Page 35 of Survivor
For me, the shift was as effortless as drawing breath. My body responded to the escalating threat against my mate with primal instinct, every cell singing with power as I grew larger, stronger, deadlier—a perfect weapon forged by the need to protect what was mine.
We circled each other, predator and prey. With a growl, Seibring rushed me, unleashing vicious swipes with his claws, and I felt my skin give way under his fingertips, small cuts that while bothersome, did not slow me. I answered with strikes of my own, claws slashing through the air, occasionally finding purchase in his flesh, drawing dark crimson blood that sprayed across the ground between us.
Seibring staggered away from me, wiping the blood from his eyes from the gash I’d carved across his forehead.
“I will not wait for the queen,” he sneered, and licked his lips, finding the vile words he spoke delicious. “I won’t kill you yet. I want you to watch as I break every bone in the human’s body—drain every drop of her blood. I want you to hear as she screams and begs for her life. Then,” he leaned closer, his breath holding the harsh metallic scent of blood. “When she’s broken and bleeding. I’m going to fuck her to death and make you watch.”
Lucy.
My mind erupted in a maelstrom of savage fury, his vile words igniting something innate and monstrous within me. A crimson veil of rage descended, blinding me to everything but the need to protect my mate. I felt my body convulse and expand—muscles swelling, bones elongating with audible pops, skin stretching taut as I transformed into something... more.
"You should not have threatened my mate," I snarled, my voice a guttural roar that seemed to shake the very earth beneath us.
It was almost laughably effortless this time. Seibring lunged, razor-sharp claws slashing viciously toward my throat, but I snatched him from the air as easily as plucking a falling leaf in the wind. He thrashed and writhed against my grip, muscles bulging, yet his struggle proved no more consequential than the frantic buzzing of a trapped insect. I dragged him closer, drinking in the desperate fury flooding his obsidian eyes as my hands slid with deliberate slowness to cradle either side of his skull. For one suspended heartbeat, I watched as horrified realization crept over his face—then gave a single, merciless twist.
The sickening crack of his neck breaking reverberated through the jungle like thunder.
Seibring’s obsidian eyes went wide with shock, his final, agonizing thought in this universe was that one he had deemed so utterly unworthy, had delivered his end.
I released my grip and watched his lifeless form crumple to the jungle floor with a sickening thud, limbs splaying at unnatural angles. My hands—hands that had just taken a life—trembled as I held them before my face. Blood dripped steadily from my fingertips, each drop hitting the earth with a sound that seemed to thunder in my ears. What had I become? What savage, primal thing now coursed through my veins? Ahorrifying worry clawed at my chest—I was becoming exactly the monster my mother always wanted me to be.
“Vraxxan!”
Lucy exploded from the underbrush, shaking off my father’s attempts to hold her. By the time she reached my side, I had reverted to normal size, though my scales remained solid black.
She threw a glance at where Seibring lay dead on the ground, giving a small huff of annoyance, and turned her attention back to me. Her hands roamed over my body, fingers finding the minor cuts and tears in my flesh that were already healing.
“Vraxxan,” Her voice broke, and she buried her head against my chest.
Her touch—electric and searing—burned through every nerve ending, her intoxicating scent flooding my senses like a soothing drug. The way she molded against me, soft curves fitting perfectly into the hard planes of my body, anchored my soul to something pure and sacred. I wasn't a monster—not when her heartbeat thundered against my chest, not when her breath whispered across my skin like absolution itself. I was hers, utterly and completely. Whatever violence was needed to protect her—whatever blood I had to spill, whatever lives I had to take—I would do it all without a single tremor of regret.
My arms wrapped around her fiercely, pulling her against me, desperate with the need to hold her. I could feel the violent tremor that ran through her body, and the way her fingers dug into my shoulders with white-knuckled intensity spoke of the fear that had gripped her heart.
"It's okay, my mate," I promised, my voice rough with emotion.
Lucy's shuddering sigh of relief seemed to echo through the thick, humid jungle air, carried on the heavy breeze that rustled the dense canopy above us.
“Are you well, my son?” Vysar jogged up beside me, his gaze flickering over Seibring, who, in death, reverted to the red and orange coloring of his birth.
“I’m fine,” I insisted, drawing Lucy tighter to my side. “We need to get to the ship and leave—all of us. The queen knows where we are.”
As if summoned by my words, the thunderous clap of a massive vessel entering the atmosphere shook the ground beneath our feet. A Zarpazian battle cruiser materialized in the sky directly overhead, its shadow engulfing us in darkness.
Chapter 15
Lucy
Vraxxan’s arm constricted around my waist like a steel band as the battleship loomed ever closer, its massive hull devouring the sunlight and casting us into a premature twilight. I felt his lips brush against my hair, followed by a deep, shuddering sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul.
“You need to run and hide, zeihava.” His voice rumbled through his chest and into mine, deep and throaty, heavy with a resignation that made my heart constrict painfully. The rawness of his tone told me whatever was bearing down upon us would be infinitely more terrifying than facing Seibring. My eyes darted back to where Seibring’s body lay crumpled and broken, just to reassure myself of that small victory.
“No.” My voice rang out clear and unwavering, as solid as the conviction burning in my soul. Part of me felt like dying when Vysar dragged me away leaving Vraxxan to face Seibring alone. Whatever nightmare descended from that ship, I would not flee. I would stand and face it by Vraxxan’s side.
Vraxxan released a growl that vibrated through me—part frustration, part desperation—yet saturated with raw affection. “Please, Lucy. I need to know that you are safe.”
“No, Vraxxan.” I tilted my head upward, meeting his gaze with unflinching resolve. “We are mates. Whatever we face, we face together.” The words emerged as a sacred vow, unbreakable.
I watched as Vraxxan’s expression softened, his teal eyes shimmering with such profound love it stole my breath away. His lips parted to argue further, but the protest died unspoken as Vysar’s hand came to rest on his shoulder.
