by S. E. Smith
“Wait!” I exclaimed, suddenly struck by a thought. “Shouldn’t you take that invisibility bracelet back?” My cheeks heated at the amused expression on his face and his obvious effort not to laugh. “You know what I mean,” I mumbled, feeling silly for not remembering its actual name. Invisibility sounded so much like a Harry Potter magic spell.
Doom turned to face me. “No, my Red. I’d rather you keep the cloak to make sure you can get discreetly to the hoverbike if needed.”
I frowned, uncomfortable with that. “No, take it,” I insisted. “You’re going out there without Stran and without your bike. If you are outnumbered, you’ll have no way to defend yourself. This bracelet will make sure you keep your promise and come back to me.”
“Victoria—”
“No,” I interrupted in a tone that brooked no argument. “This isn’t open for debate. Stran is a war machine on his own. If things get hairy, he will protect me long enough to get on that hoverbike and takeoff. He already saved me earlier today and was spanking three Kryptids by himself before the rest of you arrived.”
Stran purr-growled his approval of the praise and rubbed his snout against my palm.
“See? He agrees with me,” I said while caressing the Creckel’s head. “Plus, I’ll be sick with worry with each passing minute. I mean, I’ll be worried either way, but this will keep me from climbing the walls.”
I removed the bracelet from my wrist and waved it at him. He eyed it as if it were some offensive object before glaring at Stran.
“Traitor,” he muttered.
Stran let his reptilian tongue lol to the side of his mouth in a way that screamed mockery. I chuckled and closed the distance between us.
“Here,” I said, placing the bracelet around his wrist.
His hand closed over mine and squeezed gently. I looked up at him, surprised. The tender look on his face had my stomach doing a string of backflips. My breath caught as he let go of my hand to cup my cheek. His thumb caressed my bottom lip, and my brain ceased to function. Drowning in the fathomless depths of his obsidian eyes, I didn’t notice his face getting closer.
Liquid fire flooded the pit of my stomach when the softness of his lips pressed against mine. My fingers found their way into his shoulder-length, black hair. Letting go of my cheek, Doom wrapped his arms around me, drawing me into a tight embrace. A bolt of desire struck me. And yet, it wasn’t lust that drove me to press myself harder against him but a sense of belonging. This is where I was always meant to be—in this man’s arms, alien though he may be.
The subtle scent of cinnamon tickled my nose, and my arousal spiked. Doom’s tongue teased the seam of my mouth, demanding entry, which I gladly granted. He tasted divine as our tongues made each other’s acquaintance. Gently fisting my braid, he tilted my head to the side and deepened the kiss. I moaned softly, my palms roaming across his shoulders and over the rounded tips of the bony spikes that adorned them. The hard yet silky texture of his scales beneath my fingertips made me want to explore more of him. It struck me then that he was naked in my arms, and another bolt of desire swirled in the pit of my stomach.
Too soon, Doom ended our kiss, the heated expression on his beautiful face making my legs quiver.
“You are far too tempting, my Red,” Doom said in a voice so deep and gravelly it almost sounded like a growl. “I must go so that I may come back to you.”
“Okay,” I said in a breathy voice.
I truly loved how he called me his Red, how he claimed me. Brushing his lips against mine one last time, Doom turned around and walked away. Heart aching, I watched him shift into battle form. Before stepping through the door, he activated the cloak.
“He’ll be fine, right Stran?” I asked, staring at the closed door as if I could see through it.
Stran did his purr-growl, licked my hand, and then rolled up into a ball near the entrance to stand guard.
You come back to me, Doom. You better come back to me.
Chapter Four
Doom
I shouldn’t have kissed her. Not so soon, and especially not in such precarious circumstances. Even now, as I prowled the abandoned streets, I couldn’t stop thinking about the soft fragility of her body against mine, the sweet taste of her lips, and the enchanting sound of her moans in my ears.
My beautiful Red.
