Chapter 12

GUNNOX

The twin suns hung low above the horizon, their rays casting a mesmerizing aura over the intricate spires of Huren's majestic palace. I stood atop the central tower, surveying the city below. Since our return several suns-rises ago, the population inside the dome had increased with Valosians and humans alike. The city of Huren had become a central hub for all three clans despite the planetary shield protecting the planet from more invaders.

What was left of Clan Jurigon remained inside having no place else to live since the Gretolics blasted a hole in the center of their mountain home, while Clan Trisess chose to remain close and continue the search for the males and females who had been abducted by the Gretolics.

Many of Valosians were still out there, somewhere lost and in need of rescue. Ruze and Tyrk were joined by a warrior from each clan: Vennox of Huren, Brunnex of Jurigon, and Truxxet of Trisess. They had left soon after we had arrived, on another mission, as promised to Nara, starting with the Jagots who we had learned from the Zibeck I had interrogated on Tirius had bought a large group of Mayrans. Then it was off in search of the Orcs, Bioti, and Natookie who had purchased the remaining Valosians and humans, plus the one female who had been sold to a Nomadican.

I had offered to go, but Sia Jakkar had rejected my request. I was deemed too much of a liability, as my attention would be focused on thoughts of my spirit mate. A fact I could not argue.

From my vantage point high above, I observed the intricate dance of all three clans intermingling below. The sight was a stark contrast to the lifetime of rivalry that had once defined their interactions. Valose had transformed in ways I could scarcely comprehend since my abduction, and like many returned captives, I found myself struggling to catch up with the whirlwind of changes.

Gladness swelled within me to know all three clans had united in battle against a common enemy. I never would have dreamed old rivalries could have been set aside or that such a thing could have ever happened. A vote had taken place and a Sia now ruled over all three clans. Sia Jakkar was not only our world leader but a symbol of unity for Valose.

Clan Trisess had a new Sia as well. After it was discovered Sia Havvar had been collaborating with the Gretolics, Tikkot challenged him and took the crown. From Scout to Sia, he had earned the respect of his clansmen.

So much had changed since that disastrous hunting trip with Drekkor. Our encounter with the strange grey creature had resulted in mindless obedience and boarding an alien spacecraft. After that, I had no recollection until I'd woken up in a giant's cage alongside a Huren warrior with whom I now called friend.

I scrutinized the undulating distortion of the dome overhead, the marvel of technology kept all the creatures of the Huren jungle at bay. Nocturnal beings that would soon rouse from their slumber to search for prey. Instead of exhaling with ease knowing our safety within its translucent walls, I felt as though a hand was clutching my throat.

The dome was stifling. I longed for my treetop home in the Trisess Forest where the sky was open and free from confinement. I yearned for the cool breeze to wash over my scales, carrying with it the familiar scents of blooming wildflowers. I missed the earthy aroma of damp moshi pads after a fresh rain and the sweet fragrance of white fruit that hung in the air during late summer.

In this artificial city, where nature was constrained and controlled, I felt caged and longed to break free.

I understood Sarah's reluctance to enter the dome. The echo of her that wove its way around my hearts knew she felt as trapped as I did. Yet her confinement went beyond the dome of Huren. She longed for a home she may never see again. That tore at my spirit like nothing else could. If I could give her world back to her, I would, even though it would gut me to do so.

My gaze settled on the one who consumed my thoughts—Sarah. Under the waning Valosian suns, Sarah's dark mane cascaded around her delicate shoulders, lustrous and vibrant. Her complexion, once pallid from the harsh conditions on Gorka, now radiated with a healthy glow, a testament to the restorative care provided by medics, Maxxon and Nullar. The other females held captive with her, had transformed as well; their figures were no longer gaunt but filled out with newfound vitality, a result of the tonic rich in nutrients and protein that had replenished their starved bodies.

A sense of unease gripped me as I watched Sarah pick up the ball that an adolescent patooga dropped at her feet. My spirit mate in such close proximity to a dangerous creature like the patooga wasn't something I was comfortable with. One of the creatures that the protective dome shielded us from was inside, viewed as a harmlesspet—whatever that meant. The potential danger it posed was not lost on me.

Full-grown, the patooga would be three times the size of a male with razor-sharp claws, and teeth to match. What made it even more dangerous was its saliva, laced with a paralyzing agent that could incapacitate even the strongest of beings.

The silver and blue spotted creature dropped down on its front legs and wriggled its backside high in the air, excited over the odd game the group of females played.

Sarah, Leah, Bridget, Lucy, and Maxxon's spirit mate, Amy smiled and laughed as the patooga bounced and spun in a circle, waiting to chase the ball again. I cupped my ears and closed my eyes to catch Sarah's melodic laughter which was so rare.

I hoped my carefully planned surprise would bring her some joy. As the suns began to set, it was time to put my carefully laid plan to the test. I'd been working so hard under Aggar's, a Huren warrior, tutelage to surprise my female with something I hoped would brighten her mood.

