Her Alien Protector

by Siren Allen

  The Prince took a deep breath before pulling out his Stat-Phone and calling a guard to come take Lark away. Lark glared at Ana. The bitch smiled, proud of her accomplishment. When the guards entered the room they walked straight to Lark.

  She didn’t fight as they undid her wrists. Once they released her, she lunged for Ana, enjoying the way the female’s eyes filled with terror. Lark propelled her body into the other female, sending them both flying into the wall.

  Grabbing Ana’s head, she banged the female’s skull into the wall of the ship, delighting in the thud it made. “That’s. For. Kicking. My. Mate.” Cocking her arm, she punched Ana in the face.

  The swelling of the female’s eye was the highlight of Lark’s miserable day. The guards grabbed her, jerking her away from her ex lover. Ana slumped to the floor, one hand going to her head and the other touching her bleeding lip.

  “Kill her,” Ana shouted to the guards. “Kill her for attacking the Princess of Saturn.”

  Lark no longer cared whether she lived or died. Her heart had already been ripped from her chest and now lay on the floor, cold and unmoving. Her sisters were scattered across the galaxy, her world overrun by her enemies. What reason did she have to live?

  “We’re not killing her,” the Prince announced.

  In all the commotion, Lark had not heard him rise from his seat.

  “Why not,” Ana whined. “She attacked me, your Princess.”

  Lark couldn’t see over the Prince’s shoulder, but she was sure Ana wore a pout on her face. The Prince on the other hand looked pissed. Though he stared at Lark, his words were for Ana.

  “How many times do I have to tell you that as a third wife, you do not have the title of Princess? And when I find my True Mate, you, along with my other wives will be discarded.” He stared over his shoulder at a now quiet Ana. “The only reason you’re here, is because you’re a succubus and my father thought since Aron couldn’t seduce any of the sisters, maybe you could.”

  And Lark had been the sister who fell for her. Shame filled her.

  “But,” Ana began.

  “Silence,” the Prince shouted, so loud that even Lark flinched. He returned his attention to her. “My father is going to have his hands full with you, isn’t he?”

  His question didn’t require an answer because Lark had no intention of seeing his father any time soon. Tensing as the Prince grabbed her chin, she kept her gaze locked with his as he tilted her face from left to right.

  “You really are beautiful,” he told her, causing Ana to huff loudly, making her dismay known. “Perhaps my father will be willing to share you,” he muttered.

  “I thought you were sending her away,” Ana shouted. “Have you already forgotten that she attacked me, your third wife?”

  The Prince nodded and stepped away from Lark. “We will chat later,” he told her. To the guard he said, “Take her to the storage room. We depart as soon as the communication lines are back up. Are the detonators set?”

  The guard nodded.

  Detonators?

  “Good, take her away.”

  “What about the vampire?” The guard asked. Lark was still trying to wrap her head around the word detonators.

  “He stays here until I figure out what the hell my father was trying to tell me to do with his dead body. Take her away, I must work.”

  “Wait,” Lark shouted as the guard pulled her back. “You can’t keep him here.”

  “Why not?” The Prince waited on her answer.

  “Because… because he belongs with me.”

  Prince Orius laughed and then waved the guard on. “Do not kill her. I don’t care what else you do to her. But, she’s to arrive to my father alive.”

  Lark continued to shout, demanding they bring Raynor with her. Yes, he was dead but he was hers. And she wanted to watch over him. Her last glimpse of him was marred by Ana’s words.

  “Don’t worry Lark, I will look after him.” She trailed her nail over Raynor’s cheek. “Our scientists are going to have fun dissecting this one.”

  Ana’s laughter followed her out the room and down the hall.

  ***

  The guard was far from gentle with her when he tossed her into a small room filled with crates. When he slung her forward, her spine connected with the edge of one of those crates.

  Pain ricocheted up her back. She tried to scoot away from him, but found herself unable to move, paralyzed. A boot to her face sent her careening backwards, her head hitting the ground hard.

