The Complete Alien Apocalypse Series (Parts I-IV Plus Bonus Novella): An Apocalyptic, Romantic, Science Fiction, Alien Invasion Adventure

by JC Andrijeski

  The growl that erupted from his throat and chest wasn’t playful that time, or any sign of arousal. He growled at whoever stood there, and it was an overt, uncompromising threat.

  Jet felt the intention on him as he did it.

  She knew, without question, that Laks would kill whoever it was.

  Even buried under the fog of all that venom, the thought frightened her.

  She slid her arms around him, holding him against her, somehow still more concerned for him than she was for whoever stood there. Whoever stood there barely entered Jet’s mind. For those first few seconds, she didn’t even bother to turn her head, to look for them.

  Stroking Laksri’s skin, she heard herself murmuring to him instead, fighting to reach him. Some dimmer part of her knew she needed more information. She needed to understand what occurred in those seconds after the door opened.

  When she finally managed to make sense of the person standing over them, she could only stare up at his dark, angular body, his shockingly familiar features.

  The anger blazing in his green eyes seemed to match what she felt on Laksri.

  Even so, she couldn’t believe he was still standing there, given the sounds coming from Laksri’s throat.

  “Go away,” she told him.

  “Shut up, Jet.”

  Her fingers tightened on Laksri, but she still wasn’t angry.

  All she could really feel was worry about what Laksri might do, what would happen to him after he did it.

  “He’ll kill you,” she blurted.

  “I’d like to see him try,” the human snapped.

  “No. You wouldn’t,” she said.

  It wasn’t a retort. She said the words sincerely.

  She glanced at Laksri, and her worry intensified.

  She was still trying to decide what to do, staring between Laksri and the human male standing over them, when the latter raised his arm, pointing his hand unmistakably at Laksri’s face. Jet was still trying to make sense of the small, smooth, gray object he held in his hand, when Anaze spoke again.

  That time, his voice held so much fury, Jet flinched.

  “You like stinging her, do you, lizard-skin?” he said.

  “Get out of here––” Laksri began, his voice low, murderous.

  “You like stinging humans?” Anaze said, cutting him off. His eyes were so filled with anger, Jet flinched deeper into the curve of Laksri’s body. “How about being stung by one, for a change? You oversexed, two-toed bastard––”

  His last words came out in a snarl.

  Shifting the direction of his aim, Anaze pushed a dark button on the device he held.

  Before Jet could comprehend what he’d done, a long black barb left the end of the device. It embedded itself in Laksri’s back.

  Immediately, the Nirreth went rigid over her, twitching and jerking as if a few hundred volts of current had just been shot through his skin.

  Jet only realized later, that’s pretty much exactly what happened.

  At the time, she only felt his pain, and it brought tears to her eyes.

  Desperate, she held him, crying out in terror as she tried to take some of that pain unto herself. Before she could really figure out what to do, or how to get the barb out of his skin, Laksri collapsed, his body heavy on top of her.

  Gasping, fighting to breathe under his weight even as she stroked his skin, Jet looked up, maybe out of fear, or maybe looking for help.

  Whatever she’d expected to find, it wasn’t there.

  Anaze was gone.

  7

  Loose Ends

  “How the hell did he even get in there?” Jet said, her hands on her hips as she paced in front of where Richter stood. “How?”

  She fought to keep her expression set, knowing she was still under the influence of the venom, but too angry to care. Gritting her teeth, she added,

  “How did he get past security? How did he get into our private quarters? With a gun?”

  “Stunner,” Richter corrected, smiling faintly.

  “Richter! Answer the question!”

  Shrugging, he watched as she walked back and forth in front of where he sat. Despite his low chuckle at her words, the expression on his face remained close to wary.

  “How is the big guy?” he said.

  “How is he?” Jet stopped, staring at him. “He’s out cold. He’s been out for over five hours, Richter. His guards told me Anaze hit him on the highest setting. They said it could have killed him. He may not wake up until tomorrow… assuming he’s out of danger.”

  The human chuckled, shaking his head.

  “This is funny to you?” she said. “Really?”

  “Not really, no.”

  From the look in his eyes, she almost believed him, despite the faint smile lingering at his lips. Frowning, she continued to study his expression.

  “Where is he, Richter?” she said finally.

  He gave a short wave. “No idea.”

  “I don’t believe you. Where is he, Richter?”

  When he didn’t meet her gaze, she studied his profile, still fighting to think through the fog of the remnants of venom. She’d already decided not to care about the fact of how she and Laksri had been found, on the floor of his bedchambers, and mostly naked.

  Rumors of their supposedly out-of-control and passionate sex life could only help them really, in terms of maintaining cover with the other Nirreth.

  Or so she told herself.

  “There are only so many places he could have gone,” she said. When the other man only looked away, she added, “You must know where he is! You’ve got contacts all over the city!”

  Richter gave her a harder look. “What do you want from me, Jet?”

  She gave a bewildered look. “What do I want from you? Are you serious?”

  “I’m not the one who shot your lizard-skin boyfriend before you could get laid, kitten. Why you think I’ve got your other boy-toy, Anaze, on a leash, is beyond me.”

