by Ivy McAdams
At least she was alive.
When he brought me to what was left of the human base, I wasn’t surprised. I’d heard the alarms too.
I wasn’t expecting, however, to find her facing off with a ghont.
My heart stops as the beast drives her into the ground, posed to make a final kill strike.
I race toward them, spear in hand.
As my legs churn, my mind flits to the warrior challenge I’m days late for―and quite possibly too late for. A ghont was to be my target. To prove my ability as a high warrior.
And for good reason.
They’re nasty beasts that fight hard and kill often. It is the highest honor and greatest challenge for a junior warrior to best a ghont on his own.
Now it’s a far greater challenge.
I will destroy the animal to save my mate.
Only she’s already gotten the upper hand and wiggled free.
“Xjhun!” Trinity screeches as she slams into my chest.
My arms go around her protectively, spinning her away from the animal.
“What are you doing here?” she gasps, gazing up at me like an innocent baby bird in my embrace. “Now we’ll both die.”
I pull her to me and hold her close. “Not today.” Her energy level is pumping. She’s terrified. But I’ll protect her.
As my pulse slows, I can hear her heartbeat. It’s fast. Much too fast.
I freeze, listening and reaching for more of the energy she’s putting out. Is she okay?
Then there’s another heartbeat. Quick, but much slower than the first. And louder. Stronger. It’s hers.
The fast one isn’t hers at all.
My eyes grow round as I realize what I’ve heard.
The first little patter of a tiny heartbeat.
Something inside me breaks wide open and even more primal heat oozes out.
I maneuver her farther around my body, placing myself in front of her. “I didn’t finally find my energy match just to lose her to a stinking ghont.”
Nor lose the beautiful new life inside her.
When the ghont snarls behind us, the fire inside me flares and a need so deep and dark threatens to drown me. A need to protect what’s mine.
As I spin, I snatch my spear from the ground and fall into a defensive stance. The beast opens its mouth wide and roars as it jumps at me. I clench my jaw, the hot wickedness of rage in my blood is so strong it hurts my teeth. I lunge at the animal and sling my spear forward.
The creature’s huge body hits me with a force that knocks the air out of me, but I hold tight to my weapon as the beast tackles me to my knees. Its jaws snap at my face.
The rigid spear gives as its blade penetrates the animal’s body. Hot blood streams over my hands. When it snarls and snaps, I do the same.
The ghonts have bested their fair share of Kutarians before―it is an honor to fight and defeat one―but this one will not triumph today. Not when there is so much at stake.
I will die destroying this beast before it can reach my family.
The ghont howls as I twist the blade, digging it in even further. When its muscles seize and its eyes lose their focus, I shove with all my might, letting the thing fall to my side as it collapses.
I realize after the creature is off of me that Trinity is screaming. I leap to my feet, wiping the blood from my hands on my loincloth.
She rushes to me as I cross the distance between us in two long strides and wrap her in my arms. She hides her face against my chest as I stare down at the fallen animal, spear protruding from the underside of its ribs.
“Oh my God,” she hisses against my skin. “What is that thing?”
“A ghont. They come up on land to breed and eat. Very dangerous.”
“No shit.” She shudders.
I pull her away from me enough to look down at her. Her big beautiful eyes.
I drop to my knees at her feet and press my face into her belly as I hug my arms around her hips, nuzzling her skin and setting one of my ears against her to listen.
And there it is. The gentle but fast thump of a tiny heart.
I smile, the ferocious heat in my body subsiding to a happy warmth. “Not even the light of the sky can steal away my moon now.”
She weaves her fingers into my hair as she holds me close, and I can hear the watery emotion in her voice. “How did you find me?”
“Desian.”
Her face is slack a moment before she smiles.
“I thought I might lose you,” I murmur. “It was the most awful feeling. The both of you mean so much to me.”
She tilts her head slightly with a frown. “Both?”
I press a kiss to her belly, gazing up at her from my spot on the ground with a knowing smile. “Yes, both.”
Her eyes drop to my hand moving over her stomach, then an even bigger wave of realization washes through her emotions.
“Are you saying―?”
There’s a fear in her eyes, but it’s betrayed by the subtle lift in her lips. Then the look in her eyes changes.
They sparkle.
My heart expands and I scoop her into my arms.
She clings to my shoulders and smiles down at me. “How do you know?”
“I can hear its little warrior heartbeat.”
Her smile grows.
My beautiful moon.
I’d like to carry her off and celebrate with her. Maybe get in some practice for baby number two.
But the camp is not yet clear.
Something shifts behind me and I turn just in time to see a second ghont leap off the top of the nearest hut at us.
Chapter 14
Trinity
I can’t say I ever imagined that the moment I found out I was pregnant I would be on another planet, with my alien boyfriend, after just escaping being killed by some nasty walrus with wicked teeth and a mean right hook, but I guess I’ve just never been the creative type.
Of course, I never thought I'd find out I was pregnant again. Not with everything my body's been through.
But who knew switching to a new body was even possible…?
