Page 20 of Seized by the Alien Space Warrior (Alien Romance #8)

Chapter Twenty

A va’s heart pounded so hard she thought it would beat right out of her chest. Brenur owned the steel hard look on his face and the end of the blaster didn’t waver as he jabbed it into Aekon’s face. Aekon remained stone-still, his expression fierce. Tension filled the air, making it thick and strained. Brenur’s finger was around the trigger, ready to pull.

Ava leapt between them. “Wait!”

“Ava!” Aekon grabbed her shoulders and shoved her behind him.

She struggled against his iron grip. “You have no right to tell me what to do. Not after...”

She let the sentence hang, too hurt to manage any more words. He couldn’t say everything he had and then treat her as though he cared.

He was just doing his duty, though, wasn’t he?

Yes, he was, but that didn’t make him her boss. She was a grown, capable woman in her own right. The time for cowering was over. She twisted her shoulders out of his grasp and snapped, “Just let me go.”

To her surprise, Aekon released her. She turned to Brenur, “What’s this about? What’s happening?”

Kaico pushed past Brenur and put his hand on the back of her neck. “We’re under attack. The Forsica found us.”

“What are you doing?” Ava said, squirming away from Kaico, but he held her still with another hand on her shoulder.

“Stay still, Ava.” Kaico felt the skin along her lower neck, and paused when the pad of his finger found a little bump she had no idea was there.

“Arm down, Brenur. Neither of them knew about this,” Kaico said.

“About what?” Ava asked. She felt the bump with her own fingers. It was the size of a small coin and just as hard and unyielding. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t felt it before now but then again, she hadn’t been in a position to look for it. “What is that thing?”

Aekon pushed Kaico aside, cursing under his breath.

“Tracker,” he spat. “I didn’t think to even look.”

Dawning horror reared through her. “Tracker? How?”

“The Retiles would have done that to you before they put you in cryo-sleep and the encryption transcoded to your buyer. It’s to keep track of their slaves,” Aekon said. “I should have known better. I should have looked.”

Aekon glared at her. No, not at her. At the tracker embedded in the back of her neck, his anger directed at himself. Echoes of self-hatred rebounded somewhere in the middle of her chest, aching and hot. The self-hatred she felt now was a different sort than the one she’d felt before. This was older, more practised, while only moments ago it was white-hot and alive, coiling like a snake and lashing out at anything because it hurt so much.

“It’s not your fault, Aekon,” she said.

“Yes, it is,” Brenur said. “The Dhasu should have known and now my base is destroyed. My people are being killed. We must go. Leave her.”

Aekon growled and launched himself at Brenur. He swung his fist into Brenur’s face so fast he was a blur. Gold lit up the inside of the tent as his nodes sparked with intense colour. Brenur’s head snapped back and he staggered back a couple of steps.

His lips spread in a bloody grin. “Now I know the answer to that question. Can you take it out, Kaico?”

Aekon stepped towards Brenur, a look of absolute fierceness on his face. “What are you playing at, Brenur?”

Brenur held up his hands. “There’s no way you would have contacted the Forsica if she is your bond-mate.”

Ava’s head snapped up. “Bond-mate? What are you talking about? Aekon had a bond-mate. She died.”

Aekon’s body went rigid, his biceps bulged, and his hands clenched into fists. A low growl emanated from deep within his chest, the sound not unlike the predatory sound of a lion waiting to pounce on a threat.

Brenur’s gaze slipped between Aekon and Ava, knowing and confusion mixed together. “There is only one reason a Dhasu lights up with gold, human. Surely he would have told you that?”

Aekon’s growl rose.

Goosebumps broke out over her skin. Aekon was… her bond-mate? And instead of telling her, he’d pushed her away. He knew and he rejected her . Her eyes stung as hurt so intense it felt as though it lacerated her heart stabbed her right in the middle of her chest.

“He never told me anything. Not even after…” Her voice was hoarse.

Aekon took a step towards her, reaching for her, but she moved away from him. She didn’t want him to touch her. Not when she was so confused. So deceived. Surely he would have told her something so important?

