Gabe's Destiny (Alien Mates Book Three) (4 page)

“This…this Sudir, it wants to kill me then eat me?”

“Sorry, it’s nothing that nice. He wants to hold you captive, draining your natural power from you every day. He would use you in any way he desires.”

“How do I get away?”

“You don’t, now that a spark has been lit within you, a Sudir or something nastier will find you. The only chance you have is to stand and fight with others who can help you. Those others would be me as well as the people you met here tonight.”

She sat up and looked into his eyes. He wasn’t lying at least from what she could tell. She got up and went to the window on the far wall and looked into the night. Her reasons for running from Nevada were all about her parents. She couldn’t even think about them being hurt; it messed up her insides. So she ran.

This wasn’t about her parents anymore, it was about the rest of her life and she was tired of running. So instead she would stand firm and learn how to fight the monsters that went bump in the night. Now all she needed was a cool name like Sudir slayer. Nah not cool enough, she’d work on it later.

“All right.” She turned around to look at him. “I’ll stay and fight and hopefully I won’t become a Happy Meal.”

“If you did, I’m sure you’d be the best tasting one.”

She smiled, her heart beating just a bit faster at the off handed compliment. It had been a long time since those came her way. Too much work and running from alien killers.

“Thank you for being willing to help. Are you sure everyone else will be okay with it?”

“I’m sure, but we can tell them what’s happening tomorrow at breakfast.”

She nodded and walked him to the door. “Goodnight, Gabe.”

“Taya, I shouldn’t be doing this.”

He leaned over and placed his lips on hers gently. When she didn’t push him away, he licked at her closed lips until she opened them. Taking his tongue, he pushed into her mouth caressing hers. A gentle sweet kiss bound them together before he broke it off and slipped out the door.

Taya closed the door and walked into the bedroom. She finally had some answers but they were just bringing up more questions.

*~*~*~*

Rylan was leaning against his door when he got there. Gabe gave a rueful shake of his head; he wasn’t surprised to see his brother.

“She’s the one,” Rylan stated as he followed Gabe into his room.

“Isn’t that for me to decide?”

Gabe took a seat on one end of the couch and his brother took up the other half.

He looked at Rylan; they were twins down to the minute detail. Even now, after being apart for a while, their hair was the same length in the same style. Someone looking at them might come to the erroneous conclusion that they were interchangeable.

In this case, the package didn’t hint at what was inside. They were different long before Rylan was captured by a Sudir named Xolon. Their mother had known. She saw them and always knew them apart even when they were babies. It was one of the fondest and earliest memories he had. His mother walking into a room after he and Rylan had a tussle, she had walked over to him and picked him up saying his name and kissing him on his head before she walked over to Rylan and did the same.

No matter how they tried they couldn’t fool her. Now there was another woman who saw them differently. First Aviana and now Taya, but did that mean she was his soul-bond. Just because a woman didn’t get you confused with your brother was no reason to run to the trials to see if you were compatible.

There was that kiss. He didn’t know if that was a negative or a positive. It was sweet and he felt it through his body, but it wasn’t explosive. Wasn’t he supposed to see fireworks?

“Only you can decide what’s right for you, Gabe. Just don’t forget being a twin and being able to talk to each other goes both ways. I feel what’s inside of you. The hunger and the dark yawning chasm that seems to grow bigger. I feel it in your soul and I know you need to find your soul-bond before you slip away.”

“How can I slip away with you beside me to pester me?”

“What’s a brother for?” Rylan chuckled and rubbed his shoulders against the back of the couch.

“Everything okay with you and Aviana?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Mckayla hasn’t really been sleeping. She wakes up in the middle of the night crying. Then we either put her in bed with us or Avi ends up going into her room to sleep.”

“That’s not good. You should pay attention to her dreams.”

“I pay attention to them, so does her mother, and that’s why I’m sitting on your couch instead of trying to steal time with my soul-bonded.”

“She’s dreaming of me?”

