Black Mamba (Naga Brides #9)

1. Catch and Release

ONE

CATCH AND RELEASE

Lukys

I hold still, patient as my prey comes toward me. The deer, a male with two large antlers that I want for my collection, nibbles on some grass to my right. Slowly it eats a path my way, unaware it is being watched.

The male is healthy and strong, and if I am not quick enough, it could easily get away.

There are many directions it could take and unless it heads for the river at the base of the mountain, I may not be able to catch it.

If it dashes one of the other directions, I could lose it amongst the wooded slopes and a sparsely grown forest surrounding my mountain.

But if it heads up the mountain, it will be an easy takedown. Which is what I hope will happen, if I am unable to end its life outright.

The buck moves a little closer to my place of ambush—a shadowy alcove between two massive boulders jutting out of the mountainside.

Several trees offer shade, further hiding my dark coloring amongst the dry brush around me.

It is among the rocky ledges and shallow alcoves where I do most of my hunting.

The shadows they cast only grow and deepen past midday, giving me more room to maneuver if I do not come across something prior. But I can wait all day if need be.

I have been hunting this deer for about an hour, hoping it will move closer to my location.

Spreading my fingers and tipping my claws outward, I quietly open my mouth and thrust out my fangs.

Sharp and deadly, my venom will paralyze my prey after a time.

If I inject enough of it, it will happen faster.

If the animal gets away, all I have to do is track it until it succumbs.

From there, I will either slit its throat or break its neck, depending on the creature.

I want this buck fully intact. Not only do I want its antlers, I want its hide as well.

As the buck moves closer, I coil the end of my tail. With it completely oblivious, I brace to launch an attack.

The buck lifts its head.

Hesitating, wondering if I somehow alerted it to my presence, it abruptly looks to the right. At the same time, humming comes from the sky.

It sounds like a ship…

The deer startles and I lurch forward, launching onto its back. It yowls and rears up to dislodge me, but I thrust my tail forward and underneath it as I wrap my arms around its neck.

It tries to run, it tries to kick, but as I coil around it, my weight is too much for it. Holding firmly onto the collapsing animal, I sink my fangs into its neck and inject my venom. Tiring quickly under me, the buck jerks its head from side to side trying to stab me with its antlers.

I pull off with a gasp and let the buck go. It trips over its feet as it sprints down the wooded slopes to the forest and meadows below. I watch it flee, knowing it will not get far, and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

No one bothers me in my territory. They understand that if I bite them, they are very likely to die. Black Mambas are the only clan that can kill another naga with their venom alone. There needs to be enough of it injected, but it can be done.

As I shake out my hair and spit the taste of deer fur from my mouth, the humming of the ship grows stronger. More noises fill my ears as the sound spreads. Moving out of the shadows and into the open light, I climb onto the next rocky landing to search the sky.

A myriad of silver specks, some bigger than others, seem to be heading this way. The closest appear to be human ships. More human ships…

My brow furrows. More humans are coming. If every dot is a ship, then… Many more humans are coming.

Females.

My mate…

To my left, a ship that is closer than the rest suddenly explodes into a ball of fire.

It surprises me, blasting the usual quiet mountainside with a racket of noise.

Birds flee from the trees, taking flight in every direction.

My eyes shift to the moon where there is a pinkish aura along the right side of it.

I have never seen anything like it before.

As the ships close in, I travel to my cave up the mountain and enter the rocky crevasse covered with vines. Without going deeper, I wait on the precipice to watch the ships arrive.

Some streak down in a whirl of smoke and flame, while more still land. The majority are lost past the mountain, heading farther north, beyond me.

But three ships hold my attention.

First there is just the one, beelining from the south to make a messy landing within the woods and toward the river. It crushes several trees as it comes to a stop, igniting them. Smoke rises from the burning foliage, filling the area around it.

The second ship arrives shortly after, halting and jerking until it sputters with smoke of its own. It lands near the first but within the meadow directly below me.

Then the third ship arrives, slightly larger than the first two, its facade gleaming silver and white.

It has a glass dome, but I am only able to see the reflection of the sun.

Otherwise shaped like a dull arrowhead with a wider back that ends in two separate points, the third spaceship makes a smooth landing near the first two.

No other ships land in my territory.

As I ponder what to do, my curiosity grows.

The ships are different from the ships the soldiers here fly. Even the three below have different shapes and facades from each other. The first two do not have glass domes and instead are dull and gray all around. They are more cylindrical in design with blunt-tipped wings.

Are there humans on board, and if so, are they enemies?

I helped Vagan, the Blue Coral, and the other nagas take out a large camp of soldiers encroaching on his territory months back. I live too close to the Blue Coral to have not been concerned about them.

Humans cannot take Vagan’s land without fighting for it first.

When they did, they lost.

Now that they are gone, I have nothing to fear from the Blue Coral’s territory being so close to mine.

As for Vagan, he mostly sticks to the water—the lakes and rivers—and I keep to my mountain and the forest and hills around it.

He has always left me and the other Black Mambas alone and so I have always done the same in turn.

But if the ships do not belong to more soldiers, then to whom do they belong?

The thought it could be females briefly arises, but I push it aside. Now is not the time to hope, not until I can ensure my territory is safe and I face no threat from these new arrivals. Whereas I am patient, not all Black Mambas are. To utilize my deadly venom correctly, I must be.

With twilight swiftly approaching, I slip into the shadows and head toward the ships.

If they are piloted by my enemies, I will end them.

If not…

We will see.