We turn inland and continue between the grassland and the woods until we reach her cottage. I know she doesn’t want to leave, and it pains my hearts that she is choosing me over her family home. I feel responsible for her loss. “How long would you like to stay before we go?”
Before opening the door to her home, she turns back to me. “I can’t bear to say goodbye to the only home I’ve ever known. It might be easier to leave now if possible? I just need to do a few things first.”
Pulling her back towards me, into my arms, I wrap my arms around her to comfort her. “Of course. Let me comm the Vo-Sharita and let them know. Anything you want to take with you, bring outside. Bring as much as you’d like, my love.” Looking down at her face, her eyes leak and the skin around them puff up.
“Thank you for being so amazing to me,” she says and nuzzles her face against mine before she heads inside.
At that moment, I devise a plan to take away my mate’s sadness. Seeing her like this tears my hearts up into tiny pieces. I pull out my comm to make the call when a loud shot is fired. I’m hit in the chest and it knocks the wind out of me. I think of my mate and how she’ll need protecting as I pass out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jane
Bang!
I cover my ears as they scream in protest against the shrill ringing.
I recognize that noise. It’s the sound of a fired bullet. How?
A spike of fear hits me hard like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. My heart thumps as I turn and race outside.
“Aykeetan!”
His limp body is slumped face down on the ground and I rush towards him.
“No...no...no....no....no,” I sob out as my hands try to push him onto his back, but it’s futile. He’s just too heavy.
I cringe as blood soaks into the ground around his chest. It’s clear he’s been shot...but by who though?
My body perks up, sensing danger. The fine hairs on my arm stand up and shiver runs down my spine. “Honey. Please. Wake. Up.”
The hands I have on his back urgently try to shake him awake. I realize this could make his injuries worse, but there’s someone with a weapon. We could both be dead soon if we can’t get out of here.
Something moves in my periphery vision as a shadow moves out from behind the side of my cottage. My grief and worry turn to anger and I jab my finger forward. “YOU!”
“Nice to see you again so, soon.” Dr. Shaw’s responds with a cheer that makes my skin crawl.
“What have you done? You’re a freaking monster,” I accuse him.
It's clearly not the best idea as his face falls flat and his eyes bulge.
I’m still kneeling on the ground next to my mate who doesn’t appear to be breathing. I can’t check his face to feel breath against his mouth and nose or see if his chest is rising and falling as it should. It’s hard to tell with him slumped down, but I’d imagine it would be hard to like that.
“I’m not a monster, Jane, I’m advancing human medicine.” He takes a few hesitant steps closer, his gun raised slightly for protection, removing the fear he previously had. “Was...advancing medicine until your friend and his buddies decided to destroy my research center.”
My body shudders at all the humans who were forced to be his lab rats at his supposed research center. I move slightly, covering my mate’s body. He may not even be alive, but that’s not going to stop me from protecting what’s mine. Too many people have been taken from me.
Not this time.
“Get up!” his voice orders as his points the gun off to the side at Aykeetan. “I said, get up or I’ll shoot him again. If the first bullet didn’t kill him, I’ll end him right now.”
His words are strange and then I realize he’s using my mate as leverage. I study Dr. Shaw’s face for a second. It’s an act. He’s trying to be menacing, but I can see the fear and panic in his eyes. The way the lines appear on the center of his forehead and the slant at the outside of his eyelids. Knowing how a face looks is part of being a professional artist.
He can’t shoot my mate again or he will die and then Dr. Shaw will lose all the leverage he has right now. I want to live, truly, but there’s an ache in my heart that says if my mate’s gone that I should follow.
I lean slightly towards my mate’s head. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I need to go with him. If I can somehow disarm him, I can come back and help. Please don’t die one me...I love you. Just hold on,” I whisper softly before kissing his cheek.
“Enough. You’ve said your goodbyes. Come or I’ll shoot.” He motions to my mate. I don’t debate over the fact that doing so will ruin his plans.
