to

keep his tone of voice light, but the pain in his mind was
far too strong for it to be convincing.

I can't believe you could live with that. Close contact

with other beings was what kept a Himiko sane, and
whether or not the humans could actually communicate
with the Himika, the constant rejection had to hurt.

You seem to forget that we did it to ourselves. And to

the humans. Pietr tried to keep the flashes hidden from

Himiko: Warrior - 15

Matt, tried to spare him from the human fear and pain
Pietr had witnessed, as well as Pietr's agony at having to
face it day in and day out. Matt reeled at the mere
thought of having to endure that.

You're not me. They won't hate you like they hate us.

Pietr's inner voice was quiet but firm.

No. At least I don't have pointy ears. The charm went

out of those really quickly.

There wasn't much to say after that. Pietr kept close

to Matt for the rest of the evening, but there wasn't as
much comfort in his mate's presence as there used to be.
It wasn't that Matt regretted anything -- he knew that
their bonding had been both unavoidable and the best
possible thing for him. He just hadn't accounted for the
consequences.

They were very quiet when they went to bed that

night.

Himiko: Warrior - 16

2

Matt woke up the next morning determined to shake

off yesterday's events. He had thought that Jones and
Benjamin were his best friends. That was clearly not the
case. It hurt, but shit happened, and he had to get over it.

He was determined to make his return to work more

successful; at least now he knew what not to say.

There you go. Pietr's inner voice was quietly

encouraging.

Matt called his office in advance, and his assistant

was over the moon with joy when she heard that Matt
was coming back.

"I missed you so much!" Anne often used

exclamation marks when she spoke. They hovered in the
air around her long after she had finished talking. "I
can't wait to see you again!"

She talked eagerly about their projects and the many

pitfalls they hadn't been smart enough to avoid in his
absence. Matt secretly thought that she had a crush on
him, which was odd since everybody knew he was gay.
In the end, he had to interrupt her.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes, Anne. We can talk

then."

He was optimistic and really looked forward to

seeing everybody again, but when he stepped through
the door to the office, nobody answered his greeting.

"I said good morning."
Shaun finally raised his head. Instead of returning the

greeting, he looked at Matt with cold eyes. "I talked to
Jones."

Matt felt his shoulders slumping.

Himiko: Warrior - 17

"And?" He dreaded the answer.
"The school project is going as planned. I've made a

proposal on an extension to the city hall's administration
building."

"That's all?" Matt couldn't help hoping that Shaun

would get over whatever Jones had told him and talk to
Matt. He had been the first employee that Matt had ever
hired.

"We have two other assignments from the city."
So, this was how it was going to be. Matt made an

effort to speak. "And the McCauley proposal?"

"It's on your desk. We didn't get it."
Matt nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"I'll be in my office."
"Good." Shaun turned his back to Matt and went back

to work.

Keeping his face carefully neutral, Matt went into his

office where Anne was hovering, looking uncertain.

"They said that you've been brainwashed! And that

you're having sex with the aliens! I told them that there
was no way you would do that, but they kept saying..."

Matt had to raise his hand to stop the nervous stream

of words. He sat down in his chair heavily.

"I live with one of them. He's my boyfriend."
Matt looked up, and saw the hope on Anne's face

change into confusion. Then she tightened her lips, her
eyes getting cold.

"I see. I can't say that I understand."
Matt sighed. "I can't say that I expected you to. Could

you please give me the next proposals going out?"

Anne nodded abruptly and left the office.
Matt steeled his facial expression. The glass walls

between his office and the rest of the people working
here had seemed a good way to provide soundproofing
for business talks in his office while maintaining a sense

Himiko: Warrior - 18

of unity in the firm. Right now, Matt wished he had real
walls to hide behind.

Anne came in, put a number of portfolios on his desk,

and left again, never saying a word. Matt sighed again
and bent over his work.

***

On his way to the nearby parking lot after work, Matt

met a guy who worked in the same building. They had
had lunch together a couple of times, and the man was
gushing when he saw Matt.

"I can't believe that you're back! It's really good to

see you. I guess the rumors were wrong, then?" Steve
looked inquiringly at Matt.

"Well, I don't know what the rumors were." Matt

could imagine, though.

"That you had been harvested. God, I'm so glad you

weren't subjected to that. The poor bastards who come
back aren't human anymore."

"I was taken." Matt knew he sounded brusque. "They

let me go again."

"Really?" Steve looked vaguely confused. "Well, I

guess we have to celebrate. Let's have lunch one of these
days."

Matt tried to smile. "Sure." There was always the

chance that Steve didn't talk to any of Matt's employees.

***

The weeks went by, and Matt started realizing how

his new life was going to be. The big eye-opener was
Shaun's sabotage.

Perhaps against his better judgment, he had hoped

that his employees had just been surprised or scared

Himiko: Warrior - 19

when they found out what had happened to Matt. Maybe
it would clear up when they got back to normal and
everybody found out that Matt was still just Matt.

So Matt kept coming into the office with a polite

smile on his face, saying good morning to everybody he
met. He never got an answer, though.

Then, one morning he checked a proposal one last

time before sending it out, mostly looking for any
misspellings. He had done almost all of the design work
on this before he was harvested, and he had just had
time to find the drawings and ask Shaun to do the
technical specifications in order to make the deadline. It
was a great project, and he thought he had a very good
chance of winning it.

But not with these numbers in it. The specifications

were wrong. At first, he thought it was just a typo. Then
he found another, and then another. They weren't
innocent, either; they made his proposal appear fifty
percent more expensive than it really was. It was enough
to get it turned down by the number crunchers before it
even got to the architectural committee.

Matt groaned and hit his head in his hands. This was

not only his junior architect being hostile toward him.
This was deliberate sabotage.

He called Shaun into his office; he still felt he owed

his employee a chance to explain what the man had
done. Deep down, he still hoped it had been a mistake
on Shaun's side.

Shaun just shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Just a couple

of wrong numbers."

"It was a couple of wrong numbers that would cost us

a potentially big assignment. And they weren't a
mistake. You're far too good for that." Matt tried to be
patient, to reason with him.

Himiko: Warrior - 20

Shaun looked at Matt with cold eyes. "Then you'll

just have to build houses for your alien friends instead,
won't you?"

Matt slumped. "Shaun, does it really have to be like

this? We were friends!" He knew he was close to
begging, but he couldn't help it.

The humiliation got all the worse when Shaun just

shrugged. "I guess it does. I'm not about to help
someone who associates with those creeps."

There wasn't much else to do after that except to fire

the junior architect. Matt couldn't risk one of his
employees sabotaging any other jobs. If they got any
assignments at all -- Matt had encountered a distinct
hostility when he had called the mayor's office to
confirm some details about a job they'd already won.
They had signed the contract a long time ago, but
everybody knew that you could get out of those if you
really wanted.

After he sacked Shaun, the rest of his employees

were cold, but they did their work. They didn't talk to
Matt except for short, work-related questions, though,
and he felt like he was slowly becoming invisible.

However, that was a lot better than the alternative.

***

Getting home late from work one day, Matt was

ravenously hungry. Pietr looked up from his book,
blinking a little. Matt could tell that his mate had been
far away in the story.

Wow, you're hungry! So was Pietr, but he had been so

occupied with reading that he hadn't noticed it. Now his
hunger was enough to make Matt want to chew the
table.

Himiko: Warrior - 21

Matt went to the fridge and found nothing there but

orange juice and yogurt -- and he didn't feel like having
either for dinner.

Come on, let's go to the store. I want meat.
Pietr laughed. You have a one-track mind when it

comes to sex and food, honey.

Hm. Sex. No, he was too hungry.
That little internal dialogue made Pietr laugh his ass

off mentally, and they put on their jackets to go
shopping.

The supermarket was only a few blocks away, and

Matt was occupied with talking to Pietr. He blocked his
fellow sensitive humans without even thinking about it
anymore, so it wasn't until he looked up that he noticed
the stares they were getting.

Most of them were pure fear when the people on the

street saw Pietr. Then there was the lady waiting for the
bus who kept her eyes trained on them. At first, it
looked like she was drawn to Pietr like a mouse to the
snake. Then she must have noticed how close Matt and
Pietr were walking, and her eyes narrowed in disgust.

Traitor!
Matt shuddered. He'd never heard any actual words

from another human before.

Yeah. Pietr's voice was a little sad. Hate is a really

strong feeling. You sometimes need stronger shields to
avoid that.

Matt's mind was reeling. He hadn't foreseen this at

all. He had been so busy looking forward to all of the
things he could do with Pietr in the city, all the places he
wanted to show his mate. He should have seen this
coming; he'd been terrified of the Himika before he was
harvested, too.

He was still trying to digest the woman's malicious

word when they reached the supermarket.

Himiko: Warrior - 22

You go find your meat. I'll take care of the breakfast

stuff, Pietr informed him. It had turned out that Pietr had
an overly creative approach to the ingredients in an
American supermarket. It hadn't been a problem at the
cabin, where they had gotten their food delivered and
Matt had overseen the cooking. But after the first couple
of times when Pietr had brought back less than
appetizing combinations of food (pork with bananas and
coleslaw on the side), he had been banned from buying
anything but juice and yogurt if it wasn't on the grocery
list. He had grumbled, but even he had to admit that the
pork had been atrocious.

Matt was wavering between a couple of quite

expensive steaks and some much cheaper ground beef
when he heard a low sound. He looked up and saw a
man ducking behind a display of sauces, beckoning him
over.

Matt hesitantly got closer, looking to see if he could

help the man.

"Come on!" The older man agitatedly grabbed his

arm and pulled at him.

"Excuse me?" Matt put down his heels firmly; he

wasn't about to be dragged anywhere.

"He's not looking! You can get away now."
Then Matt realized what the man meant, and his heart

sank.

"I'm not a prisoner. I'm with him."
The man's face was confused. Matt could see the

comprehension dawning on his face, and his expression
turned into one of pure disgust. The man spat on the
floor in front of Matt and turned away.

Matt stood, his feet glued to the floor, and stared at

the gob of spit on the floor. In the middle of a
supermarket. Somehow, that made the whole situation
even more absurd.

Himiko: Warrior - 23

However, when he looked up, nobody was laughing.

There were hastily turned heads, but he still registered
the barely hidden revulsion. Matt obviously hadn't
thought about the consequences of a simple thing like
going to the supermarket with a Himiko.

***

Pietr was almost oblivious to the hate and fear that

met them wherever they went, but Matt couldn't ignore
the stares and the glimpses of hostile thoughts he got
from the few sensitive humans around him. He told
himself that he had to get used to it, but it was still hard.

A couple of days after he returned to work, he met

Steve again. Matt had been making an effort to ignore
his employees' hostility, which basically meant ignoring
them completely. He waved at Steve when he saw the
man in the lobby, relieved to have someone to talk to on
his lunch break.

"Hello. Up for lunch today?" He smiled, the concept

of not eating alone a welcome change.

"Uh, hi. I'm, well, I'm afraid I'm busy." Steve didn't

meet his eyes, and Matt felt the smile leaving his face.

"Yeah, I guess you are. Listen, shouldn't you at least

check out for yourself if I've been brainwashed or not?"

His anger was in vain, though; Steve hurried away

from the elevators, saying something about having a
meeting in town. Matt tortured himself by walking past
the elevators and waiting in a dark corner. Sure enough,
Steve returned after a couple of minutes, carefully
looking around before entering the elevator. Matt didn't
reveal himself. There was a fine line between self-
torture and public humiliation.

***

Himiko: Warrior - 24

A couple of days later, Matt was so exhausted when

he got home that he didn't even notice Pietr at first. He
was studying a story in the paper while taking off his
jacket when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jesus!" He jumped.
Why the fuck are you shielding from me? Pietr was

more hurt than angry.

I was? I didn't realize. It took an effort to let go of his

shields, even if it was to let Pietr in.

Well, don't. Pietr pushed in close, hugging him. Matt

fought to get out of the jacket, and then he just leaned.

Tough day?
They all are. He was losing his optimism. If this was

the way the humans were going to treat him, then he felt
less and less interested in them.

You are human, Matt.
Yeah? Matt pulled back. Define human.
Matt, come on. The worry was clear in Pietr's mind,

but Matt didn't have the energy to deal with it at the
moment.

He was sick and tired of this. When he went out with

Pietr, the people around him looked at him with pity at
first when they assumed that he was a prisoner of the
Himiko next to him. When they realized that wasn't the
case, their compassion turned into disgust. His former
friends and acquaintances refused to even talk to him,
and his business was suffering.

It was exhausting, and Matt found himself pulling

more and more into himself. It was unhealthy to say the
least, but he didn't know how to get through the day if
he didn't.

At least he was home now. That was all he longed for

during the day in the office: to be able to close the door
behind him and be alone with Pietr. Pietr sometimes

Himiko: Warrior - 25

half-heartedly suggested that they go to the movies or
something like that, but Matt couldn't bear the thought
of the stares and the disgust they would encounter if
they did.

Matt, we have to talk about this. You can't keep on

this way.

To Matt's relief, the doorbell sounded.
Who the fuck is that? They hadn't exactly had many

visitors since they moved in, only their Himika friends,
Robbie and Aki. And they always called before coming
over.

Matt opened the door.
"I have a delivery."
Oh, yes, the groceries. Matt signed for the delivery,

and the guy handed over the bags and was on his way
again.

You ordered our groceries online? Pietr was

surprised as he followed Matt into the kitchen.

Yes.
But why?
I don't want to go out.
There was sadness in Pietr's mind when his mate

realized what Matt had done.

Come on, Matt. You shouldn't isolate yourself like

this. Pietr came over and hugged him from behind. Matt
leaned back for a moment; then he went on with
unpacking their groceries.

It's better than the alternative.
Matt could tell that Pietr wanted to say something,

the worry clear in his mind.

Pietr really was concerned and had tried helping. It

turned out that Robbie lived pretty close to Matt's
apartment when he didn't stay at the clinic, and he
visited them regularly. Matt knew that Pietr was talking
to him about their situation. But neither of them could

Himiko: Warrior - 26

change the way humans felt toward the Himika, and the
constant hostility was taking its toll on Matt.

Even Robbie's easy-going temper and the Himiko's

obvious happiness with Aki weren't enough to tear
Matt's barricades down entirely. He guarded himself
carefully these days, and he didn't let anybody but Pietr
close. Matt knew that Robbie worried almost as much as
Pietr, but he couldn't find a way to reassure them that he
was okay. Mostly because he wasn't so sure about it
himself.

Instead of speaking, his mate gently took the cans out

of his hands, put them down on the kitchen counter, and
turned him around.

It's going to be fine, Matt. I know everything sucks at

the moment, but things are going to change soon. I
promise you.

There was a shadow of something Matt didn't quite

register flowing through Pietr's mind. Then Pietr leaned
in and kissed him.

Matt closed his eyes, the feeling of Pietr's lips against

his own chasing away his worries, and he desperately
needed that. He reveled in it, opening his mouth and
gently licking Pietr's bottom lip. He felt the flash of
excitement in Pietr's mind, but his mate stubbornly
pushed it down.

Matt frowned and wanted to pull back.
Pietr laughed in his mind. Just want it to last, stupid.
Oh. Well. He guessed he could go for that. He

opened his mouth a little more, and Pietr's tongue
pushed in, softly probing as if asking for permission.

Matt moaned and pushed closer, and his stupid alien

laughed at him again.

Will you shut up?
When do you learn that you can't shut up a mind

read… Oh, that's nice.

Himiko: Warrior - 27

Yeah, Matt knew. The heavy need pooled low in

Pietr's stomach when Matt let his hands run over the
small of his back.

More.
Matt wanted to grin, but he was busy kissing and

fondling and rubbing. Keeping one hand on Pietr's ass,
he reached down and grabbed Pietr's dick.

Ohh…
That was more like it. Listen to Pietr shut up.
You're not making sense, honey.
Jesus. Would the man never...
"Oh, shit." Matt let his head fall back as Pietr kissed

his neck and ground into him, hard. Then there was a
nip, right under his ear where it always made his knees
turn into jelly, and he held Pietr's head close and ground
right back.

"Mmm…" God, this was good.
Completely lost in the feeling, Matt protested when

Pietr pulled back. But his mate showed him a mental
image of a nice, soft bed, and then Matt went straight
into their bedroom.

Very cooperative.
Matt tried to scowl, but the fact that he was hastily

undressing did ruin his attempt at being offended. Then
he got lost in watching Pietr undress.

It just never got old. Looking at the smooth skin and

knowing exactly how it would feel to touch it, how the
muscles in Pietr's stomach would jump when he ran a
hand too lightly down the sensitive skin, how Pietr's
cock would swell at the same time. And then there was
Pietr's arousal, growing as his mate felt Matt's thoughts.
It was a heady feeling.

Yeah? Then do something about it, will you?

Himiko: Warrior - 28

Matt smiled and reached out a hand. When Pietr took

it, he pulled his mate with him, and they landed in an
unorganized heap on the bed.

Goal-oriented. I like it.
Matt laughed, but then he got busy with the amount

of naked skin within his reach. Pietr stretched up a little
when he let a hand slide over Pietr's belly, like a cat
being caressed.

Come on, Matt. I want you.
Matt pulled Pietr close, taking his mouth. The

lightness rapidly gave way to a frantic need of sooner,
closer, harder. More. He needed more.

I have you, Matt. I have you.
Matt could hear the lube, and then he felt the wet

sensation of Pietr rubbing it around his hole and pushing
in. It was good, but he didn't want just good. He wanted
to be filled and owned and safe.

Matt whimpered against his will when he revealed

that; he had been hell bent on being strong.

I don't need you strong. I just need you.
With those words, Pietr pushed into him.
Oh, God. It was too soon, and his muscles burned in

protest. And yet, it wasn't soon enough, simply not
enough, and Matt reached down and pulled Pietr deeper
until he was full. Completely.

Complete.
Pietr moaned when he heard that thought and

wrapped his arms around Matt, slowly sliding out and
pushing back in.

Matt wrapped his legs around Pietr, holding on

tightly and kissing Pietr.

I love you, Matt.
Matt knew, could feel it surrounding them and

flowing through every one of their movements. Pietr set
up a steady rhythm, and each thrust drove the feeling of

Himiko: Warrior - 29

belonging, of being one, to a new height. The
boundaries between them blurred, and their pleasure
grew and grew until Matt -- or was it Pietr? -- cried out,
and the climax took them and shut out everything else,
encompassing them in a burning, cleansing fire of pure
satisfaction.

Matt kept holding on for a long, long time, the close

contact with Pietr everything he needed. Everything that
made him whole.

Thank you. Pietr's inner voice was quiet, grateful.
Matt just nodded and gently kissed the side of Pietr's

neck. He would be okay. As long as he had Pietr, he
would be okay.

Himiko: Warrior - 30

3

Matt was deep in thought when he left work that

evening. It was Friday, and he had given his employees
the afternoon off, leaving him a blessedly empty office
in which to get some work done. He still relished the
work; something as simple as an extension to a school or
an administration building thrilled him. It wasn't just the
aesthetic side of it, even though that was important. He
also loved adjusting all the technical specifications to
make one coherent, well-working building. It was like a
giant puzzle, the pieces consisting of the demands made
by the owner of the building, the future users, and his
own aesthetic ambitions.

He was still thinking about the possibility of

incorporating an extra entrance for his current project
when he saw two men. They were walking toward him
in the shadows along the pathway to the parking lot. The
men were clad almost identically in black trousers and
shirts, and he guessed it was their outfits that had caught
his attention. Just before they got into the light from the
lamppost, they pulled on black ski masks.

Matt turned around to run, but there were two men

behind him as well, dressed like the other two. He
halted, reaching his arms out to the sides in a gesture
that was meant to be appeasing.

"I don't have anything worth stealing," he said. He

had a feeling that they weren't there for his wallet,
though. You didn't dress up like that and call three of
your friends to rob random people of their spare cash.

One of the men stepped closer, and with a shock,

Matt realized that he knew the figure. Jones and Matt

Himiko: Warrior - 31

had dressed up as robbers for a costume party once
when they couldn't come up with a better idea for a
costume, and Jones had even worn the ski mask one
very memorable night in bed.

"Don't do this to me. Fuck, Jo--" Matt felt a hard

punch in his back, making the pain soar through him. He
tried to turn around, but the man next to Jones was too
quick, and he got a blow to his head that almost knocked
him over.

Matt shook his head to clear it. He tried to use his

mental powers to defend himself, but the blow to his
head made his mind sluggish. All he could think to do
was lifting up his bag to protect himself. It did block a
punch from Jones, but Matt got another in the side,
making him lose his breath. He fought hard to stay
upright, knowing that it would get really bad when he
couldn't keep standing anymore. Then the blows started
raining down, and it was only a matter of time before his
knees gave out and he sank to the ground. It didn't stop
there; the punches turned into kicks, one of them making
a horrible crunching sound as the boot hit his ribs. He
cried out, and it was only then he realized that he had
been quiet until now.

"Yes, make the fucker scream."
It was Jones' voice, and it was Jones who kicked him

in the head, making the world go gray and quiet. The
only thing he registered were the flagstones under him,
hard and cool where he rested his face, but there was no
sound, no pain anymore.

His head eventually cleared, though, and he saw that

the men were gone. Only Jones was still there, mask off.
His former friend pulled roughly at Matt's hair, forcing
his head up.

"See, that's what happens to people who fuck aliens.

Fucking freak!" Jones spat, most of it hitting Matt in the

Himiko: Warrior - 32

face. Then he slammed Matt's head into the ground and
walked away.

Matt couldn't move, his brain not remembering how

to make his limbs work. The only sound he heard was
his own labored breathing; something in his chest wasn't
functioning as it should, and he wasn't getting enough
air. It felt horribly wrong. He finally managed to move
an arm, trying to get it under him to get up. The pain in
his chest and shoulder was overwhelming, tearing
through him, and he was lost in pain, was nothing but
pain.

Help me! Pietr, help me. It hurts so much! He cried

out for his mate with all of his mental powers,
desperately hoping that Pietr was near enough to hear
him. Then he faded, all energy spent.

***

"Lie still, now. Don't try to move." Matt could feel

the worry pouring out of the woman next to him. He
groaned, the pain too bad to keep quiet.

"You'll be fine." Matt could sense that she was lying

to calm him down. "I've already called an ambulance;
just lie still."

"No ambulance. Pietr." It hurt to speak and it hurt to

breathe, and the thought of humans close to him, poking
him and staring at him, was intolerable. "Don't let them
get me." He managed to open his eyes.

The woman was kneeling next to him, dressed like a

corporate something. Someone else working late.

Please, Pietr. There wasn't much force behind his

cry, and he doubted that it would have any effect. He
was all alone.

"No, you're not. I'm here, and the ambulance will be

here in a minute." The woman was worried, and it took

Himiko: Warrior - 33

Matt several moments to figure out that he must have
spoken out loud. It took real effort to turn his head
toward her.

"Pietr." His mind was sluggish, and he couldn't put

the words together to ask her to call his mate.

"They'll get in touch with your emergency contact at

the hospital. Don't worry."

With a shock, Matt's dazed mind remembered that he

had long ago put down Jones as his emergency contact.
He struggled to get up, the pain shooting through him.
The woman tried to keep him down without hurting him,
and her gentle hold was enough to hold him still. He
couldn't breathe, couldn't fight the way he wanted to.

Don't move!
Pietr wasn't quite here yet, but the knowledge that his

mate was close was enough to make Matt cry out in
relief. The woman mistook it for pain, and she tried to
calm him down again. Matt was oblivious to her efforts,
though, the feeling of his mate all he could concentrate
on.

"You can't go near him! Not now, he's hurt!"
The woman was frightened, but she still stood up,

trying to block Pietr's way. Matt briefly thought that she
must be quite brave to get in the way of a Himiko; then
he had Pietr's arms around his head and the pain was no
longer his alone to carry.

It hurts so much. I can't breathe. Matt wanted to tell

Pietr what had happened, but he couldn't collect his
muddled thoughts.

I know, baby, I know. Don't move; just lie here while

I hold you.

Pietr was angry and worried, and Matt just let go and

did as Pietr told him to, letting his eyes slide shut. The
pain was almost bearable when he didn't have to hold it
together all by himself.

Himiko: Warrior - 34

There was a piercing noise somewhere close to him,

and the sound tore into his pain, the feeling excruciating.
It finally stopped, but then there were foreign hands on
him, human hands, and it was unbearable. Matt cried
out, trying to avoid being touched, and he could hear
agitated voices around him. The pain and the confusion
were overwhelming, and he felt himself drifting away.

***

When he came to again, he was in the hospital, being

wheeled into a bright white room.

"Male, in his thirties, unconscious, multiple fractures

to ribs, clavicle, and cheek. BP low, showing signs of
shock."

"Pietr?"
Matt tried to sit up, and cried out when the pain tore

through him. He gasped, trying to force enough air into
his lungs, but they didn't work properly. The tube in his
nose didn't help at all.

"Don't try to move. Lie still, Matt." There was a

woman pressing him down. It hurt, and the contact was
too close, humans all around him.

He fought harder, desperate to get to his mate.
"You're making it worse! I only need to touch him

while you examine him."

Pietr's voice was somewhere outside the room, and

Matt reached out for him. It made his head hurt even
worse, and he heard Pietr cursing out loud. Then Pietr
was at his side, holding his hand, and Matt clung to the
contact.

There were loud voices all around him, and he

groaned.

Shh, please? He couldn't find the right words,

couldn't get past the fog in his brain.

Himiko: Warrior - 35

"I'm his doctor. Please let me through." The voice

was familiar, and then he felt Robbie's careful hands on
him.

"He needs you to be quiet!" Robbie's voice carried

through the room, and finally, the noise let up. "He's to
be treated like a Himiko; he's got special needs."

Someone in the background said something, and

Robbie answered, sounding irritated.

"He's recently undergone brain surgery, and he still

suffers some aftereffects from it."

The effect of a Himiko lying was dizzying. What

Matt heard with his mind and with his ears didn't match,
and it made his head spin. He got a clear feeling why it
was difficult for a Himiko to lie to another Himiko.

Matt felt Robbie carefully ease his way into Matt's

mind, so cautiously.

"Oh, your head hurts, doesn't it?" There was

compassion in Robbie's voice. "Can you open your eyes,
Matt?"

Matt hadn't realized that he had closed them again.

He opened them, groaning when the glaring light made
the pain flare.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I have to see something. This is

the best way." There was more light, and Matt squeezed
his eyes shut again. Robbie let him.

"Help him like this while I examine him." Matt felt

Robbie show Pietr how to wrap himself around Matt's
sore mind, soothing some of the pain and confusion.

Then Robbie did a strange thing, almost like he was

going inside Matt's body. Matt started, trying to get
away both mentally and physically, but Pietr was there
right away.

It's okay, baby. Robbie's helping you. Healing you.
The place in Matt's side where the pain had been

excruciating suddenly got warm, then very hot, and it

Himiko: Warrior - 36

felt as if something inside his body was moving on its
own accord. The feeling was strange, and he tried to
fight it. However, Pietr kept him from struggling, and
slowly, the pain faded. He could suddenly get real
breaths into his lungs, and the air felt so good.

"That will help him a bit." Robbie's voice sounded

weak, and Matt opened his eyes.

"There you are." Robbie swayed a bit, his eyes

looking unfocused for a moment, but he smiled when
Matt looked at him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. That
was your worst injury. Just try not to use your mind too
much, okay?"

Matt was going to nod, but his eyes fell shut again.

Robbie patted his arm, and Matt could hear the Himiko
talking to the nurses and doctors around him. The
sounds got blurry, though, his ability to focus on any
one sentence gone. It was enough to almost make him
panic.

I have you. Don't worry. Pietr wrapped himself

closely around Matt's mind, gently protecting him from
the sounds and sights of the room and easing him.

"His pulse is slowing down." The woman was too

close to him, and he frowned, trying to turn away and
gasping when it tore at his collarbone.

"He's calming down; it's a good thing. As long as his

mate keeps close to him, he'll be fine. If you separate
them, you run the risk that he'll go into shock," Robbie
said.

"His mate?" The woman's voice sounded skeptical.
"Yes. Big guy there. I need to sit down."
Matt opened his eyes just in time to see his doctor

sway and stumble before two of the people in the room
caught Robbie and helped the Himiko into a chair.

Himiko: Warrior - 37

Robbie? Matt tried to reach out, but his energy kept

slipping out between his fingers, and Robbie's mind was
only a vague blur of fatigue.

He needs Aki.
"I know, baby, and he'll get him. Just lie still, don't

worry." Pietr's voice was firm.

Is this like when I overdid it? Can't I use my mind?

Matt's thoughts were all over the place.

"You should just relax. Stay with me, like this." Matt

felt how Pietr gently cradled his mind, keeping him still
and safe without demanding anything of him. He
relaxed a little; this he could do.

"Yes, like that." Pietr held on to his hand.
"Still hurts." It did; now that he could breathe again,

his collarbone hurt like hell, and there was something
not right about his face.

"It probably does. I'll get you something for the pain

in a second," the nurse responded.

Matt could feel this nurse very clearly; she was

scared because of the presence of Himika, but she
stubbornly refused to show it.

"How's your breathing?"
"Fine. But my shoulder hurts, and my face..." Matt

reached up to get the tube out of his nose.

"No, don't remove it, your oxygen levels are..." Her

voice faded as she looked at one of the monitors
surrounding his gurney. She looked back at him,
confused. "I thought you had broken ribs? Your oxygen
levels were very low when you came in. I don't
understand..."

"He's got a broken cheekbone and collarbone, the

EMT said. But his ribs are just sore from the beating."
Pietr warned him to keep quiet, and Matt did as he was
told. It was easier, anyway.

