Her Rebel Alien Warrior (Fated to the Warriors Book 1) Read online

  I gasp for air. Every fiber in my being aches and I can barely think.

  Then, I raise my face, meeting his eyes again. I grin as joy floods my body, but I concentrate to keep my mind blank, not wanting the Wehizx to learn what I’ve discovered.

  “Happy human,” he hisses. “We will rip your KrysOlakn fetus out, stomp it before your eyes, and lay our young in your disgusting pink flesh.”

  I snarl. “Die, you filthy scum.”

  With an explosive blast, the door to the room flies off the wall and clatters to the ground as a large metal creature soars through the air. It takes me a moment to recognize the cyborg UrTak has fought before. The robot’s arms are broken and twisted at unnatural angles, his face is scorched with burns, and two of UrTak’s knives stick out of his bleeding side.

  The Wehizx screeches and UrTak soars into the room, the thrust of his wings propelling him forward. Sideways in the air, he sends two quick blasts from his energy gun toward the Wehizx. The monstrous alien pounds the metal device he holds and vanishes right before the blasts pass through his space, only to reappear behind UrTak.

  I summon the force of my psychic powers. I’m exhausted and it’s like my brain is sore. Even attacking the Wehizx opens my mind to him but I have to help. Seeing Urtak exposed, with the alien behind him, I blast out everything I have.

  I watch the Wehizx stumble to his knees as he screeches in pain.

  UrTak spins, extending his wings, and lands in a battle pose, facing his foe. I hold tight to my psychic powers, blasting them at the Wehizx with all I have until they fizzle out again.

  “My love,” I gasp. “Kill him.”

  UrTak grins. Blood leaks down a wide cut on his forehead, dripping over one half of his face, and I can see exposed bone of his mangled bicep through congealed gold blood. He pulls a knife out, gripping it tightly, then launches at the Wehizx.

  He jumps onto my tormentor, pinning him to the ground as he stabs wildly. The painful screeches and anguished psychic waves rock through my body but I hold strong, summoning as much of a defensive shield as I can. The Wehizx blood flies through the air until the psychic pain fades, and he lays lifeless on the ground.

  UrTak spits on the corpse, wipes his knife and shoves it in a sheath, and turns back to me. “Loretta,” he growls and runs forward.

  I start to sob. With him there, I can finally allow the pain and fear to overwhelm me. He grabs the metal chains that hold me in place and rips them open with his bare hands while the silver glow of his lucex surges across his body, sparking at his forearms.

  He pulls me into his embrace as I choke on a sob. “You’re safe,” he says. “You and our child are safe, my love.”

  “You’re safe, too,” I gasp. “We’re together.”

  I press my lips to his and he claims me in a kiss. When he tears away he lifts me, one arm under my knees and the other around my shoulders. I tremble with the memory of what I’ve been through.

  “There’s no time,” he says. “Even with the commander of the ship dead, the machinery will run on auto. We have to escape before it launches into full capacity and leaves the world we know behind.”

  I press my lips to his ear. “Go,” I whisper. “Bring us home.”

  UrTak charges through the ship and down a corridor until he finds a window. Detritus and wreckage from the battle floats through space but the battle itself is distant. UrTak summons his bubble, blasts the wall wide open with his gun, then launches us out of the craft.

  He pumps his wings, flying toward the impossibly distant battle scene, and a moment later the Wehizx ship hums with a bright white energy before zipping off into the distance.

  I tighten my grip around his neck as UrTak darts, avoiding a spinning, mangled chunk of metal. His wings tilt and spread and I know he’s trying to catch an energy source to ride, but still, the battle seems to be far away.

  UrTak’s face is wrenched with exertion as he pumps his wings. “We won’t be left out here,” he grunts with determination. “We will live.”

  I suck in a frightened breath as a strange ship speeds our way from behind. “UrTak,” I gasp, watching over his shoulder as the craft rushes forward. The bottom of it is round and silver and the top is a large glass dome, not totally unlike how I used to imagine UFOs when I was back on Earth.

