The Alien’s Savior

Drixonian Warriors #5

Ella Maven

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Ella Maven

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

Copyedited by Del’s Diabolical Editing

Cover design by Natasha Snow

First edition August 2020

Dedication

To getting what you deserve…

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

The Alien’s Challenge

Acknowledgments

About the Author

One

Gar

She sat with her back to me, her bare skin glowing in the first rays of the morning sun, while she brushed her hair. The ends of her shining locks touched the top of her heart-shaped ass. In a moment she’d stand, and I’d get a full view of her perfection before she slipped her short pants on.

I hated those clothes. I’d spend all day sneering at them, wishing I had the honor of shredding them with my fangs and burying my face in the sweetness of her cunt.

Of course, I’d never get that honor, and I shouldn’t. Especially because of acting like this, standing in the shadows outside her window every morning, watching her like a flecking wretch.

I didn’t want to, but this was where my feet led me daily. I couldn’t function without seeing my Naomi every morning, hearing her quiet voice as she talked to herself. I had worn a groove in the dirt with my boots outside her room from spying on her. My brother always said I was stealthy for my size, and I’d never cared more than now when I could use that skill to get a glimpse of the one thing I wanted most on this world. Well, that and the head of every Uldani on a spike. I was more likely to get the latter.

I could not bind Naomi to me. Not that Fatas would ever gift me a mate, but if she did, no way could I let Naomi see the flecked up shit in my head. Even I didn’t want to see it, and I lived with it every day. No, I wanted my Naomi to stay sweet and unblemished from my darkness. She was better off without me.

Just then, she rose, and I inhaled as I caught a glimpse of her lean legs. She was tiny, the smallest of the human females, with big round eyes, tiny brown dots splashed across her face, and gleaming hair which swirled around her waist. Her breasts were large, and I’d heard her complain to the other females about the lack of a proper bra, which I understood as a sort of support for her breasts. I preferred to watch them swing free beneath her shirts.

She angled her body and I saw one pink peaked nipple. My mouth watered. My cock thickened in my pants, but I didn’t touch it. The pain of no release was not even close to what I deserved for this.

If she just moved her leg … there. Just a glimpse, but it would fuel me for many rotations, probably the rest of my life. Her cunt covered in a patch of dark curls. I ached to get closer, to kneel at her feet and worship her as she deserved. But she should get that from someone else. A better male with a clean mind like Xavy or Nero.

I growled thinking of them touching her, and she jerked. As her head turned toward the window, I ducked out of the way with a muffled curse.

I didn’t wait to see if she’d seen me. It didn’t matter now. This was the last time I’d watch her. The last time I’d torture myself with what I couldn’t have. I crept away from her room with my fists clenched and my mind once again a riotous whirlwind of rage. Only when I was in her presence did I forget the anger and the guilt. As soon as she was out of my sight, it came back stronger than ever.

I stayed in the shadows until I was far enough away from her room to show myself, then strode toward the dining hall. I squinted at the sun and cursed under my breath. I’d spent longer at Naomi’s window than I’d meant to and I was late. I didn’t like being late.

I stalked into the dining hall, past the warriors getting ready to head to their training and burst through the door of our private meeting room. Daz looked up at me sharply from his place at the head of the table.

I didn’t offer an excuse for my lateness, though I knew I should. It was disrespectful to Daz, but I didn’t want to make a scene or delay further. I sat in my chair, hands clasped on the table in front of me, and waited.

“Well, we can get started now,” Daz said in a dry tone as he gave me a displeased look for my tardiness. “As always, we’ll begin with an update on our females. My Fra-kee is very round. I told her that, and she didn’t speak to me for half of a rotation, so I suggest to the rest of you with pregnant mates not to call them round.”

“Noted,” Ward said solemnly. “Reba cries a lot.”

Daz sighed heavily. “The tears. I strongly dislike the tears.”

“I’d rather Val be mad at me,” Sax said. “Because I can usually turn Val’s anger into naked time in our furs.”

“I’m jealous of your talent,” Ward grouched. “Reba’s anger always ends in tears, so I have to deal with both.”

“Unlucky,” Sax clicked his tongue as he shook his head at his friend.

Ward’s spine snapped straight. “I am not unlucky. I have a cora-eternal who will soon bear my chit, I—”

“Enough,” Daz barked. “We are all lucky, every one of us.” He shot me, Xavy, and Nero a look. “Even those of us without mates. Because we have a chance to be a part of the future of our race.”

“Sorry, Ward,” Sax mumbled. “Poor choice of words.”

Ward shook his head. “No, I shouldn’t have taken offense. Reba wasn’t feeling well this morning, which made me irritable, and I took it out on you.”

“No harm, brother,” Sax grinned.

“Val and Reba are all right other than normal pregnancy symptoms?” Daz asked.

“Yes,” Sax and Ward both answered.

Xavy cleared his throat. His duty was to report on the rest of the females. “Miranda and Drak are doing well. He is settling in although still not a fan of the large gatherings.”

Drak was a warrior we’d exiled fifteen cycles ago for a betrayal he never committed. We’d found the real traitor, and cast him out, but Drak’s return wasn’t without obstacles. Fortunately, he was mated to Miranda, who was patient with him and fought for him.

Xavy continued with his updates, reporting that Tark and Anna, as the parents to the only Drix-human child we knew of, were settling in well. They’d lived alone for ten cycles but had since joined the Night Kings because we offered a safer place to live.

“Tabitha, Justine, and Naomi are healthy and happy. They have been busy in the kitchens and are currently designing a new organization for our crops.” Xavy ended his report.

Daz nodded. “Thank you for that.” He gestured to Nero. “Have you uncovered anything new about the Uldani’s plans?”

I leaned forward, eager to hear what Nero had to say. The Uldani were the reason the human females were on this planet. Since they arrived, we had uncovered the Uldani’s plot to breed them with stolen Drixonian males to create a class of servant warriors. We used to serve the Uldani as their soldiers but rose against them in an Uprising when we learned they were taking our males and experimenting on them. Now the Uldani lived in a fortified city, but they weren’t content to let us be. They had tried many times to kidnap the humans and force them to breed.

We’d learned recently the Uldani had also captured and sold Drixonian males before and during the Uprising. The Drixonian who betrayed us, Crius, confessed to us—before he was killed—that Rex, Daz and Sax’s younger brother, was not killed in the Uprising as we’d thought. He’d been sold by the Uldani to an enemy race on another planet.

Nero tapped on his tablet before gently placing it on the table in front of him. “I couldn’t understand how the Uldani were able to travel so close to our borders without our scouts detecting them. Or my eyes.”

His eyes were his censors at our borders that alerted movement and identified intruders. He swiped on the screen and pushed it toward Daz. “I detected an anomaly under the ground right here. I can’t be sure, but I think they have created an underground hideout with tunnels leading closer to Alazar.” Alazar was the Uldani’s fortified city, well protected by their advanced tech, in the eastern hemisphere of our continent. We rarely crossed to their lands, and they rarely crossed into ours, which was home to many clavases of Drixonian warriors like ours. Some were friendly, some were not.

I stood up and leaned over to peer at the screen, making note of the location Nero had highlighted.

“You’re telling me you think the Uldani have made a bunker here, in the western hemisphere?” Daz asked.

Nero’s lips thinned as he nodded. “I do.”

“Fleck,” Daz spat as he shoved the tablet with a violent thrust, sending it spinning across the table. The only reason it didn’t fall to the floor and shatter was because Xavy caught it. He handed it back to Nero, who cradled it to his chest like it was a chit.

“Do you have any idea how large this is or how many Uldani and Kulk guards reside there?” Daz asked.

“I don’t,” Nero frowned. “If I had more time…”

“Take the time you need,” Daz growled. “I’ll reach out to our ally clavases. I refuse to offer up the lives of the Night Kings for a fight that affects us all. This is a Drixonian fight. I’ve been talking about uniting again but didn’t out of fear of the knowledge we have females would turn some clavases ugly.”

Ward growled softly. We’d had experience with that. A clavas had stolen Reba and would have killed Ward if she hadn’t found a way for them to escape. Clever little human.

“But I can’t let this go on,” Daz said. “We can’t do this alone, so I will reach out to drexels who I know honor our creed. The Uldani have gone too far.” His jaw clenched. “Hug your females tight, brothers. War is coming.”

* * *

War is coming.

Those three words rattled around in my brain like rocks. I thought about all we’d been through, how many warriors had already fallen, and how much hardship our females had endured.

Daz might have trusted some of the other drexels, but I didn’t. I trusted my Night Kings council, and I trusted myself. I had limited skills and wasn’t good for much of anything, but I was an excellent warrior. I could track, hunt, and kill.

I knew the general placement of the hidden Uldani bunker thanks to Nero’s tablet. Every rotation they remained there was another rotation where our females—like Naomi—were threatened.

Rage filled me as I stalked to my hut, the fury a living thing inside my gut chewing, gnawing, and begging to get out. I wasn’t sure I could live like this much longer. I could do one thing to make the lives of my brothers and the precious females better. I knew what it was, and fleck it all—I was going to do it.

I entered my hut and slammed the door shut behind me. As a member of the Night Kings council, I received my own hut, even though I didn’t need it. I didn’t even require a bed. I’d slept on the bare floor plenty of times. But Ward had insisted I maintain some sort of presence as a leader.

Other than my attached cleanser, my hut held a bed of furs, a few pieces of clothing stacked in the corner, a basket of food, and a chair. I sat down in the chair and grabbed an old scrap of leather I’d traded for the other day. I laid it flat on the ground and filled it with a few pieces of antella jerky, some dried fruit, and hardy roots to chew on. After that, I tied the leather edges into a bundle.

I inhaled deeply and looked around the room. There was nothing here that mattered to me. The furs were castoffs. All the good ones I’d acquired had been given to the human females, which was where I wanted them.

I eyed the corner of my room, where I knew just below a layer of dirt lay a weapon I’d taken long ago during the days of the Uprising. I’d been waiting for a time to use it to the benefit of my race. Now was that time. I started toward it just as my door burst open. I turned to find Ward’s frame filling my door. I shoved the leather bundle in the back of my pants. “Brother.”

He slowly sauntered into my space and glanced around. “Really love what you’ve done with the place.”

I didn’t find him humorous. “Did you need something?”

He placed his hands on his hips and stared at the floor before meeting my gaze. “Are you okay?”

His question wrapped around my throat and squeezed. I didn’t want to answer that, and before meeting his cora-eternal, I wasn’t sure Ward had ever said those words to me. But Reba had made him a little softer, more observant. Which meant he seemed on a mission to fix me. Make me okay. Make me happy.

It was a pointless as fleck mission, but I hadn’t bothered to tell him yet.

“Fine,” I answered.

He narrowed his eyes in a way that reminded me so much of my twin sister. My gut churned like it always did when I thought of Mave, followed by the white-hot flush of anger. I’d lived most of my life without her, but the bond we’d formed in our mother’s womb, and for close to a dozen cycles, would last long past my death.

Laughter drifted in from outside. A knock rapped at my door, followed by a loud, “Ward?”

“Yes, my mate,” he called to Reba. He swung the door open, and her swollen belly made its entrance before she did. Her face was flushed from the heat and the exertion of walking only a short distance. When we’d first met, I blamed her for my brother’s injuries, since her escape was the reason he’d been wounded. But since then I’d come to respect her for her cleverness, devotion to Ward, and most of all for the chit she was currently growing in her belly. The next generation of my family.

She blew a strand of hair out of her face that had escaped its tie. “Sorry, I know you said to wait outside, but the sun was getting to me.”

Immediately he looked stricken. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you to—”

She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Relax, I’m not going to die. The heat just makes me grumpy.” She shot me a look that I couldn’t decipher before she called over her shoulder. “They’re in here, come in.”

I stiffened because I could sense her before she took one step into view. Naomi.

She crept inside on silent feet, a trait that surprised me because I could hear the rest of the females coming from a far distance. She wore a long pair of pants, boots, and a small shirt which was only a band across her breasts. The muscles in her taut stomach shifted when she moved, and I longed to run my tongue along her ribs. When she reached Reba’s side, she looped her arm through her friends and smiled brightly at my brother. “Hey, Ward.”

He nodded at her. “Naomi.”

Her eyes flicked to me and color rose in her cheeks. Sometimes she looked away quickly, but not today. Today her gaze hooked mine and held. “Hi, Gar.”

I knew I was supposed to answer her. I could feel my brother burning a hole in the side of my face, but I couldn’t speak. She must have seen me this morning. There was a challenge in her eyes. Would she tell my brother? Had she laughed with the other females about how pathetic I was?

I remained silent, and with each passing moment, Naomi’s bold stare weakened until she winced, and her eyes dropped.

“Gar,” my brother barked.

My room was too small. There were too many people in here. My skin felt tight, and my scalp around my horns itched. I needed to get out of here before I started throwing things. I started for the door. “I have some tasks to get done—”

“You’re coming to morning meal with us,” Ward all but growled.

I hesitated and prepared an argument, but when I whirled to find Ward glaring at me, and Reba rubbing Naomi’s back, I knew I had to make amends. I was imagining things, making up problems where they didn’t exist. Naomi hadn’t seen me watching her this morning. She’d only wanted a greeting, which I couldn’t even bring myself to do. If this was the last I saw my brother, his pregnant cora-eternal, and the only female to ever make me feel desire, then I had to make the most of it. So, I swallowed my refusal and gave my brother a sharp nod. “I will.”

His eyes went wide with surprise for a moment, probably because he’d expected me to argue. Then he blinked. “Great. Let’s go. You’re joining us, Naomi?”

“I am,” she said, in that soft voice of hers.

Ward gestured for the women to walk ahead of him, and they walked out the door arm in arm. I discreetly placed the leather package near the door. I’d have to return to get it.

My brother and I followed the females out of my room and headed in the direction of our barracks, where the kitchens were located and the large dining hall. The girls talked quietly about Reba’s pet welf, Luna, who was now full-grown. Reba had to start letting Luna out of the walls occasionally to hunt for her own food. She always returned, tongue lolling happily, teeth stained with antella blood.

In the dining hall, we heaped the food offerings on our leaf “plates,” as the females called them. The food had improved since the humans took over most of the cooking. Now, we were served what they called “buffet” style, which meant large vats of food were placed in a row, and we scooped out what we wanted. I stood next to Naomi in line, and her presence was like a constant itch under my skin—and an ache in my cock. It didn’t help she kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. Normally, I couldn’t give a fleck about awkwardness or someone offended by my lack of conversation, but I knew I’d hurt her back in my room. She physically winced at my lack of greeting.

I was a total “dick,” as the females said. Well, they didn’t know I was aware they called me that, but I’d overheard it. I still wasn’t sure what a dick was, but they sneered it with curled lips.

Naomi never called me that though. I’d heard her defend me a time or two. Why? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t deserve it. Whatever a dick was, I accepted the title and probably deserved worse.

With full plates, we both turned to sit down to find that the only seats available were right across from each other. I took my place next to Ward, and Naomi took her seat next to Reba. I was forced to look at her, to feel the coolness of her breath when she blew over her hot porridge, to smell the scent of her hair. I itched to touch her, but I hadn’t dared, not since the rotations before we reached the safety of these walls. She didn’t need me now. She was safe here.

Naomi remained quiet, offering only a few words when Ward and Reba tried to draw her into conversation. She watched me from beneath her thick dark lashes, as if trying to hide her glance. But I didn’t have to see it. I felt it.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I cleared my throat. “Hello, Naomi.”

She froze with a handful of food halfway to her mouth. Reba choked and coughed before gulping down some qua. Ward sucked in a breath then held it.

Naomi blinked at me rapidly, as I sat still, barely able to believe the words were out of my mouth. I rarely talked to her, too afraid I’d lose my mind, grab her, and never let her go. But I couldn’t hurt her, not if it were the last memory she had of me.

She dropped her hand back to the table, and I swallowed. My cora pounded. Then her lips split, and she gifted me with a rare, bright, full-out Naomi smile. Just the sight of it made the air clearer, the food taste better, the sun shine brighter.

“Hi,” she said, her little tongue peeking out between her blunt white teeth. She beamed at me, then at Reba before tucking back into her food, a pretty flush on her cheeks highlighting the small brown dots on her skin.

Reba stared at Naomi, then at me, before sighing heavily. “Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt,” she muttered.

“What was that?” Ward asked.

“Nothing,” she answered.

Naomi elbowed her, and they both laughed.

I closed my eyes, imprinting that sound into my memory. I’d need it where I was heading next.

Two

Naomi

Something was off about Gar.

Well, something was always off about Gar, but today he was even more gruff, distracted, and downright irritated at my presence than normal.

I wasn’t sure why I felt responsible for Gar’s emotions, or rather why I felt it was my duty to make him happy. Nothing made Gar happy. But like an idiot, I kept trying even though every interaction with him was like bashing my head against a wall.

I wouldn’t have bothered except just when I felt like giving in, he’d let a whisper of truth slip through—in the way his eyes tracked me at all times, or the way he flexed his fists when I got to near, like he had to hold back from touching me.

I still remembered when we’d first arrived on this planet, kidnapped by the gross Rahguls, and rescued by the Drixonians. We hadn’t known if the blue, horned aliens were the good guys at first, but they’d taken us to their hideout and kept us safe. With no translation implants yet, we hadn’t been able to understand them, but they’d been patient, fed us, and were as gentle as they could be.

It was just my luck I got my period and woken up to my borrowed furs covered in blood. I’d never forget Gar’s panic as he scooped me up and raced to the cleanser, where he’d searched my body for injury. His big hands had touched every inch of skin looking for the source of the blood. At the time, I’d been terrified, but looking back, I realized now he’d been out of his mind with fear I’d been hurt.

I almost wished that hadn’t happened, that I didn’t know what it was like for Gar to care so much. He spent so much time with a face like stone and pitch-black eyes, but then his anger had taken on another form, his eyes a stormy purple as he growled, handling me possessively. I fully believed at the time he would have fought an entire army single-handedly if they were responsible for one drop of my blood.

Gar didn’t like when anyone stared at him. Not even the other warriors, and definitely not the women. I wasn’t sure if it was a vanity thing, although I couldn’t imagine Gar really gave a crap about how he looked. He did look different from the other warriors—the left side of his face was a spiderweb of scars that marred the blue flesh with white lines. His left horn was broken, the ends sharp and jagged. As far as piercings, each nostril was adorned with large golden rings, and he had the tongue piercings all the warriors had. His hair hung past his shoulders in thin black braids. Overall, he looked terrifying, but I still found him handsome. His lips were full, his jaw strong. His eyes, which he worked hard to keep blank, revealed a lot when he forgot to maintain his back-off glower.

Still, I stared at him. Often. I’d sneak glances at him, and he never snarled at me the way he did with others. Today, I looked at him more, focusing on the tenseness in his shoulders and the way his fists clenched rhythmically. Something was bothering him. Something big. And I knew Gar well enough to know he’d cut out his own vocal cords before he unburdened himself to someone. Ward was worried about him, too, as he kept trying to engage an unwilling Gar in conversation, all while his face was pinched with concern.

When Gar finished eating, he didn’t excuse himself from the table at breakfast. He never did. He simply got up, tossed his leaf in the waste bin, and walked out.

Normally I’d sit at the table and pick at the rest of my food, sulking, but this time, he’d given me a reason to continue poking. He’d said “Hi,” and when I’d smiled at him, longing had crossed his face. It’d been a split second, but it’d been enough for me.

I stood so quickly Reba jerked to look at me with a frown.

“I just remembered I told Anna I’d help her with Bazel for a little this morning,” I said, referring to our friend—the only one of us who’d birthed a human-Drixonian baby, even though three of our women were pregnant.

Reba gulped down a fresh-squeezed guara drink we made that tasted a little like orange juice. “Okay.”

Ward was distracted, his gaze tracking his brother as he walked away. His head swung back once Gar was out of sight, and he frowned down at his food.

I swallowed. “Right. See you guys later.”

With a small wave, I jetted out of there before anyone could stop me. I was worried I’d lost him but when I walked out of the dining hall, I spotted Gar entering his hut. He’d had a leather package in the back of his pants when we’d met him before breakfast. I’d seen him place it off to the side before we left for our meal. What had he wrapped up?

I hung back behind a drying rack of clothes, watching his hut. He didn’t stay inside long. His door opened, and his frame filled the doorway before he stepped out and shut it firmly behind him. That package was once again tucked in the back of his pants. He brushed his hands together and green dust drifted from them to the ground.

I followed him as he headed in the direction of the garage. I kept to the shadows at a near crouch. Luckily, I was small, and the warriors were so tall they often looked right over my head.

Gar walked into the garage which was full of gleaming hover bikes. I hadn’t been on one since we arrived within these walls, but I still remembered what it felt like to sit in front of Gar, his big arms caging me in while the powerful bike vibrated between my legs. The other women had been terrified of what was to come, and I had been too—except around Gar I always felt safe. I’d seen him battle and rip apart Kulks with his bare hands, but I knew he’d never hurt me.

I plastered myself in a dark corner and watched as Gar found his bike. His was one of the largest—it had to be to fit his frame—and he also had the largest compartment on the back, which he often used to carry extra weapons for the other warriors when on missions.

He placed his leather package in the compartment. Taking a pouch of qua off a rack, he dropped that in too. He straddled the bike and slowly walked it out of the line of bikes, closer to where I hid. His expression was hard, his jaw in a tight clench.

I ached to go to him, to smooth the frown in his nubbed brow and tell him he could unburden his thoughts on me. But I knew it was unwelcome. I wasn’t that comfort for Gar, no matter how much I wanted to be.

“Gar,” said a voice from the front of the garage.

The big warrior’s head went up, and irritation thinned his lips before he unstraddled his bike with a low growl.

“What?” He strode toward the front of the garage and out of my sight.

I heard his voice, mingled with one of the younger warriors who often cared for the bikes. Something about fuel and polish. Then Gar asked him to open the gates.

“Where are you going?” The warrior asked.

“None of your business.” Gar shot back.

The other warrior muttered an apology. Because that was what everyone did when Gar got grumpy with them.

I fisted my hands at my sides. So, I’d been right. He was leaving. He hadn’t said a word to Ward, which bothered me. Where was he going? This wasn’t a normal hunting party, and few warriors ever left the gates alone, unless they were scouts, and that was a planned schedule which they completed on foot.

I had two options, confront Gar, and ask him where he was going, which most likely would result in him shutting me down and me crying about it in the privacy of my room. Gar wasn’t magically going to open up and tell me what was wrong and where he was going.

My other choice was not a good option. Several of the other women warned of the dangers outside the gates, and I believed them. Their stories scared me. But my concern for Gar ran so deep I made a split-second reckless decision.

Before Gar strode back into the garage, I raced to his bike. Throwing up the lid of the compartment, I climbed inside. After much contortion of my limbs, I curled into the fetal position. Just as I heard booted footsteps returning, I reached up and closed the lid. Then I held my breath.

Had he seen me? I couldn’t imagine the tongue lashing I’d get. Part of me hoped I did get caught. He’d be forced to look at me and talk to me. The footsteps stopped by the bike. I waited, blinking into the dark, staring at the lid, waiting for it to open, and Gar to haul me out by the scruff of my neck.

But that didn’t happen. My stomach dipped as the bike shifted. I could feel Gar’s presence near my head as he settled on the bike. A flip switched, and the engine roared to life. The bike rose, and my head spun with vertigo. Oh God, the last thing I wanted was to throw up in here. The bike moved forward, and after a few moments I heard the gates close, and we picked up speed. The bike dipped and rolled.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I whispered to myself. I’d really done this. I’d hidden in the back of Gar’s bike while he drove outside the walls. This was not good, in fact, this was really, really bad. If Gar didn’t kill me himself when he found me—which he inevitably would—then Miranda would kill me. I squeezed my eyes shut, clasped my hands together, and hoped this was just a joyride. If I could get back and out of here without anyone noticing, I might just survive this.

* * *

We rode for what felt like hours. I dozed off here and there, lulled by the swaying and vibrations of the bike. I took a few sips of the qua and nibbled on a bit of antella jerky from his small leather pouch when I got hungry.

Gar didn’t stop. He just rode, and I couldn’t make sense of it. Why would he be traveling so far, and without any warriors to have at his back? They were a pack race and stronger together.

A bit of light crept into my hiding spot, and it was then I realized the rushing wind had exposed a small slit in the leather of his compartment, probably a result of a past battle. Wiggling my finger into it, I was able to open the cut just wide enough I could see out of it. Blue and green flew past us, making me dizzy, so I turned away, wincing as my cramped legs protested.

I needed to get out here. I could yell for Gar, but he wouldn’t hear me over the wind. I was praying he’d turned around from this little joyride and we were on the way back. “Stupid, Naomi,” I chastised myself in a whisper. “This was really stupid.”

Except when the bike finally slowed, I squinted through my peephole to find we were in an unfamiliar area. The trees were less dense here, and tall blue grass blew in the breeze of an open plain in the distance.

Gar settled the bike down and turned off the engine. For a moment, he didn’t move, and I held my breath. Should I tell him I’m here? I should. He’d yell at me, but at least he’d keep me safe.

The bike shifted, and then two thick legs came into my view. A rustling sound followed, and part of my vision was blocked by blue leaves. Was he… hiding the bike? Then he strode away and stopped nearby, thankfully in my line of vision. I could see all of him now, and he stood with his giant hands braced on his hips, head tilted back facing the sun. He remained motionless for a long time, his great chest inhaling and exhaling. I couldn’t tear my eyes away even though I felt like I was watching a private moment. He closed his eyes, and a mighty grimace crossed his face, pain etched into his features so deep, I thought he’d crack open.

My lips parted, and I curled a finger around my peephole just as he fell to his knees with a thud. He pulled a small disk from his pocket and flipped it through his fingers like a poker player with his chips. Then he lifted his opposite arm, unleashed his machets, and sliced into his wrist.

I clapped my hand over my mouth to hold in a gasp as black blood dripped from the cut in his scales. He didn’t make a sound, and the pain I’d seen on his face was gone now. His expression remained blank as he shoved the disk inside of the wound before sticking a vial of medis in his arm. The wound closed, sealing the disk inside. I stared, barely able to believe what I was seeing. What was Gar doing? What was that disk?

He rose to his feet slowly, surprisingly graceful for a creature his size. He glanced back at his bike. At me. And for a moment, I swore he saw me. My heart thudded and sweat dripped down my temple. I opened my mouth to call to him, but before I could get any sound out, he turned and sprinted away.

Sprinted away.

My jaw dropped in shock, and I scrambled to open the lid of the compartment. Where the hell was he going?

His body was a blue blur racing across the open plain, already easily a quarter of a mile away from me. I threw open the lid and had one leg outside of the compartment when a whistle pierced the air, and Gar’s body went down with a thud.

I gasped and froze, mid-exit, as at least three dozen Kulks and a dozen other aliens—gray bipedal ones who I surmised were Uldani—converged on his prone form. Although my instinct was to rush to Gar’s side and somehow save him, I knew I’d be useless. Fear gripped me in a vice, souring my stomach as I forced a sob down and retreated to the safety of Gar’s bike. Covered once again, I peered through my hole. A group of Kulks picked up Gar’s body by his arms and dragged him to the edge of the clearing. Then, a section of the ground lifted, like a trapdoor, and they all filed inside.

Gar’s eyes opened for just a moment, and then they closed as I lost sight of him to the Kulk and Uldani underground lair. Once they were below the ground’s surface, the door closed. The wind blew. A brigger chirped. That was it. The sudden violence of the afternoon all but vanished. But I sure as hell hadn’t forgotten.

I didn’t move, paralyzed by fear and indecision. I couldn’t drive his bike back to the Night Kings. Even if I knew how to operate the thing, I didn’t know the way back. I was stuck here. No comm, no nothing. But what consumed my thoughts was concern for Gar. The Uldani had him and no one knew but me. Which meant… I was his only hope.

I spotted a few Kulks emerging from underground. They’d probably be looking for Gar’s bike. Or to see if any of the other warriors were here. Shit. The Kulks fanned out in a line like a search party. And they were heading my way.

My decision made for me, I gathered up the leather bundle of food and stuffed it into my pants. The pouch of qua went down my shirt, tucked between my breasts. A sort of calm descended over me. Sure, I was terrified out of my mind, but I also felt like I had a mission. Don’t get caught. Save Gar. The last thing the Kulks would expect was a tiny human female. But I wasn’t helpless. I took a deep breath and crept out of my hiding spot.

Three

Naomi

The girls back at the camp sheltered me almost as much as they did Bazel, and I accepted their treatment with conflicted feelings. I’d always been protected. Back on Earth, my older brother treated me like I was a princess who must remain untouched. He threatened my prom date with dismemberment and scared off every suitor after our first date. His interest in my dating life was frankly ridiculous, but then I’d never really had a dad, so Theo had stepped up into that role—maybe a little too seriously.

It didn’t help he was also my boss as the foreman for my construction crew. All day I was surrounded by muscles and alphas, yet none of them looked my way because my Theo warned them away. Heck, most of them didn’t even talk to me.

Maybe all of that was why I decided to be reckless. Everyone underestimated me and treated me like a girl in need of protecting. I might have been five-foot-one on a good day, but I was strong. I swung hammers for a living. So, fuck it. I was going after Gar. I didn’t want to think about what they were doing to him down there. And if they did catch me? I’d use my womb as a bargaining chip to save him. It was what the Uldani wanted anyway.

