Defender (New World Book 7) (13 page)

Macey went to the replicator and shortly he heard her fighting with the machine. Even under the circumstances, he chuckled.

“No you damn dumb thing, a hat for your head.
Grr,
not a square one to fit you, damn machine. I’m not a doily. I don’t mean your head, dumbass, you don’t have one. And boots, why can’t you figure out a simple boot? It goes on feet. Fuck, no, you don’t have feet.
Arrggg
.”

Taz sighed and left the console to stand by Macey. “Nothing has ever been programmed into this device to give it a clue as to what you want. Tonans don’t wear articles of clothing except pants. Let me try. Oblong eight inch objects, fur lined encased tubes to fit a foot and must be able to deal with subzero levels.” An object materialized. Macey’s expression was less than stellar.

“That’s the dumbest looking boot I’ve ever seen. It’s a leather canoe. Great, a machine with a sense of humor.”

“It’ll have to do.”

“Taz, you’re going to have to cover up too.”

“My shield won’t let me freeze.”

“You plan on being shielded in front of my aunt and two children?”

“Your clothes are too confining. If I need my shield to go up, too much material is a pain in the ass.”

“Taz, they’ll be terrified of you.”

Taz ran a hand over his face. “Macey, it’s getting bad down there. And you need to know your people will get desperate if they haven’t already. Looting, killing, rape, it’s all run rampant or will be. I have to protect you. I will warn you, you may not care for some things I will do.”

“What are you saying?”

“No one is allowed to hurt you.”

“You mean you’ll kill for me?”

“In less than a heartbeat, I’ll rip out anything’s throat that tries to go after you. I am a fucking bad ass warrior with the power to back me up, and the Tonan temper. Earth isn’t the same and it sure isn’t some cute little powder puff planet with a floating head.”

She pondered his statement; he could see her eyes flicker which indicated she was thinking of a way to sway him.

She better come up with something good.

“If it’s getting that bad we need to get to my aunt. Please don’t scare her to death, she’s older, not old by any means, but older. You are used to the way you look. Humans have grown up fearing monsters. Let them get to know there is a good warrior under the bad ass beast. Please?”

Damn, he knew she would think of something.

Taz wanted to growl, he hated the thought of scaring a female to death. Worse was the look of worry on his mate’s face. He hated when she begged. Her eyes were wide and damned if her little bottom lip didn’t curl slightly in a pout. She had a point. He also knew she had no idea she was doing what she did, it just happened. His mate was no simpering plotter. He turned to the replicator, glanced at Macey and took a deep breath before speaking.

“Oblong fourteen inch objects, fur lined encased tubes to fit a foot. Able to deal with subzero levels.”

Macey squealed and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.”

“You better program a coat in there big enough to fit me.”

Taz went back to monitor their entry. Static in the airways jumbled his console for a brief moment. He planned on reconfiguring everything when they landed in case they needed to leave Earth again. There would be enough room for Macey’s aunt and two young girls. While on Earth, he could take an in-depth look at the surrounding areas. There had to be a planet with a worm hole close by. Black holes were too dangerous, but he might be able to reinforce the shuttle to withstand a black hole.

The monitor settled and his shield went up when the console lit up in warning. A massive moving object was on a direct collision course. Taz bellowed for Macey. He punched in a new course at lightning speed, turned and grabbed her to his chest as his shield fell to pull her close. He closed around her and her scream was cut short. He hadn’t been fast enough, or the storm was too strong for the shuttle to respond. A sickening squeal sounded as the shuttles pressed belly to belly.

Sparks flew against the ebony skies. Their shuttle was on fire, a crash was imminent. The shuttle went dark as the systems went off line. Without the thrusters they were dead in the air and subject to the mercy of the storm. The whooshing hum as they spiraled to the ground filled Taz’s ears. He looked for the safest place in the shuttle.

The regenerator was a tube. It was made of the strongest substance Taz knew because it was geared to a Tonan shield. Taz went inside and smashed the door closed sealing them in. He punched buttons for back up. The generator kicked in and the generating process began. Taz sucked in everything he could. His shield sensed the urgency and absorbed rays at lightning speed. The crash would be bad; they were in a freefall from the atmosphere. All around the shuttle began to blaze as the fire spread. Soon they would be a ball of fire.

