From the Depths

by S. J. Sanders

  blunt? He was far more intimidating than the small human female. Wasn’t he? He looked back toward the door.

  “Hades! Come back, she’s not here for you!” Amanda yelled.

  “Tiny female, I am not a threat to you or Amanda.” Oshen raised his hands to show her he was unarmed.“Why don’t you just lower the weapon?” His tail tightened reflexively around Amanda’s leg as he tried to keep himself calm.

  The female’s eyes narrowed, and she raised the weapon from his chest to his head. Her teeth pulled back into a snarl as she locked eyes with him. She was threatening a Venium Warrior. She clearly had no sense of self preservation. “Move that.” She jerked her head toward his tail. “Now.”

  Oshen reluctantly slipped free from Amanda. The loss of contact felt unnatural. A grimace stretched across his face as the angry female waved the weapon at him, indicating she wanted him to move.

  “Can you survive outside of water for long periods of time?” she snarled. “Yes?” he wondered where she was going with this.

  “Good. To the bed, asshole.”

  “Jun, it’s ok.” Amanda tried to interject, but she stopped short as angry eyes flashed her way. “Bed. Right.”

  So, this was Jun, the angry voice from the comm. He stepped back into the hallway, not turning his back on the armed female. He knew he could have overpowered her, but he didn’t want to cause either of them any more stress. He glanced behind him as he retreated into a room just past the one he had woken up in, walking over to the bed Amanda had gestured to. Once they were inside, she directed Amanda to use metal confines that she had brought with her to secure him to the frame of the bed. “For our safety,” she explained.

  “I don’t know, Jun. This feels unnecessary. He tore apart a Grutex to save me.” Amanda bit her lip in uncertainty.

  “My point exactly. Here, hold this while I get my bag.” Jun handed over the plasma shooter. “And keep it aimed on him.”

  It shook in Amanda’s hands as she looked down at it anxiously. It didn’t seem like his female had much experience with weapons. He would remedy that. ​My female? ​ He grimaced. He had known her less than a night. When had she become his? ​She isn’t even Venium! Maybe I should have taken Commander up on his offer. It has obviously been too long. ​ Jun had left and was back in the room in a matter of minutes. Amanda tried to hand the weapon back.

  “I don’t feel comfortable holding this, Jun.”

  Jun rolled her eyes. “Amanda, I need my hands free to work. You have to hold it.”

  “You could always just put it away and release me. I’ve already told you that I’m not a threat.” He grumbled.

  “Shh!” she hissed, “Don’t talk.” Jun glared at him as she reached for the bag she had brought with her.

  Just then his wrist comm began to blink, alerting him to an incoming call. He struggled against the metal binding him to the bed as he tried to answer. Jun stabbed him harshly in the side with a small needle. “I’m trying to stitch this wound up. If you move one more time this is going to turn into a vivisection.”

  Amanda’s eyes lit up with a playful interest, “I bet we could learn so much about your species. Are you all able to collapse your lungs like a Cuviar Beaked Whale? Could I see?” She bounced in excitement.

  Both Oshen and Jun stared at Amanda blankly for a moment. “There is something wrong with you.” Jun said as she continued to stab at him.

  A blush stained Amanda’s cheeks, “It’s for science,” she mumbled, the weapon lowering slightly. Oshen nearly offered to let her explore his innards just to bring the smile back to her face. He turned to glare at Jun, but his comm flashed again, drawing his attention.

  “My​ brutok ​ is trying to reach me. I need to let him know where I am, or I will miss being rescued,” he pleaded.

  “Do you really think we are that gullible?” Jun stabbed him again as she pulled his flesh back together.

  Why is this female so violent? ​ He was starting to seriously doubt that she had any med training whatsoever. He huffed in frustration. He was going to miss this call, and they would all think he was dead. When they searched for him, if they did at all, they would never think to look for him this far inland. He could try breaking free, but he suspected that would get him shot, either on purpose or by accident.