My legs shake as I stand up. Adrenaline courses through my body, ready for the action that I’m not used to. I must be careful with how I proceed; things didn’t work out so well for me before.
“I'm coming, please just don’t kill him.”
Playing the part that he wants me to play is not easy, but lives are at stake. I’m struggling as my emotions run high. I want to just bash this guy in, but he’s stronger than me. I need to disarm him first, but how?
Dr. Shaw strides toward me, closing the distance as he grabs my arm with one hand and faces the gun towards my mate in the other. It gives me hope, if he’s unsure if he killed Aykeetan and he’s a doctor, there’s a good chance he may still be alive.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask as he drags me behind him, occasionally looking back behind us. I look behind me and my mate is still face down on the ground. A few tears escape my eyes, but I hold the rest in because I need be strong for the both of us.
He doesn’t answer me, but I soon find out exactly where we’re going. There’s a black car parked further down my driveway and we’re heading in that direction.
The windows have a dark tint, and my eyes struggle to see inside. I don’t hear anyone else, but if we’re not alone, I stand no chance to escape and save my mate.
“Get in the car.” He swings the back door open and pushes me in.
I fall flat against the seat. “Ouch!”
The damn doctor tried to close the door with a foot hanging in the frame. Was anything about this man ever real? His eyes used to twinkle with generosity and now they're black depths devoid of any emotion.
Slam!
The door finally closed now that I’m shoved in back here like cargo. There’s a panel that separates the front and back seat. I kick against it, but it doesn’t budge. “Dammit.”
Think...think.
I glance outside. The doctor is chatting to someone on the phone. I try to open the door I came in through. I didn’t hear the clicking of doors locking. Grasping the handle, I give it a push. Nothing.
Knock!
My eyes wander upwards and Dr. Shaw is staring at me shaking his head. “You’re not getting out so make yourself at home.”
Yeah, no thanks. I glance to the other door. Maybe? Doesn’t hurt to give it a try, so I scuttle across the seat and pull the handle. It makes a crunchy sound and I immediately check back to see if I’m being watched. Nope.
Quietly, I sneak out the car. I don’t close the door all the way because it would be too noisy and alert Dr. Shaw of my escape. There’s nowhere else to go, so I crouch down, crawling underneath the car.
The gravel makes a gristle sound.
“Shi-” I stop myself.
Footsteps move around the car. “Yes, yes. I’ll be there. I have her in the backseat. She’s not going anywhere. I’ll be there as soon as I can...No, I can’t go back there, the cops have it under Rader. Don’t be an imbecile.”
I’m not sure who he’s talking to, but I take note of his call for later.
One of car doors open and closes. The ding a car makes before it turns on starts before the engine revs up. The roaring above me causes me to panic.
Shit!
Pulling my arms and legs in, I lay as flat as I can. I don’t plan on getting run over today if I can help it.
Nothing h
appens and the level of anxiety it creates is astronomical. Does he know I’m not in the car? Why hasn’t he taken off yet? Will he find me?
Just as I’m about to have a full-blown panic attack the car moves, heading slowly down my driveway.
I don’t move for several moments. I’m afraid to. Do I make a run for it or wait? If I wait, there’s a chance he’ll see me on the rear-view mirror. If I make a dash for it, it will draw more notice behind him, and he’ll notice me on the rear-view mirror.
I think of my mate’s body slumped over. I need to get to him and call for help. I know the Vo’Sharitah will come...maybe they are already on their way?
That decides it. I can’t leave him there, if I make a getaway, I can call for help. I just need to be quick and not get noticed. It's now or never.
I bolt upwards and make a dash towards to the cottage.
Screeeeeech!
Tires spinning on gravel makes me look back. The car reverses with deadly speed and I dodge out of the way, but trip and slide. I scramble to get up, but my feet can’t take hold.
Slam!
