I faced the scene of the fight, waiting as my future with Kai hung in the balance.
6
Larkspur
* * *
After a long sigh and tense silence, he filled me in. My heart surrendered to the inevitable fact that I wanted him, that he made me feel safe, that this connection between us would consume me. The rest of me cringed when he described using the coat rack to impale one of the Hive. My fingertips covered my lips, prevented the escape of the soft cry in my throat, when he got to the part about the Hive’s weapon was placed next Lavender’s head. A tear escaped as he explained how the Prillon warrior who had been about to kill her fought his way through the Hive mind control and sacrificed himself, allowed Kai to kill him, in order to save my sister’s life. A heavy weight settled in my chest as Kai explained his reluctance to eliminate an honorable warrior, my heart breaking as Kai’s did.
This Atlan beast had more compassion than a lot of humans I knew. How sad.
Kai tore the warrior in half. I didn’t need to try very hard to imagine that. I’d just seen it in person.
Nothing about this was right. Nothing. “Is that what the Hive does? They capture you guys and take over your minds? Make you fight for them?”
Kai’s warm hand came to rest on the small of my back. I didn’t pull away. I needed the contact at least as much as he did. I sensed the question was a painful one for him to answer. “Yes. Bodies. Minds. They have Integration specialists that implant nanomaterials in our muscle and bones. They make us stronger and faster, but they also take over our natural electrical system. They have technology designed to take control of our nervous systems, control our thoughts and movements, make us kill our own kind.”
“Does it hurt? When they put that stuff in your bodies?”
“Yes. Most Atlans do not survive. Unlike the other fighters, the Hive must also control our beasts. The beasts evolved as a natural response to eons of war and the need to protect our mates. Beasts are resistant to Hive tampering. Our integration process is… barbaric. There are no words to describe the torture warlords endure. I do not wish to further upset you, mate. Your pulse is elevated and you are struggling to keep your breathing regulated.”
Mate. He kept saying it. The way he paid attention to me and my reactions to everything, I was starting to believe him. Did this mean my sister had a huge Atlan beast hovering as well?
“Who is taking care of my sister?”
“Warlord Tazo. He will protect her with his life and see to her pleasure. She is safe.”
“Like you? With me?”
“Yes.” His thumb moved up and down my spine. Nothing else, the rest of his hand remained still, offered comfort and support. Demanded nothing.
It was I who remembered the hardness of his cock against my ass. What exactly did he mean when he said ‘see to her pleasure’? Was he planning on ‘seeing’ to mine?
“Kai, what’s the play here? What’s the plan? The photo files are all digital. I don’t keep them here. I told you guys the truth. I have the drive taped to the interior of a cat kennel at work.”
“You should gather your things. We will go to your work and retrieve the drive, then transport to The Colony.”
I turned around and looked up—way up—into his handsome face, his features buried beneath gray dust, pieces of brick and mortar scattered in his dark hair, blood splatter over his cheeks, neck and uniform. He was a mess. “You want to take me to The Colony?”
“That is where I live. That is also where your sister and her mate shall remain. If there is anything here your sister might wish to have, I suggest you pack that as well. We will not return.”
“Ever?”
“Correct. It is not safe here. I cannot allow you to place yourself in danger. We will not remain on Earth. The Hive presence here has proven to be unpredictable and problematic. Human intelligence agencies and your military has requested we set up a command base here to track their movements and assist with elimination.”
“They can’t do it? Our guys?”
“Not with your limited technology.”
“So just give humans the weapons we need.”
“We cannot. It goes against the Interstellar Coalition of Planets’ law to arm a fledgling civilization with advanced weaponry that may be turned against a planet’s population.”
“Don’t trust us, huh?”
His grin made the caked dust on his face crack. “We do not.”
“Understandable.” The aliens weren’t wrong. I didn’t even know how many wars were going on at that very moment, somewhere on Earth. A dozen? More? Seemed like there was always killing somewhere. People starving. Killing over religion or diamonds or oil. All the conflict was the main reason I didn’t watch—or read—the ‘real’ news. Nothing but fear porn being broadcast all day, every day, on every network, podcast and channel. If I watched all that crap, I’d be convinced the world was ending.
