Page 75 of Protected by the Alien Warrior Triad

17

Forn

Iblink the sleep from my eyes. It’s still dark.

Is the place after death this dark? Can you breathe the air wherever you wind up after you die? Or is the afterlife more like a black hole; one that swallows all who perish?

The thoughts are foreign to me. Battle never brought fear to me before – not until now. All that calms me is the sensation of Tammy’s heart beating against my skin; slow and steady. I already grieve for her, even though I’ve not yet lost her.

My internal clock is finely tuned from many nights in the savannah. I can wake as I please. Today, I woke early, to experience life for as many moments as I still have left.

Today, I will fight.

Today, I will kill, or die.

Hadone and Darok wake in unison as I send the telepathic signal to them to arise. We extract ourselves from the arms of our mate, wanting to give her the peace of slumber for as long as possible.

Gone is any doubt that Tammy is my fated mate. There is no denying it anymore.

Last night, in the heat of passion, I felt an ever deeper connection to her. One I never thought I would. I no longer seek a glorious death in battle. Now, I want to live – I want to be with her for eternity.

My blood-brothers and I step outside and see the first orange glow of the sunrise. This may be the last sunrise I ever see. It’s blood, painting the sky in dark red. An omen, perhaps?

I look down at my fists. My hands are one of the only areas on my body that is not tattooed. I know that soon they’ll be bruised and bloodied.

I don’t want Tammy to see what’s going to happen when we confront the fish-eaters – but I know we have no choice. Though I want to spare her the horrors of the violence I am going to inflict on the rival triad, I know that I’ll need to have her near me to gain strength from her. Tammy has given me a great future – one worth fighting to live for – and I will kill for her if I need to.

Suddenly, the tribe’s horn sounds from the jungle. The tone is proud and fills me with courage.

Then it falters. I know that the blower is probably bent over, doubled by the cough. I chew mindlessly on the beef jerky that I keep in my pouch. I have no appetite, but the energy will be needed in the fight to come.

The fight of my life.Ourlives.

Our lives. Our future.

Diana groggily gets up and emerges from the other shelter. She is beautiful, but nothing compared to Tammy. Diana is a spoiled woman from a rich family. She’s soft, while Tammy is a fighter.

Tammy gets out of the lean-to, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

“Please. Please, don’t do this – I beg you. We can leave. We can… We can run away.” Tammy look at me with those huge, beautiful eyes. For a moment, I ache to do exactly as she says. We could go north, my entire triad, seeking better lands.

But I have an obligation to my tribe. It’s not pride that keeps me here. I know that Tammy is the key to healing everyone. She is the key to the future of the Scorp-Blood tribe. If we flee, then hundreds will perish because of my cowardice. Instead, I’ll fight, and I’ll kill with my bare-hands if that’s what is necessary.