By the time I made it around the line of Kulks, I was more determined than ever. The only issue was I had no idea how to open the door leading underground. Sliding on my stomach through the chest-high grass, I could barely make out the change in the dirt level that alerted me to the location of the entrance. My fingers closed around the edges of the door, and I tugged, but this wasn’t some basement hatch that opened with a yank.

“Shit,” I whispered to myself. This plan was falling through unless I found a way to get the door open. Just as I started to panic, a mechanical whine started, and the door began to lift. Half of my body was on the edge, and I tumbled to the ground, hitting it on an army crawl as I sought the cover of a tall patch of grass. Armored footsteps hit the ground, and I flattened my body as much as possible, twitching my nose as the grass tickled it.

I waited for a metal hand to close around my neck and haul me upright, but the footsteps moved away. I peered through the grass to see the door still open. The Kulks who’d ascended were now joining the line of searchers.

With a jolt, the latch began to close. I had a window of time to hurl myself in the door before it shut. I lurched to my feet and dove inside as the door clicked shut, narrowly missing slicing my feet off at the ankle. I tumbled down a few dirt steps and hit a plateau with a thud. I went still, flat on my face, cursing myself. Surely, someone was here. Surely, I was heard. A few inelegant grunts and squeaks had left my mouth during that fall.

But no other noises surrounded me, nothing but my own heavy breathing. I lifted my head and peered around. A dull solar light on the wall illuminated another set of stairs below the small platform I’d fallen on. I was alone. Utterly alone. No Kulks. No Uldani. Nothing to guard this area, probably because no one was supposed to know it was here. But I did. And I was starting to think Gar knew about this. Whether he meant to be seen by the Kulks was another story, but Gar had to have known about this; it was the only explanation for his weird behavior.

I slowly hauled myself to my feet, wincing as pain fired through my knee. I glanced down to see a tear in the fabric of my pants, the edges stained with a small trickle of blood. Ignoring the pain, I sidled against the wall, as far away from the light as I could, and made my way down the stairs. Fear was a living creature snapping its teeth in my gut. I’d never been in a situation like this, and I still wasn’t quite sure what came over me. Maybe, it was being surrounded by strong women, or maybe it was the selfless, alpha nature of Drixonian warriors. Their bravery had rubbed off on me. It was not lost on me the number of ways my life could have been different on this planet if not taken in by the Drixonians. Plenty of aliens would have done me irreparable harm. Instead, I’d been treated like a queen.

I reached the bottom of the second flight of stairs only to find yet another. Then another. I lost count after that, but I guessed I’d descended about six flights when I came to what I assumed—hoped—was the bottom. A few random solar lights showed a dirt hallway, the walls packed with damp mud bricks. I dug in my cleavage for the pouch of qua, took a few slugs, and placed it back in its hiding spot. Taking a deep breath, I trudged forward.

The hallway stretched in front of me, with multiple smaller tunnels branching off at intervals. This… wasn’t good. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but I’d had visions of finding Gar immediately, getting him free with my own brute strength, and us running out hand-in-hand.

I hadn’t bothered to consider this underground lair was a massive network of tunnels. What had I expected? That there’d be little maps at the entrance like an amusement park? Follow the black Trail of Foreboding to reach the yellow Torture Rooms. Free whipping included with each ticket!

The hallway wasn’t flat either, there were dips and hills and occasional small stairs. I was approaching a steep hill in the hallway when footsteps accompanied by the clinking of armor sounded up ahead. I froze, knowing I was a sitting duck. A few feet down the hallway, I spotted a tunnel off to the right. Maybe if I ducked into there, they’d pass right by me.

I just had to make it there in time. Taking off at a dead sprint, I raced to the entrance of the tunnel. Just as a saw several pairs of booted feet descending the sharp incline, I ducked into the side tunnel. I didn’t stop there. I kept running, pumping my arms as I retreated into the darkness of my escape route.

I didn’t stop until I burst into a wide cavern, skidding to a stop as I took in the dimly lit area. I promptly gasped. Sitting in the middle of a massive underground chamber with a ceiling that was easily five stories sat a round object the size of an army tank. The sleek black metal of the body gleamed, and the top was domed with black-tinted glass.

It looked like a plane or even a spacecraft—something that flew—and I blinked at it, barely able to believe what I was seeing. I took a step forward, entranced by the massive machine when a hand clamped around my neck. I screamed just as my body was hoisted off the ground, and no kicking of my legs or squirming could dislodge the grip. I was roughly turned around only to come face-to-face with a gray-skinned face. Its thin lips pulled back into a semblance of a smile as it gleefully declared, “Human.”

* * *

Gar

My plan had mostly worked. I had hoped to stay conscious the entire time they hauled me underground, but their drug was strong. I’d made it halfway down their crude dirt steps before going under.

I looked around my current—and last—home. They had planned for prisoners as I was in a cell-like room. Chains bolted into the wall connected to manacles at my wrists, holding my arms outstretched. If I tugged hard enough, I believed I could break the chains, but I didn’t want to do that. They had to think I was beaten and helpless without my clavas.

They’d already done a number on me. I’d woken to the pummeling of fists and boots. My ribs ached fiercely and there was a ringing in my ear which would have been concerning if I planned to live to sundown.

My blood dripped to the dirt floor, and I sniffed through a clogged, probably broken nose. Wouldn’t have been the first time. I cracked my neck, wishing there were some fleckers in here for me to glare at.

I wasn’t ready to detonate the weapon in my arm. I wanted some high-ranking Uldani in here with me so I could see the looks on their faces when I detonated the explosive, and they realized that they were about to be blown apart along with everything else in this bunker. I wanted to flash a bloody grin at them to show them that I’d won, even if this was my grave too.

The Uldani were soft and unskilled in battle, but they were not peaceful. They required stronger species to do the killing and dying, while the Uldani reaped the benefits of the riches of this planet. They sold its fuel, stones they mined, and as we’d recently learned—they’d sold us.

The Kulks, who the Uldani currently used as their protection, were no match for Drixonians. In fact, they were no match for most of the Uldani enemies in the galaxy. But we had guessed the Uldani hadn’t let on that they no longer had control of us Drixonians. They’d shut down access to the Rinian Network, so we couldn’t communicate to let others know of our freedom.

It was clear the Uldani were panicking. The longer they remained vulnerable, the closer they were to being found out by other races, especially the Plikens on the desert planet Vixlicin, who’d long wanted the riches of Corin and Torin.

The Uldani were relentless in trying to breed human females with us males to raise their own little Drixonian race, but as far as we knew, they weren’t successful. I planned to keep it that way. If I could blow up this strong hold, all they’d have left is Alazar. Daz was planning to gather the remaining Drixonian clavases to launch an attack. Soon, we’d be free of their presence on this planet. Maybe the remaining Drixonians could even return to our home planet and rebuild the ruins of our civilization.

The door opened, and three Kulks strode inside followed by two Uldani. I recognized the patches on one of their jackets. He was some high-ranking flecker. Good. I couldn’t wait to watch him explode.

The Uldani leader approached me, but kept a safe distance, eyeing my tail which lay still on the floor at my feet. They’d removed the spiked weapons I usually wore at the tip, and maybe they thought that made it harmless. It wasn’t. I could still take out three of them with that appendage alone.

“I’m Commander Rawgur,” he announced, his chin tilted up like I was supposed to give a fleck what his title was. “What are you doing here?”

I remained silent. I had no plans to speak.

He gestured to the tag on my biceps. “You’re a Night King, which is the only reason we didn’t kill you on sight.” His lips pulled back into a dark grin. “We’re aware you have human females. Our human females that you stole.”

My body went tight. I tried not to let it show, but just the thought of these flecks touching Naomi…

The Uldani grinned. He’d spotted my reaction. His head cocked to the side. “You’re not mated, I see. No surprise since you have to be the ugliest Drix I’ve ever seen.”

I only stared at him. Like I gave a fleck if he called me ugly.

He gestured to one of the Kulks behind him. They approached me and slugged a massive armored fist into my stomach. I normally could take a punch, but he slammed into a sore spot, and my ribs crunched beneath the blow. My vision whited out for a moment as pain echoed in every nerve ending in my body.

I blinked, heaving gasps of air as I pondered if he’d punctured a lung. If this kept up, I couldn’t draw it out. I couldn’t revel in my last moments. I had to set fire to this place now.

“Now tell me again. Why were you here? This is far outside of your boundaries.”

Again, I stayed silent as I extended my claws. I curled the palm of my left hand until the tips of my claws grazed the inside of my forearm, just over where I’d hidden the disk beneath my skin. Just a quick slice. A press of a button. And this would all be over.

I closed my eyes as the Uldani babbled on with more questions and threats. I pictured Naomi as she looked each morning. Long dark hair, soft pale skin. I had one regret, and that was never feeling that hair brush against my face, my chest. My cock. But this was the best way to keep her safe. To keep my brothers safe and my niece or nephew currently doing somersaults in Reba’s belly safe.

My claw punctured my skin just as the door flew open. I opened my eyes, and for a moment I thought I was seeing things. Until Naomi’s brown eyes met mine, her split lip trembling, and I spotted an Uldani with his hand clamped around her neck. That was when, my pain all but forgotten, anger flooded my veins. I threw back my head, roared, and promptly lost my mind.

Four

Naomi

He killed six Kulks and an Uldani before they shot him up with so many drugs he finally stumbled and hit the ground in a bloody heap, his chest heaving as he panted, face twisted into a vicious snarl even while unconscious.

By the time the door slammed shut leaving me alone with a beaten Gar, I was drenched in my own tears. My arms were littered with bruises where I’d been held by an Uldani as I fought and kicked to reach Gar while he rampaged around the room no matter how many times they shocked him with metal rods. I’d never seen him like that. I’d seen Gar in fight mode before with his machets out, slicing and dicing enemies, but this was something different. This was a massacre with no finesse and no care for his own body. He’d been out of his mind, growling and roaring with muscles bulging like a rabid animal.

My throat aching from screaming, my body still tremblig with sobs, I crawled toward Gar’s prone body. He’d been beaten before I ever walked in, but at least he’d been conscious and aware. Blood leaked from his left ear, and his top lip was split to his nose. More scars. More evidence of his life of violence.

I collapsed next to him, curling my body into his to provide him with my warmth. I took the pouch of qua and dribbled some on his lips. I wished I could use it to clean him, but I knew that would be a waste. They might not supply us with food or drink, so I had to ration what we had. At least I had a small amount of qua and food to give him when he woke up. I didn’t want to think about him not waking up. At least he breathed. When I leaned my head against his chest, his heart beat loud and steady. He was alive, and I was alive, and for now I had to be happy with that. One moment at a time. The future could hold more pain.

I drew him against me, not caring he soaked my clothes with his blood and a mix of Kulk blood. At least they’d dragged the bodies from our cell, but pools of blood lay congealed around the room and splattered arcs littered the walls. It was like something out a horror movie.

I had no idea how much time passed in the underground, windowless room, but I felt it the moment Gar came awake. He twitched, and his entire body tightened. His lips parted as a pained moan rattled from his throat. Then his eyes popped open. Two pitch-black pools stared at me before his nostrils flared and he moved. Quick as lightning, he rolled above me, forcing me to my back in the dirt while he loomed over me with a growl. “What are you doing here?”

I wasn’t afraid of him, but my body’s response was still immediate. I trembled, taking a moment to calm my nerves before I answered. “Um, I came to rescue you.”

His eyes widened, and then he leapt to his feet. Pacing back and forth across the room on an angry prowl, he shot me angry looks as I pulled myself to my feet.

“Rescue me?” he asked. “Rescue me?”

I couldn’t understand how he was upright and walking, not after the damaged they’d inflicted on him. “Yes, um—”

He stopped and clenched fists while spearing me with an icy glare. “How did you know I was here?”

I shrank back against the far wall, knowing anything I said was only going to make him angrier. “Are you sure you should be up and walking around? They—”

“Answer me!” he shouted.

I jerked at the boom of his voice in the small space and licked my lips. “I…” I cleared my throat. “I…hidinthecompartmentonyourbikeandsawyougettaken.” After spewing my words quickly, I pressed my lips together and grimaced as I waited for his explosion.

After a delay where he seemed to process my words, he went off like a bomb.

I’d never heard him talk this much.

He chastised me on my carelessness and recklessness. He ranted about safety and I felt my anger rise with each word. He was the one who was careless. Why did he leave the walls alone in the first place?

“Okay, I’m sorry I got on the back of your bike, okay?” I ranted back at him. “I get it. I fucked up. But what the hell is so wrong with me trying to come save you? You know the Uldani won’t kill me.”

“What is wrong?” he asked incredulously. “What’s wrong is that you should have left me down here. What could you possibly do to save me from the Uldani?”

I clenched my fists and shouted. “I thought I could bargain for your release with my womb!”

He went still, so still I didn’t think he was breathing. He didn’t even blink. Then he surged forward so fast that I stumbled until my back hit the wall. He was inches from me, arms caging me in as he bent at the waist to shove his face into mine.

“You never, ever use your body to bargain for mine,” he rasped, his voice a low whisper. “You, Naomi, are worth ten of me—”

I shook my head as tears gathered at the corner of my eyes. “No, I’m not—”

“You are,” he insisted as his hand lowered to clasp the side of my neck. I gasped as his thumb brushed the base of my throat and his fingers curled until his claws just settled on the skin at my nape, sending a shiver down my spine. His forehead dropped against mine, and I felt a shudder go through his big body before he whirled away, giving me his back.

I reached out and gently touched the spot on my neck where his palm had been, wishing I had the warmth of his skin back. Even when he was furious at me. “I’m sorry,” I said to his back.

He propped his fists on his hips with his head bowed. He heaved a deep sigh and looked to the ceiling. “I have a mission. A mission of my own choosing, and that’s why I’m here. But first, I’ll make sure you get out of here safely.”

“What’s your mission?” I asked.

He shook his head but otherwise didn’t move.

Dread gripped me and I slowly walked around to face him, peering up into his black eyes which avoided me altogether. “Gar?”

He remained silent, face stony.

I stepped closer and reached out to brush my fingers along his chest. He closed his eyes and the muscle beneath my touch jerked. “What mission, Gar?”

He opened his eyes, and a deep purple greeted me. “I came down here to blow up their hideout.”

I must have misheard him “Blow up—?”

“The disk I placed beneath my skin.”

Understanding dawned on me, and my stomach churned. “No.”

He nodded. “Yes. It can’t be detonated remotely. I was going to blow this whole place to bits with me in it. Now I can’t, because first, I have to get you out. Then, I’ll finish my mission.”

Tears leaked from my eyes. “No.”

His jaw clenched. “Yes. I will. You will not win this, little one, so don’t try to change my mind. I will see this through. My last act as a Drixonian warrior.”

* * *

Gar

She wasn’t speaking to me, and it was better that way. I was furious with her. No, furious wasn’t the right emotion. I was … something else. Something I’d never felt before. Anger mixed with panic mixed with pure, unadulterated terror. She’d put herself in danger. For me. And this was only further proof that I was no good for her, that my tainted existence would only harm her. Already her pretty arms were covered in dark spots the humans called bruises. Her knee bled, and she’d bitten her lips until they were red and cracked.

All that for me.

A waste.

They hadn’t bothered to chain me up again, probably assuming I was too injured to be any harm. That was a mistake. The females said us Drixonians healed fast, and compared to them, we did. Naomi would carry those bruises for several rotations. Those cuts even longer. Their thin skin couldn’t take many injuries. But us Drixonians were born for battle.

We carried scars though. Many. Our scales could knit themselves back together quickly, but it wasn’t pretty. Drak carried a nasty gash across his throat, and the left side of my face was a crisscross of lines like tree roots. The injury, sustained during an explosion during the Uprising, should have killed me. Instead I woke up with a flecked-up face and a cracked horn while a healer shot me so full of medis I hadn’t been able to think straight for two rotations.

I cheated death. That should have been it for me. I was the one who set off the explosion, fully expecting to be a victim to it… Along with hundreds of Uldani and thousands of Kulks. Instead I woke up and now I was just on borrowed time.

We’d done it though. That had been during our last advance, when we’d pushed the Uldani back to the main city, Alazar, and where they now stayed. Or were supposed to stay. Instead they were here, once again encroaching on our territory. I was sure they hated how much they needed us to protect themselves. Their time would have been better spent developing better armor for their own soldiers and training them to defend themselves. But they preferred their soft, weak life behind walls and employing other races to die for their protection.

Fleck that.

I wouldn’t die for them. I’d die for me. For Naomi. For my brothers. For the right to continue our race.

Naomi hadn’t said a word to me since I confessed my plan. She sat on the far side of the cell with her knees pulled to her chest, facing straight ahead with a blank look on her face.

Despite the ache in my ribs, I stood up with a moan and tested my body. Pain was everywhere, but it had lessened to a dull throb. I could deal with that. While I bent to the side, something soft hit me in the thigh. I frowned down at the ground where a pouch of qua lay. I raised a nubbed brow at Naomi, who now had my leather bundle in her hand, the one I’d put in my bike bags. With her face scrunched in anger, she pitched that at me too, hitting me in the chest. Then with a huff, she purposefully turned and faced the wall.

I picked up the qua. “You need to drink—”

“I already drank some,” she snapped. “You’re the one who nearly died just now, so you drink.”

“I didn’t nearly die—”

“Drink the damn qua, Gar!” she shouted, whipping her head to face me. Her long dark hair, pulled back in a braid, slapped the wall, and her eyes blazed. “Drink and eat. I’m sorry your last meal isn’t exciting, but that’s what you get for going off on this stupid-ass mission.”

I’d never heard her raise her voice. I’d never heard her use those words the humans called swear words.

“Na—”

“Don’t,” she said through clenched teeth as she rose to her feet. “You never talked to me back at the clavas. I’m not sure why you have to now. A day ago, I would have soaked up any scrap of attention you gave me, but now it’s too late. I’m not going to give you any more of my heart now that you’re committed to dying for your cause.”

“It’s not my cause,” I growled. “It’s for the rest of the Drix and for you, the females—”

“I didn’t ask you to die for me!” she shouted. “The only thing I ever wanted from you was some sort of sign that you tolerated my presence. Why am I worth dying for when you can’t even look at me?”

I hadn’t known this Naomi existed, this brave little hellion who yelled and challenged me. And now that I knew she had this in her, I wanted her even more.

“I can’t look at you,” I snarled as I stalked toward her. She didn’t back down, only tilted her chin up as I approached. “Because when I do all I can think about is that you’re everything I can’t have.”

Her expression immediately shifted, like the sun’s rays appearing from behind a cloud. All anger fled from her pretty features as her mouth gaped and her eyes widened. “Me?”

“You.” The answer felt like blades slicing into my gums.

“But… I don’t … Why?”

I turned away from her because the warmth of her body scrambled my brain. “Why what?”

“Why can’t you … have me?”

That wasn’t the question I thought she’d ask. I swallowed; my throat dry. “Because I will not be given a mate.”

I didn’t bother to tell her I knew Fatas had not blessed us to be cora-eternals. I’d already killed the Uldani who spilled her blood and cut her lip. He’d been one of the bodies who’d dropped at my feet in this room. My wrists held no loks, which were the permanent markings that appeared when I killed the one responsible for drawing my mate’s blood. If Naomi was my cora-eternal, she would have had matching loks.

As suspected, Fatas would never give me a mate, let alone a cora-eternal. I pushed aside the disappointment and told myself it was better she wasn’t my cora-eternal. This way she wouldn’t have to be subjected to my aura. I didn’t even want to live with my brain. When my twin Mave died, half of me did too, and it resurfaced as a cruel, wicked thing that lived on bloodlust.

Silence met my statement, until her voice came again, softer now. More the Naomi I’d always known. “What do you mean?”

“Fatas has other plans for me.”

“How do you know—”

“I know,” I growled.

Her teeth clacked shut.

“I know,” I repeated. I had visions. Dreams. I refused to share that with anyone, let alone Naomi.

Her hand settled on my back, warm and so incredibly soft. Her fingers moved, tracing a line I knew was a scar I’d received in a long-ago battle with a Pliken while I worked for the Uldani.

“Well, I refuse to believe that.” Her voice shook. “I think you have a greater purpose than dying for me.”

I closed my eyes. Didn’t she understand? I was a Drixonian warrior. Dying for her was the greatest honor I could ever hope to achieve. My family line would carry on with Ward, and that was the way it should be. He was the best out of the living Garundums. The best out of all of us died in my arms after suffering for far too long.

Heat blanketed my back, and little hands rested on the side of my waist. I felt a tickle along my back and opened my eyes as something warm pressed right against my spine. Heat raced through my body and my fingers twitched. I slowly turned my head and glanced over my shoulder to see Naomi pressed against my back, her lips dropping a gentle kiss to the nastiest of the scars on my back.

My cora pounded, and a roaring sound rushed through my ears just as she tilted her head back, brown eyes like liquid, and smiled. A longing sparked in me, sharp and hot, stronger than the charged rod the Uldani had slammed into my side. What would it be like to wake up to that smile? To roll over in my furs and see her creamy shoulder bared, knowing I’d pleasured her the night before until she fell asleep full of me? I’d never dared to let myself want and dream. That was why I stayed away from her, but now there was no escaping, no getting away from the sight of her looking up at me like I was her hero, her everything.

I had to act now—get her safe and complete my job before I changed my mind and flecked this all up. I had always been strong; my willpower unmatched. Naomi reduced me to a welf pup. If I let this go on any longer, I’d be following her with my tongue out, wagging my tail, and begging for attention.

A banging came from outside our cell, and I went still. Naomi plastered herself against me, but now she trembled, and a small squeak left her lips. All those warm feelings in my gut vanished as I remembered who I was and my purpose. These Uldani continually underestimated what we’d do for our females.

“Qua for the human,” said a deep voice just as a lock turned and a small flap opened in the bottom of the door. Just as a hand reached through with a jug of qua, I grabbed the wrist and yanked. Hard.

A loud crashing of armor sounded on the other side of the door as the Kulk’s body collided with the solid metal followed by a garbled cry of pain. I yanked again, then again, until a thud echoed from the other side. Pulling my lips back into the best grin I could manage, I reached through the opening to snag the key card from the unconscious Kulk’s fingers.

Shouts sounded outside, and I knew more soldiers had heard the commotion. That was to be expected. There was no stealthy way to get out of the cell without them knowing, and if there was, I didn’t have time to figure it out. We had to run for it now, before reinforcements arrived. I swiped the card through the door, and it swung open. After snatching the qua pouch, jug, and the leather bundle of food off the floor, I picked up a stunned Naomi and threw her over my shoulder.

She made a noise of protest, but I didn’t have time to stop and tell her my plans. I was already doing them. I leapt over the Kulk’s body, hearing him groan as he came awake, and I listened. The shouts and approaching footsteps were coming from the left, so I went right and took off at a dead sprint down the dirt-walled hallway. I had no idea where I was going. I was unconscious when they brought me down here, so all I had to go on was my eyes, ears, and a bit of intuition.

“Do you remember where the exit was when you came inside?” I asked Naomi.

“Yes,” her voice wavered as she bounced on my back. “They brought me in from the left but…”

“But that is the way the guards were coming,” I finished for her. “They will be guarding the exits.” I cursed under my breath as I continued to run down a series of twisting hallways with uneven elevation. Who dug these flecked-up tunnels? Probably Kulks.

I pumped my arm while the other held Naomi secure. I winced as my ribs protested. Standing in the cell while focused on Naomi, I’d been lulled into the belief my injuries weren’t as bad.

I was wrong. So very wrong. My legs threatened to buckle with every step I took, and my vision whited out around the edges as dizziness swamped me. A piercing stab in my side came with every breath, letting me know my ribs were far from healed. My method had always been to meet whatever blocked my path head-on and destroy it on my way to safety, but that wasn’t going to work. Not this time. I had fought with these many injuries before, but not with so much on the line. If I died, Naomi was vulnerable to the Uldani’s flecked-up plans.

“We have to hide,” I said. “I have to heal. And we need to draw them away from the entrance and make them search for us.”

“I don’t have a better idea,” she groused. “You didn’t let me in on your escape plan nor tell me you were going to smash your way out.”

“What other way is there?” I demanded.

“I don’t know!” She smacked my back. “Some finesse. A delicate touch.”

I snorted. “Do I look like I do delicate?”

She didn’t answer for a moment until she finally muttered. “You’re right. I should have known.”

This time, I really did grin. Good thing she couldn’t see my face.

Five

Naomi

I swallowed the bile that threatened to rise and was thankful I barely had anything in my stomach. Bouncing on Gar’s shoulder as he raced through the maze of dirt tunnels was worse than riding in the dark on his bike.

His gait was uneven, and his breath wheezed with every step. The sound terrified me. I’d never seen Gar as anything but solid and strong. To know he was hurting killed me, even if I was mad at him. Furious, in fact. The confession he’d laid on me in that cell had left me reeling.

I didn’t know how to process he’d gone off on a suicide mission all on his own without telling anyone. Or that he did in fact want a mate but didn’t think he deserved one. And not just any mate; he’d said he couldn’t have and didn’t deserve me. In what world was I better than Gar? I hadn’t agreed to this hierarchy. I had plenty of my own flaws, current curiosity and savior complex included.

My current thought process abruptly ended when Gar stumbled and fell forward. I went flying as he hit the ground hard, bracing himself with one hand. My hip connected with the ground first and I cried out as pain shot through my spine. I rolled a few times before coming to a stop, immediately rising to all fours to glance back at Gar. His condition had worsened. His wheezing had turned to gasps, and his blue face was ghostly white.

“Gar?” I scrambled toward him as he tried to get a leg under him, but it gave out and he slammed into the dirt with a groan.

“Try … ing to get … up,” he gasped as pain turned his eyes a deep, fathomless black.

“Stop trying, you dumbass,” I said.

“You curse … lot,” he rumbled.

“Yeah, well, when you work in construction, it just kinda rubs off on you.” Helplessness bubbled in my gut as I watched as Gar struggled to breathe, his limbs shaking with tremors of pain. We had to hide. That was the plan Gar had before he’d taken a nosedive. Hide.

I glanced around, searching for something, anything, and found a small alcove a few yards ahead. I ran toward it, ignoring Gar as he angrily called my name. I pressed my ear against the wooden door, listening for any voices or sounds. The last thing we needed was to bust into a fully occupied room of Kulks.

Closing my eyes, I tuned out Gar’s wheezing, swearing, and crawling shuffles. I couldn’t hear a single sound from the other side of the door. Surely if someone were in there, they would have heard us by now. Gar had hit the ground like a felled elephant. I was surprised the thud hadn’t caved us in like a mine collapse.

The door was locked, and I ran back to Gar, slipping the keycard out of his pants pocket where he’d stowed it. He offered up some sort of protest, but I was getting good at ignoring him. I raced back to the door and swiped it through the lock. It clicked open just as Gar lurched to his feet and braced himself up on the wall by the door. “Smart, little one,” he rasped. “Let me check the room first.”

He pulled himself to his full height, and I knew it hurt him. He took a step inside. I peered around him, which meant my sightline was between his waist and forearm. The room, which was about the size of the cell we’d just left, was mostly bare. It looked like some sort of storage unit that wasn’t well-used. A few digging tools lay at the back.

I pushed Gar inside—it spoke to his injuries that he let himself be moved—and shut the door behind us. We were plunged into complete darkness. The only light was a thin strip under the door from the solar light across the hall.

“Fleck,” he muttered and then groaned. I heard a thud and knew he’d hit the floor. “I need to rest,” he said. “I’ll be okay, just … time.”

I felt around until my hands closed around his broken horn. He jerked away with a growl.

“Sorry, sorry,” I said. “Just trying to—Oomph!”

Arms closed around my waist and tugged me down to the floor next to a big, hard, warm body. I heard him swallow a few times before the qua jug the Kulk had given us was pressed into my hand. “Drink. Hungry?”

I took a long swig of qua. “No,” I said. “You eat, please. I’ll have something later.”

When I heard chewing, I knew he had to feel pretty hurt not to protest about me eating first. “Sleep, little one,” he said. “We should be safe here. There is a lot of area to search. I’ll hear if anyone comes outside.”

I yawned. “You need to sleep too.”

“I will be fine,” he rumbled. “Sleep.”

His fingers closed around the back of my neck, and he pressed the side of my head onto his biceps to use as a pillow. I listened to his heart, which beat strong and steady, and I focused on his breathing which had evened out and sounded less raspy. I slowly reached out until my arms rested on his chest. He’d never let me get this close to him before, and the power under my fingertips overwhelmed me. Even hurt, he was a threat to any Kulk or Uldani. I brushed a scar over his heart, and his skin twitched between my palms.

It had been a long time since I’d been next to a male member of any species like this. And not just next to but touching. We were connected from toes to head. Well, my head on his biceps. His head was … somewhere above me in the dark. My toes were somewhere around his knee area. Maybe.

I’d never had sex. Just … never. A few guys had fumbled fingers around my general vaginal location but that had never amounted to much as we’d been teenagers. By the time I finished high school and started working for my brother, he’d chased away just about every date of mine.

So yeah, I was a virgin. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I wasn’t holding on to it for marriage or someone special. I had just been kinda shy, and then busy, and it never happened. I had blurted it out one time while a little drunk on Xavy’s spirits and the girls had made it a whole thing. They acted like I had to be preserved and protected, as if my intact hymen meant I couldn’t be trusted to make my own decisions about what I did with my body.

I didn’t think it was a big deal. There was no actual card I carried in my pocket. I had made out with men and used a vibrator. I had just never had an actual penis enter my body.

