Fate Unexpected (Earth Defender Book 1) (6 page)

“You have my word. I’ll behave. I now know you’ll catch me before I
get very far.”

Kylah sheathed her sword, then pushed him toward the pile of
supplies. She loaded him down even more than she had the day before, but this
time he didn’t have his hands bond behind his back and a rope tied around his
waist. She shouldered the rest of the gear.

She took the lead as they left the stream and headed into the deeper
woods. Rune quietly followed Kylah, deciding it was best if he kept his mouth
shut. She made no attempts to start a conversation, and seemed to withdraw into
herself. He found he missed her chatter.

Chapter Five

They walked for hours in silence. Kylah allowed them one break
during midday to eat something she called a protein bar and have some water. So
far, Rune found the Earth food strange but edible.

It was on the verge of getting dark, and they were higher up on the
mountain, when Kylah finally stopped once more. They were in a grassy clearing
that had a small waterfall at the back of it. There was also a small pool of
water that the fall emptied into. There hadn’t been any signs of other humans
around, only the tracks of the local wildlife.

Kylah unshouldered what she carried. “I think this is where we’ll
set up a permanent camp. Let’s get the tent up, then I’ll make us something to
eat.”

Rune placed his load next to hers. “All right. Tell me what you want
me to do.”

She reached for an oblong bag, then opened it. Kylah took everything
out of it. There were a bunch of poles, two large sections of heavy material
and some pegs. Rune assumed that had to be the tent.

He did everything Kylah told him, and in a short amount of time they
had the tent up. It was bigger than his shelter pod, but the fabric walls
offered no protection from outside forces. With the second layer of material
that covered it, they at least wouldn’t have to worry about it getting wet if
it should rain.

Rune handed Kylah the last of the supplies to put into the tent,
then ducked inside it. She’d created a sleeping area for the both of them at
one side and had piled the other items at the opposite one.

“That’s everything,” he said.

“All right. I’ll get a fire going, then warm up something for us to
eat.”

“What about perimeter protection?”

She finally looked at him, something she’d avoided for most of the
day. “There isn’t anything.”

“We do have something.” She gave him a questioning look. “When you
captured me, you took my gear. Part of it is a portable perimeter field. If you
return my things, I’ll set it up.”

Kylah scowled. “Do you take me for an idiot? There is no way I’m
giving you back your stuff.”

“Fine. Keep it, but let me show you how to set up the perimeter
field. You can control it.” She seemed to think over what he’d said. To push her
into agreeing, he added, “With you having the wrist control, you’ll be able to
keep me inside the field if you plan to leave me at camp. The field keeps
people from getting in or out.”

She gave a quick nod. “Okay, I’ll use it.”

Rune stayed where he was, even though he was hunched over. He was
too tall to stand straight in the tent. Kylah didn’t have that problem. She
went over to one of the bags she’d carried, then opened it. She pulled out his
gun belt that had a small pouch attached to it and his wrist control. She
gathered the items up before she went outside. He followed her.

“Now what?” she asked.

He pointed to the pouch. “Inside you’ll find eight small metal
discs. Those are what generates the perimeter field. Place them at equal
intervals in a circle around the camp.”

Kylah did as he’d said. Rune went with her as she laid each disc on
the ground, offering advice on the best spots that would keep the field strong.
Once that task was completed, they returned to the center of camp.

Rune motioned to the wrist control she held. “Strap that on and then
I’ll show you how to activate the field.”

She held out her wrist once she had the control on it. “I’m trusting
you here. I hope you aren’t getting me to blow myself up.”

“If I were doing that, I wouldn’t be standing so close.” Rune held
Kylah’s wrist and pointed to the buttons on the control. “This one stations the
discs to the ground. You only have to do this once after you have them in
place. This button powers up the perimeter field. And this one disables it.”

“So this one first, then that one to turn it on. And this red button
to turn it off.”

