Alexei

by Serena Simpson

  “Should I ask why you’re here?” Gaige’s soft voice reached her.

  “Only when I start asking why you go places, Gaige.”

  He nodded and left the subject alone. Yep, that was one of the reasons she loved her adopted family, they really did know when to leave you alone, or not. Why was Alexei pacing?

  “Alexei, what’s wrong with you?”

  “I did something today, Amber, that I didn’t tell you about. Now Gaige and Dom have seen something that might cause me to do it again.”

  “Well now is as good as any other time to tell me what’s going on.”

  “I killed a being today; he was planning on killing me and starting a war.”

  Amber’s indrawn breath was loud in the silent room.

  “I’m a killer, Amber. Now Gaige and Dom have found what looks like a nest of beings planning on hitting the clubs tonight and starting a blood bath in the streets. How can I let that happen?”

  She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him everything would be ok. If it would really be ok, she wasn’t sure. Instead she aimed for a chair and took a seat.

  He stopped to look at her before pacing faster.

  “You didn’t have a choice, Alexei. You said they would have killed you.”

  “There’s always a choice. I could have controlled myself better, taken him down. Incapacitated him somehow, taken him to my father, uncles, even Dante, but I killed him.”

  She shot off the chair. This was ridiculous. “And when you got him there? What would happen? Would your dad, your uncle’s, even Ash—my dad or Dante have spared his life? Would they have said, Pittsburgh is our home, tear it down? Or would they, like you, have ended the life of someone who threatened every man, woman, and child in the city?

  “Are you upset because you took that being’s life or are you upset because you would do it again if you had to? Did your beast enjoy the kill, Alexei? Is that why you’re upset?”

  “Don’t push me, Amber.” His lips curled back showing a hint of fang that dropped just enough to be visible.

  “Or what, Alexei? Will you kill me too?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!”

  “Gaige, do you feel the need for popcorn and a big drink?” Dom whispered as he looked back and forth between Alexei and Amber.

  Alexei’s head turned to look at Dom before he emitted a roar that shook the room.

  “Gaige, please tell me you’re getting this. I want to play it at the next family get together.”

  Alexei took a step towards his cousin. Amber stepped into his path.

  “You’re upset with me not your crazy cousin with a death wish.”

  “Oh he won’t kill me; he’s too scared of my Momma for that.”

  She took a look at each one of them. The more she looked the harder the urge to laugh rode her. Finally, not caring, she broke out into a deep belly laugh. She loved these guys, they made her feel welcome. She hadn’t even considered she was the oldest in the room until just this minute. Pulling herself together she realized she needed to be the voice of wisdom.

  “Why don’t we go wake the Created and tell them what we found? Wouldn’t that be the smartest thing to do?

  “I agree with, Amber,” Gaige, the voice of sanity said to them. “We should wake our parents let them come to our rescue again as we wait in our perspective houses for mommy and daddy to take care of us.”

  Damn, when he put it like that she was ready to go infiltrate a night club and stop these beings herself.

  “Then what should we do, oh silent one?”

  Gaige shot a look at the still pacing Alexei before answering her.

  “We should check it out. Get some intel before we bring the rest of the Created into it.”

  “What about the rest of the hybrids? Should we take them with us?” Dom asked quietly.

  “Do you really want a twenty and a seventeen-year-old dogging our steps, besides neither is old enough to get into a night club.”

  “What Gaige is really saying, is do any of us want Nicolas or Hale chasing us for taking their sons who are not yet grown and causing them to fight and maybe kill.”

  All eyes flew to Alexei and every head shook. No one wanted that.

  “The real question,” Amber intoned, “is what are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to track down the lair of the beings trying to infiltrate and cause havoc on our planet. We’re going to try and stop a war before it starts,” Alexei said, wondering at the validity of his statement.

  “Sign me up.” She needed to be part of what was happening.

  “You’re. Not. Going.” Every word that left his mouth came out like a bullet from a shot gun.

  “You. Can’t. Stop. Me!” Who did he think he was? Ash? Her real dad? He didn’t own her simply because he promised her good sex. A promise he hadn’t made good on. It wasn’t his fault, but tell it to her thirsty hormones.

  “Amber, be reasonable.”

  She gave a frustrated move of her hand and a lamp hovered over a side table before wrenching its cord out the wall and flying towards Alexei’s head.

  He dropped to the ground and the lamp hovered over his head.

  “You never intended to hit me with that?”

  “And have Aran come after me? No thank you. I can take care of myself, Alexei. I may not have a beast inside, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have weapons.”

  “Where did you learn to do that?” Gaige looked at her running a silent assessment of her.

  “I’m pretty sure I was born with this ability and serval others. All of which may not be apparent.

  Alexei stopped pacing. “If you want to come, Amber, then you have to promise to stay close to me in the case of trouble.”

  Was he trying to take care of her? A little bit of warmth seeped into her chest.

  “I promise.”

  “Then let’s go. Dom?”

  “Don’t say it, Alexei. I’m going, that’s final.”

  Alexei nodded. He led them through the house to the garage off the kitchen.