The thing my brother never understood was that touch was my love language. He wasn’t a hugging type of guy, and neither were our parents. Miranda and the other women were the only ones who seemed to get that I liked physical touch. It soothed me. Which was why Gar’s rejection of me—from his physical presence to his eye contact—hurt.

But now, he’d tugged me against him, and I wasn’t sure he even realized his hand, connected to the biceps I was resting on, had lowered to support my back. His tail curled around my thighs. I was caged in, warm, and protected. And I fucking loved it.

I never really admitted it to anyone, but I was jealous of the girls who’d found themselves mates. I liked to be connected to someone, and despite his damage, I wanted that someone to be Gar. I had from the beginning, when his gaze had settled on me, hard and deadly, but his touch was gentle and unsure.

He’d tried to tell me I wouldn’t talk him out of this mission, but he didn’t know me. He thought I was sweet, innocent, and meek, but I was also a pitbull when there was something I wanted. And I wanted Gar. I wanted his touch. His smiles. His devotion. And most of all, I wanted inside his head; I wanted his aura, because I knew there would be a lot of spring cleaning. Good thing I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty.

I ran my fingers south, ghosting over the sharp ridges of his abs. The muscles beneath me tensed.

“Little one,” his deep voice boomed a warning in the dark.

I smiled to myself, glad he couldn’t see me. “Sorry,” I chirped the lie.

His body went still, and his heart pounded. “You’re lying.”

“How did you know that?” I demanded, then shook my head. “Never mind. Yes, I’m lying. I wanted to touch you and I’m not sorry I did it.”

He didn’t say anything after that, only continued to chew whatever food he’d picked from our leather bundle.

After a while, my eyes closed, and despite the hard floor and the imminent danger outside of our door, I slept secure in Gar’s arms.

* * *

Gar

I woke up uncomfortable. Not because of my injuries but because of my cock. The flecked thing stood at attention, the tip poking the back of Naomi’s thighs as she slept tucked up against me, her long, soft braid tickling my chest.

I ignored my cock’s current stiff state to catalog my injuries. I wasn’t sure how long I slept, but in the absence of medis it was what I needed to heal. Deep inhales were no longer met with stabbing pains, and my leg moved without stiffness. The test would be if I could bear weight on it.

The dull glow from under the door gave us light, but only barely. Although I longed to see Naomi asleep next to me so I could marvel at how well her little body fit against mine, I knew it was better I couldn’t see it. Except it didn’t really matter when I could feel her, and that was all that mattered, didn’t it? The feel of her smooth skin, the way her hair tickled my scales, the sounds of her deep, even breaths, and the little mewing sounds she sometimes made as she exhaled, like a newborn welf.

Fleck Fatas for this. For all this. For taunting me this way. My curse was that those close to me suffered, and I would never ever let Naomi suffer. She was so good, so kind. Breathing her in was like inhaling the scent of the freshas as the sun rose. Clean and untainted. The women were protective of her, and I understood why. Naomi called to all my protective instincts. But I let down the last female I was supposed to protect.

I shook my head, pushing away the dark thoughts which always lurked in the shadows of my mind, threatening to take over. I rarely felt the sunshine anymore. Food had lost its taste. Everything had dulled, and that was my penance. Fatas had told me so.

I’d die a painful death, but one worthy of a warrior. That was all I could see in my future. God, I was a depressing fleck. Why did she tolerate me? Why did she want to touch me?

I indulged myself for one moment, pressed my nose against the top of her head, and inhaled. Sweet, clean Naomi.

Suddenly her groggy voice mumbled, “Did you just sniff me?”

I froze, blinking into the dark. Slowly I withdrew my nose from her hair. I couldn’t lie. It wasn’t in the Drixonian nature. So, I … embellished. “I was only breathing.” I grimaced. “Near your head.”

She let out an inelegantly adorable snort and turned in my arms. I felt her breath on my neck and then her lips at the base of my throat, the soft pillows of warmth running along the length of my left clavicle before she dropped a kiss near my shoulder.

“Did you just kiss me?” I could feel her lips twist as she smiled against my scales.

“No, I was only pursing my lips.” The sass in her voice made my cock hard. “Near your shoulder.”

A rumbled sound rose up my throat and burst forth in the darkened space, surprising both of us. I’d laughed. A real, genuine laugh. I wanted to snatch it back and shove the joy back down where it belonged, but it was too late. It swirled around us now like a windstorm.

Naomi’s small hands immediately shot up and cradled my face, her fingers digging into my cheeks. “You laughed!” she shrieked before lowering her voice to a near whisper of awe. “I made you laugh!”

“That was a cough,” I said, protesting just to protest. We both knew it was a laugh.

She giggled, and just when I thought the moment was over, that I could leave unscathed, lips touched mine. She kissed me.

Sweet Naomi pressed her perfect lips to my scarred, ruined ones. She didn’t shudder at their unevenness or texture. Instead she made a small noise in the back of her throat and pressed her lower body against mine. When she swiped her little tongue across the seam of my mouth, my eyes rolled back into my head. I lost all sense of self-preservation then.

I took control, delving my tongue into her mouth and lapping at her. Oh fleck, she tasted like freshas and sunshine too. Dizzy with her taste, I rolled us over, so she lay on her back below me. I slid my tail under her head to cushion it from the hard ground and lost myself in her.

She moaned below me, and my cock pressed against the front of my pants, dampening the fabric with copious amounts of libo.

I pulled back to gaze down at her face, barely making out her features in the dim glow, but marveled at the liquid brown of her eyes and the way her flushed skin made the brown dots on her face stand out.

Her fingers speared into my braids, nails digging into my scalp. She scratched, and I growled as a shudder rain down my spine.

“Gar,” she murmured, my name sweet on her lips. “Please.”

A female was begging me for pleasure. For release. The intent dripped from her tongue and flooded my brain with desire. I had never wanted to give anything to anyone as much as I wanted to hand over my entire cora to Naomi.

I slid down her body, leaving kisses and nibbles and licks in my wake. I thumbed the stiff peaks of her nipples through her shirt and she jerked beneath me, a small gasp leaving her lips as she inhaled sharply. I sucked a nipple, mouthing at it through the fabric while she squirmed beneath me, fingers tugging my hair.

When I dipped lower, her legs fell open, and I pressed my palm against the heat of her cunt. “Oh,” she moaned. “Oh, right there.”

I knew that was where she needed me. The soft light caught on the tops of her breasts, where sweat glistened. I longed to lick the drops from her skin, but I was too focused on the smell of her ripe cunt. Aroused and needy, that was Naomi right now. I ignored the throbbing ache in my cock and pressed harder with the heel of my palm over her clit. Her feet slapped the ground.

“I’m taking these off,” I growled, feeling nearly feral as I gazed up her body. “And then I’m going to eat you until you scream.”

“Oh fuck,” she whispered. “Yes.”

That was what I needed to hear. With a swift yank, I tore her pants down her legs and positioned us closer to the door. If she were giving me this chance, one I wouldn’t likely repeat, I wanted to see what I was feasting on.

Dark curls covered her mound, soft as a moira’s fur. I took my time, spreading her slick fluid all around her cunt and clit while she wiggled beneath me, gasping and panting. I pursed my lips and blew on her heated flesh. Her legs clamped around my ears as she squealed.

I couldn’t hold back anymore, not with the scent of her all around me. I dove in, lapping at her folds and circling her clit with the balls pierced through my tongue. Her back arched on a cry, and she slapped her hand over her mouth to keep her noises down. I growled as I smothered my face with her. While I licked at her entrance, I nosed her clit. I gripped her thighs where they pressed tight to my head and growled. The sound sent a vibration straight through her and she let out a muffled scream from behind her hand.

Nothing had ever felt like this. Tasted like this. I hadn’t enjoyed food for many cycles, but one drop of Naomi on my tongue, and I craved the flavor. I needed more. Better leverage. I cupped my hands under her and lifted her in the air with her thighs on my shoulders. She cried out as I lifted to my knees, spun around, and braced her back on the wall near the door.

With my hands bracing her tight ass, I dug into my buffet. One of her hands slapped the wall behind her while the other held my head. She ground that sweet cunt into my face, her hips working as she sought her release. I circled her clit with my tongue before taking a breath and spearing her entrance with my tongue. She jolted against me like I’d shocked her, and my name left her lips on a long, breathy moan. “Gar.”

I tongued her, wishing it was my cock giving her pleasure but knowing this was right, this was perfect—me kneeling with her above me. The servant to my queen. I’d never knelt for anyone but for her, I’d walk on my knees through jagged rocks. If she asked me to remain in this position for rotations with my tongue out, ready to service her anytime she wanted pleasure, I would.

I would do anything for her.

I began to prush, something I’d never done before, but I let the vibrations leave my chest and rumbled up my throat until they reached my mouth. As my tongue began to vibrate inside of her, she went off. She bucked into my mouth, her nails digging crescent shapes into my scalp. Holding her with one hand, I reached around and plucked at her clit. That was the last sensation she needed because she went off like a spark. She cried out and shook as a tremor after tremor wracked her little body. Her inner walls clenched around my tongue and I moaned, which only caused the tremors to go on longer. Until finally she let out a long sigh and collapsed, draping her body over me as she went nearly boneless.

Reluctantly, I pulled my mouth from her cunt and lapped at the juices covering my face. My cock pulsed in my pants like a living thing, and I gritted my teeth as my balls throbbed with the need to release.

I lowered my sweet Naomi to the ground where she flopped onto her back, half-closed eyes watching me with a blissed-out expression of peace on her face.

I’d done that. Me. A switch flipped in my brain as I understood our mantra now. Before it’d been about duty, but now I knew it was far, far more than that. This was why She is All. Because seeing a female this at peace because of my actions was a worthwhile purpose. She should always be this happy and this fulfilled. I got it now, and I understood why my brothers with mates said our creed with much more reverence.

Except Naomi wasn’t mine to keep. This would be the last time I’d get to see her like this, and I mourned that we weren’t outside, where the sun’s rays would make her skin glow and eyes shine.

Instead, I’d done this in a dark, dirty, underground cave. That was all I’d been able to offer her.

Six

Naomi

I wasn’t quite in control of my faculties. My legs were jelly. My body was floating on a cloud, and my brain was foggy. I still felt the aftereffects of that earth-shattering orgasm zinging through my body.

That had been better than anything I’d managed myself and certainly better than any fumbling done by the few men who’d gotten to second base. Gar’s eyes were thrown into shadow by his prominent brow, but his expression seemed almost awed. I smiled, pleased I could make him look like that for even a second. My smile vanished just as he whirled away from me with a snarl and retreated to the dark corner of the room. It wasn’t until I heard a rhythmic sound that I realized he was pumping his cock. Away from me.

“Gar,” I called out, struggling to sit up. He released a low growl and a splat of something wet hit the ground.

After that, silence. Thick, choking silence that washed away all the remnants of the orgasm that had left me feeling so warm and full. I shivered, a cold emptiness opening up in the pit of my stomach. Why had he turned away from me? I’d have given anything to touch him.

“Gar,” I said again, crawling toward him. “Why … why didn’t you let me—”

“No,” he growled swiftly. “That was for you. Your pleasure. Not mine.”

I frowned, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m sorry, what? So, you didn’t enjoy it?”

Silence met my words, then a scuffling sound just as a rush of air hit me and then Gar was in front of me, inches from my face, his eyes nothing but black pools in the dim light. “I enjoyed every single moment. Your taste, your softness, your sounds. I’ll remember the way you said my name when you came on my tongue for the rest of my life, no matter how long it is.”

I sucked in a breath as his words flushed my body with heat. I resisted jumping him to focus back on our conversation. “Then explain this to me like I’m five, Gar. If you enjoyed that so much, wouldn’t you have also enjoyed me touching your cock? Stroking it with my fist? Maybe putting the tip in my mouth?”

He sucked in a heavy breath, and I could feel the air vibrate as he trembled. “Stop, little one.”

The warning growl meant nothing to me. What did a girl have to do to get one of these blue cocks in her? “Why?” I demanded. “Why should I stop? It doesn’t make me feel good to think I just used you like a sex toy. Mates should give and receive—”

“You are not my mate!” He roared so loudly that I jerked, falling back on my ass with my arms braced behind me.

He rose over me. I could see his massive form like a black cloud. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his shoulders heaved as he panted. My heart twisted painfully, and my stomach soured. Suddenly I felt gross and dirty. In the moment, what we shared had felt so special to me, but I must have been flooded with endorphins. Gar had told me he wouldn’t take me as a mate, and I couldn’t talk him out of his mission. Why had I thought I could change his mind with a kiss and some oral? He might want me, but not enough to take me.

I closed my eyes and turned away, so he didn’t see the silent tears running down my face. I felt around the floor for my pants, needing the security of my clothing as I felt too vulnerable right now. I thought I’d done a decent job holding back a sob, but I forgot the Drixonians had excellent hearing. “Naomi?”

I ignored him, crawling around on my hands and knees. “Shit,” I blubbered. “Where the fuck are my pants?”

“Naomi?” His voice held a tinge of panic. Good, I hoped he choked on it.

With fumbling hands, I finally found my pants and tugged them on as the stupid tears refused to stop. Stupid Gar stepped close to me, the stupid ass. I knew because I was always aware of his stupid presence.

“Na—”

“Say my name one more time, and I’m going to shove your own tail up your ass,” I growled at him. “I get it. I’m not your mate. You licked my pussy to shut me up. You don’t want me touching you, trying to talk you out of your mission, or overall attempting to speak any sense into your thick skull.” I blinked into the dark at the big silent, stupid head. “Fine. Get me to safety and then blow yourself to bits.” Shit, I couldn’t hold back the sobs, so my words came out all mushy. “See if I care! You dick!”

I stumbled my way to the far corner, as far away from him as I could go. I patted the ground until I found the leather pouch of food and shoved a few handfuls of nuts into my mouth. I chewed and drank qua and ignored Gar as he remained motionless and silent. For real, he didn’t move. I would have worried he was dead, except I could just detect the sound of his breathing.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said so softly I thought I imagined it.

I didn’t answer at first, because I was still in a snit. He’d yelled at me, hurt my feelings, and made me feel cheap when being intimate like that with him had meant so much to me. Finally, when I felt like I’d made him wait for a sufficient amount of time, I muttered, “Good for you.”

He approached me. I heard his footsteps and saw his bulk in the low light. Then he crouched in front of me on the balls of his feet. I looked away from him.

Fingers brushed my chin, then closed around my jaw. Those fingers turned my head until I was forced to look into the dark shadows of Gar’s face. “Little one,” he breathed, his voice a low, soft rasp I’d never heard him use. “I—”

A commotion outside our door cut off whatever he was about to say. He lunged to his feet and stood at the door, his bulk seeming to swell. I gathered our supplies and shoved what I could in my shirt and pants before hurrying to his side.

He stood motionless with his head cocked slightly to the side. I mimicked his posture and made to step closer to the door to get a better listen. His arm shot out, stopping me in my tracks. I got the message. Stay put. Don’t get closer.

Armor clinked somewhere in the distance outside the door. Kulk voices rose. I could hear them shout back and forth to each other.

“Rear left and right quad are clear.”

“Check here.”

“On it.”

They would find us. It was only a matter of time Even now I could hear the distant sound of a door opening and the pounding of armored feet. They must be searching each room in this hall one-by-one. There was nowhere to hide in here. At least, nowhere to hide a seven-foot-tall Drixonian.

We had no plan. We’d spent our time in here sleeping, fighting, or making out. We could have used our time wisely and discussed productive ways of escaping. Of course, the Kulks and Uldani would search for us. For a while, in our dark little hideout, I’d been able to believe we were safe.

Guilt soured in my gut. This was real life to Gar. He’d spent most of his life fighting the Uldani and for the survival of his race and had the many, many scars to prove it. I’d done nothing but pick at the scabs until they broke open. He had a right to choose how he ended this battle and his life. It wasn’t my decision. I didn’t have the decades of hurt behind me he’d had to live with. And I had a feeling I only knew a small, small portion of what he’d been through.

I’d apologize when we were safe again. And with a broken heart, I’d let him walk off into my past.

The thought raised a lump in my throat, but now wasn’t the time to get sentimental. We had a storage room to break out of. “So,” I whispered, “What’s your—”

With a vicious kick, he sent the door flying off its hinges. It slammed into the opposite wall and when it splintered on impact, two unconscious Kulks were among the debris. Big hands grabbed me, hauled me over a dark blue shoulder, and then the walls were a blur. I’d thought Gar was fast before, but now that he was healed and rested, his speed was lightning fast. He raced down hallway after hallway, away from the shouts of guards. I couldn’t see much from my position, but a few times, he’d lash out with the hand that wasn’t holding me, taking down some guards with his machets and others with a vicious whip of his tail.

I vowed never to get in the way of that thing. None of the other Drixonians used their tails in battle as effectively as Gar. He seemed to have more control over it, or maybe it was just stronger. Either way, he was able to smash an entire Kulk’s head against the wall with one lash of the appendage. It was magnificent.

The violence didn’t bother me anymore. Not now I knew what the Kulks and Uldani were capable of. I’d seen Miranda’s bruised face from those armored bastards. If I had any sort of chance, I would have bashed a few skulls myself.

Something about the hallway we were in caught my attention. I propped myself up as best as I could with my hands on his shoulders so I could see the direction we were going. Yep, I was right. I pounded on his shoulders. “Turn at your next right.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s something in there. Something I think you need to see. And lots of places to hide.”

He didn’t slow down, and I glared, thinking he was ignoring me, but at the last minute he took the turn so sharply I groaned at the whiplash. He slid into the giant room where I’d first been caught.

He dropped me on the floor, immediately took out two guards with slashes of his machets, and then slammed the door shut behind him. We listened, but no further sounds came from outside. The solar light that had been here before was rapidly losing its charge, as only a dull glow illuminated the bodies on the floor currently bleeding out. No sounds came from them, and I scrambled away on a frantic crab walk, holding down the bile that rose in my throat.

I didn’t think anyone had seen us run in here, but it was only a matter of time before they searched this room and found two dead bodies. And us.

We had to hide. I stood up on shaky legs and turned to see if the spacecraft was still there. Which of course it was. Why wouldn’t it be? “This is what I wanted to show you,” I gestured toward the very obvious object in the room. “Do you know what it is?”

I turned to Gar to find him staring at it, his entire body still, every muscle tensed. The expression on his face was a mixture of awe and longing. In fact, I’d only ever seen him make that face right after he’d licked me to orgasm.

But now, he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at the spaceship. And I knew why when he finally spoke in a voice choked with emotion. “That’s a Drixonian stealth cruiser,” he said, his unblinking eyes coming to rest on me. “And I never thought I’d see one again.”

* * *

Gar

I could barely believe my eyes. There, in the middle of an underground cavern built by the Uldani was one of our cruisers. We’d thought they were all gone. It was the Uldani who transported us here in large cargo ships back when we made our bogus pact. We’d flown a few of our own spacecrafts—some cruisers like this one used for scouting missions and our infamous war ships. The rest remained on Corin.

It wasn’t until the Uprising that we learned our ships, which the Uldani had promised they would keep safe, had been destroyed. We’d seen the charred remains as evidence. It was why we were trapped on Corin with no way back to our home planet.

That had been my belief for over fifty cycles. And now, sitting in front of me, was proof it had all been a lie. Why did we believe anything the Uldani tried to get us to believe? And why was the cruiser here rather than at Alazar? I had so many questions and no answers. All I knew was that this was a massive revelation.

“I didn’t know, obviously,” Naomi was saying as I worked to thaw the shock that had frozen my body. “I ran in here on my way in and saw it.”

I quickly explained to her we thought they were all destroyed by the Uldani during the Uprising. “This changes everything,” I said. “Did you see anyone around it while you were in here?”

“No,” she said. “How do you think they got it here?”

“I don’t know,” I said, striding toward the base as she jogged to keep up with me. “Only a Drixonian can operate our spacecraft.”

“What do you mean?”

I fumbled around the back of the circular craft, searching for the panel that would give me access to the entry pad. When I found it, scratches and dents marring the surface indicated it had clearly been tampered with. The Uldani had certainly tried to gain access to the ship, but they weren’t Drixonian. Any other species trying to board our ships were faced with an immediate shutdown of all systems. For the Uldani, this cruiser was nothing but a hunk of metal. For me, though, she’d come alive.

I placed my palm on the center of the console and waited. I didn’t pray to Fatas, because I knew she’d never grant me a wish, but I did send up a plea for Naomi. Fatas had to provide her safety.

For a moment, I worried the ship had no charge in its internal generator, but then a weak red light scanned my palm, and a soft click sounded throughout the cavern.

“Holy shit,” Naomi breathed as the panel peeled back to reveal a small basin. Releasing my machets, I slashed at my wrist and held it over the bowl. A few drops of blood splattered on the surface, and then the recording of a husky female Drixonian voice, one I hadn’t heard since I was a chit, spoke. “Board now.”

I could barely believe it. With a hiss, a door lowered underneath the ship, and I grabbed Naomi’s hand, tugging her along behind me as I ran up the platform. Once inside, I slammed my hand on a lever inside, the actions instinctual, and watched as the door closed, securing us inside the cruiser.

I turned to Naomi, who gazed around the craft with wide eyes. “We’re safe in here,” I explained. “The Uldani can’t access it. Not without a Drixonian palm print and fresh blood.”

She swallowed and promptly braced herself on the wall. “I think I need to sit down.”

I yanked out a seat from the wall and placed her on it. Her legs dangled, not touching the floor, and she looked like a chit in the massive seat meant for a full-grown Drixonian warrior.

I crouched in front of her and yanked the pouch of qua out of my pants. “Drink.”

“Right,” she gasped, and lifted the pouch to her lips. After a few gulps, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and placed it back in my hand. “Your turn.”

I wasn’t thirsty, but I drank a little anyway. Just so she didn’t argue with me.

“Okay,” she said. “So, you’re saying we’re safe inside here.”

I nodded. “They can’t see through these tinted windows. The walls also protect us from heat signature detection. A Drixonian scouting cruiser is one of the most secure crafts in the galaxy.”

“I think I need a bit of a history lesson,” she said. “Weren’t you … young when you came here to work for the Uldani?”

“By your human standards, maybe. But not ours. I’d been trained since I could walk for my place on a Drixonian warship as a warrior. I was always bigger and stronger than the other chits. Ward was the same, although he was already showing signs of becoming a squad leader. Daz was on track to train as a warship pilot, one of the most important positions in the entire Drixonian fleet. Sax was to be his co-pilot. Nero was training as a developer of the craft systems, while Xavy was to be a cruiser pilot.

“Before the virus struck our planet, we’d already been in training. It was the Drixonian way. We knew our roles inside and out. It was only a matter of time before we grew into our bodies, which happens for Drixonians around ten to fifteen cycles.”

Her eyes bugged. “You’re full grown at ten years?”

“I’m not sure our years and cycles are comparable.”

She bit her lip. “Yeah, maybe not.”

Silence descended on us, and I reached out, intending to wipe off a streak of dirt on Naomi’s face, but she flinched away from me, startled. I quickly yanked back my hand and turned away, not wanting to see her disgust. I deserved that with the way I’d treated her. And I didn’t know how to fix it. I could describe battle strategies and Drixonian history but when it came to the complicated feelings knotted in my gut, I had no idea how to untangle them.

I knew she was still angry, and I wanted to beg her forgiveness. I wanted to kiss her feet and worship the ground she walked on. But she’d made it clear my attentions were no longer welcome. And it was better that way, even if my very cora felt cracked and bruised from self-administered pain. That was nothing new.

I focused on the dark control panel. Getting inside the cruiser on a weak charge was one thing, but could I actually make this craft come alive for me? I couldn’t imagine the power source still worked or enough fuel remained in the thrusters to get this thing off the ground. I squinted up through the dome covering. Even if I could get this thing in the air, all I had above me was dirt. A lot of dirt.

The most pressing question was how they had gotten this ship down here. Because the entrance could also be an exit. Either way, I had to find out quickly. Soon, they would search this room and find the dead Kulks along with our footprints. We couldn’t hide in this ship forever as we had limited supplies. I had to get out, and I wasn’t leaving without Naomi or this cruiser.

I sank down in the pilot seat and felt the arm rests made of antella leather. I wondered which long-lost Drixonian warrior had piloted this cruiser. Was he still alive? Had the virus taken him? I could still see worn places in the leather where he’d gripped the seat, claws digging into the padded surface. I ran my fingers over them, the knots tightening in my gut until my stomach rolled. So much death. So much loss. In the past, and in our future too.

And for what? I heard a noise behind me and glanced over my shoulder to see Naomi picking up a small wooden doll that had been left on a shelf. I hadn’t meant to talk, but the words tumbled out as I watched her caress the small trinket. “It was common for warriors to take something of their chit’s for good luck on missions.”

She jerked her head up, small rivers of tears running from her eyes to drip off her chin. Sniffling, she wiped her face on her shoulder. Carefully, reverently, she placed the doll back on the shelf and gazed at it. “I hope it brought the warrior luck.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

So much death. So much loss. But as I gazed at Naomi, I knew she was the reason. Her care, kindness, and heartfelt wish for an unknown warrior. Drixonian pride backed by the love of human females was the reason we still fought.

“Get something to eat,” I said as softly as I could. “Rest. I need to work on the cruiser and find a way out of here.”

I heard rustling behind me as I studied the control panel in front of me. The first task was breathing some life in the cruiser. I found the switch for the evergreen generator and turned it on. A low hum filled surrounded us, and main screen winked on, showing me that we had approximately six yoras for the generator to be at full power.

For now, dim lights backlit the control panel in low-energy mode, and I checked the fuel levels as well as ran a few diagnostic tests. Fuel, as predicted, was low, but the ground thrusters—meant for in-atmosphere travel—were intact. The generator, once at full power, would enable the thrusters as well as the defensive laser rounds. As of now, I couldn’t do much but wait.

It was only a brief time later when the soft mews of a sleeping Naomi filled the small space. I glanced over my shoulder to find her curled up on the floor using my leather pack as a pillow.

I slowly crept from my seat and cracked my neck. She’d had to sleep on the floor last night, but I couldn’t let her do it again. I pulled down the small sleeping pad from behind a panel in the wall. Picking up Naomi with as much care as I could, I placed her on the bed and covered her with a scratchy woven covering.

She murmured in her sleep and clutched the fabric up under her chin. When she settled, I sank down to the floor. I ran my palms over the metal panels of the cruiser, barely able to believe it was here. Then the reality hit me—if it weren’t for Naomi, I would have blown this cruiser to bits along with myself and all the Uldani and Kulks in this underground bunker. If she hadn’t shown up and messed up my plans, I never would have discovered the cruiser. Nero would have never forgiven me if he found out I’d blown up one of our space crafts.

Was this a sign from Fatas? It couldn’t be—she’d already shown me my end. She’d already let me know why I deserved it. Maybe Naomi was here so I performed one last good deed. Getting her to safety and finding a way to place this cruiser back in the hands of the Drixonians.

I watched her sleep, her dark lashes fanned over her pale, spotted cheeks. I had to apologize for the way I spoke to her. I had to show her that this discovery, for which she was responsible, meant everything. I couldn’t finish my mission until she knew just how special she was. To us. To me.

Leaning my head back against the wall, I settled in to wait.

Seven

Gar

She woke up slowly, wriggling under the blanket and smacking her lips before blinking her eyes open, staring at the wall blearily. Finally, she jerked to her elbow and looked around frantically, only relaxing when her gaze landed on me where I sat on the floor. Her eyes flicked to the control panel where the generator’s progress bar, about three-quarters finished, blinked on the screen. “Everything okay?”

I nodded. “Did you sleep well?”

She rubbed her eyes, looking almost like Bazel in the morning. “Um, yes.”

I gave her a brief rundown of what I’d accomplished while she slept and what the progress bar on the screen meant.

“Don’t you need to get some rest?” She sat up on the bed, and her short legs dangled off the side.

I shook my head. “I have some things I’d like to say to you.”

Her body tightened, and a brief flash of panic flitted across her features. “This sounds like you’re about to break up with me, which makes no sense because there’s nothing to break up.”

I blinked at her in confusion. I wasn’t sure what a lot of those words meant.

Sighing heavily, she waved a hand. “Just … say what you want to say.” Her body remained stiff, and she clutched the covering around her shoulders like it was a protective shield.

I deserved that, her fear, especially after the way I’d treated her earlier.

“I wish to redo the words we exchanged in that dark room,” I began.

Her dark eyebrows rose into her hairline. “Redo?”

“Yes, those words were not the ones I meant. So, we forget those happened and I’ll say the right ones now.”

She snorted. “Um… Okay. I mean, you can do that, but words are like toothpaste. Once they’re out of the tube, you can’t get them back in.”

I frowned at her. “Toothpaste?” Then I remembered. Drixonians had self-cleaning saliva, but the human females needed to use a sand mixture they’d made to keep their teeth from “falling out” as they’d said. But I didn’t understand her words about a tube.

Once again sensing my confusion, she huffed. “I just mean … those words. They were already said. I can’t unhear them. And they hurt me.”

I flinched. I’d known I’d hurt her but hearing her admit it was like a blade across my throat. “I regret what I said.”

Her heat tilted to the side, and she watched me for a moment before hopping down off the sleeping tray and sitting down at my side, her legs crossed in front of her. She tucked the covering around her shoulders and peered up at me. “There, now I can see you better. Tell me what you want to say.”

