Proposition (9 page)

Chapter Ten

Krig left Keirah sleeping as he rose and dressed. He touched his forehead where the wound had been and discovered that it was gone. Her blood had healed him during the mating ritual. Usually there would be a formal ceremony later, with the right to challenge his claim issued to one and all. But being military he didn’t need the formality, and as far as he was concerned, he and Keirah were united. Right now, though, he had to find Geoff. As much as he loved being with Keirah, as much as he … loved her, something hadn’t seemed quite whole. And that something was Geoff. At the beginning, he’d had some unformulated thought in his mind that Geoff would be this far distant bump in the road that he could avoid, but the truth was he was very much a part of this mating, whether he’d been there or not.

As soon as the hatch opened he saw Geoff sitting on a boulder not too far away. The landslide had rolled them down the hill to land near some type of muddy swamp. Krig looked up, from where they had rolled from and saw a big swath cut into the vegetation. He had wanted the high ground but hadn’t even realized they’d already had it.

Geoff didn’t even glance at him as he settled on the boulder next to him. And for the first time in his life, Krig felt out of control of the situation because he had no idea what Geoff was thinking.

“So … it’s over?”

Krig took a deep breath. “How do I answer that without sounding crass?”

“I think you just did.”

He looked briefly at him, and that’s when Krig noticed Geoff’s swollen eyes. “Your eyes are red.”

“If you make one disparaging remark about being sissy to cry I will beat your ass. Humans have emotions, and yes, sometimes we cry.”

“Alphans have emotions.”

“That’s not what you said a while back.”

“I know what I said a while back. I was … wrong.”

Geoff narrowed his gaze. “Wrong how?”

Krig was silent for a moment as he tried to articulate his thoughts. “My mother died in childbirth when I was thirteen, and I cried for her loss. I cried because I loved her and I was sorry for myself. My father didn’t like my weakness, said I wasn’t Alphan enough, so he beat the love out of me.”

Geoff gasped. “Jesus.”

“I am a strong Alphan warrior,” Krig continued. “I had no room in my life for any other feelings except duty. Until now.”

“Until Keirah? Yeah, I kind of felt the same way when I met her.”

“Geoff, I had this vague notion that you didn’t matter, at least not to me. I wanted Keirah, and you were a nuisance.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No, hear me out. What I just shared with her was amazing, but it didn’t feel whole.”

Geoff cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“You were missing.”

For a moment Geoff looked like a fish out of water, his mouth opening and closing in shock. And then he sputtered and shook his head.

“I’m not gay!”

Krig narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure how you’re using that word. Gay means happy, correct?”

Geoff shook his head. “On Earth it also means preferring men over women.”

“Oh. There is no stigma on Alpha to prefer a male over a female, but I’ve already told you that I’ve never wanted a male lover.”

“Then what did you mean about me being missing?”

“I meant that Keirah isn’t whole unless she has both of us. I’m talking about sharing her.”

Geoff gave a short, bitter laugh. “I thought I already was sharing my wife.”

“I’m saying this wrong,” Krig said. He took a deep breath. “We take her together next time. We both mark her as ours, have our scents mixed.”

“A
ménage à trois
,” Geoff said. “You fuck her pussy while I fuck her ass.”

Krig grabbed hold of his shirt and yanked him close to snarl in his face. “Respect her, Geoff, or, husband or not, I’ll issue you a challenge in the battle arena.”

“Let me go. And I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Krig let go of him, and Geoff went on. “We talked about it, of course. Keirah is surprisingly kinky. But I never could bear to share her.”

“Share her with me, and not because you have to. Share her with me out of love.”

“You love her?”

Krig nodded. “I do. And she loves you. I understand this. I can accept this, and I hope you can, too.”

They stared at one another until a loud boom shook the grove. Both looked up, and Krig saw a shuttle flying overhead. He jumped to feet.

“That’s a Xyran scout ship.”

“Are you sure?” Geoff asked.

Krig nodded. “Come on. We have to get Keirah up.”

They rushed into the pod, and while Geoff woke Keirah up and explained the Xyran ship, Krig tried to resurrect any power in the pod. Shields would be nice, but no such luck. He reached for the under counter compartment and pulled out the fourth blaster. When he turned around, Keirah was dressed and glanced at him almost shyly. He spared a quick look at Geoff before rising and cupping the back of her head to bring her in for a quick kiss.

“Stay in here and arm yourselves,” he told both of them and then headed toward the hatch.

“Where are you going?” Geoff demanded.

“I’ve got to end this. Keep Keirah safe. That is your mission.”

“No, we stand together,” Geoff said.

“You’re not a warrior. You’ll never last against a Xyran. Like me, they’re trained to fight and kill.”

