The Prillon warrior shook his head and tightened his grip. “It is not safe.”
“I don’t care.”
“He does.” The warrior pointed in Velik’s direction.
I swung on Helion, ready to shove him out of the way and fire his weapon myself.
No need. High pitched buzzing made me flinch as two blasts of light exited the nozzles.
Almost instantly, the monster’s head exploded into bloody mist. Poof. Gone. Vaporized.
The thing was dead, but my mate was still hanging in the air, a claw through his body.
Helion gave an order to approach. The Prillon holding me looked me in the eye and ordered me to stay next to him. I said nothing.
I’d stay next to him as long as he was going where I wanted to go.
To Velik.
I didn’t take my eyes off my mate as I moved forward with the group. Helion took point, which seemed odd, for a doctor, but what did I know about military operations. Nothing.
We were close to the first monster. The stench of the dead creatures made my eyes water and my throat burn. Pungent, like cigar smoke and burning hair with a side-order of melting plastic.
Was that smell coming from their guts? Or their scaly body armor?
I looked at the headless creature still holding Velik. Standing there like nothing had happened, even without its head. The thing’s body remained upright.
Until. God! The monster’s entire body fell to one side like a tree falling over. It hit the ground and didn’t move. So did Velik, the huge claw still embedded in his body from front to back, like a sword.
Velik didn’t move.
No. No. No.
I started running. To him. My mate. My Velik.
“Velik!” I screamed his name as I closed the distance. I was shocked when he managed to turn his head in my direction. His gaze was cloudy, unfocused. The closer I got, the clearer his eyes became.
“No! Stay back!” His voice was a command, pure and simple. I’d never heard that tone, not from any of the Atlans I knew. He meant it. Down to his soul, meant it. He didn’t want me anywhere near him.
I stumbled and fell to my knees. I deserved his hatred. I so did. Sobbing, I crawled toward him, begging. “Please, Velik. I’m so sorry.” I reached a hand toward him.
“No! Fuck!” He twisted, his cry of pain piercing as the claw cut more of his insides. He tossed something away from him. With a loud roar, his beast came out, the shift in his size faster than any I’d seen. The beast bellowed with pain.
“No! Velik! Don’t move! There’s a ReGen pod. Don’t move!”
The beast ignored me, just like Velik had.
“Stay back!”
I stopped crawling toward him, unsure what to do. The others, Helion and the Prillon warriors, were busy shooting at…something. Whatever it was, it was moving quickly, running along the top of the avalanche area, shooting back.
I didn’t even look up to try to figure out who or what was there. I didn’t care. There was only one reason I was here.
“Velik.” Holding myself back, I lifted one hand from the ground and reached for him. “Please. I’m so sorry. Let me help you!”
“No!” He drove one elbow into the hard ground. Pulled.
The sound of the blade tearing his flesh, sucking at the wound, made me scream. “Stop it! Don’t move!”
