NEWWORLDBOOK8:MINE!

by

C.L.Scholey

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Copyright©2015byC.L.Scholey

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infringement, includinginfringement withoutmonetarygain,isinvestigatedby theFBIand ispunishableby up to 5 (five) years infederal prison and a fine of$250,000.

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WHATTHEYARESAYINGABOUT

GAMEON!

This is one married couple

whose appetites for eachothergroweverstrongerwitheach passing year. Theythoroughly enjoy discoveringnew ways to keep the sparkalive and thriving. Allowinganother couple to share intheir fun only seems toincrease the possibilities.Keeping the love alive iscertainly not a problem forMac and Jenney, whichmakes their escapadesdeliciouslyfuntoread.

~CoffeeTimeRomance

ENGULF–NEWWORLDBK5Abri is a strong femaleheroine. She didn't letdeafness define who she is.Raiden is a likeable guy.Why? Even though Abri isdeaf, Raiden picked her forhisfemale.

C.L. Scholey has done aterrific job of creating this

futuristic romance series.Wehave action, romance,adventure & mystery all in102pages.~ Romance BookaholicTraveler

THE BRETHREN OFTAVISH – VAMPIRECOVENBK1The Brethren of Tavish is awonderfully written book.The characters are wellrounded and bring you into

thestoryasifyouwerereallythere. The story flowssmoothlytyingoneparttothenext.Theplotiswellthoughtout, giving you plenty ofaction…~NightOwlReviews

OtherBooksbyAuthorAvailableatTorridBooks:

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Bethany’sHeartCautiousSurrenderToCatchaWarrior

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I want to thank family,friends, and readers, whohave become friends, formaking this series a success.Thanks for theencouragement, emails,reviews, and for being aspecialpartofmy journeyasan author. Thank you to thepublishers, cover artists, andmywonderfuleditor.

Chapter1

I scent you somewhere,littlehumanfemale.

Grey shield raised andagitated, Huck was in aflurry, racing tree to groundtotree.Longtalonsandclawsdug into the bark, thenground as he propelledfurther faster. His movementsodizzyinglywild,thetipsof

his razor sharp weaponscaught more air thansubstance. Where are youfemale? So damn close. Thescent filtered to his nostrilsteasing,taunting,doublinghiseffort.Theplanet’searthwaseaten up beneath his harriedmotion. Foliage flew withinhiswake as his commandingpresence wouldn’t be deniedthespoilsofvictory.Toscenther was to have her. Deathwould come swiftly to any

whostoodinhisway.Closer,closer.He could taste her in the

breeze. Female fragrancedanced across his tonguefillinghismouth.Excitementthundered in his chest. Hissearch would soon be at anend at long last. No morelonelyshuttle,nomoreemptydays running into nights. Anewhome,anewplanetandanewbeginningwerealmostinhisgrasp.Histalonstwitched

totouchsoftflesh.Thestrongsurface beneath him, simplyconnecting with earth wasbliss. The hard shuttle floorbeneath his feet would be adistant memory once hesecured the femaleandmadehis way to Bagron. Everyinchofhimwasalive.

Thesearchforthefemalecame to an abrupt halt. Hisclaws skidded on the terrain,sending brown dirt particlesflying. Huck scowled as he

came to a dead stop.Growling,heslicedhistalonsacross a tree trunk to keepfrom slaughtering theinterference. There were sixhumanmalesstandingarounda battered shuttle craft. Hethought he’d scented afemale. I know I did, damn.The scent was gone,testosteronefilled theair.Allsixmen,varioussizesshapesand colors were joking andlaughing. Huck sensed no

threat—paltry pieces of fluff—he leanedagainst the trunkof the tree, dropping hisshield.Noneof themnoticedhim. The idea made himshake his head, if he chosetheywouldalreadybedead.

“You should’ve seen oleTom go flying last night.Fuckcanhesoar.Damnneardentedthewall.”

Onemale,Caucasian,tall,redhair,waslaughingsohardtears were rolling down his

face. Another man, shorterwithastockierbuild,tan,andbald, shoved him and turnedbeetred.

“Gofuckyourself.”Another, the biggest of

thelot,slappedhisthighsandroared with laughter. “We’reall gonna fuck ourselvesbefore that bitch spreads herlegs.”

Bitch, a female dog orderogatoryhumanslangtermfor a human woman. Huck

heardhisshieldmutterwithinhis thoughts as it did often.Hewasusedtoitsramblings;sometimes he ignored itsmusings, other times heagreed.Humanmaleshadnoimagination. Tempest,hellcat, whirlwind, wasconstrued as cute as far asHuck was concerned.Females, in his opinion,resembled four legged furrybeasts in no way, shape, orform. Huck had learned

humansusedoddtermsmoreoftenthannot.Thenagain, ifit was metaphorical speech,themen could be interpretedas assholes, puckeredsphinctersspewingshit.

Morons.“Who the hell teaches a

womantofightlikethekaratekid?”Theredheadmovedhisarms like a dying bird andHucksupposedhewastryingto look dangerous. Hucksnorted. Not. Their banter

was humorous, but he wasgrowingimpatient.

“IhearheroldmanwasaNavySEAL.”

“No,man,hewasaGreenBeret.”

“Her old man was aSEAL,andhermotherwasaGreen Beret, and they gavebirthtoanuntouchable.”

Huck had heard enough.From their joking he wasconvincedtherewasafemalearound, somewhere. He

wantedher,andpatiencewasnever his strong point. Hucksteppedintotheopen.Allsixmen stopped laughing andstared at him. The scent offearwaftedtoHuck’snostrilsandhescrunchedhisnose.

Whoarethebitchesnow?Huck’s lips twitched at hisshield’s sense of humor. Allofthemensportedfacialhair.Where their shirts wereripped, many had chest hairand leg hair in places their

pantsdidn’tcover.Hisshieldhad a point; Huck had neverseenafurryfemale.

The grey shield he usedwhen he planned to killremained down, but didn’tmeantheshieldwasn’tactive.His source of protection forover a thousand years, theshield was an extension ofhim.Huck’spersonalweaponand at times confidante. Atthe moment, the shield wascontent towatch.Huckwore

form fitting grey pants thathuggedhishipstohisankles.Therestofhimwasbare.Allsix men centered their gazeontohim,allsixwary.

“You’re a Tonan aren’tyou?”oneofthemensaid.

“Yep,”Hucksaid.“You’re going to kill us,

aren’tyou?”“Maybe later, I haven’t

decided.Theideaisamusing.Fornow,Iwantthefemale.Iknow you have one; she’s

minenow.”“TheTonanandthetitan.

Buddy,Igotsomeadviceforyou. All six of us are nomatch for you, granted. ButBeckywillkickyourass.”

Huckwassurprisedwhenthe red-haired man laughed.They were staring death inthefaceandcrackingjokes?

“You want to die?Right?”Hucksaid.

“Buddy, we sleep withknives, not Becky. One little

nightmarewhenshe’scrashedand holy hell, run for yourlifewhen shewakes.She’s atornadoofmotion.”

“And heaven help you ifsheseesgrey.Hatesthecolorwithapassion,soI’dsuggesta change in clothes,” Tomsaid.

“Where is the female?”Huck was getting annoyed,hisfingerstwitchedtothrottlesomeone. He already knewsome females were terrified

ofgrey;itwasaTonancolor.Remember your mission.

Sometimeshisshieldwastooannoying.

Amanthrewuphishandslooking exasperated. “Beatsthe hell out of me. Offsmashing the crap out ofsome hapless creature whoshit where she walked, whoknows?Look,wedon’twantanytrouble.Westoppedherefor water and we’re leavingassoonasshecomesback.”

“Get your water and go,you may leave with yourlives, but you will also takeoffwithoutthefemale,”Hucksaid.

“Fine, let’s the hell outtahere,” the largest man said.“We’redone.”

“Come on, Jack. Becky’sashit,butcanyoublameher?Thesixofusarebadenough.She can’t be left here withhim.Look at the size of himand he’s a Tonan warrior.

You really think she’ll befine?”

“YouwannatakeaTonanwarrioronforBecky?It’snotlike you’re getting anythingfrom her, none of us are,”Jacksaid.“Hell,outofthelotofus,she’dbethebetterman.Look, Tonan, buddy, youwanther,findher.Andthankyou for not disembowellingme.”

Jack jumped into theshuttle.Fourothers followed.

Theonemanwhooffereduptheresistancewasleft;hewasthe smallest. He hesitatedonly a second before hespoke.

“Are you going to killher?”

“IfIsayyes,willyouwarwithme?”

“Yes.”“It would take me two

secondstokillyou.”“Then I’d only have to

worry over her for twomore

seconds.”The little man balled his

fists.Huck’s armor came up.Hisgreyshieldslammedoverhim from within. The manwent white as a star. Huckclickedhis long talon fingerstogether, sparks flew. Hisclawed feetgripped theearthandhetookasteptoshowthemalewhat damage the clawscould do to simple terrainbeneathhis feet.A longgreytail snapped like a whip,

crackingagainstbark leavinga scorch mark, making theman jump.Huckwas a hugewarrior to begin with, evenwithouthisshield.Tallerthanmany Tonan warriors, whenHuck talked everyonelistened.

“Changeyourmind, littlemale?”Huckasked.

“No.”The word was a squeak.

Themanhadguts, hewasn’tlying. The male’s fear was

palpable, but he stood hisground. He swallowed hardand raised his fists into theair.Thelittlemousehadmoreballs then the five huddlingtogether taking bets onwhether he’d be sliced ordiced.

A worthy opponent inheartonly.Killinghimwouldbe senseless, he wasunarmed.

“Go with yourcompanions.The femalewill

be fine. Scared shitless nodoubt, but I will use a kindhand.”

“Watchshedoesn’tbiteitoff,buddy,”Jackyelledwhenhe stuck his head out thedoor.Hegrabbedahandfulofthe little man’s shirt anddragged him inside. Theshuttle door closed with thesmall man yelling for Hucknottohurtthefemale.

Huck frowned, the littlemalewasdesperate,pounding

on the shuttle door. Malicewasn’t Huck’s intent. Therewere renegade Tonan whohad joined Cobra and thenumber was growing. Theonlyway to join thewinningside, Cobra’s side, was tohave a mate. Huck wasn’tstupid. The Zargonnii andCastian warriors teamed upwith mated Tonans. DarkwarriorsjoinedwithCobraaswell. The Gorgano joinedwithrebelTonans,butneither

sidetrustedtheother.Itwasafool’s convenience for anallianceandwouldleadtonogood. The few remainingTonans were evil. Huck wasashamed of his race. Yes,Tonansshouldbefeared.Butthedumbassesweredroppinglikeflies.

There was no doubt inHuck’smindhecouldtameahuman female.All he had todo was find her. Taking astep, Huck stopped as grim

realization settled.Therewasoneother thinghehad todo.Cobra allowed no liars.Between Castians andTonans, it was well knownthe longer the Tonan tail thebiggertheliar.Huckhadtoldhis share of lies, he wasn’tashamed, but there was nowayaroundtheinevitable.Hepaused at an audible shudderfromhisshieldforthetaskathand. He took a deep breathand braced himself. Huck

grippedhistailinafist.Witha giant tug he ripped his tailoff.Huckthrewbackhisheadandbellowedasheflungittotheground.

“Fuuuuckkkk.”The pain was

excruciating. Tonan warriorsrarely felt pain, their shieldprotectedthem,butthiswasadirect attackonhis shieldbyhim.A necessary evil, didn’tmeanhisshieldhadtolikeit.Huckgaspedinhugeamounts

of air. A twelve-hundred-year-oldtaildidn’tgowithoutcost. For a second hestaggered and dropped to aknee. His arm came up toshield his face when theshuttle took that moment torise and hover, rancid fuelwas filtered by his shield,blacksmokebillowed.

“That piece of shit is onitslastleg,”Huckmuttered.

The foliage around himstirred, few sticks danced

wildly then settled as theshuttle shot forward. If thevesselsurvivedanotherozoneentry he’d be surprised. Thefemalewas luckyhesenthercompanions on their waywithouther.

Groaning, Huck stood,hands braced on his knees.His breath evened and hestraightened. He refrainedfrom placing a hand on hisass.Abreezebroughthimthescenthedesiredandhe tilted

his head slightly to the left.The smell was subtle butenough. As he began, tomove he realized the femalewas heading toward hisshuttle. It meant she wassearchingforusefulitems.Hehoped she wasn’t a thief.Cobrawasstrictwhenitcametointegrity.Huckwouldbeather ifhehad to,hewouldn’tputupwithstickyfingers.

Luckwasonhissidehe’dfound a human scent at all

after his shuttle consoledetected erect heat sourcesemanating from the planetsurface.Humanswerehardtocome by. He hoped thefemalewascuteandhehopedshe was of child bearingyears. There was time toproduceason.Athisage,theprobability of conceptionduring the last stage ofmustwas still high. If he showedup on Cobra’s planet, he’dhaveamuchbetter chance if

not only mated but his matecarrying with a piece of hisshield. Cobra would have totakehim.Givinganoffspringa piece of a warrior shieldshowed integrity. The ideamadehimgroan.Huckhadn’tneeded integrity in…wellever.

Huckhated thedesire forcompanionship, but flyingaround the galaxy on a oneman mission was annoying.His shieldwasgettingonhis

nerves.“Why couldn’t I have

been born evil filth? Lifewouldbesomucheasier.”

Huck supposed itcould’ve been worse, beingbornwiththenilcapacityforcompassion. Then again, hefiguredifhewas,hewouldn’tcare.Henever really thoughtof the need for others untileveryone was gone. HeloathedbeingonTonanshipswhen a female human was

destroyed. Each deathbrought the Tonans closer toannihilation.Whenevil caresfor nothing it means theydon’t care for themselves.That wasn’t the way Huckwantedtolive.Forhimtherewas a need for a hive. Forhim to belong, sacrifices hadtobemade.

Letting the humans gowithoutslaughteringevenonewas annoying. Itwould havebeen pleasant to crush the

throatof theassnamedJack.That male’s scent wasrepulsive, wormy; hischaracter was withoutscruples. But, it wouldn’thave been a fair battle. Ahuman can’t fight withloathsome or repugnanttendencies being used asweapons, and otherwise themale was unarmed. Therewould be no going to Cobraclaiming the males attackedhim, his tail would grow.

Cobra thought of humanmales as harmless. If Huckslaughtered the harmless, hisnew integrity would be inquestion.

“Stupid growing tail,” hegrumbled.“Stupidintegrity.”

Thepainnearhisasswassubsiding. Huck gave in tohis desire and dropped hisshield to rub his butt. Hegritted his teeth and snarled.Then, remembering humanfemales were terrified of

absolutely everything, hetried to calm his outerfeatures,thenstoppedtrying.

“No one can fuckingsmilewhentheirasshurtsthisbad. She’ll have to suck itup.”

Gaitstilted,kneesbowed,growling and grouching, hecontinued on toward hisshuttle.

****Becky saw the shuttle in

theclearing.Scorchmarkson

the ground were few, unlikethe trail of devastation theirshuttlemadeduringalandingand takeoff. The thrusters onthisparticularshuttlemustbeoperational and wellmaintained. Her hand on thehull, she walked around thevessel dragging her fingersover the warm smoothsleekness. It looked like avessel the Tonans gave tohumanstoheadtoUlsywith,but far more superior and

looked in perfect runningcondition. Of course it wasgrey.

Ihatethecolorgrey.Tonans had a thing for

grey. Becky had seen ashielded Tonan warrior herlast day on Earth. Thetransformation was an eyeopener. Ugliest thing she’deverencountered.Thankfully,she saw the creepy alien onthe ground waving a talonedfist at the shuttle as she and

the others sped away. Beckychuckledwiththeimage.

There’s pissed and thenthere’s butt fuck ugly furiousashellpissed.

The fighting in the skywas less as the Earth wasdeemeduninhabitablethedayshe escaped. She and her sixcompanions found—stole—theshuttletheytraveledin.Itwas a chance meeting withtheotherfivemen.Beckyhadbeen roamingwithRaymond

forafewmonths.Alittleguywithabigheart,therewasnoattraction between the two,simple companionship. Theyworked together over themonths to find food andshelter, always on the move.As time passed therewas nodenying their circumstances;itwastimetoabandonEarth.

It had been trickyapproaching the Tonanshuttle. Over the course of afew years, Becky and

Raymond acquired their owninsights into the aliens. Theycould see in thedark, sodayor evening didn’t matter.Their sense of smell washighly toned so downwindwas a must. The aliens’biggest downfall was theirarrogance. No Tonanexpectedanyhuman tomakea daring attempt for theircraft. What Tonans didn’tknowabouthumanswastheirtenacity superseded safety.

The idea being, if you’regoingtodie, itwasgobigorgo home. Becky andRaymond went big,obviously,theyhadnohome.

Jack and his lackeys hadthe same idea as she andRaymond. Both groupsstalkedthesameshuttleatthesame time. When realizationstruck at their inevitablemeeting, they joined forces.Theirtheftwasepic.Distract,outmaneuveranda fewwell-

placedsticksofdynamiteandtheywereoff.Theskyhadlitup in various directionsalmost concealing theirescape, except for the lonepissed off Tonan. Beckyguessed the shuttle had beenhis.Theyall decided to sticktogether. They’d left Earthand hadn’t looked back. Sheand her companions wentfrom planet to planetknowing the Tonans werehunting humans. The men

would be killed, and Beckyknew what the Tonanswanted fromhuman females.Being a pawn in an alienworldsucked.Beinganomadsucked.Lifesucked.

She was stuck with sixhornymenwhomade it theirmission every day to informher why it would be a goodideatosleepwiththem.Well,fivehornymenandonemanwhohadnocluewherehefitin. Raymond tried at first to

stick up for her. He wasteasedmercilessly.Hewasn’tgay, andBeckywasannoyedJack implied the ideanumerous times. The Earthfalling apart didn’t makeevery human male lose hissenseofhonororchivalry.Infact,Becky guessedmany ofthe men on the shuttle weredecent and afraid of beingteasedbyJackandTom.

Jackwaseasyenoughforher to handle, and she took

chargeof her situation.AfterBecky knocked the five ontheirasses,Raymondgave intotheribbing,notnecessarilyjoining the others, butRaymondletherdoleoutherownpunishment.He laughedat a few stupid jokes but forthemostpartremainedaloof.And smiled at her when shesentTomspinning.

Becky wasn’t interestedin a gang bang. Not one ofthem held her interest. The

otherswerejerksbutputtheirfoot down with all of themcomingatheratonce.Easilyshe could, and had, kickedtheir asses.All fivewouldn’thavepresentedaproblem,butshe was glad no one wasinterested enough tophysicallyhurther.Therehadto be a man out theresomewhere in the universewho could at least go toe totoe with her. Her fatheralways told her to marry a

man who had your back.People were cowards andattackedfrombehind.Instincttold her he wasn’t onlyspeakingoffighting.

Thinking of her fathermade his image pop into herthoughts.Itwasapicturesheshoved away. He waspointing behind her as hedied. Wanting her to turnawaysoshewouldn’tseehislast breath. What he wentthrough, she went through.

Right now she needed to bestrong.

Assheslippedaroundtheside of the vessel, Beckynoted the door to the shuttlewas open. It couldmean oneof two things, there wassomeone inside or whoeverownedthevesselwasclose—or they didn’t think anyonewould be stupid enough tomess with it. None of thescenariosappealedtoher,butdesperatetimesandall…

The sunlight filtered in,lightingtheinterior.Fromhervantagepoint,shecouldseeareplicator and her heartleaped. The object wasrectangularandthesizeofanoven, about two feet off theground. The grey box had ablack light that pulsed fromleft to right indicating itwason and operational. If theownerwas human, he or shemight not mind giving themsupplies. If theownerwasn’t

human, she and the othersmight be able to overpowerthe occupant, or occupants.The shuttle looked decidedlyless damaged than theirs.Takingwhatyouneededwaslife; that also sucked, butdeathwouldsuckworse.

“Hello?”No one answered. Heart

pounding,Beckycrept insidewaryofsomeonejumpingoutat her.A fast glance and shenoted a brilliantly lit console

near a large square window.An odd machine sat to herright, something she hadneverseenbefore.Theobjectwas large, surrounded bygleaming metal and strangeyellowish see-through glass,with something resembling aseat inside. Warmth radiatedfromthestrange,hugebox.IfBeckydidn’tknowbettershewouldassume itwasaweirdtanningbed.

Thefloorbeneathherfeet

was smooth and clean, shinyas though recently polished.Her ratty, hole-riddledrunning shoes looked out ofplace on the sheer surface.Theairinsidetheshuttlewaspure, not a single odorassaulted her and shefrowned. Their shuttle stankafter a while with the sevenofthem,nowaterforwashingwhen their supply, like now,was depleted, and a crankytoilet. Worse was when the

food they found gave themindigestion. Noxious humangas in a confined space waskiller, and six smelly men—brutal.

Becky’s fingers itched tosee if the replicator haddecent food. She glancedback out the door, rocked onthe balls of her feet for asecond and straightened hershoulders.

“In for a penny, in for apound,”shemutteredaloud.

Sheinchedherwaytothereplicator and crossed herfingers. If the occupant washuman there would be fooditems humans liked, not thesmelly tastelessgruelTonansprogramed into theirreplicator which had sincebroken.Itwasasaddaywhenshe and the others realizedbad food was better than nofood. She ran the tips of herfingers across the top of thesleek machine. If she was

going to wish for food shewas going to make her firstattemptcount.

“Chocolateicecream.”The machine hummed,

the inside lit up coming tolife. A shimmer of a shapesolidified. Becky’s breathswooshed from her lungs. Abowl of chocolate ice creammaterialized in front of herand she groaned; her entirebody slumped in eagerdisbelief. Ithadbeenso long

since she’d had chocolate.She lifted her hands,reaching, and held the bowl,cupping it; her fingerscaressedthecold,greyspoonhandle. Her eyes feasted onthe two perfectly round ballsofwaitingheaven.Hermouthwatered.Tremblingmade thebowl quake, the spoonclattereduntilshepickedupagiant-sized mouthful anddovein.

“Ah,brainfreeze.”

Her mumble was aroundan open-mouthed dance. Theback of her front teethtingled. In her eagerness shedidn’tknowwhethertochewor suck, so she did both.Spoonful after spoonful wascrammedintohermouth.Hertongue and teeth and lipswere frozen. The heavenlytaste made her taste budssing. Her belly rumbled asshe swallowed as thoughanticipating the treat. Becky

licked the bowl clean andreplaced it. The bowl andspoondisappeared.

“Chocolatemilk,cold.”A large glass appeared

andBeckywrappedherhandaround the hard, coldsubstance. Lifting the glassshe sniffed the contents andbrought it to her lips. Lazilyshe sucked in the first fewmouthfuls then guzzled thecontents stopping only longenough tobreathe.Whenshe

finished she placed the glassback and put her hand overherthumpingheart.

“Sugarrush.”For a second, she

wondered if the machinewould replace her rattyclothing. The idea wastempting but her need to seethe rest of the craft overrodeher desire. The ripped tanpants and dull, pathetically-stainedt-shirtcouldwait.Shewandered around the shuttle

noting there were threerooms.Onewasdecidedlyforcaptives. The door was longbars, two-inch spaces, theroomvisible to theother tworooms.Anareawasenclosedforwashing,stillsee-through.An open area containing atoilet sat in a corner, visible.Therewould be zero privacyin this room. The thoughtmadeherwonder.Theownermight be a Tonan warriorafterall.IftherewasaTonan

wandering the planet theywere all in danger. Being inthe shuttle was asking fortrouble.

But why would thereplicatorhavechocolate?

Tonans weren’t knownforkindness.Itdidn’tmatter.Survivalwas thenumberonepriority.Thesixmenandshewent from planet to planetfinding what they needed tosurvive. Some planets weremore hospitable than others.

Inhabitantswerewatchedfirstfor signs of hostility. Theedgy intense feeling in herguts toldher togetoutwhileshecould.Thenextroomshegave only a brief glance, itwas,forthemostpart,empty.A mystery. Becky walkedback to the replicator lettingher hands rest on the squareobject.Shedecidedshecouldwatch the shuttle fromoutside. It would be easy todetect a Tonan warrior.

Tonans wore form fittinggrey pants with no shoes orsocksormost importantlynoshirts. They were withoutnipples,adeadgiveaway.

Who the fuck has nonipples?

For a brief second shelingered, wondering if sheshould grab serviceablegarments while she had thechance. Her clothes werecleanbutthreadbareandtorn.A thud on the outside of the

shuttlemadeherdecision forher;thenoisewastooclosetothe door, barring her escape.Becky ran to what hadappeared to be an emptyroom and saw she missed asingle bed in her hasty firstscan. She dove under andpressedbackagainst thecoolwall. She tucked her legs asclose toherchestaspossibletrying to make herselfsmaller. A hand pressed toher mouth to try and cover

the sound of her franticbreaths.

The vessel rocked, shepresumed when whateverentered jumped aboard. Sheheard a strange hiss thensilence for a moment. Thepadding of feet as theoccupant went from room toroom could be heard. Goosebumpsdottedher arms, fromher position she couldn’t seeanyone.Afinebeadofsweattrailed lazily down her

temple. Itwasn’t longbeforetwo bare feet stopped by thebed. Grey form-fitting pantshugged ankles and calves.Beckyswallowedhardasherhearthammered.

ATonanwarrior.Thumpthump,poundedin

herears.Knowingshewasasgoodasdeadifshedidn’tactfast,Beckyscooteddownthelengthofthebedonthefloor.As soon as she reached theend she shot to her feet and

bolted.Aroundthecornersheskidded, the worn rubber ofher soles squealing out aprotest. The Tonan, if hefollowed, was unhurried.Becky discovered why. Hereyes widened in disbelief asshe stopped dead in hertracks. Without even feelingtheshuttlemove,spacestaredbackatherfromthewindow.They were no longer on theplanet. She was trapped.More goose bumps peppered

herarms.Tonanwarriorshadlong talons on each hand.Talons thatcouldberammedinto tender flesh, rippinginternalorgans.Itwasonlyamatteroftime.

As if in a dream, sheturned; the breath she heldexpelled in a whoosh. Hergaze settled onto thewarrior’s bare chest, void ofnipples, and rosehigher.Thealienwasn’tshielded.Hewasthe biggest male Becky had

ever seen. Ebony short darkhair caressed his ears andcurledinwispsatthetopandsides. Glacial blue eyes boreinto her. His face had theslightesthintofashadowbutwas bare of hair. Dark,perfect eyebrows graced hissculptedfeatures.

Shewas told Tonans andCastian warriors were hot assin, with the Tonans beingdeadly.Thegrey form-fittingpantswere a dead giveaway,

Tonan colors. Death wasstaring her in the face, orworse. The bastard wasgrinning at her with purewhite perfect teethsurrounded by full pink lips.No doubt waiting for her tocower and shakeandbeg forherlife.

Thisgirlbegsfornothing.The scowl crept across

her features as her eyesnarrowed. Without furtherthoughtshestrodetohimand

shoved her finger into hisrock hard chest looking wayupintohisface.

Fuckme,he’sahugeassbastard.

“You’re gonna turn thistankaroundandtakemebackright now or you’ll be sorry,Tonan,” she said in hermostmenacing tone. She wantedhim to understand she knewexactlywhatandwhohewasandshewasn’tafraid.

“Or what, little human

female of childbearingyears?”

He sounded amused andBecky tried not to swallowhard, cringing.Child bearingyears. The warrior took herhand in his and pulled herclose. Becky gripped hiswrist, tookadeepbreathandyelled a war cry and flippedthe stunned bastard onto hisass.

Holy fucking heaviestcreepintheworld.

Chapter2

Hucklayatherfeet,eyeswide, as the female scootedback. What the fuckhappened?Hejumpedupandshookhisbackandshoulders.Hewasbynomeanshurt,butstunnedashell.Fora secondhe thought there must beanotherpersononboardwhohad actually tossed him, but

no, they were alone. Thefemale was glaring at himwithbigbrown,dryeyes,notcrying and cowering as heassumed she would be. Shedidclutchawristtoherchestfor a split second beforetaking a stance. She was aslittle as every human femalehe had seen, but her posturewasdifferent.

All females Huckencountered bowed theirheads or backs in a

submissive side gesture,hands splayed. They didn’tstand ramrod straight likethis, chin raised in opendefiance, an elbow tuckednear her side sporting a fist,the other stretched out andalso fisted. Did she think totopple him again? An oddfemale to be sure. Herfeatures were filled withoutrage. Smug outrage. Sheshould be terrified. She wassupposedtobescaredshitless

of him. Shewould cower. Itwas for her own good and itwouldmakeHuckfeelbetter.He was a huge warrior afterallandshewas,well,shewasfemale.

“Yourname,female.”“Becky fucking ass

kicker.”“Interesting and long. I

presume Becky is the mostbelievable. You took me bysurprise, it won’t happenagain.Youshouldbeafraid.”

“Yeah, cupcake. I’ll getrightonthat.”Shetossedherlong dark hair back with araisedfist.

Huck blinked. Cupcake?Asicklysweettreat?Me?Hersneerwasderogatory.“Don’tcallmecupcake.”

Thefemalewasbreathingheavily but Huck scentedminimal fear. Him lying onhis ass feeling stupid hadn’tbeenpictureperfect.Herfistswerenowwavingintheairin

front of her as she did someodd duck dance. The femalenow assumed she could besthim. She would think again.Huckcalleduphisshield.

“Holy fuck,” Beckyscreamed and took a stepback.

That’s right humanfemale, be afraid, little asskicker, I’m a bigger asskicker.

“Oh, my God, are youeverugly.”

Huh?“You’re not just ugly,

you’re U-G-L-Y. Butt fuckugly, nasty bad ugly. Shitugly. I bet when you wereborn the doctor slapped yourmother.”

“We don’t have doctors,whywould anything hit me?The baby shield wouldn’thave allowed it,” Huckrepliedconfused.

“I bet your mom said,‘what a treasure,’ and your

dadsaid,‘fuckingburyit.’”Huck growled, that was

somethingheunderstood, thefemale was being insulting.Rudeness, to a Tonanwarrior? Blatant openinsolent remarks would notbe tolerated, especially sincethis was his female. Beckyfucking ass kicker wouldneedanewname.Hegrabbedher by the throat and shesquealed in terror when helifted her effortlessly to her

toes.“That’s right human

female,cowerfromme,cow-er.”

“FortheloveofGod,turnmearound.Idon’twanttobelookingat something souglywhen I die, my last imagewilltaintheaven.”Herwordswere suppressed slightly butunderstandable.

“I demand you be afraidof me,” Huck boomed andheftedherhigher.

“Yeah, I’ll get right onthat,cupcake.”

“Don’t callme cupcake,”Huck grouched. For amoment she was completelyoffherfeetandturningcolor.

Mustn’t kill a presumedmate, human females arehardtofind.Hisshieldhadapoint.

Thefemalehadherhandstogether thrusting up underhis arms in a manner thatmadeholdingherhard.Huck

droppedherandshelandedina heap at his feet. She stucktwo legs out to wrap aroundhis ankles and jerked, thengroaned. Huck dropped hisshield and squatted on theballsofhisfeet.Hescratchedhisheadinconfusion.

“I’veseendogsdothistohumans. Is it some ritual ofsubmission?”

“I’m not humping you,ass hat. You should be onyour butt right now. Damn,

you’re heavy,” she said andgroaned.

“We will mate now.Removeyourclothes.Prepareyourself, I’m huge.” Hucksaid.

“Gofuckyourself.”“I can’t mate me.” Huck

blinked. “My luck, I get astupid female. You’re lucky,you’re cute and I’m out oftimeorI’dfindanother.”

“With your charm, I’mcertainwomenwillbefalling

alloveryou.Allbutme.”Becky kicked at his shin,

groanedasshemadecontact,and jumped to her feet andfled for the room deemedcaptivequarters,heronefootnow limped.Huck stood andfollowed. Perhaps heshouldn’t havementioned hewas huge, a slight oversighton his part, she’d find outsoonenough.Shewaspausedat a wall, her breath wasfrantic. When she turned he

was prepared for tears. Herface was screwed into asnarlinggrowl.

Huck scrunchedhisnose.“Not a good look on you,female. I’d guess somethingcrawled up your ass anddied.”

“Take—me—back.”“No.”Huckwasn’tprepared for

defiance. She should becryingandbegginghimtobegentle. Cobrawould know if

he took her by force. Thissituation was a dilemma. Hecould be gentle but shewasn’t asking him to be, shewasdemandingtobereturnedto the pidly human males.Five of whom handed heroveronasilverplatter.

“They left the planetwithoutyou,”hestated.“Thehumanmales. They took off.Even if you’re returned youwouldhavenoone.”

“Back.” She stomped her

footandpointedbehindhim.Huck strode to the

controls grumbling. Thisventure wasn’t supposed tobe so hard. Part of his planinvolved the female lettinghim mate immediately. Thelongerhestayedout roamingthe galaxies the faster werehis chances of being noticedby rogue Tonan. If he wascaught and they saw no tailhe’dbeindeepshit.Ifhewascaughtwithafemaleitwould

mean theirdeath.The shuttleshould alreadybe on itswaytoCobra’s.Hecouldn’tgotoCobraunlesshematedher.

Huckcouldseeherimagereflected back through thewindow when he looked up.Huck shifted slightly to faceher.Insolencestaredback.Hecouldn’t force her; hecouldn’t remain where theywere. Drastic measures werecalledfor.Wemustmate.

“Youleavemenochoice.

I’mpressedfortimenowthatIhaveahumanfemale.”

Huck turned, his fingersflying over the console. Theshuttle had been hovering inspace and took off. Beckywas tossed backward andlanded against a wall with athump.

“Where the hell are youtakingme?”shedemanded.

“Aplacesodeadlyyou’llbe screaming for me to saveyouandmatewithme.You’ll

begtodoasIsay.”“Not fucking likely,

cupcake.”Huck growled. “Don’t

callmecupcake.”Becky slumped into a

sittingpositionwithherkneesdrawn up. Huck went andcrouchedbeforeher.

“I owe you nothing,female. Not at this verymoment in time,” he said.“Not even life. As my mateyou will be protected. Trust

me; themostprotectionfromme is me. There is nothingmore frightening in theuniverse.”

He blinked when shestuck her tongue out at himand crossed her eyes. Huckhad no idea humans couldlooksostrange.Hestoodandsaunteredovertothewindowandwhensheignoredhimhestuck his tongue out. Huckalmost laughed at hisreflection. The strange face

held no purpose except toannoy.

