Shield - A New Species Fanfiction (Wild at Heart Chronicles, Book 1)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

                X-013 pushed through the foliage until the feline came into view. His hand brushed the bark of a tree as he left the cover of the forest, while his toes kneaded the cool grass beneath his feet when he positioned himself for another attack. Every breath of fresh air he took, each caress of it against his bare skin, spiked his adrenaline and sharpened his awareness of this unfamiliar territory. Since escaping from the confines of his new cell, X-013 was determined to take control of his freedom once and for all.

                The males assigned to his care had attempted to befriend him, to soften his guard and offer a show of solidarity by removing his restraints so that he may enjoy his meal unhindered.

                A grave miscalculation.

                It took X-013 little time to break the metal door from its hinges and find his way through the hospital corridors. It pleased him when not a single male was bold enough to challenge him, though their presence interfered with his search. Too many scents permeated the air for his liking, most of them Species. He'd never seen so many males running about outside their cages, or the lack of human personnel to control them. The only human X-013 did encounter on his hunt was a scraggly old human in a white hospital coat stepping out of an office and onto his path.

                It had been his intent to just frighten the human and shove him aside. X-013 recalled lifting his hand, but then a blur of motion and a fist to his face had sent him skidding across the floor.

                "You attempt to hurt this human again, and I will castrate you."

                That was his first encounter with the feline called Midnight.

                X-013 couldn't forget the way the insolent female with dark hair, wearing a human's hospital clothing no less, had placed herself in front of the old doctor to protect him. It was even more confusing when the human had murmured her name, reached out to pat her arm in appreciation, and she'd welcomed his touch with a warm smile.

                By the time X-013's legs had found purchase, they'd fled to safety.

                To have allowed a female to catch him off guard, and even land him a blow, could attest to the sedatives still coursing through his veins.  But when he locked on Paige's scent, heat rushed through him like a surging blaze and dispelled the remnants of his languor.

                That's when the feline male had crossed his path and challenged him for dominance.

                A fight X-013 was prepared to end this very moment.

                "You are not frightened of me," the feline observed, exposing his canines as he began to circle him. "Many would be foolish not to be."

                "Do not compare me with your males," X-013 said, offended by his implication. "I am not the one allowing humans to domesticate me. Have your people lost their pride?"

                The feline narrowed his eyes. "Careful."

                X-013 grinned viciously, amused by the other's anger. "I see... Perhaps you enjoy being a human's plaything, is that it?"

                The feline growled and leapt into the air, twisting his powerful frame to land behind X-013 and snake a powerful arm around his throat. The speed of the feline's attack had surprised him more than he cared to admit, and perhaps he had to concede that at least this male had remained as indomitable as he.