The next morning you woke up in a much better mood than you fell asleep. Everyone seemed to be reasonably happy, no one mentioned Yautja's visit yesterday and what resulted from it. At least not in your presence, for which you thanked everyone in your heart.

Uncle Julius has gone missing somewhere. In fact, you didn't really care where, it was important that he didn't spread his negative aura everywhere. You figured out your aunt and parents had given him a lot to think about the night before.

You slowly began to accept the thought that you would leave Earth. You didn't see any other solution...  Of course, you might just be doing nothing, but the guilt would be too great.

'What are your doubts?' Othiel asked during breakfast.

'How do you know if I have any doubts?'

'I don't know, I just feel like you're biting on something.'

You smiled sadly 'Well, nothing can hide from you, huh?'

'Then share your thoughts with me, (y/n).'

Biting your lip, you said 'I wouldn't hesitate for a moment if I could stay here after becoming queen.'

'You can.'

'Only if all Yautja stay here.'

'Not necessarily, just one Yautja would be enough.'

'What?!'

'You see, they don't understand what's between us. They think that I won't voluntarily agree to stay here, it would never occur to them that I might want to be here permanently. If that were the case, you would have to come back to our planet with us. The rule is that you cannot rule Yautja without Yautja. If we all leave this planet and you stay on it, you will lose power over us ... Then they can strike again, without me, so that the situation with the queen would not happen again. Therefore, at least one Yautja must stay with you. One is enough, but it has to be voluntarily. You can't order him to do this. He must have a choice.'

'And you're telling me this now ?!'

'I did not think it was the most important thing ...' 

'Wait. Do I understand correctly that you are saying, that I can get rid of them while staying here with you?'

'Yes.' 

'And you would agree to it?'

'Of course.'

You couldn't believe it was so simple. Your heart started to sing. You moved closer to him and you took his hand. 'In that case, I can become queen even today.'

Othiel laughed heartily. 'If so, I would like everything to go according to the ceremony.' He punched something in his left bracer, which had some computer hardware built into it. After a while a small window opened in it, from which he took a delicate chain. He handed it to you. 'Please, accept this gift. In our tradition, the male gives such a bracelet to the female as a sign of devotion. Kind of like an engagement ring in your culture. This comes in handy when... but maybe I'll explain it later.'

'Since you started saying it.'

 'So, the females always wear the bracelet, especially during intercourse. If they take it off, it means they agree to connect. If not, the male knows there is still time to go.'

'Oh, how ingenious.' You immediately put the bracelet on your wrist, but it turned out to be too big. 

'Can also be worn on the leg.' Othiel instructed. You rolled up the trouser, lowered the sock and pushed your leg up. Othiel took the chain and put it on your ankle himself. This time the bracelet fit.

'Thank you.'

Suddenly you realized that someone might be watching you and indeed when you looked around you saw Ellen and Myra sitting on the opposite side of the fire. When you looked at them they smiled, Myra raised her thumbs up and Ellen whistled loudly.

'So the issues of informing the collective are already over.' You sighed, shaking your head with pity but unable to contain a smile. 'Okay, Othiel, we'll do it tonight. I'll come to your hideout, wait for me there, I don't want everyone to know when we're getting out of here, okay?'

'Of course. Your wish is my command. I will prepare everything as it should be so that the tradition will be fulfilled.'

'How will the other Yautja know that we ... are already connected? After all, they are in different places in the world ... How many of them are there?'

'I'll send them a signal, they'll have to come and pay tribute to you,' he answered. 'No more than twenty thousand Yautja can come to a planet as small as Earth.'

'Goddess, so much ?! And everyone will come here at once ?!'

'That's the upper limit. Certainly, there are fewer of us right now... maybe about five thousand..., probably no less than three thousand, considering how we managed to terrorize humanity. And yes, they all have to come at once for us to openly present you as their queen.'

 'Nice.' You shook your head in disbelief. 'But okay, at least I'll send everyone home in one fell swoop.'

'Aren't you in too much of a hurry? Maybe you should just ban them from hunting for now? They could be useful for something else, don't you think?'

'Like for what? I must get rid of them as soon as possible, Othiel, I am not in a position to control Yautja.'

'So far I had a completely different impression.'

