Page 57 of Alien Hunter's Prize

"The blankets are beautifully woven," Iros observed later, running a hand over the soft fabric Talia had brought. "Varek's influence on the pattern is clear."

"The community has been incredibly supportive," I said, settling beside him on the small couch we'd fashioned from salvaged Seraphyne components and Nyxari-woven cushions. "Of us. Of this." I gestured to encompass our shared dwelling, our life together.

"They see what we share," Iros replied simply, his arm settling around my shoulders with natural ease. "The strength in it."

I leaned against him, my head finding the familiar hollow of his shoulder. Through the bond flowed steady warmth, deep affection, and the absolute certainty of belonging. Hammond's shadow seemed distant now, the dissonance of the Echoing Caves a fading memory.

"There's still so much ahead," I said quietly. "The eastern territories, potential instability, whatever Hammond might be planning..."

Iros's fingers traced a pattern along my arm, following the silver markings. "The future unfolds," he said simply. The quiet confidence in his voice carried more weight than elaborate promises. His hand settled over mine, a gesture that said what words couldn't express.

The twin suns had set, leaving the dwelling lit by the soft glow of crystal lamps. Beyond our walls, the settlement continued its evening rhythms—voices called goodnights, children were ushered to bed, night patrols took their positions.

I closed my eyes and focused on the steady beat of Iros's heart beneath my ear, the comforting resonance of his lifelines against my skin, the settled harmony of our bond. The uncertainty of what lay ahead no longer felt like a threat but like a path to be walked, one step at a time.

Through our bond flowed shared contentment, mutual resolve, and the quiet, profound certainty of home found in each other.

EPILOGUE: HAMMOND

Dust motes danced in the single beam of light penetrating this cramped, salvaged hole I was forced to call a command center. The air stank of stale sweat, ozone, and the quiet desperation of the few who remained loyal.

Months. Months I had spent clawing back from the brink, scavenging the ruins of my own compound, hiding like vermin from Nyxari patrols, gathering the faithful few who understood the true threat. Phillips moved like a ghost in the shadows, stacking the meager supplies. Human tenacity, I told myself. Or maybe just the stubborn refusal to die on this cursed rock.

I turned the crystal shard over in my fingers. Smaller than my thumb, salvaged from the inferno Rivera and her alien lover unleashed. It pulsed faintly, blue and rhythmic, warm against my skin. Leverage? No. It was more than that now. It was the key.

They thought we were broken. I stared at the crude map scratched onto salvaged plating, the 'X' marking their settlement burning into my vision. They celebrated their pathetic alliances, their false harmony. They welcomed the mountain savages, embraced the contaminated, blind to the rot spreading among them, weakening humanity from within.

Duvane. Carter. Rivera. Jen. Traitors. Every last one. Changed, corrupted, willingly sacrificing their own kind for alien acceptance. They preached balance, understanding. I saw only surrender. Infection.

But they didn't destroy everything. My gaze fixed on the glowing shard. They missed this. Power. Control. The answer was here. The key to purging the contamination, to securing our future.

My followers were few, yes. The weak-willed scattered after the compound fell. But those who remained? Hardened. Loyal. They saw the truth. Humanity must stand alone. Pure. We rebuilt quietly. We watched. We waited.

My gaze shifted to the corner, to the crude cage fashioned fromSeraphynewreckage. Inside, slumped against the cold metal, sat my prize. Not the young hunter we lost, but a warrior of imposing build. Striking blue skin, powerful even bound and wounded. That ridiculous reddish-blond hair, braided with crushed flowers, fell across his face. But his lifelines... they were what mattered.

"The crystal reacts to their energy, Phillips," I said, my voice low. "Faintly, yes, but undeniably. Stronger with this one than the last captive. Different from Subject C..." That failure still stung. I wouldn't repeat it. I would understand this connection. I would control it.

The blue-skinned warrior stirred, lifting his head. Golden eyes, blazing with defiance even through the haze of pain, met mine. Contempt. No fear. Good. Fear could be useful, but defiance... defiance could be broken.

"Prepare the interface rig," I ordered Phillips, turning away from the alien's glare. "Carefully. Minimal power. Start with baseline resonance readings." We would understand. We would control.

I looked from the defiant warrior in the cage to the glowing shard in my hand. Let them have their fragile alliances, their corrupted harmony. I held the true key. I had endured the fall. I would learn the secrets of this power.

And I would purge this world.

He’s supposedto be my enemy.

Instead, he might be my only way out.

I came to uncover Hammond’s secrets.

Now I’m shackled in the dark beside a Nyxari warrior whose golden lifelines burn brighter than the sun.

Ravik doesn’t trust me.

He barely speaks.

But when our captors push us past the edge, his strength is the only thing keeping me standing?—

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