Page 57 of Claimed by the Alien Warrior Triad

“Halt! The three of you are banished. And who is this woman? Procured by some ungodly means? None of you have brought a sacrifice to the Orb-God to earn your fated mate. Where did you find her?”

The guard draws his Orb-Weapon, holding the hilt but not activating it. I see Brigg’s eyes dart up and I raise my gaze. There are Aurelians surrounding us in the trees, with horns slung around their necks. So close to their tribal home, they have a stronger warning system against the dragon – or whatever other dangerous creatures lurk in the jungle.

And there are few more dangerous creatures than Stryker, Brigg and Haleon.

“This is our one true mate, Aubrey,” says Stryker calmly, though I notice his hand inches towards the hilt of his own Orb-Weapon. He may put on a calm front, but I know Stryker could explode into violence at any second.

An Aurelian drops from the trees. He’s less than seven-feet-tall, with fewer markings than my triad.

He must be a younger member of the tribe – one who has not yet earned the full tribal tattoos of the Scorp-Blood tribe.

“Impossible!” The young newcomer snarls. “When a mate leaves, she will never return. The three of you are forsaken!”

That sets my three Aurelians off. I watch in horror as Stryker, Haleon and Brigg each reach for their weapons.

“Stop!” I yell, surprising everyone. I step forward. Brigg instinctively moves to protect me. “It’s true,” I growl. “I found a way back here through an Orb-Portal. I came back – I am these warrior’s fated mate, and I did not forsake them.”

The guards listen dubiously.

“These men are not forsaken – and, as such, they have the right to consult with their god.”

The guard inspects me, his eyes roaming up and down my body. I hope he doesn’t look for too long, or the uneasy truce will be broken by the jealous Aurelians.

“It was wrong of Ripper to restrict the rite of consulting with our god – even to you three.” The guard who first stopped us seems to be leaning in our favor. “All members of our tribe have that sacred right, and if this woman trulyisyour fated mate, then the Orb-God must have brought her back for a good reason.”

“They lie! Sent by some void-devil to trick us,” snaps the younger Aurelian. The guard instantly boxes his ears. The younger Aurelian bristles, but steps down. I chew my lip, realizing how close the young man came to being killed. The Aurelian species is one that values honor almost as high as life itself.

The guard grabs a thick vine and pulls, opening a path to the cavern beyond. He goes first, with Stryker following right behind him. Brigg gently motions me forward, and I follow Stryker into the smooth-walled tunnel and downwards into the caverns themselves. As we enter the young Aurelian glares daggers at us.

The three of us enter the main cavern and I instantly feel that something is wrong.

In one corner, three Aurelian warriors lie covered in mushroom paste and bandages, groaning softly in pain. Children sit duly in front of a thin stream, and pale-faced women huddle near a fire. They look up fitfully as we enter.

There is a large, stone chair in the center of the cavern – which holds a large Aurelian warrior with scars crisscrossing his entire body. He’s eating a large piece of meat messily, juices dripping down his bearded face. A woman sits near him, and behind him stands a second Aurelian, just as large as the first. I wonder if the third member of his triad died in some fierce battle, or if he’s simply out of sight.

In any event, I know instantly that this enormous, venerable Aurelian is Ripper, the Clan Leader and Chieftain, and my heart beats faster when I see the Orb-Bracelets around his wrists.

He got the name Ripper because, in battle, those Orb-Bracelets extend into pincers modelled after the first Scorp he killed.

Ripper stands, discarding the bone he was chewing on with force. It clatters against the ground and the woman next to him flinches.

“Why did you let these forsaken Aurelians in?” He yells at the guard, his voice booming.

The guard stands tall. “They seek consult with the Orb-God, who has brought them back their fated mate!”

“Impossible!” Ripper roars, striding towards us. I tremble as the massive Aurelian stands only a few feet away from us. The second Aurelian, the one standing behind Ripper, steps up to support his battle-brother.

“No,notimpossible,” Haleon explains calmly – calmer than he has any justification to be. “She found her own way back to us. You banished us for fighting for her, but you could not stop fate from bringing our fated mate back to us.”

Haleon’s voice remains relaxed, but I detect a knife’s edge of stress under it.

“My word is law in this cave. I banished you once with words, do not make me do it again… with force. Defy me, and I’ll see you in… the Circle,” threatens Ripper.

I swallow hard as I see that in front of Ripper is a broad circle of polished stone. He steps to the edge, and gasps fill the cavern. I know that if he steps into it, he won’t leave until someone is bloody in front of him.

“Very well. Then we do battle,” snarls Stryker. Before I can stop him, he walks to the edge of the polished circle and draws his weapon. The Orb-Blade hums to life and he holds the sword in front of him. Every member of the Scorp-Blood tribe stands and walks forward as if in a trance. I feel a deep fear, knowing that if Stryker’s toe crosses the line, nothing but blood will end this.

Ripper’s weapons activate. The huge Orb-Claws appear, warping reality as light seems to flee them. I watched my triad defeat Scorp warriors in battle, but Ripper is a different foe. I can see how badly he wants to fight and kill Stryker.

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