“Yes. She’s dreaming that something bad is going to happen to her Uncle Gabe.”

Gabe dropped his head allowing his chin to relax on his chest while he thought. Mckayla was a powerful little girl who would become more powerful as she grew. She was also the Umor Princess, heir to the kingdom built on Earth. If she was dreaming about him, he needed to pay more attention to what was happening around him.

“I’ll be careful. I don’t have a death wish or a desire to be captured by a Sudir.” He gave a small shake at the thought.

“You need to do more than that and you know it. You need your soul-bonded.”

“It’s not that easy, Rylan and you know it. If it wasn’t easy for you, why would you think it would be easy for me?”

“You didn’t live through that hell, Gabe! It should be easier.”

“Your right, Rylan, I lived through a different hell. One that started with guilt that I hadn’t been there for you. It tore me up on the inside but it didn’t stop there. Did you really think you were so advanced you could cut me off from all you experienced? No, I was there.

“When you were violated I was there. I felt everything and when you did manage to cut me off, I guarantee you thoughts of what was happening to you were just as destructive as being there. Do you know how many days I found myself on my hands and knees bent over holding my stomach after losing everything I ate that day?

“Do you know why I was rail thin when we finally found you? I stopped eating. I couldn’t take rejecting food anymore so I simply stopped. Do you think I don’t see you when you check to see if I’ve eaten?” He stood because sitting was no longer acceptable.

“Gabe…” Rylan breathed slowly, a look of pain on his face.

“Sorry, I stuffed all of this deep inside the day we found you.”

“No, sorry please. I was wrapped up in myself but I knew enough to keep an eye on you. I see you spiraling, Gabe and I’m not going to let you go. I will help you stay sane just like you helped me.”

“I know.”

“Now what is it about Taya that you’re not sure about?

“Everything, Ry.”

Taya knew she was wrong. She got up early and snuck down the flight of stairs with her walking shoes in her hand—a prayer on her lips or at least in her heart that no one would hear her. At the bottom of the stairs, she slid her shoes on silently, her ankle felt almost like new; she let herself out of the house. There was no doubt in her mind that she should have stayed, faced Gabe at breakfast like he was expecting, but she couldn’t.

His sweet kiss invaded her dreams last night. There were no rockets, damn she expected at least fireworks but maybe this was worse. His kiss left her feeling safe and cherished. She wanted to kiss him again to see if the low heat in her belly would continue. Her parents told her about fireworks and toe curling kisses, so why did she just want to melt in his arms and let him worship her? Thoughts like this would lead to her ultimate downfall. Time to get back to real life.

It was time to make a decision about what she was going to do and why. A decision like that shouldn’t be made over waffles. At the thought of waffles, her stomach growled. She would love some homemade waffles layered in butter and syrup. She laughed, if only she knew how to make them. Maybe that would be on her to do list. Once this was over, she would learn how to cook for real.

Picking an arbitrary direction, she started walking. It was early morning; the last thing that should be outside was an alien homicidal killer. That thought made her feel better. For some reason she always believed true killers operated at night.

She looked around at the trees with their new green leaves unfolding amongst them, some were evergreens. One of the things she loved to do was touch the new needles on pine trees; they were so soft in the beginning. A lopsided smile slid over her face at the thought.

Taking a deep breath, she walked further allowing the weight she was carrying slowly rolled off her shoulders. Maybe it was time to go home, to see her parents. If evil was going to follow her wherever she went, then she owed it to them to say a proper goodbye before disappearing forever.

She looked around and realized she had gone deeper into the woods than she intended. Stopping and turning around, she started to retrace her footsteps.

“Don’t leave little rabbit. Come explore my world.”

Stupid Taya, she mentally lashed out at herself. Everything had been so calm and still that she let herself feel a false sense of peace. Of course it was calm because a predator had driven anything away that would make noise.

Increasing her steps, she moved faster but refused to run knowing she would probably fall, and then there wouldn’t be a chance.

