Alien General's Fated: SciFi Alien Romance (Brion Brides)

by Voxley, Vi

  He was in the command center when Aria arrived, panting heavily. Her beautiful eyes were bright, alive. Afraid, yes, but ready to do her part.

  Seeing her was both exhilarating and distracting. Ryden hadn't lied to her before. He really had wanted Aria to be his gesha, but it seemed the fates had other plans for him. That didn't mean merely looking upon the little Terran wasn't bittersweet. She called to him, but every inch of her was farther from him than ever before.

  "General," Aria said, avoiding his gaze. "Is it the enemy?"

  She took a seat behind one of the consoles, seeing for herself. With a few quick moves, she was bringing up detailed reports of the situation. He watched Aria checking the status of the shield, then moving on to bringing some of the weapons up, ready to blast the enemy ships. Hadn't she mentioned some of them were her own design?

  Fate better have something amazing in store, Ryden thought, looking at her with not a little regret.

  "Commander," one of his own warriors called. "There has been a sighting."

  Ryden rounded on the man at once.

  "Where?" he demanded.

  He hadn't stopped running the scans for a moment. His officers were doing their absolute best to try and distinguish the Host from the regular Clayors. Any hint they got, Ryden went to see personally. After seeing the bodies the Host had left behind—most of them had been cleaned away when he led Aria to the center—he was intent not to let any other civilian face the creature. Maybe not even his own warriors. If there was anyone on Ilotra who could take it down, Ryden knew it was him.

  The screen showed the Host not far from them. A trap, an obvious trap, the general knew that, but it was a tactic he and the hive mind both seemed to like. The risk was too great. The Host was heading toward the shield generator. Ryden wondered if it was its actual destination, but it made little difference. He couldn't let it reach the hangar.

  But if it did, he'd need Aria there to observe the damage and fix it if she could.

  "Aria," he said. "Come with me."

  She looked surprised, but came along as he'd ordered. Ryden liked that, another on the long list of things he liked about her, especially opposed to everyone else on Ilotra. She listened to him and didn't question his orders when time was of the essence. That was how things worked with his own warriors. Aria being able to replicate that feeling in him—that was quite something.

  Ryden called for a unit with him. He wasn't sure if they could hold off the Host, but it was worth a shot. If the hive mind got past him, there would be little difference anyway.

  "Protect her at all costs," he ordered the captain of the unit. "She is your first priority."

  He saw Aria go very pale at that, but it wasn't up for debate. She was too valuable, both to Ilotra, and to him.

  They ran along dark, empty corridors. The center kept reporting on the paths the Host was taking. It didn't seem to want to run from them, but neither did it go back into hiding.

  Ryden knew sooner or later he'd have to face the hive mind anyway and it was definitely better to do it while the Host was alone. It was a strong enough champion on its own without hordes of Clayors throwing themselves on his blade to stop him from fighting. The only problem was trapping a creature that looked at the world with thousands of eyes.

  When he saw the Host, Ryden motioned for Aria and the unit to stay behind and he went on. He could sense jealousy in a few of his warriors. That was good, a hunger for glory was always a good quality in a Brion warrior. His valor squares pulsed approvingly.

  The Host turned when he approached. It didn't appear afraid or even careful. As a member of a species who loved hard-fought victories, Ryden thought there was something fundamentally wrong with an enemy simply baring its neck to him.

  The Host was almost literally doing that. It carried the battle knives, but otherwise it seemed to have brought nothing. No armor, no backup. Ryden would have been insulted if he hadn't been so sure the Host was provoking him on purpose.

  None of it mattered.

  He was a Brion. That meant only going forward in any battle worth fighting and this one surely qualified. Ryden pulled his tall spear free, giving it a few practice twirls to get the feel of it like he always did. The Host watched him come with an amused, but interested expression.

  "You can't truly mean to take me on alone," it said.

  "I was about to tell you the same."

