Asmodel (Alien Legacy Brotherhood #2)

5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

A block away from the Grub it was a key to untold adventures, a door to the unknown. And he was one of the first to step through that door.

“Great!” Raxx announced. “Echo has confirmed we are minimal parsecs from the planet CeluriaVO.” He blinked, then chuckled. “Yeah, hail them.”

“Wait.” Asmodel reached over and grasped Raxx’s arm. A hard sensation of caution cloaked him. “Let’s look around first.”

Raxx's dark eyes stared at him before he shrugged. “Okay, dude. Whateva. It’s your call.” He glanced at the star-studded view screen. “We’re just outside their communication scans. Should I cloak the Drifter ?”

“Yes. I’d rather we did some investigating before we announce ourselves.” Asmodel leaned back and rubbed the side of his prickly jaw. It helped him think. “While I’m pretty sure Isabella Torres is on this planet—” His psychic sense hadn’t been wrong before. “—I’d like your ship to scan the surface and see if there’s a human there.” Hate for this to be the first time his senses were wrong. No telling what he’d do if that happened.

“Echo insists you call her by her name and not just ship .” Raxx chuckled and shook his head. “My beauty is stubborn.” He leaned back in his command chair and linked his fingers behind his head. “Go ahead, babe. You know you’re just jonesing for a chance to learn as much as you can about the place.” He glanced at Asmodel with a wink. “You know you can’t resist learning about a new culture.”

“While Echo is using her own sensors, I will do the same.” JR13 wasn’t asking for permission.

For the first time, Asmodel understood the urge to roll his eyes. “Of course. Thanks.”

“Ah, great.” Raxx sat forward, dropping his hands to the counsel. “Echo has confirmed there is a human female on CeluriaVO. Would you like her to bring up the woman's image?”

“You can do that?” Asmodel’s heart raced. Partly from relief that he was right and partly from hoping to get a clear picture of the woman he’d only gotten a brief glimpse of in a quick vision.

Raxx’s sniff was pure scorn. “Dude.”

Without another word, a holographic image of a woman appeared on the console.

Asmodel sucked in a hard breath, staring in awe. There she was, the woman with a captivating, natural beauty. Her warm, olive-toned complexion radiated a healthy glow, and her large, expressive coffee-colored eyes sparkled with curiosity and kindness. Dark, luscious tresses framed her face, falling around her shoulders in a silky curtain and framing her stunning features. Her subtle, inviting smile revealed aligned, pearly-white teeth, outlined by plush, kiss-worthy lips.

Holding his breath, Asmodel let his gaze roam down her figure. While her clothes might have seen better days, the overall impression was someone with a gentle nature. Her downy pastel-colored sweater hugged her full breasts, and its soft hues highlighted the warm glow of her radiant complexion. Her loose-fitting pants were in a delicate pattern. To complete her ensemble were comfortable-looking shoes made of some kind of canvas with a rubber sole in a light pink that graced her feet.

He clenched his hands to stop from reaching out, as if he had the right to touch her. How could this hologram shake him to his core? She was just one woman out of millions—no, wait—billions on Earth. Once he tasted freedom in the modern world, he and his brothers indulged in the mind-numbing choice of females around them, willing to partake in a variety of sexual pursuits.

Never, not once, had he reacted to anyone like he was with this mere image. A sense of possessiveness overwhelmed him. She was his. The thought took him aback, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Just his luck—the way he was acting, he’d probably turn into a total ass when he met her face-to-face. Swallowing hard, he chastised himself for lusting after Isabella, but he still couldn’t tear his eyes away from her captivating image.

Watching Talira and Jaltaar nuzzle and lick each other’s snouts as they said their goodbyes gave Izzy the warm fuzzies. She sighed. Too bad the constraints of their society kept them apart. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet with fur. Izzy crossed her arms with a huff. Prejudices about how someone looked always irritated her, especially when directed at her. As a proud Latina, she’d had her share of uncompromising bigots who’d take one look at her brown skin and think she was stupid or only good for menial labor.

Or worse. Make a living on her back or as a drug mule for the bullies in her neighborhood. But, as her abuela drilled into her, “You are more than your appearance.”

She took that advice to heart and worked her way through high school and college to get her library science degree. Even though her grandmother died during Izzy’s first year of college, she never looked back and pursued her goal with single-minded determination.

“ Tsuki , please be careful,” Jaltaar rumbled the request at Talira, holding the back of her head in his large paw, placing his forehead against hers.

The striking difference in their fur textures made Izzy sigh again. They were so beautiful together.