What was a realannoyancewas the throbbingin his cock. Being around afemale brought on urgeswhileinmust.Hecouldhavehadhertwiceinthetimetheywere in the air. Instead, shewas using her tongueinappropriately. Wet, andwarm her tongue should begliding over him. A femalehad sucked his cock before.

Huckknewwhatsexwas.When human females

were discovered and Cobramoved heaven and earth tobreakfreeandfindmates forhis warriors, Huck knewimmediately who would winthe war. Cobra, Castianleader, was on a mission.Huck’s planning had to beperfect. For years, he bidedhis time getting to knowstrategies, opponents, alliesand enemies. Weakness and

strength. Everything pointedto Cobra being the victor.Chaosloomedduringbattleafew months prior and Hucktookoffduringthemidstofaskirmish. He was no traitor,Tonans weren’t loyal. It wasludicrousforaTonancaptainto demand allegiance.Cobrawoulddemandloyalty.

Stupidloyalty.Toomany emotionswere

necessary to joinwithCobra,andHuckstillwasn’tpositive

hecouldfitin.Formonthsheandhisshieldfoughtprosandcons.Worsewasifhemated,he’d be stuck with a stupidfemale who tasted air withher tongue. Huck glanced atBecky.Shewasstaringattheceiling. Huck glanced up,there was nothing there. Heand his shield didn’t plan onherdisobeying,thatpointhadnever come up. All humanfemales Huck encounteredwere terrified and begged to

doastheyweretold.Granted,they were beaten intosubmissionbyotherwarriors.Huck never needed to raisehis hand, his size alonebroughtcompliance.

HeglancedbackatBeckyass kicker. The words madehim groan. There was noneed to beat her; somethingnagged within that physicalviolence wouldn’t betolerated with Cobra towardfemales. Regardless, if he

touched her in anger, shewould be damaged. Matingwith a damaged femalewouldn’tbringaboutthebestresults.

She must be terrified ofhim, or come to him whenterrified of something else.Huckshookhishead;nothingout there is scarier thanme.That was what the otherhuman females thought.When they feared him oranother warrior, they

complied immediately toevery demand. Huck neverdemanded sex; the otherfemaleswere injured or usedenough.After the last femaleon board their vessel waskilled,Huckwasfurious.Shewas innocent, the scent wasunmistakable. Sounmistakable the captainkilled her for sport beforeHuckcouldevenblink.Itwasthen Huck realized hecouldn’t fight an entire ship

ofTonanwarriorsforasinglefemale. As the humaninnocent fell to the groundamidstwarriorlaughter,Huckknew he witnessed the deathofarace.EvilTonanwarriorswere near their demise. Thehumanfemalegrowlingunderher breath in his shuttle wasHuck’ssalvation—ifhecouldcontrol his evil half’stendencies.

They broke theatmosphereof theplanet, the

shuttle joltedandsettled.Formonths Huck came to thesame conclusion, die on thelosing side, stay aloneforever, ormate and join thewinningteamandlivetofightanother day. Blood lust waswin-win. He was a warrior,he had to war, even if hewarredwithCobra insteadofagainst him he was stillfighting.Dyingwasneveranoption so for a long timeneitherof theother scenarios

seemed acceptable. It boileddown to one thing, warsweren’t won by a singleentity,Huckwasstrongandapowerful warrior, but if hehadnoplanet to fight for,hehad nothing. The only wayintoCobra’sgoodgraceswasamate.

I’m stuck with Beckyfuckingasskicker.He’dhaveto make the best of thesituation.

“Female,cometome.”

“Biteme.”“That makes no sense.

Youwantme tobiteyoubutnotmateyou?”

“For heaven sakes. Youdon’tgetoutmuch,doyou?”

“If you mean I don’tknow much about humanfemales I have learned somethings.Theycrywhenafraid,and they are always afraid.Theyareeasytokill,andit’stoobadsomeTonanshavenocompassion. Some Tonan

warriors love tohear femalesbeg for their life. Theyslaughter them anyway. Ihavesparedthelivesofafewfemales.”

“Before or after youscrewedthem?”

Herwordswere tightandby the setting of her jaw, hecould tell her teeth wereclamped together. Withsudden insight Huckwent toher. She cringed when heknelt on one knee. Still, he

sensed no fear, but fury washigh.

“I seeyouknowsomeofwhatTonansareabout.I’mabadass,butI’veneverrapedafemale in my life. Anyfemale. I won’t start withyou.”

“You kidnapped me.What am I supposed tothink?”

“What I do is in our bestinterest, well mostly mine,”Huck added before his tail

couldgrow.Fuck this will be harder

thanIthought.Reaching out, Huck took

Beckybythearmandhauledher to her feet. Like allhuman females, she weighednothing. Huck was surprisedhuman females didn’t blowawayon a gust ofwind.Shetriedtobitehishandwithtinyperfectwhiteteeth.Hisshieldcoveredhisbarearmandshesworeathimwhenhermouth

clanked against the hardsurface. She stomped on oneof his feet and swore again,leaning down tomassage thebottomofherfoot.

“You are appearing lesstheasskicker,”hesaid.

She snarled at him.Standing in front of him shesuddenly moved closer,jumped and shoved her handup and poked a finger in hiseye. Fuck, that wasunpleasant.Whenhegrabbed

herwrist she rolled her handbackoverhisandbrokefree.Her fist made a bee line forhis cock but his shieldanticipatedhernextcourseofaction and when she tried toconnect with his cock shesmashedherfingersintosolidunforgivingmaterial.

“Son of a bitch,” shehowled.

Huck didn’t take offense;helearnedhumansoddswearwordsandthiswasinnoway

an attack on his mother. Heplaced his hand onto hershoulderand shegrabbedhisbaby finger, twisted his armand smashed her fist againsthiselbow.Huckreleasedher.They stood a foot apart. Thelittleasskickerwasbreathinghard. Her lips were partedand her teeth were pressedtogether.

She was so smallcompared tohimandyet shemanaged to keep his hands

off her. Rebelliousnesspractically oozed from herpores. Unless he hit, to hurthe would continue to beoutmaneuvered.Okay,sothatis a little impressive. Insteadof being angry, he wasinterested,ifnotannoyed.Hisshield was enjoying the newtactical display. For themoment he decided to keephishandstohimself.

The shuttle hovered overthe ground. The planet was

ugly; thefoliage lookeddeadand uninviting. The groundwas black earth. Overhead,unwelcoming cloudsbillowed. Even Huck foundthis particular planetunappealing, boring.Femaleswould hate it and would bescared shitless of theinhabitants. Huck watchedBecky’s face for any sign offear. Her arms were crossedover her chest. No fear, justsmug.

Stubbornfemale.He clicked a button and

thedoorhissedopen.Fast aslightning,hethrewheroutofthe shuttle andwaited.Colliiweresmallcreatures.Halfthefemale’ssize.Evil little impswho liked to eat flesh. Theirteeth were tiny but pointed.They were purple with hugepointed ears and flat roundnoses. He knew a humanfemale would find themrepulsive, and scary. Huck

didn’t want her hurt, justafraid. She would be cryingsoon enough. The mouthylittlefemalewouldbegforhishelp. Huck would save herand thatwouldbe theendofhisproblems.

When she startedscreaming,Huckwasstartledfromhisthoughts.Fuckshe’sdying.No,no,no.Huckracedfrom the shuttle and stoppedopen-mouthed. The femalewas surrounded by three

collii. One of the creatureshad a mouth full of sticks itwas trying todislodge,handsclawing at its throat andmouth. Another wasclutching at its cock. Thethird made ready to pounceand Huck was about to savethefemale,butsheattacked.

Wide-eyed, Huckwatched as the little asskicker went to her hands,kicked up her legs andsmashed the collii in the

mouthwithbothfeetsendingfine razor teeth in alldirections. The being wasknocked to his butt. Beckyjumped to her feet with herballedfistswavingintheair.

“Who’snext?”Huck scratched his head.

All three collii took off,howling at the top of theirlungs. There wouldn’t beanotherofthosecreaturesformileswhowouldgonear thefemale. Becky dropped her

fistsandturnedtogrinathim.“Who’s the badass now,

cupcake?” She had theaudacitytowinkathim.

In his shielded form,Huck strode to her, droppedhisshieldfromhishandsandgripped her throat lifting herfrom the ground. His otherhand wrapped around anupperarmtoeasesomeofthepressure.

“Why aren’t youscreaming for me to save

you?”“Yeah,cupcake.”Hertiny

voiceameresqueak.“I’llgetrightonthat.”

Huckdroppedher.“Don’tfuckingcallmecupcake.”

Ifotherwarriorsheardhercallhimthathe’dneverliveitdown.Notthewayhewantedto be recognized in a newhive. Oh look, there’scupcake. Cupcake, are yougoing to kill today or cook?Would you like some

sprinkles with your frosting,cupcake?

Huck growled and raiseda fist, he was that angry.Becky stared calmly up athim,hercuriosityapparent.

“So you want me tocower in terror? Cry? Don’tyou think that would getannoyingafterawhile?”

“No. It’s what humanfemalesdo.”

Becky made a strangeface,got toher feetand took

two steps pointed to theground and screamed. Herarmsflailed,herfeetroseandfell as her knees raised onethen the other as though shewererunninginplace.

“What?”hebellowed.Shepointedattheground.

“Abug,abug.”The scream that ripped

throughhermouthmadehimcringe.He squashed the bug.“There,you’resafe.”

Becky laughed. “See—

annoying.”Huck realized she was

making fun of him. Hegrabbed her by the armslifting her off her feet to hiseyelevel.

“Youwill fearme.Do itnow.”

Shegazedathim,asmileplayed on her lips. “Youhaven’t hurt me, so I doubtyouwill orwant to.Whydoyou want me to be afraid ofyou?”

“So I can soothe yourfears andwhen you’re afraidof something, like me, youcancometome.”

“Saywhat?”Sheblinked.“There is nothing scarier

thanme.Fearme,Iwillmakeyou feel safe and then youwillbefine.”

“You take dumbass to awholenewlevel.”

“Mymatewillnotcallmedumbass anymore thancupcake,”Huckbellowed.

“Mate?Whydoyouwantme tomate you? I don’t likeyou.Idoubtyoulikeme.”

“I need a mate before Ican join forces with thewinningside.Cobra’sside.”

“WhydoIgetthefeelingCobraisn’taTonan?”

“He’s leader of theCastians.”

“I’ve heard aboutCastians.”

Her look turnedthoughtful.Huckdroppedhis

shield and lowered her; hecentered his gaze over hershoulder. An annoyance wasapproaching. Huck hadforgotten about these beasts.He could have growled withthe interference. On secondthought, the beasts would befrightening to a female. Awerevul was creeping up onthem from behind Becky.Huck turned her around. Atlonglastshebackedintohimandhefeltherconcern.Fear,

thescent floodedhisnostrils,shewasafraid.

Finally.Droplets of her sweat

creeped across his flesh andfor an instant Huck tingled.His shield went up and thesensationstopped.

“Shit, I thoughtyouwerebutt fuck ugly,” shewhispered.

The werevul wasmassively muscled and eightfeet tall. The creature was

wide with a bulbous chest.Tonans gave the creature itsname. The planet had beenassessed at one time asgroundsforahumanfarmingandcultivationcamp.Aplaceto harvest human females inthe future. The planetwasn’tsafe enough. The beingapproaching was one of thereasons the planet wasconsidered unsafe. Thewerevulresembledahuman’sversion of a werewolf and

vulturebuthadnofeathers.Along beak protruded from itsface to form a nose andmouth with silver daggerteeth.Itatefleshandlikedtoeat the flesh of a beingscreaming in agony. Thesecreatures had orgasms whentheir victims flailed. Thelouderavictimscreamed,thehardertheorgasm.

“Well, cupcake, let’s getthis over with,” Beckywhispered.

Huck was amazed. Shewastalkingtothecreaturenothim. The werevul sniffed atherfromsixfeetaway.Beckyraised her fists.Seriously? Isthere nothing you won’tbattle,littleasskicker?Hucklet the talonson a handdropand slammed his bare handover hermouth. She liked toyell when she fought. Nodoubt it was her scream thatcaught the creature’sattention.Ifshescreamedthis

close the werevul wouldorgasm. Its organ wouldprotrude. There was nopenetration involvedbut theyhad nasty-sized cocks thatreeked.

“Not a sound, female,”Hucksaid.

He wanted her fear; heknew she could feel fear. Itwas a start. Huck was readyto send her to the shuttlewhen he was slammed intofrom behind. Becky went

flying forward howling. Thewerevulinfrontofherhadanorgasm.Huck spun and tookasliceoffleshoffthebellyofanother werevul. Beckyhowled again and Huck sawher smash her foot into thewerevul’s cock. Thewerevulbellowed and the beastHucksliced had an orgasm. Wetfroth from its dangling twofoot long cock spilled to theground making Becky retch.She screamed when another

werevulappeared.“For fuck sakes, shut up,

damn you, or the entire areawill fill with these fuckingthings,”Huckbellowed.

The werevul closest toBecky made a grab for her.Huckleapttoherbutthelittleass kicker was fast aslightning. She gripped thebeast’sarmandflungittotheground sending it head overheels.Huckhad to admit themove was impressive, he’d

never seen hand to handcombat the way she battled.Huck normally sliced hisopponents in half with sheerpower. She made the weightofheropponentworkagainstit.

Fascinatingandeffective.Huckagreedwithhisshield.

Another howl tore fromher mouth and the creaturehad an orgasm while it lay,legs wide, on its back. Frothejected hose-like from its

cock onto Huck’s female,Becky spewed. Huckgrimaced,his littleasskickerhadbeen into thereplicator’schocolate, the brownsubstance mixed with thefroth. The smell of the cumfrom the creature wasnauseating and making hersick. Another trait a werevulloved. Huck killed thewerevul he sliced. He ran toBecky and hauled her overhisshoulderandracedforthe

shuttle.Huck leaped inside and

closed the door. Beckysquirmedfromhisgrasp.Herhands were over her mouthand nose. Shewas soaked infoul froth and vomit.Fumbling she pulled at hersaturated clothes, rippingthem off. The shield filteredthe smell but Huck knew itwasnoxious.Hegrabbedherclothesandtossedtheminthereplicator making them

disappear.Beckysatnakedinaball.

Keeping his shield upHuckwenttoher.Shetriedtoscoot back but her asssquealed against the hardfloor and she had to drop ahand to make herself move.Withherhanddownmoreofhershowed.Herbreastswerebeautiful. She caught himgazingandstoppedmovingtocoverherjigglingtits.

“Be still, female,” Huck

said. “Rape is far from mythoughts. To take you I’dhave to drop my shield andwith the way I know yousmell,thatain’thappening.”

“I’mputrid.”“I figured. Their cum

stinks.”“I need to wash this shit

off.” She gagged again withher hair sticking to her face,throatandshoulders.

“I designedmy shuttle tohelp ease ahuman female. If

you’re a good girl, onceyou’re clean and your bellysettles you can havechocolate. I hear humanfemales will do anything forchocolate.”

“Idon’tlikechocolate.”“That’s a lie. Your shirt

wasstainedwithit.”Huck wanted to chuckle.

She looked a lot cuter nakedand miserable. And notcalling him cupcake. Hegripped her arm and dragged

her kicking and yelling intothe captive room.He shovedher into a cubicle, andslammedthedoor.

She pressed against thehard clear surface, her titssquished, when a blast ofwatershotfromalldirections.Becky howled it was toocold.

“Warmer,” Huck said.The water began to steam.“Enough.”

Beckyslumpedintoaball

asthewatercontinuedtotrailover her. Huck pushed abutton and suds soaked hernext. The shower wasdesignedtolistentohim.Thewaterandsoapwouldn’tstopuntilhecommanded.

“Sorry, female,butyou’llbe in there for a while. Thesoap won’t sting your eyes.When I set you loose, I’llhave clothes for you and wecantalk.”

Huck had to get away

from her. Naked andvulnerable she was tootempting. His shield wasreminding him she felt fear.For a second, their fluidsmixedbeforetheattack.Huckhadsparedthelivesofhumanfemales in the past, and hehadn’trapedthem.Theirtearsand sweat were the scent ofterror, nothing more. Thetingleofhorrorwasn’ta turnon for his type of Tonan, atleastthreequartersofhistype

when taking his shield intoconsideration. Fear was fortherebelevilTonans.Forthefull blooded evil, the scentwasexciting.

TheideaofBeckyfearinghim was for his shield tocreatethefluidsheneededtocalmher.Hehadcalmedherin the instant she touchedhim, even though it wasn’thim shewas afraid of.Therewas something else in hermoisture. Strength, character,

and will. Those traits madehisshieldtakenote.

Huck punched in newcoordinates. There was aplace he could take Beckybefore they went to Cobra.Watchinghisparentstogetherhadn’t prepared Huck forhuman females. Both hisparentswereTonan.Becauseof his evil side no oneassumed he would mate orwant to. He had beenwrongabout females. Nothing he

learnedabouthuman femalesinthelastfewyearspreparedhimtomate.Hismatewasn’tsupposed to cower from himandhavehimsootheher.Thehuman femaleswhowere onthelastshipwithhimweren’tat all what a mate wassupposed to behave like.They were prisoners, plainand simple. A mate wasdifferent;amatewas,well,amate.

Well, how the hell was I

supposedtoknow?

Chapter3

Becky looked up as theTonan came into the room,his shield was down. Hehadn’t shrunkanysince theirlast encounter. For a largebeing, he moved with apredator’s easy gait. Shesighed; she was wet but nolonger reeking of thedisgusting stench. Those

filthybirdwolfbeingswouldmake a skunk scream interror. The water was nolonger flowing in the stall.Hercheekrestedontheclearwall of the shower, she wasexhausted. Time had nomeaning in space, for all sheknewshecouldhavesatthereforhours.Herinsidesweresomessed up from jet lag, orperhaps shuttle lag, that shecould have slept for days ifshewasn’tsoworried.

Naked,I’mnakedwithanalienwarrior.

Itwas then she noted thewarrior had material in hishands, and when the dooropened he dropped them onher.

“Whenyoucomeout,youwilleat.”

“What if I don’t want toeat?”

“Then you canwatchmeeat.”

When he left, she

uncurled from the ball shewas in, left the stall anddressed.The shirt he’dgivenherwasatube.Itcoveredherboobs to her midriff leavingher shoulders and belly bare.The shorts were ass huggingbut flexible, the materialmoved with her. Everythingsheworewasgrey.

“Figures.”Beckyhadalotoftimeto

think while soaking, and shedidsoak.Herskinpruned.At

least she didn’t stinkanymore. Shewandered overto a wall and slumped. Hercaptor didn’t want her dead.He moved like a cheetahwhenheneededto.Whenthecreatures attacked, shethought he’d abandon her.Chivalrywasn’tmentionedinthe same sentence as Tonan.Now it was apparent hewanted to talk to her. Why,she had no clue. He wasn’tgoing toscareher—hemight

confusehertodeath.His reasoning was odd.

He wanted to mate with herto belong to a race she waspositive he warred with. Shehad no idea a Tonan mated,sex yes, but if what he wassaying was true, it meant hewanted tokeepher.Noman,male, wanted to keep heraftertheygottoknowher,letalone bring up the subject ofmarriage or in his case,mating.

Becky knew she was anightmareonfeet.TheTonanwas a heavy bastard; thecreaturewasheavier.Herarmached, and she guessed shetore a muscle. There wasrednessandswellingneartheelbow, and the spot waswarm to the touch. A dumbmove on her part. Tonanswere a lot stronger than shegave them credit for. Thenagain, this was the first oneshe’d gotten up close and

personalwith.After hurting her arm,

Becky was concerned,especially when the beast’sreinforcements showedup. Ifthe Tonan hadn’t tossed herover a shoulder, she’d bedead.Hewasalso the reasonshe was there on the planet.They were going to have aproblem; she had no fear ofhim. She should, really, hewasamonster.

“Well?”

Becky jumped when theTonanappeared.

“I’mthinking.”“Eat and think. I hear

human females are pros atmulti-tasking.”

“I’mnotafraidofyou.”“Good.”Huh?He left. Becky was too

curious;shescrambledtoherfeetandracedafterhimtotheroom where the bed was. Atable was pulled out. The

room was unimpressive; thetablehadn’tbeentherebeforesoshewonderedifitcouldbeputawaywhennot inuse.Agood idea, evasivemanoeuvres from the enemytended to send objects notsecureflyinganddeadly.

“I suppose I shouldmentionmynameisHuck.”

“Huck and Becky, cute.Still,notfate.”

Huckkickedachairinherdirection. It was a big chair,

warrior sized and her feetdangled when she sat on it.She felt dumb as her toeswiggledintheairandresistedthe temptation to swing herfeet. A plate of food wassitting in front of him.Another near her was filledwith delicacies Becky hadn’ttasted inyears.Her rumblingtummy was too loud toignore. She grabbed a turkeylegfromthecloserplateand,like the chocolate ice cream,

dove in. The meat was evenmore delicious than sheremembered.

“It’s dead you know,”Huck drawled. “There’s agood chance it won’t getaway.”

“It’sbeen so long since Ihadturkey.”

“What about thereplicatoronyourshuttle?”

“Before it broke, it wasprogrammedtoonlyreplicatemush and water. Tonans are

sothoughtful.”“You can bet it was my

kind who allowed themachine to work andreplicateatall.”

“Your kind? Aren’t allTonansalike?Asswipes?”

“We can’t all becupcakes.”

His tone dripped withsarcasm. She owed himnothing, but an explanationwouldn’t kill her. He didtechnicallysaveher.

“I call certain people orthings cupcake to remindmeI almost died eatingsomething I thought wasinnocuous. I mean howdangerouscanacupcakebe?I didn’t realize it hadnuts init. I went into anaphylacticshock. So when someone asbigasyoucomesalongandIfeel all, ‘oh I can take himon,’ I remind myself not toget cocky.Death by cupcakemay sound funny but it’s

scaryasshit.”“So you do think I’m

scary?”“Well, you don’t have to

looksohappyaboutit.”“I wondered when the

werevul attacked. I sensedfear, yours. Nothing scaresme.”

“Is that what that thingwas? God, it was ugly. Itscock reeked and the shit thatcame out. I’d rather sleepwithaskunk.”

“Isavedyourlife.”“Youtookmethere.”“I had my reasons.” He

was gazing at her. “Tonansdiscovered humans hadsevere allergic reactions tomany of the foods theycreated, human foods. Odd.Thereisnothingonmyplanetthat could possibly causemeharm. I’m surprised withEarth, but it stands to reasonhumansarenotindigenoustothe planet. You were

colonizedandallergiesareallthe proof I need. A homeplanet should bear nothingdangeroustoitsinhabitants.”

“But how can that be?There are animals that eatother animals. Somethingmust have existed on Earth,beencreatedonEarth.”

“Ah yes. Humansconsider themselves to beanimals, not aliens. Earth isnothing more than a zoo. Anut is a weapon in some

cases; they were at one timeonlyfoundincertainareasforareason.Thosehumansweregiven the tool to fight offinvaders, humans not likethem,butsimilar.Earthdumbasses distributed the seeminginnocuous, as you call it,weaponabroad.Weaponscanbe certain plants to differenthumans. At a time whenhumans of old would becollecting bounty from theEarth, others are rendered

inactive. Inability to breatheor see through watery eyes,how do they capture prey?Collect foods? A primitiveweapon that hasn’t worn offover time and became morewidespread as humans begantraveling.

“Your species adapted,but you are different in theway you look, speak, eat.Mars was at one timeinhabited. Planets die whenthereisnolongerharmony.”

“Tonans killed Earth,”Beckycountered.

“Earthwasalreadydying.The atmosphere was ripe fordestruction. Your planet wasoverpopulated, humans werestarving, diseased. Oldsicknesses began to reappearand mutate. It was time torecolonize, but you didn’thavethemeans.Likewarringtribes, you fought each otherinstead of working together.Earth and the inhabitants

wouldn’t have been so quicktofallintoenemyarmsifyousimplyworkedtogether.”

“Your kind war withCastians.”

“Not for much longer.The evil will be destroyed,and we will again join withourcousins.Atleasttheoneswhomate.”

And—we’re back tomating.

Beckyfinished the turkeylegandmunchedonasliceof

pizza.ShesettledbackinherchairtolookatHuck.Hewaseasier on the eyes when hewasn’t demanding she fearhim.

“Why has your attitudechanged?Why aren’t you alllike—be afraid humanfemale,cower,cow—er.”

“I’m supposed to be thething humans fear the most.A powerful Tonan warrior,thereisnothingasdeadly.Allhumans I have met were

saturatedinsweatscentingofterror. If you were scared todeath of me and I calmedyou, then you wouldn’t beafraidanymore.”

“You realize how stupidyousound,right?”

“From my perspectiveI’m not stupid. I was beingconsiderate.”

Becky could see theywere going to have to agreeto disagree. “I’m not matingyou.”

“There is safety withCobra.”

“Thentakemetohim.”“No.” Huck jumped up

and his chair toppled backstartling her. “He’d give youto one of his warriors tomate.”

“Calm down, cupcake,I’mnotmatinganyone.”

Huckuprightedhischairandcrashedhisassback intoit.“Don’tcallmecupcake.”

His piercing blue gaze

was narrowed onto her. Theshort dark, jet blackhair thatwas spiked, made him looklike a SEAL onreconnaissance. Without hisshield, he was gorgeous assin. He picked up a piece ofraw carrot and snapped it inhalfbetweenhisteeth.Beckysipped from a large mug ofchocolate milk. From thespread before her, she knewHuck’s intent was finding afemale and catering to her

everydesire.“I thought your kind and

Castians were at war. Whytry joining?” she said aftersettingherdrinkdown.

“Thewar is dying down,to an extent. Make nomistake,therewillbeonelastbattle to end battles. I don’tplan on being on the losingside. I need a mate before Ican go to Cobra. He onlyallows Tonan warriors whohave mated to join him.

Human females are few andfarbetween.Notonlydomykind of Tonan want thefemales, so do Zargonniiwarriors. I’m told darkwinged warriors want them.Awater warrior has found ahuman female if the rumorsaretrue.”

“Weelll,”Beckydrawled.“Looks like I’m a hotcommodity and can take mypick of the litter. Again, notyou.”

“You are safer with me,especially out here. I’m thepick of the litter ’causethere’snolittermatesbutme.ThereareotherrenegadeevilTonan who want you dead.So do the Gorgano. TheGorgano explode, literally,intoahumanmind.I’veseenit, very messy. The Tonanswillripyourbowelsfromyouand laugh while they do it.Again,seenitdone.”

Cockyass.

“Fascinating.Soyouwantme to mate a cold bloodedkiller? There’s two chancesof that, slim and none, andslimjustleftthebuilding.”

“If Iwereacoldbloodedkiller…fuck…”Huck’sshieldwentupandhe jumped fromhis chair and spun in a tightcircle.Beckyblinked.Astubstuck out his ass, he wasbellowingasthoughhespoketo someone. “You didn’t letme finish you condescending

greymassofshit.”“Um, there’s like a giant

dickonyourass.”“It’satail,notsomedick.

WhenIlie,atailgrows,butIdidn’t finish my sentence.Stupidshield.What’supwiththisshit?”

“You have a tail thatgrows when you lie?Awesome. Lie again,Pinocchio.”

Huckgrippedthestubandyanked. His bellow made

Beckycoverherears.“Fuck me, that hurts. I

was going to say I let youlive, and your companionslive. That wasn’t an act ofcold bloodedness. Holy shit,nowIhavetochangethewayIfuckingspeak.”

“You want to mate me.So I’m guessing you lettingme live ismoreyou thanmesided.Asformycompanions,onlyonewaskindenoughnotto hound me for sex every

second.”“The little one?” Becky

nodded. “Yes, he beggedmenot to hurt you. The other,Jack, was an ass. I will tellyoutheshuttleyouwereonison its last legs. Nextatmosphere and the maleswill—I’mguessing—die.”

Theshieldcamedown,nonew tail. Becky thought the‘I’m guessing’ was tossed inposthaste to avoid a repeat.Herthoughtsfocusedonwhat

hesaid.“ThenI’malone.”“No, female, you have

me.” Huck flopped into hischair again, cringed as heshifted,nodoubthisasshurt,andBeckymarveledthechairwas made of a toughsubstance. A regular chairand Goldilocks would havebustedit.

“You could at least callmeBecky.And Imean therearenohumansleft.”

Huck sat straighter.“Cobra has humans there.Females,children,males.”

“Nicetry.”“You will mate me,

Becky.Wewill go toCobra,hewillgrantusahome.ThenIcanbetheTonanIwasborntobe.Awarrior. Iwillbattlewith my Tonan companionsagainst enemies. I like beingdeath. I was born to spillblood.Iliketokill.”

“Creepy, cupcake.” The

mental image alone wasinvadingherthoughts.

“Uhg.Don’t fucking callmecupcake.”

Huck’s chair went flyingagain,sodidthetableuntilhewas standing in front of her.He picked her up, scoopingher up under her arms asthough she were a smallchild, her legs curled at theknee and he dropped her onthebedandstalkedout.

Becky sat for a moment

stunned. For a second, shethought he was going tosmash her skull in. Shepressed her back against thewall and drew her knees up.For amoment, she had beenscared. Becky hadn’t beenafraid of any man since shewas eleven and her fathertaught her every move heknewofuntilshecouldtossawrestler on his asswithout aproblem. Normally, herinstinctskickedin.Insteadof

striking out, she had pulledher hands to her breasts.Hishandswere sweaty. Not in ayuckyway.Moistandwarm,and huge as shit. Confusionmuddledherbrain.

Why didn’t I hoof him intheface?

****Huck stood with his

shoulder against thedoorframetotheroomBeckywas sleeping in. She lay onherside,kneesdrawnup,and

ankles crossed. She was ahuman with many emotions.It came as somewhat of arevelation. Huck only eversensed terror or pain on ahuman female. Their captivearea reeked of fear, neverendinghorror.Itwastheonlyscent he knew, really. He’dheard humans had manyemotions butwasn’t privy tothem all. This, her, was soconfusingandnewtohim.

ATonanfemalecouldbe

as cold as amale;Huck hadonly been with cold Tonanfemales who didn’t want tomateanddidn’twantachild.Huck knew his mother waslike him, or part of him, hisfather had been like therenegadeTonans, evil.WhenHuckwasbornhehadababyshield. It wasn’t from hisbiological father. His motherthoughthisfatherwouldmateher,helied.Shefoundherselfpregnant and alone and in

danger from warriors. Apregnant female carried ascent so intoxicating theywere hard to resist. It waswhy in their history a shieldformed, to save the females.Theactwas self-preservationor the race would die out.Natureatitsbest.

Terrified, Huck’s motherwent to the strongest andoldest warrior she knew toask for protection. Thewarrior not only protected

her, he mated her. To theirsurprisebecausehismustwasso high he was able to giveHuck the baby shield heneeded. A shield the warriorwould have given his ownson.

The relationship Huckhad with his shield wasstranger than most. Huckshould have been born evil,but without a shield, hewould’ve died. When hisshield first materialized into

the grey protection hesported, both Huck and theshield mind warred. At anytime Huck could denouncethe shield and becomevulnerable. The shield wasmeanttobecreatedwithlove.The shield was meant foranother.

There were times Huckhatedhis shield. If the shieldwere a gift from his truefather, neither Huck nor theshieldwouldcarewhatHuck

did. As it were, his strangeshield tempered him. Huckwarred with a vengeance, hewasaTonanwarriorafterall,but outright evil cruelty washardtostomachwhenberatedby emotions from his shield.The shield made him feelemotions he otherwisewouldn’thave,itwaswhyhewas receptive to a mate.Perhaps that, his age and theneed to keep living. Excepthis female possessed way

more emotion than Huckexpectedorexperienced.

The Tonan who raisedhim always watched himclosely.Hismotherlovedhimand her mate. Neither wasopenlyexpressivetowardoneanother in public, but Hucksensed the strange emotion.She knew Huck battled hisemotions. His motherconsidered no openexpression of too much lovewas easier on Huck because

of who his biological fatherwas. Both his parentsassumed the emotions wouldbe too confusing. No onecould have known Tonanswouldkillfemales.

For eight hundred years,he tried to follow in hisstepfather’s footsteps. Whenallfemalesdiedonhisplanetand others close by, hismother and stepfather died.Huck’s bio father came tohim and told him he was a

warrior tobeproudof.Huckkilled him; his shield didn’tbataneye,sotospeak.

Too many years of furymanifested. Huck’s shieldtook care of him, but in themoments it tookHuck tokillthewarrior,Huckrealizedhisshield had its own angerissues.The shieldwasmeantfor another, Huck shouldhave been born to listen andcohabitate unconditionallywith the shield. They were

stuck with each other; theysurvived because of eachother.Insteadofbeingangry,Huck killed his father; theother Tonans laughedthinkinghedid it becausehewas as evil as his father.Huck killed him because hehad lied to his mother anddidn’tcareifHuckdied.

He hadn’t thought abouteitherhisfatherorhismotherin hundreds of years. WhenBecky enraged him, he

grabbed her. His shieldcontrolledhisgripandsettledhis heartbeat. It also madehimfeelwhatshefelt.Foraninstant Becky was afraid.Your mate should never fearyou. Instantly,his shield senta message to his secretionstelling himwhat she needed.Bycalmingher,hecalmed.

As she lay there, Huckrealizedifhematedhertheremightbeaproblem.Theurgetowarandkilleverydaywas

elusive with her in his carefor such a short time. Awarrior warred. Right at thatverymoment, hedidn’twanttowar. The idea startled andconfused him. His shieldmentallypushedhimclosertothe female. If he killed her,there would be no Cobra;there would be no hive orhome.Ifhematedher,wouldhelosewhoandwhathewasorshouldbe?Whowasitthatneeded a mate? Him or the

shield?Both?Becky rolled toward the

edgeof themattressand inameremomenthe stoppedherfrom falling off the bed. Itdidn’ttakemuchtosettleherbacktothemiddle.Theotherhuman men mentioned shehad nightmares. With hishand hovering over hermidriff he took a breath.Lowering his hand, hisfingerscaressedtheflatofherbelly. She was dreaming.

Huck knew if they weremated, he could go to her inherdreams.Whathecoulddowascalmher.

Droplets of moisturedripped fromhishand to rolldownhisfinger.Asmallbeadof sweatdottedher skin thenslipped intoher.Shemoanedand visibly relaxed. A redangrymarkhehadn’tnoticedon her arm caught hisattention. More secretionsseeped into her dulling the

redness. If they were matedhecouldfixher,notjusteaseher suffering. Huck rose andwent to thenext roomwherehereplicatedawarmblanket.Whenhe returned, hedrapedthe blanket over her, tuckingit around to keep her fromrolling. When he left theroom,hewenttostandattheconsole. His thoughts wereconflicted.