  The Host laughed. Somewhere around them, the sound echoed back oddly. Ryden signaled, but his warriors had already noticed it too. A few stayed with Aria, but more ran into the nearby hallways to look for the hidden Clayors. The Host nodded appreciatively.

  "Maybe I shouldn't," it said.

  "We'll see," Ryden replied. "I see you've finally made it."

  "Oh, them?" the Host asked, starting to circle him. "They've been close by for a while. If four armies came across the galaxy, my armies can do it too. But I was waiting for the best moment to act."

  "And that is now?" Ryden asked, watching as the Host finally drew its own weapons. "When there are four armies instead of one."

  "Three more is three more commanders who want to lead. Three more factors in any plan. I am excellent at multitasking. How about you, General?"

  Ryden didn't answer. He dashed forward, sliding the last few feet to the enemy, stopped by the knives at last. He'd skidded to a stop with his spear now inches from the Host's heart, but it still appeared to be unconcerned. They were locked together, Ryden pushing up while the Host was trying to hold the spear away from himself.

  "I see you've been studying me," it hissed. "Aiming at the right heart."

  Ryden broke the lock off, giving a deadly swing that made the Host back away fast.

  Not invincible then, he thought. There is something else.

  "Do you really think I'd let someone study me?" the hive mind asked then, a genuine insult marring his voice.

  Ryden jumped up when the knives clashed together inches from where he'd just crouched. The Host approached, an angry expression on his face.

  "I am great at perception too," it snarled. "That includes perceptions others have of me. To think... even you, who I thought was better than the rest, would underestimate me like this. I show you what I choose to show you."

  Ryden blocked the next swing of the knife and caught the other. The look on the Host's face was nothing short of surprise, but he didn't get to enjoy it for long. The Host pushed himself off him and the next second, a strike so impossibly fast it seemed to defy time cut a gash across his cheek. Somewhere far away, he thought he heard Aria scream.

  It had been a while since Ryden had tasted his own blood. He let it trickle down to his lips, licking it into his mouth, feeling the coppery taste. That, and hearing Aria's voice, had brought him back to reality. The Host was playing with him again. He had barely noticed they were slowly edging closer to the hangar with the shield generator.

  He realized the Host's plan a second before he nearly walked off a pathway across another great hangar. Ryden had to shake his head clear, grinning as he did.

  "Nice try," he called to the clearly furious hive mind. "Brions learn many things. Telepathic powers and how to throw them off are among them. You shouldn't have used the term perception. That was a mistake."

  It had been a close call though. Ryden had known that the hive mind could play with minds as soon as he figured out why they weren't able to find the Clayors with the scanners. The hive mind didn't have a power that could have shielded all of the enemies from his sight. That wasn't necessary. All it had to do was alter the perception of the person watching the scanner.

  Hiding in plain sight, Ryden could appreciate that. It was a nice trick. It also meant he had to look in front of his feet carefully and not let the Host distract him.

  In the next second, the Host was on top of him and there was a knife so close to his throat he could feel the unnatural, alien coldness of it. The Host pushed down with its entire weight, desperate to cut his throat, but instead of t
rying to claw himself free, Ryden put all of his strength into his blow. The spear kicked the Clayor right off him and he rose, rubbing his throat. The Host did too, enraged.

  Ryden was pleased. It meant the Host had stopped playing jokes and was ready to fight him for real. He watched the enemy bring the knives up on guard, and he let it attack. Stopping both blades with one spear was difficult, but Ryden was very good at doing things that should have been impossible.

  He caught the first blow, sliding the butt of the spear under the Host's arm, twisting it around until the creature dropped the knife with a snarl of pain. The other came up to strike down on him, but Ryden parried that easily, slamming his spear into the Host's face in the next moment. It staggered back, the shock visible on its face.

