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"Black Fire"	By : Sapphira Category: 1 through F > Earth: Final Conflict Views: 3592 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Earth: Final Conflict, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter Nine

�Liam!� Renee shouted as she tried to catch her breath as
she entered the Command Deck. Her body slamming yet again against the wall, as
the Mothership was struck by enemy fire.

�Renee! I need you to get over here! Ra-jel! Give Renee
clearance to the weapons control!�

Renee rushed over to the weapons control terminal, and
grasped the frame of it firmly in her hands as she tried to keep her balance.
Her nails scraping against the alloy. She looked up at the large view panel in
front of her. Studying the fairly large, and well equipped Jaridian ship baring down on them.

�Liam, have you managed to establish contact yet?� She
asked, as she braced herself against another shot. Ra-jel was currently
uploading the codes to give Renee access to weapons.

�I tried, they aren�t responding.�

Renee let out a hiss. �Yeah, they�re going to shoot at
anything coated with the Taelon stench, and ask questions later. Can�t say that
I blame them.� Renee glanced over at Ra-jel. �Nothing personal.�

Ra-jel didn�t even bother to look at Renee, she (it) just
headed back over to Controls to move the ship into position.

�Okay.� Renee rolled her neck around on her shoulders a bit
as she started up the weapons� system. �Let�s see how they like it when someone
fights back.�

�Take it easy, Renee. We don�t want to kill them. Just get
them to back off long enough to listen to us.�

�Speak for yourself�� Renee growled under her breath.

�Renee!� Liam�s tone broke no argument.

�Alright! Alright! I�ll just mess up their hull a little
bit. Maybe take out a portion of their weapon�s system.� Renee looked back up
at the ship as she fired off a round. Knocking out a large section of the
weapons array.

�Careful, Renee! Another few meters over, and you would have
hit something vital.�

�I know what I�m doing, Liam! Back off!� Renee snapped.
Firing off another round which caused minor damage all over the hull of the
ship, weakening it non the less. They couldn�t slip into ID Space till those
fractures were fixed.

�Back us off, Ra-jel!� Renee cautioned. Watching as the
Mothership went back a safe distance from the disabled ship. It suddenly grew
very quiet in the Command Deck, as Renee stood there. Tense and ready to keep
going if they made one more wrong move.

�Yulyn, scan the Mothership for any severe damage.�

Yulyn nodded at Liam from his console. Renee looked over at
him, and his gaze met with hers for a moment, before Yulyn went back to
continuing his scan.

Renee looked back at the view panel, mouth tight. �Check the
Stasis Deck too. Make sure no damage was done to the Chambers.�

�Already done.� Yulyn replied. �There are some slight
fluctuations in life support. Nothing dangerous just yet, but they�re going to
need to be repaired soon. Nothing critical was damaged on the Mothership.�

Renee nodded, glancing over at Liam. �Are they answering
yet?�

Liam shook his head. �No. They are probably very pissed off
at the moment, and not ready to talk. But their weapons system is offline. They
aren�t gong to be able to do anything.�

Renee smirked. �Yeah, that sounds like the Jaridians. Tell
you what� You keep trying to reach them, and Yulyn and I will go take care of
those life support fluctuations. Don�t need the cargo dying.� Renee remarked
wryly. Knowing that just a week ago she would have blown them up herself.

Yulyn came over to walk quickly at her side as they exited
the Command Deck, and headed towards the Stasis Chamber.

�Did Liam tell you�� Renee started to speak up, but Yulyn
cut her off abruptly, tone hardened.

�Yes. And although I know this is something that needs to be
discussed, I�m not going to talk about it right now.�

Renee looked over at him. Somewhat surprised at his tone,
but she nodded her agreement. Stating just one simple fact.

�I won�t let him hurt you, Yulyn. And I won�t let him
destroy this mission.�

Yulyn�s facade softened just a fraction. �I know you won�t.
But right now, I need to make sure that my brethren are alright.�

They traveled the rest of the way in silence. She kept the
com-link open to the Command Deck, so Liam could alert her to any progress with
the Jaridians. Despite the sudden viciousness of their attack, and their
element of surprise, their technology was nothing compared to the Taelons, and
it would have taken a lot more than just a few pot holes placed in her hull,
before the Mothership would have been severely damaged. It still didn�t mean
that they would have just allowed them to turn her hull into Swiss cheese.

But it did bring up the question as to why the Jaridians
were here. Their home planet had been destroyed. Their species had supposedly
died off with their planet. It didn�t make any sense.

Chapter Ten

�Okay, I think that�s got it.� Renee stated
through clenched teeth, as she made the final adjustments to the life support in
the Stasis Deck. She entered the final locking codes and exited the system.
Making sure everything was still running smoothly, before stepping away from
the now dormant terminal.

She looked around her at all of the stasis pods, and felt a
shiver run down her spine. She didn�t care that they were all asleep. It still
put her on edge to be in such a place. Completely surrounded by Atavus, that,
if awakened, would try to rip her apart in their attempts to feed.

Granted, they wouldn�t get any juice from her, but that
still didn�t mean they couldn�t kill her.

No, she thought she�d let Howlyn deal with them they
awakened. She planned to have herself and Yulyn away from any fireworks that
might come up. Besides, they were
Howlyn�s subjects. Let him deal with them.

