All Chapters of Protected : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

ZURI POV I hate lying here. I hate taking antibiotics twice a day. I hate the pain in my chest and how weak my arms feel. I want to be up walking and working. I roll on my side and sigh. It's been weeks since I was brought to the hospital and all I have done is get weaker. Dr. Dembe says it doesn't look good. My body isn't responding well to the medicine. My boss lady has visited a couple times, but I can see it in her face. She doesn't think I will be leaving this place. She even hired someone else. "I had to do it. I needed the help," she said to me during her last visit. I don't blame her. She has to keep living. The world has to keep turning. It doesn't stop for anyone. My siblings have to keep living too. They are working even harder now that my income has disappeared. My brother had called my boss lady a week after I got admitted because my normal paycheck hadn't arrived. He was worried about me. She told them where I was and why. She said he took it hard when she told hi

CAPT. CULL POV 6 months before Harvest time. I fight back a shiver of fear as I stare down the company of Rusckods soldiers fifteen yards in front of me. Their solid white eyes are drilling into me as if they are seeing straight through me to my fleeing men already down the hall and around the corner.This is their second attack on our supply moon and we were gravely unprepared. This storage building doesn't even have a link screen."Bring it beasts," I growl as my grip tightens on my blades.I refuse to draw my blaster. I will not die a cowards' death on this rock. I will kill as many of these bastards as possible while command gathers an available battalion. My men will be saved and that is all that matters. "Acting tough, Shikaz. Too bad we can smell the fear rolling off of you," one calls out and I growl.Fear isn't something to be ashamed of... It's how you handle the fear. That's what my Father taught me on my first hunt.I smirk and hold up my left blade."Aye. I do fear

ZURI POVThe bright colors of the planet Kea don't seem to stop with their people or their rooms. The outside is just just as brightly colored. The trees, the grass, and every flower is just as bright and colorful as the Kea people themselves."Wow," Jia says as she looks around.Xiu and I don't say anything but our heads are on a swivel just like her's."Kea is the most colorful planet known. Zalu, a fellow correspondent, said her human female said it looked like a rainforest dipped in pain," Baalee says as she stops walking and allows us time to look around.I nod and smile at the analogy."That's a great way of describing it," I say quietly and Jia nods.We begin to move again and Baalee leads us to a rather large looking building."The other humans should be here already," she says as she presses the button to open the door.The door slides open almost immediately and I don't have to look very hard to spot the two small humans sitting with two female Keas. Baalee makes a beeline f

ZURI POV I glance at Baalee for a second before looking back at the hallway she is leading me down. She said she was taking me to a nice room that Harvest women normally use. The other girls will be in rooms in the same hall so I won't be far from them. Krystal has already spent the night in her room and she said it was lovely, but for some reason, I am still nervous. "Baalee, tell me more about Kea," I say to ease my sudden nerves. She smiles and her pointed teeth peek from under her top lip. "Alright. Well,... Kea has hosted the Harvest since its conception. My people are a kind and compassionate group. We tend to dislike violence, but we are not afraid of protecting ourselves or others. The actual planet is extremely colorful. Our soil is orange and our plant life is like the rainbow. Our water is blue like Earth's is... I'm not sure I can think of anything else. Is there anything specific you would like to know," Baalee asks after drawing her eyebrows together in a way tha

CULL POV "Capt. Cull, a visitor has arrived. She states she is your cousin. She is requesting a visit," Yson says as she comes into the main gathering room. I slowly open my eyes and look at her. I have been tired lately. Old battles and the deaths of countless friends have been haunting my nights making sleep hard to come by. So I have been hiding away ever since purchasing my new home. I haven't allowed anyone from my small family to properly congratulate me on becoming a Harvest Champion. Since my parents are gone, my only family left are my Aunt, her mate, and their daughter, Goma. (Go-muh) I should have expected they would confront me about not visiting them. "Please invite her in, Yson," I say as I stand up and straighten my new civilian clothes. My old uniform was dark blue and durable. These soft, breezy, brown clothes feel so strange against my skin. But they are what all males on Shikaz wear. Only the females dress in different colors. I will have to reacclimate my