by S. E. Smith
“I am bound here for at least a fortnight,” Razor replied. “I will leave as soon as possible. I have one last city here to secure before I leave.”
“I understand,” Hunter said with a nod. “It will take Trig at least that long to get there considering his last location. That is one of the reasons I was hoping you could help us. Your Flagship is the fastest, most advanced warship in the Alliance. If anyone can get her out safely, it would be you. Now, what did you need my assistance with?”
Razor released a sigh and rubbed his jaw before leaning forward to stare intently into Hunter’s eyes. He knew little about Hunter’s Amate, other than she had saved his brother’s life on more than one occasion. How such a delicate creature as Jesse could do something like that amazed him.
“I have an Amate,” Razor stated bluntly.
Hunter’s eyes widened in surprise before a huge grin lit up his face. “Who is she? Is she here? Father and Mother have not mentioned her.”
“Her name is Kali Parks. She is human,” Razor replied quietly. “She…”
Hunter’s eyebrow rose as his brother’s voice faded. He released a deep sigh and shook his head. He could tell from his brother’s worried eyes that things were not going well.
“She isn’t happy about your claim,” Hunter guessed.
Razor gave a sharp, dry laugh. “Unhappy is putting it rather… mildly,” he said. “She rejects my claim on her.”
Hunter heard the low, almost desperate tone in Razor’s voice. He remembered all too well his own panic when he thought that Jesse would deny his claim. There were times at night when he still woke from a nightmare, his fear of losing her choking him. When that happened, he would reach wildly for her, needing to hold her close against his pounding heart.
“Jesse did as well,” Hunter admitted. “They do not understand the commitment that we make to them when we claim them as our Amate. Many of their males give out empty promises. They also do not believe that we can feel such deep feelings so quickly. Jesse...” Hunter paused for a moment and his eyes darkened with the memory of almost losing Jesse. “Jesse feared for her sisters. She is very protective of them and did not trust me at first. I was an alien, far different than any human male she had known.”
“Kali is protective of her brother,” Razor said heavily. “He is the leader of one of the factions I have to contain. If he refuses to lay down his weapons and work with the Alliance I will have no choice but to kill him and any other humans who resist. Too many Trivator lives have been compromised because of the extended fighting on this planet. This is the last major city that needs to be contained. There continue to be small groups in remote areas, but the largest areas of the populace have joined to rebuild their world. Once others see the progress being made, the smaller groups will cease fighting.”
“Be patient, care for her, show her that you only wish to help her people, not harm them,” Hunter recommended.
Razor looked into Hunter’s eyes. “She will not forgive me if I order the destruction of her city, or…” His voice dropped as the weight of his duties surrounded him. “or kill her brother.”
“If she is anything like Jesse, Jordan and Taylor, she will fight to protect him. I do not envy you your position, brother. If you kill him, she will not forgive you. If he does not cease his fighting, you have no choice but to order the destruction of the city. She must understand that what you are doing is not personal,” Hunter replied with a shake of his head. “Unfortunately, the humans do not understand that.”
Razor nodded in agreement. “What is it like? To have a human as your Amate? I did not expect the intensity of my reaction to her. I planned on choosing Rainiera when I returned to Rathon,” he said wearily.
“Rainiera will not be pleased to discover you have chosen another,” Hunter replied with a sympathetic smirk. “I have run into her a few times and she has asked about you. I believe she has already made plans for your union. She asked when you were returning so she could schedule the designers to come in and remodel your home.”
Razor grunted instead of responding to Hunter’s teasing. It was true, he and Rainiera had been lovers and he had thought to take her as his Amate. She was intelligent, attractive, and trained to deal with the demands of his position since her father worked in the Ministry of Defense.
“I will deal with her when I return,” he said dismissively. “It is pointless now that I am committed to Kali.”
“Well, all I can say is good luck, brother. Rainiera has nails and sharp teeth. Neither of which I would want buried in me,” Hunter replied with a dry humor before he sobered. “Let me know what happens, both with your Amate and especially with Jordan. I do not like it when Jesse cries. She is very worried about Jordan.”
Razor could hear the underlying strain in his brother’s voice. Hunter was just as worried about Jordan as Jesse was. He bowed his head in acknowledgement as a soft knock on his office door sounded. Patch had arrived.
“I will keep you informed. Until we meet again, brother,” Razor said in farewell.
“Farewell, Razor, and thank you,” Hunter replied before signing off
“Enter,” Razor called out when the knock sounded again, this time a little harder. “Patch, I have a request for you.”
Patch’s eyebrows rose at the hidden command in Razor’s voice. A grimace darkened his face. Such an introduction could only mean two things; he was going to be doing something very dangerous and more than likely not part of the approved Alliance protocol.
Chapter 15
Kali remained frozen against the wall, staring at the closed door for several long minutes before she sank down to sit on the floor. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her bent knees. A torrent of emotions turned like a whirlpool inside her, swirling around and around until she felt dizzy from it.
A shiver ran through her, more from the look on Razor’s face when she told him ‘no’ than from the chill in the room. Drawing in a deep breath, she raised her head to glance out the window beside her. Several inches of moist snow had begun to accumulate on the windowsill. It was as if the weather was mocking her desire to escape.
