by Ivy McAdams
“Ah, yes. The other females. They are safe as well.”
My jaw tightens. As well? I’m not entirely sure I’m safe, but at least I’m alive.
“I want to see them.”
He shakes his head. “We cannot.”
Alarm and anger boil within me. “And why the hell not?”
His ears move subtly as he processes my tone. “The Shaman has forbidden anyone from entering his tents and disturbing the bodies.”
I bite back a grimace. “But I need to know they’re okay.”
He places his hands on my arms and grips me with authority. “I am telling you that they are. Gem-ma, I need you to trust me.”
Those eyes and that energy still radiating from him―so life-giving, the sensuality of it is both breathtaking and terrifying. It touches me deeply and I want to believe him. It’d be so easy to just let go and trust him. To just accept that I’m in some temporary alien vessel and things will be back to normal soon.
As long as I can swap back before the full moon.
But I can’t give him that.
Not just for me, but my fellow humans. I can't let them turn us into mindless breeder stock. I have to find a way to save us.
“I wish I could, but I―”
Without bothering to finish my sentence, I wrench free of his hands and bolt. I see the half-second of shock on his face before I'm running.
I’ve only taken three long strides―damn, these legs are long!―before I realize my mistake. I really should have taken a beginner’s course on this body before I tried to push it to the max. I’m making do, fumbling a little but picking up speed, but it’s no match for Kovak the Warrior Captain.
I've just circled the healer's big tent and am heading for the backside of the next one when a pair of strong arms grab me around my waist from behind and lift me up off the ground. I'm suspended in the air for one horrifying second, flailing and kicking, before he spins me around and grapples me in against his chest.
“Let go!” I scream, fighting and jerking against him. It only takes a few wiggles and raw jolts of attention in my boobs to realize they’re naked and pressed against his bare chest. I’ve lost my sheet in my failed escape attempt.
My eyes widen in horror and I struggle more. “Get off me!”
"Gem-ma." His voice is calm but loud. It calls me to attention for a moment. "Calm down. You're acting like a child."
“Are you kidding me?” I struggle with all the energy I can muster, but he has my arms pinned. “A child? You think I should act like a sweet princess while I’m being held prisoner and separated from my own people? All I want is to see them to be sure they’re safe. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
I also need to see my own body, for my own sense of closure. To know that it’s still alive. Or at least not fully dead.
My chest heaves against him, and I hate it because my boobs are moving up and down his skin. Not only is it incredibly distracting, but they’re much too close to his face. They may not be huge, but if he lowered his head he could rest his chin on them.
His eyes narrow as he regards me silently. I’d almost rather he yell back because I have no idea what he’s thinking.
When he doesn’t speak up, more words fall out of my mouth. “Also, it’s Gemma. Not Gem-ma.”
He still doesn’t say anything and I shove my hands into his shoulders, rocking back and trying to squirm away. But I barely move. He’s so damn strong.
Even in this new body, I'm not strong enough to escape him. What's the use? I hit him harder. I've never felt so trapped in my life. I hiss through my teeth, and Kovak relents part of his hold to cover my mouth.
“Gemma.”
He says it perfectly this time, and I like the sound of it on his tongue. I stop my writhing. His eyes are steady on mine, and I hate how much they sedate me.
“Visiting your friends goes against a direct order from the Shaman, but I can see that it’s very important to you.”
My heart skips a beat, hopeful.
“I will take you to them, but we cannot touch anything. The Shaman has important matters underway in there.”
I'm so excited I could kiss him. But I don't. My naked body is still pressed into him after all. Instead, I hold up a pair of fingers.
“I won’t touch. Scout’s honor.”
One of his ears moves along with his eyebrow. “You are a scout?”
“Er, not really. Nevermind. Let’s go.”
He seems reluctant to release me but finally nods. He seems even more resistant to put me down, and I’m half tempted to let him carry me. Except I’m still nude, and his energy is surging again. It makes me want to wrap my nakedness around him and tell him to take me home.
What the fuck was in that roofie?
I need my human body back so I can dump all these weird alien hormones.
When Kovak lowers me to the ground, he hands me my sheet. I awkwardly sling the thing around my body again and follow him to the tent.
Before he parts the flap, he puts a finger to his lips. “Silent and no touching. Promise?”
Now we’re making promises? This guy needs a lot of trust and commitments on Day One. We gaze at one another as I weigh my options, but it’s not like I have many. If I want to see the other girls, it looks like I’m just going to have to start making vows.
I nod and whisper, “I promise.”
Chapter 7
Kovak
We’re not supposed to be in here, and the stale energy of the room makes the hair on my arms stand at attention. I know better than to mess with the Shaman’s things or disobey an order he has given us, but Gemma was distraught with need. And it was a feeling I recognized. One I knew first hand.
There was no way I’d leave any of my warriors behind, and the last time I’d gone against orders to rescue one of my own I’d nearly been stripped of my Captain title.
