Alien Dragon's Bride (Aliens of Renjer Book 4)

by J. S. Wilder

  “Dragon spawn,” it spat. “I will ensure your female breeds hundreds more Tryns. Then we will come after you and your kind.”

  Megan! Levx screamed inside. The Tryn disappeared into the forest, headed in the direction of her apartment building. No!

  Levx swallowed the bile smacking up into his throat and his trembling limbs and inched forward. Nausea washed through him. He had to get to her. Had to warn her…protect her. But blackness pressed at the edge of his vision. His breaths shallow.

  Chapter 19

  Megan

  It wasn’t dawn yet, not that the time mattered any to Megan because she hadn’t been able to sleep. She pushed out of bed shaking her head at the massive blankets twisted like pretzels behind her.

  Several things she needed to do today, including opening for the diner and letting them know she’d be moving to part-time, was find a lawyer to go over Levx’s contract and visit her dad. She showered letting the hot water run longer than she normally would and doing so felt like a luxury. Her thoughts lingered on Levx and his generosity of putting money into her account in addition to paying her dad’s past due bills and any current ones. Maybe she’d take a walk before going into work…after all she needed to stay healthy if she was going to be a mom.

  She cleared her throat, her gut aching at the thought it wouldn’t be her child. This was just a business arrangement…nothing more.

  Still, she found herself taking time to put on her makeup and fix her hair into a loose ponytail. Dressed in shorts and a sleeveless top, she eased out the door.

  A cold chill raced across her skin as the early morning air hit her. She shrugged it off and jogged down the sidewalk. Shadows appeared to grow, darkening as she ran. Was it because she hadn’t slept last night that now her mind was playing tricks on her?

  She pushed her feet faster but the feeling like something chased her pressed against her breastbone. Street lights hummed. Slowing, she strained to listen for footsteps sounding after here. Nothing. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following her and the road was eerily quiet. Like someone had muted everything but her breathing and the pounding of her footsteps on the concrete.

  In the distance, the sun colored the sky. Her breathing coming out in pants as she raced to the diner. At the door, her heart hammering in her chest, she tugged on the glass door.

  “Hold your horses, what’s wrong with you?” Alice shuffled up to the door.

  Megan didn’t breathe until she stepped foot inside, then her gasps burst out of her. “S-Sorry…I thought someone was following me.”

  Alice frowned and peeked out the cafe’s blinds. “You sure you’re okay, hun? I don’t see nobody.”

  “I’m fine,” Megan caught her breath, “just probably my imagination.”

  “Did you run all the way here? You look like hell.” Alice locked the door behind her.

  “Couldn’t sleep.” Megan let out a shudder. “Did you hear—”

  “About this place closing? Yeah, I did. That’s why you couldn’t sleep last night?” Alice patted down her gray hair. “You know you and your dad could stay up at my place with me. I’ve got an extra room and a comfy couch.”

  “Thanks, but I’m okay.”

  Alice frowned. “You don’t have to fib to me, I know how hard you work.”

  “No, I got another job or potential one.” She grabbed the ketchup bottles and started to refill them at the bar alongside Alice. “You don’t know any good lawyers, do you? I’ve got a work contract I need reviewed.”

  “My second cousin Earnest works at a law firm in New York.” She untwisted the bottle she was about to refill. “Want me to send you his info?”

  “Yes, please.” The sooner she got an expert to review the terms the sooner she could sign. Though part of her was nervous it was the best thing she could do for her and her father. She’d tried everything else to keep him at Memorial and this way, she’d have more time to visit with him…until she started showing…then she’d need to tell him the truth. Forgiveness was a lot easier to get than permission.

  “You sure you’re all right?” Alice touched her forearm. “You still look pale to me.”

  She relaxed her shoulders and smoothed her facial expression. “Yup, I’m fine. If your cousin says the new job is legit, then I’ll be a different woman in a few weeks and you’ll miss me.”

  “Hun, I’ll always miss you.” She gave Megan a hug. “Now you let me know if you need anything okay?”