All the words I wanted to say felt jam packed in my chest. I’d kept them there, shoved into a deep hole, and I worried once I uncovered the top layer, they’d all fly out like a hunner swarm. But I had to do this. I had to make Naomi see. So, I told her something I’d never told another living soul. Not even Ward. “After the virus, I began to have visions in my sleep. Fatas made it clear I would reach my end amid fire. I’ve known this most of my life, and I’ve come to accept it.”

“Gar,” she murmured. “Those are just dreams.”

“They are not just dreams,” I said through gritted teeth, needing her to understand. She wasn’t in my head, thank Fatas. She didn’t see what I saw every night. The flames. My burning flesh. The agony of the all-consuming blaze. My lungs filling with smoke as I gasped my last breath. Those were the visions I woke up from every night, panting in the dark alone. “My visions are real. They are a promise from Fatas.”

She swallowed heavily and ducked her head. Her small fingers plucked at the covering before she spoke in a trembling voice. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have dismissed them.” She glanced up and shifted closer, placing her small hand on top of mine. “Go on. I’m listening.”

I’m listening.

I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted to hear those words. I’d spent so much time being silent so no one would know what swirled in my head, but maybe that was why the storm inside never stopped.

“I’ve never given anyone a chance to listen to me,” I said. “And there’s a reason. Burdening anyone with my curses is unfair. Even now I hesitate to say anything.”

“But don’t you think you’d feel some peace? If you let some of what you’re feeling out instead of keeping it locked inside?”

“And how is that fair to you?” I demanded. “I feel a small amount of peace but then you are forced to live with the ugliness inside me?”

Her back straightened, and her chin lifted. Normally when my tone deepened to a growl, others fled, but not Naomi. If anything, my growls strengthened her courage.

“I might not be your mate, as you say, but I’m your friend. And this is what friends do. We lighten the load for each other. I’m tired of watching you carry around this weight on your shoulders. This isn’t about what’s fair. This is about me, sitting here, pleading with you to let me help you.” Her hands squeezed mine. “Please, Gar.”

I inhaled sharply and sought to calm the rage in my head. “I didn’t always look like this.” I gestured to the side of my face which bore my burn scars and cracked horn. “It happened during the Uprising. The Uldani were holding out in one last stronghold in the eastern hemisphere and we wanted to drive them back to Alazar. I knew I was the best warrior to break their line and blow up their last attacking force. Without Daz’s permission, I grabbed one of our last solar bombs, snuck into the hideout, and detonated it.” I swallowed. “I hadn’t intended to live. I thought that was it, I’d followed Fatas’s plan, but on my terms. She wants me to burn alive, fine, but I was going to do it my way.

“Except it didn’t turn out that way. Amid the screams and flames, Ward found me and pulled me to safety. I wasn’t conscious for it. I woke up a few rotations later in a healer’s hut with bandages all over the left side of my face, neck, and chest.”

“My word,” Naomi whispered.

“I was angry with Ward for a long time. I didn’t tell him why, because I couldn’t find a way to explain it, but I was furious he’d flecked up my plan. I was meant to die that day, and somehow, I cheated death. I cheated Fatas. I’m living on borrowed time now, and I’m choosing again the way it’ll end. With the device in my arm eliminating the Uldani encroaching on our territory.”

By the time I was finished talking, Naomi’s eyes shone, and a few tears trickled down her cheeks. Her small nose reddened, and she’d gnawed on her lip so hard that she’d peeled off a layer of skin.

“Little one,” I murmured, overwhelmed at her emotional reaction. I reached for her, intending to swipe away the tears, but she launched herself at me, colliding with my chest while she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

She clung to me, and her little body shook as she cried. Her tears fell on my chest, beading on the scales there. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled as she clasped her hands behind my neck. “I can’t imagine what that was like to keep this to yourself all this time.”

I closed my eyes, grateful she didn’t try to argue with me, or tell me that I was wrong. She’d listened like she said she would. And she understood why the visions had been such a burden to me.

I released a long, slow breath, and held her slender body against me. Her legs straddled my hips, and she fit so well with her head tucked on my chest. Her cries were quieter now, and her dark lashes stuck together in wet little spikes. I smoothed her braid down her back, and she took a shuddering breath. Her head lifted, and she changed her position on my lap until our gazes were more level. She slowly raised her hand, and I watched carefully as she ran a finger along the length of my broken horn.

“Can you feel my touch?” she asked.

Our horns were most sensitive at the base. My cock took notice, straining in my pants to get to the warmth between her legs that hovered above me like a tease. I nodded to answer her question.

She reached the end, and I let her prod at the jagged end. “Does this hurt?”

“No.” My answer was a rasp.

“And these?” Her fingers brushed the white scars on my face and neck.

“Not anymore.” They had at the time, pain like I couldn’t believe. I’d borne it silently, unwilling to let Ward know how much I resented still being alive.

She cupped my face, and my eyelids lowered. The warmth of her palm spread through my face, wrapping around my head like the sun’s rays. Would she still touch me like this if she truly knew the depth of my pain? How I let my sister suffer out of selfishness? Fatas had shown me my punishment. I’d never be rewarded by someone as sweet as Naomi, no matter how badly I wanted her.

Her lips touched mine, and I flinched. She froze and pulled away. I caught the pain in her face and couldn’t do that again. Not to her. I grabbed her face and jerked her to face me. Shock widened her eyes.

“I told you all that to explain that that is the reason you can’t be my mate. Fatas has other plans for me, but not a rotation goes by since we met that I don’t wish for a different life where I could keep you. Where I was free to touch you, and make you happy, and allow you to see my aura that isn’t tainted with fire and pain and regret.”

Her chest rose and fell, her pulse strong beneath my fingers against her neck. There were no more tears this time, only determination. “Do you want me, Gar?”

“More than anything,” I growled.

This time I kissed her first, unable to let her think she was anything short of perfect. Because she was perfect. She had a purpose in my life even if it wasn’t the purpose I wanted. If only I was free to make her mine.

I delved my tongue inside her mouth as she collapsed against me, grinding her sweet heat on the ridges of my stomach as my cock thickened to painful length in my pants. She moaned a sweet sound into my mouth, and I gripped her hips, forcing her down onto my cock. Gasping, she pulled back, and her eyes rolled up as she bucked against the hard ridge. I cursed the layers of clothing between us, but I didn’t trust myself to see her skin on full display.

I had never been this hard, and I didn’t know how this ended, but I knew I had to come to some sort of conclusion, as my balls were heavy and full, near to bursting as Naomi’s full breasts bounced under her shirt, her pale skin flushed a pretty shade of pink, and she moaned my name. “Gar, yes.”

I growled, bucking my hips just as she cried out, her nails digging into my shoulders. My hands tingled, my spine snapped straight, and then my vision whited out as I felt my cock pulse with the first wave of release.

I came. Hard. All while Naomi pressed kisses to my neck. My face. My shoulders. I hadn’t realized I was prushing until my head fell back against the wall and I slumped into a boneless heap. The kisses continued. Along with a soft sound that reminded me of the female’s wordless sengeng.

“Are you okay?” Her soft voice floated up to my ears.

Was I okay? I was changed, that was for sure. I understood a little more now while my mated warriors refused to leave their beds early. I would never leave if I got to do that again. What would it be like to release inside Naomi’s sweet cunt? I shook my head. Now was not the time for fantasies.

“You’re not okay?” Concern tinged her voice.

“I’m fine,” I answered. I dropped my hands from her hips only to find reddened marks there. I jerked up, nearly toppling her off my lap. “Did I do that?”

“Did you do—?” she glanced at her hips. “Oh. Yeah, but it’s fine. You were squeezing. I have such pale skin, it shows—”

“I hurt you,” I clenched my jaw.

“Gar,” she gave me that no nonsense tone, and I focused on her stern expression. “I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me. Okay? This is normal for … intimate times. Or so I’ve heard.”

“You’ve heard?” I asked. “Have you not—?”

She blushed and ducked her head. “I have not had um … sex. Well, much of anything really.”

I was surprised by this. The other females had previous lovers, even though that line of conversation was forbidden as none of the Drixonian males wanted to hear about other males touching their mates. Good thing we couldn’t get back to Earth, or I was sure Daz would pound every one of Frankie’s former male partners into the ground.

“It’s not a big deal,” she said. “It’s not like I don’t know what to do. I just … haven’t done it.”

She was untouched. As was I. “I know what to do as well, but you are the first female I’ve touched. I’ve never…” I gestured to the lap of my pants. “I’ve never released before. Not until … in the room, with your taste lingering my mouth.”

Her eyes lit up at that. She did a little shimmy. Then they dulled. “Well maybe we’ll have more time. Just a little more. We can show each other—”

Light spilled across the front of the cruiser, and I jerked to my feet. Naomi scrambled behind a chair with a squeak, even though no one could see inside. I crept toward the cockpit, to find the generator progress bar almost finished.

Peering out into the darkness of the room we were in, I spotted two Uldani and at least a dozen Kulks streaming into the room, weapons in hand, pointing them right at the cruiser.

Eight

Naomi

The Kulks and Uldani found the bodies of the Kulk guards quickly. And they didn’t seem surprised. Several Kulks approached the cruiser warily, banging on it with metal fists as Gar sat in the chair at the cockpit, still as a statue. His gaze flicked between the increasing enemy presence outside of the cruiser and the progress bar of the charging generator.

I didn’t know what to do, so I picked up all our supplies, stuffed them into my pockets and lifted the tray bed back into the wall. Gar had assured me they couldn’t see inside, but I still felt like I needed to hide. I crouched behind the other chair in the cockpit until Gar’s arm lifted with a definitive point to direct me to a seat.

I sat quickly, and Gar slapped a button on the armrest. Straps wrapped around me, holding me in place. I felt a little like a bug in a flytrap, especially as the Uldani stood at the front of the cruiser, staring directly inside.

Sounds came from the back of the spacecraft, and Gar’s head whipped around, his eyes narrowing. This was the Gar I was used to. Every trace of vulnerability was gone. He showed no fear, no anger, only a concentrated determination. I still didn’t know how he planned to get us out of here. Were there weapons on this ship? Guns or laser … things?

Maybe that was what he was waiting for. Once the generator charged, he’d kill everyone and then we’d… What? Push this thing out? How the hell did they get it in here? None of this made sense, and I hated feeling so out of control.

I had to place my trust in Gar, and while I did trust him, I didn’t trust him with himself. A large part of me, more than I was willing to admit, was still hoping we’d both come out of this alive. And stay alive.

A louder thud came at the back of the cruiser, and I started with a shout. “Gar! What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer me. It was like I wasn’t even there. He turned back around, his lip curled in a snarl and tapped the control panel. “Come on,” he murmured at the screen’s progress bar as it moved achingly toward completion. “Come. On.”

The shriek of bending metal made me hold my hands over my ears, a scream leaving my lips as my heart pounded in my chest. “What can I do?” I pleaded as my head throbbed along with my heart. “How can I help?”

He didn’t answer me. His hands were steady in front of him. One on a round wheel type thing with a knob at the top, and the other on a massive lever. Shouts came from behind us, and several Kulks raced around to the back where it sounded like they were cutting into the cruiser with lasers. “Oh God,” I whispered. “Oh God, they’re going to get in.”

In front of us stood two Uldani, arms crossed, smug looks on their faces. If they thought they won, then that meant… Well that meant we lost. The completion bar seemed stalled, taunting us with a half centimeter more to go. We weren’t going to make it. They were going to bust in here. Kill Gar. Take me.

More metal screeching. Cursing. They sounded frustrated.

“Gar!” I screeched. “What can I do?”

Finally, his head swung toward me, eyes so dark they were nothing but black holes in his scarred face. And yet, in the dim light, he looked beautiful to me. His hands tightened on the controls. “You can hold on.”

“Hold o—”

“Charge complete.” A robotic voice filled the cockpit.

A grin spread across Gar’s lips as he spun the wheel wildly. A second later, he gripped a sole joystick and flipped up a case covering the top. “Burn, you fleckers,” he gritted out, and depressed a clawed thumb on the red button.

Bright white light flashed in front of my eyes, temporarily blinding me just as a rapid staccato like machine-gun fire filled the air. Streaks of laser fire shot out from all around the rim of the cruiser, mowing down the Kulks and Uldani who were unlucky enough to be in the crossfire. I closed my eyes unable to handle the brightness just as shrieks and cries echoed through the cavernous room, followed by the acrid smell of smoke.

When the sound stopped, I blinked my eyes open to see Gar’s entire body tense, muscles bulging as he looked above us, neck craned back.

“What—?” I got out just as he slammed the lever down. The massive roar was deafening, and I clapped my hands over my ears, crying out just as Gar once again gripped the joystick. He spun another dial and this time when the laser fire started up, they didn’t shoot out into the room. They shot straight up. Into the air. I blinked up out of the dome of the cruiser to see the lasers peppering holes in the dirt roof.

It was then I realized with horror that Gar, in typical Gar fashion, didn’t intend to carefully extract this cruiser from underground. Hell no. He was going to smash his way out.

“Hold on!” He hollered over the sound of what felt like a dozen rockets below us. The laser fire continued, followed by the screams and gunfire from the remaining Uldani and Kulks in the room with us. They must have realized what Gar intended to do was well.

Chunks of dirt and charred tree roots and debris landed on the roof, and just as we lifted off the ground, pockets of sun poked through the dirt ceiling. A few at first, then more, and I caught a small glimpse of clear sky just as he flipped a few more switches and the roar grew in intensity.

A rumbling came above us, and I watched with a disassociated terror as a massive chunk of earth and boulder-size rocks plummeted toward us. I screamed, convinced the roof of the cruiser would cave in just as the Gar gripped another lever and depressed it.

Instead of avoiding the tons of rock and dirt, the cruiser shot upward, fire flaming around us just as my body decompressed from the force of the thrust. I screamed again, but Gar didn’t flinch. We rose in the air, meeting the ground as it fell to meet us. Gar snarled, a loud growl that grew until he roared, the muscles in his neck straining, his fangs almost fluorescent in the dim light.

When the first rock hit the top of our cruiser, I covered my head. But no glass shattering came, no cracking. Only the constant barrage of rocks and dirt slamming into the cruiser like we were caught in a hurricane, all the while Gar roared a challenge at the ground along with the cruiser’s thrusters.

And then, just when I thought we’d be plummeted back into that hole covered in rock and dirt, light seeped through my cracked eyelids. I peeked from behind my arms and my mouth dropped open in shock. Sky was visible through the dirty roof of the cruiser as we soared out of the ground. Laser fire from below pinged the bottom of the cruiser, but it didn’t matter anymore.

We were out. His plan had worked.

I gazed up at the sky in wonder, letting out a whoop with my hands in the air like I was on a roller coaster. “We’re free!” I giggled.

But Gar wasn’t celebrating. He swallowed just as the cruiser which had been ascending as it sped forward across the plains, slowed. We seemed to hang in the air for a moment. Then, we began to drop.

I sucked in a breath and gripped the straps covering my body. “Gar…”

“Hold on,” he said. “It’s under control.”

Nothing about this felt under control, but I didn’t say that as we began to plummet faster. I craned my neck, trying to see below. We had reached the edge of the plains and were maybe a half mile above the top of the trees as we continued over the dense forest on a diagonal decline.

“Um, why are we going down?” I asked with a gulp, panic evident in my shrill tone.

“Thrusters don’t have enough fuel to take us much farther,” he said, pressing buttons and switches and spinning the wheels rapidly. “I have to land and cloak it.”

“Cloak it?”

“Cloaking shield. So, the Uldani can’t find it.”

“We won’t make it back to the Night Kings?”

He shook his head.

I didn’t respond to that, even as my stomach sank faster than the cruiser. I had to take what I could get though. He’d blasted us out of the Uldani-controlled bunker. We were better off now than we were an hour ago.

At least, that was my last thought before Gar swore, the cruiser dipped wildly, and I braced for a wicked impact.

* * *

Gar

I was not a pilot, and that was never more clear than now, when I was a hairbreadth’s away from crashing the entire cruiser.

Naomi sat beside me with her face pale and eyes squeezed shut. I didn’t think she was breathing either. I knew a location where I could land, but I had some more ground to cover before I got there. As much as I loved to smash my way through my obstacles, leaving a trail of broken trees in my wake would be obvious to the Uldani. I knew a clearing where I could cover the cruiser’s tracks.

I turned on the cruiser’s cloaking shield, which would hide us from sight. “Cloaking enabled,” said the cruiser’s voice, a female Drixonian recording that made my throat tight with homesickness.

I tapped repeatedly on the mapping screen, but it wasn’t working, either because the cruiser was in a safe mode using only essential operations, or because it was broken. Either way, I had to land this flecker manually. Naomi was going to hate this.

I spun the wheel, and the cranking sound made Naomi whimper. “Got it handled,” I said gruffly. I wished I could take the time to assure her properly, but I was barely hanging on myself. The cruiser was losing altitude fast, too fast for my liking, and only Fatas knew if my plan would work. We cleared a dense crop of trees, the tops scraping the bottom of the cruiser with a loud screech. Naomi screamed and her eyes popped open just as my destination loomed below us. A qua spring, rarely used, but I was aware the center was just deep enough to sink a cruiser. The Uldani wouldn’t be able to see it, and they certainly wouldn’t search for it here.

We hit the qua with a smack and loud splash. I jerked against my restraints and saw Naomi’s body lift off her seat before the straps held her in place. She made a small sound of protest and gripped her seat with white knuckles. After that, we sunk fast, the qua bubbling around us. Naomi’s eyes were huge in her face as she gazed around us. After descending to the depths, a soft jolt let us know we’d hit the bottom.

After that, silence. The cruiser’s controls shut down as the generator reached the end of its charge. I immediately flipped on the solar mode for it to recharge, thanks to the bright mid-day sun streaming through the qua.

For a moment, I stared out of the front of the cruiser at few curious huppas who swam by, thinking they could get closer only to find an invisible wall blocking their way. Giving up, they swam away.

“That…” Naomi’s chest expanded and contracted rapidly. She still gripped the restraints of her chair with white knuckles. “That was crazy.”

I could barely believe it had all worked. So much could have gone wrong. And there was still so much yet that could. “We will have to remain here until the generator recharges. Then, if all goes to plan, we will get back to the Night Kings.”

I pressed the switch on the control panel to release our seat straps, and Naomi’s upper body fell forward until she braced her elbows on her knees. She turned her head to study me. “That entire time, I was absolutely terrified we were going to die. You weren’t at all, were you?”

“Death was a possibility, but I wasn’t scared.”

She sucked in a breath. “Are you scared of anything?”

My first reaction was to tell her no, that nothing scared me, but that would be a lie when the one thing that terrified me the most sat right in front of me, her flavor still lingering on my tongue. “Yes.”

“What?”

“Plenty.”

She straightened. “Tell me.”

“I don’t want to.”

She blinked, not expecting that answer. “Are you scared of anything happening to your brother? The other warriors?”

“I worry about that, but it doesn’t scare me.”

She twisted in her seat and narrowed her eyes. The flush rising high on her cheeks let me know she was irritated. “Then what does? I’m trying to get to know you, Gar. I want—”

“Maybe I don’t want you to get to know me!” I snarled at her, tired of this conversation and her insistence on opening me up and poking around at my insides. “Maybe that’s my greatest fear. That once you saw what I was really like inside and out, you’d run so fast and so far away from me that I’d never see you again.” I pounded my fist on the control panel, and she jerked as her mouth fell open. “At least now I’m able to look at you every day, hear your voice, and if even for only a small part of my day, I get to drink in your presence when I’ve lived a lifetime in a drought.”

Drops fell from her bottom lashes to leave dark stains on her shirt. She blinked and then licked her lips. I turned away, unwilling to see the devastation on her face and hear the words that would break me.

“You don’t scare me,” she said softly. “I get that you’re trying to. And if you were anyone else, I would have let you push me away. I would have given up. But I’m not giving up now. Because I don’t see a reason we can’t make the best of the rest of your borrowed time.”

I closed my eyes as her words reached down my throat like a fist and wrapped around my pounding cora. Her voice shook as she continued. “But this will be the last push. Because I can’t keep getting hurt and letting you throw sharp words at me. I’m tired of your snarls and your growls. So, if you don’t want me, then you tell me to leave you alone. I’ll give you your space.”

After that she fell silent. I opened my eyes the rest of the way to find her huddled on her chair with her knees pulled up to her chest, her hands clasped around her chin. She rocked softly with her head turned away from me. Her hair had come loose from the braid she’d had it in, and the dark locks fell in shining waves around her shoulders and legs.

Everything about her posture was defeated and defensive. She was putting herself out there with the knowledge I would most likely hurt her again. Why couldn’t I be as brave as her? I’d fought countless enemies and just flew a cruiser out of a bunker before crashing landing in a spring, yet I couldn’t confess the truth to a small human female? She terrified me.

“I watched you every morning.” She froze mid-rocking motion but didn’t turn to face me. I kept going, even though every word felt like blades in my gut. I gripped my knees and squeezed. “I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Because I couldn’t stay away. I wore a groove in the dirt outside your window. Same time before every morning meal, I’d hide in the shadows and I’d watch you brush your hair until it shone.”

She turned her head slowly, and I tried to read her expression, but her features remained blank. “I brush my hair after my cleanser, and before I get dressed.”

I swallowed and nodded.

She blinked. “You watched me naked?”

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly.

She didn’t answer for a long time, until she took a shuddering breath. “Which window?”

“The back one.”

She nibbled her lip. “I sit with my back to that window to brush my hair.”

Once again, I nodded.

Dropping her feet slowly to the floor, she slid to the end of her chair and gripped the edge. “Did you watch me get dressed?”

I had never wanted to lie so badly. “Yes,” I replied with a hoarse rasp.

“Tell me,” her voice dipped to a whisper. “Tell me what you saw.”

I swallowed, my cock thickening in my pants at her voice and the memory of her smooth skin in the sun’s morning light. “From the back, I’d watch the ends of your hair graze the top of your round ass.” We’d learned that word from the females, and we liked it.

“Did you think about touching my ass?”

“Naomi—”

“Answer me.”

“Of course,” I hissed.

She didn’t flinch. “What else?”

I didn’t even have to close my eyes to picture the image of her naked. “You’d turn to rise from your chair, and I’d get a glimpse of your breasts. I enjoy the way they move when they are not in your shirt, and the stiff peaks of your nipples make my mouth water.” My gaze dropped to her chest, and I quickly darted it back to her face.

She’d caught the look, and she stood, rubbing the palms of her hands on her pants. She took a step toward me, and her fingers brushed her hips then her waist until they rose to cup her breasts through her shirt. Her thumbs moved over the slight bumps of her nipples. “What did you think about when you saw my breasts?”

She was going to kill me. I had to dig my claws into my knees, pricking through my pants, to stop myself from reaching for her. I owed her the truth though. I looked her square in the eye. “I thought about drawing your nipples into my mouth and sucking on them. I’d run the balls of my piercing along the peaks and nip them with my fangs until you begged me to stop.”

“I’d beg you to stop?”

“Fleck yeah,” I said. “You’d beg me to stop because where you really wanted my mouth was on your cunt.”

She sucked in a breath and shuddered as her eyes fell closed. Her fingers squeezed her breasts, and she rubbed her thighs together. “Gar.”

I licked my lips, remembering how she tasted on my tongue as I made her come. “My favorite was when you’d stand, and I’d get a glimpse of your cunt. Just a small one, but it was enough to get me through the rest of the rotation. I’d take a moment to dream about how you’d feel and taste. Now I know. I know the sounds you make when I rub that clit and how your greedy cunt sucks me in when I lick you inside. I know how you melt on my tongue and the way you shatter when I give you pleasure. I know it all, and I’m not sure what’s worse—getting a taste of what I’ll never have or dying with only the dream of you.”

Her eyes popped open, pupils dilated so they were nearly as dark as mine. “Which is better? The dream or reality?”

“Reality,” I answered without hesitation. “The reality of you is beyond anything I could dream.”

With shaking hands, she reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. I sucked in a breath as her full breasts came into view, plump and splashed with dots, her rosy nipples extended.

“I’m not a dream,” she said. “I’m real.” Her head tilted, and her hair fell over one shoulder, curling around a breast. “Be brave, Gar. Make us real.”

That was when I swallowed the fear, grabbed her around the waist, and gave myself something real for once in my flecking life.

Nine

Naomi

His kiss was hungry. Starving. I’d thought last time we’d touched was intense, but it had nothing on the way he licked into my mouth and clasped my waist with an iron-clad grip. His tail curled around my thigh, the tip teasing between my legs and I moaned, slanting my head, clinging to his shoulders for fear my knees would buckle.

He growled, a rumbling vibration that slid down my spine and pooled in my core like lava. I loved the way he touched me, how he craved me with every beat of his heart. I’d never felt this wanted in my life.

“Please,” I murmured as he nipped at my lips, careful of his fangs.

“Tell me.” He slid that wicked tongue down the side of my neck and sucked on a patch of skin at my shoulder.

The heat of his mouth sent my brain into a tailspin, and my eyes rolled back. I couldn’t think right with his tail flicking between my legs, and when his hand cupped my breast and thumbed the stiff peak of my nipple, my muscles went to mush. “I don’t … I don’t know. I just … please.”

With astonishing speed, he grasped me around the waist with his massive hands and rose to his feet. I squeaked in surprise as he sat me on the edge of the control panel and lowered his head to my chest. There, he closed his lips around a nipple and sucked. Hard. I cried out, arching my back as I speared my fingers into his hair, nails digging into his scalp. He prushed like a madman now, so in addition to the suction on my nipple and the occasional graze of his tongue piercings, my entire ribcage vibrated.

With his free hand, he pinched and rolled my other nipple between his fingers, almost to the point of pain. I gasped, squirming on the control panel. Something beeped and a humming sounded from somewhere inside the vehicle, but that didn’t stop Gar. He pulled off my nipple, blowing on the wet flesh so goosebumps raced over my skin. His tongue curled around my other nipple and drew it into his mouth.

I bucked into him, needing something to relieve the ache in my lower belly, but unable to get anywhere near his cock because of our height differences. I rubbed myself on his hard stomach like a wanton thing until he took pity on me and brought his tail back into the action, tapping me right on the clit over my clothes.

“Gar!” I cried and he pulled back, his lips curled into a snarl as he tore my pants down my legs and tossed them somewhere behind him.

I lay stretched before him on the control panel completely naked while he remained clothed. I started to demand he join the no-pants club when he went to his knees between my legs and shoved his face into my pussy.

I screamed. An actual, honest to God scream. He didn’t play this time—he went right to my clit, sucking it into his mouth and lashing it with his piercings. I went out of my mind. I thrashed and whimpered and shouted gibberish as he drove me to the brink. I didn’t have to worry about being quiet now. When he plunged two fingers inside of me and curled them, I came like a rocket. My limbs spasmed, my mouth dropped open on a silent scream, and I shuddered as the orgasm roared through my body like a freight train.

When I blinked my eyes open, Gar rose above me, mouth shiny with my juices, his eyes a vivid hurricane of purple. He didn’t speak, only stared into my eyes as he palmed my crotch, fingers running through the wetness there while I continued to twitch.

His expression looked pained, and one glimpse at the bulge his pants let me know why. I refused to let this end here. Submerged in a lake, alone, with fish-like creatures who couldn’t tell a soul what we did, I clasped his head between my hands, lowered his face to me, and said in clear words. “Take me, Gar. Make me yours.”

He descended on me with a growl, fucking into my mouth with that wicked tongue of his. For a moment, I thought this was his way of saying no, but then I felt a wide, blunt velvet heat at my entrance, and I sucked in a breath.

I pulled back, blinking at him while he panted above me. I glanced down between our bodies to see him fisting his cock in a tight grip that looked painful. The head just barely kissed the entrance to my body, hovering there like he couldn’t decide to go forward or back.

The thickness of his cock and the massive bar pierced under the head terrified me. I couldn’t deny that, but I was also so slick and turned on, that I couldn’t imagine not being filled with him. I ached with emptiness in a way I’d never felt. My body had a mind of its own as I pressed on the back of his naked thighs—when had he removed his pants?—to pull him closer.

He sucked in a shuddering breath before exhaling roughly. “Little one,” he said in a soft, gentle voice I didn’t think he was capable of. “You have already given me more than I could have imagined.”

“Then give me this,” I said, rolling my hips so that the tip of his cock just barely notched into my entrance. “Be the first inside me. I don’t want it to be anyone else.”

His groan, full of longing and a bit of defeat, filled the private space just as he surged inside. The breath left my body as he stretched me impossibly wide. There was a slight burning, and I gripped his shoulders, shoving my face into his chest as he let out a long moan. He drew his hips back, and the piercing dragged on my sensitive walls. Then he snapped his hips forward, plunging his entire length inside of me. A sharp pain made me clamp my teeth onto his skin, and he grunted above me. For a moment, the pleasure vanished, replaced with a burning stab inside that made me what to want to shove Gar away and curl up into the fetal position.

But then his hand combed through my hair, and his lips nuzzled my forehead. He licked away the tears that squeezed out of the corner of my eyes. “I’m sorry, little one,” he whispered. “I forgot … I forgot the first pains. I have heard of them.”

He went to pull out, but something made me balk at that. I gripped as tight as I could with my legs around his waist, and he went still. “Naomi?”

“Don’t leave me,” I whispered, surprising myself at how much I meant those words in more ways than one.

A shudder ran through his body. “I will not,” he whispered back. He picked me off the control panel, holding me tight to his body. He sat back down on the chair in the cockpit, me straddling his legs, and held me there on his lap.

