by Amber Kell
Kres shrugged and went to sit down.
Vohne turned to the other human and glared. "I was trying to break it to him gently."
"That's because you don't know anything about that kind of human. I've only known Kres for a little while, but I can already tell he's the type of person it's best to shock with everything at once. Once the shock wears off, he'll make a plan to cope. If you give him things in bits and pieces, it gives him time to panic. He's a soldier. He's used to coping."
"Hmm." Zander did make sense. "I will take your advice and not harm you after all." Vohne smiled, letting the human see the sharpness of his teeth. He might not have his tail any more, but he didn't want the other man to confuse him with a human either.
"I understand that my human will need some human friends, and it will benefit him to know someone who also has a Thresl. However, if you harm him, I will have to kill you." He made sure his look said he wasn't kidding. Vohne wanted the other man to know he took his responsibility seriously.
"Um, okay." Zander gave him a weak smile. "Will my Thresl be like you?"
Vohne laughed. "You humans still don't get it, do you?"
Zander shook his head. "Don't get what."
"How Thresls pick their form."
"No one understands that," Zander argued. Vohne had to admire how the other man rallied after Vohne's intimidation. Zander would be a valuable friend for his mate.
"Thresls understand." Vohne looked over at his human, who was watching him with a worried expression in his eyes. "Thresls become the essence of the person they bond with."
"So the commander is, deep down, a female diplomat?"
Vohne nodded. "He probably appreciates art and music but was told when he was young it wasn't manly enough to pursue those interests."
"And Kres? Deep inside he's an almost seven foot man with violent tendencies?"
"Yes," Vohne smirked. "Deep down my mate is a soldier who can snap your neck if you bother him too much. But don't worry. He never will."
Zander dared to look the Thresl in the eyes. "Why is that?"
"Because I would do it for him."
Pleased he'd made his point, Vohne went to get his human some food. He didn't tell Zander that as he evolved he would lose some of his more violent urges and Kreslan would gain more aggression. They would find a balance until they were so close their minds would almost be as one while their bodies would feel the urge to join. The magic of Thresl-human bonding was they both became stronger. He also didn't share what being an alpha really meant.
He would share that information only with his mate.
Chapter Four
Kres didn't know what Zander and Vohne discussed while grabbing food, but his fellow classmate was giving him a cautious glance from time to time as if he worried Kres was going to jump across the table and attack him.
"Is there a problem?" Kres asked before popping another piece of meat into his mouth. He'd had an odd craving for red meat since he woke up. Since he was usually a borderline vegetarian, it was extremely strange, but then what hadn't been weird lately. The fact that Vohne had known he needed meat and brought him a giant platter also needed further investigation, but he'd do it later when he wasn't shoving beef down his throat as fast as he could.
"Um, no?" The answer was more a question than a statement of fact.
"What did you say to him?" he asked the Thresl.
Vohne shrugged. "I told him where the Thresl form came from."
He could see getting a straight answer would be like yanking out one of the Thresl's fangs, difficult and potentially painful.
Taking another bite of meat, he gave Zander a curious look, silently prompting the other man to continue.
"They are your inner form."
Kres choked. He was saved from a blocked airway by a pat on the back from the Thresl that nearly broke his spine.
"You are my inner form?"
The Thresl smiled, exposing full fangs. "Surprise."
Kres looked the large man up and down. "I must have a great inner warrior thing going on."
"Yes, you do."
He was unsettled by the serious expression in Vohne's eyes. A loud bang startled him out of their locked gaze.
Billowy black smoke filled the cafeteria as smoke bombs exploded in the doorway. Kres tensed, wishing he hadn't left his weapon in his room, but he hadn't expected a synchronized attack over steak. He saw Vohne's eyes glow in the dim light. A large hand clamped over his wrist and pulled him farther into the room, away from the invading smoke.
"They've come for us," the Thresl said.
