Engulf [New World Book 5] Read Online Free Page A

see the others talking, joking, smiling. Abri felt like an intruder. Even surrounded by people, she was alone.
    Abri closed her eyes. Inside the darkness of her mind, for the first few seconds it reminded her of the wormhole and the nothingness. Except in here, Abri could hear her own words. She could turn on sound. She could hear her mother and father calling out that they loved her.
    * * * *
    “Do you really think there could be humans on this planet, Raiden? It’s been months since Earth has sent any shuttles.”
    Raiden cast a fast glance at his male warrior mate. The sky was dark, but he could see perfectly. The green glow of a tattoo on Cace’s face was the only light to shine in their immediate vicinity. Covered in their ebony body armor, Raiden knew any humans wouldn’t see them coming. He thought it a strange peculiarity that humans couldn’t see in the dark.
    “I don’t know, Cace. Our craft sensors did show a small vessel, so maybe.”
    “I hope there are females,” Cace muttered.
    Their small vessel cloaked on voice command and the two large beings began walking. The two males were a match at six-foot-six. They were both powerfully muscled. Their body armor showed off bulging biceps and thick thighs. Raiden could sense his warrior mate was in deep concentration. They were highly tuned to each other’s emotions. Even though Raiden couldn’t see any facial expressions, he could smell Cace’s brooding thoughts.
    “Well, if there are, we will need to plan how we introduce ourselves carefully. Cobra says they will be terrified of us. Poor little things. Human males have no body armor; the females aren’t used to seeing it. Strange—but I’m told there were many male humans who could protect their females at one time, at least on Earth. Although I’m uncertain as to how. I’m told we appear very scary to humans in our shields, even to human males.”
    “Well, if there are human males, I’m leaving them here,” Cace grouched.
    The idea startled Raiden. Which startled him further—he almost always knew what Cace was thinking. “Why?”
    “Males outnumber the females on Dargon and Bagron by too much already.”
    Raiden couldn’t argue with that. Although, there were very few human males as it was. The Tonans had killed most of them. The ones spared were only children. Raiden still couldn’t get his head around the idea of Cobra allowing a few of the Tonans to return to the Castian fold. Albeit, the ones who had were rendered harmless when they took human females as mates. It appeared human females were like a drug to a Tonan. Their emotions ran so deep even a filthy Tonan warrior couldn’t control empathy for their new mates and the others around them. They were rendered unable to lie or be deceitful. That must have pissed off many Tonans. Raiden didn’t care—he had yet to friend a Tonan and it was doubtful he ever would.
    The traitor in their midst, who had poisoned the water and killed their females hundreds of years ago, had been caught and killed. Thanks to, ironically, a human female. There were still many more Tonans who remained renegades. Once Cobra had taken over the planet the humans named Ulsy, the remaining Tonans had fled. Raiden and Cace were on a mission to check out this small planet in a cluster of many. If they found renegades, they were not to engage in battle. Cobra, their leader, would return with a battleship.
    Shortly, they came across a small battered shuttle. Raiden looked inside, but it was apparent it was empty. The cockpit was crushed. Debris was strewn around. When he sniffed the air Raiden became thoughtful.
    “I smell death.”
    “Me too.”
    Using brute strength, Raiden pushed apart the protesting, crumpled metal, it squealed as though loathe to give up its victims. As it unfolded, he winced. Humans were so fragile. Whereas he and Cace would have walked away from this wreck unscathed, it appeared two human males weren’t as lucky. Their deaths wouldn’t have