After witnessing such violence, my people chose another way. They decided to honor life and charged those of us expected to find our mates in another world to uphold those expectations and kill only when necessary.
With my brethren at my side, I can obtain what is mine without dishonoring myself and those who created me. If the humans still foolishly resist and seek to harm us, then we will annihilate them more efficiently.
No matter how the ancient sky spirits have destined this to play out, I have gone above and beyond to please them. My bond with Leigh will be blessed, and this wretched place can be left to consume itself.
After clearing the beach and diving beneath its unforgiving surface, the wet ooze saturates my senses, blanketing and stealing away the scent of my mate. A pleasant warmth—so uniquely her—has lingered since the moment I first felt her flush against my skin and now it’s gone. I miss it. And I miss her. I did not anticipate reacting this strongly to her absence and the strength of my emotions catches me off guard.
This planet fucking sucks. Without her scent to distract me I am left with nothing but my own thoughts. This spirit-forsaken liquid creeps into every pore as I push harder and faster, opening my every sense to listen and observe. I have to get to Cyfer and Ajax.
To a Revari male, failing to return home is seen as the ultimate disappointment. Those who do not are mourned as if they are dead. An image of them is constructed from tizi buds and burned to ash, a symbol of returning us to the skies.
If I fail, my mother and father will spend two moon rises without sustenance, bringing themselves as close to our spiritual existence as possible to say their final goodbyes. They will lament the loss of not one but two progeny and the two females we would have brought into our collective.
It will leave them devastated, and they are too old to rebreed. My mother will never receive an honor ceremony where her fertility is celebrated as the spark that started the fire of life my mate and I will carry on. I will not damn them to an existence without the laughter of Revari babes at their feet.
Screw that.
Unlike the Earthen beasts that roam on four legs, those that dwell inside the wet ooze are unconcerned with my presence. Even the largest greets me with ease. His deep crooning call welcomes me, warning me of the sharp-toothed predators who also call the wet ooze their home.
My hands ache for violence—any outlet to release the frustration and anger setting me on edge. Where the fuck is Pavil? Has he done any of the things I have requested of him? Or has he found his mate somewhere and completely ignored my call to arms?
He better have a damn good explanation for why I had to swim down here to wake the others. Surely, even at his most distracted, he would not fail to comprehend the gravity of the situation we have landed in. Frivolity has always called to him more than a traditional male, but he too feels the unmovable drive to fulfill the call of the Exune.
Now is not the time to lose my faith in him. Or the ancient sky spirits. Even they would not have given me a taste of what an existence with a being as unimaginable as my mate is like only to take it away.
I will consume the universe if she was taken from me.
Almost as if pushing myself harder can drive the thoughts from my mind, I punish my muscles, embracing the burn. The atmosphere on Revaris, like Earth, offers high concentrations of oxygen.
The stark decrease of its availability down this low begins to strain my body, and using my secondary passages to break down and absorb the dissolved oxygen requires almost the amount of energy it yields.
I cannot sustain this level of exertion for long, but fuck if I do not want to get back to my mate as quickly as possible. Forcing myself to slow, I glide through the wet ooze, giving my eyes time to adjust. It is much easier than it was when I first awoke to Leigh’s call.
The complete blackness of the wet ooze allowed for no light, and it was only through the self-emitting light of the surrounding creatures and the tiny amount that came from my communicator that I was able to visualize my surroundings.
Swimming the remainder of my journey at the extreme depths I experienced before is not an option. I am not even halfway there and am already fatigued.
It is not until I decrease the angle of my descent and rise a fraction, that I notice the call of a collective of the ooze beasts I heard before.
They sing of their devotion to each other. And their love of the wet ooze and its gracious offering of food. I beg to differ. This place is pure misery, but the beauty of their song makes it almost bearable.
I pause to absorb the melody, committing it to memory. It is a risk, but my female has a fondness for these types of sounds, and it is customary to offer a mating gift on our arrival. With our complicated relationship, I have not had time to prepare. The chance to surprise her in such a way outweighs the loss of time and energy it requires.
The song travels through the wet ooze beautifully and, as it comes to an end, the largest beast’s song is interrupted by the scream of its youngling. It claws at my sensibilities, demanding I respond, and as I surge forward to find the source of its pain, a wall of energy consumes me.
Contorting with each wave of energy released, I fight to stay conscious. A machine whirls above as I float nearer to the surface, and the craft flying overhead casts a shadow, blunting the light beginning to trickle in. Death surrounds me. One tiny beast after another takes its last breath as repeated bursts of electricity course through the water.
These innocent creatures do not deserve to die. All of this useless suffering to obtain me? At what cost?
With pain and outrage as fuel, I force myself to endure and swim closer to the source. I could escape. The current they are using is not strong enough to leave me incapacitated, only weak. But to allow this to continue will be a stain on my soul I could not wash off.
What is strength for if not to protect those who cannot protect themselves?
I force myself into the center of the current. Slowly tearing its way through my body, the impulse burns me from the inside out until I’ve reached the tip of the spirit-forsaken device delivering it.
