Arantxa

by T. J. Quinn

“You didn’t bring her to me,” Biurk stated, in a harsh tone.

  “You never mentioned we had to bring her to you. All you wanted was for us to bring her to Valkyr and so we did,” Korben pointed out. “She was going to contact you in the morning.”

  “I decided I couldn’t wait for another second to have her with me,” Biurk said, with a disgustingly lustful smirk.

  “That’s why you abducted her in the middle of the night from her friend’s house?” Korben asked, disdainfully.

  “What makes you think I abducted her? She came willingly. She too couldn’t wait for another second to be with me,” Biurk assured him, playing with his fingers as if he didn’t have a worry in his mind.

  “Is that so? She should have warned us. We would have escorted her to you, as we had planned so that we could get our pay,” Korben said, playing his little game.

  “It was a spur of the moment decision, really, but now that you’re here, there’s no harm done, right? I’ll transfer the credits we agreed upon so you can go back to your bucolic lives at Gaeshlai,” he replied, with a greasy grin.

  “Yes, do that. And while you do that, tell your men to bring the female here. I want to make sure she came here as willingly as you claim,” Korben demanded.

  “There’s no need for that… you can take my word for it…” Biurk said, but Korben interrupted him.

  “We both know your word is worth nothing when it comes to getting what you want,” Korben said, impassive.

  Biurk sighed. “She’s probably sleeping. Couldn’t we do this in the morning?” he tried, but Korben’s expression must have told him he wouldn’t get his way this time. “Fine, I’ll call her.”

  Biurk picked up his communication device and called one of his men.

  “While we wait, you should take care of that transfer,” Korben said, pretending he cared more about the credits than anything else.

  A male like Biurk would understand and relate to that.

  “Of course.”

  Biurk pulled up a small screen from his desk and started looking for the app he used to make his business transfers, clearly doing his best to look cool and calm. But Korben knew him well enough to know he was stressed and wanted to get rid of him and his men as soon as possible.

  “How come you missed her so soon? She was sure no one would notice her absence up until the morning,” Biurk asked.

  “Her friends have a security system installed all over their entire property,” Korben explained. “The guards saw you take her,” he lied, blatantly. There were no guards, but he didn’t have to know that.

  “We would have called her friends if we had known they would be so upset with her departure,” Biurk said, trying to sound apologetic. “But, she did send a message.”

  “Of course, you would,” Korben said, lacing his words with sarcasm. “The message was not enough to calm her friend’s worries.”

  The door opened up, and Arantxa walked in, wearing a richly embroidered tunic the color of her sweet eyes.

  She looked calm, and there was a smile pasted on her face, but Korben could see the fear and the stress hidden in her eyes.

  “Ah, my darling. Your rescuers are here to make sure you’re in good hands and to get their pay,” Biurk told her, with a smile. “Why don’t you tell them just how happy you are with me?” he asked.

  ***

  The trip to Biurk’s place felt too long and at the same time, too short. Arantxa kept looking back, hoping to see another vehicle coming after them. She couldn’t believe her bad luck. But she only had herself to blame for her predicament.

  Korben had warned her about Biurk, and she hadn't listened. She had been sure she had everything under control, and she had underestimated the male sitting next to her in the vehicle, taking her away from her friends.

  “How are you going to explain my absence to the agency?” she asked, too nervous about keeping her mouth shut.

  “I have my methods,” he gloated.

  “My friend will never believe I’ve changed my mind,” she warned him.

  “Then, we’ll have to convince her, don’t you think? Perhaps, I should have my men kill her mate and keep her. She’s quite beautiful. I’m sure she would bring a very high price at an auction,” he threatened.

  “You can’t do that,” she protested, her heart drumming painfully in her chest, prisoner of the coldest fear she had ever felt.

  “Who’s going to stop me?” he mocked her. “You better do a good job of convincing them. If they get as much as a hint of suspicion, you’ll regret it.”