Himiko: Warrior - 38

The confusion was clear in the nurse's mind, but she

shook her head. "I must have misheard him. Now, we'll
get you something for the pain right after we've looked
at you. Dr. Wilson, if you could come over here?"

The doctor reluctantly got closer, eyes filled with

unease as he looked from Matt to Pietr. His
professionalism got the better of him, though, and he
started carefully examining Matt.

It hurt when the doctor touched his chest, and Matt

couldn't keep back his groan when the pain tore through
his shoulder. Pietr growled when his mate sensed Matt's
pain. The doctor pulled back, hands up as if to defend
himself.

"I will have to ask you to step outside if you behave

threateningly." Matt could hardly hear the fear in the
nurse's voice.

Matt could feel Pietr making an effort not to shout.

Then he nodded abruptly. "I'm sorry. It's not easy to see
him in pain."

"He won't be for much longer. Especially not if you

let us do our work. Dr. Wilson?" The doctor reluctantly
lowered his arms and stepped closer again. The nurse
had never moved.

Matt squeezed Pietr's hand as the doctor finished his

examination. It hurt when he touched Matt's stomach,
but it didn't feel as wrong as it had before.

"I want to have a CT scan of your face, your

shoulder, and your abdomen. Your left clavicle is
probably broken, and I have a strong suspicion that your
cheekbone might be, too. We'll get the scan and see if
you need surgery."

"No! You can't knock me out." The memory of Pietr

crying after Matt had passed out during his training at
the clinic was still much too clear in Matt's mind, even
in his current state.

Himiko: Warrior - 39

"Don't worry, baby." Pietr wasn't concerned, and it

calmed Matt a little. "If you need surgery, we'll figure it
out. We can go to the clinic if we have to." I'll need
enough Valium to sedate an elephant, but we'll make it.

Matt would have laughed if his face hadn't been

feeling so wrong. His attention was diverted, though,
when Aki stormed into the room.

"Where is he? You stupid little..." Aki rushed through

the alarmed-looking people surrounding Robbie to get to
his mate. The other Himiko was dozing in the chair,
mind a blank haze of fatigue. In spite of his words, Aki's
mind was filled with worry for his mate as he gently
picked Robbie up. Robbie didn't stir except to cuddle
closer to Aki. Aki sat down in the chair with Robbie on
his lap, lost to the world around him.

"I would just let him be, if I were you." Matt hadn't

noticed another Himiko coming into the room. It was the
administrator from the clinic, and he held the concerned
medical staff back from Aki and Robbie.

"I'm John Smith, medical advisor for the Himika.

Please do not start any treatment without consulting me
first; Matt has had complicated brain surgery and might
react negatively to certain procedures."

Matt could feel the relief in Pietr's mind as the other

Himiko took over the job of communicating with the
doctors.

How is he? Smith included Matt in his question to

Pietr.

Robbie healed his worst injury, a broken rib that

punctured his lung. He's still got a fractured cheekbone
and collarbone, and he's beat up and concussed and
scared, but I've got him.

Matt didn't try to communicate; he just lay still and

let Pietr take care of him. Smith didn't seem to find it
strange.

Himiko: Warrior - 40

Good. And Robbie? The administrator was effective

and professional.

He's just tired. If you can keep Aki from losing it,

they'll both be fine.

Yes, there is that. The administrator turned to Aki,

who was cradling Robbie protectively.

Status, Aki. Smith's order was brusque, and Aki

looked up in surprise.

He... He's used too much of his power. I'll help him.

There was almost a questioning note to Aki's words.

Good. Do it now. And don't burn yourself out; I'll be

watching you.

Matt could feel the bewilderment in Aki's mind, but

the Himiko did as he was told. Matt had a clear feeling
that the curt order was the only way of getting him to do
anything but cling to his mate. Aki sat up a bit and
began pouring his energy into Robbie's mind.

Careful. I need you afterward. Without showing any

fear, Smith stepped into the process, adjusting the flow
of energy from Aki to Robbie. It was an action which
could probably have cost him his life in another
situation, but Aki complied with his demands, slowing
the flow until it was a controlled trickle.

Robbie stirred, his mind slowly coming back to life.

Are you okay, Matt?

With a start, Matt realized that he had been

eavesdropping on everything that had happened. It
wasn't very polite, but he didn't seem able to reel himself
in.

He'll be fine. He's confused and in pain, but he's

hanging on. Pietr squeezed Matt's hand comfortingly as
his mate answered for him. And don't worry, Pietr
continued to Matt, your shields aren't that strong at the
moment. You can't help it. Just rely on me.

Himiko: Warrior - 41

I will. Matt had been shielding from the hostility

surrounding him and trying to hide that from Pietr for so
long now, and it was a relief to just give in without
trying to protect himself or Pietr anymore.

"Are CT scans and X-rays against your medical

recommendations? Because if not, we would like to
have a look at Matt's injuries," the nurse said to the
administrator.

Matt had a clear feeling that the nurse wasn't usually

the one in charge of the trauma team, but she was
apparently the only one with the guts to speak up.

"Go ahead, but keep Pietr close to him for as much of

the procedure as possible. It will keep Matt calm, and
we don't want him to panic."

I can mend his collarbone, too. Robbie's mental voice

was weak.

No! Aki's voice was fervent.
The administrator's answer was almost as determined.

No, you will not heal him any more, Robbie. Thank you
for offering, but you have already used all the power
you can spare in one day.

Robbie slumped, but he didn't protest. Aki hugged

him protectively, glaring at Matt.

I'll be fine, Robbie. Don't worry. Matt managed to get

that out in a reasonably coherent sentence, but that was
as much as he could do. Just uttering those few words
exhausted him, and he lay back, closing his eyes.

"We'll give you some painkillers first, Matt, and then

we'll get you into the scanner. Don't worry, it's not going
to hurt, and your partner will stay with you most of the
time." The nurse did something to Matt's IV, and the
pain slowly started fading to a tolerable level.

"Am I concussed?" He thought he'd heard somebody

saying that earlier on.

Himiko: Warrior - 42

"Yes. You hit your head when you were assaulted.

Do you remember the attack, Matt?" The nurse's voice
was calm and professional.

Matt opened his eyes, less sensitive to the light now

that the pain had gone down, and saw the nurse working
with the things around him, moving an IV stand and
adjusting a machine.

"Yeah. They beat me up." Some of the things that had

happened were a blur, but not Jones' words. Or his
kicks.

"They? There was more than one?"
Matt had a feeling that the nurse was talking to him

more to assess if he was able to answer than from a need
to know what really happened.

"Four." The world started moving around him, and he

quickly closed his eyes again.

"The police will be here later on; you should tell

them that. First, we'll get some images of your injuries.
Let me know if you need more painkiller, okay?"

Matt didn't right then, but he definitely did when they

lifted him onto the bed that went into the scanner. He
cried out, the pain in his shoulder almost making him
sick, and he could hear Pietr yelling something. There
was some commotion around him, and then he drifted
away. Maybe they had given him more drugs. He could
still hear the scanner and sense Pietr leaving him to go
into the next room, but it was all a bit distant, and he
dozed off.

***

He didn't wake up for real until later. He was lying in

a bed in a hospital room, the lights low.

Himiko: Warrior - 43

"Pietr?" He reached out mentally for his mate and

found Pietr asleep. He turned his head and saw the
Himiko in a chair in the corner of the room.

"He's sleeping; we gave him something to calm him

down when you were drugged. He didn't take it well,
even though you didn't go under completely." The
administrator had been sitting in a chair at the end of
Matt's bed. Now he stood up and came closer. "Are you
feeling okay?"

"I'm tired. Sore." Matt really wished that Pietr would

wake up; he needed the comfort he found in his mate's
mind.

"You seem a bit more lucid." The administrator kept

out of Matt's mind. Matt didn't think it would take much
to penetrate his shields at the moment, so it could only
be out of some kind of politeness.

"I want to go to the clinic." Matt kept his voice as

firm as he could.

The administrator raised his eyebrows. "My clinic?

There aren't any patients there at the moment, but..."

"There or the house in the woods. I don't want to live

in the city anymore. Can we wake him up?" He really
needed Pietr.

"I... Yes, of course. We'll talk about this later." The

administrator turned to Pietr.

"No. I will go. I'll find somewhere else if you don't

want me there. Can you shake him? I can't use my mind
right now." His mental powers didn't work properly. It
had been all right when Pietr was there to shield him,
but without his mate, Matt was freaking out.

What? What's wrong? Pietr woke up with a start as

Smith shook him. He looked around, confused, thoughts
muddled with sleep and drugs.

"Sleep with me?" Matt reached out an arm for Pietr,

and his mate got up right away.

Himiko: Warrior - 44

"I'll just hurt you, baby." Pietr bent over his bed,

kissing Matt's forehead.

"You won't. We'll just sleep."
Pietr was tired enough to comply, taking off his shoes

and carefully edging into bed next to Matt. It hurt when
Matt had to move to make room for him, but it was
worth it when Pietr was lying close, the warmth from his
body soothing. Matt relaxed, showing Pietr how much
better he made Matt feel.

You're welcome. Sorry for being so tired. Pietr was

almost asleep again.

"It's okay. I need to sleep, too." The last thing Matt

heard before he fell asleep was the door closing as the
administrator left the room.

***

"I want to go back." Matt didn't know how many

times he had said that by now, and he was getting a
headache again.

He knew that he played an important role to the

Himika, that the Himika had a reason for harvesting
humans and giving them the operation. He even thought
it was a good reason; humans and Himika desperately
needed to gain a better understanding of one another.
Giving humans the operation that taught them how the
Himika interacted was the best way of doing that. The
only way.

That was why Matt had accepted the operation --

well, he might not have been able to avoid it even if he
had said no, but he had accepted it. For that very reason.

Then came his unexpected bonding with Pietr, which

put Matt in the unique situation of being a potential link
between humans and Himika. Because of that, he had
been suffering for months, trying to live a normal life

Himiko: Warrior - 45

and showing his fellow humans that the Himika weren't
monsters.

But he hadn't succeeded, and he was done suffering.

That was why he refused to change his mind.

"It won't happen again, Matt. You tell the police who

did it, and they will arrest the assailants." The
administrator had been trying to convince him to stay in
the city for more than twenty minutes now. The Himiko
seemed very determined, but Matt was adamant. He
turned his head and looked calmly at Smith.

"I'm not staying here. It might not happen like this

again, but then something else will. I am going away.
The only question is if you'll help me or if I'll have to
find somewhere for us to stay on my own."

Pietr had kept in the background, staying neutral.

Matt knew that Pietr didn't necessarily agree with him,
but the Himiko's mind was filled with compassion and
understanding when he spoke.

"Listen, he's getting tired, and that's not good for him

right now. Let us go back to the clinic or to the cabin
until he's recovered. Then we can talk about it again."
Pietr sat down on the edge of the bed, letting Matt curl
up close to him. The physical contact felt good.

The administrator made a resigned gesture with his

hand. "All right. I'll talk to the doctors to find out if he
has to be monitored at the clinic or if you can have the
cabin. I'm not sure I'll ever get Robbie out of Aki's arms
again, anyway." He shook his head, muttering
something to himself as he left.

I know you think it's a bad idea. Matt could

communicate mentally now, although it took a lot of
effort.

I don't, actually. Pietr hugged him. I think you should

have peace and quiet to recover, and the cabin is a nice

Himiko: Warrior - 46

place for that. But stop using your mind; you're getting
tired.

"Yeah. Can I sleep a little?" Matt had already closed

his eyes.

Yes. It'll be good for you. Pietr did something that

made the head of the bed lower, and Matt stretched out,
sighing and closing his eyes. He felt a gentle kiss on his
forehead and let himself doze off.

***

Matt was awakened again by the nurse from

yesterday entering the room. Pietr was gone; Matt
reached out for him and found him in a room down the
hall, talking about something concerning the cabin. Matt
let him know that everything was all right and turned to
look at the nurse.

"How are you feeling?" She checked a machine next

to him.

"Okay, I guess. It hurts, and I'm tired, but it's okay."
"Good. I'll remove this." She started disconnecting

the tube leading to a bag on the IV stand next to his bed.

When she had gotten the needle out of Matt's hand,

she lowered her voice. "Is there anything else I can do
for you? Do you need help?" She looked imploringly at
him, and Matt knew what she meant.

"I'm fine, but thank you."
The nurse eyed Matt doubtfully, and he got the

uncomfortable feeling that she didn't believe a word he
said.

"They're good people, okay? And he's mine; I don't

want to change that."

The nurse didn't looked convinced. "Take this." She

gave him a card. "If you need help, or just need to talk,
then call this number. You can ask for me; I'm Carla."

Himiko: Warrior - 47

"Thanks." It would have been ungrateful not to take

it, even though Matt didn't need a number for any kind
of shelter. "Listen, how bad are my injuries?" He had
been kind of out of it yesterday.

Carla narrowed her eyes. She didn't seem too happy

with his change of subject. Matt suddenly realized that
he wasn't reading her as clearly as he had yesterday. It
was a relief that his brain was recovering; it had been
scary to be that open.

"You'll be sore for a while, but both fractures are

uncomplicated. The collarbone may take some time to
heal, but it will eventually. Just don't overexert yourself.
The same goes for your head. Your concussion isn't
severe; if you take it easy, you'll be fine." She hesitated.

"I wonder about your rib, though. I saw the images

from the scan. You have some hemorrhage just under
one rib. The one that the EMT said was broken." Carla
looked questioningly at Matt.

"I got kicked." He didn't know how to explain it. He

hadn't even known that Robbie could do that. Claiming
that aliens with healing powers had cured him probably
wasn't going to get him out of the hospital any faster. Or
at all. Besides, that wasn't his secret to tell.

"Yes, but the bleeding is under the rib, as if the rib

had punctured the lung. Only there was no puncture
when we scanned you."

Matt shrugged, and immediately found out that that

was a very bad idea. He groaned from the pain, and felt
Pietr reaching out for him.

Are you all right?
At the same time, the nurse asked the same question.
"Tried to move my shoulder. Fuck, it hurts." He

gasped, trying to cope with the pain.

"Don't you think that was a stupid thing to do with a

broken shoulder?" Pietr was in the doorway, a little out

Himiko: Warrior - 48

of breath as he took in the scene. Then he came over,
helping Matt sit up to take the pressure off the broken
shoulder.

"Fuck you." It was good to lean on Pietr, the pain

going down a bit.

"I have a strong suspicion that's against hospital

policy, baby."

Mate with a big mouth. In a weird way, it made Matt

feel better. He didn't like being coddled.

"I'll get you a sling to support your arm. Hold on."

The nurse left the room.

"I'm not letting go." Pietr's words were quiet.
"Good." Matt could do this if only Pietr was there.
You feel better, baby. Pietr held him still, hugging

him as tightly as he could with Matt's bruises.

I think I am. I just need to rest, then I'll be fine.
Pietr's mind was filled with tenderness as he held

Matt, and Matt took in his care. It was almost a
disappointment when Carla returned with the sling and
Pietr had to pull back.

Pietr didn't let go entirely, though, and it got quite

awkward when Carla and Pietr competed to hold Matt's
arm and back to get the sling around him and secure it.
The nurse lost, and Pietr was very satisfied with that.
Matt shook his head indulgently.

You're so immature.
Maybe. But I won. Pietr laughed, and Matt couldn't

help do the same. Carla looked from Matt to Pietr,
eyebrows raised.

"Sorry. He's just being... Pietr."
The nurse huffed and stood back. "Well, can he help

you lie down? Because you should rest until we
discharge you."

"I'm getting out of here?" Matt couldn't keep the

eagerness out of his voice. His sore shoulder was in a

Himiko: Warrior - 49

sling and Pietr was with him; now he just needed to get
away from the hospital.

"You are. We're going back to the cabin." Just you

and me. There was anticipation and a deep affection in
Pietr's mind as he helped Matt lie down.

Carla watched how carefully Pietr helped Matt, the

Himiko gently supporting him until he could stretch out,
and there was a look of almost reluctant understanding
on her face. Matt smiled a little at her reaction.

"That's great. Do you know when I can go?"
"As soon as we get the paperwork done. So not for

another couple of hours." She didn't sound particularly
fond of hospital bureaucracy.

"Okay. I'll just nap until then." Matt closed his eyes,

cuddling into Pietr's mind. His mate laughed indulgently
and took his hand as he fell asleep.

Himiko: Warrior - 50

4

The ride to the cabin was quiet. Matt put the seat

back and rested, the low sounds of the car engine and
Pietr's mind, focused on driving, a peaceful background
for his doze. It seemed as though no time at all had
passed before they were at the cabin.

Or rather, he saw as he opened his eyes when the car

stopped, before they were at the place where there now
was a roadblock and two Himiko guards.

Do you have any ID? The guard's tone of voice was

brusque, almost hostile. Matt could see Pietr's eyes
narrowing as he got out an ID card.

You have a human in your car? The guard hadn't

looked at the card. Instead, he was looking derisively at
Matt.

I do. He happens to be my human. Matt had the very

strange sensation of Pietr growing mentally, unfolding
his power until he came across as very big and very
intimidating. He's my mate, and he's hurt.

The guard looked at the card and quickly looked back

at Pietr. I apologize. I didn't mean to offend. He
swallowed nervously.

Pietr just nodded curtly, not condescending to answer

any further, and the bar across the road was quickly
lifted to let them continue.

That wasn't unimpressive.
Pietr was just grumbling something instead of

answering Matt, still annoyed with the guard's question.

They drove the last couple of miles, and when they

finally arrived at the cabin, Matt got out of the car,
taking in the silence after the sound of the car and the

Himiko: Warrior - 51

traffic. There was a gentle rustle of the wind in the trees,
but otherwise, it was blissfully quiet. And totally devoid
of other people, Himiko or human. He took a deep
breath.

Watch it. Your rib is still sore, even if Robbie healed

you.

It's not too bad. Matt could feel his shoulders

relaxing, the tension slipping away now that he was
here. The fractures still hurt, but the physical pain was
manageable after getting away from the stress of so
many people being so close to him without being able to
shield properly.

You can rest all you need to out here. Pietr had

stepped close, embracing him from behind and carefully
avoiding his sling. Are you going to explain to me why
you didn't want to talk to the police?

Matt would have shrugged, but he remembered not to

at the last minute. It wouldn't have done any good.

But he beat you up, baby. Pietr had had no problems

locating Matt's memories of Jones, and his mate knew
that Matt had recognized his former boyfriend.

He did. But what would happen if I did tell the

police? Either they would catch him, and the news
would be filled with the outcry against someone going to
prison for what most people would love to do. Or they
wouldn't catch him, because the proof wouldn't be
"strong enough" or he'd magically provide an alibi or
whatever reason they would have to make up to let him
go, and then people would learn that it's perfectly safe to
beat up those associating with Himika. It was a lose-lose
situation. That didn't upset Matt; it was just the way it
was.

But he beat you up! Pietr's mind was filled with a

rage he had hidden well until now.

Himiko: Warrior - 52

He did, and it sucks. But I'll be fine, and I've learned

not to get into that kind of situation again.

You're staying out here? Pietr's inner voice was filled

with disbelief; Matt had deliberately not formed the
thought until now. It didn't mean he wasn't intent on
doing so.

I am. I won't keep you from doing whatever you want,

and I'll go with you if you have to travel. But I'll set up
business out here and use the Internet to stay in touch
with the people I'll be working with. Matt hadn't made
the decision out of fear or defeat; he was just very intent
on not putting himself in a situation like that ever again.

Pietr was at a loss for words. It was probably the first

time Matt had experienced that. We'll talk about this
again when you get better, okay? And you have to rest
now; you're getting tired.

Matt nodded. Okay. But I won't change my mind.
Pietr just held on to him, letting him rest his tired

mind and sore body in his mate's embrace. The Himiko
was caring and considerate, and the worry in Pietr's
mind was subsiding.

You're coping really well, you know? Pietr tried to

hide the pride in his inner voice when he said that; he
didn't seem to think it was an appropriate feeling at the
moment.

Shit happens. I'll rest and recover and keep on living

my life with you. It's not bad. Life with Pietr, wherever it
was, was infinitely better than life without Pietr. Period.

It would be very impolite not to be flattered by that,

wouldn't it?

Matt laughed; his mate was so open with his feelings

for Matt.

But I meant what I said: stop using your mind! You

need to rest. With that, Pietr walked Matt into the house,

Himiko: Warrior - 53

interrupting him every time he tried to communicate
with Pietr mentally.

"I'm going to be a harsh and unrelenting master, you

know. I'll force you to relax and feel good every waking
minute."

Matt thought he could live with that.

***

He definitely could, it turned out. During the first ten

days or so, his mind felt too hazy to be much good for
anything. It didn't matter, though; Matt rested and
napped and cuddled up with Pietr to such a degree that
he started envisioning himself as a big cat.

A very big cat. And very un-furry. Pietr was laughing

his ass off when he caught that image. But at least
you're perfectly house trained.

I think that's something you do with dogs, honey.
Yeah? You could be a big... No, wait, I can't find any

good insults incorporating a dog. Can we go back to the
cats?

We can go to you sleeping on the couch, big guy,

Matt grumbled. He also cuddled in closer, of course.
Couch time was good time.

You could probably sell that slogan to somebody.
Matt gave Pietr a whack.
Hey! What happened to not making lumps in what

you use as a pillow? Pietr's outrage combined with the
way his mate pulled Matt closer was a little perplexing.

You really need to find something to do. Matt opened

his eyes as the thought settled in. He sat up, supporting
his left arm on his leg. You do, you know? You need to
get back to your job.

Hrmph.
Excuse me, what?

Himiko: Warrior - 54

Pietr's mental grumble was completely

incomprehensible. The only thing Matt got out of it was
a strong reluctance.

I don't want to. His mate sounded as mature as a kid

not wanting to go to school. I want to stay with you.

No, you don't. You need to get input from somebody

other than me. You're going stir crazy out here.

Am not!
Matt had to use all of his self-discipline not to say

what he wanted about that remark. "Seven-year old" and
"tantrum" were some of the words that came to mind.

You keep forgetting that I can hear what you're

thinking! Are you sure your head wasn't damaged?

Sleeping on the couch, remember?
Pietr's response was even more incomprehensible this

time. Matt had no idea how his mate managed that. He
was not going to let Pietr distract him, though.

I'm serious. You need something to do. Matt blinked.

What do you actually do?

He couldn't believe he hadn't asked this before. Pietr's

work had just never been present in his mate's mind
since they had bonded.

This and that. Administration, mostly.
"This and that"? You seriously expect me to be

satisfied with that answer?

There was a weird reluctance in Pietr's mind, and it

made Matt all the more curious. A little worried, too.

Come on, I want to know what you do.
It's not important. Pietr sat up, too, now, but he didn't

move in close like he always did.

Matt frowned. Pietr had hidden the information about

his occupation deep down in his mind, where Matt
would have to use force to find it. It was the first time
the Himiko had ever done something like that

Himiko: Warrior - 55

deliberately, and it made Matt feel confused and a little
lost.

Why don't you want me to know what you work with?

He poked Pietr mentally, mostly in fun.

Pietr didn't react, though, didn't even look up.
Matt got a cold feeling in his stomach. This is

something I don't want to know, right?

Pietr nodded. Then he looked up. Can't we just forget

it?

Matt shook his head. It was there now, like an

elephant in the room. Come on; I'm sure it isn't that bad.

Pietr didn't seem the least bit convinced, and he kept

his silence.

You have to tell me, Pietr. You know I can find out if I

have to. Matt didn't want to, but he had always been able
to find any information in his mate's mind, no matter
how deeply Pietr had buried it.

Please, don't. The naked fear in the quiet plea made

dread fill Matt. Something was very, very wrong here.

"You're really worrying me, Pietr. Tell me; it can't be

any worse than what I'm making up right now."

Pietr's shoulders fell, and he looked down in defeat.

I'm in charge of the recruiting.

His mind spoke more than his actual words. He

hadn't just been some local boss; he had been a part of
the coordination committee running the entire Earth
invasion.

Matt's mind went blank. "You what?"
"I'm in charge of the recruiting. Or I will be again

when I go back to work." Pietr didn't look up, and his
mind was closed off. It should have hurt, but Matt was
completely numb.

"You did that? You did that to me?" The memories of

his fear the day he was harvested came back to Matt,
and for a moment, he was standing outside of the black

Himiko: Warrior - 56

van again, certain that this was the end of his life. "That
was your responsibility?"

"Yes." Pietr didn't say anything else.
Matt got up, stumbling slightly and clutching his arm

when his shoulder screamed with pain at the abrupt
move. "I need some air."

He turned and went out the door, almost hitting the

doorjamb with his bad shoulder. He could hear Pietr get
up behind him and say something, but he didn't pay
attention. He had to get out.

His legs found the way automatically, the path to the

oak one he had followed many times on his jogs. The
ground under him seemed far away, and he stumbled
more than once. When he tripped over a branch, he fell
to his knees, and the abrupt movement jolted his broken
bones. The pain in his face and shoulder finally tore him
out of his numbness.

Pietr was in charge of the harvesting. His mate was

responsible for that.

Matt remembered the screaming and crying people in

the gymnasium where he had been brought shortly after
being harvested, and he retched, his stomach trying to
turn itself inside out. He could feel Pietr's worry through
their bond, but he brutally blocked the connection, his
disgust too strong to let Pietr in. He wiped his mouth
and got up again, walking toward the oak tree.

He was tired, the fatigue that was part of his recovery

from the attack making his movements sluggish. But he
couldn't go back to Pietr now, and he forced himself to
keep walking until he reached the clearing with the big
oak. He slumped down on the ground by the tree, his
mind a jumble of thoughts.

Pietr was the one who had caused the fear Matt had

felt every time he saw a Himiko or heard about the
kidnappings. With a shock, Matt realized that his mate

Himiko: Warrior - 57

had caused those people to go insane, the ones who were
kidnapped and came back psychotic.

And it wasn't like the strategy of kidnapping humans

was something the Himika agreed upon. Matt
remembered his first conversation with Robbie, how the
Himiko had been too scared of something to admit that
he disagreed with the methods used to kidnap the
humans.

Pietr's methods. And it must have been Pietr who

caused not only Robbie's fear, but Matt's as well. Not to
speak of the fear of the entire human population. Pietr
was the source of all of it.

Matt reeled from the realization that his mate, the one

he needed more than anything else, had been the one
causing all this terror. Pietr had been cruel enough to
plan all that and see it carried out. It was an unbearable
thought.

Matt's thoughts kept going back to the gymnasium, to

the memory of the crying and screaming and catatonic
people in there. And his own fear, which had turned into
anger to enable him to survive it. He tried to do the same
thing now, to summon enough anger to...

To do what? He couldn't leave Pietr; neither of them

would survive it, and he wasn't willing to sacrifice his
life on top of everything else. He had already sacrificed
his life as he knew it and maybe his humanity as well.
Humans had tried to kill him just because he associated
with the Himika.

And there was no way back. He was bound to

someone who had done something more horrible than
Matt could fathom. Just the thought of Pietr was enough
to make him sick again.

He sat by the tree for hours, hugging himself and

staring out at the forest surrounding him. He had no idea
how much time had passed, and he started when a

Himiko: Warrior - 58

movement at the corner of his vision tore him out of this
thoughts. It was dusk, and his body was stiff when he
tried to get up.

"I don't think you should spend the night here."

Pietr's voice was subdued, and he didn't try to reach
Matt mentally.

Matt nodded. He cringed when Pietr took hold of his

good arm to help him up, though.

Pietr froze. Then his mate pulled him carefully to his

feet, avoiding all but the most necessary touch.

The walk back to the cabin took forever. Matt was

exhausted, his head hurting and his body so tired that he
had no other choice than to let Pietr support him. It was
either that or be carried, and Matt had no wish to be that
close to Pietr. He felt Pietr flinch at that thought and
pulled further back mentally. He couldn't bear being this
intimate after what he had learned about his mate.

Back at the cabin, Pietr helped him into the

bathroom, turning on the water and leaving him alone to
undress.

He clambered into the tub and sat down, pulling his

legs up and cradling his left arm while the water slowly
rose around his body. The warmth took away the numb
feeling and loosened his tense muscles. It also took
away his defenses, and Matt bent his head and wept. He
didn't do anything to stop it or to wipe his cheeks, just
gave in to the misery and cried. His mate had betrayed
him, and there was nowhere for him to go, no way to
make this better.

He was completely empty when Pietr came and

helped him out of the tub later. He had stopped crying at
some point, and now he let Pietr support him while he
stepped out of the tub. He shrank away when Pietr tried
to dry him, though. He noticed the pain on Pietr's face,
but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Himiko: Warrior - 59

He dried himself and got dressed. Then he stopped

out of the bathroom, not knowing what to do.

"There's some food. You should eat."
Matt sat down without a word. He couldn't even tell

what it was that he ate, only that it tasted like cardboard.
When he had finished, he went into the bedroom and lay
down, keeping his clothes on.

"I'll sleep in the other bedroom." The quiet defeat in

Pietr's voice hurt some part of Matt, but he pushed it
down and ignored the feeling.

It took a long time before he fell asleep.

***

For the next couple of days, Matt avoided Pietr as

much as possible. Which wasn't a lot; Matt was still so
weak that he could hardly move. The long walk to the
clearing in the woods had definitely been too strenuous
for him, and he was sore and exhausted.

He couldn't keep up the block against their mental

connection all the time. His bruised brain was still too
battered to do what he wanted most of all: to shut Pietr
out entirely. The brief glimpses of Pietr's mind were
enough to make it all start again, the disgust and sorrow
over losing someone who had meant everything to him.
His head was pounding all the time, the stress and
mourning worsening the after-effects of the concussion.

