Sienna, page 13
She bent to retrieve the water gun when a low, vicious growl vibrated the still air. She straightened slowly, the water gun in her hand and her heart a dull throb in her ears as a big, black dog slunk toward her from out of a patio cluttered with debris and furniture, its bristles up on its neck and its white teeth showing all too clearly.
The dog had probably been there all along, its coloring hiding it as effectively as Gray’s black T-shirt and her black bodysuit had hidden them.
“Don’t move,” Gray said in an undertone.
She didn’t answer, she was too busy trying to work out the best solution to their problem. They were in the dog’s territory now. She didn’t blame it for wanting to attack, to defend its owners and the children it probably adored.
The dog stiffened, then yelped suddenly at the spray of water that Gray had released from the water gun. She blinked. The dog clearly hated getting wet. She shook her water gun. Empty, damn it!
“Run!” Gray commanded in a low, urgent voice.
She didn’t wait around. Not when the dog swung its head to Gray then back to her again. If she ran it would be distracted, giving Gray a chance to escape. She took off in a sprint, hoping against hope her human legs would be strong enough for her to jump and clear the fence.
But the dog surged after her, gaining on her quickly. Its teeth snapped at her just as she leaped, and pain shot through the back of her leg in a searing tear as the dog’s teeth ripped her calf, hot blood pulsing free. The drag caused her to fall heavily against the top of the wooden fence, the pointed tip impaling her shoulder before she toppled right over it, her flesh wrenching free.
She muffled a cry as she fell heavily to the ground, then rolled to a stop. She was well versed in pain, she faced it every time she shifted. But this was a whole different level of suffering.
With the water gun still in her hand, she blinked up at the slowly lightening sky, breathing slow and evenly as she tried to push back panic. She was still functioning, still alive. She’d live to see another day.
Running footsteps sounded and the dog gave a startled yelp, then a shape materialized over her with huge wings outspread, before Gray landed gracefully, then turned and ran toward her.
“Sienna,” he said hoarsely, dropping beside her and running his hands over leg and then her shoulder. “Shit, you’re hurt.”
“Relax,” she managed to croak. “Once I shift all my human injuries will disappear.”
Except they both knew she couldn’t shift here, within sight of humans and the sun already edging the horizon. Without the river, she’d be lucky to find the strength to shift at all.
“Wait here,” he said hoarsely.
She snorted. Did he really think she was going to go anywhere in her condition? If nothing else, at least she still had her dry sense of humor.
She was only dimly aware of him running and leaping over the fence, back in to the yard. If the dog tried to attack, she didn’t hear it. It was probably intimidated by Gray’s winged form. She was fighting to stay awake when he returned with a shirt in his hand, which he immediately tore into strips.
“Don’t worry, it’s clean,” he said tersely. “I unpegged it from their washing line.”
She almost laughed. It was possibly the only sanitary object in the whole backyard. Her near laugh turned into a moan when he wrapped the cloth around her calf to try and staunch the bleeding. Her shoulder wound was bleeding too, but not half as profusely. He didn’t bother wrapping it. She was running out of time.
He drew her carefully into his arms and against his chest. “Let’s get you to the river.”
She didn’t bother to remind him the river was farther away than it’d been from his house. Instead she relaxed in his arms and gazed up into his face.
I love you.
At his sharp inhalation, she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. She didn’t mind. He deserved to know the truth. Lord only knew she’d lied to herself about her feelings for long enough.
It was odd the floating sensation she experienced in his arms, and the realization the house they were leaving behind was still eerily quiet, the people inside somehow slumbering and peacefully unaware of what had just transpired.
It was the last thought she had before a blanket of peacefulness finally fell over her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gray knew the moment Sienna lost consciousness. That it was close to an hour to the river by foot left him beyond anxious and desperate enough to do anything to get her there faster.
He didn’t break stride when he spotted an old windmill, its blades lazily turning. It was tall enough that he’d likely glide all the way to the river, especially with the downhill gradient of the land.
Wrapping his wings around her, he began to climb the rickety ladder, thankful for his leathery appendages that allowed him to use his hands to ascend the windmill fast. Sienna’s blood loss meant he didn’t have time to be cautious. He needed to get her to the river stat.
Mindful of the blades above him, he leapt off the ladder and into the air, his arms curling around Sienna as his wings snapped out behind him. The ground zoomed a little too close, then the wind picked up beneath his wings and the terrain beneath sloped away.
He closed his eyes for just a moment, his pulse skittering. It’d been a risk using the windmill as a launching pad, but Sienna wouldn’t have made it to the river if he’d gone by foot, or even if he’d forced someone to drive them. Flying would take minutes in comparison.
He glanced down at Sienna’s alabaster-white face, cold fingers of dread clutching at his chest while his stomach rolled. That she loved him was a revelation he could scarcely comprehend. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever!
The river glinted like a mirage in the distance, twisting like a snake along the ground. He lifted one wing a little to gain access to the river’s closest bend. Even shaving off a handful of seconds could save Sienna’s life.
