Dekkir (Galaxy Alien Warriors #1)(48)
Grace, my darling, I thought with a surge of hope. Hold on. Soon, we will be together again . . . and start engineering our enemies’ defeat. Or better yet, make them simply not be enemies anymore.
CHAPTER 20 / GRACE
They got me hooked up to the interrogation machine, sensors on my temples and the back of my neck, as well as my wrists. I knew if I lied or allowed myself to get too nervous, I would end up violently shocked by the device, which would also set off an alarm. I struggled to focus, knowing now was the time for me to really come through. We had one chance to really get Wickman’s ear. Without it, I had no doubt I would have to make every human on the base my enemy in order for us to escape. And after that, war would be inevitable.
“All right, now . . .” The commander leaned back in his chair. “I want a full accounting of your actions on Lyra.”
“Yes, sir.” He had already made a mistake; the machine could not detect lies of omission. Good, because I’m not describing to him all the time I’ve spent screwing the local high chieftain’s heir. Now and again, Dekkir’s mind brushed against mine reassuringly, bolstering me. I felt it again and lifted my chin, speaking in an even tone.
“I entered Lyra’s atmosphere at the appointed time, only to discover the calculations Norcross’s team had made for my landing speed, trajectory, and wing deployment had left me coming in at an almost fatal speed. With the assistance of Dr. Stirling, I was able to correct, but I was attacked by some of the local wildlife while distracted with this and crashed.”
He blinked slowly. “Local wildlife? I know your dropship was small, but one animal managed to take it down?”
“Plant, actually. It’s called a beastvine, sir. It’s basically a gigantic version of one of Earth’s carnivorous plants. It senses vibrations. When it detects prey, it lashes out a very large tendril, which is covered in a sticky sap. Once it grabs its prey, it cannot move again for a significant period, so the sap holds what it catches until it can absorb it. I was just unlucky enough to fly within its sensing range, and . . . bam.”
He winced. “I’m surprised you weren’t killed.”
“I was just as surprised at the time, sir. At any rate, the Lyran War Chief Dekkir had been sent to rendezvous with me. He managed to get me loose of the vine and helped me return to their capitol, Highfort, with him.” And that was when he recognized me as his true mate. But at the time, my senses weren’t awakened, and I had no idea what he was talking about. Even if I noticed how hot he was then. He really was. Almost seven feet of muscle, silky pale skin, flowing white-gold hair, golden eyes, and rumbling voice, usually in black armor, with a giant spear across his back. He was a sight that would make any girl who was into guys get all curly-toed . . . and he was mine.
Norcross fidgeted in his seat. Wickman eyed him, and he subsided.
The commander looked back at me. “How were you received?”
“With suspicion. The Lyrans are nearly as xenophobic as we are. Dr. Stirling had made some headway with them, but they tend to take us as individuals only and suspect us highly as a group. If you prove yourself to them, they can be very good allies. If you make an enemy of them, as the lieutenant has done—”
Norcross scoffed again, only to fall silent when he saw the commander raise an annoyed eyebrow.
Wickman coughed into his fist. “I understand. So you were not well received.”
“Not by all. High Chieftain Dorin is very suspicious by nature. But his son Dekkir received me warmly enough.” I glanced over at Norcross, amused when he turned purple.
“Too warmly, apparently, you little whore.”
Wickman slapped his palm down on his desktop. “Norcross. This is not the time for your sexual jealousy. You were written up three times for unwanted overtures during her time on base. It may surprise you to know I remember that. Now stow it.” He turned back to me. “Go on.”
“I had some difficulty adjusting to some of the local customs.” Like a besotted Dekkir announcing me as his intended before the entire court barely an hour after I arrived. That had been horribly awkward at the time, but looking back on it now, I could almost laugh. Poor Dekkir, so aroused and delighted by his discovery of me as his true mate that his normal iron control hadn’t done a thing to curb his enthusiasm. “But before I could find a resolution for this, Highfort was attacked by an insect swarm. To give perspective, each one was roughly the size of a two-person dropship. I was able to witness examples of Lyran military prowess as a result of this, as I mentioned in my second report.” A report filed by Tabirus in my stead, the contents of which he had briefed me on telepathically on the way over. “The swarm was taken care of with few casualties, but during the attack, I was trapped out in the open. If it were not for the Lyrans, I would have ended up bug food.”
The commander had pulled out his tablet and was keying in notes as I spoke, his expression both fascinated and a bit horrified. “I see. So what happened then?”
“By that time, I had filed my first report. I believe a copy of it should be on your server. It contained image files of the Lyran throne room, including where High Chieftain Dorin sits and what he looks like. I got a very good image of him. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a mistake. You see, as I was attempting to simply do my job of extending friendly overtures and documenting Lyran society and customs, someone else back here on base intended to foment war with Lyra as quickly as possible.”