  “Of course.” She nodded. “But what about you? What will you do for work now that this place is closing?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Alice replaced a ketchup cap and grabbed another half-empty bottle, a secret smile on her face. “I’ve got some money saved and I’ve been dying to go to Cancun. Got pictures of it taped up in my diary for years. After that, who knows. But I’ll be okay until another gig comes along.”

  “Let me know if you ever need help with anything. I can pay your bills for a—”

  “You’ll do no such thing.” Alice snapped the bottle down. “If I hear you’re not taking care of yourself and that dad of yours first and foremost, I will personally come and whip you.”

  Megan held up her hands. “Okay, okay.”

  “That’s more like it. Now hurry up and fill the napkin holders, we gotta open this place up in less than half an hour.” She titled her chin toward the door. “One way or another you and I are stepping into our next great adventure.”

  Right. Megan let out a deep breath. Weeks from now she could be pregnant. A mom. Sort of…Did other surrogates consider themselves by that title? Like a second mom? Wonder if there was a support group?

  The door chimed, and Megan whirled. Hadn’t Alice locked it after she’d let her inside? Levx stood in the doorway, his arm bleeding and clutched to his side.

  “Hu—Megan,” he said her name funny as he narrowed his eyes like he was reading her badge. “Come with me and no one here has to get hurt.”

  “Oh my god, Levx.” Megan rushed forward but a scent radiated from him that made her pause. It was like rotten eggs. Was it because he was hurt that he smelled bad? “What happened? Where you in an accident, we need to get you to a doc—”

  He reached out and grabbed her by the throat, hauling her to him. His inhaled breath caused his nostrils to flare out making him look nonhuman. “I scent the Renjerian on you.”

  “You let go of her.” Alice stomped forward, the cafe’s rifle Hector kept in the kitchen in her hands.

  Levx growled and the sound made the hairs on Megan’s body stand up.

  “St-stop, Alice.” She didn’t want her friend hurt ’cause something told her this guy, the one she’d been falling for, was dangerous.

  “Filthy human.”

  The next second, Alice’s face twisted in pain as black shadows dripped from the ceiling around her.

  “This is the only one we need. Kill her and any others you find.” Levx shook Megan.

  “Bastard!” She kicked at him, clawed his hand. Her eyes never leaving Alice as her friend screamed while black beings that resembled little devils bit into her flesh.

  Chapter 20

  Megan

  “No!” Megan choked out against Levx’s hold. Her friend Alice fell to the floor, the devils swarming over her body.

  “Time to die, human,” Levx snarled. His fingers on her throat were like an iron grip and she had no weapon, the bottle of ketchup she’d been holding fell from her grip as soon as he had grabbed her.

  Darkness danced at the edge of her vision. She kicked at him again but he was so strong and held out away from his body. Her nails raked down his hand, the stench of sulfur stronger. Is that what people smelled before they died? And Alice…her friend needed help…no way was Megan going to give up and let this bastard kill her or Alice.

  Taking a chance, she groped in her pocket for her keys. Her fingers fumbled. She couldn’t breathe. Please work, please work.

  Her hand shook as she brought the keys u
p and slammed them into his eye. Levx howled, dropping her. It was an inhuman sound that made her stomach clench.

  “Alice!” She scrambled over to her friend.

  One of the demons bit Megan on her leg. The pain shooting up her spine like a spike had been slammed against her bones.

  “Get off!” Megan punched the creature that shrieked. So the bastards could be hurt? No time to think, she ran into the kitchen and grabbed one of the skillets. Then she dashed back to Alice, whooping one devil after another. “Go away!”

  Levx roared and the small demons shrank away.

  “Leave us alone or I’ll hurt you,” Megan held up the skillet, ready to strike.

  His arm snaked out faster than she’d have thought possible and when she swung with all her strength, he merely caught the pan in his hand, crushing it like it was made from soft clay.