He didn’t press me to allow him to move. He didn’t protest at all. He continued to comb through my hair as I adjusted to his size invading the tight walls of my body. He told me I was beautiful and brave and kind. Then his words turned dirty as he told me how good I tasted, how there was nothing better than when I gushed on his tongue.

I relaxed my tense muscles and began to slowly roll my hips. His breath stuttered, but he didn’t try to direct me or force me up and down on his cock. Loosely gripping my hips, he let me experiment until I was able to rise on my knees, revealing the base of his cock, before lowering back down to take him fully inside of me.

His muscles strained, the cords in his neck visible, and his jaw ticked constantly, but yet he didn’t make a move to take over or fuck into me with the power I knew he possessed in his body. The pain was now merely a dull ache, and the pleasure once again began to sing in my blood. His cock felt huge inside of me, and that piercing that terrified me with its metal scrape now felt like heaven as he brushed against all the nerve endings inside of me.

My head fell back, the ends of my hair brushing my ass and his thighs. “This … oh this feels good.”

His hands tightened on my hips, and I lowered my head to see his heated gaze watching himself enter my body again and again with every roll of my hips. His nostrils flared and his eyes flicked up to my face. “You are so beautiful riding my cock. So soft inside, so flecking hot and tight.”

“Gar,” I murmured, grabbing his shoulders. My gaze caught on my teeth marks visible on his pectoral, right near his nipple. I brushed my fingers over it. “Oh no, did that hurt?”

His pupils swirled, and his fangs peeked around from between his parted lips. “I hope you left a permanent mark. I’ll wear it with pride to signal the day I entered your cunt.”

* * *

Gar

She gasped at my words, and I felt her cunt gush on my cock. The sounds turned obscene as she continued to ride me, her juices coating my cock and dripping down my balls. I was torn between aching to release myself inside of her but also wanting to feel her once again gush on my tongue.

I let her set the pace, but it was taking all my strength to remain still. I tortured her nipples a bit more and nibbled on the underside of her breast as she whimpered. Satisfied her body carried my marks, I pulled back to admire her pale skin covered in red patches from my lips and teeth.

Her face was flushed, hair wild, and I hung on by a thin thread as she continued to bounce on my cock. Her rhythm faltered, and her thighs shook with the effort. “I don’t think… I can’t…” she slammed down on my cock, making both of us groan.

“Tell me what you need, little one,” I spoke through clenched teeth.

She bit her lip and then tongued the abused skin. “Take over, Gar.” Her eyes went stormy. “Fuck me.”

She’d let me off my leash. I surged forward, cradling her back with my arms and my hands hooked over her shoulders as I slammed her onto the control panel. Pulling my hips back, I plunged inside of her. She screamed, the sound tailing off into a loud groan as I set a punishing pace, flecking into her with everything I had. Her cunt gushed all over me, and my balls slapped her bare skin. She could do nothing but take my cock repeatedly in that tight, hot cunt. She cried out with every thrust, urging me not to stop, to never stop, and I didn’t want to. I never wanted to.

My release began to slide down my spine to clench around my balls, pulling them up tight as my body sought to spread my seed. The node at the base of my cock extended to latch onto her clit and her mouth fell open in a silent cry.

“Come, little one,” I growled. “Come on my cock as pretty as you come on my tongue.”

“Oh fuck,” she gasped, her head falling back, that pretty, bare neck on display. I latched onto it, grazing the vein there with my fangs.

Naomi went off. She screamed out her release as her little body bucked and convulsed below me. Her inner walls squeezed my cock so hard I could barely breathe, and then I was coming too, pulsing inside of her as my vision blurred.

My cora pounded in my chest, a dull roar filled my ears, and then my body gave out, collapsing onto the soft pillow beneath me. For a moment, I forgot where I was, and it wasn’t until Naomi’s steady cora beat loudly against my own ribcage that I managed to pull myself upright.

She gazed up at me with half-lidded eyes, her lips parted. Her arms were no longer clinging to me, but splayed out on either side of her body, palms up. And her skin… I’d left marks everywhere. Her lips were swollen, tears dripped into her hairline, and various red patches and teeth indents marred her breasts and inner thighs.

I was a beast. And maybe yesterday, this would have made me ashamed, but now I could only feel pride, especially as a soft smile curved her lips and her body twitched, reminding me my cock remained nestled inside of her.

It all made sense now. All of it. Why our Drixonian society had been built the way it was, why my brothers now doted on their mates. Why we fought so hard for who we were. It was this, the gift the females gave us with their soft touches. When Naomi looked at me like she did now, I swore I could move mountains. Take on a whole army single-handed. I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to beat my chest and roar.

Instead, I slowly withdrew from her body, noting her wince. Blood streaked my cock, and I should have felt guilty, but instead I only felt pride, especially because a soft smile once again graced her lips as she let out a small sigh.

“How do you feel, little one?” I carried her to the portal cleanser.

“Tired. Not sleepy just … like I don’t wanna move.”

I tugged the nozzle of the cleanser out of the wall and positioned it above our heads and then pulled the curtain around us. I hit the cleanser power button and hot air rushed down over us. Naomi jolted at the sound, but then settled against me as the grime from the last few rotations sifted off our bodies to disappear in a small drain in the floor.

Satisfied we were clean, I turned off the cleanser and put it away. Naomi’s feet still hadn’t touched the floor, and I found I liked the weight of her in my arms. I knew she was safe there, unharmed, pampered. Like she deserved to be.

Glancing at the generator charging progress, I saw we still had over halfway until full charged. I pulled out the bed pallet, which was too small for us to sleep side by side and that suited me just fine. I lay down with my hand pillowed behind my head and arranged Naomi’s naked body on top of mine. She sighed and rested her cheek on my chest. Her breath blew hot over my scales, and my colors rippled as my cock, feeling the heat of her satisfied cunt, jerked to half-mast.

I had thought she’d fall asleep, but I could see her eyes blinking as she stared off into the small space thoughtfully. Her fingers played with the scars and marks all over my chest, occasionally grazing one of my nipples.

“Does this change things?” she asked quietly, her words breaking the stillness and peace of our paradise.

I closed my eyes as my brain mulled the words. I felt her shift on my chest, and I instinctively gripped her tighter so she wouldn’t leave my side. But she only humphed. “I’m just getting more comfortable.”

I loosened my arm at her waist and opened my eyes to see her wriggle into a new position with her legs straddling one of my thighs and her head propped on my chest with her fist. She went quiet and still then, watching me.

Oh right, she’d asked me a question. And I didn’t think too long on it because I didn’t have too. I should have agonized and fought, but I’d been fighting all my life. I’d fought enemies I could see and couldn’t see. But I’d never met an opponent like Naomi.

“Fatas will not bless me with a cora-eternal,” I said.

Her jaw tightened. “I don’t care about that,” she growled. “I don’t care what Fatas does, or whether I have loks, or any of that. It doesn’t matter because I’m choosing you. So now it’s your choice if you want to choose me—”

“I choose you.” Her jaw clacked shut and her eyes went big. “I choose you now. I choose you in my next life. I will always choose you Naomi.”

Immediately her eyes blurred with tears and her lower lip trembled. “So…”

“I will fight for you. I will fight for us. Until Fatas decides to take me. I don’t know when it will be. It could be this rotation or twenty cycles from now.”

She pushed herself higher on my chest until our faces were aligned. Her hands cupped my jaw. “Are you serious? What changed your mind?”

“I realized the only one I was hurting with my denials was you. My own hurt and pain I can live with. I can push aside my wants and desires. But I cannot hurt you or cause you pain. I cannot let you think that you’re not wanted, that you’re not the most precious thing to me in my life.” I nudged her nose with mine. “I’m yours. Just like you are mine. And it’ll be that way until Fatas decides to end us.”

Tears dripped from her eyes to land on my cheeks. “She won’t.”

“Naomi—”

“She won’t,” Naomi repeated, her voice stronger this time. “Because what we have is real and we will beat the odds. I know we will.”

She kissed me, and I couldn’t dwell on her words or ask her what odds were. I gave myself into the kiss. Letting go of the tightly held control I’d maintained all my life left my muscles loose and my mind clearer.

Without the cora-eternal blessing, she couldn’t see my aura. She couldn’t see the chaos that was my mind. And that was for the best. For her, I’d be her Gar. She’d never have access to the deepest part of me. I’d keep it separate. Forever.

Ten

Gar

The moon rose high in the night sky and the rippling qua above us made the stars wink and flash. Only the dim lights of the cockpit lit the inside of the cruiser. The cloaking shield would cover any lights inside, but I was too warm and comfortable to rise and turn anything on.

I liked the way the soft lights gleamed on Naomi’s skin where she rested on my chest. Her hair lay all around us in soft waves, and I enjoyed watching the shiny strands sift through my fingers.

“Do you want to return to Corin?” Her voice cut through the stillness and I paused, my hand resting on the back of her neck.

“I haven’t thought about what I want,” I said.

She lifted her head, and that small space between her eyebrows was wrinkled. “What?”

I shrugged. “The other warriors want to return, so I committed to fighting for that, but I never thought I’d live long enough to see it.”

Her lips parted and her eyes went sad. “Gar.”

“Corin is…” I gritted my teeth at the images. “A source of bad memories for me.”

Her hand slid up my chest to lay on my neck, her thumb slowly stroking the hard line of my jaw. “Tell me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t revisit bad memories.”

She swallowed, and her hand convulsed on my neck. “I know you had a sister.”

“Nit!” I barked, and she flinched, nearly sliding off the pallet to the floor. I grabbed her and rose from the table, depositing her back on the pallet as I searched for my pants. With my back to her, I didn’t have to see the hurt on her face. I could just end the conversation here—

“Gar, I swear to your Fatas, if you end this conversation, I will make you regret it.”

I paused with my hand out, reaching for my pants. I straightened and turned slowly to face my fierce mate.

On her knees, with her fists clenched at her sides, she glared at me, eyes firing. “Don’t shut me out.”

I stabbed my thumb into my chest. “I should get to choose what I share with you.”

“And maybe I’d allow that if I thought you were just avoiding the pain of bad memories. But I don’t think that. I think something bad happened and you haven’t worked through it—”

“Something bad happened?” I spat as I stalked to the pallet. She jerked away like she meant to run, but held her ground, muscles tense. “Something bad happened?” I repeated, my voice escalating. “Of course, something bad happened. Mave was perfect. Beautiful. Kind. Smart. She could have been anything in our society. There was no limit for her based on her initial aptitude screenings. She said I was her hero, that I’d be a legendary warrior. And I believed that—I believed her—until the virus swept through our house. It took my mother quickly, but Mave… It ravaged her. For seven rotations I held her in my arms as she coughed blood, as she fought to breathe, as she begged me to put an end to the pain and kill her.” I inhaled sharply and roared as I thumped my chest, “She begged me!”

“Gar,” Naomi’s voice had gone soft, and she reached for me, but I took a step away from her.

“I didn’t do it.” I could still hear Mave’s gasping pleas. They haunted me at night. “I didn’t do it because I selfishly wanted more time with her, so I refused to end her pain. When she finally died, she weighed as much as a welf pup, cracked three ribs from coughing, and rotted all her teeth from vomiting.”

Naomi had collapsed onto the bed, bracing herself on her hands with her legs bent to the side. She didn’t look at me now, her gaze rested on the pallet. She looked defeated, and my cora pounded as my angry voice seemed to echo in my own head. I was such a fleck.

I fell to my knees, the thud making Naomi gasp as she scrambled to the edge of the pallet. Even after I’d unloaded my burden on her, she still checked to see if I was all right. I didn’t deserve her.

“Is that what you wanted to hear?” I asked, my hands resting on my thighs, palms up. I was exhausted, wrung out, my brain a maelstrom of memories and darkness.

“No,” she whispered.

I shook my head and lowered it. I’d had her for barely any time, and I’d already turned her away by showing her who I truly was…

Fingers brushed my shoulder, and I glanced up to see her standing above me, holding the covering to her chest with one hand. “What I didn’t want to hear was you blaming yourself for the way your sister died.”

“She suffered, little one.” My throat hurt, and my voice was rasped like I’d inhaled too much smoke. “I had the ability to end it, and I didn’t.”

“And I’m sorry that she suffered. I’m so sorry for what you all went through. But I refuse to let you blame yourself for not taking your twin sister’s life when you were a child yourself.”

“I was old enough—”

“You were not full-grown,” she said. “You told me you weren’t. You cannot punish yourself for loving your sister so much that you held out hope she’d recover. Because you did, didn’t you?”

“I did,” I whispered. “Ward told me she would not, but I didn’t want to believe.”

“And you think this is what Mave would have wanted? For her hero to torture himself over something he couldn’t control?”

My jaw clenched. “I could have saved her pain—”

“Maybe,” she said. “But I’m also sure there were moments at the end where she was glad to have that extra time with you. Can you recall anything good? Any words you exchanged that weren’t her pleading with you to end her pain?”

I forced myself to think back to that time, something I refused to do since the rotation she took her last breath. I had to search to the depths of my mind and cora, shoving aside the steel walls I’d placed there to hide all the thoughts that could cause me pain.

Finally, the image of her on the bed appeared in the dark recesses where I’d shoved Mave. I closed my eyes, recalling the way her bony hands had grasped mine, the coughing fits, the spots of blood on the furs…

“What do you think your chits will be like, Gar?”

I’d frowned at her. “I don’t want chits. Females are annoying.”

She’d smiled. “I’m annoying?”

“You don’t count. You’re my sister.”

She’d laughed which turned into a cough. I wiped her brow, nearly hissing at the heat of her skin.

Her hand grasped mine, and she squeezed with what little strength she had left. “You’ll have chits. A girl first. And you’ll name her Mave.” She smiled then and closed her eyes as she seemed to sink into the bedding. “Yes,” she murmured to herself. “And you’ll be her hero, just like you’re mine.”

She’d died before sundown.

I sucked in a breath, having forgotten that conversation all those cycles ago. How could I have forgotten that? I’d hidden Mave away. I hadn’t honored her memory. Was I living up to being her hero?

I blinked my eyes open to see Naomi standing above me, her eyes bright. “She told you to name your daughter after her?”

I must have said the story aloud. I nodded. “She did.”

“Then you will.” She cupped my face. “We will. We’ll have a daughter, and we’ll name her Mave, and you’ll live, Gar. You’ll grow old and get a bad back and chase Daz’s son away from our daughter when he comes sniffing around.”

My lips curled. “Daz’s son better treat her right.”

Naomi ducked her face into her shoulder to smother a laugh. “I think we have a while to worry about that.”

I parted the covering hiding Naomi’s body with my hands and gripped her waist, tugging her toward me. I nuzzled her stomach and dipped my tongue into her bellybutton. She gasped and gripped my hair.

“You are so smart, little one. How do you always know what to say to me?”

Her hand soothed my hair as I fluttered my lips across her belly. “I don’t always know the right things to say. I was never good at standing up for myself. At work, I faded into the background because I didn’t want attention. Back at the camp, I do the same thing, but with you… I want you to notice me. And I want to see you smile. I…” her voice broke off and she cleared her throat. “I want to make your life better.”

I paused and tilted my head back. “You do make my life better. You made it better from the first time I laid eyes on you.”

“Gar,” she whispered.

“You have given me so much. I will devote my life to you and your safety.” I ran my thumbs over the indents below her hip bones. “I’ll ensure Mave lives a long life with her mother at her side.”

A tear slid down Naomi’s cheek.

I cocked my head to the side. “Do you think she’s there now? Did we make a chit, little one? Did my seed take root inside of you?”

“I hope so,” she whispered, and those three words made my cock jerk and harden between my legs.

I slid a hand lower, until my thumb rested over her clit. She shifted her legs, and her hand holding the covering at the top of her breasts shook. “I think we need to fill you again.”

Her eyes fluttered, and she let out a long moan.

* * *

Naomi

He was teasing me, and if someone had asked me a week ago if Gar was capable of kneeling before me with a mischievous glint in his eye while slowly stroking a thick finger between my thighs, I would had said no way in hell.

But now, he carefully parted the blanket I’d wrapped around me, revealing my naked lower body. He stared at me hungrily as he swiped that long wicked tongue across his full lips.

As his gaze slowly lifted to me, he stretched out his tongue and flicked it across my clit. I gasped and would have toppled over if he hadn’t grasped my waist to hold me steady. With a growl, he buried his face into my pussy and began to eat me in earnest. My knees wobbled, and my head spun as he lapped at me, sucking the hardened nub of my clit into his mouth as I moaned and wiggled. I dug my fingers into the braids on top of his head to help my balance. I wanted to thrust against his mouth, but his strong grip on my hips kept me steady, still, and at his mercy as he speared me with that thick tongue and began to prush.

The vibrations zinged through me like an electric shock, stealing my breath. My hand could no longer grip the blanket and it fluttered to the ground at my feet. Gar’s eyes were closed, and he kept up a steady growl with the vibrations that sent my body into orbit. I came hard, crying out as I bucked against his face. When my knees gave out this time, he lowered me to the floor onto my back where I panted while the tremors continued to course down my spine, to throb in my clit.

He held himself above me, face shiny with my juices. “You get so wet for me, little one,” he murmured, and the pride in his voice made me smile.

“It has nothing to do with you.” I smirked. “It’s just your tongue.”

He blinked in surprise, and then a wicked grin crossed his face. “Just my tongue?” His fingers probed at my entrance and then I felt the blunt head of his cock there.

“Well, something else too,” I mumbled.

“What’s that?” He pressed against me, but then pulled back.

I wiggled, eager to get his cock inside me and feel that fullness again. “I said there’s something else too.”

“Tell me what it is.” He plucked at my nipple, making me gasp. “Say what you want, little one.”

I huffed. “You know.”

“I want to hear you.”

“Your cock!” I shouted. “I want your cock!”

With a roar of victory, he slammed inside me. I was still sore from earlier, but I held back a wince, knowing the pain would soon be replaced by pure ecstasy. As he reared back and plunged into me again, pleasure washed away the twinge of discomfort.

Gar took control this time. This was his pace, his race to release inside of me, to fill me with the chit he so longed for. I held on, accepting the way he slammed into me and the way his hipbones dug into my inner thighs while my legs were stretched impossibly wide. I dug my heels into his lower back, and he slammed into me, holding there as he ground his hips. I cried out as his cock reached new depths inside of me, leaving no part untouched.

When the node at the base of his cock extended to latch onto my clit and suck, my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I bit down on his shoulder as another orgasm hit me like a tornado. I was caught up in the dizzying spin while Gar continued his punishing pace until he too came on a shout, slamming into me one last time with such force that he slid us across the floor a foot.

No longer in control of my muscles, I let them flop to the side like a starfish. I blinked up at him through half-open eyes. “Don’t expect me to get up anytime soon.”

He rolled us so I lay on his chest instead of the hard floor. His hands ran over my skin, and he frowned at the red marks on my hips. “I was too rough.”

I yawned. “No, you weren’t. I bit you.”

“But I like the bites.”

“Well I like the red marks, so quit frowning.”

He chuckled, and I jerked to look at his face, because I’d never heard him make that amused sound. He caught me looking at him and let the chuckle trail off. Amusement still glinted in his eyes.

I pointed a finger at his face. “You laughed.”

“I’m capable.”

“But I’d never heard you before you did it back in that storage room. And then I hadn’t been able to see your face.”

“I don’t have much reason to laugh.”

“You’re around all kind of funny guys like Sax and Xavy.”

He shrugged. “Their humor annoys me.”

“And my humor?”

His smile widened. “You are very funny. Especially when you’re angry.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not supposed to be funny when I’m angry.”

“Well you are. Like wet salibri cub.”

I pursed my lips. “Whatever.”

Laying my head on his chest, I yawned. How did any of the other warriors and women get anything done if sex made them this sleepy? He didn’t speak, just casually brushed my spine with his fingers in a way that sent goosebumps racing over my skin.

I traced the scars on his body, cataloguing all the ways he’d fought and hurt for his race. For us females. I’d heard about Gar’s battle skills, and I’d seen him fight firsthand. He was deadly, skilled, and creative with the way he took out his enemies. I shuddered as I remembered the way he’d plunged his horn into a Kulk’s eye socket.

Letting my fingers flutter lower, I ran them over the firm ridges of his stomach until I reached his groin. Drixonians had no hair around their cocks, so all his … parts were just there, easy to see. The node at the top base of his cock fascinated me. I’d heard the girls talking about it and comparing it to a popular sex toy. As of now, it was barely noticeable, just a small bump with a slit, but I’d seen it in action, like a sucking sleeve that did wondrous things to my clit.

I pressed on it slightly, and a shiver ran down Gar’s body. His fingers closed around my wrist. “Sensitive,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry,” I blushed. “How does it work?”

“My cock?” Amusement rang in his tone.

“No, I know how that works, I mean … this.” I tapped the node, just barely.

“My subcock. It’s a bit like my cock around you,” he said. “Uncontrollable.”

“Really?” I asked. “You don’t, like, activate it somehow?”

He snorted. “I do not activate it. I think my body senses when you are near your release.”

“Fascinating,” I murmured.

His cock lay against his thigh, half-hard and curved to the right, a light blue color. I’d never actually seen a penis up close like this. My only experiences had been a few fumbling hand jobs down a guy’s pants. I wrapped my fingers around it and squeezed. Gar’s body jerked. “Little one,” he growled.

I released his cock. “Sorry, I’m exploring.”

“I don’t mind your exploring. Just be gentle with the important bits.”

“Big bad warrior can’t take a little rough handling?” I giggled.

He stuck his hand under my armpit and wiggled his fingers. I squealed, arching away from him. “You know how to tickle! No fair!”

He laughed outright, a deep rich sound that made my belly go warm. “My mother used to tickle me and Mave.”

I loved that he maintained a soft smile on his face as he recalled his sister.

“Tell me about your family.” Gar’s fingers traced my spine. “About your life on Earth.”

I sighed and plastered myself against his side as the threat of more tickles disappeared. “You know I have an older brother. Very protective. I worked on his construction crew, and most of the men weren’t even allowed to look at me, let alone talk to me in any way that wasn’t job related.”

The ache of missing my brother never went away. No matter how much he pissed me off, he was my brother, and I knew he only ever wanted the best for me.

“Why?” Gar asked. “Did those men not have honor?”

“Just like Drix, there are good guys and bad guys,” I said.

He was silent for a while. “I don’t like to think about the dishonorable warriors who turned their backs on our values and creed.”

“I know,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

Gar growled low in his throat, and his hand tightened on my ass cheek before he released it.

“I liked my life on Earth,” I said. “It was lonely sometimes. A lot of my friends worked different hours than me, and dating was out of the question thanks to my brother. We were roommates too, so it wasn’t like I could get anything by him.”

“You miss him, though.”

“Of course, I do.” Tears threatened and I sniffed. “Theo was the dad I never had. My mom bailed on us when I was a teenager, and Theo was a legal adult, so he took care of me, made sure I went to school and got good grades. It hurts to think about how worried he must be.” I bit my lip. “I wish I could tell him I was okay. I wish you two could meet.”

Gar’s hand rose to curl around the back of my neck. “I have respect for your brother. It’s honorable what he did for you.”

“He’d like you too, Gar.” I propped my head on my fist. Gar stared at the ceiling, fangs digging into his lower lip. His head was propped up by his hand behind his head, and I smoothed my fingers over his biceps. “He’d like you a lot.”

Gar’s gaze shifted to you. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

“I wish I could meet him and assure him I will take care of you.”

A tear escaped out of the corner of my eye to drop onto his chest. “I wish you could too.”

“What did you want?” He brushed away my tear. “Out of life on Earth?”

“What did I want out of life?”

“Yes.”

“You answer that first. What do you want out of life?”

He cast his eyes to the ceiling again. “For most of my life, I only wanted to be a warrior. Carry out my duty with the Uldani, then destroy them in the Uprising, and then when you females came along, do my best to protect you or die trying.” He hesitated, and I waited for him to speak. When he didn’t, I prodded him. “Is that still how you feel?”

He looked me square in the eye. “Yes and no. Now my devotion to you takes priority. For so long I didn’t want a chit, convinced Fatas cursed me and I couldn’t pass that down to an innocent. But I can’t be cursed if I have your affection.”

“You’re not cursed,” I pressed a kiss to the inside of his wrist.

Something pained crossed his face. “Maybe not.” He cupped my face. “Now tell me what you want for yourself.”

I stroked a scar near his right nipple. “I always wanted to be married with kids. I loved my job, but I didn’t aspire to be in charge or anything. I just wanted a big family like I never had growing up. Then I came here, and it was like… Suddenly I had that family. I had lots of big brothers and sisters.” I smiled. “I can’t say I hated it, once I realized you all weren’t going to hurt us.”

“Never,” he said vehemently.

“I know. And while some of the other girls resisted some of the warriors at first, Frankie fought it, that wasn’t me. I knew I wanted you, Gar. I was waiting around for you to want me too.”

He pulled me up, so our faces were level, mere inches apart. His stormy purple eyes locked onto mine. “I always wanted you.”

“But I didn’t know that.” I said softly.

“And now?”

“Now, I know.”

“Don’t ever doubt my affection for you, little one,” he rasped. “It was always there. I wasn’t brave enough to admit it until you gave me the courage. I will do everything I can to keep this family of ours safe.”

I pressed my lips to his, where I murmured. “I know you will. And I love you for it.” The words surprised me, and I pulled back to see his expression had gone soft.

He nuzzled me, pressing kisses all over my face. “I know you females speak of this term called love, and I don’t know what that is. All I know is my cora beats for you.”

“And mine for you,” I answered. “That’s better than love.”

His tongue licked a path down my neck, and I felt his lips stretch into a smile there. “Then fleck love.”

Eleven

Gar

Naomi slept behind me on her stomach, the sheet covering the lower half of her body, where I’d left her after licking her cunt until she screamed. I pressed down on my cock, still half-hard even though I’d shot into my hand as she came.

I wanted nothing more than to pull her soft body onto mine, but I had to focus on getting us to safety. This was only temporary. We couldn’t stay down here forever as our food and qua supply was about to run out.

The ship wasn’t fully operational yet, but the generator was charged enough that I could access the communications program. I held my breath as I stared at the signal indicator. Since the Uprising, Drixonians hadn’t been able to access the Rinian network which was how the rest of the species and planets in our galaxy communicated. We hadn’t been able to contact the few allies we had, and because of that we remained stuck on this planet with no way to get off.

Our comms to each other worked because those ran off old tech—towers that were built long ago by the Uldani. We’d since moved them, so our enemies were unable to find them and destroy them. The Rinian network used satellites we couldn’t access with our comms. The cruiser, however, could tap into the Rinian network via the satellites. It was what we’d used on Corin. Even though Corin and Torin had their own satellites, they were the same model. We’d often shared signals, back before we became enemies. Due to our exceptional backend tech, the cruiser’s connection to the Torin satellite would be undetectable to anyone, including the Uldani.

The signal blinked, letting me know it was trying to connect, and I stared impatiently, nearly holding my breath. “Come on,” I whispered under my breath.

Naomi snorted, and I turned to find she’d rolled onto her back in her sleep with her arms over her head. My gaze fell to her breasts, full and still marked from my mouth. I nearly stood up to join her, and almost did, just as a small beep sounded from behind me.

I whipped my head around to see the most glorious sight of my life—other than a naked Naomi.

The small speaker crackled. “Connection to Rinian Network-Planet Torin is established.”

“Fleck yeah,” I grinned, and began to scroll through the screens with my finger.

* * *

Time passed in a haze while I sat hunched over the control panel of the cruiser. Naomi slept while my eyes poured over hundreds of files and communications. Most were protected behind a firewall I couldn’t access, but as the Uldani were the only species using the Planet Torin network, they’d gone lax in recent cycles. Many of the communications among military factions and members of the elite were publicly accessible.

I couldn’t be sure what was behind the protected files, but there were many concerning conversations dating back to before the Uprising—maps of Corin, detailed descriptions of the Drixonian government and military operations. They’d been spying on us, when we’d barely paid attention to them and chalked them up as harmless, isolationist neighbors.

A ball of dread gripped my stomach, and I clutched at my thigh until my claws pierced the leather of my pants. The elite asked for proof that the rumors of physical experimentation on Drixonians were unfounded, and there were hidden backdoor conversations among the now deceased Trupa—thanks to Daz—and other military leaders.

It was all here, everything Nero had wanted to read with his smart little brain was right here on the planet’s network. The Uldani never thought we’d gain access again. But they were wrong.

The cruiser, while important, was no longer the priority. What needed to get to Nero as quick as possible was the cruiser’s ability to access the network. I didn’t have time to wait for the ship to fully charge, and I couldn’t risk damaging anything when I held this kind of information.

Each part of the control panel of the cruiser, like our warships, was separate so if something broke, we only had to replace a small part. That applied to the network access control. It was a small box located below the cruiser’s main screen. If I delivered that to Nero, he could access the entire Rinian network. It would mean everything to our fight for final freedom from the Uldani.

By the time I was on my back unscrewing the panels hiding the controller Naomi had woken up. I heard her rummaging around in our leather satchel of food, which was depressingly bare. She nibbled on the end of our lone tein bar, but didn’t finish it, carefully wrapping it back up before taking small, careful sips of qua.

She had to be hungry, starving even, which only further convinced me we had to leave the ship behind and travel back to the camp with the controller. We could return for the cruiser when we had more warriors.

