Chapter 6
Erik
The shadows were our friends.
The others were restless, eager to swarm the compound, exacting revenge on the humans who’d attempted to destroy our lives. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. I was no more Galerian than I was human, the hybrid DNA taking a toll.
We’d remained in the cave through the night and into the next afternoon, hoping the storm would break but we could wait no longer.
I had a sense of urgency, perhaps because of the special female.
But I also gathered time was of the essence.
With the crash landing of the last shuttle, I knew that more humans would arrive soon. Then the real war would begin.
We would be the brutal, unforgiving monsters we’d been accused of being.
“You seem tense,” Brexin said.
“Apprehensive, yes.” Our previous attack would have their armed guards on standby, prepared for another one. I had no way of knowing whether they’d increasing their security. While we were twenty strong, their numbers were greater even if our weapons were far more powerful.
“The female is inside. Will she come with us willingly?”
I had no way of knowing. What we’d shared had been cathartic, passionate in the most savage manner, but we were still monsters in humans’ eyes. “She will come with us one way or the other.”
“I’m sorry, Erik.”
This was the first time I heard true concern in my friend’s voice. I tipped my head, gazing into his eyes. They’d changed in appearance, almost black in color. “Why?”
“This shouldn’t have happened. What will the humans do once they arrive?”
“What they have always done, simply conquer and take what doesn’t belong to them.”
“Then we will fight to the death,” he stated, snarling under his breath.
“Yes.” They were now my people and I was willing to die for them.
Sadly, I wasn’t a good man. That had been made perfectly clear before on every occasion that the great Dr. Fields could manifest, reminders of why I should shut my mouth and accept the ultimate penance for crimes performed years before.
The very ones for which I’d thought I’d served my time.
I wasn’t just bitter at the outcome. I was in the mood to exact revenge.
And I would.
Snorting, I tipped my head back and roared, bellowing toward the snow-driven sky. I was still in significant pain, the kind of agony that furrowed into the dark recesses of one’s heart and soul. Although I was no longer certain I even had a soul.
I was nothing more than a barbarian, my functions limited to hunting.
At least that’s what the human scientists believed.
I was now a member of the Galerian clan; powerful and intelligent, the ancient species had once ruled several planets.
I’d been one of the lucky bastards, escaping a true hell.
There were countless others who remained inside a barricaded facility built by humans.
Unfortunately, I had no accounting of the actual numbers given the number of clan cities.
The reports had been sketchy. Every human volunteer had been treated like animals even before the procedures had begun, constantly reminded that we were nothing on Earth but useless pieces of flesh.
The scientists had succeeded in altering my DNA. Now, I had to accept there was no turning back.
At least twenty of our male clan had gone missing, including the warrior leader, a man they called King. Steen was powerful and well respected, and I’d been given the task to free him.
Or risk being cast away.
The return howl of the others was my safety net. Other members of the Galerian clan were here, standing in the twilight waiting for the right time.
To fight.
To take back what belonged to our kind.
To destroy our enemies.
Darkness. Anger. Intense sadness.
I’d experienced all of these since arriving on this godforsaken planet, but the transformation had riddled me with crushing emotions and blank spots.
I also had recurring nightmares, wretched visions leaving me unable to sleep for any length of time.
Headaches were a constant issue, keeping me edgy and today was no exception. Even my muscles were tense.
But on this day, my razor-sharp senses were hanging on the precipice for an entirely different reason.
Because of her, the beautiful spirit who’d walked into my life in the middle of the treacherous terrain. I shuddered at the thought. I envisioned her glowing skin and voluptuous lips, and the way she looked at me. All fire and brimstone. I wanted her. I craved her.
And I’d taken her, allowing others to join in. What I’d done was dangerous to our kind and to our effort, but I hadn’t been able to resist. Sharing was a distinct custom of the clans.
Tasting her had been incredible. Fucking her was what my body and soul needed, sating the beast dwelling deep within. Steen would have issues. Of that I had no doubt, but I’d been so drawn to her, connected in a visceral manner.