  “Hey fishboy, how do you know English anyway?” Jun broke the silence. Amanda looked at him curiously.

  He narrowed his eyes at Jun as she stabbed him again. “My name is Oshen, not ‘fishboy’, and I have a translator implanted inside of me. It connects to my brain and supplies me with a translation of any known language I hear. Since the Grutex have been studying your people, many of your dialects are now known.” He debated for a moment if he should go on and decided that it wouldn’t hurt. “My comm is similar to the primitive box you spoke through earlier. It allows my artificial intelligence to learn from your speech patterns.”

  Amanda seemed offended by his words, her eyes narrowing. “Primitive?! I’ll have you know I own the most current phone model on the market.” Her lip quivered a bit. “Well, I did before you smashed it.”

  Oshen felt a prickle of guilt at the reminder of how he had destroyed the device. He wanted to apologize, to soothe her hurt, but he wasn’t actually sorry that he had done it, just that it had upset her.

  It didn’t take long for Jun to finish the stitching. She wrapped his torso in a new bandage before standing up and collecting her supplies. She brushed her hair back from her face with her forearm and sighed. “I don’t know much about your anatomy, fishboy, but that should do for the time being.”

  Oshen nodded his head curtly, “My thanks.” He watched as she left the room then laid his head back against the bedding. He was annoyed. His comm was silent once again. He needed to get some sort of message to Brin. His nostrils flared in aggravation as he ground his teeth. Hope raced through him as he glanced up at his wrist. Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner? “​Mouní, ping Brin.”

  “Pinging the most handsome man in the verse.” His A.I. responded cheerfully “No signal.”

  His body sagged in disappointment. He felt the heat of a small hand rest on his shoulder and turned his face up to meet Amanda’s sympathetic gaze. She had lowered the weapon to her

  side and stood close to the bed. “It’ll be alright, Oshen, you’ll see,” she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

  “How many more will I have to deal with?”

  “What do you mean?” her brows furrowed.

  “Your family. How many more members are going to stab and insult me?” He tried to keep the irritation from seeping into his voice. The soft light that glowed off of her skin told him that his ​fushori ​ was reflecting his uncontrolled emotions. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

  “I live here alone... I probably shouldn’t tell a stranger that.” Amanda mumbled to herself. “My parents died a few years ago in a boating accident.”

  “And your sister? She doesn’t live here with you?” His head tilted as he watched her face. “Your grandsire? Granddam?”

  “My sister? You mean Jun?” she smiled warmly, “She’s not my sister by blood, but she is as close to one as I’ve ever had. My grandparents died a long time ago. Jun is the only family I have left.”

  “My apologies. I am very sorry for your losses.” He said sincerely. Although his family was large and drove him crazy, he couldn’t imagine losing any of them.

  Amanda gave him a small smile, her eyes a little glossy. “What about you? Any family?”

  “The Venium, my species, live together in family units to help care for the young. My dam birthed a total of fourteen pups. I’m the second oldest.”

  “Wow! That seems like a lot of kids!”

  “It is,” he grinned, “but my dam has a big heart. She would like you.” Amanda’s cheeks filled with color, and she smiled shyly at him.

  Before she could say anything, Jun called for her from outside the room, “Amanda! Could you come he
re for a second?”

  Chapter Four

  Amanda

  “Are you listening to me?”

  Jun’s words finally penetrated the fog in Amanda’s mind. She smiled apologetically, not even trying to pretend that she hadn’t been thinking about the male again. “Sorry Jun, what was that?”

  “I said you need to be careful. You don’t know anything about this guy. I don’t like leaving you here alone with him, but I have to go in for a double shift.” She turned pleading eyes on Amanda. “Just promise me you’ll keep him tied up until I get back.”

  “I promise. Thank you for being here for me tonight.” Amanda looked up as the first rays of dawn brightened the sky. “Err, ​today. ​ Shit, I’m sorry, Jun. I didn’t mean to keep you so long,” she winced, knowing that her friend would have to go in to work right after this.