***

Othiel went to his hideout happy and content. He thought (y/n) didn't want to be queen because she isn't sure if she wanted him, if she wanted to be connected with him for life ... But, she just did not want to leave her house. That worried her the most. And the fact that she would not be able to cope with the task, but Othiel did not worry about that. He saw great potential in her.

While waiting for her, he started preparations for this special evening. He tidied up the hiding place, shook the bedding, prepared a stew for them to eat, because once they start, they probably won't stop for a long time.

He rejoiced at what was to come, he wanted it from the very beginning. It was strange for humans, but the Yautja mated for life. If they felt at one with someone, that is, they loved, it was only once in their lives. Therefore, after the death of their partners, they chose loneliness, because they were unable to feel this overwhelming unity with anyone else again.

But Othiel did not want to think about death at the moment, he was more interested in thoughts about life and the pleasures it brought. He became impatient. (Y/n) should have arrived by now. He decided he would wait halfway for her. He jumped through the window, onto the branch of the sprawling tree, on which his hideout rested. He intended to descend to the ground, but what he saw on the horizon made him literally dizzy. Puffs of smoke rose above the forest from the place where the (y/n)'s people hideout was.

***

He was running, he was running without hesitating. He didn't even want to think about what might have happened there. Why was he so reckless? Why had he allowed himself to be away for so long? Fleshly desires clouded his mind, overwhelmed him, and brought him to this situation. If something happens to (y/n) or her relatives, he can only blame himself.

When he got there, one word came to his mind, that perfectly described what he found. 

Havoc.

The savages, of course, he sensed their hatred right away. The same group that he and (y/n) had  stolen drugs from, some time ago and released the females they had imprisoning. Othiel was sure he had erased all traces of the escape and hadn't sensed that they'd been traced. Maybe he was wrong. Or maybe they just stumbled upon the hideout by accident and decided to plunder it. Anyway, the old factory was on fire, there were gunshots and screams.

Othiel stepped in, through the once again broken door, stepping over the two dead bodies, but not paying too much attention to them right now, something else caught his eye. One of the savages, full of sexual desire, jerked (y/n)'s cousin, Bea, who was hugging her descendant to her breast. Othiel sprang to them and stabbed the man with his retractable blades as he held the gun to the woman's head. He tossed the sagging body aside and, grabbing the terrified Bea by the arm, he ordered. 'Hide in the woods!'

'Patrick ...' the girl croaked.

'I'll find him. Go!'

She left, hugging the kid to her breasts, and Othiel headed deeper into the hideout, where the sounds of the greatest slaughter could be heard and the greatest fire raged.

'(Y/n)?!' He roared, walking towards the patio. He didn't have time to seek in the dark, he had to know where she was.

Someone started shooting at him. He quickly turned on the camouflage and rushed to meet his attacker. It was another savage. Othiel slashed it carelessly with his retractable blade and ran onto the cellars, passing more dead bodies. He looked at them just to make sure it wasn't (y/n). His anxiety grew with each passing moment. He has already counted eight dead bodies, including one of the females they pulled from the savages' enslavement and one of the young males who attacked him after the first feast together. 

The smoke thickened as he penetrated the bowels of the building. In the cellars he found more dead bodies, but also living ones. In one of the rooms a lot of people barricaded themselves, two savages tried to break down the door. They did not understand what had happened and they were already lying dead on the ground. Othiel turned off the camouflage and hissed through the door. 'It's Othiel. Is (Y/n) with you?'

Someone cautiously looked outside. It was Patrick. 'No, she's not here.'

'Where have you been? Why didn't you come earlier ?!' Someone else yelled tearfully from behind him.

Othiel didn't have time to talk. He just said. 'Hide in the woods!' And he sped on into the acrid smoke.

'(Y/n)!' He called, more and more desperately. He found her parents, found other females and children, even her uncle huddled in the corner, also kill two more savages, but (y/n) was nowhere to be found.

He ordered everyone to leave the building, where the fire was becoming bolder and bolder and at any moment could lead to its collapse. There were many wooden elements in the cellars which the flames devoured greedily. 

It was getting unbearably hot and the flames raged for good in the sleeping area, there was no way to get there or get out. If anyone was there, there was no way they could be alive.

'Find our daughter, please!' (y/n)'s mother cried, leaning on her partner's shoulder, then started to cough. 

'Get out of here, now!' Othiel urged. 'Just a moment and you won't get out through these flames.'

