Slade

by Simpson, Serena

  “But tomorrow it will no longer be Thanksgiving,” Sela said as if it made perfect sense.

  “Then tomorrow we can play Christmas music.”

  “Is there Thanksgiving music?” Ivory asked Serenity.

  “Nope, we play regular old music today.”

  Everyone started chiming in saying they should take a vote on the music. Mila placed her hand in Slade’s and closed her eyes. She did something she hadn’t done since the day she died. She gave thanks for her life and then for her new family.

  *~*~*~*

  She was not surprised when she opened her eyes. It really was Trogons style. They had a family meeting after they put the children to bed and decided that Black Friday shopping was something they would all skip this year. It was her best bet that tonight Trogon would come for them.

  Slade’s breathing was even, but she knew he was awake.

  “You were right.”

  “He likes to think he’s a mystery, but he’s not.” Slade slipped out of bed. She took a few more minutes to deep breathe. This is what her life was building up to, but now she had a future past this moment. She needed to remember that and fight smart not recklessly.

  Mila dressed in a skintight one-piece black outfit. It would blend in with the night. It also fit her like a glove. It would breathe as she moved and there was nothing confining about it.

  Slade had his own black outfit. She had to appreciate how it molded to his curves.

  “Mercenary.” She nodded acknowledging him as she put on a pair of supple boots, they molded to her feet and legs, but the animal hide was treated so that nothing would penetrate them. She had no idea where Me’akal got them from, but they were worth more to her than her bank account, and that’s saying a lot.

  There were shimmering lights along the floorboards they warned of the possible invasion without giving away that they knew they were here.

  She followed Slade into the stairwell not wanting to take the chance of being stuck in an elevator.

  “They attacked at night when they knew you were at your most vulnerable.”

  “Trogon is a master of capitalizing on his opponent’s weakness. Which is why I trained hard to not have any.” Her hand wanted to hover protectively over her child. If she gave in to the temptation for even a second, he would find out. Mila refused to let that happen.

  Me’akal was waiting for her at the kitchen door. It never dawned on her that he wouldn’t be there when she needed him most. He held up a blackout mask. The minute she placed this on her eyes, her world would become one without the hint of light. She closed her eyes letting darkness become her friend. When she was comfortable with it, when she was comfortable in the darkness, she reached for the mask quickly putting it on.

  She was totally in the dark now. Once her eyes were adjusted, she gave the signal. There was the soft whisper of the door opening, then the sweeping cold that played around her legs. Me'akal went out the door first. Slade quietly told Phoenix, not yet, he would know when. She hadn’t been part of that conversation, but it didn’t bother her. She trusted Slade and believed he trusted her too.

  Slade moved as quietly as Me’akal. Once again, she appreciated how he was created. A small smile played on her lips at her own joke before she followed him outside. She spent hours studying the house and the surrounding areas. Know thine enemy. Trogon didn’t fight fair. There was a slight rustle of dead leaves on the ground.

  Slade ordered the ground not to be cleared when she came. She counted five new life signs. Their breathing slowed as they moved out. Slade was to her right and Me’akal to her left. When the first one ran up the middle coming for her. She took the cylinder she was holding in the palm of her hand and twisted her wrist. The cylinder became a staff. When the first one attacked her, she used it to swipe under his legs. Then used it to leverage her, so she could kick him on his way down.

  “Stay down,” she growled while running to meet the second assailant. She put him down on his ass when her first assailant came back for more. Her soul cried out as she turned in darkness to meet him.

  “I asked you to stay down,” she said with the quietness of a prayer. This time she didn’t go for the legs. She met him on the field defending herself as he punched and kicked sending her backward. Joy came flooding from him. She could feel his aura surrounding her. When he dropped his guard, she went into a spin when she came out her staff was against his throat. She broke it.

  “Stay down,” she screamed, “or I’ll make sure you stay down.” She felt death like a mark of darkness on her soul. Mila hated to kill; she always tried to give them a chance. The second assailant went to get up. She ended his life before he had a chance.

  There was no sound. She knew better than to believe that Trogon’s men were defeated.

  One by one she heard them come from the areas around the house. Several stepped out of a portal. He sent an army. She changed her stance ready to fight. It was Slade’s voice in her head that made her wait.

  “Not yet, little warrior.”

  She waited, there was a change in the atmosphere around her. “Take off your mask. The area has been flooded with light. Our brothers will fight with us.”

  When this was over, she was going to take days to ponder on the master strategist her mate was. She took off her mask never opening her eyes until the last minute when she felt two bodies trying to surround her. They were still fighting to adjust to the light. She took them out giving her standard warning as she ran into the fray.

  Blood flew as she fought. A twist to the side a black flip to miss a kick aimed at her stomach. She hit the ground curling into a ball to protect her child, then rolling into the legs of an assailant sneaking up on Akron. He bent his head in respect and went after a different target.

  Mila moved to the side allowing her family to get rid of the riff-raff. She killed anything that came her way. She needed to stay fresh for the real fight. Soon Trogon’s men stayed away from her. No one attacked unless he wanted to die.

