The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,204

began grabbing a few small devices from the floor. Almost everything in the science bay was ruined, but there was enough. Hopefully, it would be enough. If they were on Earth, with no contamination protocol, he'd only have a few days before this was out of control. He'd need everything he could find or this would be the biggest catastrophe of their history.

Ixala saw what he was doing and made no effort to stop him. Instead, she just yanked back his sleeve and buried an old fashioned needle into his arm. He paused long enough for her to give the second injection, then they both focused on collecting as much of their equipment as they could.

"I can not blink," she said quietly, shoving everything into a historical earth-like backpack. "I have three native costumes for you, a biosane coat, food, and all of the pain medication we have in stock." She paused. "But I can not blink, Tsij. Most of us can't. You know what they'll do to us."

"I know." He took the backpack and placed a few more things on top. "Just tell everyone what I'm doing, Ix, then get away. You can't blink, but you can blend. Get as many as you can away from here. Someplace quiet."

"Blues might have luck. I think it's night, but the reds and yellows? There's no way."

"Humans have poor night vision. Just go as dark as you can. Do not fight them. Just hide. Stay out of their lights and you should be fine." He grabbed her arm. "You can do this, Ix. I'll find a sample. I just need you to get everyone safe."

She closed her eyes and nodded, her colors deepening as her bioluminescence faded, then she held out an earbud. "Every day at dawn, you contact me. We should have enough power for twelve earth days, easily. More if we're sparing."

Slowly, he moved before her, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Be safe."

She laughed and pushed him gently toward the open hatch. "I am not the one bleeding who will play with humans. Go on. Let's make the most of this. Time to get a close-up view, huh?"

Together, they joined the stream of bodies slowly making their way toward the nearest hatch, feeling the waft of frigid air. Heavy boots clanked on the hollow floors between decks. Voices were subdued with fear. It was visible in the way their colors blanched and their markings pulsed. Tsij said nothing until just before the door, then he realized he lacked one vital piece of information.

"Where are we?"

Ix chuckled. "Earth, you idiot. Pretty sure we're on a coast from the high saline content in the atmosphere, but that's about as much as I can tell you. We lost everything when the asteroid hit. You're going to have to figure it out."

He looked at her once, nodded, then forced his skin to change. Ixala, like the perfect partner she was, pushed close to his back, hiding the gap in the line, then ignored him as they passed onto the ground of the strange planet. Tsij broke from the group as soon as he could, the flickering flames a potential threat to his camouflage. With one last look at the friends he'd known for a decade, he headed for the city lights in the distance, taking the long way through the damp marshes.

It was a long, slow, and rather wet trek. Every step took him further from the heat of the flames, making the temperature around him feel even more frigid. And each time he felt safe, another light would shine his way, almost as if they knew - but that was impossible. It was just cameras, he told himself. Cameras and other surveillance trying to share the activity around the world. This would be the first time that Earth had proof of life in the universe.

He chuckled to himself at the thought. Humans had evolved millions of years before so many other species, yet they took their time about racing to the stars. The Gahnek hadn't. As soon as they could look up, they'd tried to get off the rock they called home. Unfortunately, they hadn't been prepared at all for what existed outside their solar system. Probably no young race ever was.

Somewhere between the flames of their ship and the lights of the human city, Tsij stopped long enough to peel out of his clothes. He carefully placed