Pietr was there, but kept a certain distance all the

time, looking defeated and worried. Even with the lack
of contact, being this close was still almost unbearable
for Matt, the sight of Pietr constantly reminding him
what he had lost. It made him feel sick, making eating
impossible, and that only made him feel worse.

Himiko: Warrior - 60

On the evening of the fourth day after Pietr told him,

his mate came out to where Matt was standing on the
terrace, finally breaking the silence.

"I think you should talk to Robbie. You don't look

well." Even through the block, Matt could feel how hard
it was for Pietr not to check for himself how Matt was
feeling, and how much his mate worried about him.

"What does it matter?" Matt didn't know how to keep

the apathy out of his voice, and he didn't care.

"Matt, please."
"You have no right to ask me to do anything!" Matt

spun around so fast he got dizzy, but he refused to take
Pietr's hand when he staggered. "You have no fucking
right to do that."

"I know." Pietr dropped his hand, looking both

ashamed and pleading. "I know. But, please, Matt. You
really don't look well."

"Of course I'm not fucking well! I just found out

you're everything I despised. I loved you, Pietr!" The
anger welled up in Matt, its force so powerful that he
almost choked.

Pietr looked at him, eyes raw with helplessness and

remorse.

"I loved you! Pietr, I loved you." He couldn't breathe,

and he clung to his anger, the only thing keeping him
from breaking down. "You're a fucking monster." His
voice broke.

"I know." Pietr didn't protest, didn't do anything to

defend himself.

It only made Matt angrier, and he was dizzy with it

now, his head pounding so hard that he was losing his
ability to focus. "I fucking hate you! You're mine, and I
hate you!"

He was choking, and he didn't know if it was tears or

dizziness that blinded him, made him stagger. Then

Himiko: Warrior - 61

Pietr's arms were around him, and it was impossible to
keep up his shields against the one he needed more than
anything. He let his defenses down, throwing all of his
anger and despair and disgust against his mate. Pietr
took it all and held him tightly.

He clung to his mate, fighting to breathe between the

sobs. It felt so good to be united with Pietr again, no
matter how hard he tried to ignore it. He didn't want it to
feel good, but it was Pietr. And Pietr was his.

He rested his head in the crook of Pietr's neck, letting

himself breathe in the scent of his mate for a long time
after he had stopped crying. He refused to think about
anything, refused to explore any of Pietr's feelings. Pietr
slowly rubbed his back.

"I think I need something to eat." His voice was raw

from crying and shouting.

Relief welled up in Pietr's mind, but his mate just

nodded.

"I'll make you something. A bit of painkiller would

be good for you, too." Pietr pulled back and went to the
kitchen, heating something up in the oven. He was
keeping his feelings carefully out of the way.

They sat down to eat, and the food actually tasted like

something, in contrast to the last couple of days. Matt
didn't talk, just ate his food.

When he was done, Pietr handed Matt a pill, and he

took it without protesting. He sat at the table while Pietr
cleaned up, and he felt how the drug kicked in, taking
away most of his pain and making him sleepy.

"Time to go to bed." Matt blinked his eyes open,

looking up at Pietr. Then he nodded and let Pietr help
him into the bedroom.

His mate lay down next to him, and Matt felt a brief

flash of gratitude. Then he fell asleep.

Himiko: Warrior - 62

5

His first impulse next morning was to reach out for

his mate. Even as he extended his arm, though, he
remembered what Pietr had done. Matt abruptly pulled
his arm back. He lay down next to his sleeping mate,
staring at the ceiling.

He couldn't fathom what Pietr had told him. Matt had

spent a long time coming to terms with the fact that the
Himika weren't the monsters he had thought they were.
Now it turned out that his mate really was a monster.
Pietr had to be to have planned something like the
kidnapping and torment of so many people.

Matt closed his eyes in pain. It didn't add up; he

couldn't imagine his gentle mate committing such
atrocities. But Pietr had admitted to doing it, and Matt
could feel that Pietr had been telling him the truth. He
had no idea what to do next. Pietr would wake up in a
moment, and then Matt would have to talk to Pietr,
facing everything his mate had done.

It didn't make matters easier that he only felt that way

intellectually. Physically, the longing for his mate was
ingrained in Matt's body. His mind stubbornly refused to
give in to that desire yet. As a matter of fact, his mind
refused to even acknowledge "yet" at all.

When Pietr woke up, it turned out to be easier than

Matt had thought. Pietr didn't go near him. It almost felt
as if they had reached some kind of truce. Pietr kept a
polite distance; he wasn't avoiding mental contact, but
he wasn't letting any feelings show, either.

Matt had always known before what his mate felt, but

this time, he wasn't sure. It confused him. He could feel

Himiko: Warrior - 63

that Pietr hadn't pulled back completely, but it was as if
some parts of his mate were missing. Pietr was caring
and very attentive, focused on Matt's every need, but
apart from that, the Himiko never took the initiative in
either physical or mental contact.

It was a strange dance, and it wasn't even a day

before Matt had tired of it. Patience had never been his
strong suit, and his head was throbbing with the
challenge of figuring out what was going on.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"
Pietr looked up in surprise from where he had been

pretending to read a book. He hadn't been; his eyes had
been fixed on the same page while his mind had been
blank. Matt had no idea why he was pretending like this.

"I... I'm giving you what you need." Pietr had been

speaking out loud all day, keeping their mental contact
to a minimum.

Matt's eyes narrowed. "And what do I need,

according to you?"

"You need me to be near so you won't get stressed

about our bond stretching too much or for too long."

"And that's all I need?"
Pietr looked confused. "I think so."
"What about an apology?"
Pietr's shoulders fell, and he looked down. "There's

no way an apology can make up for what I've done." His
voice was quiet.

"No, of course it can't, you idiot."
Pietr looked at him.
"But you can apologize for not telling me before."
Pietr just shook his head. "No. I couldn't tell you."
This was driving Matt insane. "You're not exactly

doing anything to explain yourself."

Pietr just shook his head, a stubborn look on his face.

"I can't tell you."

Himiko: Warrior - 64

He looked so miserable that Matt reached out for his

mate mentally, a bit hesitant. Once again, he got that
strange, superficial contact. Pietr was eager to care for
him, but was keeping any feelings out of the way.

"Why are you doing this?" Matt was exasperated.
Pietr looked steadily at him. "It's all you need from

me. I can't spare you from my presence, but at least I can
limit it to a tolerable level of contact."

"'A tolerable level of contact?'" Matt blinked.
Pietr didn't. "Yes."
Matt exploded. "What the fuck are you talking

about?"

He used all of his sorrow, all of his hurt to tear Pietr's

defenses down and push deep into his mate's real
feelings. Pietr didn't want to allow him entrance there,
but his mate was too wary of hurting him to resist much.

What he saw there stunned him. The sorrow was

overwhelming, and so was the self-loathing. Pietr hadn't
done what he had done without thought for the
consequences. Each and every human destiny was
etched into his mind, and so was the terror and the
suffering of the people who had been harvested.

Don't! Pietr cried out, desperate to hide his memories

from Matt. This isn't your burden to bear.

What the fuck do you mean by that? Matt was fuming

with anger. How dare you hide from me! He tore deeper,
relentlessly digging to see why his mate had been hiding
so much from him. That was when he met the fear.

Please, don't, Matt!
But Matt had already seen it, seen how scared Pietr

was about anybody finding out how he felt -- about Matt
finding out how he felt -- because of what would happen
then.

They would kill you? Matt had to ask; he couldn't

believe what he saw in his mate's mind.

Himiko: Warrior - 65

You can't tell anyone! Pietr's mental voice was pure

desperation.

And me? They would kill me, too? Matt didn't even

get scared; he couldn't believe it.

Oh, believe it. Pietr's inner voice became bitter as

well as desperate. He'll get rid of anyone who doesn't
agree with the way things are done here.

Who? Instead of the vague "they" from before, Pietr

was talking about someone specific here. Matt couldn't
tell who it was, though; he had come to realize that some
things were hidden so deeply in Pietr's mind that even
Matt couldn't get to them.

Pietr stepped close, grabbing Matt's arms and holding

on hard. Matt winced as the grip jarred his shoulder, but
Pietr didn't let him go. I'm not telling you.

Matt was about to protest, but Pietr wouldn't let him

talk.

It's for your own safety. The risk is smaller if you

don't know.

Matt could tell that Pietr was sincere. It still bothered

him. But why? And how can you even do that? They had
been so close for so long that it boggled Matt to learn
that Pietr had been keeping a secret from him for all this
time.

You kind of hide it from yourself, too. And I did it to

keep you safe.

That's why I never found out what you do?
Pietr nodded. Yes. It was safer that way. And his

mate was willing to do anything to keep him safe.

Matt felt as if his entire life had been turned upside

down in the last couple of days.

Again, you mean. There was a slight attempt at

humor in Pietr's inner voice.

Matt huffed. Yeah, again. You have a habit of that.

He leaned close, and he could feel the incredulity in

Himiko: Warrior - 66

Pietr's mind as he did so. Matt was a little surprised, too.
He had just obeyed his body's desperate need to be close
to its mate. Then he felt how Pietr's mind was filled with
gratitude, and Pietr hugged him so tightly that he lost his
breath.

Hey, don't try to kill me, stupid!
Pietr reluctantly loosened his grip. Again, you mean.

A rueful laughter went through his mind.

Hey, you haven't succeeded yet. Matt pushed as close

as possible. Neither have I, come to think of it, even if I
tried really hard a couple of times.

Are you trying to say that we're equally big fuck-ups?
It was such a brave attempt at getting back to normal

that Matt could only hold on tightly. Well, you can't say
that this has been boring.

Pietr held on to Matt without answering. Matt could

feel him trying not to ask what was going to happen
now. The fear of the answer was clear in his mind.

I don't know, Pietr. I've no idea what's going to

happen. The one thing I do know is that you didn't do
this voluntarily.

Fuck, no. Pietr's inner voice was vehement. I'd do

anything to be able to change what I did. But I wasn't
strong enough, and at least I had some sort of control
this way. It could have been worse. A lot worse.

Matt shuddered. He didn't want to know what could

have been worse than what the Himika had already
done.

No, you really don't. Pietr hugged him again. Matt

was about to ask him something else when Pietr led him
to the couch.

You need to rest, Matt.
Matt was about to protest, but he did feel exhausted,

and his head was pounding.

Himiko: Warrior - 67

You need to take it easy. You still have a concussion,

and the last couple of days haven't been good for you.
Pietr felt guilty about that, too.

Matt reached out for him when he went to make

dinner. We'll figure this out, Pietr. I'm not going
anywhere. The words took Matt by surprise as well; he
was still hurt, but he knew he couldn't let Pietr go.

The relief in Pietr's mind was immense. Okay. Rest,

then I'll get you something to eat.

Matt nodded. That he could do.

***

They spent the rest of the evening mostly in silence,

Pietr taking care of Matt and being close to him. It felt
good, and Matt's headache cleared up a bit now that he
didn't have so much to worry about.

Matt had to know more, though. Next morning, he sat

Pietr down on the couch after breakfast. He had a lot of
questions.

You were in charge of the recruiting after the

invasion? Matt still didn't know how to react to that.

It's not an invasion. At least it was never intended to

be. Pietr was quiet, the shame coursing through his mind
at the thought of what he had done. I never meant it to
go this wrong.

The images in his head weren't nice: the fear in the

eyes of the people being harvested, the feeling of losing
yet another human to insanity when someone couldn't
cope with the operation. Matt shuddered.

Pietr hesitated when he felt Matt's reaction to his

thoughts. Then he appeared to make a decision.

There weren't that many casualties, Matt. I know the

media published each and every one of them and a
couple that weren't ours at all. We've only had three

Himiko: Warrior - 68

fatalities and four people who escaped before we could
help them accept their abilities. There are others who've
got problems, but we're treating them, and they will
make it.

Matt frowned. But there were thousands who were

harvested.

Pietr shook his head. No. I know some people got that

impression, but it was only a few hundred. I'm not trying
to diminish my role in this, but I want you to know how
it really was.

No way. I'm sure it's a lot more than that. Matt

couldn't believe this, but at the same time, he could feel
that Pietr was telling the truth.

I know. That's what fear does to people. And I'm

deeply sorry about that.

But I was fucking terrified!
Pietr cringed mentally. I know. And I'm not saying

that your fear wasn't substantiated; I'm just saying that
you were scared.

And not thinking clearly. Did I really get it that

wrong? Matt put into words what Pietr was reluctant to
say.

Pietr shrugged, unwilling to concede that the extent

of the Himiko threat might have been exaggerated by
Matt's imagination. Maybe a bit, at least in your
understanding of the extent of the harvesting. Again:
that's what fear does to people. It's our fault entirely.

But to get back to my job: Yes, I was in charge of the

recruiting. Pietr seemed determined to get everything
about his own role out in the open now.

I planned the recruiting before we came here, and I

was in charge of implementing and maintaining the
procedures when we got here. It's all my responsibility.
The feeling as Pietr pulled back, preparing for Matt to

Himiko: Warrior - 69

shout at him, be disgusted with him, leave him, sent a
surge of compassion through Matt.

He straddled his mate and put his good arm around

Pietr while taking his mate's hand with the other. I'm
still here, and I'm not going anywhere.

I know you can't, but this isn't what you deserve. You

wouldn't have chosen me if you knew. The shame in
Pietr's mind was overwhelming.

Shh. You probably wouldn't have chosen a human

with a bad temper, either, but we're kind of stuck with
each other now. In spite of everything, they were still
bonded, and Matt was desperate to chase away the
despair in his mate's mind.

You're stuck with a life you never wanted, with a

mate you never wanted. I... Some call me a murderer.

You're not! Matt tightened his hold on Pietr, intent on

comforting his mate. Did you want it to be this way? Did
you want humans to go insane, to have them hate you
like this?

No! This is nothing like what I wanted, but humans

and Himika need to get to an understanding, and the...
he wouldn't let me change anything.

The Assessor?
The shock in Pietr's mind almost numbed Matt.
I'm sorry, but it's not that hard to figure out. He is

your leader, after all.

How do you know that?
This was one of those things that Matt had to think

about. I just know. Pietr hadn't told him, it was just...
there.

Pietr was still surprised, but he continued his

explanation.

He's very eager to obtain his goal.
Which is what?

Himiko: Warrior - 70

It's... I don't know anymore. There was worry and

trepidation in Pietr's mind, and it was clear to Matt that
this was something he hadn't wanted to admit even to
himself. In the beginning, it was the official mission
statement. But now, I don't know.

What is the official mission statement?
You don't know? Pietr's mind was filled with

incredulity. God, we've done nothing right.

The Himiko took a deep breath. The official mission

statement is to obtain a greater understanding between
the two races in order to secure the survival of both.
Especially for you; you're showing every sign of making
the same mistakes that almost destroyed us. It was
urgent that we meet. And now see how we fucked it up.

Matt made a mental note to himself to get back to

those mistakes later. What do you mean, you don't know
what his goal is anymore?

Pietr hesitated, and Matt could feel him plucking up

the courage to say something he hadn't dared thinking
before now.

I'm not sure. I think he's going rogue. There was a

dizzying number of connotations in that phrase,
memories of something gone horribly wrong in the
history of the Himika. He's out of control, and he's too
powerful for any of us to stop.

There wasn't anything Matt could do or say that

would resolve the worries in Pietr's mind, but he could
hold and comfort his mate, and he did. You're stuck with
me, and we'll figure it out.

There was an overwhelming gratitude in Pietr's mind,

and the Himiko clung to Matt, taking in every
comforting touch that Matt gave him.

You really thought I would leave you, didn't you?

Matt had difficulty believing what Pietr had felt.

Himiko: Warrior - 71

Pietr was very quiet when he answered. You could

have the chip taken out. Then it wouldn't be impossible
for you to leave.

Matt was speechless. Pietr had really thought that this

might happen.

I wouldn't, Pietr! It would hurt me so badly to be

without you. Matt tried to hold back the tears that
suddenly threatened to fall.

Pietr tightened his arms around Matt, pouring

comfort and gratitude into Matt's mind.

And it would kill you!
Pietr hadn't been able to hold back that image as he

opened himself to comfort Matt.

Pietr, look at me. Matt forced Pietr to look into his

eyes. I'll never leave you. Ever. Not because I can't, but
because you make me happier than I could ever be
without you. Even when I get beat up or mess up or you
turn out not to be perfect, I want to be with you. Do you
want to be with me, too?

Yes! There was outrage in Pietr's mind at the mere

thought that the Himiko wouldn't.

Good. Then no more talk about taking chips out,

okay? It would probably kill me, too, anyway.

Probably. Pietr's effort to be his old acerbic self was

brave enough for Matt to lean in and kiss him.

I would fuck your brains out to prove it to you, but

I'm afraid I'm not up to it yet.

It's okay, I can wait.
You better. And one more thing. Matt looked into

Pietr's eyes. We need to stop thinking that if we fuck up,
the other one is going to leave. It's killing us. So, no
more of that, okay?

Yes, Mom.
Matt raised an eyebrow. Do you really believe that's

a wise strategy for getting me back in bed anytime soon?

Himiko: Warrior - 72

Pietr shuddered when he realized the implications of

his comment. God, no. I'll take that back.

That's a first. There just might be hope for you still.
Pietr's attempt to punish him for that remark was a

kiss. Which, as revenge went, was rather pathetic. In
every other sense, though, it was quite nice.

***

Now that Pietr had finally told him about his job, it

raised more questions. Pietr didn't want to go back, but
he couldn't let anybody know how he felt about his
work.

Who's doing your job while you're away? Matt asked

his mate. He was trying to be matter-of-fact, pushing
what he felt about Pietr's job out of the way. There were
only so many feelings he could face in a couple of days.
Right now it seemed easier to be practical.

Pietr was reluctant to even talk about it. Nobody,

really. We have some routines by now, and everybody
follows them. I think I'm stretching it, though. I was
already asked to come back while we were in the city.

Then go back.
There was both outrage and disgust in Pietr's mind

when Matt made that suggestion. Didn't you understand
what I did?

Yes, I understand. Been there, remember?
Pietr winced, and Matt instantly regretted his words.

In spite of his disgust, it hurt every time he felt Pietr's
pain. He hurried to continue.

I also understand that it would have been worse if

you hadn't been there.

Himiko: Warrior - 73

Pietr was still protesting, but Matt didn't give in.
Can you honestly say that things are better when

you're not there?

No. Pietr was reluctant, but he couldn't lie.
Are they better when you're there?
Yes.
Then you're going back. If not for any other reason

than to figure out how to clean this mess up.

Pietr kept protesting, but Matt was adamant. And

Pietr grudgingly had to admit that he could probably do
more good trying to make the harvesting as gentle as
possible. Matt pretended not to notice the flicker of a
thought when Pietr admitted to himself that he would
probably be killed if he refused to do his job.

***

So much had happened within the last couple of

months that Matt could barely contain it anymore. It
wasn't so much a matter of his world being turned
upside down as his world changing so many times that
he wasn't even sure what was up and down anymore.
First he had been scared of the Himika, and then he had
come to the realization that Pietr was his mate and Aki
and Robbie his good friends. Now he was back to the
beginning. They had had at least some kind of
reconciliation, but Pietr's confession meant that Matt
was faced with his original fear, and he didn't know
what or who to trust anymore.

Of course, Pietr felt his doubt, and his mate insisted

on talking about it.

Himiko: Warrior - 74

So, what do you want to know? It seemed that Pietr

was determined to get everything out in the open now
that they had started talking.

Matt didn't even know where to begin. Then he asked

a question that had bothered him for a long time.

Robbie was really scared when I talked to him back

in the beginning about the kidnappings. I got the
impression that he didn't like them either. Why don't you
just speak up?

Robbie told you that? There was surprise in Pietr's

inner voice.

Well, I got it out of him; I'm really stubborn that way.

So, why don't you just refuse to do it?

Pietr shook his head. We can't.
That's ridiculous.
No, you don't understand -- we don't work that way.

Himiko society is strictly hierarchical; everything
depends on how strong you are. The stronger you are,
the more you have to say in important questions. And
Robbie wasn't considered to be powerful at all.

But, still -- you could just say no. You don't have to

talk everybody else into agreeing with you.

Pietr just shook his head again. No. It would be seen

as treason against the community. And to us, the
community is everything. Interacting is the way we stay
sane, and that's why it's really important to keep that
solidarity. Apart from that, it's nearly impossible to
disobey orders.

Because it's hard to hide anything from mind

readers?

Exactly. You can shield, but only for so long -- and

only if you're strong enough to keep it up for a long
time, which most Himika aren't.

But you did so yourself when you hid your job for me!

Himiko: Warrior - 75

Pietr flinched mentally, but he still answered Matt's

question. That wasn't easy, believe me. And I don't think
many Himika can do it.

So, you're compelled to go with it, even though you

don't agree?

Yes. There was a firm conviction in Pietr's mind
It didn't convince Matt that Pietr really hadn't had a

choice. But it did convince him that Pietr thought so.

That fact didn't sit well with Matt. Following orders

was something he despised. He had a feeling that there
were even more details that Pietr wasn't telling him. He
didn't ask, though. Pietr had had good reason not to tell
him in the first place. Matt was well aware that his life
could be in danger if he let anybody know what he had
found out.

He tried hard to ignore the little voice nagging him

with the fact that he also risked finding out more about
his mate; facts that could mean that the precarious
balance they had found in their relationship would be
torn up once again. Matt had insisted that they belonged
together, and he wasn't ready to face any facts that could
disturb that conviction. It was fragile enough as it was.

***

Pietr took Matt's advice, and a month later, the

Himiko slowly started going back to work. Not full time
and not in the city or at the collecting station (Matt
hadn't been able to hide his shudder when he learned the
Himiko name for the converted gym where he had met
his mate for the first time), but Pietr went to meetings at
the clinic and around the compound.

He wasn't exactly happy about being back in the job

he hated so much, but he did do something good: he
managed to decrease the number of humans being

Himiko: Warrior - 76

harvested, citing as his reason the humans' difficulties in
learning how to use their new abilities and the duration
of their training.

Matt hadn't realized before now that he had been

exceptionally quick in learning to use his skills. Aki
hadn't known, since his mentor hadn't worked with any
humans before. And Pietr had just been proud of
everything Matt did, so Matt had never found out that
his speed was anything out of the ordinary.

It did explain why none of the successfully implanted

humans had returned to normal society yet. Pietr
reassured him that they were in training facilities, being
trained like Aki had trained Matt. It just was going a lot
slower.

That was an immense relief to Matt. Pietr's regret

about what he had done was very real. Still, it was easier
to forgive somebody who wasn't a mass murderer.

Pietr didn't know if he should laugh or cry when he

heard that thought.

Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to put it like that.
Well, you're right. At least I'm not a mass murderer.
Matt didn't know what to say. Pietr's job was still a

huge obstacle between them, even if they were trying to
move on. To Matt, the problem was both the truth about
Pietr's job and the fact that he had been hiding it to Matt.
It felt like a betrayal, no matter how hard Matt tried to
ignore it.

***

After almost six weeks, Pietr finally deemed Matt

ready to meet other people again. Matt had a hunch that
Pietr had been somewhat reluctant to share him; he'd
caught a hint now and then in his mate's mind. He hadn't
said anything to Pietr, though. Even Matt acknowledged

Himiko: Warrior - 77

that there were a few things you shouldn't be mocked
for. Loving and protecting your mate was one of those.

I think Aki has something to say to you.
They were hanging out, waiting for Robbie and Aki

to come over. The potatoes were already on the grill,
and the meat and the salad sat in the fridge.

Yeah? What? Matt absentmindedly fingered Pietr's

shirt.

Robbie wouldn't say.
He wouldn't? Should I be worried? Matt frowned.
More like incredibly annoyed, according to Robbie.
Matt decided to let it go until he could actually talk to

Aki. The fabric of Pietr's shirt really was quite thin,
doing nothing to hide the tight body under it. They just
might have time...

No, we don't. They're only two minutes away, and I

have much more stamina than that. I, for one, don't
come as soon as I'm touched.

Matt really thought that Pietr should have learned the

consequences of teasing by now. The Himiko certainly
would have had fewer bruises if he had.

Ouch! You really must be into spanking, baby.

There's no other explanation for all this excessive
violence.

No, you just induce punishment. And for your

information: I hadn't had sex for weeks, and you're hot.
Very hot. Their bodies still knew what they needed. Matt
took the fingering a bit lower.

Yeah? I do think maybe we could...
"Hi, guys!" Robbie's voice from outside the house

was just as cheerful as always. The joy in it was almost
enough to make up for the interruption.

"Hi, Matt! Oh." Robbie looked from Matt to Pietr.

Then he grinned. "You do know that we're the ones

Himiko: Warrior - 78

who're supposed to get caught like that all the time,
right? Newly bonded and all."

"I hope you do. Well, not get caught, but, you

know..." Talking about your friends' sex life suddenly
seemed a tiny bit awkward. Robbie just laughed and
pulled Matt into a warm embrace. The hug felt
surprisingly good; Matt hadn't realized how much he
had missed his doctor.

And friend, I hope?
It was weird using his mind to talk to anyone besides

Pietr again, but it felt okay.

You know that.
"I do, but big guy here has had some problems."

Robbie turned to Aki, who was lingering by the door.

Matt's mentor had a look of insecurity on his face,

which was completely out of character for him. Matt
looked from Robbie to Aki. Before Matt could ask
anything, Aki stepped forward.

"I'd like to apologize." Aki's voice was a little stiff.
"What on earth would you have to apologize for?"
Aki stared at the ground. "I'm having a bit of trouble

sharing Robbie. It's not easy."

Matt had his arms around Aki before his mentor

could meet his eyes.

It's all right, Aki. You're fine.
The Himiko's body tensed up as he was touched, and

he instinctively pulled back mentally as Matt reached
out to talk to him.

Shh. You're okay. Matt held on, refusing to let Aki go

either physically or mentally, and slowly, the Himiko
relaxed.

It's hard.
There was a whole new level of vulnerability in Aki's

mind, and it made Matt squeeze him tightly in
compassion.

Himiko: Warrior - 79

You'll make it. Bend, don't break, okay? You're just

too stubborn for your own good.

"Not to mention possessive, of course. And single-

minded." Without any ceremony, Pietr pushed Matt
away and gave Aki a big hug, slapping his back.

Hey! Sharing a heartfelt moment, here. Matt couldn't

help laughing, though; his mate just wasn't one for
stilted displays of affection.

Robbie just shook his head. "Mates. Can't live

without them. Fortunately, the closeness makes it easier
to kill them."

Aki frowned, clearly not getting the joke. Matt cast a

look at Robbie and tried not to snicker. They understood
each other perfectly well.

Matt took a closer look at Robbie. He was quietly

glowing, and it was a really good look on him.

"I guess I don't have to ask about your head. You

seem fine, but don't overdo it. How's your shoulder?"
Robbie switched easily into physician mode.

"I thought you were off work today?"
Robbie just raised his eyebrows and waited.
"Okay, okay. Yes, my head's fine, cheek's fine, the

shoulder is still sore, but that's apparently perfectly
normal for 'a man my age.'" The nurse's words at the
check-up still stung.

"Yeah? I can have a look at it."
Before Aki could get out the words he had opened his

mouth to say, Robbie held up a hand. "Look, not heal."

Aki reluctantly nodded.
The poor guy was completely helpless in Robbie's

hands.

"Let Pietr hold you. That always makes it easier."

Matt did as he was told, and then he had the strange
feeling of Robbie being present in his mind and his

Himiko: Warrior - 80

body. It was slightly claustrophobic, but it was Robbie.
That made all the difference.

Robbie pulled away and nodded, a satisfied

expression on his face. "It's healing well, if a bit slowly,
but that's not unusual for a clavicle fracture. You'll be as
good as new before long."

"Good. Now, can we go eat?" Pietr was hungry, and

now that his brief concern about his mate had been taken
away, food was the only thought on his mind.

"Yes, we can eat! God, you're such a Neanderthal."

Matt gave Pietr a kiss.

"No, no, Himika don't have those."
Matt frowned. "You don't? But how..."
"I never told you about the missing link? Then you

better behave; I just might condescend to explain it to
you sometime."

Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath to find

some much-needed patience. God, he hated aliens.

***

Aliens weren't unanimously crazy about him, either.

That was a lesson he learned in the months following his
recovery.

Matt had set up his firm in the cabin, and it worked

out well. Because of Pietr's salary and his own insurance
(which had compensated him twice in the last six
months, once for the "kidnapping" and once for the
attack), they were financially secure. That meant that he
only had to work on the projects that really interested
him. Of course, he couldn't go that big; he simply didn't
have either the manpower or the technical staff
necessary for that. But he won two minor projects which
were both very interesting, and he got a special mention

Himiko: Warrior - 81

for his contribution to a competition to make a
footbridge in the north of England.

Now and then, Pietr had to go away for meetings.

They had learned how to survive being apart now, but if
it lasted for more than ten hours or so, they started
getting restless (Pietr insisted fervently that it wasn't just
him getting horny). So if Pietr had to spend the night
somewhere else, Matt followed him.

He quickly found out that the Himika didn't have a

clue as to what to think of him.

Hel-lo, the secretary at a meeting in Baltimore had

greeted Matt when the secretary picked up Pietr at the
hotel, projecting his thoughts as clearly as you would to
a three-year old. Well, if three-year old Himika could
communicate mentally, which they of course couldn't.

Hello. Nice meeting you. Matt kept himself

meticulously shielded, only letting a minuscule part of
his energy through his shield.

Oh, he's got such a good grasp of communicating!

The secretary had beamed at Pietr as if Matt's mate were
the proud parent responsible for that.

