Sergey: Love Me Harder (19 page)

He nodded his head at her. “I‘d prefer to kill if it came to that. I‘d save you the regret and the nightmares. If something were to happen and I couldn’t be there to eliminate the enemy, don‘t hesitate. Kill. Remember, I’ll not be far away from you.”

“Sergey.”

A high pitched alarm went off that wasn’t loud. You‘d only hear it if you were in the house. Lights went off in the base board, never making their way up to the window to alert whoever might be lurking outside.

They were under attack.

Chapter Thirty-one

Lorali went to the closet, pulling out her favorite camo pants and a black long sleeved Tee. She dressed quickly, making sure her guns were in working order as she stuck one in the small of her back. Another went into her boot, while the other boot housed a dagger placed in a special sheath. She took out a leg holster, placing another gun in it and swung her rifle over her shoulder.

She turned to find Sergey looking at her. “Is something wrong?”

She frowned and asked again. “Is something wrong?”

He nodded his head no. “You‘re so beautiful.”

She felt the smile that started at her lips and spread to cover her whole face. They were being attacked and he couldn’t help looking at her. She wouldn’t trade him for anything.

Sergey rose fully clothed. He grabbed a pair of boots while she put her own on.

“Who are you expecting? The military or the created?”

“You don‘t seem to be surprised, mate.”

“Just call me bait. Besides, do you really think I bought the ‘If we‘re quiet we‘ll be able to sneak out of a house full of created ‘?”

“It was worth a try.”

“Did you know that Aran almost went ballistic when he couldn’t get a beat on you? Do you really think we could‘ve come here without him knowing?”

“Older brothers do present a problem at times.”

She followed Sergey to the door, across the hallway and down the stairs. They ended up in the security room. The cameras showed fifty or more military personnel, dressed in fatigues, slowly advancing on the house.

“What do you think they want?”

“You.”

“Why?”

“Someone remembered. I’m sure we have the created to thank for that. When you received that injection, your blood began to mutate at a higher rate. You started to show signs of what advanced life would look like on this planet in another thousand years. Dante and his brothers stepped in, asking us to stay out of it. Aran capitulated and allowed Dante to do what needed done. Now I know that I‘d have seen you and recognized you as my mate. It wasn’t the time. All your records were destroyed. The memories of all involved wiped, but not permanently destroyed. No one wanted to be responsible for males turning into vegetables. They should’ve never remembered.”

“They remembered?”

Sergey turned to look at the view screen she was pointing at. “No, he remembered.”

He pointed to the General, the one that had made her life a living hell.

“Now he’s coming after me.” There was no denying that. He stood on the perimeter, calling out the orders, letting his men risk their lives.

“They were on their way, but we needed to wave some bait before them first.”

“I’m ever willing to be used.”

“It will be ok. I promise. I feel like a nice breath of cool air. What about you?”

“Sounds good to me.”

She followed him out of the door and down the long hallway until they reached the front door. Opening it, they stepped out, effectively halting the advancement of the soldiers out front.

“You thought this out, right?”

He looked at her, but stayed quiet.

“Lorali.” The General called out, using a bullhorn to amplify his voice. “Your life is in danger. We have come to remove you from this deadly situation.”

She took a step towards the end of the porch before stopping. She looked back at Sergey and stepped back. She opened her mouth to reply to the claim. It was the touch of Sergey‘s hands on her shoulders that stilled her reply.

He slid his hands up and placed something in each ear. “It is easy to mesmerize with words. This will change the sounds, enough for you to be alright.”

“Why the sudden interest in my life?” She asked the General.

“We don‘t have time for that. You need to step off the porch and come to me.”

“Who are you?”

“General Caine. Come to me Lorali.”

Lorali‘s feet took her off the porch and through the military that parted like the red sea. She screamed in her head, not being able to open her mouth, to stop. She kept walking.

“Get her in the car. Take care of him.”

The General got into the vehicle, while the soldiers continued to advance on Sergey.

