Alien Soldier's Baby (Scifi Alien Romance) (Zoran Warriors) (9 page)

I
wake
up with an aching back and a stiff neck.

Sleeping on the forest floor is not as comfortable as it looks. Not that it matters. I’ve picked up the Ygg’s wretched scent. They can’t be far away now.

I do a quick sweep of my camping ground, but none of the booby-traps I’ve laid out have been triggered. I dismantle them, as I don’t want to injure any stray Berans or woodland animals.

Not that I’ve seen any on this planet so far.

The silence is suffocating. Even the wind has stopped blowing. The only thing I hear are my own footsteps. I do a quick check of all my weapons, making sure I’m prepared for battle.

I run through my mental checklist three times, as I keep getting distracted. My mind keeps drifting back to
her
.

Kelly.

I wonder what she’s doing right now. Did her leg heal fine? The medi-computer
is
a prototype, though I have the utmost faith in Zoran engineering. I hope she’s not too worried about me.

By now that coward Timber has no doubt returned to the
Thundercat
, and informed them of my decision.

The image of Kelly forms in front of me, so real I feel like I can touch her. She runs her hand through her golden-blonde hair, that crooked smile on her face that I love so much.

Is it cowardly not to march to your death?
she says.
Did you not stop Vinz when he tried to do the same thing on Cotonia VI?

“That’s not the same,” I say to no one.

Isn’t it?
her azure-blue eyes ask me.

I shake my head to get the thoughts out of my mind. That chapter of my life is over. I’m a warrior, and a long time ago I dedicated my life to the hunt. I can’t rest until the universe is safe from the Ygg, once and for all. Anything else is a distraction.

It’s not like what we had meant something, anyway.

“Liar
.”

Kelly appears again at the edge of my vision, her gorgeous smirk mocking me.

“You love me and you know it, you’re just too scared to admit it.”

“Am not,” I growl.

“Are too.”

I keep marching, trying to put some distance between me and my inner demons, but it’s to no avail. Kelly’s a part of me now, and she travels with me wherever I go. I spend the entire day following the trail, Kelly’s singsong voice commenting on my every move.

Finally, after a long and hard day, I find the entrance to the cave. The smell is unmistakable. The Ygg are down there. Zora knows how many.

I pull my blade from its sheath, my hand steady. I glance over my shoulder, at the immense forest behind me. Kelly’s somewhere in that sea of trees.

“Goodbye,” I say.

Here goes nothing.

“
W
e have to find him
.”

My lips are pulled into a thin line, my hands resting on my sides.

I am
not
backing down on this.

Bey looks up at me from her breakfast, and she sees the determination in my eyes.

“Okay,” she says softly.

Timber eyes are as big as the moon. “Are you crazy?” he says, as he pushes his plate away. “You could get killed out there.”

I spent a restless night on the ship, not getting a moment’s peace. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Koryn pinned down by a Ygg, in desperate need for my help. I know I’m not a warrior like him, I can’t take one of those beasts down single-handedly.

But I can’t sit idly by while the love of my life goes on a reckless suicide mission either.

“He might already be dead,” Timber says.

“He might not be,” I answer.

Might
. Just using that word kills me.

“I know he’s alive,” I correct myself. “I can feel it.”

“What about you?” Timber says, pointing his paw at Bey. “You have a mate, back at the cave. Shouldn’t you get back to your duties?”

“My duty is with Kelly,” Bey growls. “Without Koryn, who knows what could have happened? That monster could have killed every last one of us in the cave. He saved all of us.”

“Without these offworlders, the monsters would never have found us in the first place,” Timber says.

“You don’t know that,” Bey says, rising to her feet, locking her arm with mine. “I stand with Kelly.”

Timber slams both his paws down on the table and the empty plates go flying through the room, crashing against the metal walls. He stands up, towering over me, though Bey doesn’t flinch for even a second.

“I…” Timber growls, baring his fangs, his brown eyes now seeing red. For a second I fear the two Beran are going to wrestle it out right here in the ship’s kitchen, but a moment later Timber relaxes his shoulders, seemingly shrinking a whole foot.

“I… can’t let you two go alone,” he says, sounding tired and defeated. “I’ll go with you.”