She padded toward me with the covering wrapped around herself. She knelt by my side, craning her neck up to watch my big fingers fiddle with all the delicate parts. “What are you doing?”

“Taking out the controller so we can take it to Nero.”

“What does the controller do?”

I cursed as I tried to wedge my finger inside the slim edge of a panel. I quickly explained to her what the Rinian network was, and why our gaining access to it and learning Uldani secrets would mean everything.

She listened intently, asking a few questions before falling silent. “So, we’re not taking the cruiser with us?”

I shook my head. “Too risky with the Uldani and Kulks looking for us. We’ll take the controller with us and sneak back home on foot.”

She nibbled her lip. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I could sense her anxiety.

“Yes, I trust you.”

I gave her a small smile and then reached for her hand. “I need your tiny fingers. Pull down right here.”

She lay on her back next to me, and as I showed her what I needed her to do, she studied it with concentration, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth. When the panel came free, I let it drop to the floor near my head. “Thank you, little one. Now get dressed. As soon as I disassemble the controller, we’re going to leave.”

She glimpsed up, her eyes tracing the streaks in the sky as the sun was about to break over the horizon for the start of the day. “You should eat.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are we going to argue about this again?”

“I’m not arguing. I told you I’m fine.”

She huffed, sent me a glare, and snatched her clothes off the ground to get dressed. I smiled to myself and kept working until the small controller dropped into my hand. Such a simple device, but it held our connection to vast amounts of knowledge that could finally defeat the Uldani and allow us to return to our home planet.

When I straightened, it was to see Naomi peering up at the lightening sky, a concerned look on her face. “So, we’re going from here,” she pointed at the floor of the cruiser, “to out there?” She pointed up through the qua to the sky.

“Yes.” I set about wrapping the controller in leather. It had a watertight case, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

“Yes?” she echoed. “That’s it? How are we getting from point a to point b is what I’m trying to ask?”

I enjoyed when she got like this. She reminded me of Mave. Big-hearted, curious, and not afraid of me.

“These cruisers were built with the capability to land in water, for the occupants to escape, and for the cruiser to later be recovered.” I grabbed her hand and led her to the rear door of the cruiser. I punched in a few buttons on the panel and waited as the motor of the airlock began to hum. I explained that a small compartment would extend from the back of the ship. It only had room for one Drixonian, but Naomi and I would both fit. We’d enter, open the door to the compartment, and swim out. The compartment would then drain of qua, and close.

“You can swim, right?”

After a momentary pause she said, “I can swim.”

I narrowed my eyes at her as the hum of the motor ceased. “Are you sure?”

“I can,” she huffed. “I just … really don’t like it.” She twisted her fingers together. “Holding my breath makes me panic. I kind of enjoy breathing.”

I stopped her nervous hand wringing and slipped my fingers in hers. “Hang on to me and you’ll be fine. I enjoy breathing too. I’ll get us to the surface.”

She smiled, full of trust and gratitude. “Okay,” she whispered softly.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and opened the door to the airlock. Once we were inside and the door to the cruiser was shut behind us. I gripped Naomi around the waist and pressed her to me. “Are you ready?”

She nodded and inhaled deeply before holding her breath with a pinch to her nose. Adorable.

I held my breath, opened the compartment door, and swam against the current of rushing qua.

* * *

Naomi

The qua was warmer than I thought it was going to be, but the shock of it still made me gasp, which meant I got a mouthful of liquid. It wasn’t that I didn’t like pools or lakes. I did. I just didn’t like when my feet couldn’t touch the bottom, which was always since I was stupid short.

I didn’t have to worry though. With one kick of those massive booted feet, Gar sent us soaring to the surface. With one arm locked around me, he pushed with the other, slicing it through the water as if there was no resistance. His strength amazed me, and soon, before I could panic about not breathing, we were breaking the surface.

I sucked in great gulps of air as Gar, with no help from me, swam toward the shore. He heaved me out on a rock first where I lay on my back sucking in oxygen as he hauled himself to his feet next to me. He shook himself not unlike a dog, and I glared as I watched the qua roll off his scales in little beads. His hair didn’t even look wet. Meanwhile, I could imagine I resembled a drowned rat.

I pushed my wet hair out of my face and rolled until I could peer down into the qua. Sure enough, the cruiser wasn’t visible. At all. The entire cloaking shield situation fascinated me.

I flopped onto my back again to find Gar’s hand in my face. I took it and he pulled me to my feet with more strength than necessary so that I landed against his chest with an “oomph.”

He peered up at the sky and then scanned the tree line. We were in a small clearing near the qua, but all around us was dense forest, the blue leaves of the trees swaying slightly in the early morning breeze.

I shivered, feeling the chill of my drying skin, and the knowledge we were now vulnerable. The Uldani would be looking for us—we’d stolen a damn spaceship from them in addition to blowing a hole in their secretive bunker. I’d bet they were pissed.

Gar dipped our qua canteen into the lake, refilling it before screwing the cap on tight and shoving it into the back of his pants. As I wrung out my hair and pulled it into a knot on my head, Gar leaned down so he could speak quietly. “I need you to do as I say. Not that I think you’re not smart, but this is my planet. These are my enemies. And I know the best route and what to do. Okay?”

“I have zero arguments over that,” I said, shaking out my limbs and doing a few stretches. “You lead, big guy. I’ll follow quiet as a mouse.”

He cocked his head to the side. “What’s a mouse?”

“A very small furry thing.” I formed a circle with my hands to show the size of said rodent. “This big. They are known for being quiet except for little squeaks when they’re scared.”

“Despite your stature, you are not a mouse,” he frowned.

I propped my hands on my fists. “I’ll have you know that I have a reputation for being meek and shy.”

He snorted. “Meek? My Naomi isn’t meek.”

It hit me that he wasn’t wrong. Around him, I wasn’t meek Naomi, at least not anymore. “Around you, I’m not.”

He held my gaze as he asked, “Why is that?”

I blinked at him. “You make me feel invincible. With you at my back, I swear I could fight an army of Kulks even though I don’t know how to throw a punch. And now that I know how you feel about me, I have the strength to stand up to you. To be honest with you. I’m not worried you’re going to leave me.” I hadn’t realized this was how I felt until the words tumbled out of my mouth. “Your devotion makes me stronger.”

As I spoke, his back straightened until by the time I was finished, his chest was puffed out like a blowfish, pride bobbing to the surface of those purple eyes of his. He thumped his chest. “I do that for you.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered as if it was. “Yes.”

A smile crossed his lips. “There is no greater honor than strengthening my mate.”

“Well then, wear that badge with pride, because you earned it.”

He pressed a kiss to my lips and then touched our foreheads together in a tender gesture which reminded me of the greeting the warriors often gave either other. Then he reached for my hand and gripped it. “As much as I’d prefer to stay here with you, we need to move. Fast and quiet.”

I nodded. “Fast and quiet. I can do that.”

With a squeeze of my hand, he took a step into the forest, and I followed, feeling as though home was in our reach.

Twelve

Gar

I was impressed with how well Naomi kept pace with me, despite her legs being half as long as mine. When she began to stumble, around mid-day, I hauled her onto my back and carried her. I missed my bike, which would have reduced the time of this trek back home, but I didn’t dare return to where I’d stashed it. I’d planned to never see it again, and the thought of once again feeling the vibration between my legs filled me with longing.

It’d been a long time before I felt like I was capable of more than dying for my cause. Naomi made me feel like just maybe I was meant for more. Had Fatas really changed her mind about me?

I traveled through the forest with every sense on full alert so I could detect any enemies or predators. This wasn’t a safe part of the western hemisphere. Pivars roamed here, and we crossed over many trails trampled down from Rizar packs who used them as a path from their hunting grounds to their coastal caves.

I knew the area, but I was uneasy. So much could go wrong here, and while I’d never been afraid for myself, I was terrified that one momentary slip of concentration would mean Naomi would come to harm.

By the time the sun began to drop below the horizon, Naomi’s limbs trembled where she clung to me, and I didn’t like the paleness of her complexion. If I were alone, I would have pushed myself to keep going, but I knew my fatigue was causing my senses to dull. I didn’t trust myself to keep her safe, not without some food and rest.

I wasn’t comfortable resting on the forest floor where we’d be ripe for salibri or pivar attacks. The only other option was up. I scanned around us for the largest tree I could find and then stopped at the base. The branches were dense, and with a bit of work I could make a pallet out of leaves.

I shuddered. I flecking hated heights. Flying in the cruiser was different but climbing trees and buildings had never been something I enjoyed. I couldn’t believe Drak had lived in a flecking hut in the trees for fifteen cycles.

“Gar?” Naomi’s voice was hoarse.

I patted her thigh. “We’ll eat and rest,” I pointed up. “In there.”

“In the tree?”

I held back another shudder. “Yes.”

“Why?”

I helped her to the ground and kept her steady when she wobbled. “Pivars and Rizars can’t climb.”

She wrinkled her nose and plastered her body to mine while she scanned the small clearing with wide eyes. I patted her back. “Don’t worry. We’re safe now. But we both need rest and the only way either of us will get it is if we’re somewhere they can’t reach us.”

“Yeah, okay,” she finally stopped her desperate searching for predators. She peered up. “Um, how are we going to get up there?”

I flexed my hands, and my claws lengthened. “These.”

She swallowed as she studied them. “Right.”

After directing her to my back once more, I made the ascent with her clinging to my shoulders. I didn’t look down, only up, but even that made my head spin as the air seemed to thin. Was I imagining that? Fleck heights. By the time we reached a dense network of branches, I was panting and my machets, sensing my fear, threatened to rise. I carefully helped Naomi onto a branch where she could rest her back against the thick trunk. She was eyeing me warily, and I took a moment to close my eyes and get myself under control while I hunched on a branch in front of her.

“Gar?” her soft voice flowed through the air, as fingers brushed along my scalp.

I exhaled and blinked my eyes open.

Concern tightened her features. “Are you okay?”

I swallowed, hating to show weakness, but not wanting to lie either. “I hate heights.”

She went still. “What?”

I gritted my teeth. “I flecking hate heights.”

“Then why are we—”

“Because this is where we’ll be safe,” I snapped, more forceful than I meant.

But Naomi didn’t take my attitude personally. She smiled and ran her hands over my chest. “So, let me get this straight. You weren’t scared to blow yourself up. You weren’t scared to shoot your way out of an underground bunker or crash-land into a lake. But you’re scared to climb a tree?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What’s your point?”

She leaned forward and rubbed our noses together. “Well I’m scared of all those other things, but I’m not scared of heights. I’ve been on building support beams six stories off the ground.” She wrapped her arms around me and planted a loud kiss on my neck. “So, we’re a good team.”

Her beaming smile was enough to put me at ease. I still wasn’t comfortable, but I relaxed enough to sit with Naomi while we ate what was left of our stash. All day, I’d managed to pick some berries and nuts on our path, and we ate some of that, preserving the rest for the morning.

After that, I created a makeshift bed with a crosshatch of branches and leaves. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I settled on my back and let Naomi use me as her cushion. She came to me with a soft sigh, pressing her head to my chest, her little fingers slowly trailing over my scars—something I wasn’t sure she realized she even did. Her touch followed the same pattern every time, and the gentle rhythm and predictable path of her fingers settled me.

“So, what happens next?” her low voice carried on the breezy night air.

“What do you mean?”

“When we get back, what will that controller be able to tell you?”

“We won’t know until Nero gets a hold of it. But it could mean an end to our battle with the Uldani once and for all.”

We’d learned recently that the Uldani had sold Drixonian warriors before and during the Uprising, including Daz and Sax’s brother, who we all thought was dead. If Rex had really been alive this whole time…I didn’t want to think about what his life was like, especially if he ended up owned by the Plikens or on several other underdeveloped planets in our galaxy.

If I had the knowledge Mave was alive and not dead… I wasn’t sure what could keep me from tearing apart the entire universe. I glanced down at Naomi. She could. She’d be the one thing holding me back from a suicide mission. That must be why Daz and Sax hadn’t lost their minds yet—their mates kept them grounded and focused.

“Do you think we’ll ever get back to Corin?” she asked.

I liked that she said we. “For the first time, I feel confident in saying yes. I think so. I’m not sure I’ll see it, but maybe our Mave will.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she flexed her hands on my chest.

“And what comes next … for us?”

I ran my hand down her spine to coast over her lower back before palming her ass. Despite the weariness settling into my bones, my cock took notice of her proximity, plumping in my pants until I was sure she both noticed it and felt it. “I will be loyal to you. I will protect you with my life. And I’ll care for you until my last breath. That is what is next for us.”

She gasped and picked her head up so the stars glistened in her shiny eyes. I still didn’t know I deserved to have a creature as sweet as her. When she looked at me like this, I could believe I was a hero. Thank fleck she couldn’t see my aura. Even if she knew my secrets from the truth about Mave, to my fear of heights, she was spared the violence and anger that lived in my head.

“Those are the vows we all dream of. Devotion and loyalty.”

“Bigger than love,” I grunted.

“Right,” she grinned. “Fleck love.”

“Fleck it.”

I hauled her up my body and slammed my lips onto hers. Immediately she melted in my arms, and a moan slipped from her lips to dissolve on my tongue. Her legs straddled my hips and I felt the heat of her sweet cunt on my stomach. Such a tiny thing, my Naomi.

My cock pulsed in my pants, seeking her heat. I reached down and squeezed, letting it know it had to wait, that I didn’t want to rush her, especially as she lost herself in the kiss.

But she knew what I wanted and slowly rose above me. She drew her shirt over her head and looped it over a branch near her shoulder. The moonlight shone through the leaves above us in streaks, highlighting the small brown that raced over the pale skin of her chest. I thumbed a nipple, and she arched her back.

“Take off your clothes,” I rasped. “I want to see my mate.”

She blinked at me, her dark eyes nearly black in the darkness. She slipped out of her pants quickly, hanging them near her shirt, and then settled over my crotch, rubbing her cunt along my shaft still trapped in my pants.

I ached to let my cock free but there was something about the glint in her eye that had me fisting my hands at my sides. The sweet smell of her arousal was torture, and I couldn’t look away from the bouncing of her breasts as she worked herself on me.

She continued to grind on me as she bit her lip. My sweet, untouched mate liked being in control when we first began our touching. I was more than happy to let her, especially because she’d shown she’d let me know when I needed to take over.

I watched as her face flushed, and sweet little moans escaped her lips. She braced her hands on my stomach and bucked her hips, riding my trapped cock with increasing strength. I helped her keep her balance with my tail wrapped around her lower back. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, she gasped out a little cry of frustration. “Gar, I need—”

“I know what you need,” my voice was a near growl as I tugged with my tail. With a soft grunt, she landed on my chest. I released the buckle of my pants and groaned as the pressure on my cock eased. I lowered my pants down my thighs, freeing my cock. I fisted it, stroking it a few times. Libo leaked from the tip, dripping down my shaft to coat my balls.

“Fleck, you smell good,” I said, burying my face in her neck. Her hands came up to frame my face.

“You feel good,” she whispered, rubbing her cheek along my jaw.

“Let me inside you, little one.” I positioned her so the tip of my cock nudged her entrance. “Let me fill you.”

“Please, I need it.”

Fleck, her voice was so sweet. “I’ll always take care of you.”

With more power than I intended, I entered her with a punch of my hips.

She gasped out a cry and dug her nails into my scales. “Oh, fuck,” she murmured.

I clenched my jaw and held myself still. “Okay?”

“Yes,” her voice was strained. She rolled her hips, and my head spun. “Yes,” she echoed softer this time. “Feels good. Move, Gar. Fuck me.”

I didn’t wait for her to ask again. I powered my hips into her as I held her body against mine.

She writhed and moaned on my cock, her sweet pleasured cries filling the air. Heat raced south, pooling in my groin until all I felt was fire licking at my balls. The need to release inside of her was a constant barrage of sensations, and my cora felt like it would punch through my chest.

Only when I felt her body shaking with tremors did I also come, stifling a roar as I came inside my mate. She clutched me, aftershocks still jerking her limbs, as I rolled us onto our sides, our bodies still connected. She peered up at me with half-lidded eyes, a satisfied smile on her face. Hair wrecked, hips reddened from my hands, and stuffed full of my cock, she’d never looked more beautiful.

“Sleep, little one,” I murmured. “Tomorrow we go home.”

“Home,” she whispered happily, pressing her face into my chest. “I can’t wait.”

Neither could I.

* * *

Naomi

My entire body ached so much it hurt to lift my hand to my mouth to drop in a few nuts. Then it hurt to chew. And swallow.

Everything that had happened in the last few days was catching up to me, and yesterday’s mad dash through the dense forest, even when Gar was carrying me, had been about the most my body could handle.

Oh, and I was sore from Gar fucking me last night like a demon possessed. At least that was a good ache, one I relished. I had insisted on walking today because the thought of holding on with my arms wrapped around Gar’s massive shoulders made me tremble. I knew he’d carry me like a baby if I let on how weak my arms were, and I also knew that would slow us down. So, I ignored the numbness in my feet and kept walking. One foot in front of the other. Placing them in Gar’s giant footsteps. Moving forward.

Which was why when Gar suddenly stopped, I nearly crashed into his back. I let out a little shriek, and he immediately spun around, smashing me to his body with his hand clamped to my mouth. My eyes went wide, and I struggled for half a minute on instinct until I forced myself to stay calm.

This was Gar.

Safety.

I blinked up to find him staring off into the forest, focusing on a specific point. His eyes were black as night, his nostrils flared and his teeth slightly bared. It was then I heard the scrape of something on tree bark, followed by a rustle of leaves.

Gar’s hand dropped from my mouth, and my eyes went wide as he hauled me into his arms and took off at a sprint so fast that the entire world was a blur. I didn’t know what we were running from, and I didn’t care. I didn’t make one sound of protest, since fear was currently clogging up my throat.

There was no way anything could outrun him, right? Nothing could catch us now, not an Uldani, or Kulk, or—

Gar came to a sliding halt so quickly my stomach revolted.

I glanced up and nearly pissed myself.

Standing in front of us was a line of crocodile-looking creatures. They stood about six-feet tall and had elongated snouts revealing rows of gnarly teeth. They had stumpy tails and massive spears clutched in their three-fingered hands. And worst of all, they reeked, like dead fish mixed with rotten fruit with a side of spoiled milk.

I gagged.

Rizars.

They’d thrown Reba in a cage and would have eaten her if it weren’t for Ward, Gar’s brother. I couldn’t imagine how terrified she must have been.

Gar spun around, but another six Rizars appeared behind us. We were surrounded, and I shook in Gar’s arms. Was this really happening? Fuck the Kulks and Uldanis. Were we going to be done in by a bunch of lizard-looking man-eaters?

Gar didn’t seem angry. Or scared. He placed my feet on the ground and pressed on my shoulders. I went to my hands and knees, huddling there as he towered above me. His tail swished along the ground, kicking up dried leaves and dust. I focused on that, and the calm way he rolled his shoulders while his machets lifted from his skin. I would always be in awe of those deadly blades which shone in the sunlight like obsidian. He clicked his tongue piercings on his fangs, and that was the only sound he made before he surged forward like a pouncing lion.

With his tail, he swiped an arc of dirt at a line of Rizars, who sputtered at the debris clouding their eyes. Their attention occupied; he dove at the row of three standing closest to us.

I barely saw what happened. One second, they were lowering their spears to charge and the next they were on their backs, blood spurting from gaping wounds in their necks and guts spilling over the ground. Armed with a spear in either hand, Gar spun to the next group, stabbing with their spears while he slashed with his machets. They fell, victim to his horn, blades, and their own fallen comrades’ spears.

The ones who’d received face fulls of dirt had recovered and one grabbed for me. I shrank back, but shouldn’t have worried, especially as a rush of air passed by my face, followed by the thump of the Rizar’s hand hitting the ground. Blood spurted from the detached appendage, and I screamed just as the Rizar reared back, shrieking as he grasped his damaged limb.

That injury was the least of his worries, especially as Gar shoved the spear tip down the Rizar’s open mouth until it jutted out the back of his neck.

“Oh God,” I mumbled, retching what little was in my stomach as the Rizar fell to the ground, lifeless eyes staring at me accusingly.

After that, I watched with a disassociated detachment as Gar skillfully and unemotionally took the life of every Rizar present. There had to be over a dozen, and none of them got close to me. He moved fluidly and deadly, using every part of his body to kill. I remained huddled on the ground as the last one fell. Well, his body did. Gar held his head in his hands before he tossed it aside with indifference. He didn’t even wipe his hands as he strode toward me, coated in blood and fluids, and—I retched again, and his boots stopped suddenly.

He reached for me, and I held a hand up.

I’d seen him kill before, but somehow this felt different. More personal. He’d been inside my body, and I’d let him hold my heart in his hands. He was capable of … this. I’d known it, but seeing it was enough to make me lose the contents of my stomach.

I wiped my mouth and sat back on my heels as I gazed at the bodies around us. When I finally looked up at Gar, he was tense in a way he hadn’t been during the slaughter. Fear lurked in his eyes along with a defensive wall which had his nostrils flaring with each intake of breath. He was bracing himself for my rejection.

He’d killed them for me. I knew enough to know those Rizars would have picked my bones clean if they’d gotten me in their clutches. Gar hadn’t hesitated to defend me. That was the way life was on this planet, and I could either accept it or try to judge Gar based on Earth ethics that didn’t apply here.

I couldn’t judge him based on morals from a galaxy away, especially when he’d proved to me, he held the morals that mattered. He cared for me, he respected me, and he’d done exactly what he promised—he’d protected me.

Ignoring the rolling in my stomach, I reached for his hand, only to find he wasn’t watching me anymore. His attention was on something in the dirt. He crouched and flicked away a few leaves before picking up a small disk with a glowing red light.

His lips peeled back, his colors flashed on his scales, and he hissed out one word that had my heart sinking into the bloody dirt.

“Uldani.”

Thirteen

Naomi

“What is that?” I found my voice despite the ache in my throat from puking.

“Tracker,” he spat. This wasn’t the Gar who held me and called me little one. This was the Gar who killed, who smashed through cell doors, and killed a dozen Rizars like it was another day at a nine-to-five.

“Tracker?”

He rose and kicked at the headless body near him. “Uldani must have bargained with some Rizars to help search for us. They dropped this when they found us. Uldani will be swarming here any moment.”

I stumbled to my feet as panic gripped heart. “What?”

He blinked at the tracker before clasping his fist around it. He raised dull, emotionless eyes to me. With a clenched jaw, he reached into the pocket of his pants and withdrew the leather-wrapped controller. Placing it in my hands, he said, “I need you to take this back to the Night Kings.”

“I’m sorry, what—?”

He pointed to a large tree in the distance, the massive leaves visible even from several miles away. “Just keep that in your sightline. You’ll reach the edge of our territory before sundown. Nero’s eyes will pick you up, and a pack of warriors will be there in no time.”

Wait, this didn’t make sense. “Where—?”

He shoved the tracker into his pocket. “If there was any other way I’d do it, but this is the only plan I can think of. I have to lead them away from you.”

My eyes went wide as I realized what he planned to do. “What the hell? No, Gar. I’m not leaving without you!”

He spun on a heel and shoved his face into mine. “You will. You will because I promised to protect you, and this is the only way. I can take out a dozen Rizars but not an entire contingent of Kulks and Uldani. Not with their tech. The only chance of keeping you alive is leading them away from you. All that matters is you and that controller getting back to safety.”

No, no way. First, I was terrified to be on my own, and second, I refused to leave without him. “Gar, please—”

He spread his arms out at his sides, gesturing to the bodies around us. “This is what I do, Naomi. This is who I am. I don’t know what I thought…” He bit off a curse and turned away from me. “I don’t know who I thought I was making you forever promises I can’t keep. The only promise I can fulfill is that I’ll protect you. And I’m doing that the only way I know how.”

He didn’t call me little one. He didn’t look at me with his pretty purple eyes. These were black and lifeless in a way I’d never seen him look, not ever. “That’s not true.” Tears gathered in my eyes. “You’re my mate and—”

“I’m not your hero,” he growled. “I’m no one’s savior. I’m just a warrior who should have remembered his place.”

“Your place is at my side.” A sob escaped. “As my mate.”

For a moment, his expression wavered, and a sliver of purple sliced through his irises before they returned to a fathomless black. “Maybe one day, if we meet again.”

My body bucked, and I lurched toward him. “Don’t say that!”

“I have to go!” he shouted, emotion creeping into his voice with a hint of panic. “This is what I have to do to keep you alive and deliver the key to our freedom.” He backed away, and when I made a step toward him, he held out a hand. I stopped, swaying on my feet as tears coursed down my face.

“Please,” I asked, one more time.

He shook his head. “Follow the tree. I know you can do it, little one.” A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Be brave. Until we meet again.” He turned on a heel and without another look over his shoulder, took off into the forest.

I remained standing where I was, surrounded by the bodies of his enemies, until his words echoing in my ears spurred me on. I had no other choice, I couldn’t follow him, and I couldn’t stay. So, I turned and stumbled forward. Shoving the controller down the front of my shirt to rest between my breasts, I picked up the least bloody spear I could find. Stabbing the ground, I used it to propel myself forward, one eye on my feet, another on the tree ahead.

Be brave, he’d told me. I was too tired and too heartsick to work through my emotions. My stomach was a tangle of anger, fear, and a bone-deep fatigue. But there was one thing I couldn’t do, and that was let down Gar, his warriors, or my friends. I’d get that controller into Nero’s hands, or die trying.

* * *

The large tree with the tear-drop-shaped leaves was my North Star. I didn’t let it out of my sight, terrified I’d get lost. I started at every noise but refused to slow my pace. And all the while I worried about Gar. I could see he’d been torn leaving me, but I also understood his dilemma. Stay with me and put me at risk, or separate and save me from our biggest threat.

Before we ran into the Rizars, he’d told me we’d entered a territory rarely used by pivars and the Rizars, which was why I’d been so surprised to see the lizard aliens. But as Gar said, they must have been sent on a mission by the Uldani to help find us.

I clutched the spear in my hand and trudged on, wincing at the blisters that were starting to open on my palm. However, the spear was the only thing keeping me upright. My feet ached, my thighs burned, and all I wanted to do was lay down and take a nap.

The sun was high in the sky by the time I slid between two trees into a clearing. And there, standing about ten feet away, was the massive tree with tear-drop-shaped leaves. I gazed up at it, exhaling a long breath. Before I could take another step into the clearing, a slight buzz filled the air. I froze, terrified I’d stepped on a hunner nest. The sound grew and grew until the air vibrated, and it was then I began to hope with a spark in my chest, that the rumbling was from Night King bikes.

I retreated to the large tree where a small hollow was carved in the trunk. I tucked myself inside, spear pointed out, and waited.

A bike entered the clearing and landed. I held my breath until I spotted the red armband and familiar mohawk. “Xavy!” I screamed as I burst out of the tree, running toward him with a limp as my legs cramped from my crouched position. His head whipped to me, and his entire face lit up. He held his arms out, and I flew into them. I clutched his bare chest, sobbing into his scales as he held me tightly.

More bikes landed in the clearing, and I blinked to find Sax and Ward, plus two other warrior brothers—Pika and Nuka.

“Hey, hey, you’re safe,” Xavy crooned.

I reared back to blubber in his face. “Gar isn’t! We have to find him. We have to help him!”

“Gar?” He looked over his shoulder at Ward, who frowned fiercely as he peered into the forest from where I’d traveled.

I reached into my shirt and shoved the controller into Xavy’s hands, who looked bewildered at my emotional state. “There!” I shouted. “This seemed so important Gar was willing to risk his life, so it better be fucking worth it!”

Xavy blinked at the bundle in his hands and then up at me with round violet eyes. “Who are you and what have you done with Naomi?”

“Did the Uldani learn to clone?” Sax muttered. “Fatas help us if they did.”

“I’m not a clone. I’m me!” I stomped my foot in frustration and pain streaked through my hip. I winced and Xavy tossed the leather bundle to Sax and reached for me again.

“Come on,” he said, hauling me across his lap. “Let’s get you back to camp. You need food and rest.”

“What I need is to find Gar,” I insisted, struggling weakly. I craned my neck and shot Ward a pleading look. “He has an Uldani tracker. He said he would lead them away from me. From us. But he’s…”

“He’s smart,” Ward said, finally meeting my gaze. Sorrow lurked there, but also a grim acceptance. “He’ll handle himself until we’re able to mobilize a crew to get to him.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Ward said. “He’d kill me if we took off on a hair-brained mission with you in this state. We’ll get Val to give you a checkup, and then you’ll tell us every detail so we can save Gar the best we can. Understand?”

I slouched miserably. “Fine.”

“Mother of Fatas,” Sax murmured. He’d unwrapped the package and held the controller in between his fingers, eyes huge, skin a flushed riot of colors. “It’s…”

“A controller,” Pika spoke up. “Nero is going to shet himself when he sees that.”

Sax’s eyes found mine. “Where did you get this?”

“A cruiser.”

“A cruiser?” Xavy choked. “A Drixonian cruiser?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, more worried about Gar than their stupid spacecraft.

Xavy looked up as if the cruiser would drop out of the sky and land in front of them. “Where is the cruiser now?”

“Oh, yeah. About that.” I swallowed. “It’s in a lake.”

* * *

Naomi

The first thing I noticed was the rows and rows of gleaming bikes and makeshift tents made from antella skin clumped in groups along the path leading to the camp. As we reached the gates, I took notice of the amount of guards there. Usually there was one on each side, but now two stood on each side, while another two patrolled each line of wall from gate to coast.