Well, thank you.
Matt reserved the mental equivalent of raised

eyebrows for Pietr only, and Pietr had to work hard to
keep his amusement out of their communication with the
secretary.

You're evil, you know that, right?
But his mate didn't seem to think that it was a bad

idea for Matt to keep himself back, and so Matt kept
working on his shielding. After a while, he mastered the
deception to such an extent that he was sure he could
have passed for an ordinary human. Of course that
meant that every Himiko he met thought that he was
dumber than an ostrich, but that paid off, too; more than
once Matt was able to tell Pietr some vital information

Himiko: Warrior - 82

that a careless Himiko hadn't bothered to keep shielded
from the dim human.

Then there were the Himika who thought he was an

abomination. They never dared think it out loud -- Pietr
was much too influential for them to risk that -- but their
minds were filled with a mixture of pity for his mate and
deep revulsion at the thought that a Himiko had bonded
with a human. Fortunately, there weren't that many of
those. After meeting two very memorable Himika
purists in Chicago, Matt wasn't sure he could keep from
losing his temper in any future encounters.

Apart from such infrequent encounters, Matt kept

pretty much to himself and his Himiko friends.
Interacting with humans was something in the past, and
he had no regrets there. Matt and Pietr normally used
commercial airlines, but apart from that, they weren't in
much contact with anyone but Himika, being rushed in
private cars from the plane to the meeting or the hotel
and back. It suited Matt just fine; he was dead tired of
the pitying and hateful human stares. He didn't even pay
much attention to the news anymore. All the media told
the same stories about human stupidity and steadily less-
concealed hatred toward the Himika. Matt was beyond
caring.

Himiko: Warrior - 83

6

They had been to another of Pietr's meetings, getting

back very early in the morning. A delayed plane had
postponed their return to the cabin until after midnight.
After sleeping in, they had a long lunch and went for a
drive around the compound.

They hadn't expected to see Robbie and Aki at their

cabin when they came back.

"We have something for you to see." Aki looked

serious. "Have you been following what humans are
saying on the Internet about the Himika?"

Matt shook his head.
"I never do," Pietr added before opening the door and

letting their friends inside.

"You're not going to like this." Robbie took out his

computer and turned it on, looking up a website.

Matt froze when he saw the first images. They were

of him.

Apparently, a student had been filming the lecture

Matt had been giving at the university when he was
harvested. The clip started when the door opened behind
him, revealing the three recruiting Himika.

Matt watched in fascinated horror as he kept on

talking without noticing anything out of order. Then he
turned around and saw the Himika. In the movie, he
blanched, frozen to the floor as a Himiko stretched out a
hand and ordered him to come with them.

"I was so scared." His voice didn't sound right.
Pietr put his arms around Matt, but the Himiko

couldn't penetrate the numb feeling that seemed to
permeate Matt's mind.

Himiko: Warrior - 84

Then the angle of the movie shifted, following him as

the Himika escorted him down the hallways and all the
way to the car. The images had to have been taken from
the security cameras on campus. Someone had clearly
registered what was happening, because as Matt neared
the car, the camera zoomed in on his face. There was
pure, naked fear in his eyes, and the memory was so
vivid that Matt felt his throat constrict even now. He
watched himself choke on the film, the Himiko lifting
his head to enable him to breathe as his body went slack.

"I was so scared." Those were the only words he

could get out, his voice nothing but a whisper this time.

The segment ended with him being helped into the

black van, and then it changed to a female newsreader,
looking serious. He couldn't hear what she was saying,
though. A strange buzz was filling his head.

I'm so sorry. There was shame and anger and

compassion in Pietr's mind. I'm so fucking sorry.

"I thought I was going to die. That's what I was

thinking outside the van. That this was the last moment
of my life."

Pietr's arms were around him, and he was being

helped down on the sofa. He laughed, the sound odd.

"I seem to spend more time in shock than out of it."

He blinked, looking around. Robbie was talking to him,
and Aki was looking worried in the background. "This is
a really familiar scenario. Me freaking out while you're
trying to talk me out of it."

"We won't let you slide, Matt." He hadn't heard Aki

this confident since the first days when the Himiko had
been Matt's mentor.

"No? Promise?"
"We promise." Aki's voice was firm. "Robbie's going

to do his magic, Pietr is going to catch you, and I'm
going to yell at you until you stop freaking out."

Himiko: Warrior - 85

Matt laughed again, the sound loud to himself. "It's a

good thing there's three of you."

"Yes, we can take shifts. Speaking of which, Matt, let

Pietr in again."

Matt shook his head to clear it. He hadn't even

noticed that he was blocking his mate, and he didn't
mean to. He wanted Pietr, needed his mate so badly.

About time! I really need to get better at kicking your

ass. The feelings behind Pietr's acerbic comment were
fear and desperation, Matt's attempt at shutting him out
having renewed Pietr's fear of losing Matt.

Matt let himself be filled up with his mate, the empty

place in his mind suddenly feeling all right again.

You really do. He let himself be held. I'm okay. I just

need to breathe for a moment.

Is he telling the truth, Robbie? It was Aki asking

Robbie.

Yes. He's really got an uncanny ability to shield,

though... Matt could hear Robbie start thinking about
that, the physician muttering about the pros and cons of
that skill.

Jesus, Aki, take your geek with you, will you?
Matt couldn't help snorting as he heard Pietr's words.

He opened his eyes and saw the familiar look of
exasperation spreading across the doctor's face.

"When Pietr's back to offending people, then his mate

must be okay. Do you agree, Matt?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that. It was just tough seeing that

again."

"Yes, I can imagine." Robbie's expression was

sympathetic for a moment. Then he got all businesslike.

"The video isn't getting much traffic yet. I only found

it because, well, a friend of mine looks for this stuff."

Himiko: Warrior - 86

Matt had a clear feeling that there was a story here,

but he didn't ask. He might be getting the hang of
Himiko good manners, after all.

"I think the commentary might be causing trouble,"

Robbie continued.

"I didn't hear it." Matt looked at the surprised faces

around him. "I only saw the images."

"Okay. Well, the last phrase about 'sentencing yet

another human being to death' is one likely to be widely
quoted. There were already quite a few comments on
YouTube when I found it, and it hasn't been there for
long." Robbie looked a little sick. "I'm so sorry for this,
Matt. Both for it happening in the first place and for
this."

"I think it's Jones' doing." Matt was sure of it.
"Jones? Your ex?" Aki looked skeptically at him.
"Yes. He had been doing a major campaign to have

me set free before I came to see him; he could easily do
something like this. He put the campaign together with
Benjamin, by the way, and Benj was there when the
recruiters took me. Benjamin would know if anybody
had a cell phone filming the lecture and how to get the
security videos. It fits."

"But why would Jones want to show people this? He

doesn't exactly sound like a fan of yours anymore. Why
would he try to make people feel sorry for you?" Aki
wasn't convinced.

"But that's the point exactly. Were any of those

comments actually sympathetic toward me?" He looked
from Aki to Robbie. Neither of them met his eyes.
"They weren't, were they? They were probably
somewhere on the scale between disgust with the
Himika and outright rebellion against you, am I right?"

"Yes. You're right." This time, Robbie looked

straight at him, eyes unwavering.

Himiko: Warrior - 87

We just have to wait and see. There isn't much we can

do about it anyway. Pietr's words were directed both at
Matt and at the others.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Aki looked serious.

"But you're right, there's not much to do about it. We'll
just have to see how it goes."

***

They did see. The video spread, slowly but

inevitably, across the social media. In the beginning, the
comments were almost secretive, carefully disguised as
something someone else had said. Since the rebellion in
the Midwest right after the Himika arrived on Earth,
there had been laws against encouraging hostility
between the races -- laws that were taken extremely
seriously by the authorities. Nobody wanted a repeat of
what had basically been the slaughter of the mutinous
humans.

Matt sometimes thought that this censorship was

where the real problem lay. If only people had been able
to openly discuss the matter of sharing their planet with
another race, much of the dissatisfaction could have
been prevented. Ignorance was a dangerous thing.

Over the next couple of weeks, the comments became

less restrained. They were still all anonymous, of course,
but they were there. It seemed that people no longer
feared retribution.

***

Matt came home from his run one day to find Robbie

and Aki there again, sitting with Pietr around the
computer. They looked worried.

Himiko: Warrior - 88

"What's up?" Matt spoke out loud; with all four of

them around, it was easier than communicating
mentally.

"It never occurred to me to check the minor sites; I

guess I took it for granted that the big international sites
were representative." Robbie appeared slightly ashamed.
"But the big sites are almost all American, and that
means they're censoring the comments. Outside of USA,
they haven't got laws against provoking dissatisfaction
like you do in the States."

"Why don't they have laws against that?" Matt

interrupted him. After the massacre following the
Himika's arrival, the government had enforced the
exception to the First Amendment of "incitement to riot
or imminent lawless action" rigidly and had passed
several other laws to the same effect -- out of pure
necessity in order to protect Americans against another
massacre. The lack of preventive measures in Europe
and Asia puzzled him.

"They don't have to -- the reaction when we came to

Europe and Asia was very different. Their citizens were
far more positive toward us, so the authorities there
never needed to worry about violent protests."

"They don't mind the kidnappings?" It didn't make

sense to him that things would be any better in Europe
and Asia than they were in America. Almost all of the
Himika were centered on those three continents, so it
made sense that their arrival on Earth hadn't had so
much influence on Australia, South America, and
Africa. But Matt didn't understand how Europeans and
Asians could be less hostile toward the Himika than
Americans were.

Pietr winced when Matt used the word "kidnapping."
Sorry.

Himiko: Warrior - 89

Pietr just nodded and started explaining. Matt and

Pietr did that all the time; avoiding the tender subject in
favor of speaking of something else.

"We don't do much harvesting there. It takes a lot of

resources and facilities to train somebody, so it's a lot
more cost-effective to center it in one place. And
Europeans and especially Asians just don't see that many
Himika on a day-to-day basis; there aren't that many of
us there. When I go there, I get the feeling that they feel
we're exotic more than threatening."

"Apparently, not anymore." Robbie sounded glum.
Matt was speechless. "And it never occurred to you

that they might like you better because you don't do any
recruiting there?"

Pietr looked helpless. Believe me, I've tried to

propose that idea at the committee meetings. In vain.

Matt just shook his head.
"Well, whatever the reason, they don't have any

censorship," Robbie continued. "That means that they
can comment on the video all they want. It isn't good,
Matt."

Matt leaned over Pietr's shoulder. His mate didn't

complain about how sweaty he was, just pointed at the
screen. Matt let his eyes run down the comments on a
British website and felt himself go cold.

"Not good" was an understatement.
"This must stop" was the mildest comment. From

there, it went quickly downhill to hateful comments
about the alien monsters. The worst part was the number
of comments encouraging an open rebellion. "It has
been done once already. Those people weren't properly
prepared then, but we will be." The last comment so far
read, "There's only a few thousands of the freaks here;
how hard can it be?"

"Oh, fuck." Matt froze.

Himiko: Warrior - 90

"I think that's an adequate description, Matt." Robbie

looked at him. "This is getting serious."

***

Just how serious the situation was dawned on Matt

the next day. He had been drawing, working on an
extension to a public administration building, while Pietr
was preparing for a meeting the following day.

Matt did hear the car outside, but he knew the sound

of Robbie's car by now and didn't look up. He just had to
have the specifications of that wall put down... He felt
the consternation in his mate's mind and looked up.

"Robbie! Are you okay?"
There was blood running down Robbie's face even

though he was pressing some tissues against his
forehead.

"I'm fine. Well, I'm bleeding, and you have to help

patch me up before I go home."

"What happened?"
Robbie was more shook up than he wanted to show,

but he couldn't hide it from Matt.

"They threw stones at me!"
Matt got an all-too-clear image from Robbie of the

Himiko running to his car outside the supermarket,
teenagers and a few adults throwing things at him.
Robbie was shaky, incredulous that something like this
could happen.

"Fuck! And nobody did anything?"
"Oh, yes, they did something." Robbie sat down on

the chair Pietr had pulled out for him, wincing as he sat
back.

"It wasn't just stones!" Matt saw in Robbie's mind

that he had been hit in his back by a can; that was why
he was sore now.

Himiko: Warrior - 91

"The scary part was that nobody seemed to mind that

I was hurt. They just watched. This is getting out of
hand, Matt." Robbie looked into Matt's eyes.

"Here, let me have a look at that." Pietr had returned

with the first aid kit, and gently lifted the tissues.

"It doesn't look that bad, but you're the expert on that.

Here, have a look." Pietr had brought a hand mirror.

Robbie examined his wound in the mirror and

nodded. "It's fine -- head wounds always bleed a lot. I
just need to clean it and get a bandage on it. I didn't have
a first aid kit in my car. I know I should have had one,
but I just never got around to get the box filled up..." He
was chattering nervously, clearly affected by the attack.

"Sit still and let me do it for you." Pietr's movements

were skilled and surprisingly gentle, and Matt sat down
next to Robbie, taking his hand.

"You're going to be fine, okay?" He squeezed

Robbie's hand in his.

"Yeah." Robbie still seemed shook up. "You have to

go home with me. Aki is going to go ballistic when he
sees this."

Matt frowned. "He can't be that bad."
Pietr snorted but kept on wiping blood off Robbie's

face.

"He is that bad, and worse." Robbie looked straight at

Matt. "He's had a very hard time just relenting enough to
let me go out on my own. There's a real risk that this is
going to bring back some bad tendencies in him."

"He doesn't hit you, does he?" Matt felt a little out of

his depth here.

"No! No, he's just being a possessive asshole." There

were both exasperation and a certain fondness in
Robbie's mind. "But it's not good for him. He might pull
us so far back that I'll have to dig us out with a shovel,
and that took a while and a lot of shouting last time.

Himiko: Warrior - 92

God, he's hard work." Robbie rolled his eyes, the
annoyance clear on his face. The love was equally clear
in his mind, though, and Matt huffed.

Mates. Can't live without them...
...but luckily they're close enough to kill easily.

Robbie finished the sentence for him. His friend did
seem a bit calmer now.

"I have a feeling that I'm missing something here."

Pietr wasn't concerned, though, and Matt gave him a
quick kiss on the cheek.

"Just discussing how to distract Aki's attention."
"Of course you are." Pietr had refined his sarcasm to

perfection by now. He placed the bandage on Robbie's
forehead and stepped back. "As good as new. Now let's
go keep Aki from killing any furniture."

***

Matt had thought that they were both exaggerating a

bit. He didn't think so anymore when he heard Aki's
roar. Quicker than lightning, Aki scanned Robbie's mind
to see what had happened.

"Jesus, Aki! Will you take it down?"
Aki was completely oblivious to Matt's words, lost in

patting his hands down his mate's body to ensure that
Robbie wasn't hurt anywhere else before he finally
embraced Robbie. It didn't look like he was ever going
to let go.

"Aftercare, Aki!" Pietr was speaking loudly and very

clearly. It didn't make Aki move at all. "You need to
know how to take care of your mate."

Those words made Aki pull back slightly, head

turning to look at Pietr.

Himiko: Warrior - 93

"Good. You need to listen. Otherwise you can't take

care of your mate. Let go of him." Aki obediently took a
step back, staggering slightly. Pietr steadied him.

"I... I can't do this." Aki paled, shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" Matt frowned. Aki looked as if

he was about to keel over.

"I can't let go! It's too hard, I can't lose him." Aki was

shaking, and he was unsteady even with Pietr's arms on
him. Matt reached out for him before Robbie could
touch him.

Matt felt something like a slight shock of electricity

going through him as the connection bound the three of
them together again. It was the strong bond between
mentor and student, but multiplied into their strange
triangle of energy that included Pietr. Matt gently sought
out Aki's mind, keeping his mentor from flight and
centering Aki securely in the connection with Matt and
Pietr.

You're not letting him go, you're just letting him live

his life. It's a good thing, Aki. Matt tried to comfort Aki,
a surge of compassion going through him when he felt
how hard his mentor was fighting to make this work.

Aki was wound so tight that the Himiko was close to

shattering, but he relaxed a fraction as he felt Matt and
Pietr's presence. Then he tensed again as if he missed
something.

I'm right here for you. Robbie had Aki's back,

carefully embracing him from behind, supporting him.

You see? Matt was intent on having Aki understand

this. Nothing comes between us, and nothing comes
between you and Robbie.

Aki slowly relaxed, letting Robbie hold him and Matt

and Pietr stay connected to him. His breathing evened
out, and his painfully tight shields loosened a little. It
felt healthier, as if he wasn't going to fall apart at the

Himiko: Warrior - 94

slightest touch anymore. Matt leaned into it, assuring
him that this was how it should be.

Yeah? Considering how many people I've taught, I'm

completely useless at this. There was bitterness in Aki's
inner voice.

You mean you aren't perfect? Matt kept his inner

voice light, teasing.

I want to be. I should be. Aki's shields had loosened

enough that Matt could feel how his mind was filled
with desperation and a burning desire to keep his mate
protected, away from anything that could hurt Robbie.
Matt realized for the first time what Robbie had been
worrying about. Aki was tearing himself apart over this,
and he wanted to keep Robbie so close that they would
both suffocate from it.

You know that Robbie taught me about stretching our

bond, right? Matt had had a hard time extending his
bond with Pietr enough to enable them to be apart.

Aki's mind was curious.
I didn't understand that our bond wasn't going to be

weakened because we were apart.

Matt felt a shudder go through Aki at the mere

thought of being separated from Robbie.

"Jesus, Aki!" Matt rubbed Aki's shoulder, and Robbie

tightened his arms around his mate. "You need to
understand this, or you're going to fall apart."

Then teach me! Aki's inner voice was filled with a

desperation so deep that it shocked Matt. This was his
unflappable mentor who knew everything.

Well, everything but this, it seemed.
Okay. Matt took a moment to gather his thoughts.

What you need to understand is that the flexibility makes
your bond stronger, not weaker.

The incomprehension was clear in Aki's mind.

Himiko: Warrior - 95

Hasn't Robbie shown you? Matt didn't get this; he

had had problems, but Robbie had taught him this in a
few minutes.

Robbie tried to, but his mate wouldn't listen. Robbie

was worried enough that his banter had lost its usual
lighthearted tone.

I did listen -- we can be apart just fine. If it hadn't

been the fearsome Aki talking, Matt would have said
that the Himiko was pouting.

You obviously missed the point, Aki. Not for the first

time, Matt felt exasperated by all this alien-stuff. It was
a never-ending battle to get things right.

Really? Then tell me how it can ever be a good thing

when I can't reach my mate, when I can't feel what he
feels except when he's in mortal danger!

Well, when Aki put it that way... Matt pulled himself

together.

Because your bond is stronger that way! You're not

dependent on being within physical reach, and the more
you can do this, the closer you get. Look, I'll show you.
Matt showed Aki the same image that Robbie had
showed him back when he had to learn, of a bond made
of elastic with an unbreakable core harder than any
metal.

I know how it looks!
Then why don't you get it? Look, here's the bond

you're trying to create. Matt made a mental image of a
rigid iron beam.

And so what?
Matt gritted his teeth. Aki was more stubborn than a

sullen teen.

And so it isn't strong enough! Matt made a mental

image of what happened when you used a lot of force
against an iron beam, shattering it in a cascade of tiny
splinters.

Himiko: Warrior - 96

Aki's roar was deafening, the Himiko struggling to

get loose.

"Listen to me!" It was only Robbie's grip around

Aki's waist that kept Aki from attacking Matt, and Matt
had to use all of his mental force to get Aki's attention
again.

I said, listen to me! Matt's inner voice was loud

enough to stun Aki to silence. He took a deep breath.

Okay. Now, look at this instead. Again he showed

Aki the image of an elastic bond with a firm core,
showed his mentor what could be done with the bond,
how it would never break the way a rigid bond would.

In the beginning, Aki was dismissive, unwilling to

even listen. Matt didn't pay any attention to his protests,
but simply forced him to watch how Matt could twist
and stretch and bend the bond without ever breaking it.

See? Nothing can happen to this. He had caught Aki's

attention now, his mentor reluctantly following his
demonstration. Aki shuddered when he pulled the
imaginary bond so thin that it was almost invisible, but
Matt refused to stop.

This is what you need to learn. It won't snap. Ever.

Matt pulled the bond even thinner, showing how strong
it still was.

Suddenly, something fell into place in Aki's mind,

and the Himiko relaxed so quickly that Robbie had to
support his body to keep him from falling.

Is it... Is it really like that? But Aki already knew, the

revelation making all that fear and tension leave his
body.

It's really like that. I promise. Matt briefly wondered

at the improbability of a human teaching his Himiko
mentor anything about the Himiko bond. But it had been
necessary.

Himiko: Warrior - 97

And this Himiko is more stubborn than you'd think

possible. Robbie fondly nuzzled Aki's neck.

You don't say so. Matt allowed himself to enjoy their

connection for a moment, the way he was close not only
to Pietr, but also to Aki and, through his mentor, to
Robbie. Then he prepared himself to end it. Very good.
We'll let you go. Behave, now. Matt reluctantly pulled
back.

Pietr shook his head. "You really have a way with

words, honey."

Their connection was broken, and it almost felt like a

loss to Matt, even though he still had Pietr.

"Now you can fuss."
Aki looked uncomprehendingly at Matt. Then a

horrified look went over his face and he turned back to
his injured mate.

"Oh, no, you blew it, buddy. You can't be all happy

with letting me cuddle you and then go back to thinking
that I'm dying." Robbie kissed Aki's nose and turned to
make them something to eat, much to his mate's
consternation.

"I'd just give up if I were you, Aki." Pietr was

shaking his head. "You have to pick your fights."

"You do." Matt raised an eyebrow. "Of course, it's

not hurting my mate's great insightfulness that he's
really hungry for those sandwiches."

Someone's sleeping on the couch tonight, baby.
Matt laughed out loud. As if you would want to miss

what I'm going to do to you. He gave Pietr one or two
images of what kind of fun he intended them to have
tonight. It wasn't until he heard Aki sputter that he
realized that he hadn't quite severed their common
connection yet.

"Has that couch ever been slept on?" Robbie had

turned away from the sandwiches he was putting

Himiko: Warrior - 98

together to look at them. "Because that's getting to be an
empty threat by now."

Matt cringed inwardly as he remembered how Pietr

had stayed away from him after he found out what Pietr
did for a living. But he couldn't reveal anything about
that to his friends without risking their lives, too. "Well,
it's always good to have a deterrent." Matt leaned back
against his mate, encouraging Pietr to embrace him,
wanting everything to be back to normal. The Himiko
held him tightly. Matt sighed in spite of everything.
When mates didn't need to be killed or hit they were
quite nice to have around.

Oh, my God, after that overwhelming declaration of

love, honey, I'll just have to fuck you senseless right
away.

See? It worked.

***

After dinner, Matt cuddled up with Robbie on the

couch while Pietr took Aki outside. Aki looked
rebellious, but Pietr just pulled at him.

Aki needs to let go a bit, Pietr thought to Matt. And

Robbie is going to kill him if he fusses another second.

Matt laughed inside. Apparently you didn't have to

know Robbie as well as Matt did to see that the Himiko
was this close to losing his patience. Robbie only just
held it together long enough to shoo his mate out of the
door.

That guy is so much hard work. There was a good

deal of exasperation along with the love in Robbie's
thoughts.

Yeah. Mates generally are.
Robbie shuffled a bit closer, and Matt put an arm

around his shoulder.

Himiko: Warrior - 99

Are you okay, by the way? Robbie kept the question

light.

What do you mean? Matt tried to pretend he didn't

know what Robbie was asking.

Don't even try; I've been bossing Aki around for

months. I'm in great shape when it comes to getting
people to talk.

Matt sighed. It's not that I don't want to talk about it,

but it's kind of private. I can't really talk about it.

You figured out what he's doing for a living, didn't

you?

Matt looked disbelievingly at Robbie.
Robbie just shook his head. "Come on, it's not

exactly difficult to guess. I mean, he started going back
to work at about the same time that you suddenly looked
like you had been attacked all over again. Do you really
think that I believed your talk about a 'relapse'? You
don't get those a month after having a concussion. At
least, not unless you do something incredibly stupid, and
you didn't."

Matt didn't even know what to say. Underestimating

Robbie used to be something Pietr did, not Matt.

"It's okay." Robbie's voice was softer. "I get it."
"It's a mess." Matt wanted to confide in Robbie, but

he couldn't risk anything. Fortunately, Pietr had shown
him how to hide things deep down where nobody could
find them, so he didn't risk Robbie finding out.

"It is. But it's not really his mess."
Matt looked questioningly at Robbie. "He said that it

was."

Robbie made an impatient noise. "Yes, he likes to

take all of the world's troubles on his shoulders. And he
is to blame for some of it, but most of it is..." Robbie
suddenly looked a little sick.

Himiko: Warrior - 100

"Don't." Matt kept himself meticulously shielded,

careful not to let anything slip that could endanger either
of them. But a look could say more than many words.

Robbie's eyes widened, then he nodded slowly.

"Okay. Okay." He seemed to shake himself. "So...
You're fine now?"

Matt was relieved to leave the dangerous subject. He

shrugged. "I don't know. We should be, but we're..."

"You're not?" Robbie's voice was gentle.
Matt shook his head. He couldn't meet Robbie's eyes.

"Not really. I never thought there could be anything
hidden between mind readers."

Robbie snorted. "Believe me, after a while you get

almost as good as humans at avoiding the elephant in the
room. It doesn't mean that you should. Otherwise, you
just have to use a shovel and a lot of cursing to dig
yourself out of the trenches you've made." There was a
lot of frustration in his voice, Aki clear in Robbie's
thoughts.

"He was that difficult?"
"Yes. And don't change the subject."
Matt didn't even try to pretend that he hadn't. "I just

don't know what to do. Intellectually, I understand what
he's done, and I even believe him when he explains his
reasons for doing it. But emotionally... It's really a
mess."

"How about physically?"
"Robbie!"
"I am your doctor."
Matt reluctantly answered. "Our bodies know what

they need. Sometimes I think that's all that's keeping us
together."

"It is what's keeping you sane. If the intimacy stops,

you go a little crazy."

Matt chose to blush instead of answering.

Himiko: Warrior - 101

"You're a brain person, aren't you?"
"I'm a what?"
"A brain person. You experience everything

logically. Like when you had Aki explain the reasons for
your training to you in the beginning. You're only able
to accept things if you understand them intellectually."

Matt stared at him. Then he nodded. "I guess so."
"And you go into one of your rages now and then to

counterbalance all of that rationality. But what I mean is
that you obviously haven't gotten what you need from
Pietr."

"He did explain what he had done. And why," Matt

protested.

"Not well enough to convince you. Or maybe he only

convinced the rational part of you. You need to figure
out how to get the explanation from him that you so
clearly need in order to make things between you
better."

Matt narrowed his eyes. How was this suddenly

becoming his fault?

"And don't try avoiding this by getting angry. It won't

do you any good."

"Do you read minds? I mean..."
Robbie shook his head overbearingly. "No, you're

just too predictable, Matt. No need to break any kind of
shields, even if I had been able to do that."

Matt tried to hold back his huff. He wasn't sure how

well he succeeded.

Robbie wisely chose to ignore him. The doctor

suddenly looked a little tired. "Promise me you'll do
something about it, okay?"

"I'll think about it."
"No, you won't. I said do something."
Matt blinked. "Okay," he promised. He suddenly had

a whole new understanding of what Aki had been

Himiko: Warrior - 102

through. "But you look tired. You were actually
supposed to be the patient today, not the shrink."

Robbie protested, but he didn't complain when Matt got
a blanket and pulled it over him. It was all very well that
the Himiko claimed to be fine, but he still cuddled up
closely to Matt, and he was grateful for the hug Matt
gave him.

I am fine. Just a little shook up.
Matt held on. It's okay. Have a nap; I'm not going

anywhere.

Matt could tell that Robbie thought about claiming

that he was fully able to stay awake. Then Robbie fell
asleep.

***

The rising dissatisfaction on the Internet and the

attack on Robbie served as constant reminders to Matt of
what his mate had done. He kept telling himself that it
wasn't all Pietr's fault, that Pietr hadn't wanted to do it. It
was still there, though, lingering in the back of his mind.

He did everything he could to conceal his thoughts

from Pietr, but of course he couldn't keep them entirely
hidden. It made their connection feel strangely awkward,
made him hold back from revealing anything to his
mate. It felt really wrong.

And it wasn't only Matt who felt it. Pietr had been

hurt, and not only by Matt's initial rejection. There was
an older hurt lingering in Pietr's mind, caused both by
harming so many humans and from keeping the
information about it from Matt.

Matt felt as if Pietr's admission had left a bitter

residue of sorrow and betrayal in his mind, in spite of all

Himiko: Warrior - 103

of his good intentions to reconcile with Pietr. He didn't
want to feel that way, but it was there nevertheless.

Really, Matt, it's okay. Pietr was quiet, simply

grateful that Matt was still with him. They were sitting
in the garden.

I know. I'm sorry. It felt as if they had done nothing

but apologize to each other in the weeks since Matt
found out.

Oh, no, you aren't going to start saying you're sorry

again, are you? Pietr was trying so hard to get back to
their old teasing that Matt got a lump in his throat. Then
he smacked his mate, just for good measure.

Hey! There was a strange mixture of offense and

relief in Pietr's mind.

Let's go for a walk. Matt wanted something normal,

soothing. And maybe Robbie's advice hadn't been that
bad. Maybe Pietr still had some explaining to do.

Outside? There was horror in Pietr's words when he

saw the image of the forest in Matt's mind.

Yes. Matt frowned at the strange question. Unless you

want to walk in very small circles, then outside is better.

