Page 9 of Sy (Alien Berserkers of Izaea #2)

9

O ne moment, the ground was under Sy’s feet, and the next it split between them and surged in opposite directions, like ships departing a spaceport. Then the ground beneath him shifted, rolling like liquid rather than solid earth, and he was forced to leap clear.

“Fuck,” he muttered as metal shrieked, support beams flexing under the strain. Three smaller vehicles were thrown into the air by the shifting earth. Tools were transformed into deadly projectiles as they fell from the sky.

Thick clouds of disturbed earth billowed upward, creating a haze that would blind the humans. But his legion-enhanced vision cut through it like a knife, cataloging threats with brutal efficiency. The construction site had become a gods-damned deathtrap of swaying equipment and unstable surfaces.

“Everyone, get clear!” Ashley’s voice cut through the cacophony of garbled death wails of the Hell-V’s control panels and the panicked shouts of the human workers.

“ Draanth ,” he snarled. His body moved on instinct, his muscles coiling and releasing as he launched himself across the pitching ground toward her. Where humans stumbled and fell like drunk revelers at a spaceport bar, his enhanced reflexes kept him upright and mobile. He tracked her with multiple senses—scent, sound, and sight—as she kept her footing through sheer determination, her spine straight as she gestured workers toward safety zones.

The distance between them closed rapidly. He reached for her just as she twisted away, her voice rising above the din. “Get to the emergency zones! Move it, people! Sy, for god’s sake, stop grabbing me! I have a job to do, and you’re not helping!”

“For draanth’s sake,” he growled in frustration, the sound rumbling up from deep in his chest to match the earthquake’s thunder. He could easily overpower her, but her authority here was absolute. She jabbed a finger urgently toward workers in precarious positions even as she fought to maintain her own balance.

Another violent tremor nearly took her feet out from under her. Sy’s hands found her waist, steadying her against his much more stable frame. She continued struggling like a caught deearin , trying to direct the evacuation even as fine particles of dust coated them both, reducing visibility to mere meters for human eyes.

“The crane operator—” Ashley’s words cut off as she coughed through the thickening air, jabbing a finger toward the towering equipment now swaying dangerously. “I need to give him orders to evacuate.”

“ Trall ,” Sy muttered as his grip tightened instinctively when the ground pitched again.

“You can’t give orders if you’re dead,” he snarled near her ear, fighting to be heard over the chaos.

She twisted in his grip like an angry deearin , her eyes blazing. “Let me do my job!”

The ground rolled beneath them like a living thing, forcing them closer together as he maintained balance for both of them. Then a spike of terror sliced through him, overriding even his tactical assessment of the construction site’s collapse. “ Draanth! The kids?—”

Ashley shook her head. “They’re up in the garrison.” Her fingers dug into his forearms like talons, her face pale with fear. “Will they be okay up there? Go check on them. Please. You’re faster than I am.”

He shook his head. The teens were protected within the garrison’s reinforced structure, away from the deadly rain of construction materials and equipment.

“The garrison’s shielded. They’ll be safer there than anywhere else right now.”

His enhanced hearing picked up the distinctive crack of support beams giving way, forcing him to pull Ashley clear of falling debris.

She stumbled against him, dust coating her hair until it looked like worn steel. “You’re sure they’re safe?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“The garrison was built to withstand orbital bombardment.” He tightened his grip as another violent tremor rippled through the ground. “A few earthquakes won’t touch it.”

A deafening crack split the air like a plasma rifle discharge as the ground ruptured, forcing him to tighten his grip on her.

“ Draanth’s balls ,” he swore as one of the massive Hell-Vs teetered on the edge of a rapidly expanding void, its metal frame screaming in protest. Through the thickening dust, he caught glimpses of dark shapes moving with inhuman speed… ferals using their abilities to pluck humans from danger. One leaped twenty meters straight up, snatching a worker from a collapsing scaffold before landing with impossible grace.

The air grew thick with hazards: chunks of debris raining down like artillery fire, choking clouds of dust rising up, the sharp mineral scent of broken earth mixing with the acrid smell of burning metal where equipment shorted out.

Another violent tremor forced him to wrap both arms around her waist as the ground bucked beneath them.

“The emergency pods—” Ashley’s voice emerged rough from the dust. She pointed toward a squat structure barely visible through the chaos. Several were dotted around the perimeter of the site. He’d wondered what they were but figured the humans had brought extra bodily waste elimination facilities so they wouldn’t have to leave the site all the time.

