Devil In Exile: A Scifi Alien Mates Romance Novel (Warriors Of Elysius Book 1)

by Fiona Jayde

  Her eyes are serious as she takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “You hadn’t surfaced for a while, and then that thing suddenly appeared in the open pool, spinning and writhing like crazy. I didn’t have great visibility once the water got mixed with whatever the hell it was leaking, but then it just stopped, and I still couldn’t see you. I grabbed some hellah weird goggles and dove down to find you.”

  I inhale sharply. “You entered the water with a full grown chuktah below you? I told you to stay in the vessel.”

  “And I told you to let me help you,” she says. “I figured the thing was dead—”

  “But you didn’t know for certain.” I can’t help but interrupt her. I’m so terrified of what could have happened to her with an adult chuktah in a territorial rage.

  She grunts in annoyance, trying to pull her leg away from me. I let go only because holding on would cause her more pain.

  “I’ll tell you what I did know for certain. You were inside that enormous shell, trapped, possibly injured, and I couldn’t pry open the damn thing to get you out.”

  “You tried to pry the shells open?” I shout. A snarl escapes my lips, but she doesn’t seem fazed by it. This is unthinkable. Not even our young would be so brash and foolish. They are trained to handle various off-planet species at an early age. “You could have had your hand or your head amputated. Your entire body could have been crushed!”

  “Are you listening to me at all?” she says, yelling at me with a rage I might be wary of if I wasn’t so aroused by it. “The chuktah wasn’t moving, and you were in there. I tried to find a way to get you out and finally narrowed in on that tissue in the back—”

  “You slit its hinge?” A bright haze of purple descends over my visage. The danger she didn’t even realize she put herself in makes me want to punch a hole through the shell of that chuktah and eviscerate it all over again.

  She flops onto her back and speaks to the sky. “You’re an interrupter, you know that? I don’t even know why I’m bothering to explain this to you.”

  “The pressure released when opening the chuktah from the hinge in that manner causes the upper shell to flip backward at a velocity that can crush every bone in an Elysium’s body.”

  “Hence my broken leg,” she says in exasperation. “I almost cleared the shell, but my leg got nailed. Then I saw you floating inside the thing…amongst other disgusting things, which I can only assume were the clam’s innards—gross, by the way—and I grabbed you and swam us both to shore. There. Story told. Now, can we focus on what’s really important here? Are there enough gems in those shells back at that pool to buy the ship we need or not?”

  My feelings are so wide and varied, I hardly know how to answer her. My female risked herself to save me. I am the protector, but she saved me. Feelings of unworthiness descend upon me in a torrent, and I can hardly hold back my low growl as I gently take her leg in my hands again and examine it.

  “You swam us both to shore with your leg in such a state?”

  She sits up and looks at me with a steadiness in her gaze that squeezes my heart. “You saved me. I saved you. If this relationship is going to work then there has to be balance. We are a team, Kyllell.”

  My heart stutters at her words. “Relationship?” I stare at her in wonder, amazed that she would consider me after I have failed her so spectacularly.

  Her cheeks flush a beautiful, rosy shade before she stammers, “Our working relationship…I mean…you know…because we’re working as a team to…its our working relationship.”

  I don’t believe her for one moment. I remember the words she spoke just before I kissed her. She said she couldn’t be without me. She needed me. She may not realize it yet, but she is already considering me a suitable mate. She will be mine, of that I have no doubt.

  And selfish male that I am, I will take her even though I do not deserve her.

  ※※※※

  The dark markets and Chassak fortress are far away from my cave and this particular hunting area. This is purposeful on my part, of course. They do not know I am here, and the last thing I have ever wanted to do is attract attention. After helping my mate swim back to our vessel, I retrieve the gems from the shells below as quickly as possible, and now Ada and I have to travel for hours to get to Chassak territories. As we travel, I try to explain the Chassaks to Ada.

