Free Defender (New World Book 7) by C.L. Scholey Page B

was a pawn. He was a deadly warrior.
    There were two generators, one hand-held, the other larger and faster. Taz opted for larger and faster. The machine clicked a systems check, reconfigured data and began humming. The pull on his shield to go to the female increased instead of decreasing. His shield was ticked, and tugged on images that Taz rebuffed.
    “What the devil are you after?” Taz said aloud. He often talked to his shield when he was alone. “Fine. Show me what the hell you want.”
    Thoughts rolled in his head and a scenario played out. Taz watched the scene his shield showed him would unfold when Taz returned home to his planet with the female. The image was vivid; it was as though Taz was home already. Taz strode into Krish’s den in the huge hive; he heard his footsteps on the harder ground Krish liked in his private den so he could hear another’s approach. Taz was carrying the little female. Krish smiled and trailed his fingers over her soft cheek. Krish brushed her locks from her face. He gazed into Taz’s eyes while taking the female.
    An emotion flickered while Taz handed her over. Reluctance. Then worry. And Krish saw and scented Taz was swayed by her for a moment. Taz had been interested in the female, he still was. He wanted to hide her away but knew it wouldn’t happen. He returned hoping Krish would allow him this one boon, when he never had and never would. Krish smiled and his fist slammed into the female’s chest and yanked out her heart and stomped on it as she crumbled and dropped to the ground as Krish released her to let her fall. Taz could never have anything; Taz must remain alone, forever.
    Taz’s heart pounded until his shield controlled his emotions. Anything that gave Taz pleasure for mere seconds was destroyed until Taz killed the last being before Krish could. He didn’t do it to be cruel, as Krish thought he taught him to be, Taz killed the animal to spare any others. The killing had to stop and only Taz could make it stop. Krish would kill this female in front of him. What was he thinking? Taz couldn’t hide her away; Krish would know of her existence even if Taz left. Krish knew everything. Taz liked this little female. She had pressed her lips to his. She tasted so sweet. He couldn’t let Krish ruin and destroy his only sweet memory of Earth.
    “I need to take her back to her home,” Taz whispered. “She must go back.”
    But what if she’s caught?
    Taz stepped from the chamber, his shield was fully charged. He strode to the female. She was beautiful and of childbearing years. Taz knew what his counterparts planned. It would be hard on Taz’s kind to ignore the suffering forever. His kind would be swayed. He was cruel but he wasn’t evil, at least not Krish’s kind of evil. Must played a heavy role, but it wasn’t his kind’s only drive.
    The bed dipped when Taz sat beside her. He placed his palm on her warm brow. The pain was gone. She was dreaming, happy in her dream. He opened the blanket to see if she was dry, she was. He pressed his unclad chest closer. It had been four hundred years since his parents’ death, but Krish mentioned females often. He called them useless. Taz vaguely remembered his mother. She wasn’t useless; she was beautiful, sweet, loving. She had been his world. And, she asked him to make a promise. What had it been? It was so long ago. He would have promised his wonderful mother anything he loved her so much. Love? He had loved? No, the memory was distorted. Taz knew only kindness until Krish came along. It must have been kindness his mother asked for.
    Curious, Taz leaned closer to smell the female’s breath, wondering about kindness from females. His shield went wild trying to contain his emotions and so many of hers. The shield didn’t stop the sensations; they filed the numerous scents into a different category. One scent was dominant. One scent was claiming his attention. This female’s scent was… Taz . Taz drew in a deep breath