  Not waiting, she dashed to the rifle Alice had dropped and picked it up with shaky hands. “Last warning, asshole, leave and take these things with you.”

  “You think your human weapons can hurt me?” He laughed. “Look upon my true form and fear me.” His body shimmered, transforming into a monster. Black hair covered his body, a forked tail, dark leathery wings and black claws.

  “Demon,” her voice croaked. What hurt a demon? Holy water? Her gaze darted across the street to the Catholic Church but she’d never make it that far with as fast as Levx had moved.

  He shrugged, showing off his serrated teeth and long fangs. “You’re stronger than I thought…the Renjerian chose wisely when he picked you.”

  “What? Demonic babble. I’ve a gun now, so leave us alone.” She hosted the weapon up higher, her finger on the trigger.

  “Shoot then.” He smiled. “And when you’re out of bullets, I will give you the honor of breeding to produce more of my kind. Our children will wipe out this city and move onto the next and the next.”

  “M-Megan?” Alice moaned.

  Startled by her friend, Megan’s finger jerked. Before she could blink the gun went off. The bullet struck Levx in his chest, yellow blood bloomed. Her body trembled but she kept the weapon pointed at him.

  Then the blood dried and he didn’t stagger or flinch.

  Fuck! “Alice, come on.” She raced to her friend, keeping the rifle, and tried to help Alice stand. “We’ve got to get out of here.” Maybe if they could make it to the church, the demons couldn’t cross holy ground, right?

  The bell over the cafe dinged and three small kids strolled inside. Megan’s heart squeezed. No, not children.

  “Go! Run!” she screamed.

  But they didn’t listen to her.

  Hauling up Alice, she draped the woman’s arm over her shoulder and dragged her forward to intercept the boys and the demon. The small devils behind them hissed and snarled.

  “I see you’ve brought me a snack,” Levx said.

  “Run, get out of here!” But the kids didn’t budge. Were they too frozen in fear to realize the danger they were in if they didn’t flee?

  As one, they lowered their hoods. The young kids from Levx’s company. Where they demons too? Megan’s feet skidded to a stop. If Levx was a monster and they were his sister’s kids, then they could be demons too.

  Alice whimpered.

  “Leave the Tryn to us, Megan,” one of the boys said.

  “Go out the back way, we’ll cover you.” The second boy cracked his knuckles.

  Maybe they weren’t demons like Levx but she couldn’t let three small kids face a seven-foot-plus devil. “Listen, go get the police…and a priest…”

  The kids’ bodies shimmered.

  Oh god, oh god, oh god. They were demons like Levx.

  “Run away. Levx is in the woods outside of the city, he’s hurt bad or he’d have come himself.”

  “What are you talking about?” She tightened her grip on her weapon, pointed the end to the large demon. “That’s Levx.”

  But instead of answering, all three boys’ bodies shifted. Not demons or devils. Dinosaurs. No. She shook her head not believing her eyes. Dragons. All three were four-feet tall dragons with identical silver and blue scales. Parts of the ceiling crumbled around them.

  “You cannot hurt me, you are hatchlings, barely able to make fire,” the large demon shouted.

  One of the dragons nodded its head at her then the kitchen.

  Right. She and Alice needed to get the hell out of here demons, dragons or whatever these creatures were. She pulled Alice with her toward the back door.

  “Once I kill these Renjerian offspring, I will come for you, Megan.” The demon laughed. “I will so enjoy taking you and letting that bastard see you ripe with all my children. You’ll die and he can do nothing to stop it.”

  Heat blasted from the three dragon kids, scorching the hairs on Megan’s arms.

  “Come on,” she coughed, tugging Alice further into the kitchen.

  Black smoke billowed from the restaurant’s lobby, filling the kitchen. Smoke alarms blared but she couldn’t see. Where was the fucking door? Each inhale brought in more smoke and stung her throat like she was in a furnace. Shouts and yells echoed behind them, but she dared not stop.

  Alice choked and rasped from the smoke, her steps dragging more and more.

