Alexei

by Serena Simpson

  Alexei landed on his bad leg using his good one to kick the Vayhr in the chest knocking him back. He heard him stumble as he cursed in his native tongue. Limping forward, he raised the knife catching his opponent in the arm; he severed it. He heard the gush of blood followed by a yell of agony. He retreated before the Vayhr could raise his other arm to strike.

  Alexei stumbled, his blood flowing slowly, the knife in his leg keeping him from bleeding out. He listened and heard Gaige and Dom still playing around with the darker haired alien. He understood the decision to kill, especially the first time wasn’t easy.

  He turned his senses back to the ginger haired alien. They were more evenly matched now that his arm was unusable. Maybe they could call a truce and come to turns.

  “I’m going to use your woman after I kill you. I’m going to put a chain around her neck and let others use her and every time I spill my seed in her I will think of your rotting corpse upstairs in my bedroom. I will screw her in front of it daily.”

  Then there were aliens with whom you just couldn’t come to terms. Alexei brought himself up to his full height; there was no way his beast would let that insult pass. He grabbed the knife next to him hefting it in his hand, he tasted the air allowing the invisible breeze to tell him where everyone was in the room.

  He could taste Amber in the air, she was close to him, but far enough away not to impede his movements. Her fear and anxiety for him was strong as well as her faith and pride in him.

  When he heard the small movements of the Vayhr coming towards him, he lifted the knife throwing it end over end. It struck the Vayhr in his chest. He gurgled blood as he sank to the floor.

  He opened his eyes in time to catch Amber as she jumped into his arms. Disregarding his leg, he held her tight giving her a kiss of victory. His lips devoured hers as he promised passion and more.

  Lifting his head, he looked at the others they both looked pale as the Vayhr they fought died on the floor in front of them.

  “Someone call for clean-up and I probably need to be seen by Uncle Nicolas,” Alexei said. They all groaned.

  Chapter Seven

  Nicolas’s mouth was in a straight line when he opened the door to find them standing in front of him. He ushered Alexei into his med room without saying a word.

  Alexei’s shoulders deflated and his head lowered. If Uncle Nic wasn’t talking to him, it was because he was talking to his dad. There would be one angry father walking in soon, actually he was sure there would three angry, worried fathers walking in soon followed by three concerned mothers. It sounded like a good idea in his house to not bring their parents in until they had proof.

  Gaige called Dante asking him to provide clean up service. There were no questions, he didn’t even ask for the address he simply arrived, no fuss no muss.

  “This is going to hurt.” Nicolas had his hands on the hilt of the weapon, it was designed to do the maximum amount of damage coming out. So it would hurt more than when it went in. “Bite on this.”

  Nicolas shoved a thick black material in Alexei’s mouth then pulled. Alexei screamed around the fabric grateful for something to bite other than his tongue. The weapon came out, it was twisted and turned with barbs coming from the metal. The sharp throb turned into a dull throb making him wonder if he would lose the leg.

  There was a pounding on the door. “I want to come in, Uncle Nicolas.”

  “Then open the door.”

  “Oh.” Amber walked into the room looking suspicious.

  “What’s that look for, young lady? I do believe that’s the look I should be wearing, but am I? No. Why? Because the cavalry, also known as all my brothers, is coming. So I think I’ll sit back and play doctor as they talk to all of you. But I will give you one warning. I can smell Alexei all over you and I can smell you all over him. I wonder if that will make Ash and Aran happy.”

  Amber felt herself pale under her dark skin while the little color Alexei had drained away.

  “Will this wound kill me?”

  His voice must have sounded too hopeful for Amber so she hit him in his arm. “Hey we’re in this together, you don’t get to die.”

  “Just a thought. How bad is my leg, Uncle Nic?”

  “It will be fine. You will need a regenerative sleep for about twenty-four hours but other than that you will be fine.”

  “That seems like an awfully long time.”

  “You allowed yourself to be impaled with a deadly weapon. Weren’t you watching? If you’re old enough to fight and kill, you’re old enough not to get hit by weapons of this magnitude. If I was your father I’d take away your house and make you move back home. You too!” He threw Amber a look before going back to work on Alexei’s leg.

  “He has a point.” Aran slipped into the room without alerting anyone except Nicolas. “Has the invasion become a game you think you should play?”

  “No, Sir.”

  “I take full responsibility.” Amber stuck her chin out.

  “Glad to hear it.” Ash walked into the room. “You and I will talk about it in the other room. Move it, Amber.”

  She clutched Alexei’s hand for a moment before turning to follow the father who raised her.

  “It’s really not her fault,” Alexei told his father. “I should have stopped this. I could have made her go home. If anyone is at fault, the blame is on me.”

  “I agree and so does your Uncle Ash but that doesn’t mean Amber is not also at fault. I think it’s time for you to tell me everything.”

  Alexei went through the whole story starting with encountering the two aliens in the alley. He even added meeting Amber and how Ethan attacked her while conveniently forgetting to explain why her scent was all over him.

  Aran paced as Alexei continued.