�Is that everything?� Yulyn asked quietly. Pulling her
attention away from the chambers.

�Yeah, that�s everything. I guess we should head back to the
Command Deck, in case Liam needs our help with anything else.�

Yulyn fell into stride beside her as they exited the Stasis
Deck. Renee turned back around to make sure that the door slide firmly shut
behind them and locked soundly. Nothing was going to get in, and nothing was
going to get out unless she wanted it to.

Her main concern had been the few Atavus still on board. But
Ra-jel had quickly relocated them, and had placed them into stasis whether they
had liked it or not. She was going to have to ask how she (it) had done that.

Yulyn watched her. A frown forming across his ridged brow as
he realized he hadn�t seen his father in there.

�Where did you put Howlyn?� he asked. Looking at Renee in
confusion.

Renee let a sigh out as she turned back round to face Yulyn.
�He is� currently� residing in the Medical
Bay. I trapped him there
behind a force field.�

�That won�t hold him for long.� Yulyn pointed out.

Renee chuckled, �I know. But the securely locked exit
leaving the Medical
Bay will.�

Yulyn shook his head as he followed her back to the Command
Deck. He didn�t bother to ask about what had happened in that Medical Bay
between Renee and Howlyn. He could smell his father�s scent all of her skin, so
it filled in the blanks as to what had occurred.

He wasn�t too sure as to how he felt about all of this, but�
strangely� it did make some kind of twisted sense. The two leaders from
opposite sides of a war had come together and had forged an unlikely bonding.
And despite Renee�s firm control over the situation � what with Howlyn locked
up securely so he couldn�t sabotage the mission back to the Home Planet � Yulyn
knew that Howlyn was only grudgingly allowing that control for the time being.
Renee could only fight him for so long.

Yulyn may have been young, but he wasn�t a fool when it came
to the more basic knowledge of his species. He knew that Renee and Howlyn had
formed a life bonding, and that was something his species took very seriously,
despite its rarity. It was more binding than the humans version of a
marriage�more binding than the mating amongst his own species.

It was for life.

And Howlyn wasn�t going to let Renee continue on believing
otherwise, once he had that control back from her.

Yulyn shook his head
silently to himself. Wondering who was going to win that battle. But one
thing was for certain� the Atavus species hadn�t seen Renee Palmer coming.

They were halfway through their journey back to the Command
Deck, when the ship�s alarms starting ringing out a warning.

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Unauthorized personnel
onboard. Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

�What the hell�� Renee voiced, looking around
her nervously. �Liam! What�s happening now?!�
�I don�t know, Renee! Somehow we�ve got breaches
on various decks. Somehow they�ve managed to get on board!� Liam�s tone relayed
his disbelief, And Renee started to feel that familiar battle rush flood her
limbs.
�How many of them, Liam?� she asked. Her tone
quiet and misleading, considering the heat reflected in her eyes, as she
grabbed Yulyn and starting jogging towards the Command Deck.
�I don�t know, Renee. Ten, maybe twenty. I�m working
on a way to keep any more of them coming.�
�Damn it!� Renee uttered under her breath.
Pushing back her hair from her face. Wishing she had a rubber band or something
to tie it back.
�Yulyn, I want you to head straight for the
Command Deck, and seal the doors behind you, do you understand?�
�What about you?� Yulyn looked worriedly.
Renee let out a growl of frustration as she
voiced her plan. �I�m going to go get you father out of the Medical Bay.�
Renee saw Yulyn�s look of disbelief he shot at her. �I don�t have a choice,
Yulyn. I can only take down so many of those warriors. I�m going to need
Howlyn�s help. As much as I might like to say otherwise, there isn�t anyone
else on board of can help. And I sure as hell don�t want to wake up a bunch of
Atavus warriors.�
�What about me? I can help you!�
�I know you can, Yulyn. But I need to stay with
Liam. He�ll need your help more if they manage to break through to the Command
Deck. That is what they�re going to try to do! They can�t gain control of this
ship!�
Yulyn nodded determinedly at her, and headed off
at a fast pace towards the Command Deck.
Renee didn�t spare him another look, she just
took off at a dead run towards the Medical
Bay.
�Liam! Yulyn is heading towards Command Deck on
his own. Once he�s there, make sure you seal those doors tight, so none of the
Jaridians can make it into the Command Deck. Keep trying to hail their ship!�
�What are you going to do?�
�I�m going to do my best to hold them off.�
�You can�t hold off twenty Jaridians by
yourself, Renee!�
�I know that. I won�t be by myself.� Renee
promised quietly. Breaking off the connection.