“Hop little bunny, faster, faster. Do you really think I am letting you go? You look like a tasty meal and I am hungry.”

She scanned the area unable to see who was speaking to her but she could hear him like he was in her ear. She made her feet move faster until she was in a jog. All she had to do was make it back to the road and she would be safe. She didn’t know why, but some internal source was telling her there was a line of safety and she crossed it in her ignorance.

Looking forward she could see the road. A small smile of victory dipped across her face—she would make it.

The lasso of power that circled her body and pulled her backwards came out of nowhere. The scream that hovered in her throat never broke free as the hand of a monster covered her mouth. Black swam before her eyes. He would kill her was all she thought before she blacked out.

*~*~*~*

“Where’s Gabe?” Selma asked as everyone seated themselves at the table.

“I don’t know, but Taya isn’t here either so I was giving him some privacy, hoping they are together.”

Rylan jumped out of his chair when he heard a loud noise from the other room. He ran into the foyer to see Gabe curled on the floor at the bottom of the steps.

“Ry,” he reached his hand out before his body arched in the air and a scream of pain left him.

Rylan was by his side running his hand over his body.
“Gabe, what’s happening?”

“Zuhun has her. He’s draining her and she is connected to me. The kiss, it has to be the kiss from last night. He’s getting two for the price of one.”

“We have to break the connection.”

“No, Ry if you do that she’ll die.”

“If I don’t you will die.”

“Get her to safety then we both live.”

“You need to go upstairs first.”

“You were always the funny brother. I’ll be coming; you’re going to need my help.”

Rylan helped him to his feet before he told the others what was happening.

“We have to go get her. There’s no other way.”

Victor nodded. “Cal, go get the SUV and bring it around front. Selma, we’ll go. Take the kids to school and work on making the perimeter more stable.”

“Victor,” there was a warning sound in Selma’s voice.

“I’m not giving you busy work or trying to keep you out of danger. We need to expand the perimeter around our property. Taya couldn’t have wondered that far off which means Zuhun is actively hunting us again. I know Vick and Mckayla are safe but what about the children who will come after them?”

Selma dropped her shoulders. “You’re right. I just want to be there to help. Go get her, the longer we talk the more damage he’s doing.”

She gave Gabe a smile before placing a kiss on Victor’s cheek and watching them walk out holding Gabe up.

*~*~*~*

“You taste delicious,” Zuhun said.

“Get off of me you alien freak,” Taya screamed at him.

She was on a black table, hands and ankles tied down with another strap over her mid-section. The table was slanted up so Zuhun could reach her upper body. He opened his mouth, a large tongue that moved like a snake came out to lick her forehead.

“Such a delicacy.”

“I’m going to rip that thing out of your mouth when I’m free.”

“You are such an amusing creature and you bring with you such power.”

Zuhun hiked her shirt up and laid his fingers against her stomach. She watched as they elongated until they became narrow and sharp. Slowly, he sank each one into her. Her mouth opened on a cry that never came as she was immobilized, unable to say a word as her body was being drained.

“You should be dead, but somehow you are connected to the twin. He is feeding you, keeping you alive even as I drain you. I love the power flowing through you.”

She stared up at him wanting to snarl her anger. Pain snaked through her mid-section running through her body in little rivers. She would die. You couldn’t hurt like this and live through it. Her stomach was on fire as if someone had charged it with live coils.

Gabe had warned her. He told her there were worse things than death. Had she listened? No, instead she went for a walk like she wasn’t being hunted. Stupid Taya, she would die for her inability to trust others.

“I won’t let you die.”

She wanted to move her head, toss it or beat it against the table. Now she was imaging voices in her head.

“Just my voice, no other and I won’t let you die.”

“Gabe?”

“I’m here.”

“How can you be in my head?”

“Our kissed linked us. As I move closer to you it’s easier to communicate with you. Hold on, I’m coming.”

“I’m sorry, I should have listened to you.”