She wiped at the dampness on her cheeks. Leaning her head back against the wall, she drew in a deep, steadying breath. She needed to think. She also needed to push the anger down and away. It would do no good; just distract her from her mission.
“Oh girl, you have really gotten in over your head this time,” she whispered on a hiccup.
She was angry alright. Not so much with Razor as she was with herself. Emotions only broke your heart or got you killed. Over the past six years she had seen it happen over and over. That was another reason she made sure she avoided any attachments. She didn’t want to love someone only to lose them or to leave the one she loved heartbroken.
She held her wrists up and studied the thin bands surrounding each one. The symbols on them were beautiful. They wove in and out, connected yet individual. She turned to see if she could make sense of it. Using the tip of her right index finger, she traced the lines. A confused frown creased her forehead as she followed the curving lines. They circled perfectly.
“It is like it goes on for infinity,” she murmured in awe.
“That is what it is meant to symbolize,” a feminine voice replied cheerfully from the door. “I knocked. When you didn’t reply I became worried. I’m Chelsea. I’m the resident human nurse.”
Kali stared up into the smiling face of a woman in her mid-forties. She was wearing a light blue scrub top and matching pants. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, framing her rounded cheeks. She had a ready smile and dark brown eyes filled with warmth and humor.
“How do you know?” Kali asked as she stood up, holding the sheet in place so she wouldn’t lose it.
“I overheard Dr. Humorless and the Scaryman talking. I put two and two together and it came up to four so it was a no-brainer,” Chelsea said, shutting the door behind her. “Patch asked me to check on you. He was worried a
bout how much blood you lost and didn’t want you to be alone in case you crashed.”
Kali shook her head in confusion. “Dr. Humorless and Scaryman? Who is Patch? Why would I crash?”
Chelsea chuckled as she guided Kali back to the edge of the bed. “Have a seat and let me take your blood pressure. Patch is the doctor or healer as the Trivator call them. He has almost no sense of humor. He reminds me a lot of that actor who played in those Sci-fi movies. That’s why I call him Dr. Humorless. My significant other is always warning me to be careful around these guys. Thomas, my hubby and love of my life, is the civilian aide to Colonel Baker, who is in charge of the facility. At least he was until Scaryman came. I think that guy’s name is Razor. Anyway, Thomas said the guy is like this alien killing machine that was brought in to settle any conflicts. I haven’t had to deal with him, thank goodness. If you ask me, all those aliens are scary in a hunky, dangerous kind of way, if you know what I mean!” Chelsea said wiggling her eyebrows up and down suggestively as she wound the blood pressure cuff around Kali’s arm. “Stay still, this won’t take but a minute.”
Kali’s mind swirled with questions as she tried to understand everything that Chelsea was telling her. There was a human Colonel in charge. Maybe he could help her. If not, she would just have to help herself. She turned to stare outside the window. She was used to the cold weather that Chicago got. She could use it to her advantage. She just needed to know exactly where she was first.
“Where am I?” Kali asked in a husky voice.
“The US Army National Guard building on S. Calumet,” Chelsea replied. “One of the reasons it is so damn cold is because we are right on the water. This is the time of year when I curse Thomas not being transferred to Florida or even better Hawaii. I could handle Hawaii.”
Kali’s heart skipped. She was on the edge of the divide between the Northern and Southern sections of the city. Interstate 290 was the divide. The line ran from the edge of the water all the way to South Branch Chicago River. It would be dangerous, but she could make it. The old Harrison Electric Garage was in Allen’s territory, barely. Once she got there, she could use the old Metro lines to cross back over.
“Whoa, your blood pressure just spiked,” Chelsea murmured. “I better get Patch to take another look at you.”
“No!” Kali said sharply. She shook her head and reached for the mask she wore to calm her. “I mean no, I think it is just the surprise of knowing I’m still in Chicago. I thought we had traveled much further.”
Chelsea looked at Kali’s calm face for several long seconds before she nodded reluctantly. Pulling the cuff from Kali’s arm, she folded it and slipped it into her front pocket as she stepped to the side to look at Kali’s shoulder.
“If you’re sure,” she said. “It never ceases to amaze me how these guys can heal a wound. It isn’t as fast as some of the science fiction movies I’ve seen, but it is pretty damn close. I tell you what; if you can get dressed and eat, I’ll give you the okay. If not, I’m having the doc take another look at you.”
“I need some clothes,” Kali remarked with a blush. “Mine seems to have disappeared.”
Chelsea laughed. “I have some you can have. They’ll be a bit big for you, but at least you’ll have something covering your ass. Will a pair of sweats be okay?” She asked, already moving toward the door.
Kali gave the other woman a grateful smile. “That would be great,” she replied.
“Be back in a few. I’ll take you down to the mess hall for dinner,” Chelsea commented opening the door. “It’ll be nice having another woman to chat with. Thomas works all kinds of strange hours so we don’t get to eat together that often.”
“Isn’t there other women here?” Kali asked in surprise.