“Hold on,” he growled as he threw her over his shoulder and ran.

They reached the pod just as another fissure opened nearby, forcing him to leap over the gap. Ashley stifled her scream against his back, and then they fell through the door of the pod together, landing in a tangle of arms and legs on the floor.

The pod was tiny, pressing them close together as he sealed the door against the destruction outside.

Her breathing came in sharp gasps that stirred the air between them while tremors continued to rock the pod. Her hands gripped his forearms, the contact burning through his awareness despite the environmental crisis raging outside.

“We should be safe here until—” His words cut off as a violent shake pressed her more firmly against him.

His heightened senses absorbed every detail of the way her smaller body fit against him so perfectly. This was a bad idea. He was feral, tainted with Blood Rage, and she was… human. But it didn’t seem to matter. Not at the moment.

Heat built in his chest, spreading outward wherever their bodies connected.

Her heartbeat thundered against his chest like artillery fire as she looked up at him. Her subtle movement against him sent sparks of awareness through his system. Her scent—fear and adrenaline mixed with something uniquely her—filled the confined space, overwhelming his careful control.

Her hands eased up their grip as her chest pressed to his, the brush of her long hair against his throat. Even through layers of dust-covered clothing, her body heat seeped into him, making his skin hypersensitive. The primal part of his nature recognized her as female, desirable…

Another violent shake forced them closer, if that was even possible.

Her sharp intake of breath sent a shiver down his spine as his hands tightened instinctively on her waist.

Outside, chaos continued to rage—the groan of stressed metal, the thunder of collapsing structures, and the sharp cracks of earth splitting apart. But within their shelter, time slowed, narrowing to the points where their bodies connected. Every sense locked on to her with predatory precision.

Her pulse jumped when his thumb brushed bare skin where her shirt had ridden up. The contact sent electricity arcing through his system and dragged a low growl from his chest before he could suppress it.

She stilled at the sound, but her scent spiked with something other than fear. Heat rushed through his veins at the sudden answering darkness in her eyes.

Her fingers flexed against his forearms, the simple touch somehow more intimate than their full-body contact.

“Draanth it,” he growled, unable to resist any longer.

Leaning down, he claimed her lips with his own.

Her mouth was impossibly soft, yielding beneath his with a sweetness that sent fire racing through his veins like liquid plasma. The taste of her exploded across his tongue—honey, heat, and something uniquely Ashley that instantly addicted him. He deepened the kiss, savoring the perfect fit of her lips against his.

His hands tightened on her waist, drawing her closer as she began to respond. The first tentative brush of her lips moving against his nearly shattered his control like a plasma bolt through glass. Her breath caught, hitching in her throat, and she melted into him with a small sound that made his blood burn.

The primal part of him roared to claim her completely, to mark her as his and ensure no other male would ever touch her. But he fought back that possessive urge, tempering his strength as he cradled her smaller frame against him. Even as desire coursed like molten metal through his system, he kept the kiss controlled, gentle despite the passion threatening to consume him.

Her fingers slid up his arms to curl around his shoulders, the light pressure of her touch setting his nerves ablaze. He felt the rapid thunder of her heartbeat where their bodies pressed together, matching the desperate rhythm of his own.

“ Draanth take me ,” he muttered against her lips, struggling to maintain control, to hold back the full force of his passion. He could barely think past the urge to taste more of her.

Savoring each soft brush of her lips, he memorized the way she fit against him. The kiss remained gentle despite the inferno raging through his blood, despite every enhanced sense screaming at him to claim her completely…

Lila followed Kal and Tor through the garrison’s winding corridors, her footsteps echoing against polished stone floors. Harsh overhead lights cast angular shadows across the walls, making the already towering hallways feel more imposing. She walked between the two Izaean teens, aware of the weight of curious stares from passing warriors.

A warrior with amber eyes and ritual scarring across his scalp stepped into their path. Zeke—she remembered him from the work site, always watching from the shadows.

“Where are you three headed?” he asked, his deep voice resonating in the corridor.

Kal’s spine went rigid. “Just showing Lila around the lower levels, sir.”

Zeke studied them, his gaze lingering. “Keep her safe. Her mother would have my hide if anything happened to her.” His eyes caught Lila’s before returning to the boys.