  “Don’t you?”

  His expression didn’t waver. “Clearly, I don’t.”

  “So you didn’t have anything to do with this?”

  He gave a disbelieving laugh. “You think I ordered the little shit to––”

  “There’s no way he did this alone, Richter! I know he didn’t!”

  He shrugged. “You’re entitled to your opinions, pet.” His eyes focused back on the blooming trees of the indoor garden. “I just don’t know why you’re so dead-set on having me listen to them. I told you, I had nothing to do with this. You’ll have to ask Anaze what got his panties in a bunch.”

  He gave her a more pointed look, glancing down at the long, flowing gown she wore.

  “…Although why you’d need a map for that one, kitten, is beyond me.”

  “I don’t believe you! Either of you!” she snapped. “This wasn’t some jealous freak-out! This was planned. How else would he have even gotten in there?”

  He gave another shrug, along with a dismissive wave.

  “Suit yourself.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Richter?”

  “A lot of things,” Richter said, his eyes openly warning now. “Anything else?”

  She bit her lip, staring at him, then around at the room where they stood.

  They’d gone to one of the indoor gardens, Richter’s choice, although she’d been the one who demanded he meet with her in person.

  A tall waterfall took up most of the wall near where they talked, almost drowning out their voices, even if someone had been listening. She assumed Richter picked a place without surveillance. If he hadn’t, she assumed he would have warned her, at least. But maybe Richter felt less confident of his ability to avoid spying eyes than usual.

  Fighting to acknowledge the look in his eyes, Jet struggled briefly to control her temper.

  “The Guard is looking for him,” she managed finally. “Anaze. Or don’t you care?”

  He gave her a mild look.

  She saw that more pier
cing stare underneath.

  “What do you think I can do about that exactly, Jet?” he said. “Do you want me to storm the grounds? Demand that they leave your pet mammal alone?”

  “I thought you’d give a damn at least,” she snapped. “After all, he is your…” She trailed, seeing the heat that rose abruptly to Richter’s eyes. “…You got him into this,” she said instead. “You and your stupid maneuvering. Whatever he’s up to, I’m sure he’s doing it for you.”

  Richter looked at the nails on his hand, as if examining the quality of his latest manicure.

  “I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” he said, shaking his head. “The two of them have been circling one another like tom cats for weeks. You had to know Anaze would be pissed when you started screwing big blue. He’s known Laks had a hard-on for you ever since we first culled your ass from Vancouver. Maybe Anaze just finally had enough of seeing the two of you together. Ever think of that?”

  Jet gave a disbelieving snort, folding her arms.

  “You really expect me to believe that?” she said.

  She tried to get him to look at her and failed.

  Clearly, Richter was going to stick to his version of events, no matter how many holes littered his story. She barely had the energy to argue with him, now that she was reasonably sure he’d never tell her the truth.

  Looking down at the empty expression on his face, she realized she really didn’t.

  Have the energy, that is.

  Clenching her jaw, she focused on the waterfall instead, long enough to watch a few hundred gallons cascade down. She didn’t even know what time of day it was, other than night, and late.

  Folding her arms, she glanced down at her outfit and frowned, right before she sat on the rock-shaped seat across from Richter.

  “What will they do to him?” she said.

  Richter gave her a surprised look.

  It gradually morphed into a wan smile, belying the harder look his eyes held.

  “Don’t know, kitten,” he said. “That’ll be up to big blue.”

  His eyes met hers, and that time, she was surprised to see a flicker of emotion in them.

  “They might kill him,” he added. “Would that placate your need for retribution over your boyfriend’s sore ass?”

  Jet frowned, but didn’t bother to answer.

  Gazing back out over the waterfall and lake, she crossed her ankles, trying to think.

  “Can you get him out?” she asked.

  When she looked over next, Richter’s expression held an even more overt surprise.

  “Really, kitten, I’m touched,” he said. “Is this romantic confusion I’m seeing? You’ve got a yen for the boy, too? Even with Laks sticking it to you every night?”

  Jet grimaced, looking away.

  When Richter only chuckled, she gave him an angrier look.

  “Can you get him out? Or not?”

  “I don’t know where he is,” Richter said, holding out his hands. “If I did, I don’t know if I could get him out or not. I doubt I could. He screwed with the Royals, pet. Worse, he embarrassed the Royal Guard, by getting past them in the first place.”

  Richter met her gaze, his voice growing darker.

  “Truthfully, I’m not sure even Laks will have a lot of wiggle room, in terms of how he responds,” he added. “He may have to do something drastic. If not kill him outright, make a display of him somehow.” He gave her a meaningful look. “…That could be significantly worse. It could be really, horrifically worse. In fact, it might be better if Anaze stays lost.”

  Jet felt her chest tighten.

  She remembered Anaze’s face as he stood over the two of them, and the pain in her chest worsened. She wanted to hate him sometimes, she really did.

  She even thought she had hated him, before all this.