I can’t mate her. I can’thave a home. There is too

muchofmy father inmeandCobrawillsee.

His shield didn’t agree.Huckhadn’tlied.Helikedtokill; he was a warrior andkillingwaspartofwhateveryTonanwas,goodorbad.Thebattle continued in histhoughts.Hisshieldslammedover him and Huck wasstartled.Agroanrippedfromhis throat. He knew thestubbornsetofhisshield.Theshield claimed the female.

Hucksensedit.Therewasnowayhecouldkillhernow.

“Youfuckingbetterknowwhat you’re doing,” Hucksnarled. “I don’t care if youcamefromtheshieldofasix-thousand-year-old warrior.It’s your fault I even need ahome. And while I’m at it,fuckingwarnmewith a blipor something before youcrashyourcondescendingtailon my ass. Tonans aresupposedtolie.”

Growling Huck put theshuttleonautopilot.Hewentto his shield generator andstepped inside.He needed tothink, he needed tounderstand if his feelingswerehis,hers,ortheshield’s.It didn’t take long before hisheritageofevilandhisfateofTonan needs settled into afine line. There was evilinside of him, there wascompassion, there was hateand an urge to throw the

femalefromtheshuttle.Huck envisioned Becky

hovering between the shuttledoor and the open space. Asimple shove and his destinywouldbedelivered.Hewouldhave no choice but to returnto the other rebel Tonan. Hewould die. A thoughtwandered into his mind, hisshield protected him, and hisshield controlled certainaspects. When confrontedwithterrifiedhumanfemales,

Huck always allowed hisshield to guide him. Huckmentally pushed Becky fromthe shuttle. He watched herflounder and die in space.The thought didn’t make hisheart race, but he heard hisshieldgiveatinysqueal.

IfHuckgaveinandkilledBecky, his shield would behis alone, free ofencumbrance. He could killhis conscience, make it turnoffandabandonhisthoughts.

The shield of his stepfathercouldn’t function with pureevil. He would maintain theshield,but theessencewouldbe destroyed. After twelvehundred years it would beodd to control his shield.Hewouldbealonewithhimself.Theideawasdisturbing.

“Iwon’t kill the female,”hesaidaloud.

Ifhedid,Hucksensedhewouldkillthebestpartofhisshield, the part that cared if

he lived or died. His shieldwouldprotecthimregardless,butitwoulddoitforitsownsake. It was no wonder hiscounterparts were cruel.Nothing cared for them, noteven their shields. Itwas thefirst time in Huck’s life herealized what his stepfathergavetohim.Agiftmeantforhis true son. His stepfatherwas in must when he matedhis mother because Huckwasn’this,hegavehimapart

tomakehimapartofhim.He wasn’t in fact my

stepfatherbutmyhalffather.“Huh, all this time and I

never realized,” Huckmuttered. “No wonderCastians are such fiercefighters. They want theirshield to survive, not just toprotectthem.Myshieldlovesme. Fuck. That is way toointense.”

If Huck hadn’t knownbetter, he thought his shield

chuckled.

Chapter4

For a moment, Beckypanickedwhenshehadahardtimemoving.Shewaspinnedinabed.Hergazefledaroundtheroom,andshetookadeepbreath.ShewasontheTonanvessel in the room with thebed, alone. What her armsbattled against was acomforter tucked into the

mattress keeping her semi-immobile.Shehadn’tgonetosleepwithanythingoverher.Huckmusthavewrappedherinitaftershefellasleep.

“Holytuck,Huck.”If he learned how to do

thisfromhismother,hemusthave been a restless sleeperwhenhewasyoung.Theideastartled her. His mother?Well he must have had amother at some point.Picturing him as a little boy

whileshecommandoattackedher restraintswas strange.Atonetimethatmassivewarriorhad to have been a baby.When her feet finally hit thefloor, she breathed a sigh ofrelief. Trapped with herthoughts while trapped in abedwasunnerving.Nowwasnot the time to think abouthercaptorasanythingbuttheenemy.

Becky peered into theother room and could make

out Huck’s still form. Shestepped around the chamberholding him. A warm glowsurrounded the device. Hewas shielded and sittingcomfortably on a roundedbacked chair made of astrange substance, a crossbetween metal and hide. Heappeared to be sleeping. Itwas hard to tell with theprotruding bulbs where hiseyes should sit. The blacktattoo on his cheeks pulsated

and glowed. The intricatemarkings appeared to besometypeofancientwriting.Two perfectly white fangsnestled next to his lips nearhischinandsheshuddered.

The long talons on hishands sparkled when heshifted and she froze. Heremained quiet. For all sheknew, he could be silentlywatching her while shewatched him. The beating ofher heart pounded into her

ears. Even when he was notmoving, she sawhowdeadlyevery inch of him was. Nowonder humans on Earthwere terrifiedof thesealiens.Humans never stood achance. The blips of theconsoleattractedherattentionand Becky shuffled over,watchingHuckasshemoved.

The night before he’dscared her and Becky wasstunned. It had been a longtime since she felt real fear.

After her father’s death, shewas certain the emotion wasgone. Her worst nightmarehad already come true, whatwastherelefttobeafraidof?The risk of always being atdeath’s door conditioned herto expect death. Over time acavalier attitude developed.So what if she died?Everyone would dieeventually.Itwasn’thowshewantedtolive.

The monitor above the

console was littered withplanets. A map she guessed,always rotating. Huck wastaking her somewhere. Shepunched a few buttons butnothingchanged.Thecontrolpanel was locked. Of courseitwouldbe.Shewastrapped.For a moment she wonderedhowthemenfared.Raymondin particular. Hewas a goodman, sweet, kind. He didn’tdeserve to die; she hopedHuck was wrong about the

shuttle being on its last legs.The time theyspentaloneonEarth they’d laughed, cried afewwayward tearsand stucktogether. He was more manthantherestofthebunch.

“Damn,”shewhispered.“We need time to get to

know one another. At leastmyshieldsaysso.”

She spun to see Huck,without his shield watchingherafewstepsaway.

“Why not simply tell

Cobra you want to join withhim?”

“It won’t work. Itwouldn’t be deceptive, but ahuman female addssomething to a warrior heneeds.”

“Suchas?”“Idon’tknow.I’venever

mated a human femalebefore. I simply know it’spartofthedeal.Maybeithastodowithdeeperemotion.”

“Great,” she muttered

underherbreath.Huck moved closer and

placed his hands on her bareshoulders. Her skin tingled.The urge to pull away wasmet with resistance andinstead,shemovedintohim.

“What the hell is that?”sheasked.Thesensationwascurious, wanting to feel himyetfightingtheurge.

“My shield is getting toknow you. It has sensed wearegoodforeachother.”

“Your shield? You saythatlikeit’salivingentity.”

“Itis.”“That’snuts.”“Why?Becauseyoudon’t

have one so it must be?Myshieldisfrommystepfather.Ihave images I can call uponfrom my bio father and mystepfather.”

“How can your shield befrom a stepfather? It comesout of you; at least it lookslikeitdoes.”

“My stepfather was veryold, an incredibly powerfulwarrior.Humansgrowinfirmwith age, a Tonan does not.Helovedmymother,andhisshield knew the best way toprotect herwas to giveher apiece. The shield is a gift oflove, there is no greater. Hegavemeapieceofhim.”

Huck sounded amazedand humbled. This was adifferentsidetohim.“Wherearewegoing?”

“A quiet place. I need tothink.We’llbesafe.”

“Weoryou?”Huckchuckled.“We. I’m

safe because, well, I’m me.You’ll be safe because,well,againI’mme.”

“More stinky creatures towowme?”

“Nope. Nothing to harmyou.”

She peeked around him,but his tail didn’t grow. Thescene on the monitor

changed,andBeckystaredatthe planet; it was white andblack in shadows. Shefrowned in concentration.Spooky. Ghostly. For amoment, Huck pulled herback further andmoreofhershoulders rested against hisbare chest. Sensations ofemotionsswirledthroughher.Somethingtoldhertherewasmore to the complexity ofwhathewantedfromher.

“Iwon’tmateyou.”

Hestiffenedthenrelaxed.“If we were on my planet,youwouldhavenochoice.”

“We’re not on yourplanet.”

“My planet is as lost tome as Earth is to you.Everything I know isdisappearing. Cobra and hiswarriors and others live on abeautiful planet, I’ve seenimages.But thereiswar.I’mselfish and arrogant, but IknowIcanhelpprotect their

wayof lifebecauseitwillbemywayoflife.Ihavetotry.”

There was a hint ofdesperation in his tone. Shewondered how long he’dbeen alone wandering theuniverse. For a moment, sheunderstood his grief. Spacewas a large void to fill. Toomanythoughtsovertoomanymiles. Darkness wasn’t theglamour of the final frontierwhen the endlessness waswhatwasfinalandinfinite.

“Maybe there isstill timefor you to find anotherfemale.” Her words werehushedbutnotcruel.

“I’ve been out heremonths. You’re the firstliving human female I havecome across. I’m guessingyou’ll be the last. My last.You have no idea thedevastation your people havesuffered. Yes, at Tonanhands. I understandwhy youdon’t want me. You don’t

understand why I need you.My shield isn’t cruel, but Isense it wishes you wouldcry. It can absorb emotion tohelpitsenseyoubetter.”

“I don’t cry often, andsureashellnotoncommand.I’m broken, Huck. I’m alsofierceashell.What I sawonEarthhurtmysoul.Acertainsexdoesn’tmakeawarrior.Adesiretohavesomeonewatchmy back was replaced withme wanting only me to take

careofme.Imakemefine.”“Then we make a great

pair.Ineedyou.IneversaidIwantyou.Youneedme;youdon’t have to want meeither.”

The planet came intoview, closer. They hoverednear the atmosphere. Huckturned her in his arms. Hiswarmth was intrusive. Hisscentfilledher.

“Idon’tthinkIcanloveafemale because of my

biological father;hewasevilto the core. That makes partof me evil, too,” Huck said.“MynatureisasconfusingtomenowasitwaswhenIwassmall. My shield has myback; I don’t want youwatching it. I only need youtobelongwithahive,nothingmore. You may think youdon’t need me, but I cansense you’re wounded. If Isense that, so will a Castianwarrior. You war within

yourself. There is a buildupofrage,afurysointenseyouwould battle anything tomake the pain go away. Thescentissuspicious.Deceptiveand combative. Notunpleasant to a Tonan, morecompelling.Cobra,aCastian,will take one whiff of youandputyousomewhereuntilhecandealwithyou.Dissectyour emotions to makecertain you are harmlesswhenthere isawargoingon

inside of you. That will taketime. If we show up on hisdoorstep thewaywe are,wemaybothberejected.”

“So what?” shechallenged. “I couldn’t careless what Cobra or anyonethinks.”

“Endlesswandering is onthe other side of a tarnishedcoin. The universe is emptyas hell or can be.When youkickass,makecertainit’stheright ass you kick for the

rightreason.”The shuttle settled on the

planetwithasmallbump.Hestepped away from her andfor a second, she missed hiscontact. The replicator cametolifewhenHuckprogramedmeat, cheese andbread tobeserved ina satchel for travel.Huck pushed the brownleatherbagintoherhandsandmoved to the shuttle door.Hisheadbowed.

Becky sidled up beside

him.Herlifehadcrumbledsomany times, what was oncemore? “Maybewe both needtime to think.” She fingeredthe heavy bag, the contentsmade her belly rumble. Ifnothing else, he provided forher.

“This is a good place tostart.” With a grand gesturehe opened the door andwaved his hand; she was toleave. The first step was thehardest, but she ventured

forthintodaylight.Herbarefeethitthesemi-

hard ground. Dark earth wascoolbeneathherskin.Theairwas pure and warm, sweet.Eachnewplanetwasagiftofexistence in a world and lifegone to hell. Earthwas deadand yet other planets werefueled with abundance.Becky gazed around in awe.Colors were vibrant, deepshadesofgreens,purples,andblues. Plant life was lavish.

For a moment she froze andresisted the urge to pressagainst Huck who stood ahand’s reach beside her.Mystical creatures cominginto view were dark shadowfigures breezing in andaround and through thefoliage. Everything appearedtobewithoutsubstance.

Whatthehell?Her gaze was intense.

Animalsweremist.Creaturesahaze.Whenshetouchedan

animalherhandwentthroughit, scattering particles ofsilvertodanceinthesunlight.Swirlingbeadsofmistcircledin a small and slow tornadoof movement to recreate theform. The plant she reachedfor next was smooth andwarm, real. The animal mistshetouchedagain,herfingerswent through it, and onceagain scattered. The silverbeads floated, swirled andwentbacktorestasawhole.

Huckwasstanding,watchingher, his shield down, heremainedwithinarm’s reach.Hisblueeyesfixatedonher.

“What is this place?”Becky’s voice was barelyabove a whisper she was soentranced.

“Humans would call itpurgatory.”

“Purgatory?Doyouknowwhatthatmeanstoahuman?”

“Nothell.NotwhatEarthbecame. I’mnot thatcruel to

bringyoutoaplacesufferingwhatEarthhasgonethrough.Which surprises me. This ismore a place of reckoningand ending, and a beginningand in between. Do you seethebeings?”

“Yes.”“Don’tbeafraid.Iwasn’t

certain you could see thesethings.”

“I’mnotafraid.”Huck sighed. “Yes, I

know. But I sense a small

hesitance.”Startled, Becky stepped

back as an alien creature,obviously male and an alienfemale came into her sight.They were arguing but nosoundwasheard.Thefemalewas furious, her motionerratic. Becky moved closer.Huck went to stand besideher. She waved her handbetween the two. Neitheralien noticed her andcontinued their heated

motion. The male was herheight, the female a headsmaller. Their bodies werethin,elfin.Theirclothingwassoft fluttering materialexposing various body partsin a way a theatreperformance would deemenchanting, alluring andprovocative.

“What are they?” Beckyasked.

“LoCanns.Theyare froma galaxy too far for my

shuttle to reach. A strangebeing, but harmless. IfTonans were to invade theirplanet the little aliens wouldalldie.”

“Why can I see theirimages?”

“They’re dead on theirplanet. There are creatureswhocomehereaftertheirlifeexpires andwait to joinwiththeircounterpartsondifferentworlds.Onceallcounterpartsare dead they reabsorb into

the universe and some arerecreated.”

Becky gazed up at him.“Great, I see dead people.Everythinghereisdead?”

“Not everything.There isnothingon thisplanet I can’tprotectyoufrom.Ineedsometime to think. I believe weestablished that. Look atdeath, Becky. It’s right infrontofyour face.Screamatit, nomatter what you do, itwon’t see you. You don’t

exist in death because youcan’tsee life.The loneliness,the oblivion. It’s how I feeland Ihate the feeling. Iexistand no one sees me unlesstheywantme dead. It’s howI’ve livedmylife for the lastfourhundredyears.”

There was a change inHuckwhen shewoke; itwasmore than apparent now. Hementionednothingofmating.Becky wondered if hebroughtherheretokillheror

mate her. Neither was ahappy thought. He said heneeded her but could changehis mind. Huck strode off afew feet, and Becky caughtsight of two little animalsplaying.Theywere shadows,dead.They lookedhappybutat a closer glance there wasnothing else with them. Notoys,noplantlife.Theirlittlelegsdidn’tmakecontactwiththe ground; there was noground for them, no

substance. For a moment,Becky’sheartraced.

“Ifyoukillmehere,willIlooklikethesethingsinghostform?”

“Idon’tknow.I’veneverseen a human on this planet.There really isn’t anythinghere for a Tonan warrior.There’s been no need toreturn after our initialexploration. Dead is dead, Ican’t kill these things allover.”

“Whydoyoukill?”“I’mawarrior.”“Notallwarriorskill.”“Are there not warriors

where you come from wholiketokill?”

“I suppose, but Earth isdeadsokindaamootpoint.”

“You have nothing left.There is nowhere for you togo. I don’t plan on killingyou.”

“Are you telling me tomatewithyouagain?”

“No. A forced mating isno mating at all. Cobrawouldn’t accept either of us.Me because he would thinkI’m evil and you because ifhe killed me it would meanyourdeath.”

Huck turned and walkedintothefoliage.

“What?Mydeath?”Becky hesitated for a

moment before following.She hated the idea offollowing someone around

like a puppy. He believedthere was nothing on theplanet more dangerous thanhim and his tail didn’t grow.Either hewas full of himselforcorrect.Itwouldn’thurttotrail him fromadistance.Hehad also closed the shuttledoor and she had no way inbut with him. The food hegave her drew her attention,and she fished her handaround in the satchel. Herfingers closed on a hunk of

something. She nibbled thecheese she pulled out. Hedidn’t ask her for anything,andshedidn’toffer.

Hucklefthisshielddown.His broad back rippled withmuscles as he moved. Notone scar or tattoo or birthmark was visible to blemishhis perfection. His sculptedass was firm and no doubtrock hard. The tight fittinggrey pants weren’tunattractiveeveniftheywere

the color she loathed; therewas something tobe said forclassic good looks. His armsswayed slightly as he tookeachstep.Hugehandspartedswaying ferns near his face.He let them fall back intoplacewithoutasecondglancebehind him; it didn’t matterthefernswereoverherhead.

A trickle ofwater caughther attention, and Beckyapproached the bank of agently flowing river. He

hadn’t given her anything todrink, and she assumed thatmeantthewaterwassafe.Shecould see in the water andsmiledwhenshesawshadowfish. A few danced on thewaterwigglingtheirtails,butthe water made no ripple.Theywere there and yet not.Ahugeshadowofafishfivefeet in length swam forwardasHucksteppeddown.Beckycouldn’t help herself, shesquealed in protest. Huck

steppedrightthroughthefish;he turned and grinned atBecky.The fish continued toswim through him, its bodypartingandrejoining.

As she watched, themassive fish suddenlydisappeared. Becky jumpedinto the water, peering intotiny rolling waves. The fishwas gone. She sent aquestioning glance to Huckwhosmiled.

“It’s found its new

dimension and has beenreborn.Look.”

Huck pointed at a schooloffish.Theydisappearedoneby one. Listening closely,Becky swore she heardpoppingsounds.

“Them,too?”sheasked.“Yes. The fish go faster.

Allamphibiansdo.Theirkindiscaughtfaster.I’mguessingwhen Earth died, this streamwas full to bursting.Aswellas the oceans. At times a

random species is bornnormallyalientotheplanet,ithappenswhen thisplanethasa multitude of excess ofcreatures. Humans simplythought they discovered newspecies already on theirplanet when in fact thespecies was never therebefore.”

“Howdoyouknow?”“As I said, there is

nothingonmyplanetthatcanhurt me. Our scientists have

open minds about what canand will happen. Long agowetooktheapproachtomakecertain different speciesdidn’tsuddenlypopuponourplanet. Nothing has tried toinvade our planet forcenturies. Whenoverabundance occurs in theuniverse, new planets arefound, or old ones and newaquatic life is introduced.Who knows, humans couldhave been made the same

way. Suddenly appearing onyourplanetbecauseofexcessdeathonanother suchas thisplanet.”

“Adam and Eve?” Beckymused. “Stored here andforgotten? The possibility isendless.”

“Your species couldhavecrawledfromthewaters.”

“Indeed.”Huck scooped up a

handful of water, drank andsplashedmoreontohischest.

Becky took a slowerapproach. The water wasfresh, but her gaze wentcontinuously to the fish. AsBeckywatched,fishappearedand disappeared. Anassemblylineofdeathturnedlife. Sadness crept throughherbeing.Noneof these fishwouldreturntoEarth.Notforalongtimeifever.Whensheglancedup toaskHuckwhathe thought would happen toEarth,shenotedhewasgone.

She didn’t panic, simplyshrugged and picked adirection.Hisbigassfeetandbody left a noticeable trailthroughbentfoliage.

The skybegan to darken.Becky had no idea whatdirection the shuttle lay; shehad been too preoccupied byher surroundings. Overhead,greyish black billowingclouds moved in. She stoodstill as the cloud movementcaught her eye. The dark

clouds were flying beasts,longwingedcreaturesglidingthrough the air, dipping andweaving. Smaller birds shecould identify soared onupdrafts as the wind bathedherface.Alightsprinklingofrain began. When dropsreachedherlips,shefrowned.The rain tasted odd andunpleasant.

Maybe I should findshelter.

Her footsteps were

cautious, her movementsslow. The path Huck wasleaving ended and shefrowned.A slice of lightningzipped overhead and thundercrashed. The clouds madegiant funnels to her left andright.Theplantlifewavedinthe breeze created, and sherealized thestormwasreal ifthe weather moved things.Two shadow figures skippedthrough her body holdinghands. The beings were no

more than waist high,obviously dead and sportedthree horns. Hollow blacksockets foreyesgazed inherdirectionnotseeingher.

The hair on the back ofher neck stood on end. Raindotted her shirt then arms.Soon the entire sky wouldopen, and her heart ratepicked up speed. Beckyshrieked when she wasgrabbed and pulled into adark cave. She turned to

smash her assailant twohanded in the chest. Huckgroaned but stayed put. Hecaptured her wrists in onehand.

“Be calm, Becky asskicker.Youdon’twant tobeout in this rain. When thebirds come,many have beendowned in a severe storm.Thedeathofraincomeswiththem, carrying them here. Aspecial delivery withpollutants, Earth wasn’t the

onlyzooqualityplanet.Otheraliens on different planetsevolved, though nothumanoid. Those beingscreate toxins to destroyannoying creatures.When ananimal is takenbystorm, thestorm delivers them to thisplanet with a message. Astorm of this magnitudemeansmanydimensionshaveopenedmeaningmanycopiesof the same exact creaturedied at the same time and

have come to combine.Watch.”

Beckypeekedaroundhimout themouthof thecave.Ahuge winged creatureplummeted inawildmassofwind,hailandnowsleet.Thecreature disappeared. Thenreappeared. Thendisappeared. Each explodedboth into and out of the sky.Wings flailing, black massesrolling,tumbling.

“What the?” Becky

whispered. There was a wargoingonaboveherhead.

“The creature has metwith several dimensions.They are killed and collideand join. The last death ofanybeingisthestrongestandmost volatile. Sometimes thecreatures die shortly afterbirth, their recreation tooexhausting.”

“Howdoyouknow?”“I can call up the images

from my ancestors, to a

degree;it’sthewayoflife.Itgoesbacktomybeginningoftime. It’s how we knew thisplanet existed; my ancestorswere already here long ago.We only returned to see ifhuman females could besustained but not all femalescan be ass kickers. Somewould die of fright here.Watchthisone.”

The creature reappeared.Itswings flapped, its pointedtalons curled as though

fighting the storm.Beast andnature did battle in the air.The beast turned solid as itsmashed, folded wings firstintoasolidcloud.Bothcloudand beast burst into piecesandwasgone.

“Did it die?” Beckywhispered.

“No. It was reborn. Sowasthestorm.Atleast that’swhat some Tonans say.Personally, I have no clue.There is amemory that nags

frommystepfather’sside,hewascuriousandwaspronetoacquire new knowledge. Mybio father didn’t care. Thememories are distorted, thereand gone. And, Tonans lie,eventoeachother.”

“I think humans wouldcall it a fairy-tale, or myth.But I’d like to believe it.Simply disappearing afterdeath sounds so sad. Likeliving was meaningless.Learning, earning wisdom

your entire life only to haveeverythingyouknowdiewithyou.Itwouldbenicetohavethe knowledge of myancestors in my mind. Isuppose humans leave, leftand will leave again, theirmark on history remainsthrough artifacts andpaintings,nomatterwhereweend up. Then again, part ofthe aspect of being human isthe intriguing wonder inputting things together. I

guess that’s why so manyenjoy puzzles. Except me.Puzzles are a pain in the assandifonepieceismissing,ittotallyscrewsitup.

“My dad liked puzzles.He could solve any kind ofdilemma.Whentheworldfellapart,hedidn’tpanic,hesaidlifewasanadventure.Hehadoneadventuretoomany.”

Her words trailed to awhisper.Thebattleintheskycalmed.Theraincontinuedto

fall, but the smell wasdifferent. She swallowedhard. The scent of the rainwas a reminder of when herfather fought his last battle,and lost. The color greybroughtsomanymemoriestothe surface. For a moment,thedampnessonHuck’shandwarmed and she relaxed.Remembering her fathercausedhersomuchpain,andthat made her furious. Shewanted to recall the fun, the

happiness.“Maybe there is truth to

myth,some,Ithink.Notsurethough,”Huckstumbledoverthe words. She could tell itwashisstrangewayoftryingtomakeherfeelbetter.

His attempts at truthswereadmirable;shesenseditwasn’tfromconcernofatail.The idea was odd, but histouch made him seemthoughtful. Whenever hetouchedher,strangeemotions

swirled within, and shewonderedifTonanskinwasadrug.

Huck pulled her furtherinto the cave. Becky gazedaround. The entire interiorwas a soft yellow.Stalagmites and stalactitesnear the opening resembledfangs; the pointed tips wereblood red. They were in acave leading to caverns andhollows,sometunnelsledleftand others right. Inside the

caverns were intricatedrawingswhenshemoved toinspect the walls. There wassomething alluring about themarkings.

Beckywent to standneara glowing black design thatcaught her attention. Theimage swirled in a circularmotion and shapes formed.For a moment, she thoughtletters would appear but thelineschangedcolorandgrewlarger surrounded by a dull

mist.Shewasintriguedasthemist settled near the ground.Soonastorywasunfoldingofa pair of lovers meeting,giggling behind hands, undera huge mound of vines. Thevines spread back with aflourish inviting her to comeinside and witness themetaphors.Enchanted,Beckyfollowed in her mind. Sheblinked in wonder when thescene played out life-like.The beings were in front of

her, not five feet and real.The sweet smell of the roomwhere flowers sat tickled hernostrils.Thepleasantwarmthsurroundingherdriedthefewrainspotsonhershirt.

This is so real. How isthispossible?

Thecoupleweregreen incolor,abeautifulvividhuntergreen while their eyes shoneflorescent. Their telltaleintimatepartswerebathed insoft green highlights and

when the male creature ranhis hand over the female’smound, shimmering sparksdancedacrosstheirflesh.Thegreater the touch, the morelivelythelightshow.

Becky felt her face burnwhen the couple joined in aheated embrace, illuminated,exposed and so breathtaking.Their lips sizzled red as theypressed together, their heatfor one another so intense.She sucked in her breath as

forasecondtheirfaceslitup,burning from desire. Passionondisplaywhiletheiractionstoldtheirstory.Shewantedtoclear her throat to let themknowtheyweren’talone,butthere were no sounds sherealized.Beckywasthereandyet not. She was spellboundand unable to move to pullfrom the trance. She wasn’tafraid,simplymystified.

Thecouplefloatedastheyloved, lifting higher, turning

as they ground against oneanother. Tongues entwined,both beings were completelybald, thin, but heart stoppingthe way they gave ofthemselves.Theywerelovingeach other, their radiantglances bathed each lover’sface, shining their hopes anddreams. She could see thefemale’s question of childrenhoverintheair,andthemalelaughed with his face, allsmiles and nodded. Their

happiness made Becky smileindelight.Herheartfilledforthem, young love, so sweetandinnocent.

Beautydancedbeforehereyesastheyloved.Shefilledwithjoy,hearinginhermindtheirlaughter,theiradoration.Magic, she witnessed themagic of becoming one withanother.Thefemalesuddenlylooked past Becky, terrified,andthecouplecrashedtotheground, parting. The male

raised his hands insupplication, as if pleadingfor the female’s life, but sheclutched her midriff andwrithed for amoment beforefalling and settling; she laystill. All of her beautifulcolors faded. Grey, shebecamethehatedgreyBeckyloathed, making her breathcatch. The little elfincreature’s ghost moved fromherbodyandwent tosit inafarcornerhoveringabovethe

ground. Lost and alone sheweptinsilence.

The male raced to herprone body, not seeing theghost she became and hegatheredherclose.Florescentgreen tears trailed down hischeeks. Becky knew hislover, his life was dead. Thesheerweightofaheavystonesettled in her belly. Tragedyconsumedher.

Anger engulfed themale;he jumped to his feet to face

fivemales.Thelargestlookedsmug until the angeredgrievingmalegrippedabandat his wrist and tugged. Thegrieving male and the bandhit the ground at the sametime while an older malescreamed in agony. Beckyknew he was in anguish byhisopen-mouthedexpression.The older male raced to theyoungmale’ssideand itwashisturntogatheralovedoneto his chest. The emotion of

heart wrenching lossassaultedBecky.The pain inher chest shot daggersthroughhersides.Shewantedto scream in outrageddisbelief. The young malewasdead,hehadreachedforthe female’s hand as he fell,andindeaththeytouchedforthelasttime.

Becky stood waiting forhisghosttorise,andwhenhedid her heart leapt.When herosefromhisbody,hedidn’t

go to the female. Instead, hewent to the other side of theroom, slumped and he, too,sobbed. They didn’t see oneanother.Why can’t they seeeachother?Beckywanted toscream at them to turn andface the other. She pressed ahandtohermouthandsobbeduncontrollably at the image.Loveanddeathhadhitherinthe face and heart when shenever expected it. The blowwasrecoiling.

“Becky?”A hard grip to her arm

and Becky was yanked toHuck’s chest. The scenebefore her faded until shestared at a blank wall. Withanawkwardmotion,hishandtrailedupanddownoverherhead and hair. She clung tohimasshesobbed.

“Why can’t other peopleallow love when it comes?”she whispered gainingcontrol. “They were so

happy.”“Males and females of

thatspeciesaren’tallowed tobetogether.It’s taboo.Maleswithmales and females withfemales. It’s been like thatforever. Males give birth tomalesandfemalestofemales.The father chose his son’smate; he was off to the sidewhile his father ran for hisson.”

“You mean the shitsmiling?”

“Yes.Hewouldpreferhissupposed mate dead to theshame and stigma of beingmated to a male who wouldgo against belief andtradition. It’s inconceivablehe would want a female.Their offspring would beconsideredabominations.”

“The universe isperverted.”

Hucktookhertoadarkerspaceandsatherdownbyhisside,keepinghernexttohim.

“Do you prefer females overmales?”Huckasked.

“I haven’t been aroundotherfemalesinalongtime.”Her words were thoughtful.Shegroundatthetearsinhereyes surprised so many fell;she saw his chest glistenwhere her cheek pressedagainst him. She pulled backand ran her hands over herface.She resisted theurge towipe his chest, to wipe herweakness from him. Becky

took a deep breath fightingfor composure while hewaitedforherresponse.

“Ilikewomenbutnotinasexual way. Women canunderstand other womenbettersometimeswithcertainthings. Then again Ray waseasy to talk to and hepreferred women over men.We talked a lot untilwemetup with the others. Hechanged,as thoughhehadtobe manly. Funny thing was

beforewemet the others, hewas manly. He was strongand funny, caring. Safe, Raywas safe.He felt the need tobe rude and rough on theshuttletofitin.Hewillneverfit in with the others. Ray’stoomuchofaman.”

“Youthinkamaleshouldbecaringandnotrough?”

“Depends on thesituation.”

“I’mawarrior.”Becky sighed. “I believe

you’vementioned that, aboutazilliontimes.”

Huck traced the wetnesson his chest, his featuresintense. “You do know howtocry.”

“OfcourseIknowhow.Idon’t like to.” She wasannoyed.

“Myshieldsaysyouwerecoerced into tears. Thesadness is real but it wasn’tfair.You’llhavetobestrongand keep away from the

images.”Huck’s fingers began

smoothingoverhershouldersand arms, and he turned herfrom the wall as it tauntedand swirled from six feetaway. She gazed at him andhe seemed to be deep inconcentration. He wasn’thurting her, and she didn’tthink he was trying toprovoke a sexual response.His caress was gentle, sweeteven. After a while he

stoppedandsmiled.“Isthatamale’stouch?A

man’stouch?”heasked.“Yes, Huck. That is a

man’stouch.”“IthinkIcandothis.”“Have you been with a

woman,afemalebefore?”“Of course.” He sounded

offended.“Didn’t they want a

man’stouch?”“No. They were Tonan

females wanting sex, a male

warrior, nothing more. Theywanted strength, power toenvelopethem.”

“Idon’t.”Huck frowned. Becky

curled up on her side awayfrom him. For a secondanother spiraling picture onthewall caughtherattention.Before she could be suckedinto tragedy, Becky turnedand buried her face intoHuck’s chest as he lay downbesideher.

With awkwardmovements, he pulled hercloser.“Gotosleep,Becky.Ididn’trealizehowsusceptibleyouaretotheimages.Idon’tcare that those on the walldiedorhowtheydied.Inyou,they find an emotionalaudience. Don’t worry aboutthe others outside. Thiscavern keeps the othershadows out, the oneswandering the planet. If theycome in, their storieswill be

imprinted on the wallsforever.Theywon’tmoveon.In here, in death, they can’tconnect. Tragedy calls tothose outside, the ones whodiedinrageofbetrayal.Untilthe betrayer can atone, theimage is engraved for all toseeasalife’slesson.I’mnotcertainwhatotherimagesyoumightbesusceptibleto.Yourpeoplehavestoriesandbooksthat should have livedforever.Thesebeingshadno

suchrelease.Theirstoriesarewrittenonthewalls.”

“Ihateithere.”“Me,too.”Huck sounded confused.

Hegazedforamomentatthehandtouchingher.Hemadeafist then opened his fingersand wiggled them. For amoment he trailed his thumbacross her shoulder andsighed. His skin touched thelast wetness of her tearsagainsthischest.

“Now I knowwhy I hateithere,”hemumbled.“We’llleave tomorrow, Becky.Theremustbesomewhereoutthere you don’t hate. Thenagain, at least you hate heremorethanme.”

He had a point. And atthis verymoment, she didn’thate him at all and had nocluewhy.

Chapter5

When light streamed infromthecaveopening,Beckyshielded her eyes from thewall’s tattoos of depression.During the night, she hadturned in Huck’s arms andher ass was presseduncomfortably against hiserection, a very hard andlarge erection. Through tight

fingers, she could make outthe movements of stickpeopleformingintoshapestodefinealienbeingsrecreatingtheirinjustice.

Tugging at her unwillingheart strings to mourn thebeings, Becky tried to lookaway, she wanted to lookaway.Sadnesscalledtoherinimagery. A few smallscenarios began and stopped,unable to capture herattention.Hermindwasopen

and foggy with remnants ofsleep and the singlenightmare that plagued herdreams.Theendlesssenselessdepression battled within herthoughtsofEarthdying.Newshape took form no matterhowhardshetriedtoconcealherhurt.Alonemanbattledastorm, surrounded in grey;greyskiestouchedthegroundbathing his features in thehateful color. Becky’s breathcaught, slick mud gushed

aroundhisankles.Resolveinhis features settled as hemournfully gazed in herdirection. He gestured her toturn awaywhile a sweet lastsmilegracedhis featuresandhe was gone. Enveloped intragedy.

