Hyperspeed Dreams by Anna Carven

Chapter Twenty-One

As Nythian strodeup the ramp of the departing stealth-cruiser, he turned and gave Lodan a half-serious fist-on-chest salute. “See ya landside, brother. When we’re done sorting out human trouble we should do as the humans do and have a gathering… you know, a celebration.”

Lodan gave his battle-brother a deadpan look. The human custom of celebrating things was completely alien to him. What was there to celebrate, anyway? “I find it hard to believe that you of all people are suggesting that we take part in one of these inane human customs.”

The big guy shrugged. “Times change. We change. You just wait and see, my brother. You’ll find yourself doing strange shit; things you never would have thought yourself capable of.”

“Already have,” Lodan muttered as he glanced to his right. Tasha was there, standing at the rear of the stealth cruiser, Krizen, surrounded by her people. Alexis was there, along with the brothers and Virginie.

Nythian and Lodan had stepped aside to allow them some space as they said their goodbyes.

They were all bound for Earth, but in different directions.

Alexis and Nythian were heading to a human city called New York to assist Ikriss with a little problem of his, finishing the mission that Lodan had started before he made a little side-tour to Tasha’s island.

Before Ikriss had died from an assassin’s poison and been resurrected by Zharek.

A little shit-storm was brewing down on the green-and-blue planet. There were reports that humans had acquired plasma weapons. The so-called Syndicate—the human equivalent of a Noble House—was causing trouble.

And Ikriss, who had just returned from the brink of death after being attacked by a cursed Silent One...

He had just found his mate, a gentle but brave human called Sienna.

Serious, wily ‘Kriss was the last warrior Lodan had expected to fall for a human, but who could predict any of that stuff?

Who could have predicted that he would fall so fast and so hard. Lodan had always thought his own mating process would be controlled and logical; that he would select his mate based on predetermined compatibility.

Whenhe was ready.

Not this.

Not now.

But it had happened, like a sudden ice-storm on the Vaal.

He wasn’t complaining.

He allowed his gaze to linger on Tasha a little too long. He drank in her small but powerful body, his eyes coming to rest on her pert little ass, which looked so good encased in those skintight black human-style pants.

Humans really knew how to design clothing to enhance certain… attributes.

Lodan’s erection pressed against his armor-plate. His severed horn-bases throbbed.

Sweet little thing.

He could just take her again, right now.

But first they had to cure her. Thank the Goddess that Zharek had put a temporary patch on her withdrawals. The analogue wasn’t a cure-all, but it would keep her alive until they got their hands on the real thing.

They couldn’t leave it too long, though. According to Zharek, the analogue would only be effective while the real Enqua remained in her system.

Once the last traces of the true drug were metabolized…

If they didn’t get the real thing in time…

She could die.

Tch.Bitch of a thing.

Lodan’s claws shot out as he was hit by a sudden bolt of anger. The thought that she had even the tiniest risk of dying from this… it drove him mad. The ones that had done this to her… the ones that saw her as nothing more than a tool, to be honed and used as they pleased…

He would rip their fucking hearts out.

Soon.

Not long now.

Tarak had ordered the techs to carry out discreet surveillance on the Praetorian stronghold. Soon they would know the layout and have a reasonably accurate estimate on enemy numbers.

Ha.Not that these humans could truly be called enemies. It didn’t matter what kind of guns they’d acquired—plasma or not. Lodan and his brothers would destroy them.

The boss had given him permission to carry out a full-scale raid on the place; this so-called Praetorian HQ, even if they attracted unwanted scrutiny from the human media.

Hm.This was new.

When they’d first arrived on Earth, they’d been ordered to keep a low profile so as not to cause mass panic amongst the humans.

The General had made an effort to broker peace with Earth’s ruling Federation, even though they could have easily conquered the planet and subjugated the humans.

But Tarak had actually gone to the extent of offering The Federation their protection, a move that had surprised Lodan.

At first, it looked like the humans would actually be sensible and comply with their demands, which weren’t really all that excessive; a few territories for them to occupy, unimpeded use of Earth’s orbit, and of course, the stifling of all opposition to human-Kordolian courting and mating.