“You thought you could get away? What did I say? If you don’t come with me, I’ll shoot your friend over there,” he says, heading toward me with gun in hand.
I’m sprawled on the ground, crawling backwards towards safety.
“Clearly you need a little help. No matter though, I’ve come prepared.” He whips out an injection.
“Fuck No!” I scream and scramble away from him, but he takes a quick jab at my arm with his stupid needle.
My eyelids become heavy, and I hear a lion roar.
I’m losing my shit...there’s no lions out here. Something blue jumps out of nowhere and tackles the doctor. I fall back and hit my head on the gravel.
“Aykeetan?” I asked, my voice barely making a sound as I pass out.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aykeetan
“Ugh.” I sit up feeling light-headed and disoriented. Inhaling a deep breath to clear my mind. “Arg, what in the gods name is that pain?” My eyes travel downwards where a large bleeding hole is in my chest.
Vrakk
Yes, another projectile wound protecting my mate.
My mate.
“Jane!” I call out, remembering getting shot by an unknown assailant. I head inside her home, but I don’t smell her at all.
“Fuck No!” Her powerful yell, clearly from outside, resonates through the walls. I dash through the door and see her down a rocky path in front of a human transportation vehicle.
It’s the man from before at the facility. Dr. Shaw. I’d recognize the vile excuse for a human anywhere. He’s not getting away this time.
Rage consumes me. I spot him grabbing her arm and I let out a deafening roar. I catch up to them in literal minimas, leaving no chance for the vile excuse of a human to react to my presence.
I leap onto the human’s back. He crumbles to the ground in a sickening crunch.
How weak and pathetic.
It doesn’t escape my notice that Jane has passed out only a few feet away. My connection with her from the Kea’Vah tells me she’s OK. I will tend to her once I finish this vile human once and for all.
I lose control as I unleash all hell on this human doctor, one who claims to heal people while he destroys them from the inside out. My claws tear upon his skin, leaving deep and guttural wounds that gush with blood.
It’s easy work. Such an untrained human has no ability to withstand an attack from such a strong hunter as myself. I take pride and satisfaction knowing that I have destroyed this human beyond recognition. His face is slashed to bits. I’ve left holes in his chest as he did to me, and I’ve castrated his manhood.
It takes all my strength to stop. We will need to interrogate this piece of human waste for information. Captain Rasheed requested to keep anyone alive for questioning should we find them. He will be almost as pleased as I am.
Despite the pile of blood and bones he is, he still manages to gurgle something coherent. “She...will nev...be ..afe. They...will com...for her.”
I’m almost impressed. Almost, but instead, I save all my thoughts and feelings for my mate who I scoop up into my arms as I comm the ship.
“We need immediate assistance. The doctor is secured...but on the throes of death, my mate is unconscious, and I have a projectile in my chest.”
“On our way. Dr. Dushaad will be on standby.”
I stroke my mate's face and kiss her hair. I take stock of her wounds; it looks like just some scraping on her hands and legs. It could have been so much worse, and I thank the gods for their assistance today. It’s obvious they wanted me alive, otherwise the bullet would have pierced one of my hearts. Even a blow such as that wouldn’t have killed me but would have rendered me unconscious for a lot longer.
It doesn’t take long for the Vo’Sharitah to arrive. They touch down quick without the worry of being detected.
Dr. Dushaad and a few others come bursting through the cargo doors. “What happened? Let me see her!” His scanning equipment buzz to life.
“I got shot in the—”
“Not you, you vrakking idiot. Her”
“I was passed out, but I think she was injected with something.”
A tap on my shoulder from Vashawn brings my attention elsewhere while Dr. Dushaad figures out what’s going on with my mate. “Good work with the human. He’s being transported to a cell for holding. Did he say anything to you before you knocked him out?”
I watch as crew members drag him behind them without a care for his fragile human body. It amuses me. “No...well other than a threat to my mate. He claimed they will find her.”
