Page 3 of Koha’vek (Cyborg Guardians Spinoff)

Ava

Warmth was the first thing I noticed, even before I opened my eyes. Cocooned in a warm, soft blanket, I could hear the soft crackling of the fire. My head ached, sharp and pulsing, and a nagging pain emanated from my ankle, and I tried to move. Groaning, I tried to sit up.

“Easy.” The voice I heard was deep and smooth yet not quite human. Something inside me froze, and I snapped open my eyes. Then I screamed and screamed.

The creature standing over me, shadowed against the firelight, was massive and broad-shouldered.

He was half hidden by shadow, but I could see enough of his face to know that he was not human.

His golden eyes gleamed in the dim light over ridged cheekbones and a sharp jaw.

His skin was patterned in dark scales like those of a snake or fish.

His large hands had fingers that ended in black claws.

“Enough!” he shouted, covering his ears with his hands. “You are safe. I will not harm you. ”

Still, he didn’t move toward me as I tried to scramble back on whatever piece of furniture I had been lying on.

My heart was thundering, as soon as I pressed my foot against the couch, hot pain lanced through my ankle, and I cried out.

I panted against the pain, searching my blanket and the area around me for a weapon, anything to defend myself from the strange creature standing over me. I found nothing.

What I did learn was that I lay on a soft, fur-covered old sofa, covered with a warm blanket. Then I realized that my ankle was wrapped in a bandage. We were in a small old cabin with a well-kept hearth. Crafted from stone and wood, there was one door and two windows.

Even without my injuries, I doubted I could get past the creature to escape if he wanted to stop me. “Where am I?”

“My shelter.”

I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t help myself. “What–what are you?”

“Not your enemy.” He tilted his head as if he might want to say more. “I didn’t bring you here to hurt you. You were injured, so I brought you here to prevent you from dying.”

Then I remembered. A bear roared. Dotty reared, and I couldn’t hold on. I fell, and snow, leaves, and branches flew around me. I kept rolling, and then there was a sudden stop and blackness.

I looked at him again, and suddenly I knew what he was. “You’re – Mesaarkan.” I’d heard the word before, said like he was Satan himself.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t deny it. It wouldn’t have done any good because I knew.

“You were one of them, the aliens who were stealing people all over the territory to experiment on them and use them as sex slaves.”

His expression darkened. “I know what my people have done. That’s why I left them.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stared into the fire as if it might answer for him.

“Because I couldn’t watch anymore.”

Again, I was staring at him. He was terrifying, somewhere between six and 7 feet tall and powerfully built. He was something of a nightmare with his reptilian features and wicked claws. He could break me with his bare hands if he wanted to.

He had done none of those things. Instead, he dressed my ankle and bandaged my head.

He covered me with blankets and placed me near the fire to keep me warm. He had done nothing but try to help, but that didn’t stop me from seeing a monster when I looked at him.

“You should have just let me die,” I said, remembering what my life had become because of Callum Jenkins.

“No,” he emphasized it as though there had never been a question.

I felt my eyes burning, and I blinked back tears to keep them from falling. “I have nothing left. He took it all, but he wasn’t getting me in the bargain.”

“I suspected that you were hunted. It didn’t make sense that a woman would be traveling alone this far into the wilderness.”

I looked away.

Jenkins’s face flashed in my mind, his smug grin, his threats, and his promises. I just shuddered and looked at the creature. “What is your name?”

“Koha’vek Draal.”He rose slowly from where he had crouched by the fire. “You are safe here. You need rest, then when you are stronger, you can decide what to do.”

“And if I want to leave?”

“You may not until you can walk.”

He stepped back into the shadows, picking up a worn blanket and spreading it across a chair near the far wall. He didn’t watch me or come closer. He didn’t threaten me.

Despite that, my heart was still pounding even though I lay still on the couch. My throat was tight. I was confused and exhausted. I still didn’t understand why this alien enemy was helping me. Why was I even alive? But I was.

I was alive and not entirely alone. Injured as I was, there was nothing I could do to change my situation. Soon, I drifted back to sleep.

The next time I woke, the fire was lower. The pain in my ankle had lessened to a dull throb instead of a scream if I moved it. My head still ached, not surprising since I had hit my head hard enough to knock me out.

The alien was still here. He was sitting cross-legged in the corner by the hearth with his eyes closed, either resting or meditating. The silence seemed oppressive.

I sat up slowly, adjusting the blanket around my shoulders, watching him. He didn’t move or open his eyes. Was he sleeping or pretending?

Then he opened his eyes and caught me staring at him. He stared back, and I looked away.