  UrTak pivots in the air and the lucex shield around us hums stronger. He shifts my weight and grabs his gun, brandishing it at the intruder.

  “Who is it?” I ask.

  “I’ve never seen a ship like this,” he grunts.

  I can sense that he’s about to fire but when the ship reaches us, he drops his gun. Barely visible in the clear dome, I see not only PryZor but Marie, clutching his arm.

  Tears run down my cheeks. My sister is alive. I can barely believe it’s true but there she is, staring at me with the same joyfully shocked expression I must have on my face.

  The craft hovers. UrTak flies us before the dome and a deep laugh fills his chest.

  “Looks like we found our ride home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Loretta

  The skies of KrysOlak and Triov sparkle with fireworks as we approach. Ships spiral and dance in celebration between the moons, reminding me of fireflies chasing each other through the night, and I watch Marie’s face with delight as she sees the star system for the first time.

  I pull her in another hug and press my forehead to hers, just like we used to do when we were young. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you,” I whisper.

  Marie hugs me tight, tears in the corners of her eyes. There’s no time to fill each other in on our adventures, but I know the days ahead will be filled with stories. Her long, straight auburn hair hangs loosely past her shoulders, falling across the flowing gold suit she wears. She’s tired, clearly, but I can tell she’s happy and safe, too, and my heart soars.

  She smiles, her eyes wide and clear. “When it was really you, floating in space like that, I thought I was hallucinating.”

  I laugh. “Me, too. I’m sure UrTak could have gotten us back to safety eventually, but that’s the best ride I’ve ever been offered.”

  “He’s good to you?”

  I nod. “He is. He’s kept me safe, but it’s more than that.” I turn and nod to the Chosen Brothers. They stand at the front of the ship, watching the moons with their arms around each other’s shoulders. “And PryZor?”

  “He is,” she says with a blush.

  UrTak turns. “Your sister and I keep each other safe,” he says to Marie. “Don’t let her give me all the credit.”

  He and PryZor walk to us and they each slip an arm around our waists, UrTak’s hand landing warmly at my hip. Marie blushes and looks up to PryZor, then shyly toward me. She’s never really dated and with a thrill I realize something has started between the two of them.

  Although I do notice that PryZor doesn’t have wings. I try not to read too much into it, knowing that this is the moment for celebration. But as the craft lowers itself over KrysOlak and the colorful forests, cliffs, and oceans come into view, there’s one thing I can’t wait to share.

  I place my hand over my stomach and UrTak follows, his larger hand over mine as he steps behind me. My psychic senses click into awareness of him and the baby and I feel like we’ve come together in the way a family does.

  “You’re about to step on a different world,” I say to Marie. I hold her gaze and three decades worth of memories come flying back to me. “And I want you to know, when you do, you’ll be stepping on this new world as an aunt.”

  Fireworks explode around the ships. KrysOlakn dancing music pipes from the speakers, drums and electric beats sounding out. As UrTak pulls me close and rubs my belly, I watch understanding dawn on the faces of my sister and his Chosen Brother.

  We’re safe, and we arrive to the future we’ve won together.

  The victory celebration lasts for several long nights and I grow used to the sound of KrysOlakn parties as the streets fill with revele
rs. It reminds me of New Years and Mardi Gras, rolled up into each other. Flying puppets soar through the sky like kites and Triovians fill the air with digital projections that sparkle like fireworks. Musicians wander the cities until dawn, and young KrysOlakns hand out small, sweet treats and bottles of a fizzy, tart drink I love.

  UrTak and I largely watch the celebrations from his dwelling. PryZor and Marie join us during the days, as do a rotating crew of other warriors and officials from the RSA, but we spend the rest of our time in bed, driving each other to climax after climax until the pleasure is so total, I feel like I’m dissolving into pure psychic energy.