  “The initial plan was to start the invasion tonight. As far as I can figure out this must be the second or third phase of the plan. We know the first phase was to come here and assimilate within the different cultures. That was a success. The next move we know of is to start mayhem in the streets which will set off the invasion. The ones I killed tonight were supposed to initiate it. Their being dead won’t stop someone else from being assigned their job,” Alexei said, filling his dad in with the detials.

  “Are you disappointed?” Alexei would hate himself later for asking, but for now he was looking into the face of his father whom he respected and wanted him to be proud of his son.

  “No. I am sorry you chose not to bring me in from the beginning. You saved lives tonight. No telling how many with the first alien but definitely two with the Vayhr. You also overcame the sword of the Vayhr and are alive to talk about it.”

  “I’m alive because you taught me how to fight in the dark.”

  “I’m proud of you, Alexei. How did your beast respond to the killing?”

  “He was in a tailspin; we were in a tailspin. I thought maybe it would be too much, or we would go crazy reliving the event, then Amber was there…”

  Aran nodded in understanding. “Nicolas is going to put you to sleep now. You should wake up healed.”

  “Wait I need to see…”

  Nicolas plunged a needle in his shoulder and Alexei’s eyes closed.

  *~*~*~*

  “You could have been killed.”

  She slumped further into the chair she knew she could have been killed. The thing was, she would do it again. What did he expect? He didn’t raise her to be a shrinking violet.

  “You don’t have anything to say?”

  “What do you want me to say, Dad?” She had started calling him Dad years ago, since for all intents and purposes he was her father. One day she intended to ask him to walk her down the aisle. Alexei’s eyes swam before hers, she banished him to the back of her thoughts.

  “You’re the one who taught me to think of others. Then you taught me to fight. What did you expect me to do? You taught me to be self-sufficient. If you wanted me to be dependent on you, maybe you should have chosen to raise me differently.” />
  “That’s why the Created have boys, so we won’t feel the need to have to deal with little girls with sassy mouths.”

  “I’m not a little girl.”

  “You will always be a little girl, my little girl. You live to be a thousand and still you’ll be my little girl. If you don’t like it, then you should have picked someone else to be your father. At times, I still see the little girl who crawled into my bed during thunderstorms to sleep in my arms.”

  Her lips quirked, Ash loved her as much as her real father. He’d been there for her, helping her through all the things of life she wished her mom was there for and he never blinked an eye, or got embarrassed as he explained pads and bra’s, or sent her out with her aunts to get fitted for them.

  The talk about sex still made her laugh; she brought the memory out when she was in a bad mood; it was guaranteed to make her feel better. He never freaked out when she discovered she could move things with a flick of her wrist. He simply outfitted the basement room as a practice ground for her and then made her practice for hours as well as get all her homework done. He was the one who taught her to be proud of herself and the gifts she was blessed with.

  He also taught her how to hide her gifts. The world wasn’t ready for someone like her.

  “They’re not leaving, Dad. We all have to fight or we will lose Earth.”

  “I know, Baby girl. War has found us. Be careful. I won’t order you to stop fighting; you need to feel useful as well as doing your part. If you’re fighting with Alexei then you need to do what he tells you, is that clear?”

  “I understand. Dad, you’re the best.”

  “Yeah, off with you. Amber!”

  He caught her as she threw herself in his arms. “You’re not six anymore, Baby girl.”

  She snuggled on his lap and kissed his cheek. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear before getting up.

  Ash’s acceptance of her helped to fuel the way she felt about herself. There was never a doubt when he looked at her that he saw the most beautiful daughter in the world.

  “I know about Alexei.”

  She stumbled.

  “It’s hard to keep anything a secret in the world of the Created. I know Alexei and the rest love to call themselves H ybrid, but they are Created just like I am. They simply have the benefit of a mother’s love, but never think they are that much better.”

  She nodded and escaped out the door. She wasn’t under the illusion that she moved fast and escaped Ash, nope, she knew better than that. He let her go. She’d hear more about this later and Alexei better watch out.

  She walked down the stairs to see all five pairs of her aunt’s eyes on her. They were sitting in the game room that looked directly out into the hallway. Rena put her open palm in front of Dee who smacked what looked like money into it. She was too far to see how much.

  “The next time you’re betting on me, I want in on the action. I’m the only one here who needs the money,” Amber said.

  Her aunts laughed like school girls. She thought she should be used to it by now but it always caught her off guard when she looked at them and they were as young as the first time she met them. They were laughing because Ash set her up with enough money to keep her safe and secure for ten lifetimes.

  One time, when they were sitting out on the porch watching the lightening that promised rain but never delivered, he told her that when she became ‘other’ he would set her up with enough money to last a hundred lifetimes and well before that time she would be self-sufficient with her own fortune. That was the night she realized it was time for her to stop worrying about money, it was no longer a consideration in her young life. Of course, she never understood how she would become something other than herself.

  “All right, I don’t really need the money but you don’t have to laugh at me like that.”

  “Baby girl, we simply love how young you are.” Lorali teased her with a smile.

  “You know I’m not a baby any more, right?”

