Page 5 of Doom

I froze, and my breath caught in my throat as the golden aliens all looked at me. Their large, black eyes, devoid of pupils, lingered on me for a second before turning to face off against the insectoid aliens.

“I’ve got her,” one of the aliens said to the others in perfect English.

They nodded and, lifting their forearms before them, they summoned energy shields similar to the ones the Kryptids had used against the alien pangolin.

I jumped to my feet, heart pounding. My eyes flicked left and right, looking for a safe place to run.

“Do not be afraid, madam. We are not your enemies. No harm will come to you,” the alien said in a soothing voice.

Under different circumstances, I’d be raving about that incredibly deep and sexy voice with a strange accent that wasn’t British but sounded just as posh and polished. However, his appearance terrified me. Whatever planet he hailed from, he was the embodiment of a killing machine. I pressed my back to the brick wall of the house, wishing it would swallow me.

“My name is Doom,” the alien said, stopping a few feet in front of me. “My brothers and I are intergalactic peacekeepers. We are here to free humans of the Kryptids.”

As if to confirm his words, his companions made mincemeat of the two remaining Kryptids before continuing down the road where more of the bugs could be seen in the distance.

“If you want to live, stay behind us,” Doom said. “Stran will protect you.”

“Stran?” I asked, my voice still shaking.

Doom didn’t answer but looked towards his companions who were fighting a group of Kryptids who’d just entered our street. The four-legged creature was doing its share of killing but suddenly pulled away from the fight. His head jerked towards us before he curled into a ball and rolled in our direction.

“Stran is a Creckel. He’s my battle companion and a dear friend. He cannot speak with words as we do, but he understands everything you tell him. Despite his appearance, Stran isn’t classified as an animal. He’s extremely intelligent, can think and reason the same way you and I do.”

The affection in Doom’s voice as he described the Creckel left no doubt as to the strength of the bond that united them. Coming from such a fearsome looking being, it threw me for a loop. And yet, it significantly alleviated my fears. Someone capable of such gentle feelings couldn’t be a monster, right?

Stran uncurled from his ball form and carefully approached me.

“How did he know?” I asked, struck by the fact Doom hadn’t called the creature.

“I asked him to come through mind-speak—telepathy if you prefer,” Doom said.

My jaw dropped. But before I could question him further, a swarm of Kryptids rushed his companions.

“Time to squash some bugs. Stay with Stran, Little Red. He’ll keep you safe.”

“My name isn’t Red,” I whispered.

Turning around, Doom ran at dizzying speed towards his friends, shield in one hand, blaster in the other. He fired with deadly precision, his first blast shattering the chitin armor of a Kryptid, the second shot finding its mark in vital organs. Once within close range, he holstered his blaster and used the scythe-blade on his right forearm instead. The damn thing proved to be even sharper than it looked, slicing through Kryptid limbs like butter. Simultaneously, his scorpion tails relentlessly stabbed at his targets. Whenever they touched flesh not protected by chitin, the victim would fall to the ground screeching in agony while foaming at the mouth. Whatever kind of venom coated the scorpion tails’ darts was extremely lethal.

Although his companions fought as savagely as he, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Doom. I couldn’t say if it was because he’d been the one to talk to me, or the gentle, respectful tone of his voice when he’d addressed me. All I knew was that for the first time in two weeks, since the beginning of the dreadful invasion, I felt a sliver of hope.

A cold, wetness on my hand startled me. I looked down to see Stran rubbing his dragon snout on my palm then lowering his head so that my hand would rest atop it. While I’d been busy gaping at his friend, the Creckel had closed the distance between us.

“Thank you for saving me, Stran,” I said in a gentle voice, while caressing the top of his head, careful not to cut myself on the sharp horns fanning across his forehead.

He emitted a deep sound, halfway between a growl and a purr, then lifted his chin, exposing the leathery underside of his neck. I grinned and scratched his neck. The Creckel rewarded me with an even louder purr. Although he clearly enjoyed getting pet, he pulled away from my touch, licked my hand with his forked, lizard tongue, then looked around us, keeping watch for possible aggressors.

At last, a sense of safety washed over me. Humans weren’t alone. And maybe, just maybe, we had a chance after all.

Chapter 2

Doom

We mowed through the bugs too quickly. My blood still boiled with the need to crush and obliterate. But my mind was stuck on a fiery wisp of a female. I had never seen such a mesmerizing aura. Despite the fear that had tarnished its beauty, the aura of my Little Red shimmered with the soothing blue shades of a loving, nurturing, and supportive soul. The strong greens woven within indicated she possessed a great scientific mind. But the absence of pink and magenta cut deep. It shouldn’t surprise me. How could she feel attraction towards me in my monstrous warrior form?

As much as I enjoyed killing the Kryptids, I needed this battle to end so that I could show my woman my true beauty. My brothers, too, had been drawn to her hypnotic halo, but unlike me, their fangs wouldn’t be burning and throbbing. Mine ached with the need to claim my mate and bond with her. They hadn’t challenged my offer to handle her because we were in battle mode. But once we finished, I would need to stake my claim.

In the thirty-two years since my soul had sparked, no female had ever triggered this reaction. In fact, none of my brothers had experienced it either. We had begun to believe we were defective. Then again, until now—and aside from our creator, Dr. Liang Xi—we hadn’t met or interacted with any humans. Was that the reason none of us had ever found a mate?

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