Page 75 of Hooded

Pulling my sword from its scabbard, I’m in the air as Fern reaches her ship and it lifts off the ground. Proto writhes, words spewing from it, not making any sense.

“There are Gryn…underneath.” Ayar flies past me, gashes covering his arms. “We have to free them.”

“Already done,” I respond, looking down.

All the threads, all the algorithms, everything which Proto had, I have undone. Below us, Gryn warriors emerge from the ground, blinking into the light.

“Now we have our army,” I call out to Strykr. “Now we finish this. There must be nothing left.”

I look up to see my Fern piloting her ship, pulsar cannon ready. Fate has brought us to this moment. Fate gave me myeregri, fate made the Drahon mutate my thoughtbond, fate put us all here for this very moment.

Strykr nods, and as his Gryn warriors coalesce into a formidable force, Fern lets rip with the first volley of cannon bolts, aiming at the middle of the Proto.

As she does, the rest of the Gryn set up a firing line which steadily grows and grows until the air stinks of burning dust and the Proto slowly, slowly sinks down into the depression.

With a roar, I follow the thing, the rest of the Gryn at my back.

It squirms in its own goo and guts.

“Did you really think you could prevail?” I ask.

It burbles at me.

“You didn’t understand how the game was played”—I lift my sword above my head—“or what the stakes were. An entire species doesn’t bow to anyone.”

I bring my sword down on the neck of the first head, slicing through it until the thing rolls away. The second head follows easily, leaving only the third.

“Gladiator…” It struggles the word out.

“Not gladiator,” I say. “Gryn.”

“You will not succeed. I will return.”

“You will become the dust of this planet, the floor of this arena, and you will not trouble the galaxy again,” I respond, slamming my blade through the skin of its neck as, from above, the Gryn pour down pulsar bolts. “You lost.” I look up at the ship hovering over us. “We won.”

We won. Fern’s thought comes down the bond, warming me from within.

Time to nest, I respond, and I’m rewarded by the bloom of desire which fills me entirely as all around erupts into loudhowls of triumph. The traditional Gryn response to a battle well won.

FERN

If I thought I might have seen all of the Gryn, I was wrong. Strykr’s team is a tiny part of the whole. Not only were there a considerable number rescued from Hatul, but as I’ve discovered, when they said there was an entire planet of Gryn…they really meant it.

It also means any threat I might have had from bounty hunters has been eliminated. Strykr insisted the clients would be paid off and the bounty cancelled. Not that I’m at risk surrounded by this many Gryn.

I stand on the balcony watching multiple Gryn in the sky. Beebie is snoozing on our bed, all four paws in the air. There are a few young Gryn, whooping and hollering as they fly past, but most seem to know to keep their distance from the mated quarters. It’s probably a good thing, given Klynn doesn’t play well with others.

Although, he’s making a considerable effort, given there are human females, all mated to Gryn, on Ustokos. It’s made things a little easier for me. I know what to expect when it comes to giving birth which is likely to be very soon.

The fact I’m the size of a small compact car is probably the giveaway.

Warm arms wrap around my bulging body, and a hard body presses against me from behind while kisses are dropped onto the skin of my neck.

The one thing which hasn’t changed is Klynn’s desire to be close to me at all times. If anything, it’s probably worse than before because of what happened when he did leave me.

“The Prime of Ustokos wants to speak with us,” he murmurs in my ear. “Strykr says we have to appear before the council.”

“I thought you’d had enough of councils.” I lean into his kisses and enjoy the way he runs his huge hands over my stomach in soothing sweeps.

---