by Luna Hunter
Makayla looks up to me, her big brown eyes studying me closely.
“Do you mean that? You wouldn’t think I’m… damaged goods?”
Anger flows through my veins at the mere mention of something so preposterous. “You are my nera!” I growl, wrapping both arms around her tightly and pulling her on top of me. “No matter what you did in the past, no matter what happened to you. You are mine in the here, in the now, in the future — and if I could travel through time, the past, but I can not. The now will have to do.”
“The now is more than enough for me,” she whimpers, burying her face in my neck. “What did I do to deserve you, Kerax? Why are you so nice to me? You don’t know what I did.”
“I know that I love you regardless.”
“You can’t say that if you don’t know.”
“Then tell me, and I will prove it to you.”
“…okay.”
Chapter 11
Makayla
I’m glad to be laying on on top of him. Kerax is my anchor. He’s the one thing keeping me safe and sane, now that the whole world has gone crazy with devious traps, dangerous raiders, alien hounds and dominant alien warriors. And to my own surprise, on top of that dominant warrior is where I want to be most.
“As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Earth has been seen better days,” I say. “Our sickness has been self inflicted. The how and the why have been swept away by time, but that humans are the cause of this mess is a fact. Society regressed. Women became property, as nations failed. We became goods to be traded, to be owned, to be used. Thats… that’s what happened to me.”
I look up at Kerax, fully prepared to see disappointment in his eyes. That’s all that I’ve felt in myself, all that I’ve expected to find in others. I never expected to find love. I don’t think I can even claim to fully understand it. It always seemed a foreign concept to me, something for simpler times.
But as I gaze into Kerax’s radiant, colorful eyes, all I see is strength. I see determination, I see kindness, I see… love.
That’s what it is. That’s what I’m feeling right now, the weightless feeling in my chest, the lightness. I love my sisters of course, but this is different.
There’s an immense feeling of trust between us, of connection and acceptance. That feeling gives me the power to keep sharing, to lower my guard and be completely vulnerable for once in my life.
“I never knew my mom either,” I say. “My dad said she died when I was young, and I had no reason to doubt him at the time. He was a trader, and we traveled from outpost to outpost, just barely scraping by. I always wore heavy cloaks and pretended to be a boy, until my body started changing, and it became harder and harder to keep up the ruse. Men started giving me attention. And then an incredibly harsh winter came, and we were both starving, and my dad started looking at me differently. And so he…”
I swallow the lump in my throat. I realized I’ve never said this out loud before. All of my sisters have scars — we don’t dwell on them. We pick up the pieces and move on. Uttering these words takes an enormous amount of effort, but I power through.
“… he sold me.”
My mate’s eyes flash with anger, his heavy brow furrowing.
“Yes. He sold me to a passing gang of raiders for nothing more than a few days worth of rations. The men, they treated me like…”
I can’t finish the sentence. The tears come, and I press my cheek against Kerax’s naked chest. He wraps his arms around me protectively, gently kissing the top of my head.
“You are safe now, my nera,” he says. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
I enjoy the safety of his arms, the pain flowing away. It’s easier to stay quiet, but I want to finish my story.
“They treated me like an animal, Kerax. I don’t think I have to explain what a traveling gang of raiders wants to buy a girl for. Do you want to know what I did?”
A cold shiver runs down my spine. I’ve tried to block all of it from my memory, but this is the one thing I could never forget.
“I killed them. I killed them all. They underestimated me, thought I was just a dumb plaything. And then, when they slept, I smashed their heads in with a rock, one by one, and then ran off.”
My whole body is shaking with anger, and I glance at Kerax again. “Does that make me a monster?”
“No!” he says. “It makes you strong.”
“Ha, strong. I wish I felt that way.”
“You are strong!” he says. “You were outnumbered, and you did what you had to do to survive. There’s no shame in that.”
“I thought you Kaizon were all about fighting honorably. I thought you’d consider me weak, and worthless.”
“Sometimes you have to win the battle before it can begin! You, Makayla, my nera, you are the strongest woman I’ve ever met — you went through all of that and you survived. You thrived. The only people who are weak and worthless are the men who’ve treated you so poorly. If you hadn’t killed them, I would have chased them to the edge of the world to enact justice myself. I swear it on my horns.”
“That’s sweet,” I chuckle. “You’re sweet. Do you really mean all that?”
“Every single syllable.”
“Then… I’m very happy to hear that.”
I rest my head back on his chest. For the first time in my life I feel completely whole.
If only this moment could last forever…
Chapter 12
Makayla
“How’s Jip doing?”
Kerax glances up from the meal that I’ve prepared for him. I’m wearing his thick, furry robe as I cook him another plate of breakfast, like we’re playing house and there’s nothing strange about the weird globs of meat I’m frying for him.
I think it’s best I don’t ask what they’re made of it, if I want to keep my appetite.
My sex is still tingling with pleasure — the first thing he did when he woke up this morning was mount me. I finally understand why Jade is always perpetually tired; Kaizon don’t have a refractory period. They can go all day if they want to! Only when I pleaded for breakfast did he finally stop mating.
