Page 20 of Doom

My hearts swelled with affection for my woman. “I was hoping you would say that. I cannot wait to touch minds with you, my beautiful mate.”

Leaning forward, I captured her lips in a tender kiss. Victoria responded in kind. Within seconds, my mating glands began to throb, and my fangs ached to descend. Despite my hunger for my woman, I wouldn’t rush her.

With much reluctance, I broke the kiss, before either of us got carried away, and held her tightly. She cuddled against me, and I pulled the blanket over us.

“Cinnamon,” she whispered, her head resting on my chest. “Cinnamon and ginger …?”

“It is the scent of my pheromones,” I admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed. “They kick into action every time I kiss you, and I have to rein them in.”

“Why?” Victoria asked, her thumb absentmindedly caressing the scales on my chest.

“Because they act as an aphrodisiac. So, I will spare you from them until later when you’ve gotten to know me better. I have a few other surprises you will definitely enjoy,” I said in a voice full of promises. She lifted her head to look at me and ask a question, but I pressed a finger to her lips. “No, I’m not telling you anything else, or it will ruin the surprise. Sleep, my mate. It is getting late, and I suspect we will have to be up early.”

I hated how that brought back a sliver of the worry Victoria had temporarily shed during our banter. Hopefully, all would go as planned in the morning, and she would be safe until we eradicated the vermin infesting her planet.

Hopefully.

My arms tightened around my mate, who cuddled even more closely with me. I closed my eyes, a contented smile on my face.

Chapter 5

Victoria

Iwoke up with a start, kicked out of the best naughty dream ever featuring a tall and sexy golden alien. The tense look on the face of that very alien, who now towered over me, erased every remnant of my lustful haze. My senses immediately on alert, I jumped out of bed at his urging. Doom had already donned his weapons attachments.

“My motion detectors have been triggered,” Doom explained. “Only a Kryptid or a Drone would have set them off. They are moving in this direction. Legion and the others won’t be here for at least half an hour, maybe more. You must leave at once.”

I’d no sooner finished shoving my feet into my shoes than he was dragging me towards the entrance. I cast a desperate look towards the stairs to the basement as we passed them.

“You’ve done all that you can for them. I’ll lock the door. If it’s the Swarm, it will likely pass right by this place. They are mindless Drones.”

My heart ached for my patients, but staying here to die with them would be pointless. The drug wouldn’t be out of their systems for at least another twelve hours. Stran stood at the entrance, the sharp, dagger-like darts protruding from beneath the scales of his back and tail. Teeth bared, claws out, the Creckel was ready for combat.

Doom checked the scanner on his armband before opening the front door. Stran burst out into the street, running on all fours. Still holding my hand, Doom pulled me after him, forcing me to jog to keep up with his long strides.

“There are a few rations and a couple of bottles of water in the carriage,” he said while helping me onto the hoverbike. “Go back to the church. Legion confirmed that the area is clear. Wrath will send a shuttle to get you.”

My blood turned to ice in my veins when I realized he intended to stay behind.

“No! Come with me!” I exclaimed, clinging to his forearm. “You can’t face them alone!”

“I have to stay with Stran and hold them back for as long as possible,” Doom said, gently but firmly freeing himself from my grasp. “Go. I need to know you’re safe.”

“You’re going to die,” I said, tears pricking my eyes. “Please, come with me. I just found you. I can’t … I can’t …”

“Hush, my love,” Doom said, cupping my face in his hands. “I will always come back to you. Always. Trust me.” He crushed my lips with a desperate kiss before pulling away from me.

His head jerked right to look over his shoulder, and he appeared to strain his ears to hear something. I looked past him at the empty street, wondering what he was listening for. Then I heard it. A distant clicking sound like heavy rain falling on a window. Faint at first, it rapidly grew louder.

“They’re coming. GO!” Doom ordered as he began to shift into his battle form.

Swallowing a choked sob, I started the engine.

“However long it takes, I swear I will come back to you, my Red. Go!” Doom repeated.

“I will hold you to it,” I said with a shaky voice.

Through blurred vision, I forced myself to take off. A series of shrill screeches rose behind me, giving me chills. Through my side mirror, I saw Doom run at an impossible speed away from me … towards the Swarm. Before he even reached the intersection, a sea of nightmarish black creatures poured into the street like a tsunami. I’d estimate each to be six feet tall, looking something like a giant mouse spider with the upper body of a beefed-up praying mantis. Stran crashed through them like a bowling ball amidst living pins. He crushed countless Drones while simultaneously shooting darts.

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