Such courage and devotion to the welfare of others. Most people would have jumped at the opportunity of getting evacuated to a safe area but not my woman. I could see her fear, but her compassion and dedication overrode it.
I needed her safe and far from here. My more developed sense of smell had alerted me the moment we pulled up to the ‘hospital’ that there was at least one big Breeding Swamp in the vicinity. That the Kryptids had not bothered defending the smaller swamp in that hospital made me believe they wanted to use it like a diversion if we got close enough. But the steadily rising stench of rot and putrefaction confirmed the worst of my suspicions. My scanners continued to say there were no humans or Kryptids nearby—aside from Victoria’s place—but I knew it to be a lie.
Grateful my woman had insisted I take the cloaking bracelet, I ran stealthily towards the large, oval building located four blocks away. According to the local map, it served as a sports venue. Considering the low number of residents seen fleeing the city when the invasion began, we had every reason to believe the Kryptids had gotten to them first. Trouble was, we only had forty-eight hours to find and destroy all the Breeding Swamps before the larvae turned into killing machines that could obliterate us. Individually, the Drones weren’t a big threat, but as a Swarm, they were nearly unstoppable. The large human population required our troops to be stretched too thin to cover the planet. The vast majority of our troops had been sent to the Asian continent where the high concentration of people provided the ideal breeding ground for the bugs.
My fears were confirmed as I crossed the last intersection to the stadium. A dozen Kryptids were milling about the building, some unloading humans from a shuttle onto a hovering platform. Judging by the clicking sounds coming from beyond the walls, this Breeding Swamp had been started at least two or three days ago. Which meant this big invasion north of the city had been a diversion to keep us away until it was too late.
“Legion, how are things progressing on your end?” I asked, telepathically.
“Slow. Every time we clear an area, they send more troops behind us, forcing us to backtrack. It doesn’t make sense. There are no humans left for them to capture. Wrath is running some deep scans to figure out what they might be after in this area.”
“It’s a diversion. There is a massive Breeding Swamp right in front of my current position,” I said, sending him my coordinates through the interface of my armband. “They have disruptors preventing me from detecting their presence. But the stench is unmistakable, not to mention the number of humans they are hauling in. The larvae have hatched. I can hear their clicking from here. There is no saving the victims. We need to cleanse this immediately.”
I felt Legion curse more than I actually heard it through our mental link. We didn’t have the numbers to spread ourselves thinner, having underestimated the intensity of the attacks in this seemingly small town. We hadn’t expected to spend more than twenty-four hours here, forty-eight at most.
“Something isn’t right,” Legion said. “Even if they are creating a diversion, General Khutu knows we will just bomb any massive swarm he unleashes. So, why the fuck is he sacrificing so many troops up north?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But judging by the size of this stadium and the noise emanating from it, even a bombing will not suffice. The Drones will scatter, and you know how fast they reproduce once they’re set loose.”
“All too well,” Legion grumbled. “I can only spare Rage and Chaos. And even then, it will put us in a tight spot. Wrath won’t be able to give you more than a couple of men. He’s overwhelmed with all those evacuations, and the Terran governments are in too much of a mess to ta
ke over the care of those displaced. Wrath is sending some shuttles to that church you found. But he’s not getting to your woman’s hospital tonight. At best, all of us will be with you a little after sunrise tomorrow.”
“Let’s hope it isn’t too late,” I replied.
“Indeed. Legion out.”
I scouted the perimeter to get a better sense of what we would be facing in the morning. It didn’t look good with the access points strictly controlled by design, making it easier for the Kryptids to create choke points for would-be intruders.
But that also means choke points for the Drone Swarm getting out.
That thought gave me a sliver of hope. My hearts went out to the humans still being brought inside. They would be devoured alive within minutes of getting dumped inside. But that the Kryptids still felt the need to feed the Drones gave me hope they were still at least a day away from reaching maturity.