Chapter Eleven

Renee ran as fast as she could towards the Medical Bay. Arms pumping and legs flying. The
eerie sound of the ship�s alarms ringing in her ears. She knew she didn�t have
much time before she started encountering the Jaridians onboard.
They would fan out. See how much damage they
could inflict. She had the Stasis Deck locked down, and she figured that Ra-jel
would be taking care of Engineering, and Access Routes.
Renee made a quick detour towards a weapons
locker. Grapping up two phase pistols and a larger, more heavy duty phase
rifle. She stuck the pistols in her waistband, and slinging the rifle over her
shoulder, she headed quickly towards the Medical Bay.
She didn�t pause when she got there. Her hand
slapped the opening access codes quickly into the computer pad, and the door
slid open. She cautiously stepped in.
Despite Yulyn�s previous warning, Howlyn was
still where she had left him. Pacing like a caged animal back and forth in
front of the energy shield. He turned towards her, snarling lightly.
�Would you mind informing me as to what is going
on, Renee?� He growled out. His fist slapping against the shield in
frustration.
Renee tried to catch her breath. �Gladly.� She
glowered at him. Hating the fact that her very blood heated at the sight of
him.
�We, uh� Had a little bit of a run in with the
Jaridians. Apparently, there are some survivors after all. And considering how
hot tempered they are, they won�t listen to our hails when we try to explain to
them that this is no longer a vessel run by� well, no more than one Taelon, at
least.� Renee paused, meeting his gaze seriously. Still breathing hard. �Some
of them have boarded the ship. Liam, Ra-jel and Yulyn are up in Command. Trying
to hold them off from making entrance there. The more critical aspects of the
ship have been locked down, but they�ve still got to be stopped, and I can�t
take them ALL down by myself.�
Inwardly, Renee�s sense of pride was being tread
upon. For her to be asking help from her enemy after all of these past months�
there was no limit to how that disturbed her. But she didn�t have a choice. She
had to take the risk that releasing him would entail, and hope that it didn�t
back fire on her.
Besides, she knew what would happen to those
stasis decks and everyone onboard the ship if the Jaridians gained control. And
from Howlyn�s expression, he knew it as well.>
�Release me.� His request was stated quietly,
but his eyes were already flaring with barely suppressed aggression. Renee
hoped she was doing the right thing.
Renee started to walk towards the computer pad
that would release Howlyn from the energy shield, when his warning yell split
the air, and automatically sent her to the floor, into a roll, and back up on
her feet, as an enraged Jaridian came swinging towards her. Howlyn infuriated
hiss/shriek split the air as he smashed his fist up against the shield once
again, sparks flying, to no avail.
Renee didn�t spare him a glance. She kept her
attention focused on the Jaridian coming at her.
Taking the butt of her rifle and aiming it
perfectly, she slammed it hard into his neck. Knowing that that suit of theirs
protected them from most blows.
Despite the crushing hit, the Jaridian male
managed to slam his leg in behind the back of Renee�s knee. Knocking her back
to the floor. Growling, she rolled quickly out of the way, unconsciously
shielding her stomach from any on-coming blow that might be aimed at her torso.
The Jaridian above her yelling at her in fury all the while. He removed a phase
pistol from his own hip and started to aim.
Going on the instinct of self-preservation that
had served her so well, she reacted quickly. Pulling one of the phaser pistols
clear of the waist band, she fired a shot. Catching him right at the throat she
had already injured.
She watched as his body fell hard to the
flooring of the Medical
Bay, and she couldn�t
help the sudden whoosh of air that exited her lungs, as her head fell back
against the floor in stunned exhaustion.
�Oh, this day just keeps getting better and
better.� She quipped sarcastically. Pushing herself back up her knees. Keeping
an eye all the while on the open doorway.
�Damn it. I must have been tripping when I
agreed to come on this journey.� She groaned. Rubbing the bruised area behind
her knee cap before she stood up, walking back over to computer padlock to
release the force field. �Destiny, my ass!� She spat out as she slammed her
palm against the pad, and listened to the hiss of the shield fall away.
Howlyn stood there a moment, just watching her,
before he stepped out of the room. Renee watched as he stepped over to kneel
down beside the Jaridian.
�You killed him.� He confirmed, curiously
studying a member of the sup-species that had replaced his own, alongside the
Taelons.
Renee glanced anxiously towards the exit. �I
meant to. Now, if you don�t mind, there are a bunch more currently swarming
over the ship that need to be dealt with as well.�
Renee walked towards the exit. Pistol still
drawn as she cautiously looked into the corridor. She didn�t see any others.
Like she had originally thought. The Jaridians had split up in order to make
more time in search of a way to take control of the ship.
She felt Howlyn come stand directly behind her.
Her heart started to hammer as she sensed his body heat even through her
clothes, and she couldn�t help the shiver, as she felt his breath brush over
the bare skin at her shoulder. A good portion of her upper back and shoulders
exposed due to the black spaghetti strap top of hers that she had thrown on.
She tried her best to focus on the moment at
hand instead of her raging hormones. Damn it if he didn�t know what he was
doing!
�The Jaridians are big and they�re strong. But
most of them are undisciplined. Hit them fast and hard if you want them to stay
down.� Renee turned her head to the side to watch him out of the corner of her
eye as his body brushed up against hers aggressively. A small growl of
acknowledgment rumbling in his throat. His hand wrapped it�s way around her
hip, and Renee couldn�t help but close her eyes at the contact. Her blood
heating to a boil.
�Did you dream of me?� he whispered seductively
in her ear. �Did your body burn for me, as mine did for yours?�
Renee flinched almost guiltily at his words.
Howlyn chuckled low. The sound sending shivers down her spine. He leaned in
closer. His lips caressing the spot on her jaw right in front of her ear.
�I guess I have my answer.� His whisper was
seductive, heated. It licked across her skin like black fire.
Renee jerked away and turned to face him.
Glaring all the while. Howlyn just smiled at her. His darkened face sensuous
with its primal desire for her written so clearly across it. Suddenly darting
forward, he pinned her arms to her side, and brought his mouth down on hers.
His rather skillful tongue parting her lips and slipping through.
Renee felt a silent whimper rise in her throat.
Tasting him just as fully as he was tasting her.
As suddenly as he had grabbed her, he released her
and stepped away. His Atavus senses already tracking the strange species on
board the Mothership. He turned back to smile at Renee. Rather pleased at these
change of events. He had the expression a wild tiger, who had just had his prey
revealed to him. And he already knew he was going to like the taste.
�I think I�m going to enjoy this hunt.� He
mentioned casually, before turning around and stalked into the opposite
direction. Not even bothering to look back.
Renee watched
his retreat, before turning around and heading the other way. Her brain
struggling to get back to its frame of mind from just moments before. Before he
had kissed her.
He knew just how to press her buttons. How to
wrap himself around her mind till she forgot which way was up. Her hand came up
and she self-consciously rubbed the rather distracting taste of him off her
lips.
Damn, she hated it when he did that!