I saw the same defiant fire in Gemma’s eyes when she insisted on seeing the other aliens, and I must admit, it triggered a content rumble deep in my abdomen.
I already knew she had energy waves that called to me and a strength I admired, but her fiery loyalty burns a new longing in my chest.
As it turns out, Gemma is quite the specimen. She’ll make wonderful Kutarian babies.
I recall the Shaman telling me to take Gemma for my own and start building our population back up. The thought of it makes the tips of my ears prickle with heat and my cock twitch and strain against my loincloth.
I watch Gemma silently as she slips through the tent flap and into the dim interior. Her purple eyes are bright and even seem to glow as she stares at the group of alien women in the center of the room.
“Oh my God,” she whispers as she creeps forward and kneels over the closest captive.
The small aliens all lie on woven reed cots, draped with clean blankets up to their chins. Gemma regards them all without a word.
I don’t know how these females are related, or if they are at all, but her eyes seem most occupied on two faces. Her own, of course, and that of an even fairer-skinned woman with hair like a sunset. Gemma must be particularly close to this female. I can see one of her hands clenching under her sheet. She wants to touch, but she’s refraining.
At least she can handle that.
Her outburst outside shocked me. I understand her concerns but I’ve never seen a woman act in such a manner. Kutarian females are usually soft-spoken and anticipate the needs of the tribe, working diligently to be sure the village is running smoothly. That has been their role for as long as I’ve existed.
While they don’t raise their voices or their opinions, we all know they are the strong backbone of our people. My warriors and I protect our village and bring back food. We keep peace around our home and build what we need to survive and be comfortable.
Our women, however, bring life to the village. Not only in offspring but in community. They form our smaller family units and our large encompassing tribe. They take responsibility for cele
brations and general merriment.
Outnumbering the remaining females over ten to one for the last year has made many of our men realize how boring life is without our counterparts.
I stare at Gemma with a smile creeping over my lips. She is our future. Proof that the Shaman’s body swap theory works. Our people can thrive again.
“How is this possible?” she whispers.
I step up next to her and kneel at her side.
"I know your medicine man guy says he just separated me, but how is that possible?" Her ears tilt back and her energy sags with hopelessness. "I thought we were supposed to be one package deal. Not a mix-and-matcher."
I skew my lips in consideration, though I’m not sure she’s looking for an actual answer.
Instead, she continues to hover near the bodies, hands roaming but not touching. She focuses on a small tube running from the nearest woman's arm―something crazy the Shaman cooked up. I don't pretend to know much about medicine, but he can figure out the weirdest things.
“The other bodies have these tubes too.”
It’s not so much a question as a statement.
“Yes. The Kutarian women have been in stasis for nearly a year.”
Gemma’s eyes widen, seeming to encompass her entire face, and she blinks at me.
“A year? Why? Where are they?”
My brow moves in a short frown before I realize what she means. “Gone. They’ve not moved to another body. They were destroyed.”
Her hand moves up to cover her mouth. “Destroyed? But…” She pauses and her hand drops again, sliding along the skin on her leg. “What happened to them?”
“The bodies were unharmed. The Shaman tested them extensively. They survived just fine with our help, but the women themselves did not.”
Gemma frowns, opening her mouth in question, but no sound comes out.
“Their brains, Gemma. Their spirit. They were crushed. Poisoned by the stagni. It killed the very essence of them, leaving only an empty shell behind.”
She shudders and my fingers tighten on her shoulder.
“That’s horrible.”
The soft thud and roll of a device in the corner of the hut―the strange contraption the Shaman produced to keep the bodies alive―is the only sound in the tent. As a silence spreads out between us, I look over what I can see of Gemma.
Her arms and legs look strong. The Shaman made sure to keep the bodies in proper health and condition while they were in stasis. He was a firm believer in his miracle coming true one day, and while I thought him a little mad over the idea before, I'm now quite thankful for his diligence.
Her neck is long and slender and the wave of black hair that falls down her back looks soft enough to touch. There are no sharp quills mixed in like mine.
I have to make an effort to keep my hand on her shoulder and not reach out to slide my fingers into it.
I stand, hoping she’s prepared to leave the human shells.
Unfortunately, she’s not.
“So all the humans will wake up over there in new bodies soon?”
“The attempt was made to move you all. We won’t know if it worked for everyone until they wake up.”
“What do you mean worked? How do you do the swap?”
The question makes my shoulders itch. We don’t mess with the Shaman’s magic, and we don’t ask questions. My knowledge is limited, but even revealing that much feels treacherous.
“The Shaman has an herb he uses.”
“The green roofie shit? I should have known that stuff would fuck me up.”
I don’t understand some of her words, but it’s not hard to gather she’s annoyed.
“It is medicinal, used mostly by the Shaman. Sometimes warriors. It releases you from your body.”
“Talk about an out of body experience,” she grumbles as she rolls her eyes.
“You do have that, yes. As far as I know, sometimes you remember the transfer and sometimes you do not. But more often than not, a transfer does happen.”