  The second day, in what I’m told is a tradition from the old KrysOlakn warriors, UrTak is awarded a crown, chiseled from the crystal cliffs where we first made love. Although his commitment to the RSA means he no longer stands as a KrysOlakn warrior, the High Council comes together to award him the honor anyway.

  It fills my heart with pride to watch him stand on the edge of a cliff in KrysMond, proudly accepting the crown. With new scars on his shoulder and across his forehead, UrTak is just as handsome and ridiculously sexy as the first day I met him. Now, though, I know the history of those wounds and the sacrifices he has made, and I see not only his strength, but his heart as well.

  When the celebrations finally end, my destined and I join with Marie and PryZor to attend the official grieving ritual that follows. The lights of the city dim and KrysOlakns hurry through the streets, quickly sweeping away the remnants of the party. When the time comes, the four of us leave the tower and join the progression, marching toward the center of the city.

  UrTak holds me by the side. Projections of the dead warriors fill the sky, hovering above the city and the silent march. In every building we pass, a small silver candle glows in the window.

  This is how their species mourns their dead after becoming so used to unimaginable loss, I realize.

  Marie steps beside me, PryZor’s hand on her shoulder. “It’s like the whole moon came together,” she says, clearly impressed.

  “The KrysOlakns respect their ancestors,” I say. “They respect each other.”

  “I thought it was just PryZor. I didn’t realize their whole species was this way.” She tilts her head and thinks about it a second as I take her hand. “They all seem so good.”

  “Can you imagine humans behaving like this? I know that sometimes we help each other, but we turn against each other just as easily.”

  We walk in silence for a while, the sound of marching feet filling the streets. I know that we are both thinking of Earth and all that we have left behind.

  “I wonder what’s in store for us next,” Marie says finally.

  “Me too,” I say. “But the Alliance is reviewing all the technology they salvaged from the war ship, and the Wehizx don’t have the ability to launch a full attack on Earth anymore. I have a lot of questions, but I have a lot of hope, too.”

  “I have hope, too,” UrTak says, joining our conversation. “More than I ever dreamed possible before I found you, Loretta. And the oath I swore does not dissolve simply because of this one victory. I am the First Warrior of the RSA, and as long as I live, we will search for Earth. I truly believe the stars have brought us together for this reason.”

  I notice that he looks at PryZor and Marie out of the corner of his eye. They look as much like a happy, loving couple as we do, and as Marie squeezes my hand, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that I have someone to share these experiences with me.

  Earth might still be very far away, but one of the biggest parts of my life at home is here with me, travelling down this strange new path.

  The KrysOlakns believe that the stars control their destines, but that does not mean they know where the roads lead. Instead, this belief compels them to fight and to always give what they can to fulfill their highest purposes.

  I’m honored that the stars have chosen my sister and I to be a part of that. And no matter how much my heart longs for Earth, I know there is no one more equipped to take on this mission than the KrysOlakns and their allies.

  We reach the center of KrysMond. There must be millions of KrysOlakns on the streets, mourning their losses as they celebrate the victory. Different dignitaries from across the Alliance come and address the crowds as planets and moons shine dimly in the velvet night sky.

  “My destined,” UrTak whispers in my ear. “I am glad you can see our rituals. They are of great and ancient purpose. I must say, however, I am saddened that there is no need to take you to the mating cliffs. It brings us honor that you carry our child, and it is a miracle of the stars that this was possible in the first place, but it is odd for a KrysOlakn to claim his mate with no ritual to mark the occasion.”

  I turn and press my hands to his chest. “There’s nothing to stop you from taking me to the mating cliffs anyway once the moon disappears. But you know, there are other rituals we could use to celebrate our union.”

  “Other rituals?”

  I stand up on my toes and press my lips to his. UrTak takes me in a kiss and I melt into the pleasure of his embrace.

  “Humans have a way to mark our love, too, you know.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  UrTak

  Eight months later

  Loretta stands before the long mirrors she installed in our bedroom. A ceremonial dress the color of the silver cliffs hangs gracefully over her body. She and her sister designed the garment themselves and the swaths of loose KrysOlakn fabric look stunning with the touches of white gems and lace that the humans enjoy.

