Page 70 of Xara and the Xenobeast

The Xenobeast’s eyes never left Xara’s face. He looked at her differently now—not as something fragile to be protected, but as something formidable to be reckoned with. Something dangerous in her own right.

“What?” she asked, unsettled by his scrutiny.

His tendrils brushed against her throat, her arms, her hands—cataloging her injuries, her strength, her resilience. “I was created to be a weapon,” he said finally. “Trained to recognize threats.”

“Am I a threat now?” There was a hint of challenge in her voice.

His silver eyes gleamed. “Yes.”

Before she could respond, he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, his tendrils curling around her face in a gesture that felt reverent.

“But not to me,” he whispered. “Never to me.”

The pups stirred in their sleep, shifting closer to the warmth of their protectors. Outside, the jungle hummed with life, oblivious to the battle that had been fought. Inside, in the quiet of their cave, something fundamental had changed.

She wasn’t just his to protect anymore. They were protectors together.

And anything that threatened what they’d built would face not one monster, but two.

CHAPTER THIRTY

The Xenobeast moved through the jungle like a shadow, every sense heightened, every muscle primed. The captive trooper had revealed nothing useful under questioning, but it didn’t matter. He knew who was coming.

Dravak.

The name alone ignited a cold fury in his chest. Commander Vask Dravak—the architect of his exile, the man who had labeled him defective for refusing to slaughter innocents. The man who had stripped away his name and identity, leaving only the beast.

His tendrils twitched, sensing a change in the air currents. Something was moving through his territory—something that didn’t belong. He melted deeper into the foliage, becoming one with the shadows as he tracked the intruder.

The scent hit him first. Antiseptic. Synthetic fabric. The unmistakable tang of Zarkari tech. Memories flooded back—sterile labs, white-walled training facilities, the burn of neural implants being activated.

Then he saw him.

Dravak moved through the jungle like he owned it, flanked by two remaining elite guards. The commander looked exactly as he remembered—tall and lean, with angular features and cold, calculating eyes. His uniform was pristine despite the hostile environment, not a speck of dirt marring its sleek lines. His silver hair was cropped short in military precision, and his posture was ramrod straight.

The Xenobeast’s lip curled. Even here, surrounded by death and danger, Dravak maintained his façade of perfect control.

He circled silently, tracking their movements. They were heading directly toward the cave—toward Xara and the pups. His tendrils flared with protective rage, but he forced himself to remain hidden. Patience. Strategy. These were weapons too.

The guards moved with practiced efficiency, scanning the perimeter with high-tech sensors. But they were looking for heat signatures, motion patterns—not for a predator who had spent years learning to become one with this deadly world.

Dravak paused, holding up a hand to halt his escort. “He’s close,” he said, his voice as cold and precise as the Xenobeast remembered. “I can feel it.”

The commander turned in a slow circle, his gaze sweeping the jungle. For a moment, his eyes seemed to lock directly on the Xenobeast’s hiding place.

“Project K-7,” Dravak called out, his voice carrying through the trees. “I know you’re watching. Show yourself.”

The Xenobeast remained perfectly still. He would not dance to Dravak’s commands. Not anymore.

“Very well,” Dravak continued after a moment. “Perhaps you need motivation.” He nodded to one of the guards, who produced a small device from his belt. “We’ve located your cave. Your... pets. One signal from me, and my team converges on that position.”

Ice flooded the Xenobeast’s veins. Xara. The pups.

“That’s right,” Dravak smiled thinly. “You’ve become predictable, Seven. Forming attachments. It’s disappointing, really. You were designed for greater things.”

The Xenobeast weighed his options. Dravak was lying—the cave was too well hidden, protected by Tal’shai illusions and his own careful concealment. But he couldn’t take the risk. Not with Xara.

He dropped silently from the trees, landing in a crouch twenty feet from Dravak and his guards. The guards immediately raised their weapons, but Dravak waved them down with a casual flick of his wrist.

---