‘Never did I think one of yours was unstable enough to go for a cub. But I warned you, time and time again of his unsuitability.’ His voice rose to a thunderous roar. ‘I told you he felt more than was the right of a concubine!’
Beowyn’s eyes lowered.
Tossing his horns, Éorik raised a fist. ‘Dah.’ He stormed back into the palace. His cloak flared behind, long mane a snapping pennant heralding wrath.
He fired orders at the scattering Paladins to remove the body.
Beowyn watched him go then scrubbed a shaky hand over his face. He squatted beside his dead concubine. ‘It shames me I brought you here to live a life of plenty. You squandered it when so many have so little. It shames me you lashed out at an innocent in a misguided notion my heart was owed to you.’ His head drooped. ‘It shames me I cared so little that it drove you to this.’
Aled clapped his shoulder. ‘You done fucked up, lad, but such is life. You’re not to blame for the actions of others. Shake it off and move on.’
Nodding, Beowyn stood. He looked stricken. ‘My One, I–.’
‘Nothing you say will make me less angry.’ I exhaled, kissed my baby’s head. As furious as I was, I still wanted him to hold me. ‘And no past mistake will make me love you less. Aled is right. It’s no your fault, and I know you did a selfless thing to make us happier. It just happened to backfire because your concubine was insane.’ I drifted into his space and softened my voice. ‘Find our husband. He had a fright and needs comforting even if he’s too stubborn to admit it. Everything will be okay.’
Face twisting in relief, Beowyn caught me in his arms and dropped a hard kiss to my mouth. He ruffled Fergie’s copper mop then released us to follow after my One. I let him. He needed to grovel. I’d probably bellow at him later when there were fewer eyes, but at least he knew the storm would pass, and I’d love him as much as I did before.
I faced the Aztekan my husbands had warned me not to trust. I look him in the eyes. ‘Thank you.’
Hel Bihter shocked me by tweaking Fergie’s nose. His lofty gaze turned icy white. ‘We accept your gratitude. We would be honoured to break the bones of your offspring.’
Lumen giggled. The titter trailed into horrified silence.
Hel Bihter glared.
I shuffled to the side keeping my unbroken child clutched in my trembling arms. ‘There is this thing I have to do in a place away from here….’
‘Oh, my God.’ Lumen choked, hands groping at her throat. ‘You’ve held my son.’ She spun to gain my commiseration, but I was gone.
Chapter 41
Sunlight filtered weakly through the rain-drenched morning. Coastal birds with crimson plumage sought shelter in twiggy nests dotted on the nooks and crannies of the palace roof.
Their chirps and warbles melded into a symphony, its gentleness contrasted by the mournful groan of the sea as the slashing rain and driving wind stirred the rolling waves.
Frilled lizards no bigger than my little finger escaped the miry gardens by darting along the ceilings of the public hallways. They hid in shadowy corners when spotted, only to be chased away by the servants. One such servant waved to me as he slipped past with an armful of dusty drapes. It was the last of the linens to be washed, ridding us of the acrid smoke and ash that had blown through once we’d lowered the dome barrier to face the destruction beyond its safety.
Thumbs flying over my SonCom, tummy rumbling, I shot out requests to see reports on food and clothing rations, estimations on costs for medical supplies delivered to the rural atolls and asked for updates on how the orphan cubs acclimatised to their foster parents.
Satisfied my morning had been productive, I turned my attention to the latest weather reports. It relieved me to confirm the unseasonable weather was an aberration brought on by the solar storm. It would pass by nightfall after the tidal surge raged itself out.
I strutted into the throne room, head lifting, eyes scanning. My lips curved. I walked faster, looking forward to the sensual onslaught my mates bestowed on me after we’d been apart.
At the sound of growling, and the sight of Éorik poking Beowyn’s chest while the male fisted his hands, I slowed.
Beowyn’s eyes cut to the side, landing on me. ‘Dah, she is here.’ Coming at me in snappish strides, he clasped my arms. ‘You cannot be here.’ His gaze leapt over my head to the corridor. ‘Where is our cub? Your kin?’