“We’ll protect her with our lives,” Kal said.

The transformation fascinated her—how both teens snapped to attention, their voices shifting from casual to deferential in an instant. These same boys had been laughing about holo-vids with her earlier.

They descended further until they reached a heavy door marked with angular Izaean script. Beyond it, a stairwell stretched down into darkness, lit by strips of pale blue emergency lighting. A cold draft carried the sharp tang of metal and mineral deposits. Lila paused at the threshold, her fingers brushing the cool railing.

Kal glanced back. “Scared of the dark, Lila?”

She lifted her chin, suppressing a shiver that had nothing to do with temperature. “Of course not. But Mom always said never to go off alone with boys.”

Heat rushed to her face. Her mother’s warnings about strange boys seemed absurd now. These weren’t exactly the type she’d meant. Yet standing at the top of those shadowed stairs, Lila felt caught between curiosity and caution.

The stairwell amplified every sound—their measured breathing, boot leather against metal, the distant thrum of environmental systems. The metallic taste in the air intensified as they descended, the temperature dropping with each step.

“Why would your mother say that?” Tor asked.

Her flush deepened. “If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you.”

Looking at their confused faces made her feel stupid for trying to act all grown-up. They clearly had no idea what she was talking about, and now she just felt awkward. It was like they came from completely different worlds… which, yeah, they actually did.

When she shivered, both boys moved closer without hesitation. They were so tall that standing between them was like being surrounded by living walls. Her heart did a funny little jump. No one at school had ever made her feel this safe, this protected, without even trying.

“Sometimes human boys… they’re not nice,” she said. “Girls get attacked.”

“Attacked? A male would harm a female?” Kal asked, horror etching across his features.

Their visceral distress twisted something in her chest. Both warriors adjusted their stance, automatically moving to shield her.

“We would never—” Tor said, his voice rough. “We never thought we’d even see a female.”

“To talk to one, to be friends,” Kal said. “It’s more than we ever dreamed.”

“Your species doesn’t have any women. Does it?”

They shook their heads. The silence that followed felt heavy with understanding.

She’d been treating them like human boys, but these warriors viewed women as something precious, almost sacred. The realization settled warm in her chest, even as the air grew colder.

“So, if there aren’t any female Izaeans, how does it work? I mean, how do you…” Heat crept up her neck.

“The empire created the mate program,” Kal said, pushing back his dark hair. “They match warriors with compatible human females.”

“But there are so many restrictions,” Tor said, his red eyes gleaming in the dim light. “Warriors have to prove themselves worthy.”

“What did you do before? I mean, before humans?” she said. “Well, we’re like cousin species or something. Aren’t we?”

Kal’s lips curved upward. “Very tiny, delicate little cousin species.”

“Before humans,” Tor said, “Izaean numbers were declining. Many warriors couldn’t handle the isolation, the loss of hope for family.”

Their footsteps echoed as they reached a landing. “That must have been awful,” she said.

“It was,” Kal said. “But now there’s hope. Though some say the mate program is too restrictive. Only certain warriors get approved.”

The passage opened into a maze of underground tunnels. Cool air carried the distinct scent of mineral deposits, and water echoed somewhere in the darkness.

She gaped at the vast underground complex. “This is incredible! I had no idea this existed. And right under the garrison.”

“Technically, we’re past the safety cordon now,” Kal said, grinning. “But since we’re going under it rather than through it…”

She laughed at his clever interpretation. The tunnels branched in multiple directions, natural cave formations blending with constructed passages.

Somewhere in the darkness, water dripped in a steady rhythm that bounced off the walls. She ran her fingers along the rough stone, feeling every bump and ridge.

“How far do these tunnels go?”

“Miles,” Tor said. “Some are natural caves, others from the first settlement.”

She couldn’t resist moving deeper into the tunnels. It was like something out of her favorite adventure games, only way better because it was real. Kal and Tor walked with her, so huge their shadows stretched forever in the dim light. She felt like she was exploring with her own personal guard, which made everything even cooler.

The tunnel opened into a vast chamber that stole her breath. Crystal water filled a natural pool, its surface reflecting bioluminescent algae that clung to the rocky ceiling. Ethereal blue-green light danced across the water, painting everything in alien hues.

“This is incredible,” she whispered.

“Wait until you feel the water,” Kal said, already pulling off his top. “It’s perfect.”