* * *

W
e spend
the day in silence as we march through the lush forest. Bey and Timber both have an incredibly well-developed sense of smell, and they can follow Koryn’s path, even a whole day later.

I wonder if they developed these powers because they lived down in poorly lit caves their whole life, or if the Beran have always been such keen hunters.

The tension is high, and I don’t know what to say, afraid to upset either of the two. A part of me feels bad for dragging these two cave-dwellers out here into the open to search for my purple-skinned warrior. This is
my
plight, and not their cross to bear.

What if Timber was right? What if Koryn and I did lead the Ygg straight to the Beran’s home?

I shudder at the thought. If those innocent Beran died because of me, I won’t be able to live with myself.

Bey rests her paw on my shoulder and nods to me, as if she can read my mind.

“We’re close,” she says. “The trail is fresh.”

It’s the first words we’ve exchanged in hours.

I nod, mentally preparing myself for what’s to come. Any moment now, we’ll stumble upon my mate and find him, alive… or dead.

I feel like he’s still alive and well, but as a scientist, I know I can’t fully trust my gut. I have to see it with my own two eyes to be absolutely sure. Still, I haven’t been more certain of anything else in my life. Koryn is alive.

Because he has to be.

My heart is beating like a drum, and my hands are clammy. In fact, every part of my body aches – my feet are killing me, my back is sore, and my head feels like it’s going to burst.

Still, I continue, taking one step at a time.

We’re so close.

“Here,” Timber says. He moves a set of vines out of the way, revealing the entrance to a cave. I see a bunch of Zoran weapons – a spear and an axe, among others – stacked up against the entrance.

“Do you want to enter?”

I take in a deep breath. I hoped to find him sleeping somewhere, but I knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen. This is it.

“You don’t have to follow me,” I say as I pick the axe up. I’ve never held a weapon before… well, except for the vase I used to knock Senator Gorgi out when he was holding Jillian hostage, but that feels like a lifetime ago. I don’t know what horrors will await me in the cave, but I hope that when all this is over, I can go visit Jillian, Vinz and their newborn baby – with Koryn by my side.

“Nonsense,” Bey says. “We’re with you, every step of the way. Right, Timber?”

“Right.”

“Thank you,” I say as I light up a flare and descend into the darkness.

We’re coming, you stubborn Zoran. Hold on for me, okay?

M
y strike is deflected
by the beast’s mighty pincer.

It lunges forwards and I barely manage to jump out of the way, doing a roll on the floor as the monster crashes against the cave wall, causing the entire cave to shake and crack.

The Ygg Queen is the biggest bug I’ve ever seen. Its armor has a dark green hue, and its massive mouth is dripping acid as it tries to devour me. Unsuccessfully.

So far.

“Come at me,” I growl, waving my sword in front of its bulging eyes. “Do it!”

I’m trying to get the beast to make a mistake so I can strike at its soft belly, but it’s not letting me get close. I’ve been going toe-to-toe with monster for far too long now, and the battle is taking its toll.

My arms hurt, my legs ache, and my chest feels like it’s going to explode. The Queen spews its acid on me every time I get close, and it’s starting to eat away at my armor.

I’m fighting a losing battle.

I’ve yet to land a blow, I’ve yet to get a proper a hit in, while I’m about to collapse from exhaustion. A cool head is a warrior’s greatest asset, yet once again my emotions have gotten the best of me. I should have rested, I should have prepared for this battle, but the Kelly I’ve been imagining due to exhaustion has been right all along.

I see that now, through the sweat, pain, and blood.

I love her.

And that terrifies me.

I’ve been fighting the same demons all my life, and now that I’ve had a taste of happiness, a sliver of what it’s like to be whole, I chose fear over happiness at the first sign of trouble.

I chose to battle with the Ygg, rather than with my own feelings.

The Queen jumps forward, its pincers snapping shut, gripping my blade tightly. I try to pull it from its grasp, but to no avail. It jerks its massive head back and I fly across the room, hitting the wall with a powerful thud. I crumble on the floor, my body broken. I climb back to my feet, but my knees are weak, pain shooting through every fiber of my body.

