Page 30 of Veras
Mierda. This is bad.“Nozaroc became a target?”
“A giant planet-sized one. I wanted to come back early, but I would not have been allowed access. I should have come anyway and just waited here.” He sighed. “Right before I procured travel to a world with portal access, I was kidnapped. Even in shifter form, my markings showed. If I have fur, I can hide it, like when I was thebrutoo.”He showed me his arm and the intricate tattoo painting his shoulder and bicep. “I’m not sure how they even knew what my marking meant. But they did. I barely escaped with my life. By the time I got here, the Aavvee had taken control.”
“And Inkonexo was responsible.”
“He hid his true identity well. He became an Aavvee. And I changed into abrutoo. It wasn’t until the moment in the arena when you released me that we both realized who we were.” Veras tapped the side of his head. “He must have used his time away to reveal all our secrets. But I still don’t know why.” Hisshoulders slumped. “It seems there are so many things I do not understand.”
My beautiful, brave alien. He was good and true. He didn’t understand people like Inkonexo, or even me, who ignored laws and rules Veras thought of as absolutes. It was his greatest attribute and his biggest flaw. “We may never know why Inkonexo did it.”
“Exactly, my brilliant, Earther.” He reached for me and swept me up in his arms. “Give me your kisses. They are better than Oro for my soul.” Vinny buzzed at the idea, making himself known by pressing against me.
I peppered kisses along his lips, taking special care with his fangs. Time to jolt him out of this pity party. A good dose of harsh truth should help. “I hate to tell you this, but your conceit is getting the best of you.”
“Mywhat?” Veras lowered me, and I felt the loss of his warm arms.
Guess my plan worked too well. But we didn’t have time for this. “You’re smart, resourceful; you have excellent taste in women. Or one woman. Me. Plus, you’re the best lover in the universe.” I smiled. “Did I mention super-sexy?”
His tight shoulders relaxed.
“But you’re not responsible for the death of your people. You’re not that powerful. Things had been set in motion far before you returned. The takeover was inevitable. From what little you told me, your people were on a collision course with destruction.” I held up my hand when he opened his mouth to argue. “I’m not judging. Well, I’m totally judging them, but only becausehumans, fromEarth,have been pretty reckless as well. We’ve almost destroyed ourselves several times over. World Wars, nuclear weapons. The list goes on.”
He turned away, which meant he was upset with me.
“My point is, you being late probably saved your life.” I walked over and lifted his chin with one finger. “And mine. Yousavedme. For that, I’ll always be grateful. My existence has little weight compared to a whole population, but I still appreciate it.”
“I saved you.” He petted my hair, his sharp claws raking through my silky strands. “Yes, I did. The guilt will never go away, but I will think on your words.”
“Promise?”
He tipped up his chin in agreement.
I glanced back at the holograms floating around us, focusing on one that seemed different from the rest. In fact, it looked very much like this facility. There were several aliens who bore a suspicious resemblance to Veras. “What is this? Are these your people? Have they been imprisoned?”
“No. Not exactly.”
“Can we get a closer look?”
Not imprisoned because, upon closer examination, many of them looked suspended in liquid tubes.
“These are the bioengineering labs.” He swept his hand through the image, manipulating his fingers until the lab appeared around us, as if we’d been plopped down into the room.
One of the Aavvee swept by, and I jumped back.
“Worry not. This is only a projection. To give you a better view. This is all happening in real-time, and the one area where the Aavvee have spent considerable attention. It is guaranteed to bring numerous benefits for them.”
“What are they…” My question trailed off when I saw the stacks and stacks of tubes, with beings in different gestational periods of life.
“Clones. Copies. They use the Oro to create armies, but they don’t understand the limits. It can bring amazing healthbenefits, prolong lifespans indefinitely; however, it can also kill a being who takes too much. And even if they don’t die…”
“What?”
“They are dependent on it the rest of their lives, chained to this planet as my people had been.”
“These idiots are making an army with soldiers that can only fight here?” My bitter smile faded. “Maybe that’s what they want. Not to conquer other worlds, but to defend this one.”Dios mio, maybe they aren’t as stupid as I assumed. “But look. Some of the soldiers are in tubes alone. But others hold three warriors.
“Yes. Those soldiers work as one. Share a hive mind, perhaps. I haven’t looked too closely into it.”
Interesting. “How long do the health benefits last? Of the Oro?”
