Erun (Scifi Alien Romance) (The Ujal Book 4) (8 page)

Spittle flew from the male’s mouth, frothing as he shouted at Erun. Erun did not pay attention. Words were inconsequential. Especially considering the male would be dead in moments.

One arm pressed against Vanessa’s throat, cutting off her air, and her face slowly reddened as she suffocated beneath the male’s embrace.

“Stay back! I’m saving her from your kind!” He extended an arm toward Erun, a shining blade clutched in his hand. “You’re not taking another human into your perverted den!”

Ujal did not have dens. He would cure the male’s ignorance as he snapped his neck.

Bright eyes met his, her fear filling her orbs. Her features grew redder by the second and her hold on Tabitha was lessening with each passing heartbeat. Any moment the youngling would fall to the ground, damaging her further.

Erun had to do something. Anything.

“You will release her. Now.” He normally did not negotiate or speak with his prey, but the two females were in the path of his battle. He needed them free before he ripped the male’s heart from his chest.

“I’m taking her out of here and you’re not gonna stop me. She’s human. You scaly fucks have your own kind. God will smite—”

Vanessa yanked against the male’s hold, struggling in his grip. She did not get free, and the priest brought his blade to her cheek and cut deeply. “Stay still, you bitch. I’m saving you!”

“Erun,” she whimpered, pleading with him.

“Don’t talk to that scaled freak. Don’t you realize what they’ve done to you? They infested your home with that
garbage
.”

“Momma?” Fear tinged little Tabby’s voice as well and the youngling struggled in her
dam’s
grip.

The male would die for frightening young Tabby.

“Vanessa.” He waited for her to see him. To truly see the surety and confidence in his eyes. “Release Tabby.” More terror entered her gaze and she tried to shake her head, sending more blood trailing down her cheek. “Release her, Vanessa.”

“Yeah, let go of that scaly brat. Before I kill it.”

It.

The male would die slowly.

He held his breath, ignoring the male’s rants once more while he waited for the female to follow his directions.

Anger suffused Vanessa’s features and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but he couldn’t have her engaging with the priest. “Vanessa, let her go.”

“C’mon, bitch.” The male yanked on Vanessa, jarring her as he yelled. “We gotta get out of here before more of
them
show up. I’ll save you. I’ll purify your soul.”

“Vanessa,” he growled. She needed to do as he demanded.

And then she did. She gradually let her daughter go, holding on tightly for as long as she could and dropping her as gently as possible.

The moment Tabitha hit the ground, he called for her. “Tabby. Come, youngling. Come here, now.”

“Daman?” She crawled from beneath the blankets.

“Come, sweetheart.”

“Daman?” Those blue and golden eyes focused on him.

“Right here. Mom-ma,” the word felt foreign on his tongue, “is busy. I will hold you.”

“Get the fuck outta here, brat.” The priest kicked out at Tabby and Erun forced himself to remain still. He had to get Tabitha to safety and then he would show the male what happened when he threatened those he cared for.

“Tabitha Walker,” he snapped, recalling Vados’ mate speaking with such a tone to her youngling. He pointed at the ground with a rough poke. “Come here.”

Tabitha frowned but slowly untangled herself and came toward him. The moment she was within reach, he snatched her close. One slam of his hand on a nearby palm pad had a set of doors sliding open to reveal a room much like they’d recently vacated, though empty of medical equipment save a large bed. He did not believe leaving her alone was safe, but when compared to the dangers of the corridor, he had to do what was best.

“I need you to remain here, Tabby. I have to speak to the male holding your momma.”

“Is he a bad man?” Fear filled her eyes.

He wished he could kill the male. Twice.

“Yes, but you know what?” At her head shake, he continued. “Erun fa Arex is stronger and I will protect you. Now,” he glanced out the corner of his eye and watched the male holding Vanessa drag her farther down the corridor. “You must stay here while I go after your
dam
. Yes?”

She nodded.

“I must have the words, Tabitha.” It was another thing Vados’ mate required. He did not understand the concept. A nod was an acceptable method of agreement. What was the point of putting that agreement to voice?

