Page 26 of His to Protect
Chapter 17
Ka’el
It’s hard to open my eyes. Every part of my body hurts as if stung by thousands of needles. There’s no sound. There should be sounds. I’m still lying on the floor, my head to the side. There’s no sight of the redhead human, Jessica. Then it all hits me. I remember the two aliens who came for her. I remember the fight and the shocking rod. They must’ve taken her, but where? I gather all my strength and lift myself off the floor. I back to the wall, resting there for a few moments.
I’m Ka’el. I remember. It’s all coming back to me. Bits and pieces at first and then everything becomes clear. Jessica was right. We did meet before and we did mate as she claimed. She was telling the truth. Shame grows as I remember how I tried to mate her by force, how I pushed and demanded. I sigh loudly, my hand on my forehead. I know I wasn’t acting like myself. I was brainwashed and drugged and made to believe I was a soldier eager to obey. They will pay for this even if it’s the last thing I do. I’m no soldier. I’m Ka’el, high commander in chief, brother to the queen. Ah, the queen… that devious, murderous traitor. It doesn’t surprise me at all.
And mostly I’ll make sure Veekhal will pay for all of this.Damn prick.I’ll fry his brains too. Maybe I’ll make him my slave. I shake my head, trying to get rid of these useless thoughts. I need to focus on getting Jessica. I can’t risk losing her again. I lost her once. I won’t let it happen again. I won’t fail her again. I get up, my legs still shaking. I reach the door and try to remember the code. Come on, Ka’el. Think. It’s not so hard. I key in a four-digit combination and boom. There goes the alarm. Fuck. The code is wrong.
The room rings with the sound of the alarm and I know this is my chance to get away. I’m pretty sure someone will come to check and that’s my ticket out of here. I step to the right of the sliding door and press my body against the wall. I don’t breathe, I just wait. Wait for freedom, for an escape, for the chance to save my human. Yes, MY HUMAN because she’s mine to love, mine to protect. I’d rather die than lose her again. It won’t be long and they’ll barge in, looking for me. I close my eyes and try to connect to Jessica.Jessica, where are you? Speak to me. There’s no answer. I can’t sense her and that terrifies me. I try again and again, but all I get is silence and darkness. That can only mean one thing, but I refuse to consider it. I won’t. Not now. Not when I found her. I can’t lose her again. My sorrow turns to anger, rage. My nostrils flare, my heart beating like a drum. I clench my fists and wait for my visitors to arrive. It won’t be long. Any moment now.
I know they are coming. I can hear their footsteps. I clench my fists harder and wait for the doors to slide open. I only have time to take one more breath when the sound of the sliding doors brings my adrenaline to high levels. An alien male comes in first, laser gun in his hand. I kick him hard, aiming for the throat. The male falls to the floor, struggling to breathe. In an instant, I reach down and take his laser gun, in time to shoot the other male following him. This one drops dead, a puddle of blood surrounding his lifeless body. I turn to the first one who’s gasping for air. I aim the gun at his temple, fighting my urge to pull the trigger. Not yet, anyway.
“Where’s the human female? Answer me or I’ll blow your brains out,” I growl. There’s no answer, the male still struggling to breathe. I allow him more time to catch his breath and ask again. “Tell me where she is, you fool.”
“I… I can’t breathe,” he mutters.
“If you don’t tell me, there won’t be any need to breathe because you’ll be fucking dead,” I shout and grab his hair, pulling him closer. His eyes open wide and I can see he’s terrified. I’m willing to kill them all for my human. They deserve to die for taking her. “TELL ME,” I shout, brows arched in a frown. My heart beats so hard against my chest, nostrils flaring with every breath.
“She’s in the lab room. Catleya’s orders to take her there. I don’t know anything else,” the male mutters. I let go of his hair, his head hitting the floor as it falls. He backs away from me, dragging his body to the bed. I throw him an angry gaze and head for the door. I don’t kill this one. I got what I wanted from him and he’s no threat to me. I let him live.
“What’s your name, soldier?” I ask him right before leaving this room.
“Hekhabe,” he answers.
The corridor looks safe. I don’t hear anyone else coming and the ringing alarm has stopped. I make my way forward, paying attention to any sound. The laser gun aims forward, fully charged. Ok, another turn, and I reach the elevator. My joy is overridden by the deafening sound of a security alarm ringing all around me.Hekhabe, you fucking traitor.The ungrateful bastard informed them about my escape. Great, just great. The blood in my veins boils with anger. I should have killed the bug. That’s what you get for showing emotions. Emotions make you weak. I don’t understand why humans are all about thisemotionthing. I let myself overrun by emotions and now I risk losing Jessica. Not again. I’ll kill everyone standing in my way. You’re either with me or against me. No concessions.
It doesn’t take long for soldiers to arrive. I can hear them coming and they sound like at least a dozen. I look around all directions but there’s no place to hide so I stay right here in the middle of the corridor, my gun aimed forward. It’s either me or them, but at least I’ll die trying.
“Freeze,” the alien leading the band shouts. “Don’t move.” I recognize him. He’s the one who fried my brain, Veekhal. All the soldiers behind him stop, their guns aiming me.
“Easy now, Veekhal.” I raise my hands, and. I remember everything. I remember what he did to me and to Jessica. He’ll be the first to die and I want to kill him with my bare hands. “Don’t do anything stupid. I’m not trying to cause any trouble.”
“You already did. You had strict orders to follow, and you failed,” he says.
“If I remember correctly, it is YOU who disobeyed MY orders,” I tell him.
“So, you remember… Ka’el,” he says grinning. “At least you’ll know who killed you.”
“Why so violent?” I reply. I am bluffing right now. I know I’m outnumbered and I don’t stand a chance but I can’t give up. Jessica needs me and I can’t let her down again. I will never forgive myself if anything happens to her.
“Do you all know who I am?” I shout. There’s no answer. Those behind Veekhal look at each other, then all of them look down. Of course, they know who I am. “I am Ka’el, your commander.” Not a single male dares to answer.
“You are no commander. This spaceship only has one commander and that one is me, Veekhal. The Queen appointed me herself after your betrayal,” Veekhal replies. “You betrayed your kind for some human fuck.”
“If anyone is a traitor, that would be you,” I groan. My heart races like crazy and I’m about to jump at the fool. I cannot believe the nerve on this guy. “What would you call someone who erases the memory of his commander?” I address the males behind Veekhal. Still, there’s no answer from them. “Why are you so afraid to speak your mind?”
“We’re not afraid to speak. We just don’t have anything to say to you. We obey commander Veekhal,” a Valkryan to the right of Veekhal says.
“What you’ve been told by Veekhal and the Queen is nothing but lies. I have not betrayed Valkrya and I would never endanger our kind,” I say to them. “Vektal? Isn’t that your name, soldier? I remember you very well,” I say to the one who spoke. Vektal lowers his gaze and looks unsettled.
“Yes, that’s my name,” he says.
“Silence,” Veekhal growls. “Do not speak to traitors.”
“Understood,” Vektal says back.
I have no plan, no clue what to do. If I open fire, I’ll be hit. There’s too many of them and they all carry laser guns. I can tell from the number of red dots on my chest. My only target dot rests on Veekhal’s forehead. With a single pull of the trigger, he’ll drop dead, but I am unsure of how loyal the others are to Veekhal. I can’t risk Jessica’s life. She needs me as much I need her. My stream of thoughts is brought to an end by a male who jumps forward, holding the gun to Veekhal’s temple. It’s Anil’ha. My heart fills with joy seeing him alive.