But then they just had to go and ruin it, didn’t they?

They just had to go and collude with Darkstar’s enemies; the exiled former ruling lords of Kythia.

They just had to start acquiring Kordolian-made plasma tech, didn’t they?

And now they had fucking Enqua, a drug that had once been used to enslave the Kordolian people.

Signs of human betrayal and dissent were starting to appear everywhere, and bit by bit, Tarak was deliberately easing the restraints on his warriors.

Lodan knew that the possibility of forcefully occupying Earth would be at the forefront of The General’s mind.

He knew how his boss operated.

Tasha must have felt his stare, because she turned and gave him a questioning look.

Her expression softened.

Light seeped into his soul, fusing with his anger.

Goddess, how did she do this to him?

As he continued to stare, Alexis leaned in and whispered something in Tasha’s ear in that confounding language of theirs.

One corner of Tasha’s mouth curved upwards in an almost-smile.

Lodan’s breath caught.

He’d never seen her smile before. He’d made her laugh, and that was good, but she’d never smiled…

“Oi.” A familiar voice intruded at the edges of his awareness. “Snap out of your cursed trance already. We’re leaving in two sivs.”

“Enjoy the food,” Lodan said dryly. “I hear Ikriss’s mate has a way of turning eating into pleasure. Tch. Humans.”

“I’ll believe that when I taste it,” Nythian snorted as he glanced longingly at his mate. “Only thing I enjoy eating is…”

Lodan put up his hand in a half-mocking gesture. “Believe me, I know. Now I know.” He’d tasted his mate’s intoxicating nectar and nothing else could ever come close.

Nythian grinned and clapped him on the back. “I’m truly happy for you, brother. She’s got fire in her veins. She’s good for someone like you.”

“About that,” Lodan said quietly, watching as Tasha and her family chatted and laughed, their expressions rapidly transitioning from light to darkness, then back again.

Humans were such expressive creatures.

Tasha was probably the quietest and most reserved of the group, but even she almost smiled from time to time.

She was definitely a lot more expressive than when he’d first met her.

And a lot less angry.

A lot less afraid.

He couldn’t see any wrong in her. He just couldn’t.

“Lodan. What’s on your mind?”

“Tasha,” he sighed. “I’ve been hit with the Fever. Obviously, my judgement is clouded now. Protective instinct’s taken over. I can’t help it. But she came to us in suspicious circumstances. I’m convinced beyond the shadow of the Dark Sun that her intentions are genuine, but…”

Nythian gave him a knowing look. “You can’t help but wonder… what if you’re wrong?”

“Humans are cunning. If there’s some ulterior motive behind her presence here, she might not even be aware of it. I’m too biased right now. I wouldn’t be able to detect it. Someone reactivated the tracking implant in her brain. Good thing Zharek managed to neutralize it for good.” After they’d fucked for the second time… and the third time, the monitor on Tasha’s chest, the dokari, had turned green.

Warning.

Lodan had taken her to Zharek immediately, and the medic had given her another shot of the analogue. To Lodan’s intense relief, the dokari had changed back to blue immediately. Now that Silence was calm again, Zharek had taken the opportunity to run a more thorough analysis on Tasha’s modifications.

“A half-rotation,” Zharek had told him. “That’s how long you’ve got to get the Enqua.”

At some point, the medic would have to remove some of the artificial devices in her body… after he’d regrown and reconstructed suitable replacement tissue and organs. Apparently, some of Tasha’s modifications could cause long-term problems.

“So what? Are they really going to try and attack one of our best equipped warships? Especially when we’ve surrounded her with an auxiliary fleet of destroyers? Tarak’s taking no chances.” Nythian bared his fangs. “Let them come. I don’t like it when enemies skulk in the darkness. Better to lure them out into the open so we know what we’re dealing with. And when it comes to Tasha, this is probably the one time you don’t have to let your logic get in the way of your instincts. Alexis has told me a lot about her. And you know very well that the boss has arranged extensive background checks on her. She’s a victim of circumstance, as much as you or I. Good thing her circumstances gave her a decent set of fists to defend herself with.”

