Page 24 of Krin (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #3)

Krin

I WOKE UP, STUCK BETWEEN huge sections of the ship, lying on my side. I pushed at a huge piece of debris to give myself enough space to move.

Crewmembers were calling out to one another. Coughing and moans filled the air around me. Cold air flowed over me from outside.

My heart was in my throat. Riley!

Rising to my feet, I glanced around the immediate surroundings. “Riley,” I called out.

My chest seized tight. Emotion welled in my throat. Flutz, I told her I’d keep her safe.

Riley was snatched from my grasp when the ship crashed, and then I blacked out.

I focused on our mental bond, hoping I could find her that way. There was nothing. I couldn’t hear her thoughts, or feel her as I expected. My heart dropped into my stomach as I began to search the wreckage.

Around me the voices of crewmen continued to call out to one another.

There was still no sign of Riley. I reasoned in my mind that she couldn’t have gone far. My eyes clouded for a moment as dreaded thoughts tried to enter my mind.

No.

I began searching the perimeter around the spot where I had been holding her. My attention was caught by my K’sha’s curly hair. I hurried to her, praying I wasn’t too late.

Riley’s body lay crumpled on the ground, as if she had collapsed right where she stood. Her face was bloodied, with crimson streaks running down her cheeks. My breath caught in my chest, making it feel like I couldn’t breathe for a second.

Kneeling beside my mate, I gently touched her head, my fingers tracing over a deep, gaping wound.

I reached out and touched my K’sha’s chest, relieved to feel the faint beating of her heart against my palm. Her shallow breaths worried me.

I gently ripped a piece of fabric from her shirt and used it to bind her head wound.

In my head, I pleaded, ‘Please, let her be okay.’

With care, I held Riley close and carried her out of the ship.

My chest pounded with the force of my racing heart. My legs felt weak as I looked down at her unconscious body.

The heavy scent of blood lingered in the air, revealing the seriousness of my K’sha’s injuries.

In my arms, she felt as delicate and fragile as a flower. My heart was shattered by the sight of her in this condition.

Ezan's voice called out from behind me, making me turn around.

“Captain! Thank the Gods, there you are. Are you injured?” Ezan’s eyes widened as he glanced at Riley. “Gods, is she...?” His question was left unfinished while his face filled with compassion.

All I could manage to say was, “She is breathing, she is alive.” Emotion welled up within me, thickening my voice as I spoke.

We both turned to see the remnants of the bridge, now exposed to the outside world.

My K’sha’s body quivered against mine, and I carefully pressed her into me, seeking to share my body heat.

Another warrior hurried over to me. “There are three dead so far, Captain. We are pulling others from the wreckage, and will do a head count soon.”

I nodded in acknowledgement. “We also need blankets, weapons and food,” I said firmly.

Commander Ezan stated his commitment to help and hurried off to gather supplies.

Aza’s expression was grim as he approached with his hand against his ribcage. He winced in pain. “I apologize. I attempted to land her but the ship was too heavily damaged.”

My chin was raised. “Given the circumstances, you did an excellent job.” I cleared my throat taking in his obvious injury. “Are you badly injured? Have you found Dril?”

He nodded, solemn. “He is okay. I am too... I will be. We are trying to make contact with another Protectorate ship to tell them what happened.”

“The comms are working?” I asked, surprised.

“Emergency frequency is sketchy. We will keep trying.” His gaze moved to Riley. “Is she injured badly?”

Another shiver ran through her body. “I do not know. Have you seen the medic?”

He gave a shrug. “I will find him.”

Before I could reply, he dashed away with his tail twitching anxiously.

Ezan came back with a blanket at that very moment. He extended it in my direction. “I brought this to make sure she stays warm.”

Working in unison to cover her body with the blanket without lowering her, I thanked him for his help.

To my relief, the wound had stopped bleeding. However, the heat radiating from her forehead was undeniable; she definitely had a fever.

After what felt like an eternity, the medic finally showed up. Impatiently, I forced out the words, “Took you long enough. My mate is seriously injured.”

Giving me a brief, disapproving stare, he shook his head. “I was tending to the injured. I got here as fast as I could.”

He looked closely at Riley’s injury, gently removing the material I had used to cover her head. His face contorted with a frown and his brow creased.

“I will clean the wound thoroughly before sealing it.” He followed through on his promise, then displayed a portable body scanner in his hand.

“I have the ability to scan for internal injuries. Unfortunately, I cannot provide treatment at this moment. The crash resulted in the medi-bay being completely torn apart. I was fortunate to retrieve the few medical items I have.”

After scanning Riley’s body, concern etched his face as he swallowed hard. “She is suffering from some internal injuries.”

“Fix her,” I roared, unable to contain my emotions.

He startled, then nodded his head. “I will make every effort to find what I need, Captain.”

The medic scurried away, leaving me alone with Riley, whose limp body lay in my arms. Fear had taken hold, my insides churning in a relentless storm.

Gods, please help. I cannot lose her.

“IDENTIFY YOURSELF.” The chief of security, Rothr, announced in a loud voice.

I cast a swift glance in his direction and was astounded to see two unfamiliar beings that appeared unlike anyone I had ever encountered.

Neither human nor Alaran traits were evident in the appearance of the aliens.

They stood tall, towering above me by about four heads. They had four arms, and two legs. Their skin appeared to have developed into a shield, almost like natural armor.

Devoid of hair, possessing large black eyes without eyelids, they had long, dark gray spikes protruding from the tops of their heads like antennae.

