Alien General's Fated (Brion Brides 5)(25)

"That's not possible," Aria said, but the general didn't mind her lack of optimism.

"We'll see," he said.

The roof started falling and the general pressed himself even closer against her. Aria forced herself to believe she was only doing it because her life might have depended on it when she wrapped her hands around his chest.

"Hold on to me," the general said. "As hard as you can. No matter what, don't let go. I've got you."

She believed him, like she had from the moment they'd met. Aria tightened her hold, pressed her face flat against his chest, breathing in like he was the only source of air. She felt him bring one arm around her to hold onto her when the ceiling finally collapsed. Aria felt Ryden wince for a moment when a huge piece of the ceiling collapsed on top of them.

He practically slammed her against the wall, pressing her against it, grinding them together in the chaos of noise and rocks and metal and glass raining down all around them.

The shield held. It crackled above their heads, but it did not give in. And neither did Ryden. When Aria dared to peek up at some point, she was shocked to see there was only darkness around them. The amount of weight the general had to be holding up on his own was nothing short of miraculous.

Aria had never felt so useless in her life. She wanted to say something, anything, to let the general know that even if he ultimately collapsed, she appreciated him trying. When no words came from her lips, she settled for hugging him tighter. After a second, she felt him return it.

She was starting to think it would never end, but the noise finally came to a stop. The world stopped breaking apart around them, the pieces of sky stopped falling. Everything went still, including them.

Aria found herself tightly in the arms of the most gorgeous man alive that she could barely breathe. It occurred to her, with morbid self-awareness, that under other circumstances she might have found his presence arousing. At that moment, though, all she wanted was to breathe. To get away, to move. Above all, to know if there even was a world above them anymore.#p#分页标题#e#

The general didn't move, though. She gave a testing hug. That was returned. Good, at least he hadn't lost consciousness then. Aria made herself wait patiently, but it was difficult. Not because she panicked, but the exact opposite.

I am really something, aren't I? she thought. Trapped under a collapsed roof with no air and no room, but I feel safe because there's a hot guy with me.

The problem was, she couldn't deny it. For a moment, watching the ceiling collapse on top of them, she had doubted him, but she no longer did. Aria knew she only had to wait for Ryden to get them free. And exactly when she'd thought that, the general stirred.

She felt him flex and wasn't able to hide the guilty tinge of excitement that brought her. Then Ryden squared his shoulders and started to push. Aria's mouth dropped open. Sure, that was what she'd been expecting him to do, but to see it in action was still unbelievable.

There was a small mountain upon them, fallen neatly on their prone figures, sliding down the shield covering them. Now Ryden had to force his way through all of that.

The general's powerful body seemed to grow even bigger under her hands when he put his entire strength behind the push. But incredibly, unbelievably, the rocks above them were moving. Aria held her breath when she heard them topple over each other, rolling down the side of the collapsed mountain of debris they were trapped under.

Inch by inch, Ryden fought against the debris until he could stand freely and finally put his back into it properly. Aria wondered if she should let go, but she didn't dare and the general didn't tell her to. Moment by moment, she felt the suffocating weight above them move until she saw light and heard sounds and breathed in fresh air.

Ryden gave a quick knock to the rocks and Aria found herself back in his arms when it started to fall apart above them. Ryden held her close until the second avalanche was done too. When Aria lifted her head this time, she saw light above and finally dared to detach herself from the general.

Ryden gave her a lift and she climbed out of what would have been her grave if it hadn't been for him. Again, it was always him. In mute horror, she noticed the scars on his body, received when he shielded her from most of the harm. Her own arms bore a few gashes at the most.

She wanted to say something, confess at least part of what she felt, but didn't get the chance. Suddenly, the general looked very serious.

"Don't you hear that?" he asked, growling.

Aria listened. Other than the collapse still settling and noises coming from afar, there was nothing.

"No, I—"

"Exactly," Ryden said, turning to look at the hangar. "I don't hear the generator."