“We’re family now, Krig. Family sticks together.”

Something inside Krig clenched tightly. “I thought you hated me.”

“I did,” Geoff admitted. “But not anymore. Damn it, you made me respect you.”

He smiled. “I, too, have learned you’re not the puny human male I once thought you were.”

“That is the most awesome thing you’ve ever said to me,” Geoff replied.

Keirah chuckled, and then she took hold of his hand before grabbing hold of Geoff’s hand. The meaning wasn’t lost on him as she joined them together.

A family. He never realized he wanted one until that moment.

“If we work together, we can take him down,” she said.

“How do we take down a chameleon?” Geoff asked.

“You have to surprise it,” Krig said, grimly. “We know what this moon has to offer. He doesn’t. We use it against him.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Keirah replied.

Chapter Eleven

Krig knew the Xyran would blend into the background. He would attack slowly, methodically, stalking them to pick them off one by one. Since they had fallen into the bottom of the ravine, the trees were too far away for a tactical advantage. He stood on a boulder in the heart of the muck, knowing he was too exposed, but he wanted to make sure he grabbed Iell’s attention. Krig gripped his shield, another piece of the pod they’d peeled off. It wasn’t the best, but it would protect him well enough against any type of killing blast.

Keirah waited at the hatch of the pod, and he felt her eyes trained on him. Even though he was a trained warrior and had stared danger and death many times in the face,
 
he was unsure with a monster out there hunting her. There were so many variables in an uncontrolled situation, and he didn’t like it. A light mist hung in the air, making everything seem hazy, and Krig was hoping this worked to their advantage.

He heard the shot seconds before it reached him, barely giving him enough time to bring his shield up. It pinged, and the vibration viciously rolled though him, but he held on and kept his concentration. The blast had come from the right side of the pod, so he focused on that area.

Another blast came and he deflected that as well, and he shot back, which he knew went wide. He couldn’t see Iell at all although he knew he was out there, using his natural camouflage ability to hide among the lush greenery. He could feel the Xyran’s eyes watching him, so he waited for movement. His perception was what made him a worthy warrior, what had propelled him so quickly through the ranks until he was captain, and he relied heavily on it now. The air thinned, electricity danced over his skin, and he saw the barest glimpse of moving plants that seemed to sway for no reason. He looked at Keirah and gave her the barest nod, and she took off running toward him. The mud was thick and she had a little trouble making her way toward him, but when she reached him, he lifted her up beside him on the boulder. She clung to his back, and he felt something wild and possessive sweep through him.

Then he heard a curse, and he allowed just a hint of a smile just as he saw a blur begin to shift. For a second he saw a foot, a foot that had stepped on carefully placed thorns, which no doubt stung Iell just as they’d stung Keirah. He wondered if the poison would have the same effect on Xyran physiology and how much time he’d have to waste until it incapacitated the demon. Krig fired his weapon, but the Xyran managed to duck the blast as he ran forward.

“Now!” Krig called out, and a second later, Geoff pulled a long vine up, causing Iell to trip into the mud. His camouflage was rendered useless as he was covered head to toe in muck, but just as Krig took aim to kill the Xyran, another blast hit the outside of his arm, singing the material. A painful jolt shocked him, traveling through his body, and caused his heart to jump for a moment. He fell back, causing Keirah to scream as she slipped off the boulder and into the mud. His head hit the stone hard, hard enough to render him slightly dizzy, and he lay there for a moment as the world spun around him. Iell had a helper, and had he been a better shot, Krig would be dead. That blast had been set to kill.

Keirah screamed again, and Krig flinched. He didn’t have time to lie here while the world righted itself. He forced himself up and saw the Xyran with a hand holding her hair. The other hand encircled her neck, cutting off her panicked cry, and without another thought, Krig launched himself onto Iell. Keirah was knocked away.

“Run!” he yelled at her, and then the Xyran turned and attacked.

The mud made it difficult to fight, but at least it made things difficult for both as Krig swung his metal shield around to bash Iell in the side of the head. Iell ducked, but he wasn’t quite that fast because he fell back, his forked tongue snaking out in a hiss. He touched the wound at his hairline, which bled steadily, and his black, evil eyes darted malevolently toward Keirah.

“Leave her alone,” Krig ordered.

The Xyran pushed himself to his feet, and the two circled each other. Both their weapons had fallen in the mud, lost forever, so the fight was now between their brute strengths. They were similar in build, both muscled, both large. But Krig had a mate to protect, and he’d do anything to make sure she stayed safe.

They attacked, both swinging their fists, which connected on the other. Iell’s punch was like an anvil smacking him in the jaw. Iell swung with his other arm and connected it to Krig’s midriff, causing the warrior to grunt and double over slightly. Krig’s grip loosened, and Iell twisted free, stepping back to watch the warrior.

