Alien Barbarians' Mate

by Zara Starr

  I turned to walk out of the cave, my thoughts shifting to the terrifying vision in my dreams as it snapped its jaws around the torso of a curvaceous female and her incessantly yapping dog.

  Dey

  I felt utterly and completely useless, but comforting Veruka when she seemed disturbed in ways I had never before seen seemed like the best plan. I did care for the female much like a son would a mother, but the way she had reacted to Scar’s dream stunned me. It was completely unlike her.

  Veruka was usually very calm and collected. She was always sharing her wisdom as if nothing else in the world could sway her from it. It was her demeanor, being so light, that had always made me feel so welcomed at her home cave. I rather enjoyed her company and wit—despite her son’s staunch dislike of me and my kind.

  Hearing Veruka speak to Scar the way she had signaled a pain I had never before noticed. She must have worked diligently at it because in all my years of studying under her this was the first I had ever heard of her fear of having two dead children.

  I didn’t even know she had one, but as she and Scar spoke I gathered her fear was of what she deemed a prophecy—whatever it was that Scar had seen.

  I had heard rumors about those of our kind who would occasionally awake with knowledge about something that they never should have known before and yet would not give up on.

  Usually, it was about a coming disaster but I never really believed in prophets. They were a rarity, and I honestly thought they were an old wives’ tale—from a time long before.

  But Veruka was anything but superstitious. She was scholarly and specific about how she did things—evidenced by how she now measured out ingredients for the tonic she was creating for Ella who was soon to be having her baby.

  “Veruka?” I asked as I neared her, holding out the sweet water that I knew she needed to finish off the tonic.

  “Yes?” she asked, stirring the ingredients and mashing them together in a mortar with pestle.

  “What did you mean when you said the sliva dragon stole many daughters?” I questioned, treading carefully with my tone as she lifted her eyes to meet with my own.

  “If that dragon picks up on the female’s scent it will devour her. It is the nature of this beast,” she said. “And I meant just what I said, it has stolen far too many of our daughters. Far more than even the disease has taken—just never all at once.”

  “Did it take your daughter?” I asked.

  Veruka spun around suddenly and began shaking her head.

  “I do not speak of Tishena. She never had a chance,” Veruka said. “I should have heeded my own dreams, but a female is not to engage the dragons—as I am sure you know,” she mumbled, the sound of tears overtaking her voice as she kept her back turned toward me.

  “Tishena? Was that your daughter’s name?” I asked.

  Veruka spun around and bit into her lip.

  “Did you ever wonder why I allow so many to come and learn with me?” she asked, completely avoiding my question. Something that was also completely out of the norm for her—and very surprising to me. Something was bothering her, I had no doubt of it.

  “No, I always respected that you wanted to share your wisdom with others, and I cherish it,” I said.

  “Well, surely that is true but I do it because I want to keep the old knowledge alive—the ways of the past are just as important now as they were then. The case of the sliva is one point that has long been kept too quiet, but then again I am sure the council had hoped that no dreams, no prophecies, in so long meant that it had disappeared for good.”

  She paused before continuing, “However, yes, Tishena was the daughter I lost. She was plucked right from the meadow—in almost the exact spot where Scar cooks…”

  She trailed her words, her eyes widening as if she had just experienced some great awakening that I could not understand or see.

  “Veruka?” I asked worriedly.

  “Maybe that is why he had the vision? Because he is so connected to the last place the sliva was seen?” she asked.

  I pursed my lips. I had no idea what to say to her. Clearly, she had always been the voice of reason around me. She had never genuinely asked me a question that she didn’t already know the answer to, of that I was certain. I supposed, after all, there was always a first time for everything.

  “I…” Trailing my words, I tried to make sense of what she was saying, but all I could manage to say was, “It’s possible.”

  “You’re right—more than possible, it is probably exactly what has taken place. Why else would he dream of the sliva—something he had never heard of before? Especially, when he never dreams otherwise?” she asked.

  “I do not know, but I do know that staying here feels…” I wanted to say wrong, but that didn’t seem to suit the feeling—but it was close enough. “Empty.”

  “You mean you wish you were able to accompany Scar to find her. Have you ever had any dreams?” she inquired of me.

  “Not anything like the one Scar had if that’s what you’re asking me,” I muttered.

  She sighed and gave a slight nod.

  “Of course, it’s not typical for that many of us to have the dreams, but I’m not so sure I should alert the others given the circumstances,” Veruka explained.

  I pursed my lips. I was confused and worried at the same time. A place I didn’t much appreciate being and hoped to be free from sooner rather than later.

  “What do you need me to do? How can I occupy my mind and self so as to not become consumed by my own worries? I know I would be useless to them out in the forest and it isn’t my place—not unless they have a need for healing,” I said, feeling discontent in my heart and soul from it. It made me anxious and sick, and I hated both feelings.

  “Well, we need to ensure that Ella is well taken care of during her last few months of the pregnancy and that is why we’re working on these elixirs. I would think that should suffice to keep us both busy. We need to make several jugs of the tonic,” she explained.