  He chose a huge hover car that converted to a land jeep when needed. It would give them the option to land quickly. Very few families owned one because the price tag was still ridiculously high.

  They got in, Amber sitting in the front seat next to him. It made him feel good, like she was telling the whole world she chose him.

  “Where did you come across them, Gaige?” Alexei asked as he cleared the garage and took the car to hover level two. That would put them just above the tree line, allowing them privacy from most prying eyes.

  “Old Hill.”

  “What were you doing over there?” Amber asked wide eyed.

  “Patrolling it, someone needs to do it.” He shot Alexei a look of insubordination.

  “You’re right we need to extend our patrol to cover that area of the city also.” He raked his hands through his hair. “No one get thoughts of being a hero. If this is the war our parents told us was coming, then the four of us won’t stop it, but we can get as much intel as possible.

  He reached over and placed his hand on her thigh. She smiled as he squeezed. She didn’t really know what was happening between them. Then there was the threat of a war, an alien invasion hanging over their head. In the end none of it mattered; she was going to hang on as long as possible and enjoy the ride.

  Chapter Six

  The ride to old Hill went quicker thanks to the hover car. They didn’t run into any air traffic at all.

  Old Hill was actually one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It had been torn down and redone from scratch. The elite lived here, well those up and coming who thought they were the elite of the city. Living in the suburbs died out when Amber was a child. The in thing was to live in the city, the closer to downtown the more status was attributed to you. It was a trend that both the Created and the hybrids laughed at.

  “Where to?” Alexei ran his hands over the controls of the hover car as they sat over the main drag.

&nb
sp; “Sugar Hill.” It wasn’t officially called Sugar Hill, Gaige knew that, he simply liked the old name better than the new one. It was renamed The View because it sat on such a high peak with some spectacular views depending where you were.

  They moved stealthily until they were hovering over the area, Gaige pointed out where they needed to be. The hover car lowered the wheels and a façade of a jeep covered the car. They looked like anything else on the road. Alexei maneuvered them into a parking spot.

  “Everyone take note. We go in only if the place is empty. We look for clues to what’s happening and then we leave. When we convene back at my house, we can decide what to do from there. Agreed?”

  Amber nodded under Alexei’s gaze.

  The house they were entering was one of the smaller homes in the area. It was a simple two story house with modern construction, which was all the rage now. Anything old was looked down on. That was good for the construction business.

  Dom popped the lock. There were very few doors he couldn’t get into, just another one of his freaky powers.

  The smell overtook them the minute they walked in. Amber gagged trying to keep her dinner down.

  “What is that smell?”

  “It’s the Vayhr,” Alexei said quietly.

  “The what?” Dom asked.

  “The Vayhr. They’re a race our parents have only come into contact with twice. My dad showed me their world; his dominant male parent had many run-ins with them. They’re shape shifters, but in their natural form they’re more insect like. They live in cocoons and leave a yellowish green slime trail that seems to be covered up when they shape shift. You would think they would all change shapes into something more pleasing, but they believe the rest of the universe should be more like them.”

  “Love the skin you’re in,” Amber mumbled looking around. “They’re disgusting to us but that doesn’t necessarily make them bad.”

  “You’re right, but they also think of humanoids as a delicacy to be eaten raw.”

  “That’s not funny, Alexei.” Amber glared at him.

  “I’m not playing.”

  “What are you saying?” Dom arched a brow at him before moving through to the next room. “They came to Earth to eat us?”

  “No, they came to help start an invasion.” Alexei held up some paperwork showing the best targets. He spent some time with Dante who had filled him in a little on his destiny. The paper-work was something he kept in the car another gift from Dante who stated ‘When the time comes, you’ll know how to use it’.

  “What I am saying is I doubt they will come home alone. Most likely some young girl who drank too much will be brought home for a late night snack.”

  “So what do we do? Do we stay here or do we try to find them?” Amber shivered, thinking of the girl with a “Have you seen me?” picture posted all over the news. She had seen enough of those to last a life time.

  “I say we stay here, bars close in ten minutes. I doubt whatever they are planning will happen tonight, not after I offed the other one.”

  They nodded fanning out to search the house before they would need to confront the Vayhr. They entered the kitchen. It was small the way they made them now. Not much was done in here but cooking; the real entertainment was in the bigger dining room.

  “Yaksim is real.” Dom’s face was pale. “I always knew he was real, but a part of me hoped he was the boogey man our parents made up to keep us in line. He picked up an ultra-modern tablet to show them before he started to read from it.

  “This communication was left open. Plans have been made to free Yaksim from the holding cell his enemy, Dante, encased him in years ago. The invasion of Earth is a go; the first stages have been effective. We are spread out over the planet living among them without their knowledge. The fact that so many other alien cultures have assimilated on Earth has made this easier than expected. Unfortunately, the unknown numbers of other alien cultures may make this harder if they choose to fight to defend the planet. I don’t believe we can count on them running off to a new planet after making this planet their home for so many years. This may not be a simple fight with the Created where we can crush them with sheer numbers. If the others fight, not only will Earth be doomed but we will be doomed as well.”