  Finally, Megan caught sight of the exit light over the back door. She pushed the lever but the door didn’t open. Come on! Setting Alice down on the floor, Megan then shoved at the door with all her might. But it didn’t budge.

  Twice more she rammed her body against the bar to open their way.

  “Shit!” Coughs racked her body and she slapped her hand against the wood. Why wouldn’t the stupid thing open?

  Her legs gave way as she gasped for air. Heat blistering her skin. After all this, she was going to die here in the cafe’s kitchen? Alice had always warned her to quit this place as it was going to be the death of them.

  Hysteria bubbled up in Megan’s chest and she laughed while she choked, her body slumping beside her friend’s and gasped for air. Her thoughts swirled about feeling stupid at trusting Levx. Yup, she’d been tricked by a psycho…a demon.

  Chapter 21

  Levx

  Paintings on the walls swam before Levx’s vision and he squeezed his eyes shut to stop the nausea pulsing through his skull and stomach. Everywhere pain radiated into every cell of his body. What had happened?

  The memory of his fight with the two Tryns rushed forward like a freight train. One of the creatures had escaped and headed into town.

  Megan! What if the Tryn had gotten to her? How long had he been out? Fear strangled him. He moved to rise, but a hand pressed down on his chest.

  “Easy there, son. Your injuries are severe.”

  “Where am I?” He licked his dry lips, the motion making him wince as he tasted the metallic note of blood. “What’s happened? Where’s Megan?”

  His father moved and a chair squeaked. Levx cracked open his eyes that felt like they were swollen. They were in one of the makeshift recovery rooms in their apartment complex. Bandages wrapped around Levx’s torso, left arm, and both his legs.

  “You’re lucky you didn’t break your neck in the fall.” His father gritted his teeth, his brow pinched. “We had to force your transformation so your Renjerian side could heal. No idea if you’ve damaged your wing too much to ever fly again. What were you doing with a Tryn?”

  “Megan,” Levx’s voice rasped. “You need to send others to protect her, she’s in danger.”

  “Is she pregnant?” His father leaned forward.

  “No, but—”

  “I will not waste resources on a mere human. Bad enough the triplets found you while they were playing hide and seek. What would’ve happened if you hadn’t killed the Tryn?”

  Levx clenched his fists. “There were two of them, father. I only got one and the other took off after Megan. We need to help her, now.” Please don’t let it be too late.

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible.” His father stood. “Once you recover,
I’ll find a suitable human to carry your offspring. When you see your children, this infatuation with this one human will have passed.”

  “No!” Levx swung into a sitting position, the floor beneath him wobbled. “There is more to saving our kind than breeding. She’s special to me and I won’t have her in danger.”

  “Has she agreed or signed the contract yet?”

  Levx bit down on his back teeth and shook his head.

  “So why are you wasting your time with this one? There are hundreds of beautiful women vying for your attention. Take one or more of them as your bride.”

  “You don’t understand, do you?” Levx stood, one of his hands holding onto the bedpost to keep from falling over. “I think I’m falling in love with her. Or is that too much of a human concept for you to understand?”

  His father roared, spit and sparks of fire spewing from his mouth. “I’ve loved and lost!”

  “Right, the human woman—Kohl’s mother—and when she died, you buried your heart with her, never trusting love again.” Levx stalked to his father ignoring the dizziness pressing against the sides of his head. “Well, I bet you’d do whatever you could if you had the chance to save her.”

  For a moment, his father raised his hand like he was going to strike him, but then he made a fist and lowered it. “Yes but if I could spare you or any of my children the heartache I live with every single second of every day, then I would.”

  “So you’d forfeit your love and the time you did have with your human lover to save yourself from misery?” Levx shook his head. “I don’t care if all I ever got with Megan was the memory of her and her kiss, I would take it. Even if you are terrified of what will happen, I’m taking the risk of not knowing the outcome but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.”

  Megan and her father had a great relationship despite his hospitalization and illness. Here his father was in prime health yet couldn’t give him the same respect as a peer.