But there are bears in North America!
Not here, you idiot! Matt was exasperated. At least

that explained why Pietr always stayed in the garden.
Nobody ever got eaten by a bear around here.

It occurred to Matt that he actually didn't know if he

was telling the truth. Well, at least he had never heard
about anybody getting eaten.

That's so not reassuring!
Matt gave up arguing and just pulled Pietr out of the

house. I promise to let any bears eat me first, okay? I'm
much tastier than you.

Pietr's mind was a combination of outrage and a very

real fear of the predators. However, Matt could feel how

Himiko: Warrior - 104

Pietr was determined to make up for his mistakes, and
this was somehow a way to do that.

As usual, Pietr refused to admit to any weakness,

even though Matt could tell just from listening to Pietr's
mind that he really was scared. How much does a bear
eat? You're enough, right? You've been looking a bit too
skinny to be a good meal lately.

Matt just took a firm grip on Pietr and pulled him in

close. Touching Pietr in itself made everything easier,
and Pietr leaned in a little. Their bodies knew what they
both needed.

They didn't talk while they made their way to the

lake. Pietr gave a low whistle when he saw the water.

This is where you practice?
Nah, this is where I go when I want to relax. It's my

special place. A special place that he wanted to share
with Pietr.

Pietr hugged him tighter, but didn't say anything as

they sat down on the grass, looking out over the lake. It
was a cloudy day, so the view wasn't as beautiful as
when the water mirrored the blue sky. But it was still
calm and quiet, and Matt could feel how the tranquility
seeped into him and made him relax.

The surroundings had the same effect on Pietr, or

maybe he could feel Matt relax. The tension started
leaving his body, and Matt pulled him back so they were
lying in the grass.

None of us are perfect; you know that, right?
Of course I know, Pietr said, a touch of his

impatience back. There's just a huge difference between
leaving your towels on the floor and harvesting humans.

Yes. There was nothing Matt could say to deny that.

But you didn't do it because you liked it. You did believe
it was the best thing to do in the beginning, didn't you?

Himiko: Warrior - 105

Yeah. I still think it's a good method to get humans to

know us better. We've just done it in a horrible way.

Your plan was good. The execution of it just really

sucked. Which basically goes for the entire invasion,
come to think of it. Matt had never understood the reason
why the Himika came to Earth. He decided to take
Robbie's advice.

Why did you actually come here? And why now? Just

because we were ready to accept your existence? Pietr
had explained all this to him when they bonded, but he
had been so busy trying to survive everything that was
happening that he hadn't paid much attention.

Things were getting bad here. Pietr's inner voice was

quiet, and he let one hand rest on Matt's chest, anchoring
them both. We meant to wait a little longer, to ensure
that people all over the planet were ready to meet us.
But you stopped evolving, and you didn't seem to care
that you weren't making sufficient progress to even keep
your fellow humans from dying.

That stung, but Matt guessed that Pietr was right.

Despite all the good intentions, people were still
suffering and dying from famine and infectious diseases.

It isn't just that -- we understand that it isn't easy to

solve problems like that. It was more your priorities.
You seemed engrossed in unimportant matters like
religion or economics, and at the same time, you seemed
oblivious to the fact that you were getting still closer to
a world where you didn't care for anything but your own
survival and comfort. That's the beginning of the end,
and I'm not sure that any of you ever realized that.

But economics matter! That's what's keeping

everything running.

Does it really? Or rather, of course it does. But does

the value of your house matter more than people
starving to death? Because from the decisions humans

Himiko: Warrior - 106

make -- or don't make -- it seems that's the way you're
thinking.

Matt didn't get it. But shouldn't you have been here

before, then? I mean, World War II was a catastrophe,
and we could really have used some help then.

You could, but you weren't ready. Apart from that,

that war was pretty straightforward; the psychological
mechanisms behind it are easy to understand. As a
matter of fact, World War I was far worse. But they
were still just wars -- big ones, but well-defined conflicts
nevertheless. What I'm talking about is a state of mind, a
ruthlessness that you were beginning to accept as a
common trait among you.

So you're saying, "make peace, not war?"
Pietr frowned. You make it sound like some hippie

slogan. It's a lot more important than that, and you
know that.

Matt didn't, not really. He was sure that the Himika

meant well, but the whole project seemed pretty far-
fetched to him.

Pietr sighed. I guess I'm not doing a great job of

explaining this. You remember what I told you about the
way Himika communicate, right?

That it's more than just communication?
Yes. It means that we're tied closely together as a

species -- and that we're dependent on having those ties.
We need to be able to trust each other; otherwise we
can't exist.

There was something behind Pietr's words, something

Pietr didn't want to tell him. Before Matt could ask
about it, Pietr continued.

It doesn't mean that we're that different from you, but

it does mean that we're a lot more sensitive to things
that you won't register until it's too late. Because you're
dependent on the same kind of trust whether you believe

Himiko: Warrior - 107

it or not. Your entire financial system or just the way
you interact in traffic -- it's all based on the fact that you
trust each other to abide by the rules you have set up.

And that's falling apart? Matt was skeptical.
Yes. You were tearing yourself apart as a species; we

arrived at the last moment. You need to stop and think.

Matt didn't know what to say. He could feel Pietr's

sincerity, but he just wasn't convinced. He knew that
humanity did some pretty fucked-up things, but that was
the way it had always been.

Yes, it has always been that way. But only because

you didn't have the level of sophistication to improve
your situation. Now you have the means, but you aren't
using them. And you don't care. You'll go on until you've
destroyed everything you've managed to accomplish so
far.

I'm sorry, but I don't see how we're going to fix that.

Even though Pietr might be right, Matt couldn't see how
either of them would be able to convince the entirety of
humanity that they had to stop fighting over profit and
religion and feed the starving in Africa.

Pietr made an impatient gesture with his hand. No,

that's just it. You don't see it because you don't have the
kind of connection with your fellow humans that Himika
have with each other. If you had that, you would be able
to do it. Or rather, you wouldn't be able not to; you
wouldn't be able to bear the horrible feeling of another
being suffering when you're that close.

This is why you did it, isn't it? Why you came here,

and why you wanted to give humans the means to
understand the world the way you see it? For the first
time, Matt turned his head to look at Pietr.

Yes. This is why I did it. Pietr met Matt's eyes without

hesitation, letting his mind stay completely open. His
intentions had been pure from the very beginning, and

Himiko: Warrior - 108

then he had been caught up in a game of power that he
hadn't been able to escape without risking first his own,
and then Matt's life as well.

So, world peace, huh?
Pietr actually blushed, but he didn't look away. Yes.

We thought it was important. We still do.

Matt nodded. It was as if something loosened up

inside him, his mistrust diminishing.

I believe you. He couldn't not; the truth was written in

Pietr's mind. Along with it was the regret for what had
happened, but it was paired with a determination to
solve the problems.

Pietr didn't say anything, but pulled Matt in close.

Pietr's gratitude toward Matt was clear, and Matt made a
soothing noise while pouring comfort and forgiveness
into Pietr's mind. He couldn't change what had
happened, but he could make sure that his mate was
okay.

Is it as easy as that? Pietr didn't think so, not for one

second.

At least it's where we begin. For the first time in a

long, long time, Matt actually thought that they would
be able to get back to what they had had before. It would
take time to find the old trust, but they would get there.

Matt's quiet confidence was enough to make Pietr

finally close his eyes, his breathing getting slower. Pietr
was exhausted, the guilt having taken its toll on him.
Now he surrendered and let Matt hold him while he
slept in the grass.

Matt held on, looking at the trees moving against the

pale sky without really seeing them, just reveling in the
quiet and in his sleeping mate being at peace. Perhaps
everything wasn't perfect, but Matt was determined not
to let Pietr drown in guilt and self-hatred. They probably
still had a lot of issues, but sometimes there were

Himiko: Warrior - 109

advantages to being as stubborn as he was. Giving up
simply wasn't an option.

***

"You're really annoying. You know that, right?" Matt

looked at Robbie.

Robbie just smiled, raising his eyebrows.
Matt laughed. He guessed that he should be

exasperated, but he was too happy to care. Things with
Pietr were improving, slowly but steadily. There might
still be a rift between them, but they were both
determined to heal it. It meant that in some ways they
were closer than ever, sharing everything, including the
hurt and fear that they had been trying to hide from each
other. Now they were facing what they felt and dealing
with the bad things.

Well, with the good things, as well. Mainly sex. The

earlier conflict had added an edge of desperation to their
lovemaking. The need was laced with more than just
physical desire, and every time they made love, it tied
them closer together.

It had started the night they returned from the lake.

They had walked back in almost complete silence,
bumping shoulders on the narrow path. Neither of them
wanted to be farther apart than necessary.

When they arrived at the cabin, Matt looked at Pietr.

"I want to make love to you." It made it even hotter to
say it out loud.

A jolt went through Pietr's mind, of surprise and

instant hunger. You want me like that?

Fuck, yes. Matt normally got off on being a bottom,

but right now, this felt right. Matt wanted to show Pietr
that he really loved him, and taking him would
somehow do that. And it would be fucking hot.

Himiko: Warrior - 110

Pietr burst out laughing when he heard that thought.

Then he went quiet as Matt leaned in to kiss him.

Matt always wondered at the way Pietr opened up

when they did this. Unconditionally and so generously,
Pietr opened his mind and surrendered. Just like Pietr
would surrender his body to Matt in a few minutes.

They both groaned as they felt the lust surge through

Pietr at the thought.

Come on, let's go. Matt took a firm grip on Pietr's

arm and pulled him into the bedroom, where Matt
quickly got rid of his clothes. Then he turned to Pietr.

Undress for me?
Pietr hadn't gotten more than his sweater off. When

he sensed Matt's gaze, his fingers got clumsy as he tried
to grip the hem of his t-shirt.

Matt felt a surge of power go through him -- power

and gratitude that he was able to make his mate feel like
this. Then Pietr managed to get the t-shirt off, and the
excitement overshadowed all other feelings.

The screens between their minds that everyday life

necessitated crumbled, and Matt was buried in Pietr's
mind, feeling his own gaze on Pietr's body and the
excitement that it caused. For a moment, he was frozen
with the onslaught of emotion. Then Pietr chortled.

You've got to give me a break here, honey. I haven't

even managed to get naked yet.

Matt had to shake himself to answer. Well, hurry up,

then!

Matt stepped up to Pietr and helped him undo the belt

and pull his trousers off. After some fumbling with
socks and boxers, Pietr was finally naked.

Completely naked. And Matt was kneeling in front of

him, in front of Pietr's cock that was so hard it looked
painful. Matt engulfed it in a single movement.

Himiko: Warrior - 111

Matt! Pietr cried out with all of his being, his mind

going white with pleasure. It rushed through Matt as
well, and for a moment, all he wanted was to stay here
and make Pietr come.

Then he reluctantly pulled away, making Pietr

whimper as he let his tongue play in the slit on his way
back.

I have plans for you. He got up and impatiently

tugged at Pietr's arm to get him into the bed.

Pietr stopped him. I'm yours tonight. I'm always

yours.

Matt's throat tightened. Then he gave Pietr a hard

kiss. I know. Come on.

Pietr obediently lay down while Matt rummaged

through the drawers to find the lube. Pietr had once told
him that anything that turned Matt on turned Pietr on as
well, but until now, Pietr had always been the one on
top. Finally, Matt found the tube, and he triumphantly
flung it on the bed.

Pietr grinned. You're nice and focused when you have

to be, aren't you?

I can be downright determined, you know. He bent

and sucked one of Pietr's nipples into his mouth, making
his mate hiss with surprise and pleasure.

That'll teach me to mo...mock you.
Matt grinned; making your mate stutter even when he

was speaking mentally was quite an accomplishment.

Then he fumbled after the tube and got it open while

he kissed his way down Pietr's stomach. Pietr groaned
when he gave Pietr's cock a quick lick. Then he pushed
out a bit of lube and covered Pietr's hole with it.

"Oh!" Pietr's body shook as the pleasure welled up in

him. Matt didn't give him much time before pushing one
finger into him. It was so tight, and the sensation of the

Himiko: Warrior - 112

muscle gripping his finger was echoed by Pietr's feeling
of fullness.

Been a long time!
Matt leaned in and kissed Pietr's hip, holding his

finger still. When the iron grip loosened slightly, he
gently began moving his finger.

Yes, please. More? The question conveyed a request

as well as Pietr's doubt that he could take any more.

Oh, you'll take far more than this. He pushed his

finger in deep and pulled it out again, fucking Pietr with
it. Pietr put his head back and moaned.

Matt let him see what Matt saw, let him know how

much it excited Matt to do this. Pietr opened his eyes,
eyelids heavy.

More. Please give me more. There was no question

this time.

Matt gave it to him, and Pietr cried out when he was

penetrated by two fingers. There was no pain in his
mind, though, just the burn from being opened up and
the longing for being even more open. Open for Matt.

Shit. Matt had been so caught up in Pietr's reactions

that he had kind of forgotten himself. Now he had to
take a couple of deep breaths to steady himself enough
not to come on the spot. It was almost impossible with
Pietr opening up around his fingers and the lust coursing
through his mate's mind.

Soon. I can't... I have to have you. The desire in

Pietr's mind was turning into desperation, the excitement
almost painful for him. Matt pulled out his fingers and
coated his dick with the lube before he wiped his hand
on the sheet.

Ready? He knew that Pietr was, but he didn't want to

hurt his mate.

Now! Matt, now... Oh! Pietr's mind went blank and

quiet with the overwhelming pleasure as Matt breached

Himiko: Warrior - 113

him, and Matt sank deeper, into his body and his soul,
finally being completely entwined with Pietr in every
way.

Pietr's arms were around him, but he felt nothing but

the gratitude radiating from Pietr's mind. Then Matt
moved, pushing against something deep inside Pietr, and
Pietr cried out. The quietness was suddenly replaced by
a need so great that Matt could do nothing but obey it.

He pulled out, Pietr's muscles squeezing around his

dick all the way. It was almost too much, but he had to
sink in again, had to get as close to Pietr as he could get.
The movement turned into the most necessary thing in
his existence, the demand to sate his mate's desire, to
fulfill what Pietr needed more than anything. He started
moving, pushing deep every time. It took his breath
away, but he had to do it, had to pull out and push those
amazing sounds, those amazing feelings out of Pietr.

The desire in Pietr's mind grew and grew until it was

encompassing them both, a wave of release slowly
rolling closer and closer until it broke and took them
both with it in a blinding, overwhelming climax. It was
completely silent, and all Matt could feel was Pietr, their
minds as entwined as they had been those very first days
after their bonding.

Afterward, Pietr told him that he had been sobbing,

calling out Pietr's name again and again. Matt didn't
remember anything, nothing but the immense relief of
being fully at peace with his mate again. When he came
back, he was lying in Pietr's arms, quiet and complete
and so incredibly grateful for what Pietr had given him.

Thank you, Pietr.
Pietr stroked his hair, so much tenderness in his

mind. Any time. Always.

***

Himiko: Warrior - 114

That had been amazing, but last night had been pretty

good, too, even if Matt had to say so himself. Giving
blowjobs was his new favorite thing, and Pietr did
nothing to hinder him. In fact, he had been whimpering
with pleasure the night before. Neither of them seemed
to be able to forget it, even if those thoughts were less
than practical with Aki and Robbie visiting. After all,
dirty secrets were kind of hard to hide from mind
readers.

They must have been pretty obvious, because Robbie

kept smiling whenever one of them thought of last night
and sent the other one of those looks. Matt had even
managed to make Pietr blush once.

In the end, Matt lost his patience with Robbie. "Stop

looking at me like that! Is that your version of 'I told you
so'?" He couldn't help laughing, though.

"I don't even have to say it. You know I was right."

Robbie did unbearably smug very well.

"Right about what?" Pietr looked from Robbie to

Matt as they sat around the table.

"Uh, well, something Robbie and I discussed earlier."

Matt felt his cheeks getting warm.

Pietr looked astounded. "Did he have anything to do

with yesterday?" His voice was alarmed.

"No! Jesus, no." Matt blushed just at the thought of

Robbie talking about that blowjob. Pietr had been crying
out with need in the end, and it had been amazingly hot.

"I just encouraged Matt to talk to you." Robbie's tone

of voice was indulgent. "It was clear that you needed it.
I have absolutely no influence on whatever the two of
you have been up to apart from that. Although it looks
as if it was hot."

"Robbie!" The outcry was made in unison.

Himiko: Warrior - 115

"Hey, I'm not the one looking like I've had a long

night of depraved fornication."

"A long night of what?" Aki said, looking stunned as

he came in the door.

Matt felt delighted when Robbie had the decency to

look sheepish. "I, uhh..."

"He was being obnoxious," Matt stated.
"Ah." Aki nodded, sounding as if that was a

completely logical explanation.

"You're supposed to defend me now! What happened

to your protective streak?"

"Someone taught me not to be obsessive?" Aki

leaned in, kissing Robbie. It was surprising how quickly
Robbie forgot his annoyance. When he pulled back, it
was his turn to look meaningfully at Aki.

We should probably say something. It's an amazing

opportunity to tease them. Pietr sounded thoughtful.

Yeah. But they both just watched the way their

friends were lost in each other, the gazes exchanged
between Aki and Robbie saying more than any words
about what their friends wanted to do right now.

I want exactly the same thing. Matt could feel the

desire growing in Pietr's mind, and he got the double
experience of feeling his own desire as well as Pietr's. In
a very physical way.

You got it. Matt's trousers were getting very tight.
However, Pietr didn't get a chance to follow up on his

promise. His phone rang half an hour later when Aki and
Robbie were about to leave, and he had a short
conversation. When he hung up, he looked serious.

"It was the Assessor's secretary. Aki and I are going

to a meeting this afternoon." He looked at Aki. "He
heard about what happened to Robbie, and he wants to
discuss 'the human rebellion issue.'"

Matt could feel Pietr's mind filling up with dread.

Himiko: Warrior - 116

Aki looked worried, too. He just nodded, though.

"Okay. We'll just have to see what he wants done."

***

After the meeting, Pietr and Aki came back to the

cabin. They were very quiet when they joined Matt and
Robbie at the kitchen table.

"This isn't good."
Matt impatiently waited for Pietr to tell him more.
"He wanted a solution to 'the human problem.'" Aki

didn't look up as he answered Matt's silent question.

"What? How?"
Aki shrugged. "He didn't say, but he wants us to meet

again next week. In Washington, DC." He wouldn't meet
Matt's eyes.

"But what's going to happen?"
"We don't know, okay?" Aki stood up and left the

room. Robbie gave an apologetic gesture and followed
him into the kitchen.

What's this all about?
Even Pietr seemed reluctant to answer. I really don't

know, Matt. Neither does Aki, and that's bothering him a
lot. It's just that... I have a really bad feeling about this.
So does he, I think, and it's eating at him. He doesn't like
it when he can't trust his leaders; he's all about
discipline.

Pietr wouldn't say any more about the subject, and

Matt got a clear feeling that it was because he really
didn't know. There was a sense of foreboding in his
mind, though, and it made the Himiko uneasy.

Aki was restless, too, when he and Robbie finally

joined them in the living room.

"Listen, we don't know anything, okay? Everything

might work out just fine." Aki didn't sound the least bit

Himiko: Warrior - 117

convinced that his own words were true. "And we can't
do anything before the meeting, anyway."

"Yes, we can. We can find out as much as possible

about what's going on." Matt looked around at his
friends.

Aki nodded, looking almost relieved to have

something to do. "What do we do?"

"We hit the computers and see what's happening."
They did, and the result wasn't encouraging. The

dissatisfaction was spreading like wildfire by now. In
the beginning, they had been able to attribute most of it
to certain persons or at least areas. Now it was
worldwide, with the States as the place where it was
most pronounced. It was also the place where most of
the Himika lived, and the only place where there had
been a riot in the beginning, so it made sense. It didn't
make the situation any less serious, though. Between the
things they read and the attack on Robbie, things were
clearly getting out of hand.

Late into the night, they watched the news and the

Internet almost constantly. They took turns covering
developments in every time zone. The reactions were
getting worse almost by the hour. The uproar was
spreading fast, with even the newsreaders at the big TV
stations freely quoting the rebellious comments until it
didn't sound as if they were quoting anymore.

It was Matt who found out what was going on in DC

the following week at the time scheduled for the
Assessor's meeting.

He had been searching Facebook to see if he could

find anything there. He was on the profile of a friend of
a friend when he noticed the strange name of an event in
the corner of the page: 4

th

A DC 1600. He scanned every

profile he had access to, and noticed the same event on a
lot of them. At last, he found Anne's profile. Social

Himiko: Warrior - 118

media illiterate that his former secretary was, she had
never deleted Matt from her friends list. She had written
a comment on Shaun's profile: "CU@Mall Sat!
Everybody's coming -- bring your signs and flyers!" It
was the capital M that finally made it come together for
Matt.

"I think there's something going on in Washington,

DC. At the Mall, but I don't get the date. Anne thinks it's
at the same time as your meeting, but it says '4

th

A' here,

and we're months away from August."

Aki looked up, rubbing his eyes. He looked tired

enough to keel over at any minute. "How do you know?"

"I don't, at least not for sure, but a lot of my old

friends have accepted an invitation to something called
'4

th

A DC 1600,' and Anne wrote that she would see

Shaun at the Mall Saturday."

"What do you mean?" He leaned over Matt's shoulder

to see. "The fourth? It doesn't have to be a date, does it?"

"4

th

A? What else could it be?" Matt couldn't think

straight anymore, he was so tired.

Pietr looked up, his eyes a little red from the lack of

sleep. "I think it's the Fourth Amendment, Matt." Some
people yelled that at us when we came for them. The
sense of shame was back in Pietr's mind.

"That's the one about having to have a search

warrant?" Matt was tired, and the only place he had
encountered the amendments since high school was in
the police shows he used to watch late at night.

"Or about not taking people with you without an

arrest warrant."

"Oh." That made sense. Matt looked down at the

Facebook page again and clicked on the page of the
event. "It could be something against the recruiting,
then."

You can call it harvesting, Matt. Everybody else does.

Himiko: Warrior - 119

God, Matt wished he could say something to make

Pietr feel better about this. He just didn't have any
words.

"There's a lot of people saying they're coming;

there're almost 10,000 confirmed responses on this page
alone, and there's still more than a week to go. And
there's hardly any information on the page, which in
itself is odd." There was a clock, though, ticking down.
He did a little bit of math. "It'll start Saturday next week
at four o' clock. That matches the '1600' on the event
page." He looked up.

"I think we've solved the mystery. It's a

demonstration; Anne told Shaun to bring his signs and
flyers."

"It doesn't answer why the Assessor thinks we need

to be there. We'll just have to wait and see." Aki bent
over his computer again.

Matt did the same thing, and the results weren't

encouraging. Bits of the video of Matt being harvested
were shown over and over, and Matt winced every time
he saw the fear in his own eyes. The most popular clip
was the moment when the Himiko was lifting Matt's
head to enable him to breathe. However, the media
interpreted it as the Himiko trying to choke him, and
Matt spent a tense hour reading through discussion
forums condemning this action.

"But that wasn't how it was!" He was exasperated and

exhausted, and when he looked up, Robbie was the only
one in the room apart from Matt. Only then did Matt
realize how late in the night it was.

"They don't know that." Robbie looked tired as he

shut off the television, which had been showing a
European expert condemning the breach of human rights
in the wake of the Himiko invasion. "Invasion" had

Himiko: Warrior - 120

become the word everybody used to signify the Himiko
presence on Earth.

"They don't know anything," the Himiko continued.

"Just that they're scared out of their minds and fed up
with that. It's a really dangerous situation, Matt."

Matt sat forward, supporting his head in his hands. "I

know. They're still so many more than us. Than you, I
mean. Fuck, I don't know what I mean." He was so tired.

He got a brief and very confusing range of images

from Robbie, of things a Himiko could do but couldn't
do to defend himself. Robbie quickly suppressed the
images, though, and Matt didn't reveal that he had seen
them; he might be so close to Robbie that he couldn't
avoid it, but it still wasn't polite to eavesdrop like that.

"We need to sleep."
Matt started protesting. Robbie didn't listen at all, just

pulled him up and physically dragged him to the
bedroom, where a sleeping Pietr lay in the middle of
their bed, one arm reaching out over the spot where Matt
normally slept.

"Go to him."
Matt felt a fleeting admiration for the way Robbie

manipulated him. Then his mind was filled with longing
for his mate, compelling him to lie down and push in
under that arm, finally finding some peace.

Thanks.
Robbie just smiled in his mind, his thoughts on

finding his own mate.

Himiko: Warrior - 121

7

When he padded into the kitchen the next day,

wearing only his sweatpants, Pietr and Robbie were
having breakfast while Aki was having lunch. It was
very confusing.

He's so not a morning person, is he? Robbie was

laughing his ass off hearing Matt's poorly concealed,
sleepy thoughts.

Pietr pulled Matt down onto a chair, kissing him

fondly on the cheek. Give him some coffee and a chance
to wake up.

Aki handed Matt a cup, the Himiko's face

surprisingly tender. His mentor briefly squeezed his
shoulder before the Himiko sat down to eat again.

He knows about not being good at adapting. Pietr's

words were for Matt only. Bonding hasn't been easy for
him. He's so damn disciplined.

He certainly is.
It talks! Pietr playfully nudged Matt, once more

including all of them in his thoughts. Trust Pietr never to
miss a chance to tease.

It does, and it beats you, too, if it gets sufficiently

provoked. He pushed closer to Pietr, though, stealing a
piece of bread from Pietr's plate as an excuse.

This is all very homey. Well, your kind of homey, of

course.

Matt did not have to look up to see Robbie's raised

eyebrows, so he didn't.

They ate in companionable silence, and Matt had

almost finished his breakfast when they heard a car
stopping outside.

Himiko: Warrior - 122

"What the fuck are they doing here?" Matt was

confused enough to just stay in his chair, and Pietr got
up to open the door. Sam and Jerry came into the
kitchen.

"This all looks very cozy. Haven't any of you been

watching the news lately?" Sam looked around, taking
in Matt's lack of proper clothes and the food on the
table.

"How dare you come here?" Aki was snarling at Sam

as he stood, and the atmosphere in the room
immediately became charged as the two Himika stared
down each other.

"I had to." Sam didn't back down an inch, and the

tension flared higher. "I couldn't let my sensitive ethics
get in the way of real life. Just because you're too
delicate to face the truth, it doesn't mean that I can allow
myself that luxury as well. I want to talk to Matt."

Aki growled. "No, you fucking don't. You've done

enough with your teaching."

"I haven't taught Matt anything that he didn't know

already. And now I need him."

"Don't drag him into whatever you're planning! Don't

make him into what you are."

Matt suddenly felt something similar to the

Assessor's crawly attempt at getting into his brain, only
a lot cruder. He slapped Jerry to keep the Himiko out of
his head, the mental attack leaving a clear set of
fingerprints on his former teacher's cheek.

"Nice." Jerry lifted his eyebrows as he admired the

mark on his face in the mirror on the kitchen wall.

"He already is what I am, Aki. And what you are, too.

That should be proof enough for you." Sam pointed at
the mark on Jerry's face where Matt had hit him without
ever touching him.

Himiko: Warrior - 123

Aki roared, but he didn't do anything except take a

step forward, hands fisted closely at his sides. The anger
combined with the immobility gave him a strangely
helpless air.

"You'll just never admit it, will you? You desperately

want to smack me, but you keep yourself so fucking
tightly wound up that nothing ever gets through." Sam
was sneering.

"That's enough!" Matt yelled, both mentally and out

loud.

Aki's head whipped around, and Jerry moaned and

cradled his head in his hands.

Jesus, baby. They'll behave. Try not to blow our

minds next time, okay? Pietr's inner voice was shaken.

Matt refused to back down. "The two of you have a

serious explanation problem. There's obviously a ton of
things that you've neglected to tell me." He glared at Aki
and Sam. "So, get to it."

"There's no time!" Sam looked at him, agitated. "The

Assessor wants us to go to DC next week."

"You, too?" Aki looked astounded.
"Then you do have time, don't you?" Matt interrupted

him. "I'm not exactly known for my patience, you know.
If you want to talk to me, talk."

"You're a Warrior, Matt."
Aki made a low, threatening sound, but Sam ignored

him and continued. "The way you can interfere with
inanimate things, the way you just hit Jerry without
touching him physically; it's very rare."

"It's fucking dangerous, that's what it is." Matt

couldn't remember Aki ever cursing before, and that was
enough to shock him into listening carefully to his
mentor. "He's not like you."

"No." Sam looked calmly at Aki. "He's like us. As in

you, and Jerry, and me."

Himiko: Warrior - 124

It looked as though someone had suddenly drained

Aki of all energy. Robbie, who had kept in the
background until now, was quickly at his side, but Aki's
mate didn't try to interfere with the conversation. Aki sat
down heavily.

"I can't be, Sam. You can't be. You know what

happened."

Matt got a jumble of horrible pictures from Aki, of

Himika torturing and killing each other without using
any weapons.

"Oh, they did use weapons, Matt." Aki smiled, a

bitter smile. "They used their minds, and it came close to
destroying our entire civilization. But we learned our
lesson. There are no more Warriors among us."

"But there are!" Sam had started pacing the floor.

"We aren't trained, and I didn't train Matt like that,
either. But the ability is impossible to hide -- you just
saw that, Aki. Look at Jerry's cheek!"

Jerry looked a bit sheepish as every head in the room

turned to look at the handprint on his face.

"And we need that skill now."
Aki started to protest, but Sam interrupted.
"The Assessor wants to meet with us to handle 'the

human issue.' 'Once and for all,' he said."

"And so what? We'll go there and see what he wants.

