Page 30

KROKTL

I crouched in the shadowed roots of a large, partially uprooted tree. Akylla matched my stance, her nose tipped up into the wind, though her eyes flared with red light.

:Control the flash,: I reminded her. :The light might betray our location.:

Her eyes still glowed red but the spinning signals banked. :Sorry, Daddy.:

:That’s how you learn, baby girl. Which one should we get first?

: I pointed a claw to the dynos on our right, a long-necked sauropod blasting a torn, bloody chunk of Balaenoptera with fire.

Then the other dynos, a heavy armored, horned Stegosaurus with a scorpion-like tail.

Its tip crackled with lightning, but he didn’t have any new targets to shoot nets at. Yet. :The ISPD, or the NSTG?:

:I don’t like fire. It’s hurting Mama’s friends.:

The ISPD was trying to incinerate all of the mrions hidden inside the pod, but every blast simply released fine particles into the air.

A purple haze glowed above the lawn, swirling in eddies driven by the incoming storm.

The rain seemed to dampen some of its spread but with this much contamination, it’d take a dozen squads…

I caught myself before I could finish the thought.

Old programming insisted the mrions were our enemies that must be terminated immediately.

Meanwhile, my precious mate’s mrions flowed through me, carried by her blood, and evolved our youngling at a startling exponential rate.

Every time I looked at Akylla, she was bigger, smarter, and faster.

I fired off a script to revise all outdated SOP programming regarding mrion contamination and turned my attention to the ISPD.

:Hungry, Daddy.: Eagerness burned in her little body. :I want to hunt.:

I allowed strategies to rapid fire in my head—while she watched each one unfold.

Advantages, disadvantages, likelihoods of success.

The smartest, safest option would be to stash Akylla somewhere out of harm’s way and take the ISPD myself.

However, the reality was she’d never agree to stay hidden.

I could attempt to force her. Lock her in a cave like Axxol had done to Natalie in a foolish attempt to safeguard her.

But Akylla was already too big—and bloodthirsty—to ever lie down and go to sleep in a baby crib when we had enemies to hunt.

Her eyes burned bright. Her claws glistened, as brutal and sharp as mine, if a bit smaller. She might be half human, but my killer instinct burned inside her. The predator’s hunger couldn’t be denied.

So I might as well embrace it. Though there’d be hell to pay when Natalie heard about this escapade.

I can’t fucking wait.

:I can do it, Daddy. Pleeeeease.:

:If you’re going to help, you have to take orders, just like the squad.:

:Yes, Daddy. I’ll do whatever you say.:

:You have to stay focused. Don’t let anything distract you.:

She quivered with excitement. :Okay. What can I do?:

I let our plan roll through the grid like a video, showing her all the angles and contingencies. :Got it?:

She nodded vigorously.

:Starting countdown.: Crouching, I sprang upward with my powerful thighs, scrambling as quietly as possible onto the tree. I shifted around into the thicker branches, concealing my location.

At my count of thirty, Akylla trotted out into the open yard and boldly approached the ISPD. She stopped only a meter and a half away. Close enough he could jerk his head around and devour her in one gulp. Tension strained through my muscles, willing her to be careful. Smart. And above all, fast.

:Whatcha doing?: Her voice echoed on the grid, bright and curious.

The ISPD’s head snapped up, plumes of fire cut off. :What the fuck? Where did you come from?:

Oh shit. This was already going sideways. :Riz, did you open a channel to this squad’s grid?:

:Fuck, no. She did it all by herself. Hold on. I’m adding extra encryption and blocking any attempt to access our network. Holy fuck, Natalie’s going to roast your ass.:

I grinned widely, huffing softly. :Probably so.:

Note to self: Akylla can not only ghost the grid but she can also open channels to other squads . That wouldn’t have occurred to me. I’m not a comms specialist.

:I live here.: She bent down to sniff at the carcass. :What is this? Is it good to eat?:

:Fuck no,: the ISPD replied. :It’s contaminated.:

:Why are you cooking it?: Her head popped back up, tilted sideways as she eyed the giant four-legged Sauropod. :I’m hungry. Are you good to eat?:

:No fucking way. Hey, Cazr, have you ever seen a dynos so small? Where’d it come from?:

Evidently she’d not only plugged herself into their grid—but opened their entire network to us. Data streamed onto our grid as Riz started downloading all their logs and databanks.

:Cazr’s busy,: the NSTG replied as he lumbered over to investigate. :Female, too. I didn’t think females were ever sent outside of the breeding program. They’re too rare.:

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I didn’t need both of them falling into our trap at the same time. I’m good but not that fucking good.

:Sure we do,: Axxol said. :Done here and headed your way.:

:Hurry the fuck up then.:

:Whatever’s in the hurricane makes landfall in ten minutes,: Riz said.

:One problem at a time,: Axxol growled. :Let’s put additional stress on Cazr. Riz, are you up to harassing the Pterons until we eliminate the two on the ground?:

:I’ll do my best but make it snappy. I won’t be able to stay out of their reach for long with the busted wing.:

:Phase two, Menace,: Axxol said to Akylla.

I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t call her a little menace any longer.

She grinned, dived at the ISPD, and tore a hunk out of his leg. Then she sprinted toward my hiding place.

The ISPD roared, blasting fire into the night sky. :You little fucker!:

:What’s the matter, Izzy?: The NSTG laughed. :Is she too feisty for you to handle by yourself?:

:You taste like shit,: Akylla taunted on their grid.

Giving chase, the ISPD blanketed a wall of fire in her direction.

Sheer terror squeezed my heart in razor talons for two full beats. Then my little girl burst through the flames. Running flat out, her legs pumping, eyes bright. Laughing. Manically. :Missed me, little fucker. Is that all you’ve got?:

:I could use a little fucking help here,: the ISPD growled.

:Fine.: The NSTG heaved out a rumbling sigh as his scorpion tail curled up over his back. Higher. Taking direct aim at Akylla. I wasn’t sure how accurate he’d be at that distance, but I didn’t want to find out.

:I’ve got him,: Axxol retorted. :You take the ISPD.:

:Those nets will dice you up as easily as the Balaenoptera,: I warned him.

:Only if it actually hits me. Which it won’t.:

:Run faster,: I urged Akylla. :I want you under cover in the trees.:

:Okay, Daddy.: She put on another burst of speed, hitting a gear that surprised even me. Maybe it was a trick with the purple haze floating over the ground, but she seemed to blur as she raced beneath my tree with the much larger Sauropod only a few paces behind her.

The NSTG fired a glowing net into the air.

I heard the incoming crackle but didn’t turn my head to track its trajectory.

Axxol said he had it. I trusted my squad, my alpha, implicitly.

My job was to leap onto the ISPD’s broad chest and start ripping my way straight to his heart.

I could see it pumping beneath his flesh, deep in his chest cavity behind his sternum and thick, protective ribs.

Not enough to keep a raptor from eating the juicy muscle in one tasty gulp.

I leaped free of his body as his legs started to fold. Akylla stared transfixed. Not at the ISPD. But at me in all my bloody glory.

Gore coated my face and talons. For a moment, I imagined how I might look through Natalie’s eyes. If she’d seen me slaughter our enemies before we mated, would she look at me and see a monster and not her lover?

:I want some, Daddy,: Akylla whispered reverently.

Before the long neck crashed through the trees and hit the ground, my baby girl had her first taste of liver.

:When we get your mother back, let’s not use so many bad words in front of her just yet.:

Happily munching, she let out a rattling cough. :Okay, Daddy. I’ll try to remember and use only good words.: