The Deviants, part twenty-one

Head pounding again, Ava closed her eyes, waiting for the next wave of elites to swarm in on them. She swallowed back the nausea that threatened to overtake her.

Ava wasn't sure how much longer she would last with the pain in her head increasing and her muscles fatiguing. Adrenaline could only take her so far.

"Uh, what are we gonna do now?" Jessica asked from behind.

Ava didn't answer, massaging her forehead and temples. It wasn't like she was the leader anyway.

Suddenly, she felt something pierce the side of her neck and shrieked, "Ow! What the hell was that!?"

"You're welcome."

Lifting her head, Ava found Galen standing over her, the pain almost gone already, "Thanks."

"Mhmmm." He looked a bit better, gesturing for her to move out of the seat.

Ava managed to climb out, seeing Skye smirking at her efforts. "Hey, you try sitting in, then getting out of this thing?"

"I was in a Wanderer medical bed after being shot on purpose to rescue your ass, so I feel your 'pain.'"

"Well, I apologize for the fact that Wanderers are larger and taller than humans," Galen glanced back, holding back a smirk, "in every way."

Despite her dark skin, Skye managed to blush a dark red, making Jessica laugh and Galen grin widely.

But Ava hadn't even considered that until now. So were humans and Wanderers physically compatible? She knew genetically they were, considering how many women had been taken since the Wanderers' arrival.

She had to believe the answer was yes, although they could have been using artificial means to raise their population. But if so, how did they do it?

"So, since we have some time," Jessica looked at Galen, "Are you speaking English? Or is it a translator thing?"

"Oh, I'm speaking English alright," he puffed out his chest, "I know many languages, Earthbound and otherwise."

Ava didn't have the mental space to think over the implications of what he just said, sliding into the copilot chair.

Galen glanced at her, "Wanna help me get the Deviant off the ground?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you gotta knack for piloting." He started messing with the controls, "Plus, having a copilot is helpful for this ship type."

So Ava let him guide her through the process, and before she knew it, the Deviant was airborne and cloaked. Now they had to wait, again.

***

After somehow making it outside without encountering any more enemies, Nash scanned for his ship, the two humans flanking him. And it made him uneasy.

But he stopped anyway, his helmet pinging to tell him the Deviant was close by. But where was she?

Max raised his gun, "Why are we stopping?"

"My ship is here, but must be cloaked." He turned his com-link on, "Galen, do you come in?"

Silence.

"Galen!"

Then... "Wow, took you long enough."

Nash couldn't stop his mouth from curving upward. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, warm air blasted onto him and he watched the Deviant decloak right above them. What a beautiful sight it was.

Max and the doctor jumped back while Nash remained in place, the ship backing up so he could see Galen piloting his ship. "Nice to see you're still in one piece, my friend."

Nash cocked a brow, "Like you ever doubted me."

The side door opened up, "Max! Dad! You're not dead!"

"Neither are you, Sis!"

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Dad."

Relief washed over his face and body.

"Hey," the girl turned away, "lower the ship so they can get on."

"So bossy," But Galen complied, the Deviant slowly lowering for them.

Nash glanced at the ship, this time noticing Ava in the copilot's seat. And he forgot where he was, the blood rushing from his head to his groin as the lust overpowered him.

Seeing his ship did not compare to seeing the loveliness that was the female he would claim as his mate.

Suddenly, a bone-piercing wave of pain racked his body, and he cried out, collapsing to the ground. He couldn't fight it anymore. The fever had grown too strong, his vision tunneling.

As he blacked out, he heard soldiers running toward them and people calling out his name.