Page 5

KROKTL

B reathing in her scent, I held Natalie, though her mind felt far away. She wasn’t scared, exactly, but troubled. A great burden dragged at her mind like the weight of this rock of imbeciles she called Earth.

If I could cut her free of this weight I would do so in a heartbeat. Even if it killed me. Though that would give her a different burden of grief to bear, as well as complicate her survival. Even with the squad complete and her developing Myrm cells, we were extremely vulnerable to attack.

Wherever we went, DSC would continue to hunt us. She would never be safe. Which was my burden to bear.

I’d been unable to resist the siren call of her scent. For better or worse, we were mated. If she died, so would the rest of the squad. The monster inside me stretched, hungry and ready to kill. We’d take out as many as possible before the end. They wouldn’t find us an easy target.

The youngling stirred in her mother’s arms, making a soft little mewling sound that melted all the scales and teeth inside me. Her eyes popped open, and as soon as she saw us both close, she smiled and started babbling.

“Good morning, little angel baby.” Natalie shifted her around in her lap. The youngling gripped Natalie’s index fingers in fierce little fists. “Aw, look, she’s holding her head up already. I don’t think human babies can do that for months.”

The youngling made more happy sounds that were almost words.

“She’ll be talking soon,” Snryx said. “She’s functioning as a three-month-old human baby, even though she’s only been here for fifty-two hours.”

“Mama, Mama, Mama.” Natalie cooed to her, bouncing her gently on her lap. “Dada, Dada, Dada.”

On the grid, the youngling’s mind sparkled and popped from one idea to another.

She didn’t have words for emotions yet, but she had the cognizance to connect Mama to Natalie.

Her eyes focused on me, flashing red, recognizing me as her sire.

Even though she had several males crowded around, eager to do her slightest bidding.

My chest hurt like Axxol plowed into me at top speed and ripped my still-beating heart out of my chest.

“We haven’t discussed her name,” Natalie said. “Everything happened so fast. I don’t even have a list in mind to choose from. Do you have any dyni naming conventions we should keep in mind?”

“Like what?” I asked. “I knew my name and designation almost immediately. We’re bred to grow fast but we’re still deadly at an early age.”

Axxol snorted. “Let’s call her Kroktl Junior.”

“Boys are named Junior, not girls. Besides, I want her to have a pretty name.”

I play-growled. “Kroktl isn’t pretty?”

“You’re the prettiest Kroktl that ever existed, I’m sure, but our baby should?—”

:Ah-kill-a,: the youngling stated on the grid, drawing the syllables out like individual words themselves. Then faster, a single word. :Akylla.:

“She knows her name,” Natalie whispered. “What’s your designation, Akylla?”

She blinked, red eyes glowing brighter. On the grid, a raptor raced through the undergrowth, silent and swift.

“Tri-R,” I said. “The same as me.”

Though the creature paused mid-hunt. Head tipped, nostrils flaring, an explosion of activity on the grid too rapid for me to follow. Blue flared around the raptor, and she disappeared.

“Tri-R+,” Axxol drawled. “Like me.”

The youngling mouthed her fist, still locked around her mother’s finger, so Natalie brought her to her breast to nurse. “How is that possible? I mean, I know I picked up Axxol’s DNA, but how did that get transferred to Akylla?”

Her cheeks burned and I couldn’t resist shooting a narrowed glare at the bastard. He’d shot his load on her before joining us in Creel, putting his hands—and scent—on my mate when I wasn’t present.

:She’s my mate too,: Axxol retorted.

I bit back a snarky, “I know.” I did. Ultimately, I’m glad he finally pulled his head out of his ass and made up with her after his disastrous plan to “protect” her by kidnapping her from us. But I didn’t have to like it.

Ducking her head closer to the downy head of our youngling, Natalie whispered, “I’m sorry. I never?—”

“No.” I cut her off, pressing her back against me soothingly. “Don’t be sorry. You’re mated to the entire squad. I accept them.”

“But it bothers you.” She twisted in my arms so she could see my face, her eyes solemn and achingly tender. “ You’re my mate, Kroktl. None of this would be possible without you. I especially don’t want to come between you and your alpha.”

I blew out a sigh and forced myself to examine the ugliness gnawing inside me. “He’s your alpha too, baby. I just don’t like that he touched you when I wasn’t there. I don’t mind when I’m available to you as well, even if you don’t need me.”

She leaned forward, hugging me, our youngling pressed between us. “I’ll always need you. That’s a simple request, don’t you agree, Axxol?”

“Sure thing, Red.” Axxol’s tone bordered on snide—but he was always an asshole, so it was hard to tell if he was sincere or being a dick.

:Or both,: Natalie whispered in my mind with a soft, private laugh just for me.

Axxol didn’t react, so he must not have heard. My last remaining thread of jealousy dissipated. We could still have private moments, just the two of us, like this.

“The last components of Myrm DNA came to you through Axxol,” Lohr said, bringing us back to her original question.

“Though it might not have happened at the youngling’s conception, the completed Sirian cells were available to her through your bloodstream before she was born.

Your completion gave her the same full Myrm components.

It wouldn’t surprise me to find that she carries many of our individual skills inherited through our DNA, though perhaps not as specialized as our full designations. ”

Axxol let out a low whistle. “That makes her scary as fuck.”

I grinned, baring my teeth with vicious amusement. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”