“Much better,” he answers. “Those herbs you gathered really seemed to help.”
“Thank the stars. I was so worried about him.”
“As was I.”
He clears his throat. “You mentioned my brother, Vukaror, when I found you. Where is he?”
I turn around, see his determined look, and sigh. I knew he was going to address Vuka at some point, but I still hoped he would drop it. A futile hope, I now realize.
“Why?” I ask. “What does is matter where he is?”
Kerax’s eyes narrow. “He’s an ineffective leader. Under his rule, Kaizon society crumbled away. If we are to prosper again, we need a strong leader, who can make tough decisions. We need me! With you by my side as my Queen, the Kaizon will rule the galaxy once more!”
I cross my arms. “I’ve heard enough. I’m not telling you a thing.”
He rises from his seat so quickly that he knocks the entire table over, food splattering all over the floor of the ship’s kitchen. He seems ten times as big now that he’s standing up straight, muscles bulging. “What?!” he growls. “Why?!”
I swallow the lump in my throat — he can still be very intimidating, but I’m standing my ground no matter what.
“Because Vuka is in love with Jade, and she’s my best friend. Do you remember what I told you last night, about all the horrible things that I’ve been through? The story didn’t just end there. I ran away, but I had zero survival skills. I was malnourished and delirious when Jade found me. She took me in, shared with little food she had with me, and nursed me back to health. If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead. It’s as simple as that. And now she’s found happiness, and she even has a little baby boy to call her own. And I’m not risking all of that just because you hold a grudge.”
“A grudge?! I’m talking about successions, about leadership, about the future of
our species, human.”
“You’re talking nonsense, Kerax. Look around you. There’s nothing on Earth. No palaces. There’s just wilderness, and little pockets of civilizations in between where people live in fear, where people go hungry, where people are sold and traded like cattle. That’s what we should be focusing on! We should be helping them, we should be building a better world.”
“I will build a better world!” Kerax thunders. “With you by my side! We will rule!”
Tears spring to my eyes. I feel like he’s just not listening to me. I’m just not getting through. “What about us? What if it’s just the two of us? Is that not enough? Why do you need more, am I not enough for you?”
“Do you not see, my nera? This peace, it will not last. My brothers are coming, and in their wake, other Houses will follow. The secret of the Fertile Female will not be a secret for much longer. House De’Riv, House Odessa, House Haer’Kalis. They all envy our strength, they resent our rule. We need to be strong to prevent a new civil war. With Vukaror in charge, we are inviting open rebellion! I know you care for your friend, and if Vukaror does too, he will step down as king and offer me his rightful place.”
“And what if he doesn’t?!” I cry frantically. “You said you’d choose love over duty — do you not love me? Am I not more important?”
Kerax doesn’t answer me. He doesn’t have to. I can see the determination in his eyes. I turn away, my heart feeling like it’s breaking.
Don’t do this to me, Kerax.
Chapter 13
Kerax
Everything seemed so clear cut.
Go to Earth.
Dethrone Vuka.
Breed females.
Live prosperously.
Simple.
Now, I have a nera. A fated mate! And all of a sudden, my life is filled with complications. Enough to make my neck stiff, and my stomach clench. I want to stay with her, I honestly do, but I also want to lead my people to greatness.
I need to face Vukaror regardless of my decision. That is why I left my ship in the cover of night, as Makayla slept peacefully. She doesn’t understand — she thinks I will kill my own brother!
It won’t come to that. I hope.
All Vukaror needs to do is see the error of his ways, see the danger that is coming our way. The other Houses will challenge his rule, and if we want to leave in peace with our human mates, then we must win the war for Earth before it starts. We must be ready for the coming Kaizon. If he can see that, then we won’t have a problem.
Convincing a Kaizon King that he is wrong will be a challenge. One I’m willing to face.
The cave where my brother has hidden his ship is up ahead. I crack my knuckles, ready for a surprise attack — that are my warrior instincts kicking in. I picked up his scent half a mile ago, so I know he’s close.
“Kerax. So it is you who I’ve been smelling.”
“Brother,” I growl. It feels good to be talking in Kaizon again — the human language is much too gentle for my tastes. It never gets straight to the point, in the way that Kaizon does. “Show yourself!”
Vukaror strolls into the clearing, a deep frown on his face. He sniffs the air.
“Makayla,” he whispers, catching her scent. “Did you take her?!”
“She is safe on my ship. Where she is staying out of her own free will.”
Vukaror raises one eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe.”
I snarl at him. “Why? Think you are the only Kaizon around who can bond with a human female?! Oh yes, I know all about your little family, brother.”
“I’ve never kept it a secret, Kerax.” He sighs. “I’m happy to hear that Makayla is safe, we were worried sick. Why didn’t you wait for me here? In fact, damn it, why are you even here at all, brother? I thought you said my plan was foolish, that I would dilute our proud heritage with the blood of lesser species — your words! You’ve undermined me at every turn. And now you’re mating with Makayla? Is that correct?”
“Yes,” I say proudly. “She is my nera. If the ancestors will it, she is already pregnant with my child!”