It hasn't anything to do with Matt." There was an
undertone of desperation in Aki's voice now, and Matt
could feel that he was speaking against better
knowledge.

Sam looked almost sympathetically at Aki. Then he

took a deep breath. "I think he wants to use us like the
old-world leaders used their Warriors."

Matt felt Pietr's mind going cold with shock.
"He wants what?" Robbie's voice sounded weak.

Himiko: Warrior - 125

"He wants to use us as weapons. To kill and terrify

enough humans to scare the rest into submission. And
my guess is, he'd rather be on the safe side in terms of
the exact number he uses to achieve that effect."

***

There was a stunned silence in the room after that.

Then everybody started speaking at the same time.

"How can you know that?" Aki asked, while Robbie

demanded that Matt be kept out of this. Pietr was quiet,
though.

Are you okay? Pietr? It was all very well to act

grown up in Himiko terms, but sometimes it sucked not
to know what your mate thought.

I think Sam is right. Something bad's happening.

Pietr included all of the Himika in his answer to Matt,
and the kitchen fell quiet again. Pietr looked up briefly
and continued.

I've been unsure of the Assessor's intentions for a

while now.

Matt got a confusing jumble of thoughts of meetings

not held, information passing Pietr by, and other
information he had been told to keep secret. Then his
mate went on.

This is a golden opportunity for him to do something.

Something not good.

It was the first Aki and Robbie heard of this, and

Robbie was shocked speechless. Aki only nodded,
though.

Did you know something about this? Robbie was

getting angry, a rare thing. Matt got the sense that being
a leader meant something to the Himika; leaders seemed
to be trusted almost blindly. Aki just shook his head.

They sat, looking at each other in silence.

Himiko: Warrior - 126

"I think things might go wrong." Pietr's words stood

all the clearer because he had spoken them out loud.
"Really wrong."

"I can assure you they will go wrong, buddy, if we

don't do anything." Sam was marginally calmer now, but
he still looked restless.

"This is an impossible choice." Aki was slumped in

the chair, Robbie's hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"We can't let it happen, and we can't fight him. It's
hopeless."

There was such despair in his mentor's voice that

Robbie automatically reached out for him, as did Pietr.
Even Sam looked worried.

"We can fight him." They looked up as Jerry spoke.

He looked a little embarrassed by the attention, but
continued. "Well, we can't. Matt can."

"Fuck, no!" Pietr stood up now, towering over Matt's

chair. He suddenly looked very, very big. I won't have
him killed.

"It's our only chance." Sam's voice was quiet, filled

with certainty. "It's either that or start killing humans.
And that will get us killed eventually, one way or
another."

Matt got another of those flashes of accompanying

images, this time of Himika losing their minds from the
things they had done to other Himika.

"Come on! Stop this crap; the only things I've ever

fought successfully are branches and cones." Matt
wanted to laugh at all this, but he had a strong feeling
that nobody was joking. "If anybody can fight, it's you."
He nodded at his former teachers. Sam and Jerry hadn't
had any problems teaching him.

But Sam just shook his head, mirrored by Jerry.

"We've spent a lifetime reining in our abilities; it won't
do any good trying to get all that discipline undone now.

Himiko: Warrior - 127

Believe me, we've tried." His eyes met Jerry's, and there
was a certain pain there. "And Aki can't do it at all; he
had enough trouble just bonding, am I right?" He
ignored Aki's protests and looked at Robbie, who
nodded silently.

"You're not like us, Matt, and that might be our only

hope." Jerry's voice was quiet, but his words still carried
through the room.

"So, now I'm supposed to fix world peace? Anything

else, now that I'm at it?" Matt knew that he sounded
slightly hysterical, but he couldn't help it.

"Well, that would be a nice side effect."
Pietr glared at Sam, and Sam continued, chastened.

"But we just want you to put the Assessor out of the
game."

Robbie snorted, and Matt looked suspiciously at Sam.

"I have a feeling that that's not something you 'just' do."

"It isn't. But you're the only one who's ever come

close to touching him."

Matt looked uncomprehendingly at Sam.
"You hurt him when he tried to gauge your strength."
Matt suddenly remembered the situation right before

he left the clinic.

"But I just smacked his fingers! That hasn't got

anything to do with..." He realized that he didn't actually
know what they wanted him to do. "Am I supposed to be
some kind of assassin? Because that's just a fancy name
for a murderer." Matt could feel himself getting angry.

"No! Nothing like that. Well..."
"We want you to immobilize him enough for us to

get him to prison." Jerry spoke so little that people
tended to listen all the better when he finally did. And
there wasn't any attempt at hiding anything behind his
words -- Matt checked, ignoring Jerry's wince. They
really wanted the Assessor to live. "If we try anything

Himiko: Warrior - 128

else, he'll overpower or kill us. Probably both. He's a
Warrior, too; that's one of the biggest reasons why he's
our leader."

Aki made a sound, and Jerry impatiently turned to

him. "You know that's the reason, whether it's politically
correct or not."

Aki didn't say anything to that.
"So you want him to live to be punished." Matt got a

clear picture from Jerry of something very similar to the
retreat that Pietr had described early on in their
relationship.

"Yes. Or at least kept harmless. The retreat would

have insulated walls like the ones that protected you
after you had your operation. Only in this case, they
would protect the world from the Assessor, not the other
way around."

"Why the fuck don't you just hold an election?" Matt

sat down, the task before him seeming more and more
impossible every minute.

"First of all, it's not fast enough. Second, it's useless

since we want the strongest Himiko as our leader and
that goes without saying and certainly without elections.
And third: the Assessor wouldn't give a damn." Sam
sounded patient as he numbered the reasons on his
fingers.

"Okay, then, if I agree, what do you want me to do?"
There was silence in the room as Sam looked at Jerry.
"Please don't tell me that you don't know." Matt

leaned forward, looking from one Warrior to the other.
"Please."

Sam shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "The point is

that we don't know how you do it."

"You must be out of your fucking minds!" Matt was

shouting now, very loudly. He stormed out of the room,
Pietr behind him.

Himiko: Warrior - 129

"Don't you dare say anything!" Even in the middle of

his rage, Matt had a feeling that Pietr didn't deserve to
be shouted at. His mate just sat down in one of the
chairs in the garden and watched Matt pace up and down
the terrace. The other Himika wisely kept inside.

"I'm not going to do it! It's not even a plan, and they

haven't got the faintest idea what I'm supposed to do!"

I don't think you should.
"It's not as if I would have a chance to..." Matt

stopped abruptly. You don't?

No. This isn't your mess; you have no obligation to

get us out of it. There was nothing but conviction in
Pietr's mind.

Is this some weird kind of reverse psychology? Matt

narrowed his eyes.

Himika can't do that. I just don't think this is your

responsibility; you've been through enough.

Matt felt the air going out of him at the compassion

and honesty in Pietr's mind. He sat down next to his
mate, taking Pietr's hand. But what about the people in
the demonstration next week? What if the Assessor finds
a way to use Sam and Jerry -- or Aki -- to get what he
wants?

I don't want to put you through this.
Pietr's honesty meant that Matt got a clear image of

what Matt's refusal to help would cost Pietr: His peace
of mind at best. His life at worst. And the latter was a
very strong possibility.

Matt stared at his mate in shock. The Assessor's that

strong? He shook his head; he already knew that. He's
that malicious? He'd really do that?

He'd really do that. Back at the clinic, you

experienced how easily he violated the most
fundamental principle of the Himika -- never to force
your way into someone's mind. At the meeting yesterday,

Himiko: Warrior - 130

he was determined to find a solution that would keep
him in power. I think he'd do whatever it takes.

For once, Matt wished he didn't get all these

associations when Himika spoke to him using their
minds. The images that followed Pietr's thoughts were
horrible.

"But it doesn't make sense." Matt tried one last time.

"There are still so many more humans than Himika. If
he won this one time, he would still be defeated sooner
or later."

"I'm not sure. And how many human lives will it

take, even if you're right?"

Matt didn't answer. There was a horrible logic to

everything his mate said. He stood up and went inside
without looking back to see if Pietr was following him.

"Why do you think I can beat him?" Matt had

interrupted a quiet conversation, and the four Himika
looked up at him. "I know that I can hold my own
against you and Jerry," he nodded at Sam, "but that's
nothing compared to the Assessor. No offense."

"None taken." Jerry shrugged.
"You can hold your own against me, too." Aki spoke

quietly.

"And me." Pietr had come in from the garden and

was standing right behind him.

"Yes, but still."
Sam didn't seem to have heard Matt's last words. "He

can match you?" The Warrior was looking from Pietr to
Aki, shock on his face. They both nodded.

"Yes, but they're just ordinary Himika -- they're not

the Assessor."

To Matt's consternation, Sam started laughing, a deep

belly laugh. "Oh, no, Matt. They're not ordinary." He
made a visible effort to pull himself together. "Your
mate and your mentor are probably the two strongest

Himiko: Warrior - 131

Himika on this planet, except for the Assessor. If you
can match them, then we have a real chance of success."

"What if he can do that -- and more, too? Does he

have a chance then?" Aki asked.

Matt could feel the thoughts churning in Aki's mind.
"God, you're thinking harder than a fox outside of a

chicken yard." Matt just couldn't help teasing him.

"You see?" Aki looked meaningfully at Sam.
Matt just looked from one to the other, confused.

Sam seemed to decide to take pity on him.

"You're not supposed to be able to do that, Matt."
"I'm not eavesdropping," Matt protested. He had

learned how to be polite.

"No, you're not, and that's why it's extraordinary that

you still do it." Sam looked back at Aki.

"What do you mean?" None of this made much sense

to Matt.

Sam didn't get a chance to answer before Aki started

speaking. "He can do this thing -- like he's uniting Pietr
and me with him." Aki reached out an arm for him and
pulled Pietr in close, too. Matt instantly felt their
connection.

Sam took a step backward. "Jesus, Matt!" He quickly

recovered, though. "Can you shield all three of you,
too?"

"Sure." This was really easy for Matt by now; he had

had so much time to experiment on their business trips
that it was a piece of cake to include Aki in it. "I can
even make us into three dumb humans -- watch this."

He fiddled with the shield until only a very limited

part of their personalities peeked out.

"Fuck!" Jerry looked astounded, but recovered

quickly. "Can you use their power, too?"

Matt thought for a moment. "Like this?" He drew on

his mate and his mentor and pushed the door to close it.

Himiko: Warrior - 132

It slammed so hard that it broke off the top hinges and
swung back, dangling precariously. It was torn apart
down the middle, the edge of the split fringed with
splinters of light wood.

"Uh, I guess so?" I think we need a new door, Pietr.
"This might work." Sam looked at them and then at

Jerry. "This might fucking work."

Matt was very tempted to point out that it would have

been more reassuring if Sam had thought this from the
beginning, but he was soon absorbed in trying to do all
the different things that Sam ordered him to. They
weren't too difficult, and since he drew on the energy of
three people instead of one, he didn't tire at all. Sam
finally nodded.

"I think we can do this. We'll need to practice a lot

before next week, but we can do it. You can do it, Matt."

Matt still hesitated, the enormity of the task warring

with his easy mastery of the things Sam had asked him
to do.

Then he thought back to what Pietr had refused to tell

him before. If he didn't do this, there was a very real
chance that his mate would be forced to do unspeakable
things; things that would break Pietr, things that Pietr
would never recover from. The decision was easy after
Matt realized that.

"I'll do it."

Himiko: Warrior - 133

8

Sam and Jerry insisted on beginning Matt's training

right away. He would have to do the first part of it alone
-- or rather, it didn't make any difference if Pietr and Aki
were connected to him or not during his first exercises.
They gave him power, but it was up to Matt to learn
how to use it. So he left Pietr, Aki, and Robbie at the
cabin to do more research while he went with the two
Warriors down to the oak tree to practice.

The first tasks were easy, very much like what he had

been practicing for so long here: pushing cones around,
breaking branches, and splitting fallen tree trunks.
However, they quickly moved past that.

"Take this." Sam threw a fallen branch at him, and

Matt caught it just before it would have hit him in the
head. He raised his eyebrows, but Sam just grinned.
"You have to be on your toes." The Himiko found
another branch and weighed it in his hands. Then he
nodded.

"You ever played pirates when you were a kid? With

swords and stuff?" Sam asked as he looked inquiringly
at Matt.

Matt nodded. "Sure."
"Good. Pretend the branches are swords." Without

any further warning, Sam used the branch to try to hit
Matt in the head. It was only because Matt ducked that
he didn't get his face smashed in.

"No, use the branch to defend yourself." Sam didn't

seem even a little sorry that he had almost sent Matt to
the hospital. On the contrary; before Matt could answer,
he struck again.

Himiko: Warrior - 134

This time, Matt managed to get his branch up, and

the strike jarred his hands and shoulder, reminding him
that he had several recently healed fractures.

"Jesus! Will you relax?" The anger was building in

him.

Sam didn't apologize, just struck at him again. Matt

tried to keep up, but Sam was a lot bigger and stronger
than he was, and he was forced to retreat until he had his
back against a tree. He desperately tried to avoid the
blows, but in the end, he stumbled and half-fell on the
ground, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Stop! Please." He fought to breathe.
"So, how do you like being on your knees?" Sam was

grinning.

"Fuck you!" Matt jumped back up and grabbed his

make-believe sword, taking a swing at Sam.

Sam easily avoided it and made a riposte that Matt

only barely managed to block. Then another, and
another, and Matt was driven backward once again, until
Sam swung his branch in a low stroke that swiped the
legs out from under Matt.

He hit the ground hard enough to be completely

winded, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. Then
Jerry was there, lifting his waist, and that forced the air
back into his lungs. He gasped, so grateful to be able to
breathe again, and Jerry carefully lowered him to the
ground. He rolled to his stomach, trying to collect
himself enough to get up.

"You don't like that much, do you?"
With a roar, he got up and went for Sam's throat. Sam

did a quick move, and then he was on the ground again,
only this time with Sam's knee in his back and his right
arm wrenched at an angle it wasn't supposed to be in.

"That's one way of doing it. How do you think it's

working for you?"

Himiko: Warrior - 135

Matt tried to twist out of Sam's grip, but that only

made it feel like his arm was about to come off. In the
end, he was forced to answer.

"It doesn't, okay? Fuck you!"
Sam slowly moved and let go of his arm, rubbing his

sore shoulder. Matt scrambled to sit up, scowling at
Sam.

"Good. Then make a fucking effort. You can either

keep losing, or I can teach you something that'll improve
your chances of winning. What will it be?"

Matt sent Sam a glare. He had been making an effort.
"I asked you a question."
"Teach me, you asshole!"
Sam nodded, seeming completely unperturbed. And

not nearly as out of breath as Matt, which wasn't good
for Matt's confidence.

"All right, get up."
Matt grudgingly complied, catching the stick when

Sam threw it at him.

"Now I want you to imagine that the stick is an

extension of your power, like energy flowing out of your
body and into it."

"What is this, fucking Star Wars?"
"What?"
"Star Wars. Lightsabers, you know?"
Sam looked uncomprehendingly at him.
"The movie!"
Sam shrugged. "Sorry, don't know it."
Jerry rumbled in the background. "I do, and I can't

believe why humans picked up all of the most violent
things from us."

Matt turned to him, incredulous. "And you're saying

that while you're teaching me how to fight that psychotic
leader of yours?"

Himiko: Warrior - 136

"Huh. You got a point." Jerry sat down again, resting

against a tree and looking as if this lesson was great
entertainment.

"Well, white sabers or not..."
"Lightsabers."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I don't care about the fucking

sabers. I just want you to use the stick as an extension of
your power. Like this." He stood next to Matt -- which
went a long way toward reducing Matt's fear of being
whacked over the head any minute -- and reached out
with the stick. It began sort of vibrating, and he swung it
even faster than he had been able to before.

Imitating him seemed like the only way to survive

psychopath Sam, so Matt followed the Himiko's orders.
In the beginning, nothing happened.

"Stretch out your mind, all the way to the tip of your

stick," Sam instructed him after a few fruitless tries. "I
can show you if you want."

Matt had absolutely no wish to have Sam inside his

mind, so he stared at the stick and tried harder. It still
didn't work, and he huffed and cursed the damn thing. It
moved slightly.

"Yes, like that. Do it again."
Matt had no idea what he had actually done, but he

tried pushing at the stick again. It swerved through the
air, and he almost managed to knock himself over with
it.

"And now less suicidally, please."
Matt ground his teeth and told himself not to kill

Sam. The instruction worked, though, or maybe it was
his anger energizing him. Whatever the reason, within a
few minutes, he could move the stick around. It felt
strange transferring his mental energy that way in the
beginning, like having some of his intestines on the

Himiko: Warrior - 137

outside of his body. Jerry made a disgusted noise when
Matt informed the Himiko of that observation.

"Okay, now try a basic defense. I won't move too

fast." For once, Sam was considerate enough to move
his own stick down in a slow attack. Matt blocked it
effortlessly.

"Good! Now, let's try a bit more." They moved back

and forward, the slow dance gradually turning into
something resembling their earlier fight. Only this time,
Matt had a real chance of keeping up. Sam might be
bigger and stronger, but mentally, Matt could hold his
own against him. It was almost fun, enough that he got
careless and dropped his stick when he poured too much
energy into it.

"You can't control it unless you touch it..." Sam

stared as Matt reached out his hand for the stick, picking
it up without touching it.

"Guys, time for a break." Jerry interrupted them,

handing out sodas and power bars.

Matt hadn't noticed how tough the workout was

before now, but he gratefully took the snacks from Jerry
and sat down. He was still scowling at Sam, but his
teacher seemed completely oblivious to it, and
reluctantly, Matt had to admit that he was learning a lot.
And learning fast; apparently, learning by doing worked
better for him than long explanations. Even though it
would have been nice if "doing" didn't equal "defend
yourself against a raving madman."

The pause was brief, and then they were back to the

training. Matt got faster and faster, and he could use the
stick almost as quickly as he could think of the move. It
was extremely cool, and he couldn't help showing off a
bit. He grinned when he got his revenge on Sam,
sweeping the Himiko's legs out from under him and

Himiko: Warrior - 138

making his trainer land in a sprawling heap on the
ground.

"Okay, I guess you haven't got any problems going

for me instead of going after the stick," Sam said
grudgingly after he had gotten back up. "That was the
first part I needed to teach you, but it seems that you
aren't as fucking delicate as most humans. They're so
fucking hung up on hurting somebody, but you've got a
temper."

"I don't have anger management problems!"
Sam looked at him disbelievingly. "Of course you

don't. You're a fucking Warrior; this is how we are. I
just needed to peel off the layer of civilization."

Matt reeled at the stark difference between Sam's

words and Pietr's earlier explanations of the Himika's
philanthropic reason to be on Earth. It seemed that
Warriors really were very different from other Himika.
He was about to ask Sam about that, but Sam continued
before he could think about the implications of what the
Himiko had just said.

"Now for the next part: do what you just did, but

without the stick."

Matt frowned. "You mean with my hands?"
Sam shook his head. "No, with your mind. The stick

was only a visual aid to channel your power. Give me a
shove or something, but only use your mind."

Matt didn't really think it would work. After all, this

was what he had tried so desperately to do when he got
assaulted. But he collected a little bit of his power and
carefully pushed Sam.

The result was shocking. Sam bent over, fell to his

knees, and got violently sick.

Jerry was at his side quickly, supporting him, but

Jerry couldn't do anything but hold him while he was
retching. He didn't seem to be able to stop, going on

Himiko: Warrior - 139

long after his stomach was empty, almost choking with
it.

"Jesus, Sam, I'm sorry!" Matt didn't know what to do,

looking on helplessly.

"Don't be." Sam spat on the ground. "It worked."

Then he bent over and tried to throw up again.

Pietr? Could you get Robbie down here? Sam is sick.
Of course. Pietr quickly looked through Matt's mind

to check that his mate was all right. I'll come down, too.

Matt didn't protest; he felt terrible looking at Sam

heaving for air in Jerry's arms. It must have shown on
his face, because there was pity in Jerry's eyes when the
Himiko looked up, still holding on to Sam.

"Hey, Matt, it's okay," Jerry said.
"But I didn't want this to happen! I didn't even know I

could do it."

"Really? Remember slapping my face?" Jerry seemed

slightly amused. "This is the same thing, basically. And
you didn't do anything he didn't ask you to do."

"Yeah, I asked for it. Literally." Sam tried to sit up a

bit, Jerry rubbing his back. He didn't quite manage,
though.

Matt hurried to his side, and together with Jerry, they

managed to lift him away from the pool of sick and onto
a blanket. He could hardly move, and his stomach
seemed to be cramping too much for him to stretch out
properly. Matt got him some water and tried to make
him drink, but he refused. It seemed like forever before
Robbie came.

"So, what happened? Oh, dear." Robbie went in a

straight line to Sam. "Either you're a very good or a very
bad teacher."

"Very good. Fuck, I feel like shit." Sam was hunched

over, his legs pulled up.

Himiko: Warrior - 140

"I'll spare you the 'I told you so'; I trust my mate to

say that."

Aki came into the clearing at that moment. "Yeah?

Why? Oh, shit, Sam!" Aki didn't swear very often, but
his face was shocked when he saw Sam.

Sam just made a weak gesture with one hand.
Are you okay, Matt? Pietr's voice was concerned.
"What, is everybody here now?" Matt tried to grouch,

but he gratefully sank into Pietr's arms. I fucked up.

Pietr sighed. I don't think you did, baby. This is how

it is.

Then I'm fucking out of here. There's no way I'm

going to do anything like this.

Shh. He'll be all right as soon as Robbie helps him.
Matt looked up to see Jerry holding Sam while

Robbie put a hand on Sam's stomach. Sam moaned, and
then the tension left his body, finally enabling him to
stretch out. Jerry gave him something to drink and
helped him lie down on the blanket.

Sam blinked his eyes open and saw Matt. "Hey, not

your fault, kid." He turned his head to Jerry. "Don't let
him freak out, okay? And get lost; I need a nap." He
closed his eyes again.

"Shouldn't we get him up to the house?" Matt was

hovering over his trainer.

"No, that's not necessary." Robbie looked far more

authoritative than usual when he was in the middle of a
medical situation. "I could give him a sedative, but a nap
will do exactly the same for him, and the grass is soft.
Just let him rest a bit."

"What happened?" Matt had to pull himself together

to ask.

Robbie huffed. "What happened is that Sam's getting

soft."

Himiko: Warrior - 141

"Fuck you." Sam flipped Robbie off without even

opening his eyes.

"No, thank you." Robbie turned his attention back to

Matt. "You hit him exactly right, and that made all of his
stomach muscles contract. It feels a bit like an electric
current when that happens to you, just a lot more
disgusting." Robbie shuddered. "But he isn't hurt, and if
I know him, he had it coming."

Matt automatically looked down at Sam, but the

Himiko didn't even bother to protest. Maybe it really
wasn't that bad.

It isn't. And you managed to beat the ass of the most

annoying Himiko ever. That can't possibly be a bad
thing.

Against his will, Matt smiled at Pietr's comment.
"So, guys, the drama is over. Go back to the cabin,

and I'll take Matt somewhere else while Sam gets some
rest." Jerry didn't sound like it was up for debate, so
Matt reluctantly let Pietr and the other two Himika go.

Don't worry. I'll come to your rescue any time. Pietr's

words would have been very sweet, if it hadn't been for
the clear image in Pietr's mind of Matt as a damsel in
distress.

Fuck off.
Matt turned his back to his mate and heard Pietr

laughing at him. It did more to calm him down than
anything else.

"So, wanna take a walk?" Jerry asked him.
Matt nodded. "That way." He wanted to go to the

lake.

They walked a bit in silence, and then Jerry spoke.
"You do realize that it wasn't your fault, right?"
Matt didn't look up. "That's bullshit. I did it; of

course it's my fault."

"That wasn't what I meant." Jerry sounded impatient.

Himiko: Warrior - 142

"So, what did you mean?" Matt stopped and looked at

Jerry. "That it's okay to do something like that to a
friend because I'm rehearsing doing something a lot
worse to an enemy?"

Jerry cocked his head. "Yeah. That about sums it up."

He began walking again.

"It isn't that simple!"
Jerry spun around and pushed him back against a

tree. "Yes, sometimes it is that fucking simple, and you
know it! That's what being a Warrior means. You stop
pussyfooting around and do what needs to be done.
Then you can cry over it afterward."

"Then I'm not a Warrior!" It had felt horrible to see

Sam like that.

"Because you don't like the consequences of your

actions?" Jerry was suddenly very close.

Matt nodded reluctantly.
"Tough luck, Matt. Because you have the ability; that

means you have the responsibility to use it." Jerry pulled
back and started walking again.

"I don't think I can do it."
Jerry came back to where Matt stood, the anger on

his face being replaced by a kind expression when he
saw Matt's look of self-doubt.

"I know it was a lot all at once, okay?" He put a hand

around Matt's shoulder and started walking again. Matt
reluctantly accepted his lead. "If only you could keep
from using enough force to destroy a small village every
time you do something, your companions wouldn't be
throwing their guts up all over the place."

"I only used a tiny bit of my force," Matt protested, a

little embarrassed.

Jerry turned to stare at Matt. Then he started

chuckling, and he didn't stop until he was roaring with
laughter.

Himiko: Warrior - 143

"What?" Matt couldn't help smiling; Jerry's laughter

was infectious.

"God, Matt. You're something, you know that?"
Matt shrugged. "I guess I don't. I just try to do things

as well as I can. Preferably without killing myself or
anybody else in the process."

They came out in the open along the shore, and Jerry

stopped, looking out over the lake. He didn't say
anything, but Matt could feel how he relaxed, taking in
the view. Then he nodded to himself and sat down on
the grass.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?"
Jerry looked up. "Who, Sam? Of course. He's tough."
Matt sat down next to Jerry. "He didn't look so tough

before."

Jerry snorted. "No. I'm going to use that against him

for a long, long time to come."

"You aren't bonded, are you?" Matt didn't get that

connected feeling from them that he got from other
mated couples.

Jerry went very quiet. "No, we're not."
The air was suddenly so thick with sorrow that Matt

had trouble breathing.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Jerry was watching him.
Matt smiled apologetically. "Yeah. Sorry."
Jerry shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about."
"What happened?" Now that Matt knew there was

something there, it would only fester if it was left
unsaid.

"My mate died." Jerry's voice was quiet.
Matt went cold when he heard the brief statement.

Just the thought of losing Pietr sent him into icy panic.

"I... I didn't think you could survive that."

Himiko: Warrior - 144

Jerry shrugged, not looking at Matt. "Most Himika

don't. But Sam was there, and the stubborn bastard
refused to let me go."

There was a quiet acceptance about his words, but as

usual, Matt got a lot more than just the words. Jerry
hadn't wanted to live; he had wanted to die like his mate.

"How did it happen?"
"The war."
"I'm sorry."
Jerry shrugged again. "It is what it is. After Sam

pulled me back up, I didn't really have a choice whether
to live or not. I'm making the best of it. Stor would have
killed me if I didn't."

"Your mate?"
"Yeah. He was Sam's best friend, and then we

bonded. It was... eventful. A lot of big egos in a very
small space." Jerry smiled a sad smile.

"Never a dull moment?"
"Definitely not. Robbie reminds me a bit of him."

Jerry turned toward Matt. "Listen, I'm only going to say
this to you once, so you better pay attention. Stor died
because of a war that could have been prevented. I'm not
going to have Sam killed now, or you, or Pietr. So you're
going to stop whining and take the Assessor out, no
matter what it takes, or I'll have your ass on a plate. Got
it?"

Matt studied him for a long time. Then he stretched

out his hand. "Deal."

Jerry looked at it, eyebrows lifted, before reaching

out to shake it. Then he got up. "Let's get back to
Sleeping Beauty."

***

Himiko: Warrior - 145

Sam was almost able to walk straight when they

woke him up. Jerry took one look at him and decided
that "almost" wasn't enough.

"The kid will kill you if you do any more work

today," he grumbled before reaching for his friend's arm
and hoisting it over his shoulder. Then he marched Sam
back to the cabin and put him to bed in the guest room.
Sam didn't even protest much.

They had dinner, and Matt could feel Pietr's eyes on

him during the meal. When they were done, Pietr
reached out for Matt.

"Come on. Let's go to bed."
It was way too early, but Matt didn't protest. He felt

more and more miserable the more he thought of the
prone Himiko in the guest room.

Pietr pulled Matt into a hug as soon as the door

closed behind them, and he didn't let go.

Matt let all of his defenses down and let Pietr see

how terrible he felt about what he had done, and how
scared he was to have to do it again.

You're okay, Matt. Everything's fine. Pietr rubbed his

back, pouring comfort into his mind. It made Matt relax
a little, but he still couldn't get the image of a retching
Sam out of his head.

That's a good thing. You know that, right?
Matt didn't understand what his mate meant.
You don't like to hurt others. There was something

strangely close to relief in Pietr's mind that Matt didn't
understand.

Pietr tried to explain it to him. Warriors tend to get...

absorbed in their task.

Ruthless. That was the word Pietr didn't want to

think.

Yeah. I know you're not that way, but...

Himiko: Warrior - 146

But Matt did have a temper and he was very

stubborn. Those were Warrior traits.

Your ability to do that is getting scary.
Huh? Matt hadn't known he was doing anything.
You hear things I haven't even thought yet. There was

a familiar mix of pride and exasperation in Pietr's mind.

Hey, I can't help that I'm smarter than you.
What the... Asshole! Pietr caught him in a tight grip,

wrestling him down onto the bed. Matt fought back, but
mostly for the fun of it. All he wanted was to be close to
his mate after an exhausting day.