Descending swiftly in the lift to the ground level of the grand palace, my determined strides echoed through the ornate corridors as I raced along the path that would lead me to Sarah. Skidding to a halt as the patooga darted past me, clutching the ball securely in its jaws. The slathering creature dropped the ball at Sarah's feet.

"You know its saliva contains a paralyzing agent." I rushed over as Sarah bent to retrieve the ball.

Sarah's eyes suddenly lifted, meeting my gaze as I neared. Her brown mane glinted in the waning sunslight as she quickly straightened, her eyes whipping to Amy and then back to me.

"It's okay, Sarah, she hasn't matured enough for her saliva to produce the agent," Amy assured her. "Ivy, that's Zaku's mate, you remember her. She's a microbiologist and working on trying to figure out how to neutralize the agent without hurting Chompers."

I sneered at the fuzzy beast, its tongue lolling from its mouth as it peered up at me with large, expressive eyes. "Ithas a name?"

"You don't like cats, Gunnox?" Amy grinned.

"Cats?"

"You know, Felis catus, a small domesticated carnivorous mammal? No, no, no… I take that back." Sarah shook her head. "Chompers is more along the lines of a saber-tooth tiger or Smilodon. Extinct on Earth, but from what the girls said, Chompers is going to be enormous when fully grown. She has the slitted pupils of a cat though, but the fun-loving nature of a dog."

To my horror, Sarah crouched down and put her face directly in line with the slathering beast and rubbed it behind its fuzzy ears. "Don't cha, girl? You're just a big fluffy sweetie pie. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. And you just wanna chase this ball and get your belly rubbed, don't cha?"

The beast spun in an excited circle before rolling onto its back and presenting its belly to Sarah to be petted.

"It is unfathomable to me that humans allow predators into their homes." Horrified at the display of affection for such a dangerous creature, I squatted next to Sarah.

"Give me your hand," Sarah said and guided my palm over the belly of the beast. "See how soft her fur is?"

"Its fur is not what concerns me," I raised a brow at my female, loving the feel of her hand covering mine, "but the razor-sharp claws and massive fangs it will grow as an adult."

"Ithas a name and her name is Chompers. Besides, she won't bite the hand that feeds and Amy saved her life when she was a tiny kitten."

"I very much doubt the patooga, er…Chomperswas ever tiny."

Sarah giggled, my ears cupping to catch the sweet sound. "Well, she's still a kitten when compared to what I've been told she will be one day."

We stood as Chompers rolled over, collected her ball, and trotted over to Lucy. The dark-maned female threw what was laid at her feet and the humans all cooed over how cute the patooga was as she raced after the ball and proudly dropped it at their feet to be thrown again.

"Walk with me?" I held my hand out for Sarah to take. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise for me? What is it?"

"Something I hope you will like given your vocation."

"My vocation." Sarah side-eyed me. "Is it a pet of my own?"

"No," I chuckled. "Until Chompers, Valosians never domesticated any creatures."

"Well, Valosians have been missing out because pets are a wonderful thing to have."

Sarah went on to explain about all the domesticated animals on her world, of how many provided comfort or assistance to those with special needs.

"You were a medic to these creatures?"

"I was in school to be a veterinarian, but yes, I was…am,"she clarified, "I am studying to be an animal medic. I love animals, well all things nature. I guess that's why I don't much like being trapped under a dome. I'm an outdoorsy gal."

We walked past the hangar where the sleek, black spacecraft Sia Sakkar had taken off-world many times under the influence of the Gretolics was parked.

"When do you think Ruze and the others will be back?" The underlying sadness in her voice tore at my spirit.

"I don't know," I said as we rounded the hangar. "Depends on how long it takes for them to find everyone."

"I hope they do find everyone," she said, a hopeful tinge in her voice. "Marie showed us the storage room under the palace where we'd been caged for over a year. It's hard to believe we were here all this time, just under the palace and no one had a clue we were there."

"Not everyone was innocent," I growled. "But the guilty males who collaborated with the Gretolics are being kept in the prison level under the palace."

"Serving time behind bars is too good for them. Trafficking their own clansmen should be punishable by death."

"My sentiments exactly, yet Sia Jakkar thinks they could still hold crucial information about our new enemy or the whereabouts of our people." We walked on until I spotted the depression in the ground and the faintest wavy outline of the spherical craft where I had left it. "Draggar and Murrox have been interrogating them but not much has been learned."

Sarah's eyes lit up when I smoothed my hand over the invisible hull until my palm made contact with the control panel. The hatch whispered open to reveal the inside of the spherical craft.

"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed. "They really are invisible. Lily told me about the bubble crafts. I just never figured they'd be completely undetectable."

I offered her my hand and helped her across the raised threshold. She wandered around the small, circular space with wide, curious eyes.

"Want to go for a ride?"