He drew his wings up at the last minute, slowing descent before he splashed into the river itself, the water giving him some cushioning at the near freefall he’d deployed to save time.
He held the still unconscious Sienna close as his wings propelled them back up to the surface of the water, and for the first time he noticed she still grasped the toy water gun in her hand, her fingers locked around its handle. Even while unconscious she knew not to lose the one tool needed for this mission.
Yet he’d dropped both water guns in an attempt to save her. He hadn’t given a thought to them since.
All he’d cared about was Sienna.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sienna’s eyes flew open as she inhaled sharply, the river shocking her back into consciousness. She looked up into Gray’s face as he swam until he could stand and then waded through the water, stopping at chest height to keep her body submerged and her face clear.
He looked down at her, his laugh shaky. “We made it.”
Her stomach fluttered along with her too-weak pulse. As much as she wanted to sing his praises and reinforce her love for him, there wasn’t any time. Instead she closed her eyes and focused what little strength she’d regained—thanks to the river—and forcibly began her shift.
Her skin stretched and reformed, and she cried out as the damaged flesh and tissues in her calf closed up, along with the deep wound in her shoulder. Her scales emerged next along with her webbing, her gills then forming while her muscles and bones protested as they lengthened and stretched, a fin pushing free from her spine as her green skin and talk-stone shone brightly.
The intense pain left her weaker than ever and yet she’d never been happier.
She’d made it! She might take days now to recover, but the river would assist her as would her love for Gray.
He smiled down at her with so much warmth it made her heart glow. He brushed his hands down her face, then bent to claim her mouth with his in a slow, tender kiss that was intoxicating. When he pulled back, he admitted softly, “I’ve never been so scared in my life. I thought I was going to lose you.”
She smiled back up at him, though weakness fought to drag her under into a deep sleep. “I knew you wouldn’t let me die.”
He shuddered a little and closed his eyes, as though hiding his traumatic thoughts. “I would never have forgiven myself if that had happened.”
She frowned. Did he always take on so much responsibility as his own? “Even if I’d died, it wouldn’t have been your fault. You asked me to stay at home where I’d be safe and I refused.”
“I could have forced you to stay.”
“Except you knew I would never have forgiven you. We’re a team now—you wouldn’t have marked me, otherwise! Like it or not, we face our enemies together.” She added in a teasing tone, “Does this mean I share your bounty for the honor of eliminating the Dronians?”
He blinked down at her, one of his hands absently stroking her fin. “There is no bounty to share. I’m not getting paid.”
She frowned, her head throbbing as every truth she thought she’d known turned into something twisted and distorted.
His eyes narrowed as he read her too open expression. “No amount of credit in the universe would be enough to save my world and its people.”
“So you’re saying you volunteered?”
He shrugged. “Does that seem so hard to believe?”
“You’re a bounty hunter.”
“And my payment is saving my world and its people.” His smile twisted a little. “Loving you is just a bonus.”
She looked up at him as she curled her arms around his neck, the toy gun dangling from one hand. “I really misjudged you, didn’t I?”
Whatever he was about to say died on his lips as he looked up at the now bright morning sky, where the mothership now hovered within range. His whole body tensed. “Stay in the water,” he growled.
She unhooked her arms from around his neck, and said, “Wait!” When he glanced back at her she proffered him the water gun. “You’ll need this.”
He smiled and nodded, his white teeth glinting. “Thank you.”
He flipped the cap off the tank, filled it with river water, then pushed the cap back on before he pumped it a couple of times and pulled the trigger, testing how far the water would jet to hit its target.
Sienna was too weak to do anything but lie in the water, soaking in as many nutrients as possible while she watched the man she loved walk toward an enemy she couldn’t even see. Not just one enemy. She had no doubt the Dronains would have sent many soldiers to try and extinguish the last seven of her kind.
Gray would just be another casualty in the war no one wanted except the cold-blooded Dronians.
She couldn’t panic, couldn’t allow her mind to get carried away with things that might never be. She needed to control her emotions, and therefore her powers. It was all too easy to allow panic to destabilize a rare’s ability. She needed to focus, to put all her strength into exploding the soldiers that would do everything possible to kill Gray and then her.
The mothership lifted into the air, then zipped at a right-angle into the sky before it disappeared within seconds from sight. No doubt the Dronians on board didn’t want to be in this atmosphere for any longer than necessary.
Gray stayed knee-deep in water as he raised his water gun. Smart. If the Dronians did indeed hate the water, they wouldn’t enter it to kill him. They’d probably resort to using their welp to snare him, and then drag him to shore where they’d kill him.
She glanced around at their sunny patch of the river. Thankfully this area was remote, with no humans around to be caught in the crossfire. Not that a water gun would hurt anyone, but the Dronians would make certain they’d kill anyone in the vicinity who might question any strange goings-on.