The Night King’s camp sat on a cliff which jutted out over the ocean, or what they called freshas. The walls extended along an entire section of cliff, effectively rendering it completely impenetrable.

Several of the guards wore black armbands, a contrast to the red of the Night Kings. I stiffened, and one of Xavy’s arms patted my leg gently. “Allies,” he said in my ear. “Don’t worry.”

I didn’t relax my muscles, not until we were inside the gates, but even that had changed in my short absence. The entire place was bustling with warriors. Dozens and dozens, all different colored armbands. It was a lot to take in especially in my physical and mental state. We parked the bikes in the garage and when I made to walk out by myself, Ward grabbed me and shook his head. Up close, the familial resemblance to Gar was clear in the cut of his cheekbones and fullness of his lips. My heart ached.

I tried to jerk my arm out of his grip, but it was no use. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Ward tipped his chin to the other warriors and in a second, they were surrounding me, like an elephant pack protecting their young. Only then, with Ward’s hand still clamped on my arm, did we walk through the camp.

Even then, I felt eyes on me everywhere. No matter where I looked, horned heads with black pupils craned their necks to peer at me. The Night Kings were so used to us women, we weren’t a novelty to them anymore, but warriors from other clavases sought out a glimpse of me like a rare bird at a zoo. I shrank back against Ward, suddenly feeling not so brave without Gar’s presence. I would have walked through this camp at his side with chin high but without him, I felt vulnerable.

My eyes pricked with tears, and I hastily brushed them away with the back of my free hand. I hadn’t decided if I was going to forgive Gar for this if I ever got to see him again. The thought he’d never return made my throat tight. No way. I wasn’t going to think about that now. On the way back, I’d told Xavy as much as I could over the roar of the bike, and he’d promised he’d report it to Daz. I wanted to be involved though and resented I had to be treated like a child and sent to the nurse’s office.

I kept my head down, noticing out of the corner of my eye some more makeshift barracks where I was sure some new warriors were staying. The tents outside must be the overflow.

I was led directly to the healer’s hut, and when we burst through the door, Rokas started from where he was bent over the medis station. He jerked to his feet, eyes wide when he caught sight of me. “Valerie!” he called.

“What?” she called, sweeping into the room, swollen belly first, wiping her hands on a cloth.

“We found the runaway, mate,” Sax announced, pushing me forward.

Val went still, the cloth dropping to her feet before she rushed forward, sweeping me into her arms and cradling my head to her chest. “Naomi. Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea how worried we were.” She held me away from her at arm’s length, nurse-eyes assessing my body. “Come back to a cot and let me look at you.” With a hand around me, she ushered me to the back room while calling over her shoulder, “Get the girls!”

She sat me down on a cot, and went right to her station, grabbing liquids and gauzes on a tray. “Miranda has been… I can’t even tell you what she’s been like since we found you were missing. And Justine!” Val turned around and placed the tray beside me on the bed. “Well Justine has lost her mind. You’re her favorite. Tabitha hasn’t written a word since you’ve been gone and cries a lot, which for Tabitha, is alarming as you know.” She was rambling, and I let her, although her words only added pounds of guilt on my shoulders. Wetting a piece of fabric, she began to dab at my face. “Whose blood is this?”

I had blood on my face? Fuck, of course I did. Maybe my own from branches whipping my face but most likely the blood belonged to… Bile rose in my throat, and I grabbed a nearby basket just in time before I gagged, throwing up nothing but a few berries and stomach acid. “Rizars,” I gasped. “Rizar blood.”

Val’s eyes went wide, and she stood frozen in place just as a hand threw back the fur giving us privacy and Miranda lunged at me.

After that it was a dog pile. Justine screeched like a banshee when she saw me, while Tabitha sobbed like I’d never seen her sob before. Frankie tittered around the room wringing her hands with tears coursing down her cheeks. Reba and Luna joined the fray, the massive welf sniffing my hands in a frenzy.

“I’m okay,” I murmured, even though I didn’t feel okay. Not at all. My heart had cracked earlier when Gar left me in the woods, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever find all the pieces.

Miranda and Justine sandwiched me on the cot, their arms slung around my shoulders as Val continued to work on my cuts. I knew I was filthy. I hadn’t had a proper shower since I swam through the qua, and I could still feel the wetness between my legs from Gar’s attentions last night.

Before I knew it, I had dropped my head in my hands and began to sob uncontrollably. “Gar… is … out there … all alone,” I blurted out between tear-filled hiccups. “And he … and he … said he was devoted to me … and I was his little one … and … and…”

I didn’t miss the way Miranda’s eyes dropped to my wrists, which only made me defensive. “We can be mates without the stupid loks!” I shouted at her.

Eyes wide, she reared back.

“They don’t matter.” I insisted. “I know how I feel, and he told me how he feels! But he’s dumb and took the tracker away so the Uldani wouldn’t find me and I don’t trust him not to sacrifice himself. That was what he planned! That would have happened if I didn’t follow him down into the Uldani’s secret lair or whatever. But then we found the cruiser, and he blasted his way out all, pew-pew!” I made finger guns and aimed them at the ceiling, feeling a little light-headed. “And now I don’t know where he is, and I’m heartbroken because I miss him, and I feel like I can barely breathe.”

I clutched at my chest and blinked away the tears to gaze around the room. Every female eye was on me. A few mouths gaped open.

Tabitha was the first to speak, her face pale as she said, “I’ve never heard you speak so much at one time.”

“I’m capable,” I muttered. “I just never had so much to say before.”

Val took a tentative step forward. “Let’s get you in the cleanser and then some rest.”

“I don’t want to rest,” I snapped. “I want Gar back. I want him here safe, even if he’s a big stupid head, I want him here. I don’t care about rest. I’m not hungry. I want Gar!”

The room roared with a loaded silence before Miranda finally broke it. She pointed at Justine. “Get the men.”

“Why do I have to—”

“Because most of us are pregnant. Get your skinny ass up and get some blue asses here now.”

With a huff, Justine shot out of the room. Miranda helped me to my feet and led me to the cleanser. “Let’s get you clean so you feel better and can tell them everything, okay? You’ll tell them all you know, and they’ll get on finding Gar right away.”

I nodded, letting her lead me. Good, that was … good. I was taking action. I couldn’t rest, not knowing Gar was out there leading around a pack of Uldani and Kulk who would have his head. No rest for me. They’d have to drug me first.

Fourteen

Naomi

They’d drugged me.

The bastards.

I woke up to arms around me, and for a split second of grogginess while I pulled myself out of REM, I was convinced they were Gar’s. Then I realized they weren’t scaled, blue, or fucking massive.

I was in Miranda’s room, judging by the massive amount of plants everywhere. One leaf extended down to tickle my nose and I blew it away with a huff. I turned to find myself spooned by Miranda. She was still asleep, with her mouth wide open and loud snores rattling her throat. She looked peaceful and well-rested, and I wanted to hit her. I settled for flicking her between the eyes. Jerking awake, she lifted her head off the pillow and batted her hand in front of her face as if to chat away a fly.

“Miranda,” I hissed.

Her eyes popped open, and she stared for a moment before flopping her head back down on the pillow. “More sleep,” she groaned.

“More sleep?” I asked incredulously. Just for that I flicked her again.

“Ow!” She slapped her hand over her forehead to protect it from more flicking. “Will you quit it?”

“No, I will not quit it.” This time I flicked her chin.

She shoved me, and I nearly fell off the pallet of furs.

I readied for a cat fight when a horned head popped up on the other side of the pallet, wide awake and narrow-eyed. “Miranda?” Drak said, rising to his full height. And he was… Great. He was naked. With a boner.

I threw the furs over my face. “Miranda, tell your man to put on some pants!”

“Drak!” My best friend cried.

“What?” He demanded in his deep, scratchy voice. “I sleep like this always.”

“Yeah, but we had a guest last night.”

“I gave up my pallet for her. I could not hold my bloom all night for her. I wasn’t putting on pants for her.”

“For fuck’s sake.” A smack followed, and I was sure it was Miranda slapping her forehead. “I love you, my mate, I do. But please put on pants. And maybe get us some breakfast?”

“Pants and deliveries like a chit,” he muttered over some rustling. “I am a valued Drixonian warrior and—”

“And you are deadly and savage, oh so strong, and blah blah,” Miranda spoke with amusement. “But right now, I need you to be a doting mate and help me out. Please?”

There was a pause. “You’re right. Anything for my bloom.” Then the bed dipped, and suction sounds followed.

I was about to boil. “Are you two seriously making out right now?”

Miranda laughed.

I lowered the furs to glare at her.

She pushed Drak’s shoulder gently. “Take your time.”

“I will. But tonight. I return to our furs. With no pants.”

Miranda rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were rosy. “Of course.”

With a nod to me—which I returned with a haughty sniff—he turned and walked out the door. Thankfully, wearing pants.

When the door shut behind him, I whirled on my friend. “What the hell is going on? Why are we not sending out search parties for Gar? Who drugged me? Why are there a million Drixonians all over the place?”

Miranda heaved a sigh and sat up against the wall behind the bed. “Listen, first, you were so worked up that we needed to drug you to get you some rest. It was the right decision, whether you agree or not. You gave us enough information last night that we’ve sent scouts out to look for him. But this isn’t easy. As you saw,” she waved her hand outside the walls,” things have changed since you’ve been gone. Daz has been working tirelessly to unite the clavases and it hasn’t been easy.”

“I haven’t been gone that long. How did he manage this in a few days?”

Miranda shrugged. “He’s convincing, I guess. And it hasn’t escaped the notice of other clavases that the appearance of Kulks and Uldanis in our territory has increased. Shit’s about to hit the fan, and they all want to be on the winning side. We’re stronger together.”

“So, what about Gar?”

“They haven’t found him yet.” My eyes went wide, and she held her hand in the air, palm out. “I know. I know, but they’re looking.”

Despair swamped me, and my shoulders slumped. Without my anger, sadness bled into my veins, sapping my energy. I dropped my head into my hands. “I’m so worried about him. I can’t even breathe thinking of him out there, hurt or captured, or…”

Miranda’s arms circled me, and she rested her chin on my head. I burrowed into her, thankful for the physical touch locking me together so I didn’t fly apart at the seams. “What happened out there between you two?”

How did I describe it? “Everything,” I sniffed.

Miranda’s arms tightened. “Everything?”

I turned my head, so my voice was muffled by her large boobs. “We fought. We talked. We connected. We…” I shivered thinking about the way he touched me. “…committed.”

“Naomi,” she whispered.

It all poured out then. I started at the beginning and explained what happened but instead of the timeline of facts, I poured my emotions into it. I told her how I felt every step of the way and how I knew in my heart he was my mate. I wanted him back, whole and happy, and I was worried that that wouldn’t happen.

“There’s so much more to him than being gruff and silent. He talked to me, and he told me about his nightmares and his dreams, and he talked about his sister.”

Miranda’s arms spasmed.

I continued into her chest, “He told me he wanted to be with me until the day he died, but that he would also fight to the death for me. Unfortunately, he chose the latter. He doesn’t get that choosing to live is the best promise he could ever make to me.”

“Oh Naomi,” Miranda murmured. She held me at arm’s length and wiped the tears from my face. I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying.

That was how Drak found us when he strode through the door, two trays in his big hands loaded with food and drink.

I hadn’t thought I was hungry, but the smell filling the room made my stomach rumble. As soon as he placed the tray on my lap, I mumbled a quick thank you and dug in. I polished off three taranta eggs and a bowl of cut fruit before my stomach protested. Only then did I lean back with a steaming mug of pula. I never actually liked coffee. What I missed the most was Diet Coke. Pula tasted more like a bitter tea, but I’d grown used to it, and it did have some sort of energy booster in it I really could use right now.

Miranda ate much slower, while Drak retreated to the corner of the room and pulled out his blades to sharpen on a whetstone. The slicing sound sent shivers down my spine, but I ignored him as Miranda mirrored my pose, holding her own mug of pula.

“I feel guilty relaxing. I don’t want to relax,” I said.

“We’re not going to relax long,” she answered. “Finish your drink and then we’ll both take a turn in the cleanser. After that, Drak will escort us to talk to Daz and the rest of the council.”

“Escort us?”

“Daz trusts the drexels of the clavases here, and they all told their warriors that us females aren’t to be touched or bothered, but Daz isn’t taking any chances. It’s why you didn’t see any of us when you got here yesterday. We’re sequestered most of the time.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That sucks.”

Miranda’s lips turned down. “It hasn’t been fun. Tabitha is crawling the walls, and Justine is grumpier than normal.”

I glanced over at Drak, but he hadn’t looked up from his task. I knew he hated crowds, and my concern for him grew. “How is your mate doing?”

Miranda’s eyes strayed to Drak and stayed there. She nibbled her lip as concern clouded her expression. “He hates it. Too many warriors. Too loud. Everyone is on a schedule, and he doesn’t do well living like that, not when he was free for so long.”

The sharpening sounds stopped, and Drak met her gaze. “It’s been fine, my bloom.”

“I can tell it’s bothering you,” she scoffed.

“I didn’t say it doesn’t bother me. It does. But I believe in Daz. He said he’d unite the Drix clavases and he’s done that. We will no longer live to defend. We will go to war with the Uldani, and we will win.”

His gravelly voice raised goosebumps on my arm. With a nod, he bent his head and began to wipe his blades clean. I slowly turned my head to Miranda, but she hadn’t looked away from Drak, and conflicting emotions flitted across her deep brown eyes.

Finally, she met my gaze, and with a sad smile, gripped my hand. “We’ll find him, and then we’ll get through whatever comes next, okay? We’ve come this far.”

I nodded, but my stomach cramped, and the last gulp of pula tasted sour in my mouth.

* * *

Naomi

It was very intimidating to sit in the council room at the rear of the dining hall with Daz, Sax, Xavy, Nero, and Ward. The worst part was the empty chair across from me—Gar’s chair. I couldn’t stop staring at it, picturing him there, all scars, broken horn, and scowls while in his heart he expected to die for the cause before reaping the rewards.

I swallowed around the lump in my throat and looked away. As the only female in the room, I had no comfort really. As much as I respected and appreciated the Drixonians for all they’d done for us and how well they treated us, I’d never been close to any of the males. Well, all except for Hap, and he was still absent, taken by Shep out of the camp to rest after his injury.

Ward was tense, and I hated to see him like that. Did he know how badly Gar hurt every day? Even if he did, I doubted he knew how to help him. I hadn’t been sure either, but Gar had been receptive to me. At least for a little while. I rubbed my damp palms on my pant legs and jerked to attention when Daz began to speak.

“You told us some of what happened last night,” Daz said. “And we’ve used that to start the search for Gar. We’d like to hear all the details please.”

I nodded and after gulping from a cup of qua in front of me, started from the beginning. When I told them Gar intended to blow up the bunker with himself in it, Ward slammed his fist onto the table with so much force he left a dent in the surface. I froze, my words stuck in my throat in the face of his anger. He refused to meet my eyes. When Daz urged me to continue, Ward stared off at the far wall motionless.

I soldiered on, leaving out the intimate parts—those had been for Miranda—and explained how Gar had sacrificed himself to lead away the enemy when he found the tracker left by the attacking Rizars.

“I didn’t want him to,” I explained. “He wouldn’t listen to me, and I had no choice to get the controller to you—”

“Of course, he led the enemy away from you,” Ward finally spoke up. “That’s his duty.” He glared at me, and I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me, or with the uncertainty of his brother’s whereabouts. “He’ll always put females first.”

Normally I would have cowered at Ward’s glower, but Gar had changed me. The courage I’d thought fled when he left my side in the forest sparked to life. “And I’ll tell you what I told him. I didn’t ask for him to sacrifice himself for me.”

Ward’s nostrils flared. “It doesn’t matter. What he did is the only choice for a Drixonian warrior.”

I rose from my chair, which still only put me at eye level with Ward. I heard a gasp somewhere in the room, but I was on a tear. “Well maybe we need some revisions on your duties, because how is he putting me first when it killed me to watch him walk away? When I cried the whole way because I felt like he’d ripped my heart out? It’s not putting me first when he’s risking the life of himself, the man I love.” I ended my words on a near growl. When I finished, the entire room descended into loaded silence.

No one moved. Or spoke. Realizing I leaned halfway across the table, nearly in Ward’s face, heat rushed to my face. I sank back down in my seat, and the chair leg creaked. I wanted to crawl into a hole. I’d yelled at Ward and confessed my love for Gar all in one rant. What a freaking day.

Ward didn’t speak for a long time. His gaze flicked to Daz and whatever he saw there had his features softened a fraction before returning to study me. He bent his head in deference, and the action made my spine stiffen. “Forgive me, Naomi. I didn’t know. Gar is—”

“He’s difficult, brave, sweet, and loyal,” I spoke on a near whisper. “He’s all of those things, and he doesn’t deserve his life to end this quickly. Not when he promised me more. He tried to take it back, but I’m not letting him. I’m holding him to his promise of giving me forever.”

Ward’s eyes closed briefly and then he reached his hand out and slowly wrapped his fingers around mine. He squeezed, and offered me a small, genuine smile. “We will get him back,” he said. “And we will hold him to that promise. All of us.” After another squeeze, he lifted his head and nodded at Daz.

Daz nodded back, and something passed between them, some understanding, that I didn’t understand, but felt was important.

Nero cleared his throat. “Naomi, you said you know where Gar’s bike is?”

I nodded. “He hid it near the clearing where the bunker is located.”

He grinned. “I’ve been working on something. I tested it a few times, and just recently installed it on all your bikes. If we can find Gar’s bike, there is a locator signal that will tell us where he is. It works the other way too, in case we lose our bikes. I haven’t been able to connect it to a third-party yet, as in I can’t access the signal on my tablet, but—”

“Did you do this without telling us?” Ward asked.

“I mentioned it to you several rotations ago, but all your eyes glaze over when I talk so you probably didn’t even hear me. Check your belts. There’s a button on the clasp. The locator signal connects to your comm and fortunately for us,” he held up a comm and wiggled it, “We have Gar’s.”

“Find his bike and find Gar.” Xavy clapped his hands together and stood up. “Let’s do it.”

I jumped to my feet, eager to do something rather than sit in this room. “Yeah, let’s do it!” I pumped a fist in the air.

All the warriors stared at me. “Naomi, you’re not coming,” Ward frowned.

I whirled on him, completely forgetting our earlier truce. “What do you mean? I have to show you where his bike is.”

“You can show us. Draw a diagram—”

“No,” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m coming. And since you can’t read my brain with your fancy techy stuff, you have no choice.” I lifted my chin in the air, prepared for a standoff. “And time’s wasting, so there’s no point in arguing.”

Xavy stared at me. “Seriously, what happened to you out there?”

“Gar happened,” I said, turning on my heel to march to the door. I placed my hand on the knob. “So, who’s bike am I on? I’m ready to find my man.”

For a beat, no one moved, then Daz rose and all the other warriors followed suit. He pointed at me. “I’m allowing this but let me make it clear. You listen to us during our search. None of this attitude out there because it can get you or one of us killed. Understand?”

I nodded, feeling contrite. “Yes, Daz. I’m sorry.”

“I’m letting this slide because I know you want Gar back. We all do.” He nodded at Ward. “If she’s coming along, then we’re taking a full formation. Bring along some Blue Bloods and Great Welfs. Put the rest on standby in case we need reinforcements. We’re heading into a hot zone full of Uldani and Kulks. I won’t be outnumbered.”

All business, Ward nodded. “You got it, drexel.”

The next half hour was a flurry of activity. Once the Drixonians were given an order, they followed it quickly and accurately. Before I could grab a tein bar and down a mug of qua, a line of gleaming bikes waited at the gates. Xavy stopped next me as I stood near the bikes and clapped me on the back. “I’m the best driver, so Daz said you’re with me.”

“He did not say she’s with you because you’re the best driver,” Sax said, striding past us toward his bike. “Because I’m the best driver. She’s with you because I need all my hands free since I’m the better shot.”

Xavy puffed out his chest. “That’s a lie.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

Daz walked by both and smacked them on the back of the heads. “Enough. Xavy, you take Naomi because I said so.” He turned around and strode back to Xavy before sticking a finger in his face. “She gets one scratch and it’ll be your head Gar takes off. Understand?”

Xavy’s humor fled, and he swallowed, his skin going pale. “Yes, drexel.”

Daz flicked his gaze toward me before stomping away.

Xavy turned to me with a pleading expression. “Please listen, Naomi. I like my head. It’s too pretty to be taken off my body.” He batted his eyelashes in a way that should have been ridiculous, but on Xavy, the handsome jerk, was attractive. “Please?”

I smiled at him. “I promise. Tabitha would have my head if I got yours chopped off.”

Immediately his expression changed. A flare of panic crossed his face before his expression went perfectly blank.

“Xavy?” I asked. “Did I say something—”

He gripped my arm, almost too tightly, and directed it toward his bike. His smile returned; the charming one he usually wore like armor. “Well, no time to waste, right? We gotta get your big grump.”

I frowned at him, feeling a little off balance at his reaction to Tabitha’s name. But I didn’t have time to ask him about it. Maybe when we returned. He was right, now was the time to get my grump.

It wasn’t long until we were riding through the gates in a V formation. Daz taking point with Sax and Ward flanking him. Nero, Xavy—with me on his bike—and Drak behind them.

I looked over my shoulder to see dozens of bikes bringing up the rear, all of them with stone-faced Drixonians gripping the handlebars. I knew they were on my side, but even I felt a fissure of fear lick at my spine. I’d seen what Gar alone could do when outnumbered. This many Drixonians? Unbeatable.

We roared through the forest, and none of them seemed concerned about keeping our presence quiet. Once we passed the Night King border, the foliage grew denser. We passed herds of antella and I even spotted a few Rizar scouts scurrying away.

I focused on Daz’s impressive bulk and the strength of Xavy at my back. The ride took what felt like hours, and just when I could barely feel my butt and my legs were cramping, Daz lifted his hand in the air. The dull roar of the bikes lowered in decibel and I glanced behind me to see most of the group peel off.

“Where are they going?” I yelled to Xavy over the sound of the bike.

“They’ll be nearby in case we need them. We’ll be on foot soon so you can show us where Gar’s bike is,” he answered.

I nodded. That made sense. We couldn’t march all these Drixonians close to the clearing without a whole lot of attention.

Soon, Daz lifted his hand again and pointed down as he slowed his bike. We followed him—Sax, Ward, Nero, Xavy and Drak. When the bikes touched down, I stumbled off with a groan. I shook out my legs, hoping for feeling to return sometime. Xavy chuckled and slung his arm around my shoulders. “Little sore, huh?”

“Very much,” I grumbled.

“Naomi,” Daz called and beckoned me with quick flicks of his fingers.

I jerked to his side and craned my neck to look up at him.

“This area will be crawling with Uldani and Kulks. Do not leave my side.”

“Yes, Daz.”

He helped me orient myself by describing where we were in relation to the clearing where the bunker was located. I couldn’t imagine what it looked like now, as there would be a massive hole in the ground from Gar busting his way out.

But we didn’t need to go there. We needed to find Gar’s bike—and then find him. I took a deep breath and scanned my surroundings. I’d skirted the clearing after leaving Gar’s bike, and while most of the area looked the same, a couple bushes stood out.

“This way,” I said curtly and began to walk.

Daz quickly stepped to my side, and the rest of the warriors followed. All of them had unleashed their machets, and it nearly made me piss myself. I’d rarely seen them with their bone blades on display unless they were actively fighting. They were fearsome, especially Ward who had no hair to cover his spikes. They looked wicked and deadly emerging from the top of his skull like a mohawk.

I focused back on my task. A couple of times I had to stop and look around, but in the distance, I could see the clearing, so I knew I was on the right track. I glanced at it a couple of times and could see the disruption of the ground where chunks of dirt and rock had been flung when we’d exploded out of it. They hadn’t cleaned it up yet. Probably because they were hunting Gar. I gritted my teeth and trudged forward.

Gar had hidden his bike near a numa patch, and I remembered thinking the bush looked like a sleeping bear. When I caught sight of it, I did a little jump in the air and surged ahead. I didn’t get far. A strong hand clamped around my wrist and I turned to find Daz glaring at me.

“Sorry,” I said softly. “I got excited.” I pointed. “It’s right over there, hiding behind those leaves by the trunk with the groove in it.”

Daz’s head went up, and he signaled to the warriors behind him. In seconds, the tree was surrounded, the leaves torn away, and Gar’s bike revealed.

Ward sucked in a breath, his head lowered, as he ran his hand reverently over the seat. Nero went right to work, flipping open a small panel on the side of the bike’s body. He pressed a button which flashed red. He fiddled with Gar’s comm, muttering to himself. The button on the bike switched to a bright green, and a smile spread across Nero’s face. “Got him.”

“Is he alive?” Ward asked, lurching to Nero’s side.

Nero’s smile faded. “I don’t…that’s not what this does. It just locates his body.”

A distressed squeak rose up my throat, and I clapped my hand over my mouth a second after it left my lips. Nero jerked his head to me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. He’s alive. I’m sure of it.” He frowned at the comm. “He’s…moving. Wait a minute, he’s here.”

“What?” Ward growled, clearly frustrated.

Nero scratched his chin. “This doesn’t make sense. It says he’s here, right on top of us. Unless he’s…”

“Below us,” Ward answered, his gaze drifting to the clearing.

It hit me then. Gar hadn’t just led the Uldani away from me. He had gone right to the belly of the beast. Which meant…

“No!” I shouted, and without a thought, not caring about Daz’s threats or the consequences, I took off running. I had to get to Gar before he blew himself to bits. I still had so much to tell him, so much I wanted to do.

Except I didn’t get far. Because a rumble from below caused me to stumble. Like a geyser, an explosion erupted from the gaping hole of the bunker in the clearing, spewing dirt, smoke, and ash.

The force of it knocked me off my feet, and my body flew through the air before I landed with a hard thud on my back. Footsteps sounded behind me, but I ignored them, because all I could focus on were the flames licking at the edges of the hole.

Only one thing could have detonated that explosion. “Gar!” I screamed, crawling forward on trembling hands because my legs couldn’t seem to work. “Gar!”

Fifteen

Naomi

Hands grabbed at me, and I batted them away. “He’s down there!” I shouted with a snarl. “We have to get to him!”

“Naomi, we have to go,” Ward growled in my ear as he hauled me up by my armpits. I flailed, but he was strong as an ox. “The ground is going to cave in. We can’t stay here.”

“I don’t care!” I kicked and swung my fists in the air. “Then I’ll get down there to see him faster!” This couldn’t be it. He’d told me what Fatas had planned for him, but I’d refused to believe it. “Fuck you, Fatas!” I screeched. “Fuck. You!”

Ward hauled me away, and I dug my heels in the ground even though it did no good. I went limp, the fight leaving me as despair settled into the marrow of my bones. Mesmerized, I stared at the flames bubbling up from the entry hatch that had been blown back in the explosion. We had just reached the end of the clearing when I swore I saw something. A shape in the flames.

Ward’s grip had loosened when I stopped fighting, and that was the only way I was able to wrench myself from his grip and hurtle my body back across the clearing.

The shape moved, shifting, and then appeared from the flames, a blue-black smoking outline of a massive Drixonian. I ran harder, and Ward shouted from behind me. They’d reach me in no time, and I didn’t care. The shape lifted his head, and I caught sight of two pitch-black eyes and a broken horn just as he took two stumbling steps forward and collapsed. Fear and relief tugged at my heart as the organ beat against my rib cage.

When I reached his side, I went down on a hip like I was sliding into home base. I tried to touch him, and his skin sizzled beneath my hands. “Gar,” I choked out. “Oh my God. Oh no.”

His eyes blinked open, pain swimming in the depths until he focused on me. The smallest smile curved his scarred lips. “Couldn’t break … promise. To you.”

“Stop,” I sobbed. “Don’t talk.” His skin was mottled with burns, his scales melting in various places. His left arm, where he’d hidden the device under his skin, was sliced open, the edges blackened. He was so damaged. So very damaged, and I swore I could feel the echoing pain in my own body.

“Protect. Return.” He murmured. “Down there … realized … I couldn’t leave you. Had to come back. Even if only for a moment.” He swallowed, and a pin drop of violet brightened his pain-filled eyes. “I’m sorry … failed. Tell Mave … about me.”

I reached for him, every inch of my heart cracking into a million pieces, when arms closed around me and hauled me in the air. I shrieked like a wildcat, but the arms didn’t let me go. “We have to move before this whole clearing caves in,” Xavy grunted as he hauled me away from Gar.

Daz bent and with a mighty groan, hauled Gar over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. His muscles bulging with the effort, he turned on his booted heels just as the ground beneath us began to shake. “Run!” he hollered.

I stopped fighting, dread crashing over me like a wave as the hole in the clearing began to widen. Dirt plumed in the air as the ground fell to the cavern below. Now, my scream was of pure terror. Xavy ran with me facing backward under his arm. Daz was right behind us, straining under the massive weight of Gar’s limp body.

The collapse gained ground faster than we were running. Daz’s heels sank into loose dirt, and just as Xavy dove into the forest at the edge of the clearing—onto secure ground—Daz wobbled on the edge. His eyes went wide, he pinwheeled his free hand, and then plummeted.

Xavy rolled as he dove, so he hit the ground first, cushioning my fall. I immediately scrambled to my feet and lunged toward the edge, joining Ward who was already there peering down into the dark depths.

“Daz!” He called, and his voice held a hint of panic I had never heard from any of the Drixonians.