“Now is not the time to discuss what that means, human. Kaico, what can you do?” Brenur said.

“I will have to get it out now. She will be followed if not,” Kaico said.

Her skin crawled, knowing something foreign had been placed in her body without her consent. She nodded and bowed her head, tensing as heavy footfalls pounded outside the tent. “Do it.”

Kaico dug around in the satchel tied about his waist and withdrew a few items, including a sharp-looking scalpel. “This will sting, female.”

“Just get it over with, Kaico,” she said.

Aekon’s growl grew louder when Kaico put the blade to the back of her neck and she tensed.

“You don’t have a say in this, Aekon,” Ava said. Until they had a serious discussion and she knew exactly was going on, he didn’t get a say with anything that concerned her.

His growl cut immediately.

“I will be as fast as I can. Brace yourself,” Kaico said.

She didn’t think of anything else as Kaico’s blade cut through her skin. The sharp little nick made her wince and she was glad she had her head tilted down so nobody could see it.

Kaico dug into the wound and a trickle of blood ran down the side of her neck. “Nearly have it. Nearly there.”

She clenched her hands, her fingernails digging into her palms as she concentrated on her breath. Metal scraped on metal. Kaico flipped the blade and something popped free from the back of her neck with a snap. She gasped, her body jerked with the flash of pain and then Aekon was there, one arm banded across her back, the other threaded through her hair.

She wanted the comfort he offered, but she also didn’t want him to touch her. She was so confused, her mind at war.

“Here it is. A decent sized model. One I haven’t seen before,” Kaico said.

She caught the glimpse of a small, disc-shaped piece of metal in Kaico’s blooded fingertips before he stabbed the tip of the scalpel into the middle of the disk and snapped it in half. Bile rose in her throat.

“Nearly there, human,” Kaico said.

He tossed the tracker onto the ground. There was the sharp smell of antiseptic and Kaico wiped the wound at her neck and then placed a bandage over the wound.

“This will need to be stitched,” he said, “but we’ll get to the safety rooms before I can do that.”

Ava lifted her head, dots dancing in her vision as a wave of dizziness hit her. She was grateful for Aekon’s arms about her but she still stepped back, dizzy or not. The only right he had with her was to be honest, and right now any trust between them had been well and truly trampled on. She stepped away from the protection of Aekon’s body and nodded at Brenur. “Ready when you are.”

Brenur offered them a clipped nod. “Follow me.”

He left the tent. She followed and chaos descended around her. Grunts, groans, and the sounds of battle were amplified away from the protection of the tent. The air was tainted with desperation and blood. Laser fire created flashes of bright orange, followed by the sounds of exploding rock and the acidic smell of chemical burns.

Smoke laced the air. Fire ravaged several tents. People ran this way and that, children clutched in arms. Several Ixod fought hand to hand, those dressed in rags against those wearing the sleek black outfits of the Forsica.

A massive Ixod with a shoulder span twice her size cracked another dressed in rags with the butt of his blaster. Blood sprayed before the ragged Ixod crumpled to the ground. With a vicious sound, a female swung the end of a steel pipe into the side of the uniformed Ixod.

The Ixod screamed in agony. Masses of ragged Ixod ran at him, coming from nowhere, bringing him down with shovels and axes. The attack was swift and brutal. Bile rose in her throat. She clamped her teeth shut and concentrated on running behind Brenur.

She flinched with each blast, scream, and agonised moan. She ignored the sting of smoke at the back of her throat and wiped aside the tears that stung and the sweat prickling her skin.

This was war. Death.

If she hadn’t realised before, this was a group of desperate people fighting against their oppressor. It wasn’t that much different to countries on Earth. She could understand. Brenur hadn’t lied. It was one thing watching people live in dirt poor conditions and another knowing why they did it. They were fighting to the death for their lives.

And it had been her that had led the danger to them, albeit unwittingly.

She felt sick to her stomach. Even though they were aliens, they were injured. Dying.

Her life, and what she’d experienced of it, was nothing compared to the reality of the universe. She’d been cocooned, naively ignorant, blissfully caught up in her own little world that when it came down to it, was utterly futile.

