As Xerus made it to the end, he slid himself over the ledge then had Lana drop from his back. As he righted himself, he picked her up once more and carried her out of the station.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The people at the docks didn't run or scream. No guns were drawn, no orders shouted. They merely stared in wonder at Xerus with Lana still in his arms. Lana was shocked to be sure but also equally relieved. As the people backed away to give them space, Xerus set her down beside him.

  Lana looked through the crowd of faces and saw Dahlia, Ben, and Sarah among them. They came to the front to hug and greet her.

  "You made it, fuck, it's a damn miracle," Ben said.

  "Everyone is okay?" Lana asked.

  Dahlia nodded. "A few were injured, but we patched them up."

  Lana looked at the faces of those watching them, most looking to Xerus with fear and awe. "Why don't they run?" Lana asked.

  "They saw you with him and got the hint," Ben said.

  Dahlia smacked his shoulder lightly. "It was more than that. Once groups started coming up from the cargo elevators one after another we had a theory that someone was aiding them. When we asked, they each said it had been a great big red demon alien from hell." Dahlia shrugged as Xerus snorted and shook his head. "We knew it had to be Asset X. But what we didn't understand was why he did it and how everyone would come out alive. Since, let's be honest, there was no way they would."

  "So we then theorized," Sarah said, "That he was actually helping. It took some time but we convinced them. Ben showed them the video recordings of all your sessions. Well, the good ones anyway." Sarah glanced at Xerus nervously. "We then told them to wait for others. Until we knew for sure everyone was out. But once the tremors started..."

  "People have been itching real bad to leave," Ben finished. He pointed to the ships. "They are ready to go. No one is holding us back now that the officers stood down and the pilots are ready to fly them."

  Lana nodded. "Let's get the hell out of here."

  ***

  Xerus did one last round of scanning to be sure none held the parasite. To their relief, everyone was clean. A few volunteered to blockade the station entrance but Xerus was satisfied the infected were either all dead or still down in the earth ready to be buried. None would be able to make it out from the bottom to the top. And with all the ships taking off, there would be no way for Spectre to spread.

  Lana stood out beyond the crowd where most were filing in line to get on one of the ships. She didn't know whether to join them or not. Now that she and Xerus had made it out, what she had avoided before could no longer be ignored. He had to go back to his home planet. Where he could get back to his kind and tell them he had completed his mission. Where he could be made Predomis and mated to a queen.

  A sharp sting hit her chest at the thought and in that moment she fully considered forcing Xerus to take her with him.

  But how could she force someone to go against their way of life, against their beliefs? They were from different worlds, no matter how much she loved him, she couldn't force him to go against his ways. Even if it broke her.

  "They are getting ready to depart," Dahlia said beside her. "Better get on."

  Lana swallowed hard, her throat tightening. "I..."

  Dahlia's eyes widened at something behind her and she stepped back, bowing her head. Lana turned and saw Xerus behind her.

  "We are taking this ship," he said, looking at Dahlia. "Since there is enough room for everyone on the others."

  Dahlia glanced at Lana, her brows rising. Lana stared at Xerus. "We?"

  Dahlia slipped a hand on Lana's shoulder reassuringly and gave her a small smile before returning with the others. They waved to her as they entered their ship. Lana waved back and turned to Xerus. "You want me to come with you?"

  Xerus' eye narrowed on her as if annoyed. "Did you honestly think I would leave you?"

  Lana opened her mouth then closed it, feeling ashamed. "I thought...you have to go back to your home planet to tell them you completed your mission."

  "Yes..."

  "And...to become a Predomis." Her eyes fell. "And..." Oh, to hell with it. "And I can't be there with you when that happens. I can't watch you be with another and be alone." Lana turned her eyes back to him. "I don't think I could take it. Because..."

  Xerus nuzzled her neck then whispered in her ear, " Do you ever actually listen to me? Or do humans lack the ability to remember things clearly?"

  Confused, Lana looked back at him and Xerus sorted. He took her hand in his. "I am not Predomis yet. But I already have a queen. Because she will be chosen as it is her right."

  Lana blinked, staring at him. "I can be made a queen?" she said softly. "Even though I am not Vrisha?"

  "A queen is chosen for her strength and bravery. For her cunning and ability to endure," Xerus stated. "That is the Vrisha way. You have proven this ten-times over. You who helped destroy our enemy and put your life at risk to save me." Xerus bowed his head. "The others will know as I will be the one to tell them. You will be made a queen and you will be mine."

  Lana stared up at him, barely able to think. Not knowing what to say, only that a weight had vanished and she felt alive. She reached up and kissed his jaw, his neck, uncaring of the stares from people still waiting to board the other ships.

  "Let's go home," Lana whispered, smiling.

  Xerus grunted and lifted her in his arms. He took her to a ship at the very front, shutting the doors behind them.

  At the front of the ship, Xerus placed her at a seat next to his then began working the controls. Lana watched in fascination as he started the ship.

  "You really can fly this?" she asked nervously.