“You’re going to die,” he taunted.

“If I am then I am taking you with me,” Krig promised.

He bent over and charged as fast as the mud would allow, hitting Iell in the gut and sending them both flying. They tussled on the ground as warrior strength matched equally with blind rage. Iell punched with jabs and drives, using every inch of his arms and legs. Elbows thrust upward while knees tried to cripple, and Krig had a difficult time defending all parts of his anatomy at once. They dove for one another causing each fist to connect with a jaw; they staggered back, dazed.

Krig saw his shield and dove for it as he wiped the blood trickling from the cut on his cheek. This had to end, and he had to win. There was no other option.

“I will have her!” Iell screeched. “She will pay for what she did to my brother. I’ll peel her skin off, inch by inch.”

Krig didn’t want to hear any more threats. With all his strength he swung the metal shield and smacked the side of Iell’s head so hard part of the skull crunched inward. Krig actually heard the bones breaking. The Xyran fell into the mud, dead.

“Krig!” Keirah cried and rushed toward him. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, and he winced as all his bruised parts came roaring alive. “Are you all right?”

She began poking and prodding him until he had to grab her hands. “We have to get out of here. Iell had someone helping him.”

Besides, his head fucking hurt and he needed some water. And some pain medicine would be nice. He could’ve taken Iell’s chest gems, but at that moment he didn’t really care about taking trophies. He and Keirah were both covered head to toe in mire and muck, and he just wanted to get her to safety. However, as they made their way closer to the edge of the swamp, another blast scorched past them, halting their wobbly stride.

Krig pushed Keirah behind him and looked around. A second later, his former first officer, Niklis, stepped into view and holding a blaster. And Krig knew that he wasn’t there to help them.

“You?” Krig asked in disbelief. “You betrayed us? For what?”

“For her,” Niklis replied, nodding toward Keirah, who peeked out from behind Krig’s back. “Because I don’t get the chance to have a woman.”

“What are you talking about? You can have any human woman you want!”

“I need money for that,” Niklis said. “I need honor for that. I need to not be scarred for that! Do you really think a woman would have me looking like this, with me missing a horn, without a substantial sum of money? The Xyrans will let me have my pick. Maybe I’ll take your girl and make her my own.”

“You did all this because you can’t find someone to fuck? You pathetic waste of life!” Krig proceeded to call him all sorts of lowlife names in their native tongue. He wanted to rip Niklis’s tongue out of his head and stuff down his throat.

“Enough!” Niklis yelled. “You would’ve done the same had you been me! You would’ve done anything for a chance in her bed!”

“I wouldn’t expect him to do anything for me!” Keirah yelled back. “Especially not treason! His people come first. Planet Alpha comes first, not me! I wouldn’t expect him to turn traitor for me!”

“Doesn’t matter now. I will kill him, and I’ll take you. I’ll report the tragic demise of brave warrior Krig.”

“I’ll tell everyone the truth,” she said.

“Not if I cut out your tongue. Perhaps I’ll tell everyone Krig was the traitor. How befitting such a noble warrior.”

The bitterness behind the words boiled over, and Krig knew Niklis was going to pull the trigger, knew his life was over. He didn’t know where Geoff was and could only hope that Niklis hadn’t hurt him. Regret flashed through him at the loss of the family they’d only just created. He wished he’d had time with his new mate, wished he’d told her how much he cared for her. How much he loved her.

“Get down, Keirah,” he ordered.

And then he heard some type of rolling call and saw Geoff come swinging out of one of the high trees on a vine. Niklis had barely looked up before Geoff fell on his back, using a piece of log to bash him on the head. Niklis tried to buck the other man off, but it was no use as Geoff pulled out a small piece of metal and slashed down with the homemade shank. The blade buried deep into Niklis’s back, and Krig realized the spinal cord must have been severed as the Alphan male instantly dropped dead. He saw Geoff stand and kick Niklis’s body to make sure he was dead.

He felt Geoff watching him as he made his way out of the muck and over to the body, curiously watching as he dipped his fingers into the mortal wound.

“You are a true warrior, Geoffrey DeWinter, and I’m proud to have you part of my house.” And with those words he smeared the blood on Geoff’s face.

“What the hell?”

“The gore of your foe is worn as a badge of honor among my people.”

“Oh. Cool,” Geoff replied and straightened his shoulders. “Do you have a camera?”

Krig smiled. “Come, we can use these vines to climb out of this mud pit.”

“Tarzan?” Keirah asked as she made her way to them.

Geoff shrugged. “Seemed appropriate.”