Chapter Eleven

Sutton

The deafening roar of the slaver"s antimatter drive filled my ears as the explosion reached its blazing crescendo. Heat intense enough to liquefy solid steel washed over me in a searing wave, the very air itself seeming to catch fire as the shockwave from Raxon"s missile strike slammed home.

The slaver"s engines burst in a vibrant explosion, causing me to close my eyes against the brilliance. Then, just when I thought the roiling vortex would tear us apart atom by atom, the world stopped spinning. The cacophony of distorted harmonics and screeching metal died away, leaving only an eerie, breathless silence ringing in its wake.

Slowly, hardly daring to move, I lifted my head and blinked against the harsh overhead lighting. We were no longer aboard the crippled shuttle, that much was immediately apparent. Instead of the ravaged bridge, we now found ourselves in what appeared to be some kind of massive cargo hold or hangar bay.

Sleek, alien bulkheads curved away into shadowed recesses on all sides, bristling with unfamiliar technology and incomprehensible geometries. The air carried a faint charge, like the buildup before an electrical storm, setting my teeth on edge and making the fine hairs along my nape prickle with static.

"What... what happened?" I rasped, throat raw from the intensity of our joined cries. "Where are we?"

Raxon rumbled something low and indecipherable, loosening his embrace just enough to sweep the cavernous space with a wary look. His free paw drifted towards the wicked blade hanging at his hip, claws flexing in readiness.

Before he could voice a reply, however, a deafening crackle of static split the stillness, making me flinch violently. Raxon tensed, lips peeling back from razor-sharp fangs as the harsh burst of interference gave way to a painfully familiar voice.

"Well, well!" Kravok"s unmistakable baritone rumbled through hidden speakers, slightly tinny but laced with undisguised amusement. "I was beginning to wonder if you two were going to come up for air anytime soon. Or should I say, come up for atmospheric re-entry?"

I blinked, momentarily stunned by the unexpected voice from Raxon"s somber comrade. Kravok had been the one to orchestrate our daring escape. That much I knew. But to be speaking to us now, from whatever alien craft had just...

The realization struck me like a physical blow, momentarily robbing me of breath. This massive hangar, these incomprehensible bulkheads and strange energies thrumming through the air—we were aboard another ship. One powerful enough to have plucked us from the jaws of oblivion itself.

"You...?" I sputtered, shooting Raxon an incredulous look. "He"s the one who...?"

Raxon simply rumbled a low, grudging affirmative, ears flat against his skull as he shot a glare towards some unseen speaker grill.

"Kravok," he growled in a tone laced with exasperation and thinly veiled gratitude. "I should have known your insane scheme would involve something as melodramatic as this."

A burst of static answered him, quickly resolving into a rich, rolling chuckle. "What, this old rustbucket? Hardly anything to write home about, I assure you. Although I must admit, her mass conveyors came in handy for a bit of delicate shuttle-nabbing amidst all that delightful pyrotechnic chaos."

"You knew?" I blurted before I could stop myself, whirling to face Raxon with a look of utter disbelief. "About the slaver, about the ambush waiting for us out there? And you still just... just..."

I trailed off, unable to find the words as a flush of mingled embarrassment and outrage crept up my neck. Raxon simply dipped his head, ears flicking in a subdued manner.

"I suspected Kravoc was up to some scheme," he rumbled at last, refusing to meet my gaze. "The slavers are tenacious when it comes to reclaiming their ill-gotten "assets". But I didn"t know they could track you and find us so quickly."

A low growl built in his throat as those blazing amber eyes flicked up, filled with a simmering intensity that made me shiver despite myself.

"And even then... even if I had been sure of the danger, nothing could have kept me from claiming you as my mate when the time came." His gaze bored into me, stripping away all pretense and deception as he spoke the simple, undeniable truth. "I would have faced down the entire armada of the slaver filth with my bare claws if that"s what it took to bind our souls together for eternity."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again as the sheer intensity of his words washed over me. Part of me wanted to rail at him, to demand answers or some kind of justification for putting us into such peril without warning.

But a greater part simply... accepted the truth of his vow, letting it resonate deep within the blazing core of my being. Because no matter how illogical or insane it seemed on the surface, I knew with every fiber of my soul that he meant it.

Raxon would have fought the entire galaxy itself to keep our bond intact if need be. He was my mate now, my partner against the vast, churning tides of existence in all its maddening wonder and terror. No force could have kept him from claiming me, from blazing our joined flames together in that transcendent union, regardless of any risks or consequences.

And deep down, I knew I would have done the same if our roles were reversed. Fought with every ounce of strength and determination to claim Raxon.

So instead of lashing out or demanding justification, I simply nodded and drifted closer until our brows touched in that intimate joining that transcended the physical world.

"I"m with you, my mate," I murmured, letting the truth of those words resonate between us with all the weight of a blood-vow sworn before the blazing forge-fires of creation itself. "Through whatever awaits us out there in the endless night, whatever terrors or glories... I"ll face them all at your side, now and for all the ages to come."

Raxon rumbled deep in his chest, the sound seeming to vibrate straight down to my core as his blazing eyes searched my own. For a long, endless moment, we simply held that intimate connection, letting the truth of our joined souls resonate in perfect harmony.

Then a fresh crackle of static split the stillness, shattering the hushed tableau as Kravok"s rich baritone cut through the moment with typical irreverence.

"Well, isn"t that just precious?" His disembodied chuckle rolled through the hangar in mocking tones. "I always knew you were a hopeless romantic deep down, Rax. Just wait until I tell the rest of the vorn"akas about the time you nearly got yourself and your new lifemate blown into so much cosmic vapor while locked in the throes of—"

"That"s enough, Kravok!" The words exploded from Raxon"s throat in a furious snarl, making me jump. His ears were flat against his skull, fangs bared in a feral snarl of fury as he whipped his head towards the nearest speaker grill.

"You"ve had your fun at my expense, as per usual. Now I suggest you start making yourself useful and explain where, exactly, you"ve spirited us away to this time. Preferably before I decide to come up there and wring what little remains of your insolent neck!"

Kravok"s rich laughter echoed through the hangar, utterly unperturbed by Raxon"s blustering threat. "Now, now, don"t get your tail in a twist, my friend. You know I simply can"t resist an opportunity to poke fun at your expense every now and then. Especially when you make it so delightfully easy."

I felt Raxon tense beside me, his tail lashing in agitation. Before he could unleash what was sure to be a blistering rebuke, Kravok"s voice took on a more serious tone.

"But you"re right, we"ve indulged in enough playful banter for the moment. I"m sure you"re both wondering just where this old rustbucket has taken us."

There was a slight pause, as if for dramatic effect, before Kravok continued.

"We"re aboard the Drak"tur, an old freighter that"s been in my family for generations. More importantly, we"re currently holding orbit around the most beautiful place in the universe."

"That," Raxon rumbled, his deep tones thick with an emotion I couldn"t quite place, "would be Kal"dora Prime—the homeworld of my people, and the heart of the Kal"doren empire. This is my home, little mate. Not merely a place of refuge or sanctuary, but the very crucible from which my kind was forged. And now... now it is your home as well, if you wish it."

My mind struggled to encompass the enormity of this revelation, to grasp the vast significance of my place in this new world. But in my heart, in the blazing truth of the bond I now shared with Raxon, I knew its meaning as clearly as if it had been seared into my very soul.

I was Kal"doren now, as much as I was human. This was my life now. I could never return to Earth. I would never see Ella again. Raxon was my mate, and that was so much more than I ever expected. He was my alien protector, and I knew I was safe in his arms no matter what the future held for us.