“What do you want from me?”

“Your blood.”

“That’s easy enough. I’ll send you a tube in the mail.”

“It’s not that simple. Your blood seems to need you or it dies promptly.”

“You want to study my blood while it is still in my veins? You’re sick.”

“Be happy. It’s the only thing keeping you alive.”

“What will keep you alive, once Sergey catches up to me?”

“I take it you mean the alien we left back there to die at the hands of my men?”

“You should worry about yourself.” The man in the front passenger seat turned around to speak.

“We may not be able to kill you, but that doesn’t grant you immunity. I have many tests planned for you. You‘re such a pretty little alien whore. I’m sure my men will find something about you to keep them busy.”

Lorali leaned close, making sure she got a good look at the speaker.

“What are you doing?” The General shoved her back against the seat.

“I wanted to get a good look at the man Sergey will be killing first.”

The man in the front seat swallowed hard before taunting. “Your alien is dead. If I were you, I‘d play nice. My name is Ed. I just wanted you to know the first name you’ll be moaning tonight.”

Her eyes never left him. He turned around under the weight of her gaze.

“What made you remember me?”

The General turned to look at her. “I received a package in the mail. It had no return address, I almost tossed it, but my curiosity got the best of me. I opened it to see a picture of you. It wasn’t until I picked it up to examine it that everything came flooding back. I knew then that I had to find you.”

“General, you‘re being manipulated by a created. I don’t know why he picked you or even me, but I do know he sent you down this course.”

“The only thing that matters now is deciphering what you‘re turning into and finding a way to destroy the aliens infiltrating my planet.”

“General, the created mean you no harm. They have done nothing to harm this planet or our people.”

“No harm? I remember your test results. You‘re turning into something different. Although you still test as human you are obviously more advanced. You exceled in areas that in the past you were below average. You test as human but I have my doubts. To my way of thinking, you‘re getting off easy. You should’ve been terminated on sight.”

“General, you fear me for no reason.” Lorali looked into the Generals eyes and saw fear. He would never let her live.

They came to a screeching halt as the passengers in the car were thrown around. The tires screamed, stopping the car sideways on the road.

“Company.” Lorali smiled and stayed seated.

“Ed, get out and look around. Find out what’s blocking the road.”

“That’s not a good idea, General. When Ed leaves this car, he won’t be coming back, alive.”

“Stop your yakking. Ed, do what I told you.”

“I warned you.”

Ed opened the door with his gun out. He stepped into the darkness of the road before disappearing from sight.

Lorali sat in the car waiting. It was the thump on the windshield that caught all of their attention. Ed lay on it. Dead.

“What now General?” Lorali asked with a mocking tone.

The General waved a gun at the driver to get out and investigate. The driver looked back at Lorali.

“I suggest you don‘t make them mad. It’s your only chance.”

“I said investigate.” The General‘s roar sent the driver falling out of the car.

“And then there were two,” Lorali said.

“One well-placed bullet to the head will leave one.”

She smiled at him. “No General. That would leave none. I’m your only chance at survival. If I were you, I’d remember that.”

Lorali gazed out of the window, looking for signs of the driver. He came into view with his hands up.

“General.” The driver said, staying away from the car. They say that if you come out with your hands up, they won’t hurt you.”

The driver faded away into the darkness without waiting for the General‘s reply. The General stuck the gun in Lorali‘s back.

“Get out.”

Chapter Thirty-two

Sergey stepped out of the darkness. He stood in front of Lorali and the General.

“I see you made it off that porch. What a shame.”

“Careful General, or I may say the same about you.” Sergey replied.

The General smiled. Confidence radiated from him.

“Let me tell you how this is going to work. I’m going to get in that vehicle with Lorali as my insurance policy. When I’m safe, I’ll consider returning her to you.” General Caine said.

Sergey said nothing. The minutes ticked by.

“Lorali, now would be a good time to inform you alien friend I mean business.”