  That set off another round of laughter. They’d be calling her Baby girl at ninety. The thought of it made her sad. She would never become other like them, she was destined to grow old and leave them while Ash looked the same. She would grow old and leave Alexei. She dashed at her eyes refusing to cry. One day Alexei would meet his mate but it wasn’t her. They had been around each other long enough for her to realize that. The Created didn’t wait when they met a mate they mated for life.

  Nicolas walked in the room. “What’s all the laughing about?”

  “Baby girl told us a joke.” Janis got up crossing over to kiss him.

  Nicolas gave her a long slow kiss. The passing years hadn’t dimmed the fire between them.

  “Amber, Alexei is in the second room if you want to go see him. I gave him a sedative to make him sleep; he’ll be out for one whole day.”

  She nodded and left the room going to the stairs.

  “Where’s Alexander?” Alexander was the son of Nicolas and Janis.

  “He’s out back with his cousins. He’s on Christmas vacation, let him be.” Janis stood on her tip toes giving Nicolas another kiss as the rest of his brothers walked into the room.

  Chapter Eight

  Alexei opened his eyes to a darkened room and shivered. This wasn’t a room he was familiar with, but, maybe he was familiar with the area. His senses were telling him otherwise. Wherever he was, he had never been here before. Ignoring his eyes that told him there was nothing but darkness, he honed in on his sense of touch and smell.

  Fresh air was coming into the room and he could feel it lightly tickling his skin. He moved towards it hoping to find a way out. He ran his hands along the wall looking for a crack or a window or…he smiled…a door knob. He turned it, letting his senses go before him. The crack in the door let in a blast of sunlight making him close his eyes tightly.

  “Come join me.” Dante’s voice greeted him.

  Carefully he opened his eyes letting them adjust to the intense sunlight.

  “Where am I?” He moved across the open area to take a seat in the chair Dante indicated.

  They were in a large open area with a beach and an ocean in front of them. The waves were lapping at the shore making soothing rhythmic sounds.

  “Depends on what you mean. Your body is resting in a bed at Nicolas’s house. Your essence the part that makes you, you, is with me.”

  “I didn’t know I could do that.”

  “You’re a baby Alexei, you have hundreds of years before you begin to understand what you can do.”

  Alexei took a deep breath and leaned back into the chair.

  “Your human part doesn’t like that reality.” Dante’s voice was calm.

  “I don’t like it. My parents realized I was grown and gave me their blessing when I moved out.”

  “They realized you were in control and able to make it on your own without direct supervision. Your mother’s blood allowed you to develop faster than your cousins. Your mother’s blood is the reason you’re here.”

  “Dante, I have no idea why I am here and I don’t even know where here is.”

  “I want to show you something.” Before them appeared an image of a huge open field.

  “That reminds me of the wedding photo Uncle Sergey and Aunt Lorali have up in their house.”

  “Then you know the reference, watch.”

  Dante ran through what happened the day of the wedding showing Alexei everything.

  “You took Yaksim away. I thought he would never come back to bother us again.”

  “I took a little poetic license, your father knows and I have informed the others. Yaksim has to come back, without him to control his band of criminals the losses would be inconceivable. Even with him at the helm, the losses will be more than I can stomach.”

  “How many can you stomach?”

  “None, Alexei. Every death takes a toll on me.”

  “Then what are we going to do?”

  “Fight! Come with me I want to
show you something else.”

  Alexei got up to follow Dante to the ocean. Dante walked in, his head disappearing under the water. Alexei followed as thoughts of how stupid this was cluttered his brain. The wetness of the water clung to him as he did his best not to breathe. Straining, he finally took in the water expecting to drown. The water never entered his lungs, but sweet oxygen did.

  “Not everything will fit with your understanding of the world and not every dominant species walks on dry land. Meet the Ne’anth. They are a part of your dominant DNA. They are also special.”

  Alexei watched as a tall male came into view. He was walking over the bottom of the ocean. His body was strong and he seemed to withstand the temperature of the water without noticing it. One minute he was walking the next he kicked off, his long legs becoming a beautiful tail.

  “Mermen?”

  “Ne’anth. You have a large quantity of their DNA in you. Thank your father for that one. Watch.”

  Dante motioned to a fast moving current in the water. As it came closer it got bigger, wrapped inside of it was a large ocean dwelling animal with several rows of sharp teeth. It stopped as if scenting the water and turned to the Ne’anth swimming straight for it. The Ne’anth began to glow creating an invisible shield that glinted off the reflective rocks around him. The creature attacked, it lit up and fell away when it touched the shield.

  “The Ne’anth’s are able to control the intensity of the shield.” The sea creature shook itself off and fled.

  “You think I can do that?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I think. The Ne’anth’s also mate for life. Why don’t you stay a while, look around? I will see you when you get back.”

  *~*~*~*

  “Hi, Alexei.” Amber’s soft voice greeted him. “I’m glad you’ve decided to join the living.”

  “What makes you say that?” His voice was deep and rough.

  She handed him a bottle of water.

  “You’ve been out for three days. I was getting concerned, but Uncle Nicolas kept saying you were ok, nothing to worry about. Neither of your parents seemed upset so I just waited.”