Chapter
Twelve

Renee felt her heart rate pick up, as she heard
movement coming from around the side of the corridor. She backed herself slowly
up against the wall, as she edged closer to the turn. Stepping soundlessly.
Her hand tightened it�s grip on the phase
pistol, as she quickly swung around the corner, aim locking on to the Jaridian
currently trying to hack his way into the mainframe using a computer terminal.
And judging by his agitation, he wasn�t having an easy time of it.
He sensed the sudden movement behind him and
spun around. Growling low in his throat when he realized he�d been uncovered.
Renee didn�t even pause. She�d already tried to talk to the last three she�d
killed. But talk wasn�t on the agenda for them, and she had the cuts and
bruises to prove it.
She didn�t plan to add any more to them.
She fired two shots off soundly. And the
Jaridian dropped immediately. Renee let out a breath as she quickly stepped
over his body. Making sure he was staying down, before stepping over to
computer terminal. Checking to see if he had placed any bombs or had managed to
overload the system. Thankfully , he hadn�t been there long enough to do any
damage.
She quickly punched in the access codes for a
link to the Command Deck. Ra-jel appeared on the screen.
�Ra-jel! You need to shut down all of the
computer terminals throughout the decks. It�ll slow them down, and keep them
from messing up something vital.�
�If the Computer Terminals are shut down, we
will have no way of reaching you.�
Renee shook her head, glancing around her
quickly, before turning back to stare intently at Ra-jel. �That doesn�t matter
now. We�ve got to do something. It�s taken me over an hour to take down five.
At this pace, there�s no telling what damage they could inflict before we get
to all of them. If you do manage to get through to them, you can boot up the
system long enough to alert me.�
Ra-jel sighed, �Very well. Shutting down all
computer terminals.�
Renee watched as the screen in front of her went
black. The computer terminal going dead. It�s sudden silence piercing the area
around her. Renee gingerly rubbed her jaw where she could already feel it
swelling, and brushed away the trickle of blood oozing down from a cut above
her right brow. She started to head down that corridor. Hand still firmly
locked around her phase pistol. It really bothered her not having the terminals
up and running. They relayed any audio links to the Command Deck, and having
that suddenly severed where she couldn�t get in touch with Liam or Yulyn�it
really bothered the hell out of her. She hoped they were doing okay.
As Renee started to head down another corridor,
she almost tripped over the bodies of two other Jaridians. Her gun
automatically pointed itself down at them as she warily side stepped around
them. Keeping her distance. These two were Howlyn�s kill. Noticeable because of
the deep cleave marks emblazoned above
their hearts. Her jaw clenched as stepped beyond them and continued. She
guessed Jaridian energy wasn�t toxic to an Atavus like it was with Taelon.
She wasn�t pleased with his choice of a meal�
She had told Yulyn a long time ago he wasn�t to feed on any human or hybrid,
regardless of whether or not the person was going to die anyway by Yulyn�s
hand.
But Howlyn was who he was. Nothing had changed
in that regard. She knew that as long as it was necessary for him to do so, he
would feed to stay alive. To stay strong. And considering that there was a lack
of �livestock� onboard� He would take what he could get.
It reminded her to just how much she couldn�t
let herself forget that. Howlyn was not onboard this ship, heading back to his
home planet, of his own free will. He had not ended the battle between the
Atavus and the humans.
Renee had, and she had taken that power of
choice out of Howlyn�s grasp, whether he liked it or not.
She realized just how close the human race had
come to destruction. If he had succeeded in flying his ship, they wouldn�t be
here now. He would have already destroyed major cities all over the globe. He
would already have a large force of Atavus warriors on the ground�
And he would have been hunting for her
personally. And there would have been nothing she could have done to stop him.
Renee couldn�t help the shudder that those
thoughts and images brought up. And she thanked God that those things hadn�t
come about. She felt as if she had taken a wild tiger to her bed. And when she
stopped to think about it, that was basically what she had done.

Chapter Thirteen

Renee paused on her journey through the ship
long enough to grab more ammo, before continuing on her hunt for the Jaridians.
She didn�t like how quiet it suddenly was� It felt like the whole ship was
holding its breath. Waiting to see what was going to happen next.

One of the corridors that Renee started on down set her on
edge. The lights here were dim, almost nonexistent. It felt extremely creepy,
and Renee traveled it cautiously. Stepping slowly and soundlessly in order to
remain quiet, and to make sure her hearing didn�t pick up any sounds of life
within close range. It bothered her not knowing where Howlyn was. Letting him
loose was like letting loose a nuclear
bomb. Who knew when it was going to go off?