  “Don’t worry bitch, I’m not going to rape you. I’d rather rape that vampire of yours. Too bad he’s already dead.”

  He stomped her face again. She tried to lift her hands to shield herself from the attack, but he forced them to her sides as he straddled her. Spittle landed on her mouth as he spat on her.

  “I don’t want to be on this hot ass planet,” he shouted down at her. “None of us do. The King wants your harem workers, he wants the instructors. So we had to come here to get them.” The guard lifted her head and slammed it into the ground.

  “We thought it would be an easy victory. But your vampire and your soldiers have made it hard for us. We should be on our way home now instead of still docked on this hellish terrain. I’ve never sweated so much in my life.”

  A right jab broke her nose. She heard the cartilage snap, felt the warm blood pouring out. The pain however, she didn’t feel. Thank the stars her body had already gone numb. Feeling like a prisoner, and her body a cage, all she could do was stare up at her attacker as he pummeled her.

  She stored his image in her memory. Raynor had told her she was strong, that she always had weapons at her disposal. She would use them, once her body was able to move again. When she was free, and she would get free, this male would be the second person she killed.

  “Why the hell are you staring at me like that?” He asked before slapping her again.

  Her face fell to the side. The only part of her body she could move were her eyes and she turned them his way, wanting to watch him, wanting to make sure she never forgot what he looked like. She would never give up again. She would fight until the death. Her defiance would be remembered by these bastards forever. The guard eyed her warily.

  “You’re a creepy bitch.” He cocked his fist again.

  A crackling sound filled the room right before a voice spoke through his Stat-Phone. “Trevor, you’re needed at the loading dock, we’re having issues with the detonators.”

  “Shit,” Trevor mumbled before speaking into his Stat-Phone. “On the way.” He glared back down at Lark. “We’ll finish this later. Someone needs to teach you some manners. I think I’m just the one to do it.” He rose. As a parting gift, he lifted his foot and stomped her face.

  She didn’t feel it. Yet, she could feel herself fading away, being pulled into oblivion. She wouldn’t die, she couldn’t die, not yet. There was still much for her to do. Trevor, that was his name. She would never forget it.

  Chapter Twenty

  The shadow called to him.

  Raynor wanted to answer, but the fog surrounding him was too thick for him to move. Was this death? Was this how death felt? Had he already moved on to the afterlife? He didn’t know. The only thing he knew was the shadow was refusing to let him go.

  It circled him, forming a cocoon around his body. It was comforting to know that he wouldn’t be alone in his last moments. His whole life he’d fought against his curse, now he was suddenly thankful for its presence. How ironic.

  “Not cursed,” the shadow hissed. “Blessed.”

  What was the shadow talking about now? He knew he was cursed, had learned the story of what happened to his kind when he was a little one. His mother had told him the tale of how they became the cursed ones.

  “Not cursed,” the shadow hissed louder. “Blessed.”

  “How is it a blessing to not be able to mate with your own kind?” Raynor thought.

  “I am your blessing. Your gift.”

  “No
, you’re my curse, the evil that lurks inside of me, that makes me cold.”

  “Not cursed.”

  Raynor sighed. What was taking death so long to arrive? Why was he hanging in purgatory, arguing with his demon? If this didn’t hurry up and end, his mind would travel down a road he didn’t want to venture on.

  “To our mate?”

  Raynor ignored the beast.

  “Our mate lives.”

  Pain filled his chest. He didn’t want to think of her, couldn’t. It would only cause him more agony. He had not protected her. He’d allowed himself to be distracted, thus allowing those bastards an opportunity to sneak up on them. Now, he was dying, and his mate was prey to her enemies. He’d failed her.

  “Our mate lives.”

  “Silence,” Raynor shouted into the darkness. “I know she lives. Sometimes living is worse than death.”

  “She hurts,” the shadow hissed.

