“Okay. Let’s go. When we get to the command center, show me what traps we can use right away,” I ordered, and he nodded curtly. We had defenses and now was the time to utilize them.
Within a few hours, I had gathered the men of his unit along with Sophie and we set out to the command station that my eldest sister Kira had set up long ago. Liam showed me a series of traps that might prove useful for us. One had hidden explosive plates just under the ground, concealed by dirt, moss, and leaves. A dangerous mine field for anyone wandering in our general direction. Others dispensed dangerous gases, some highly flammable, others highly toxic to anyone in the immediate area. One even involved a rocket launcher that we’d found on an abandoned military base nearby.
Hmmm...
I chewed my lip. Decisions. Decisions...
Together, we watched the video footage of the four aliens coming our way.
All four had dark purple skin. Ram-like horns. One of them, the tallest had bright green eyes, which was unusual. I’d never seen that before. The other three had copper-colored irises, which I’d come to expect. None of them were small, not in the slightest. Dressed in black combat gear, they looked formidable. Their outfits did little to cover up the hard muscles hidden underneath. Bulging biceps, wide shoulders that tapered to lean, trim waists, with thighs as thick as tree trunks, they looked incredibly tough.
Their waists were strapped to the nines with various weapons. All sorts of laser guns and other things I couldn’t identify clipped onto their belts, but that’s not what worried me.
It was the expressions on their faces. They appeared far more dangerous than any Vakarrans I’d seen before in any of the surveillance footage we had. It was unnerving. They looked determined, focused, like men on a mission, and they were heading straight in our direction. Now that I could see them with my own eyes, I had no doubt they were coming for us. They knew we were here. In my mind, it was no longer a question. It was reality.
Then, the four of them stopped.
The one with green eyes stared into the camera almost as if he could sense it was there. Like he knew I was watching, and I swallowed anxiously. In his eyes, I saw a strong resolve. I saw an insane level of focus. I also saw a level of determination that made me feel in my gut that he would do anything to achieve his mission.
Even with all that considered, I reminded myself that there were only four of them. There were many more of us. We had the advantage of numbers and we knew they were coming. We could prepare for their arrival in the best way possible. I saw the challenge there and despite my nervousness, I slowly began to smile. I was a Stryke. They didn’t know who they w
ere messing with.
It occurred to me then that it was entirely likely that these four aliens knew our exact location, that perhaps under extreme duress, maybe one of my sisters had given us up. I hoped that wasn’t the case, but I knew it was a distinct possibility.
Maybe we could learn something from them. Maybe we could use them before we disposed of them.
It was possible that we could benefit from capturing the group of four and seeing what they knew, before we rushed to kill them. But how? How could I capture and question them safely, without endangering the rest of my people?
My eyes scanned over the traps at our disposal and one in particular captured my attention. Another piece of pilfered governmental technology, this one was based on gravity. Four gravity traps stationed in a square. When activated, the gravity within the square multiplied, making it impossible for the targets within to move, let alone escape. Then, electric solar-powered webs hidden beneath their feet could shock them, proving to be an effective interrogation technique that I could employ.
Once trapped, a secondary measure could be employed as a kill strike, an ultra-strong, barbed wire grid that would burst upward in a fraction of a second, brutally killing anyone inside. It was perfect, only it was slightly off their path.
Somehow, I’d have to get them moving in that direction, get them within the confines of that trap.
I watched the footage for some time. I knew I couldn’t wait until they got much closer to our settlement. I had to act much sooner, so that my people could remain safe.
Sophie placed her hands on my shoulders and sighed.
“If you need me to, I could act as bait,” she offered.
I shook my head.
“No. It should be me. I don’t want to put any of any of you in danger,” I replied. She nodded, her respect for my command obvious in her expression. My people would follow me, no matter what. Of that, I had no doubt.
I was strong. I wasn’t afraid. My sisters had always thought I was the quiet one. The one who obeyed and sat aside while they led, but now that everyone was depending on me, I had to prove I deserved my leadership.
I’d be the bait the Vakarrans were looking for. They’d tell me everything they knew, and then I’d kill every last one of them.
Chapter Two
Tavik
I could feel her watching me. Even though I couldn’t see her anywhere around me, I knew she was there. She knew I was coming for her. A human woman, ripe and prime for the taking. I could feel my cock hardening just thinking about it.
The Second and Third Battalion had chosen me and my comrades to capture and deliver Kaela Stryke for them and return her to the Resistance, and her sisters.
In return, our Vakarran brethren promised me rights to Kaela as our mate and I had gladly agreed. To the victor go the spoils of war, right?