The beast, while terrifying and murderous, is the foe I know. Coming to grips with my feelings, with my emotions, felt like a tougher battle, though now I feel like I can see clearly for the first time.

Unfortunately, it’s too late.

The gigantic beast scuttles forwards, its many feet sounding like raindrops on the stone floor. It pauses, waiting to deliver the killing blow, as if it’s toying with me.

I raise my fists. “Bring it,” I growl.

Let no one ever say Koryn went down without a fight.

“Koryn!”

I hallucinate again, the image of Kelly appearing in the corner of my vision once more. She’s as beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail, her face smudged with dirt, a defiant look on her face. She’s got an axe in her left hand as she charges forward. The image is much clearer this time, as if she’s really coming for me.

My mind is playing tricks on me again.

Two Berans come charging in after her – Bey and Timber. They’re on their hands and paws, running like bears as they circle the Ygg Queen in front of me.

Strange. I haven’t hallucinated those two before. I wipe my brow with my arm, but my vision remains the same.

The Ygg turns, unsure what to do now that she’s surrounded.

“Her belly is her weak spot!” Kelly bellows, her familiar voice having a sense of urgency and command to it that I haven’t heard before. “Bey, Timber, grab her pincers and I’ll strike! Go!”

The two Beran leap forward and, with a complete disregard for their own safety, they each grab one of the Queen’s two pincers, wrapping their claws around them.

Kelly charges forward, doing a ballerina-like spin mid-run to avoid the beast’s acid attack, and plants the axe squarely in the monster’s soft, unprotected belly.

The Queen wails, a harrowing, high-pitched sound that makes the ground quake. She thrashes and shakes, a foul green liquid spilling from her insides, and a moment later, she collapses.

I can barely believe what my eyes are telling me.

Kelly
just took down a
Ygg Queen
?

She runs towards me, her arms flying around my neck. My knees are weak, my body battered. I can barely stand.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her blue eyes staring into mine

My vision is blurred as blood drips down into my eyes, but her radiant, azure-blue eyes shine through the haze.

“You came,” I say, my voice raspy and low.

“Bey, Timber, come help me carry him,” Kelly commands. The Berans comply instantly, and a second later their paws are hooked into my arms, keeping me from collapsing.

Kelly leans in and kisses my forehead, gently running her fingers across my scalp. When she pulls them back, they are dripping with blood.

“Hold on, okay?”

My lips curl up into a smile. I feel my life force seeping out of me. The fight took all my strength, and now that I know Kelly is alright, I feel like I can finally rest in peace.

“I love you,” I growl, and I close my eyes.

* * *

I
’m lost in a fog
. Images, sounds and scents all form loosely, swirling around me. I hear Kelly’s soothing voice, singing me a song. It’s a beautiful, moving tune about a woman who is always on the run, always heading to the next port, running away from all her troubles. I never knew Kelly could sing. I wonder what other talents she has?

I can see the Berans, rebuilding their society.

Bey prepares a feast, using all the different herbs and plants she harvested planetside to create new dishes and new spices. I can almost smell the fish she’s roasting. She’s incredibly talented – her sense of smell rivals that of a Zoran.

Timber gets a commendation for his bravery in the line of duty. He dragged one of the Ygg Queen’s pincers home as proof, and he’s been promoted to General for his valor. Flint tasks him with training more Beran warriors for the struggle to come. Maybe I’ve been too hard on the Beran. When everything you know – everything you have – is utterly destroyed and you face extinction, retreating and waiting for your chance is the most logical option.

Not that it matters now. It’s too late to apologize.

There’s so many things I’ve left unsaid, so many things I’ve left undone.

Kelly
.

I can see her running a wet cloth across my face, asking me to wake up. Her blonde hair is tied up in a bun, a few loose strands framing her face.

There’s so many things I don’t know about her yet, or about humans in general. What do their bonding ceremonies look like? And how does her hair look after we stayed in bed till noon? What would her belly look like when she’s pregnant with my child? What name would she want for our children? Human or Zoran?

For the first time in my life, my heart is no longer consumed with unbound hatred for the Ygg, who’ve taken everything I hold dear from me.