‘I put Fergie down with Bravest.’ I shoved my SonCom into the shallow pocket at the front of my leathers. ‘Anja watches over them. Patrick is inspecting the barracks with Wulfyn and the Paladins. Aled and Rowan are thinking about purchasing a private atoll, so went to view some in Trick’s territory. They will no be around until last meal.’ Fergus remained confined to bed rest in the infirmary, but he knew that.
His fingers tightened. ‘Lumen?’
‘Spending time with her mates while Brave is asleep.’ My forehead creased. I patted his belly. ‘What’s this about? Your colour is off.’ Getting no reply but a grunt, I faced Éorik, who brushed his dry lips across mine, softening my scowl. ‘Why were you fighting?’
They were always at loggerheads about something. The mercurial nature of their dynamic worried me at first, but I’d watched them, and learned the push and pull for dominance reflected how their branch of our threesome ebbed and flowed.
‘In the confusion of the last rotations, and as we have yet to replace the Master of Ceremonies who manages this particular task, I failed to mention the Aztekan Horde sent word they come for Hel Bihter.’ He speared Beowyn with a nasty look. ‘While forgetting to warn people is an error on my part, this is not an unanticipated visit nor do I expect to be upbraided before my subordinates as if a troublesome cub.’ His eyes met mine. ‘They are here.’
‘It’s no your fault, and we have been very busy.’ I hesitated. ‘Warn people?’
‘Worry not. All will be well, but you must leave. Now.’ He signalled to one of the Paladins lining the hall. ‘Take our mate to our chamber. Conscript another and guard the door.’
Beowyn meshed his fingers at the back of his neck. ‘No one but myself or the Commander are to enter.’
‘It will be as you say, High Commander, Great One.’ Bronze chevrons pinned to the swell of her breast caught the light as the Verak flicked gauntleted fingers ahead. ‘Great Lady, if it pleases you.’
‘I’m no going anywhere.’ I wagged a finger between my husbands. ‘You tell me what’s wrong. If I don’t think I can help, I’ll go as you wish.’
Before they could speak, the doors leading to the atrium banged open.
They stilled.
The torrential rain fell harder, battered against the palace walls. The sky darkened, flat-topped clouds scudding by in a menacing crawl, casting a lingering shadow.
Éorik muttered a curse then whispered to the Paladin in a quiet aside. ‘Return to your post. Be watchful.’
Bowing at the waist, the Paladin about turned, thickly lashed eyes wandering to the end of the hall then widening. Her pace quickened, the quietest whimper left behind.
Frowning, I propped a hand on my hip. I spun to get a look at who caused such disturbance and agitated my unflappable husbands. I registered the presence of Hel Bihter. I did. My gaze wasn’t drawn to him, however, not as a single entity, as an individual. He was changed. I tensed to flee but found my legs were faulty, my body reverting to a primal, numbing kind of fear.
Snared by the eldritch grace of the aliens invading our home, all I could do was watch them come.
They were near naked. Each wore an oblong patch, the strangely-grained leather cupping oddly-shaped genitals, but leaving the rest–broad shoulders, narrow hips and long legs–bared to sight.
One with a vulpine face gripped the haft of a bearded axe, glittering eyes cutting left to right as his lean bulk flanked the tallest newcomer.
Under the unforgiving daylight, his skin was luminescent, its beauty a toxic bloom to lure dazzled prey. His eyes shone from a hawkish face, lamb
ent cores radiating hypnotic brilliance. One could argue Hel Bihter had too long a torso, and the other had too thick a neck and thighs. It could be claimed the rest were ugly in comparison to their leader because of his musculature, bone, sinew and flesh. He would never nor could ever be termed as anything but perfection.
Then he drew closer.
My frail human eyes saw what distance had hidden. Scars. Slashes had been torn across an unprotected throat. Raised ridges of tissue were mapped along a tight corset of muscle, highlighting vulnerable organs. Lacerations stretched across a nipple-less chest, and scratches nicked chiselled features.
Countless attempts to end hm, yet he stood indomitable, saturating the air with brutal male power.
My first glimpse of Beowyn had stolen my breath and set my heart racing. My first sight of the Horde made me want to cower in a corner and scream and scream until my throat bled and someone put me out of my misery.
But for the cloudburst, an unnatural quiet fell. The birdsong serenading me all morning and afternoon had stopped.
Inhaling until his chest lifted, Beowyn turned. He extended an arm, palm up. ‘Good Greetings, First.’