Renee could barely see, it was so dark, and she sat her mind
to getting out of there as fast as possible.

For the second time in the last hour, she almost tripped on
the sprawled out body of a Jaridian. Again, one of Howlyn�s kills. Signs of
violence were all around her. It looked like this one had given him a little
bit more of a fight.

Renee hesitated for a moment, before she leaned down to
check for a pulse. Not really expecting to find one, but she was able to tell
that the kill was recent. The bods sts still warm. And the dark, almost black
smears of alien blood on the walls and floor were still wet.

Which meant Howlyn was close by. She wondered idly whether
or not any of that blood was his or not. She didn�t know if that idea bothered
or pleased her. Maybe a little bit of both.

Renee stood back up from her crouch on the floor. The
muscles of her thighs straining under the fabric of her clothes. She rolled her
shoulders back to relieve some of the knots gathered there.

As she took a few steps away from the body, the fine hairs
on the back of her neck and bared shoulders bristled. And she knew, knew, that
she was being watched.

She swung around just in time to see Howlyn drop down into a
crouch behind her. A slight hiss escaping his mouth as he watched her aim the
phase pistol at him. His eyes glittering in the darkness. His face hidden by
the deepness of the shadows.

Renee took a couple of steps back as she slowly lowered her
pistol. Watching him cautiously. She had the sudden notion that he was smiling
at her. She resisted the urge to bring that pistol back up, although every
muscle in her body was telling her to do so.

Howlyn stood silently. Smart enough to do so slowly.
Emotions were running high for both of them, still fresh upon the hunt. He
could smell that intoxicating mixture of excitement, adrenaline, fear, and
passion clinging to her skin, and he inhaled deeply. He could bathe in that
scent. Had done so many times before when he encoencountered her in situations
very similar to this.

Renee watched him as he glanced down at the body of the
Jaridian. She heard a slight sound rumble in his throat, and she didn�t know if
she should liken it to a cat�s purr of pleasure, or a lion�s growl of
aggression.

�Have you been�enjoying�my little �presents that I�ve
been leaving around this ship?� Howlyn�s comment was faintly amused. As
if he had been doing just that. Hell. In his mind, that�s probably what he was
doing. She had requested him to kill, after all. To join her.
Something she had never thought she�d ask of him.

And the idea bothered her. A lot.

Renee tiled her chin up, her gaze almost challenging. �I
would have preferred flowers, but I guess these will have to do.� She beckoned
towards the fallen Jaridian with her pistol. Her eyes never leaving him.

She was surprised to hear him suddenly laugh, and the sound
made her fingers tighten on her pistol, even as her body tightened with desire.

He stepped slowly towarer, er, and as a credit to Renee�s
strength, she didn�t retreat. Even though her mind screamed at her to do so.

The very sight of him was enough to make her blood heat.

As he came within range of her, Renee tried to see him
clearly through the darkness of the corridor, but was having a difficult time.
She sensed more than saw him reach his hand out, and felt his fingers brush
over the cut over her brow. Following the trail of dried blood down to the
bruises on her jaw line from being struck.

�You were marked.� He stated off-handedly. Fingers still not
leaving her jaw line. Eyes shimmering like black obsidian at her.

Renee felt the corners of her mouth tilt up. �You should
have seen the other guy.�

Howlyn didn�t acknowledge her words. He just took a step
closer. His fingers still tracing her jaw. With a sudden flick, a cleave on his
index finger came gleaming to life. It�s glow illuminating the area surrounding
them.

Renee felt her body start at the suddenness of his move, but
she didn�t voice hurprurprise, nor did she allow her body to tense in fear. Her
eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him. Trying not to acknowledge her sudden
increase in heart rhythm.

He was up to something. She knew it as suddenly as she knew
her body was starting to flame to life again in reaction to his nearness.

Chapter Fourteen

Howlyn�s eyes never left hers as he gently
traced his extended cleave over the cut above her brow, and brushing it against
the bruising at her jaw line and around her mouth. Using his Atavus healing
capabilities to sooth the pain away, and heal the marks.

Renee swallowed reflexively as she realized what he was
doing, and felt her heart rate slow down some from it�s erratic pace. Her eyes
never left him. He was still very confusing to her. A walking contradiction.
Every time she thought she had seen all he was capable of, he managed to shock
her with something else.

Nothing she tried to do or think could change the fact that
she was connected to him. And she still didn�t fully understand why he had
wanted her so much. What did he want from her? Why had he hunted her for so
long? Why did he desire her so?

And why, after all the marks that he himself had put on her,
was he healing this one small little cut?

She had a sudden shuddering flow through her mind as she
crazily thought that it might be because he hadn�t placed those marks on her
personally.

Howlyn let his hand drop to his side as he studied her now
perfect skin. His gaze dropping down to the throbbing of her pulse point at the
base of her neck. And he remembered how her skin had tasted.

