Kroga's Redemption

by Michele Mills

  Her immediate line was outlawed from seeing or speaking to each other ever again for the rest of their lives. She wasn’t given time to say goodbye to her sons. Imperial soldiers arrived to take them away as she’d fallen to the floor in tears. Kayzon had only been fifteen years old. She never forgot the look of wild fear in his eyes as strangers grabbed his arms and dragged him from his home, forcing her son to leave all his belongings behind. She’d been left alone, in her quarters without her mate or her sons and with no way to contact them or find out about their whereabouts ever again. That was it, the last day she had seen either Kayzon or Rayzor. And the next day she’d been kicked off the space station. And that was that.

  She was officially removed from House Ulmath, her extended line. They were not allowed to help her, under the Scales of Xylan Law anyone on Chronos who helped a banished citizen was themselves banished. Melachine and her immediate line were expunged from the birth records of House Ulmath.

  At first, she wandered alone in the four sectors, using the small amount of currency she’d been allowed to take with her to quietly purchase living quarters on a Margol mining station, the only place that would take a disgraced Xylan of royal pigment. She stayed alone in her quarters there, often considering whether to live or die. Why continue if she couldn’t see her offspring or her extended line ever again? If her mate was forever torn from her and he wasn’t even the male she’d once known. Everyone she’d ever known or loved was gone forever.

  All of the pain of that time came rushing back, tenfold. She remembered it vividly now, as if it happened yesterday. And she continued to cry with the kittens mewing in her lap. These last three moon cycles as she’d lived in isolation, without any memory of her past, she’d thought she’d never had children, but this was untrue. She had two beautiful adult sons who were scattered to the ends of the fours sectors.

  And Kroga knew all of this. He didn’t have amnesia. Every time he’d brushed off her questions about her past, he’d known. He’d captured her off the cargo bay of that Bounty Hunter ship, and had taken her here. He’d hidden her on the edge of the universe so he could have her for himself. The asshole.

  Kroga was the reason why she and her sons had suffered for so long. He was the reason Kayzon had a scar down one side of his face and a horrific cybernetic eye embedded into his brain. Kroga was the reason why so many Xylan had died a needless death at the hands of the Hurlians. This male that she’d been sleeping with and mating with, laughing and eating with, working alongside—he was a murderer and a traitor.

  And yet again, their sons were suffering through the pain of their parents disappearing from their lives because Kroga had shown up in the cargo bay of that Hunter ship and kidnapped her before their eyes.

  How could he not care about this?

  Was he still in contact with the Hurlians? Was he still their spy? She needed to protect herself from him, as well as her offspring and her species. Kroga could still harm all the Xylan she loved on Chronos, as well as the new friends she’d made in the fourteen years since her banishment. She knew her mother, father, sister and brother had been devastated over her immediate line’s banishment. She still missed them desperately.

  She had to get in touch with her sons and let them know where she was and that she needed their help. Hopefully they could capture Kroga before he hurt anyone else. But, how could she contact them without Kroga knowing? Wait, maybe she could use the same coded system she’d used to message Kayzon—using the Bounty Hunter Leaderboards. Could she do this again?

  But even so, how could they get there and help her? She had no idea. There were four hungry black holes to navigate to arrive. And the transporter on this facility was for industrial use only. This must be why Kroga had risked their lives to come here, because it was the only place where they wouldn’t be found.

  How could she get in touch with anyone?

  Her original profile on the Chronos Royal Pigment Network had long ago been deleted. This was why there’d been no information about her past for her to research in order to jog her memories and help alleviate the amnesia. Kroga and their two sons had similarly been expunged and deleted. There was nothing to research. But she now knew where she’d kept her life as Manager of Joyzal of Seventeen—she had a private profile on the Xylan Margol Network. Melachine leaned forward and tapped on a screen, opened XMN and entered her code…and there it was, her life post-banishment. All of her pics and vids, her contacts, her agenda, recipes, projects…everything. And there were two hundred unanswered messages. She scrolled through them—all of them were from friends wondering where she was and if she was okay. Vids from all of her sons and their Brides. All of them were terrified at her disappearance. They’d been trying to find her but couldn’t.

  There was a pounding on the portal to the bridge. “Melachine, let me in,” Kroga shouted. “Open the door.”

  5

  Melachine jumped, startled. Oh hell. Why was he here so soon? Kroga was supposed to be working outside of the facility.

  Anxiety and desperation caused her to sit up, and with no time to think. She placed her claws on the nearest screen, accessed the Leaderboards and sent a quick coded message to Kayzon that simply said: Help me, I’m in the Swirl.

  Then she stood on shaky legs, the cats jumping off her lap and onto the floor.

  “Open the door,” Kroga bellowed like a male in agony.

  She walked over and paused. He sounded very upset. In the past this would’ve hurt her hearts, hearing this pain in his voice, but today it only frightened her. She no longer knew the male who stood on the other side of this portal.

  Melachine took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. She’d punched him in the face the last time she’d seen him. She could do so again. Her mind flashed to their makeshift Cabul and to the useful weapons therein.

