Chapter Twelve

*Ragnar*

Regreee is determined. It is one of the qualities I find most admirable about her. Two days of searching. Two days of digging through multiple buildings in her hunt for the medicine her sister needs. Not once has she complained or given up the hunt despite each broken down store yielding little to no results.

I can see the tiredness in her eyes each night, but she doesn’t voice it. My skin prickles with unease at the prolonged exposure. The longer we are out in the open, the more aliens that are drawn to her scent. Though, none have been as bold as the Naga. My scent is enough to ward them off each night as we hide away in whatever safe space we can find.

A tingle of desire shoots down my spine, wholly unwelcome in my current form but it heats my blood nonetheless. The memory of our nights together serves as its own form of torture. Regreee no longer treats my touch as if it is diseased. We snuggle for warmth, and she falls asleep easily in my arms. It is almost painful to have her so close and yet do nothing…and yet I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If this is all she gives me, then I will be content until the day I go to be with my gods.

It is a weird place to be, caught between the desire for her to be safely hidden away and the desire for this to never end. Fear takes hold of my heart. What if she finds the medicine and we go back to her sisters too quickly? What happens then? What happens if we don’t? Safety is a driving force in my mind but so is the need to claim, to make sure that she knows who she belongs to. The insidious whispers of my beast are becoming harder to ignore, pushing me to make a move. To claim her.

I cannot. I will not betray the trust that Regreee has given me. It is obvious that she has been hurt before. White hot anger courses through me, fed by the rage of a suppressed inner beast. He is angry that we are not one, angry that he is caged within me instead of a part of me. Anger that is only made worse by the knowledge that our mate is suffering, and we cannot kill the ones responsible.

We are weak. We cannot protect our mate. We failed her. Destroy all the lives and any who breath towards her. None other shall be near. My beast’s whisper is uncontainable, slithering through my mind until my hearts begin to beat with a building heat, a need to maim and destroy.

Uneasily I shift among the rubble of our latest store, watching my mate with the sharpest of eyes while my senses are focused on the area around us. I cannot destroy or maim. This mission is important to her. If I were to let him out, to let him do what he wished then everything around us would be lost. This is the fifth store we have searched, her face becoming more and more desolate as we go. To destroy that hope further would be detrimental to our fragile mate.

Her eyes find mine for a moment and my hearts give a squeeze when she gives me a small smile before continuing to sift through the broken-down shelves. This store was once a pharmacy, or so Regreee said. My translator was vague on what was sold there, though the main item was medicine. We could have come here first, but I understood her reticence. This store is further into the city and the destruction and mayhem is far more obvious than it was at the edge. Everywhere we look is the ghost of a once quaint town, maimed and marred by the signs of war and devastation.

Regreee likes to act tough, it goes right along with her determination and strength but emotionally I can see that it is taking a toll on her. Every time we passed human remains, she would tense, and I could see the fresh sheen of tears in her lovely eyes. It pains me to see her sad for a world she has lost. Part of me wishes I could take it all away and return her to the world from before, but then the rest of me is just happy that we have met. If only it could have been without all the suffering.

“This is hopeless.” Her voice breaks the almost stifling silence and I turn to watch her pick her way around more of the broken shelves with a frown.

“Not hopeless. Will find.” I murmur back, as reassuring as I can be with the limited words I have at my disposal. Whoever invented these translators should really have thought about adding a word bank so that I can find the words I wish to say instead of having to wait for her to say them. Though the translator isn’t solely to blame. In this form, my ability to communicate is severely limited, some of the sounds impossible to recreate. Only after the past few days has it become possible at all, though it makes my throat ache from trying to recreate her odd language.

“This was the one place I had really hoped we would find some. What hasn’t been destroyed is thoroughly picked through. I’ve found good medicine and stashed it in my bag, but not the medicine I need.” Her frown deepens when she turns back to the mess and whistles. Her eyes search the darkening space as she waits, searching the shadows for something. Rolling my eyes I hope this particular thing stays lost.

My hopes are dashed when Floofy digs his way out of the disaster zone, waggling his obnoxiously furry body in joy as he bounds towards my mate. Her voice raises impossibly higher as she asks the beast if he knows he is a good boy before scratching behind his long ears. I should have eaten it when I had the chance. Floofy is nothing more than vermin, unrelenting and impossible to completely eradicate. His species was a nightmare during the long journey to Earth and it rankles me to have one here now.

“Vermin.” I hiss, unable to hide my grimace from my mate. She looks over her shoulder at me from where she is crouched, patting the ugly rat. A smile crosses her face before she rolls her eyes.

“It's funny that a giant monster-wolf-dinosaur would have such hatred for something so small and innocent.” She taunts, smiling to take the sting from her words.

“Vermin.” I murmur again, a growl entering my words when Floofy rubs all over my mate, reveling in her touch like I want to. Jealousy makes me reckless enough to lean forward and raise my lip, revealing my sharp teeth in a threat display. To my shock and humor, Floofy does it right back to me, completely unconcerned by my anger. Quiet laughter makes my sails flutter in happiness.

“Vermin that doesn’t think you are very scary at all.” She giggles out, lifting Floofy into her arms to snuggle as she makes her way over to me.

“Should be afraid.” I mutter, climbing to my feet to tower over them both. My attitude doesn’t last though, love for my mate eclipsing my hatred for the little rat. If he makes her happy, then I will not harm him. Nor will anyone else. Her happiness comes before all else.

“Where do we go next? The further into the city, there are just one or two more stores, then the college, and what is left of the restaurants.” Her smile dims as she looks towards the doors, broken and hanging off their hinges. The afternoon light is fading but there are still a few hours left of daylight. Her dejection is eating at me, the need to solve her woes is strong but this is something I cannot immediately fix. My healing saliva only works for her, and I do not know how to produce the medicine she needs.