All of a sudden, it felt as if Renee had entered some sort
of dream state. Whether it was brought on by something he had done, or simply
by what she was feeling, but she could suddenly hear her heartbeat loud and in
her ears. She felt like she could almost sense the world around them slowing
down and coming to a halt. Suddenly, it didn�t matter that the ship was
swarming with Jaridians. It didn�t matter that Howlyn was still technically her
enemy. An enemy that was now free from his confinement and out to play. It didn�t
matter that there was a body of a dead Jaridian at her feet. It didn�t matter
that she had trained herself for years to never let personal interest interfere
when she was currently fighting for her life.

All of a sudden,
those emotions that had been running around within her head and body
�aggression, fear, adrenaline � it all flared up into one solid and desperate
sensation.

Desire.

Howlyn felt the change within her body, and he growled his
approval. She was responding as a female of his species would. The desire of
the hunt was changing into the desire of the body, and Howlyn very much
approved.

And he waited for Renee to make the first move.

And for the first time, Renee did just that.

She didn�t know exactly what happened. One minute she was standing
less than a foot in front of Howlyn, and the next, she had his back clear up
against the wall. Her mouth locked with his. Her body desperately trying to
push closer against him.

Howlyn obliged her. Arms came around her back. Bringing her
body tight up against him. His hands trailed down further, and his palms cupped
her derriere and kneaded. He kissed her back passionately. Hisses escaping his
throat as he felt her nip his lower lip in agitation. Her own fingertips
clawing at his shoulders.

�I don�t want to play games here, Howlyn.� Renee�s voice was
dark and heavy with arousal. Her attitude dominating and aggressive, as she
suckled the sting from her teeth marks upon his lower lip. Her desire bordered
on pain, and if he didn�t do something about it, than damn it! She�d rape him!

�I can see that.� Howlyn commented wryly, before reaching
around and sliding his hand between her thighs. Cupping her through her
clothes.

Renee felt her core turn to liquid heat, and she buried her
face into his shoulder. Teeth testing the side of his neck. She knew that what
she was feeling wasn�t normal. This wasn�t traditional hormones. Hell, this
wasn�t even anything like what she had been feeling when she�d woken up in the
middle of the night, her body on fire. This was the demand of ecstasy, and if
it didn�t come soon, she was liable to rip him to shreds on the spot. Her
response was primal. Animalistic. It was almost like she was in heat. And she
had one sudden moment of clarity, as she realized that this had something to do
with the hunt for the Jaridians on board.

What was this, some ritualistic behavior among an Atavus
couple? To screw over the body of one of their kills?

This idea should hdisgdisgusted her, but it didn�t. And she
didn�t know who that said more about. Herself or Howlyn.

Those thoughts fled as she felt Howlyn begin to suckle on
the ancient love bite burned permanently into the side of her neck. Renee
couldn�t stop the small cry that escaped her lips at the contact.

Her body jerked as she felt the heat of his hand suddenly
skim across her navel, and down low, into her pants. His rather talented
fingers finding their prize. Renee pressed in closer, as her body started to
tighten with pleasure. His mouth never leaving its place on her neck.

She groaned as she felt one of his fingers slip inside her
heated core. It wasn�t exactly what she had had in mind, but it wasn�t a bad
substitute. She rocked her body into him as he continued to stroke. His mouth
working firmly on her throat, and his other hand released it�s pressure on the
small all her back, to scrape the sharp tips of his fingers over her tightened
nipple, right through her clothes. Confident that Renee�s grip on his shoulders
wasn�t going to falter anytime soon.

In response, Renee let her teeth test the side of his neck
again. The exotic alien scent of him filling her lungs, as she felt her body
start to climax, as he drove that oh-so-talented finger deep within her. Other
hand kneading her breast, while his mouth drew hard upon that intriguing love
bite/button that sent her spiraling out of control.

Renee grinded her body up against him, as she allowed the
hoarse sound of her pleasure echo around them. Howlyn growling back his
approval, as he held her closer to him as her body�s rhythm slowed down. Slowly
slipping his hand away from her feminine heat.

Renee tried to catch her breath, studying the rather
satisfied gleam in Howlyn�s eyes and really not liking it one bit.

�Just what exactly the hell was that?�

Howlyn grinned openly as his fingers tightened at her back.
Keeping her from moving away from him. She could feel the prick of his
fingertips through her clothes, and she satisfied herself with allowing her
body lean up against him.

�Just a little something expected due to our.. connection.�
His tone was sensual and it�s huskiness danced across Renee�s skin like a
living flame. It�s darkness soothing at the same time inflaming.

�Hmm.� Renee leaned closer into him. A devilish expression
flickering across her eyes. Two could play at this game.

Her hand slipped down from its position on his shoulder to
trail lightly over his chest, lower over his stomach, and then lower to knead
his arousal through his exo-suit.

�You haven�t enjoyed this�connection� yourself yet.� Her
tone was taunting. Almost challenging, as she blatantly grinded her body up
against his.

Howlyn suddenly hissed loudly, and spun her body around so
it was her back pressed up against the wall. Her wayward hand still trapped
between their bodies. Howlyn�s mouth hovered just a few centimeters above hers,
as his glittering eyes locked onto her gaze. His lips barely brushed hers as he
whispered his intentions. His body taking back domination from hers.

�This hunt isn�t over yet, Renee. And nether is
this.� He aggressively pushed his arousal closer into her hand, before he
stepped away from her, his eyes gleaming at her in promise as he jumped back up
the large air duct that he had come from. Leaving the temptation that was Renee
standing there, alone and mouth still parted in desire. Wondering just exactly
what the hell he had meant by that.