Air bursts from my lungs, and I roar as I wrap my arms around the giant barb and squeeze. The metal crunches and bends until the devastating impulses stop. The few creatures still able swim away do so, and with the last of my energy, I climb the broken death spike, using my claws to steady me.
These murdering assholes cannot be allowed to live. The wails of the creatures mourning their loved ones spur me on, and once I reach the surface of the water, I can see nothing but the fucks responsible for so much pain.
Their voices carry. “Get him off! Get him off! He’s going to take us down." Panic, fear-induced yelling snakes through the sound of the craft’s blades spinning, and even through the spray of the sea in the air I can scent their fear.
Good. It is their turn to be afraid.
Alarms ring out as the male pilot jerks to the right, attempting to shake me off, but I hold tight and crawl my way up, snagging a hand on the landing gear. Releasing himself from a belted chair near the open door, the first male pulls a small black weapon.
Too little too late. He screams as I snap both his legs and throw him to the wet ooze below. He will suffer slowly, seeing the life he stole as he takes his last breaths. The second male attempts to pull his own weapon, but I crush his fist and rip him from the seat by his neck.
The alarms scream as the craft hurtles toward the water, and because those who suffered deserve to receive their vengeance in kind, I tie the male with the binds meant for me and secure him to the chair. He will also die a watery death as so many others have today.
As the craft plunges beneath the surface, the last fiber of my strength fades, and I succumb to my bodies demand to heal. I failed in waking the others and I only hope my mate can forgive me.
Chapter Seventeen
Fifteen minutes earlier…
Leigh
I’m going to vomit or nervous poop or something in betw
een and it’s been like this since Saxon disappeared into the trees. Worrying about him is making me physically ill. No wonder I didn’t sign up for this relationship stress in my twenties. Caring about someone other than yourself is fucking hard.
“Here’s another one. Holy crap, Leigh. Sterling’s trying to get the FBI involved in all this mess. Why in the hell didn’t you say something before?” Anya asks after listening to another one of Elgin’s messages. This time it was between him and the CEO of Daxx Corp discussing how much I stole and how Elgin just so happened to have a boat load of evidence that magically fell into his lap.
“I don’t like conflict. I knew he was a megalomaniac but I thought all the money stuff was just part of me keeping my job. You know, punishment for my initial failure.”
She narrows her eyes. “You should have squashed this weeks ago. If all of this hadn’t been drudged up, you’d have been able to ride into the sunset with alien boy and avoid all this drama.”
Grabbing the tennis ball I’ve been bouncing against the wall for the past twenty minutes, I throw it as hard as I can right at her head.
She catches it without even looking and it pisses me off even more. “Can we focus on what to do and not what I should have done, please? I already feel bad enough Saxon’s out there by himself, I don’t need your judgmental ass throwing salt in the wound.”
“Someone had to say it, and I don’t see anyone else around, do you? Binky can’t talk, but I can guarantee if she could, she’d have chewed you a new one.”
Just the mention of her name makes me smile. She’s such a brat, but I love her and after feeling how I did about leaving her earlier I know now I never could. I don’t care if I have to smuggle her in my cleavage, my fur ball is coming with me. “Where is the little harlot, anyway? It’s past time for her to eat.”
Anya stops typing and turns to look at me. “Binky? Missing a meal? When’s the last time you actually saw her?”
With all the craziness of the emotional whirlwind I’ve been through, I can’t actually recall. But she has to be here, right? Binky never leaves my side. Unless…
My lungs deflate, and a feeling of pure horror overtakes me. “Right before Saxon left.”
“You don’t think she’d follow after him do you?” Anya asks, already out of her seat on her way to the stairs.
Shit. “Binky!” I call out, running around the command room like a crazed lunatic. She’s not in the back or where Anya sleeps. The safe room is closed…she did it. She ran after him. I just know it.
Heart in my throat, I take the stairs three at a time, knocking Anya out of the way.
“Hey, wait a second, Leigh. Calm down. We’ll find her. Let me just check the cameras and turn off the perimeter alarms and then I’ll help you—no stop!” she yells but it’s too late. I’ve already unlocked the massive shelter door and thrown it open.
My throat’s dry, and I can’t get enough air as I cup my hands and start calling Binky’s name. The sun is bright in the sky, and it burns my eyes after being underground for so long. I can’t find her anywhere so I head for the tree line. She wouldn’t have gone in the water no matter how badly she wanted to follow him. She has to be somewhere between here and there and, damn it, I’m going to find her.
Running in a blind panic, I call out for her and search everywhere I can think, and by the time my wits kick in and I realize what I’ve done, I’m already at the edge of the beach Anya spied on earlier today.
Jumping behind a nearby boulder, I try to keep myself hidden. All of Elgin’s people are more than two miles down the sand, but I can’t take a chance on them seeing me. Any more than they already did since I went running toward them like a total dumb ass.
I have got to work on my life choices.
Glancing around the rock again, I scan the beach to get a better look. It doesn’t seem like it’s just Elgin’s guys there. There’s an unmarked government Jeep parked close to the road and a big shipping container set up next to a bunch of white canvas tents.