  “They are not creators. They are conquerors. They see parts of a culture they like, and they take those parts for themselves. Usually they steal them, sometimes they buy them. Draioch is beautiful and full of life. That’s partly why the Chassaks like it so much. They can adjust their forms to match any of the animals on the planet. There are many new shapes to study. That, and there are many creatures to enslave and sell. ”

  Ada nods grimly. “We have cultures like that on Earth as well. Not shape shifters, but slavers and conquerors.”

  I sigh, feeling it important I clarify a few things. She must know all of me if she is to accept me. “The Elysiums are not innocent of these things. We have been conquerors too, but we always fought for property, for resources. We harmed people, there is no question, but we did it out of a need to survive. The Chassaks do it for pleasure. They are evil.”

  Ada raises an eyebrow. “Are you speaking as an Elysium, or are you speaking as an objective observer?”

  “I can only speak as an Elysium, of course.” I hesitate then add, “But I do not believe all Chassaks are evil. There is always some good to be found in any despicable race. Perhaps.” That last part comes out most grudgingly.

  I cannot help it.

  Ada nods. I imagine she wants to form her own opinion. I find I like that about her—that she does not take another being’s opinions as fact.

  I dock our boat in a hard-to-find cove, a decent stretch away from the fortress. I hand her a large cloak that dwarfs her in every way imaginable. It is made of a special fabric, woven with a technology that is meant to camouflage and cloak much like the vessel I stole. I have stolen many things over the last two solar orbits, things I knew would eventually be useful. I have already rubbed her down with some chuktah resin we were able to harvest from the shells we took. It has already been effective in masking her scent, though I imagine I could pick out her enticing aroma even if she were buried under several layers of chuktah resin.

  I put on a second cloak, and we start toward the fortress on the hill. The rezzah I clamped around her broken leg after we boarded the vessel is allowing her some healing, but I urge her to let me carry her to our destination, to which she flatly refuses.

  Stubborn, beautiful female.

  Instead, she takes my hand and leans on me as we face the Chassak fortress. It is a structure that was here long before the Chassaks came; beings that have long since disappeared from this planet once built large stone buildings here. My warrior’s eye tells me there are only a few entrances and exits; easy points to defend, but we are also aided by another factor. It is a day of trade, something I have paid special attention to during my time here. It is far easier to get in and out of this fortress during trading days, and I was fairly certain we would arrive on one. The gates are open to all, and we walk through them into the central courtyard of the fortress without any problems.

  Yet I suspect our problems have only begun.

  ※※※※

  Ada

  “I’m so creeped out right now it’s not even funny,” I say as I stand just behind Kyllell’s massive form while we take in what’s supposed to be some kind of trading outpost but really looks more like a huge, open market where hundreds of Chassak merchants stand behind their own little stores selling anything from nasty looking guns to articles of clothing. While the Chassaks are still a sight I’m trying to get used to, its the customers who have me the most freaked out.

  I recognize that it’s not polite to stare or judge when it comes to another being’s appearance, and I would probably look disgusting and nightmarish to some of these creatures, but I feel that ten eyes in the
middle of one’s face is just overkill, especially when paired with several sets of arms and legs that retract back into the body and reemerge at will.

  Kyllell turns his hooded face to look at me. I notice a slight smile within the shadows of his enormous cloak. “I would imagine the sight of new beings such as these might cause you some discomfort.”

  “I am hell and gone from discomfort.” I shuffle closer to his back, wincing a bit as a slight twinge zings up my leg. There were a few medical supplies on our vessel that Kyllell was able to use to brace my leg—some strange contraption that looked like a big, black sleeve. The thing had locked onto me, making me squeal like princess. Now it consistently sends pulses of heat—and something else I can’t quite wrap my brain around—into my leg. It’s still broken, but I can at least shuffle around without feeling too much pain.

  Kyllell frowns, noticing my awkward shuffle, and places an arm around my cloaked shoulder, bringing me closer to him. “Once we safely enter Berzee’s shop, you can be seated and rest your leg. I wish you would let me carry you.”

