Page 39 of Ragnar

“Forgive my slip in protocol but I can’t explain how happy your threats make me.” General Chlithinaxa murmurs, rubbing his chin with his talon tipped fingers.

“Sir, he has full functioning genitalia, and his sperm count is within normal range.” The other Gilgamite says out loud. A shiver of revulsion runs through me when I remember how they gained their data over sperm’s ‘normal range’.

“Fucking gross.” The hushed whisper comes from within the shadows, where I can’t quite see. I don’t need my eyes to know the voice came from a human. Confusion clouds my thoughts when I try to remember how I came to be here. As hard as I try, I can’t remember past the fight with the Nagas.

“Humans have always been nearsighted creatures. ‘Fucking gross’ is hardly the way to talk about something that is quite literally saving your world.” General Chlithinaxa quips, turning to stare at the human in question.

“We mean no offense.” Another man says, trying to placate the general. Sheriff Sam.

“Find Reggie, Sam. If she is safe, then I will not murder every single human within one hundred miles.” I send a vibration out, emphasizing my point. A mumbled grunt tells me I hit my target, even though I can’t see him from my vantage point on the ground.

“He will not be doing that. Reggie is perfectly safe. I wouldn’t search across this whole region for a successful pairing only to kill her now. She is the first documented human that has mated with one of my beasts. They have mated, right?” The General asks, aiming his last question at the other Gilgamite. When he nods, rage ignites my blood when I consider how they would know that information.

“DO NOT TOUCH HER!” I snarl, throwing myself into my bonds once more. Uncaring of my wounds, I fight, needing to get to my mate. To see for myself that she is alright. A loud sigh of displeasure escapes both Gilgamites.

“Sedate him so that we can fix his wounds. Instincts make for a messy business. Thank the gods that we do not have these barbaric impulses.” I want to argue, but the world goes black before I can even flinch at the needle that pierces my neck.

Chapter Twenty-Six

*Reggie*

The Gilgamites look like giant praying mantises and I hate bugs. The two men holding me ditch me so fast that I end up hitting the ground, my legs shaking so badly that they simply collapse. Looking up at the bug-like aliens is worse than looking at them straight on.

Climbing to my feet, I can’t even run fast enough. Long, spindly gray fingers latch on to my arm with an iron-like grip. Screaming I throw punches and kicks, but they are ineffective against the much larger and stronger alien.

Unlike my mate, this alien has no redeeming features. Swinging me up into its arms, I nearly swoon from being so close to its giant bug eyes. Thank God for small mercies though, it doesn’t have mandibles. The top half of its head is 100% bug, but the lower half is weirdly human despite the gray skin.

None of this does anything to cure my fear as more Gilgamites swarm into the room. Some of them are holding weird tablet looking screens and others are armed to the teeth with foreign weapons. All of them turn and watch a singular one enter the room. It is bigger than the rest and is dressed differently. Their bodies are shaped similar to bugs though, as they have four legs and four arms, each ending in those spindly fingers. Their torso shape is vaguely human. For some reason, the mixture of human and nonhuman traits is far freakier than something completely inhuman.

Sam rushes forward, hovering to the side of the giant that has me wrapped up in two of his four arms. I want to punch his stupid face, blaming him for this. Why couldn’t he have just let us leave peacefully? As if he can sense my glare, he shifts his gaze to mine before mouthing ‘sorry’. Sorry? Sorry doesn’t cut it in this situation.

“Is this the female?” The larger one asks, moving towards the Gilgamite that holds me but addresses Sam.

“Yes. Her name is Reggie.” Sam responds, the traitor. The big one turns to me, his lazer focus examining me from head to toe. For some reason I get the feeling that he finds me lacking, though he says nothing, just nods.

“Greetings Reggie, I am General Chlithinaxa of the Gilga United Militia and Scientific Federation.” He bends into a quick bow before straightening once more. My only response is a squeak, but I shouldn’t have bothered. As quickly as he acknowledges me, he turns to walk away. My whole-body tenses when I see that he is headed straight for my mate.

Like a switch is flipped, my fear of these aliens dissipates, and my righteous indignation returns. Thrashing once more, I catch the Gilgamite by surprise. I’m not free, but I am able to shift to watch the general’s every move. If he so much as touches Ragnar, I will lose my shit.

“You used the sedative we sent?” The general questions Sam while motioning one of the tablet carrying aliens forward.

“His vitals are strong, though there is significant blood loss present.” The tablet alien spouts off, tapping away at the screen.

“Was it necessary to nearly kill him in the process?” The general demands, not even waiting for the response to his first question.

“We had reason to believe he wouldn’t come quietly. He is very protective of her.” Sam mutters, stepping back when other Gilgamites swarm around my mate. He joins the rest of his men in the shadows, tensely watching as they wait.

“Start the reversal process. Is there anything else we need to worry about?” The general asks of no one in particular.

“Venom. He was bitten on the throat by a Naga while trying to protect me.” I say out loud, shrinking back when all eyes turn to me.

“Nasty creatures. We had to give them the same chance as all the other species, but Nagas were one of the ones I held no hope for. Their violence towards females is the reason their world is in dire straits to begin with. Thank you for the information. Take her.” The general says, motioning at the one holding me. Without a word, he twirls to head for the door.

My heart stutters to a stop at the speed of movement and at the thought of being taken away from my mate. Protests spill from me, turning quickly to begging. It all falls on deaf ears. The alien holding me doesn't even flinch.

An ear shattering roar shakes the warehouse and I look over the alien’s shoulder to see Ragnar awake and staring straight at me. His big body fights the bonds, his whole focus on me. I renew my fight, kicking and punching as hard as I can to slow the damned alien down. He pauses for a only a moment before rushing out into the darkness, taking me away from Ragnar.

“Put me down!” I scream, bashing my already bruised hands into the alien’s shoulders. It doesn’t even flinch, simply adjusting its grip before striding purposefully towards a motherfucking spaceship. My brain short circuits at seeing a real-life alien spaceship with my own two eyes. It is exactly what I expected it to look like and completely unexpected all at once.

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