  The vehicle they were traveling in stopped in front of a house that looked more like a prison than a home. Biurk dragged her out of the vehicle and into the house, all the way down the narrow, dimly lit hallway until they stopped in front of a guarded door.

  One of the guards opened the door, and Biurk pushed her inside. He walked in after her. The room was a small cell, with nothing more than a small bunk bed, a sink, and a toilet.

  He handed her a communication device. “Record a message for your friend. Convince her you decided to throw caution into the wind and live the life of adventure and wild emotions I’ve promised you,” he said, with a mocking tone.

  “You’re asking too much of me,” she grumbled.

  “Just do it. I don’t have all night.”

  She pressed the button and recorded the message he was asking, pretending she was eloping with Korben, to print in her voice all of the emotion Samantha would want to hear. She knew her friend would have a hard time believing her words, so she had to do all she could to convince her this was what she wanted.

  She couldn’t let anything happen to her or Djorg. They deserved to be happy, not being dragged into the mess she had turned her life into the moment she had accepted the invitation to meet Biurk.

  “See? I knew you could do it! Damn it, even I believe you, and I know the truth,” he said, in a clearly derisive tone.

  She pursed her lips and handed him the communication device.

  “I’ll send for you when your new owner arrives. Behave yourself, and all will end well,” he warned her before he turned around and left the room, locking the door behind him.

  Feeling her legs failing her, she stumbled to the bunk bed and took a seat, desperation taking over her. When she had been abducted by the Paklyors she had hung on to a tiny hope someone would rescue her, but the message she had just recorded had crashed any possible hope she might have held in her heart.

  No one would come for her and whoever she was being sold to was someone of the same ilk as Biurk, a low-life she would hate with all her heart.

  She paced the small room she was in, trying to find a solution to her problems, even though she knew things were not looking so good.

  After what felt like an eternity, the door to her cell opened up, and two alien females entered, carrying what looked like clothes.

  “You must change,” one of the females said, in a guttural tone, handing her the clothes she was carrying.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” she replied, dreading the idea of putting on anything that came from Biurk.

  “Your opinion wasn’t asked,” the other female said, showing her what looked like a nasty cattle Taser on her hand.

  Pursing her lips, Arantxa grabbed the clothes and quickly put them on. It turned out to be an embroidered tunic that covered her from neck to toes.

  “Biurk has visitors, and your presence is requested. He told us to remind you of the consequences of not playing along with his story,” the female holding the Taser said.

  She nodded and followed the females out of her cell when asked. Two guards joined them as they walked down the hallway to where Biurk was waiting for her.

  Seeing Korben, there was a huge surprise. She had been sure he had left the planet with his friends. For a moment, hope flickered in her chest, just to die at the sound of Biurk’s words.

  “Ah, my darling. Your rescuers are here to make sure you’re in good hands and to
get their pay,” Biurk told her, with a smile. “Why don’t you tell them just how happy you are with me?” he asked.

  They were there for their reward. Arantxa should have known, of course, but her stupid heart had hoped they were there to rescue her, that Korben actually cared about her and what might happen to her. Trying to tell them the truth would only put her friends in danger and would change nothing.

  “Yes… I’m thrilled,” she said, pasting her best fake smile on her face, as she looked at Korben. “I’m sure we’ll be very happy together.”

  “That’s quite a change of heart,” Korben said derisively.

  She shrugged. “Not really. After all, I came all the way to this planet to be with him. I realized I got a little scared for a moment there, but now that I’ve personally met Biurk, I’m sure he’s the male for me,” she said, making her smile even brighter.

  “Couldn’t you have waited until the morning instead of leaving the house in the middle of the night?” Korben asked. “Were you that eager to leave?”

  “I knew Samantha wouldn’t understand and she would try to convince me not to leave,” she replied, forcing her hands to stay still at her sides, presenting a calm exterior that had nothing to do with the chaos and the pain roaring inside her. Why did he even care? “Did she send you here?”