  Xerus looked at her and his mouth twitched. "Your technology is rather simple."

  Lana smiled then laughed.

  The engine roared to life and, as it moved, the doors to the dock entrance opened. Light spilled out, the first natural light Lana had seen in months.

  The ship sped up until Lana was pushed back by the force. They shot from the entrance then climbed to the clouds until the sky darkened and there was nothing but stars.

  Epilogue

  Xerus

  They were close. At least if the readings were correct. Human tech always made him a little nervous as it was so susceptible to error. Or breaking at the most inconvenient times. But he could estimate enough that they were passing Airus, their third moon now, the farthest from Tryth. Already he could see in the distance the black-edged Vrisha ships in orbit. They would contact him soon.

  Flicking a few switches and using his knuckle to tap at the screen before him, he placed the ship in auto and left his seat. Unhurried, he strode down the narrow passage behind the pilot's cabin until he reached a room at the back. Within, several dozen pods sat in rows of three from the ground to the top in a semi-circle around the room. He went to the one on the left closest to the door and peered down.

  There his queen slept peacefully. How she could stand to be confined in such a space astounded him. Though she was so small he supposed it worked well for her race. At least he could feel assured that she was secure inside, only having to check on her every few hours.

  The pods were barbaric. As were their ships. What space-traveling race in their right minds used such tech to get around? Clearly, they had been impatient to leave their homeworld even if it meant speeding through space in a ship slower than a Vrisha carrier on the Tryth seas. He'd wanted to tear the rest of his scales out just from the sheer frustration of it. But he forced himself to be patient. And grateful.

  Only a few weeks ago they had escaped that toxic planet and the underground base within. Now gone and buried, his enemy with it. Xerus closed his eyes. Finally, the parasite that had destroyed so many other races was gone.

  He didn't know if he could ever tell her how bad it really had been. He had kept so much from her in the beginning and even now he was uncertain. But then she would soon find out regardless. The others would show her if he didn't. It was only good now that the parasite was gone. Even if the sacrifices had been great. Xerus curled his lip back as the memories of destruction flashed through his mind. Of the planets destroyed, of every living organism needing to be wiped out and exterminated. And he had been the enforcer.

  He would have done it to her race too if it had come down to it. And he gave silent thanks to Veradis that it hadn't been so. It was the Vrisha way to place one's mission and duties above all else to complete their goal. But it did not leave out the agony or the despair or utter fear. Several times Lana had brought out those emotions within him when he thought he would have to end her life if it meant destroying the parasite. Even in the beginning he had felt oddly saddened at the thought, but once he understood what he was feeling towards her, he had been determined to save her at any cost.

  This strange little human had made him more afraid than he had ever felt in many cycles. He didn't let it show, to keep her from worrying, but there had been more times than he cared to admit. When those human males had trapped him, all he could think about was what was going to happen to her.

  He opened his eyes and let out a hiss of laughter. She had nearly sabotaged the mission and hadn't even known.

  Maybe it would have been easier to have told her everything in the beginning. But he couldn't have risked it. Not when he didn't know who all was infected yet. Not when he suspected they were harboring the parasite. He had even feared at one point that they were working with it somehow. That they were planning to use it as a weapon. No, because he hadn't known for sure, he couldn't risk it. Even if he felt for Lana, wanted to protect her. He couldn't let slip his mission until he knew for sure they too weren't his enemy.

  Xerus placed a hand against the pod's glass just above Lana's chest. He would never have believed in a thousand years that he would have found his mate in the middle of a war. He had fully come to terms with the idea that once his mission was complete, once the parasite was destroyed for good, he would come home and be given his queen as a reward. Never would have guessed that a strange earthling would be the one to move him. A soft-skinned, fragile-looking being, with an innocent face and fierce eyes. He had thought them strange looking at first, the humans, but the more he looked at his mate, the more he saw her loveliness. Her delicate beauty.

  He imagined the others would be shocked, maybe even a little concerned for his mental stability for taking such a soft-looking creature as his queen. Tyrus certainly would have a laugh, as would Rysha, but he would put them out real quick. His mouth twitched in amusement at the thought of his brothers.

  No, once they knew everything she had done, they would understand. She might not look it but she was worthy to be made queen. And knowing now that she would be by his side made his fiery soul swell and leap.

  Letting his hand fall from the glass, Xerus moved to the controls beside the pod and activated the awakening cycle. The pod lit up from within, bathing his mate in a cool blue. The pod door opened, letting out wafts of cold air. Xerus shivered as he came around the front. Without his scales, the air nipped at him. If humans had wanted to learn anything useful about his kind they would have known to use ice against him, not electricity. Though Vrisha could withstand any climate, icy atmosphere was the hardest for them to endure. They hated the cold.

  Xerus leaned forward and grazed his fingers gently over his mate's soft cheek. She stirred, frowning, her eyes fluttering open.

  "It's time, Kissala," he said softly. "We're almost home."

  His mate looked up at him with her brilliant green eyes, staring up at him as if in awe. No more fear he noticed. And that was good. He never wanted to frighten her again.