Chapter 15

An hour later and three more Jaridians dead, Renee was
getting downright cranky. Every part of her body was sore. Granted, even the
areas that had no right to be, courtesy of Howlyn.

She brushed her hand over the side of her face to push back
a stray hair, and winced when her fingers came in contact with a fresh cut that
she had just received about ten minutes ago. It was funny. Back before the
Atavus had been unleashed and Liam�s �death�, she had been through more tangles
with the Jaridians than she cared to remember, but nothing like this. Nothing
this violent or deadly. It hadn�t been till this last year of dealing with the
Atavus that her battles had become so incredibly violent. So dangerous.

So bruising.

A paf hef her hated the fact that she had changed so much
with the appearance of Howlyn and his species in her life. Another part of her
was exhilarated at having become the warrior she had. Was thrilled at the
feeling of the battle, the adrenaline, the hunt, the chase, and even the kill.
It was something that Howlyn had assisted in bringing out of her. And as much
as she would have liked placing the blame of it squarely on his shoulders, she
knew that this side of her had already been awakening.

It had started after Liam�s death, and had continued up till
she had released Howlyn and his gang from their chamber near the volcano, where
it had found its fuel.

And it had been something thawlynwlyn had sensed in her from
the beginning. That had been what had made her so desirable to him in the first
place. What he had smelled upon her with their first meeting.

He had wanted her, pursued her, and threatened her. And she
had fought him. Time and again, she had fought him. Never giving in. Until that
night at the Spa� that one night, everything changed�

They had out-maneuvered her. While she had been focused on
running away from what was behind her, they had ran her right into a second
group of Jaridians waiting patiently for her at the end of the corridor.

She had been effectively cornered and trapped.

Panting, Renee darted a look over her shoulder as the two
Jaridians that had been chasing her cut off any possibilities of escaping the
way she�d come. Damn it.

Her head snapped back around to face the three males in
front of her, closing in cautiously.

Renee felt a momentary surge of panic as she realized that
there wasn�t any way out of this situation. Battling it back, she focused on
breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself. Taking comfort in the fact that
if they had wanted her dead, she would have already been so.

Keeping her feet braced apart carefully in a defensive
position, she tossed her phase pistol down, and recklessly held her hands up.
Submitting to a point, but they could all see the light of rebellion flickering
in her eyes. If there was one thing that Renee didn�t take to, it was being
captured.

By anyone.

Still breathing heavily, Renee turned her body towards on of
the males behind her as he started to approach her. Her eyes narrowing to
glittering slits as she saw the aggression displayed in the lines of his form.
He didn�t slow his pace as he came right up to her. Stopping not any further
than just a few inches away.

Renee met his gaze unblinkingly. Gaze never wavering.

The Jaridian snarled at her obvious display of dominance,
and his fist quickly snapped up and back-handed her hard across the cheek.
Sending her reeling into the wall off to her side.

Pain exploded sharply in her jaw, as Renee�s body sagged
into the wall. Seeking support. Her jaw throbbing from the harsh contact. She
staggered in place, refusing to go down. Her hatred towards the Jaridians
reverberating through her body as she shot a look at her hitter. Eyes glittered
with the almost indefinable shine of black hatred.

She received another blow, this time sending her to the
ground as silver sparks danced in front of her eyes. The pain was so intense,
she wouldn�t be surprised if the bastard had broken her jaw.

Curling her arms around her middle, she tried to defend the
life within her as she was hauled back up to her feet. Despite her struggles,
she wasn�t strong enough to get away from them. Two of the Jaridians moved to
twist her arms behind her, holding her tightly as she screamed out at them in
hatred, her body bucking against them in an attempt to get away. She tried to
kick out with one of her legs, but the blow was struck away by her attacker.
The impact causing her entire leg to go numb with pain as it could no longer
support her weight. She knew they
weren�t done with her, not by a long shot. kne knew she was responsible for
killing some of their warriors. It was only a matter of time before they aimed
at other aspects of her body.

As if reading her mind, her attacker�s gaze traveled over
her body crudely. The sight causing Renee�s skin to crawl with disgust. He
looked back up at Renee�s already swelling and coloring face, and the coldness
of his eyes spoke volumes to Renee. Jaridian senses may not have been as
advanced as Atavus, but it wasn�t difficult for him to uncover her condition.
He knew.

One of her Jaridian captors grasped at her hair. Wrapping it
around his wrist and yanking her head back painfully in restraint. Cold alien
fingers up against her scalp as the grip tightening, causing Renee to let out a
cry of pain.

Her fear didn�t stem from the idea of being tortured. That
she could withstand. What she couldn�t bear, however, was the unmistakable
knowledge that her unborn daughter couldn�t. They were going to kill her
daughter here and now and there was no way she could stop them.

Still she struggled, trying to buy time. It was futile
though, as she saw her attacker suddenly bring his arm back, preparing to land
a punch harshly into her unprotected stomach.

Renee let out a scream as she tried to twist away from the
oncoming blow. The fear for her child�s life lending her strength. But she knew
it was too late, she wouldn�t be able to evade it. She felt her daughter leap
in fear within her womb in response to it�s mother�s, and Renee closed her eyes
in emotional agony, waiting for the pain to start all over again.