  She had Xylan to defend.

  She lifted her chin and slammed her palm on the panel, ready to take on this suddenly unknown male.

  The door swished open.

  Kroga caught himself before he fell on top on her in his haste to rush inside. “Wh—Melachine?” He reached his claws out and grabbed her by the arms. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she stated. The warmth of his tone and the weight of his claws washed over her, unnerving her with its masculine intensity. He was her mate and her body couldn’t help responding to his touch.

  “My Be’Ih. I was worried about you.”

  Oh gods. He was doing a very good job of fake caring. No wonder she’d been sucked into his lies these last three moon cycles. He played the part of loving mate well. He’d lied to her before, he was lying to her now. He was a traitor. An assassin. A murderer. This was not a male she wanted to be near. In fact, the thought of how often she’d had sex with this traitor, in every part of this facility, was making her sick. She took a deep breath, trying her best to act normal and not let on that she remembered everything. She couldn’t let this male have the upper claw. “Why were you worried? I’m in here working like I usually do.”

  “Megan called me. She told me to come here and check on you. She said you two were talking and you suddenly looked sick and put your head down. And then the vid cut off and you weren’t responding to her call. She was so alarmed she called me to have me come and check on you.”

  Oh. Megan, of course. Dammit. She’d been so upset she’d forgotten to respond to her friend. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cut her off and worry her. But as you can see, I’m fine.”

  “What happened? Were you hurt? Are you sick?”

  “I…I…” Oh shoot, she hadn’t had time to think of an excuse yet. And she’d never been one of those Xylan who had a quick come back…

  “Megan said she thought your memories might’ve returned,” he offered.

  Melachine stiffened. She dug her claws into her palms, forcing herself to lie to her mate, even though lying was against the first tenet of the honor code. “No, no memories have returned. I wish. I still don’t remember
anything.”

  Then he moved in close, his scent filling her lungs. Oh hell. Even though she hated this male, he was still her mate and her body instantly responded to him. Those lips. His sharp fangs. The flashing claws and his hard abs… Her mind was rejecting him, but her body said yes, yes, yes.

  “Be’Ih. Look at me.”

  She shook her head.

  He placed a claw under her chin and gently forced her head up. She looked into his magnetic hazel eyes.

  “What is wrong? You are not acting the same. I need to know that you are okay. I cannot continue with my diurnal if you are sick or upset in any way. My whole life is centered on your health and happiness. You know that, don’t you?”

  Her health and happiness?

  She wanted to claw herself out of his arms and beat his lying ass to the ground. But Kroga held the upper claw here, literally. She had no way out…and she needed to gain information from him. Why was he doing this? Was he going to continue his treachery? Could she possibly stop him from hurting someone else? She could find out what his next plans were and turn him in to the High Command or the Bounty Hunters. He would be more valuable to them alive than dead because the information they could glean from him could save lives.

  “I know that you care for me,” she responded, doing her best to keep her voice even and her eyes on his.

  He gazed at her intently for what seemed to be an eternity, and then finally gave a curt nod of approval. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips. And again, her body betrayed her, because his touch sent a wave of pleasant warmth across her skin.

  How was she going to continue hiding the return of her memories from him? But she had to, if he knew, what would he do to her? Would he kill her? Was he planning to use her for something bigger? She had no idea of Kroga’s plans, but she had to find out fast.

  Holy fuck, she couldn’t get away from him. He had her isolated out here. He’d taken her from that cargo bay on the Hunter ship and out here, to the Swirl. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was actually a brilliant plan. Neither of her two biological sons, or her adoptive son, could find her here. It would seem to them as if she’d disappeared.

  Had he purposely caused her amnesia? Her hearts began racing and her throat tightened. She had to continue pretending nothing was wrong.

  His Bride was hiding something from him.

  Kroga’s eyes roamed over her beloved features. Her eyes were wild and her face lacking pigment. She shifted on her feet, clenching and unclenching her claws. He thought she might have some of her memories back. Partially. Maybe some. Maybe all? He didn’t know because she was hiding her true feelings from him.

  The whole reason why he hadn’t tried to fully talk to her about their past was because the story of what had happened was so enormous, he knew she’d never believe him. And to make matters more difficult she suffered from amnesia and spotty short-term memory. Because of her amnesia she didn’t remember any of their past, so it would be nothing but a strange story to her. Her brain had been reset to the time after they’d first mated. She didn’t remember their offspring or their banishment.

  Also, his Bride was unwell. She was physically strong, but her brain was still fragile and in repair mode. Each time they’d tried to fully speak of the past, it had brought on a coma. This had happened three different times. And each time he’d been terrified that he was going to lose her. Although he desperately wanted to hear all she knew of their sons, he was unable to ask. Prodding Melachine for information was dangerous for her health.