  There, he'd known it wouldn't be that difficult. The Host—and the hive mind—relied entirely on numbers and sheer mass, but they were never a match for skill. Ryden came forward, and slipped into another vision. This time he sensed it. The Host was in a hurry; it was hastily made. The hallway he was in was all odd, the colors were off, and generally it didn't fit anything he'd seen before.

  The Host was right in front of him. All he had to do was stab him through the heart and there would be no more Clayors—

  Aria screamed. The sound was so piercing it cut straight through to his core, made his heart race. Ryden looked around, trying to see where the scream had come from, but the vision made seeing anything impossible, really. He growled, turning to the Host, who was smiling again.

  "You can't win this," the Host said. "You may overpower me now, but soon you won't do even that. And until then, I don't even have to touch you to break you."

  The scream was louder this time. Ryden turned, cursing. There was urgency in that voice, a true, honest, naked fear. He couldn't bear to think of Aria in any danger that might make her sound like that.

  The Host was leaving, retreating. Ryden started to follow him when the scenery changed around him again. A quick look explained exactly why Aria had screamed.

  They were in one of the collapsed hallways around the hangar and the roof above them was shaking.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Aria

  Aria had been trying to stay out of the way. As soon as most of the unit accompanying her joined the fight, she was looking for a place to hide from the terrifying champion facing Ryden. On the one hand, she'd had enough of being a victim already, but on the other she had no intention of getting in the way.

  When the last of her guards went to aid their companions and Ryden started coming back her way, still fighting with the Clayor, Aria retreated. She wasn't really watching where she was going, only that it was away from the fight taking place.

  But it certainly hadn't looked like that! She would never have walked into one of the sealed-off hallways. In fact, weren't there doors to stop her from doing so?

  Aria hadn't realized her mind had been tampered with until the veil was lifted from before her eyes and she found herself in the middle of rubble and debris. She screamed, mostly because the roof above her threatened to come down and there was nowhere to go.

  She didn't know what was going on up there. Maybe it was the hive mind's plan, perhaps it had just been convenient, but it no longer mattered. All that was clear was that she'd be buried under tons of rock and metal.

  And then she saw Ryden. The general was coming toward her, a cut on his cheek coloring his neck red. He looked ferocious, so much so that Aria took a terrified step back.

  He reached her. Without saying a word, he caught her in his embrace and pressed her against the wall. Aria squirmed, trying to get away from him. That was decidedly the least romantic situation she'd ever been in! What was he thinking, he—

  When the shield popped up from the device on his hand, she felt foolish and stopped pushing him away.

  "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I thought you were..."

  She didn't finish that thought, too embarrassed to keep speaking. What had she been thinking? That the general would choose their last moments alive to abuse her?

  "I'm a Brion," Ryden said, with not even a hint of reprimand. "We don't force women."

  Aria finally lifted her eyes to him, looking into his deep, stormy green eyes. There was no judgment there, only purpose. She looked at the shield, suddenly seeming so flimsy in his hands. With all her knowledge of the technology that went into it, when facing a collapsing structure, she couldn't help seeing it as nothing more than light.

  "Will it hold?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

  "I don't know," Ryden said honestly, with a small smirk playing on his lips.

  "Why are you laughing?" Aria asked, but despite the roof literally raining debris down on them, she felt her own lips curl into a smile. "We are about to die."

  "I do not believe that," Ryden said simply. "I told you. I have no intention of letting either of us die."

  That was true. He had said that. Aria honestly wished that the world worked like that. It would have been such a nice place if men only spoke the truth.

  A huge crack appeared in the ceiling. And for some reason, Aria couldn't stop smiling.

  Ryden stepped closer and she felt his scent in her nostrils, his being overwhelming as it always was. She shivered, hoping he put it down as fear. At that moment, Aria would have preferred he thought of her as a coward rather than hopelessly attracted to him like she really was.

  Then the ceiling caught her attention again.

  "You can't possibly hold that weight," she said sadly.

  "I can," Ryden said. "And I will."

