Page 27

Orin

WE ARRIVED AT THE FRUNER mining facility with a group of warriors to see four Krilex stationed at the front entrance, armed with blaster pistols. Careful to stay out of view Trex ordered two of the warriors to secure the nearby Krilex shuttle.

“Is there another way inside?” one of the warriors asked.

“No,” stated Trex. “We will take out these devaras first. Any Krilex inside will be easy to subdue. Their blasters will not work inside the facility.”

As the rush of battle filled me with adrenaline, I drew my sword from its sheath. It had been several cycles since I had witnessed any action. And I was prepared to deal with the scum that was causing problems for those residing in Alaran space.

“I will distract the males out front while the rest of you slip inside,” I said, glancing at King Trex.

He shook his head and pursed his lips. “I am going with you,” he said aloud, then added, ‘You are one of my best warriors, but I won’t let you do this alone. We both must return to our mates in one piece.’

I swallowed, allowing his words to sink in, then I bowed my head . ‘Yes, your highness.’

With our plans set, Trex and I advanced on the Krilex, weapons at the ready. The other warriors fanned out to attack the aliens from behind.

Catching them off guard, we disabled two of them while the remaining two fired off a couple of blasts of their pistols.

While the warriors reached the front door and prepared to head inside, I ducked to avoid getting shot. Spinning on my heel, I brought my sword down on one of the last two reptilians and watched him fall to the ground.

King Trex roared as he took down the last Krilex blocking our entry to the mine.

Together, we advanced and the facility doors opened before us. Upon entering, the clamor of multiple voices greeted us from inside.

A male voice asserted his determination to stay put and denied the Krilex any access to the ore and the rest of the mine.

“The AI only reacts to Alaran DNA,” I heard him say.

Moving closer to the voices inside, I spotted a dozen Alaran male hostages and a group of six Krilex encircling them. The males had no weapons and watched the Krilex with narrowed eyes despite the danger to themselves.

Trex and the other warriors were at my side as we headed toward the Krilex. When we got close enough, the aliens turned and held their blasters on us.

I couldn’t help the smile on my lips as I watched their futile attempts to shoot at us. In shock, they gazed at their pistols distracted. This gave me the perfect opportunity to bridge the distance.

I attacked one of the confused reptilians, grabbing his blaster and delivering a punch to his abdomen. He was lifted off his feet and thrown, landing with a loud thud on the floor. His firearm clattered to the ground.

Other warriors fought the remaining Krilex, filling the air with grunts and hand-to-hand combat echoes. I readied my sword while the snarling Krilex I had hit struggled to stand up, then charged at me. I struck him down before he landed a blow.

Once we incapacitated the Krilex, one of the warriors who’d been sent to secure the shuttle, communicated from outside . ‘I have a dying Krilex out here that wants to speak to someone in charge.’

Trex gave a derisive snort, and I followed him as we stormed outside.

The King towered above the defeated Krilex, who lay covered in blood. He narrowed his eyes, looking down at the alien. “What were you hoping to achieve here today?”

The fallen Krilex was having a hard time focusing his eyes.

“The Voletti...are...angry...our progress is slow...tire of waiting. One last opportunity... to retrieve the minerals.” He managed amidst bouts of coughing. “They’ve destroyed ...our ships... in this sector ...we could not ...deliver what they needed...fast enough.”

I sensed fear from the reptilian. Not something I ever expected from a Krilex. They were an arrogant, cruel race who did not show weakness.

“What do you mean one last opportunity?” Trex’s voice took on an urgency. “You work with the Voletti. Why would they destroy you?”

The alien’s voice weakened further. “We are leaving Alaran...space...Voletti...turned...on us. They cannot... be trusted.” His breath became a rattle in his chest, then ceased.

Trex’s jaw twitched. He pushed his shoulders back and looked at one of the warriors. “Where did you find him?”

“He was in the Krilex shuttle and tried to flee.” The warrior responded.

The King and I shared a quick glance without speaking. We both knew there would be a diversion before the main attack.

This was that diversion.

The question was how long before the Voletti showed up?

My thoughts went to Olivia and the danger she was in if the Voletti attacked Struna. There was no question the King was contemplating the same thing about his mate.

More commotion erupted behind us, and both Trex and I turned our heads to look.

I witnessed a Krilex male, wounded and bloodied, pointing his weapon at Trex. Without hesitation, I threw myself in front of my King as the alien fired his weapon.

I was thrown off balance, but remained standing. My shoulder was hit by a sharp, agonizing pain, making me struggle to take a breath. Placing my hands against my chest, I gasped and choked.

Trex’s hands gripped my shoulders, preventing me from collapsing.

He led me away from the scene while he barked out orders to the other warriors.

The pain caused my vision to blur, and I saw stars due to difficulty breathing.

Drifting away, I could hear Trex's voice transforming into an echo in my mind.

WHEN I WOKE, I WAS lying on my back in the palace infirmary and I looked up to see Rekna next to me. As I struggled to sit up, his hand landed on my uninjured shoulder, applying a gentle pressure that forced me back down.

“Stay still. I managed to close the wound, but you must allow yourself time to heal. You were lucky the shot did not damage your heart,” he said.

I groaned at the residual pain in my shoulder. Then caught a whiff of my mate's familiar yet unique, soft scent and turned my head to look at Olivia.

She touched my arm and said, “I’m here.”

My mind cleared, and I was relieved to see her.

“Orin, I was terrified when I heard you’d been shot,” she reproached, her tearful appearance and swollen eyes giving away that she had been crying. I extended my hand, and she took it, then leaned to kiss it.

“King Trex? Is he okay?” I blurted, lifting my head off the bed to look around.

Trex’s voice reassured me, saying, “I’m fine,” as he came closer to my bed. “Thanks to you. You saved my life,” he smiled at me.

His words made me feel proud I hadn’t let him down. Relief flooded me as I’d redeemed myself even if only in my own mind. With Olivia’s glare not escaping my notice, I declared, “I am your personal guard. It’s my honor and duty.”

Next, my attention was drawn to Queen Grace, who greeted me with a warm smile. She opened her mouth to speak when the palace alarm rang out.

Startled by the noise, Olivia’s hand clenched mine.

“What now?” Queen Grace snapped.

Xilta who I also failed to notice sooner, turned and left the infirmary with Trex close behind.

I took a few deep breaths to find I had only a minor amount of pain in my shoulder and little difficulty breathing.

I sat up.

Olivia’s eyes bulged as she gaped at me. “How are you moving right now?”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, giving my mate a brief kiss. “It is going to take more than getting shot to stop me from doing my duty.

Rekna who was standing at a nearby cabinet shook his head, giving a disapproving cluck. “I suppose it will do no good if I ask you to remain here.”

“It will not,” I announced.

“Stubborn warriors,” he grumbled. “You are not fully healed. Be careful.” His lips pressed into a disappointed frown.

Olivia looked at me with fear radiating off her, and I pulled her into my arms. She clung to me for a moment before letting go to look up at me.

I touched her cheek. “Return to the suite. I will be there soon.”

“That’s what you promised earlier, before you showed up with a blaster wound in your shoulder.” She sniffed.

With a tilt of my head, I offered her a sympathetic gaze. “It is my duty to protect the King.”

Sighing, she pressed her lips into a thin line, then shook her head before gesturing with her hand toward the door. “Go. But don’t get hurt again.”