The fear and excitement that bombards me is short-lived, however.
When we spin to find the second ghont on top of the nearest biodome ruins, all my warm feelings plummet. Along with my heart. Right into my stomach.
I think I'm going to puke.
Xjhun pushes me back and rips his spear free of the first beast. He barely has time to square himself in front of me before the live monster jumps down at us.
It lands in the dirt just a few feet away. The ground trembles under my feet.
When it advances a step on us, Xjhun snarls and waves his spear. “Back!”
The ghont is massive. Like twice as fucking big as the other one. When it lifts up on its hind legs and bellows a big, nasty roar at us, Xjhun pushes me back with his elbows.
I stumble a few steps away from him.
But apparently, it's not enough.
He turns to look down at me with wild eyes, the beast towering over us behind him. His energy aura shoves at me, and it’s even more demanding than his voice.
“Go. Run!”
I let his desperation push me along, but how can I leave him? I linger as I step away.
But as soon as that monster drops back to the ground, he lunges for Xjhun, and an even stronger instinct takes hold of me.
I have zero training in fighting anything, much less giant creatures that want to eat my head. I have to get out of here.
I sprint through the rubble. One of the half-destroyed biodomes is nearby and I dash for it, pumping my arms and legs hard. My shoulder stings where the first ghont tagged me, but I can’t stop to assess the damage. There could be other creatures around.
I take in all the pieces of the structure as I near it. The broken sheets of plastic. The burnt supplies and crates. One box is close to the wall and I leap onto it without a second thought and scramble up onto what’s left of the biodome roof.
As soon as I’m secur
ed, I swing around to watch the fight below me.
Xjhun wrestles with his spear, the sharp end embedded in the ghont’s shoulder. The creature presses toward him as if the sissy stick hasn’t done a damn thing to it.
Oh, shit.
I want to help.
I want to call out to Xjhun, but I’m not going to distract him and give the monster the advantage.
There’s nothing on the roof I can throw or use as a weapon.
I'm helpless.
Xjhun rips his spear free and jabs it toward the beast’s center. The ghont swats it away with a massive paw flipper.
It moves so fast that Xjhun barely has time to recover before the beast is on him. He throws a blow to the animal’s face to push it back, then somehow manages to keep the beast’s attacks off his body as he backs away, leading the monster away from me.
My heart swells and breaks. Every ounce of my being throbs with love for this man, protecting me and our child. But just as much burns with fear that he won’t win this fight.
The ghont circles around with a roar, pushing Xjhun back toward the half-standing biodome where we took cover days ago. They stumble through the debris, and Xjhun lunges with his spear during an opening.
But the beast is quick and snags the spear pole in its jaws, snatching it from Xjhun’s hands.
I gasp, wrestling with my body to stay put. I want to take a flying leap down onto that asshole like nobody’s business.
But what the hell would I do?
I sink lower to the rooftop with clenched fists while the animal shakes the spear and flings it away. It crashes into the half-standing biodome, the blade severing a braid of black wires protruding from the broken walls. A purple spark flashes.
It draws the beast’s attention for a moment and Xjhun gives it a solid punch in the nose before bolting. The animal howls and snarls and throws a motherfucking fit. I can see its mouth frothing from here.
It dashes after Xjhun.
As much as my stomach sinks at the thought of him being alone, I’m relieved the creature is away from me. Xjhun has a lifetime of training. I’m a sitting duck.
A loud pop next to me startles me back to my surroundings. An even bigger flash of purple smoke leaps into the air. I jump as what’s left of the half-standing biodome’s exterior wall lights up. Bright orange flames flicker from a small fire near the cut wires. They run up the sides of the wall, spreading as fast as I can blink.
A new wave of fear seizes me as the fire leaps inside the biodome, inching toward the interior doors.
My human body is in there, and the fire is getting much too close.
Not to mention the oxygen tanks inside.
“Oh, fuck,” I grumble as I glance back and forth between the fire and the fight.
The ghont catches Xjhun on the outskirts of the base, swiping a paw at his leg and tripping him up. He falls and rolls back up onto his feet, but there’s no time to get away now. He turns and faces the beast with arms wide in a defensive stance.
I’m not sure how he intends to fight the monster now, but he looks ferocious.
The beast is keeping a short distance.
The biodome isn’t fairing as well as Xjhun.
Flames climb the walls and fill the inside. The path to the interior door is nearly eaten up. It’s my only chance to grab my old body.
My only chance at a backup plan if I need to escape to Earth.
It’s now.
With a new surge of adrenaline, I drop off the roof and dash for the biodome.
It didn’t seem far from up high, but as I run, the distance stretches. I’ll never make it.
My brain whizzes through all the horrible possibilities, my heart pumping in my ears like bass drums.
When Xjhun’s voice cuts through the air, a growl ripped with pain, however, I skid to a stop.
It’s hard to see them from the ground now, but the beast is definitely on top of him.
For an instant, everything stops. It feels as if my body is being physically torn in half.
I could still make it. I could save my body.
