"We made it through the storm without injury," I explained, leaning heavily against a shelf for support. "I was waiting until dark before making our way to the shuttle. But human males arrived pretending to be Earth police... they took Harper."
"Human?" Shock was evident in Maddie's voice, her pitch rising with disbelief. "Humans took her?"
"Yes," I told her, my tone shaking with barely contained rage. "We encountered other human males as well at her beachhouse. These weren't ordinary males. They were disciplined... trained... warriors."
"Fuck!" Maddie breathed, the expletive sharp and vehement.
"They shot me in the head," I continued, my free hand unconsciously moving to touch the wound at the back of my skull. "The projectile wasn't strong enough to do lasting damage, but it rattled me enough to allow their escape."
"Of course it did," Maddie huffed, her tone mixing exasperation with concern.
"Do you have any idea where they took her?" Adtovar demanded, his voice snapping with military precision.
"No," I growled, frustration and fury bleeding into the single word, "but I planted a tracker on her clothes."
"Good move," Adtovar said, and I heard the sound of devices clicking, the familiar hum of theHistoria's bridge equipment activating. "I'll have a location for you shortly."
"I need to get to my shuttle," I announced, moving through the store, stopping to change back into my jeans that had long since dried, and retrieving my rain jacket from where I'd discarded it. I left on the pale peach t-shirt with palm trees on it despite the dried blood decorating the back. Harper had picked it out for me.
"How close is it?" Maddie asked, her voice taking on the efficient quality that made her an excellent captain's mate.
"Ten or so clicks—miles—away," I told her, remembering to use the Earth measure of distance she understood. Normally, I could have covered that distance in minutes, my body built for speed and endurance. However, in my current condition, with my equilibrium shattered and my head pounding with each heartbeat, it would take considerably longer.
By sheer force of will, I would move. They'd taken Harper. Nothing would stop me from finding her.
"When you get to the shuttle, make sure you treat your injury with the medi-unit," Adtovar ordered, his tone brooking no argument. "I'll locate the tracker's coordinates and send Rickon and Cristox to assist."
"I don't need help," I muttered, my pride bristling at the suggestion. Rescuing Harper, killing those that took her—it was my right, my responsibility as her mate.
"With humans involved, we don't know the numbers you might face. You'll wait on backup," Adtovar ordered, his voice holding the unmistakable edge of command.
I grunted my assent, knowing better than to argue with my captain.
"Take care of yourself, Xabat," Maddie insisted, her voice softening with worry. "Harper needs you well and strong."
The comm cut off with a shimmer of blue light, the holographic display fading into nothing.
I donned the rain jacket, hoping the dark material would conceal the evidence of my injury. Stumbling outside, the brightness of the overcast sky made my eyes burn and water as if acid had been poured into them. Each movement, each step, each turn of my head sent my brain sloshing around inside my skull like liquid in a half-filled container, the sensation nauseating and disorienting. I ignored it all, pushing past the pain through sheer determination. Harper needed me. My mate was out there somewhere, frightened and alone with dangerous men, and I would find her or die trying.
Thankfully, the terrain here lay elevated above sea level, the ground sloping upward from the coast, so I avoided most of the flooding that claimed the lower-lying areas. Still, the hurricane had utterly ravaged the landscape, transforming it into something almost unrecognizable. Tall trees lay uprooted and broken like discarded matchsticks, enormous root systems torn from the earth and clawing at the sky like skeletal hands.The path—what remained of it—was no longer covered in the carpet of multicolored autumn leaves, but submerged beneath several inches of murky standing water that reflected the clouds above in shades of brown and grey. Debris lay everywhere. Branches as thick as my arm, twisted sheets of metal roofing, shattered wood planks, vegetation ripped wholesale from the earth and scattered like discarded thoughts across the devastated landscape. The air hung thick and oppressive, heavy with humidity that made each breath feel like inhaling warm soup, saturated with the briny smell of salt water and the rich, loamy scent of wet vegetation.
But amid all the devastation, life persisted with stubborn determination. Wildlife emerged cautiously from hiding spots, a graceful white bird with long legs picked delicately through the flooded undergrowth. Something small and furry rustled in the debris, seeking food in the wreckage. The resilience struck me with unexpected force. One thing I'd learned about humans: they were resilient, adaptable, refusing to surrender even when the universe crumbled around them.
Harper possessed the same stubborn strength. I'd witnessed it in her eyes, in the set of her jaw, in every word she'd spoken. She would survive this. She had to.
And when I found her—not if, when—I would kill those that took her, slowly, methodically, savoring their screams as they paid for every moment of fear they'd caused her. Then I would fall to my knees before her, begging forgiveness for not being a better warrior, for failing in my most sacred duty to protect her, for letting her get taken in the first place, and I would vow never to part from her again. If she wanted to return to theHistoriawith me, I would take her there gladly and show her wonders beyond Earth's sky. But if she wanted to stay here, rooted to this world of storms and chaos, I would stay as well without hesitation or regret. I would help her rebuild her beachhouse, board by board if necessary. I would learn the ways of this world, adapt to its customs, and become whatever she needed me to be. My place was with Harper. My home was with my mate.
But first, I had to find her.
Chapter 14
Harper
I came to consciousness with a jolt, my head aching like I'd been on a three-day drunk. My mouth tasted like I'd licked a rhinoceros ass—that particular blend of copper, bile, and regret that coated my tongue after the worst decisions of my life.
Not my best moment.
I blinked away the grit residing in my eyes like sandpaper against my corneas and took a look around. Not the store—my sanctuary for the last three days, with its flickering fluorescent lights and tacky souvenirs. The place I now inhabited was nothing like I'd expected.