  Jun waved off her concern before wrapping her arms around Amanda in a tight hug. The shorter woman held her friend close, squeezing just a bit before releasing her and heading to her car. Amanda stood there for a time just soaking in everything that had happened. She reached out to close her front door and found that she still had the gun clutched in her hand. It was meant for her protection, but she wasn’t sure she actually needed it. She walked to the kitchen and placed it carefully in a drawer.

  Turning her face from the rising sun, she made her way from the living room, stopping to give Hades a scritch behind the ear. “Hey, big guy, you ok?” A smile spread across her face as she remembered Oshen’s reaction to him, finding the moment endearing. Like Hades would ever hurt her. It was laughable. She had found him as a kitten just after the death of her parents. Aside from Jun, Hades was the only thing she had. The house should seem sinister with her new addition, but she found his presence rather comforting.

  Amanda found herself standing just outside her bedroom door, pondering if she should go in. The alien intrigued her and made her want to learn more, not just because of his biology, but also because of him… his culture. Everything about Oshen. Maybe it was just her professional curiosity, but she felt the need to know more about him. She nervously moved through the doorway into her bedroom where he was still attached to her bed.

  Oshen’s irritated gaze met her own, and she felt guilty for leaving him for so long. “Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to finally set me free?” He inquired. His body lay stretched across her purple coverlet, pulled taut against his bindings, causing his muscles to ripple with each intake of breath.

  Tingles ran up her thighs curling deep in her belly as arousal threatened to cloud her senses. ​God Amanda, the guy is still hurt, and you’re ready to jump his damn bones. ​ She gazed longingly at her nightstand drawer but knew that she wouldn’t be able to sneak in any self-play today with him in her house. Oshen’s nostrils flared as if he could scent her predicament.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if you can scent better than humans can, considering fish can smell better than us. You look rather aquatic. As a rule, the deeper or darker the water, the more dependent fish are on their sense of smell.” She mumbled nervously as he quirked a brow in amusement. “At any rate, I promised Jun I would keep you there until she comes back.” Amanda

  wasn’t sure if the growl that fell from his lips was because of her lust or words. Warmth crept up her neck and over her cheeks, a blush staining her pale flesh.

  She moved to the far wall where she pulled the blackout curtains over her window to cast her room in shadow once more before grabbing her pajamas and heading to the bathroom. Taking what could probably qualify as the world's fastest shower, she quickly dressed in shorts and a too big t-shirt. Amanda seized a bucket from beneath the sink and filled it with warm water. She grabbed a washrag and a soft towel before walking back into her bedroom.

  Oshen hadn’t moved, of course. He was being held prisoner on her bed which made her feel terrible. Grimacing, she knelt by his side and dipped the washrag into the water. “Would you tell me about your homeworld? I assume you live under the water?”

  Taking a deep breath, he answered her. “Yes we live in dome cities. Before that we lived in the deepest of trenches. We only moved into the domes so that other species may visit.”

  Amanda was interested in knowing more about how he lived, how other species survived in the domes, how deep they were under water. However, she doubted he had any answers for her. If he did, she didn’t think he knew how to convert them into terms she would understand. “That sounds nice. It makes me wonder how it all works. If it would work here on Earth.” Shyly smiling up at him, she began to wash off his skin. She moved just above his waistline, rubbing away leftover blood. “The ocean is so big. I love it.”

  “Yes,” a soft growl rumbled from his chest, “I would say it is ​quite ​ big.” The tone of his voice had her eyes jerking up to his face. He was staring amusedly down at his crotch which had swollen without her notice.

  “Oh. Oh!” She quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks blazing red in embarrassment. “That is not what I meant!”

  “I don’t understand,” he frowned at her reaction. Amanda threw the rag into the dirty water before quickly patting his body dry with the towel. “I wasn’t referring to you and your-” She waved her hand at his pelvis “I was talking about the salt water you came out of!”

