Page 27

“So, the aliens joined the party last,” I noted, finally piecing everything together.

“They pretended to want to help us–what remained of our civilization, anyway–so that we would go to them willingly. Like lambs to the slaughter. And while gathering the survivors up for experiments and reproduction,” I shuddered at the thought despite Xaniban’s warmth, “they also began bombing the cities. They needed to get rid of the zombies and vamps as the greatest threat to the aliens’ precious human resource. ”

Xaniban kissed the top of my head. “Now you understand why my kind cannot save yours. It is too late.”

“But you can continue fighting! You plan to do so, don’t you? You spoke of an alliance with the Elves in the war room.”

“An alliance to defeat the flesh eaters,” he reminded me.

“We no longer need to take the risk that alliance talks with the Elves always entail. We have fulfilled our ancestors’ duty.

The war is over for us. Now I must focus my limited resources, as my brethren will of me, on protecting this homecloud and saving individual humans whenever possible. ”

My heart fell. “But you’ve always protected the ground.”

“We live in a different world now,” Xaniban said firmly. “The ground is lost, or it will be very soon. If we lose our warriors protecting it, this homecloud will be lost, too. I must put your safety and that of my brethren first.”

I shifted in his embrace until I was sitting on my heels, facing him completely.

“You don’t have to lose your warriors,” I told him just as firmly.

“You said it yourself: to be divided is to be vulnerable and weak. Why make humankind’s mistake by trying to survive disunited, every homecloud for itself, letting the aliens destroy you one by one?

You can’t remain hidden from those black ships of theirs forever.

They will come for every single homecloud once they’re done with the survivors on the ground.

They will come for me and for the mates of all your brethren.

Then it will be too late to save your kind, Xan. ”

My fervent speech was met with calmness. He must have considered such a future, the smart king that he was. “You speak of an alliance between all homeclouds.”

Hope bloomed in my chest, and I threaded my fingers through his.

“Start with that. Since you said it still won’t be enough, try to negotiate with any shadow kind who want the ground for themselves but don’t need all humans dead to achieve that.

The aliens are their enemies, too, because test subjects are always needed. ”

“ Anima …”

I pressed a finger to his lips before he could say no.

I scooted closer. “Once everyone is united against the common enemy, you hit the aliens hard. You bring your wingless allies to the alien ships and kill the motherfuckers!” His eyes went wild at the swear word, and I realized he might be interpreting it literally. Oops.

“And I, Xan, will be right there beside you. Because my community hides under an air base with an operational fighter jet, and I’ve been studying the manual and trying the flight simulator there.

I believe I can get that aircraft airborne and send it crashing into an alien ship, if nothing else. I’ll blow them right out of the sky.”

His eyes narrowed. “Anima–”

“With the aliens defeated, you can move on to the lesser threats, whatever else is out there killing people. Your allies can have the ground. The surviving humans can be restricted to safe havens of sorts where your kind will always be welcome. Your single warriors can find their mates there–just tell them that and see if they won’t volunteer to be on the front line of the war with the aliens. ”

“ Anima. ”

“But before you do all this,” I continued in a hurry, “you first have to take me to the air base. My community will trust your kind only if they see me with you. Give them a chance, please. If you don’t approve them for a move to the homecloud, at least bring them food and medicine. Let them become your first allies and–”

His mouth descended on mine, stealing my breath away. When Xaniban pulled back, I had trouble remembering what I had been about to say.

“Here is what will happen,” he stated, getting up and pulling me on my feet along with him.

“I will waste no more time answering your questions, which are not questions at all but demands of a queen from her king.” This time he was the one to silence me with a finger on my lips.

He brought my body flush against his. “Today is for us, a gargoyle and his mate.

Tonight as well. We must celebrate our unity in front of our brethren and the Gods themselves, as well as honor our fallen.

“Tomorrow, I will send scouts to this air base you speak of to assess the situation before our official visit, while I will be showing you an animal farm. You will be too sore for anything else once I am done with you tonight.”

The sinful promise in his eyes made me tingle from head to toe. “And the day after tomorrow?”

One corner of his lips quirked up into a fangy smile, and his tail went around my thigh. “I will take my queen to my warriors and let her personally present our war strategy to them.”

“ Our strategy? So you approve of my plan?” Come on, even I knew my ideas were more suitable for a blockbuster script than an actual strategy.

“Yes.” His tail twitched against my thigh. “Mostly.”

“Let me guess: you don’t agree to me joining the battle.

” Admittedly, I would be just as opposed to him exposing himself to such danger.

Not to mention, one year of amateur flying lessons and a few rounds on a flight simulator did not make an Air Force pilot.

Not that I would tell Xan that tiny detail.

His tail twitched again, and his wings fluttered. My gargoyle was nervous.

“Xan?” I asked with trepidation.

He brushed my chin up, eyes searching mine. “This is what you want?”

Was he truly considering it? Unable to summon a word, I nodded.

Determination filled his gaze at the same time as he said grumpily, “You will be fighting only by my side.”

“Oh, Xan!” I flung myself into his arms, clinging to him, overwhelmed with relief and excitement.

He was going to help my community and try to save my kind.

I knew in the end things were not up to him but his– our subjects, but what mattered was that I had his support.

Despite his fear for my safety, despite the rules in his society to keep women away from danger, despite the madness that my plan was, Xaniban was right there with me in all this. My animar .

“Do you think many warriors will volunteer to–Hey!” I yelped when he tail-slapped my ass lightly.

“No more talking about war today,” he reminded me. Hands cupping my ass cheeks possessively, he added over my lips, “No more talking at all, anima .”

I bit my lip and pressed my palms against the center of his chest. “Just one final question.”

His brow furrowed. “What is it?”

“Why did you say I would be sore tomorrow?”

The frown disappeared, replaced by a devastating smile. He offered me his hand. “Let me show you why… Come to me, little blessing.”

I smiled right back and, without any hesitation, put my delicate hand in his large blue one. “Always.”

THE END