  It felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. Maybe if it was ripped out he wouldn’t feel this agony.

  “They have hurt her. Must awaken. Must save her.”

  Awaken, how the hell was he supposed to do that?

  “Not cursed, blessed.”

  Raynor was tired of going around and around about this. “Explain yourself, demon,” he shouted.

  “Not the beast, the shadow. Your blessing.”

  “Please tell me how I am blessed. Right now I don’t feel very blessed. I feel helpless.” This was not a feeling he was accustomed to. He did not like it. “Tell me demon,” he shouted. “Tell me of these blessings I knew nothing about.”

  The last word had barely escaped his lips when his body began to feel weird. Raynor tensed, feeling as if a part of him was pulling away, leaving. “What are you doing?”

  He watched the shadow emerge, a dark smoke, barely visible in the endless night that surrounded him. The shadow hovered above him. The same size as him, the same shape as him. It was a part of him. Raynor stared up into swirling eyes, so like those of his brethren.

  “The truth is not in the books,” the shadow hissed. “The truth is in here.” It brought its fingers close to Raynor’s head. “You simply have to search for it.”

  He understood the words being told to him, but not their meaning. Search for what truth? He knew the truth. He knew that his people had been cursed by warlocks.

  “Yes, we were. But why?”

  “It was a war, we won. We destroyed their world, slaughtered their males.”

  “And their females and children.”

  Raynor shook his head. His kind would never harm females and little ones.

  “It’s not in the books,” his beast hissed. “It’s in here.”

  “I was not there. I was not born yet.”

  “The curse carries on, in each of us and with it comes the knowledge of that battle. It’s in here. You just have to search for it.”

  That rang true. Part of him believed every word the shadow was saying. But did he really want to know the truth? Why couldn’t he simply die in peace?

  “Embrace the truth, embrace the blessing, truly become immortal. Save our mate.”

  “If I listen to this tale, if I humor you, are you saying I will awaken and be able to save my mate?”

  “You will awaken and you will be stronger. You will become a true immortal. You will save our mate. But only if you can handle your true nature.”

  He had no idea what that meant. The only thing he grasped was that he would be able to save his mate. “Then show me what is in here?” Raynor lifted his hand and touched his head.

  A ghostly smile snaked across the shadow’s mouth before it reached forward and gripped Raynor’s head. Pain rocked through him. Light erupted around him and every inch of him burned.

  Yet, not one inch of him was scorched. As the light dimmed, Raynor took in his new surroundings. He was on a battlefield. The carnage went on for as far as his eyes could see. Leaning over the bodies were creatures unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

  “Where have you brought me?” Raynor asked the shadow that now stood at his side.

  “This is the past.”

  “What are these creatures?”

  “These are our ancestors.”

  Frowning, Raynor stared at the beasts. One rose and moved to the next body and began to feast. They were huge, far taller than any vampire he’d ever seen. “These cannot be my ancestors. These are not vampires.”

  “During those dark years, we were called the Sanguisuge.”

  “The Sanguisuge,” Raynor whispered aloud. “Where have I heard that before?”

  “It is in here.” The shadow pointed at his head. “A memory, passed down from generation to generation. A part of you that was buried due to the curse. But that still dwells within, kept at bay by me, the shadow.”

  Kept at bay by the shadow. Now he remembered where he’d heard it. His mother often told him and Joston to never fear the Sanguisage, it would never take them, the shadow would keep it at bay.

  “This is who we were back then. Before the stars were numerous. Before civilized life forms occupied the worlds. Before time was documented. We were the monsters that haunted the worlds. One of the many beasts from beyond.”

  Raynor followed the shadow, both of their presences unseen by the creatures. The further they walked the more destruction they witnessed. Children, ripped to shreds, puncture wounds all over their tiny bodies.

  “This is what I descend from?”

  The shadow nodded.

  Raynor knew his kind’s past was dark. But not this dark. “Why do we look different now than we did then?”