Becky knew the story tobe true,buther fatherwasn’ttrapped here. His lovingmemory was hers, not thisgodforsaken place’s. Themudslide flowed down the

smooth surface of the rockunwilling to set her mindfree. Becky shifted fromHuck; angry and quiet, herfury fueled her motion.Storming to the wall, shewiped her hand across theimage, scattering the scene.The black particles relentedandbeforeherwasanemptygrey wall. Dark, minisculedots hovered near the ceilingawaiting a new tragedy towrite. For a moment she

stood stunned. Her thoughtshadmanifested intowords toform the picture of herfather’s last moments. As ifher hand was a blackboardbrush wiping chalk marksaway, she’d erased theimages.

Concentrating, Beckystared at the wall overcomewith vindictive smugness.Write this story, fuck head.Happiness, times where herlife was filled with love

crashed within her thoughts.Theblackparticlesswirled,atornado spun and exploded,then with defiance stilled.There were no tragedies tofollow the memories ofpicnics, loving embraces,after which she fell asleepinto sweet dreams. Her handon the warm wall, Beckysensed anger in an inanimateobject. Tingling flickeredacrossherpalm.

The cavern was damned.

Beckywasnot.Atossofherhead and she stepped back.When the dots swirled, shenarrowed her gaze. Theswirlingstopped.Neveragainwould she be forced to lookon the face of adversity. Shewould write her own storyand it would not end up onthese walls. Empowered, shefelt the corners of her lipstwitch. When she spun in aslow circle, not a singleimageassaultedher.

Outside the sun wasshining through haze.Shadow beings appeared anddisappeared.ShewenttofindaquietmomenthopingHuckwould remain asleep. Theprisoner area in his shuttlehad a place to relieve needs,but it was open andembarrassing. After herrestless slumber, some quiettimewasonheragenda.

Becky ignored theshadow beings arguing, the

ones relaying their story,heading closer to the cavewhere they would stay. Thecorner of her eye caught themovement, but she wouldn’tlet the sad tale upset her. Itended as each grabbed asharp object and plungedrepeatedlyintotheotheruntilthe shadowbeings collapsed.Astheydied,itwasonlythenthey realized their love. Thebeings were sucked into thecave opening. After her

cavern experience, theoccupants, or perhaps deadnon-occupants, stoppedfazingher.

“Talk about your dramaqueen and king,” Beckymuttered under her breath.“Shakespeare would have afielddayhere.”

A huge bush with softlushbranchescameintoview.Becky parted the branchesand grabbed a handful as anafterthought. The velvety

mint green foot long, moistleaf in her handwouldmakethe favorite bathroom tissuecompanycringeinenvy—ifitstillexisted.

“This better not be somekind of poison ivy or oak ormyasswillbeonfire.”

Finishing her morningritual, refreshed andthankfully not rashed, Beckyemerged from the bush anddecided to wander. Huckwould find her, of that she

had no doubt. She imaginedhis tracking skills wouldsupersede the Terminator.The ground beneath her barefeet was soft with herleisurely stroll. Huckinformed her the replicatorwouldn’t know how tomakeher shoes, and she didn’tprotest.Aslongasherclothescoveredhervulnerable areas,she could live with nakedfeet.

The trees on the planet

werenomore than eight feethigh with massive leaves ofall shapes. The bushesslightly bigger and rounded.Raysofsundancedfromonebush to the next making thebushes and leaves tingle andflutter for a few moments.Foliage was the only life onthe planet, the only real life,andshewasgrateful tosmellrealscents.Shejumpedafewtimes when coming acrossshadow creatures. They

appeared out of thin air asthough seeking an audience.Becky wasn’t in the moodandskirtedaroundthem.Theanimalsofvarioussortsweremore interesting but dead.The concept was mindboggling.

Astrangenoisetotheleftcaught her attention, andBecky stood still wonderingif Huck had found her. Thesoundwascreepingcloser. IthadtobeHuck;heexplained

there was no life on theplanet.

“Huck?” she called; noanswer. Huck wouldn’t playgamesitwasn’thisMO.

Becky’s heart hammeredinherchestandeverysenseafemale possessed begansending off neon signs, bellsand whistles. The noise wasgetting louder, closer.Shadowdeathshouldn’tmakeasound.Beckywasnowimpbut the planet was creepy

enough without wonderingwhatothergemsordiabolicalthemes ithad in store for theunsuspecting.Her fists raisedproboxer style.Shecenteredherself readyforbattle.Afterthe mental fight she alreadyhad earlier, she was spoilingtobashsomethingsenseless.

When Raymond steppedfrom the bush, Becky criedout in relief. Her arms andhands relaxed. No moreHuck, she could escape. No

morematingthreats,nomoreun-mating threats. No morestupid planets, well probablymore, but at least Ray wasback.Theirshuttlemusthavesurvived the entry into theatmosphere.Shecouldgetthehellaway fromSybilandhisTonanmoodswings.

“Raymond,”shecalled.Raymondlookedstunned,

then strange, blinking, untilhe smiled. When heapproached, Becky took an

unconscious step back. Adark ring clung to his semi-permeable outline. His facewas pale and haggard. Darkcirclesdeepenedhishollowedeyes resembling sockets. Helooked like a walking ghost.But when his hand lifted topush a branch, he made aconnection and she relaxed,hecouldn’tbedead.

“Raymond, are you allright?”

“I’m hungry. I’m always

hungry.Whyam I always sohungry?”

“What do you mean?”Becky shivered. Raymondwas the last person in theworld to scare her. Becky’sskin crawled as he movedcloser.

“Hello,Becky.”ShespunconfrontingJack

and the others. The otherslooked different thanRaymond, hollower, scarier,dead, yet alive. Her breath

caught when they moved,fluttering over the groundwith no contact. She wassoon surrounded. Beckylooked to each man in turn.All were drawn and wary,scared, they looked terrified.Raymond cocked his head ather in a questioningmanner.Closer he came, armoutstretched. Every instinctscreamed run, but Raymondwasherfriend.

“Raymond? What

happened?”Beckyasked.“I’mhungry,Becky.Help

me,please.”Closer they came; all the

while Raymond mutteredneeding food. His feetcrunched on the foliagebeneath him yet the othersmade no sound. Raymondraised his arms and Beckywastemptedtoembracehim,to soothehim,but somethingkept her immobile.Somethingwasn’tright.More

noisetoherrightstoppedthemen’s advance. The soundwasasthoughabullelephantwas running wild. Huckbarreledfromthedensebrushand grabbed Becky to hisshielded chest. Becky wassurprised at his intense grip.Her heart skipped a beatwhensherealizedtheholdhehad on her wouldn’t bebroken no matter her move;hemeantbusiness.Thatalonegaveherpause.

“The humans crash-landedhereandaredeadanddangerous. Becky they’redead, not alive. If they suckyouintheirdimensiononthisplanet, you’ll be livingdeath.” His words werefrantic. Becky stilled. Shedidn’t feel him tense, therewas no tail. She gazed atRaymond.

“I’mnotdead,”Raymondsaid, his confusion wasapparent.“Thedeaddon’tget

hungry or touch plant life. Ifeel the ground beneath myfeet.”

“Look, littleman and seeyour male friends,” Huckdemanded.

Raymond stared hard atJackandtheothersasthoughseeingthemforthefirsttime.Henotedtheirfeet,hovering,andsentaquestioningglanceat Becky. She watched hisconfusionwhenhefingeredabranch. A tentative hand

reached out and he madecontact with Jack briefly.Becky jumped whenRaymond’s fingers grazedJack,Jackseemedtosolidify,his feet stirred up the dustbeneath his feet. Raymondsmiled, appearing lessworried.

“See,IcantouchJack.”“We want your vessel,”

Jacksaid.The second Raymond

released Jack he hovered

againover theground.But itwas Jack’s voice, the tonethat made the fine hairs onthe nape of her neck standtall. Eerie hollow wordsdroned. Jack was a shadowbut eerily different from thedead that inhabited thisworld. He saw her and shesawandheardhim.

“You can’t leave here. Ifyoudo,yourouter shellmaydisappear but your ghosts oressence will linger. Damned

to wander the galaxies in ahaunted shuttle. You canneverland,”Hucksaid.

“You know this how?”Raymondasked.

He didn’t, Becky feltHuck tenseandknewhis tailgrew, but the reaction wasshort lived. There was moretotheexplanation.

“I’m not positive. Whenmypeoplecame,wecaptureddead creatures accidentlywhen they appeared on our

shuttle. Not human, butsimilarenough.Once leavingthe planet, they disappeared.We thought they were gonebut they weren’t. They werestillthere,wecouldfeeltheirpresence. The Gorganodisposed of the residue. Iwon’t have you hauntingmyvessel. Cobra would neverallowmetoland,evenwithamate.”

And, now, we’re back tomate.

“Who says you’reinvited?”Jacksaid.Heleeredat Becky. “She belongs withus,Tonan.”

Jack strode toward her,but Huck flung her behindhim.The grin on Jack’s facewas spooky. Becky wasannoyed; of course Jackwoulddevelopballswhenhedied. It wasn’t as thoughHuck could kill him. Jackplaced a hand onto Huck’schest, nothing happened.

There was no real contact.The grin began to fade. Hisfeaturesturnedenraged.

“You will die, Tonan,”Jack howled. He tried totouchhimagain.“Damnyou,why isn’tmy touch affectingyou? It only took a fingertipwhenItouchedRay.”

“You did this to me,”Raymond said to Jack.Disconcertingly, he walk-floatedsidewayswiththedirtunder his feet leaving a trail

of unsettled dust. “Youtouchedmeontheshuttleandsomethingbadhappened.”

Becky gazed into hisincredulous expression.Raymondappearedwounded,hurt, betrayed. As thoughunderstanding lit histhoughts.

Jack spun and glared athim.“Youweredying.”

“You were dead, Jack. Iremember,Iwaslyingthere.Iwasn’t dead. It’s no wonder

I’malwayshungry.Ican’teatbecauseIcan’teatfood.Icanbring something to my lipsbut choke when I try andchew. As though my mouthdoesn’t exist. My body is ashell that moves with noinsides.Youdraggedmeintothis dimension before it wasmy time. I’m a fuckingwalking corpse,” Raymondsaid resting a woe filledglance at Becky. “He killedme. He turned me into a

zombie.”“No,” Becky cried out,

her heart ached for him. “Azombie is mindless. You aretalking; there’s substance toyou. There has to besomethingwecando.”

“You are dead, littlemale,”Hucksaid,Beckywasastounded with thecompassion she heard inHuck’s tone, and Beckywhispered Raymond’s name.“But you’re in two different

dimensions—Raymond. Theplace where Earth-boundhumans go and this planet.None of you can ever moveon. The others are linked toRaymond somehow.Raymond remains connectedto the planet. I’m not sure ifyou could even get on theshuttle, Raymond. If youcan’t, it means none of youcan.Jackdoomedallofyou.”

“No, this is Ray’s fault,not mine,” Jack howled in a

ghostlymanner.Jack spun on Raymond.

All five men advanced.Becky watched in horror asJack took a swing at thesmaller man and sent himcrashingback.

He made contact. Shehadn’tbeenseeingthings.

“No,” she screamed andracedforward.

Huckpulledherbackandagain sent her behind him.“My shield protects me.

You’llbepulledinandsufferthesamefateasRaymond.”

“They’rekillinghim,”shecriedout.

“He’s already dead,”Huckargued.

“Thenwhyishecryinginpain?”

“I don’t know. He’sconnected somehow, he cantouchthingswhichmakehimsolid here and yet he’s intheirdimension,too.”

Raymond was doing his

besttofendoffhisattackers.“DosomethingorIwill.”“My shield protects me,

but they’re in a differentdimension,” Huck yelled.“Jackcouldn’ttouchme.”

“Raymond is solid, sortof,” Becky cried out. “Jackcanmake contact, so can theothers.”

Huck grabbed Raymondbythearmandhauledhimtohisfeet.WithHuck’stalonedhand wrapped around

Raymond, Jack swung a fistand connected to Huck’sshield. The man bellowed inagony. Huck let go ofRaymond and swung. Hisclaws went through Tom asheapproached.

“It’s Ray who is theconnection,”Beckyyelled.

HuckgrabbedRaymond’sarmagainandlungedatJack,swinging for his abdomen.The slice was true and Jackdoubled over. He fell to the

ground in surprise. Beckywas right, Raymond was theconnection to bothdimensions; as long as Hucktouched Raymond, he couldconnect with the others.Becky winced when Huckgripped Raymond to hischest, shoved a clawed footintoTom’sbellyandtwisted.Her hand went to her mouthasTomwent down. It didn’ttake long forHuck to rip theothers to shreds. Only

Raymond was left weepingon the ground when Huckreleased him. When heglanced up, his expressionimpaledBecky.

“They can’t die. They’realready dead,” Raymondsobbed casting a glancetoward the others. “They’llcomeafterme.”

“They can’t kill you.Dead can’t kill dead,” Hucksaid.

“No, but they can torture

meendlessly.WhatdoIdo?”“Oh, God,” Becky

whispered.Shehadahorriblethought. “Huck,can thecaveclaim them? Their despair tobe written on the wallsforever? They are headed inthatdirection.”

“Does something pullyou,Ray?”Huckasked.

Raymond lookedconfused but he nodded.“Home, I was searching forhome.”

“Huck?”Beckyasked.Huck nodded. “If they

wander, theymightbedrawnto thecave,but theyarepartsolid. If they draw others intheir actions, as whathappened to you with thecouple in their recreation oftheir traumatic events, theywould be able to pull ahuman or perhaps anotherentityinwiththem,forever.”

“Youcan’tgotothecave,Raymond. Not ever. You’d

spendeternitythere,onwallstellingyourdeathstorytoanyliving creature that lands. Iknowyou,Ray.Youcaretoomuchaboutotherstodothat,this, to anyone,” Becky said.She wanted to drop to herknees in anguish from hislook.

“What do I do?”Raymond asked. “I feel thepullaswespeak.”

“I can kill you,” Hucksaid. “Part of you remains

attached to this planet. Orsomething remainssomewhere. I can connectwith you; I can kill you forreal.”

“No,pleasecan’twetakehim with us and leave theothers?”Beckycriedout.

“Becky,” Huck said. “Iknow I’ve told you I like tokill, but this little male hasspirit, only now a littlemoreliterally. I can kill withouthurting him. He’s too

dangerous in the state he’sin.”

“What will happen tome?”Raymondasked.

“This planet isn’t knownto take human spirits.Something must haveoccurred on entry. Think,Ray, did your shuttle crashhere?”Hucksaid.

“The shuttle wasdestroyed when we hit theatmosphere. I huddled in asmall storage area where the

others couldn’t fit. When Icame to andcrawledout, theothersweredead.”

“So the planet acceptedthemasadeathoffering.Youwerealive.Buthumanspiritsmustbedifferentbecausetheplanet can’t control thesemen. They shouldn’t be ableto see us but they do, unlessit’s because they connectedwithyou,too,Ray.”

“I could barely move. Iwas bleeding to death. The

otherswerearoundme.Theywere pure white and fading.Jackwasscared,hepanicked,andhegrabbedmyhandandI felt as though Iwas rippedintwo.Ilaythereforawhile.I did for a long while, but Icouldn’t move around.Finally I was able to get upandfollowtheothers.”

“There’s the connection.TheywouldhaveleftbutJackwas too afraid to let go. Hegrabbed you and because he

was linked to theothers theywere pulled back to remainhere. You died later. Whathappened to the othersbodies?”

“Burned,orvanished.”“The planet took them.”

Hucksighed.“We can’t kill him,”

Becky said, very close tobeggingforhislife.

“Jack killed him andtrappedhim.Jackwilldothesametoyou.Hemadecontact

withRay; it stands to reasonhecandothesametoanotherhuman. If he touches you,you’ll be pulled into death’sdimension until your bodydies. Then youwill split andbe in twodimensions asRayis. Is this what you want,Becky?”Huckasked.

“I’m so sorry, Raymond.I’m so sorry.” Raymond, herfriend, was now one of thescariest sights she everencountered.

“It’sallright,Becky.Theothers are going to wakesoon. I can’t do this for aneternity. What if morehumans land? Jackwill havegonecrazywith rage. I thinkhe has already.” RaymondturnedtoHuck.“WherewillIgowhenIdieforreal?”

“I don’t know; whereverhumans go into the afterlife.The others are stuck here, toyoubecausetheplanethasn’tfiguredoutifyouarealiveor

deadorwhattomakeofyou.They receive the dead spirit;nothingdies on this planet—itarrivesdead.”

“What do I do?”Raymond asked. “Jack andthe others can’t kill me.You’re right, dead can’t killdead.”

“Oh,God.”Becky turnedas the men began to stir.Moaning filled her ears astheir bodies slipped backtogether.Tomjerkedandwas

on his knees. Jack growledandglaredatBeckywhileherheart pounded in her breast.Arms began reaching in herdirection.

“I’m not dead,” Hucksaid. His words weremeaningful and Becky couldonly open and close hermouth with no soundemerging.

Raymondglancedat Jackas the apparition gained hisfeet. “Then kill me.”

Raymond flung his armswide.

Becky screamed whenHuckpounced.Shenevergotto say goodbye. Huck slicedRaymond’s head from hisshouldersinamovesofastitwas blurred. Becky gave inandslumpedtotheground.Ahugegustofwindruffledherhair and she knew Raymondwas gone. When she lookedtherewasnobody.

“I wasn’t sure, but I

thoughtso,”Hucksaid.“What?” Becky

whispered.“Raymond’slinktookthe

others with him. Look,they’reallgone.Don’tworry,they’ll go together as spiritsandRaymondwillbe fine. Ifany humans ever land here,theywillbesafeenoughwithJackandtheothersgone.”

Becky garnered nocomfort from hiswords. Sheslumped and hung her head.

Becky could battlephysically, but emotionaldemons were harder to slay.Shedidn’tprotestwhenHuckpicked her up after droppinghis shield. Her face buriedinto his throat. She allowedhiscalmingsecretionstoflowthrough her as she let a fewtears fall.Raymondhadbeenafriend.Hewasagoodman.He had been.The last of heroldlifewastrulygone.

****

Huck was going crazy;his shield was going crazy.Becky’s tearssoaked intohisflesh which howled at theinvasion,wanting to toss heraway while his stubbornshield made him pull hercloser.Inthecavern,herfirstassault of tears had been ashock to his system. Theemotions invaded his bodywhen her eyes leaked rivers,but his shield was calm,explaining the hurt she felt

was loss for another.Sympathy and a kind handwereallsheneeded.

The pain of the fewertears was more intense. Thepain was hers, it was real.Everydropkickedhimintheguts. Heart wrenching, all-encompassing sadnessoverloaded a warrior Tonanwho was half evil. A smallpart didn’t care she hurt, butthe larger part fueled by hisshieldmadehimwanttohowl

infrustration.Theshuttlewassooninhisvisionandasmallleap took him inside. Hestrode to the console andpunched in a coordinatetaking them into space.Oncethe shuttlewas inmotion,hemoved them to the bedroomwherehesatwithBecky.

“I didn’t get to saygoodbye—again. I shouldhave saidgoodbye,” she saidweeping; a single tear traileddown her cheek leaving a

path of sadness in its wake.Thestainofemotionwasrawand visible. Huck had dealtwith terror-filled tears andfear of other human females,butthetearthatdrippedfromher chin to land on his armwas dragged into his veinswhereitroaredtohisheart.

Huck groaned realizingshethoughthimcruel,hisacta blunder of indecency. “Ineeded to move fast. Theothers were coming to. I

sensed his fear. I promisedhim no pain. If he had stoodtherewithyoucryingandhimcrying,theotherswouldhavegrabbed you. Itwas for yoursakeaswell.Hefeltnopain.It was a kindness I offered,notacruelty,Iswear.”

Huck’s emotions werehowlingon the inside, itwashis damned shield suckingher secretions, wanting toanalyze andmodify.GearingHuck for his new mate and

what she needed. Too manyemotions made his headpoundandHuckdraggedherinto the captive room. Heclosed them into the showerstall and commanded thewater on.He could sense hisshield growl with theintrusion.

The shield tried harder,but the pounding waterintensified on Huck’scommand and Becky beganstruggling.

“You’re drowning me,”sheyelled.

“I’msavingme.”Huckheldhertighterand

she buried her face into hisneck with her hand cuppedover thesideofhernoseandmouth.Herwarmbreathcreptoverhim,waftingtohisnose.So much sadness. Despair,loneliness, loss. He couldn’tescapeher.

Damn.“Shower off,” Huck

demanded.He stepped from the stall

anddrippinghe strode to thebedroom where he droppedheron thebed.Shewouldn’tlookathim.Thescentoffearmingledwithloss,toravelinhopelessness.EmotionsHucknever once felt weresurrounding him, envelopinghis senses as evil battledcompassion.Hisbodywasanexplosion of frustration. Sheshoulddie; theyshouldmate.

If they mated, he would beable to control her emotions,thus controlling his. Shewouldn’tmate him; he knewshewouldn’t,notnow.

Compromise.Thundered.“Where’s your fight?” he

demanded.“I will never understand

you.”“Youcouldandyoucanif

you’re willing to try. If youwon’t mate me, give me achance to showyouwhatwe

canfeeltogether.”“Sex.”“Abond. Ifwe bond,we

willmate, eventually.Butonyour terms. I’m a warrior,Becky. I make terms, I killfor less. Let me show youyou’re not alone. Ifwe bondwe can approach Cobra. Hemay try to take you for hiswarriors,butIwilldemandtokeep you. Cobra willunderstand so he’ll have twooptions, killme fast or allow

you the time you need tomakeyourdecision.”

Beckystaredupathim.Atouch to her cheek with thebacks of his fingers and heknewshewasconsideringhisoffer.Hesensedherfightwaswaning. Slow realizationovercame him. Humanfemales weren’t all weak.When everything is taken,including hope, there isnothingbut fearand sadness.It was no wonder he never

sensed any other emotionwhileontheTonanvessel.

“Would Cobra really killyou?”Beckyasked.

“In a heartbeat if hethought it necessary. Iwouldn’tmakeiteasy.”

“Why would you risk it?I’mabadass,butIcan’tstopyou from doing what youwant.”

“My insides war, myscents war, my shield wars.Letmewinthisbattleforthe

sake of a compromise. Atruce. Then in the end, nomatter what happens we’llseewhowinsthewar.”

“You’retoobig.”“I’m a warrior. I’m built

for power, control. But Ihaven’t overpowered you.I’mofferingyoucontrol.AndI’m not ripping half of thatpart off my anatomy foranyone.”

“All through school boyswere afraid of me,” Becky

said. “Some were asses andfigurediftheycouldpinme,Iwas theirs, like somekindofprize. They learned real fastI’m no prize, and Iwon’t becontrolled.”

“Why do you fight?You’re female; you don’tneedtobeawarrior.”

“Females need to be thebestwarriors.”

“Why?”“I lost my mother at a

youngage,mydadnevertold

mehowshedied,but I thinkshe was murdered. My dadtaughtme to fight. Everyonejokedhewasacommandoorsomething, but he onlywanted his little girl safe. Idon’t remember a time nottraining. It was as though heknew something bad wasgoingtohappen.Mydadwasolder than my mother. HewasfortywhenIwasborn.Abearofaman,evenuptohisdeath a few years ago. We

had each other’s backs. Wewere in a storm, amudslide,andhedied.IwasaloneuntilImetRaymond.”

“Is it because of yourfatheryouhavenightmares?”

“Iseehisfaceashedies.Ican’tsavehim.”

Huckperchedonthebed.“My parents died fourhundredyearsago.Iwaswiththem. I saw their faces, too,andcouldn’thelpthem.”

“Doesyourkindgrieve?”

“In a way. I killed theman who was my biologicalfatherandfeltbetter.Ididn’trealize how satisfying itwould be to rip his throatout.”

“Mental image. Thanks.Cupcake is on the tip of mytongue.”

Huck sighed. He wasn’ttrying to scare her. “If youbondwithme, I promise theneed to callme cupcakewillvanish.”Ifuckinghopeso.He

snuckintohisthoughtsbeforehis tail could grow. Hegroaned after that thought.Damn, the tail did alreadygrow, before, stupid ghosts.He had already lied to thehumanmales.

Huck stood and allowedhis shield to come up. Hecould hear in his mind theshield swearing. Huckgripped the small stub at hisass and yanked thenbellowed.Becky covered her

ears. Damn that hurts. Itwasn’t as bad as before andboth he and his shield weregrateful. He dropped hisshield and eased besideBecky again. Her gaze wasless than stellar and sheshifted farther from him. Hesensed her worry. Inretrospect he supposedrippingoffapieceofhimself,even a tail would beconstrued as creepy. If hecoulddothattohimselfwhat

wouldhedotoher?“I’ll do my best to be

careful with you,” Huckmeantwhathesaid.

“Huck, my dad kept meclose. Sheltering me as bestashecould.”

Huckshrugged.“So?”Becky looked

uncomfortable. He almostsnorted; hewas the onewiththe sore ass. She shifted, hergazefleeingaroundtheroom,herhandstuckedintoherlap.

Huck took one of her hands,pressing it between his twoand immediately secretionsslipped intoher skin to settleher. She refused to look athim. Huck was forced toconcentrate, harder than heever had. The stubbornfemalewouldn’tgiveupwhatshe hinted at. The scent wastrying to elude him but hisshield would have none ofthat.

Innocence.

Huck’s eyes widened inastonishment. “I was underthe impression humanfemales and males weresexuallyactive.Everyhumanfemale I’ve encountered hadbeenwithamale.”Athoughtassaulted him, he wasn’tlying, he just hadn’tremembered.

Therewasone,beforethecaptainkilledher.

“Theirchoice?”Hereyesflashedangerfor

aninstantuntilhecalmedher.“I never asked. I never tookthem.WhentheotherTonanskilled the last human femaleon our ship, I realized myhope finding a mate on thatshipwasuseless.Thefemaleswerewatched,themaleswerewatched. Because my fatherhas rebel blood but mymother did not, many kept aclose eye on me, especiallywhen I showed mercy. Myfatherneverwould,hewould

laugh at another’s fear. Mystepfather would showkindness.IthinkitwasoneofthereasonshiskindofTonanwasweededout, or theotherTonans tried to. I have myfather’s blood but mystepfather’sshield.Theshieldisstronger.”

“You’re too confusing.DidyouguessI’mavirginornot?”

“Yes.”“You’retoobigforafirst

time.”“Well, excuse me, but I

don’t have time to find asmaller cock. Besides, I likethe idea of me being yourfirst.”Andonly.

“This isn’t the way Iimaginedmylife.”

Huck snorted. “You andmeboth.”

“SowedothisandwegotoCobraandIdecide?”

“We bond, not do this,andyes,wegotoCobra.”

“What if Cobra tries tokillmebecausewebonded?”

Huck felt rage heat hisface and Becky shied back.“I’d rip his guts out hisfucking ass and strangle himwithhisintestines.”

AsBecky’seyeswidened,Huck realized his answermight have been a bit harsh.Hestrodefromtheroom,butnot before he could hear hermutter the inevitable word:cupcake.

Chapter6

Becky fidgeted fromnerves. After Huck’s lastheated statement, he stormedfromtheroom.

“Holyhell, cupcake,” shewhispered.

I’mnopansy,butshit,hecanbeintense.

Becky went to the doorandpeekedaroundthecorner.

Sheheardtheshowerrunningwhich should have surprisedher; shewas still damp fromher recent dunking. She betthe water he was under wascold as ice. Standing at thereplicator,Becky asked for ashot of whiskey. A glassmaterialized and she reachedwithatremblinghand,settledher fingers around the glassand brought it to her lips. Inoneswiftmotionshedownedthecontentsandset theglass

back.Herbreathexpelledinawhoosh, it was at least onehundred percent pure. Shewasn’t interested in gettingdrunk.Ithadbeenalongtimesince she’d had alcohol andthe substance heated everypart of her the second it hitherbelly.

The window, dark ebonybeyondwithsuddenspurtsofbrightshootinglightdrewherto the beauty. All she eversaw anymore was this

familiar scene. The fewplanets she and the menstopped at they never maderoots, too fearful of theTonans.Alwaysonthemove,her feet missed terrain. Herbaretoesscrunchedunderherfeet against the hard coolflooroftheshuttle.Shehatedspace.

“Yet, here I am,” shemuttered.

Huck was there standingbehind her after her spoken

thoughts.Theireyesmetuntilher gaze drifted to his body.All of him was bare, power,magnificent. The hand heplaced on her shoulder waswarm and firm. Skin to skinheoozedheat throughoutherentirebeing.Becky turned togazeupathim.Therewasnoemotion on his impassiveface.

“I don’t love you,” shewhispered.

“Butyoucanlove,Iscent

youknowhow.Ican,butit’sbeenaverylongtimeandmyshield is telling me theemotionwillbedifferent.I’veonlyeverlovedmymother;Irespected my stepfather. Hewasagoodfather,soIknowwhatmysonwillneed.”

Son?Shemusthaveheardwrong and dismissed thethought. The idea of landingon a planet and staying putwas what she centered on.Huck hadn’t hurt her. Cobra

might. Something told her ifshe bonded with Huck,nothingwouldtouchher.Themental image of intestineswrapped around some guy’sthroat crept into her minduntil she shoved it out. Foryears she heard how awfulTonans were. Huck wasn’tawful. She’d heard Castianswere honorable but wantedhuman females.What if theyweren’thonorable?AllBeckyhad was the here and now

standingbeforeher.“Will bonding make me

loveyou?”“Bonding will make you

receptive to loving me, butonly your heart can tell youwhoyoulove.”

“Forayear,Ididn’tallowany of those men to touchme.”

Huck trailed his fingersdown her bare arm makingher shiver. “You need apowerful mate. You need a

home. You need someone towatch your back while youkick ass. None of thosemencould have offered what Ican. They were willing toshare you. If you mate withmeyouwillbemine!”

“You can’t take me toCobraunlesswebond?”

“Icould,butIdon’tknowif Cobra would risk gettinghis warriors killed over asingle female. I would beconsidered volatile. They

might risk invading myshuttle to capture you. Youcould be injured. With thewar coming to a head, everyoutsider will be analyzed,some to death. Castians tryhard not to have collateraldamage,buteven they’renotwithout faults. Bonding issaferforthebothofus.”

Becky waited, but hisshield didn’t go up, no tailgrew. Using both hands hegripped her upper arms and

pulled her closer. When hetilted his head, Becky knewhe was going to kiss her.Their mouths collided. Full,warm, moist lips pressedagainst hers; his tonguedemanded entry. Hesitant atfirst,sherelaxedagainsthim.Theinvasionwasreplacedbyeasyprobing.

Huckreleasedherarmstotug her shirt down to herwaist.Shebroketheirkiss.

“Don’tmovetoofast.”

“Skintoskinwillhelpourbonding. Your saliva flowsthrough my veins, and I cantell you have accepted mycompromise.”

He dipped his head andkissed her.A heady sense ofsafetyinvadedher,rollingonher tongue and she wasamazed.Huckmadehertasteemotion; the idea wasstartling. He lifted his handstocupeithersideofherface,his thumbsrubbedacrossher

cheeks. The warmth anddampness calmed her. Not adrugas she firstwondered, asweetquestionofacceptance.Unconsciously,shenodded.

Hepulledheragainsthim.Her breastswere squished tohis chest. His hands grippedherback,hisarmssteelbandssurrounded her.The pressurewas enough to keep herimmobile but not feelingcaptured. Huck tore hismouth from hers and

demanded a comforter fromthe replicator. A massiveblack quilted sheet of squarematerial was grabbed in hisfist.Withonehandhe shookthe comforter out and laythemdown.

With her hands pressedagainst his chest Beckypushed with splayed fingers,but hewas too solid and hersore arm ached. The rednesshaddecreasedbutshethoughtithad todowith thefactshe

hadn’ttossedanyoneontheirass in a few hours. Sherealized he must weighhundreds of pounds morethanwhat she realized. If herippedherpantsoff she’dbeterrified. The thought hurther. Huck lifted more of hisweight until he rolled to hisside keeping her with him.His hands roamed her backand neck. A fist in her hairslidherfaceintothecrookofhisthroat.

Thepoundingofhisheartboomed against her chest.Herelbowscollapsedandherupper arms rested againsthim. He kissed her flesh,trailing his lips from herthroattostopatthetopofherbreasts.

“Huck,” she whisperedwithunease.

A whispered shushingreached her ears, temperedwith a delicate kiss to herbreast. He lifted his hand to

runthepadofhisthumboverher cheek while his otherhand cupped her fullness.Huck lowered, his tonguedarted over a taut nipple andittookeveryounceofhernottosqueal.Herhandsburiedinhis hair. Groaning, Hucksucked a breast into hismouth. Becky couldn’tcontrol her ragged breathing.She wanted to pull her kneeup intohisgroin,shewantedto pull out his hair, she

wanted his mouth to do thesame with her other breast.She gasped when his mouthpulledfreetosuckleherotherbreast. As though he knewherthoughts,wants.

Thiswas farther than shehad come with any man.Huckreleasedhertoriseoverher,pressingher toherback.Hisfingersgrippedthetopofher pants while bunching inthematerialofhershirt.Inchby inch, he dragged her

clothing from her. Beckyburned, his gaze feasting onher, feeling the heat creepoverherthroatandfacewhenhe stared down at her. Hetook a deep breath andshuddered. His gaze turnedpredatory.

“Mine.”There was power in that

single word. Possession,intense demanding emotion.Becky’s eyes widened,stunnedwhenhe loweredhis

headtodipandsettlebetweenher thighs. When his lipsparted her folds she jumped.Shewantedtosquirmbuthishand held both of her wristsat her pelvis. She yelpedwhen his teeth grazed hernub.Warmliquidoozedoverher making her blink. Thesecretion was calming,soothing.When he rose overher to cover her she caughtthe barest glimpse of hisfangs. She was confused; he

only wore his fangs whenshielded.

Higher he rose coveringher. “Therewill benopain,”hewhispered.

The tip of his cockpressed against her andBecky waited for an earthshattering thrust. Hispenetrationwasinchbyinch.Her insides strained againsttheinvasion,buttherewasnopain. Gentle rocking drovehim deeper, his slick

smoothness rose higher untilshe was panting in shortgasps. She wrapped her legsaround him, her thighsbrushing against his solidheat. Eyes wide, her handsheld tight to his powerfulforearms. She wished hewould lower closer againsther.Hedid,instantly.