Chelsea shook her head. “About half a dozen, all married to human personnel. The Trivator have this old-school mentality about women working, especially in the military. I guess it is fine as long as they are not in any danger. Personally, I think us women could show them a thing or two, but I promised Thomas I wouldn’t aggravate the aliens. He says they are bigger than him and he likes having a pulse. He couldn’t fight his way through a Black Friday sale, so I don’t know how he thinks he could protect me from one of those guys.”
Kali giggled as Chelsea rolled her eyes. She waited until the door shut behind the infectious, good-humored nurse before she decided she needed to explore the room a bit. The smile died on her lips when she opened the bottom drawer near the bed. A small weapon of some sort lay in the drawer. Kali palmed the device, turning it over in her hands to study it. She swallowed as she carefully returned it to the drawer. Turning, her eyes caught on the hamper by the bathroom door. A familiar piece of black lace was hanging from the top of it.
Walking over to the hamper, Kali pulled out her bra. She blushed again when she saw her pants and panties mixed with Razor’s clothes. For some reason, the sight of her clothes tangled with his made her feel hot and achy. Pushing the feeling away, she searched for her socks and shoes. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found them under the bed. She looked around for her shirt and finally found the bloody remains in the trash can in the bathroom.
At least most of my clothes survived, she thought ruefully, holding up the tattered remains.
She had almost everything she needed to escape. She had clothes that cover her ass and breasts, pants that fit and shoes for her feet. She would need whatever shirt Chelsea brought and a jacket. Her eyes narrowed on a wardrobe. Pulling it open, she grinned when she saw what was obviously Razor’s jacket hanging in it.
“Checkmate,” she whispered. “Now, to find a map of the layout of the base.”
She turned when she heard the knock on the door. Tossing the clothes onto the bathroom counter, she walked over to the door and cracked it before opening it further when she saw it was Chelsea. She gratefully took the clothes handed to her and turned to head into the bathroom.
“I’ll be right out,” she called over her shoulder, feeling slightly guilty at the thought of deceiving the other woman.
“No problem,” Chelsea responded, looking around curiously. “I didn’t know this was Razor’s quarters. What is he like? Is he as scary as he looks?”
Kali turned in the doorway and looked at Chelsea for a moment as she thought about the question. Was Razor scary? He had never done anything to her personally that was scary. True, he had knocked Jason out – twice – but he had also had her wounds healed.
“No,” she said slowly thinking about Razor with a frown of confusion. “He is… different, but I wouldn’t call him scary.”
Chelsea shrugged and sat down on one of the chairs at the table. She grinned as she looked at Kali’s confused face before her eyes dropped to the markings on Kali’s wrists.
“Well, I hope you know what you’ve gotten into. Thomas was telling me about what happens when one of those alien's claims a female as his Amate.”
“What do you mean?” Kali asked, holding onto the doorframe. “What happens?”
“The females are well and truly fucked, in the most pleasurable way,” she laughed. “And honey, they don’t have the word divorce in their dictionary. I overheard Patch tell Razor that once he marked you, only death could free him.”
A shiver ran down Kali’s spine. Only death could set him free. His death or hers, she wondered. Kali didn’t say anything. Instead, she stepped into the bathroom and quietly closed the door. The sooner she put her plan of escape into action the better, and safer, it would be. She needed to get back to Destin and warn him.
But most importantly, she thought as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, I have to get away from him before he really does claim me.
Chapter 16
Destin stared out of the front entrance of the building they had taken over. Bitterness and guilt threatened to consume him. Two of his best people were missing. One he considered a friend, the other was his flesh and blood. He had sent every available member he could spare out to search for
them. He even had William out spreading the word to the residents that still remained in the northern section.
“Destin,” a voice called out from behind him.
He turned as Tim came running up to him. He stiffened at the look of fury on his friend’s face. Tim seldom showed emotion.
“What is it?” Destin asked tersely.
“Two members just brought Jason in. He’s pretty beat up. Doc is with him now. They found him over on West Adams,” Tim replied breathlessly.
“Kali?” Destin asked harshly.
Tim shook his head and turned to follow Destin who was already moving quickly to their makeshift infirmary. He quickly caught up with him. Speaking in a low voice so he couldn’t be overheard, he shared what little he knew so far.
“Mike and Justin said Jason kept muttering for Kali to run,” Tim shared. “When they asked him from whom, he just said one word… Razor.”
Destin stopped and turned to stare at Tim in silence, then continued down the corridor toward medical. Razor. One name that chilled his blood. He knew who Razor was. The blue alien bastard that he had spoken to before had explained exactly who Razor was and what he would do if Destin did not agree to Colbert’s demands. If that hadn’t been clear enough, the reports coming in from Mexico City, Kyiv and dozens of other cities around the globe were enough to let him know that death came with another name.
He pushed through the door, nodding to Doc when he looked up. Jason lay on the examination table. It looked like his nose had been broken. Dried blood crusted around his nostrils. His top lip was busted and would need stitches. His face had several dark, painful bruises on them. Doc must have already set his broken arm as another one of the medics was wrapping a temporary cast around it.
“Jason,” Destin said in a quiet voice as he stepped up to the side when Doc moved to give him room. “Where is Kali?”