AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I never thought to see a time where the Nuttaki would align themselves with us,” I scoffed.
“Valose is their home as well,” Sia Nekko stated. “If it wasn’t for their heightened olfactory senses, we wouldn’t have been able to sniff out all the Gretolics hiding inside the mines.”
“Friendly Nuttaki,” I smirked. “That will take some getting used to.”
Sia Nekko and I surged back into the fray, our movements synchronized as we fought to drive the Nuttaki invaders northwards, back towards the Sein River. Every strike was precise, every step deliberate, as we cut down our foes with relentless determination. The air echoed with clashes of metal and cries of pain as we pressed forward, leaving a trail of fallen enemies in our wake.
As we neared the chasm of the river, a Huren warrior stationed at the nutrone cannon began picking off the Nuttaki one by one with deadly accuracy as the warriors flushed them out of the forest. Despite being outnumbered, the battle had always been in our favor as we rallied our forces to push back against the remaining Nuttaki forces who now found themselves outmaneuvered.
The battle reached its climax as the last remnants of the attacking horde lay defeated at our feet. The once tumultuous battleground fell silent save for heavy breaths and distant echoes of victory cries. The air was thick with the putrid stench of gelatinous blood that oozed from the fallen insectoids, a sickening aroma that lingered in my nostrils like a foul miasma. Their lifeless bodies sprawled across the once pristine landscape, their twisted forms now motionless husks under the unforgiving glare of Valose's twin suns.
Nekko's presence beside me was reassuring amid the aftermath of conflict, his unwavering resolve mirroring my own as we stood united against adversity, victorious yet ever-vigilant for what challenges Valose might still hold.
Chapter Fifteen
SARAH
After the sleek, black craft pierced the protective dome of Huren, vanishing into the azure sky, I knew all the invisible bubble crafts were gone as well. The dome's seamless closure cast a finality over the city that made my chest tighten. I turned away, the gritty surface of the training field beneath my boots crunching as a torrent of emotions threatened to overwhelm me. Hope clashed with desperation, the same way the twin blue suns of Valose clashed against the silver skies.
I had barely taken a dozen steps toward the palace when a sudden surge of movement caught my attention. A stream of Valosians and among them most of the mated women, their faces etched with anxiety and determination, flowed past me like a river of urgency. They moved with a singular purpose, their whispered prayers and hushed tones creating a current of concern that pulled me along in its wake.
"Willow!" I called out, taller than the other girls, I easily spotted her in the crowd. Her head whipped around, her eyes wide with the same fear that gripped my own heart.
"Sarah," she breathed, her voice tinged with the same anxiety I felt to the marrow of my bones.
"What's happening?" My question came out breathless, laced with the tension that knotted my stomach.
"We’re heading to the hangar," Willow replied, her words hurried, punctuated by the rapid beat of our footsteps. "It's where we'll hear about the battle first—about them." Her gaze flitted away, and I knew she was thinking of her mate, Murrox.
I nodded, feeling an unexpected pull toward the place she spoke of, a need to be closer to Gunnox. The idea of him in danger sent a shiver down my spine, a cold contrast to the warmth of Valose's twin suns.
"Let's go," I said, more to myself than Willow, as I followed the throng of women, each step heavy with the weight of the unknown.
Without hesitation, I shadowed her quick steps, weaving through the throng of mated females, each one a mirror of my own mounting dread. The cool air of the hangar did little to soothe the fire of anxiety in my veins.
We reached the congregation of worried souls huddled together—a mosaic of fear and hope. I found an empty spot on the metal floor and folded into it, feeling out of place amid these women whose bonds to their mates were etched in a glowing flourish called a shawra in the center of their chests that matched their mates.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the chill that crept up my spine despite the lack of cold. My thoughts spiraled, circling back to Gunnox with a persistence that defied logic. His image was etched into my mind, vivid and unforgettable. He was fiercely handsome with high cheekbones to rival any male model on Earth with full, kissable lips I longed to explore again.
"Are you all right?" a voice beside me whispered, an undercurrent of shared apprehension lacing the simple question.
I turned to see the soft voice belonged to Gia, mate to Nekko, the Sia of Clan Huren. I nodded, unable to trust my voice, my gaze returning to the massive command console at the front of the hangar. It loomed like a beacon of fate, its sleek screen alive with blinking lights that danced and flickered.
Each moment stretched, taut, and endless. My pulse hammered in my ears, a relentless drumbeat that matched the cadence of silent prayers. The memory of Gunnox's measured voice filled the void, a soothing balm that fought against the tide of panic threatening to overwhelm me. His words from another time whispered promises of protection, of unwavering loyalty that now battled on distant land.
"Please be safe," I murmured, the words a talisman against the uncertainty that shrouded us. I clung to the burgeoning whisper of what had to be my imagination. A thread of an echo I knew deep down in my gut didn’t belong to me but had chosen to ignore.
As the wait drew on, the resonance of that seed grew louder within me, a call that echoed across the void between us, seeking the heartbeat of its counterpart. With every breath, my longing for his return intensified, entwining with the very essence of who I was becoming on this alien planet—far removed from the person I was before my abduction.
"Please," I breathed, the word lost amid the collective anticipation, "come back to me."
The cavernous hangar reverberated with the shuffle of nervous feet and the murmur of hushed voices. I scanned the sea of faces, each reflecting hope and fear in equal measure. Their shawras, delicate flourishes that matched their respective mates, were beacons of their bond, and I found myself wishing I had let things go further than the oral pleasure I’d received from Gunnox.
I watched as Willow pressed a palm over hers. “The fighting has begun,” she gasped as her eyes squeezed shut. She swayed slightly, riding the waves of emotions coursing through her from another part of the world.
Layla, mate to Sakkar, let out a harsh sob, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the escape of raw despair. Then, Isobel did the same. Her mate, Tikkot was Sia of Trisess, so naturally, he went to fight for his clan’s land.
Alyssa, Drekkor’s mate gasped through a turmoil only she could feel as did Marie and Elise.