  He wasn’t keeping their past from her. But, on the other claw, he was also trying to keep her safe. The Hurlians were still trying to find him and they’d vowed to kill him and his mate. He knew exactly what the Hurlians were doing to track him down—they were sending bots to scan the vid channels for any sign or mention of him. They were also lurking in the dark channels for any sign of his whereabouts, so even the most secure and coded messages could be intercepted. This is why he was in contact with no one beyond the Swirl. And the moment the Hurlians found them they’d send a flood of soldiers in to slaughter Kroga and his Bride. The danger was very real.

  What if her memories had returned and she didn’t believe in his innocence and tried to contact the outside world? That would be the moment the Hurlians would finally track down their location and send troops. Despite the fact that they were in the Swirl, if the Hurlians wanted him enough, and sent enough ships, they could easily kill Kroga and his mate.

  He needed to help her to see the truth and the danger they were in, but he couldn’t yet determine what to tell his Bride. But one thing was certain, he needed to first make sure she was healthy. She had sustained a very significant head injury on their journey to the Swirl. He’d already tried to tell her bits of the past, but she didn’t seem to remember. She kept asking him to repeat information. Her neurological processes needed to be checked often. He’d lost his Bride once, he wasn’t losing her again.

  “Let’s go,” he insisted and grabbed her claw. “I want you to go to the med bay with me right now so we can scan your brain and confirm your health.”

  “Again?” She exhaled. “Okay.”

  He guided his Bride off the bridge and they entered the med bay. She lay down on one of the two beds and a wand ran over her form. “Melachine of Eighteen is cleared for duty,” the computer announced. “Neurological processes are one hundred percent.”

  “One hundred percent?” He threw her an accusing stare.

  She put her palms up. “I don’t remember anything though.”

  He exhaled. She was lying to him. It was obvious because Xylan did not lie and mates did not lie to each other. He could literally smell the lie on her skin. Why would she even try?

  Was his Bride that afraid of him?

  “Be’Ih, you don’t need to lie to me.”

  “I’m not lying,” she exclaimed with the fakest tone ever to come out of her mouth in all their years together. Melachine would only do this if she thought lives were in danger. Did she think he might kill her, or their offspring? Protecting her offspring would cause Melachine to break the honor code. It was the only reason.

  “Why are you lying to me?” he asked. “Tell me so I can allay your fears.”

  “I’m not lying,” she repeated.

  He shook his head and ran his claws through his braids. “I will accept your false response, for now. But I am not leaving to continue my work outside while my female is obviously unwell.”

  Her eyes widened. “I am fine. You can go outside and back to work. I can return to the bridge, alone.”

  “I bet you’d like that,” he muttered. And then fear began to bleed into his hearts. If she had her memory back and she was terrified of him, the first thing she’d try to do was get a message to his sons. “Computer, show me all outgoing messages from this facility in the last diurnal.”

  She sat up. “What are you doing?” she asked sharply. “Why would you check my correspondence?”

  The computer popped up a vid screen in front of them showing all messages, including the last one from Megan on section fifteen. He carefully scanned the list while his Bride quietly sat on the bed, fidgeting with the hem of her tunic. “There isn’t anything here except messages to verified customers or Megan on section fifteen.”

  “Of course there isn’t. Who else would I talk to? Why are you checking? This is silly.”

  He turned toward her. “We can’t let anyone know where we are, I’ve told you this before but you never remembered. Now that your brain is healed I can finally give you this important information and it will stay with you.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Why can’t we let anyone know where we are?”

  “Because our enemies are trying to find us and when they do, they will try to kill us. They are watching all communication, waiting for any mention of us to ping on the net.”

  “Who is coming to try and hurt us?”

  “The Hurlians.”

&nb
sp; She sat up on the edge of the bed and gave him an assessing look. “The Hurlians? And why would they be after us?”

  He stared at her again, unsure how much to say. Were her memories really returned? Or were they partial and he would hurt her with an overload? Damn it all to the fires of eternity. He couldn’t keep giving his Bride partial information, it literally made him sick. Because her brain was now one hundred percent healed, now was the time to try again to tell her everything. “The Hurlians are trying to find me to kill me. They’ve vowed to kill the both of us. They want to end me and my Bride too.”

  “Why do the Hurlians want you dead?”

  “The Hurlians want me dead because I was their mind-controlled spy for the last fourteen planetary rotations, but now I am free and therefore a security risk. If I reached the Xylan High Command and told them all I know it would be a major blow to Hurlian security. They are going to kill you first in front of me, to cause me the most pain, and then they will kill me too.”

  She stared at him in shock. “This is why we are out here? Because you are a spy for the Hurlians and you ran away from them and they want to kill you? You think they won’t find you out here?”

  He nodded. “I was their spy. I’m no longer in their control. According to my calculations this is the only place where we can remain in hiding and safe. They will never find us here. All of your contact with the outside world has been through voice modified audio or textual messages. No one knows we are here except for a few Cyclers in the Swirl who are also Xylan and who I trust.”

  She paused for a moment, then her eyes widened. “We can never leave?”

  “No, we can never go back, or see anyone, or communicate with anyone, ever. This is the only way to keep you safe.”

  “What about our offspring?” she choked.