She thought she knew what life was about, but how wrong she had been. Maybe Aekon’s reaction to her was easy to understand. Scrape away the hurt and the confusion, and his reactions were absolutely understandable.

She didn’t follow why he’d reacted like he had after the best love-making she’d ever experienced, but she knew he was a warrior. Even though he could be so gentle, he’d seen battle. Death. He had been hurt by violence. She glanced at him running beside her, ready to defend her and keep her safe.

His eyes burned bright and focussed. He moved easily, not flinching or fidgeting or scared out of his mind as she was. He was used to this because there was nothing new about it. He’d seen it all before.

Lashing out against anything good was his way of protecting himself. It was easier to cut himself off than deal with the pain of loss. Many people ended up alone thinking that way. In their minds, loneliness was preferable to the hurt of loss.

A uniformed Ixod charged at them from between two tents. Aekon grabbed a nearby shovel and with an easy swing slammed it into the Ixod’s face, breaking the handle. The guard’s nose exploded as it was rammed into the back of his skull. Blood sprayed over Aekon as the Ixod dropped like a stone to the ground. Aekon threw the broken tool to the ground without missing a step and snatched the blaster from its claws. He checked the cartridge and kept walking as though he’d just picked up a discarded piece of clothing off the floor.

His gaze raked over her, cold and missing nothing, maybe checking her over for injuries. He grabbed her bicep and prodded her along faster. Brenur began to jog. They were all so much taller than her, she had no hope of keeping up even though they weren’t flat out running. Despite everything, she was grateful for Aekon’s firm grip on her. She would have fallen over her feet long before now she was trembling so hard, terror making her weak.

“Retreat. Find the emergency bunkers. Wait for my word there,” Brenur shouted at his people as they moved through the camp. “Spread the word!”

Groups scattered between the tents.

Brenur led them to a jagged hole in the cave wall, which was barely more than a slit in the rock face. She might have walked right past the opening, it was so cleverly hidden behind a natural notch.

He turned to them, his expression grim, “Kaico, take them to the northern bunker. I will meet you there when everyone has been evacuated.”

Kaico stepped into the darkness and Aekon guided her though the entrance after him but stayed outside.

“Go with Kaico. I will fight,” Aekon said.

“I would not expect that of you, Dhasu,” Brenur said.

“I would never stand by while innocents die. No matter what species they are,” Aekon replied.

“Then I would appreciate a warrior of your league fighting with us,” Brenur said.

“It is my honour,” Aekon said, inclining his head.

Her stomach dropped to her feet. Panic lodged in her chest. Even though he didn’t want to be with her, she didn’t want him in danger. “Aekon…”

His mouth flattened into a straight line. “I will come for you. You needn’t worry.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Ava said.

She went to touch him, but thought better of it, her hand dropping to her thigh.

His eyes darkened. “This is what I do, Ava. I am a warrior. My life for others. In the larger scheme of things, it is a fair trade.”

Her heart pounded as heat washed over her skin. She knew this was who he was. It was a part of what most attracted him to her.

“I’m not going to stop you,” she said. “I’d never ask that of you, just…”

He frowned, his nodes dropping low over his eyes. “What is it, Ava?”

What she would do to hear him say ‘ My Ava ‘, just once more. But there was no time for that and it was selfish of her to even think it. People were dying out there and he needed to help them.

She drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Make it back safe, Aekon. You might not think so, but it matters. To me.”

She would never forget the surprise that crossed his features, before his brows lowered and the light in his eyes darkened. Self-loathing washed through her before a wall was slammed down so fast and so tight she thought she hadn’t felt anything at all. Aekon gave nothing away, not a hint of the pain he carried with him. But she’d seen it and felt it, and it was eating him up.

There was so much she wanted to say to him, but now was not the time. If she were honest with herself, it might never be the time. The reality was he’d rejected her, even though they shared this mystical mate-bond, whatever it was. All she knew about it was that it was a curse. Something to hurt. Something to use.

Something to discard.

She gave him the only smile she could muster and turned to Kaico, “I’m ready. Lead the way.”

When she looked back over her shoulder, Aekon and Brenur had already gone.