Here’s a snippet from Phoenix Down, book one of the...

Here’s a snippet from Phoenix Down, book one of the Invasion Series.
Sir! I’m picking up life signs.”
Captain Zephyr Cree turned to his science officer, Orion. The shuttle was flying low to pick up life signs, and it appeared Orion had found some. “Where?”
“If we transport a team down now, we might be able to save them…well, wait a second. We just lost one.”
Zephyr’s face fell as he looked up to meet Orion’s eyes.
“The Imangi are already there. I have one life sign with an Imanji and there’s a cluster of them running away with the Imanji in pursuit. They’re all bunched together. It’s hard to tell how many humans there are. At their speed though, they won’t get far. The Imanji will catch them in less than two minutes.”
Zephyr turned to his team. They sat along one of the benches across the back of the shuttle. “Alpha Team, collect the group and bring them on board. Orion, send me to the single life sign,” he said, nodding at the solitary flashing blue blip on the radar.
“Sir? It’s unlikely—”
“Now!” He knew the odds weren’t good, but he had to try. It was their fault this planet was in trouble.
Orion nodded once and typed something in on his pad. Zephyr closed his eyes as his body dissipated, thanks to their teleportation tech, and rematerialized outside a building.
An Imanji’s high-pitched voice squealed as it yelled at its victim. The overwhelming urge to save the human drove him forward. Zephyr called upon his inner beast; the phoenix inside him bristled, taking control. His body heated until fire erupted over his skin. His bones shifted, turning his arms to wings as he transformed into the large burning bird. He flapped his wings to stretch them before taking flight. The Imanji were no match for him now.
He flew toward the door, spewing fire from his mouth at the building. The wall incinerated, revealing a young woman. Red trickled from her nose, forehead, and cheek; Zephyr assumed it was blood.
Her amber eyes met his and widened, locking gazes with him and blinking as she ignored the Imanji’s compulsion. He’d never met another species that could defy the Imanji. Fascinating. He knew he had to save her.
The Imanji leader lifted its palm to the woman’s forehead while holding her in place with his other hand. It seemed to be unaware of the phoenix, and Zephyr planned to use that to his advantage, he had to save this woman. She struggled in his grasp, but she was no match for its superior strength.
Zephyr pushed himself faster, darting in through the opening and lunging for the Imanji who was ready to suck the woman’s life force away. Catching the creature with his talons and jabbing the sharpened points into his enemy, Zephyr let the fire course through his body and out through his claws as he shoved the alien away from the woman. The Imanji wailed, flailing about. Flames engulfed its body, but still it slithered back toward the woman.
Zephyr spread his wings and flapped them vigorously, thrusting the Imanji away. It slid across the room and collided with the wall laying motionless.
The woman screamed and Zephyr cast a glance back at her, watching as her auburn hair blew across her face. Her balance waivered from the current his wings projected. He stopped flapping his wings, but it was too late. She fell face first, but managed to twist at the last second, landing with a sickening crunch on her shoulder.
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