“I hate being apart like this,” he continued. “But I promise it won’t be much longer. Once we deal with this Krystalii problem, we’ll go before your council and petition about us living there together.”

Talira smoothed her snout against his before stepping back. “I’ve been working on changing their minds about you for months now. I think if we can keep this human away from your Alpha Regent, together we can dispose of that crystal creature.”

“Yes.” Jaltaar nodded. “In the meantime, contact the Federation Consortium and tell them what’s happening here. Let them know they’d better send someone to get Izzy and keep the Krystalii from getting their hands on her.” His large body shivered. “No telling what those bastards would do to her when they try to make her species computable to theirs.”

Yeah, Izzy wasn’t on board with letting that happen either. Suddenly, a flashback hit her. The image of a painfully handsome man with dark, silky, brown hair framing a face too perfect to be real. She imagined she’d pleaded with him to find her. Telling him she was on CeluriaVO. He yelled, “Wait!” with an outstretched hand, an intense expression on his face, before he disappeared.

Izzy sighed. Geeze Louise . She’d give anything for someone like that in real life coming for her.

“Come on, Izzy. We’d better go before Jaltaar’s troops find us.”

Izzy jumped at the sound of Talira’s voice. Putting a hand over her racing heart, she gave the pretty cat-woman a small smile. “Okay, I’m with you.” She followed behind the lithe grace of the female trotting ahead of her.

Talira glanced behind them.

Which, of course, made Izzy do the same.

There stood Jaltaar with his striking colorful eyes glued to their retreating forms.

Izzy gave him a small departing wave before looking in front of her to watch where she was going. The last thing she needed to do was to fall flat on her face, tripping over a rock or something.

She shortened the distance between her and Talira in the dense foliage of the CeluriaVO jungle. Large fronds and feather-leaves brushed against her arms and face with each step. The air was thick with humidity and carried a symphony of scents—fragrant blooms with a sweet, heady perfume that mingled with the earthy musk of moist soil and the tangy aroma of strange fruits dangling from the twisted branches.

The forest floor was spongy under her feet, a carpet of mosses and unknown foliage that cushioned each step, so her stumbling progress was silent except when she occasionally stepped on a twig or swatted a biting bug. Overhead, the canopy formed a living mosaic of colors as sunlight filtered through, the beams dancing with a mix of floating spores and tiny, luminescent insects. Together, they added to the ethereal beauty all around her.

All at once, Izzy’s nose twitched as a rancid stench burned. “What’s that smell?”

“A skalderbeast is hunting us,” Talira whispered. “Stay close and we’ll be out of his territory soon.” Her striped tail flicked in silent agitation. Despite the warning, her voice was calm, a stark contrast to the chaotic chorus of alien wildlife around them.

No telling what a skalderbeast was, but from its smell, it couldn’t be good. Izzy jumped when exotic creatures skittered and slithered around her. Small winged insects danced above her like living embers. In the distant were roars of unseen predators. Good golly, that said it all. She was nowhere near home. A group of strange creatures resembling frogs caught her eye. They had translucent skin that revealed their luminescent innards, and were perched on feathery branches, eying them with four eyes that rotated as they passed.

A thundering growl pierced the air in the seemingly never-ending jungle.

Talira didn’t change her stride, moving with purpose as she guided them through hidden trails and secret paths. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

The underbrush became less dense, the air cooler, and the sounds of the jungle fainter. Ahead, the forest opened, revealing a towering cliff face. The mouth of a vast cave yawned like a portal into another world.

Talira approached a seemingly random section of the rocky wall and pressed her palm against it.

The stone shimmered and then dissolved into thin air, revealing the entrance to a hidden village.

Izzy's eyes widened as she followed Talira inside.

The cave was alive with activity, illuminated by glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling like stars in a subterranean night sky. Structures of stone and natural materials adorned the carved cave walls.

The harmonious blend of nature and scikvak craftsmanship took Izzy’s breath away.

The sound of bubbling water flowing from various natural springs created a serene scene, the soft melody echoing.

“Welcome to Nekojin.” Talira’s eyes gleamed. “This is where the pardalions thrive, away from zaltrixan tyranny.”

The villagers, in their long midnight-blue fur with their distinctive tiger stripes, stopped and stared at Izzy.

She didn’t get a sense of hostility, just expressions with a non-threatening mix of curiosity and caution. Children peeked from behind adults, their eyes wide and filled with wonder as their tails swished behind them.

Relief washed over Izzy. Here, in this hidden sanctuary, the weight of what she’d been through melted away. Her journey might be far from over, but in the heart of the pardalion hidden village, she experienced a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could catch her breath and figure out what to do next.