Page 22 of Found

The simple statement contained volumes of meaning that I couldn’t yet grasp, but the truth of it rang in my blood. He wasn’tlying. Whatever he was—this modified, engineered version of my species—he believed what he was saying.

“Explain,” I ordered, still not relaxing my combat stance.

“I was created,” he said, gesturing to his form with a clawed hand. “Engineered from Rodinian genetic material, spliced with other species for enhanced capabilities. Designed for a specific purpose.” His eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw emotion there—a flash of something like shame. “To find her.”

My fury returned, hot and immediate. “If you think I’ll let you touch her?—”

“Not for me,” he interrupted, his voice hardening. “For them. The scientists. The ones who made me.”

He turned, indicating the drones he’d disabled. “They’re coming back. The facility where I was created was abandoned five years ago, but the systems were left running. Monitoring. Waiting. When your unity dream happened...” He paused, searching for words. “I was connected to it. Through genetic markers they built into me. Markers designed to resonate with compatible humans.”

“With Everly,” I said, the pieces beginning to fit together in my mind.

He nodded. “With Everly. They wanted Rodinian hybrids. Wanted to understand our mating bonds. To weaponize them.” His tail flicked in agitation. “I was their prototype. Their first attempt.”

I studied him more carefully now, seeing beyond the immediate threat to the evidence of what had been done to him. The scars that mapped his body weren’t battle wounds—they were surgical. Experimental. The modifications to his frame weren’t natural adaptations, but deliberate alterations designed to enhance lethality.

“You’re a weapon,” I said, understanding dawning.

“I was meant to be.” He moved toward one of the drones, crouching beside it. “But they miscalculated. Gave me too much Rodinian genetic material. Enough to develop…independence. Enough to recognize Everly as something more than a target.”

I felt my battle form begin to recede, my heightened aggression fading as comprehension replaced fury. “You shared our unity.”

It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway. “Not a conscious act, I assure you.” His claws flexed, betraying emotion his face wouldn’t show. “But it woke me from suspension. Made me…aware. In ways I hadn’t been before.”

The implications were staggering. Unity dreams were the most intimate connection possible between mates. For Khaaz to have experienced ours, even as an observer...

“You’re connected to her,” I said slowly, the realization settling like a stone in my gut. “To us.”

He met my gaze steadily. “Not by choice. Not by fate. By design.” He gestured to the drones again. “And now they’re searching. The facility’s automated systems detected our unity, detected my awakening. These are just the first wave of reconnaissance. There will be more.”

I absorbed this, thinking through the implications. “Who are ‘they’? The scientists who created you?”

“Perhaps. Or others who’ve acquired their research. Private military contractors. Governments. Anyone who would benefit from an army of enhanced hybrids.” His expression darkened. “Anyone who would want Everly for breeding stock.”

The crude term sent a shock of rage through me, my claws extending involuntarily. “I’ll kill anyone who touches her.”

“As would I,” Khaaz said simply. “Which is why I’m here. Not to harm her. Not to take her from you. To protect her.” He straightened, his posture shifting subtly, becoming lessdefensive. “To warn you both. This planet isn’t safe. Not for her. Not now.”

I circled him slowly, still wary, still uncertain. Everything in my training, in my instincts, told me to eliminate the threat he represented. But something deeper—something that resonated with the same frequency as my bond with Everly—recognized him as…not enemy.

“Why should I trust you?” I asked, though the question felt hollow even as I spoke it.

“Because you already do,” he replied. “Because you know my name without being told. Because your mate called to both of us, though she doesn’t yet understand how.” He gestured to the jungle around us. “And because these drones were searching for her signature, not mine. I was able to disable them before they found her location, but the next wave won’t be so easily fooled.”

I knew he was right. Knew it with the same certainty that had guided me to Everly after my crash. The universe had woven our fates together, all three of us, in ways I couldn’t yet comprehend but couldn’t deny.

“How long do we have?” I asked, making my decision.

“Hours, not days,” Khaaz replied. “I initiated a self-destruct sequence at the facility before I left, but it won’t destroy everything. Just buy us time.”

I nodded, already calculating. “There’s an outpost that pinged to the north. Might have communication equipment, transport.”

“Too far,” Khaaz shook his head. “There’s another facility. A black site. It could have an emergency shuttle. At least a comms array sophisticated enough to contact your Legion command.”

I considered this, weighing the risks. “Leading Everly directly to the place they’d want to take her?”

“Only a matter of time they’d find her,” Khaaz said grimly. “Better to extract her from the planet entirely than try to hide in the jungle.”

---