by Gail Koger
Tears poured down my cheeks. Put down? They weren’t mindless animals. They were people with families that loved them.
Cason climbed into my lap and patted at my tears.
“Do not cry, Mother Jia,” Chiara rubbed against my cheek. “We will find him.”
“We help,” the twins proclaimed.
Pepe snuggled against me. “No be sad. We here.”
Adoz’s claws kneaded my shoulder and he crooned in my ear.
Their love poured over me, soothing my broken heart. I wasn’t about to give up on Adam. A part of him still existed. All I had to do was figure out how to reach him. “Have you asked Uncle Jesse, the Navajo shaman, if he could help them?”
“The shaman has agreed to assist us and Zarek has his scientists working on a solution.”
The sense of relief was overwhelming. We’d find a way to reverse the mutations, but first we had to find them. I frowned. “The fleet had the moon blockaded. How were Mallox and Giovanni able to escape with their prisoners?”
“We are scanning Denebola for energy signatures. It is possible they have a hidden lab there,” Trayon replied.
That made sense. “The Rodan were harvesting the Eugleanophyta. They have to have a production facility.”
“We found it, but the structure was empty except for a small quantity of the seaweed.”
“Mallox knew we were coming and moved his mind-altering drug to a secure location. He can’t take over the galaxy without it,” I said.
“Soval is running scans on the Eugleanophyta we recovered.”
I took a deep breath. If I was going to stop Mallox and Giovanni, I needed to be a full-blooded Askole. Adam was more important than my hair. “How long does the conversion take?”
“Up to a year,” Trayon replied.
“That’s too long. There has to be a way to speed it up.”
Trayon stroked my mind. “The faster the conversion, the more painful it will be.”
“I don’t care. I need to be stronger, faster, and able to fight at your side. Please. This is my last chance to save Adam.”
“As you wish, but know this, the pain will be excruciating and once I start, I cannot stop,” Trayon warned.
“I understand. Can you do it today?”
“I will make the arrangements.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“Do not thank me yet. Once the change begins, you will curse me with every breath you take.”
Chapter Seventeen
And he was right. I screamed, cursed, begged, and cried. Every nerve in my body was on fire. Trayon held me against his chest as I thrashed wildly. The agony grew and grew until it was a struggle to breathe.
Trayon growled, “Will you let Giovanni win? Block the pain.”
“Block? How?” I gasped as the blood seemed to boil in my veins.
“Concentrate on my touch.”
“What?” My mind spun chaotically. The sound of his voice was calming, a haven from the changes tearing me apart. It drew me away from the darkness threatening to consume me.
Trayon ruthlessly seized control of my mind and soon the pain was replaced by the exquisite pleasure of his touch. “Your body was made for mine. We belong together. You will not die.” He pressed a scorching kiss on my mouth and our tongues tangled in a slow, erotic dance.
“Together. Forever. Not die,” I repeated and gasped as once again agony blasted up my body.
“Hear me. I chose you for your warrior’s heart. Your willingness to keep fighting, to never accept defeat. Fight, my lady, our journey has not even begun.”
The muscle-screaming torture hit me again. “Fight. Must. Fight. Won’t. Lose. Family.”
“You are my heart. Focus on me.” With a tantalizing tenderness Trayon’s hands stroked and caressed me. The sensation was like a thousand feathers skimming over me, creating a cascade of sensual ecstasy that numbed the gut-wrenching agony.
I moaned as Trayon used his tongue to lave my nipples. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”
“Never. I have nine hundred and ninety-nine delights to show you.” Trayon slid erotically down my stomach and my breath hitched as his hot mouth closed over my clit. He suckled it until I thought my senses would implode. The pain vanished. Bliss reigned.
Several worried voices called, “Momma Jia?”
The children! I reached out to them. A whimper broke from me. It suddenly felt like my skin was being ripped off.
“The children are safe with your father. To complete the change, we must be as one.”
