AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Then everyone but me is a fool," I firmly state as primal energy surges and recedes like a fierce tide. "Well met, Tasha." I bow my head to her in reverence.
Her flame-licked brows pinch in confusion over my greeting.
"I was told by another human female that well met means hello," I explain, recounting the day I met Cora.
"Oh... Oh shit!" Tasha's smile falters when every inch of my skin begins to tingle with vitality before my muscles swell and contort as I unleash the beast surging within.
Glossy blue skin gives way to a shimmering, reflective surface that undulates like liquid. My corium, the design which has adorned my arm since birth, twists and turns, shifting into solid armor, encasing my arm from shoulder to wrist.
My pants and boots strain as I grow in size and power, muscles bulging with newfound strength. Enormous hands clench and flex, razor-sharp claws extend from my fingertips like deadly daggers.
Despite the roaring presence of my sivot, my mind remains resolute. My desire to protect the human cowering before me amplifies tenfold. The need to knot her, claim her as my own, is an undeniable urge that cannot be ignored.
I ball a fist and slam it into the nanite wall. The weave warps and buckles under the force of my strike, eventually giving way to my relentless blows. On my third and final strike, the barrier shatters into a dazzling explosion of nanite fragments, scattering around us in a brilliant display of sparkling light.
Tasha shrieks, frantically scrambling away. I reach down and scoop her off the floor, carefully draping her over my shoulder, and run for the command deck.
There's no time to waste!
TASHA
The heavens heard my scream as it ripped up my throat watching Qhix transform into a beast before my eyes. I thought we were done with monsters when we left Zune and moved to Crao. Apparently, we brought one with us.
Qhix's body bulges and swells with rippling muscles. His messy braid now a wild, white mane whipping around his head like a great lion. His face contorts into a grotesque mask of razor-sharp fangs and blazing, colorless eyes.
The once captivating glossy, blue alien now towers over me, the barrier between us gone after three blows from his mighty fist.
My world spins in a chaotic blur as I'm slung over Qhix's broad shoulder, my heart pounding like a caged rabbit’s. I clench my fists in terror and pound on the beast's back as he runs to the base of a ladder. With a powerful leap, he lunges to the second level and into the corridor leading to the crew quarters.
He strides with purpose to the command deck, his heavy footsteps echoing through the dimly lit room.
I squirm and twist in his grasp, desperate to break free, but his grip tightens around me, his muscles like iron bands constricting my movements. Panic surges through me knowing I must escape this ship or never see my friends again.
As we approach the captain's chair, Qhix's eyes fixate on the control panel in front of him. His hands, now equipped with massive claws, manipulate the controls with predatory precision. I feel the rumble of the engines as he readies to launch the spacecraft that brought us to this peaceful world.
He places me in the chair next to his, my body quaking as he straps me in the seat. Qhix's beastly form looms over me, his primal aura radiating strength and power.
"P... p... please," l beg through trembling lips. "You can have your ship back. Just let me go."
"I cannot, my lovely Tasha." The beast's glowing, white gaze holds mine, burning with a mix of sorrow and determination. "You are mine," he growls. "Mine to protect."
I freeze at his words. His possessiveness sends shivers down my spine, but beneath the fear, there's a spark of something else. Maybe it's adrenaline coursing through my veins, or maybe it's the way his intense gaze burns into me. Whatever it is, I can't help but bask in the idea of being his to protect.
"I don't belong to anyone," I protest, but the defiance in my voice wavers. "You have to let me go."
His meaty hand reaches out, his touch surprisingly gentle as he caresses my cheek with the tips of his claws. "You belong to me," he says, his voice low and imperious. "Worry not. You are safe with me."
His words stir conflicting emotions within me. Part of me wants to be with my friends and the life we've built on Crao. Yet the lonely part of me, the envious part who watched my friends find their fated mates, wants to explore this magnetic pull toward this Kaul who can hulk-out into a beastly version of himself.
My choice is taken away as the ship quakes beneath us. Qhix activates the thrusters, propelling us away from the planet at breakneck speed. I white-knuckle the armrests as the serene landscape outside the front viewscreen gives way to the expanse of darkness speckled with shimmering stars. The familiar terrain of the planet we chose to call home shrinks into a tiny orb, a mere speck in the grand scheme of things.
I don't resist the flood of tears, allowing them to stream down my cheeks in a somber tribute to the friends I've left behind.
As we hurtle through the galaxy, I catch glimpses of planets that defy imagination. One is composed entirely of swirling colors, a cosmic kaleidoscope that shifts and changes with each passing moment. Another is a molten inferno, its surface engulfed in fiery flames that dance in a mesmerizing ballet of destruction.
As we leave the confines of the galaxy, the vastness of space unfolds before us, a boundless expanse filled with shades of deep black and indigo. What first appears as stars twinkling like diamonds on a velvety backdrop, I soon realize are distant galaxies. Intertwined in this surreal masterpiece are swirling nebulas, adding vibrant hues to the cosmic canvas that surrounds us.
This marks my third flight into space, at least the trips I can recount. Thankfully, my abduction is a total blank, but my first memorable flight was when we fled Tirius. Stacy had known enough about the alien craft that belonged to her former owner to launch us to freedom.