"Whoever they are they can't have you." There were many things Kres was uncertain about in their relationship, but there was no way he was going to let some Thresl-kidnapping bastards take his Vohne. Kres held his breath against the smoke as the room was entirely darkened by the bombs.
Blinding lights cut through the blackness as at least a dozen men entered wearing masks and carrying weapons with light scopes.
Vohne dropped to the ground, pulling Kres with him. "Whatever happens, don't let them take you. I will always return. Remember that."
"What?" Kres gasped. He tried to figure what was going on as a loud roar filled the room, and the air closest to him was displaced by Vohne's departure as the Thresl ran into the blackness.
Choking on the smoke, Kres tried to stay as still as possible as the screams echoed about him. He wondered where Zander was and if they had captured Zander's Thresl. He still wasn't sure what the soldiers were doing here, but he had a bad feeling he agreed with Vohne that they were here for the Thresls. If they could catch the valuable cats, they could rake in a fortune on the black market with the ones that hadn't bonded yet. He wondered how they got past security. Someone was going to be court-martialed for letting the invaders in.
From what he'd overheard on the shuttle to the moon, they were on a secret facility. Someone, somewhere had said too much, and now Kres was going to lose his man-cat before they even completed their bond. A weapon rattled as it hit the ground beside him.
Kres snatched it up, quickly familiarizing himself with the controls. He might not be the massive size of his Thresl, but he wasn't a weak, quivering soul to cower under the table and let someone else fight his battle.
Carefully feeling along until he had a wall to his back, Kres stalked the men who dared to come and try to take what was his.
A sharp shout had him stepping back in time to avoid the body falling to the floor. Without a second thought, he relieved the dead man of the knife strapped to his thigh and tucked it into the back of his waistband.
He still couldn't see more than a few inches in front of him. The smoke bombs were the high quality kind that created a lot of smoke and kept it in the air. Staying perfectly still, he tried to hear any signs of Vohne nearby. He silently cursed their lack of bonding. If he'd gotten over his trepidation with the Thresl, they'd already have a link and he wouldn't be blindly searching for the man-cat. When he found Vohne, he was going to make sure they bonded so well he'd be able to sense him in a Zevan mud storm during swelling season.
A sudden silence filled the room, more chilling than the screams and firefighting of moments before. Kres dared to breathe but only in quick silent gasps, however, his heart was knocking so hard against his chest he was worried the sound alone would give him away.
"I got him!" a voice shouted as a strong arm wrapped around his throat. "Drop the gun," the man growled in his ear.
Kres was surprised at the lack of fear he felt as he dropped his weapon to the floor. Grabbed by the enemy, he expected to feel something other than the complete and utter calm that took over his mind. As the stranger tried to choke the life out of him, Kres slipped his hand between them, grabbed the handle of the knife, and with ruthless precision plunged the knife into his enemy's arm.
Howling, the man released him. For a moment it felt like the world was moving in slow motion as he moved as fast as lightning fire. Kres leaned down, scooped up the
dropped weapon, and fired it into the forehead of the other man. With a dispassionate eye, he watched the soldier drop to the ground.
"I'll remember not to piss you off," Zander whispered beside him.
Kres looked at his new friend, still wrapped in an odd calm. "I don't think you'll need a reminder."
The Thresl meowed impatiently beside Zander.
"My Thresl says they took Vohne down the hallway."
"You can understand him?"
Zander gave him an odd look. "You couldn't understand Vohne?"
Kres shrugged. "A few words here and there but not sentences. We weren't together for very long in his cat form." Impatient with their conversation while his Thresl was being taken, he scooped up the other soldier's weapon and handed it over to a bewildered Zander.
"What's this for?" Zander asked with wide eyes.
"To shoot people."
"But I've never shot anyone before." Kres could hear the fear in his new friend's voice even if he couldn't see him very well.
"You aren't a soldier?"
"I'm a diplomat."
