Claimed by the Alien: A Scifi Alien Romance (Fated Mates of the Titan Empire Book 6)

do. All he could do was die with me. There was no way he was going to prevent what was going to happen next.
The high-end ion cannon released its devastating payload.
The white-hot liquid plasma was as thick as I was tall. It screamed as it tore through the air, turning it electric. It made my hair stand on end.
The bolt struck the floor of the bed chamber and hurled me off my feet.
Wind. Fire. Water.
I came into contact with all three elements within seconds of each other.
The plasma struck the floor and smashed it into huge chunks in an instant.
Garrick was hurled back toward the door. I was thrown toward the balcony on the opposite side of the room.
It was like an invisible wall had been thrust against me, shoving me back.
My body caught on the banister. My body hung there, suspended and broken. I attempted to shut myself off from the pain.
But I hadn’t endured anything yet.
I came in contact with the second element.
Fire.
The melting residue of plasma washed over me. My hair singed and caught fire, my skin bubbled and popped. My clothes instantly ignited and burned off my body.
I screamed at the pain. I was being cooked alive.
The balcony railing had been my saving grace. Now it would seal my doom if I couldn’t get free. I struggled to unhook my leg but it was no use.
I only got free after the banister snapped beneath the magma’s violent onslaught. I fell with it and descended one hundred feet into the icy waters below.
Water.
I barely managed to catch a breath before the water invaded my system.
As dangerous as it was, the icy water felt soothing to my newly-scorched skin.
But I couldn’t stay down there forever.
I kicked limply. One leg failed to respond to my command. Then I pulled through the water with both my working arms. The muscles screamed in protest but they did as I asked.
I breached the surface and threw my head back. I let out a mouthful of water. Most of it streaming through a hole in my cheek.
My body filled with air and I floated on the river’s surface. Its powerful current took me out.
I lay on my back and watched as my palace burned.
But it wasn’t going down without a fight. The defense turrets were doing their job, swatting the alien craft from the sky.
Only a handful escaped, but they had achieved their mission.
They had killed me.
If I didn’t get help soon, I would soon meet that fourth, final, and most terrifying element.
Earth.
My own grave.
I opened my eyes and was surprised I wasn’t already dead.
I had stopped drifting on the river’s current and found myself lodged on a bank of dirt and mud. I moved my arms and legs to crawl up it but my limbs were only capable of stuttering and sporadic movements.
I took stock of my situation.
My fingers and hands could move but they were charred black. My arms were red raw and my legs were smothered with bulging blisters. I caught the reeking scent of something rotting. It came as a shock when I realized it was coming from my own flesh.
I rolled onto my other shoulder. It sent a shudder up my back and between my shoulder blades. The pain almost knocked me unconscious. Stars danced before my eyes and I hurled what little food I had in my stomach.
I peered at my reflection in the still water’s surface, illuminated by the huge moon above. I didn’t recognize the face looking back at me.
His nose was bent and crooked. One cheek had been completely burnt off, his teeth visible through a wide gash. His forehead was dimpled with strange blisters and his hair was all but gone.
He was a monster.
I was a monster.
Who had done this to me?
Who had thought destroying me could solve their problems?
I thought back to the ships that’d attacked. I recognized them.
Who did they belong to?
Changelings. They belonged to a military class of Changeling vehicles.
Why would the Changelings attack us?
Why would they declare war on their allies, the Titans?
They were a successful race, a powerful race, but they were nothing compared to Titans. Declaring war on the Titan emperor was the same as declaring war on the empire.
The Changelings had just committed suicide.
It didn’t make any sense.
My eyelids fluttered and I could barely keep them open. My head flopped over into semi-unconsciousness.
Titans didn’t fear death. I didn’t fear it even now. What I feared was what would happen to my people after I passed.
The Changelings never did anything without careful consideration. They had a plan and it would not bode well for us once it came to fruition.
I should have seen this coming.
Something in the reports I received each day must have contained little hints and clues that this was going to happen.
But there hadn’t been. Nothing indicated the Changelings were on the warpath.
Neither had we attacked them. There had been no provocation, no aggression.
As far as I knew, our two races were at total peace.
My thoughts were interrupted by the soft thudding noise of padded feet. I recognized it immediately.
An arlath was headed this way. Wild arlath creatures didn’t exist on this planet. If it was passing by on a nearby road, someone had to be riding it.
Could I get the rider’s attention?
I had one chance. My life depended on it.
I wriggled like a worm in the mud, inching up the riverbank.
I got halfway before I slipped back the distance. I turned ridged to prevent myself from rolling any further down.
I angled my head to get a better understanding of how far the road was.
The soft thumping footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
If I could just reach the top…
I cupped my hands. I might not be capable of making delicate movements but I could make big broad ones. I shoved them in the mud and used what little strength I had remaining to pull myself up the incline.
The mud acted as a lubricant, helping me slide upward.
The clip-clopping reached its pinnacle as the creature passed by.
I glanced