Skylar's Guardians Read Online Free PDF

of the approaching truck.
    A horn sounded loudly as he stepped into its path. His gills glowed brightly as the beast inside of it began to shout obscenities in his direction. It lifted a long object and pointed it in Troy’s direction. It flashed as a deafening crack echoed through the night air. Troy glanced at his chest where the bullet had lodged itself, plucked the offending object from him as though brushing off a fly, and glared at the terrified human male who sat anchored in the truck’s seat. With a single growl, Troy grabbed the front of the truck and carelessly lifted the front portion off the ground. The tires spun in the air as the beast inside the vehicle attempted escape by slamming down on the accelerator.
    “This is for hurting my Skylar,” Troy snarled, his gills brilliant as he glared at the terrified man. With an effortless shove, Troy flung the vehicle over the mountain’s edge and into the ravine. He stayed long enough to observe the explosion and left without looking back.
    The sun was rising when he returned to the ship with a bag filled with myriad items. His head was filled with thoughts of his human—how to protect her and how to claim her. Emotions that he had never experienced were surfacing, and he was uncertain how to respond to them. Or even if he should respond, for these were the types of odd feelings that his people chose not to engage in. Troy knew he would address these emotions with Tralec at a later time, but right now he was determined to first learn everything he could about his little Skylar.
    “Teach me to read her language better! I wish to know everything,” he demanded as he threw the bag onto the platform.
    Tralec looked up with tired eyes. “What happened?”
    Troy told him about his evening and his realization that he could not be an adequate protector if he did not know about Skylar’s culture and how to help her.
    Tralec’s lips drew into a small frown. “While I am thrilled about your interest in learning her culture, I am confused as to why you feel this sudden need to learn to read her manuals instead of using our translation equipment. I do not mean to offend, but it is unlike you to be interested in advancing your education.”
    “I do it to honor her,” Troy snapped. “She deserves to be honored.”
    Tralec smiled, seeming to realize that learning about Skylar’s needs was how Troy reconciled the deed performed against the Paul monster. Killing was difficult for Troy to handle. Even to protect and survive, it was a task that he had always looked upon with distaste.
    “We will start lessons after you rest. Our patterns are off by several cycles, and we both need to sleep. We only have these two bunks. Do you wish to bed with her or shall I? You must take care not to jar her if you do,” Tralec asked.
    “I am in severe conflict right now. Perhaps it is because the Solaris days are so short,” Troy yawned. “Lack of rest is affecting my mind.”
    “What’s troubling you?” Tralec asked kindly. “Talk to me.”
    Troy plopped in a chair. “I feel possessive over this creature I barely know. I have killed for it. I fear that I will want to touch it too much if I lay at its… her side and claim her before it is time. I am a warrior. The suddenness of these feelings is not consistent with who I am and it confuses me. Should I push them aside or do I face them? What is the right way to address them?”
    “I can’t tell you what is right because I feel the same,” Tralec sighed, joining him. “This immediate sense of protection and possession goes beyond my understanding as a scientist. I have never condoned you killing anything, but I wanted to tear that beast to pieces for hurting our… Our…”
    “Our baby,” Troy finished. “Is this how it felt when our species used to use their bodies to reproduce? It is undeniably primitive.”
    “That is what I am trying to discover but, yes, I do believe so. I even feel a touch of envy when I think of