Something in her face perks up and I pause. I've said too much. I shouldn't have mentioned the process at all. It was safer that way. My muscles bunch as I wait for her to speak because her body is already wiggling like an excited levadon pup.
“You can use the herb more than once? So I can transport back to my human body?”
The excitement in her voice dampens my spirit. “In theory, yes.”
Her eyes are positively dancing, and I hate how good her excited energy feels as my body absorbs it.
"That is excellent news. Where does he hide the dope?"
My teeth clench as the muscles in my jaw flex, holding back my irritation and discomfort. We just got our hands on some females. I was beginning to think we never would. They can’t leave us already.
I'm not one to enjoy taking a slave wife, but we may have to do what we must to be sure the Kutarians survive. I'd much rather enjoy my days with my energy match.
The feeling of peace and fire I first felt when I came upon her has only grown since she became a Kutarian woman. It’s a feeling unlike any I’ve ever had, and I could drown in it. The idea of losing it creates a void in my chest large enough to swallow me whole.
I can’t let her go.
“He gathers the herbs from his sacred grove. Far from here. Only he knows its location.”
Thankfully it’s the truth, but I’ll give her no more information. She’s a feisty female and I’m not entirely sure how to handle her. For now, I’ll just continue to tread lightly and hope for the best.
She scoffs, a sneer on her lip. “Oh, come on. He keeps his drugs on lockdown?”
“Only he can use them.”
Her eyes narrow. “They’re plants. Anyone can crush a plant.”
"The Shaman uses his magic in his projects."
“Projects? Is that what I am, a project?” Her sneer has returned, and her voice is much too loud.
We’re going to get caught, and I’m in no mood to get in trouble. Not when I finally have something so precious that can be taken away.
But she doesn’t need me to tell her to quiet down. She’s on her feet and stalking her way back out of the tent.
Thank the gods. I leap up to follow her.
Gemma
It’s hard to leave the human bodies, but if these aliens kept their undead women alive for a year, surely the humans will be alright. At least I hope they will.
In the meantime, I get to hang around out here with ET's Swiss Family Robinson and try to avoid any babymakers.
My stomach growls and a surge of hunger swamps me. I suppose after eating through a tube for that long, a body can only do so much before it needs some serious sustenance.
Kovak must hear it because he’s at my side, pointing down the first row of huts.
“My place is just down here,” he says. “I can get you some food.”
My teeth clamp together so hard they feel like they might break.
I don’t want his food. I don’t even want this help.
What I want is for everyone to leave me alone.
“Thanks,” I grumble
I march in the direction Kovak pointed and try to keep ahead of him. I won’t play Little House on the Prairie with him, but I’ll take a place to be by myself. Alone.
There aren’t a lot of aliens in view, thank goodness, but a few males do see me. They stop and stare as I pass by. The attention is awkward and I keep my head lowered.
If they've been surviving with three women over the last year, I bet these fellows are hard up. So I can't blame them for gawking. It's not their fault a random science project with boobs is walking around their village.
It’s the voodoo man’s.
A project.
My blood tingles as it heats up, coursing through me like a rollercoaster.
I can’t believe that prick just sucked me right out of my body without knowing if it would work.
Not only that but now my own body is in peril! It doesn't sound like I woul
d survive well out here without my oxygen tank, but he did say my body was even worse off asleep like that.
If Kovak would just give me the damn herb I could make the switch back.
Instead, I'm locked in this gangly giant body. Surrounded by horny men that want to pop a baby in me.
When will this nightmare end?
“Just down here,” Kovak says, but I pick it up to jog the last hut’s length and throw myself through the flap.
Then I guard it, standing solid just inside.
“Gemma―”
“Go away!”
Now that I’m alone, tears spring forth, stinging my eyes and clouding my crisp vision. My chest feels empty, like a hole big enough to swallow Earth has opened up inside me.
“You should really eat―”
“Please.” I choke on the word―recovering with a few sniffs―and steel my voice. “Just leave me alone.”
Silence follows, and after a moment, I figure he must be gone.
That’s when the real waterworks flow.
I cry, for this huge clusterfuck I've found myself in. For the other girls still trapped. For Eva. Damn, would I love for Eva to be around right now. I need her.
I sit on the floor inside the entryway and wail.
I know it's unladylike and childish, but I don't even know what I am anymore, so who cares.
When crying on the floor doesn’t feel better anymore, I get up and stomp around the hut.
It’s larger on the inside than it appears all lined up in rows outside. The ceiling is made with massive crisscrossing bones. There’s a big bed on one side. Wide and low to the ground. It’s covered in a mound of animal furs.
A couple simple tables line the walls, stacked with possessions. Clothes, food, tools. A long spear is propped up next to one.
A long sheet of glass leaning against the wall near the bed catches my eye.
I stomp over, even though my curiosity has eased some of my frustration.
The tall clear rectangle contains a thin layer of water. I tilt my head as I stare at it, then realize I can see an alien inside.
Or I guess that's me. As an alien.