There was a thought onBecky’smind.Shewishedhewould pull out and beginagain.Huckdid.She thought

him to be in charge. In aninstant, the need for him tokiss her flickered and Hucklowered to claim her lips.When the kiss ended, hegrinned at her. Somehow heknew where her thoughtstook her and then took him.Becky’s breath caught whenhe thrust up; his entire thicklengthimpaledher.

Thathedidonhisown.Keeping most of his

weight from her, but settling

closer, she was pinned untilshe couldn’t move. Huck’steasing was done. His rockhardhipscrashedagainsthermaking her scream. For aninstant she was scaredshitless, he was a warriorwith a warrior’s strength,untilHuckwhispered no.Nofear in bonding. His essencewas speaking to her, seekingonly her release. The sweaton their bodies mixed, herskin tingled. There was

something in his secretionstakingamessagetoherveins,her heart and her mind.Becky knew they werebonding, joining.Shehadnoidea the act would be sopowerful. She gasped as awave of desire washed overherandHuckgroaned.

“We run through eachother’s veins,” Huck said.“Yourbodyacceptedme.”

Each thrust thumped herdeeper intohisembraceuntil

herfaceburiedintohischest.Hercheekpressedtohisskin,herkneesslidacrosshiships.Therehadbeennopainuntilher insides strained to acceptmoreofhim,shecouldn’t.

Howcantherebemore?“Huck,” she groaned as

herconfusionintensified.“I’m in must, Becky.

When inmust, aTonancockwill enlargewithmy seed tomix with a piece of myshield.Ican’tstop.”

“You’rehurtingme.”“BeckyIneedtogiveyou

part of my shield. If there’seventheslightestchanceofababy you both must beprotectedatallcost.”

“Or Cobra will beangry?”Beckywhispered.

“No. My asshole fathernevergavemeapieceofhisshield, my mother and Iweren’t important enough.You and my son are. It hasnothing to do with Cobra. If

mystepfatherhadn’tfalleninlove with my mother wewould’ve been in danger, nodoubt died, murdered by aTonanbastardthesameasmyfather. A pregnant femalesmells so receptive she’s toohardtorefuseandwhywoulda bastard Tonan refuse? Mystepfather saved our lives. Iwon’triskyours.”

“Blow your load out ofme.”

“Ican’t,weneedtobond.

Myessenceneedstomixwithyours. My shield is drivingme to dowhat’s right. Someof my seed has alreadyentered you, if it found itsmark you may already haveconceived. I won’t risk yourlives.Afemalewithnoshieldspends her pregnancy indanger and risk of death.FemalesImatedwithweren’tin heat, I wasn’t in must. Itold you I would be a goodfather to my son. It begins

with my first unselfish acttowardhim.”

Shehadn’tbeenmistaken,he had mentioned a son.“Huck, a baby? No, not outhere.”

“Please?”Becky was so surprised

she gasped. He asked. He—begged.Oh,myGod.Hewasbeing truthful. The pressurebetween her thighs wasgrowingtobetoomuch.

“Huck,ithurts.”

“I can make the hurtstop.”

“Makeitstop.”Becky gasped and stifled

a scream when his fangsgrew. Two drippingglistening points descendedtoward her vulnerable throat.Before she could protest heburied those two pointedteeth into her. Becky stilledinstantly.Shewascompletelyawash feeling submissive.The pain was gone. Huck

movedslower.Warmwetnessfilled her; her need to thrashwhen she came was stifled.She couldn’t move. Huckstilledandlayhisheadofftothe side, more of his weightpinnedher.

WhenHuck rolled to herright,Beckylaystaringattheceiling. For a moment, therewasn’t any part of hertouching him. She wasdetached from her lifeline.Fear thundered into her. She

was helpless, wondering ifhe’d done something toparalyzeherforlife.

“Huck?” her word was amerewhisper.

In seconds, he pulled herto his chest. “I’m sorry,Becky. Don’t be afraid. Thefeeling will wear off. I’m avery powerful warrior, andI’m older. My shield isdetermined tocreateonly thebest part of it and me for achild.I’venevertriedtogive

apieceofitawaybefore.I’mwornout,givemeasecondtorecover,andI’llhelpyou.”

You’rewornout?Huck chuckled. “We’ve

bonded. Your annoyance isamusing and cute. I’m stillthe warrior I’mmeant to be,but not with you. Can youfeelme?”

Beckywonderedwhat hemeant until her fingerstwitched, the tips touchinghim. Huck was flowing

secretions into her, helpingher. She gasped when shewas gripped with a need tohold him and never let go.Shewaspulledintohisarms.

“Sleep,” he said. “You’retired.You’resafe.”

Thesensationwasstrangebut she knew she was safe.Therewasnoplacesafer—ormoreconfusing.

****Huck was again staring

up at Becky ass kicker from

his prone position. Only thistime, he grinned. He hadtalkedherintoshowinghimafewofherasskickingmoves.For some reason after theyjoined,hefeltaninsanesenseof play. Huck hadn’t wantedto play since hewas a child.The night before, she sleptwell, except for onenightmare.The frustrationheexperienced about not beingable to go to her in herdreamswasannoying.

Huck jumpedupand inamove sent Becky onto herback wanting to prove hisdominance.Hishipsthrustuppushing her knees apart buther hands shot up to eithershoulder and she locked herelbows.Shewasgrinning.

“By the way, thanks forfixingmyarmithardlyhurtsatall,”shesaid.

Huck couldn’t heal hercompletely unless theymated,butbondinggavehim

theabilitytohelpsmallhurtsbetter than before. He washappyshewasinnopain.

She then twisted, her leftfoot came up onto his thigh,she grabbed his elbows andshovedherotherfootontohisother thigh. He movedslightlybackinconfusionandfaster than he thoughtpossible,bothherpalmsshotup connecting with his chin.Huckwentflyingback.

Becky sat up. “Oops,

sorry, that was a bit much,didIhurtyou?”

“No,butyousurprisedthehell out of me, little asskicker. Will these movesworkonanyone?”

“I’mnotsureifthemovestake your weight intoconsideration; I know youwere being careful. Anattacker moves fast so youneedtomovefaster.Alothasto do with the element ofsurprise.The first time I sent

my dad flying I was eight.Again, he was being careful.He always was. So when Iwas eleven, I went lookingfortrouble.”

Huck went to sit besideher. She lifted her hand tobrush a few locks of hairfrom her face. Dark brownexpressiveeyesgazedathim.

“Whatdidyoudo?”Huckasked.

“Iknewofabadasswhohung out on a street corner.

He was sixteen and a bully.Hewasbullyinganothergirl.For the most part, he leftchildren like me alone. Imean, he’d jump at us orshout ‘boo,’ but no contact.This girl was aroundseventeenandsmallandcute.Hewasfeelingherupandshewasscared.Iwaspissed.

“I was feeling full ofmyself, cocky. I told him toleave her alone and whathappened next was kinda a

blur.Let’s just say therewasan ambulance involved withverystunnedparamedics.Thecops couldn’t charge me; Iwas too young and one ofthemwinked atme.The boywas known to police so I’mguessing they figured he haditcoming,andbya littlegirlwas priceless. My dad wasmadatme.He said Idid theright thing for the wrongreasons and hurt the boypretty bad. I had no idea I

was so dangerous. I learnedthat day it’s okay to protectyourself and others but youneeded, well I needed, tohave control. I broke a fewbones on him. His familymoved away shortly after,because he was razed aboutbeing beaten up by a kid, agirlnoless.

“A month after theincidentiswhenIwasalmostkilledbythecupcake.Karmamaybe. I don’t like to hurt

anyone, but I know how. Imade a name for myselfwhich was both good andbad.”

“Becky fucking asskicker,”heteased.

“Well, I kinda added thefucking.”

Huck laughed. He tracedthe back of her hand with afinger. She was soft andsmooth and Huck detected astrangeemotion.

“Why do I sense fear?

Youareandyetaren’tafraidofme.”

“I’mnotafraidyou’llhurtme, physically. Since webonded, my emotions aremixed.”

“I can tell because myshield is trying to analyzewhatyouneed.Frankly,thereare so many emotions if itcould, I think my shieldwould toss its hands up andsay,‘dude,Igotnothing.’”

Becky laughed, and he

liked the sound. “And that’swhychocolateisalifesaver.”

Huckjumpedupandwentto the replicator, sensing thehintwhenshewinkedathim.He brought her back a coldglass of chocolate milk.While shedrank,hecenteredhis thoughts on all thedifferent moves she taughthim.Warriors battled, but hebelievedsomeactionswereaboon.Theelementofsurprisewaspriceless.Beckywent to

returntheglasswhenshewasfinished.Huckpulledherintohis lap when she returned.Thelastmoveshetaughthimwasfromapositionhe’dseenother human females in,unwilling females. The ideamadehimthoughtful.

“Did you ever use thatmove on any of the men onyourshuttle?”

“Jack. Once. He and theothers learned a valuablelesson. I knocked Jack out,

and when he came to Iwarned them jokingwas onething, but if they evermeantwhattheydidforreal,I’dkillthem.Imeantit.”

“It must have been hardliving with those men dayafterday,alwaysonguard.”

“Theywere boredmostlywhen they teased. It wasn’tallbad.”

Huck lay them back onthe thick comforter. Hestroked a lock of hair from

hereyes.Beinggentlewasn’tsomething he was used to.Shewasgazingupathim.

“Thank you for teachingmebattlemoves,”Hucksaid.“I have to admit that is onesentence I never thought I’dsaytoanyfemale.”

“IthinkIlikeyou.”Huck smiled, because he

couldsenseshewasfonderofhim than she realized. Itwasbecauseof thebond. In time,the feeling would grow

stronger.“Eachtimewejoin,we’ll

growcloser,”Hucksaid.“Isthatahint?”“Onlyifyouwantittobe.

We joined, you did as Iasked. You know what toexpect.I’minmustandsincewebonded,mybodyiscrazyto have you again. You’re adrug.”

Shesnorted.“Youshouldtalk.”

“My fangs create a

substancetosootheandrelax.Icanimmobilizeanenemyina second if I come intocontactwithexposedflesh.”

“One word aboutdisembowelling and I’m outofhere.”

“Not one word,” hepromised.“Whileinthemidstofanorgasm,I’dbeannoyedwith you bellowing ‘Oh,cupcake,youfeelsogood.’”

Beckylaughedandsodidhe.“WhydoIfeelsocloseto

you?”“I think it has to dowith

you being human. Youremotions. Tonan femaleshaveemotionbutnot toyourextent.My shield figures outoneemotionthengetsjumpedon by another. I’m cruelenoughtosayI’mfindingmyshield’s perplexedfrustrationsfunny.”

“Isyour shielda separateentity?”

“Yes and no. It’s part of

me and not. I stopped tryingtofigureoutwhatwemeantoeach other long ago. Myshield takes care of me,protects me. It will protectyou when we mate—if wemate.”

“YousaidbeforeI’ddieifwemated,ifyoudied.”

“I’m afraid that’s part ofthe deal. We becomeintertwined.Ifyoulosthalfofyou,you’ddie.Myshieldcanprotectyouifwemate.Itcan

closearoundyoutokeepyousafe, to keep me safe. Wewould be so close I couldenter your dreams. I wouldknow where you are at alltimes. Sense what you arefeeling.”

“Intense.”“Ilikethatwordsomuch

betterthancupcake.”Ahesitantfingerroseand

she traced his lips. Huckcaptured the finger betweenhis teeth. His sense of play

returned.Shepulledbackbutherefusedtoreleaseher.

“Huck,letgo.”“Un-uh.” He winked at

her.“If I agree to kiss you,

willyouletgo?”Huckletgo.Leaneddown

and pressed his mouth overhers. The emotion ofexcitement wafting from herencouraged him. She wantedhim;hesensedshedidwhichmadehimexcitedtohaveher.

Huckpinnedherbeneathhim.“Haveyoueverwanteda

warrior?”heasked.“Idid.Ido.”“Nofear.”Her breath was expelled

inawhoosh.“Nofear.”Huck gripped her shirt in

a fist and watching her, hetore it slowly down. Shecontinued to watch him. Hecould see her pulse in herthroat.Heslidonefingerintoher shorts and shielding a

single talon he sliced upripping the material. Herbreath stopped as she staredattherazorsharptalon.

Shielded, hewould crushher and he scooped her uparound thewaist, pulling heronto him. Her legs were oneither side of his waist.Almostallofhis shieldwentup. He lay back as shestraddledhimand thoughhisdesire to turn her and burywithin her was strong, he

wantedher toseehim.Manyhoursadayhespentshielded.This was part of who andwhat he was. He knew shethought the shield was uglybut when they mated, thisugly shield would becomeoneofherbestfriends.

“Ifwe joined like this, isit you taking me or yourshield?”shewhispered.

Huck knew she couldn’tsee him grinning. “My cockis mine. My shield can mix

with my essence only if Iallow. If we were mated, Icouldpullyouintomyshieldwhilewejoined.”

“Um.”“Ifyoucallmecupcake,I

swear I’ll program chocolateoutofthereplicator.”

“Youwantmetoknowallofyou.”

“You are never to fearanythingaboutme.”

Becky placed both handsontohishardgreychest.She

glanced at his talons restingon her hips. She leanedforward and watching hisexpression, she kissed hisshield.Overdrivedidn’tbeginto describe the shield’sreaction. Acceptance wassomething a Tonan rarelyexperienced. A shield wasfeared.Inthatsinglekisswasboth acceptance and not atraceoffear.

There was no shieldbetweenherhipsandhisand

shegaspedwhenhethrustupand entered her. He used nocalming fluid this time. Histalonhandskeptherfirmlyinplacewhilehegazedather.

“What do you see,Becky?”

“Iseeyou.”Huck dropped his shield

and flipped her over. Shecried out when he thrust asdeeplyashecould.

“Letmebeyourwarrior.”Shegrippedhis neck and

pulled him lower. She liftedherlegstowrapthemaroundhiswaist and began tomoveto meet his thrusts. Huck’spower built with each touch.Hermoisture flowed throughhis veins and since she gavehim permission last time, hesankhis fangs intoher throatwhenhissizegrew.

Inside his shield wasbuzzing to create everythingstrong,everything lovingandperfect his son would need.

His son would be given thebest ofHuck and the best ofhis shield. The child and theshield wouldn’t have thesame issues as Huck did inthe beginning. He wanted tolove his child, and this timethe shield was going to therightson,thewantedson.

Happiness washed overHuckwhenBecky came, herwarmth and acceptanceseepedintohisbeing.Shelaylimpinhisarms.

Chapter7

“What is that strangenoiseyou’remaking?”

Huck watched Beckywash in the stall.Therewerewords coming from hermouth, but they soundedlinked together. The tonewasn’t unpleasant butforeign.

“Humming and singing,”

she replied. She turned togaze at him. “Don’t Tonanssing?”

“I’ve never heard anyonesingorhum.”

“Notevenyourmother?”Huck thought hard.

“Nope. Nowhere in myhistorydoIremembersoundslikethose.Makethemagain.”

Huck crossed his armsand leaned against the stall,headcocked,hisear tunedtolisten. Becky began with the

words, words he knew, butstrung together to make astorywithatune.Therewerelines she repeated and soonHuck was repeating themwithher.Beckywasgrinningathim.

“You should sing moreoften.” She stepped from theshowerasthedooropenedonher command as Huckrecentlyprogrammedit.

A large warm towel wasdrapedon a chair, hehanded

ittoher.Thetowelmoldedtoher, drying her and soon shewasdressing.When finished,shecametohimandwrappedher arms around his middle;her chin rested on his chest,shegazedupathim.Enoughof her bare fleshwas againsthis skin, telling him shewashungry and tired. He needednowords.

Since the couple’sbonding,hisshieldandHuckcametoanunderstanding.He

was allowed to be a bad asswarrior and kill, or want tokill, buthewasalways tobegentle with Becky. He couldlive with that. She shifted topress her cheek against himand her tummy rumbled.With a gentle nudge, Hucksetherfromhimandwent toreplicate some food. In thelast three days, he had cometounderstandherpassion forchocolate.

He set the steaming plate

of food in her hands, alongwith amugof hot chocolate.Withhandsonhershoulders,heturnedher.

“Go eat and then laydown. I know you’re tired, Isenseit.”

“Of course you do,” shemumbled as she walkedaway.

Huck knew theirs was astrong bond; with him beingoverathousandyearsold,hethought it might be. Her

innocence aided theconnection by handing overthe ultimate trust. Manywarriors of his father’s kindfelt the need to mate afterturning a thousand. Mostfoughttheurge.Amatemadethem vulnerable; if Beckydiedafterhematedwithher,he would die. His father’skind of Tonan was loath togive up a piece of shield;selfishness was killing theirbreed.

Huck went to check theconfiguration on the console.He wanted to sleep withBecky on a few comforters,the bed was too confining.Her nightmares could besoothedwith a touch, but hewished he could enter herdreams and see what theyentailed. His bond mate hadwitnessed a horrific lifechanging experience. Heknew it had to do with thedeathofherfather.

Turning, Huck stoppedshort as motion caught thecorner of his vision. Hissenses were invaded next.Damn. Heart pounding, hefaced the console. A Tonanmother ship glided into theirpath. If he tried to run, hewould be blown out of thesky, Becky would die. TheTonans would then decidewhether or not to bring himaboard as he floundered inspace. If they chose to leave

him, he would float for amonth before his shielddepleted. He would have amonth to agonize over hisbond mate’s death. The ideawas infuriating and for thefirst timeinhis life,hehatedotherTonansbesideshisbirthfather.

“Becky, stay put. Do notcomeout,wehavecompany,bad company,” Huckbellowed.

The Tonan ship sent a

smallblastlettingHuckknowhe better opencommunications. Taking adeep breath he flicked thebutton. He wasn’t shielded,whentheyseenotail...

His commander stoodarms crossed feet apartglaring at him. “You appeartobelost.”

“I’ve been all over thegalaxy, not once have I beenlost,”Huckreplied.

“You’re approaching

Castianterritory.”“Nokidding.”“Been looking for a

mate?”“I’ve been looking for a

lot of things.” His shieldtwitched then decided a halftruth was fine, his shieldstayeddown.

“Bring your vesselaboard.”

The or else wasunmistakable.“I’mdonewithyou. Your kind, my father’s

kind,killedus.Iwantnothingto do with a damned race.You’vekilledyourkind.”

Hiscommanderscowled.“Then die like your

mother’s kind.Unless you’reyour father’s son. Your realfather. No play on words.Explain your actions. Evilwouldn’t search out Cobrawithoutareason.”

Huckdidn’tknowwhattodo. His captain waswondering if Huck had a

plan, he did but not the kindthe captain was thinking. Ofcourse Huck was thought ofas evil. If he lied and playedtheir game of lies it wouldaffecthismate.Butifshewasdead, it wouldn’t matter.Becky’slifewasinhishands.

“Damn it, wait,” Huckyelled.

Before he could doanything else the Tonan shipwas blasted with a rapidseries of red explosions.

Becky cried out from theotherroomloudenoughtobeheard. His commanderslammed his fist on hisconsole.

“A female is with you.Youtraitor.”

The idea made Huckblink. These Tonans had noloyalty, it was impossible tobe a traitor when the traitnever existed. Another shipappearedinhislineofvision.Huck didn’t know if he was

relievedoranxious.AbliponhisconsoleandHuckknewitwas the time of reckoning.Huck flipped the switchopening a new line ofcommunication.

“This is Cobra, leader oftheCastians.Identifyyourselfshuttlecraft.”

“Cobra, my name isHuck. I’m a Tonan warriorand I ask for asylum.Whatever you choose I hopeyou thinkfast,becausewe’re

about to be annihilated. Ihave a human female onboard.She’snotmyprisoner,but ifmy ship is destroyed Ihavenowaytosaveherlife.”

As he spoke, he groanedwhenamassiveflashofwhiteheadedintheirdirectionfromthe Tonan vessel. The blastwould terminate the shuttle.Becky was as good as dead.At the last moment, Beckybellowed and raced from theroom being trailed by a

Gorgano.“Huck, what the fuck is

thisuglything?”TheGorganowouldblow

her up first, Huck felt hispanic rise; he should haveknown there would beGorganoontheTonanvessel.

“Becky don’t let it intoyourthoughts.”

She stood there staringatthe creature while theGorgano clenched its fists.The gangly naked, bald

creaturecockeditshead.“Buttfuckugly,dudeyou

look like you’re trying topinchaloaf,”Beckysaid.

Huckdidn’tknowwhattodo first, his shield slammedover him and he watched asthe Gorgano was picked upand flung into a wall. Huckmoved without thought. Killit. His shield’s thoughtsslammed into his mind.Talons raised, he sliced theGorgano in half, then

quartered it, his shield wasthat pissed. Huck reigned inhis surprise; he never knewhis shield could be sopredatory. Protecting mymate—my, babe, holy hell.Beckythrewup.Sheglaredathim.

“Ew, stop doing that.There’s overkill and thenthere’syou.”

For a second Huckpaused. The shuttle hadn’tbeenblowntobits.Cobrahad

extended his shield. Huckdropped his shield andgathered Becky to his chest.Hewalkedhertotheconsole.Cobra stood eyeing themfromthemonitor.TheTonanshipfled.

“You handled theGorganowell,female,”Cobrasaid.

“Ihavenocluewhatyoumean,”Beckysaid.

“She’s telling the truth,Cobra,” Huck said and

grinned. In thatsingle instanthe felt it, the flicker of life.“My son kicked theGorgano’sass.”

“You have mated thefemale?” Cobra asked, hisconfusion was apparent,Huckhadclaimedhecouldn’tprotecther.

“We bonded. She didn’twanttomate,andamatehasacertainscentwhenforced.Iwant to join you. I’ve neverforcedafemaleinmytwelve

thousandyears.”“Thebaby?Didyouwant

the child, female?” Cobraasked.

“Huck told me I mightconceive,” Becky said. “Hegavemethechoice.Ihavenocluewhatababyshieldis,butsomethingtellsmeI’mgoingtolikeit.”

Cobratookadeepbreath.“You may enter my hanger,butbeforeyouarewelcomedyouwillbequestioned.”

Huck grinned, half thebattlewaswon.

Chapter8

Becky was flabbergastedwhentheyboardedthevessel.From the window of theshuttle it looked big butinside was another story. Itwas massive with no stairs;every floor had a ledge andwhatappearedtobehallways.The levels stretched upwarduntilhiddenfromview.Some

parts remained in darknessand she remembered bothTonans and Castians couldsee in the dark. This was awar vessel. All warriors shespied were shielded. NonewereaslargeasHuck,butthenumberalonewasstaggering.Trepidation hung heavily inherchest.

Themanwhoapproachedwashuge,ashugeasHuckora little less. His shielddropped inch by inch the

closer he came. Absorbinginto his powerful body. Hewore only ebony tight pantsreaching his ankles.His barefeet slapped the soft coolfloor;noothersoundreachedher ears except the poundingofherheart.Hiscommandingpresence made him largerthanlife.Thisman,male,wasa leader.Cobra,Becky knewthis was Cobra. He stoppedshortafootfromthem.

Cobrasniffedtheair.“It’s

true,she’scarrying.”“How can you tell?”

Becky didn’t feel anydifferent. She was surprisedher pregnancy was the firstthing to catch his interestwhen Huck towered besideher.

“Your scent isintoxicating to a warrior inmust. In time,yourbabewillknowmyscentandknowI’mleader, but for now I’ll keepmydistance.”Cobraturnedto

Huck. “You, on the otherhand, I’ll get to knowimmenselywell.”

Becky heard the impliedthreat. Huck looked seriousexcept for the twinkle in hiseyes. Becky knew he waspleased.Excitedeven.

“Your distrust isunderstandable,” Huck said.“I’m not mated but washoping the bond would beenough, fornow.Becky isn’tmymate,butI’mresponsible

for her andmy son. I wouldask she not be placed inconfinement. Istoleher fromhercompanions,but indoingso saved her life. Hercompanions are dead. She’saloneexceptforme.”

Cobradidn’tbothertoaskBecky if Huck spoke thetruth. His shield remaineddownandnotailgrew.Beckylooked from warrior towarrior. She noted manyother warriors gathering

closer, some shields haddropped some not. All weremassive but not built asformidableasHuck.Shewaswary. She didn’t want to belocked away. Her handslippedintoHuck’sandforamoment shewas surprised atthe gentle force he used tosqueezeherhand.

Foramoment,asensationfilled her belly, relief.Curiously,shegazedatHuck.Shewasn’tafraid,orworried.

Itwassomethingelse…Huck wrapped an arm

around her shoulders. “Oursoncansensethetension.Hefeels safer with his fatherclose.”

“Thereissomethingmoreto you,” Cobra said as heeyed Huck closely. Beckywas shocked when Cobrasnarled. “For fuck sakes youhave some nerve cominghere. You’re a half breedTonan,” Cobra almost

growledthewords.“Not exactly,” Huck was

quicktosay.“Mymotherwasa good mother. My fatherabandoned us to die. Mystepfather, not an evil Tonanas was my biological father,fell in love with my motherand was able to give me apiece of his shield. Both he,mymotherandmybiologicalfatheraredead.”

“Still a half breed,” wasmuttered from the crowd of

warriors.“We have no half breeds

here,” Cobra said, his tonefirm.Hemadeamovetoturnaway,dismissingthem.

“Now wait one minute,”Beckysnapped.“Getoffyourfucking high horse. AllHuck’stalkedaboutisjoiningCobra; the winning side isCobra’s side. Now youdismisshimasgarbage.He’snot my mate, but he is stillthefatherofmybaby.”

“Other arrangements canbemadeforyou,”Cobrasaid.

Becky marched over andstabbed her finger into hisbare chest, Cobra seemedsurprised. “Give him thebenefit of the doubt. Huckcame to you bearing gifts,me.IfyouthrowhimoutI’mgoing, too. I won’t be ruledby a leaderwho has no timeformeormychild.”

“Your son will be a halfbreed,”Cobrasnarled.

“He will be half human.Areyoumated?Isyourmatehuman? Doesn’t that makeyourchildrenhalfbreeds?”

“It’snotthesame,”Cobrasaidonagrowl.

“Why? Because themightyCobrasaidso?You’remighty all right. A mightyass.”

Cobra was shoved backand Becky guessed her tinywarrior son was tired of hisclose proximity. Before they

boardedCobra’svessel,Huckhad quickly explained nowarriors would be able tocomeclosetoher if thebabyshieldactivated.Beckyheardsharp intakes of breath. Shedidn’tcare.Shewastiredandhungry.Shewentandpressedagainst Huck and gazed upintohisstunnedexpression.

“I won’t stay where I’mnotwantedandotherswillbecruel to my son. You saidCobra was a leader with

honor.Anymalewhowouldbecrueltoanunbornbabyisnoleaderatall.Canweleavenow?”

“I never once said mypeoplewouldbecrueltoyourson,”Cobra thundered. “Youare twisting my words. I’mtryingtoexplaintoyouthereare two types of Tonans andyourbondmateisbothtypes.He’sfuckingvolatile.”

“And you aren’t?”Becky’s eyes widened, the

sarcasmwasunmistakable.Cobra blinked. He

scowledather.ThenglaredatHuck. “You have three daystoimpressthehelloutofme.You better believe you’ll betested.” He turned to Becky.“Sowillyou.”Histhunderinggrowl belied any smugnessshefelt.

“Bringiton,cupcake.”Cobra’s eyes widened in

stunnedsurprise.HeturnedtoHuck as Becky noted a

human woman motioning toher. She began to walktowardthesmilingwoman.

“Didyourbondmate justcall me cupcake?” Cobraroared.

Becky heard Huckchuckle.

****The small apartment on

thefirstfloorCobrasetupforBecky and Huck was cleanandquiet and away from themain hive. Once the ship

landed onBagron, theyweretransportedtotheirnewhomeandgivenexplicitinstructionsto wait. Becky made a beeline to the replicator andrequestedfood.Shewentandsat on a huge bed with herlegs curled under her, eatingicecream.WatchingHuckashepaced.

“Isallthaticecreamgoodformyson?”Huckasked.

“I’m not freezing him, ifthat’s what you’re worried

about.”“That would be the least

ofmyworries.”“Willtheykeepuslocked

up forever?” she asked. Thesmall smile faded from herface.

“We’re not locked up,”Huck replied. “When awarrior is locked up, weknowit.Acage,nosunlight,alone, depleted shield. Wecancomeandgoaswepleasehereas longaswestayaway

fromthemainhiveanddon’troam too far. When Cobrawantsus,we’llknow.Iknowyou think he’s being an ass,butyourknowledgeofTonanwarriorsislimited.Wecanbenasty bastards. Cobra knowsthis. You didn’t mate mewhich makes me looksuspect.But Ididgiveyouapiece of my shield. He’sdetermining if one actoutweighsanother.”

“Cobra’smatewasniceto

me. Her name is Leah. Shehas kids. Two full humandaughterswhocamewithherfrom Earth, a son who wasturned halfCastian byCobrawhoalsocamefromEarth.Ahalf Castian daughter and ahalfCastianbabyson.”

“I’mgladshewasnicetoyou.Iknowyouneedfemalecompanionship. Since webonded, my shieldunderstands many of yourneeds.Idon’talwaysgetwhy

I understand. I have to learnto trust my shield to knowwhat’sbestforyou.”

“Do you realize howweirdthatsounds?”

“Yep.”“So if we’re not trapped,

canwewander?I’mdyingtofeel real terrain under myfeet.”

Huck thought about that.Cobra hadn’t forbidden himfrom looking around, justentering the hive. Many

femaleswere pregnant, scentwashighandhewasinmust,excepttheneedtocreatewasover. He was expecting amaleoffspring.Huckknewifhe were to enter the mainhive, no other female woulddraw his attention. His badasswarriorsidewenttomushthinkingofholdinghisinfantson to his chest. He growledbefore allowing a sicklysweetsmilehejustknewwasonhislipstocurl.

“I’ve never been onBagron,” Huck admitted.“Thetreesandterrainaresaidto be the same as the planetwhere I’m from. That wouldmake sense consideringCastians and Tonans aredistant cousins. There is asister planet named Dargonwhere Cobra’s son Raskleads; he is a full Castainwarriorandmated,Ithinkhisfemale’s name is Grace. Shewas the first human female

foundwhenashuttleshewason crash landed on Dargonright before Cobra’s escape.We may well be banishedthere. It’s not a real place ofbanishment anymore, but ifCobra sticks us there, I willnolongerbeabletowar.”

“Areyousorryyoucamehere?”Beckyasked.

Huck went to sit besideher. He dipped his babyfinger into her bowl of icecream and ventured a taste,

hemadeaface.“That’sgross.”Becky looked affronted.

“Only an evil psycho villainwould think chocolate gross.Never speak to me again.”Shestuckouther tongueandsmiledimpishlyathim.

Huck scowled. “Mother’smilk of the universe hasassaulted my taste buds in asomewhat heavenly fashionregardinghell.”

She scrunched her nose

and licked her spoon. Heknewshewas teasing.Beckywent to place the bowl intothe replicator. She strolledback to him and gripped hishands.Shewasafemaleinanewenvironmentcarryinghisbaby surrounded by potentialenemies. His shield detectednothing but curiosity andhope.

Beckyasskicker,hisbondmate. He was proud of theway she stood up to Cobra.

The look on Cobra’s facewhenshecalledhimcupcakewould have been worth thetrip alone. Huck could havechuckled.

“Now can we wander?”How could he say no to anasskicker?

“Iguess.”Huck opened their door

which led immediatelyoutside.Hewasn’t expectingopenspacetobesoprevalent.Itwasaslapinthefacewhen

confronted with such vast,unprotected space.His shieldslammed over him and theurge to yank Becky behindhimwastoooverwhelmingtoignore. She groaned,shruggedhimoff,andduckedinfrontofhim.

“What’s wrong withyou?”shedemanded.

“We were transportedhere. I didn’t realize Cobraholds so little esteem for anexpecting mother.” In the

distance he could see imagesofwildanimals.

“We’re lucky he hasn’tlockedusup.Whatwereyouexpecting?”

“I thought, well, I didn’texpect since we were on themain floor it meant a directopening to outside. This is astrange planet to us both;Cobra should have hadmoreunderstanding.”

Becky’s expression wascurious. “My home on Earth

had a front door and a backdoor leading to outside. I’mnot worried. Actually, I’mhappy he seems fit to allowusthebeautyofhisplanet.”

Becky had no idea Huckwasinsulted,notworried.Heand Becky meant so little toCobra,theyweren’tgiventhesafety of a refuge beforebeing confronted with openspace. Huck grew up in ahive.His stepfatherwaswellrespected. Huck was fused

over, shielded, safe. Imagesof his young life came tomind,hismothersmilingandhappy. When his shieldformed,shewassoproud,sowas his stepfather. The babyBeckycarriedwasallHuck’s,eventheshieldbecauseitwaspartofhim,onlyHuckcouldgive him a piece.Hewantedthe same for his son, safety,happiness. Emotions toointense to ignore stormedoverhim.Hisshielddropped.

Huck grabbed Becky by herarms,turninghertofacehim,hisgriptight.

“Mate me. Give my sonthesafetyhedeserves.Now.”

Huck was thrownbackward into thesideof thehome. Becky stood thereblinking.Huckgroanedashelayinaheap,herealizedhe’dscared her with his overenthusiasm. He struggled tohis feet. Arms splayed, heapproached her. His son

wasn’t spurning him as afather. The shield reacted tothe mother’s heart rate andemotions. No doubt his sonslumbered, oblivious he’djusttosseddaddyonhisass.

“I didn’t mean to scareyou,”Hucksaid.

“I’m not afraid of you.Youstartledme.”

“You’re lucky you don’thaveatailthatcangrow.”

“Fine. I was a little,concerned, with your

intensity.”“Iwouldneverhurtyou.I

can’t regardless, as you justwitnessed.”

“I didn’t think your babycouldusehisshieldonyou.”

Huck went to standcloser.Withatentativehand,he caressed her cheek withthe back of his fingers. Hishandmoved lower to rubherbelly.

“The baby shield isdesigned in a manner that

suspected flight is met withfight.Ifaspaceshiplandedonyour head you’d walk awaywithoutmutteringouch.”

Becky looked stunned.“You’re serious?” Sheglanced at his ass, no tail.“Youareserious.”

Huck grinned andchucked her under the chin.“We may as well lookaround. I can see Castiansaround.Nodoubtthey’rehereto keep an eye on me. As

long as they don’t send usback, I can’t see why weshouldn’t get used to oursurroundings.”

