Page 10 of Errik

She drifted to sleep thinking about space travel, alien cities, and an otherworldly male with glowing green eyes…

Chapter 4

Errik stared at the strange silver abode on wheels. He’d just visited the address Holly had provided on her VAMOB application, which appeared to be a medical clinic of sorts, only for an older woman to direct him toward the silver abode in the parking lot.

As he approached the door, he found himself smoothing his hands through his hair and making sure his uniform shirt was properly tucked in. He almost scoffed at his actions. As though he could make himself look more presentable simply by fixing his hair and tucking in his shirt.

He was a lethal Vaxxlian warrior who’d spent moon cycles flitting from one cage fight to the next, and he was covered in old scars that the nanobots hadn’t been able to heal. Some of the scars appeared a bit more faded than yesterday, but they were still there. Holly would see them the moment she opened the door.

Would she recoil from his appearance?

He’d never given much thought to what he looked like or even cared whether females found him pleasing to the eye, but for the first time in his life, he suddenly wished he were more traditionally handsome. Like Feral or Draevan. Fluxx. What was he thinking? This time, he did scoff aloud.

He reminded himself that Holly, like most of the human females who signed up for the VAMOB program, was probably desperate to escape Earth. The country she called home was in the middle of a war. He’d flown past several battles in progress as he’d navigated to this location. In fact, this particular town seemed to be surrounded by fighting on all sides.

Holly had probably signed up for the VAMOB program because she feared for her life if she remained on Earth. The little silver vehicle that she apparently called home would not offer her much protection from weapons fire.

With this thought in mind, he knocked on the door.

But no one answered.

He frowned and tried to peer in the windows, but thick black curtains prevented him from seeing anything. He knocked again but still no one answered.

A growl built in his throat.

Where was his mate?

He glanced around the parking lot, as though expecting her to materialize out of thin air. But he only saw an elderly woman walking toward the clinic, a child skipping down the street, and a man fixing a solar light on the sidewalk. No young human females anywhere.

Perhaps the Intergalactic Dating Agency had provided him with incorrect information. Or maybe Holly had changed her mind. Maybe she’d decided she didn’t want to mate with him after all, and she’d taken off so he wouldn’t be able to find her.

He started to walk away, only to feel a strange tugging sensation in his chest. The back of his neck also prickled. He glanced around again, almost expecting an attack, but he still saw nothing amiss.

But when he took another step away from the silver vehicle, the tugging sensation in his chest worsened to the point that he almost couldn’t breathe. He peered at the door of the abode.

All his instincts screamed that his mate was inside. Not only was she inside, but she was in some sort of peril. He couldn’t say how he knew this, only that he could not simply walk away.

He had to reach Holly immediately.

Using his strength, he broke the handle on the door and pulled it open, forcing his way inside the tiny vehicle.

“Holly!” he called. “Do not be afraid. It is me, Errik. Your mate.”

The doorway was so small that he had to turn and twist his body just to get inside. Once he entered the female’s abode, he scanned the small space, desperate to find her.

There. On the floor beside a narrow bed.

She wasn’t moving, and for one terrible moment, he feared she might be dead. He rushed over, kneeled beside her, and exhaled with relief when he found her warm to the touch. He could also see her chest rising and falling, but only very faintly.

“Holly? Holly, please wake up and tell me what is wrong.”

Her eyes fluttered briefly, but she couldn’t seem to open them, and an agonized groan escaped her lips. She also pressed a hand against her chest and winced. Clearly, she was having trouble breathing. And she was in pain.

Was she sick, or had she sustained some kind of injury? He was about to shake her to attempt rousing her when he remembered the sealed packet in his pocket that contained the syringe.

The dose of healing nanobots intended for his mate.

He removed the syringe from the packet, uncapped it, and pushed up Holly’s sleeve. Then he plunged the needle into her arm, desperate to help her. Desperate to save her. He hadn’t even spoken to her yet, but there was something about the petite brunette that roused his protective instincts.