“Next building.” Is all I can say, ushering her towards the doors. We fall into our rapidly forming routine. She takes Floofy to wait beside the doors, just out of sight as I step into the radiant sun. I have little caution, hoping to draw the attention of anything near so that it can either run away or challenge me so that I may end the threat.

We wait in silence as I scan the area, listening and scenting for any danger. When nothing steps forward, she cautiously creeps out of the building, maneuvering herself beneath my stomach so that she is hidden within my shadow but close enough for me to monitor as we travel. It also serves to keep her delicate skin out of the sun.

My black scales are not harmed by its harsh rays. Her sweet, pale skin burns to a scalding red if she is exposed to it for too long. She stopped riding upon my back as a result. It makes our progress slow but keeps her safe. Thankfully the next building that we are turning our focus to is right next door. Another pharmacy. Why the humans would place two of the same type of stores right next to one another, I will never understand. My own society functioned on need, not want. Humans on the other hand seemed to thrive on convenience over anything else.

Once we reach the doors, I see that these are closed tight. A thread of awareness puts me on edge. This is one of the first buildings that has been completely closed to us. The rest have all been broken down and ransacked. It has served us well. My mate’s pack is stuffed with goods that she would have otherwise been unable to have, but the search for the medicine must go on.

“These doors are intact.” Regreee murmurs, trepidation clear in her voice. Pride fills me for her cleverness.

“Unusual.” I respond, sniffing around the edges of the doors as I try to figure out how to get inside the building. A quick scan shows only one other door. It is a neutral brown, blending into the surrounding stone of the building. I can smell nothing, nor hear any movement within. Still, the doors have alarm bells ringing inside my head. It becomes a war. Do I listen to my instincts, or do I make my mate happy?

“What are you thinking?” She murmurs, walking up to join me beside the doors. Taking a deep breath, I try to think of what I can say in this form, what words would make her understand. Frustration builds until I consider shifting to speak more plainly but we are exposed, and I must be ready for whatever comes our way.

“Danger. Trap. Unusual.” I grind out, the vibrations twisting the words, but she gets the message, her gaze turning shrewd as she considers the door.

“Do you sense anything inside or smell any recent scents?” I consider her words, forcing my senses to their furthest capabilities but the only scent is stale human and decay. Shaking my head, I stare through the glass, hoping to see anything. The interior is completely dark, no holes in the roof to allow in light.

Floofy jumps down from Regreee’s arms, sniffing around as well. As much as I hate the little rat, he provides an extra set of eyes. They aren’t known as unkillable for just any reason. They are experts at survival and hiding. His little nose would scent out danger as well as my own.

“No scent.” I growl out, not wanting my mate to feel as if I am not hearing her concerns and thoughts.

“Could it just be a coincidence?” She asks, still staring at the doors. The moment the new word translates I consider if it is a possibility. The likelihood of one door being intact after years of brutal attacks isn’t impossible, but it is unlikely considering the building next door’s were obliterated. In lieu of words, I turn my head to stare at the other pharmacy before turning back to this one. Regreee’s gaze follows mine and her sigh is loud.

Her disappointment eats at me, but her safety comes first. I’m about to suggest that we find shelter for the evening when Floofy’s urgent yips catches my mate’s attention. He is sniffing urgently at the side door. To my annoyance, she hurries over to him, snatching him away from it.

Everything slows down to a crawl in my mind as multiple things happen at once. Her proximity to the door, a sliver of panic flashes through me when I see a light blinking from along the frame. At the same time, her hand goes to the handle, curiosity written on her face. A warning is stuck in my throat when with a single yank, it opens with little effort.

Growling, I rush over, slamming the door shut with my snout but not before a harsh sound echoes around us both. My sensitive hearing protests the sound, pain radiating in my skull until I feel unsteady upon my paws. Compartmentalizing the pain, I rush to my mate, her safety my only concern. She meets me halfway. Leaning down, I watch as she stuffs Floofy under her arm and climbs up to my back.

The moment her slight weight registers, I take off. A distant roar has joined the alarm sending fear for my mate skittering to the surface. Scanning the horizon, I see movement deeper in the crowded, desolate streets. They come alive with it. Turning, I race away from the roaring noises and the alarm, back the way we came. My legs eat up the asphalt beneath them as I run, uncaring of the beasts I might be calling to us with the noise, yet the roaring is only getting louder. Closer.

Slowing, I cast an uncertain look behind me. I can clearly make out the shape of vehicles moving at top speeds towards us. Vehicles large enough to ram through the debris on the road, unhindered, whereas I am forced to weave through the rusted-out cars. The vehicles are alien in nature, reminiscent of things I saw on the ship that brought us here but the beings driving are very much human. Their form is undeniable even at this distance.

Seeing where my gaze is, a gasp escapes Regreee when she spies the approaching vehicles. Uncertainty fills me as I consider what the best course of action is. I could keep running, not stopping until I am free of the vermin chasing us down. We could take a stand, but the weapons mounted upon the vehicles tell me they do not come in peace. Or we could hide.

Regreee is saying something to me, but my instincts have completely taken over, my beast alarmingly close to the surface. The threat to our mate is unacceptable but I cannot take a stand with her close by. Memories flash, the bang of the alien weaponry, the flashing pain as I was taken down and dragged into their ship. Memories of being taken captive for experiments and then dropped on a foreign world. No matter who the driver is, I refuse to be at the mercy of another again.

The thought of my little mate in the grasp of the monsters who dropped me here forces me into motion. Never. I promised her that she would be safe, and I intend to keep my promise. No matter the cost, I will keep her safe.