“Daz!” Sax cupped his hands around his mouth, eyes wide, his breaths coming in gulps so fast I thought he was going to pass out. He knelt at the edge, hands curling around the dirt as he frantically squinted below.

My entire chest was so tight, I couldn’t breathe. My head spun, and my eyes watered from a mix of debris and grief. “No, no, no,” I murmured. “They have to be okay. They have to be.” I inhaled sharply, feeling a stab of pain in my ribs. “Daz! Gar!”

Something shifted to the right of us. A root that stuck out about two feet below the edge of the collapse swayed and then snapped taut. Sax lunged for it, and just as the cloud of dirt began to dissipate, a great horned head appeared out of the darkness. Daz blinked up at us, one hand gripping the end of the root, the other clasping Gar to his shoulder. He was filthy, covered in a fine layer of green dust. His lips peeled back, revealing dirty fangs.

“Oh my God,” I slumped to my side, barely able to hold myself up anymore as tremors wracked my muscles. “How did he...?”

Xavy’s hand rested on my shoulder. “That’s why he’s our drexel.” His voice was reverent, and I understood down in my bones what that reverence meant and how Daz had surely earned it one hundred times over in the long Drixonian lifespan.

There’d never been a time I hadn’t respected Daz, but as I watched Ward and Sax pull him to safety with Gar still secure on his shoulder, I came to the conclusion I had no idea what respect really meant. Not until now. Not until I saw a bruised and bleeding Daz lay Gar on the stable ground before falling to his back at his side, great chest heaving as he panted and coughed out mouthfuls of dirt. “I would prefer never to do that ever flecking again.”

I slid on my knees to Gar’s side. He was breathing, but it was shallow. I tried to feel his pulse, but his scales were thick, and I couldn’t find a vein. Suddenly, Nero appeared with two vials of medis. He handed one to Sax, who immediately plunged it into Daz’s worst wound along his side. The other, Nero uncapped and slammed into Gar’s chest. Right over his heart.

I gasped at the violence of it but knew that was the only thing that could bring him back. The medis moved swiftly through his body, and some melted scales reformed under the power of the medicine. But Gar still didn’t move, and his color had taken on a grayish pallor.

I knelt over his body and cupped his face in my hands, pressing our foreheads together. “Please be okay,” I whispered. “Please. I need you. Mave needs you.”

With a groan, Daz rolled onto his side before stumbling to his feet. “We need to move. We’re not in any shape to handle an ambush right now. Ward, strap Gar to his bike and tow it.”

Ward, his face creased in concern, gestured to Xavy. They picked up Gar—one at his head and the other at his feet—and lumbered toward his bike. Daz swayed slightly on his feet, but he seemed to be breathing better and wincing less.

Overcome with emotion, I lunged at Daz and threw my arms around his waist. He took a step back from the force of my hug. His big hand patted me on the back, warm and comforting.

“Thank you,” I sniffled against his dirty side. “I don’t know how you did it, but you refused to let go of Gar. You pulled him to safety, so he at least has a fighting chance to recover.”

Daz’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “We never leave a warrior behind.”

“You’re a good leader, Daz,” I said. “Just wait until I tell Frankie about your heroics. You’ll be getting laid double even with her pregnant belly.”

“Getting laid?” he queried.

“Sex, big guy.”

His lips quirked up. “I look forward to your retelling.”

Releasing Daz from my hug, I began to walk toward Gar. I finally felt all the aches and pains in my body and winced at pain in my wrists. They must have borne the brunt of my fall during the explosion. I rubbed them, and when the pain intensified, I glanced down.

With a gasp, I stared while two black lines, as if drawn by an invisible hand, circled the pale skin of my wrists. I staggered as my head spun, and it suddenly felt like I had a fifty-pound weight sitting on my skull. “What—?” I mumbled as an alarmed Nero raced to my side, catching me just as I was about to tip over.

“Daz,” I heard him say, but his voice sounded like it was underwater.

“Hurts,” I whined. And then I felt it—him. A column of flames in my mind that seared me from the inside out. And through the smoke and ash, I heard five syllables like a brand on my soul—cora-eternal.

* * *

Gar

Fire. It licked at me from all sides, white-hot and angry. I pushed through the pain and reached out, seeking an exit. I had to get away. This wasn’t the end. I knew now.

Fatas had showed me I’d find my end in the flames. I thought I had, until through the inferno Naomi’s figure appeared, running toward me with her hair trailing behind her in a brown wave. And she’d called for me. She’d said my name. The conflagration had been my rebirth. Not my end. Naomi was my destiny.

I had to move. Wake up. She was there, I could feel her in my mind, the waters of her aura turbulent and in pain. Was she hurt? Had my fire hurt her?

“Little one,” I murmured, my eyes still glued together. I couldn’t seem to open them. I tossed my body, and I felt hands on me just as I fell through the air only to hit a hard surface with a thud.

“Little one!” I called louder through my smoke-damaged voice. “Naomi!”

Everything burned, but my wrists hurt the worst, so much I gave up my crawling for a moment to cradle them against my stomach. Hands touched me again, but this time they were different. Smaller. Softer. “Little one,” I murmured.

“Gar.” Her voice sounded in my ears and in my head like an echo. “Don’t try to get up. You’re hurt.”

“Are you okay?” I gritted out.

A sob reached my ears. “I’m fine. Gar, we’re… Our loks appeared. You’re my mate.”

I pried my eyes open even though the action felt like someone was stabbing me in the eyeballs. My vision was blurred, and I could just barely make out her face. I held up my wrist as the burning had lessened to a barely there ache. My wrists now glowed with golden tattoos in a the shapes of spiky flames. I groped blindly for her hand and held it up to mine. We matched. But that didn’t make sense. “But I … already killed the one who shed your blood. In my cell.”

She cocked her head. “The one who brought me to see you? No, he wasn’t the one who hit me.” She glanced over her shoulder and bit her lip. “He must have been … down there and died in the explosion.” Her expression shifted to concern as her hand shifted through my hair. I could feel it was shorter, singed by the fire. “Fatas was wrong, Gar. The fire wasn’t your end.”

I let my head fall back until it hit the ground. “Fatas wasn’t wrong.”

“But—”

“The fire was the end and the beginning. My new beginning is you.”

She sucked in a breath, and I closed my eyes as the pain once again sucked me under. “Take me home, cora-eternal,” I breathed just as the water of her aura splashed over me, making the fire hiss and spit. “Take me home.”

* * *

The next time I woke up, I was no longer on the ground. I lay on a soft sleeping pallet, a warm fur pulled up to my chest. I had to blink a few times to clear my blurry vision, but at least there was no pain. For the first time, my brain wasn’t a riot of violence and anger. An ember stoked there, and I knew it’d only take a soft blow to rage, but it was held back by a slowly lapping tide of water. The sound soothed me, and for the first time since I was a chit, my cora beat with a sense of peace.

I cast my memory back, and immediately my gaze darted to my wrists, terrified I had been dreaming. I lifted my wrist to find the loks still there, the golden lines shimmering in the sun streaming through the skylight in the ceiling. The lines were the shape of flames, and I rotated my wrist in awe.

A soft sound tickled my ears, and I turned my head to see Naomi sitting on her chair. She wore no coverings, and her long brown hair was swept over one shoulder as she pulled a brush through the thick waves. Her loks glowed on her wrist, stark on her pale skin.

I stared, mesmerized, remembering when I watched her do this very thing and ached with my desire for her, a desire I never thought I’d be able to act on in a million cycles. I was content to watch her, and she didn’t seem to know I was awake. She made that soft sound I often heard Miranda make—a wordless sengeng that made me want to surround myself with the lilting vibrations.

She stood up and I caught a glimpse of her full breasts as she reached into her chest for her coverings. As she drew out a pair of short pants, she shot me a quick glance. I met her gaze. Her mouth dropped open, and then tossing her short pants to the side, she raced to the pallet. “Gar!” Her mouth stretched into a joyful grin. “You’re awake!”

I nodded, because I wasn’t sure what else to say, and I didn’t quite trust my voice yet. My throat ached something fierce.

She grabbed a cup of qua beside the bed, and I let her help me drink. The cool liquid slid down my parched throat. When she took the cup away, I licked my lips. Running her hands over my forehead, she sat beside me, bending her knee to prop on the bed. “How are you feeling? You’ve been asleep for two days. Well, Val did drug you because we didn’t trust you to actually rest, and your body needed you to.”

“I feel good,” I said.

She arched an eyebrow. “Good?”

The memories were coming back now. “Good.”

She shook her head. “It’s crazy. Val said she thinks the loks strengthen you. And us. Sax thought she died when they escaped Alazar, but when their loks appeared, she survived.”

I was distracted by her nakedness. I ran my palm over the soft skin of her thigh. “I don’t know how I didn’t die. The loks keeping me alive is the only thing that makes sense.”

She stretched out her body beside mine, her tiny form taking up almost no room on the large pallet. We were in her room, and I liked it better than my bare hut. She had a few blooms in pots, gifted to her by Miranda I was sure, and a colorful floor mat Anna had knitted. “Tell me what happened after you left me,” she said.

I used as few words as possible, my throat still scratchy from inhaling too much smoke. I told her about how I had been able to hear the Kulk squads following me as I made my way back to the underground bunker.

“Was your intention to blow it up?” She looked hurt as she asked the question.

I didn’t fault her for that. “I had a lot of time to think after I let you go. I wanted more than anything to run back to you, and the only reason I didn’t was to keep you safe. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do. But when I reached the bunker, the majority of the Kulks and Uldani were still there, scrambling to make repairs. I knew this was my chance.” I licked my lips, recalling how I’d huddled in the dark of an alcove and sliced the detonator out of my scales. “I tried to rig up the detonator to go off remotely. I had a whole plan with a rock attached to a string…”

Naomi shot me a look.

“I know,” I huffed. “Bad plan. And clearly it didn’t work. I think the only thing that saved me was that I hid behind one of the only metal-plated doors in the bunker.”

Still, the blast had knocked me out. I’d come to surrounded by flames and I’d panicked, convinced that was it. “I could only think about how I failed you. So, I forced myself to get out. I didn’t know if I was going to make it, but I was going to try. I somehow climbed the stairs and then there you were among the flames like a cold bucket of qua.”

She cupped my face, her thumb stroking over my lip. She explained how they found me by a locator Nero had installed on my bike.

“That devious flecker,” I muttered.

She smiled. “He saved the day, but Daz saved your life. Do you even remember? The ground crumbled beneath his feet. I thought he fell into the flaming bunker but at the last minute, he grabbed a root and held on. While still holding you.” Her eyes bugged out. “It was amazing.”

I smiled. “Oh, so Daz was amazing, huh?” I extended a claw and gently scratched at her side.

She gasped and jerked away. “No tickling.”

“Well, you’re in our bed praising another warrior. I have to give you some sort of punishment.”

Her eyes twinkled as a mischievous grin spread across her face. Rising above me, she lifted one leg over me to straddle my stomach. She braced her hands on my chest. “Jealousy is a new look on you. I like it.”

I rubbed the inside of her thighs with my thumbs, an unfamiliar feeling of self-consciousness hitting me. “Do I look different?”

Her smile immediately faded. “Gar,” she said softly.

I hadn’t missed the twisted and marred scars littering the left side of my body. And my hair… Well it was short now, most of it burnt off.

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You don’t look different to me. You’ve always had scars. Now you just have more. I see what’s inside now, remember?” she tapped my forehead.

“I spent so much time worried you’d hate what you see in my aura.”

She smiled. “I admit when I first felt you, your aura was nothing but a column of angry flame. Now, you’re tame. Just a cute little campfire.”

I chuckled. “Your influence. You doused me.”

“Guess we’re a good match then.” She shifted her weight back, and the tip of my cock brushed against her cunt.

I groaned and rolled my hips.

She let her head fall back as she teased me with her wet heat. “We shouldn’t. You need to heal.”

“Nothing better to cure my aches and pains than your cunt,” I murmured, leaning up enough to suck a pebbled nipple into my mouth.

She moaned, hands digging into the ruined scales on my chest. “Oh, I missed this. I missed you.”

“Missed you too, little one,” I murmured. “Now come up here, let me taste you.”

Her eyes went wide as her head dropped to look at me. “What?”

I didn’t bother with further instructions. I hoisted her in the air over my body.

She squeaked as I dropped her down, so her cunt smothered my face. “Oh Gar,” she murmured just as I licked her from entrance to clit. She ground herself down on my face. “Oh yes.”

I speared her with my tongue and worked her hard nub with my thumb until she was trembling and crying above me. I ate at her like I was starving because I was. In the forest all alone after I’d left her, there were many times I’d remembered her taste and the sound of her pleasured cries and wished I could get it all back. For eternity.

When she came, she shuddered hard, bucking against my mouth as she gripped what was left of my hair. With her body still shaking, I rolled her onto her back in bed and pushed myself over top of her. After wrapping her legs around my hips, I didn’t wait. I couldn’t wait, my cock as hard as a metal spike as I plunged into her.

I threw back my head on a throaty groan. The tight heat of her cunt took my breath away, and I gritted my teeth so I wouldn’t release inside of her on the second stroke. When I felt like I had myself under control, I pulled my hips back and snapped them forward.

Naomi stared up at me with wet eyes full of wonder. This was different, mating my cora-eternal. Being inside her before was everything I thought it would be, but now that we were bonded, it was more than I ever could have imagined.

My fire spit and crackled.

Her waves crashed and churned.

We pushed and pulled each other until she was coming again, her cries sending me over the edge until I surged inside of her with a roar, releasing what I hoped was the seed for our chits to grow in her womb.

Only then did I collapse next to her. Her hands coasted over my chest, and I nuzzled her face, pressing kisses to her soft skin.

“Promise,” she said, “that you’ll keep yourself alive. For me. Putting me first means putting what we feel for each other first. You need to be alive for that.”

The word settled something in my cora, and it skipped a beat before restarted. A new life. A new destiny.

“I won’t let you down again, little one,” I stared into her deep brown eyes. I ran my fingers over the little brown dots on the bridge of her nose. “I promise.”

She smiled, her waves frothed happily, and I sank into her welcoming arms.

Sixteen

Gar

I stepped into our council room to find only Ward sitting at the table. I frowned. “Do I have the time wrong?”

Ward shook his head. “No, this is the time I told you. But everyone else is coming later.”

I glanced behind at the closed door. “I’m not understanding.”

“Sit, brother,” he sighed.

When I raised a nubbed brow at him, he gestured to my chair. “Please.”

I promptly sank down in my seat and watched as he shifted in his chair. His hands were clasped on the table in front of him. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “I need to confess I have some guilt over letting you down.”

I sat up quickly. “Ward—”

“I had no idea you in so much pain. I see now how your whole posture has changed. You smile more. I heard you laugh this morning, brother. Laugh.” His jaw clenched, and he swallowed. “As your big brother, I should have been more involved. I should have reached out more. Reba has encouraged me to talk about my feelings and the feelings of others which is frankly exhausting, but the females talk all the time and are happy. So, they must know something we don’t.”

I had to stop him. He looked miserable. “Ward, stop. I can’t let you feel guilt over anything. There was a lot I hadn’t dealt with surrounding Mave’s death, and Naomi made me see that. I’m not sure I would have been receptive to you prying into my head.” I stared down at the scarred wood of our table. “I have my own confession. I’ve been angry at you for a long time, ever since you pulled me out of that fire during the Uprising.”

Ward’s head went up and he frowned. “Angry with me? Why?”

“Because you saved my life.”

Ward’s mouth open and shut with an audible click. “I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t want to be saved. Fatas had been sending me visions for many cycles and I thought she was telling me I meant to die in that fire. I thought I’d find my end in flames. I was sure of it.”

Ward swore sharply. “I had no idea.”

“Now I see that flames might have been an end to a stage of my life, but they also gave me a new one—with Naomi.” I leaned forward. “I have you to thank for that, brother. If you weren’t so stubborn, if you had just let me die, I never would have found happiness again. I owe you more than my life. I owe you everything.”

Ward stared at me for a moment, his expression full of shock before he slumped back in his chair and let out a low chuckle. At first that was the only sound, but soon it gained in intensity until he was howling with laughter, holding his stomach while his eyes watered.

I joined him, even though I wasn’t sure what was so funny. Maybe it was that the tension between us which had been like a taut bowstring for many cycles had snapped. His laughter was contagious. Joyous.

Finally, he rose, body still shaking with the echoes of his humor. He jerked me to my feet and clasped his hand around my neck. I did the same, and we touched foreheads. We stood that like for a long time, silence stretching between us that was full of emotions, too big for words. We’d reached this happiness, he and I, after so much pain and heartache. We had our mates, and we had each other.

“Mave would be so happy to see us now,” he whispered quietly.

I closed my eyes and squeezed the back of his neck. “She would be. It took me a long time to realize I deserve happiness.”

Ward’s smile was a flash of brightness. “You do, brother. We all do.”

The door opened, and we broke apart, sending each other a knowing smile. The rest of the council poured in, talking amongst themselves, oblivious to what had just gone on the room.

Ward and I sat, and soon Daz was starting the meeting. There were whoops and congratulations about my mating bond with Naomi. We listened to a report on the condition of the females, and then it was my turn to update everyone on the whereabouts of the cruiser.

Sax scowled. “I’m so pissed. I had the best escape story—a high-speed hover car chase through Alazar. And you had to steal all my glory with shooting your way out of an underground bunker with a stolen cruiser and crash landing into a spring.” He crossed his arms over his chest and let out an exasperated huff.

“I think Val’s hunner trick was inventive,” Ward said.

“I want a cool escape story,” Xavy pouted.

Daz rolled his eyes. “Dealing with you all is like herding salibri cubs. Gar, after the meeting, show Nero on his maps where the cruiser is located. We’ll retrieve it first thing sunup tomorrow. Nero, what’s your report on the Uldani activity and have you been able to activate the controller?”

His eyes sparkled a deep purple. “Gar, I can’t thank you enough for the controller. Gaining access to the Rinian Network has been…” Het let out a blissful sigh. “It’s been everything.”

“Agreed, excellent work, Gar for making the controller, and Naomi, a priority,” Daz said.

I nodded in acknowledgement of the praise.

“So,” Nero continued. “The Uldani have retreated to Alazar. I was able to intercept some communications before they locked the access. They are also aware we have merged the clavases. They are preparing for war, Daz.”

Our drexel nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

“I’m currently working on gaining access to their data files. What concerns me is…” his brow furrowed, and he swiped at his tablet with trembling fingers.

“What?” Daz asked.

“There is a lot of information on our life on Corin. Detailed maps, our food production, military activity. I’m going to be honest, Daz, it’s like they were preparing for a takeover.”

Daz’s eyes went distant, and he gazed at the far wall for a long time. We held our breaths, but the same thought seemed to be flitting from mind to mind, because we collectively began a steady growl under our breaths.

“And since the Uldani would never beat us in a military matchup, maybe they had to resort to other means.”

My fist slammed down on the table, and I hadn’t realized I’d done it until a crack bounced off the walls of the room. “They could be responsible for the virus? For Mave’s death?’

Daz swallowed. “I’ve had my suspicions since the Uprising.”

Violent tremors wracked my body, and all I wanted was to see Naomi, to hold her, and feel her soft hands on my chest, and her sweet voice in my ear. Just the thought of her calmed my racing cora, and I shoved my fist into my lap, taking a few breaths so I didn’t toss the table into the wall.

Nero kept his head bent to his tablet. I knew he’d lost many loved ones too. We all had. Nero’s mother had five sisters, and they were all high-ranking members of the Drixonian council, serving on many committees. His name was well known in our society, and then they’d all been wiped out in the blink of an eye. “I’ll work nonstop on this Daz. I’ll get answers.”

“And we’ll also get a war,” Daz murmured.

We all nodded our ascent, a few “yeahs” filling the room.

Daz’s fist clenched on the table. “Meeting over, brothers. We meet tomorrow at sunup to return our cruiser home.” He looked me straight in the eye and nodded. That one motion was all I needed to know Daz was proud of me.

I nodded back.

* * *

Naomi

“And then!” I said, telling the story for the hundredth time. “I peer through the smoke and dust and there’s Daz, hanging from a root by one hand, holding Gar over his shoulder with the other.”

Frankie listened with rapt attention, her chin propped on her fist, with almost cartoon-like heart eyes. She loved this story. And I told it often because Daz told me privately he “got laid” every time I repeated it, and that he appreciated it when I relayed it often.

And since he saved my mate, I was going to do Daz a solid and get him laid as often as possible.

“And he was all dirty and bloody, right?” Frankie asked breathlessly.

Miranda, who’d heard this story as many times as I’d told it, mouthed Frankie’s question behind her back. Because Frankie always asked the same thing at this point in the story.

“Fil-thy,” I enunciated each syllable. “With blood running down his face.”

Frankie sighed and then squirmed. Predictably, her head went up, and then she searched the dining hall for Daz. He had just entered the room, talking to Ward. She bit her lip and then said distractedly. “I forgot, um, I have a thing I gotta talk to Daz about.”

“Sure, you do,” Miranda said with an eyeroll.

Frankie didn’t even pay her any attention. She rose from her seat and toddled off in Daz’s direction, hand on her growing stomach.

Daz spotted her coming. His eyes narrowed, and then his gaze shifted to me. I gave him a thumbs up. His lips quirked up, and then he strode to meet his mate halfway across the dining hall. As soon as he reached her, he swept her into his arms, and they left through the front door in a damn hurry.

I leaned back in my chair and took a sip of my drink. “My work here is done.”

Tabitha sighed. “Well how about you work your magic and get me some blue dick, huh?”

“We all know there’s only one blue dick you want,” Miranda said, “And he’s playing hard to get, apparently.”

Tabitha’s mouth dropped open on a gasp. “No one’s playing hard to get. I’m keeping my options open.”

I found my drink interesting because I didn’t want to get involved in that discussion.

As I took another sip, I felt him enter the room. I was always aware of his presence, just like I knew he’d been through a wide arrange of motions during his meeting. I expected that and did my best to give him his privacy despite his raging fire aura wreaking havoc in my mind.

I looked up and there he was, face stormy as he pounded across the room like a man on a mission. I stood up, and he locked eyes on me, his expression immediately softening.

His shoulders lost some of their tension. He reached my side and dropped down onto the bench at my side, wrapping his arms around my waist and drawing me between his legs to bury his face in my chest.

I squeaked at the sudden motion but knew this was what he needed right now. I was happy to provide it for him. There was nothing like the way he held me. For a male who’d gone so long without touching anyone, he now craved it. Or maybe just with me.

“Hey, I murmured, combing through his shortened hair. I’d managed to trim up the singed ends, so he didn’t look so wild. “Need to talk?”

“Later,” he mumbled into my skin as he opened his mouth to suck at my shoulder.

“Get a room,” Justine sang out.

I glared at her.

She snickered behind a cup of qua.

“Had a good talk with Ward. Then heard bad news. But good news is we are doing something about it.”

“So that’s one bad and two good,” I announced.

He huffed against my shoulder and I glanced down to see him smiling. “My little one, always glass half drank.”

I quirked a brow as Miranda choked on a bite of her sandwich.

“Glass half full.” I held back a laugh.

He pulled back and frowned at me. “Wouldn’t that mean someone drank half? So, it was half drank.”

“He has a point,” Justine pointed out.

“Don’t you all have things to do?” I sniped.

“Nope.” Justine popped the p. “Literally nothing to do but sit here and eavesdrop on your adorable conversation.”

Gar rose and gripped my hand. “Come on, I want a walk.”

“I’d love a walk.” I stuck out my tongue at Justine.

Tabitha waved. “Have fun.” But her eyes weren’t on me. They were on Xavy. Like they always were, no matter how often she tried to deny it. And her last steamy story she’d written had a certain hero with a mohawk. She denied up and down it was modeled after Xavy.

I waved back to her, even though she wasn’t looking, and said my goodbyes to Miranda and Justine.

Swinging our arms, I had to take about three steps to his one as we headed outside. “So where are we walking?”

“Nowhere.”

“What? I thought you said you wanted a walk?”

“I just wanted to take you back to our room and get you naked in your furs.”

We’d settled into my room. It was smaller than his hut, but neither of us minded. His hut now housed half a dozen warriors in cots. Gar said that was better use of the space, and I agreed. He also remained convinced my room had the softest furs he’d ever felt.

“Who said I was in the mood to get naked in the furs with you?” I lifted my chin in the air.

He stopped and jerked on my arm, so I crashed into his chest with an oomph. He bent down and proceeded to kiss the daylights out of me. When he finally pulled back with a violet glint to his eye, I was dizzy, and wasn’t sure what day it was.

“I realized after the talk to Ward I have much to thank you for.”

He began to walk again, and I stumbled to keep up. “Pretty sure that kiss was thanks enough.”

“No, little one.” He smiled, and I swore the sight was brighter than the sun. “I’ll be thanking you for a lifetime.”

Thank you so much for reading The Alien’s Savior! Want a free bonus story in the Drixonian universe? Get it FOR FREE along with loads more bonus content when you sign up for my newsletter.

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If you missed reading about Daz and Frankie, you can get their story in The Alien’s Ransom. Sax and Valerie’s story is in The Alien’s Escape. Ward and Reba’s story is The Alien’s Undoing. Miranda and Drak’s story is The Alien’s Revenge.

Xavy and Tabitha are next in The Alien’s Challenge. These two are going to be explosive. And I think this cover is my favorite yet. Read on for a sneak peak!

The Alien’s Challenge

Excerpt from Chapter One of

THE ALIEN’S CHALLENGE

Tabitha

He skated his fangs down the side of her neck, just barely scratching the surface, and the pleasure-pain of the scrape throbbed in her clit. His fingers tangled in her hair, keeping her throat bared to him, while he held her wrists in an iron grip with his other hand. She was trapped, unable to move, absolutely at his mercy—and it only made her wetter.

“Please,” she gasped.

“That’s it,” he growled as he licked at the sensitive skin below her ear. “Beg me.”

She gasped out a sob as his fingers released her hair only to travel to her aching breasts where he toyed with a nipple while the cool, gold of his rings raised goosebumps on her flesh—

“No!” I screamed, slamming down the Planet-Torin version of a pencil. “No rings, Tabitha, for fuck’s sake.” I licked my thumb and erased the words, but I could still see the faint ghosting of the words on the pamphlet, taunting me. Only one Drixonian wore a full set of rings, like a freaking mob boss, and I hated how badass they looked was on his blue skin.

I glared at my paper and kept writing.

Once he finished with the pink nipple, leaving it smarting and distended, his hand slipped around to her back where he coasted it over her round ass. He gave one cheek a firm slap, and she moaned against the wall he’d pressed her against. Continuing lower, he slid his hand between her cheeks before plunging two thick fingers into her pussy.

She cried out as he slammed inside up to his knuckle, pressing deep. He held her like that, not moving, with her wrists still pinned, and then he viciously twisted his fingers. Her legs trembled with the need to come, but she wanted more, needed more… “Ready to beg yet?” He taunted her, and she gushed on his hand at the words. Any other time, any other male, and she would have smacked him. But not this one, not the big male with the charming smile and the violet purple eyes. “Beg for my cock.” His thumb pressed at her back entrance, and she went wild, writing against him like a wanton thing. “Beg. Me.”

“Please,” she whimpered, so close but not right there, not without his thick pierced cock. “Please, Xavy.”

“Noooo!” I wailed and with a vicious thrust, snapped the pencil in half over my knee. I flopped onto my desk, hiding my head in my hands.

This was not working. I had a good streak of super sexy stories for the girls to read but lately I couldn’t get stupid Xavy out of my head. No matter what I wrote, I could no longer picture characters I made up, but only him and me in the throes of passion.

I was tired of it. I didn’t have my fun vibrating toys anymore so getting off wasn’t as fun or easy as it used to be, so I walked around in a perpetual state of sexual frustration. Me. Tabitha Markel. On Earth, I’d had my pick of frat boys, nerd boys, and jock boys on my college campus. Easy peasy to get a little something and if no one caught my eye, I headed home to my vibrator.

Now, I had nothing but a Drixonian warrior I wanted to hump like a dog who charmed everyone but me. Ridiculously unfair. He had the best smile, fangs and all, and when he let that tongue out of his mouth during meal times, I swore I saw heaven.

But that tongue wasn’t mine. That thick cock that I longed to see wasn’t mine. His smiles weren’t even for me. So I was reduced to writing fantasies about him like a creeper. Tabitha Markel was not a creeper. I was a go-getter. I got what I wanted. And I wanted Xavy.

Preorder THE ALIEN’S CHALLENGE!

Acknowledgments

I truly hope readers like this book because Gar was the hero I was asked most about. I wanted to give him a sweetheart mate, and I think Naomi fits him perfectly. Thank you so much to my readers for supporting me in this series. It’s ridiculously fun and I am enjoying it so much!

Thank you so much to Natasha Snow, my cover designer, who continually inspires me with her amazing work. This series might not have ever gotten off the ground without her amazing covers!

Thank you to Del for the thorough edits. I appreciate you working with me during the craziness that is homeschool and quarantine!

Thank you so much to all my readers in Ella Maven’s Haven! You make me smile every day.

About the Author

Ella Maven is the pen name for a multi-published USA Today Bestselling author who decided to finally unleash the alien world that had been living in her head for years. (Is that weird? Probably). Her books feature dominant, possessive aliens who are absolutely devoted to their humans.

She lives on the East Coast with her completely normal husband and two spawn who sure seem alien some days.

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