A tremor of fear hit me. Had I made the right decision? Could I live with the knowledge I was no longer human, but something other? Trayon’s comforting warmth enveloped me and I felt him kiss my forehead. God, I loved him. I’d been waiting for him my whole life. He filled that empty void inside me. “What are you waiting for? Finish it.”
“As my lady commands.” Trayon’s lips covered mine hungrily.
His muscles rippled and bunched beneath my touch. I arched against him, rubbing my breasts against his chest. I met him kiss for kiss. Caress for caress. His cock pushed into me, creating a delicious friction as he filled me. “God! Oh God!” Everything coiled inside me. Heat. Want. Need. So much need.
Trayon’s decadent mouth never stopped licking, nibbling, nipping. “I love the way you taste. How responsive you are to mental stimulation.” On cue, his tentacles stroked my anus and clit simultaneously.
Tiny jolts of delight rocked me. My hips rose to meet the plunge of his body. Our souls were joined forever.
“Come for me.” Trayon’s testicles slapped against my aching skin as he thrust deeper and deeper until we were as one. I wrapped my legs around him, drawing him closer. He was without mercy as he drove me over the edge again and again until multiple orgasms wracked me.
Bellowing his war cry, Trayon’s body convulsed violently as his hot seed jettisoned into me.
Euphoria burst over me. It was done. The pain was gone and while my body still quivered from the aftershocks of great sex, I felt whole. “A thousand nights will never be enough.”
“I agree.”
I twitched as my scalp suddenly itched like crazy. A horrified gasp escaped me when my fingers encountered bumps of flesh. That couldn’t be good. I grabbed Trayon. “I have lumps on my head. Did something go wrong?”
Trayon cupped my face in his hands and kissed me gently. “No, everything is as it should be. You are Askole.”
“But the lumps…”
“Are tentacle buds.”
“Am I going to lose my hair?” I wailed.
“Tihar’s mate did not.” He touched his gauntlet and a picture of a red-headed woman appeared. Her gray skin was lightly scaled, tentacles protruded from her hair and she had deadly looking fangs.
“Oh, she’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” Trayon handed me a mug filled with an amber liquid. “Drink.”
“What is it?”
“Medicine. Drink.”
I took a sip and wrinkled my nose. “It tastes like toilet water.”
“Drink it.” Trayon gave me his ‘I am the Commander, and you will obey me look’. “Now.”
“Fine.” I gulped it down and grimaced. “Ugh.” My stomach rumbled. I felt like I could eat a horse “I’d love a plate of spaghetti and a giant glass of Merlot.”
Trayon picked me up. “Shower first, then food.”
“Ok.” I did stink like three-day old roadkill.
Several lights flashed on Trayon’s gauntlet.
“I think someone is trying to get ahold of you.”
“They want to know if you survived.”
“Was there any doubt?”
“Yes.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Seriously?”
“There were some unexpected side effects.” Trayon hugged me tightly. “I almost lost you.”
“But you didn’t and you’re squishing me,” I squeaked.
Trayon loosened his g
rip and placed me in the shower. “The entire ship felt your pain.”
“What? How horrible. Not to mention embarrassing. Dear Lord, the kids!”
“Zarek and your father shielded them.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. “I must thank them.”
The door chimed.
“Are you expecting someone?”
“Soval. He needs to take a blood sample.”
“Okay. Can it wait until I’ve showered?”
“Yes.” Trayon stroked the side of my face. “Your needs come first.”
The anguish in his eyes broke my heart. “I’m fine and it was my decision.”
“I should have taken more precautions.” Trayon gaze roved over me as if I was a priceless wonder.
I had to admit I was flattered. Most men ignored me or tried to kill me. “How many human females have been converted?”
“Two.”
“And Tihar’s mate didn’t have any problems?”
“No.”
“Then there was no way you could have known,” I replied.
The door chimed again.
“Go, let me wash off the stink and I’ll join you.”
Trayon’s lips brushed over mine. “Take as long as you need.” He turned abruptly and walked out.