"Ahh, well, get your diplomatic ass in gear. If they get Vohne off this station because I was chatting with you, I'll shoot you myself." He crammed the weapon into Zander's hands and headed towards the exit.
"He was right, you know," Zander babbled as he scurried after Kres.
"Right about what?" Not that he really cared. Kres's eyes were busy scanning the area for possible enemies to give the other man much attention.
"You really are a kickass warrior."
"Yeah, well, let's go kick some ass." He was willing to do a lot more than that if it got his Thresl back. The bastards better have made their peace with whatever deities they worshipped, because if they resisted returning his Thresl, they were going to go visit them in person. He might have hesitated to claim Vohne before, but the utter fear he felt when he watched the Thresl disappear into the smoke told him they needed to be together, if only to see how far this bonding would go.
Kres kept his weapon close to his chest as he peeked around the corner. There was no one in the halls. The bastards were ahead of them. Zander rushed over to a numeric pad on the wall. Kres watched him press a series of buttons.
"Lock down commencing," the robotic female voice announced.
"Nice!" Kres approved.
Zander shrugged. "They told us the code during training. You haven't gotten that far yet. I hope they haven't already gotten out." Zander tucked himself close to the wall beside Kres. Zander scanned the area with his brilliant blue eyes. The man might not be a soldier, but he had good instincts. His Thresl stood beside him, its gold eyes gleaming with anger. The cat wasn't taking the abduction of one of its kind well.
"Can you feel him?"
"No." For a moment despair threatened to drown Kres, but he shoved it aside. This was no time to feel sorry for himself. He had to get his Thresl back.
"You should've bonded with him."
"Shut up!" Kres snapped. He didn't need a lecture on something he already knew.
A roar had them turning to the corridor on the right. As quickly and silently as he could, Kres rushed down the hall, only pausing when he reached an intersection. The noise became louder. Someone was getting an education in the abduction of Thresls, and it wasn't going well for them.
Kres let a slow smile cross his lips.
"Don't hurt him," a male voice said. "He's no good to us if he's dead."
He wasn't going to be good for them at all.
There were only three men left. Two of them carried Vohne between them while the third ordered and cursed.
Kres didn't know if the others had gone ahead or if their bodies were left on the floor in the fog-filled cafeteria. All he knew was they weren't there and he wasn't going to let these three idiots take off with his man.
Leaning around the corner, he aimed his weapon at the only one not holding his Thresl. The man went down with a shot to the back of his neck.
Kres hid behind the wall as the two men shouted.
"We've got to get out of here."
"The door's locked."
Kres smiled. The bastards were trapped.
The sound of booted feet sounded behind him.
"What's going on?" The commander's voice was hushed behind him.
"There are two of them left. They have my Thresl."
"Leave one of them alive for questioning. I want to find out how they got in here."
"I'll try." If the choice came between keeping one alive and saving his Thresl, there wasn't any question.
"You'd better open this door," one of the abductors shouted. "If you don't, your Thresl is history."
"Let go of the Thresl and we'll let you leave," the commander responded.
"I don't believe you," the abductor shouted back.
"He's smarter than he looks," Kres muttered.
Fear almost stopped his heart. The creature that at first seemed an interruption to his well-planned life now was the most important thing in it. What would he do if Vohne were killed?
Vohne's voice whispered in his head. "Mate."
"Vohne."
"Shoot the bastard."
Without hesitation, Kres did as his Thresl requested. Whipping around the corner, he shot the idiot threatening Vohne. A cry ripped the air as the remaining man holding Vohne tumbled to the ground beneath his weight.
Soldiers filled the hall, lifting Vohne and clearing the area of the two dead men and the one still alive. Medics arrived soon after with a gurney to take Vohne away. Kres fought through the crowd to get to Vohne's side. He had to make sure his man-cat was unhurt.
He shouted and pushed until he stood beside the gurney holding his mate. Foggy gold eyes blinked up at him, whatever drugs they'd pumped into Vohne's body making him sluggish and uncoordinated.