Vibrant colors shonebright in the vivid sunlight.Huckfelthisshieldabsorbingrays making him stronger.Real sunshine was a gift.Replicated sun was fine, butaftermonthsof travelinginashuttle, Huck couldn’t helpbut appreciate theencompassingwarmth.Becky

seemedhappy,her face tiltedtothesky.Theheatwasgoodfor the baby. After thatthought, his shield twitchedwhen he spotted a Castianwarrior, closer than theothers.

The rapid strides of thewarrior made Huck’s insidestwitch,hisshieldwentupandBecky was pulled behindhim.Shechosetostaywhereshe was this time and thegesturepleasedHuck.

“There is a perimeter setup,” Cobra said as heapproached. He stoppedbefore Huck. His shieldlowered and he was glaring.“There is a blip on ourinternal console to indicatethe approach of Tonanwarriors.Yourfriends?”

“They’re no friends ofmine,”Hucksaidhonestly.“Idon’thaveanyfriends.”

CobranoddedandlookedatBecky. “The enemywon’t

landhere.Ioriginallycametotell you we have hologramsset up on our planet.Mammoths, tigers and sucharen’t real. The horses areandthereareafewreplicateddogs and cats. There isnothingonmyplanetthatcanhurtyou,evenifyouweren’texpecting.”

“Huck won’t hurt meeither.”

“I doubt he would. Anywarrior who would give his

childapieceofhisshieldhashonor, or a mission. It’s notaltogether unheard of for abastard Tonan to give hisshield begrudgingly to a sontoaidinsometakeover.”

Huckstiffened.Hehadn’teven thought of that. Nowonder Cobra didn’t trusthim. Worse was the factBeckywasstaringupathim.Huckplacedhishandsonhershoulders relieved he wasn’ttossedbackward.

“That was never myintent. I swear on my life Ionlywantedtobeaccepted.Iwant my son. I won’t usehim. Iwould neverwantmysontobeonalosingside.”

Becky tookadeepbreathand smiled. She turned toCobra.“I’dlikeHucktotakemewandering.Yourplanetisbeautiful,atleastfromwhatIcansee.Whetherornotwe’reallowed to stay, I’ve beencooped up too long. I need

some air and feel safer withHuck.”

Foramoment,Huckfeltasensation fill his guts. Pride,he felt pride. The emotionwas overwhelming. Thesensation crept through hishandsfromhershouldersintohis veins and he shuddered.Shewasn’tlying;shedidfeelsaferwithhim.Beckytrustedhim more than she trustedCobra. Cobra, leader of thenoble Castian warriors, and

shewantedtostaywithHuck—whereshefeltsafe.

“Of course you canwander,” Cobra said, but hiseyes were on Huck. Huckwanted to writhe inexcitement. “I think you’lllike this planet and after,Huckcansettleyouforanap.I’ve found many of theexpectant mothers succumbtosleepforafewhoursintheafternoon.You’llbesafe.”

Beckydidn’tobjectwhen

Huck wrapped a possessivearmaroundhershouldersandheaded for the huge trees inthedistance.

Chapter9

Hugeflyingflowersintheair caught Becky’s attention.Sensational colors floated inwildabandon,rising,soaring,dipping between massivetrees stretching toward theblue heavens. Hoveringgently spinning, some of theflowers were the size ofinflated dinghy’s they once

used in her backyard pool.Others were significantlylarger.Thearomawasecstasyand bursts of sweetnessdriftedas theflowersspuninlazyloops.

Spinning ina tightcircle,Beckycouldfeel the tugofasmile on her lips. Theimpulse was too hard toresist.Whenafloatingflowercame close, she hopped on.The petals were satin as herfingers danced over the deep

purple color. Her breathcaught as she rose upwardfast. For a second, she feltconcern when she parted thepetals and gazed over theedgeat theground farbelowuntilshecaughtmovementtoher right. Huck was close,hanginghigh ina treeupsidedown,shielded.

“Come here often?”Beckyquipped.

Therewas noway to seewhat he was thinking when

thegreycoveredhisfaceandonly black tattoos pulsed onhischeeks.Hejumpedtowardher and before he landed, hedroppedhisshield.Asitwas,the flower dippedsubstantially. Huck floppedbesideher.

“Do these flowers goanywhere?”Beckyasked.

“Dunno, don’t care. Aslong as you’re on one,whereveritgoes,Igo.”

“Are you done with me

nowthatIcarryyourson?”“Donehow?”“We’re with Cobra, I’m

expecting your baby. Youhaveeverythingyouwanted.”

“Ihaveonlybondedwithyou. Until we’re mated, Idon’t have what reallymatters.”

“I admit I care for you,”Becky said. “I’d be,well I’dbe, uh. Scared, okay. I’d bescaredifyouweren’there.”

Huck tracedher jawwith

a single finger. “I knowyou’re worried. Cobra isintense, but he’s protectingeveryoneontheplanet.”

“Why? The planet is fullofwarriors.”

“When females died,Cobra was responsible for alot of four-year-old warriors.All missed their parents, allwere vulnerable. I nevercared about him before, butlookingback I remembermystepfather saying before he

died the degree ofresponsibility wasastronomical. Cobrasequestered those childrenawayandfedthemandtaughtthemtofight.”

“Howmanychildren?”“Hundreds perhaps, more

orless.”Becky was floored. She

allowed Huck to gather herclose and rested her headagainst his chest while hestrokedherhair.

“That is a lot ofresponsibility.”

“The entire time, theTonansplottedtokillhim,hisfew remaining olderwarriorsandthechildren.”

“MyGod,that’ssick.”Becky stiffened when

Huck pulled her closer. Shecontrolled her heartbeat, notwantingthebabytosendhimfallingtotheground.

“Becky, I would neverkillachild,”Hucksaid.“My

fatherwouldhave,butIhavemore of my mother and mystepfather’s shield in me. Ihadnointerestinraidsintheearly years. As you say,battlingbabiesissick.AstheCastianwarriors grew of ageIbattled.Theywereyoung,intheir early hundreds, but awarriorcanfightattheageoftwelve,andyoubetterbelieveCobra had them warriormated to their partners inbattleassoonaspossible.”

“Warriormated?”“Castians find a warrior

mate at around the age oftwelve. Another male whowatches the other’s back fortherestoftheirlives.Tonansdon’t trust anyone, so it isn’tpossibletowarriormate.”

“You mean even if wemate, you will never trustme?”

Huck lay back, his eyesclouded with confusion. “Idon’t know. My mother

trustedmyfatherandwasliedto.Shetrustedmystepfather,Iguess.”

“If Imated you, I’d needtotrustyou.”

“I loved my mother andrespected my stepfather. Isthattrust,Becky?”

Beckylookedathim.Shesatup.“Thisistrust,Huck.”

Before Huck could say awordBecky jumpedover thesideof the flower.SheheardHuckbellow—freakout.The

air rushed across her skin asshe fell. Her eyes closed. Aswoosh of wind and Beckywascaptured intoapowerfulembrace.SheopenedhereyesandcurledinHuck’sarmsashecrashedintoamassivetreetrunk.

“Holy fuck, Becky,” hebellowed. “Your shielddoesn’tfly.”

“Whenwejoined,bondedasyoucall it,I trustedyou.Itrust you not to hurt me. I

trust you to take care of mebecause this was your idea.And I need to trust you totakecareofourchild.”

The shield coveringHuck’s face dropped, but histalons and claws remainedembedded in the tree. Beckycould see she hadn’t fallenfar. Her arm was drapedcasuallyaroundhisneck.

“I swear you can trustme,”Hucksaid.“Iswearourchild can trust me. I get it,

Becky. If you had landedwithout my help, you wouldhavebeen finewith thebabyshield, but I get it.My hearthurt at the thought of youfalling, my heart has neverhurt. Please don’t do thatagain.”

Becky smiled and tracedher fingers down the side ofhis face. “I won’t ever needto.”

“Doyouwant togobacktoourdomicile?”

“No, I like the flower.Show me I can trust you intheflower.”

“Huh?”Becky chuckled. She

leaned up to kiss him andwatched as his eyeswidenedin understanding. His shieldwas up to cover all of himand with a giant leap hejumped to a floating flower,changinglastmomenttoland,falling to his knees with herin his arms. The petals spun

crazily for a few momentsuntil Becky felt breathless.Shelayback,eyesclosedandlaughed. When the flowerwas inmotion, the fragrancewas intoxicating. When hereyesopened,thepureblueoftheskywasovershadowedbyHuck’sintensestare.Heranasoft finger fromher foreheadtoher noseover her lips anddown her chin until shecapturedhishandknowinghewouldtickleherchin.

“Willyoumatemenow?”Huckasked.

“No.Notyet.Igetit,too,Huck.Youwantamate.ButIwant you to want me.” Ideserveatleastthat.

“Thatdoesn’tmakesense.Of course I want you as amate.”

“Exactly.”“Youtalkinriddles.”“I think we’ll both know

the second you get myriddle.”

Becky could sense hisfrustration. Huck wanted amate in word only. Beckygave him everything, achance on this planet, a son.She didn’t think it was toomuch to ask to want him towant her for just her.Everything she knew wasgone. Huck promised her ahome, but didn’t realize herfather and she wandereddying Earth for years. Homewasn’t a place. Home was a

someone. Things didn’tmatter. A structure wasempty,evenfilledwithitems,it was empty. Emotion tookup so much space andthankfully, there was alwaysroom for more. Didn’t theirsondeservemore?

The sides of the petalswere high and unlesssomeone was above them,they couldn’t be seen. AquickglanceandBeckycouldsee no one. Want, eagerness

andfrustrationallshonefromHuck’s eyes.Beckyknewhelikedbeingintimatewithher.He was male after all. Shetook his hand and trailed hisfingers over her exposedbelly. The gentle tug of asmilefromherlipsbroughtagrin to his face. The crystalblue of his eyes were whatdreamsweremadeof,voidofclouds and overcastturbulence. The deep ebonyof his hair was a charcoal

diamond in the rough. Histouchwastender,sweet,untilhe turned demanding. Theirlips crashed together in aheated dance. Her breastswere bared when he grippedhershirttopullitdowntoherhips.

EverythinginBecky’slifehad changed long ago. Hermother’s death seemed to bethe tragedy to get the ballrolling. Endless destructioncame next, followed by her

father’sdeathand the lossofher planet, then friend. Nowshe was on a strange planettucked in a flower no less,with an alien who got herpregnant and claimed theyshouldmate but never spokeoftheirdesireto.

Huck broke their kiss.“You’re sad. Why? Am Ihurtingyousomehow?”

“No,” her breath was ashortwhisper.

“In a way I understand

whatyouwant.Youneedmeto want you for you. ButBecky, Cobra is right in asense. Part of me is an evilTonan.Mymother’shalfandmyshieldcontrolsomuchofmyemotions,butthereispartof me who likes to kill. Idon’t know if that partdecidesifIcanlove.Can’titbeenoughIwantyou?”

“Can’t it be enough webonded so maybe one daythere will be someone who

lovesme?”Hucklookedangry.“No.”Becky sighed; he didn’t

realize she meant him.“Nevermind.”

Her hands traced hisshoulders as his musclesbunched beneath her. Sheclungtoabicepripplingwithhis weight. His power wassafe; he didn’t love her butshe knew he wanted to.Maybe he was trying toohard. Becky wondered if he

was frustrated searching foran emotion that camewillingly, not in a wantingfashion. He could be tryingtoo hard. Trying to makeyourself love someone neverworked. Either the emotionwasthereoritwasn’t.

Becky gasped at herrevelation. Huck had neverloved a woman the way hewastryingto.Hehadtostoptryingorhewouldgiveup,hewouldfail.Shewouldhaveto

compromise.Anideaformed.“Huck?”He was frowning while

poised overtop of her. Hishands had stopped roaming;he appeared lost in thought,obviously trying to makehimselfloveher.

“Hmm?”“Give me two weeks.

After twoweeks, Iwillmateyou.”

“Twoweeks?”“Yes. In two weeks, we

can impress the hell out ofCobra; I can feel morecomfortableknowingthiswillbe my home and I have ababyontheway.Nopressureofmating,becauseyouknowwewill.”

Huck was grinning.“Really?Twoweeksandyoupromisetomateme?”

“Yes.”Huck gripped her to him

until she squealed at thepressure. “Huck, your son

may send you flying if youtryandbreakme.”

His tight grasp loosenedandhehuggedher.“I’llhaveamate. I’ll have a son and ahome.”

Relief oozed from himand Becky’s sensationsswarmed as he released hissecretions of happiness intoher. There was no love, butoverwhelming satisfactionandexcitementwouldhavetodo.Fornow.

****Huck’s excitement

bubbled in his veins as hepulled Becky closer. Shewould mate him. Cobrawouldseehewastrustworthyenough to keep on as awarrior,andhissonwouldbeaccepted.Yes,partofhisson—a very miniscule partwould belong to Huck’s biofather, but with Huck’s andCobra’shelp,hewouldneverbecastout.Hissonwouldbe

trustworthy and honorable.He wouldn’t struggle likeHuckdidfor thoseemotions;theywouldcomenaturallytohisson.

Becky was gazing up athim. She lay motionlessbeneath him. A slight quiverwashed over him as hepressed more of his weightagainsther.Dippinghisheadhe nuzzled his nose into hersoft neck. Her smooth skinwas warm, awash with the

sun’s rays, bathed in thesweetest scent. Therewas anemotion he searched for,something elusive. Want,need, sadness? Resolve. Shewas resolved. For amoment,hewasworried.Sheresolvedto mate him, as though shehadno choice.Huckwas theonly one she knew on thisplanet. He was aware Cobrascaredher.Huckwassafe.Hewassafe.

She’s mine, and she will

besafe.Once mated, she would

see how caring he could be.Even after he killed theenemy,hewouldcomehometoher and shewould feel nofear.Therewasno fearnow.Tenderly,hecuppedherchinand made a trail of kissesacrossherthroattohercheek,to her lips. Her breath wassweetwhenshewhisperedhisname.

He wondered why she

would call to him quietlywhen he was already there.Nofemaleevercalledtohimwhenhavingsex…nonotsex,theyjoined.Theybecameonewith one another. There wasnever another female hemeant to spendeternitywith.She whispered his nameagainand itwas ingrained inhis shield; wherever she washewouldbeabletohearher.They were closer to matingeach time they joined; each

time his memories foundmore information neededwithamate.

He lowered his hand toglidehisfingertipsacrossherbreast. Her back arched in aslight gesture, a welcome tohis touch. The pad of histhumb skimmed her nippleuntil it hardened and hewonderedwhy it did.Was ithim or would any touch do?The idea made him narrowhiseyes.

Whenhegazedather,shesucked in her breath. Helowereduntilhis lipspressedagainst the taught nipple.Hewassoclosewhenhisbreathspilled from his lungs todance across her flesh itwaswashed back toward hischeeks. His breath and onlyhis should glide over her. Anagging from his shield toldhim possession wasn’t love.Huck knew that, because heknew what possession was.

Possession in Huck’s worldcould mean life or death ifownership of a human wasinvolved. He didn’t ownBecky. It was love that wastheelusiveelement.

The tip of his tongueflicked her bud hardening itfurther.Withcare,hesuckledher into his mouth and drewher deep. Becky’s fingerswereinhishairgraspinghimcloser. Her body trembled,buteverysecretionhisshield

searched for and found waswant.Thehot sunbeatdownonhis back absorbingwithintofuelhispower.Everyinchof him was charged withdesire.Hereleasedhernippletodraghislipsdownherribstohertautbelly.Helavedherhips,bitingeachside,makingheryelpthensettle.

Lower,hetraileduntilhisbreath heaved through hislungs. For a moment, hethreaded his fingers through

her mound’s dark hairs.Rumors told him once afemale entered the healingwaters she would be void ofhair everywhere except herhead, eyebrows and lashes.Huck wondered what wasgoingtofeelbetter.Exceptheknewhedidn’twantanythinghidingherlushfolds.

Again she gasped hisname when he tugged herlower lips with his teeth, histongue searched for entry.

Huckpushedher legsupandhigher. He held tight whileshewrithed.Herwarmthandsweet taste filled every inchofhim.Shehadhisbabewhohad a part of his shield, nowall she needed was him.There would be no moredesire to protect her whilethey joined, he’d alreadydone that. They could joinbecausetheywantedto.Theyhadbonded.Theonly reasonhe wanted to bury into her

was because she felt sodamnedgood.

Therewasonlysofarhistongue could delve, but hewanted higher. Her gaspingpleasdrovehimwildwantingto plunge inside where he’dmade herwet.Huck crawledback up her trembling bodyand found his mark. With asingle thrust he was burieddeep,asdeepashecouldgo.Her breath caught, her eyeswere wide as her insides

closedoverhim.A small bead of sweat

dripped to trail a leisurewaydown her temple and Huckcaught the moisture with thetip of his finger.Hewatchedastheliquidabsorbedintohisflesh. His body shudderedwhen her need invaded him.Huck pulled out and thrustforward clapping his hips toher in a hard bang makingbirdstwitterandfly.

The power in his

hammering thrusts wastemperedonlyslightlybyhisshield.Beckywantedrelease,andHuckknewhecouldgiveittoherifshetrustedhim.Hewas reminded she did. Sheneverwouldhaveriskedtheirchild; he knew that as muchas she knew he would comeafterher.

Littleminx.Becky had no doubt he

would jump after her. Shewas right and in that instant,

Huck sensed the emotion oftrust, real trust. Becky gavehim that. He could trust,because she showed him theemotion.

If she can love me, shecanshowmehowtolove.

The revelation flooredhim.Shemust lovehim.Buthow?Huckhad no idea howto make her love him. Canyoumakesomeoneloveyou?His shield was telling him itwas possible through action,

action was more trustworthythanwords.Huck grinned ashe dragged her closer. Shetaught him how to trust, shegave him the blueprints forlove.

Her small arms wrappedaroundhisbackasbestasshecould to hang on. He knewshe was feeling emotions ashe wrapped his head aroundsomany ideas at once.Huckgripped a hand into her hairand held her still. His hips

rose and fell until she wasweeping his name. Herexhaustion rolled over herwitheachorgasm.

Theirbodysecretionstoldhim her story of fulfilment.She lay immobile, notwanting tobeanywhereelse;he knew that. Slick wetwarmth saturated his cockandhewantedtoabsorballofher.

AslightbumpmadeHucktense and he lookedover the

side of the flower bed. Theywereontheground.Hucklayhisheadagainstthepetalsfora brief moment beforegathering Becky into hisarms. Shielded he jumpedfromtheflowertothegroundandracedtotheirnewhome.He was disappointed hecouldn’t shield her, butvowed one day he would.Therewasabathwithhealingwatersintheirplacetowash.He wanted to feel how

smoothshewouldbe.

Chapter10

Beckygazedathernakedform in a mirror. Shescowled. With her headcocked to thesideshe turnedleftthenright.ThebathHuckhad taken her in swirledaround hermaking her dizzyuntil it settled. When Huckslipped his fingers over hermound she tensed. Without

thought she dipped her handandfeltfinesmoothnessgreethertouch.

Standing and staring ather mound void of hair, shewasn’t sure what to think.Huck had no coarse hairsanywhereonhisbody.Beckyneveroncethoughtitodd.Tosee herself naked with nobody hair, she was feelingmore exposed. Nothing washidden.Finally,sheshrugged.

“Theultimatealienwax,”

she muttered. Huckmentioned the hair wouldnevergrowback.

On the bed was her tinypile of clothes. A shirt andshorts.Thematerialwas fineas she slipped her tube topover her head. The shortswere body hugging butflexible, grey. Her ass waswelldefinedandsheplacedahand over her tummywondering when she wouldshow. She smiled imagining

shecaressedherbaby’ssmallrump.

Huckwas with Cobra. Asentryofeightwarriorscameto collect him. Becky hadfrowned,notwantingHucktoleave but was assured hewouldn’t be injured. Withenough warriors to subduehimifnecessary,therewouldbe no need to battle. Hucktook her hands and told hernomatterwhat shewassafe;Cobra would never hurt her

orachildonce their sonwasborn. A warrior who calledhimself Jago assured herHuck would be back. Hisstatement was backed up byanother warrior namedRaiden.

The inside of their homewas airy, neither small norbigbutshewasbored.She’dwanted to gowithHuck, butwasn’t allowed. A knock onher door and Becky flew toopen it. Cobra’s mate, Leah

was there with anotherwoman.

“Becky, this is Jinx. Shestopped by for a briefmoment.”

Becky smiled at thebeautifulwoman.“I’mhappytomeetyou.”

The women entered thehomeandremainedstanding.

“We can’t stay,” Leahsaid. “But I thought youmight like tomeet Jinx for areason.”

“Iwouldhavecomewithmy sister orMacey but bothhave their hands full.” Jinxgroaned. “Little monkey hasgoneagain.”

“What?” Becky askedwhenLeahlaughed.

“I’msorry,Becky,butmyson, Ryker, and the son of aZargonnii warrior seem tohave developed a friendship.Zell is Titus’s son; Titus isleader of the southernZargonnii. His mate Zabbie

andIhavegivenbirth to twovery headstrong malechildren who disappear atwill.”

“They what? Holy heck,do all Castian babies dothat?”Beckywas certain herheartskippedabeat.

“No.Luckyme,Iseemtohavetheonlyone,”Jinxsaid.“I’m afraid I have to go.Zabbiewillbeshowinguptobring him back soon. Mymate,Roam,willbefrantic.I

wantedto tellyoumylifeonEarthwashard.Likeyou,mydad died. I hope you don’tmindLeahtoldme.Mysisterwas taken by a Castianwarrior the night dad waskilledbyaTonanwarrior.”

“I see,” Becky wasn’tcertainshewantedtoheartherestofthisconversation.

“No,youdon’tsee,yet.”Jinx’s tone was kind and

from the way she looked ather, Becky knew she

expected tobe told theworstand prepared herself whenHuckneverreturned.

“Becky,”Jinxsaid.“Iwasfound by a Tonan warriorwhokepthisidentityfrommeanda fewothers foryears. Itwasn’t to be cruel but kind.Taz is a Tonan warrior whowarrior-mated my mate. TazisoneofthemostlovingmenI’ve ever had the honor tomeet. One day I’m sure TazandMaceywillsityoudown

andtellyoutheirstory.It’sabeautiful tale and worthlistening to. It’s hard, matedto a Tonan, but you’re notalone.”

“Cobra says Huck is theonly half breed here.By thathe means both types ofTonan,”Beckysaid.

“Cobrawillsortthisout,”Leah said, but from her toneit was plain to see she wasuncertain, and Huck wasright, it was a good thing

humans didn’t grow tailswhentheylied.

Jinx reached to squeezeBecky’s hand. “Taz told meit’s extremely rare for aTonan to give a piece of hisshield to a child and almostunheardof foroneofhalfofHuck’skindtowanthischildsafe.You’vewonmostofthebattle. I better go. I can feelRoam’s annoyance, whichmeansI’mguessing there’sababy Zargonnii in ourmidst.

This is going to prove to bevery interesting.Heavenhelpuswhenthosetwolittlemalesarefullgrown.”

Becky closed the doorquietly behind the womenwhentheyleft.Cobrahadhishands full. She hoped hemadetimeforHuck.

****Huckwasledintoaquiet

room. Cobra was alone andmotioned everyone butHuckto leave. The tension was

thick.“The Zagonnii have

decided a Tonan vesselroaming is one vessel toomany. I agree. I have littletime for you and your mate.All I want from you areanswers.Nomatterwhatyouanswer you may return toyourbondmateuntilIdecidewhattodowithyou.Iexpectthetruth.”

“Ofcourse.”“Do you know the ship

hovering?”“Yes, it’s my old

captain.”Simpleyesornoanswers.

HuckknewCobradidthisfora reason. A Tonan couldstretch the truth without histail growing. Cobra wantednoneofthat.

“Doyouplanonrejoiningyourcaptain?”

“No.”“Until you mate, I won’t

accept you or any pledge of

allegiance.Ifthewarweretoshift, youwould gowith thesideyouconsideredtobethewinner.”

Huck swallowed hard.Cobra was right. All he hadwasBeckyandhis son; theirsafety was all that mattered.The idea was enlightening;CobraknewHuckbetterthanheknewhimself.

“I want what’s best formy…”

“Youwantwhat’sbestfor

you,”Cobra thundered.“Youwere raised by bastards whohave no loyalty to anything.A human female tempers aTonan through her emotion.The type of Tonan I haveallowedcanfeelthatemotion.Youcannever.”

Huckwasdistressed.“Butmy shield is from mystepfather.”

“I can’t take the risk ofyou turning traitor with somanylivesatrisk.”

“Becky has agreed tomatemeintime.”

“In time? Was it you oryour secretions coercingher?”

“That’snotfair.TellmeaCastian has never aided intaming a female with theirability.Beckytrustsme.”

“You risk endangeringyourbondmateandyoursonwhen you can’t decide on aside. The winning side isn’tenough. You can’t commit,

it’s no wonder she won’tmateyou.”

A feeling in Huckenveloped him, devastation.Cobra would give Becky toanother. When she jumpedfrom the flower, his hearthurt, this was far worse. AllHuckwantedwasahomeandto belong. Now he didn’tbelong anywhere. But Beckyand his son could belong, ifhe left them. He had beenright; his type of Tonan

couldn’t handle too manyemotions. Part of him wasgeared only to hate and kill,nothing more. The ability tobecomeamachineofloathingwas no longer in his grasp.Bonding had given him toomany of Becky’s emotions.Emotions stressing what wasbest for his bond mate andchild. His movements stiff,Huckturned.

“I will tell Becky I’mleaving.Iwon’tgotomyold

captain,though.Yoursisstillthewinningside,butifIlosemy son and Becky, I’vealreadylost.”

Cobra gripped his armandspunhimaround.Facetofacethewarriorsstood.Cobragazed back behind Huck;there was no lying tail, nodeceit. Cobra gave a slightsmile.

“Unconditional sacrificeis impossible for an evilTonan,” Cobra said. “Your

bond mate must be veryspecial.”

“Sheis.”“Tell her I’m still

thinking on what action totake. For now, go to her. Ihave more pressing issues Ineed to take care of. Onelone,semi-volatileTonancanwait.”

There was still hope.Cobra had been testing him,to see his reaction. Yes, hewantedhisbondmatesafeby

any means, even if it meantleaving her. Cobra was agreat leader. A leader whomade a warrior think. As heleft, Huck found there werethings he never knew abouthimself.

Imaginethat.The shield was being

cocky, but Huck could onlygrin. The eightwarriorswhooriginally escorted himfollowedonlyuntiltheywereclearofthemainhive.Becky

was waiting, her worriedexpression split into a fullsmile. She walked into hisarms,andHuckheldher.Herskin was warm, she smelledsweet. Her emotions wereeverywhere and too many tocenter on just one. Huck letallofthemin.

“Well, what did Cobrasay?”sheasked.

“We have time. Time tospend together, to get toknow each other without all

thehassle.TheTonanswon’thover for long. I’m guessingmy leavinghas rattleda few.Mybeinghalfevilhasplacedaconundrumonthesituation.If a volatile Tonan can mateand belong, maybe otherscan. I don’t think it’s thatsimple.Ithinkmyhavingmystepfather’s shieldmakes thedifference.I’munique.”

Becky snorted. “I couldhavetoldyouthat.”

“When I first set out to

find a mate, everything wasaboutme.Me belonging,mebeingcaredabout.It’snotsosimple anymore. Bondingwas more than I thought itwouldbe.WhenItouchyouIsensemychild,partofme isalreadywithinyou.”

Becky stared past him.“It’sgettingdarkoutside.”

Huck frowned. “Castianscontrol the weather here. Itshouldn’tgetdark.”

“Do children see in the

dark?”Beckyasked.“I could, but I’m a full-

blooded Tonan.Why do youask?”

“When I was a child, Ineededittobedarkoutsidetogettosleep.”

Huck thought about that.So had he. He had forgottenabout that. The hive wasfilledwith children and fromthe warriors’ talk somewerefull-blooded human children.Cobra literally dimmed the

planetlightsforbedtime.Theideawas—cute.

“Come on,” Becky saidandtookhishand.

She led him outside andpointed up toward the sky.“Twinkle, twinkle little star,”shesang.

“Whatareyoudoing?”“A song all children are

taught. We have adored theskies for a very long time.Singwithme.”

“Idon’tknowthesong.”

“I’llteachittoyou.”Becky began to sing

again. As Huck listened toher, he realized mating ahuman would open up somuch to his son. The songwasshortandHuckwassoonsinging along with her. Thelyrics made him smile. Heknew what a star was. Adiamondwasameremineral,but the words wereappropriate. When Beckystood gazing quietly Huck

turned her to press her faceagainsthischest.

“You’re the little star,Becky, the twinklingdiamond.Insomeways,Istilldon’tknowwhatyouare.Butyour emotion burns brightenoughtoaffectme.”

“Huck,that’sthesweetestthing any man has ever saidtome.”

“I’mawarrior.”“I can’t see in the dark,

warrior.Isanyonearound?”

“No. The hive has beentucked in. I can’t see theTonanvesseloverheadorfeelany threat. My shield hasbeenmonitoringeverything.”

“It’ssobeautifulouthere.It’s been so long since I sawstars in the sky that weren’tsurrounded by meteors, orblocked by volcanic ash.They look like the stars Iwould see on Earth. Beforeeverythingwenttohell.”

The wistfulness in her

tonebotheredHuck.“Areyousadtobehere?”

“No. The past is gone.This isourpresent.Thestarsare presents. The little oneinside of me is a gift. Morethan aweek ago, Iwanderedonto a shuttle and atechocolatefor thefirst timeinyears.Ifyouhadn’ttakenmehostage, I’d be trapped onthat godforsaken planet andnotmyself.Theotherswouldhave no peace. The idea is

scaryashell.”Huck realized she was

right.He had saved her. Theidea of his bond matesuffering for eternity madehisheartflip.

“Isthatwhyyouagreedtobondmate?”Huckasked.

“I was alone. But nottrapped.Whenyougavemeachoice I knew I wanted tochooseyou.Youarelife.Youhavebeenallalong.”

Becky cupped his jaw.

Huckdippedhisheadtomeetherlipsinasoftkiss.Aslightbreeze ruffled his hair; thescentofrainwasintheair.Atilt of his head and he couldhearthefoliagedancenottoofar from them. The Castianscontrolled where and whenand how much rain wouldfall. The deluge was oftenrough.

“It’sgoingtopoursoon,”hewarnedher.

Shesmiled.“Really?Real

rain? Not grey rain orpollutedrainoracidrain?”

“Realrain.”Becky gripped his neck

andpulledhimlowertoclaimhis lips as the first spattersfell.

****The relief Becky had felt

when Huck came into viewwas twice as sweet with nowarriors following him.Waiting for Cobra’s decisiondrovehercrazy.Nowherehe

was. It would seem morewaiting was in store, but itdidn’tmatter.WhereverHuckwent shewould go. IfCobrawouldn’t accept Huck, therewasnohopeforanychildshecarried.Her fathermeant theworld to her; there was noway she would take anopportunity away from him,or Huck. For a half-evilTonan, there was integritywithin the warrior. Losinghim would be Cobra’s loss,

nothers.Huck gripped her to him

and dragged her toward aflower struggling with therain saturating everything.Huck flipped the floweroverand tugged it half under abushwhereitstuck,toshieldthem. She fell to her kneestugging him down andwrappedherhandaround thebackofhisneckdrawinghimcloseforakiss.Hisbodywasslipperyandcool.

Becky wasn’t certain hewould come back. Now thathehad,sherealizedtherewasso much more to what theyhad or could have. Huckslipped her shirt off over herheadandmassagedherbaredbreasts. Becky kissed hisshoulders, his rock hardchest, going lower. Sinceconceiving, he no longergrew huge; he no longerneededtocreateapieceofhisshield. The idea made her

wonder.“Huck?”“Hmm?”“Thebaby shieldprotects

me and your son. When hereaches a certain age, theshieldwillonlyprotecthim?”

“Yes.”“Why doesn’t a warrior

simply give a female part ofhisshield?”

“Wegiveafemaleababyshield, but it wears off. Wegrowtoobiginmust.Evenif

Ibityou,yourmouth,thoughnoisy at times, wouldn’taccommodatemysize.”

Beckypunchedhim.“I’mnotnoisy.”

“You were headedsomewherebeforeyourudelyinterruptedyourself.”

Huckflippedherontoherback and straddled hershoulders. With her handspinned he guided his hardcock into her mouth. Beckyfigured he had a point. He

was big enough withoutexpanding.Shethoughtitwasashameithadtobethisway.Femalesweresovulnerable.

“I can feel youremotions.”Huckgroanedandrocked in a careful way. “Afemale can be shielded up totheageof twenty-onebyanyTonanorCastianandhealed.It makes them receptive tomating.Icanshieldyouwhenwe mate. Females shouldalways be ours to protect,

littleasskicker.”Beckydidn’tthinkso,but

the satin feel of him ridinghermouthwastoopleasanttoargue.He released her handsandshegrippedhim,workinghis hardness until he wasmoving too fast for her tocatch her breath. The secondher worry intensified hepulledfromher,movedlowerandimpaledher.

“You have the power tosendmeflying,”Hucksaid.

“I did before,” shedrawledasshegasped.

Huck flipped them overandBeckylaypressedagainsthim. He thumped into her,and she writhed; her facetilted until her neck arched.She caught a glimpse of herlonghairbehind,touchinghisthighs. As she came, shescreeched when the flowerabove gave way and waterdrenched her, saturating herin less than a second. Becky

gasped, mouth wide whileHuckgrinnedupather.

“You knew that wasgoing to happen,” Beckysquealed.

“Well duh. I’m evilremember?”

Beckypunchedhimintheguts. Huck laughed. He hadthem both off the groundwhile shielded and he racedfor their home. At leastBecky hoped with all herheartitwouldbetheirs.

****Becky stood holding the

Zargonnii baby. He washeavy for his age and huge.Beautiful green eyes shonebrightly at her and a warmglow bathed her face. Hismother, Zabbie was smilingat her. The boy wasincredible to look at. Halfhuman, half Zargonnii withthick flowing ebony hair tohis waist and four horizontallines of white fur across his

arms. He would be apowerhouseoneday.

Ataslightmovement,herone hand pressed against herbelly.Shecouldenvisionherson with his hands splayedagainsttheinsideofherbellypeeking out her belly button.Zell, the Zargonnii babylaughed, and she wassurprisedtoseeamouthfulofhumanteeth.

“I bet those madebreastfeeding interesting,”

Beckysaid.Zellsuddenlydisappeared

and Becky gasped and spuninatightcircle.Zabbierolledhereyes.

“NodoubthewenttofindRyker. I swear those two areattached at the hip,” Zabbiesaid.

“Theyare,”cameacall.Jinxstrodein,Zellonone

hip. Ryker on the other.Zabbie sighed and took herson. “Where were you?”