A quick look at my armband indicated I’d already been gone an hour. Victoria would be beside herself with worry. Turning on my heel, I hurried the four blocks back to the makeshift hospital. I disabled my cloak right before opening the door. No sooner had it closed behind me than Victoria threw herself into my arms.
She was trembling, the beautiful colors of her aura slightly tarnished by fear. Guilt gnawed at me that I had caused it.
“You’re back,” she whispered into the crook of my neck, as if to convince herself that I was real.
“I promised you I would return,” I said softly.
Victoria nodded, her hold tightening for a second before she released me.
“Sorry to be so clingy,” she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “This whole thing has me kind of freaked, and knowing you were alone out there with all those monsters freaked me out even more. I’m usually much better at handling stressful situations.”
“Do not apologize, my Red,” I said, caressing her fiery mane, which she had finally loosened from its braid. “You are handling it with the courage of a Warrior. Under the current circumstances, most people would have sought shelter for themselves. But you put the welfare of strangers before your own, even after barely escaping capture. You even relinquished the cloak to keep me safe when it is my duty to protect you.”
Victoria blushed prettily and averted her eyes, embarrassed. “It was only common sense,” she said with a shrug. “You needed it more than I did. I hope it helped at least.”
“More than you know,” I admitted.
Despite my reluctance to disturb her current sense of peace, Victoria deserved to know the truth of what was brewing nearby. We settled in the recreation area of the retirement home turned hospital where Victoria made us some tea. I gave her a watered-down version of our current situation while eating one of my energy rations. Although he preferred raw meat, Stran also settled for one of my rations. He listened intently then went to park himself by the entrance.
“Do not worry, Victoria,” I said in an appeasing tone. “My brothers will be here in the morning. I have placed motion detectors along the way so that we’ll know immediately should the bugs start moving in our direction. Stran will stand guard for the night. Creckels only need to sleep once every three or four days. We can sleep with the cloak on to be even safer.”
Once more, my woman silenced her fears. My respect and admiration for her grew another notch. While she checked on her patients one last time, I contacted Legion again. He confirmed the church group had been successfully evacuated. This was at least one good bit of news to give Victoria.
“Good night, friend. Thanks for looking after my woman,” I told Stran.
He bumped his snout against my hand and projected a psychic image of Victoria and me embracing on the grand plaza of Khepri, my homeworld.
“Yes. She is my soulmate. When the war ends, I will ask her to come back home with me.”
Stran bumped my hand again and tapped the floor with his tail twice to signal his approval. Although his disapproval wouldn’t have changed my plans, it warmed my heart that my long-time companion should also feel affectionate and protective towards the female I intended to spend the rest of my life with.
When Victoria returned, we agreed to sleep upstairs; I didn’t want to be trapped in a basement in case of trouble. In order to share the cloak, we had to sleep in close contact. I was pleasantly surprised my Red didn’t make a fuss about it, appearing relieved instead. She didn’t even balk when I remained naked, with my attachments within arm’s reach should I need to prepare for battle quickly.
Following my example—and to my great chagrin—Victoria also opted to go to bed battle ready—meaning fully clothed—switching into a fresh pair of black leggings and a t-shirt. At least she left her hair down, and my desire to have her silken locks draped over my chest finally came true. Despite her shyness, my woman didn’t appear to feel awkward as we climbed into the bed she’d been using for the past couple of weeks. It was a twin-size and more than a little cramped for my six-foot-eight, two-hundred-fifty-pound frame. But it was ideal for cuddling my mate.
I activated the cloak, which shimmered around us. Victoria looked at it before turning her stunning blue eyes towards me. She leaned on her elbow, studying my features as if she were seeing me for the first time. Reaching for my face, she slowly traced her index finger over the scar that ran from the scales which formed my eyebrow to the side of my temple.
“A Kryptid mouth dart,” I said. “A couple millimeters to the left and he would have taken my eye out.”