  It is our wedding day. Although the idea seemed odd to me at first, considering the ritual could happen on any day we chose and under any stars that might pass through the sky, I slowly came to appreciate it.

  We have chosen to be together. Certainly, the stars destined us to be close, but it is by our own free will that we have accepted this love and forged a future together, and thanks to Loretta, I see how powerful a choice like that is.

  “Loretta,” I rasp, and step behind her. My ceremonial mating jacket hangs open at my chest and when I pull her close my heart beats against her back. “You are more gorgeous today than you have ever been.”

  Loretta leans her head back and kisses my cheek. “You’re really not supposed to see this dress before the ceremony,” she says again. “Although I guess we kind of get to make our own rules, don’t we?”

  I frown and snort out a frustrated breath. “We can make our own rules, yet I cannot claim you in the bed right now.”

  She laughs. “Wasn’t once this morning enough for you?”

  I smile, satisfied with her response. She has taken so easily to life on KrysOlak, you would think that she had been born here. Watching her walk through the markets and chat with our neighbors, she has become a part of life on this moon, fascinating to everyone who sees her yet comfortable and independent. And as the other human women have similarly grown accustomed to this new life, I have seen the ways they change the KrysOlakns, too, adding their soft touches to our warrior culture and holding us to our greatest purpose.

  The cry of our baby sounds from the crib and Loretta and I both turn. She hurries over and lifts Marie Lak, holding the sweet child in her arms. I join by her side and beam down at our miraculous daughter. She is pudgy and round, as KrysOlakn babies always are. She has pale purple skin, eyes as blue as mine with a slim white rim that reminds me of Loretta’s gaze, and an appetite that impresses each of us.

  My lucex surges and I feel Loretta’s psychic powers flickering. The protective love I feel for my family extends to the entire moon. The stars have entrusted Loretta and I with the future of our species and even though we have seen only peace since the destruction of the Wehizx war ship, I prepare every day for whatever battles come next.

  I kiss Loretta on the cheek, brushing my lips across her skin, then lean down to stroke the back of my finger along Marie Lak’s forehead.

  Loretta nuzzles her head against my shoulder. “Come,”
she says, “it is a beautiful day for a wedding.”

  The Western Cliffs where the mating rituals once occurred tower as high in the sky as any on our moon. Although I wish to fly my family there in my arms, Loretta insists that she needs a quiet ride in a racer to keep her dress and hairstyle in place. With the tendrils of her hair styled back in intricate KrysOlakn braids, I understand her desire, although I personally find her just as beautiful when she is tussled by the wind.

  We sit in the racer as she feeds Marie Lak, and I smile with satisfaction as I listen to our daughter suckle her full, plump breasts. Once we are ready, we step out and see that the crowd has already gathered.

  Pale blue grass grows on the flat top of the cliff. In one direction, the Silver Lakes dot the sprawling grasslands, and in the other, the cliffs turn into rolling, rocky hills. A warm breeze tosses through the air. With no clouds in the sky, the moons and planets shine brightly, there to bless our union.

  “Loretta, UrTak!” Marie rushes forward and PryZor follows behind. Marie wears a traditional KrysOlakn dress but PryZor is clothed in something called a tuxedo, a restrictive black suit that is apparently common for these rituals on Earth. I can tell that he hates the tight outfit and he flaps his wings as he approaches, stretching them through the holes cut in the back of his jacket.

  “And how is the first daughter of KrysOlak?” Marie coos at our baby. “Ready for Mommy and Daddy’s big day?”

  “And ready to meet the second daughter,” Loretta answers. She places her hand on her sister’s swollen belly. The children of our two species are larger than Earth babies, but not so large as KrysOlakn children, and if Loretta’s experience is any guide, Marie’s body will adjust to easily carry the child to birth.

  The stars are always mysterious, but there is a logic to their strange design.