Axen (Vortex Alien Warriors Book 1)

by Arcadia Shield

  “You need to be convincing. If the Fraken think something is wrong with the game, they will send in their own beasts to destroy the human,” continued Axen. “Or in our case, they sent in their own troops to finish the game.”

  “So, if we don’t kill the humans, what do we do with them?” asked Lazet.

  “You bring them out,” said Eloise. “Bring them out the same way I got out with Axen. They can join us in this fight.”

  Lazet laughed. “More human women getting in the way as we stage a revolution.”

  “They won’t be in the way,” snapped Eloise. “We have our uses.”

  “I’m assuming Axen has experienced those uses first-hand,” said Lazet.

  Axen pinned Lazet with a steely glare. “Enough. Will you follow my orders? When you enter the games, you play as if you intend to win. But do not kill the humans.”

  Lazet nodded. “I agree.”

  “Agreed,” said Thunde.

  “It works for me,” said Bladen. “I hate all the blood on my hands. Whether it’s human or another creature’s, I don’t want to be a part of these games anymore.”

  Axen looked over to where Bladen stood. His warrior brother was battle weary and sometimes spoke of nightmares that plagued him because of the number of lives lost at his hands. This change was long overdue.

  “Once we’re free from the Fraken games, we will be free to do as we wish,” said Axen. “This is just the beginning for us. It will be the end of the Fraken tyranny and a new start for intergalactic alignments. The Intergalactic Council can grow stronger off the back of this. Nobody wants to be indebted to the Fraken. Their terms are punishing and their conditions unfair. They have held sway over the star system for too long, and it has to end. We must start somewhere, so I’ve started here. This is the beginning of a much bigger battle.”

  “One step at a time,” whispered Eloise in Axen’s ear. “We need to end the games first.”

  Axen looked down at her. “I can do anything with you by my side.”

  “Now you’re talking,” said Lazet. “A real battle.”

  “Sounds good,” said Bladen. “Something worth fighting for.”

  “We’re in,” said Thunde. “Although my acting skills are not great. I’m not sure how good I’ll be as a pretend warrior in my next game.”

  “You’ll do fine,” said Axen.

  Urel moved to stand by a communications panel. “We need to end this link. I can only hide the messages for so long, and the Fraken will grow suspicious if they see too many coded streams coming from this vector.”

  “And we need to get back to training,” said Lazet. “Our Fraken friends will notice if we’re gone for more than a few minutes. You know how they enjoy keeping track of our every move. And I do need to put on a good show. I’m in the next Fraken game.”

  “Be careful with my friends,” said Eloise.

  Lazet’s gaze went to Eloise. “Don’t worry. I won’t be snapping any pretty necks. Your friends are safe with me.”

  Eloise shook her head at him. “Make sure you don’t.”

  “I’ll be watching your game with interest,” said Axen to Lazet. “And I’ll get word to you as to how you can break out of the game when you’re in it. Urel will be our go between.”

  Axen looked around the room, and his warriors nodded before Urel broke the comms link with Lazet and Thunde.

  Axen turned to Bladen. “You need to go, as well. The Fraken will want to know what you’ve discovered during your trip.”

  “I won’t tell them anything,” said Bladen. “They think I’m on a recon mission for new warriors, not meeting you.”

  “The Fraken will want to know everything,” said Axen. “They will be suspicious of you.”

  “They won’t get anything from me.” Bladen placed his hand on Axen’s shoulder. “We are all loyal to you.”

  Axen nodded. He never doubted his warriors.

  Bladen turned to Eloise and bowed. “It has been a pleasure meeting you. I can see you’re doing wonders for my friend. I hope my encounter with my own human prey is as invigorating.”

  Eloise smiled as she thought about the women she’d left behind in the cells. They were strong; they’d survived at the hands of the Fraken. “You could find a challenge on your hands. Don’t be surprised if they fool you in the game.”

  “It’s something I look forward to.” Bladen smiled at Axen and Eloise before striding out of the comms room.

  “Is he going back to the games?” asked Eloise.

  “He has no choice,” said Axen. “He is one of their elite warriors. But I trust him not to say anything about our conversation.”

  “Your warriors are loyal to you?”

  “They always have been.” Axen led Eloise to one of the viewing windows that looked out onto the blackness of the space they passed through. Flashes of red from different planets dashed past the window, and blobs of stars came into view and vanished just as quickly.

  “Where are we going now?” Eloise leaned against Axen’s chest as she gazed out of the viewing window.

  “I have a safe place for us,” said Axen. “It’s not glamorous, but it’s a secure refuge. I’ve been gathering resources for some time. Although there’s still plenty to do.”

  “I don’t need anything glamorous,” said Eloise. “Just somewhere away from the Fraken, where I can be with you.”

  Axen turned Eloise to face him, a smile on his face as he saw the light in her eyes. “Are you with me?”

  Eloise circled his waist with her arms. “I always will be. We’re partners, remember?”

  Axen kissed Eloise’s mouth, savoring her warm sweetness. “Then let the adventure begin.”