Space Invaders by Amber Kell Page A

hold the knife blade close to the man’s eyes.
    “Don’t even think about harming my mate,” he warned. With a backwards snap of his foot, he knocked out the soldier trying to sneak up on him. The man fell to the ground with a thump. “I wouldn’t do that,” he warned as he locked eyes with the leader, who stared back with a cautious expression.
    “No need to kill him, King-Mate. He’s just talking like soldiers do. He wasn’t going to harm the king. Were you, Friln?”
    Kres lifted the knife a fraction to let the blond speak.
    “No, sir, I wouldn’t harm your mate.”
    Kres heard the truth in the other man’s voice. “I’m not inclined to like you people very much,” he said in a hard tone.
    “I thought you said he was a gentle soul,” another soldier said to the leader. “He doesn’t look so gentle to me.”
    “I’m Nelrin, the captain of the guard. The man you have under your knife is my mate Friln. I’d prefer if you didn’t kill him.”
    “Did you really get a message that the king is alive?” Kres asked.
    Nelrin gave him a surprised look. “Yes. I heard it myself.” His voice turned coaxing. “Come with us and we’ll take you to him.”
    “Give me one of your weapons.”
    The leader held out his weapon towards Kres, handle first. Kres released Friln, shoving him towards Nelrin. He snatched the weapon when the leader grabbed at his mate.
    Kres dropped the knife back into his boot and flipped the weapon to point at the soldiers. He carefully examined each of them before he lowered the blaster.
    “If any of you plan on hurting my mate, think again. Now get me to the king.”
    Without another glance at the soldiers, Kres turned around and headed back to the shuttle.
    He’d almost reached the shuttle when the world started to spin. His skin burned, itched, burned again.
    With a gasp he dropped the gun.
    As the light started to dim, he heard one of the soldiers curse. “Shit, he’s been bit. He’s going into shock. We’ve got to get him back to the palace.”
    Everything went black.
    * * * *
    “I heard from the palace. Your mate is having an allergic reaction to a Syphin sting.”
    Vohne shook his head. “Poor thing. Did they give him an inoculation?”
    “Yeah, he’s fine now, but apparently he’s ready to hand you your balls on a platter,” Bleine said with a grin.
    “I’m not surprised.” Vohne smiled. “He’s tough.” He wasn’t worried. Syphin bites were brutal, but they’d long ago created a shot that easily reversed the symptoms.
    “Not so tough a little bug can’t take him down,” Bleine taunted.
    Sweat beaded his brother’s forehead. Ignoring Bleine’s teasing, Vohne looked more carefully at his sibling. “Are you feeling all right? You look pale.”
    “No. My soldiers did their job. I offered them a reward if they disposed of Jallryne. When we land, find out who killed her. The killer is your new captain of the guard. I had to make sure your right-hand man was loyal, and Jallryne had to die to discover where their loyalties lie.”
    A sick churning spun Vohne’s stomach. Rushing over, he grabbed his brother’s arm and lowered him back to his chair. “You can survive this. She was a bad match,” he urged.
    “No. My time is over. I only lived to see you return to your throne. It isn’t my fate to live any longer. I outlived my first mate and now my second. It’s time for me to fade into the stars.”
    “I can’t let you leave me, brother,” Vohne growled.
    Bleine gave a thready laugh. “Some things even you can’t control, brother. Watch your back. Jallryne had accomplices.”
    Vohne ran to the intercom. “Medic!” he shouted into the speaker. “I need a medic with a cryogenic processor.”
    “Immediately, Your Highness,” a tinny voice responded.
    “What are you doing?” Bleine asked. His brother’s skin turned an unnatural greyish tint before Vohne’s eyes.
    “I’m going to freeze you until I can find you a new mate.”
    Bleine laughed,