Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“It’s all right,” he told the little female, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. “Dark and I won’t let him harm you.”
“No, we fucking won’t,” Dark said. He was a male of few words, but now he took a step closer, closing ranks with Light and keeping the small female safely between them. He shot the human man a cold look through the retractable scope that covered one eye and put his arm around the girl’s trembling shoulders.
“Thank you—both of you!” She nestled between them, but kept an eye out over her shoulder.
Light kept an eye on the human male as well. When he saw Light and Dark put their arms around her, he muttered something that sounded like a curse and the angry scowl on his face deepened to a look of furious frustration. He almost looked like he might come try to take the female away from them!
That would be a mistake on his part, Light thought grimly. He and his brother not only had Kindred size and strength, Dark also had a bio-mechanical arm which was capable of punching through plasti-steel or concrete. And Light had legs that were engineered to enable him to leap twenty feet in the air and land safely—or kick his way through a brick wall.
They were just some of the many bio-mechanical enhancements the brothers had, which were mandatory on the Dark Kindred home world. It gave them a distinct edge in any combat situation.
The human male looked like he might make a move anyway. But just at that moment the line moved and Light found that they were going into the club with the little human female still close between them.
“Three?” the woman at the front booth asked, a bored look on her conventionally attractive face.
“Yes, three.” Light nodded.
“Oh, I can pay for myself!” the little female exclaimed.
Light shook his head.
“Negative—I am your friendboy—remember? Doesn’t that entail paying for your entrance to the venue?”
“That’s boyfriend.” A little smile played around the corners of her lush mouth and for a minute Light saw how utterly lovely she would be when she wasn’t half frightened to death.
For a moment, he found himself almost entranced by her—which was certainly not a sensation he’d gotten from looking at any other female. But then again, he wasn’t used to many emotions yet—though he enjoyed feeling them.
“I’m also a friend who is a male,” Dark growled, looking down at her. “Let us pay for your entrance, little one. We need to get inside before I go back and pound that male who was frightening you.”
Light looked at his twin in concern. They both had the same Twin Kindred and Ash’anti DNA, but the Tolleg surgeon who had concocted their genetic mixture had also included Re’thian Berserker genes in Dark’s mix. It was the reason the two of them were considered an “Imperfect Pair”—at least compared to the regular Twin Kindred who were born in the normal, biological way instead of being grown in Gestation Tanks.
The Berserker DNA made Dark a deadly warrior—he had only to turn down his emotion damper to feel The Fury that burned like a constant flame inside him. The Fury made him the first to charge into a battle and the last one to leave it because once he started killing, he couldn’t stop until all his enemies were dead.
But such an extreme reaction wasn’t warranted here—or anywhere but the battlefield, for that matter. In fact, Yipper—the Tolleg Surgeon who was overseeing their transition to the Mother Ship—had declined to remove Dark’s emotion damper yet.
“We’ll just leave it in for now, yes we will, yes we will,” he had said, nodding his head so that his long, furry ears flopped, when they had their consultation with him. “You can turn it down and see how you do for a while. If all goes well, we can take it out later. Experiencing emotions can be most distressing if you’re not used to it—yes it can, yes it can!”
So Dark still had his emotion damper, though it was turned down at the moment. Light just hoped that it wasn’t turned so low that his twin would be seized by the Fury if the human male got too close.
“Please—I don’t want a fight. I just want him to leave me alone!” the little Elite female pleaded.
“Of course—it’s better to avoid conflict if possible—especially among the humans,” Light said, giving his brother a significant look. They’d had to beg Commander Sylvan for permission to go down to Earth in the first place and even when he granted it, he had specified that they should go someplace calm and relaxing. Like a library or the club they were currently at.
Dark raised one eyebrow sarcastically.
“Don’t worry, brother—I’ll only fuck him up if he gets too close. If he keeps his distance, he’s safe. I’m in control.”