Ajos: The Restitution - A Sci-fi Alien Romance, Book 1, стр. 16
The curly-haired woman she’d helped, Alaina, had been the last one to be pushed away on a gurney and as they took her away, Kerena sank to the floor.
She was more exhausted than she’d thought. Adrenaline had been what had kept her energy up.
A shadow fell over her immediately and, for some reason, she knew exactly who it was without even lifting her gaze.
“It is your turn to go.”
Her eyes met Ajos’. “Go where?”
“To the med bay. You must get checked for injuries.”
Kerena couldn’t help but smile. “I think you should get checked. You’re the one that took all the beating while you protected me.”
“Beating?” Ajos’ head tilted a little and Kerena opened her mouth to explain, but she only ended up staring at him instead.
His eyes were back to their normal golden color now, the nictitating membrane gone.
“You got damaged because of me,” she finally said. “You protected me when you didn’t have to.”
“It is my oath,” he said.
His response was a little cryptic, and she was about to ask if all of them took oaths to fight with the Restitution, but a conversation between Xul, Athena, and the robot caught her ear.
“—was a warning. They know we have them and they want their humans back,” Xul said.
She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help but cock her ears.
“I believe they targeted the stasis hold, knowing the explosion wouldn’t destroy it,” V’Alen said. “The perimeter, however…they killed those beings on purpose.”
“But bomb the stasis hold? What if they’d killed everyone inside?! It could have crumpled on us,” Athena said.
“Negative,” V’Alen answered. “They made the hold of talix metal. It is bomb proof.”
“Still…” Athena suddenly sobbed, and her next words were mostly muffled as the bull-alien pulled her into his chest. “…they killed so many people outside.”
“We have what they deem as theirs and they are irrational beings,” V’Alen said. “It was indeed a warning.”
“What warning?” All eyes turned on her and Kerena felt mildly embarrassed. She doubted it was a conversation that she should have been listening in on.
“A warning that the second Great War has begun,” Ajos said from above her.
War?
Her worried gaze met his and the resignation in his eyes chilled her.
He wasn’t joking.
He was dead serious.
Ajos’ words seemed to pass through the others like a bad omen, and even though she’d just been thrust into this world, Kerena could feel the tension as if it was in the air itself.
“They are not safe,” V’Alen said. “The humans are not safe.”
“We all are not safe,” Athena corrected.
“Nor will we ever be…” Ajos’ golden eyes bored into hers.
A feeling she’d never felt before passed through Kerena, one of complete trust as she looked up at this tall alien being, and Kerena wasn’t sure what to make of it.
He’d saved her twice, but it wasn’t even that. The short time she’d spent around him felt like it had been stretched out over many days.
She felt like she’d known him for more than just a few hours, even though that wasn’t the case.
Kerena held his gaze, unable to look away.
She knew what this was—it was the mysterious power of near-death experiences.
It could draw people closer, even strangers…it could even bring an alien and a human together.
The thought made her eyes widen a little as she stared up into the alien’s eyes.
“So what do we do now?” she whispered.
“There is only one thing to do…” Ajos said, his gaze moving from hers to focus on the others.
“…We fight.”
7
“We should leave this area,” Ajos said before glancing down at her. “And you need to go to the med bay.”
“I’m fine.” Kerena forced a smile.
Granted, she was a bit shaken, but she didn’t feel physically out of sorts.
To be fair, she was surprising even herself with how well she was taking this entire situation.
Not only did she wake up among aliens, but she survived a bombing not long after.
Her mind should be frazzled.
“You should both go to the med bay,” Xul said, his eyes on Athena.
Athena nodded, her shoulders sagging a little. She’d kept her emotions firmly in check for the entire time they’d been working to patch up the few women they could assist. It was the first time Kerena saw an ounce of exhaustion reflected on the woman, and it reminded her it must be hard for Athena and the others who’d been rescued first.
They probably felt like the wellbeing of all the humans that had been trapped in the stasis hold was on their shoulders—and then this happened.
The already terrified females were now even more traumatized.
“Do you need me to carry you?” Ajos’ gaze flicked over her and though his voice sounded firm, Kerena realized he wasn’t being rude. He was looking at her as if he was genuinely concerned that she wouldn’t be able to walk.
She shook her head. “I’m fine. I can walk.”
As the group began walking from the stasis hold, Kerena looked back. Ajos was behind her and she had to look around him to see the place she was leaving.
Brown dust had settled over the pods inside, and their pristine appearance was no more. Her gaze traveled over the entire thing before she swallowed hard and looked toward the light coming through the hole in the structure's side.
This was going to be her first step on alien soil.
Outside, the entire area was bathed in bright sunlight that kissed her skin.
The air was dead, there was no movement, and an unnatural stillness permeated the space.
The hue was different here, different from on Earth.
The sun’s light was whiter, brighter.
Below her feet was hardened orange-brown dirt, and the buildings close by were of a similar color—but that wasn’t what struck her the most.
First, there was rubble…everywhere, and as her gaze adjusted to the brightness of the outside, horror gripped her as her hands flew over her mouth.
Athena’s sharp intake of air reflected her feelings.
There were bodies strewn everywhere. Non-human bodies. Aliens.
Piling those bodies into huge carts were other aliens,