  “No, she didn’t. But she did call us, worried about your sudden disappearance and since we were coming here, we decided to check on you,” he replied, in a cold tone.

  “Ah, the reward, of course. Well, I have to say you did a good job rescuing me, it’s well deserved,” Arantxa said, matching his cold tone.

  “I’m glad you see things that way,” Korben said, with a smirk on his stony face.

  Biurk picked up a small tablet from a nearby desk and punched a few keys. “There… I’ve transferred what we agreed upon,” he announced. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we would like to go back to bed.”

  Despite Arantxa’s cold words and the stoic expression on her face, Korben knew she was pretending. He had gotten to know her very well during the few days they had spent together. She didn’t want to be here, and he intended to rescue her.

  Discreetly, he sent out the signal to his friends outside, as he moved towards her. He needed to shield her from any possible attack from Biurk when he realized what was going on.

  “Going to bed so early?” he mocked Biurk, buying them some time. “You used to stay up all night.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Biurk frowned, looking at his guards and summoning them with a single look. “You would do the same if you were in my place,” he said, clearly holding back his rage. “My men will escort you out. Our business together is finished.”

  “Oh, yes, I actually did the same, when I was in your place,” Korben said, ignoring the male’s last words. “Like you, I discovered human females can be quite… irresistible,” he added, taking another step closer to Arantxa.

  Her face paled at his mention of the time they had spent together, and Biurk dropped the nice guy act he had been showing them.

  “What are you talking about?” he shouted.

  “I don’t think you need me to explain that to you. As a matter of fact, my crew also had a great time with Arantxa. I’m sure she gained a lot of experience, during the spans we spent together,” he lied, poking Biurk, to force him to act and attack them.

  And he did. He finally lost his temper and drew his weapon to attack Korben and his men, his first shot aimed at Arantxa.

  But he wasn’t fast enough, nor were his men. Jumping towards Arantxa, Korben pushed her to the floor, just in time to prevent major injuries. From the corner of his eye, he saw her cover the wound on her arm as he fought Biurk and his men. Outside, the sounds of weapons being fired echoed those inside the room. After a few minutes of chaos, he was finally able to turn around to look for her.

  *****

  Hearing the way Korben talked about her was like a kick to her guts. What the hell was he doing talking about her that way? Why was he lying that way? What could he possibly win by telling Biurk about the time they had spent together?

  When Biurk pulled out his gun, Arantxa shrieked, and her heart jumped so hard she feared it would come out. Then, Korben had jumped next to her and had pushed her to the floor, as he too took out his weapon. The sharp pain in her upper arm told her she had been hit and she covered the wound with her hand, in a vain intent to stop the bleeding.

  Desperate to get to a safe place, she had crawled underneath Biurk’s desk. She stayed under it praying the thing would resist any possible shot, as the room filled with the stench of burned flesh and blood. She could hear another fight going on outside, and she tried to understand what was going on.

  She couldn’t believe Korben would attack Biurk’s fortress with only his friends to back him up. It would be carnage. But nothing else made sense. She prayed with all her strength, to all the gods she had ever heard of, to keep them safe. She wouldn’t be able to live with their blood staining her hands.

  After what felt like an eternity, the chaos in the room faded and other than a low whining, there was a thick silence.

  “You can come out now, Arantxa,” Korben said, in a soft tone.

  Startled, she opened her eyes and looked at him, kneeling next to her, with a smile on his face, his hands stretched out to her.

  As powerful waves of relief rushed through her, she jumped forward, right into his arms.

  “What the hell happened? What were you thinking?” she started ranting, still shuddering, fear still lingering in her heart.

  “We couldn’t leave you here, could we?” he said, hugging her.

  “There’s a small army in this place. How are we getting out of here?” she asked, shaking her head.

  “With a bigger army, courtesy of Djorg,” he said, with a wide smile, as he got up, drawing her along with him.

