Page 32 of Max
Chapter Nineteen
Once Max laid the rifle on the bed, he turned back and offered his hands to help Falyn up. Soon as she was on her feet, he pulled her into his arms.
“You’re hurt!” he exclaimed at the trickle of blood trailing down from her scalp on the side of her face.”
“A splinter from the window frame. I thought they would tear the house down with all their bullets. ‘They made a big mistake… Tried to tell me you sent them to take me to the base… I knew better.”
“Ah, Falyn Scared me out of my mind when I saw the front of the house. Price was under the impression they wanted to take you alive.”
“All that shooting scared the hell out of me.”
“They must have given up on taking you alive when you fought back.”
Falyn pressed her face against his chest and tightened her arms around him as her trembling gradually subsided.
“I wish I had gotten here faster to protect you.”
“No, Max. Don’t blame yourself. You gave me the rifle and showed me how to use it. I could never have stopped them with my old pump shotgun,” she asserted. “I am glad you are here now.”
“I wish I didn’t need to go back. I’ve got two protectors on their way to stand watch here while I handle things in the overlord stronghold.”
Falyn nodded against his chest. “I’ll be fine.”
“They will get the bodies ready to transport and get the flyer out of your field. If anyone else shows up without clearance through me, they will shoot them out of the sky.”
Falyn looked up at him with parted lips, raised up on her toes, and pressed them to his. Max caressed her lips with his and deepened the kiss, silently thanking the Universe that he had taught her to use that rifle.
Max seemed as reluctant as she to end the kiss. He didn’t want to leave Falyn for a minute, but this was the biggest solo command of his career. His protector teams were well trained before they came to serve with him, but they lacked his combat experience.
Even though they could probably carry out the mission without him, he was responsible for its success or failure. Yet, his mate had been in danger, and he wasn’t there. Max knew he would rather face death than lose Falyn.
With his teams wreaking havoc with Thrix’s and Driscoll’s operation, the probability was low that they would send anyone else after his mate. Knowing that didn’t make it any easier to leave her.
“I know you have to go,” Falyn said. “This is the world we will raise our children in one day. We don’t want human traffickers tied to alien slavers kidnapping people everywhere. You have to stop them.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible, my love.”
“I’ll be here. You said the protectors are very diligent.”
Max could tell she was still a little shaky despite what she said. Of course, she was! She had never killed four men before.
“Falyn, you didn’t have a choice. With all the damage they caused, they were not caring whether you lived or died. I would have killed them if you hadn’t first. They tried to hurt you. That’s all I need to know.”
Max cradled her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. “You defended yourself. They would have killed you or taken you with them to send off world with an alien slaver. You did nothing wrong. Do you understand?”
Falyn blinked slowly and nodded.
Max kissed her forehead and then her lips softly. As he heard the whine of sky cycles in the distance, he picked up the ion rifle and shouldered it by its strap, then he walked Falyn downstairs.
“Omigod!” shrieked when she saw the damage in the kitchen. “They ruined my kitchen!”
All the windows were broken, and there were bullet holes in every cabinet and wall. Some of the cabinets had glass doors on them, which were all broken, too. It could all be fixed, but it would never be the same again. The cozy kitchen she grew up with was all but destroyed. The house had been in her family for over a hundred years.
Now she was angry. Max suspected she realized that some of those hundreds of bullets were meant for her.
Momentarily, the two sky cycles Max heard stopped midair and slowly descended vertically to the ground. While the two cyborg protectors dismounted, he scanned the barn, the smaller buildings, and the house for intruders, but there were none.
He introduced them to Falyn as Force and Brute. Each bowed his head graciously to Falyn as they were introduced.
