“I’m a sick fuck? Hell, you’re the one who’s leaving her to be burned alive.”
Horrified, he dragged himself up as the rage and fear flooding his system helped to burn off the drug. And the girls—where were the girls?
A third voice intervened. “It is the only way. They must not be allowed to despoil our women and propagate their evil. Jim, are you ready?”
“Yeah, the signal’s transmitting. With any luck, the camera will be the last thing to burn and we’ll capture it all.”
Gritting his teeth, he took one step, then another, almost stumbling as his weak leg took the longest to recover from the effects of the drug. Instead of reaching for his blast tube, he pulled out his nano sword. These men deserved to die by the sword. He threw open the bedroom door to find three strangers staring at him, mouths agape.
“What the fuck, Jim? I thought you used elephant tranquilizer?”
“I did, I did.” The man started fumbling with his weapon but even with T’gana’s still shaky legs, two strides took him to the man’s side and one stroke removed his head. He whirled to the second man and just barely managed to keep his balance, but his blade was steady at the man’s throat.
“Where are they? Where are my girls?”
“The kids?” the big man babbled, his shocked gaze on his companion’s head. “They’re not here. That blonde’s taking care of them. We’re not fucking monsters.”
A surge of relief filled him that at least the girls were safe, but he still had to find his S’rah. “And my female?”
“It’s too late for her,” the third man laughed, his eyes filled with satisfaction, and pointed towards the front hallway. Flames crept up the walls and the acrid tang of smoke filled his nostrils. The green sky threatened but he pushed it back. S’rah needed him.
“Where is she?” he roared.
“I’ll never tell.” The man’s eyes gleamed fanatically and T’gana believed him. A second head joined the first and he turned back to the remaining man.
He immediately started babbling. “Don’t kill me. She’s at the top of the stairs, chained to the columns, Jim said it would be—”
A third head joined the others and T’gana raced for the entrance hall. Flames shot up the front door and were already licking up the stairs. He looked up and saw S’rah, her hands chained above her head and her legs fastened to the columns framing the upper landing. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her mouth covered with cloth. An anguished cry escaped his lips. The smoke was thicker here, creeping deeper into his lungs, and the floor threatened to turn to black sand beneath his feet, but he kept his eyes on S’rah as he fought his way up the stairs.
“You have to get out of here,” she cried, as soon as he removed the gag. “He didn’t even have a key.”
“Hold still.” One stroke with the sword, another, and one leg was free. The increasing heat pressed against his back as he tried to shelter her from the flames.
“T’gana, there isn’t enough time. You have to leave.”
“Never without you.” The second chain fell.
“The girls need you,” she cried.
“They need us both.” Only one chain was left but it was wound so tightly around her wrists that it was cutting into her skin and he had to be careful. A window exploded behind him, but he didn’t flinch at the sudden noise, couldn’t let it distract him. One more stroke and she fell into his arms.
“I thought you were dead,” she sobbed.
“I am not leaving you, my S’rah.” He scooped her up and turned to the stairs, but they were completely engulfed in flames now and he could not carry her safely through the raging fire. The upper landing was already smoldering as the conflagration advanced.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered, her arms tightening around his neck.
Without pausing to answer her, he took off for the back of the house at a stumbling run. His damaged leg still twitched and threatened to collapse but he refused to give in to it. Smoke already filled the upper hallway, but he found the door to the largest bedroom and pushed it open. Flames roared behind them with the influx of oxygen. Without pausing, he carried her through the room and out onto the balcony. They both gulped in the fresh air, but he could already feel the heat from the fire behind him.
“Do you think we can climb down?” she asked.
“No time,” he said, and headed for the railing at a run. He expected her to scream a protest but all she did was to bury her head in his neck as he reached the edge of the balcony and jumped. Throwing a protective arm over her head, he wrapped himself around her body as best he could, praying that he had judged the distance correctly.
Sarah clung to T’gana with all her strength as he sailed over the edge of the balcony. An endless moment of free fall and then they landed, the shock oddly muffled. Before she grasped what had happened, he was on his feet again and racing for the far end of the garden. When they reached the gazebo, he finally stopped and turned. Flames were shooting out of the upper windows and as they watched, the balcony they had just left started to burn. It looked so high above the ground she couldn’t believe that they had made the jump safely.
“Are you all right? That was a long jump.” She looked up at him anxiously and saw a weed tangled in his horns. She pulled it free. “Where did this come from?”
“I jumped into the pile of materials I was gathering for the compost heap,” he said absently, but his eyes were intent on her face, glowing bright gold.
“Fuck, S’rah, I thought I lost you. I love you so much.”
Her eyes filled with tears, but she smiled. “I thought I lost you too, but you saved me. You saved us both.”