Past the window, a blizzard howled before the sheet of a blaze melted the scene. Warnings in the tube went crazy and the generator shut down. Taz crashed through the door and ran. He hit the wall of fire and curled into a ball. Down they went. The shuttle exploded. They were in a freefall spiraling to Earth. Taz had never fallen this far. His image was left behind like a cardboard cutout as he whooshed through clouds. They gained speed as they fell. His shield was calculating the impact that was imminent. It would be bad but they were going to survive. Taz spun in the air; he had to land back first. All resources were directed to the place of impact. Taz hit numerous branches aiding to slow his descent. He hit the ground and skidded across the ice and snow surface, downing trees and vegetation. He was on his back curled around Macey, arms crossed over his chest.

They crashed through a snowbank and went careening off a small cliff, snow and rocks and branches tumbling with them, to splash into a lake, cracking the thin layer of ice and breaking the surface. Down Taz sank until they hit bottom. The shield closed off any opening, breathing for him or his shield would flood. Taz could see the surface. The bottom of the lake was covered in rock. Taz tucked his legs under him and jumped. He shot out of the water, bullet form, until the ground was close then, arms flailing, landed in a crouched position back on the cliff ledge.

A blizzard battered him; his claws sank deep into the ground. He stood for a moment while his shield regrouped and formed a systems check on Taz and Macey. Both were fine, if not a little shaken. All his life his shield protected him, he was grateful it protected Macey. Although, on further analysis, by protecting Macey the shield in fact protected Taz.

“Macey, you need to sleep so I can find us shelter. I can feel your distress. I’ve taken too much of a beating to calm you. Right now our safety is important.”

Distress was an understatement. They’d fallen from the sky; her heart rate hammered against him. His shield needed to concentrate on what needed to be done first. Calming Macey was and was not top priority. The shield sealed the space between Taz’s throat and Macey. Within moments, the small amount of gas knocked her out. Taz had no idea he could do that until it was done. She quieted, her heart slowed. She was lulled into a safe dream.

Taz looked in each direction and took a course. He began to move, bombarded with thoughts. They were trapped on Earth. There was no escape. All he could hope for was the Tonans getting what they wanted, leaving and the storms to stop. In his heart, he knew what Krish’s kind was. If by chance the storms stopped, it would be hundreds if not thousands of years before the Tonans would return. Taz would be ready for them.

* * * *

Macey stifled a scream when she woke and saw skeletons; a skull was a foot from her nose gazing sightlessly at her. She would have panicked further but felt Taz’s hand caress her cheek. Her heart slowed from its booming thunder to a hiccup and normal rhythm. She gazed around noting they were behind broken bars in a tunnel. A small fire blazed for warmth. She was wearing the strangest clothes.

“Did we die and become pirates?” she asked. “Is there something about your alien past you’re keeping from me?”

Taz was sprawled out before her. Barefoot and bare-chested he looked comfortable in their surroundings. He handed her a flask. A sip confirmed it was water.

“There are lots of things in my alien past I haven’t told you. But dying and turning into a pirate isn’t one of them. I thought it odd humans kept other humans locked up in strange apparel; then again, all your clothes are weird. These bones aren’t real. Neither are the others in here.”

Macey continued to glance around at the quiet faces on the either side of a tunnel, until a thought struck her.

“Are we in Disney World? This is the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.”

“I believe, now that you mention it, I saw half a sign with ‘Disney’ on it. Hard to say. I see well, except swirling snow is exasperating. I was in a rush. There was this tunnel and an even odder one with miniature mechanical children. It was sad at first seeing abandoned children, I have seen a few. But when I touched one my shield made no attempt to scan for hurts. I’m guessing the mangy mutt over there is mechanical too.”

“Did I really see what I saw? All the snow?”

“Yep.”

“We’re pretty far from my aunt’s home.”

“The way I travel we’ll be there in less than an hour. I went up top to find food. All that survived in one store was hard round candy.”

Taz lifted a huge round sucker from beside him. Macey broke off a piece and sucked on it. She continued to gaze around.

