Alien Romance Box Set: Uoria Mates II Complete Series (Books 1 - 10): A Sci-fi Alien Warrior Invasion Abduction Romance

by Ruth Anne Scott

  They walked until they neared the remnants of the prison and Pyra heard choking sound from behind him. He turned to see Maxim and Rey kneeling at the edge of the charred remains of the building, their faces registering shock and devastation. Maxim's hand covered his mouth and nose as he stared out over the blackness and Rey seemed to be trembling. It was in that moment that Pyra realized the cruel irony that it was their kind who had built the prison for the Covra and lost their lives to them, but then the twisted evolution of the contemporaries of those same creatures reclaimed that prison later to imprison, torment, and destroy another species.

  Pyra started to say something to them, to force them onward, but Ivy knelt down beside Maxim and Zsilvia lowered to Rey's side, both woman stroking the backs of the men, and Pyra stopped. For those moments, he would allow them to grieve.

  When Maxim and Rey stood again, they continued on their way, walking into the depths of the forest that seemed so much thicker now after spending so much time in open, endless spaces. The moon came through the leaves, dappling their skin and illuminating the path in front of them. Suddenly Pyra noticed movement ahead. He heard a small gasp and watched the tiny creature several yards away drop a basket to the ground. It started running toward them and he realized in moments that it was Leia. She ran to Gyyx, who scooped his mate into his arms and held her several feet off of the ground, kissing her tenderly as she gripped his massive neck with both arms.

  "Leia," Pyra said, trying to get the tiny woman's attention. "Leia." Finally she turned to look at him. "Where is Eden?"

  Leia had stayed behind while the rest of them left the compound so that she could take care of Eden who could be in the last stages of her pregnancy. It was one of the reasons that Pyra had been so on edge the entire time that they were gone. Eden's pregnancy was unique in that she was born human but somehow transformed to Denynso when Ciyrs healed her after a Klimnu attack. Her DNA said that she was now Denynso, but the transformation had not changed her body much. There was no way to know if she would carry this baby like she would have if she was still completely human, or if she would carry it more like the Denynso women. This meant that the time that she could deliver varied widely, making it unnerving to leave her alone for even a few moments.

  "She's at home. She's sleeping."

  "Is she alright? Why did you leave her?"

  "She's fine, Pyra. She's just sleeping. It's the middle of the night. I came out here to get some fruit for her. It is all she has wanted to eat for a few days, but it is very hard to find. The best time is by moonlight, so when she falls asleep, I come out here to try to find it for her.

  "Thank you for doing so much to take care of her," Pyra said.

  "What are you doing back so soon?" Leia asked. "We didn't expect you for several more weeks."

  "There's been a situation," Gyyx told her, gently lowering her to the ground.

  "We need to see Creia," Pyra said. "Immediately."

  "Is everything alright?" Leia asked, the concern evident on her face.

  "Go home, Baby," Gyyx told her. "Get some sleep. I will explain everything to you tomorrow."

  "I don't want to go home," Leia protested.

  "Home," Gyyx repeated, tucking his hand around her chin and gazing into her face. "Build up some energy for when I get home."

  Leia gave him a mischievous smile and walked back to the basket that she had dropped, scooping the fruit that had rolled across the ground back into it before walking away in the direction of the houses. Pyra continued toward their meeting hall, somewhat feeling like he was walking through a drawing. Everything was still around him, unmoving, unchanged. It was so calm, but he knew that in moments it wouldn't be any longer.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ivy at once felt stifled and had chills running through her as she stood in the grand hall again, waiting for Creia and Theia to appear. Her first time standing in that hall had not been pleasant, but even that was nothing compared to why she was standing there now. She looked across the room at Maxim where he and Rey stood, flanked by Pyra and Gyyx. He stared at the elevated platform at the far end of the room, his eyes trained on the massive thrones that sat there as if he were waiting for the monarchs to simply materialize in front of him. In that moment, after everything that she had gone through and seen in her time on Uoria, it likely wouldn't have even fazed her if they did.

  Just then the heavy curtains at the back of the platform opened and Creia and Theia swept through. Neither looked terribly rested, but the worry etched deeply onto Creia's face told her that he was responding more intensely to the sudden reappearance of his warriors and those who had ventured out of the compound with them.

  "Pyra?" Creia said.

  "Yes, sir," Pyra said, stepping forward.

  "What are you doing back here so soon?" he asked.

  "There's been a situation, sir. Something gravely serious and we have come to you to ask your help in resolving it."

  "What has happened? The last I heard of what you were doing, the women and George were leaving to help you with the Light Ones and the Covra."

  "Yes, sir," Pyra said and Ivy saw him glance back over his shoulder toward Rain, who stepped forward to stand beside him. "This is Rain. She is one of them. They are human."

  Creia took a slight step back and Ivy saw Theia straighten in her throne as if trying to get a better look at Rain.

  "Human?" Creia asked.

  "Yes, sir."