Vashawn nods. “We’re going to scan the perimeter, see if we can find anything else.”
“Check his transport.” I point down the gravel path. “There’s a vehicle there. I think it’s his. You might find something inside.”
“A transport? Hackable I wonder,” me muses as his eyes drift off into space.
“I need to get back to my mate. Thanks for coming so quickly.” I’m just about to walk off when I remember my plans. “Oh, Vashawn, I need you to do something for me please.”
“What is it?” His head tilts to the side as he comes out of his reverie.
Going into basic detail, I explain how important this home is for my mate and ask if there’s anything that can be done to ease the loss of her only home. “So, what are our options?”
He scratches his head. “Well, we can’t use the tractor beam. The building will crumble without a foundation and there’s no way with current tech to circumvent that. We could take several scans of the structure and have it rebuilt on Ay’Kea’Terra. Of course, there will be a fee for such labor. We would have to locate the correct sources of materials to construct the exact replica. It will be expensive and will take some time.”
That doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all.
“Could you have someone take the scans now, and send them to one of your contacts to have it started before we arrive? Why can’t we just replicate the materials?” I glance over to her home.
I don’t care how much money it costs. She deserves this.
“Well...I guess we could, but again, it's not cheap.”
“I don’t care. Just get it done.” My hard tone has him frowning in an instant. “Sorry, it's been a bad day.”
He grunts, and motions to a crew member then points at the house. They have a few words before heading down to the human’s transport vehicle. And just like that, someone’s scanning my mate’s home. I grin to myself at how sneaky I am.
I glance back over to my mate, and Dr. Dushaad gestures for me to come over.
“Is she going to be OK?”
“She should wake up in a few minutes. It was just a mild sedative.” Dr. Dushaad packs up his equipment and waits for her to regain her consciousness. “Come here and let me take care of that now. I’m not working on it three weeks from now when you complain it’s infected.”
/> I grunt and sit down on the steps.
“I don’t know what it is about this crew, or you for that matter, and these damn projectile wounds. One day it’s going to hit something vital.”
A few more projectile wounds would be optimal, I could show them off with pride back home. My mate would also know how good of a mate I am, always there, protecting her.
“Humans don’t aim that low,” I explain with a sigh.
He gives me a sharp look as he uses forceps to pull out the bullet. Blood trickles out of my wound with a small sting. It’s not that bad at all. It was with incredible luck that this shot knocked me out to begin with. I could wear armor so it’s less likely for this to happen again, but I know how much my physical form appeals to my mate. I catch her sneaking glances at my stomach often. If I cover up, I might not be able to tempt her to mate with me as often.
Tough choices must be made.
“Mhm, continue to think with your damn cock and you won’t be alive for that mate of yours,” he says while spraying something on me to clean and seal the wound. I’m given a wet cloth to wipe up the rest of the blood.
I grunt, acknowledging him as I scoop her up off the emergency pad. She’s silent for several more minimas, before she stirs, and her eyes blink several times before fully opening them. “You must stop passing out my love,” I jest.
She caresses my face. “Hmm... thank you for rescuing me again.” Her eyes are sleepy despite gaining consciousness. “You’re hurt, is this where the bastard shot you? Where is he anyways?” She gasps, checking my chest out in a frenzy.
I bat her hand away. “It’s nothing Dr. Dushaad couldn’t patch up in a minima. The vile human is in a holding cell for questioning,” I respond.
“Good. Let him rot when you’re done.” She stretches and yawns, mouth wide-open and I take the opportunity to stick a finger in her mouth. “Aghh, what the hell??”
“Gotcha!” She may not like my antics, but it distracts her from the heavy mood and our little game of back and forth pranks gets her feisty. She’s glorious when she’s feisty.
“Not funny. Come here and let me show you how it’s really done.” Her smile is sly, and my instincts tell me something’s up, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Aykeetan Page 15