***********************************

Chapter Eighteen

But there was one thing she hadn�t counted on.

Howlyn.

In that brief moment when she should have expected the
contact of her Jaridian torturer�s fist burying its way into her abdomen, she
felt more than saw the black shaslidsliding between her and her attacker so
quickly and quietly that all she felt was the swirling undercurrents of the air
brushing up against her skin. The heat from his body, and the undeniable rage
that had him poised protectively in front of her radiating out. Opening her
eyes, she recognized the strange black fabric covering Howlyn�s back, as the
unmistakable sound of a fist making muffled contact with flesh.

What she didn�t see was Howlyn catching the flying fist in a
grip made from iron. His eyes black with the promise of death. The cold line of
his mouth filled with venomous hatred. The snarl rising in his throat.

So surprised was the Jaridian, that he didn�t even have a
chance to let out more than a whimper as Howlyn�s grip quickly crushed the
bones in the Jaridian�s hand. The sound of bones breaking and grinding echoing
throughout the corridor. Intermingled with Howlyn�s Atavus shrieks of hatred
and aggression.

Before the Jaridian could even let out a cry of pain,
Howlyn�s cleave slashed out and ripped into the Jaridian�s exposed throat,
feeling the warmth of the alien�s black blood starting to pour out and sizzle
when it came into contact with the glowing tips. Grasping his quickly dying
body, Howlyn tossed the Jaridian about forty feet in the opposite direction of
the corridor. The body making a harsh sound as it fell heavily. Blood leaking
from the mangled neck to stain the floor.

Howlyn didn�t bother to waste his time looking at the shell
of the being he had just killed, instead, his body whipped back around into a
crouch. His features twisted dangerously as he hissed coldly at the surrounding
Jaridians, his stormy gaze flickering briefly over to Renee before zooming back
in on the Jaridians.

Renee tried to get past the surge of relief she had felt at
the sight of Howlyn�s appearance, and took advantage of the Jaridians stunned
disbelief. Feeling a surge of strength brought on by a healthy dose of anger
and fear, she managed to tear herself free from the loosened grasp of the two
holding her, and turned on them so fast they never saw her coming.

Howlyn, realizing she had those two under control, took on
the other two. Cleaves slashing through their exo-suits to find purchase in the
flesh beneath.

Renee rammed her palm into one Jaridian�s face, as she body
slammed the other into the wall. Fine strands of her gold colored hair getting
pulled out in the process. Renee winced but surged forward. Forcing her knee up
hard into the torso of the alien, she pulled out their strange but effective
version of a phase pistol. Her injured leg shrieking out in protest at being
forced to take her weight.

Spinning quickly to fire off at the Jaridian she could sense
aiming his own weapon at her back, she took him down with several shots in the
gut. Turning back around to press the barrel into the neck of the Jaridian she
still had pressed up against the wall. Her arm leaning into his unprotected
throat. Watching pleasantly as he struggled to breathe. He stopped trying to
fight her when he felt the weapon pressed into his jugular, and watched
helplessly as the female�s strange alien companion went about eliminating the
last two remaining Jaridians.

�Why are you attacking our ship?� Renee asked coldly.
Ignoring the sounds of the battle taking place behind her back. The Jaridian�s
gaze flew from hers to the fight bac back again. Eyes going wide at the sound
of his companions screaming. Renee�s expression
became as cold as ice. Seeing the reflection of Howlyn feeding off of
one of them in the frightened gaze of the Jaridian in front of her.

Renee�s eyes narrowed as her body literally shook from rage.
They had tried to kill her baby. Had tried to torture her. Had tried to destroy
what she had left of a family, and needless to say, she wasn�t feeling that generous
at the moment. She wanted nothing more than to rip him apart, but, knowing she
might figure out just what the hell was going on was even more tempting at the
moment. Her grip tightened on the weapon, and she pressed it even harder into
the Jaridian�s mottled skin.

�We can either do this the easy way, or the hard one. Either
you tell me what I want to know, or ...�

Renee flicked her head in the general direction of Howlyn.
Knowing by the silence that he had finished both of the Jaridians off.

She sensed him approaching. Felt the heat from his body
brush up against her skin like a lover�s caress, and despite her battered
state, her body still responded to his nearness.

Howlyn�s hand briefly touched the small of Renee�s back
gently as he came to stand beside her, and she knew his senses were expanding
to �see� what damage had been inflicted on her body, as well as to the
condition of their child. His gaze was as cruel and filled with black hatred as
she�d ever seen, as he focused in on the Jaridian. Every bit an Atavus male.

A growl erupted from his throat, as he quickly ripped the
Jaridian out of Renee�s grasp and slammed him hard enough into the wall for
Renee to hear bones breaking. Howlyn held him there, his grip tightly fisted
around the Jaridian�s neck as he waited for the Jaridian to make his decision.
Cleaves pressed up against his throat tauntingly.

The corners of Renee�s mouth turned up as she smiled coldly
at the Jaridian, her fingers reaching up to gingerly touch the trickle of blood
coming from her torn bottom lip, before dropping down again. The other hand
tapping the pistol against her thigh impatiently. She cocked her head in the
direction of Howlyn as she finished her statement. Howlyn�s instinctual
response frightening to the Jaridian, and somehow exhilarating to Renee.

�� I�ll leave you with him. What�s it going to be?�

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"Black Fire"