  Soon the sounds of fighting dimmed. Slade and his brother had at least thirty men on their knees who surrendered. There were around twenty dead bodies, half of that count belonged to her.

  “Trogon didn’t show.” Slade moved to her side.

  She watched as his brothers, her family cleared the area. She didn’t ask what they did with the dead or the living. Instead, her head tilted looking into the darkness of the sky.

  “He’ll be here. This is his big finale.” She smiled with satisfaction when Trogon stepped from a portal to stand in front of her.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Trogon was completely, utterly forgettable, and he used that to his advantage. Many had tried to describe him after he killed villages or destroyed cities. None were ever able to give a detailed picture of him. Mila knew that as long as she lived his flat brown eyes that promised death would forever haunt her.

  “Twin.” His voice held the coldness of the grave as he overlooked Mila to speak to Slade.

  Slade refused to rise to the bate. Many before him had jumped to the challenge falling blindly to the compulsion in Trogon’s voice. Slade either didn’t hear it or was able to resist. Either way, it put him higher on Mila’s scale of desirability when she thought he was already at the top.

  Trogon raised a hand. Five of his generals stepped out of a portal. This was the cream of his crop. The best he had to offer. With a flick of his fingers, they went to war attacking Slade’s brothers.

  “I’ll take care of the twin. When you’re done dispatching the others pick up my newest fuck.”

  Mila laughed softly as she moved to the side. She had to admit even if it was just to herself, she enjoyed watching Slade kick ass and not take names.

  Slade stood absolutely still until Trogon came for him. Then his form changed. It was so seamless that if she hadn’t of been watching him, she wouldn’t have seen it. He was twelve feet of alien monster. The fangs that hung over his bottom lip would have made her turn tail. His arms bulge
d, and his legs looked like they should be planted in the ground they were so thick. His black outfit changed with him. No wonder he wore that.

  Would he change later and let her climb him like a fucking tree? She wanted to lick that large fang like it was his… No getting hot and bothered she scolded herself.

  Trogon changed into a beast meeting Slade head on. Mila watched as they clawed and bit neither getting the upper hand. When Slade put his hand out, she threw her staff to him. He caught it sweeping Trogon off his feet as his claws aimed for his heart. The hide that Trogon was buried within stopped Slade from tearing through.

  Mila turned to look around two of Trogon’s generals were dead. At least one could be attributed to Me’akal. The other three were trussed up much like the turkey they ate yesterday.

  “Enough!” There was power in Trogon’s voice as he bellowed the command. “Let my generals go. Twin present yourself to me.”

  “Now, it’s my turn,” she whispered into Slade’s mind.

  He moved back without taking his eyes off Trogon. She stepped in front of him.

  “No to the twin, but I’ll negotiate for the generals. If you get through me, you can have them back, well the living ones. There will be no bringing the dead back to life.” Mila buffed her nails on one hand against her thigh while she waited for his answer. She didn’t act like this was the one thing her life had been building up to.

  “When I am done with you, I will crush the twin and use you as a receptacle even if you're dead.”

  She gave a negligent shrug and a breathy sigh to show her boredom. “If you must.”

  Slade moved away from her as her gaze focused on Trogon. When he came at her every lesson Me’akal taught her came rushing back. She stepped back using the slightness of her frame to avoid his elbow in the stomach while he grabbed her neck to try and break it. She went low while he was still aiming high tangling her legs with his and throwing him off balance.

  She rolled, then lunged herself upwards to stand as his hand grabbed out to catch her leg. She carried forward as the material of her outfit didn’t give. The silky smoothness of it keeping him from getting a grip. She flashed him a smile as she ran towards him. He moved quicker than she anticipated, and she pounced on land.

  “The human knows a trick or two,” he sneered.

  She smiled; he should have had Me’akal as a teacher. Then he would know that when the prey starts to talk, it’s an indication of fear. He was prey, and she would catch him.

  He came at her more cautiously, this time fighting to win against a worthy opponent. She met every kick and thrust of his hands until she slipped. It was unthinkable that she could make such a childish mistake. The fiendish delight in his eyes told her it was over. He fought her back never allowing her to find her proper footing or to advance.

  Her normal breathing became choppy as she fought. Then he surprised her landing a kick to her side that knocked her down. She couldn’t get up fast enough, and he knew that he was the winner.

  “Human, female,” he sneered. “You thought you could defeat me? I will strip you of everything you hold dear. Your name will be whispered for an eon in the galaxy as a cautionary tale.”

  Mila took the end in. Slade stood on her left side, Me’akal on her right. Her family stood behind her with the women and children looking out the windows. They would see her defeat and her death. She didn’t have time to mourn for them. All she could think of was her mate and her unborn child.

  How could she have been so selfish as to want to fight? Slade should have moved them all to paradise. The despair she felt surrounding her lifted off her skin in a pungent odor.