Aria took off running toward the sealed-off hangar, where she could see out of the fortress. And there she could see it with her own eyes. There was no shield.

Ilotra was defenseless.





CHAPTER TWENTY

Ryden



The silence was as deafening as the noise.

Every warrior knew that in the heat of battle, there were moments when a man couldn't spare a single second to look around. All that mattered was to keep moving until it was safe to stop.

Ryden knew was that a general had to take that moment even when every second counted.

The valor squares on his neck pulsed furiously, his blood roaring for battle, demanding revenge. The walls of the hangar were red in their glow, flickering, broadcasting his mood to anyone who was watching. His com link was demanding his attention and Aria was standing beside him, speechless. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with tears—not ones of despair, but of simple sadness at the destruction she was witnessing.

The general could understand, but not relate. It wasn't in his nature to be miserable, to focus on the downside. Every emotion he felt sharpened instead into a cutting, deadly purpose.

Looking around, the general took in what had happened after the Clayor hive mind had tricked them. That was unfortunate, but he valued seeing the Host's abilities more than a few hallways.

It would have been different if Aria had been harmed. Ryden wouldn't have been able to see the upside, the benefit of that. The little Terran's death would have been a real cause for misery and even that was an understatement.

The hangar was a mess. Most of his warriors had returned, but the collapse of the hallways had claimed some lives. The bubble was down, as was the generator's shield. The generator itself was broken beyond repair, meaning that Ilotra's main defense was out of the picture. Almost all of the hallways and structures around the hangar were collapsed. Some were sealed off by the emergency doors, signaling that the outer walls had been breached.#p#分页标题#e#

Above his head, the space around Ilotra was teeming with life. Fighters dashed by, smaller ships trying to get out of their way. There were no Clayor ships yet, but Ryden had no doubt about what was causing the confusion.

The hive mind was making its move. The moment it had chosen to reveal its forces hit them at their most vulnerable. Ryden needed a single glance to see the other three fleets were in disarray, missing a united leadership. Even with superior firepower, a confused army was easy pickings for the enemy.

All of that was clear to him in a few seconds. He was feeling calm like in the eye of a storm. He grinned. That was his place, right in the middle of complete chaos.

He turned to his own warriors first, who were quickly making their way back to him after the attack.

"Secure the location," he ordered. "Find out what happened here, whether it was another explosive or something crashed into us."

His men hastened to obey while Ryden opened his com link to the Conqueror.

"Captain Hastien," he said to his second-in-command. "Report."

"General," the warship's bridge responded at once.

Ryden could hear the relief in the man's voice, but the captain knew him better than to descend into sentiment when there wasn't time to waste.

"It's the Clayors. The union   and the allied fleets are engaging. So far the enemy is taking heavy casualties, but they are many. If more come, we might be beaten back. Should the Conqueror move to meet the Clayors, sir?"

"No," Ryden said at once. "Send the flotilla. Ilotra's shield is down. Your only goal is to stop the enemy from reaching the moon. I want that made very clear. The defenses have to hold. The flagship will stay where it is. In the case of any danger, I want it between the enemy and Ilotra."

"Yes, General."

"One more thing. Send word to the allied fleets. The command ships are not to break formation from Ilotra. Tell them to send their smaller vessels, but the main force must stay to protect the fortress."

The bridge gave him an affirmative and the link went silent. Ryden opened it again, this time to Ilotra's own command center.

"The shield is down," he said before the commanding officer could speak. "Ilotra's security patrols and all the personal guards to the ambassadors have only one task now. Evacuate deeper into the fortress, keep the civilians away from the upper levels. Go as deep as you can. Only essential technical crew is to remain."

"Yes, General," the center responded. "Should we join you after the evacuation?"

"No," Ryden said. "You are to stay with the people. Brions will handle the fighting, but you must be prepared to engage the enemy. Make no mistake, they will be here before this day is over."