As he moved on, it crossed his mind that maybe (y/n) was already out of the hiding place. Maybe she left before it all started ... But ... she must have seen the smoke like he did, and she must have come back and ... and she must have tried to save them all ... He felt sick at the thought... He lost his vigilance and earned a bullet in the arm. He growled dully at the savage who fired. Probably the last one left alive ... 

The male, smiling hatefully,  shot again, aiming straight at Otiel's torso, but before the bullet reached its target someone cut her way.

This time, Othiel literally howled and rammed the savage, then jumped to (y/n) sliding over the wall. She was breathing heavily, coughing every now and then, and an ever-increasing strain of red was blooming on her left side. 

'(Y/n) ...' 

'I'm sorry that the romantic evening for the two of us did not come out ...' she smiled, but very weakly. Othiel noticed that she had been injured before. A large gash on her forearm made her lose a lot of blood. He grabbed a nearby piece of cloth and trimmed it to fit her wound. 'Press this, please.' 

He took her in his arms. He didn't know what to say. He felt that at any moment (y/n) was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

'Wait, in this room the kids keep a rat in a cage.' She pointed to the entrance to the dark alley next door. 'We have to take him!'

'That's why you came here?' he asked, almost crying.

'I had to check if everyone got away from here ...' 

Othiel quickly entered the room, located the cage and, without releasing (y/n) from his arms, opened it.

'Come on, lad, we're getting out of here ... ' (y/n) stretched out her arms, and the rat immediately jumped into them.

Othiel hurried to leave. There was smoke everywhere, and if it weren't for his mask, he wouldn't have been able to get out of here. (Y/n) could barely breathe. She began to cough, and the blood gushed even harder from her side.

'Press the wound, please. One more moment and we'll get out of here. Hold on, (y/n).'

'S-sure ...' Her voice was getting weaker and weaker, as if she was speaking from very far away. 

At one point, the fire cut off their path, but Othiel, wrapping his body around (y/n), simply ran through the flames. His skin was hardy, but her hair caught fire. He quickly stifled the flames with his arm and kept on racing.

They got out of the hiding place, and the injection of fresh air gave her strength. 'My parents? Are they... ' she gasped.

'They're already running here.' Othiel set her down on the soft grass and, trying not to hear her mother's despairing cry, calculated. Will he manage to reach his hideout and return with the drug he had there and which was his only chance to save (y/n)... Or will he just waste the time they had left...?

Everyone around was crying and screaming, some wanted to run inside for the bodies of their dead. It seemed like everyone who was still alive managed to leave the building. 

The rat that (y/n) had released him from her arms was still cuddling to her.

'Othiel ...' she whispered very faintly, reaching out her hand to him. 'Stay ...' As if she was reading his mind. 

'Okay.' He nodded his head in despair and knelt beside her, grasping her tiny and very cold fingers in his big hand. 

'You saved me ... Thank you.' 

'At least ... we... even  ...' she gasped, smiling a little.

'She won't survive,'  he heard a familiar voice overhead.

Geong, one of the Yautja who had visited the hideout the previous evening, was standing above them. Othiel felt a great fury. Had it not been for this visit, all of this would not have happened. However, it was not the right time for such reflections. 

'Do you have ull'ycite?'' He asked hopefully in his own language. 

'Are you crazy ?! It's not for humans!'

'Can't you see that we can't harm her anymore ?!'

'Othiel ... it is not known how she will react ...'

'Please!' 

Geong clapped his fangs dissatisfiedly but knelt beside him. 'Please, step away ... it's not too late,'  he addressed, in the human language, to  (y/n)'s parents and to her tearful aunt, who had just come running.  'She was hurt by a bullet?' he asked Othiel. 'Yes, and it's still inside.' 

Geong nodded and took an injection, a magnetic pin, and a circular canister from a small pouch at his side. Geong was Yautja who had an unusual knack for healing. 

'(Y/n) he will help you ...' Othiel turned to (y/n), who was already barely conscious.

'Okay...' she muttered only weakly, still holding Othiel's hand, though her grip was weakening with each passing moment.

Geong rolled up her blood-soaked shirt. 'Hold her firm ...' he ordered, then inserted a needle with a substance enhancing the effect of ull'ycite into (y/n) stomach. Othiel knew what was going to happen next, so he pressed his beloved one's shoulders tightly to the ground, a moment later (y/n) began to scream, and her muscles contracted with almost unnatural force.