“Yes.” Kylah pushed the first button, then the second. “The field is
up. You won’t be able to see it, but you can tell from the wrist control. The
second button will remain lit.”

“I don’t need that to tell me. I can see the waves of energy it
gives off. I saw it back at the lake. That’s why I lured you and your furry
friend out of your camp so I could capture you.”

Rune and his people had better eyesight than most other species he
knew, but he couldn’t see the energy waves Kylah spoke of. Just something else
that made her stand out from the average human.

“So it was you and not a changed human who howled, then screamed as
if one chased you. You had Gada and I fooled.”

“Yeah, it was. So that’s your furry friend’s name?”

“Yes. Gada is Neelean. His home world is Neele.”

“What are you?”

“I’m Dracan.”

“And your home world?”

“Dracus.”

“So which planet decided to come to Earth and take over?”

“Neither of them. It was the Xphens from Xph. They’ve conquered most
of the planets in my galaxy, including Neele. Gada and three quarters of the Xphens’
troops are conscripted from the defeated.”

“And the other quarter?”

“Mercenaries like me. The Xphens like to make war, but as a race
they’re weak of body, and need others to do the physical work. Mentally,
they’re very smart. It’s their ships we arrived on.”

Kylah gave him a hard stare. “A mercenary. I guess you didn’t have
any guilty feelings about what the Xphens did to us Earthlings. As long as they
pay you, huh?”

Rune didn’t get a chance to reply to her question. Kylah ducked
inside the tent. He heard her digging through the supplies before she came back
out, carrying a metal container with a long handle and a can of food. Once
more, she wouldn’t look at him.

For now, he decided to let her keep her silent treatment. He helped
her gather the wood that was inside the perimeter field, then watched her start
the fire. After it was burning nicely, she went into the tent and came out with
two metal plates and eating utensils like the one she’d used the day before to
feed him.

As they ate the food, which was more ravioli, they sat on opposite
sides of the fire. Kylah’s silence started to get to Rune. For some reason, he
wanted to hear her story of what had happened to her after they’d arrived at
Earth. That wasn’t normal for him. Usually, he didn’t care about who he’d been
hired to fight or treat as the enemy.

After they’d finished eating, Rune attempted to get her to talk to
him. “Tell me what happened to you?”

Kylah had been staring at the flames. She jerked her head up and
looked at him. “Why?”

“I want to know.”

“Why? You’re a mercenary. Your kind—at least on Earth—are known for
not giving a shit about anyone but themselves. They’re all for the money, and
will do anything to get it, no matter how gruesome.”

“Tell me about…him.” Rune knew he struck a chord when Kylah visibly
stiffened. “You’re the first Earthling I’ve spent any time with. Make me
understand from your kind’s point of view.”

“I’ll tell you my story if you tell me yours first. How and why did
you become a mercenary?”

“All right.” Rune leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees.
“Dracus is a small planet compared to your Earth, and doesn’t have much in the
way mineral resources, which is the main reason the Xphens have never tried to
conquer us.” He motioned to the landscape around them. “It’s very similar to
this. Plus, there’s the fact my people have been the best mercenaries
throughout the galaxy for many generations. The Xphens know without Dracans
they’d have a hard time filling out their ranks with well-trained soldiers.”

“So you were raised to be a mercenary?”

“Yes. With both my parents being ones, it was inevitable.”

“Your mom was one?”

“Yes. Some of our females will want to fight alongside their mates.
I was raised on different planets and spaceships more than I was on Dracus. So
that’s the how I became a mercenary. As for the why, I wouldn’t know what else
to do. There’s my story. Now it’s your turn.”

Kylah reached over to the stack of wood next to her and then threw a
large branch into the fire. “It all started with the red rain. Anyone who was
caught outside in it ended up with a rash on their skin. My mother was one of
them. It was that night, closer to early morning, when she started coughing up
blood and having it run out of her eyes. She also had a hard time breathing. My
dad took her to the hospital, and I followed. It was jammed packed with sick
people. It wasn’t long before my mom died while waiting to see a doctor. Other
people did as well. All of them had the same symptoms.”