  The thought of victory made Trogon’s flat brown eyes gleam. In his hand appeared a flaming sword of justice. His generals both cheered and jeered behind her back. At her side, Slade’s body tensed. She knew that Trogon would never get close to her. Slade would give his life for hers. Were Brie’s words going through his mind as they ran through hers? Would he toss his body to the right taking the blow of death meant for her or would he go to the left no matter what his instincts were telling him? Would he trust her?

  Trogon was close enough for her to feel his body heat. Slade moved; a cry was torn from his heart and soul but never from his lips. His body went to the left leaving her free to die in peace. When Trogon brought his sword down, she raised her left arm in front of her bringing up a living shield that absorbed the fire of his sword.

  His generals screamed a warning, but it was too late. Her right hand gripped the weapon she ineffectively used against Slade when she first met him. It absorbed the fire dancing along her shield. She rose to her feet throwing her own sword end over end heading towards Trogon, nothing but a direct hit in his heart would stop him.

  When her sword pierced him, his smile of victory became one of confusion. She stepped back. He wasn’t dead far from it. Trogon could only die if his heart was pierced. He had that removed centuries ago. It was in a hidden location being kept alive by magic darker than she was willing to challenge.

  She had pierced where his heart should have been. It would keep him out of commission for centuries. That would have to be enough.

  A portal opened around him snatching him up before anyone could move. His generals would suffer whatever fate the created decreed.

  Mila sank to her knees it was over, and she was alive. She looked at Slade, who was back in his humanoid shape. His eyes were haunted as he watched her. He trusted her the words ran through her mind until she finally understood them. Her male, her mate, trusted her as an equal.

  She rose and ran to him; she jumped trusting him to catch her. He snatched her pulling her out of the air.

  “You trusted me,” she sobbed in his arms. If asked, she was going to blame it on the baby.

  “I love you. I'll always trust you.” He kissed her taking her breath and leaving her dizzy as he held her close.

  She opened her eyes to see Me’akal standing at the edge of the chaos. He swept into a deep bow of one master to another. His hand went over his heart reminding her he always would love her. Between one blink and the next, he became the huge hellhound that she used to hug tight to make it through the night. He disappeared without anyone noticing. This time she cried for the past she never appreciated until now.

  “You’ll see him again,” Slade told her once again seeing more than he should.

  *~*~*~*

  “Where did the shield come from?” Quinn asked her now that the yard was clean, and the adrenaline was beginning to recede.

  Mila was sitting with the others in the living room. She was drinking mint tea without the booze. She gave Quinn’s cup a longing look. Quinn smiled at her and took an exaggerated sip of her tea. One day, the shoe would be on the other foot.

  “To become a Ky Zo Mol master you have to be able to touch and command your life force. It allows you to raise a shield at will.”

  “Damn, you did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Phoenix gave her an appraising look.

  “As Slade found out Trogon has the ability to reflect your level of prowess back at you. His victories come after his opponent has been worn down. When I say I studied him, I mean it. We went over every battle that he fought even the ones that were written before recording devices.” She yawned, the battle starting to take his toll on her.

  “He didn’t die.”

  “I will not be the one to kill him. He will be incapacitated for centuries. There is no need to fear him now.”

  She stood with Slade. They both needed sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  “It’s all over,” Slade whispered in her ear when she woke.

  She shook her head. “It’s all beginning. You and I, plus a baby make three. We’re a family. When I came, I had no hope, but you saw a future for us and wouldn’t give up.”

  “It’s not how I remember it, but I’ll take it.” His hand went to lay possessively and protectively on her stomach. “I was hoping we could come to a compromise.”


  “Oh?”

  “While you’re pregnant you leave the fighting to me.”

  “Hmm.” She pretended to think about it. “How about you do the fighting unless it takes my particular skill set?”

  “I guess if that’s all I can get out of you,” he teased.

  “Did you hear that?” He laid his head on her stomach. “Your mother is making my life hard. I expect you to help me keep an eye on her when you're born.” He kissed her belly before making his way down.

  “Slade what are you doing? Slade!” Her hands grabbed his hair. They missed breakfast.

  “What are you doing?” She asked as she came out the bathroom a towel wrapped around her breast. He was holding her one piece in his hand.

  “I was thinking we should get you one of these in every color.”

  “That’s not practical. They would be too bright and make me a target.”

  “Who said anything about you fighting in them?”

  She looked at him until comprehension began to dawn. “I love you and I love the way you love me.”

  “Say it again, little warrior.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you Mila. I was drowning in despair until you threw me a rope and pulled me to shore. We saved each other baby. I can’t think of a better love story than that.”

  His thumb came up and wiped a tear from her eyes. One day, she would put her son to sleep with the story of how his parents met. That would be the legacy of her parents that she hoped to pass down through the generations. She gave him a kiss.

  “Get dressed, I’m hungry. Somehow I missed breakfast.” They dressed and made their way downstairs.

  “They heroes emerge from their cave to greet the dawn!” Piper said with a flourish.

  “Thrice you really need to teach your mate to tell time. This is no longer the middle ages, keeping them ignorant, barefoot, and pregnant can get you stoned,” Akron told him.