ZabbieaskedJinx.“Leah wanted to talk to

Cobra. Five kids can bewearingat times.Sheneededa break. She said she’d beherelater.”

“Cobra is meeting withHuck.Their lastmeetingwasquick,”Beckysaid.

ZabbieplacedZellonthegroundwhowas soon joinedby Ryker. Becky watchedboth children as toys theirmothers brought floated

between them. The two littlemales were oddly silent, butBecky could see their eyesmeet, theirheadsnod.Beckywent to replicate tea and allthreewomensattalking.

“Taz said he met Huck,”Jinxsaid.

“Iknow,”Beckysaid.Zabbie looked

uncomfortable. “Can I ask aquestion that is none of mybusiness?”

“YouwanttoknowwhyI

haven’tmatedHuck,” Beckysaid and at a small nod fromZabbie and Jinx, Beckyexplained.“ItoldHuckIwillmate him.Hewants tomakecertainhe’saccepted.”

“But if he mates you, hewould be accepted,” Jinxsaid.

“He’s afraid if he matesmeandiskickedout,hissonand I would be forced totravel the galaxy with himalone. If he goes, I’m going

with him. If Cobra can’taccept Huck, I would beafraid all my life my sonwouldbekickedout,too.”

“Oh no.You need to tellCobra,”Zabbiesaid.

“IthinkmaybeCobrawasthe one who gave him theidea; I mean about Huckgiving us up.But because ofCobra, all three of us mayhave to leave. I’m sorry if Isound harsh, but I’mworried,” Becky said and

couldn’tkeep theanger fromher tone. “I’m so tired ofspace shuttles and living infear.I’velostsomuch,sohasHuck.”

“Uhoh,”Jinxsaid.“What?”Beckyasked.“If you’re pissed with

Cobra he might sense it onHuck.”

“I thinkHuckknows I’mangry.Ican’thelpit.”

A toy went crashing intoBecky’s cup spilling her tea.

Alleyeswenttothetwoboysstaring at her. Zell wasscowling, he took Ryker’shand. All three womenwatched as the boysapproached Becky. Beckyhadamoment’sconcern.

“IftheycantellI’mangrywith Cobra, what will myshielddoifthey’repissed?”

“Neither would ever hurtyou,” Jinx said. She went tostandinfrontoftheboys.

“My belly feels weird,”

Becky said. “They wouldn’thurt my baby because he’sTonanwouldthey?”

“I don’t think so,” Jinxdropped to the ground to puther hand on her sonsshoulder. “Ryker adoresTaz,sodoesourdaughter.HeandRoam are warrior mates,though.”

Zabbie went to Zell. Sheranherfingersdownhisarm.Zell lifted his hand to placeon Becky’s tummy then

lookedup,sodidRyker.“Jinx?” Zabbie said.

“Tonanscansenseeachotherright?”

“I think Taz mentionedtheycould.”

Zabbie gazed at Becky.“Zellcansenseyourlittleonewhoisrelayingamessage.”

“What?” Becky wasstunned.

“WeneedtofindCobra,”Zabbie said. “Something isgoingon,somethingtheboys

arefeeling.”“DoyouthinktheTonans

areback?”Jinxsaid.“Maybe,”Zabbiesaid.As the women left with

their sons, Becky placed ahand to her belly. Her sonwasn’t evil, but he wasconnected to evil like hisfather.Aboonoracurse,shehadnoidea.

Chapter11

The Zargonnii was huge.Huck was told Cobra wouldsee him soon; in themeantime, a few vesselshovered overhead with thearrival of allies. Titus, leaderof the southern Zargonnii,was one of the allies.Numerous Zargonnii andCastians came and went in

the meeting hall Huck hadbeen taken to. He wasinformed Titus’s son, Zell,and his mate, Zabbie hadgonetovisitBeckywithJinx,Roam’smateandtheirson.

Huck knew why, just incase Cobra had him killed,Beckywouldestablishfriendsand her transition would besmoother. The thought irkedhim.Becky ismine.Noothercouldhaveher.Theideawasinfuriating.Mate,don’tmate.

He wanted her and his sonsafe. Alone in a shuttlewasn’t safe. Everythingdependedonthismeeting.

“What the hell is takingCobra so long?” Huckgrouched.

“His mate needed to seehim,”Titussaid.

Huckwantedtogrowl,hehatedtheZargonniilanguage.Theysoundlikemonkey-dogs.Huckliftedhishandtocoverhis mouth as he chuckled

with his shield’s indignation.Furrybitches.Huck coughedoverhislaugh.Hisshieldwasin a mood. White gorillawolves. Huck groaned,knowing it was his shield’sattempt to keep his mindoccupied.

“Youwigglelikeachild,”Titussaidonagrowl.

You smell like a child’sbutt.

Huck cleared his throat.“I’manxious.”

“Iwouldbe,too,ifIwereyou,”Titussaid.“AnyenemyofCobra’sisanenemytomeandmywarriors.”

“If I were looking tomake enemies, Iwouldn’t behere.”

“Whyareyouhere?”Huck was about to snarl

athimwhenherealizedifhewasaccepted,hewouldhavetodosomeaccepting,too.

“I started out wanting tobeonthewinningteam.Now

Iwantmysonandbondmateto be happy and safe. That’sallIwant.”

Titus looked surprisedand then smiled. “You speakthe truth, well done. I thinkyoujustwonthreequartersofyourbattle.”

“It’sthelasthomestretchthatconcernsme.”

Titussmackedhimontheback. “Since my son andyours are no doubt bonding,Cobramayhavenochoice.”

“What the heck does thatmean? I hear your son ispowerful but how strong canababybe?”

Titus laughed.“Youhavenoidea.”

****The room was quiet,

darkened. Cobra was sittingalone,itwasapparenthewasindeepthought.

“Where’sHuck?”Cobra looked up startled

when Leah asked her

question.“I’ve been thinking,”

Cobra replied. “I knowwhathesayshebelieves,buthe’sahalf breed Tonan. I’ve spenttime talking to Taz and I’msorry, Leah but Taz’shesitance at accepting Huckmakesmydecisionthatmuchharder. Taz’s mentor Krishwas pure evil. Taz has toldmewhatKrishwaslike.”

“Huck isn’t pure evil. Ifhewas,heneverwouldhave

givenhisbabyapieceofhisshield.”

“You have no idea howdangerous letting in a vipercould be to us all. He couldbeheretoinfiltrateourranks.His female won’t mate him,whichspeaksvolumes.Ihavesent word to Rask, my sonwillsendDosshere.Maybeahalf-Castian half-TonanhybridlikeDosscanhelpmemake heads or tails of thissituation.”

“Maybe Becky wants toget to know Huck first. Notall female humans drophelplessly into an alien’sarms prior to popular belief.And you and I have had ourhardknocks.”

Cobra grimaced. “I loveyou,Leah.ButIamleader.Ihave so manyresponsibilities.”

Leahbecameangry.“Cobra, you spent so

much time being a father to

all your warriors; it’s timeyou were a father to yourchildren. Your warriors aregrown men. They need aleader not a daddy.But yourchildren need a father. Betheir father. I’ve beenunderstanding, I’vebeenhurtand angry, and yet I knowwhy you do the things thatyou do. I love you for whoyou are. Your character hasno limits. But I do. It’s timeforus,yourfamily.”

“A Tonan warrior in ourmidstisdangerous.”

“Our life is dangerous.How do you know havingHuck here couldn’t be theedgeyouneed?Whatifwhathe says is true, andyounowhave insight into the way anevilTonanthinkswithouttheevil involved.All I’maskingisyougivehimthebenefitofthedoubt.Andwhileyoudo,make sure you do it as aleader, not daddy to your

warriors. Who are, by theway,daddiesthemselves.”

Cobra exhaled loudly.“I’ll talk to Huck and makecertain a sentry is near untilwe can be sure of hisintentions. In the meantime,stayawayfromhim.”

Leah wrapped her armsaround him. “I have a babyshield.Your son is hungry, Ican tell. I can also tell youthere are three little girls athome who would like to

spend some time with you.Your oldest son and warriormate would like some one-on-onetrainingwithyou.”

Cobrapulledherclose.Aknock on the door soundedandHuckwasfollowedinbyeightwarriors.Leahsmiledatthe huge warrior. He was ahandsome one for sure. Shewas about to welcome him,whenadarkholeopenedandsurrounded her and Cobra.Leah screamed as the

warriorsracedtowardherandCobra. Everything wentblack…

“Where the fuck arethey?”Awarriorbellowed.

Alarms were blaring. Ashiver went through Huck, aconnectionwasestablished.

“Your planet is underattack,”Hucksaid.

“You bastard, you wereinvolved the entire time.” AwarriorturnedonHuck.

Before Huck could

respond, a massive alienappeared, the likes of whichhe’d never seen. A massivewingedcreaturewithobviousrelation to the Gorgano.Racing to a window Huckpeered out. The planet wasunder attack. Castians,Tonans, Gorgano, ZargonniiandAnganowerebattlingfortheir lives. A fierce painpierced his heart. Becky andhissonwereingravedanger.Heknewit.Huckwason the

move.

Chapter12

Thetimepassedandtherewas only so much Beckycould lookat inside.Past thestrange window, she couldsee a herd of horses.A hugeblack stallion reared, Caveatshe’d learned was his name,and the horses were on themove. Becky frownedwonderingwhatscared them.

The massive stallion lookedpissed. The head maregathered the others and dustflew in their wake. Beckyscrambled to the door.Strange noises were comingfromoverhead.

She cracked the dooropen and stepped outside. Adark mass hovered overheadandBeckysawthespaceshipa hundred feet above. It wasgliding over the terrain. Infact, everywhere she looked

massiveships flew.Shespuninatightcircleasshestudiedthe closest. It wasn’t Tonanor Castian. She wondered ifmaybe this was Titus’svessel, a Zargonnii mothership. A slight sound stoppedher in her tracks and sheturnedwithslowdeliberation.She knew instinctively herbabyshieldwasup.

The creaturewas tall, tenfeet or more, and winged.Longlegsandarmsweresee-

through,appearingpaperthin,green blood ran throughveins. Becky could see itsinternal organsworking. Themouth hung open; blacknesswas beyond the lipless andemptyvoid.

Humanfemale.Beckyheardthewordsin

English in her mind. Thecreature moved in a ganglyfashion taking a step towardher then retreating as thoughgivenapush.

Forcefield.Interesting.Furious, Becky moved

forward in a fastmotion, thecreature made a half screamwithin her mind and wastossed back onto its ass. Thebabyshieldwasinfullforce.Whateverthiscreaturewas,itwas dangerous. An odd cryfromwithinmadehercringe.Thesoundcameagain,louderand an immense feeling ofhomesickness engulfed her.Sherealizedherlittlewarrior

wascallingforhisdaddy.“Oh, poor baby, don’t be

scared;mommy’shere.”The creature rose and

advancedtryingtogainentryinto her thoughts. Beckyplaced a hand at her temple.Sheneededtofightthisthingwith her mind. Rageoverwhelmed her when sherealized her baby wassobbing. Cries reached herears, coming from the mainhive. The planet was under

attack. Warriors beganspilling out into the openmakingherbreathcatch.Themenacebeforeherwastryingto gain entry into herthoughts. Becky had otherideas. The baby shieldwouldn’t let the thing closeenough for her to battle. Itbegan to crawl toward her.Rising higher, she slowlybackedup.

Each time the creaturetried to invade the shield

sharp sparks flew, and thebeing wrenched and writhedbut continued on. Castianwarriorsbattledbacktoback.A Zargonnii split another ofthe gangly beings not far toher right. Warriors werethrown to crash together.Beckywastheonlyfemaleinsight.Shewasafraid,andshewas furious.Did she and herson mean so little to thesewarriors?Only one cared forher.Therewasonesheloved,

loved enough to call home.Her thoughts centered ontohim.

Huckwhereareyou?A whoosh of fast wind

and Becky tumbled to theground.Huckwashighintheair; his arm sliced down andslashed five razor talons intothe creature. The heavewithin her breast wasprofound,andsheknewtheirchild was relieved to see hisfather.

“DieAngano.”Huckwasripping the being to pieces.Green blood saturated theground.

Sitting on the ground,Becky watched in horror asthe sky came to life asmoreof the aliens were fightingwith warriors. Becky couldsee other Tonan warriors,many fighting with theCastians—some were not.Huck cut the being’s headfrom its neck, and a green

stickysubstancecoveredhim.“Huck,” Becky screamed

when three Tonan warriorsapproached her. All threewarriors were sent spiralingbefore they came within afootofher.

The warriors sprang up,onegrowledshewascarryingand they needed a portal tocatch her. She was the onethey needed. Becky knewthey wanted her because ofHuck. Apparently, so did

Huck.Hewasawhirlwindofaction. A battle cry and twoof the three Tonans weresmashed back to the groundwhenHuckattacked.

Two Castian warriorswere suddenly beside Huck.The three faced off untilBecky jumped up and ran toHuck.

“Leave him alone,” shescreamed.

Whowastheenemy?DidHuck have to fight both

sides? Why, what hadhappened?

“Becky, staybehindme,”Huckyelled.

“Butwecame to join theCastians; why would theywant to fight you?” Beckyyelled.

“Cobraandhismatehavebeen kidnapped,” a warriorshouted. “Your Tonan hassomethingtodowithit.”

“No,” Becky yelled.“Huck would never put his

sonindanger.”“Does your son look like

he’s in danger?” the warriorbellowedback.

Everywhere she lookedwas anarchy. More massivewhite furred beasts appearedon the ground and Beckyknew they were Zargonniiwarriors, the resemblance toZell unmistakable in one.Huck bellowed, soundingfrustrated. He was a warriorwho wanted to fight, but

Becky could see he didn’tknow what to do. He didn’twanttobattletheCastians;hedidn’t want to war with theZargonnii.Beckywasfuriouswith Cobra. If he’d justacceptedHuck, thiswouldn’tbehappening.

DamnCobratohell.A dark hole opened and

Becky howled as she wassucked inside along withHuck. She heard the bellowsof traitor coming from the

Castians. They were furiouswithHuck.Theywerecertainhe was evil. Becky knew hewasn’t. They bonded, sheknewhim.Huckwouldneverallow his son to be raisedwith Tonan warriors whowerepureevil.Onceherbabyshield fell, they would killher, and Becky knew Huckwould never allow that tohappen.

Becky fell as her feet hitthehardcoldfloor.Shesatin

a heap alone. Huck wasn’twith her. She was in a darkroomsurroundedbybars.Youknowwhenyou’reaprisoner.She jumped up and grippedthe steel-like substanceshaking it; the metal of thecold cage didn’t budge.Enough light from a farcorner told her she was in ahuge hanger alone. Sheslumped to the ground andwrappedherarmsaroundherlegs. The baby shield would

keepheraliveforfourtofiveyears.TheTonanswerecruelenough to let her rot. Oncethe baby shield was gone,they would kill her. Her sonwouldn’tbeabletofightoffahundredifnotthousand-year-oldwarriors.

“Huck?”Herwhisperwasdesolate

to her ears. Her tummyquivered and she sensed thebaby and his fear. By nowtheycouldbeanywhereinthe

universe. If they returnedherto Earth, she would die. Animageofher fathercaught inthe mudslide invaded herthoughts. They had beenseparated by a flood for twodays. Each day they’d calledto one another, they walkedthe banks on the oppositesides laughing and tellingstories. Until the last day,whenthemudslammeddownfrom the hillside taking herfatherwithit.

In her thoughts, she sawher dad as themuck claimedhis ankles then calves. Hesmiled at her as he died,calling to her she would befine.Themudrosetohishipsas he floundered, and all shecould do was scream andpaceandwatch—andscream.Helplessness, the likes sheneverfeltengulfedherasshewatched the man she lovedmore than anything in theworldtakenfromherinchby

agonizing inch. He wasalreadydead, theybothknewit, as he died in front of hercalling her name and tellingher he loved her and howproud he was of her. Hebeggedhertoturnaroundandnot see him die, but shecouldn’t.“Lookbehindyou.”He yelled over and overeverythingwouldbefine,butit wasn’t, and she couldn’tbeartolookaway.Themuckcrept to his throat and he

gurgled her name, the oozespilling into his mouth withattempts to calm her, as hishandswavedoverheadandhewas enveloped to hisfingertips. Then his fingersstopped wiggling and sank.Her father was gone. Lifewentblack.Asblackasitwasnow.

Gazing left and right, thedim lights extinguished andshe was alone in theblackness. A tiny whimper

filled her ears and her armswrapped around her belly.She wasn’t alone, and Huckwould come. He wanted hisbaby, and hewanted amate.Becky only needed to bideher time,until shewashomeinHuck’sarms.

****Huck could see Cobra in

the other cage, pacingrestlessly. Cobra wasgrowlingandsnarling.

“TheyhaveLeah,”Cobra

boomed.“TheyhaveBecky,too.”“Have you done this to

us?”Cobrabellowed.“No,Iwantmychild,and

Beckypromisedtomatewithme. She wanted more time.Time for you to get to knowus both better. I wanted tomake sure you accepted mefirst.”

“Leah is terrified. Hercalls to me are driving meinsane with the need to

comfort her.” Cobra stoppedto grip the bars of the cage.He was without strength.Tonans as well as Castiansrelied on light to fuel theirshields. Both sides coulddrain the energy from ashield. Huck’s shield waswithhim,hecouldpullitup,but he wouldn’t be able tomaintain it for long. Theshieldwasdepleted.

“Shehasherbabyshield,”Hucksaid.“Theybothdo.”

Cobra glared at him.“Leahhasher shield, butmyson has no mother to feedhim.” Cobra slumped as hegripped the bars. “I savedeveryone. Now I can’t savemymate.Theonebeingwhois the most important to me,who has always been themostimportanttome.Ifailedher. She’s always stood byevery decision I’ve made,knowing I do what I do formywarriors,andInevertold

hersheisimportant.WhatanassIam.”

“What?” Huck was sostunned he stood mouthagape. Cobra never didanything wrong. “A strongleaderalwaysblameshimself,evenwhenhe’snotwrong.”

Cobra lifted his head, hisgaze intense. “What if I’mright,thatI’mwrong?”

From his sorrow-filledeyes,Huckrealizedhedidn’tmean Huck being evil,

somethinginhispasthurt.“As long as we can feel

them,eventheirfear,theyarealive,”Hucksaid,it’swhathewasholdingonto.

“When I get out of this,withmymate,andIwill,shewon’tbe leavingmyside fora very long time.” Cobra’sdetermination gave Huckhope.

AsoundmadeHucklookdown the hall. His captainwas approaching. The smug

look he wore when he stoodbesideHuckinfuriatedhim.

“Your female is carrying.She will last years incaptivity, alone. Your sonwilldevelophisownshieldinafewyearsorsothendie,ifIchoose. I’m surprised, Huck.Your real father would befurious with you. You havehis blood, you are evil. Yetyou chose to give the brat apieceofyourshield.Why?”

“Ihadmyreasons.”

The captain chuckled.“Evasive.Nice.Youareevil,aren’tyou?Iknowourkind.”

Huck nodded. An ideaformed. “I didn’t mate.Again, I hadmy reasons.” Ifhis captain thought Beckywas useless, he might sendherback.

Hiscaptainchuckled.“Nolies.Good.Inthiscase.Itwasallanactwasn’tit?Thechildwas to help infiltrate. Only,youshouldhaveinformedme

whenyouwereontheshuttle.But Isupposeyounot tellingmeisstrategicaswell.Unlessit was your idea all along totake over my position. Youcould once your son wasgrown. You’ll have a longtime to explain to me whatyouwerethinking.Rightnowdenounce the bitch. I wantheroffmyvessel.”

“Denounce?” Huckswallowedhard.

Thecaptainmovedcloser.

“You will go and tell hereverything you said to herwas a lie. Tell her you onlywantedthebrattoaidinyourventure. You can’t love; Iknow you can’t. You hadsome plan. I want everyTonan on Cobra’s planet toknow they are living a lie.Theymayhavesnappedtheirtails off; they may haveconvinced Cobra they aretelling the truth. You willprove to them in doing that

they have pulled off thebiggestlieinTonanhistory.”

The captain moved backand sauntered past Cobralaughing. Cobra was open-mouthed when he centeredhisgazeonHuck.

“If Igo toBeckyand lie,she will be killed when mytailgrows.Cobra, there isnotruthinwhatthecaptainsaid.Hebelieveswhathesays,buthe’s wrong. I am evil, but Ilove.Everysecondspentwith

Becky makes me better. Hecould never understand; pureevilhasnounderstanding.”

“If you’re speaking thetruth right now, and I thinkyou are, you have a seriousproblem.Youwillbetakentoher to denounce her. Theywill kill you when your tailgrows. You may not havematedBecky, but if they killyou, they will kill her andyour son. Itwould only be amatterofyears.”

Huck was devastated,Cobra was right. In order tosave Becky, and his son hewould have to lie. If he lied,hisshieldwouldcomeupandshe would know, everyonewill know. He had toconvince everyone he wastellingthetruth,buthow?Hispacing became erratic, thebaby shield wasimpenetrable. Until it fell.Becky would be killed. Hissonwouldbattlebutafouror

five year old didn’t possessthe strength of a seasonedwarrior. His shield knewevasive maneuvers, but ittook time for shield andwarrior to becomeone.Theyweren’talwaysone, theyhadtolearntogether.

The idea stopped Huckdead in his tracks. At onetime he battled his shield, itwas too foreign. His shieldwas a part of his stepfather,not his biological father. It

took Huck longer than theaveragewarriortoconnect,tolearn to move, to cooperate,to trust. A hand to his heart,Huckwasalmostfelledtohiskneeswith the revelation, hedid trust. He trusted hisstepdad,hecaredforhimanditwasforhimandhismotherhelearnedtoaccepthisshieldandnotrejectit.

In those critical years, hecould have cast his shieldaside,itwasn’this,hehadto

makeithis.Tothisdaytherewas resistance in his shieldwithsomeofhisactions.Hisshield that tempered him,made him search for control.Ifhisshieldwasgone,wouldHuck be more like his evilfather without theinterference? There was risk,but there was a chance, hisonly chance at saving hisfamily.

Huck turned. He facedCobra.“Withoutmyshield, I

cansavetheirlives.”“Without your shield you

wouldbevulnerabletoattackand susceptible to change. Idon’t know if you can bebrought back if you plan ondoingwhatIthinkyouare.”

“They must live. Myfatherdidn’tcareifIlivedordied. I care ifBeckyandmyson die. There has to besomethingofmystepfatherinme besides this shield. Mymotherisinme.”

“There is no guarantee ifyou cast off your shield youwill say what needs to bedone.”

“I can say what needs tobe done. I’m afraid if I losemy shield, I’ll mean what Isay.Please,Cobra,when thisis done, tell Becky I did thisfor her and our child. Rightnow, this very second I lovethembothsomuchithurts.Icanlove,Ifeelit.”

Cobrafacedhimfromthe

other cell. “They will know.SowillI,andif it’spossible,Iwillgetyouback.”

“Ifit’snot,thenkillme.”Cobra nodded in

agreement.Hucksatonthefloorwith

his back to the cold hardsurface.His shieldwasmorethanhisprotection;itwashissafety,hisworth,whohewasa part of, the best part. Hisshield was his friend, hisbetterhalf.Hisshieldwasthe

part given to him. But theshield had limits, too. Everylie was met with aconsequence too old to stop.Even to save itself the shieldcouldn’tdenyitsnature.

“There is no other way,”Huckwhispered.

For the first time in hislife Huck didn’t feel hisshield argue, it had nocomment. One thoughtwhispered within his mind;hisshieldwaspartofhisson.

Huck had given his son apieceofhim,thebestparthehad. His love to keep himsafe, his love to guide him.The best part of his shieldwassecurewithinhischild.

Youdidwell.Huck sucked in his

breath; itwashisstepfather’svoiceinhismind.Thesoundof approval. Thinking back,he realized the first time hewas told he’d done well. Achild of twelve. An injured

animal inhishands tokillorheal.Theurgetodestroywasheavy. The creature wasnothing, it wasweightless; itwas suffering. Thingssuffered. Things died. Thefight within him was strong.In the end, he took thecreature to his mother whospent time healing it whileHuck watched, pretending tobedetached.

All along his stepdadknew he felt compassion.

That was when he pulledHuck aside and told himcompassion was for thestrongofheart.Tokillwastoend something, it took noeffort, to keep somethingalive took patience andcourage, knowing you mayloseitanyway.Huckhadlostthe creature the day it tookoffinthewoods;hehadbeenangry. Until the nextmorning,theresatMicco,thesturdy, furry, healed little

wood nymph waiting to befed.

“Wehadsomeinterestingmoments,”Huckwhispered.

Aslightlaughterfilledhisthoughts. Arguments, too,stubborn warrior.Spontaneous, thoughtfulmoments. The day Huckturnedtenthinkingheownedthe world from atop amassive tree. His shield hadlowered andHuck slid downthe tree at a furious pace

howling. Huck rememberedbeingangry,butinretrospecthis shield was young, too.The first battle he everenteredintoandtherewasnodoubthisshieldhadhisback.

“Iwillmissyou.Youwillalwaysbemybestfriend.”

Goodbye,myfriend.“Iloveyou.”Iloveyou,too.Huck took a breath. “I

don’t want you, you greypiece of shit. Go. Leave. I

don’t need you. I’ve neverneeded you; you aren’t frommy real father. I denounceyouandcastyouoff.”

The fury it took todenounce his shield hurtwhen he didn’t mean to, hisuntruelieandhisentirebodyshookwiththeforce.Tocastoff something unwanted wasnothing,buttolosewhatyoulovetookapartofyoursoul.Indoingso,hedenouncedhisstepfather, the only father

who meant anything to him.The action tore him apart.The pain was excruciating.Huck doubled over, thinkinghe would die. His bellowthundered.His shieldwas anentity and there was aconnection, but because theshield didn’t come from hisfather the separation waseasier, yet no less painful.The shield was, after all,givenoutoflove.Thesquealwas agonized as the shield

slipped from him, tore fromhim. The grey shadowhovered, touching him onelast time before turning todustandbeforethedustcouldsettle,itwasblownawayonasmall breeze leaving noindicationiteverexisted.

Huck ached inside. Theemptiness was killing him.The loneliness invaded everyinchofhim.Halfofhimwasgone. Yet he lived. Huckreached his hand up to his

face and when he pulled hisfingers away they were wet.He gazed at Cobra inconfusion.

“Wecry?”Cobrawasstaringathim,

his sad features spokevolumes. “Not for amillennia.”

“I’m sorry, Cobra. It’sstartedalready,theanger,butIwon’tfailthem.”

“Keep who you are aslong as possible,” Cobra

urged. “Go to them now,Huck. Do it before it’s toolate.”

Huck dragged to his feetusing the bars and bellowed.“Getthecaptain.”

A Tonan appeared.“Cometoyoursensesyet?”

“Yes.”The warrior smirked

when he saw no tail appear.“Areyougoingtobattleme?”

“No.” Huck’s tone waseven. He had no urge to

battle;hehadtogettoBeckybefore his deed was foundout.

The captain was waitingfor him in a large hanger;Becky was motioned from acage. “Denounce your bratandthebitch,andI’llhavenouseforthem.Theyneedtogoto Cobra’s planet and showother females what willhappen. Your act will showevery other Tonan they canreturn to our fold when they

dotherightthing.”Becky ran to him. The

baby shield flickered, a fastshock to his senses butnothing more. Huck felt hisheartquiver.Thebabyknew.Thebabyknewhisfatherwasno threat.His sonwas oddlysilent. The silence was ashock to Huck. There wasnothing to sense and for asecond, he felt his panicbuild, but his son must bealive. He quickly controlled

his features. He sensednothingfromBecky,hisbondmate, a complete blank.There was no connection,theywerenolongerbonded.

I feel so alone. Thethoughtwashisandonlyhis.

“Are you hurt?You lookawful,”Beckysaid.

Huckshovedhertoarm’slength.His actionwas partlyfor show, partly because hisinsideslurchedwithfear,realfear.Isensenothing.

“You need to leave,female.”

“No, they can’t get nearme.Thebabyshieldwon’tletthem.”

“I don’t want you here.Youdon’tbelonghere.”

“Huck?”Becky studied him, no

doubtwaitingforhisshieldtoslam over him. Nothinghappened. Huck was dyinginside. He felt his father’sinfluence; he could be bad,

hideous if he had to be. Buthis mother’s compassionwouldmakehimhurt.

“Go,Becky. Idon’twantto mate you. I never did. Ionly wanted to be on thewinning side. This is thewinningside.”

“Youdon’tmeanthat.”“The hell I don’t. Take

thebrat andgo. Idon’twantthe thing. I never did.”Daggers pierced his soul. Itwasn’t enough; he had one

morehurtful,hateful thing todo. “Go, bitch, and take thespawn with you.” Huckshoved her. The baby shieldwentupandsentHuckflying.

Thewallhecollidedwithwasunmerciful.Painthelikesheneverfeltshotuphisspineand rattled his teeth. Huckshook his head while theother warriors laughed.Becky crumpled in a ballsobbing. If some of thewarriors wondered why his

shield didn’t come up, Hucksupposed theywere laughingtoohardtocare.Whenitwasdiscovered he had noprotection, the warriorswould do worse. His wasgoingtobeabrutaldemise.

“Get them out of mysight.Tearsarefortheweak.”Huck staggered to his feet.Pretending hewas disgusted,not in pain. He leveled acondescending gaze ontoBeckybeforeturningaway.

Ittookeveryounceofhisstrengthnottoclutchthedoorframeleavingthehanger,notto press his throbbing headagainstthecoolness.Thetinysnuffles he heard come fromBeckyfollowedhimfromtheroom. He wished she wouldshoutathim,hurlobscenities.All she did was call out sheloved him. She was killinghim.

Thecaptainlaughedwhenhewalkednext toHuck.The

sub level he was on madeHuck’s heart pound, hecouldn’tcontrol it.Thelightswere switched to low. Huckcouldn’tsee;itwastoodark.

I can’t see in the darkanymore.

His breath increased, hehad no way to control hispoundingheart.Sweatbeadedhis forehead. He tried torememberthelayoutwhenhewas taken. To his left therewasarowofcagesandHuck

reached out. His fingerstouched the cold bars as hewalked.Hiscaptainwouldn’tquestion why his shieldstayeddown,buthewouldifhe tripped.Theconcentrationmade his head throb, Huckhadaheadache.Hewascold;itwascoldinthehall.

It took effort to keep histeeth from clacking together.With relief he saw a smalllight near Cobra who waswatchinghim.

“Welldone.”Thecaptaintossed Huck back into hiscage. “Once this piece ofgarbage issentbackwith thefemale, you will be turnedloose to sendyourmessage.”He turned to Cobra. “Youwill allow Huck to speak tomywaywardTonanwarriors,Cobra. Then and only thenwillIreleaseyourmate.”

“He may speak.” Cobracast a glance at Huck whostood ramrod straight,

grippingthebarsofhiscage.It was subtle, but Huck

noticed Cobra’s gratitude. Ifnothing else, Becky and hisson would be under Cobra’sprotection forever. In aroundabout way, Huck hadhis wish. He secured familyfor his child. He would tellhimself repeatedly while theTonans bashed his brains topulp, he saved his son. Hisson is on the winning sidewith a mother who would

love him no matter what ashit she thought his father tobe. But Cobra would tellBecky Huck did it for her,too.Shewassafeandbecauseof her, Huck knew he couldlove.

“Any last words?” Thecaptainwas cocky as hewasleading Cobra away. Cobrastopped and glanced back atHuck.

“You better believeeveryone will know what

you’ve done, warrior.”Cobra’s words were heated,but the captain thought theywere laced in malice, itshowed in his smirk, whileHuckknew theywerecoatedwithpride.

Wheneveryoneleft,Huckwent to the back of the cageand slumped down the coldwall. The light wasextinguished. It was scary inthe dark. Huck hadn’t feltfear since he was young. He

buried his face in his hands.He was alone. Never in hislifehadhebeenalone.

“Hello?”hewhispered.Therewasnothing…

Chapter13

Becky was listening toCobra’s words but hisdroning voice was anirritation. She already knewsomething bad happened ontheship.Huckwantedhissonmorethananythingandknewshe was positive he wantedher. He loved her. Only, itwas Cobra relaying the

message when it should beHuck.ShestartedouttoteachHuck love, and he figured itout on his own.Unconditional sacrifice, andnowhewasindanger.

“So he has no shield andno chance of defendinghimself. What you’re notsayingisyouthinkhe’sdeador about to die,” Beckycouldn’t keep the snarl fromherwords.

“He did this to keep you

safe,”Cobrasaid.“He did this to free you

and yourmate, too.What hedidn’t know was Jinx andRoam’s son already freedLeah. Ryker has never metHuck so there was noconnection. If left longenough, he and Zell wouldhavefreedyouandme.Hucknever had to do this, but hedid thinking it was the onlychance we had. Self-sacrificing because of love

and trust. You wanted proofhe wasn’t evil? Well if thisisn’t a neon sign falling onyour condescending head, Idon’t know what is. He is awarrior you should be proudof.Thenextquestionis,whatare you going to do to savehim?”

“Becky,Ihavelaunchedarescue,buthisshieldisgone.I have no clue what kind ofTonan we are dealing withnow. Good, evil, broken. I

have defended my warriorsfor a long time. I realizethingsarechanging.Butnow,Huckmay not have a shield,andhemightbedangerous.”

“You get him home. I’mgoing to mate him and youare going to find him aCastian or Tonan who willwarriormatehim.”

“Warrior mate him?”Cobra pulled up short.“That’sanidea.Hell,Ihaveawarrior mate but I can have

another.Mysonisstillyoungand his mother won’t allowhimtobattle.Ihavetoaccessmymemories.”

Cobra stood quietlythinking. “Well?” Beckyyelled.

“I don’t think he canwarrior mate with anotherTonan, they don’t have theconcept. But Roam and Tazproved a Tonan and Castiancanmate. Itwouldbe tricky.Roam said he learned of

Tonan heritage and hadtrouble getting himselftogether after the mating.Huckhasanevilside.Damn,Taz didn’t have the sameheritageHuck does, itwouldbedifferent.Toodifferent.”

Cobra slumped. Beckygrabbedhisarminanger.Shefought off the secretions hisshieldautomaticallyproducedto calm her and she wasamazedherbabyshielddidn’ttosshim.

“Whatareyousaying?”“I don’t think I can

warriormatehim.Somethinginsideofmeistellingmeit’simpossible. Half of him isevil.My shieldwon’t letmeget past that. His biologicalfather was Tonan, he wouldneedtowarriormateaTonan,but they don’t know how.And the risk of theminheriting the evil part ofHuck would be too great.Huckhashadyearstotemper

his actions. Another wouldhaveevil thrownat them tooquickly.”