His mouth descended, at first tender and almost worshipful, then demanding her response. The shock and fear of the afternoon morphed into frantic urgency until she was meeting his kiss with the same desperate need. She fumbled for the catch on his shirt even as he ripped hers away. His hands were everywhere, caressing her breasts, teasing her nipples, ripping away her shorts to uncover the slick heat between her thighs. He growled his approval and speared her with one thick finger, sending her into a quick, shocking climax. Before she could catch her breath, she was on the ground and he was rising over her, his horns reflecting the orange glow of the fire. She could hear it roaring in the background but all that mattered was her warrior.
“I claim you as my L’chka.”
With one hard stroke, he plunged deep, the sudden fullness almost too much to take but she didn’t hesitate. She circled his waist with her legs, trying to pull him deeper even as he began thrusting urgently. He grabbed her hips with one hand, pulling her harder, tighter against him, and clasped her shoulder with the other, holding her in place as he moved faster, forcing her to take every thick inch of his massive cock. All she could do was cling to him and urge him on. His head dropped down against her shoulder, his hips still pounding out the urgent rhythm.
“My L’chka,” he repeated, and then his teeth bit into her shoulder. A brief flare of fiery pain was immediately followed by a wave of pleasure so intense that her vision dimmed and she started coming, spasming around him in helpless ecstasy as he buried himself in her, as his own body shuddered, as she felt him fill her with his seed.
They clung to each other in breathless happiness for a brief second before he raised his head. A flash of remorse crossed his face and she held her breath. Was he already regretting his claim? He stroked a gentle finger along her shoulder, and she winced at the reminder of the bite.
“I have marked you, my L’chka.”
“Yes,” she said cautiously.
He continued to trace the outline of the bite and even though it was still sore, her pussy started to tingle.
“Perhaps we are never far from our past. I find I like the sign of my possession on your skin.”
“Mm. Very primitive.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all. Now kiss me, my warrior.”
He obeyed willingly but just as
the heat flared between them, he stopped and raised his head.
“What is it?”
“Fire engines approaching. We should get dressed.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she said, but she kept her arms around his neck.
He returned her embrace, then reluctantly withdrew from her body. As she forced herself into a sitting position, aware of a slight, pleasant ache between her thighs, she started looking for her clothes. When she spotted them, or rather what was left of them, she sighed and shook her head.
“You realize you destroyed my clothes? What am I going to wear?”
“Here.” He had been gathering up his own clothes and he handed her his uniform top. The significance of the gesture did not escape her, and her eyes started to fill with tears again. But then she realized something even more important. For the first time he had fully undressed when they made love.
“You’re naked,” she gasped.
His body tensed almost imperceptibly, then relaxed as he met her gaze, his eyes soft gold.
“I did not want any barriers between us when I claimed you.”
A lump appeared in her throat, but she smiled at him. “Thank you, my love.”
The sound of sirens could no longer be ignored and she had only a minute to admire him before he pulled on his pants, but the sight etched itself in her memory—the thick undulating cock hanging heavily down his leg, the strong thighs still powerful despite the deep scars, the twisted flesh that was all that remained of his left calf.
“I promised you that I would kiss you all over and I intend to keep that promise,” she said as she covered herself with his shirt. “But right now, let’s go find our girls.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“T’gana, what happened to those men?” Sarah asked as they hurried to the gate at the back of the garden.
“They are dead, of course,” he said calmly, unlocking the complicated mechanism he had installed to protect the rear entrance.
She tried to find some sympathy for their fate, but she had none. They had tried to kill her. The only one that had protested had been—oh God, Becca. She suddenly remembered seeing her fall when David punched her. Had she still been in the house?
“What about the girl?” she asked urgently. “Did you see her?”
“What girl?”
“Becca. Crystal’s friend, although she wasn’t really. The last time I saw her she was on the floor in the kitchen.”
“No one was there when I came through it,” he said as he led the way out into the narrow service lane which ran behind all the houses on the street.
“Oh God, I hope she made it out.” The thought that the girl might have been trapped in that inferno made her feel sick.
Letting go of her hand, he tapped rapidly on his wrist com. “I will advise the team to look for her. If she is still alive, is she a threat?”
“I don’t think so. I believe she genuinely thought she was rescuing me. There was something about her sister as well. I think she was taken by the Yehrin.”
“I see.” He shot a glance at her but to her surprise, he made no further comment.
They had reached the entrance to Darryl’s garden and she tried the handle.
“Damn, it’s locked. I guess we’ll just have to go around—”
T’gana directed a short, hard kick at the gate and it flew open.
“—or you could do that. Are you all right?”
He had one hand braced against the opening as he clutched his leg, but he gave her a wry smile.
“I still forget that I am not the warrior that I was before.”
For the first time, there was no bitterness in his tone as he acknowledged his weakness and she returned his smile.
“I’m still impressed. Do you want to wait here while I go get the girls?”
His smile vanished. “No. We do not know how deeply Crystal was involved in this plot.” He scanned the open expanse of lawn but there was no sign of movement. “Stay behind me.”
With his hand on his blast tube, he led the way across the lawn, limping slightly but not much more than normal. No one appeared, even when they walked up on the deck and approached the back door. Her heart started to pound. What if Becca had been wrong? What if the girls weren’t here?