Silence stretched between us. He didn’t ask me any more questions—not yet—but I could feel them hovering in the air. What was I doing out here alone? What was I running from?

I exhaled slowly, glancing at him. “I can’t go back,” I admitted. The words felt heavy, final.

Koha’vek studied me for a long moment. “Why?”

I hesitated. Telling the truth to an alien—a stranger—felt dangerous. But what did it matter? “Because I don’t have a home anymore,” I said finally. “It was stolen from me.”

His eyes darkened, but he said nothing, waiting for me to continue.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I lived on my father’s ranch outside of town.

He built it up from nothing, and when he died, it should’ve been mine.

But Mayor Jenkins had other plans. He claimed I forfeited it because of some made-up debt.

Sold it off to one of his men, and just like that, everything I had was gone. ”

Koha’vek’s expression remained unreadable, but I thought I saw a flicker of understanding there. Maybe even sympathy.

I clenched my hands into fists. “If I go back, they’ll take me too. Jenkins wants more than just the property. He wants me.” My stomach churned at the thought. “Jenkins made it clear that my only option is to become his woman or disappear like so many others who’ve crossed him.”

Koha’vek’s nostrils flared slightly. “That is why you were alone in the mountains?”

I nodded. “My horse spooked when we ran into a grizzly. Threw me, and—well, you know the rest.”

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze sharp, considering. “You were willing to risk death rather than submit.”

I met his eyes, my jaw tightening. “Yes.”

He exhaled slowly, his expression shifting—less distant, more thoughtful. “You cannot leave.”

My stomach twisted. “But you said---?”

“I will not risk you revealing my presence.”

I stiffened. “I wouldn’t—”

He cut me off with a look. “You cannot promise that.”

I swallowed hard. He had a point. If Jenkins or his men found out an alien was hiding in the mountains, they’d come for him. And they wouldn’t stop until he was dead or captured.

Still, the thought of being trapped here, of not having a choice, sent a wave of panic through me. “So what? I’m your prisoner now?”

Koha’vek’s expression didn’t change. “You are my guest.”

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “A guest who can’t leave?”

He didn’t answer.

Frustration bubbled up inside me. “What do you plan to do with me, then?”

Again, he hesitated. “Nothing.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Nothing?”

“I will not harm you.”

Something in his voice made me believe him. He meant it. He wouldn’t hurt me. But that didn’t mean I was safe, either.

I studied him, my heart pounding. He was strange to me—alien in every sense of the word. His body was too large, too powerful, his features too sharp. When I first saw him, I thought he was a monster. But he wasn’t, really. He was just an alien, kind of a cross between a reptile and a green goblin.

“I don’t even know what you are,” I admitted quietly. “I’ve never seen anything like you before.”

Koha’vek’s expression remained steady, though there was something guarded in his gaze. “I told you I am Mesaarkan. ”

I rolled the name over in my mind. I’d heard stories—whispers of the aliens who had secretly occupied Earth, evading the cyborgs who took over. Most people thought they were all gone. Clearly, that wasn’t true.

“Have you seen my horse? I hope she is all right. She’s all I have left.”

“Your horse is fine. I found her and put her in the pasture by the livestock building. Your belongings were still tied to her saddle.”

“I want to see her.” He gave me an unreadable look. “It’s not like I can jump on her back and ride away. I have no place to go anyway.” Tears welled in my eyes.

He made an exasperated sound and stalked out of the house. Tears spilled down my cheeks. My head hurt, and my body ached. Now I've pissed off the only person who had shown me any kindness in a long time.

As I started to cry, I heard a clatter on the front porch. It sounded like hoofs. No, he didn’t.

The front door opened, and Koha’vek walked inside, leading my horse. I quickly wiped the tears from my face, laughing. She nickered when she saw me and moved closer, lowering her head so I could pet her.

“Oh, Dotty, that mean old bear didn’t get you.” She sniffed me and seemed to examine me, nuzzling me. It was almost like she was apologizing for dumping me off. “It’s okay; I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You were scared. That was a big bear.”

Koha’vek held the lead, stoically watching me pet and talk to my horse. Finally, I looked up at him and chuckled, “I can’t believe you did that. That was so kind and thoughtful. But you'd better take her back outside before she makes a mess in the house. Thank you.”

Koha’vek simply dipped his head in acknowledgment, steered the horse around, and took her back outside.

When he returned, neither of us spoke for a long moment. The fire crackled between us, casting shifting shadows along the walls. I had no idea what the future held, yet I was starting to trust him. At least I was alive and not alone.

And that would have to be enough for now.