  "Stop saying stuff like that," Aria told him. "It's not comforting to hear pretty lies before I die. I thought a Brion might understand that."

  For some reason, he smiled at that.

  "You are quite something," the general said.

  He was quiet for a long moment before he went on. "I meant it though. I will not let us die this way. I don't deserve this and neither do you. We will get out of this."

  "That's not possible," Aria said, but the general didn't mind her lack of optimism.

  "We'll see," he said.

  The roof started falling and the general pressed himself even closer against her. Aria forced herself to believe she was only doing it because her life might have depended on it when she wrapped her hands around his chest.

  "Hold on to me," the general said. "As hard as you can. No matter what, don't let go. I've got you."

  She believed him, like she had from the moment they'd met. Aria tightened her hold, pressed her face flat against his chest, breathing in like he was the only source of air. She felt him bring one arm around her to hold onto her when the ceiling finally collapsed. Aria felt Ryden wince for a moment when a huge piece of the ceiling collapsed on top of them.

  He practically slammed her against the wall, pressing her against it, grinding them together in the chaos of noise and rocks and metal and glass raining down all around them.

  The shield held. It crackled above their heads, but it did not give in. And neither did Ryden. When Aria dared to peek up at some point, she was shocked to see there was only darkness around them. The amount of weight the general had to be holding up on his own was nothing short of miraculous.

  Aria had never felt so useless in her life. She wanted to say something, anything, to let the general know that even if he ultimately collapsed, she appreciated him trying. When no words came from her lips, she settled for hugging him tighter. After a second, she felt him return it.

  She was starting to think it would never end, but the noise finally came to a stop. The world stopped breaking apart around them, the pieces of sky stopped falling. Everything went still, including them.

  Aria found herself tightly in the arms of the most gorgeous man alive that she could barely breathe. It occurred to her, with morbid self-awareness, that under other circumstances she might have found his presence arousing. At that moment, though, all she wanted was to breathe. To get away, to mov
e. Above all, to know if there even was a world above them anymore.

  The general didn't move, though. She gave a testing hug. That was returned. Good, at least he hadn't lost consciousness then. Aria made herself wait patiently, but it was difficult. Not because she panicked, but the exact opposite.

  I am really something, aren't I? she thought. Trapped under a collapsed roof with no air and no room, but I feel safe because there's a hot guy with me.

  The problem was, she couldn't deny it. For a moment, watching the ceiling collapse on top of them, she had doubted him, but she no longer did. Aria knew she only had to wait for Ryden to get them free. And exactly when she'd thought that, the general stirred.

  She felt him flex and wasn't able to hide the guilty tinge of excitement that brought her. Then Ryden squared his shoulders and started to push. Aria's mouth dropped open. Sure, that was what she'd been expecting him to do, but to see it in action was still unbelievable.

  There was a small mountain upon them, fallen neatly on their prone figures, sliding down the shield covering them. Now Ryden had to force his way through all of that.

  The general's powerful body seemed to grow even bigger under her hands when he put his entire strength behind the push. But incredibly, unbelievably, the rocks above them were moving. Aria held her breath when she heard them topple over each other, rolling down the side of the collapsed mountain of debris they were trapped under.

  Inch by inch, Ryden fought against the debris until he could stand freely and finally put his back into it properly. Aria wondered if she should let go, but she didn't dare and the general didn't tell her to. Moment by moment, she felt the suffocating weight above them move until she saw light and heard sounds and breathed in fresh air.

  Ryden gave a quick knock to the rocks and Aria found herself back in his arms when it started to fall apart above them. Ryden held her close until the second avalanche was done too. When Aria lifted her head this time, she saw light above and finally dared to detach herself from the general.

  Ryden gave her a lift and she climbed out of what would have been her grave if it hadn't been for him. Again, it was always him. In mute horror, she noticed the scars on his body, received when he shielded her from most of the harm. Her own arms bore a few gashes at the most.