Blue fingers gripped his vambrace. ‘Well met, King ThunderClaw.’ That voice–blizzards and fractured ice.
Retracting his hand with a wince, Beowyn inclined his head. ‘This is my Queen, Sìne of House Grae.’ His tone grew clipped. ‘My One, this is Hel Bhyr, First of the Aztekan Horde. The male to his left is known as Erd Oğan.’
I lifted a shaky hand in offering then pulled it back to fiddle with my necklace. The mere thought of touching the ravaged skin made me skittish. ‘Welcome.’ Could no one else see the scars were a warning this male was dangerous–do not touch!
‘Hel Bihter is a credit to the Horde,’ Beowyn said.
‘We saved human offspring.’ The First’s lips twisted, expression flickering with something dark and cunning. ‘Where is it?’
Beowyn’s eyes cut to Hel Bihter. ‘You disclosed private things of my One and her family?’
Hel Bihter’s stare no longer seemed introverted but lacking.
Emotionless.
Something was very, very wrong with all this. My heel bounced as my eyes darted towards the doorway.
The wind howled at the windows.
‘We want to see it,’ Hel Bhyr said.
Over my battered corpse would this alien come within a hundred feet of my child. ‘Fergie is napping. It’s too soon to wake her for an introduction. Maybe another time.’
In Neverfuckingeverland.
Head turning in a slow glide, the First looked at me, white orbs to rounded pupils. The look peeled back my flesh from my bones to rape my soul. ‘Where do you hail from, human?’
A cold snap froze my insides. My numbed lips mumbled, ‘Earth,’ before I realised selective mutism would have been a much better choice.
‘Earth.’ His lyrical cadence purred satisfaction. ‘It is far from here?’
Bells rung like the sounding of Armageddon in my ears. I swallowed with a dry click. ‘I…. I….’
Beowyn shifted to hide me. ‘She does not know.’
‘We find this unlikely.’
‘Earth is protected under Intergalactic Alliance Edict. The star coordinates of the planet are secret. Take it up with them.’
‘The Council will not violate Intergalactic law.’ Hel Bhyr paused. ‘You will tell us.’
‘That is not possible. A matter of honour, you must understand.’
‘One that supersedes our accord?’
Beowyn lifted his chin.
Hel Bhyr tilted his head. ‘Here stands a human. You, Verak King, know where Earth lies. Must we take the secret from you?’ Bubbling free of the tense undercurrent, the reek of the threat pervaded the air. ‘You would war with us on behalf of humans?’
Beowyn said nothing.
A chill breeze swept through a voiceless hall now filled with the pitter-pattering of rain hitting the upper balconies.
‘There is another,’ the First said. ‘A female who came before, claimed by the Avatar of Zython. Tell us.’ His fingers curled, beckoning. ‘Where is it?’
‘She is here under my protection, First.’ A bitter laugh. ‘As you very well know else you would not be here.’
‘Our charter of peace is favoured by Horde. We offer an alternative.’
‘I give her to you, and the Verak are left in peace?’ Beowyn’s face twisted frighteningly. ‘Sacrifice my friend and the humans of Earth for the safety of me and mine. Is that the alternative of which you dare stand in my hall and speak?’
‘We will extract what we require from your mate or from the mate of Zython’s Avatar. The choice is yours.’
Beowyn’s chest heaved. ‘I will die before I let you–.’
‘She, Lumen of the Stars, Ambassador of Rök, Rä’Na to He, Venomous One, He, Fiercely Comes the Night and He, Cobra that Strikes holidays on Vayhalun with her mates.’ Éorik jerked forward, announcement drawing all eyes. ‘She is not available for diplomatic discussion at this time.’ He bowed his head. ‘Should the Azteka wish to parley with the Ra, the Great House of ThunderClaw happily offers its halls as a neutral meeting place where a moontide from now an introduction might be made.’
Hel Bhyr tutted. ‘We will see the human before we depart.’
Éorik’s mouth thinned. ‘The Great One wishes for you to be received with the ceremony your visit deserves, First.’
‘We will speak to the human now.’
Beowyn moved on from clenching his jaw to grinding his teeth.
Feeling too small and vulnerable, having no tools to help defend us, I curled my hands into the small of his back, bracing for whatever came next.