  “The curse had something to do with it. With the darkness banished deep within, the creatures that emerged were less volatile, less destructive, less monstrous. Back then, the more you killed the more beastly you became until you were almost unrecognizable. Those who turned that monstrous were considered the best fighters. The more gruesome they were meant they’d had the most kills.”

  “We kill now, we’re mercenaries. Yet none that I know look like this.”

  “We kill now for profit, that is true. But we never take a mission that is evil. We kill for those who cannot protect themselves. Not the other way around. We are no longer the monsters others believe us to be.”

  True. “But, If I did kill, for the sheer pleasure of it, will I become like them?”

  The shadow nodded. “Over time.”

  “So if I destroy those who’ve harmed Lark, I will become a monster?”

  “No. Our mate’s protection is our priority. Those who’ve hurt her, must die. That doesn’t make you a monster. That makes you a male worthy of a mate.”

  Raynor nodded, finally understanding. “My ancestors, they sought out these worlds, destroying them, just because they wanted to. Until finally they approached a world of warlocks and slaughtered thousands before one strong enough to defeat them, uttered a curse.”

  “A curse that prevented our kind from reproducing with each other and that forced us to live forever knowing we could never mate with our females. Our females could no longer birth our young. We did not realize the repercussions for our actions until years later when no child was born to us. Our females, who’d once adored us, began to hate us. They turned to others for love. When our males figured out our females could have little ones with other species, they began killing the pregnant ladies, those who’d ventured off and found other males to be with.”

  Raynor rubbed his aching head, barely able to believe what he was hearing. “We killed our females?”

  The shadow nodded. “You see, our females could have little ones outside our species, but our males could not get other females pregnant. They tried, they destroyed many villages, trying to find females who could carry their seed. A few of our kind, males who had not yet turned so monstrous that they couldn’t be controlled, made a trip back to the world of warlocks. They begged the one who cursed them to lift the curse. They told him of the destruction taking place on our
home planet. How we were killing our own kind and growing more beastly. They told them of how our females were leaving, choosing to live on other worlds to escape us and our wrath. Even after hearing this, the warlock refused to lift the curse. But there was one, he was called Merlin. He agreed to help us.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Merlin was a seer. He foresaw that one day a creature of our kind would come to the aid of someone he loved. Merlin told our ancestors of a spell that would banish our inner beasts to the far recesses of our mind, leaving behind only a shadow of what they used to be. Our ancestors argued that this spell would keep them from destroying worlds, but not from protecting their females and mating with them. Unfortunately Merlin could not lift the previous spell. But he was able to alter it. Though our kind would never be able to mate with each other again, we would be able to find mates elsewhere, in other worlds. We would be able to continue are line with other species. It was the best he could do.”

  Raynor stepped around a Sanguisage which was clawing the insides out of a young female. The creature had razor sharp teeth and his eyes weren’t a swirling darkness like Raynor’s, they were swirling red. The beast looked crazed.

  “Merlin banished the darkness to the recesses of our minds, but did not destroy it. Instead he gave me you, so you can keep it at bay.” Raynor turned his attention away from the creature and back to the shadow.

  “Yes, I hold back the darkness. I am a mix of what you are now and what you could be. I am the vampire and the beast. I keep you balanced.”

  “Okay, I’ve seen what I could be. I know who I am. Can I now go back and save my mate?”

  The shadow turned to face him. “What happened to you this day, it has broken down a piece of the wall that was built to keep the monster at bay. A little of what you could be has seeped out.”

  “Really?” Raynor felt the same. A little colder, but still like himself. “That’s why I have you, right? To keep the monster from taking over.”

  “I keep balance. The balance has tipped in the beast’s favor. So we have a choice to make. We can die. We can allow our organs to finish shutting down and end this now. Or we can awaken and save our mate. But…” the shadow added when Raynor opened his mouth to speak. “We will have to work harder to not become like those around us, like our ancestors.”