  Ivy listened as Pyra recounted the story of how the humans had found their way onto the planet and what had happened leading up to the locking by the Covra. By the time he finished Creia had walked backwards until he sank into his throne and was looking at them with a strange look on his face.

  "They are not why we've come to you, though."

  "Then why?"

  Pyra looked by at Gyyx who stepped behind Rey and Maxim to lead them forward. As soon as Creia saw them Ivy saw the expression on his face darken even further and he seemed to shrink slightly back into his throne. Pyra began to explain how they had come into contact with the beautiful creatures in their kingdom and brought them to help with the people in the settlement because of their history of alliances, but Maxim suddenly spoke over him.

  "You know exactly who we are, don't you, Creia?"

  Ivy gasped and she took a step forward, but stepped back again when she felt Ero's hand touch her elbow. The guard that Pyra had assigned to her, Ero had been kind to her, but Ivy knew that he would also be steadfast in his responsibilities, especially now that they were back on the compound and in the presence of the king and queen.

  "Be quiet," Pyra demanded.

  "Why don't you tell them, Creia?" Maxim continued, ignoring Pyra. "Why don’t you tell them about what really happened so long ago? I wasn't sure at first, but I'm putting all of the pieces together now and I'm finally seeing the full picture, so why don't you enlighten all of them as well? Go ahead and tell them about the real origin of the Denynso."

  "Be quiet," Pyra demanded again.

  "How long have the Denynso been on this compound, Creia?" Max continued. "Your kind didn't always live here. It was once home to another species. So when did your kind take over, and why?"

  "I am not going to tell you again," Pyra said, reaching for his dagger.

  "Don't you dare touch that weapon, Pyra," Creia said. "This man is absolutely right. There are many things about the Denynso that I have never told you, but you have the right to know."

  "What is it?"

  "Come with me."

  The king came down off of the platform and crossed the hall with purpose, not looking any of them in the eye as he passed through the huge arched doors and out of the hall. Ivy felt so exhausted that she didn't feel like she could take another step, but she forced herself to follow the rest of the people gathered in the hall as they streamed out after Creia.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Pyra followed closely after Creia, trusting Gyyx to proper
ly watch over Maxim and Rey. His mind was reeling after what had just happened. He had spent his entire life respecting Creia as their wisest and most powerful. He was not just his king, but his father, and the thought that he had been hiding something from him and from the rest of the clan made him feel like there was a weight in his belly.

  He was moving down the steps when he saw Eden coming toward him. Flooded with love, relief, and a mix of emotions that he couldn't quite identify, Pyra ran off of the steps and across the dirt to her, sweeping her into his arms and catching her lips in a kiss before she could even say a word to him. He turned her in his arms so that he cradled her under her back and knees and pulled her higher so that he could rest his ear against her swollen belly. It was even larger than when he had left the compound and it took only a second for him to hear the shifting of the baby inside and feel the pressure of a kick against him. He kissed it, whispering the words he had as he was saying goodbye before he left.

  "What is going on?" Eden asked, her hand stroking through his white Mohawk and tangling in the hairs at the nape of his neck that had grown out slightly since he had been off the compound.

  Pyra looked over and noticed that everyone had paused, waiting for him. He rushed back to his position behind Creia, comfortably carrying Eden along with him so that she didn't have to rush to keep up with his much longer strides. When they had first met and even after they completed their bond and became lifetime mates, Eden was extremely stubborn and resistant to allowing him to carry her. Now she was going along with it without even a moment's protest. That told him more than words ever could how much she was struggling in this end phase of her pregnancy.

  He tried to catch her up as quickly as he could with a brief version of what happened.

  "You promised me that if anything went wrong, you would let me know," Eden said accusingly to Loralia who had walked up behind them to greet her.

  "Everything was moving far too quickly. There was no way to get in touch with you. Besides, Pyra was not in danger."

  "It was like I could feel you whenever you were thinking about me," Eden said to Pyra.

  "I thought about you all the time," he told her and she shook her head at him.

  "No. There were moments when it was like you were right here with me. Like I could open my eyes and you would be lying in bed with me."

  "Take my necklace out of my shirt," he told her.

  Eden reached into his shirt with one of her slim hands and withdrew the chain and pendant. He adjusted her weight so that he supported her with one arm and took the pendant from her hand. He touched the pendant with the pad of his thumb just like he had when they were on the settlement and he heard Eden gasps slightly.

  "That's it," she told him. "Whenever you touched the pendant, I could feel it."

  Pyra felt his heart fill. It made him feel better to know that she could sense him so strongly, especially in the moments when he needed her the most. Suddenly he realized that they were walking away from the main center of the compound and toward the cliffs at the back corner where anyone rarely went. These cliffs were not like the ones closer to the center of the compound. Though steep and tall, those cliffs were relatively smooth and hospitable. The cliffs at the back, however, were sharp and jagged, the terrain threatening for even the warriors. They had to walk along the edge of the funeral lake to get to the cliffs and as they did Pyra avoided looking into the water, not wanting to think about Jem.

  Pyra gave a small leap to one side to avoid stepping into a massive tangle of underwater plants and Eden gasped in his arms.