But I can see Xjhun now. The ghont bites into his shoulder as the warrior presses up with both arms to keep the beast from snapping into his face.
He’s being overpowered by the massive body.
My vision darkens and the world turns black. My blood freezes and a big hole opens inside me, threatening to swallow everything I know and hold dear.
Everything in my life has been a lie up until this point. What I should do and who I should be as a human. Who I should love and what I should want from life.
What normal reality consists of.
Everything.
Nothing in my old life matters one damn bit if something happens to Xjhun.
My feet change directions within a heartbeat and I sprint for the fight faster than I've ever moved in my life.
My arms and legs pump until they burn.
There’s nothing sharp I can use as a weapon near me, but I do snatch an empty fuel canister from the ground as I rush toward them.
Xjhun still fights, his arms and feet braced against the beast. His tail whipping between the ghont’s legs. His beautiful face contorted into that of a fierce warrior.
With no plan of attack, I shout at the monster as I leap onto its hindquarters. It pauses just a moment before I slam the canister against its back. Then it twists around to stab me with its orange glowing eyes.
* * *
Xjhun
Leading the ghont away from Trinity works like a charm. No matter what happens between me and the beast, at least she has a good head start away.
I’m expecting the attack when the thing trips me, but I’m not ready for how fast it throws itself upon me after. Even though I make it back up to my feet without a blow, it’s on me like buzzers on levadon dung.
The animal hits me in the chest, sending me sprawling into the rocks. By the time I regain my breath, it’s already on top of me.
I’ll wager this ghont weighs four times what I do, and it knows how to use its size. It steps on me once, twisting my leg and making the muscles in my ankle explode in pain. Then it powers over me. As soon as it latches onto my shoulder with its strong jaws, there’s no moving it. I push with everything I’ve got, but it doesn’t budge an inch. All I can do is keep its teeth from turning on my face.
Only a few penetrate my skin, blocked by my scales. But it crushes my muscles in its powerful jaws until all I can do is roar at it.
I hold it at bay, but even that will not last too much longer. The creature is just too big and heavy to take advantage of.
No wonder it was the chosen animal for my warrior test. Only a true warrior could defeat this thing.
My teeth clamp until my face hurts as I try to hold the beast back a little longer. Just enough for Trinity to get away. She has the most precious cargo on the planet. She needs a good head start.
When I hear her yell and the beast moves, however, my world is turned upside down.
The ghont releases me and lifts far enough away that my arms drop. The muscles burn and flicker with strain, but I’m not ready to relax. I’ve got to get this thing away from her.
What the hell is she doing here?
I open my mouth to demand she go again―though I’m not sure I can hold the monster off so long a second time―when an explosion rocks the ground behind us. The ghont turns its head as one of the human huts goes up in a ball of flames. It’s a terrible sight. Destructive and loud.
While the beast is distracted, Trinity slides off its back and slams some sort of alien tube into its face.
It staggers slightly, a grunt of surprise escaping its nose.
She stands in front of it, clubbing weapon in hand, and a look of horrified determination on her face.
“Get out of here!” I shout, twisting to crawl out from under the animal.
Her eyes jump to me for a moment―so clear and bright―and I can see it in her.
She’s not going anywher
e.
When the ghont steps toward her, a new surge of determination hits me.
It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
A prickling flame shoots through my veins, setting my entire body on fire. The anger that boils deep in my core distorts my vision. I see red as I climb up to my knees.
Trinity’s body goes rigid when the beast snarls at her.
The fiery pulse in my head surges.
No one threatens my mate.
I snatch a handful of the pale orange skin rolls around the creature’s neck and haul it back. The beast hesitates with an irritated growl. Its eyes cut over at me with malice.
It’s not any sort of nerves that creeps into me next.
It’s more anger. Violent fury. Volcanic explosions worth of primal rage that takes me over.
I trip once when I step on my injured leg, but the pain isn't going to stop me.
When the ghont makes a move toward Trinity with a testing curl in its lip, my self-control snaps.
Not my mate.
I open my mouth in a dirty snarl as I bare my fangs. My hand clenches tighter around its skin, pulling with a surge of strength that manages to move it. The beast's body leans toward me, even as it fights my grasp.
It’s determined though and hauls back on my hand, pulling me through the pebbles.
The furnace within me surges so hot I feel as if I may explode into fire. Trinity shrieks as the beast reaches for her.
But I’ll die before it touches her.
I grab around its neck with my other hand and close in tight. I can feel its windpipe. The fire surges into my fingers as I clench them together and pull.
The beast utters a squelchy bellow as I rip its throat out.
Trinity jumps away as the massive ghont falls at her feet.
Chapter 15
Trinity
My warrior is a beast.
I rush into his arms as the monster collapses. Its dirty green blood flows over the rocks and I avert my eyes.
Xjhun’s chest heaves against mine and my body shakes with adrenaline.
I can’t believe he just destroyed that creature with his bare hands.
His fingers smooth down my back, and I shiver with relief.
