The Dawning of Fate

After passing out from too much pain, the last thing you want to wake up to is more pain. The second last thing you want to wake up to is the sound of your lover bellowing in pain. I felt his rage before I saw it. I felt his power before I watched him rip the heart out of a man’s chest. There were arms holding me but they were not his so my first instinct was to fight, but the pain had taken a toll on my body, making me feel weak and exhausted.

“Be calm, Eterai,” Kyrin’s voice reached my ears. He began answering my questions before I could even ask. “He fights for you. Dronan is here. Your ship is compromised.” We were pressed close in a narrow space below two ships. There was barely enough room to breathe. With each exhale, my stomach pressed into the ground, cutting my breath short.

“Why aren’t you out there helping him?!” I demanded. It was then that I saw Amondis appear beside his brother carrying a large gun, firing beams of pressurized plasma from their enemies. Chaos was all around. Beings of all sorts were rushing around in an attempt to escape the commotion. There were even some that seemed to be enjoying it. Zan must’ve handed me off to Kyrin when the fighting broke out.

“What can I do?” I whispered softly. This was happening because of me. Zan was being hurt because of me.

“You must be what you are, Eterai,” Kyrin said.

I scoffed but it was weak. “I think there’s enough destruction already. Where is Dronan?” I scanned the platform but I couldn’t see much past all of the fighting.

“His soldiers sheltered him within your ship,” he explains. From what I learned about most of these being since I’ve been here, if nothing, they were prideful. So I imagine being sheltered away from all the fighting wasn’t a great show of his prowess.

I turn my head to Kyrin. “Tell me about Dronan’s people. Who are they? What do they value?” His seasoned eyes study my face in scrutiny.

“Dronan is a warlord of the Mekehu people. They are an arrogant race but it is not in vain. They are among the wealthiest and most powerful people in this part of the galaxy. A telepathic people, The Mekehu divide themselves into tribes. Dronan’s tribe is the Ondra, specializing in strategy and tactics. They spend lunars perfecting their craft and Dronan’s prestige is known far and wide. Why do you want to know this?”

Dronan was a businessman at his core. If the numbers made sense, that’s where he went and he was ruthless in his pursuit of profit. This was alien wall street on maximum. But what if I found a way to get him a better deal? That could only happen if I knew the details of his plans and the only way I would be privy to those was by convincing him to actually have a conversation with me instead of tying me up and tossing me in whatever box he had with my name on it. I take it back, this was a stupid plan.

A breath shuddered out of me. I looked directly into Kyrin’s blue eyes. “I need to talk to him.”

He didn’t say a word so for an uncomfortable amount of seconds we only stared at each other. “Your mate would kill me. You are fully aware of this and yet, you suggest such idiocy. What has been the point of this entire endeavor if not to avoid you coming into contact with him? Here you are suggesting that we present you at his feet.” Kyrin chuffs, turning back to look at the carnage. “We must get you to a healer immediately,” he murmurs.

I knew Zan would never let me do it. Furious isn’t even a strong enough word for what he’d be. Just thinking about how he’d react had my body tensing. I’ve pushed him little by little but I knew that this would be too far. Still. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and dived into my mind. I found the connection between us; the bond was thick and strong. I knew immediately when Zan recognized my presence. I let him feel my love and current safety.

“You seek me, little one.” His presence surrounded me, protective and encompassing. “What is it that you desire?”

I hesitated. “Well, Kyrin was explaining some stuff to me and…” We both fell silent after that and I knew he could feel everything that I was reluctant to say.

“You wish to speak to the man that seeks to harm you,” he rumbles. A chill works its way down my spine. “Do you not trust us to protect you? Do you care so little for your own life?” He demands.

I suck in a breath. “I just wanted to–you’ve done so much. I–” A shudder works its way over my body, piercing pain lancing through my back. “Nevermind.” I retreated from my mind and stared blankly ahead. This fighting would last for hours if something wasn’t done. Zan and Amondis couldn’t take them on all by themselves. The other races that were just adding to the chaos helped a bit but the focus of the soldiers was on the Tumerians. My gut told me that I was on the right track with Dronan. Maybe speaking to him wasn’t the best idea and truthfully, my mate would never let me. I wouldn’t be able to defend myself with what little I learned from Zan in my condition either way. I needed another way to get the information. But for now, there had to be something I could do to help them.