“Do you hear anything?” she demanded.
“Not yet.”
He started to raise his foot, but she quickly put a hand on arm. “Let me try this first.”
As she suspected, the door opened to her touch and he growled.
“That worthless female should never have been entrusted with our girls. I—” He stopped and tilted his head. “They are crying.”
Snatching her hand, he tugged her rapidly through the house and out on to the front porch. Crystal and the girls were standing on the front lawn staring at Sarah’s house as the flames shot up into the sky, resisting the efforts of the fire trucks spraying water on the blaze. Both girls were crying hysterically while Crystal gaped. Sarah would gladly have smacked Crystal for letting them see the destruction if she hadn’t been more concerned with getting to the girls.
“Jane, Tabitha, it’s all right. We’re here, we’re safe,” she cried, as she flew across the lawn and fell to her knees in front of them. They flung themselves into her arms as T’gana knelt behind them and encircled all of them in the protection of his body.
The next few minutes were a confused flurry of tears, and wet faces, and small arms strangling them in a desperate hold as she and T’gana murmured love and reassurance to the frightened children.
“Do not move,” T’gana ordered, his cold voice a complete change from the soothing tone he’d been using with the girls. She looked up to see that he was addressing Crystal as the girl tried to back away.
“Okay, okay. I’m not going anywhere.” She shot a nervous glance at him, then turned to Sarah. “What happened? I got a text from Becca saying she was wrong, and she was sorry and that she’d called the fire department. That’s when we heard the sirens.”
“And it didn’t occur to you to keep the girls inside?” Sarah asked through gritted teeth.
Crystal ducked her head. “Well, no.”
“Mama Sarah, we thought you was inside with Daddy Tigga,” Jane sobbed into her neck.
“Ssh, sweetheart, it’s all right. We’re both here and we’re just fine.”
“You left us,” Tabby said around her thumb.
“We are never going to leave you again,” T’gana promised.
“But there’s no house and we don’t wanna stay here with her,” Jane said, as her tears finally started to abate. Sarah gave T’gana a helpless look.
“We are going to go and stay with someone I know,” he said firmly. “All of us together.”
They were? She wasn’t going to question him in front of the girls, but she hoped he didn’t mean they were returning to the ship. Not that there was anything here for her anymore. A pang of regret surprised her as she looked up the street in time to see part of the roof cave in. Despite her lack of affection for the house, it had been her home, a last gift from her father, and there had been many happy moments under that roof.
T’gana started to get to his feet. “I need to speak to Cr’stal for a moment.”
“No!” Both girls threw themselves at him and it was his turn to give her a helpless look.
“It’s all right, girls.” She drew them gently back into her arms. “I’m here with you and T’gana will stay where you can see him. Right?”
“Yes, of course.” He disengaged Tabby’s hand from his arm and kissed the small fingers. “Do not worry, little ones.”
He stood up, and all three of them turned to watch as he stalked over to Crystal. She backed away nervously but stopped when he barked an order at her. The two of them moved to the front porch, still within view but out of earshot. Crystal started talking rapidly, flinging her arms around, but then she stepped closer to him and put a hand on his arm as she looked up at him. Sarah was suddenly extr
emely conscious of her own bedraggled state, especially compared to the pretty young girl in her cute sundress.
Tabby made a noise suspiciously like a growl and Jane muttered. “She shouldn't be touching our Tigga.”
They all breathed a sigh of relief when T’gana shook off Crystal’s hand.
“Are you all right, S’rah? And the girls?”
The deep voice from behind startled her and she instinctively crouched over the girls before she recognized T’bukka’s voice and relaxed.
“Yes, we’re all fine, thanks.” She smiled up at him. “Although, T’gana’s leg has been through a lot today. Maybe you could take a look at it while you’re here?”
“My leg does not need assistance,” T’gana growled, stepping between her and the other warrior. “Why are you here?”
“Commander T’lan sent me when he received your communication. A team will be arriving shortly to—” His eyes flicked to the girls. “—to access the wreckage.”
T’gana grunted. “The female on the porch was used by a resistance movement. She does not seem to know much but your time would be better spent interrogating her rather than bothering my L’chka.”
“Your L’chka?” A flicker of something crossed T’bukka’s face before he smiled and nodded to her. “I congratulate you both on your mating.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled back and T’gana growled again.
“The female,” he prompted, and jerked his head at the porch.
“I have not forgotten,” T’bukka said calmly. “Do you know if your flyer was damaged by the fire?”
“It is cloaked and shielded—it should not have suffered any damage. Why?”
“I was going to suggest that you leave the scene. I can report back to T’lan.”
T’gana hesitated, obviously torn.
“What about his leg?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you take a look at it?”
Her question appeared to decide the matter. With another growl, he lifted her easily to her feet, took Jane in one arm, wrapped the other one around her and Tabby, and started marching them up the street.
Alien Breeder Page 19