Bane: Xian Warriors 3
Page 21
When he sank his fangs into my neck, piercing my scales, my vision went white. I climaxed with such violence that I likely blacked out. The next thing I knew, we were lying in the water, at the foot of a waterfall. Bane slowly caressed my scales with reverence. Our gazes connected and he smiled, then gently kissed me.
“I love you, my Queen,” he whispered against my lips.
“And I love you, my Dragon.”
Epilogue
Bane
Life on Khepri exceeded my wildest expectations. My brothers had never been so happy and carefree. And the young ones were finally getting all the feminine attention they needed, as well as a proper education. Our inclusion in the Vanguard also marked another great milestone in our new lives. To my surprise, Chaos and Legion didn’t demand a leadership position over us, but instead created a parallel division with equal rights which would remain under my leadership. That didn’t stop us from having joint training sessions to improve our skills at fighting together.
Better yet, although we could transfer our souls upon death to a new Shell without assistance, Legion nonetheless insisted that we be assigned our own Soulcatcher. Needless to say, I stole Tabitha from Chaos. Legion, too, was forced to find himself a new one when Dread declared Myriam his soulmate. To my greatest joy, a few more of my brothers found their Queens among the women of the Vanguard.
On a not so happy note, the two modified Mimics we had captured remained a serious threat we had to handle carefully. Varnog and Silzi volunteered to help us deprogram them from the intensive brainwashing and conditioning Khutu had subjected them to. It would take months to undo the damage. But even then, their incredible power made everyone uncomfortable, especially the Coalition. Once more, we had to deny their request to simply eliminate what they perceived as a potential menace.
The real concern was that ten more of those modified Mimics were still missing, including Shuria—whom we assumed had become Khutu’s new Kryptid Queen. It was particularly worrisome since, when morphed, their DNA could successfully fool any bioscanner to believe them to belong to whatever species they currently embodied. This meant they could easily infiltrate Khepri under the guise of someone else’s appearance, and we would be none the wiser until they had stealthily slaughtered everyone.
We therefore recruited a few of the Mimics to psychically scan people in Khepri’s various points of entry to detect morphed Mimics attempting to infiltrate our homeworld.
In the two weeks following our arrival on Khepri, Rogue, with the assistance of Liena and Victoria, effectively devised a cure for the hormonal imbalance that kept the Xians from fully completing their mating bonds. Although a little miffed to no longer be the only Vanguard female to strut around with a mantle, Tabitha rejoiced at what this would mean for the Xians.
Six weeks later, thirty-six women of the Vanguard had confirmed their healthy pregnancies, including my Queen, Myriam, Ayana, Violet, Victoria, and Liena. This represented a third of all the natural Xian births over the past three decades. According to Legion, that announcement was celebrated throughout the Coalition as wildly, if not even more, than when Victoria had become the very first female to conceive a child with a Xian Warrior. A whirlwind of hope, renewal, and happiness was sweeping over Khepri.
However, through all this, a dark cloud continued to loom overhead. Our contacts on Kryptor had all gone silent. The last communication we’d received confirmed the death of Queen Aitxa but hinted at trouble with the new Queen Pahiven. We didn’t have any details, and especially not about what had happened to Shuria. With the General now controlling the throne, that he hadn’t gone on a bloody rampage throughout the galaxy implied that either things hadn’t quite panned out the way he’d hoped, or that he was preparing something even bloodier.
But now, we were stronger than ever. Khutu had created us as tools of destruction, and we would be exactly that. Except, it was his own demise that we would bring about.
In the meantime, we had finally granted their wishes to our mothers. The priceless gift the Scelks had given us—thanks to my mate’s genius idea—had made saying goodbye easier. The selfish part of me had hoped Mother would decide to stay with us in that ‘virtual’ world where she’d be eternally young and healthy. But her body had been failing in the real world, and she had never been one to hide from reality. Still, the weeks we had together before her departure helped me make my peace with it.
They were cremated—most of their families claiming the ashes—and given military funerals with great fanfare and honors. I only wished Mother could have lived a few more months to see the birth of my son, Defiant, and then, only a week later, of Dread’s son, Wraith.
But even as I stood by the large park we had since added in the center of our residential project, looking at my son, his cousin, and our younger siblings playing with the Xian babies, I vowed they would never face the hardships we had. The General wouldn’t eternally escape our wrath.
I felt my woman approach before her arms wrapped around me, and her delicate hands rested on my chest. Covering them with mine, I pressed her palms to my hearts. Tabitha nuzzled my nape then kissed my shoulder. Pulling my mate around, I tucked her under my arm and tenderly kissed her lips. Even after all this time, I still couldn’t believe my Queen was mine.
“You seemed lost in some pretty intense thoughts,” Tabitha said, looking up at me with her head resting on my shoulder.
“Mmhmm. I was looking at our future and thinking about all the ways I intend to protect it,” I said truthfully.
Tabitha stared at me for a moment, then her gaze slid over the children, lingering on little Phoenix—Ayana’s firstborn son—showing Defiant how to play with a large ball.
“All the ways we will protect it,” Tabitha corrected, turning back to look at me. “You are no longer alone to carry that weight. You are my Dragon, and you are of the Vanguard. Our brothers and sisters will stand by our side to ensure that their future, and many more thereafter, will be filled with joy and liberty. Together we stand.”
“Together we stand, my Queen.”
As I leaned down to kiss her lips, the light hum of beating wings drew my attention. Looking over my shoulder, my gaze met Arrow’s, staring at us with curious fascination.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, in a slightly grumpy tone.
Arrow’s eyes sparked with mischief. “Watching you and Tabitha doing kissy-kissy.”
“I’m going to spank you,” I said, matter-of-factly, which made Tabitha giggle.
“You’ll never catch me!” Arrow made a face at me then darted away.
Summoning my wings, I gave him chase while listening to my woman’s laughter. The older children soon joined in, and so did a few of my adult brothers, turning it into a massive game of tag.
As I dove and barrel-rolled through the sky, hunting one of my brats, my hearts soared with almost childish happiness.
Yes, our future would be filled with joy, liberty, and honor.
We were of the Vanguard.
The End.
* * *
Want more sexy alpha aliens and badass females with psychic powers? Check out my Veredian Chronicles series!
ALSO BY REGINE ABEL
THE VEREDIAN CHRONICLES
Escaping Fate
Losing Amalia
Blind Fate
Raising Amalia
Twist of Fate
Hands of Fate
BRAXIANS
Anton’s Grace
Ravik’s Mercy
DARK TALES
Bluebeard’s Curse
The Mistwalker
VALOS OF SONHADRA
Unfrozen
Iced
XIAN WARRIORS
Legion
Raven
THE SHADOW REALMS
Dark Swan
KHARGALS OF DURAS
Heart of Stone
OTHER
Alien Awakening
About Regine
Regine Abel is a fantasy, paranor
mal and sci-fi junky. Anything with a bit of magic, a touch of the unusual, and a lot of romance will have her jumping for joy. Hot alien warriors meeting no-nonsense, kick-ass heroine give her warm fuzzies. Through her Veredian Chronicles series, Regine will take you to an exciting alien world full of mystery, action, passion and new beginnings. Follow Amalia and her Veredian sisters as they fight for their freedom and the right to love.
When not writing or reading, Regine surrenders to the other passion in her life: video games! As a professional Game Designer and Creative Director, her career has led her from her home in Canada to the US and various countries in Europe and Asia.
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