I squint, trying to make out what else is behind them. Some type of hydraulic crane, but the other shape looks like…
A prison transport truck? Wait, what would Elgin need that for? From what I saw of Saxon’s travel pod, it won’t fit in there. Plus, even if it could, wouldn’t a different kind of armored car be better?
I mean, those trucks are only good when you’re going to be transferring—oh, shit.
A sick feeling swamps me, and I swallow hard as my brain fights to come up with another reason for it being there.
There isn’t one.
Swinging around, I scan the horizon looking for a ship or a boat, something that Elgin would use to trap Saxon, but I can’t see anything that far out.
Have they found Pavil? Are they keeping the truck there just in case he shows up? Or is it for me? What are they planning?
Paranoia sets in, and I double checking my surroundings. I don’t see anything out of sorts, and there’s nothing but the sound of waves pounding against the beach.
“Leigh, get over here now!” Anya whisper-yells while waving me back toward the tree line. “What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?”
After giving the beach one more look, I push off the boulder and scurry back to her. Something’s wrong. I can feel it in my gut, and Binky’s still nowhere to be found.
Anya clinches her teeth like she’s about to smack me then takes a deep breath. “You can’t just run out of there like that. It’s stupid and inconsiderate. Someone could have seen. There are smarter ways to do this.”
“I’m sorry! I panicked. I’m not like you. I can’t just be all robotic and shit when the people and things I love could be hurt. Why are you out here anyway?”
“Oh, you know. Just taking a nice stroll—I’m out here because I’m trying to keep you alive, something you refuse to do. Another transmission popped up on Elgin’s server right before you decided to lose your mind. They dispatched something called an EEL. Which I could have told you if you had of just waited five damn minutes for me to check everything.”
EEL. EEL… Why does that sound familiar?
A memory of a conversation I had with Elgin flits through my mind. I rarely listen to him, so it’s hard to fully recall, but warning bells are going off in my head, and I can’t remember why.
Think, Leigh. Think.
I rub my hands on my thighs and start to pace. It was right after Christmas and he was bragging about something he’d managed to get the patent for, but I thought it was stupid. It had to do with fishing, which was ridiculous, because that’s a primary source of local income here and creating a machine that would put people out of a job would be a total dick move.
Time slows as the image of the designs he showed me burst to life in my mind. An electric probe delivered via helicopter that lowered into the water and stunned the fish long enough for an industrialized strength net carried on board to deploy and swoop them up.
But I don’t understand. The committee wouldn’t approve it because the voltage was too high. It wasn’t safe…
Fuck. It’s a trap. He must have built it anyway and they’re going after Saxon.
An animalistic wail pours out of me as I lunge for the beach, and Anya tackles me to the ground. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Talk to me, Leigh!”
“It’s a probe. They’re going to…electrocute…him…in the water,” I manage as I struggle to get free. Anya’s way stronger than I am, but when a wave of pain greater than I’ve ever felt radiates across my chest, I can’t breathe.
Veins bulging, I arch my back—my vision going white. I can hear Anya’s voice telling me to shut up and not to scream and I can feel her shaking me but I can’t speak. As soon as the pain subsides, Anya’s panicked face comes into view.
“Hold tight. Tell them nothing. I’ll come back when the time’s right.”
Wait, what? Where’s she going? Is she seriously leaving me right now?
The dirt bites into my elbow as I push mys
elf up and look around. Anya’s gone and the familiar scent of cologne tickles my nose.
“Hey, Leigh.”
I jerk to my left, losing my balance and nearly face planting on the ground. “Joseph?”
“I’m really sorry about this, Doc. I wouldn’t if I had another choice.”
“Whatever you’re about to do, don’t. Let’s just talk about this—” Agony explodes across my scalp as Joseph smashes me in the head with the butt of his gun. As my world fades to black, the last thing I feel is Joseph lifting me in his arms.
Chapter Eighteen
Saxon
My mate’s breasts are firm beneath my grip and the tiny mounds that grace their middle harden under my touch. “Saxon,” she mewls, reaching down to grab my cock. She guides it toward her entrance, thrusting her hips, begging for it.
“More,” she demands, rubbing the wet warmth of her folds against the tip of my cock. “I want you inside me, use all of your brute strength to—”
“Brute strength, brother? Really?” The pleasantry of my mate’s warmth is ripped away by the sound of Pavil’s voice and the lingering pain of my injuries charges into my awareness. Fuck, that was a great dream, and I am annoyed he interrupted it.
“You need to wake, brother. Wherever you are, I can feel you fighting to survive.”
Alive, but still floating somewhere on the surface of the wet ooze, I can hear vibrations in the water. The humans are coming for me.
“Fuck off. Where have you been? I was attacked trying to do the thing I asked you to do more than a star rise ago.”
“How many times is this now? These humans are on a roll.”
“Do you take nothing seriously? This is not the time to screw around, Pavil. Our return to Revaris and my mate bond are at risk. These humans are morons. I received word they have my pod. There is no telling what they will screw up trying to get inside.”
Saxon (Shared Survival Book 1) Page 13
