Serena's POV:

"Hurry up! They are already on their way back."

"Calm down, the gate is almost up. You can't rush this part."

The voices were dim and muted like I was under water. My thoughts were hazy and slow. I couldn't move my body. My arms and legs were simply too heavy. A whooshing noise made Clair exclaim, "Finally! Let's get going! I have no desire to die today."

My body was scooped up and my mind immediately knew that it was not Darien carrying me. I tried to move, but realized that I was still too drugged to so much as twitch a finger. I was simply a rag doll. It felt like we ran through a freezer for several seconds before warmth returned. The smells were different and unfamiliar.

I wanted to be put down, where was Darien? Why wasn't he carrying me? My mind struggled against the darkness as it tried to comprehend what was going on.

"You guys made it! Glad you came to help. Good to see you ag- what the- Clair, why the hell did you bring a human here?! We have enough problems on our hands."

I was put down surprisingly carefully on what felt like grass. Clair's voice sounded from above me somewhere, "She is the key to ending the war. Wait! No! Don't kill her! Hear me out!"

A man's voice growled out, "You better have one hell of a good reason. Anyone in this place will kill a human if they see one. You should know that."

"She is Darien's soulmate and the bond is new. His strength is unparalleled. He can stop the invaders if you can get her close to the battlefront. He will be coming shortly, so don't close the gate. I have to run now, he will kill me for taking her. Just keep her safe until he arrives, nothing will get past him once he is here."

"Clair! Get back here! You can't just dump this thing here and tell me to watch it! Blast it. Bloody woman. Josh, what got into her? Is she serious?"

"Yes, Darien almost killed her the last time she took his mate. She was smart to run away. Take my advice, when Darien gets through that gate, don't get between him and the human."

I could wiggle my toes now, so the drug was rapidly wearing off. The conversation I overheard sent chills down my back and the bond twisted once more. Darien wasn't here? I shivered at that dreadful thought. I finally managed to open my eyes. The sky was an odd green-blue shade I had never seen before. That was not a good sign.

I turned my head and saw the Tarulk from the house forming a loose circle around me. One of the Tarulk glanced back at me and saw that my eyes were open, "The drugs are wearing off. It won't be long before Darien will be able to sense her distress."

I struggled to sit up, and when I finally managed it, I looked around in a growing panic. A weird stone arch wasn't that far behind us and the opening was filled with what looked like rippling water that gave off a gentle glow. They must have taken me through the waygate. Where was Darien?

If he was on the other side when the gate closed, who knows how long it would take before he could get to me if they were having as much difficulty opening the gate as Nick had said. From the recently overheard conversation, I knew I wouldn't live long without Darien on this planet.

I was behind a loose half-circle of Tarulk who had been at Nick's place. Beyond them were warriors in armor carrying swords, shields, and daggers. Every set of eyes I saw were glowing faintly. Any that were watching me had disgust or anger on their face.

The fear inside me grew and the bond reacted by twisting painfully again. I noticed that Alex had been laid in the grass not far from me. He had numerous bruises and was unconscious. He must have put up one hell of a fight.

A warrior right in front of the group ran his hand through his hair in irritation as he glared at me. He looked back at Josh, "Fine, I will keep my men back until Darien arrives. After that, she is his problem to keep alive."

He turned and walked back to the warriors who were spread out behind him as he went to talk with them. There had to be at least a hundred warriors that I could see from my half-concealed position behind the Tarulk who had brought me here. Minutes ticked by as my heart continued to beat faster than normal with my anxiety. The drug was wearing off faster now and sitting wasn't as difficult.

The ground rumbled as six somethings approached. It was a race I had no name for. It was as if someone had taken stocky dwarves from Lord of the Rings, gave them dark green skin, and made them more than three times my height. The Tarulk didn't even come to their waists as the green giants walked past them.

It made me nervous to see the Tarulk warriors shift away from these giants somewhat uneasily. My nerves grew when I noticed that they were focused on me.

"Who dared to bring a human here?!" The leader's voice was loud and so deep it reminded me of thunder. He was not happy to see me. The feeling was mutual.

Josh shifted nervously, "She has a Tarulk soulmate and the mate bond gives him more power, which will help in the war. We are just waiting for him."

The leader snorted, "A likely story. I bet you are leaving that gate open so a human army can try to come through. Humans are not allowed on other planets. Kill it."

Josh shook his head as he backed up a few steps from the giant that towered over him, "Just wait for Darien! Give us ten minutes."

"That is much too long for a human to be here. People can't pass through the gate to leave, so you can't try to send it back. Kill it, or I will."

The green-skinned leader drew a sword that was longer than I was tall. He approached the nervous circle of Tarulk and most of them shifted away as he gave his sword a practice swing in the air in front of him. Alfred came between us and snarled at the giant as he tried to get the gigantic man to stop, attempting to buy time for Darien to get here.

The giant scowled at the act of defiance and swung his sword at Alfred, who dodged it. A rock suddenly cracked Alfred across the head and he fell down unconscious. I glanced behind the leader to see a second giant using some sort of crossbow that acted like a slingshot.

The Tarulk around me started to scatter at a run as the bow was pointed at them. I managed to stagger to my feet before trying to back up. The other Tarulk warriors had cautiously backed away from the group of giants as they watched.

None of them were bothered by the fact that this giant wanted to kill me, and they showed no desire to intervene. I stumbled as I hastily backed up, but managed to keep my balance. My heart was hammering in my chest as my fear built even higher.

I glanced backwards, wondering what the odds were of me managing to get to the gate. Perhaps I would be the oddity that could pass back through it. A look back at the giant who was slowly gaining on me put that thought to flight. I doubted I could make it that far since the drug was still affecting me and there was nothing on this open field for me to hide behind.

I kept backing up, not daring to turn my back to the intimidating giant. Fear flowed through me and I rubbed above my heart as the bond kept twisting uncomfortably. The crossbow was levelled at me and my heart almost stopped. A blow that could knock a Tarulk out would certainly crush my skull. The leader waved him off as he slowly stalked me, enjoying the slow chase as well as my obvious fear.

"Nowhere for you to go, little human. Your kind will never take over this planet. Any here would happily kill you, but I will make it quick."

He was close enough now that I was looking up more than anywhere else. I had never been so terrified in my life, no one had ever been this close to me while seriously promising to end my life.

He pulled back his arm and started to swing his sword. I had no way to dodge him as I still stumbled from the lingering traces of the drugs. The bond twisted with excruciating pain as my terror peaked.

"DARIEN!" My terrified high pitched scream tore through the air.

Out of the corner of my eye, the nearby waygate flickered with a brighter light as a figure came through at full speed. A familiar furious roar split the air as Darien launched himself with incredible speed at the towering giant looming over me.

Darien was less than half the giant's size, but that didn't slow him. He hit the giant hard enough to send him flying backwards towards his followers. Darien followed in swift pursuit to continue his enraged attack.