Zak knew they were no longer in his quarters. One moment he'd been listening, mesmerized, to Alluna's beautiful voice singing to him, the next a curtain of red rage had fallen over his eyes when the weretigre had dared touch his female.
The thirst to kill was overwhelming. His skin felt unbearably tight. He needed to be free—burst free from the human form that bound him. Pain slashed his back, enraging him even more. Another female gripped him, her scent familiar. He didn't want to hurt her.
Anniel.
He was suffocating—couldn't breathe. Body feeling crushed. He roared in pain, even as his vision blurred, glowing blue eyes staring into his.
Zak. Remember who you are—
Devon's voice in his mind.
Devon.
The feel of the metallic floor of the transport hangar under his palms, a heavy weight on his back, his body afire.
"Do it, Zak," Remi's voice shouted, the echo of the demand reverberating around him. "Shift."
Shift.
Again, the beast stirred beneath his skin. Zak snarled, his eyes focusing on his hands...only they were no longer human hands. They were scaly claws with sharp, gleaming talons that looked as if made of pure gold.
"No," he screamed, terror and revulsion filling him. "No."
His face hit the floor, his body shaking in a fit of convulsions.
"Easy, Zak. I'm here."
Devon was in his arms, Zak almost crushing him, his fingers burying into the mane of black gloss that was his commander's hair—his beloved
brother.
"Please don't let it happen, Dev," Zak panted. "I can't stand it."
"I've got you," Dev replied smoothing his hands over Zak's back.
His voice sounded strained and Zak eased his hold reluctantly.
Terror was replaced by anger—anger at being so damned weak, pathetic, and undisciplined.
"What the
fuck
just happened?" he snarled disentangling himself from Devon.
As he stood, he looked around. The sight of their gleaming black Vipers lined about one hundred paces away, as well as Angel, Remi, Anniel, and Seth made him blink in confusion.
He'd been in his quarters before—hadn't he?
Zak rubbed his burning eyes, his mind fuzzy.
"I had to teleport you here," Devon said.
Zak lowered his hands and fixed him with a cold stare.
"You were going to push me to shift?"
Devon crossed his arms over his chest, his look just as stern, but there was more in his commanders glowing blue stare. Love. Devon loved him. The heat of that love sizzled over and through Zak's very core making his eyes grow moist for a second. "No one was pushing you, Zachariel. You lost control of yourself when Seth kept Alluna from entrancing you."
In two blinks, the tears that had welled in his eyes were gone as he scowled at Devon. "She wasn't entrancing me."
Devon's eyes narrowed. His Alpha Angel brothers and sisters now appeared surrounding them. "What were you feeling when she began to sing," Devon asked.
Zak looked around at the faces surrounding them. Seth, as usual, was frowning, Anniel's brows were drawn together, her hand curled against her chest as if trying to keep herself from reaching out to him. Angel clutched Devon's meaty bicep, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, and Remi...
Zak scowled. Remi had a smug smirk on his face. Zak's hand itched to slap it away, but it would be a useless gesture since the annoying weredragon loved being slapped.
And spanked and whipped and paddled—
Remi directed into his mind with a snicker.
"You're sick," Seth said curling his lip in disgust at Remi.
"Don't knock it till you've tried it, boy-o," Remi answered, his grin broadening.
"Enough," Devon snapped when Seth growled. His glowing eyes regarded Zak again. "You haven't answered me yet. What were you feeling as she sang to you?"
Zak's skin prickled with goose bumps and his chest tightened as he remembered that beautiful angelic voice singing to him.
His eyes closed, his entire body flushed hot. "God help me. I'm in love," he rasped trembling.
He heard Devon curse under his breath as Seth spat "I told you so."
***
Alluna's head throbbed. Her eyes watched the glowing fire flickering in the fire pit before her. She was on Alpha 7. It had once been the farther most defensive space station the Edenian government had circling their solar system. Their first line of defense. For millennia, Master Guardians inhabited the space station, different species of beings at first since the few powerful Earth dwellers they'd recruited to guard the planet had abused their powers once they were aware of them.
The last alien race to Guard the Edenian solar system were the Seraphs, the white-winged humanoids from Seraphia. Most humans regarded them as divine angles. Although they weren't, legend had it that they were a race descended from a real divine angel that had been cast from Heaven by Lucifer. She'd crashed upon Seraphia, her newly acquired humanoid body mortally damaged. A male from the planet had tended her injuries and she'd fallen in love with him. Together they had spawned the Seraphian race, a race of winged people.
Alluna rubbed her temples, marveling at all she knew now.