Lodan gave Nythian a wry look. “Since when have you become so wise, brother?”

“What, are you saying I wasn’t wise before?”

Lodan snorted. “That temper of yours heats up a little more slowly than it used to.”

“Oh, it’s still there, believe me. See what happens if anything threatens my mate.”

“Ah. So you’ve just shifted priorities, then.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Nythian raised his hand and gestured at Alexis. “Time to get going. I don’t want to get chewed out by the Commander for being late. This is his mate we’re talking about.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to get on ‘Kriss’s bad side,” Lodan chuckled. “Especially lately. He’s been a little… tense.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“You too, brother.”

Alexis finally finished the last of her goodbyes and made her way up the ramp, reaching Nythian’s side. “Hey, Lodan.” She greeted him with a small wave.

Lodan nodded in acknowledgement, keeping one eye on Tasha. Now she was talking to her brothers; the pale, slender one called Felix and the big, deep-brown skinned one called Kylian.

Virginie smiled patiently as she watched them.

Strange human.

There was something about the elder that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Lodan didn’t know much about human kinship rules outside the obvious blood-relationships, but he knew that Tasha and her siblings were orphans; the old woman had taken them in when they were infants and raised them singlehandedly.

For a small, frail old human, she was really taking this all of this disruption very well. In fact, she’d been the calmest out of all of them.

Nythian curled his arm around his mate’s waist as Alexis appeared at his side. “Thought you’d never get here,” he murmured, his voice softening.

“They’re family,” Alexis shrugged. “I haven’t seen them in forever.”

“Relax, my love. You’ll have plenty more time to see them after this. It isn’t your Reunion Island, but it’s the safest place on the entire planet. They’ll like it. All humans seem to like Kenna’s homestead for some reason or other. I don’t understand it. Those roosters drive me nuts. All that infernal noise drives me nuts.”

“Lucky we’re only going to New York, then,” Alexis laughed.

Lodan and Nythian gave her a blank stare. What was so funny about that?

Tch. Humans.

“See you in a couple of rotations.”

“Enjoy,” Lodan said dryly as Nythian led Alexis up the ramp and into the waiting ship’s dark hatch.

“You too, bro.”

“Lodan.” Tarak’s deep voice snapped through his comm. “Come to my office, now.”

“On my way.”

“Bring your human, too. She is as much a part of this mission as you. On second thought, meet me in the weapons room.”

Lodan stared intensely at Tasha’s back until she turned and met his eyes. You done? He mouthed.

She held up a finger. Wait. She was a little imperious; so different to how she was before… when he’d first found her.

Good.He liked that.

Lodan gave Nythian a lazy wave as the Qualum doors sealed shut. Tasha said goodbye to her brothers, then leaned in to give Virginie a stiff, awkward hug.

Human touch didn’t come naturally to Tasha. He could understand why. But at least she felt free enough to try.

He made his way to her side as the old woman kissed her on the cheek and whispered something in her ear. Then Virginie stepped back and gave Lodan a steely look. “She deserves happiness, don’t you think?” She spoke in highly accented but perfectly understandable Universal.

Tasha’s eyes widened in shock. “You never told us you spoke Universal.”

“I never said I didn’t,” Virginie replied slyly. “Well, nobody ever asked me.”

Lodan glared at the wily old human. Appearances could be deceiving, although he didn’t detect any malice in her. “What else have you neglected to tell us, human?”

“A few things of interest, but nothing of importance.”

“You had better be right. When we come and see you on Earth, we are going to talk.”

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea. I suppose this is goodbye, for now. I’m looking forward to seeing the desert again. It’s a long time since I’ve been to Teluria.” Virginie leaned forward, taking Tasha’s hands into hers. She gave them a firm squeeze. “You are safe now, my daughter. Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. Won’t it, Lodan?” She gave him a strange look.

“If you even have to ask me that, then you do not know us very well,” he growled, curling his arm around Tasha’s waist.

He was pleased when she didn’t flinch or stiffen at his touch.

The old woman didn’t look surprised in the slightest.

Tch. Humans. Always more complicated than what they appeared.