Page 50 of Claimed by the Alien Warrior Triad

Three huge…creaturesare dragging a dying panther through the jungle. They drop their bloody burden as they see me.

So far, every creature except the dragon has had a human counterpart – the mountain lions were over-sized versions of the ones back on Earth. The same with the tiger, and that enormous eagle.

Butthesethings?

They look like a horrific mix of reptile and man – grotesque beasts with cunning, red eyes and huge, pincer claws – like some kind of over-sized lobster. I remember back to the Orb that granted me passage to this jungle planet. It showed my triad sacrificing something to the Orb God of the jungle. The head of thethingthey sacrificed looks like a massive version of these creature’s faces.

Darting over their heads are long tails, tipped with barbs and dripping a glowing, green venom that looks exactly the same color as the tribal tattoos adorning the magnificent bodies of my beloved Aurelian warriors.

The creatures suddenly run towards me, crossing the space between us with superhuman speed. I barely have time to raise and aim my weapon before I see movement to my left. With horror, I see two more of these hideous, hybrid creatures rushing towards me.

I try desperately to swing my gun to the left to take them out – but I already know it’s too late…

“Aubrey!”

My name emerges as a roar. I turn and see three shirtless Aurelians burst from the jungle, weapons drawn.

MyAurelians!

Stryker cleaves the head off the first scorpion beast, and the bloody skull spins in an arc through the air. Before he’s even paused, Stryker is spinning in his own deadly circle – slicing a deadly wound through the second monster; sending it gurgling back with blood gushing from its chest.

Haleon throws his axe, just like I’d seen him do against the eagle, thirty years earlier, and it lands true – finishing off the wounded beast.

The first of the two creatures are down – and that’s when Brigg jumps forward, out of the jungle foliage. He dodges the stinger of one of the remaining monsters, and dances around the pinching claws of the second as he smashes his mace through the creature’s bony carapace. A second blow finishes off the first creature, before it’s even had time to recover its balance.

Brigg landed on the ground and pauses – studying his flailing, foaming foes. When he’s finally certain the three things are dead, he turns and ends the suffering of the writhing, whining panther with a blow from his Orb-Mace.

Only when they’re sure their enemies are dead do the three of them turn to me.

I stand there, Orb-Blade clutched in one hand, the pistol in the other, and my eyes widen as I see that it’sreallythem.

Stryker, Haleon and Brigg.

For real. Theyreallyexist.

I’ve known they had. I’ve known for the last twenty years, and that’s why I’ve spent them pursuing the impossible goal of finding that earthbound Orb.

But… But somehow, it still never felt real. Not until now. Not until I see them again with my own eyes.

The three men turn and look at me with similarly wide, open eyes – seemingly unable to believe that I’mreallyhere.

Tears come to my eyes. I can’t believe it. All this time, and we’re finally back together.

Stryker has an amulet around his neck, a long, woven string with an Orb at the end. He staggers up to me, taking it off his neck to place it around mine.

“Aubrey, by the Orb-God, it’sreallyyou!”

I gasp as I realize I understand him. Stryker runs his hand through his dark, curly, shoulder-length locks, and then reaches out to graze my forearm with his fingertips.

His touch sends electricity through me. I’ve been waiting over thirty years for that touch.

“You speak English now?”

Stryker shakes his head. “No. You speak Aurelian. The amulet lets you understand us.”

“I thought of you every day, Aubrey,” says Haleon, stepping closer, but keeping a wary eye on the jungle.

Brigg shakes his head. He’s clearly overjoyed to see me too – but cautious about how exposed we are. “It’s not safe here,” he warns. “Quick, come with us.”

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