“Where is Tahla?” I asked suddenly, not seeing her among the fighters.

“The Dregmon female raced off when the chaos broke out. Do not fret for her. She is capable of taking care of herself,” Kyrin responded.

My nose wrinkled. “You are far too nonchalant about everything that is going on here.”

He looked at me then, piercing me with his stare. “You are my charge, Eterai. You are safe and that is really all that matters.”

“There is no me without Azandum.” As the words left my lips, I knew at once that they were true. The weight of them settled within my being. Without the other half of my soul, I would perish and so would he. So, that’s what it meant to be a lifemate; to love so deeply it consumed you.

BOOM!

The platform shook with the force of the explosion. It was powerful enough to rock the foundation of the ship above us. The groan and crane of it did not bode well. Kyrin and I scrambled out from under it as fast as we could. He ended up dragging me out the rest of the way back to my ankles and good thing too because as soon as we were out, the legs holding it in place gave out. The belly that was just above us settled onto the trembling platform. A moment later and we would’ve been as flat as a pancake.

What the hell had happened? I mentally checked in with Zan and he was just as confused but it was quickly replaced with a sense of relief. I heard his roar of triumph and felt his vigor renew. I looked at Kyrin and his snout was spread in the Xoid version of a grin. He turned his head to me.

“Help has arrived, Eterai. I was afraid they would not get here in time.” My brows pulled down. Help? From who? Kyrin scooped me up suddenly in his arms. “Come, we must use this moment to get you safely onto the ship.”

Complaining about being carried would have been useless so I didn’t even waste my breath. “But you said Dronan had taken the ship.”

“There is now another,” he responded. “Prepare yourself.” I was about to ask for what but then he shot off from our hiding space, lunging into the fray of chaos. Fear seized my body. Smoke plummed in the air in heavy clouds and as Kyrin advanced, I saw that it was coming from our–well, Dronan’s now– ship. A huge hole had been blown into the top of it. I used my cloak to cover my nose and mouth.

Kyrin maneuvered us through the fray, dodging and twisting this way and that. I searched frantically for my lover. It wasn’t until we’d escaped the mass of people trying to escape the chaos that we found where the heat of the battle was. There were bodies and blood everywhere. My heart squeezed tight in my chest and it wasn’t until I spotted my lover amidst the living that it seemed to ease, but only slightly. He was fighting off two attackers but the two Tumerians had been joined by a group of aliens and it was the large golden one with three red eyes that caught my attention. Gutark. They had come and they were beating back the enemy. Dronan’s numbers had dwindled severely. Relief was short-lived as I watched the man himself make his escape from the burning shit. I’d never wished for the death of anyone in my life but at that moment I had hoped he burned with the ship.

“Get to Gutark’s ship. Now!” Zan demanded, catching my eyes from across the platform before turning and rushing toward Dronan. The look in his eyes was one I’d never seen before. He was feral; a predator hunting his prey. Nothing would keep him from claiming his kill. Even though Kyrin couldn’t have heard him, he tightened his arms around me and began cutting through the fray.

My eyes never left my lover. Dronan noticed his approach and the grin that spread across his face made my blood run cold. I don’t know how I knew but I knew now was not the time. This was not the way. It was too soon, too fast. If they clashed right now, my mate would die. The knowledge settled deep in my bones alongside a gut-wrenching fear.

Save him.

The words were a whisper but I’d know her voice anywhere. My body moved before my mind even caught up. I jolted from Kyrin’s arms and stumbled. I snatched the short sword from my boot before I was running at full speed toward the two men. Kyrin bellowed after me but I ignored it. I ignored the fighting around me. I even ignored the pain ricocheting through my body. My only goal was to save the man I loved and if anyone got in my way, they would die. I may be only human, but my species were known for the depths of our fortitude. When push came to shove, we humans always found a way to make it happen and that was exactly what I would do.