Free RavishedbyMoonbeam by Cynthia Sax Page A

the discarded
single-ass support as a mobile shield, his other three arms holding advanced
weaponry.
    “ Lejno .” Krol concentrated his defenses on Mravenec ’s
top warrior.
    “The best fights the best, Warrior Krol,” his enemy boasted
in his native language, and his pinchers stretched into a mocking smile. “Long
have I waited for this battle.”
    “Your battle is with me, Mravenec .” Krol blasted at
the single-ass support, denting the metal. “Allow my druzka to leave the
chamber unharmed. She is a frail human female and no threat to the Mravenec race.”
    His Danielle terminated a lesser Mravenec with the
ease of an experienced warrior, and Krol grimaced.
    “Is she no threat?” The Mravenec warrior laughed. “My
Supreme Commander disagrees with your assessment, Silan . We cannot allow
you to reproduce. She is to be terminated, as are you.”
    A killing rage swept over Krol. “You will not terminate my
Danielle.” He aimed at his rival’s smirking face and fired a round of bullets.
    His shots were deflected off the metal single-ass support,
the Mravenec ’s multiple arms moving in a blur of motion. The tabletop
bent under the counterattack, pushing Krol and his Danielle back against the
wall. As Krol battled the warrior, his druzka terminated entering Mravenec foot soldiers until the flow slowed and stopped, the noise of the battle
continuing outside the chamber.
    “Only one big bug left, my Krol,” his Danielle crowed with a
triumph Krol didn’t feel. “Cover me.”
    Cover her? He frowned as he shot. What did—
    She rolled away from the protective table and repositioned
behind the other single-ass support, her smaller form shielded yet vulnerable.
Puppy whined in protest, remaining huddled by Krol’s feet where his stubborn
female should have also stayed.
    “My Danielle,” Krol yelled. He fired franticly at the Mravenec warrior. A bullet removed one of the enemy’s limbs, but that injury didn’t stop
him from focusing on Krol’s female, his guns swinging in her direction.
    His Danielle grabbed the seat. “Oh, shit.” The heavy
single-ass support didn’t move. “Oh shit. Oh shit.”
    Krol ran toward her with Puppy following. The first shot
landed on the single-ass support seat and flung his Danielle backward. The
second shot cracked her breastplate in two, leaving her soft, frail body
completely exposed.
    His Danielle shot wildly. “My Krol.”
    Her whispered plea reached him through the thunder of
gunfire and Krol flung himself into the air. “My Danielle!” She cannot be
terminated. I must protect her. He twisted his body to shoot at the enemy.
    Pain burst in his gut. His Danielle screamed and an
intolerable weight pushed down on his chest, squeezing the breath from his body.
Krol slid, his back ridges scraping along the metal floor. He fired shot after
shot at the approaching warrior.
    Puppy, their canine warrior, attacked, closing his jaws
around one of the Mravenec warrior’s many arms, causing the male to
shriek in agony and rendering his weapon unusable. The warrior shook and
flailed. Puppy would not be removed.
    “You bastard.” His Danielle cursed their foe’s lineage.
    The Mravenec warrior turned his head in his
Danielle’s direction, leaving his head unshielded, and Krol fired one last
shot. Direct hit. His rival’s face blew into many pieces, his brain
splattering on the wall, and he fell to the floor. Puppy pounced on his
twitching form in triumph.
    “My Danielle.” Krol smiled weakly. She is safe.
    “My Krol.” She kneeled by his side. “Shit. You’re torn up
bad.” His Danielle placed her cool hands over his wound. His blood flowed
through her fingers, warming her skin. “Warrior down!” she yelled and he
grimaced, her volume loud. “Medic! I need a medic!”
    “Fixer,” he corrected, gazing into her eyes. They had
deepened to a dark blue.
    “I need a Fixer! A Fixer!”
    He heard her words as if they’d been spoken at a great
distance. Sound rushed in