She bit her bottom lip, and I suppressed the urge to kiss her, focusing instead on the burning feel of her hand tracing my other scars. One by one, I described how I’d acquired them. Her apparent ease with our closeness pleased me tremendously. Despite the faint—but delicious—aroma of her underlying arousal, curiosity and not lust drove this unabashed exploration.
She frowned, her palm resting over my chest. Leaning down, Victoria pressed her ear to my chest and stiffened.
“Your heartbeat is strange,” she said, looking up at me with concern.
I smiled and brushed her hair aside with two fingers. “It’s not. I have two hearts.”
Victoria’s lips parted in shock then her eyes filled with wonder. She stared at my chest as if she could see my hearts through skin and tissue.
“Tell me about your species,” Victoria asked with genuine curiosity. “You said you were genetically engineered. But can you give me specifics?”
I hesitated. Although she was my soulmate, we didn’t divulge much about our secrets with planets that hadn’t joined the Coalition.
“Xian Warrior genetics are spliced from a large number of creatures,” I explained. “The main splice is human, which explains our default appearance being so similar to your people’s. For the most part, our organs and reproductive systems are comparable—and compatible.” I’d said that last part in a neutral, matter-of-fact fashion but shifted my vision to study her reaction through her aura. As I’d hoped, it shimmered with joy. “My scales and golden skin come from Gomenzi Dragons, another major splice for us.”
“Dragons? As in the giant, flying, fire-breathing creatures of folklore?” Victoria asked, flabbergasted.
I chuckled. “Yes, as in the fantasy creatures of human lore. Those bone spikes on my shoulders and along my spine are also inherited from them.”
“Do you breathe fire?”
I laughed out loud. “No, my Red. I do not breathe fire, and sadly, I do not fly either. Those weren’t the traits Dr. Xi wanted to give us from them.”
“Oh?” she asked.
“Gomenzi Dragons have special psychic dispositions which are a key asset for us. They gave us our telepathic abilities and make us unconditionally devoted and loyal to those we consider our people.”
“Do you consider us your people?” Victoria asked.
“Yes. We are forty percent human. Our DNA demands we protect you at all cost. For the rest, we have traces of various predators and lethal creatures for specific defensive or of
fensive traits.”
“So, you’re all created in vitro and grown in incubators? You can’t originate from natural birth?”
“Well … Created in vitro, yes, then carried by surrogate mothers until our souls spark, and then transferred into an incubator until birth. There haven’t been any natural births to date, but technically, it should be possible. Some of my brothers—whom you met earlier—and I, were the first Warriors successfully born from our incubators thirty-two years ago. Until today, we feared we might be defective and unable to reproduce naturally.”
Her eyes widened. “Until today? Why? What happened?”
“Xian Warriors mate for life—another trait we’ve inherited from the Gomenzi Dragons. In thirty-two years, despite traveling the galaxy from one war to another, none of my brothers have ever met their soulmates.”
“Well, you haven’t really had a chance to get to know the females you met,” she argued.
“We don’t need to,” I said with a soft smile, though I stared intently at her, waiting to see how she’d react to my next words. “While we certainly appreciate a physically attractive woman, beauty for us is defined by your aura. You, my Little Red, have a stunning aura, which has had all of us drooling.”
Right on cue, her cheeks turned adorably crimson, making me smile.
“But that’s the basis of attraction. When we meet the one, there is an instant physiological response. Our skin grows feverishly hot, and it tingles. Then our mating glands become active. They swell and throb, and our fangs ache to descend.”
“You have fangs?” Victoria exclaimed. Despite her shock, the underlying scent of her arousal intensified.
“I do,” I said with an enigmatic smile. “And they’ve been torturing me since I first laid eyes on you.”
I let the words hang between us while Victoria’s emotions played like a kaleidoscope in the shimmering colors of her aura. Disbelief, hope, suspicion, and joy all pushed and shoved at each other.