‘Great One, may I meet your guests?’
Beowyn’s eyes drifted closed. They opened clouded with storms. ‘Ambassador.’
Dressed in cream and pink robes that brought out the golden undertones of her brown skin, Lumen approached with a blank expression, eyes afire.
I’d never felt so grateful to anyone in my life.
She’d heard Beowyn trying to protect her, and she’d come when he’d been backed into a corner.
Venomous’ scales appeared solid gold, a stress reaction to perceived danger. All three Rä moved with a natural fluid grace noticeably absent. They seemed a loud noise away from a killing rage.
Lumen gestured to a stone table off to the side. ‘Shall we sit?’
Eyes slipping over her, Hel Bhyr made an animalistic noise low in his throat. Cicatrixes marbling the brawny stretch pulled and whitened. ‘You come to us of your own volition.’
‘They are my friends.’ She turned and walked away, straight-backed and stiff.
Mouth twitching, the First prowled her wake, footsteps silent.
Venomous settled her then dragged his chair so close their arms pressed. Fiercely did the same on the other side. Cobra took up a rear guard.
Beowyn and Éorik did much the same with me.
Hel Bhyr sat opposite Lumen. Hel Bihter at his right, and Erd Oğan to his left. Horde gathered behind, a pack of feral beasts itching to be let off leash.
I puffed a breath when flashes of Paladin green and gold caught my periphery vision.
‘Good Greetings, First.’ Lumen folded white-knuckled hands on the polished tabletop. ‘You have the advantage of knowing my name, but I haven’t the pleasure of knowing yours.’
The First introduced himself then Erd Oğan. ‘We hear of you. Many planets you visit. Many rulers you bend your neck to seeking trade.’ He cocked his head. ‘Are we to be insulted?’
‘I’ve not spoken to you before.’
‘Our point.’
‘She just finished growing and birthing a bairn,” I said. ‘Then she was rescuing my clan. She can no be everywhere at once.’
Éorik gripped my thigh.
‘Sìne is right. I’ve been terribly busy as of late.’ Lumen wrenched her lips into a brittle curve. ‘No insult was intended. I simply did not thi
nk.’
‘No, you did not. Let us speak of your planet.’
‘Rök is lovely. Triple sunsets seen from the Market Quarter are divine. My mates built me a lair this past moontide. We moved after the birth of our son.’
Hel Bhyr faced Venomous. ‘Your seed brings life, Zython’s Avatar. It is a time of celebration.’
Jerking his head, quills bouncing, the warrior appeared unwilling to speak of Bravest. ‘Grandfather blesses us.’
Inclining his head in the first true glimmer of respect I’d seen, Hel Bhyr returned his stare to Lumen. ‘We wish to speak of Earth. You know this.’
‘I’m not clairvoyant. I barely remember my birth planet.’
‘We were told your appearance was less than a solar past. We were told many things of you and of Earth.’
‘I have no idea the exact time frames around my abduction.’ Lumen spread her fingers and shrugged. ‘Time was difficult for me to measure back then, and apart from what you hear from actual humans that come from Earth, I wouldn’t take hearsay seriously. There are silly rumours about humanity and Earth floating around. We’re a novelty, something new to gossip about. We’re not fascinating as a species, are we Sìne?’
I immediately shook my head, looking apologetic. ‘We look different, aye, but that’s as exciting as it gets.’
‘We disagree.’ Hel Bhyr glanced between us. ‘Our source was forthcoming. Humans and Earth sound a unique commodity. Our encounter here has not changed our opinion.’
‘Is it wise to treat second-hand information as accurate?’ The comment got me the faint prick of claws digging into my thigh and a hard look from Beowyn, a firm request from my husbands to remain silent. ‘Are you no seeing want you want to see?’ I understood why they wanted me to fade into the background, but it was disturbing how fixated the blue alien was on Lumen. He reminded me of a boa constrictor hunting its next meal. His shadowy intentions surrounded her, squeezing off any hope of escape. Next came the choking before he devoured her whole. I couldn’t comprehend why her males and mine were letting it happen.
The Horde were clearly warriors but so formidable?
ThunderClaw: Science Fiction Romance (Alien Warrior Book 2) Page 51