The look on my brother’s face softens. “Then I pray that you will become a father as well, brother. I have a little baby boy, Ka’de, and he’s the light of my life… I hope that we can put our differences aside. They are wonderful, aren’t they, the human females?”
He walks over to me, extending his sword-hand. I eye it suspiciously.
“This is a human greeting,” he says. “I thought it would be fitting.”
My mind turns to all Makayla has desperately try to convince me of. She doesn’t want me to challenge Vukaror. She wants me to keep the peace. It would be so easy to just do as she asked me to, to bend my knee, to let Vukaror fuck up ruling Earth like he fucked up Kysus…
But I cannot.
I smack his hand away with my claw. “To hell with your human greeting, brother. We have unfinished business.”
Vukaror’s eyes are wide open with shock, as blood drips down his hand. “What the fuck are you talking about, Kerax? You want to challenge me again, here, now?!”
“You bet your horns I am.”
He glances up. “Ah, I see you’ve let your horns heal. Maybe the added weight is pressing down on your brain, making you say things that you will regret.”
Blood rushes to my cheeks as my brother reminds me of my greatest humiliation. After Father died, I challenged him to a duel for the throne, and he snapped one of my horns off. Forbidden from letting it heal, I was forever branded a traitor, unworthy, unfit.
“Watch your words,” I growl through my teeth.
“Or what? You’re going to lose to me, again? I thought you were past this, brother. What is about me that sets you off so much? What have I ever done to offend you?”
“EVERYTHING!” I scream as loud as I can, the words coming from the deepest part of my being. My voice is loud enough to shake the trees themselves, and birds scatter wildly.
I have announced myself to the world, and it feels… good.
There so many things that I have kept cooped up inside for far too long. Now that the dam has been broken, they’re all pouring out.
“You were the favorite, the chosen one, the golden child,” I say, poking him his chest so hard he tumbles a few steps back. “Father never gave a fuck about me.”
“Do you think I liked that?!”
“You loved it, admit it!” I scream.
“I hated it! I never felt worthy! I’ve always thought it was unfair.”
“Xhakishit,” I say. “You reveled in it, Vukaror, admit it.”
“What, I enjoyed my father’s attention? Is that why I should feel guilty?”
“Yes!”
“You want to know why Father was so hard on you? Because he believed in you. Because he knew you could take it. Because he believed you could grow strong, you could become the greatest Kaizon warrior that ever lived, an inspiration, a glorious, brilliant warlord! That’s what he had in mind for you. Me? I was just the one who had to sit on the throne, who had to listen to minor lords grovel at my feet, to attend pointless balls. There’s no honor in any of that, brother”
I narrow my eyes. I don’t want to hear his excuses, his lies.
“That’s the first I’ve ever heard of this,” I say.
“Because he died before he had the chance to tell you, Kerax.”
“And why haven’t you told me?!”
“You’ve never given me the chance! You look at me with hatred in your eyes, like you are doing right now, at every opportunity. You ignore me. You avoid me. But perhaps you are right. Perhaps I should have told you, perhaps I should have made more of an effort… Father was a difficult man for all eight of us to deal with, brother, you are not alone. If only you allowed yourself to see that. We all could have been much closer.”
A small part of me wants to let his words in… but my anger wins out. This rage has been coursing through my veins for years, etching out a path on my soul like water cutti
ng through rock, and it takes more than one conversation to build a dam.
“Step down,” I growl. “If you’ve meant anything you’ve said, step down. You just said it yourself, I am the stronger one.”
Vukaror throws his head back and laughs. “Would you let it rest, brother? We are light years away from Kysus, from the Houses, from all of it. We’re building a new life out here. There are no more thrones.”
“More Xhakishit!” I growl. “Your time with the humans has made you soft and forgetful, just like I thought. I received your message, brother — who else will have heard it?”
“Our six other brothers, of course.”
“Yes, and who will follow in their wake? Or do you think House De’Riv or House Odessa won’t notice that the eight ruling brothers have left their homeworld?”
“I will welcome them, then. There are more than enough fertile human females on this planet for all of us.”
Now it is my turn to laugh bitterly. “Your weakness will be the death of us all. I am the warrior of this family, and I’m telling you that we need need to be ready to fight. If not, you will condemn the human females to slavery under the thumb of House De’Riv — and you will not have brought the females salvation, but their doom.”
My brother’s eyes grow red with anger. “You dare to doubt my commitment to protect the females, to protect my nera?!” His skin ripples, the first effects of Kaizon battle rage showing. It is clear he is insanely protective of his nera. I push my shoulders back, tilt up my chin and look down on Vukaror. I have found his weak point, and I cannot stop myself from pushing down on it hard.
“You can’t protect anyone, brother. You are weak, and you’ve always have been.”
“I have snapped your horn once. I will do it again!”
“Do your worst!”
He roars with anger as he attacks me, fists raised. I dodge his strike and plant my knee in his stomach. Vukaror quickly recovers and swipes at me, his sharp claws dragging across my face, blood pouring into my eyes.