  “Why does it feel like you are not being fully honest with me now, Veruka? Why do you not discuss your daughter? How did it happen?” I pressed on.

  This was a rare opportunity, and also a rare action from me. I had held Veruka in such high regard for so long, it almost seemed to walk the fringes of disrespect just to ask her, and yet ask her I did.

  “You should be careful of what you speak, Dey. It is true that I hold you in high esteem but there are some things no one should touch on—particularly the loss of one’s child. It is a delicate place to tread,” Veruka warned me.

  I sighed, feeling both disappointment and disgust at both her answer and my audacity.

  “I’m sorry, you’re right. I have no right to push or insist on things of which I have neither experience nor understanding. I apologize,” I blurted out.

  Veruka smiled softly and reached forward, grasping my hand gently as she looked back at me.

  “Dey, you have a wondrous heart full of compassion and empathy. You are a natural healer who is destined for greatness in the craft, and I know you would never disrespect me. You never have.”

  Continuing, she said, “I also recognize your fears for Mikaela—commendable as they are—but you must have faith in both Arh and Scar. I trust that Scar would lay down his life for them both—no doubt of it.”

  “How are you so sure of this? Scar and Arh have never gotten along well. Arh has never been kind to either of us, Veruka,” I said.

  I was feeling more honest and liberated—or perhaps my tongue was. In either case, the truth of my sentiments seemed to be flowing out of me like a cracked rock in a river—allowing all the debris to shift through without weighing it out first.

  Scar

  I had been walking the greater part of at least an hour—possibly two hours. It was hard to say with the darkness of the forest expanding all around me.

  I knelt to the ground, my fingers splaying out across the earth as I measured out what I thought were footprints
—fresh. They couldn’t have been more than a few hours old.

  I pursed my lips and stood up, glancing toward the sky that I hoped to see lighting through the canopy. Sure enough, the split of light flickered through the leaves and branches, but it was still so early that it barely scratched the surface in providing enough light to truly see.

  I walked forward and knelt down yet again, once more scanning over the earth to see if there was a pattern trail or if it was just a footprint here and there without any real direction.

  I still didn’t know what to look for when it came to tracking down the sliva dragon—a mythical creature that even I hadn’t heard of before.

  Whatever had occurred with Veruka and this beast must have been atrocious because her reaction to my dream was pure terror—unlike anything else I had ever seen in her before.

  Strangely, I think that even Dey noticed and I regretted having to leave him behind. He was intelligent and a great healer, that much I knew.

  Given how Mikaela had reacted so many other times, it was becoming clear to me that having a healer, should she ever choose to partake in a triad, would be to her benefit.

  I also realized that Dey seemed saddened by what was going on, but helping Veruka was what he did best and the way she was acting, I didn’t feel motivated to leave her alone. In fact, I feared for the worst should she be left in the odd state she was in when I finally took my leave.

  I found comfort in knowing that Dey understood her recipes and could help her do something she needed to do that would also keep her occupied.

  That still didn’t make things any easier when it came to striding through the underbrush in the faint twilight hours—searching for either a black as night dragon or a captivatingly beautiful female who I couldn’t shake from my mind.

  Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

  “Hello?” I whirled about-face—my ears searching for the direction that the sound was coming for.

  Snap. Crunch!

  The noise suddenly quit behind me and I turned to look through the silvery lit up woods—my eyes flickering curiously as I tried to identify the thing responsible for the odd noises.

  Nothing was there. I groaned.

  “Good job getting yourself worked up—for nothing,” I said.

  I had always hated hunting because of the opportunity to be found alone, and be devoured.

  Being a hunter meant you often became the prey, and with the idea of an inky dragon slithering through the trees to pop up from anywhere at any given time was both terrifying and invigorating—two feelings I knew could influence one to become reckless if they didn’t pay attention.

  I groaned and continued on my path. Somehow, I had a feeling the footprints belonged to Mikaela—they were smaller and seemed more effeminate than any of the prints our hunters would have left, of that I was certain.

  The only problem was, as I sniffed the air, I didn’t pick up a clean scent but rather the remnants of one. As if it had been a great deal of time since she had passed through here, but it gave me a sense of confidence as I strode forward—hoping to find her whole and complete.

  The monstrous dragon from my nightmares was just that, a nightmare—a dream never to become reality.

  I tried to remember a time when Arh and I had actually gotten along and wondered if he would respond to my appearance kindly or if he would be annoyed. I wondered if he knew about the sliva—or if he had even been alive when what had happened to his sister had occurred.

  I had so many questions, and even fewer answers, and yet deep inside I knew that I was on the right track. I was doing the thing I needed to be doing and seeking out the female I knew I already loved despite never having touched her in any sort of intimate way.

  My thoughts shifted to what I would say to her if I could…

  Mikaela, there is something special about you and the fire you hold inside. The way you fight for what you believe in, and the things you most love—it is unlike anything I have seen in any other, and I love that about you.