Kylah focused on the flames again and fell silent. Rune could see it
was hard for her to talk about it. Sadness had sunk into her features.

“What happened after that?” he urged.

She took a deep breath. “Then people turned. That’s what I call
them. Turned. Family members’ tears of sorrow quickly changed to screams of
terror as their loved ones became like animals and attacked, tearing out
throats as they killed. My dad and I fled, and abandoned my mom’s body there.
Later that day, the news reports on TV said the sickness and turning happened
all over the world. A few days after that was when your first ships were
spotted hovering over the major cities.” Kylah stopped talking as she met his
gaze.

“Where’s your dad?”

“That same day, he started coughing the way my mom had. We both knew
what it meant. As he grew closer to the end, he had me get some rope to tie him
up and a knife from the kitchen in case he ended up turning. He didn’t want me
to get hurt.” She paused and took another deep breath. “He didn’t end up dying.
I…” Kylah swallowed and tears appeared in her eyes. “He turned, and I killed
him. I shoved the knife through his heart.”

Rune swore under his breath. “You had no choice. At least you didn’t
get sick.”

She gave a sad chuckle as she wiped her tears away as more came. “I
did. The next day I did. I locked myself in the house to make sure I wouldn’t
be able to get out if I turned.”

“You survived and didn’t turn,” he said with shock. From the reports
coming in from other ships and from what the Xphens on his own ship had
learned, the Earthlings either became sick and died or changed, or they didn’t
contract the illness at all. Not one of them had sickened and come out of it
unscathed.

“Yeah. I woke up the next morning, but not exactly the same. I found
I was way stronger and faster. I could use my dad’s sword as if I’d been born
with it in my hand.” Her tears fell faster. “Damn it. I hate to cry. I promised
myself I wouldn’t do that anymore. Now I can’t stop. All I can picture is the
last moments I had with my dad before I ended his life.”

Hearing Kylah’s story put what the Xphens did to the Earthlings in a
different perspective for Rune. It also washed away any doubts he’d had about
her being the human they searched for. She had to be the one. Maybe it was
because he was attracted to her, or because he’d come to know her better than
he usually did the ones he was supposed to fight, he could no longer think of
her as the enemy. He had the strange reaction of wanting to protect her, and
keep her out of his employers’ hands.

Not able to stand seeing Kylah cry, Rune stood and went to her. He
sat next to her and gathered her into his arms. She fought him at first, but
eventually she allowed him to pull her to his chest as her tears flowed faster.
He continued to hold her until they eventually stopped.

Rune rubbed her back. “I’m sorry for all you went through, Kylah. I
had no idea the Xphens planned to release the chemicals into your atmosphere
when I signed on for this. Once we arrived at Earth, and it was done, there was
no going back for me.”

She leaned back in his embrace and looked at him. “Why did they do
it?”

“They must have thought there was something about humans they could
exploit. They’re known for using the people of the planets they conquer as test
subjects as well as conscripts. The red rain is something new for them.” Kylah
leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Rune went still, not understanding what
she did. Same as when she’d done it the night before, he found he didn’t
dislike it. It only confused him. “Why did you do that?” he asked once she pulled
away.

“It’s called a kiss. Don’t your people do that?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll teach you how human men and women express what they feel
for each other in a kiss.”

Rune didn’t have time to say anything as Kylah fisted her hands in
the sides of his hair and brought her mouth to his again. This time she was
more insistent, and he found himself following her lead. She shifted so she
straddled his lap facing him, continuing to kiss him. The feel of her lips
moving over his excited him, made his cock hard.

She moaned, then swept her tongue across his lips, which caused him
to gasp with pleasure. She pushed inside and swirled it with his before she
sucked it into her mouth. His blood heated even more as arousal surged through
him. He definitely liked this kiss.