I had scared him badly. A laugh broke from me. Who was I kidding? I had come close to dying. I hit the shower controls and sighed in pleasure as jets of hot, pulsating water pounded my stiff muscles. I closed my eyes. It was better than a massage.
The door chimed again.
I could sense Zarek’s powerful aura. Wonder what he wanted? I heard Trayon growl. Cazzo! The last thing I needed was for him to punch Zarek and the fight of the century would be on.
I hit the dry cycle. Hell’s tornado spun around me. I let out a yelp and hit the red button. The hurricane of hot air stopped. I’d never get used to that. Stepping out of the shower, I triggered my armor. Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. I loved the built-in underwear. Best support bra ever.
Grabbing a brush, I stepped up to the mirror and stared in disbelief. My skin was covered in gray scales, and I had fangs. I peered at them. Did they have to be so big? I gingerly touched one. Ouch! Those suckers were sharp and Holy Mother! What had happened to my eyes? They were now yellow with a ring of green. Hmm. I kinda like it.
The door chimed again.
A sigh broke from me. Sariel, Jubal, Commander Zan and another male I didn’t know had entered our quarters. Guess we were entertaining. Cold prickles suddenly ran up my spine and I scanned our guests. The strangers had a black aura. I set the brush down and headed for the common room.
Chapter Eighteen
I walked in and my gaze fixed on the warrior standing next to Commander Zan. He had a flat, Mongolian face and shovel-shaped front teeth. His eyes darted nervously around the room.
Merda. Another traitor. How were the Rodan getting to all of them? Did they have secret decoder rings or a special tattoo? I ignored the startled glances. I knew my hair was sticking out in every direction, but I didn’t care. There was another assassin to dispatch. I marched over to shovel-tooth and punched him in the face as hard as I could.
Crack! He flew backwards and slammed into the wall.
I smiled gleefully as he slid to the floor out cold. Awesome! I had gotten a lot stronger. “Arrest him. He’s a traitor.”
Trayon picked up my hand and examined my bruised knuckles. “Nice punch.”
“Thank you.” Wasn’t he the least bit interested in why I thought shovel-tooth was a traitor? I looked around the room in disbelief.
Everyone busily typed on their comm-links, completely ignoring the unconscious guy on the floor.
“Well, what are you waiting for? I threw up my left hand in disgust. “For him to wake up and set off the bomb he has in him?”
That got their attention and there was more rapid tapping on their devices.
“He does have an explosive implant,” Sariel announced.
Frowning, Zan knelt, placed his hand on bomb guy’s head and tore his mind apart. He disregarded the assassin’s grunts of pain. “He is an Uihur freedom fighter.”
I examined Zan’s aura. Whoa! He could give Zarek a run for his money in the power department. How had I missed that? “Never heard of them.”
“Few have. Two hundred years ago, Chen Quan seized Xinjiang’s moon as the Uihur homeland. Anyone who wasn’t Uihur was executed. The Alliance took a dim view of the mass murder. After a fierce battle, Chen Quan was arrested and tried for genocide. His followers scattered and to this day, still fight to reclaim the moon.”
“How is assassinating all of you going to help their cause?” Call me curious.
Jubal snorted. “It won’t. They are terrorists whose sole purpose is to create fear.”
“And drive all non-Uihur from the galaxy,” Zan added.
Sariel scowled at his gauntlet. “The bomb is set to explode in three minutes.”
“I have all I need.” Zan said and stepped away from the terrorist.
The battle cruiser’s klaxon horn sounded, and a computerized voice announced, “Battle stations. All warriors report to your battle stations.”
A glittering blue light engulfed the terrorist. Poof! He was transported into the cold embrace of space.
“Shields are up. Brace for impact,” Trayon said, wrapping an arm around me.
“This is getting to be a regular occurrence,” I muttered.
Zarek smiled grimly. “Yes, it is.”
An explosion rocked the ship.
I looked up at Trayon. “Where are the kids?”
“In your father’s quarters.”
I started for the door.