“Yes, Daman.”

“Good girl.” He leaned down and mimicked Vanessa, pressing a gentle kiss to her head. “I will return.”

Erun hated leaving small Tabby alone yet it was unavoidable. He reached over, slammed his hand against the emergency call button embed in the wall and then shifted his touch to the pad that would lock Tabby in. As the panels slid closed, the last thing he saw were her tearful eyes and damp cheeks.

Tabitha secured, he focused on the male clutching Vanessa like a shield. Blood streamed from her cheek, her tears mixing with the life-giving fluid and staining her top. There was a plea—an unmistakable entreaty—that he care for Tabitha.

Yes, he would always care for the youngling, but Nessa also. He could not have one and not the other.

“Tabitha is safe.” At his words, she slumped in the male’s hold, forcing him to struggle with her weight.

As the male juggled the knife and Vanessa, Erun did what he’d been trained to do—he struck. He drew on his hard-won instincts, his body’s knowledge immediately jumping forward. His muscles remembered the moves his brain desired. He acted without thought, form doing as it had for so many years. He was faster than the human, faster than even most Ujal, and he sliced through the distance between himself and his prey.

Erun was familiar with battling other warriors—males who knew to expect the unexpected. Not humans who were spooked by a quick-moving alien. So when he flew over the space between them, the male jerked in surprise. He screamed and jolted, yanking on Vanessa’s form with the sudden movement.

Yet that was not the only result of the quick shift in position. The blade, the silver sliver of shining metal, danced through the air as well. It did not fall to the ground, it did not slip from his fingers and dance through the air. No, it pressed forward. It found a home in pale, soft flesh. Skin and muscle that formed Vanessa’s delicate neck.

It pierced her and he could do nothing but watch as it buried itself inside Nessa’s body. Surprise coated her features, a lurch of panic overtaking her expression. Pure agony consumed him, the new flow of blood scraping at his soul with each new wave of red liquid. Every heartbeat brought another fresh river.

A sound, a thundering, alien roar unfamiliar to Erun filled the air. It pulsed off the walls, driving deeper and deeper into the station with its strength. With each passing moment it increased, expanding, consuming, announcing its deadly intentions to one and all.

And that was when he realized that sound came from him.

The human paled, face growing stark white until he was reminded of human whispers of ghosts. The male might not be a ghost yet, but Erun would soon see him dead. The priest yanked his blade free of Vanessa’s throat and dropped her to the ground. Erun’s heart was torn in two, his desire to stay at Vanessa’s side warring with his soul’s need for vengeance.

His heart made the choice, forcing his arms out to catch her and gently lower her to the ground. Panicked eyes met his, her small hands clutching at her throat, and he whipped his shirt over his head. He placed the cloth at her neck, fighting to staunch the flow while also allowing her to breathe.

“You will be fine,
lofei
.” Sweetheart. Loved one. Was that what Vanessa had become? In so few hours? Perhaps. It began with a single shout and he had no doubt the feelings would deepen.

As long as she lived.

Her eye lids drooped, hiding her shining irises from his gaze. “Vanessa?”

“Take… care… of…”

“Silence,
lofei
. I will get you care and—”

The rapid thud of booted feet on metal filled the hallway and several uniformed males raced toward him and he recognized each one. The principessa’s elite guards.

“Why are you not guarding the principessa?” he snarled. He could not divert his attention and worry for Rina.

“Tave’s guards have her,” Thame quickly replied and it ended with a grunt as the one female who could save the reason he breathed shoved past the male.

“
Sece
.” The lone female rushed forward.

“What is her status?” Sece did not look at him as she dropped to her knees on the other side of Vanessa.

“She was stabbed in the throat by a male.”

Sece nodded and her attention remained locked on Vanessa. “Remove the cloth. I am prepared.”

Erun did as she ordered, peeling the fabric away to expose the deep gash. He eased back, wanting to give Sece space but Vanessa grasped him.

“Take care of her, Erun.” She fought for air, bubbles peppering her wounds as she battled to breathe. “Don’t let…”

Erun pushed past the pain in his chest and forced words through his lips. “As if she were my own. Nothing will happen to her. I swear it.”

