Slag: Book Four in the Galaxy Pirates Alien Abduction Romance Series (Shifter) Alana Khan (love letters to the dead .txt) 📖

past the blanket. “We’ll make a good home here. We have food. Thantose gave us money and we can buy what we need until we figure out how to sustain ourselves.” When I see her eyes fill with tears I add, “If they don’t come back for us we can build a good life.”

I have a lot to learn about my mate, because instead of lessening her sadness, the tears spill over and rain down her cheeks. Before I can do anything, she closes her eyes, takes slow deep breaths, then opens them, and with a nod of her head gives me a warm, loving smile.

The following days blend together in a flurry of activity. We cleaned and organized the barn, and hovered to town for supplies. It’s nothing like riding in my dragon form, it made me dizzy. We used needle and thread to sew blankets together and filled them with hay for a mattress. Then we made lists of what we’ll need to accomplish before the seasons change.

Every day KJ and I take time for fun. Whenever I shift to my stallion we travel to the falls, and we’ve explored nearby in every direction.

The most exciting development is that my ability to shift at will has almost completely returned. The only problem is I have no control over what I shift into. Dranii and Ozias come when they feel like it—I think that’s because they love my mate almost as much as I do and they push forward to feel her pats and give her rides.

Sometimes, though, I’ll turn into a dram, one of the little animals on Kallion that lives in trees and scurries through the grasses. I could as easily turn into a bird or even an anlock, one of the long-toothed predators from my homeworld. It frustrates and perplexes me as to why I am having such difficulty controlling my az’rah.  Something is still missing. We’ve determined that no matter what I turn into I’ll never hurt KJ, though. There isn’t even the smallest part of me that could ever harm her

I’m walking back from the falls, KJ on my stallion’s back when a vessel breaks through the clouds in the sky. Breaking into a gallop, I feel my mate grab my mane and press her thighs against my flanks as I head toward one of the two caves we discovered near the edges of our property.

I push myself faster than I’ve ever run. My hooves pound into the soil, my muscles straining to get my mate to safety before we’re spotted.

“A’Zul!” KJ yells as she leans over my neck to catch my attention. “A’Zul. I think that’s the Ataraxia!”

I don’t stop running until I’m hidden under a canopy of trees. I’m afraid to shift, wondering what I’ll shift into, fearing I’ll leave her defenseless.

She peeks out from the edge of the trees and inspects the sky over the burned cabin.

“I wish I’d paid better attention, but I could swear that’s the pirate’s ship. See the way the rear flanges out? I think I remember seeing that when they left us here.”

I have the ability to shake or nod my head, we’ve worked out a primitive communication system, but I take pains to remain perfectly still. I didn’t see the ship when it flew away and don’t want to give her bad information.

“You stay here,” she says. “We can’t risk you shifting and calling attention to yourself. I want to inch a bit closer.”

I’m already shifting, though. My mate isn’t going to approach strangers on her own.

“A’Zul! KJ!” We hear a male voice call through a loudspeaker. “KJ! A’Zul! Are you here?”

I glance down to see I’m in my Slag form. “I’ll go,” I tell her, not certain if that’s Thantose’s voice or not, “to protect you.”

“We’ll go together,” my KJ insists, “that was definitely Thantose.”

As if to remove any doubt, we hear, “What the fuck happened to my cabin?”

KJ

As we run to the remains of his house I’m filled with relief as the weight of the dread I’ve felt lifts from my shoulders.

The Ataraxia has landed, and everyone on board is spilling out to greet us. I’ve never been so happy to see people in my whole life.

“Did you burp fire?” Thantose asks A’Zul as he approaches, obviously wanting the conversation to be just the three of us. By the look on his face, he has a good idea that’s not the right answer.

“Daneur Khour,” I tell him.

He walks us away from the others as A’Zul and I give him a full report. Thantose is such an interesting character. His smile is quick and easy, and he’s the first to tell a joke or make light of a situation. He’s also fiercely protective of anyone under his charge. This is the male we’re talking to right now, obviously furious that we were attacked and, as he glances over his shoulder, clearly worried about how to protect his mate and crew.

“It looks like Daneur Khour’s MarZan cartel has even more reason to hate us now that you destroyed their ship and killed most of their crew.” He scrubs his face with his hands.

“Although we don’t know whether Khour himself is alive or dead, we can’t stay here. We’re safer in space. You’re certain your shifting is under your control?” he asks. We’d informed him of this latest update.

“I can’t control what I shift into, but I can control the shift,” A’Zul says. “The moment I shift into something that will endanger the ship or crew, I can shift again and again until I’m in a safe form.”

After Thantose asks for a demonstration, he’s finally convinced.

“Let’s get your supplies and bounce.”

I have to subtly point to A’Zul’s crotch to remind him to put some pants on since he was naked after his shift. I’ve gotten used