She immersed herself in the water for just a handful of seconds, absorbing every minute particle of energy she possibly could. When she emerged from the river once again, Gray aimed and fired the water gun at what must be a Dronian.
The jet of water hit an invisible wall that had to be her enemy, a foul smell immediately hitting her nostrils, followed right after by a sharp hiss and a heavy thud as that same Dronian hit the ground.
Holy shit! It had worked! The Dronians really were allergic to Earth’s water!
Gray soon sent jets of water flying through the air in all directions, flipping the cap off quickly and dunking the tank underwater before pushing the cap back on and pumping the gun before squeezing the trigger yet again.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The distinctive noise of falling Dronians filled the air like the sweetest music, it was just a pity their dying scent was so revoltingly rotten.
She shivered. Her planet had been all but covered in water. How easy would it have been to overcome their enemy if only they’d known their weakness? Gray’s emperor had been right. The rares swimming in the Great Waters hadn’t been attacked because they’d been protected!
After ten minutes of spraying water at the Dronians, refilling and spraying again, Gray stood with the water gun by his side, then turned and faced her. “Their flesh literally dissolves at the contact of water. It almost seems...too easy.”
“Maybe we’ve just been overthinking things,” she said softly, her voice as empty as her emotions. If only her people had known! Perhaps they’d all be alive right now.
Gray nodded. “I learned a long time ago that no matter how strong someone appears to be, they always have a weakness.” He waded toward her. “I knew from the moment I saw your holo-image that my one and only weakness would be you.”
She pressed a hand to her heart, then shook her head. “Loving someone doesn’t make them weak. It makes them strong.”
He paused, water rippling around him. He could have been a gladiator of old, if not for the fact his wings made him so much better and hotter. He blinked the water from his eyes, his voice husky. “You’re right. Nothing could be stronger than my feelings for you.”
“Ditto,” she admitted softly.
He waded forward, not stopping until he was chest-deep in water and close enough to reach out and touch her. “So you did mean what you said earlier?” he asked. “You really do love me?”
“I do,” she acknowledged huskily, aware the words sounded like a human’s marriage vow. She bit into her bottom lip, her breasts heavy and her nipples tight, her body burning for him. “There is one small favor I’d like to request.”
“Anything,” he said huskily, the burn of his yellow eyes almost matching the glow of her green stare.
She lifted an arm to proffer him her hand. “I want to make love with you deep underwater.”
He took her hand, his voice a throaty growl. “It would be my greatest honor.”
Epilogue
Sienna stepped back from the mirror to peer at her reflection. She wore her usual black bodysuit, but she’d taken her time putting on some makeup after she’d piled her long dark hair up into a knot at the top of her head, then pushed fancy earrings into her lobes.
She looked great...better than great. Being with Gray and basking in his love had given her a glow that no amount of cosmetics or surgery could manufacture. Being with Gray had made her love her life again while giving her hope for a better future.
She was spraying some delicate perfume on her throat and on her wrists when he stepped into the bathroom.
He’d taken her shopping this morning after breakfast, purchasing her a whole new wardrobe of clothes and shoes, as well as this makeup, jewelry and perfume. His emperor had apparently supplied him with a bundle of fake credit cards that not a single salesperson had questioned when Gray had paid for their purchases.
She could scarcely believe she’d soon be meeting with at least some of her species in just a few short hours. That she had incredible news to share about the Dronians weakness to water, one that included the infinitesimal amount of water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere which slowly killed them—was something all the rares needed to know about.
Defending themselves against their enemy would now be a whole lot easier.
Gray’s reflection behind her made her heart beat irregularly while her mouth went dry. Making love with him yesterday underwater had been beyond amazing. She’d held onto a sunken log while he’d used the motion of his wings to help him pump rhythmically inside her, his long, strong strokes in the watery environment setting her off like nothing else.
That he’d marked her yet again and given her a soul shattering climax had made her realize he truly was her soulmate. That they also might never have met if not for her world being attacked wasn’t something she wanted to think about. She was a strong believer in destiny, and they had been most certainly destined to meet.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked gently, kissing the side of her throat where he’d marked her.
A warm current of need shot through her nerve endings, her entire body burning for him even before she turned to him and nodded. “I just wish I could tell them everything we’ve learned already.”
He cupped her face and kissed her with a slow, fierce need. He really couldn’t get enough of her. That the feeling was mutual made her lean against him with a groan. But as much as she wanted to make love with him here and now, she wanted desperately to meet up with her friends.
She stepped back and lifted her arms to clasp the hood of his jacket, bringing it up and over his head to help conceal his striated skin and hair. She gazed into his yellow stare. “No matter what happens tonight, I’ll always love you.”
His eyes flashed like fire. “You speak as though this night might be our last one together.”
She shook her head and managed a smile. “One thing I can say with certainty, you’ll never let anyone hurt me.” Her eyes burned. “And I most certainly won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Are you trying to make me hard again?” he growled.