It was as if his promise was the only permission she required to lose consciousness. She slumped against the floor, body lax, and still Sece worked.

“Will she be—”

“I need a surgical room. I can stabilize her, but I need additional tools.” Sece lifted her head, gaze flicking up and down the hallway before focusing on Thame. “That room. Open it.”

Erun followed the direction of her stare and bolted into action. He did not wish to lose Vanessa, but he’d made a vow and would not fail her. If Sece wanted to take Vanessa into that room, he must first remove Tabby. He slammed his hand on the palm pad and slid between the doors before they fully parted. He found the youngling curled in a ball, hiding in a corner. The moment her eyes met his, she hopped to her feet and ran to him. He easily scooped her small weight into his arms and covered her head with his blood-stained hand as he urged her to lay against him.

He kept her face hidden, not allowing her to watch Sece and his males carry a lifeless Vanessa into the room. He ensured she did not see, but he could not close her little ears.

“I’ve lost her pulse!”

Everything was made more difficult by the presence of a youngling. Especially one who would not allow Erun out of her sight. She cried if he stepped into another room to answer a comm, she cried if he tried to shower, and she cried if—the seas forbid—he attempted to use the facilities. Which made for an annoyed Prince Tave since Erun refused to discuss anything related to Vanessa’s condition near Tabby’s small ears. He forced the male to wait until Tabitha slept.

And he would not trade his time with Tabitha for anything. No, he took that back. He would give up the days with Tabby if it meant Vanessa was healthy and whole.

She still had not woken for more than a few moments, her eyelids fluttering apart enough to meet his gaze. She once more pleaded with him to care for her youngling.

“With my life.”

And he meant each word. A
dam
entrusted her youngling to him and he would not allow anyone to so much as hurt her tender feelings. Oh, were her feelings tender. He could not snap at her as if she was one of his subordinates. She would cry. He could not glare at her when she did not follow his orders. She would cry. He could not even frown at her! She would cry.

Life was easier when he was alone. Yet he knew if Tabitha were taken from him, he would go crazy with heartache.

“
Daman!
” she screeched as if he was not five feet from her position in the children’s play area.

Children. It was another term he’d learned from Rina. The principessa gave him a “crash course” in human childrearing. Tabitha was a child, daughter, kid, rug rat, pain in the ass (though he should not say ass near the child), and parasite. Though he was unsure if he should call Tabby a parasite aloud. The affronted look from Rhal’s mate Cara gave Rina told him perhaps not.

“You know I am right here,” he grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. He positioned himself between the entry and the child. He would destroy any who entered and threatened to touch her.

“Come have teas with me!” Tabitha had only one volume—loud.

“Perhaps another time.” He had to stay vigilant.

The priest—an impostor—had been easily captured. For now, they believed he’d acted alone, sneaking into the station and attacking a warrior-in-training to obtain Vanessa’s location. Finding that younger male had been the catalyst for the alarm and then the male had hunted her.

Knowing one male caused so much havoc, he was intent on staying alert. It could not happen again.

“Please?” Tabitha truly focused on him, eyes filling with moisture and he sighed. He was beginning to believe she faked the tears. She could not be so unhappy every moment of the day. Where were the smiles and giggles he’d witnessed?

With her dam.

“Tabby Blabby,” he sighed and she smiled merely because she knew she had him. The youngling was a devious little shit. That was another term Rina revealed to him.

The kid wiggled into a new space and then patted the area to her left. “You sit here.” So, he sat there and discovered that while she was devious, she was also smart and observant. As proven by her next statement. “You can see da door for bad men.”

Pride filled him. She
was
an intelligent youngling and even if he had no direct source for the feelings, he felt the pride nonetheless.

A soft ding came from the direction of the doors and he tensed, waiting for them to part. He would destroy the newcomer if they dared threaten the child. A second later the visitors were granted entrance and Vados and Rhal stepped into the room.

He opened his mouth to question them on any new discoveries only to have Tabby interrupt. She patted his thigh. “Is okay. They not bad men.”