  “The goal is to not attract attention to ourselves. Hence these smelly, oversized cloaks that you assured me would also help block my scent and hide our forms. I’m still not understanding the logistics of that.”

  “They are cloaking devices that camouflage us into the background.”

  “And you just happened to have two on hand?” I quirk an eyebrow and shift more to my right foot.

  He looks at me with affection in his eyes. “This is why I steal from the Chassaks. When doing illegal things such as participating in slave trafficking, one must have all sorts of contraband items on hand in case of discovery. They have many of these cloaks available. I did not think they would miss a few, and now my thievery has paid off.”

  “Right. You’re a science fiction version of Robin Hood come to life. Long live thievery.”

  “I sometimes wonder if our translator chips are malfunctioning.”

  I ignore him and begin to move forward.

  “Wait. You cannot simply walk into the middle of the market like this.” He looks pointedly at the leg that I am now doing my best to avoid putting any weight on. That walk along the coast may have been a bad idea for me.

  “Right. I’ll draw attention to myself. Which is why you’re not carrying me. It will draw even more attention to us.”

  He lets out a long-suffering sigh. “I know you are an intelligent female, but you seem to be purposefully missing the point of my explanation. No one can truly see us. Their eyes will take in the cloak but bounce off any true details. The cloaks protect us from discovery. No one will see us let alone me carrying you, and I do not wish for you to walk because your leg is broken, not because you will draw attention to yourself.”

  Yeah. I know that. I just don’t want to be held in his arms again anytime soon. Once I’d had a moment to clear my head and realize how close I’d come to giving my body, mind, and soul to this alien on the beach, I nearly jumped off the vessel just to get away from him. I crave his touch, his presence, and it terrifies me to no end.

  “Can we just get this show on the road?”

  Kyllell nods, keeping his arm locked around my shoulders as we slowly move into the market. I sink into his side and revel in his warmth—completely against my will, mind you.

  Curse him and his yummy, sexy self.

  My eyes continue to bounce from one crazy—sometimes gruesome—sight after another until we finally turn down a side alley and enter a small establishment filled with various wares that hold little meaning for me. There are baskets filled with bright, colorful…beads? I give Kyllell a questioning look.

  “Chassak fruits,” he says as he bends closer to my face.

  From the intensity of his gaze and the smolder held within their depths, he may as well have told me he wanted to spread the fruit all over my skin and then lap it up with his big, wet tongue.

  Good glory.

  I rip my eyes from his gaze and continue to look around the shop. It’s shaped in a strange oval layout, with a small counter to the side where a lone Chassak sits staring at us as if it’s taking him more energy than necessary to grasp what he is seeing.

  Kyllell lowers his hood and releases me, stepping toward the counter.

  “Kyllell,” the Chassak says with some surprise. Then his look grows hard, his quills shaking just a bit before settling down. “You’re a month early.” He quickly stands and makes his way to the door we just entered, slamming it shut and bolting it with a loud hissing sound.

  “It can’t be helped. I must leave at once. It is no longer safe for me here, Berzee.”

  The Chassak’s eyes widen as he raises a hand in protest. “I have never once made mention of you, Kyllell. If you were discovered, it was not done by me. I swear it.”

  I look between Kyllell and this stranger in surprise. I hadn’t been aware that Kyllell was actually friends with a Chassak.

  Kyllell gives him a glare as Berzee’s eyes flicker to me, but I’ve had the good sense to not take my hood off. I don’t need this dude taking an interest in me.

  “I’m here to make my payment and retrieve the ship you assured me would be mine.”

  “You were able to gather enough gems in so little time? Impressive, Elysium. I did not think you would meet the deadline let alone be ready a month early.”

  Kyllell gives me a discreet glance and hurriedly looks away. “I’ve been given ample motivation.”

  The Chassak eyes me curiously before muttering, “Indeed.” He shakes himself when a low growl from Kyllell warns him his curious stares are not welcome. “Follow me to the back, please. We have much to discuss.”