“It’s time, my brother. We will rule again,” Brexin said, such eagerness in his voice.
“We proceed with caution,” I reminded him.
“Is there any other way?” His humor had returned, his lust for life. I admired that in the man.
Huffing, I jammed my walking stick into the snow, propelling my body forward.
The darkness would become our friend, keeping us safe from the other creatures patrolling the forest, true animals similar to those on Earth.
Boars and tigers, bears and reptiles. They were all represented in some fashion, their hunger just as severe as our own.
The humans had no idea just how precarious their life truly was. They also had no idea about our plan of attack and they wouldn’t until it was too late.
This was a dangerous place, more so than ever and certainly more than the day I’d arrived.
I stood in the forest, glaring at the compound, the bitter cold lapping at my skin.
There was no amount of fur that could alleviate the frigid temperatures.
The others were behind me, waiting for my orders.
They’d killed several of the visitors and I hadn’t been able to stop them.
Although I wasn’t entirely certain I would have tried.
Another group coming to destroy our people, to steal from us and hunt.
I rubbed pellets of ice from my face in order to scan the perimeter.
The scientists thought their facility was impenetrable, but I knew every weakness, steel that could be bent by the strength of our numbers and locations where our explosive weapons would penetrate.
The attack hadn’t been planned, but now, there was no choice.
We have to save the creatures.
We had to save her.
I had to have her.
Taste her.
Own her.
The thought was primal, savage in nature, but our actions were necessary.
A war was about to begin. The choice we made today would alter the course of the future. For humans. For beasts. For monsters. Were we all that much different?
We’d sensed the arrival of the shuttle before hearing the crash. We’d known another group of humans would come. And another. Ready to consume our land and enslave our people. Ready to control.
Ready to kill.
Only we were the stronger species. Steen had promised that.
I chuckled darkly to myself. I belonged to no one, a creation of injections and serums, enduring the kind of blinding agony that I could never forget, and others would never believe.
I’d been allowed to become one of them after my escape and now they were my people.
I obeyed their rules, followed their customs, and would fight or die in order to save them.
In order to save our true leader.
Sniffing, I gathered no scent of human flesh, except for a lingering hint of her perfume. The exotic fragrance covered every inch of my skin. I wanted to drown in it the same as I wanted her showered with my seed. I would fill her.
Fuck her.
But I wasn’t the only one. She was destined to belong to several, just as the custom prevailed.
Because of need.
Because of what had been done for years to our women.
I was still in the process of accepting my new station in life, uncertain of my place.
A scarred creation. I’d heard her name. Cassia.
The lilting sound would forever ring in my ears.
Even now, my cock was at full attention, the raw ache in my balls more intense that the single touch from before.
I crooked my fingers, fisting my hand. I could almost taste her delicate flesh.
Another vision so powerful flashed in front of my eyes and by the startled expression on her face, I could tell she was experiencing the same thing.
“On your knees, Cassia,” I demanded.
She shuddered but didn’t hesitate, dropping to the floor. I followed, crowding her space and cupping her face.
“You belong to me,” I said with absolute authority before dragging my thumb across her lips. She didn’t respond verbally, but her body agreed, her nipples swelling and the tips extending. The scent of her desire wafted between us. She was everything.
“Yes, sir,” she muttered as she allowed the covering to fall to the floor. She was glorious in her naked form, porcelain skin that glowed in the light of the fire, lips full and ready to suck my cock. Her breasts were like sweet melons, her nipples the color of pink roses.
Fuck. I remembered something from before. Bittersweet memories of my former life filtered in, the images startling. Blinding rage corrupted every rational thought for a few seconds, my mind swirling with the need for retaliation.
Cassia…
As quickly as the vision appeared, it was gone, replaced by instinct and brutal desire. I licked my cracked lips in appreciation, growling under my breath. Everything about her was perfect.
My obsession.
My possession.
However, she would learn to obey and I would become her master.
Or so I hoped. Only Steen could decide her fate as well as mine.