“I used to love coming here. Every child should have a chance. It’s so magical. I hope it will be again soon.”

“You feel safe here?”

“Who wouldn’t? Besides I’m with you.”

Macey cuddled up next to him. She had always wondered what it would be like to sleep in one of these attractions. The Haunted House being her favorite. Her thoughts as she fell asleep were sad. She wondered if Skylar and Haven ever had the chance to visit here. She also wondered if they were alive.

In the morning when she woke, Macey was surprised to be tucked into the shield with Taz. He was moving at a good clip. The sun was out and the snow was melting so fast small rivers along roads were forming. Muck and debris broke off, forming indentations ravaged from the storms. Small hills dropped chunks of mud and rock. Taz traveled the Keys. Alligators lined the roads desperate to sun themselves. None went near Taz.

Deep in the jungle-marsh setting, Taz stopped. Macey slipped to the ground. The air was cool and she shivered. She wrapped her arms around her chest. She was wearing only the small T-shirt with her shoulder bare. Taz told her she wore his tattoo. Her feet were bare on the cold ground. Her shorts were molded to her ass. The clothing he had draped over her in the tunnel was gone.

“I need the direct sunlight for a while. You can rest while I regenerate.”

If Taz wasn’t with her, Macey would have been feeling wary at her surroundings. Sinister eyes gazed at her through foliage. Taz stood in the sun beams. His shield was up; she was an arm’s length away. Macey wandered to a huge boulder; there was a flat indent at the top. She climbed using other small indents for hand and toe holds and she waited after settling her bottom into the groove.

“We can find clothes before we see your aunt and the children,” Taz said.

“It’s already warming up, that’s a good sign.”

“It’s part of the testing. I imagine there is severe destruction in areas used to mass cold when introduced to heat waves.”

“I wonder what will happen if the Tonans manipulate the glaciers to thaw. We could all drown. They’ll know when to stop, won’t they?”

“I hope so. There wasn’t any talk around me about total annihilation.”

Macey couldn’t help it, her gaze focused on his tail, nothing happened.

“I don’t like your tail,” she blurted.

Taz turned. Under his protruding grey bulbs for eyes, she knew he was studying her.

“I remember my first lie,” he said. “I lied to Krish. He laughed, ruffled my hair, and told me I was a good little Tonan. He locked me away from sunlight for two weeks. He told me to lie often, but never to him when he released me.”

“It’s testimony to what you were.”

“I’m still a Tonan.”

“No, you’re not. You’re Taz, my mate, my love, my hope, my defender.”

Taz took a deep breath and moved closer. He gripped the back of his tail and in a giant tug ripped it off. He bellowed loud enough to send a hundred or more birds into a flying fit of panic to darken the sky. He tossed his tail to the ground. Macey almost screamed; she covered her mouth with her hands. She didn’t know he would do such a thing. He did it for her, she realized; he would do anything for her. Taz went to stand before her. He took her hands and she slid down his body to land on his clawed feet.

Macey raised a hand to slide the backs of her fingers down his shielded face. “You’re perfect. I’m sorry. I never should have said that. I don’t like it when you hurt.”

“I’m fine now, but you really should make me feel better.”

His tone was cheeky and she grinned. Taz pressed her back against the rock. His shield opened from his chest to his loins. Macey lowered her pants and smiled at him. Taz’s long talons rested against the rock on either side of her head, arms bent at the elbow. His powerful knee rose, pressed under a thigh and he lifted her higher. Macey ran her hands over his chest before settling onto his hard shoulders.

With tenderness, Taz entered her. He was steel before her, the rock behind unforgiving if he was too rough. Macey gasped as she filled with him. Taz swore. His thrusts were demanding making her rise and fall. His fangs were already glistening with the drug she knew would make her calm and accepting of his massive size when he grew. And he did. Instead of waiting until she could take no more, he bit her immediately. She stretched and realized he was bigger.

“Taz?” her word barely a whisper.

“It’s time, Macey. My must is high. My shield is creating a piece of me. I remember how to. I was afraid I wouldn’t but I do now. I had a baby shield. My mother said it was my father’s gift because he loved me so much. I must protect my child at all cost. I am nothing like Krish.”