  Oshen was quiet for a moment before awkwardly clearing his throat. “On my homeworld we call that the​ okeanós. I am sorry if I have offended you, Amanda.”

  She shook her head dismissively as she folded the towel and placed it on the ground with the water bucket. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get some rest.” Amanda crawled into the other side of her bed since the couch was now stained in his blood, pulling the covers over herself. She canted her body away from Oshen as she tried to feign sleep. The bed dipped beneath a heavy weight as Hades climbed in beside her, curling into her front and forcing her against the alien’s side. Arousal still gnawed at her stomach, but she firmly ignored it. She was absolutely ​not ​ going to fantasize about the alien man handcuffed to her bed.

  It was like a wave crashing over Amanda, drowning her with its all consuming strength. Her screams went unheard, her body fighting against an unseen foe. She was helpless to resist the invisible hands that grasped at her. Each was as elusive as the next, sliding over her most sensitive parts. Her stomach clenched, her throat working another silent scream as her lungs filled with fluid.

  A dark shadow had her in his clutches, pressing his body against hers and grinding. Sharp teeth nipped at exposed skin as claws raked down her body. Getting away wasn’t an option. She desperately fought against her attacker, trying to escape, wishing someone would save her, but

  she was alone. It was a never ending nightmare. “Amanda, please wake up.” Claws gripped her shoulders, shaking them fiercely as her name was called over and over again, but she couldn’t respond. “​Gynaíka, please I need you.” She was too lost in her unremitting nightmare. “​Mía kardiá!” Amanda’s eyes shot open as a scream was torn from her throat.

  Chapter Five

  Oshen

  The great beast crouching over Amanda, hissing his displeasure, was his first sign that something wasn’t right. Her body writhed under the covers as she fought her unknown assailant and cried out in terror. She arched up as if she were trying to throw someone off.

  Oshen growled, his body beginning to glow with the bioluminesce of his ​fushori ​ as it flared to life with his rage. “Amanda, please wake up!” He yanked at the cuff that held him to the frame of the bed, not surprised when the wood broke apart. He didn’t even pause long enough to look at the damage he had caused. His only worry was his female. ​His. “​Gynaíka, please, I need you.”

  He grasped her shoulders and shook her gently, trying to wake her. “​Mía kardiá!” he pleaded. A scream lept from her throat as her eyes flew open. The terror he saw in them squeezed at his heart and he crooned to her softly, trying to soothe the remnants of her nightmare away. His tail las
hed anxiously behind him.

  Amanda rested her forehead against his chest, her hands clutching at his arms as if she were trying to anchor herself. She drew in a shuddering breath and raised her head, her tear-filled eyes moving to his. It felt as if they were truly seeing each other for the first time. He felt his breath seize, and his heart pounded frantically in his chest. She closed the meager space between them, pressing her lips to his. His hands stilled where they had come to rest on her hips.

  “Please,” she pleaded when he made no move to return her kiss, “Make me forget.” She crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought against the urge to do as she asked. Her scent surrounding his body had his mating glands swelling almost painfully. He wanted more than anything to have her kiss him again, to pull her body more firmly against his own, but he couldn’t. She was vulnerable, and he would never forgive himself for taking advantage of the situation.

  Oshen rested his forehead against Amanda’s and drew in a deep, calming breath as he placed his hands gently at her waist. She whimpered softly as he slid her off of his thighs and back onto the bed. Neither one of them were in the right frame of mind, and he wouldn’t shame himself by letting it continue.

  “Amanda,” he crooned, cupping her face in his hands, his thumbs running along her cheekbones. “Not like this, ​gynaíka.”

  Oshen watched as her bottom lip began to tremble and tears spilled from her eyes. “I’m sorry!” she sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

  He pulled her gently back into his arms, resting his cheek on the top of her head and whispering, “Please don’t cry.” Her body shook against his, and he ran his hands up and down her back, trying to calm her. He paused when he heard her snort loudly and pulled back, glancing