  "Are you alright?" he asked.

  She nodded and gave him a slightly strained smile.

  "I'm fine."

  They finally reached the base of the tallest cliff and Creia turned to look at them.

  "Pyra, Gyyx, Ty, I will need your help."

  Pyra lowered Eden to the ground and walked through the group to where Creia was standing. The king walked up to what looked like a broken-off piece of the cliff and turned back to the warriors.

  "Move this."

  The warriors looked at each other incredulously, but none of them protested. They walked up to the rock and positioned themselves so that Pyra and Ty were on either side and Gyyx was on the front, pressing his palms flat to the surface so that he could apply pressure up to lift from the center. They groaned and strained with the incredible weight of the rock, but finally it began to move. Pyra dug in and pulled harder, easing the rock toward himself as the other men pushed it toward him.

  "That's enough," Creia said.

  Pyra allowed his arms to fall away from the rock with relief and stepped around it to look back at Creia. What he found was the king standing beside the mouth of a narrow pathway winding its way up the cliffs.

  "I didn't even know this was here," Pyra said as he stepped onto the path behind Creia.

  "No one does anymore," Creia replied. "The rock was put there to block it, but it has been so long since then, no one is around any longer that even remembers it is here. No one but me and Theia."

  Pyra followed the king up the path, trusting that the others would help Eden along behind him. It seemed that the path wound on endlessly through the fiercely sharp points that rose out of the rocks and jagged edges of the small ravines between the cliffs. Finally they turned a corner beside a towering rock spike and the path straightened and opened onto a plateau. Pyra's stomach sank as he looked out over the edge through the mist of a low-hanging cloud.

  The ground beneath them was blackened, areas of bright, glowing orange showing through cracks in the surface. Smoke billowed up in pillars that mixed with the clouds to create a sooty streak that blotted out the stars. In the distance Pyra could see what looked like the darkened metal and stone skeletons of buildings. Others lay crumbled against the ground, spread out in pieces like the wreckage of the human ship.

  "These," Creia said, "are the real badlands."

  Chapter Seventeen

  "What is this, father?" Pyra asked.

  "There was a time," the aging king said, gazing out over the destroyed land, his voice suddenly sounding for the first time like it was carrying all of the years that he had lived within it, "when there was more than one clan of the Denynso. There were three, positioned throughout the planet in the places that offered what each of those clans considered the most beautiful and productive of surroundings. The largest of the clans lived here."

  "Why would they live somewhere like that? It doesn't even look inhabitable," Ero said.

  "It wasn't always like this. It was once lush and beautiful, even more so than our own compound. The clan that lived here was powerful, honored above the other two. They knew that there was another species living on the land just on the other side of these cliffs, but rarely interacted with them. Then the strangers came."

  "The Covra," Pyra said.

  Creia nodded.

  "Yes," he said, "the Covra came for the species that lived on that side of the cliffs, the side that is now our compound, but they were not the only ones to invade this part of Uoria. As they fought the Covra, the Denynso on the other side of the cliffs encountered strangers that came from another planet, something they had never encountered. They called themselves the Valdicians."

  Pyra felt like someone had punched him directly in the gut. Behind him he heard Rain gasp and a moment later she was standing beside him, searching Creia's face.

  "They are the reason that we're here," Rain told him. "They are the ones that had built the prison camp on that planet and then took over our ship so that it crashed here as part of their alliance with the Covra."

  "But that was 200 years after my kind went beneath the ground," Loralia said, seeming to materialize out of the group who stood listening intently to what was happening. "They couldn't have been the same ones."

  "You're right," Creia said. "They weren't. The Valdicians came with the hopes of aligning themselves with the Denynso. Almost as soon as they arri
ved, the people who were living on this side of the cliff, your people, Loralia, started to become very sick. The plague lasted for as long as the Valdicians were here and drove the entire species underground. Soon after, the Denynso convinced the Valdicians that there would be no alliance and forced them to leave."

  "That was the first time that the Valdicians and the Covra encountered each other," Rain said.

  Creia nodded again.

  "Everything seemed peaceful once both the Valdicians and the Covra left this area of the planet. The quiet didn't last for long, however. Soon more strangers came onto the compound with the Denynso. These people were incredibly beautiful, but also incredibly cold."

  Pyra's eyes drifted to Maxim, who kept his eyes trained on Creia, his hand holding Ivy's tightly.

  "The Klimnu," Pyra said.

  "What would become the Klimnu, yes. They used their own understanding of technology and the Denynso resources to build a ship, intending on using it to scout other planets for slaves that they could force into their service as they took over Uoria. Soon another group arrived. They seemed to be the same species as the first, but they were brave and honorable. Their number was very small, but they reached out to the Denynso to create an alliance that would force the cold, greedy ones out of the compound. Half of the Denynso agreed to the alliance, but the other half didn't want anything to do with what was quickly escalating to a civil war. The clan split and the half that didn't want to be involved in the conflict crossed the cliffs to the land that had been left behind by the victims of the Covra."