Pietr stilled when he heard that thought. Then he

pulled off first his own his shirt and then Matt's, pushing
in close. His skin felt good against Matt's, and Matt
wrapped around him.

I love you.
I know, Matt. His mate was open and caring and

considerate, and Matt could feel the love pouring out of
Pietr's mind. It finally made him feel somewhat settled.

I hated seeing him like that. I've never hurt anyone

before.

Pietr was worried, but there was also a certain

helplessness in his mind.

Don't worry; I am going to do it. I promised Jerry.

Matt showed Pietr his conversation with Jerry.

He told you about Stor? Pietr was baffled.
Yes. I guess he's not the type to talk about it?
No. He never talks about it. But everybody knows.
Why?
Pietr peeled off the rest of his clothes and helped

Matt do the same. Matt knew that it wasn't because Pietr
wanted sex; he just wanted to be as close as possible.
Matt could relate to that.

It was the key moment of the war. The images in

Pietr's mind were muddled, terror and desperation

Himiko: Warrior - 147

prominent among them as he showed Matt what the war
had been like. We had been fighting each other for so
long that we had lost perspective. There had been
fatalities before, but not intentional; they were
accidents. Or as accidental as it can be when a Warrior
faces another Warrior and does everything in his power
to win. It wasn't until later that we started realizing how
much the battles affected us long-term. A lot of us
couldn't live with what we had done.

Matt caught the memories of Himika going crazy

with the realization that they had tried to hurt other
Himika. It wasn't simply a matter of conscience; it was
the very fundament of their existence that crumbled
when they couldn't trust each other anymore.

But that was later. During the fighting, nobody had

been killed deliberately. Jerry was really strong, one of
the candidates to be our leader. But he didn't want that,
didn't even want to take part in the fighting if he could
avoid it. But he couldn't. There were strong Himika who
weren't Warriors, and they schemed and manipulated
everybody else into taking sides and fighting for them.
And it wasn't for some sort of cause; it was all politics.
Sometimes, the sides changed so fast you got dizzy.

Pietr took a deep breath. There was a major battle

that day. The strongest contenders to take over were all
there with their respective Warriors. Jerry was there,
too, but only because he wanted to try talking some
sense into the combatants.

There was a deep bitterness in Pietr's mind as he

remembered the events. He wasn't even fighting when it
happened; he had no shields up whatsoever. And then
someone went for his mate.

There was such a sense of betrayal in Pietr's mind

that Matt clung to him, tried to lessen Pietr's devastation
at remembering that fatal day.

Himiko: Warrior - 148

The Himiko killed Stor without even straining

himself. Stor wasn't strong -- he was only there because
his mate was and to help if anybody got hurt. Killing
him was far easier than fighting Jerry in an open fight.

Pietr was back in the middle of the fight, his mind so

deep into his reminiscing that he probably didn't even
notice Matt next to him anymore.

Everything stopped when that Himiko lashed out at

Stor. Matt saw through Pietr's eyes how the fighting
came to an abrupt halt, everything standing still when
the Himika realized what had happened. Then Jerry fell
over, too, and Sam screamed at him.

I still don't know how Sam did it, but he went so deep

into Jerry's mind that he managed to get Jerry back.

Sam kept him from dying for long enough for him to

regain consciousness. I've never heard anyone scream
like Jerry did when he woke up and found out that he
was alone. Pietr shuddered, and Matt held him tight. But
Sam wouldn't let him go, wouldn't let him die. I'm still
not sure if it was the right thing to do.

Matt was right beside Pietr in his memories, saw how

devastated Jerry had been, an empty shell of sorrow.

It was enough to make us stop. We had crossed the

ultimate line, and if we didn't step back, it would mean
the end of our entire civilization.

Matt could feel it, could feel how the trust betrayed

had made the very foundation of the Himiko civilization
waver. It wasn't an individual thought, it wasn't even a
rational knowledge; it was the certainty that if the
Himika kept on fighting, they would lose the trust that
bonded them together as a race and assured their very
existence. Pietr had told Matt about this before, had told
him that the mental communication was more than a
pure means of communication. It wasn't until now that
he really understood, though, that violating the rules of

Himiko: Warrior - 149

coexistence would have the same effect on the Himiko
society as that of all humans going psychotic: It would
mean the collective loss of sanity.

At least it made us end the war. Pietr took a deep

breath, trying to tell the rest of the story. We realized
that we couldn't go on like that, and so we stopped.

What happened to the Himiko who killed Stor?
Pietr shrugged. He went crazy when he realized what

he had done. I still think it would have been better if
there could have been a trial.

Closure?
A symbol that this would never be tolerated.
What about me? Matt would have preferred not to

ask, but it was impossible to hide anything from Pietr
when they were as entwined in each other's minds as
they were right now.

What do you mean?
Matt made an effort to collect his thoughts. I'm going

to fight a Himiko; will I be tolerated after that?

Yes. You will. Pietr rubbed Matt's back, deep in

thoughts. And this is what makes you different from me -
- from most Himika, in fact. You know it has to be done,
and you're going to do it, no matter how hard it's going
to be. That's why Himika need Warriors; someone to do
what the rest of us can't. You are a Warrior, Matt.

Ruthless?
Willing to do what it takes. It's a brave thing to do,

Matt.

I don't feel brave at all. Matt tried to push the image

of fighting another living being out of his head.

Good. It shouldn't be easy. Pietr pulled back and

looked into his eyes. You're going to be okay, Matt.
You're going to do it, and you won't lose yourself. I
promise you.

Himiko: Warrior - 150

Matt closed his eyes and pushed into a kiss, suddenly

desperate to be as close as possible to his mate.

I need you, Pietr. I need you so much.
Shh. I know. I'm here.
Matt sobbed into the kiss, frantic in his effort to have

his mate closer. I need you in me.

I'm going to fill you. Don't be scared.
Matt clung to him, whimpering when Pietr leaned

away from him to get the lube. Pietr was quickly back,
rumbling reassuringly to him. It wasn't enough, though;
nothing was enough.

He arched when he got the first finger, taking a deep

breath to relax enough that his mate would be satisfied
and give him another. Pietr seemed to understand his
need, opening him up with soft but unrelenting thrusts
into his body. He got another finger, and another, and he
was too deep in his need to even notice if it burned or
not.

Then Pietr was over him and in him. He wanted to

shout as he was breached, but then Pietr was deep inside
of him and everything went quiet, still. He closed his
eyes and pulled his mate close.

Pietr slowly moved in and out of his body, the long

movements opening him up both physically and
mentally. He surrendered, giving up all of his shields to
let his mate into the deepest corners of his soul.

Pietr answered him, taking what he gave and

rejoicing in the gift. His mate's mind was entwined
closely with his own; he couldn't tell where one ended
and the other began, and it didn't matter. His body sang
with the feeling of being possessed, and he laughed with
joy when he felt his mate responding to his happiness,
pushing deep inside of him.

It went on and on, and Pietr kept the pace slow,

prolonging their ecstasy until the world around them

Himiko: Warrior - 151

disappeared and there was nothing but their pleasure. It
was glorious, and Matt didn't want it to end. Pietr heard
him, and his mate kept going until Matt was so high that
he was dizzy with it, soaring on their perfect union.

Their climax took him by surprise, and Matt was

almost reluctant to give in to it. Then he surrendered,
and it took him crashing over in a cascade of light and
quiet.

He knew that he had been gasping and sobbing and

that his body was exhausted and sore. But when he came
back to reality a long time later, everything in him was
quiet and at peace.

Thank you. He gently kissed Pietr.
You're welcome. I love you.
Matt didn't answer; he didn't have to.

Himiko: Warrior - 152

9

When they got up early the next morning, the kitchen

was empty. So was the guest room where Sam and Jerry
were supposed to have been sleeping. Matt got a cold
flash of panic, the image of a prone Sam on the ground
the day before going through his mind. Then the kitchen
door opened, and Sam and Jerry came in, carrying
sleeping bags.

"Hey, you're up already. I'd have thought you would

have needed more time to recuperate after yesterday's
exercises." Sam was grinning, and Jerry had a wry smile
on his face as well.

"What do you mean?" Matt looked from one to the

other.

"Oh, nothing. Just that you were so loud that we had

to escape. We could hear the two of you all the way to
the meadow by the oak."

"I... What?"
"Aki and Robbie suddenly had to leave, by the way. I

think they had something come up. A pressing need of
some kind." Sam snickered.

"You could hear us?" Matt's voice was kind of faint.
"That would be the understatement of the year, but

yes, we could hear you. You must have been a
nightmare to be near when you were newly bonded."

They had been a fucking live porn movie. Again.

Matt turned to Pietr, looking accusingly at him. "Why
didn't you say anything?"

Pietr looked slightly embarrassed.

Himiko: Warrior - 153

"He would have been crazy to have stopped that. It

was quite something. It even got Sam back to the world
of the living." Jerry nodded.

Guilt welled up in Matt. "God, are you okay, Sam?"

First he had injured Sam, and then he had chased the
Himiko out of his house.

"Oh, he was more than okay. He gives great head."
"Jerry!" Matt didn't know if he should laugh or cry.
"Hey, it's the truth." Unperturbed, Jerry started to

make breakfast. He seemed to be very hungry.

So am I. I haven't worked out so much in months.
"Pietr!" Matt groaned. His mate just laughed and

hugged him from behind.

Aki and Robbie showed up some time later, Aki

looking a little sheepish. Robbie just looked very, very
satisfied. They, too, were predictably very hungry, and
Sam seized the opportunity to tease them mercilessly. In
the end, Aki got up.

"I think it's time for you to continue your training.

Now." He looked to be at the end of his rope.

"Yes, Aki." You almost couldn't hear the glee in

Sam's voice.

Matt wanted to talk to Jerry on the way to the oak,

but Sam held him back.

"Let him go."
"I just want to talk to him," Matt protested while

Jerry picked up some bags and went ahead.

"He doesn't talk much. He was all raw from whatever

the two of you discussed yesterday. It's good for him not
to bundle it up, but now he needs his space. Don't push
him."

Matt nodded reluctantly. Sam did know Jerry better

than anybody else. Then he cast a closer look at Sam.
The man looked fully recovered, but Matt still felt he
had to say something. "I'm really sorry about yesterday."

Himiko: Warrior - 154

Sam interrupted him. "If you say that once more, I'm

going to hit you over the head with a stick. And believe
me, I'll find a way to do it that even your over-developed
powers can't stop."

Matt narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, like that. Don't go all soft on me," Sam

interrupted before he could say anything.

Jesus, that Himiko was annoying.
His thought must have shown on his face, because

Sam grinned. "That's my boy."

***

Matt didn't stay annoyed for long; he felt a surge of

compassion go through him just looking at Jerry and
knowing what the Himiko had been through. He couldn't
imagine losing his mate, and when Sam ordered him to
use the other Himiko as his sparring partner, Matt was
as careful as he could be. He pushed gently, not wanting
to strain Jerry after his trainer's rough day yesterday.

He found himself lying on the ground, desperately
trying to breathe. Jerry bent down over him.

"That's what happens when you let your guard down.

Get a grip, Matt."

Jerry lifted him up like the Warrior had done

yesterday, and Matt managed to force his lungs to work,
taking one shuddering breath and then another. Jerry let
go none too gently, and Matt just took a moment to
breathe. When he was relatively sure he wasn't going to
pass out, he sat up.

"Come on, get going." Jerry kicked his thigh. Not that

hard, but not that gently, either.

Matt scowled at Jerry.
"Suck it up, princess. You'll want to be able to defend

yourself against much harder attacks than that."

That took care of the compassion, and Matt got up.

Himiko: Warrior - 155

Jerry kept attacking him, and Matt worked almost as

hard to defend himself as he had done when he first
learned how to shield. Defending himself physically
should have been the same thing as defending himself
mentally, but it felt completely different. Matt had
gotten used to the intricacies of mental challenges, and
this felt as rough as a football player in a game of
bridge.

That image actually helped him. He might have

gotten accustomed to using his mind only, but he could
do the rough stuff, too. As soon as he realized the
difference, he adjusted his defenses to match. Jerry's
next attack left him standing upright, and after the next,
he tried pushing back.

Jerry sat down on his ass with an "oomph."
"You let your guard down?" Matt couldn't keep from

baiting Jerry.

Jerry scowled and jumped up, pushing Matt again.

This attack was different, somehow twisting around and
hitting him all over instead of being just a
straightforward punch, but Matt didn't care. He just
blocked it and pushed back at Jerry in the same move.

This time, Jerry ended upside down in a patch of

blackberry bushes. He swore profoundly when he got
out, picking out thorns from his hands.

"Suck it up, princess."
For a moment, Jerry looked ready to smack Matt.

Then Sam roared with laughter, and he backed down,
mumbling something Matt was happy to overhear. That
the Himiko was disgruntled wasn't exactly a secret; the
resentment oozed off him.

Sam called for a break, and he got Matt a soda while

Jerry sat down on a nearby log, muttering to himself
while removing the thorns. Matt was quite sure that
Jerry made a show out of it; blackberry thorns weren't

Himiko: Warrior - 156

that hard to remove. Jerry clearly was a lot more
comfortable with being rough and rude than with being
subjected to pity. Lesson learned, Matt told himself.

"So," he tried to ignore Jerry's grouching, "do they

teach Himika mentors to be annoying? Because the two
of you suck almost as much as Aki."

Sam's face was a study in disgust. "I'm nothing like

Aki!"

"Oh, you're very much like Aki. You said so yourself,

yesterday. What was all that about?" Matt still didn't
really understand why a Warrior was so different from
other Himika -- and why Aki could be one and deny it at
the same time.

Jerry had stopped muttering, listening to the

conversation. He raised his eyebrows at Matt's words.

Sam exploded. "He's a fucking coward, that's what he

is." He got up and stomped off.

Matt stared after him. "That didn't go down well.

Shouldn't you go after him?"

"Shit, Matt, you're too fucking touchy-feely for

someone as bad-tempered as you are."

"I'm not touchy-feely!" Matt was outraged. He had

been accused of a lot, but never, ever that. Just the
opposite, in fact, and that was how he liked it. "He's just
really angry and a little worried, and I don't think he
should be alone like that."

Jerry groaned. "Your mental powers are as over-

developed as a bodybuilder's biceps, Matt. Just let him
be, will you? He'll lose any trace of manly dignity if I go
after him to hold his hand."

Matt had to take a deep breath to keep himself in

control. What was it with these guys and their pissing
contests?

"We're Warriors, Matt!"

Himiko: Warrior - 157

Matt didn't realize he had said it out loud, but he must

have; he was very, very careful to keep his mental
shields up around both Sam and Jerry.

"And that's another word for being obnoxious?"
Jerry looked about to smack him again. Then he

suddenly relaxed and grinned. "Yeah, I think it is."

The imminent danger of getting punched in the face

seemed to have diminished enough for Matt to sit back.
He got Jerry a soda, and the Himiko accepted it. At least
Jerry didn't hold a grudge.

"So, tell me about Sam and Aki." He had begun to

like these stories; it was like a mixture of a history
lesson and really good gossip.

"Not much to tell." Jerry shrugged. "The Himiko who

killed Stor? Aki was close to him. They weren't exactly
friends, but they were sort of on the same side, if there
were any sides at all back then."

"And that's why you don't like each other?" It was a

loss less dramatic than Matt had expected.

"No, we don't like each other because Aki realized

what he could do that day and has spent every waking
moment since then preaching about Warrior powers
being evil. His own powers."

"Uh, sorry to ruin your analysis, but wasn't that the

only sane thing to do?" Somebody had died, after all.

"That's like saying breathing is really dangerous

because you risk hyperventilating. This is how we are!"
Jerry jumped up, seeming too agitated to stay sitting.
"You can't change your powers. If anything, things get
worse if you repress them instead of learning how to
control them. And you can't repress them. Just look at
the way you almost killed yourself trying to learn how to
move water."

"I did not almost kill myself! I just got a little...

tired."

Himiko: Warrior - 158

"Yes, but that's only because you're too fucking

stubborn to react like a normal Himiko would have
reacted." Jerry took a deep breath before he continued.
"Point is that Aki's been refusing to acknowledge that
Warrior powers even exist. Sam doesn't like that. I don't
care much for it, either."

Matt didn't have a problem believing that. He just

didn't have any time for intrigues and hurt feelings
anymore. "I have a Himiko to put out of action; you'll
have to get over it. Go get Sam and tell him to get his
ass back here."

Jerry didn't exactly look happy, but he did it, leaving

Matt to think.

Jesus, this was a mess. First the Himika, represented

by Pietr and Robbie, had turned out to be friendly. Then
the aliens turned out to be less so when the Assessor
entered the equation. And now even the good guys hated
each other.

Jerry came back with a still scowling Sam, and Matt

got up, arms crossed.

"Is he really that bad?"
Sam looked uncomprehendingly at him.
"Aki! Do you really hate him that much?"
"He was so fucking self-righteous after the battle, and

he..."

Matt interrupted him. "Not then, now. Do you really

hate him now?"

Sam looked a little surprised, as if the hatred had

become second nature to him. "I... He's still annoying."

"Yes. So are you. That doesn't make me hate you."

Okay, a little, sometimes. But it was over when the
lesson ended.

"Why do you even care, by the way?"

Himiko: Warrior - 159

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Because I need to know

that I can trust you. I can't have you bickering behind
my back while I try to defeat the Assessor."

Sam looked outraged, but it was Jerry who stepped

forward. "We promise. He's annoying as hell, but we
can think that and still be on the same side."

Matt decided to ignore the rebellious expression on

Sam's face. "Good. Now, let's continue."

***

He trained the rest of the day and the next, and he

slowly started to master the new techniques. Sam taught
him how to control the physical attacks and then went to
mental attacks. Those were both easier and harder.
Easier, because it was a lot like his first training. And a
lot harder, because he wasn't just controlling his own
mind -- he actually had to attack someone else's mind.

It was strange and more than a little unsettling to use

his power against another living being. Hitting
somebody physically was one thing, but when you
struck someone mentally, you felt their shock and pain.
It was disgusting. Matt had no idea how the Himiko
warriors had been able to endure it.

He practiced on Jerry; the Himiko had grumbled

something about having so little brain left that it didn't
matter if Matt wrecked the rest of it. Matt didn't, but he
pushed and pulled and shoved enough to get a very good
grasp of how to do that. Of how to hurt somebody, if he
really wanted to. It was enough to give Jerry a throbbing
headache, and at the end of each day, Matt insisted that
Robbie use some Tylenol and a little of the doctor's
healing powers on Matt's victim.

Aki did hover a little bit while Robbie worked his

magic, but Matt noticed that Sam kept his mouth shut

Himiko: Warrior - 160

about it. It was quite admirable if you considered how
much animosity had been between the two of them until
recently. Or maybe Sam was just growing up.

Sam growled, and Matt cursed. What was it with him

and speaking out loud these days? He never did that.

"What?" Aki looked enquiringly at him.
Matt decided to jump right into it. "Sam has decided

to be civil. He might not hate you as much as he thought
he did, but he's not ready to admit that yet."

Smooth, baby.
Shut up, Pietr.
Sam sputtered, and Aki looked slightly bewildered.

"Okay?"

Matt gestured at him. "Now it's your turn to say

something heartfelt."

Aki looked more ill at ease than ever. But he seemed

to recognize Sam's effort. "I might not hate him, either?"

The very audible question mark ruined the statement

somewhat, but Matt didn't think this was the time to be
fussy.

"Great. Now shake hands and promise me you won't

kill each other when I'm not looking."

Jerry's mouth twitched slightly as he got up from

where he lay on the couch.

Next to him, Robbie was hiding his head, looking

down at his bag. Even if Matt couldn't have felt how the
doctor was laughing his ass off, he could still see
Robbie's shoulders shake.

To their credit, Aki, Pietr, Sam, and Jerry obediently

shook each other's hands. It made it all seem a little like
a playground in a kindergarten.

That would make Matt the diplomatic kindergarten

teacher, though.

Pietr only barely managed to contain his snort at that

thought. You're so not the diplomatic type, honey.

Himiko: Warrior - 161

***

That night, Matt was exhausted. Not so much

physically, even though his body was worn out, too. But
the struggle to concentrate as intensely as he had to do in
order to master the new skills was beginning to take its
toll. Not to mention the fact that he was actually hurting
someone he had started to care a great deal for.

You're doing it for the right reasons, baby.
Matt shrugged. He knew that, and it didn't help.
Let's go for a walk.
Matt was a little surprised; Pietr's absurd fear of

North American wildlife still kept him inside most of
the time. Matt let Pietr guide him, though, and his mate
put an arm around his shoulder, steering him toward the
oak. An image of the lake came to Pietr's mind.

It was a quiet evening, the sun going down late this

time of year. It wasn't as warm as it had been during the
day, but it was still beautiful, a gentle wind going
through the trees while they walked. Matt could feel
how the tranquility of the surroundings slowly spread to
him, enabling him to breathe a little easier than he had
for a while. Pietr gently rubbed his shoulder.

They were quiet as they left the wood behind them

and stepped into the open next to the lake. In an hour or
so, the place would be teeming with mosquitoes, but
right now, it was as serene as Matt remembered it.

Come on, let's sit down.
Matt followed his mate and sat down in the grass. It

reminded him of the last time they had been there, and
he felt a little guilty when he remembered his mate's
distress after Matt had shut him out. Matt hadn't thought
about anything other than his own problems lately.

Pietr actually laughed at him.

Himiko: Warrior - 162

So, now you're beating yourself over the head with

that? Really, Matt, isn't it enough that you have to save
the world from an evil alien?

Jesus. Yeah, when you put it that way... There really

isn't any other option, right? I'm not just going to do this
because it's easier than using a stun gun or something
like that?

You can't really use weapons against a strong

Himiko.

Why not? Matt had all kinds of images in his head of

creating physical shields like the mental shields he
already made.

I guess somebody really strong might do that. But

that isn't the main reason why it doesn't work. It's just
really difficult to surprise a mind reader, and using a
weapon demands preparation. Even drawing a gun
would take long enough to reveal your intention, and he
would defeat you.

Matt felt a little stupid.
Don't. The Assessor is stronger than anybody. I'm not

even sure how much he can do.

So he could just as well kill me the moment he sees

me? Matt went cold with fear.

No. I don't think that's likely.
Only the firm conviction in Pietr's mind kept Matt

from calling this whole thing off. He was a little
surprised at being this affected by the thought of
harming someone. He had a temper, and he had always
thought of himself as a cold bastard.

Luckily, you aren't.
It doesn't seem that way. At least I don't have to kill

him.

Pietr hugged him. Nobody would ask that of you.

That would be cruel.

Himiko: Warrior - 163

And Pietr wasn't cruel. In spite of what Pietr had

done, the Himiko wasn't evil.

Does it make a difference? Pietr's inner voice was

still filled with self-hatred.

Yes. It does. It's the difference between harming the

Assessor because I don't like him or disagree with him --
and doing it because it's the right thing to do. The only
thing to do. It might not be an easy choice, but it's the
only possible thing to do.

I'm going to change a lot of things when the

Assessor's gone. Pietr was determined to make up for
what he had done.

I can't ask for any more. Come on, let's get back.

***

The next morning, Sam took one look at Matt and

said, "This isn't going to work. You're too tired."

Matt protested, but Sam was adamant.
"But we only have a few days left!"
"Yes, and that's far too little time for you to recover if

you overdo it. Take a break today."

Matt felt rebellious, but there was nothing to do, and

he went back to the cabin. Robbie was there, bent over
the computer.

"Did you find out any more about the

demonstration?"

Robbie looked up, rubbing his eyes.
"Not really -- except that it's going to be big. I tried to

find out if the Assessor's got any support apart from Sam
and Jerry and our mates, but it doesn't seem like it.
Nobody else is attending the meeting, at least."

"That sounds like really dangerous research." Matt

kept to speaking out loud. Sam had been right; he really
was tired.

Himiko: Warrior - 164

Robbie shrugged. "It would have been if I'd been

sneaking around, poking at Himiko brains. But I used
this." He turned the computer to Matt. Instead of some
web page, the screen was filled with letters and numbers
in different windows.

"You're hacking them?" Matt felt his eyebrows go

up; Robbie never stopped surprising him.

Robbie blushed a little. "I'm not that good at it. And it

is illegal."

"But extremely handy."
Robbie began to shut down the computer. "You need

to eat, though; you look tired. Let me get you
something."

Matt sighed and resigned himself to taking the day

off. Having both Robbie and Sam nagging him was too
much, even for someone as mulish as he was.

***

Lunch was good, and it was even better to sit down

around the table with Pietr, Aki, and Robbie. When Matt
looked out of the window, he could see Sam and Jerry
out there.

They seemed to be deep in conversation; Jerry was

actually talking, which was rare. Sam was listening
intently, and then he put an arm over the other Himika's
shoulder. Jerry didn't do anything to pull away.

"He'll be okay, Matt."
Matt looked up in surprise; he had been caught up in

watching his teachers.

"He's been through a lot. If that didn't kill him, then

neither will your practicing a little on him." Aki sounded
very certain. And a lot less hostile toward the other
Warrior than he had been before.

Himiko: Warrior - 165

I think you'd make an excellent kindergarten teacher,

Matt. Pietr's inner voice was as dry as ever, and Matt
had to make an effort to hide his laugh.

"Apart from that, I think Sam's going to start using all

three of us tomorrow," Aki continued. That made Matt
prick up his ears.

"To practice on you?"
Aki looked at him with consternation on his face.

"No, Matt. To practice with us."

"Oh. Sorry." It seemed his mentor didn't like the

thought of being a guinea pig.

"You have to learn how to use our combined power.

Preferably without killing any more doors." They all
automatically looked at the kitchen door that they hadn't
had time to fix yet.

I really need to get rid of the evidence when I do stuff

like that.

Pietr just laughed at him.
"You don't exactly seem concerned about

tomorrow?" Aki looked questioningly at him.

"Should I be?"
Robbie looked chidingly at his mate. "Of course you

shouldn't."

Aki shrugged. "I haven't got a clue. You're doing

things nobody has done before. You've just seemed
worried the last couple of days."

"Yeah."
"Because you don't know what to expect?" Aki

looked at him.

"No. Because I know what to expect. I'm going to

attack somebody." Matt hadn't even thought about the
Assessor much. It was the principle of hurting someone
that bothered him.

Himiko: Warrior - 166

Surprisingly enough, it was Robbie who spoke. "You

need to take a decision. Either you do it and go with it,
or you refuse to do it."

"I've already decided that I'll do it." Matt didn't like

Robbie's words.

"No, I don't think you have. You're still doubting

your decision, and it's eating you up. It's time to make
up your mind." Robbie's eyes were direct and
challenging.

Had it been anybody else saying this, Matt would

have gotten angry and started arguing. But this was
Robbie speaking, and when Robbie spoke, Matt listened.
Also, the words reminded him a bit too much of Jerry's
reprimand.

"I need to suck it up?"
"That sounds like our friend Sam, but yes," Robbie

agreed.

"Jerry, in fact." Matt huffed, a little lost for a better

answer.

"The guy actually said something?" Pietr was

astounded.

"The guy actually said something sensible?" There

wasn't any real rancor in Aki's words, though.

Matt heard a snort behind him. Jerry had come in.

However, it was Sam who spoke.

"Matt's already made up his mind. He just doesn't like

what he's decided."

Turning, Matt stared at Sam.
Sam shrugged. "I know how it is. We both do." He

nodded at Jerry. "So does Aki, by the way."

Aki paled, but he didn't say anything.
Matt wanted to get mad; that was how he usually

dealt with unpleasant situations like this. But the anger
wouldn't come, and he looked down.

Himiko: Warrior - 167

"He's going to be fine." Jerry's voice was a little

hoarse.

Matt looked up in surprise, but Jerry just nodded at

him. Then the Himiko grabbed a sandwich from the
kitchen table and went back into the garden.

He's right, you know. Pietr's presence in his mind was

calm and encouraging. Exactly what Matt needed.

"Okay."
"Okay?" Robbie sounded a little bewildered.
"Yes, I've probably already made up my mind. I've

just been whining because I didn't like the decision."

And you didn't like being a person who could make a

decision like that.

Sometimes, having a mate who was able to read your

thoughts wasn't an advantage. Matt would have liked to
hide that particular fact from himself for a while yet.

Robbie nodded, not having heard Matt and Pietr's

private conversation. "None of us blame you. We just
want you to come to terms with it. It's the only way for
you to succeed."

It stung a little to hear those words, because Robbie

was right. He had used so much energy complaining
about his task, and that energy had been taken away
from his training. He even had a hunch that he had been
doing it as an excuse: if he at least felt bad about it, then
he wasn't as horrible a person as his decision made him.

That's kind of complicated, Matt. Pietr was a little

bewildered.

"Yeah, I know," Matt said, answering them both.

Then he took a deep breath. "I'm going to do it, and I'm
standing by my choice. I know why I'm doing it. If I fail
miserably, then at least I did it because I tried to do the
right thing."

And it was the right thing; he felt it deep down. It

was a colossal relief to finally be at peace with his task.

Himiko: Warrior - 168

Sam nodded. "Sounds good to me. Tomorrow, we're

going to practice with all three of you. You should use
the rest of the day to rest. You've been driving yourself a
little hard."

Matt really felt like pointing out that he hadn't been

driving himself hard; Sam had.

As much as I hate to agree with him, I think he's

right, baby.

Matt turned to Pietr in surprise.
You're demanding a lot of yourself, that's all.
Now Matt was speechless again. He didn't think he

demanded a lot of himself. He just had things that
needed to be done.

Yeah? Like setting up your own firm, and learning

how to use every single skill you have, and now this?
Matt, you're not exactly taking the easy way out. And I
admire you for it.