  “Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not feeling particularly overly optimistic at this point,” Amber stated, looking round.

  “What Amber said,” came from Dom.

  They fanned out going into the large dining room area that held a table big enough for four along with matching chairs. There was a living room on the main floor as well as a powder room. The new construction was sparsely furnished with walls of a puke green.

  There were two-bedrooms upstairs each had a cocoon and parts of bodies thrown around the room. Amber grabbed her stomach trying to hold in her dinner.

  They had all gathered downstairs when they heard the giggle and the hiccup of several drunk girls.

  “Hey, you said there was going to be a party here,” the female’s voice was slurred.

  “There is,” The voice was suave and cultured as if it came from a long line of money. “You and your friend will be the party, and my friend and I will be doing the eating.”

  “Mmm, you’re so wicked. I think I like that.”

  “I can’t wait to taste you, Baby.”

  “Eww what’s that smell?” The other female voice said, seeming to sober up as the smell it her.

  “Nothing you have to worry about for long.”

  “Betty, I think we should be getting home. You know how my folks worry,” the soberer one said.

  “Margery, I want to…” Betty walked all the way into the house. The look of disgust on her face let her friend know she caught a whiff of the smell.

  “Yeah your folks really do worry. I think you’re right, we need to go and let them know we’re fine.”

  “You can always call from here.”

  Both women backed up trying to make it to the door.

  “Stay a while.”

  The dark haired alien that Amber could now see shut the door and stood in front of it.

  “Look,” Betty said, “We don’t know what this is about. Just let us leave we’ll forget we ever met you.”

  A ginger haired alien walked into view. “We can’t do that since we plan to make you our after dinner snack.” The guise of his human form dropped.

  Betty and Margery screamed turning towards the door only to find themselves boxed in. The Vayhr stood on two long skeletal looking hind legs. They had claws on their forearms with a trail of yellowish slime dripping from the huge jaws of their mouths. Their teeth were sharp and dagger like while their bodies looked like that of an oversized praying mantis.

  “You’re out of luck tonight, boys. Your eating days are over,” Amber called out taking pity on the girls.

  “Look at that one,” the one who used to have the ginger hair spoke, his voice seeming to be disassociated with his body. “She’s big enough to feed both of us.”

  Alexei’s eyes were glowing again. “The only person feeding from her will be me. Let the females go.”

  “Why because a baby Created told us to? We’ll eat these two and save the big girl for tomorrow night.”

  The Vayhr who had the darker hair sniffed at Amber. “She’s a virgin; we can plant our seed in her. Babies. They can eat her after they’re born.”

  “Excellent brother,” the other nodded in agreement.

  Amber looked around the room, “Are we done? Have we all come to an agreement? Can we take a vote on who’s about to die? All in favor of the Vayhr dying raise your hands.”

  Alexei shook his head and raised his hand. That was his Amber, nothing scared her not even the threat of becoming the mother of baby Vayhrs who would eat her alive once they were born.

  The Vayhrs charged after them. Amber jerked the door open screaming at the women to run with a flick of her wrist. Alexei pulled her behind him and stood his ground. His form recede
d as his beast took over, he grew taller and broader. A roar came from him rocking the room and making the Vayhr stand still for a moment.

  “Kill them all,” the ginger haired one screamed before coming for them. Gaige and Dom swapped forms ready to meet the head on attack. The ginger haired one took on Alexei as the other one took on Gaige and Dom.

  “You come into my house.” Its claws reached for Alexei snapping, trying to gain purchase on his skin. “You release my late night snack and you threaten me. You won’t be leaving alive.”

  It picked up a weapon with its other claw and threw it catching Alexei in the leg. It went through causing him to list to the right in order to take weight off of his left leg. Pain seared through him making him doubt his decision to be on the front end of the war.

  “More chatty aliens.” He grumbled swiping a deadly claw out and catching the Vayhr in the arm drawing blood.

  The ginger haired one screeched jumping backwards. Alexei maneuvered himself into the kitchen leaving a trail of blood behind as he hopped on one leg. He grabbed a butcher knife from the counter.

  When the Vayhr came for him, it had another weapon in his hand. This time it was a Vayhr sword. Deadly in its accuracy. Many would kill to get their hands on one.

  The Vayhr swung it before him. Alexei closed his eyes knowing the sword was rumored to have the potential to mesmerize its victim. He would need to forget the pain in order to fight, if he wanted to live.

  “Alexei you must be able to use all your senses to fight. Many times sight blinds you to everything else.” His father’s words came back to him.

  For a moment he stood in the basement of the house, lights turned off and blind folded, knowing at any time his father would strike him. Alexei would have to fight his dad without the benefit of sight.

  He bounced on his feet ignoring the pain ripping through his leg. The pain wouldn’t matter if he didn’t defeat his opponent. It was the subtle sound of the air being displaced that warned him the Vayhr was coming in for the kill. With all the grace he could muster, he jumped in the air avoiding the strike that was chest high.