  She smiled at him and reached for him. He took her in his arms, bringing her close. He couldn't wait to have her in his home. In his bed. After the ceremonies were over he would take her to every spot he loved, from Vilrak Pass to the fire isles. He would have special clothing made for her, one from the scales of the fallen. And a crown of horns. He could envision it now and it made him growl with pleasure.

  She looked at him with her confused stare. "What's wrong?"

  He nuzzled her neck, nipping the delicate flesh, making her gasp. "Nothing is wrong...Xevas nik kasa."

  She gave him a funny look. "You are...disappointed? About what?"

  His eyes narrowed on her, forcing himself not to roll them. A decidedly human trait. "Esca xi issa. Kasa...impatient."

  "Oh," she said, smiling sheepishly.

  Xerus huffed. "You are too spoiled, you know. I have been too nice in speaking your tongue. And you are forgetting mine already." He shook his head. "You will need to understand mine more now than ever. As soon as we land I won't speak human again."

  Lana pouted but it seemed to be in jest. "Alright, fine. Erssi. I'm sorry."

  Xerus tightened his hold around her. "That's better."

  "How much farther are we?" she asked.

  "We should be passing Syvi, our second moon, as we speak." He carried her out of the room of pods and started back down the passage. When they got to the pilot's cabin he placed her in the seat beside his.

  A repetitive dinging sounded over the board and Xerus tapped the screen to confirm the call.

  "Risha nix vis na esya?" came a low, guttural voice. They wanted to know who was in the strange ship.

  "Xi Vrisha Xerus xil riskna. Fina vese humin vishil," he responded.

  There was a pause and then, "Xerus?" they said. They seemed in shock. They asked if he had completed his mission to which he responded yes.

  Immediately they were escorted to Tryth, two Vrisha ships protecting their own from either side. They locked on with magnetic propulsion to take them onward at a quicker speed. In no time at all, Tryth, his homeworld, came into view. The brilliant red and purple planet was just as he remembered it.

  "I can't wait to explore," his mate said beside him, staring out the window with unhidden fascination. Xerus grunted in agreement. She stood up to get a closer look and he couldn't help but bring her against him, wrapping his tail around her waist. He nuzzled her hair and she turned her face to kiss him on his jaw. "I want to see everything."

  "And you will. But first, we must go through our ceremonies."

  Lana's eyes fell as if she was in deep thought. "I hope the others accept me. It must be unusual to have an outsider become..."

  "Maybe to humans. But to Vrisha it doesn't matter. If you prove yourself worthy then you are accepted."

  Lana gripped his hand. "What do we do after? Do we...rule?"

  Xerus' mouth twitched. "In a way. We become part of a council of rulers and overseers. We will have missions and perform them together."

  "Ah," Lana said, her mouth turning up slightly. "I would like to help in any way I can."

  "But I will enforce that we are not given any missions in the first few months," he stated severely.

  His mate looked up at him in surprise. "Why not?"

  Xerus' eyes met hers. "Because you already have several of your own missions to perform. For me specifically." Lana looked at him in confusion and his mouth widened. "Or should I say favors that you still owe me."

  When she finally understood, she groaned with agitated despair. "I knew I was going to regret those." She looked up at him and sighed, though her lips still curved ever so slightly. "All of them?"

  Xerus twisted her around to face him then leaned down, brushing his mouth against hers. He tilted back and flashed his fangs. "All of them."

  Book Two Now Available

  Dark's Savior

  A chance encounter can change everything.

  When Aly joined the Grayhart mission to find advanced civilizations within deep space, she didn't expect to be captured far from home and taken to Xolis--a galactic empire like none ever seen, ruled by the nillium--a powerful race with a serious god complex.

  Now outsiders, Aly and her team of explorers are sent to the darkest place within Xolis: Lethe Maws. A mining city on a planet home to outcasts, slaves, and monstrous creatures lurking in the deep dark.

  And home to the Dark One, a dangerous exile even the nillium fear, living at the bottom of the mines where all are warned never to go.

  When Aly runs into the legendary alien in a very unlikely place, what she finds is no monster but a large, mysterious, nillium male with fierce silver eyes, who makes her heart race.

  But though the nillium outcast had reached for her, desiring to touch her, fascinated by her as she was of him, Aly soon learns he's not looking to be friends or possibly something more.

  For what Aly doesn't know is the Dark One--known by his kind as Ryziel, son of the nillium's now dead ruler--isn't looking for love or a mate. He's looking to get off Lethe Maws for good and return home to his brother, the only family who accepts him for who he is, the only one who matters.

  But the human woman brings out a darker part of him that he can't control--something he never thought possible. As he is determined to escape, he struggles to understand his need for her. A need to protect her. A need to claim her. But determined not to let her get too close lest she be his undoing.

  Try as he might to keep her at a distance, Aly will become the one thing Ryziel needs to be free.

  Read It Here:

  www.amazon.com/dp/B08NHQ6Z7R

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