Their eyes, moving past Rothr, landed on another warrior, who stood confidently, sword in hand. There was a sense of fearlessness about them, as if they were completely unbothered by any potential danger.

I noticed they were not carrying any weapons that I could see.

“I am Rauki,” one of them stated in an accented voice. His ability to speak our language was a relief. “We are Thrala. We are here to help.”

As I eyed him, security had weapons trained on both creatures. My temper flared as I clutched Riley closer. “Are you the ones who shot us?” I ground out.

“We did not intend to harm you. We were shooting at our enemy. They were trailing you. they would have destroyed your ship had we not intervened.”

“How do you know the Voletti?” Was this another new race in Alaran space?

“We are from the same alternate Universe as the Voletti. They destroyed our home world and many others. They are a scourge.”

“How did you get here?”

“Wormhole technology we created. The Voletti stole it from us. We tracked them down in every Universe they entered. Our crew tracked some of their ships here.”

I realized these creatures were even more advanced than us.

It was still unclear if they were friend or foe. If he was an enemy of the Voletti, I was willing to hear him out.

Before I could speak again, his eyes moved to Riley. Two of his arms beckoned, and I noticed he had three broad fingers and a claw for a thumb.

Instead of ears he had four holes on each side of his head.

“Bring the being to our ship. We can save it.”

“Captain, we don’t know if we can trust them,” advised Ezan who was suddenly at my side.

Rauki’s head spikes tilted toward Riley as if assessing her. “The creature is frail. It is bleeding internally. It will die without our assistance,” stated the Thrala.

How he knew she was bleeding internally I did not know.

Humans were easily injured which was why I was worried about allowing Riley to work on the ship.

I’d never expected anything like this to happen, however.

“ She is a human female. And my mate,” I stated with irritation.

Staring at Rauki, I tuned into his emotions. There appeared to be no deception coming from him.

“Where is your ship?” I asked.

“My shuttle is nearby. Our healing pods are on our main vessel above the planet. We will take your hoo-mun female to the ship.”

Riley’s body was growing cooler by the minute. Even with a blanket around her, I could feel the cold radiating. If I did not do something, I was going to lose her.

“Is it far to your main ship?”

“No. However, we must hurry. Follow me.” He turned away, moving quickly.

“Wait. I will bring her, and a security team will accompany me.”

The creature turned and gave a tiny bow of his head. “If it makes you feel safe, you may bring others with you. I assure you we are not here to harm anyone. Only our enemy, the Voletti.”

THE INSIDE OF THE THRALA shuttle was completely foreign to me. Though I had been on other Protectorate ships belonging to our allies, I never expected to see something like this.

The vessel was sleek on the outside. Shiny black and the shape of a horizontal tear drop, much like their main ship. It was dimly lit with yellow lights that lined the floor and ceiling. There were no chairs in the cockpit as we entered the shuttle.

Rauki must have seen my puzzled expression because he spoke. “We remain upright when we are piloting. There are places for you to repose on our home ship, in the healing area.”

I nodded, and we continued to follow him further inside the shuttle.

When the ship lifted into the air, it was in complete silence. Not so much as a whisper emitted from their engines.

Quickly we approached what they referred to as their home ship. It was a massive version of the shuttle we were on.

Instead of entering a docking bay, the vessel seemed to be absorbed into the main ship and become part of it.

The two armed warriors that accompanied me were looking around, just as amazed as I was.

Once inside, the wall disappeared and we were staring into a larger space with white walls, a stark contrast to the black outside of the ship.

Rauki urged us to follow him. I was cradling Riley as carefully as I could in my arms.

We entered a corridor, then a huge room with large clear pods lining one wall.

I was instructed, “Place your mate in a healing pod.”

My gut told me these beings were not here to hurt us. If they had wanted to, we would not be standing in their ship right now.

I wasn’t sure why, but I trusted them.

Besides, I had to save my K’sha’s life, no matter the cost.

I placed Riley in the pod and it closed around her. Watching my mate’s face through the window, I could see her cheeks regained some color right away.

Rauki addressed two other beings with a series of clicks and tones. Then the beings huddled around another machine pressing panels, and moving their hands through the air over holographic symbols.

He approached me. “While your female is healing, I would like to speak with you. Time is of the essence.”

My eyes narrowed. “I will not leave her side.”

He put up a three fingered hand. “I am not suggesting we leave the room.”

“Fine.” My hands went to my hips as I stood tall.

His movements were fluid as he spoke. “There are Voletti on this planet. However, our scans also show other aliens.”

I nodded my head. “They are humans, like my mate. They must be rescued before we attack the Voletti.” I was not going to allow anything to happen to the females if I could help it.

“They will be helped. But first, allow me to explain something.” He paused for a moment before continuing.

“The Voletti must not be allowed to live. They have to be destroyed.”

I couldn’t agree more. “What are you proposing?”

“My people will eliminate the Voletti. You and the incoming ships of your kind will rescue the other beings... The hoo-muns. Our scans reveal the enemy have at least half of the females in a form of stasis. They are being used to breed more Voletti. We must terminate the creatures.”

“You are not suggesting killing the human females’ are you? Because I will not allow that,” I stated firmly.

Two of his arms waved. “No. We have a way of removing the Voletti clones from their wombs without causing further injury to the...hoo-mun females. First, we must destroy the enemy. Then we will work to assist you with the females that are being used as fertilization tanks.”

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a long sigh. “Fine. What is your plan exactly?”