There’s only room for Kelly Graham in my heart now. Her intellect, her humor, her ferocity, her stubbornness, her cunning, her strength, they’ve all surprised me. She’s blown away every concept, every belief I held about humans.

In fact, she may very well be the strongest person I know, Zoran or otherwise.

The familiar, potent smell of
cuhla
tickles my nostrils. The Zoran alcoholic drink has always been my favorite. To take another sip, to feel it sliding down my throat and warm my insides, to taste the spices on my tongue – ah, that would be lovely.

The scent intensifies, clearing up the dense fog that’s in my brain. I can feel my synapses firing, and some semblance of consciousness returning to me.

I’m not dead?

Through a haze I see Kelly, the cup of
cuhla
in her hands as she looks down at the jet-black liquid wistfully.

“I brought your favorite,” she says softly. She brings the cup to her lips and tastes a small drop, her face instantly turning into a scowl.

The image gets clearer and clearer, the heavy mist lifting, my mind being pulled back into my body.

“Yuck! I still can’t believe you love this stuff, ugh,” she sputters, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Gross.”

“It’s an acquired taste,” I say, my voice throaty and low.

“Oh my god!” Kelly’s eyes grow as wide as two blue planets, pure shock registering on her fine features.

“Are you going to finish that?” I ask, lifting up my hand and pointing at the cup. My arm feels heavy, as if I haven’t used any of my muscles in days.

Kelly hands me the cup, too dumbfounded to talk, and I bring it to my lips. The
cuhla
is spicy and strong as always, and I feel the warmth spreading through my bones, rousing me from my deep, deep slumber.

“More,” I croak.

Kelly refills the cup, and I gulp it down.

Her bright blue eyes are studying me intently, as if she can’t believe I’m really awake.

Truth be told, I find it hard to believe either. I was convinced my hallucinations were my mind’s dying throes. Now, by the grace of Zora, I’ve been giving a new chance.

“I thought I was dead,” I say.

“You almost were,” Kelly whispers, her eyes twinkling. A tear slides down her cheek, causing my insides to burn with shame. I’ve put her through hell… never again.

I look around to find myself lying on a large, soft bed, wrapped in thick and warm sheets. We’re back in the Beran caves, though I haven’t seen this particular cave before. Large hides hang on the walls, giant wooden desk dominating the room. In the corner I see the steam rising from a geyser.

“Where am I?”

“Flint’s personal quarters,” Kelly says.

“How did I get there?”

She grabs my hand, interlocking her fingers with mine. “Bey found a secret passageway between the two tunnel systems, the Ygg and the Beran one. She could smell the herbs that only grow near
Boulder’s Basin
. You were losing so much blood, we never would have made it back to the ship in time, but Bey treated you here, with nothing but water and herbs from the lake.”

Kelly’s lips curls up into a melancholy smile. “And it worked. I thought I’d lost you…”

I lick my chapped lips. The
evides-
infused water and herbs managed to keep me alive?

“How long have I been out?”

“Three whole days.”

“I heard things… saw things…”

“Like what?”

“Bey preparing a feast, and Timber receiving a promotion.”

Kelly nods. “They’ve both come to check on you every day. You probably heard us talk, and the sounds must have triggered your imagination.”

“What about you?” I ask.

“What about me?”

“Did you… sing to me?”

Kelly’s pale cheeks turn a bright crimson. “No,
that
was a hallucination,” she says.

I try to sit up straight, but pain shoots through my body. Kelly places her flat palm on my naked chest.

“Rest,” she says. “Now it’s
your
turn to rest.”

Now I see how annoying it is when everyone keeps telling you that. I open my arms up, a crooked smile on my face as I look at Kelly.

There’s nothing I want more right now than to feel her warmth against me.

To my regret, she hesitates, a wounded look in her baby-blue eyes.

“Why did you leave, Koryn?” she asks me, her voice barely a whisper. “Why did you almost kill yourself?”

I close my eyes and rub my temples. She deserves to know the truth – after all, she saved my life.

“It’s… complicated,” I say. “I’ve never told anyone this.”

She folds her hand on her lap. “We’ve got time.”

I take a deep breath. I’ve never opened up about this to anyone…

But here goes.