'Quick!' Geong urged. 'This weak, she can die at any time.' He grabbed the magnetic pin and brought it closer to the wound, thus drawing the bullet stuck in the body. Then chucked the bloody tool aside, not wanting to waste any time, and opened the round container. With a spatula, he spread the medicine on the wound, which began to smoke slightly. (Y/n) screamed again. 

'Just a moment longer ... it will be over soon,' Othiel assured her. He felt her body go limp under his grip. 

'Stop it! Stop tormenting her!' her mother cried, supported by her clearly frightened father. Geong did not care. He saw that life was leaving (y/n) and pulled a small vial from his pouch.

'Quick, open her mouth!' Othiel did as he was told, knowing that either (y/n) had passed out or... he preferred not to think about it. He thought he could still hear her heartbeat, so there was still a chance.

A few drops of the liquid fell on her tongue, but there was no effect, she looked dead. Her mother sobbed even louder.

'Once more!' Geong pulled out a second injection and wasted no time stuck it right where (y/n)'s heart was. Still nothing happened. She lay lifeless among weeping people and two Yautja who were extremely helpless.

'I'm sorry, Oth ...' Geong shook his head, waited a moment longer, but as nothing happened, he began gathering up his tools. 'We've done everything. You see, it was supposed to be ...'

Othiel shook his head. 'No... it couldn't be like that,' he leaned over his beloved one, brushing his fingers through her hair and whispering in her ear. '(Y/n) ... Not yet ... This is not the time to die ...' He heard her heart beat again. Her lungs started to get air. 'Come on, you still have something to do here.' 

She rose sharply, gasping for breath, just as her mother fell to her knees beside her.

Geong, contentedly clicking his fangs backed away, Othiel did the same, letting the others enjoy (y/n) return to the living. He will still have time, plenty of time.

'Thank you.' He turned to Geong.

'You know that others would not approve of my attitude. To save from danger, yes, but to try something when the situation is hopeless ... And ... at the moment it would be to our advantage if she died.'

Othiel ignored the words, still grateful for the help. He just asked. 

'Where are they?' He mean the rest of Geong's little group.

'They hunt, far away. And spreading the news, I assume.' 

'Why aren't you with them?'

'I wanted to get to know this... community better.'

Othiel clicked his fangs. He did not sense a lie in the words of his fellow one, only a genuine interest in humans. 'I'm glad you came.'

'Othiel ... ' he heard a weak voice. To his surprise, (y/n) was standing next to him, supported by her father. He immediately took her in his arms. 

'You should lie down, ' noticed Geong.

'I know, I know ... but I wanted to thank you.' She smiled, supporting on Othiel. 

'The pleasure is all mine.' He bowed.

'What's your name?'

'Geong,' 

'Geong, will you stay with us longer? At the moment we have nowhere to host you,' she pointed at the burning building in which they used to live. 'But we will probably fix it soon.'

'I'd love to stay and help you.'

Othiel didn't liked the apparent pleasure with which Geong spoke to (y/n). If he liked the vision of an affair with a human female, it would be better for him to find another one.

***

Fortunately, it soon started to rain and the fire did not spread, although the factory was no longer suitable for living. You didn't feel like going inside and looking at the charred corpses, thankfully for your condition, you were spared this. However, it was necessary to bury those who died.

Ten people were missing. Including three children, two women and five men, guards. But eighteen bodies were found, so you concluded that the rest were those of the attackers. You hoped there were no more. They were all buried in the same graves, also because the majority could not be recognized. The men who suffered the least were digging the graves; the women, along with the green Yautja, Geong, looked after the wounded and after the children under a wide linden tree that served as a natural umbrella. You were lying almost next to the trunk and trying not to fall asleep. You were the only person who was so seriously injured and you were relieved from any duties. 

'Othiel ...' You barely started, and he was already with you. '

'Yes?'

'Are you sure that they ... that we're not in any more danger?'

'I'm not sure (y/n), but don't think that I'll walk even a meter away from you when you're like this.'

'Othiel, please ... could you do a little reconnaissance ... It certainly wouldn't take long ...'-

'No. Geong will take care of it when he's done with the injured.' 

'Are you trying to make me give you an order?' You showed him your tongue.

'Your safety is of paramount importance to me. If an order makes them invulnerable, I don't have to obey it.' he replied, pinching your nose with his fangs. 

'I have the impression that your rules are created for the needs of the moment.'