Vohne gripped Kres's arm like a vise. "You did good, my warrior. I am pleased to rule with you at my side."
"To what?"
Before he could get any answers, the Thresl closed his eyes and the medics took him away.
Zander patted him on the back. "What was he talking to you about? You're looking pale. I thought you'd be happy you have your guy back."
"I thought I would be too." Now he was wondering what he'd gotten himself into again.
Chapter Five
Kres was told to stay away from the infirmary while the Thresl healed. Apparently alpha Thresls didn't like to be injured before their mates. Something to do with wanting to always appear strong in front of their chosen ones or some such crap. Kres wasn't really paying attention past the request for him not to go with the medics. He was more interested in hunting down his Thresl handbook. He didn't bother to argue. An argument was certain to be in their future soon, and he wanted to make sure he had all the facts before it began.
As much as he cared how Vohne was doing, the man-cat looked more drugged than injured, and Kres had an objective to fulfill.
"Where are you going?" Zander asked, bouncing down the hallway behind him. If there was one thing that screamed Zander wasn't a soldier it was the way he walked. Soldiers didn't bounce. However, despite their differences, Kres still liked the other man. Zander was one of those people everyone liked. Kres thought he'd do very well in the diplomatic corps.
"I'm going to find that damned book."
"Why?"
"Didn't you hear him? I'm supposed to rule by his side."
"Well, yeah."
Kres spun around, pinning Zander with his stare. "You know about this?"
Zander held up his hands in self-defense. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
"How many times do I have to tell everyone that I didn't plan for a Thresl? I wasn't supposed to get one. I didn't do any planning or training or anything. All I did was stop him from killing an idiot, and we bonded."
A smile crossed Zander's face. "You don't even know what you have. Come back to my room. I can tell you everything you need to know. Besides, I've got the good brandy. It's one
advantage to growing up in a diplomatic family. You know where to procure the good liquor."
"Deal." It would probably be easier for Zander to explain it anyway. Kres wasn't book smart. Give him a weapon and some action and he could take care of himself, but words always looked jumbled on a page when he tried to focus, and when he finally got them together to form a sentence, they inevitably didn't make any sense. He'd barely scraped by his studies with the help of a good tutor. Luckily, his combat skills balanced it all out.
Zander's room was a far cry from the sterile cube that comprised Kres's lodging. Thick rugs covered the floor, the walls were tinted a soft blue, and the furnishings screamed money. It was also three times the size of Kres's room. Zander gave a deprecating shrug. "Did I mention my father is best friends with the station master?"
"It must be good to have connections."
Zander smiled. "That's what the diplomatic corps is all about. Now, come sit down." He pointed towards a well-padded chair by a table that looked like honest-to-god real wood.
Ignoring Kres's stare, Zander grabbed two crystal glasses and a full decanter. He filled one glass halfway and the other almost to the top. He slid the full one towards Kres.
"You might need this while I describe how it is going to go with you and the Thresl who will be king."
Kres felt his heart stop.
"What?"
"When the commander told you your Thresl was an alpha, he didn't tell you the entire story." He motioned to the glass of brandy. "Drink up."
Kres took a tentative sip. The liquor burned all the way down to his toes, filling his body with warmth and a tingling sensation. "Wow." A few sips later he decided he really liked the feeling. Halfway through the glass he set it down. "Now that you have me feeling good, what are you trying to not tell me?"
Zander gave him a sheepish look. "Obviously I need to work on my poker face if I'm going to make it as a politician. Here's the gist of it. True alpha Thresls are extremely rare. One hasn't been born in over three hundred years. It's one thing to be alpha of our class but another to be a real alpha Thresl. Vohne is the latter. An alpha is priceless to Thresl hunters, which is why there was an attack on the station. To control Vohne is to control the entire kingdom of Thresls. They would've come and gotten you next so they could blackmail him into doing whatever they wanted."