  Your loyalty to Tremor and the way you place him so highly—it is almost like a mother’s love for her child. It shows the depth of your beauty—which goes beyond your enticing face and resides in the deepness of the wonder of your heart.

  A heart, I would give everything for if only you’d allow it to be mine—and in return, I vow that I will tend to and care for it more than even words could say.

  Someday, Mikaela—someday, I hope you’ll see how far I’d go for you. How I’d put my very own life on the line.

  Sixteen

  Arh

  My eyes cracked open, the cool forest air creeping over my skin, and I rolled to the side hoping to feel Mikaela curled up alongside me. To my surprise, she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Mikaela?” I called out to her, instantly springing to my feet as I glanced around the clearing.

  It was as if she had disappeared completely—as if there was no trace of her ever having even been there. Her clothing had all vanished—not even a remnant of her dog seemed to be around.

  I perked a brow. Had it all been a dream? Was I crazy? Had I truly lost my mind?

  I swore everything that had gone on between us had driven us closer together—or at least, I thought it had.

  I quickly walked across the clearing, glancing all around me for any sign—any clue at all, of which way she had gone. I knew she had been there—it wasn’t just a figment of my imagination.

  I wondered suddenly if the stupid animal might have been to blame. I knew that if the creature had fled in search of adventure, Mikaela would have instantly been distraught and wracked with worry over its whereabouts.

  The creature, the pesky, yapping beast—was called Tremor, or Trem by the one who seemed to adore him most. I knew the rest of us felt just as I was now feeling—disgusted and disturbed by how foolish the animal was and the risk it brought to all of us, particularly Mikaela.

  I didn’t know what to think of it, but eventually, I did find the clue I was looking for—as it squeezed beneath my feet and I stepped in the left-over pile that seemed awkwardly fresh.

  “Ugh!” I groaned as I stepped in Tremor’s droppings and shook my head.

  I guess there was a silver lining to it, after all—it hadn’t been there very long which meant that neither Tremor nor Mikaela could be too far away.

  I had hoped that after dealing with the snake, Mikaela had learned how dangerous venturing into the jungle could be. But it seemed that my hopes had been shattered because she took off after the dog regardless.

  I chuckled, I didn’t know whether I should call her crazy or courageous, though if I were to wager on it I likely would have played both sides—as clearly, she truly was both. I set out in the direction that the crap seemed to be pointing in—the stench stinking to the heavens and then some.

  If this was what it meant to own a pet I didn’t ever want or need one. It was just another nuisance to tie me up in the day, and it seemed to me that it did the same thing to Mikaela.

  This would forever be a puzzling thing to me. Why would anyone want to deal with that?

  Mikaela

  I had awoken early, and somehow—likely thanks to my own irresponsibility and being caught up in lovemaking with Arh — Tremor had gotten loose and taken the hell off, again.

  I hated that about him and I never once really understood why he wouldn’t quit doing it. I theorized that it was due to him not being fixed—something I had finally gotten around to saving up enough for and was about to set an appointment for right before we had been teleported to this… place.

  I groaned, annoyed and disgusted by how quickly I had to pull my clothes on. It surprised me that Arh never awoke once and seemed to be sleeping more peacefully than I ever imagined he would.

  I figured it was best just to leave him as he was and a rush of redness filled my cheeks as I recalled what had transpired overnight between the two of us—as magical and fun as it had been.

  It was certainly true that it had been o
ne of the most beautiful and fulfilling nights of lovemaking I had ever experienced in my life, but now that it was over the awkward reality of what we had done had really started to sink in.

  Because of it, all I wanted to do was venture off in search of my dog and hopefully some way to get back to my normal state of mind.

  The more I thought about it, the only thing that made sense was that seeing that wild and crazy orgy taking place must have had some weird effect on my hormones. Sort of like a bitch going into heat. I just reacted to the natural need for fulfillment and Arh happened to save my life.

  Those seemed like basic carnal instincts and, just as Tremor had now ventured off, it was a natural need I had to sate—nothing more.

  My mind slid to the memory of Scar’s beautiful, etched face, and what it would look like in the throes of passion as I flickered my tongue across his thick cock. Would it be thick?

  I wondered suddenly if all Eilahasans were created equal in that aspect or if they were like human men and there was some degree of variation?

  I shook my head, trying to force my mind away from the pervy images of the three of us fucking just as the triad I had seen earlier, before Arh and I had sex.

  Would Scar flick his tongue across my clit while Arh thrust himself against my face and lips? I never could put my hand on it, but for some reason giving head had always turned me on. Just the thought of me giving and receiving it at the same time sent a trickle of wetness down my thighs.

  I chuckled softly, I needed to get myself in check and fast. This was neither the time nor the place to be having dirty daydreams about purple aliens.

  In fact, part of me thought Arh would be grateful that I took the initiative to go on about my way without him. It meant he wouldn’t have to deal with my dog, which I knew he hated. It was obvious—his expressions told it all.