  But the truth was, a part of her still saw Anaze as Anaze, her best friend from the skag pits. It was almost impossible to excise that part of herself entirely; too many memories remained of that version of him.

  Even when she reminded herself of all the lies and manipulations around his even being there, working to gain her trust over those years for Richter and his rebellion, she still couldn’t make herself hate him, much less want him dead.

  She didn’t want to see him tortured, either.

  Or ripped apart by the Nirreth Royal Guard.

  She knew the “worse” thing Richter referenced might even mean Retribution. From what Laksri told her about Retribution, Anaze would be both tortured and killed publically if that happened. They might hunt down and kill his mother, too.

  “We can’t let them find him,” she muttered.

  There’s no way Richter could have heard her, given the sound of the waterfall.

  He must have read her lips, because he answered her anyway.

  “Not much we can do, pet. Wait. See what happens.”

  She turned, eyes narrow. Suddenly, another thought struck her. “Laks,” she blurted. “Laks will have to go, won’t he? If they do it there? Retribution?”

  Richter gave her a blank look.

  “Richter,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Retribution. They only do it on Astet. At the detention centers there. So Laks would have to go there.”

  Richter only blinked, his expression immovable.

  There was nothing in his eyes to indicate it exactly, but somehow, Jet found herself thinking she’d managed to surprise him. The realization only made her angrier, especially when he papered it over with another faux-innocent look.

  “What are you talking about, love?” he said.

  Jet gritted her teeth, keeping her voice low with an effort. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Going to Astet.”

  Richter gave her a bored look along with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jet,” he said.

  But Jet already understood.

  If she was right, they now had an excuse to go to Astet, the one place left where someone might still know who Laksri was. Richter could make sure Laksri’s tracks from his past were truly covered, and no loose ends remained.

  More to the point, he could do it before Trazen found his way back to Astet on his own.

  Or someone from Astet found their way to Trazen.

  Folding her arms tighter around her chest so that she could barely breathe, Jet let out an angry sound, almost a growl of her own.

  “You bastards,” she muttered. “You manipulative, sneaky bastards.” She turned on Richter, feeling her mouth harden more. “Does Laks know?”

  Richter was smiling at her now though, that appreciative glint back in his eyes.

  “Know?” he said. “Love… it was his idea.”

  8

  Left Alone

  Jet left the meeting with Richter in the mood to strangle something with her bare hands.

  On the plus side, for the first time all day, her mind felt almost clear.

  She walked fast, not looking at anyone in the halls of the compound of the Royals. She didn’t really think about where she was going, not at first.

  Once she’d entered his room, however, she hesitated only for a second.

  Walking directly over to him, she sat on the edge of the low, blanket-less bed.

  The guard acting as sentry let her in without much hassle, but then, the Royal Guard had already likely blabbed about how they’d found the two of them together on the floor. They may have been worried about human terrorists more generally, but people like Jet didn’t even make the list.

  However-many Rings matches she won, Jet still got the feeling they viewed her as a kind of sexualized child.

  Or maybe a sexualized animal.

  The thought didn’t improve her mood, especially when she refocused on the Nirreth lying unconscious on the bed.

  He sprawled on the velvet-covered mattress without moving.

  His half-naked body lay exposed, without even a sheet to cover him. Like the usual Nirreth bed, the matt
ress didn’t come with pillows, or anything other than the plush upholstery wrapping the material of the cushion.

  Jet looked down at him and fought to clear her mind, feeling a profusion of emotions as she watched his bare, moving chest. Even with the lingering venom, she felt a harder flush of anger as she looked at him, especially when her mind replayed Richter’s last words.

  She wanted Laksri to wake up.

  She wanted him to wake up now.

  Right now.

  Her mouth hardened more, the longer she stared at him, even as it occurred to her that the venom from his tail still had to be affecting her, at least somewhat.

  Her eyes lingered too long on his chest. She found herself staring at his hands, the outline of his jaw, and his high-cheekboned face. None of those gazes was entirely neutral, as much as the admission pissed her off. She had to fight the urge to touch him, even now.

  Even when it came coupled with an urge to punch him in the face.

  The second urge felt stronger, the longer she sat there.

  She bit the inside of her cheek, tasting blood by the time she noticed.

  Impulsively, she touched his arm, maybe in a mild attempt to wake him, or maybe for some other reason.

  She wasn’t sure how she felt about him, even now.

  He’d manipulated her. Just like Anaze and Richter, he’d used her.

  Her more tactical side saw the logic in why he’d done it, but she could already tell her feelings were a lot more confused than she wanted to admit.

  She found herself remembering the things he’d said to her, not five minutes before Anaze burst into their room. Had that been part of the plan, too?

  Or had he improvised that part to get Jet to play her assigned role?

  She didn’t want to think about that, either.

  Anaze could die in their stupid plan.

  Still, it infuriated her, how blind she’d been.

  She’d noticed things, sure.

  There were times when Anaze and Laksri both had their guard down, or when things got particularly tense, when the two of them suddenly acted a lot more like allies than enemies. Jet had even seen Laksri accept what amounted to an order from Anaze, and more readily than he had when Richter had been the one giving commands.