Pietr wasn't trying to please him with empty words.

His mate meant it. The other Himika encouraging him
had been nice -- and thought-provoking -- but this was
what mattered most to Matt. His mate was his core, and
it was such a relief to have his trust in Pietr back.

I can do it. Matt surprised himself a little at that

thought. But he really believed in it now.

Yes. And with the three of us, you can do anything.

Pietr rubbed his shoulder and then got up to help the
others clean the kitchen.

***

It was a certainty that followed Matt the next day.

Pietr and Aki were both somewhat hesitant about what
they were going to do, but Matt wasn't worried. He
knew exactly what to do to make this work.

Himiko: Warrior - 169

"So, how do you do that freak thing? You need to

touch them, right?"

Matt didn't take Sam's bait, just nodded and pulled

Aki and Pietr in close. Then he reached out to split a
fallen tree trunk.

The old wood sort of exploded, showering them all

with splinters and a considerable number of insects.

"Would you stop that?" Aki sounded irritated as he

brushed bits of tree trunk out of his hair.

Sam looked a little overwhelmed. "Uh, yes. I guess

that's about it. A little more control would probably be a
good thing."

Sam quickly found his old self, though, and began

putting Matt through his paces. It was a bit difficult to
control all of that power in the beginning, but Matt
quickly caught on, and he moved things and split tree
trunks and broke branches the rest of the morning. He
didn't tire at all, and it felt incredible to be able to keep
going and going, feeding on the power from his mate
and his mentor.

Please, no more! It was Aki's moan that finally

stopped him. He looked at his mentor in surprise.

It might seem easy to you, but you're doing things

neither of us ever learned. We're getting a little dizzy,
here.

To Matt's astonishment, Pietr completely agreed with

Aki. I need something to eat. And maybe some ReGen.

Matt realized that his mate was right. You do look a

little green around the gills.

I... What? Pietr's hands went up to his neck, checking

as if to see if there were any fish parts there. Okay, so
perhaps Matt's mate really was tired.

It's a saying! When will you start getting your idioms

right?

Himiko: Warrior - 170

Well, pardon me for not understanding the parts of

our language that you've mauled.

We haven't mauled anything. And what do you mean,

"your language"?

Well, why do you think English is such a common

language on Earth?

Uh, I don't know -- because the Brits were all over

the place and brought their language with them?

A language as inconsistent as English? No way. You

picked it up from us, of course.

What the fuck? No, we didn't!
"Uh, guys?" Aki's voice was mildly confused. "Could

you maybe argue on the way? Because we're really
hungry."

Matt looked up to see Aki, Sam, and Jerry watching

them with equal parts amusement and resignation, and
he blushed slightly.

"Okay, let's go. I can beat Pietr's ass on the way."
That's what you think. Now, about how the language

transferred...

Matt groaned out loud as he started walking toward

the cabin.

***

It was a little strange suddenly being the one with the

strongest powers. Pietr and Aki didn't understand how
he did most of the things he did, and even Sam reeled
when Matt took a short cut and split a tree in four at one
shot.

Things turned tricky when he had to use the power

against another being. Sam, without hesitation, forbade
him to do anything physical; his trainer looked a little
panicked at the mere thought.

Himiko: Warrior - 171

Matt was far more reluctant to attack any of his

friends mentally. "What if I do a tree trunk on one of
you?"

A collective shudder went through the Himika as

they looked at the remains of the first tree trunk he had
tried to split.

Sam wouldn't back down, though. "You just have to

keep from doing that. You have to learn how to control
it. You can practice on me."

That was either a very brave or a very stupid offer.

Matt leaned strongly toward the latter. Then he got an
idea.

Pulling together all of his self-control and the power

of the three of them, he carefully reached out for Sam's
mind.

Sam resisted, putting up a good fight. But instead of

using force, Matt dodged Sam's defenses and slithered in
where Sam's attention was lowest.

Suddenly, he was in the middle of Sam's mind. It was

astounding to be this intimate, especially since he had
barely communicated mentally with Sam before.

Sam was shocked and instantly wanted to fight Matt.

However, Matt wouldn't let him. Instead, Matt let a layer
of soothing thoughts simmer through his mind, forcing
Sam to relax. Sam gave in surprisingly easily, and with
that, all of his inner defenses went down.

This was someone who had been through hell.

Without a mate, Sam was always aware of the fact that
he wasn't complete, and it haunted him. Then there were
the memories of the war, and the deep pain from
witnessing the death of Stor, his best friend and Jerry's
mate.

And Sam loved Jerry.
Sam knew it was hopeless; not so much because Jerry

didn't like him, but because Jerry couldn't love anybody

Himiko: Warrior - 172

at all. Not yet, and perhaps not ever. But Sam had
accepted the fact that he could at least be close to Jerry
and help the other Himiko as much as possible.

It was such a noble decision that Matt got tears in his

eyes.

Then he started when he realized what he had done.

This was eavesdropping, but a lot worse. This was
violating the most fundamental principles of privacy.
Gingerly, taking great care not to hurt Sam, he pulled
back.

Sam stared helplessly at Matt.
"What? Did it work?" Jerry sounded impatient.
"Yeah. It worked," Sam answered, his voice tight.

Then he fell to his knees.

What happened?
Both Pietr and Aki were shouting at him, but it was

Jerry who went to Sam's side, gently helping him sit
down. Robbie joined them, looking worried.

"I couldn't feel what Matt was doing at all." Aki's

voice sounded a little accusing. "It felt as if there was a
limit at Sam's shields, and I couldn't see past that."

Me neither. What happened? Pietr was less than

happy at being shut out, but it was such a relief that the
other Himika hadn't seen what Matt had seen.

"I was just a little too rough," Matt said.
Sam looked up at him.
Matt nodded almost imperceptibly. He would keep

Sam's secrets.

Sam nodded back, and there was a deep gratitude in

his eyes.

"But you're okay?" Aki had broken their mental

connection as soon as Sam fell, and now he was looking
at the kneeling Himiko, real worry in his eyes.

Sam nodded, and Robbie did the same. "He'll be fine.

We're just playing with hardcore stuff here."

Himiko: Warrior - 173

You might say so. Matt took a deep breath.
"The good news is that I think I got it. I know how to

use it now."

Thank god. Because that was just a little creepy.

Their connection hadn't been broken, so Pietr wasn't in
any kind of distress. He just hadn't been able to track
Matt like he usually did, and that bothered him.

Yeah, a little. And I can't even say I won't do it again.
I know, Matt. It's okay.
Matt couldn't count how many times he had heard

those words over the last few days. Perhaps he should
start believing them.

It would save us a lot of work, honey.
The smack that followed was inevitable. Really, Pietr

should have learned his lesson by now.

***

"How did the Warriors practice? I mean those who

used their abilities for real?"

It was early afternoon, and they were at the meadow

again, ready to begin another training session.

"We didn't practice!" Sam sounded outraged.
"Yes, they did." Aki's voice was quiet. Matt

remembered Jerry's words about Aki being close to
Stor's murderer.

Sam turned to Aki, a shocked expression on his face.
Aki looked away. "They played with other Himika. I

don't think they ever did it with the intention of killing
someone, but they were definitely bullies."

And Aki had been so close to becoming one of them.

Matt could sense his mentor's revulsion at that thought.

"Okay, so that's not an option." What the fuck was

he doing now?

Himiko: Warrior - 174

"I think it actually might be." Aki sounded a bit surer

of himself now. "You leave us behind anyway when you
do it, so you don't really need to use the combined
power of the three of us to practice. It was really easy
keeping up the connection."

Matt nodded. He hadn't even had to think about that.
"Then we just spar. Like we did when I taught you

how to shield. You try to break my shields, and I try to
defend myself. Just don't fry my brain."

After what had happened to Sam -- and to the tree

trunk -- Aki had to be very, very brave to suggest this.
Matt really appreciated it.

He still did his very best to kick his mentor's ass.
Aki reeled back when he felt Matt's attack.
"Jesus, Matt! What have you been doing since I

trained you?"

Matt thought about apologizing. Then he

remembered: sucking it up. He attacked again, and this
time he almost got through an opening in Aki's defenses
before he gave his mentor a break.

Aki bent over, gasping, while supporting his hands

on his knees. Robbie was watching him with raised
eyebrows, and Aki looked questioningly at his mate
when he got back up.

"What?"
"Oh, nothing. You did ask for this," Robbie

answered.

Matt grinned and attacked again.

***

Matt had been practicing all of the last three days,

Sam and Jerry pushing him as much as they could
without exhausting him. It wasn't as hard as it used to
be; Aki and Pietr had almost unlimited power when they

Himiko: Warrior - 175

united with him in their strange trinity of energy, and
they stopped getting queasy after a while.

Even when he practiced mental attacks on his own,

he did all right. He was fed and ordered to drink and to
sleep at regular intervals. If the reason for his friends'
babysitting hadn't been looming over him, Matt would
have lost his temper a long time ago. As it was, he
worked harder than he could remember ever doing
before -- and he had worked his ass off after bonding
with Pietr.

"We better stop now. You have a good grasp of it,

and we don't want to tire you out too much before
tomorrow," Sam finally said the evening before the
demonstration.

Sam looked grim, but he wasn't overly pessimistic.

Matt knew that this was another of those things he
wasn't supposed to know without Sam telling him so,
but it was still nice to know that the Himiko wasn't
sending them all on a suicide mission.

"Aren't you forgetting one thing?" Aki looked

skeptical. "How are we going to explain that we're
bringing a human to the meeting?"

Sam opened his mouth to answer. Then he shut it

again.

Pietr saved the Warrior, though. "That's easy. I can

just say that he's having a bad day. Everybody knows
that he's been injured, and, well," he looked a bit
sheepish, "I've sort of kept his power hidden to
everybody."

Sam looked at him in surprise.
Pietr shrugged. "I didn't want them to assign him to

something he didn't want to do." Like he had been
himself.

Matt hugged his mate, unconcerned about the other

Himika in the room. Thank you, baby. After this, we're...

Himiko: Warrior - 176

"Going on vacation" sounded a bit lame when they were
about to save the world from an evil mastermind. But
there was so much they were still learning about each
other.

Pietr understood, though. There was gratitude and a

quiet, undemanding love in his mate's mind, and Matt let
himself absorb it. Then he pulled back.

"I'm ready to go now."

Himiko: Warrior - 177

10

It proved very easy to get Matt into the room where

the meeting was being held in Washington, DC. The
meeting room was near the Mall, enhancing Matt's
suspicion about the purpose of the meeting. They saw a
glimpse of the demonstration on their way; it looked like
there were tens of thousands of people there, and it was
still another hour and a half until the demonstration was
supposed to begin.

Pietr wrapped an arm around Matt's shoulder as they

neared the building. It was a part of his disguise as
injured human, but it felt really good. He let his mate
know it, know exactly how grateful Matt felt to have
met the Himiko. In spite of everything and no matter
what happened to them today.

Pietr leaned in and kissed him. I love you, okay? And

I'll be here for you every step of the way. Even if he
messed up. Even if things went horribly wrong. More
than all of their exercises back at the cabin, this made
Matt feel calm. He would do what he could.

The guard in the foyer gave Matt an unusually sour

look. Pietr did his thing where he grew right before
Matt's eyes.

I have a meeting with the Assessor. This is my mate.

Let us through.

After that, there were no problems whatsoever.
Matt clung to Pietr, letting his steps go a little unsure

and looking down as if his eyes were too sensitive to the
light. He had his shields built up as solidly as he could.
But he kept a fake layer on top on them, a disguise if
anybody dared defy Pietr and impose on Matt's mind.

Himiko: Warrior - 178

The Assessor did, as soon as they stepped into the

Himiko's office. Matt had been prepared, although he
couldn't bring himself to believe that any Himiko really
would do that, even this one. But the Assessor did,
without doing much to conceal the rough search of
Matt's mind.

Matt whimpered and swayed. He didn't have to fake

his discomfort, but he added a sense of bewilderment at
the confrontation with such overwhelming power.
Unfortunately, it wasn't an exaggeration; the Assessor's
energy felt different from anything Matt had ever
encountered. Their very rudimentary plan suddenly
seemed deeply insufficient, and a single week of
practice was laughable in the face of this solid,
impenetrable wall of immense power.

I thought so. The Assessor's inner voice was

strangely impersonal. Matt didn't do anything to hide his
relief when the Himiko withdrew without finding the
barriers protecting the real him under the weak human
disguise. He was channeling your power when we met
last.

Pietr shrugged. It's what you would expect. He is

human, after all.

There was an almost invisible grimace on the

Assessor's face. He most certainly is. Why did you bring
him? And Robbie? He looked reproachfully at Aki, too.

He can't seem to recover from the attack. He had

another migraine yesterday, probably because I was
away from him for too long. And his migraines are my
migraines, so I need to keep both him and his doctor
close.

Matt took that as his cue to sway and reach out for

Aki to support himself, resulting in the two Himika
helping him to the couch in front of the Assessor's low
table. He sat in the middle, with Aki and Pietr on either

Himiko: Warrior - 179

side and Robbie, Sam, and Jerry in the chairs to their
left. So far, so good.

The Assessor expertly kept all of their conversation

silent. Matt had to admire his skill; it seemed like no
effort at all for him to control both his own message as
well as the other participants' contributions. It was
brutal, too. Jerry gasped as the Assessor yanked Matt's
teacher none too gently into the conversation. The
Assessor didn't notice the other Himiko's discomfort, or
maybe he just didn't care. The way the Assessor seemed
to create a barrier between himself and others, even as
he was communicating, was almost sinister; it was like
talking to a machine.

Matt leaned on Pietr, letting his outer layer of

thoughts stray and bump clumsily against both Aki's and
Pietr's minds to conceal what he was about to do. Only
when they were deep in conversation with the Assessor
did he dare so much as brush by the dictator's mind.

Nothing.
The surface of the Assessor's mind was so strong and

so impenetrable that it was almost reflective. Only at the
very last moment did Matt manage to control his attempt
to find out more; if he wasn't very, very careful, his
investigative probe would bounce off the impossibly
smooth surface and be redirected at God knows what,
revealing him immediately.

But that's illegal!
Matt had been too occupied with his work to pay

attention to the conversation. Now he heard Jerry's
outburst.

I didn't think that would be a problem for you. Of all

people. There was a slight derision in the Assessor's
words.

Hey, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a cell

somewhere. I'd fucking love to beat those short-ears to a

Himiko: Warrior - 180

pulp, but not if that's the price to pay. Jerry sounded
harsh.

I can assure you that you won't be punished for this.

Quite the opposite. I have given this a lot of thought,
and I believe it's time to change the rules a bit. We are
off-planet, after all.

I'm not so sure the rules should be changed. They are

rules. Matt had to admire the way Aki carried himself.
You'd never think that it was Matt's friend and Robbie's
mate behind his cold and proper exterior. He really
sounded like he cared about the rules more than
anything else.

The Assessor nodded, smiling encouragingly. Oh, I

quite agree with you; it's not something that should be
done lightly. Only, we have a real problem on our
hands. He made a dismissive gesture. Nothing we can't
handle, of course, but... bothersome all the same.

The Assessor kept on describing the crowd gathering

at the Mall, only a few blocks away. Matt's attention
almost wavered when he heard that; they had so little
time. Then he went back to the task before him,
doubling his attempts to find a way into the Assessor's
mind.

It was completely fruitless, and Matt got more and

more desperate until he got just a bit too clumsy. The
Assessor clearly felt him, and immediately turned to
look at Matt.

Matt didn't have to fake his whimper; from what little

he had learned about the Assessor, he knew that his
blunder was enough to end his life right here and now.
He squeezed his eyes shut, faking dizziness, and leaning
into Pietr.

"What happened? Matt?" Pietr shook him, none too

gently. He gets so sensitive now and then. You never
know where you have him. There was nothing but cold

Himiko: Warrior - 181

annoyance in his mate's mind, and the icy condescension
was enough to make Matt whimper for real this time.

Well, keep him in line. Otherwise we'll have to

experiment with the alternative chip.

Matt cringed as he got a slight echo of associations

along with the Assessor's words: humans as mindless
slaves without any will of their own. Perfect humans, in
other words.

With a start, he realized that he really could read the

Assessor; however, the images were almost
imperceptible because of the Himiko's protection. Matt
had to trust his instincts and accept the elusiveness of
the images instead of striving for the clear pictures he
usually got. He relaxed and tried to sneak close, trying
to catch the echoes of the Assessor's thoughts like he
had done unintentionally with Aki, Sam, and Jerry the
last couple of days. Careful to disguise his presence, he
tried to see what he could get out of that. The result was
terrifying.

The Assessor was evil.
There wasn't any other way to explain it. The

Assessor's mind seethed with malevolence, and it was so
disgusting that Matt almost got sick. The Assessor was
also very different from any Himiko Matt had
encountered; his mind didn't reach out in an attempt to
create that kind of understanding that seemed to be the
distinctive trait of normal Himika. The common
connection that, according to Aki and Pietr, kept Himika
sane.

Instead, the Assessor held back, watching for

opportunities to manipulate his surroundings until he got
what he wanted. He was power crazed to a degree that
bordered on insanity.

Suddenly, Matt didn't have the slightest problem with

the task ahead.

Himiko: Warrior - 182

Matt only gradually came back to the conversation

around him. So, you want us to... crop their numbers?
Or just incapacitate the humans? It was Sam's voice.
Matt held his breath; the answer would confirm if they
really were going through with this. He still wasn't going
to do anything potentially harmful to the Assessor if the
Himiko only wished to uphold law and order.

I want to make sure that we don't see a manifestation

like this again. That means destroying enough humans
to teach the rest a lesson.

Free rein? Jerry grinned, sounding so bloodthirsty

that Matt felt sick.

You can kill as many as you like. For the first time,

the Assessor smiled. As a matter of fact, I think I'll make
that an order.

The words were there, spoken between them. Deep

under his shields, Matt could feel Pietr pulling all of his
energy together. Matt casually let his left hand wander
toward Aki. It was going to have to be soon, whether or
not Matt had found an opening.

Sam saw Matt's hand hovering over Aki's and nodded

almost imperceptibly. Then he stood up. Let's get to it. I
can't wait to use my skills for real.

The Assessor got up, too, a little taken aback with

Sam taking the initiative. Matt took the opportunity,
grabbed Pietr's and Aki's hands, and stood up, too. He
felt the energy going through him and attacked with the
power of all three of them combined.

The Assessor took a step back as Matt let all their

power fly against him. It was only a fraction of a
second, though. Then he hit back, and Matt screamed.

The Himiko's power was overwhelming, all the more

so because he was completely uncaring whether he hurt
anybody or not. As a matter of fact, harm was his goal.
Matt had no idea how they were going to defeat

Himiko: Warrior - 183

someone like this. How Matt was going to defeat
someone like this.

Matt still tried, though, out of sheer desperation,

pulling on the power of the two Himika united with him
and lashing out again. The Assessor brushed off the
attack almost casually and hit back once again. Matt
could hear an awful, shrill sound in the room, and he
was faintly aware that it was coming from himself.

This wasn't a fight at all. Matt pulled up his shields

tightly around them, building them as high as he could,
and just tried to survive. He briefly felt Jerry trying to
help; then the Himiko was thrown against the wall, and
Jerry fell to the ground, lifeless.

The pain from the merciless attack was excruciating

by now, and Matt could feel Aki's power starting to
falter. His mentor's rigidity was no match for this
whirlwind of mindless, evil power.

The inflexibility that worked so well for the Assessor

in building a hard shell didn't give Aki the power he
needed, and his energy crumpled, forcing Matt to
support him doubly now his own force was gone.

The Assessor gave a triumphant roar, and Matt felt

the Himiko collect all of the immense strength behind
that impossibly inflexible surface again, this time to
finish them off. Matt closed his eyes and fumbled along
the Assessor's walls in one last desperate attempt to find
a weakness. There were none, only unbreakable walls
that reflected any feeble attack Matt made.

Reflection.
In the endless moment before the final attack, Matt

pulled up their shield again, as strong as before, but this
time mimicking the reflectivity of the Assessor's
impenetrable shield. When the final attack came, it
rattled Matt to the core, and Pietr swayed next to him.
Matt desperately tried to keep his shield up, but he could

Himiko: Warrior - 184

feel the cracks developing. It was only a matter of
seconds now.

Bend, don't break. Aki's words were almost too weak

to hear.

Triumph shot through Matt when he understood what

Aki was trying to tell him. In a movement that made
Pietr cry out in fear, he yielded to the Assessor's force,
letting his shield retreat so much that it almost touched
the core of their beings. The movement allowed his
shield to heal, and he concentrated on reshaping it,
creating a rubber-like texture.

Matt felt the split-second of bewilderment from the

Assessor when his force hit the foreign surface. Then
Matt's shield sent all of his enormous power right back
at him, and Matt felt a blinding explosion of power and
rage when the Assessor's shield shattered under his own
force.

Matt cried out when the razor-sharp shards of energy

and anger hit his shield, but he held on, desperate to
protect his mate and his mentor. He poured his very last
power into his shield, and then he felt the immense
pressure from the attack disappear as suddenly as it had
begun.

Matt opened his eyes, the sudden quiet in the room

ringing in his ears.

Are you okay? Pietr? His first instinct was to reach

out for his mate.

I'll live. Fuck, that was scary. Pietr was shaken, and

Matt had drained too much of his energy for him to be
entirely steady on his legs, but he would be fine. He
leaned on the wall as Matt took in the rest of the
damage.

He almost didn't see the Assessor at first. Then he

found the Himiko lying on the floor, eyes open but

Himiko: Warrior - 185

staring into empty space. Matt cautiously reached out
mentally. There was nothing there.

"Is he dead?" Matt's voice sounded odd, and he

looked around the room.

Sam was bent over Jerry, who was lying in a heap by

the wall. Next to Matt, Aki's legs gave out and he
tumbled to the couch. His mind was a blur of fatigue.

Robbie was there immediately, bending over his mate

and taking Aki's face between his hands. Aki stirred, and
Robbie kissed his mate lightly. Then he got up and
turned to the Assessor. It didn't take long.

"He's dead. No question about it."
"And Jerry?"
Sam looked up as he heard Matt's voice, face looking

drawn. "I... I don't know."

Robbie went to check on Jerry. "He's hurt. It may

take some time before he wakes up." Robbie sat in
silence, and Matt felt him give Jerry as much of his
healing power as he could spare. "But he will wake up."

Sam's face was a study in relief when the Warrior

heard that, and Matt remembered the raw feeling in
Sam's mind, his unrequited love for the other Himiko at
the very core of his existence. Matt felt a wave of relief
that Sam hadn't lost what mattered most to him.

Then Robbie stood up, a little unsteady, and went

back to his mate, curling up with Aki.

"I killed him." Matt's words sounded odd in the silent

room. Nobody looked up.

He killed himself, Matt. You just defended yourself

and your mate. Are you all right?

Matt looked at his mate. Pietr was still leaning

heavily against the wall. Matt slowly nodded. Yeah. I
am, actually. It couldn't be any other way.

Himiko: Warrior - 186

He was going to say something more when the door

opened and Himiko guards rushed into the room. They
stopped dead, taking in the scene.

"The power has changed." Pietr pushed himself off

the wall. He was so tired, but he still stood up straight,
growing in stature before Matt's eyes. "The Assessor
once was the leader; he is no more. Now I am the leader
of the Himika on this planet."

There was something almost ritual about his words,

and the guards clearly recognized them. Matt could feel
them hesitantly reach out, determining if Pietr's words
were true, if he really had the power necessary to speak
those words.

Matt poured the last remains of their joint energy into

Pietr's mind, fortifying Pietr enough that he could
defend the claim even now that he was almost empty of
power. It was enough for the guards. There weren't any
protests, just a simple acceptance of the change of
power.

"The power has changed." The leader of the guards

nodded.

"The power has changed." It was Sam, looking up

from his friend.

"The power has changed." Aki looked dead tired, but

he managed to say those important words.

"Take his body away. And get a doctor here, quickly,

to help Jerry."

The leader of the guards nodded to Pietr before he

turned to give orders.

The room was a bustle of activity during the next

hour. Pietr sat on the couch, Matt as close to his mate as
he could get. The guards looked, but they seemed to
accept that their new leader had a human mate.

Himiko: Warrior - 187

Matt had trouble staying awake until someone

brought them some ReGen. The fluid felt so good that
he almost got tears in his eyes.

You were tired. Pietr's words were quiet, and Matt

turned to look at his mate.

The ReGen had removed some of the exhaustion

from Pietr's face. He still looked tired, but there was
something new about his posture. With a shock, Matt
realized that Pietr had been holding back, hiding how
powerful he really was except in those few instances
when Matt had caught a glimpse. Those had been only
fragments of what he displayed now, though, even in his
weakened state.

It was necessary. I was strong enough to be

dangerous to the Assessor, but not strong enough to beat
him. That was a life-threatening combination.

Matt nodded and pushed close. He knew all about

necessary decisions.

You did well.
I know. I... know. And I don't regret it. Still, I killed

another living being. You shouldn't take that lightly.

No, you shouldn't. You've also saved a lot of lives

today, though. Human and Himiko.

Matt just nodded. He didn't really know how to relate

to his actions yet.

He had a thought. What are you going to do about the

demonstration, by the way?

I'm going to let them be. They have a right to

assemble.

It could go wrong. Matt had seen that before, and

with far less important issues than this.

It could. I'm keeping the Himika as far away from

them as possible and letting the human police forces
handle any trouble. Then, tomorrow, we're going to hold

Himiko: Warrior - 188

a press conference to tell everybody that things are
going to change.

Is it that easy?
Pietr laughed and pulled him closer. This is as far

from easy as it gets. But we have to figure it out, and at
least now the Himika can meet the humans with
genuinely good intentions. That has to count for
something. It won't be easy, though; too many mistakes
already made for that.

You can make it. Matt's words were quiet, but he let

his confidence in his mate flow into Pietr's mind.

Yes. With you, I can. There was no doubt in Pietr's

words, or in his mind, and Matt sat back, enjoying the
feeling of being loved and trusted. Sometimes, mates
weren't all that bad.

Himiko: Warrior - 189

Epilogue

Matt was pacing. He had tried sitting, looking out of

the window, and watching TV, but now he was back to
pacing again.

I can't believe I'm doing this. You're so going to pay

me back for this.

Pietr didn't do anything to stop the pacing. He had

already tried that -- twice -- and now he just patiently
watched Matt freak out.

You're going to be fine. Don't worry.
Do I look like I'm not worrying? Matt would have

stopped to glare, but the pacing kept his nerves down to
a tolerable level.

Not exactly, no.
Matt didn't have a clue how his mate could take

things this lightly.

Pietr had worked all day yesterday, setting up

meetings and gaining control over the Himiko society.
Matt had stayed with him, but he'd had to nap a lot and
go to bed early in the apartment they had borrowed; he
had used almost all of his power fighting the Assessor
and then given the remains of it to Pietr. Aki had been
out like a light, too, and Robbie didn't fare much better
after healing Jerry. The wounded Himiko had woken up
this morning, to Matt's relief and Sam's wholehearted
joy.

That was why Matt hadn't registered that Pietr had a

meeting this morning. He didn't worry when he woke up
alone; he'd needed his sleep, and when he came out of
the shower, he could feel that Pietr was only a few

Himiko: Warrior - 190

minutes away. He had kissed his mate thoroughly when
Pietr came back just as Matt had dried off.

Busy morning?
Pietr kissed him back just as thoroughly. Not too bad;

I had a meeting with your leader. Things are looking up.

Matt was caught up in deciding whether he should try

to seduce his mate before or after breakfast.

God, you must be hungry if you're even thinking

about that! Pietr was laughing at him.

Matt tried to give his mate a dignified answer, but his

growling stomach ruined that. I'm starving.

Let's get you something to eat, then.
Matt was busy choosing between eggs and toast -- he

wanted eggs, but toast was so much faster -- when he
absentmindedly remembered Pietr's words from before.

Who did you meet with again? The mayor?
Uh, no? Your leader. I told you that.
Matt looked up, a piece of bread in one hand and a

slice of ham in the other. You had a meeting with the
President? This morning?

Yes? Pietr didn't seem to find anything odd about

that. You do remember what happened yesterday, don't
you? Part of my job is to find a way out of the mess
we've created. We had a good talk about that.

You talked to the President? Matt had a hard time

getting over that.

Yes, Matt. We're doing a speech together tomorrow.

Today, it'll only be us, though.

You're doing a speech tog... What do you mean, only

us? Matt had developed a sound instinct for when he
was supposed to get suspicious. Side effect of
interacting with aliens.

Pietr looked straight at him. I want you there. I want

people to see that you're okay and that there are humans
who talk to Himika.

Himiko: Warrior - 191

Hence Matt's present pacing in the improvised green

room of the hotel and his attempt at not peeing his pants
at the thought of the horde of reporters waiting for them
in the hall on the other side of the door.

His mate blinked, Pietr's mind doing a double take.
It's a saying, stupid! I've told you that a million times

by now!

Pietr stepped into Matt's path, catching him the next

time he turned to pace back. You ARE going to be fine.
We'll go out there, you'll tell everybody that you're all
right, I'll apologize for what has been going on until
now, and then I'll tell them what's going to happen in the
future. That's all. We can do it.

Matt let himself be held for a moment, leaning on his

mate and taking in Pietr's quiet confidence.

Then he stepped back, taking a big breath.
"World peace and all that, huh?" He looked at Pietr.
"World peace, baby." Pietr smiled.
Matt took another deep breath and nodded. He turned

around and faced the entrance to the hall where the
bright lights of the TV cameras waited. Then he stepped
through the door with his mate.

End

Himiko: Warrior - 192