“Thenthere’snohopeforhim? Even if we get himback?”Beckywascrushed.

Cobraplacedhishandsonhershoulders.“Iwillgethimback alive, I swear. But hewillgrowoldanddiewithouthisshield.”

Becky stepped backfilling with relief. Shethought Cobra meant Huck

would simply die. Shesmiled. “Don’t you see, wedidn’t mate, but we canmarry. I can grow old, too,withhim.”

“Youwilldie.”“No. I will live. I will

love.”“Cobra, a message from

the Tonan vessel,” Tazyelled.

Cobra draped an armaround Becky and leaned towhisper in her ear.

“Remember, he did this foryou and your son. He savedmy life aswell.Anything hesays, don’t let it get to you.Hehastokeepuphischaradeordie.Hecan’tseeyou.”

Becky trembledbutstoodstraight. “He knows I’mwatching. You better makecertainyou’rereadytogogethim.”

Huck’s featuresshimmeredontothescreeninfrontofherandaroomfullof

Castians and Zargonniiwarriors.ForamomentHuckstood quietly, then with anevil scowl he turned to lookbackbehindhim.

“You’re certain thefemale and Cobra arewatchingthisontheplanet?”

Becky sucked in herbreath and heard a response.“ThesoontobedeadCastianleader is watching, no doubtwith the simpering bitch inhisarms,cryingherheartout.

Tellthem,Huck,tellthemallmyTonanwarriorscanreturnto the flock and all will beforgiven. We want ourwarriorsback.”

“It’s a trick, I can’t seehim, the captain, but I canscent him through Huck’sstance,” Taz said. “He willdemand we bring our mateswith us and slaughter them.Onlytheevilwillremain.”

“Then his is the ultimatelie,”Cobrasaid.

Becky had no idea whattheymeantbutguessedHuckwas betrayed. The captainintendedtokillhimallalong.Huck looked back at thescreen. His dark featuresseemed to stare right at her.He leaned in closely to theconsole and Becky felt herheartlurch.

“Oh no, Huck,” shewhispered. She knew thatglare.

“Listen up, you pain in

my ass renegade warriors.You have in your midst afemale who was mine. Shecarries my son. While youthinktokeepyourmatessafeat night remember one thingyoulittlebastards…”

The room was deadlysilent,aswasbehindHuckonthe ship. Becky was tryingnot to faint. She grabbedCobra’s hand and squeezed.Huck screwed his featuresinto the deadliest mask she

hadeverseen.“Iwillonlysaythisonce,

once, so listen up or you’redead.Becky ismine and I’mcoming back for her so keepyourfuckinghandsoff.”

“No,ohGod,no,hekilledhimself,”Beckyscreamed.

The commotion behindHuck went wild and Beckyracedclosertotheconsole.Awarrior tried to smash hisclaws through Huck but heswung low and using the

moveBecky used on him hesent thewarrior into another.Another grabbed for his armand was tossed onto his ass.Huck lookedat the screenasBeckyfeltherheartsettleintoherchest,hewinked.

“Who’s the bad assnow?”Thescreenwentblack.

“He has no shield; he’lldie,” Becky yelled. “Dosomething.”

AsharpsquealandBeckyswung around. There were

womenintheroom,anumberofthem.Theyhadcometobewith theirmates.Onebyonetheir mates began todisappear.Cobrawasthefirsttovanish.

“Oh, my God they’rebeingstolen,”awomancriedout.

“No look, look,” anotherbellowed.

The warriors were gone,buttheconsolefiredupandabattle the likes Becky had

neverseenwasgoingon.Thewarriors were on board,fighting the Tonans, the fewAnganowere cut down first,greenslimybloodsoakedthefloor. Gorgano were split inhalf.

“How?”Beckycriedout.“I think I know,” Jinx’s

sarcasm dripped as she heldhersmilingsontoherchest.

“Me, too,” Zabbie saidwith a small sigh. Zell wasclutched in her arms,waving

little fists as though he werebattling.Andperhapshewas.

The concentration on thelittle Zargonnii’s face wasunmistakable. A fist pumpand Huck sent a shieldedwarrior crashing into a wall.The surprise on Huck’s facematched many. Becky staredat the pint-sized alien childand realized he was helpingHuck.How,shehadno idea.She’d heard how powerfulZabbie was, but this little

mighty green-eyed fighterwas flailing.WheneverHuckwent anywhere near Titus,Zell’s father, his fightingimproved tenfold and hisskills at outmaneuveringlethal talons and claws wasnothingshortofphenomenal.

Three Tonan warriorssurrounded Huck. With asqueal from Jinx’s son, ametalpipebashedintoaheadsending one rogue Tonanflying.Zell laughedandeach

babyboydidhisbesttooutdotheother.

Becky screamedwhen anAngano appeared in front ofthe console. Zell howled andshook his fists. The beingblew up, taking the consoleout with it. Everything wentblack,butnotbeforeshesawHuck fall from razor talonsacrosshischest.

****The battle surrounded

Huck. One minute he was

fightingforhislifealone,thenext he was surrounded byCastian and Zargonniiwarriors trying toshieldhim.Huck was certain he wasgoing to die, but he knewBecky was watching, hekneweveryonewaswatchingand he wanted any warriorwhowouldtakeBeckyforhisown to know she was worthdying for. She deserved thebest there was. The actionwasworth it, when he heard

hiscaptainroarwithfury.When his captain

attacked, Huck tossed thesurprised warrior over hisshoulder. Becky was right,Tonanwarriorswere fuckingheavy. When his captainlanded and saw Huck hadn’traised his shield,understanding dawned. Theidiot was incredulous Huckhadgivenuphis shield for afemale.Soweremanyof theotherwarriors.Manywarriors

who, like Huck, weren’tmade of pure evil and werehavingsecondthoughts.

Cobra appeared,materializing out of thin airandHuck stood there,mouthagape.Cobragrinnedandhisshield went up. Huck wascertain he bellowed a thankyou to Zell and Ryker, thelittle warrior children withpowers. It became apparentthechildrenwere responsiblewhen more warriors

appeared, including themassive Zargonnii, Titus,Zell’sfather.

The Angano wereslaughtered by the Castians.The Zargonnii couldn’tmindbattle but the Anganocouldn’tpenetratetheCastianshields. Huck barely dodgedtalons and claws. He foundhimself in the middle of thecaptain’s bridge with Cobrato his left and Titus to hisright. Back to back, the two

powerhouse warriors battledasthoughwarriormates.

ThecaptaincameatHuckswinging his talons. Huckduckedandfellback.Thetipsof theclawssliced four rowsacross the bare flesh of hischest. Bright red blood inperfect lines appeared. Huckwas surprised, but there waslittle to no pain. The gashesweren’t deep enough. Yearsofbattlemadehim fastwith,or without his shield, but he

sure missed his friend inbattle.

Cobra was beside Huck,hauling him to his feet,pushing him behind him.Huck wanted to bellow infrustration.HewantedtojoinCobra to fight,buthewasashelpless as a female.Hewasstrong, but the shield gavehimsomuchmore.

“Let me die in battle,”Huck raged. If nothing else,hecouldgivethattohisson.

“Live,youdamned fool,”wasCobra’sresponse.

“I’m feeble and have thecourage to die a warrior’sdeath.”

“Live with a warrior’sheart,becauseletmetellyouthatwill takemorecourage,”Cobraargued.

CouldHuckdoit?Wasitpossibletobesoselfishastolive and watch Becky go toanother who could protecther? Huck’s insides battled

and he launched himselftoward his captain.He’d losteverything because of theTonan bastard. He had noshield, he couldn’t keepBecky; he was no longer awarrior. His son deservedbetter,hewouldbetaughtbyCobra to fight. Soon his sonwould look upon him withpity.Huckwasfeeble.

Bellowing his last warcry, Huck threw himself athis captain. Pain exploded

into his chest. Huck was hitwith pieces of shield whenthe captain exploded. AsHuck dropped to his knees,he saw Zell in his father’sarms. The baby boy’s greeneyes were like lasers as hepicked apart the captain’sshield.

Huck had never seenanything like it.Greychunksofshieldflewoff indifferentdirections dissecting theTonan beneath. In slow

motion,Huck dropped to hisknees, then side. He wasaware when Titus grippedhimunderhisarmsandheardhim urgently tell Zell theyneededtogettoFinn.

The sensation ofswimming through dense airmadeHuck’sbreathcatch.Hesaw the blackness of space.Hisbodyached,butheheardTitus speak. Zell was stilllearning his strength and hewas tired; he was littlemore

than a baby. But Finn wastheir healer, he could helpHuck.SadnessclosedHuck’seyes. If their healer couldheal him, he was doomed tospendtherestofhisshortlifefeeble.What kind of warriorwasfrail?Nowarrioratall.

“I’msorry,Becky,”Huckwhispered. He had hoped todie in battle to spare her theshame.He hadn’tmated her;shewas free. Itwas his onlyconsolation.

Chapter14

“Huck.”Becky launched herself

into his arms when theZargonnii vessel sent himintoCobra’s chambers.Huckburied his face into her hair,but the grip around theshoulders wasn’t near theintensity she was used to.There was something

different, no secretionswarmed his hands. Hisfeaturesweredrawn.Heheldhertighterforamomentthenpushedhertoarm’slength.

“My shield is gone. I’mnowarrior;Ican’tprotectyouorour son.Thewarhasdieddown, the Tonans haveretreated. The dark warriorswill continue the fight withthe Angano on a differentplanet, but the warriors willwin.”

“I don’t care about thewar; I’m so happy to haveyouback.”

“Wecan’tmate.”“No, but we can marry.

It’swhyhumanssaytilldeathdoyoupart,”Beckysaidandcupped the side of his facewithherhand.Itwasthenshesaw his sadness. She was soused to feeling what he wasfeeling first, she forgot facialexpressionswereuseful,too.

“I don’t know where I’ll

gowhenI’mdead.”“We don’t have toworry

aboutthatforalongtime.”“The evil of my kind go

nowhere.Thereisnothingforthem in death because therewasnothingfortheminlife.”

Becky smiled. “Thenyou’llcomewithme.Evenindeathyou’remine.”

“Youdeserveawarrior.”“Youaremywarrior.The

onlyoneIwant.Iloveyou.”“Wehaveanewhomeset

up for you both in the mainhive,” Cobra said. “Huck,yourselflessactwasanactofbraveryI’veneverseeninmythree thousand years. Youhave a home on the mainfloor beside Roam and Jinxandtheirson.”

Huck ranahandoverhisface. “Ryker? You have ababywarriorwatchingus.”

“That baby warrior willno doubt bemy predecessor,and I have no problem with

that. He and my young sonwill be the best of friends.Ryker will keep an eye onyou andBecky and your sonwhenhe’sborn.”

“ItwasZellwhoshieldedme,”Hucksaid.

“Zell taught the trick toRyker.Hepicksup fast.Thelittle monkey has beenshielding little humanchildrenwhethertheywanttobe or not as of late. He’spracticing and no harm is

done, but his parents havetheir hands full,” Cobra saidandchuckled.

“Come with me, Huck;I’ll take you home,” Beckysaidandshetookhishand.

Cobra’s chamber was onthe first floor of the hive; hemoved there when humanswere introduced and not allcould scale or find a warriorto take them and theirconcerns directly to Cobra.The walk was short and

Becky didn’t know whetherHuckrealizedtheywerecloseto Cobra, too—just in casetheyneededhishelp.

Becky could tell the wayHuck’s shoulders slumpedwhen they entered their newhome he figured out howvulnerable Cobra thoughtthem to be. When humanmales reached the age oftwelve, they could warriormate with a Castian male.Thetransformationgavethem

shields in somewhat of thewayHuck’s father had.Onlythe shield was more forsafety.

Huckventured to thebedand sat. His forlorn gazesettled onto her. “You havenoideatheimplicationofmehaving no shield. EverythingIknewisdifferentfromwhatI can do now. Make nomistake,Becky;I’dgiveitupall over again to keep yousafe.Thereisnoblame—just

emptiness. How can I joinwith you when I have noshieldtotellmehowmuchofmy weight to exert withoutcrushing you? I’m still a lotbiggerthanyou.”

“And I still have avoice.Asimple,‘getyourfatassoffme,’willwork fine.”Shesatbesidehim.

“I can never enter yourdreams to calm you. Infact…” Huck lifted hisfingers to trace her skin. “I

feel no essence, there isnothing telling me what youneed.”

“It’s simple, Huck. All Ineedisyou.Idon’tneedyouressence invading me tosearch for what I need,because I know what I wantalready.”

“Ican’tkeepyousafe.”“You already have, and

you do make me feel safe.You make me feel home.That’s all I ever want or

need.”“All of my Tonan

connections are gone. I can’tsearch for who I was. Theonlygoodpart is I can’t feelmy bio father either. I don’tknowwhoIam.”

“YouarewhoIlove.Youare important tome.Our sonwillloveyou.”

“He’llbeable tobeatmeup by the time he turns five.Great, both he and his asskickingmother will sendme

sailingalloverthehive.Icanhearitnow.Look, theregoescupcakeflyingbyagain.”

Becky tried not tochuckle. “If he can—whichhe won’t, neither will I—hewillbeable todosobecausehis father loves him enoughand gave him a piece of hisshield. That will never betakenfromhim.”

“I can’t sense himanymore.”

The devastation in his

tone was impaling. Beckytook his hand and put it onher belly. It was subtle, buttherewasaslightflutter.ThebriefesthintofasmilecurledHuck’s lips.He leaneddownandkissedhertummy.

“Huck, instead ofconcentrating on what youlost, think about what youhaveandwillhave.Youhaveme forever, until we die. Noone can take your son fromyou.”

“How do we join ashumans, because I’m closertohumanthanTonannow?”

“Wekiss.”Huck cupped the back of

her neck with his palm anddrew her close. When theirlipsmetBeckycould tell thedifference. There was nomixing of essence. Huckstarted to pull away. Shegrabbed his arms and hungtight.Theonlywayhewouldbeable toseeheexistedwas

tomakehimfeel.OnlynowitwasonlyHuckwhofelt,onlyHuck who could taste her.There was nothing drawinghertohim,buthim.

“Huck,yourbodyalreadyknowsme,”Beckywhisperedwhentheyparted.

“Butmyshield…”“Your shield sent you

messages of what I needed.You can figure it out all onyourown.Iknowyoucan.”

Huckpressedhisforehead

to hers. His warm breathbathedherface.

“Loveme,Huck.”He nodded. “I want to,

but remember my stepfatheris gone from me. All that’sleft is my mother andbiological father, DNA. Thisis what I would be if I hadgrownupwithoutashield.”

“No. You will neverknow. You had a shield fortwelve hundred years. Youare somuchmore thanwhat

you might have been. Thereis no comparison. You haveme and a son. You neverwouldhavehadthatcenturiesago.”

“You’re right.What I amnowiswhatIneedtobeandwhat I want to be. Who Iwant tobe.AndIwant tobewithyou.I’mnotsurewheretostart.”

She smiled. “Well. I cangive you a hint.” She tuggedhim closer with her hand.

“Everything still goes whereit’ssupposedto.”

Huck gathered her to hischest and she groaned,pushing him back. “Easy asskicker. I’m no doll, but youcanloosenyourgripalittle.”

Hegruntedandwasabouttopullawaywhensheshookherhead.Shemovedinforakiss.Huck’seyeswerewide,and they stared at each otheruntilBeckylaughed.

“Whatnow?”

“Ican’tsenseyou,butmycock’sgotsomehard-on.”

“Didyouthinkyouforgothow? You told me youcontrolyourdick,ordidyoulie?”

“Youknow I didn’t lie. Ithought, well, maybe Icouldn’t.”Hislameattemptatanexplanationmadeherwantto chuckle, but she could seehewasserious.

“Do you think you canfigure out what to do with

it?”“Hell,yes.”Beckylaughedwhenthey

hit the floor. In record time,they were both naked. Shestrokedhischeek.

“See you haven’tforgottenalltherightmoves.”

“I love you, Beckyfuckingasskicker.”

“Iloveyou,too.”“What,nocupcake?”“I happen to like your

nuts.”

Hucklaughed;helaugheduntiltheirlipsmetandbythetime he had ravished hermouth, she knew theywouldbe fine. They had a home, ababy on the way, and eachother.

****“I’ve come to see how

you’resettlingin.”Huckdidn’tneedtosense

Cobra’s concern. Huck wasdismayed, realizing this wasthe way his life would be

fromnowon.Hecouldn’tbeawarrior.Hewouldgrowoldand die and because he losthisshield,Beckywouldgrowold and die, too. His sonwouldn’tbeconsideredafullgrownwarrioruntilheturnedfour hundred years old. Hisparents would long since bedeadbythen.

“It would appear evilTonantendenciesonlyexistifyou remain Tonan.” Huckwasgratefulhecouldcontrol

his tone, keeping thebitternessfromhiswords.

“You haven’t lost whoyou are,” Cobra said. “Yourson will learn a great dealfromyou.”

“I gave him the best partofme.Myshieldandthelovethat came from my mother.Hewillbeagreatwarriorandloyal.”

“Ihavenodoubt.”“Cobra?”Becky stumbled a bit

bleary eyed into the roomfromanap.Asherpregnancyprogressed she became tiredmore often. Huck couldn’thelp sootheherwitha touch.Every so often, she went tothe healing waters. Sheclaimed she was fine, butdark circles were under hereyes. It was a mystery toHuck; thebabyshieldshouldhavekept everything runningsmoothly.

“I thought you were

away,Cobra?”Beckysaid.“I’ve had to be. The

leaderofthenorthZargonnii,Citun,hasgonemissing.TheGorgano are involved.There’s also a rogueZargonniieatingupspace.Cywas Titus’s wing man andbest friend.Hewas banisheduntil he could get his shittogether. He seems to beusing his shit to terrify thegalaxy,” Cobra said andsoundedannoyed.

“Sounds fun,” Huck saidwistfully, wishing he couldgoonamission.

“Leah thoughtso,”Cobrasaid smiling. “I took her andallthekidswithmethistime.The skies aren’t as volatile.Only a few rogue Tonan,scattered Gorgano and awayward Zargonnii arestirringuptroublebutnothingserious. Although, I hear thedark winged warriors arebusywiththeAngano.”

Beckymoved to stand inHuck’sarms.“ItwillbenicetoseeLeahagain,”shesaid.

“Actually, I camehere toseeyou,Becky.JinxtellsmeRykerfusseswhenshecomesover. She senses—something.”

Huck stiffened andtightened his arms aroundBecky.“Mysonisn’tevil.”

“It’s not evil she sensesbut anger. Your son may behaving difficulty because he

can’t feel his father, orperhapsit’sbecausehisfathercan’t sense him. He may bereachingout toyouandfeelsyou’re…”

“He thinks I’m ignoringhim,” Huck was devastated.“He’s not even born andalreadyI’vefailedhim.”

“No, Huck don’t saythat.” Becky turned to pressherfaceagainsthischest.

“I don’t know what todo,”Hucksaid.“I layawake

at night with my hand onyour belly willing him toknow I’mhere. I talk to himendlessly,willinghimtohearme. If I had my shield hewouldknowwithatouch;wewould sense each other. Ihave more understandingabout humans. I thoughtbecause they couldn’t reallyconnectwith their children itmade the bond less, but itmakes me strive harder forhimtoknowI’mhere.”

Cobra strode forward.“Maybe I can help. It’s timehelearnsI’mleaderhere,andhecantrustme.”

Cobra’s steps wereconfident. He began to holdhis hand out. But at barely afoot away, he was blastedbacksofarandsohardhelefta body-shaped impression inthe wall. Cobra fell onto hisassandlookedstunned.

“Holy hell, he’s a stronglittlemite.”

Huck stood wide eyed,with Becky still pressed tohim. “Cobra, the shieldshould have blastedme backasfar.”

Cobra struggled to hisfeet. He chuckled. “Well, Iknow what’s bothering him.It would appear your son ispissed with me. He blamesmeforyoulosingyourshield.I guess Ryker senses hisangeranditbothershim.”

“But I should have been

tossedonmyass,”Hucksaidwide-eyed.

Cobraplacedhishandsonhis hips and shielded,movedcloser;hewasshovedbackafootwhenhe came too closetothepair.Cobradroppedhisshieldandshookhishead,hisexpressionthoughtful.

“Itwouldappearforsomereason your son can shieldyou.Wehave twingirlsherewhoshieldanotherchildwhowas never given a piece of

herevilTonanfather’sshield.The Castian warrior hermother mated wasn’t oldenough to give the child apart of his shield as yourstepfatherhadwithyou.ButIhaveneverinmylifeheardofa child’s baby shieldprotecting a male—ever. Amysterytobesure.Youhaveoneverydeterminedson.Andifyou thinkabout it,youarethe most loved male inhistory.First,youaregifteda

shield from a male not ofyourbloodandnowyoursonloves you so much he canshieldyou.”

Forthesecondtimeinhislife, Huck felt the sting oftears behind his eyes. Thistimetheoverwhelmingjoyinhis heart exploded to fill hisentirebeing.Hissonnotonlyfelt his presence, he showedhimhedid.Huckdropped tohiskneesandpressedhislipstoBecky’stummy.

“Iloveyou,too,myson.Iloveyou,too.”

Chapter15

Huck gently held hisnewborn son inhis arms.Noothermale was allowed nearBecky, they were alone intheir home. Birthing was avery private experiencemosttimes. Becky didn’t need theaidofanyother.Huckwasn’tsurprised when the babyshield enveloped him instead

of pushing him away aswasnormal formostbirths.Huckmoved to show Becky theirclean and wiggly child. Shesmiledfromeartoear.

“I’m so alive inside,Huck. So happy. Ever sinceour son shielded you,everything has run sosmoothly. Maybe theconnection was all heneeded.”

SowasHuck,relievedallhad gone well the last few

months, except Cobra kepthis distance. No one neededtoprotectHuckaslongashewas with Becky. He waschagrined but they spent thetime getting to re-know oneanother in a different way.Huckburiedhis face intohisson’s sweet neck. Thepressure of two single sharppiercing stings startled him.Huckpulledawayandputhishandtohis throat.Therewasblood on his fingertips. The

effect was immediate. Hequickly put the baby intoBecky’s arms and flew backfromasharpblastofenergy.

“Huck,” Becky cried out.“Whathappened?”

Huck felt the smile splithis features. He stood andclosedhisfists.Inchbyinch,thegreyofashieldcreptoverhis body covering him fromtoe to head. Power engulfedhim. He was every inch thewarriorhehadbeen.

Hellomyfriend.Itwashisshield.“Becky, it’s my shield.

The shield dust must havefollowedushomeandsettledin our son. It wasn’t deadafterall,theshielddidn’tdie.The shield bided its timewaitingfortherightmoment.No wonder our son couldshield me. All this time myshield has been with us, me,him.”

“Thisisincredible.”

Anuntruelieisstillalie.Huck laughed.He did lie

to cast off his shield. As theshield separated it grew,nothingdead couldgrow.Asdoplants,theshieldwentintohibernation waiting to growagain.

“What do we call him?”Huck asked. Hewaggled histalonsathissmallsonfromafewfeetaway.Aftertimethebaby shield would let himreturn to Becky’s side. First

shemustsleep.Huckdroppedhisshieldandsatneartheendofthebedintheirroom.

“Twain.” Becky grinnedas she said this. “Maybe oneday in the distant future heand the next generation willhavetheirownstorytotell.”

“I have my shield back,Becky,but Iwill tear it fromme again if you won’t mateme. I would rather grow oldand die with you than stayyoungandloseyou.”

“Backtomating,eh?”“Yourchoice. It’s always

beenyourchoice.”“So, I could love you for

sixtyor soyears or loveyouforeternity?”

“Yes.ButinmydefenseIdid learn to sing ‘Twinkle,TwinkleLittleStar.’”

Becky laughed. “You dosingalovelylullaby,too.”

“Mateme?”“Yes,butIdon’tseehow

with our little monkey

keepingyouatbay.”“Give him some time.

Soon we’ll have all the timeintheworld.”

****The gentleness with

which their lips met wasserenity. There was no needfor urgency. The love wasthere, it was theirs. Duringthe night, Twain allowed theshield to drop and Hucktucked the blankets aroundhim, then lifting Becky into

hisarms,hemovedthemtoapileofcomfortersinthemainroom.

“I feel fine,Huckbutwedid just have ababy,”Beckysaid. He heard the slightconcerninhervoice.

“The baby shield shouldhave healed everything; Ipromise there will be nopain.” Huck meant it. Theirmatingwastobeperfect.

With tenderness helowered her and for a long

moment gazed into herbeautiful face. Her exquisitefeatures shone, and Hucktrembled when his handtouchedhercheek.Forhours,he and his shield werereacquainted until Huckcouldn’t contain hisenthusiasm.

“Imissedyouoldfriend,”Huckhad said aloud into thedarknesswhileBeckyandhisson slept.His desire toweepwas gone, but the joy in his

heart was overwhelming.There had been love allalong, Huck embraced theemotion, and in that instancehe bonded with his shieldproperly.

“I can sense you, Becky.Every inch of me wants toclaim you. The essence ofyouissostrong,butitwillbestronger.”

He kissed the tip of hernose,hercheeks,herjaw.Shewassowarmunderhistouch,

so soft.He felt her legs part,andhecouldhavehowledhisdesire. She knew how eagerhe was, but she was tooimportant.Withhis armbentattheelbow,hesupportedhisweight.Using his other handhe trailed a finger from herthroat to her belly. In thatsecond, he sensed his son inthe other room, theconnection would be therebetween mother and childuntil the child developed his

greyshield.“Iwantyou,Huck.”He knew she did and he

grinned,heknewshedid.Hecould hear his shield shiftbetween a groan and achuckle. His hand slipped toher bare mound and dippedbetween her legs. She wasmoist with want, and desirelitcandlesbehindhereyes.Ina moment, she would bepulling on his arms begginghim to fill her. She didn’t

need to bother; no beggingfor his soon-to-be mate. Sheshould have everything shewanted.

Huck rose to cover her.Inchbyinchhepressedmoreof his weight onto her smallbody.Forasecondtheywerenosetonose,andshegiggled,makinghimlaugh.Itwasrareforhertogiggle.Cuppingherhead into his arm, hemovedhigher until his hard, eagercock pressed against her

warm wetness. When Huckentered her, they movedtogether, her hips rising tomeet him. They joined. Thesweetness of their action leftasighintheair.

Each timehepulledbackhe removed himselfcompletely to kiss herforehead. She whispered forhimtomakeherhis.

“Silly female,” he saidwith a small chuckle. “Youalready are. You have been

since the second you tossedmeonmyass.”

“Ialmost likedyouwhenI saw the expressiononyourface.”

Huck thumped into herand she squealed. “Will Inevertameyou?”

“Doyouwantto?”“No.Never.”When Huck turned her

onto her belly, his handsroamedherwarm,satinyskinfrom hips to shoulders. Her

skinsearedhisfleshwhenhetouched her in the specialmatingplaceshewouldwearhis mark. Her perfectionwould be completewhen theuniverse knew she wasforeverhis.

The essence of his nearactiondrippedfromhisfangstoher fleshhighonher rightshoulder. The secretionwould numb any pain. Hismouth dipped and he lickedher skin. When his fangs

penetratedsheshudderedandheld still. Huck knew hisessencewas preparing her tobe his. Their thoughtsmingled and made love intheir minds, joining,intertwining. Seeking andsearching her memories,Huckfinallysawthedeathofher father. The pain wasalmostunbearable.

HerloveenvelopedHuck,the amount she possessedcould never be denied and

Huckfeltthelasttracesofhisbiological father fall fromhim.Hisshieldexplodedwithemotion, he was reborn. Theshroud was no longer his tobear. There was too muchloveinHuck.Hisson’s love,Becky’s, his mother andstepfather,hisshield.Biologyhad nothing to do withHuck’s capacity to care, theemotion was there all along.Heonlyneededdoubtshovedfromhisbeing.

Each mark made toBecky’s fine sweet fleshbrought them closer thananything in theuniverse.Thetaste of her was twice asdelightful when her feelingsfor theirsonwasengravedinhisessence.HuckwaspartofTwain. Becky loved everyinchoftheirchild.

When he finished, theblack blazing tattoo shonebright, a glowing beacon ofhis worth. Someone loved

himenoughtotrusthimwiththeir life. His mate. Hisworld.Hisbetterhalf.

Huck turned her withinhis arms, his shield closedover them, healing her. “Iloveyou,Becky.”

“I’menvelopedinlove.”Becky drifted to sleep.

Huck knew the dreamwouldcome; there was somethinghe needed to do for her.Theplace she took them wasdismal. Rain fell from a

broodinggrey sky, andHuckfinallyunderstoodwhyBeckyhated the color. Greynessencompassed them. It wasnever because of a Tonan,another mystery solved. Itwasbecauseofhermemories.Beckystoodonthecrumblingbankscreaming,cryingtoherfather.Herfeetslippedastheground moved beneath her,but the mudslide was farworseontheothersideofthefastmovingwater.

Huck’sbreathcaught andhewasglad shewas relivingan old memory. If she wastruly in this kind of peril, hewould feel it in his entirebeing. Every ounce of himwanted to go to her, to saveher,butthenightmareneededtoplayoutsohewouldknowall of it. Only then could hevanquishtheturmoilfromherdreams.Thishadtoendwithherinhisarms;shemusthavehis comfort and know she

was never alone, anywhere,ever.

As the story played outHuck stood his groundwatching, though the agonyinhismatehurthissoul.Hissweet little fire cracker waswounded this day. A bravehuman male was calling toherandtellinghershewouldbe fine. Her father was sopassionate with his words.Every thought was for her,nothim.Everylastsecondof

hisbreathwascenteredonhisbeloved child, and Huckknew this was the man whotaught Becky unconditionallove. His mate would be thebest mother in the universe,and with all his heart hewished he could reach outand tell this wonderful soulhisdaughterwasforeversafe,lovedandwanted.

Becky couldn’t besoothed no matter how hardherfathertried.Shewas,after

all,watchinghimdieinfrontof her. Her screamingintensified as her father toldher to say goodbye, saygoodbye, sweet little kitten,daddy loves you; now look…look, sweetheart. Her armsreached to him, her fistsballedandsheslammedthemonto her knees in rage andpain.Herfathercalledtoher,a loving cry. For an instantHuck saw him, her father,lookrightathim.Huckstood

behind Becky—he sees me,herfatherisseeingme.

Huckfelthisheartpound,he took a step forward. Themanwasalmostenvelopedinmuck, brownish black oozeslippedpasthislipsbutHuckheardhim—heheardhimcallashechoked.

“Just turn around, babygirl,andlook,”herfatherwascalling.“Turnandlook,baby,he’s right there. Have faithandtrust.Iloveyou.”

Becky fought hard toresist the temptation to spinaround.Huckcould feel it inhis veins. The fear of theunknown was too greatwithin her. She searched forher dad, willing him toreappear, but he was goneand Huck was still stunned.SlowlyBeckydroppedtoherknees,herheadbowedandhefelt her confusion. Turnaround, please. His entirebeing reached for her in his

thoughts. His shield pulsatedinsidehisveins.

Huck’s breath caught asBecky turned her face,craninghernecktolookbackbehind her. She stared fromhisfeettohishipstohischestand settled on his features.She cried out and jumped toher feet. Huck had hercrushed to his chest inseconds.

“Hewastellingmetoturnaround,” she said sobbing. “I

thought my dad didn’t wantme towatch himdie.But hewanted me to see you so Iwouldn’t be so scared. Howdid he know? I saw himpointing with his fingers.HowHuck?”

Huck swallowed hard.He’d seen the man do thesamething.

“I don’t know, Becky. Idon’t know how he saw mebut he did. Love can gowherenothingelsecan.Ifelt

him. Icould feel inmyhearthow happy he was youweren’t alone.Fategavehimagift.Apremonition.”

Huck had her up off herfeet, his fist buried into herhair.Hisarmsqueezedhertohischestneverwantingtoletgo.

“Youweremineallalong.Mine!”

“Andyou’remine.”HuckliftedBeckyhigher.

Heturned,butashebeganto

leave something made himlookback.Becky’sfatherwasstanding across the flood ofmud.Onlyhestoodongreengrass with a pure blue skyoverhead. With him was asight Huck knew he wouldsee again perhaps inthousands of years. Hisparents were watching him.Hisstepfatherliftedhishand.Huck’s heart skipped a beat.AnevilTonanwentnowhereindeath.

Becky wrapped her armsaround his neck and buriedher face in his throat. Hucktilted his head toward hisfather, his real father. Hisshieldclosedoverthebothoftheminahug.

Youdidwell.Huck heard the hushed

voice.Hesmiled.****

“TheTonanandGorganowillregroup.Butbythen,ourlittlewarriorswill be a force

to reckon with. We’llannihilate the bastards. Yourson will stand side by sidewith his brothers. Castiansand our Tonan brothers willbe protectors of the galaxy.”Cobrawassmiling.Huckwasgrinning at the look on hisface;hewasintense.Becky’sfeatureswerescrewedupintoan expression Huck wasfamiliarwith.

“My son’s not evenwalking, and you have him

roadwarrior of the century,”Beckysaid,hertonedrippingin sarcasm. “You need tochangemorediapers.”

“Your son will be apowerhouse, an icon.Allourwarriors will be.” Cobrawaved his hand toward thesky.“We’llbeinvinciblewithourZargonniiallies.Next,wemove on to help the darkwarriors who will wipe outthe Angano. No more shit.We’ll blow the bastards into

itty bitty pieces so smallrodents won’t find a decentmeal.”

Becky blinked. Cobra’schest was heaving, puffed inpride, his features animated.BeckystoodbeforeCobrafora second. Her gaze wasunreadableuntilshespoke.

“Don’tsweatit,cupcake.”Becky sauntered past

Cobra,smiling;shewinkedatHuck.

Cobra spun to gaze at

Huck. “Did your mate justcall me cupcake?” Cobrastood open-mouthed, eyeswide.

Huckthrewbackhisheadandhowledwithlaughter.

AbouttheAuthor

C.L.Scholey

Please call me Connie!It’s been fantastic workingwith great publishers andfollowing my dream ofwriting. When I’m not

writing, I’m busy lookingafter my children, husband,grandkids,andthefamilypet,a head strong, 116 poundmastiff named Aramis, aftertheThreeMusketeers.

I’m currentlyworking onwaytoomuch,asnormal,butI love every second of it.Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeat clscholey@hotmail.comLookmeuponmywebpagewww.clscholey.com or joinmeonTwitterandFacebook.

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