Page 57 of Fractured Souls

The whole thing was so natural, so comfortable, that Nythian almost envied the boss for having reached such a state. He wanted the same thing with Alexis. He wanted her to feel so comfortable and secure in his presence that she would drop all her barriers and let him in completely.

“The situation on Tharos must be resolved,” Tarak declared. “The soul that was wrongly bonded to Enki must be allowed to return to her people. A peace offering of sorts, to show them we bear no ill intentions.” His expression turned cold. “But before we allow you to set foot on that planet, we must ensure that it is safe. You will continue your training here with Nythian and the Silent One while we secure the environment. Once it is safe, Nythian will escort you to the intact part of Marenja.”

“Marenja?”

“The capital of the Tharian Nation.”

“Oh. How long will it take? I’d rather have this over and done with.” It was the slight twitch of her left eye that gave away Alexis’s unease, her disquiet.

“I do not know. We have yet to assess and neutralize the threat.” Tarak shrugged. “It will take as long as it takes. We will not put your safety at—”

“No…” Alexis dropped to her knees, and it took Nythian a moment to realize what was going on.

A whimper escaped her lips. Her eyes went blank, her features twisting.

Her hands flew to the sides of her head.

She was in pain!

The soft sound of her distressed cries provoked a deep, primal response inside him. The thing that was making her suffer… he wanted to tear it apart with his bare hands. His horn-buds throbbed, the pain in his head becoming sharp and vicious and unbearable. A faint red haze came down across his vision like a curtain. He blinked furiously, trying to clear it.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was in motion, seeing nothing but her, but Tarak was closer, and the General dropped to his haunches before her, grabbing her upper arms to steady her before she lost her balance and fell. “What is wrong, huma—”

How dare he lay his hands on her!

Nythian’s anger flared white-hot. All his training and discipline fell apart as he barreled into his commander, tackling him with an outstretched arm. Taken by surprise, Tarak fell backwards, but he quickly regained his balance.

Nythian’s fist flew toward Tarak’s face…

“S-stop, Nythian.” Alexis’s voice was the only thing that could cut through his insanity right now.

The only thing.

He froze.

Shit.

What in Kaiin’s Hells had just happened to him?

Breathing heavily, he managed to regain half his senses. The red haze dissipated, and he caught a rare look on Tarak’s face.

A hint of a smile, concealed so quickly he almost missed it.

It occurred to him that the boss had made no attempt whatsoever to block his punch. That was unheard of.

“Go to your human, Nythian,” Tarak said softly in Kordolian.

Nythian didn’t waste another moment. He dropped to his knees in front of Alexis, taking her slender wrists into his hands. Her transformed hand was especially warm, her obsidian nanite-impregnated skin smooth against his fingers.

She winced and took a great shuddering breath. “It’s Anuk. She’s dying. She says she needs to return to Tharos as soon as possible. She needs to communicate with her people again, and then she must pass through something called the Aukon before she dies. It’s very important for them… all of them.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “The Tharians have suffered so much. I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I’ll go with you.”

All of a sudden, the tension drained from her features. She looked up at him, her expression strong and determined.

Nythian wanted to kiss her again, slowly, tenderly, soaking up her all her pain. He was barely aware of Tarak and Abbey in the background as he took her hands into his. “This is important to you, huh?”

“Anuk gave me a chance to live again. I can’t just let her die without carrying out her wishes. I’d be…” She shook her head, knowing she’d never get over the feeling of loss. “I know you can protect me.”

Instead of quelling his mating fever, her words only added fuel to his fire. He inhaled her scent, trembling slightly as her presence washed over him.

---