Khol (Rescued by the Alien)

2. Khol

Chapter 2

Khol

A storm would arrive in a handful of days, and I was fishing on shore, hoping to store plenty of meat to last me through the bad weather, when a gleaming object flew across the sky, aiming for the island I called home. The long, thin, silvery object splashed into the sea and the top slid to the side.

What could it be?

Before I could grab my bucket of fish, a wave rippled away from the cylinder, growing in volume and speed until it towered at least a Zuldrux warrior’s height. It hit me where I stood with my feet planted in the sand and engulfed me, knocking me backward.

I righted myself and scrambled to collect my fish scattered on the shore. When I straightened, I swiped my wet hair from my eyes.

My wrist burned, and for one moment, I assumed something in the water had bitten me, but when I flipped my arm over, I gaped at the newly branded mark.

My heart seized. For three years, I’d mourned the mate the spirits gave me. I’d lost her, as I should. She was never mine, though I’d loved her. She’d belonged to a friend, and when someone murdered her because she cared for me, I’d given into my shame and left my clan forever. I traveled across the sea for days and when I found this uninhabited island, I built my home and resigned myself to living here by myself until the day I died and could join her.

The mating mark that proved she and I were meant for each other had faded after her death.

What could this new mark mean?

A wave. I lived here in harmony with a water spirit. Had the spirit decided I deserved a new fated mate?

No, no. I would never be worthy of another. My love for Weela had betrayed my best friend, and it had shamed me and my clan.

I did not deserve someone new.

However, there was no denying the mark gifted upon me by the water spirit.

Not long ago, a group of Zuldrux leaders traveled to a distant island in the middle of a lake to plead with our clan gods for mates. A disease had swept across our world ages ago, killing many, and now, few females were born. Our people were dying, and only the gods could save us. They agreed to send mates, and they said when a fated mate arrived, the male would be given a sign.

I, Khol, was traedor of the Taikeen Clan, though this was more a joke since I was the only member of this clan protected by a water spirit I refused to call a god.

But me, a mate? It couldn’t be true. I’d loved one female, and I could never feel the same about another.

I stomped on the hope burning through my heart. After what happened, it wasn’t right for me to dream of a happy future with a loving female by my side.

A shriek shot across the water, and I watched as the odd craft drifted, plunging below the waves. An arm stabbed through the surface, telling me someone was in trouble.

Was this the mate the water spirit thought to send me?

When the fin of a sharpedeer arrowed in on the person, my low growl rang out. I might not be worthy of a mate, but I couldn’t let her die.

With my coral knives in my palms, I dove into the water and swam toward her.

Hold on, I whispered in my mind. I will save you.

Before I could reach her, I dove down and opened my eyes to see what was happening. She had four legs and four arms, and her long, pale hair swirled around her thick body.

Until her body parted into two.

Two humans had been sent to Zuldruxia? But no, one was much smaller than the other, a youngling.

The larger one had two breasts, not the four seen in Zuldruxian females.

I bobbed back to the surface, pondering what I’d seen.

Her yelp rang out, and when she looked my way, I took in eyes as rich as soil, so different from the teal common among Zuldruxians .

A sharpedeer shot through the water, aiming right at her and the youngling.

With a snarl, I swam furiously toward them, slashing out at the sharpedeer with one of my blades, nicking its thick, scaled hide. Dark lavender blood slid from the wound, and the beast slashed out with its spiked tail to impale me.

I swung up with my blades, gouging into its soft belly, driving them to the hilt and twisting. Blood gushed from the wounds, and with a final swipe of its tail, the sharpedeer gave up and swam away quickly.

I turned to the human, determined to get her and the youngling out of the water before we drew in another predator.

She must be the youngling’s mother. A feverish joy shot through me, a feeling I needed to suppress. The water spirit may have gifted me with two precious beings, but they could never belong to me, not after what I’d done. Yet I couldn’t leave them here. I could not make myself swim away.

I swam up beside the larger one and gave her a nod. My smile lifted. I couldn’t help it. She was lovely. Human, like others I’d recently met. And beautiful beyond belief.

I could not accept her, but I wouldn’t allow her to die, not like Weela.

“Welcome,” I croaked, dipping my head toward her. “I’m Khol. I’ll save you and the youngling.”