  Kyllell takes my hand, keeping himself between me and Berzee as we follow him through a back door and into a strange looking room that appears to be a small living area with what amounts to a bed, cleaning closet, and cooking area. We sit at a square table made of a strange, velvety substance I don’t recognize. He sits across from us as Kyllell pulls out three heavy bags from his cloak and drops them on the table.

  “There are five hundred gems within these bags, plus…” Kyllell reaches into his cloak again and pulls out a huge, clear gem the size of his hand. “I was able to retrieve the one within the adult chuktah.”

  The porcupine alien lets out a low chuckle and shakes his head. “Only an Elysium would be so self-assured as to battle a full grown chuktah for her gem. This is far more than the original price quoted.”

  “I expected you to up your price. Will you not do so now? You’re a terrible negotiator, Berzee.”

  Berzee shrugs, his quills slowly rising before settling against his back. “You saved my life when you didn’t have to. No negotiations are necessary.”

  My eyes widen in disbelief. “You saved his life when the Chassaks are your sworn enemy?” My head spins to him so fast my cloak falls from around my head, revealing my features.

  I know my mistake when Berzee’s quills begin to tremble, and Kyllell’s growl grows in strength.

  “You are like that other female they brought to the slave market,” Berzee says in surprise.

  “Do not look at her.”

  “Kyllell,” I say, “he can’t exactly help it. I’m sitting right in front of him.” I turn my eyes to Berzee who looks to hold no malice in them, just a strange fascination as he drinks in my features. “You said there is another female like me. Is she still here?”

  He nods. “They tried to sell her, but she began to bite and claw the Vexar who paid for her. The male assumed she would be a compliant, docile thing.” Berzee begins to laugh, an odd chuckle that sounds more like a bubbled gurgle. “He demanded his money back, and she is now in the holding facilities where they are trying to tame her.”

  “Tame my crew member? Unlikely.” I shake my head, not bothering to hide the smile. “Are their taming methods violent?”

  He nods. “If you wish to save your friend, you will need to do it soon. Not many last under Chassak torture, especially a
fter several doses of poison and antidote, though I think they will tread carefully with her for now. She is too exotic to permanently damage, but I do not believe she is without pain.”

  I grit my teeth, grateful that she’s still on this planet and not out of my reach, but I hate to think of her suffering while I’ve been enjoying the attentions of my alien…er…friend.

  “And what about the male? Was he captured with them?”

  He shakes his head. “I only know of the female. I do not believe there was a male of your species brought to the market.”

  My stomach feels hollow at this pronouncement. Does that mean they captured and killed John? Are females simply more valuable and males more troublesome?

  “You see why our situation is so dire. Your people will hunt me, my mate, and her friend if we cannot leave as soon as possible.”

  Berzee’s eyes widen as he looks at me. “Your mate? Your horns have burned black for her?”

  “She is mine.” Kyllell nods, looking fierce and proud while I do my best not to glare at him even though I’m thoroughly annoyed by this. I’m not his mate. I’m not, but I won’t do him the disservice of contradicting him in front of this dude.

  “Fascinating,” Berzee says, staring at me in wonder. “Have you considered the ramifications for your people should they discover a compatible species for their males?”

  “I have, yet it changes nothing. You know why I am here. I will never return to Elysius.”

  “But this knowledge will save your species. You must—”

  “Berzee,” Kyllell says, his voice fraught with tension, “I know you care. I do, and I know there were many of you who were against the war and the illness your people forced upon mine, but please let this go. If I return to my lands to try to save my people, they will only lock me away and possibly execute me for treason. I will not risk my mate.”

  “No. No, of course not. I spoke out of turn, Kyllell. You are right.” He gives him a sad smile, and for the first time since I’ve met this guy, I actually find I like him. I don’t fully understand his and Kyllell’s history or what exactly made them friends…well…sort of friends…but I think this Berzee isn’t interested in screwing us over. We could certainly use the extra help at this point.