  “Djorg?” she asked puzzled.

  “Didn’t you know he’s Valkyr’s war minister?” he asked, with a teasing tone.

  “He is?” She couldn’t picture her friend’s mate holding a weapon, but apparently, she had been wrong.

  “Yes, and he had been trying to find a way to stop Biurk. Your abduction was the opportunity he was looking for,” he explained.

  “I’m glad my perils served his purpose,” she said sarcastically.

  Rhyos let out a loud laugh from the other side of the room. “I’m glad to see you’re back to your usual self, girl,” he said, with a bright smile.

  She looked at him, smiling. “Still a bit shaken, but I’ll be fine…”

  Kyor finished securing whining Biurk. He was wounded, but nothing that would threaten his life. “Let’s get this piece of scum out of here.”

  “Is everything cleared outside?” Korben asked, wrapping an arm around Arantxa’s waist.

  The door to the room opened, and Suriak walked in. “All clear. Djorg’s men will clear the rest of this place,” he said, making way to a couple Valkyr soldiers who took hold of Biurk.

  “Perfect. Let’s get out of here,” Korben said, as he guided her out of the room. “Arantxa needs to get her arm checked.”

  “It’s nothing, just a scratch,” she assured him.

  “Even so…” he insisted.

  “How did you get here so fast?” Arantxa asked as she took a seat on Korben’s vehicle.

  “We heard about Biurk’s plans at a bar downtown,” Korben explained. “We went looking for you as fast as we could, but by the time we got there, he had gotten to you.”

  “Why didn’t you put up a fight?” Rhyos asked, from the driver’s seat.

  “He threatened to kill Samantha and Djorg if I did,” she said, sighing. “I couldn’t put their lives at risk.”

  “You should have had a little more faith in your friends,” Korben scolded her, with a grave tone.

  “After all you told me about him, I couldn’t,” she insisted. “I would never risk their lives over my lack of judgment.”

  “B
iurk would have fooled anyone. He fooled us, when we first met him,” Kyor assured her.

  “In fact, it took us some time to know the kind of scum bag he is,” Rhyos admitted.

  “You’re safe now,” Korben said, pulling her closer to him.

  “Yeah… thanks to you…” she said, in a low tone, closing her eyes.

  “You’re upset,” Korben whispered for her ears only.

  She rubbed her eyes. “It was a very long day, that’s all…” she replied, in a low tone.

  “Did Biurk hurt you in any way?” he asked, with a deep frown.

  “No, he didn’t touch me. Whoever he promised me to was coming soon to pick me up. I believe he’s not the kind of people who would accept having his merchandise used.”

  “You’re right about Zulkor. No one would dare go against him,” Korben accepted.

  “Won’t rescuing me get you and the others in trouble?” she asked, with a frown.

  “No. Biurk promised you to Zulkor to pay off a debt. Zulkor only sees you as the merchandise that Biurk failed to deliver. I guess he will soon make him pay for that, but that’s no longer our problem,” he assured her.

  “I would hate to cause you and your friends any more trouble,” she said, in a serious tone.

  “You won’t.”

  The vehicle stopped in front of Djorg’s place, and they jumped out of it to meet the couple.

  “That was a swift operation. Other than a few wounded on our side, all went perfect,” Djorg said, congratulating the males.

  “Good,” Korben said, with a faint smile.

  “Let’s get inside. It will be morning soon, but I’m sure you all could use some food, a comfortable bed, and a warm bath, not necessarily in that order,” Djorg said, smiling.

  “That’s nice of you, but we have all that on our vessel,” Korben said, in what sounded like a forced polite tone.

  Arantxa froze in his arms. He was leaving her again. Steeling herself, she took a couple of steps away from him.

  “We can use a good Valkyrian meal,” Rhyos said, stepping forward. “And a man my size always enjoys a big, comfortable bed. Besides, we’re in no hurry to go back to Gaeshlai,” he added, entering the house.