“He isn’t my friend, General. He‘s my mate. I assure you that I’ll not be leaving with you, ever.” Lorali responded.

“General, would you kill to protect your planet?” Sergey asked.

The General looked at Sergey as if he were mad. “Yes.”

“Would you kill to protect your military?”

“Yes. Why are you playing these games?”

“Would you kill to protect your family?” Sergey finished his series of questions.

“Yes.”

“Why would you think I‘d do anything less?”

The General swallowed hard. “You aren’t human. You‘re a monster and an alien. What do you know about planets, friends or family?”

“General, I don‘t believe you know why the created were created,” Lorali said, drawing his attention back to her for a minute.

“Their creation means nothing to me.”

“We were created to protect a planet, to sacrifice our lives for others. It’s bred within us. We would gladly give our lives to keep our planet safe. This has now become our planet. We value family and friends. I would die and yes, kill, to keep my family safe. You have a gun to my mate‘s head. The decision you make will determine your future,” Sergey said.

“You expect me to believe you‘ll just let me walk away if I let her go?”

“No, General. Nothing is that easy. I expect you to believe that you‘ll not die if she lives. At this time, it is all you can hope for, and all I’m willing to give.”

“If I’m not heard from in the next fifteen hours, there will be a worldwide search.”

“Yes, that will make things more difficult, but not impossible. Dignitaries die all of the time General. I‘ll not waste a night ‘s sleep over you.”

“My men will be here soon. There orders were to kill you and follow me.”

“Your men will wake up tomorrow and have no recollection of what happened tonight. They‘re being scrubbed deep. Unfortunate, but unavoidable.”

“That’s impossible.”

Sergey shrugged. “Believe what you will.”

The General looked around frantically.

“Run, General. Please run. I‘ll even give you a head start. Five minutes? Ten?”

General Caine lowered his gun. Lorali turned and took it from him.

“I‘ll just command her to come to me when you aren’t around. You won’t win.”

“General, did you really think I came because you called? Get in the car.” Lorali touched the small filter Sergey had inserted into her ear and smiled. She would never be responding to the General‘s voice.

The General got in the back seat with Lorali getting in beside him. Sergey took the driver‘s seat.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the cabin. I’ve a surprise waiting for the General.”

She eyed the General, the gun never wavering. He‘d been a large part of the problems she‘d faced in the last few years. It would be so easy to pull the trigger and end her misery. She‘d no doubt that his body would never be found. She was sure that her mate would forgive her.

What she wasn’t so sure about was her conscious. True, she could shoot in war. She could definitely shoot to defend her family, friends and even herself. But could she kill in cold blood? Was that who she was now?

“Do it.” The General taunted her. “Kill me. It’s freeing, the thought that you‘re above the law, that you hold life and death in your hands. Did you wonder what it felt like when I sent you to what should‘ve been your death?”

Her hand trembled. She was always rock steady.

“Or maybe you wondered why I picked you. Why not another private? It was simple really, I watched you developing a name for yourself and I knew something wasn’t right. I‘d already seen your bloodwork and been informed about the anomaly in your blood. It was simply an easy way to get rid of you.”

She tightened her grip on the gun. It would be so easy. “Why do you hate me?”

“Did you think I didn’t know who your father was? He left the army in disgrace as far as I’m concerned. He wanted to live with his wife and child, to see you grow up. I made sure that didn’t happen. Then I find out your supposed to be the future of mankind. I should’ve killed you long ago.”

The kick in her gut and the bile rising in her throat made her finger pull on the trigger. A flash of her parents smiling faces made her eyes cloudy. Her desire to kill him road her hard.

Sergey pulled the car to a stop. “We‘re here.”

He went around to the back door and pulled the General out. Without looking at Lorali, he took the General into the house.

“Not even this no good alien will want you now.” The General called out before he disappeared inside the doorway.

Lorali set the gun down before she dropped her head. Her shoulders heaved, but she never shed a tear. The General had taken the one thing away from her that she needed. Her parents.