Trayon pulled me back. “Soval needs a blood sample.”
“Fine.” I turned my attention to Soval. “Let’s get it done.”
Soval ran his scanner over me. “Your conversion is complete. Other than being a bit anemic, you are healthy.” Without any warning, he jabbed a pressure injector against my neck and triggered it.
I hissed in pain and rubbed the throbbing spot. “Next time give a girl some warning.” My right hand curled into a fist. “I don’t like surprises.”
“Take your blood sample and leave us,” Trayon instructed.
“As you command.” Soval quickly and painlessly drew my blood. “If there is any sign of fatigue, summon me immediately.”
“I’m not tired, I’m hungry and thirsty,” I complained.
Zarek handed me a glass of Merlot. “How did you know LoLin was a terrorist?”
“His aura.” I drained the glass and before I could get a refill at the food processer, Trayon took the glass away from me.
“No more.”
“But I’m still thirsty.”
“You need to eat first,” Trayon said firmly.
“A thick, bloody steak does sound good.”
“How do you feel about blood worms?” Trayon asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “Ugh.”
Zarek interjected, “Can you show me LoLin’s aura?”
“Sure.” I visualized his black aura. “Does that help?”
“It does. Your conversion has given you a new talent and has strengthened your other abilities.”
“It will be interesting to see how strong she will become,” Sariel commented.
Zan added, “Jones females always do the unexpected.”
“Yay us. Now can I get something to eat?”
Chapter Nineteen
Dinner turned into a war council. I ate my way through two steaks, three pieces of chocolate cake and four glasses of Merlot while they debated plans. I rolled my eyes when they settled on bombarding Denebola with the equivalent of nuclear bombs to drive Mallox and Giovanni out of hiding. Not only would the bombs kill every living thing on the planet, but I also doubted our evil scientists would make a run for it. I linked with Trayon. “Before you radiate the planet, why don’t you let me and Chiara search for their auras. If we locate them, you can send y
our tactical teams in.”
“An excellent idea. I will have your father bring Chiara to us.”
“Why don’t I go fetch her. I need to make sure Cason, Pepe and Adoz are okay. Oh, and make sure the twins haven’t webbed my dad to the wall.”
Trayon grimaced. “Go.”
“And since I’m faster than a speeding bullet now, I’ll get there in record time.
“Wait!” Sariel and Trayon called a second too late.
Everything blurred around me as I zoomed toward the door. The stupid door didn’t open in time. Thud! I bounced off and flew backwards.
Trayon caught me. “You need training before you can use hyper speed.”
“Ow!” I wiped at the blood flowing down my face. “Did I break my nose?” It sure felt like it.
“You did.”
“I have summoned Soval,” Sariel advised.
Jubal grinned at me. “Nice try.”
“Thanks.”
Zarek and Zan frowned at their scanners.
My internal alarm suddenly screamed bloody murder. Monsters and a lot of them were heading our way. “We have a Rodan fleet heading our way, don’t we?”
“We do. Their survival hinges on Mallox and Giovanni’s ability to create super soldiers and the mind-altering properties of Eugleanophyta,” Zan replied.
Merda! If the Rodan won, we’d be nothing more than livestock. “Chiara and I can plant more bombs in their engine rooms.”
“No,” Trayon growled. “Our fleet is sufficient to defeat them.”
A cold clamminess seeped into my veins. Yeah, but how many would die? The thought of life without Trayon made me ill. There had to be a better way to stop the Rodan.
Soval entered, took one look at my blood covered face, and sighed. “You tried hyper speed?”
“I did.” I held still as Soval ran a healing wand over my face. The throbbing pain in my nose vanished. “Thank you.”
Soval handed me a cleaning cloth. “It is my honor to serve you, but do not try hyper speed again until you have tentacles and the proper training.”
“I won’t. I learned my lesson.”
“Good.” Soval gave me a respectful bow and left.
Trayon took the cloth from me and gently cleaned my face. “I will take you to Chiara.”