Themba would change Payton’s mind tomorrow.
Chapter Seven
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Payton glanced at Jack, who diligently sat where she’d made him stay. That guy could’ve killed her in so many ways and so many times. Instead, he’d toyed with her. She’d known that from the very start. There was no denying how he batted her hands away, playfully, or smiled like he was a kid with his new toy.
Ugh.
She’d tackled him in frustration. Not a smart move. At all.
She’d been so afraid Jack would ignore her command and rush to save her. While Themba had played with her, Jack might not have been so lucky squaring off with him. Themba was dangerous. He would’ve killed Jack.
She’d saved up all her tip money to buy a retired military dog. She’d been glad for it many times over, but none more so then now. Without training, Jack would’ve attacked, and she would’ve been burying his body.
Payton motioned for him to come and he did, head down tail wagging. He crawled into her lap and gave slobber kisses. She accepted them all.
“Roll call,” Ben’s voice came over the wristband. “Ben, Miranda, the kids and Esme are accounted for.”
Payton pushed herself to stand on wobbly legs. “Apparently, we have to do a better job at hiding,” she told Jack.
Payton didn’t know exactly where she was headed, but one thing was for sure, staying on the rocks was her best bet. She couldn’t call one of those personal emergency pod thingies, but that meant he couldn’t either. Nothing happened to her when the alarm rang, but if he couldn’t access a pod, he was toast.
From the way he’d turned all shades of red, his body contorting in odd angles and the obvious amount of pain he was in, she’d thought he was going to die. She’d actually contemplated helping him get to wherever he was going.
Thankfully that moment of weakness passed. Whatever happened to him, he no doubt deserved.
Yup. He deserved all that pain and more.
That’s what he got for thinking she was his plaything. And to think she’d almost...
Heat crept up her neck and spread along her face.
Surely I can’t be that hard up?
But if the last few minutes were any indication, the answer was yes. Yes, she was hard up for a little attention.
“Min is here with Yesinia, Kaylin and Danny.”
So they were grouped together, and she was all alone? Huh.
She was irritated. But with herself, mostly. After all, she’d left them. It hadn’t been the other way around. Payton peered at the sky and raised a finger. “See, Dr. Rebecca? I listened to what you said.” I may very well lick my abandonment issues yet.
Payton started walking, picking the direction opposite of the greenery. She pressed her wristband. “Payton and Jack are here.”
“Esme had a conversation with one of the aliens,” Ben said.
Payton had crossed paths with two aliens. One, who hadn’t bothered her with a second glance, let alone conversation and the other who’d been very talkative. Had Themba met up with Esme before finding her?
The sting of jealousy touched her insides. She’d thought Themba had been looking and waiting for her. How many other women was he tracking down and playing nice with?
Wait. Why am I jealous? I should be happy. Maybe he’ll find someone else to sexually harass.
“What. The. Hell,” Danny said slowly. “Are you trying to end up like Mary Ann and Spencer?”
At hearing those names, Payton tripped over her own feet. How could she have forgotten those idiots were missing in action? She couldn’t forget how dangerous it was out here. No matter how much that guy was trying to distract her from remembering that fact.
“Of course not,” Esme said. “But I was stuck in the lake and couldn’t think of another viable option. So I asked questions, and he responded.”
So, timid Esme had actually talked. Like really talked to Themba instead of bumping groins?
Of course, she had. This wasn’t the time or place to think about sex. The fact that Payton was not only thinking about sex but on the verge of doing it only proved she had a screw loose.
Payton growled, frustrated and disappointed with herself. That guy had caught her at a vulnerable moment and exploited it. She was better than this. Or at least she was supposed to be better than a quick roll in the hay.
She stabbed her finger on the communication icon. “I’m glad you found a boyfriend and all. But if you can’t tell us where the hell we are and how we can get home, then I’m logging off this party line and getting some sleep.”
While the others had comfort in numbers, it was just her and Jack. And before that guy came looking for her again, she had to find a better hiding spot. One where she was surrounded by a lot of rock. But she also wanted to be near solid ground to call for food and water when she needed it.
“We’re on the planet Turolois,” Esme said. “I forgot to ask how far away from Earth we are, but at least I confirmed that we aren’t in Kansas anymore.”
For the second time, Payton’s steps faltered. She’d known they were on a different planet. This revelation wasn’t new. But that still didn’t make it easy to swallow. Themba with his two dangling cocks wasn’t a regular man, no matter how she’d tried to normalize him in her head and referred to him as “that guy.”
“Are you sure?” Kaylin asked. “Couldn’t he be lying?”
Payton stopped and slumped against one of the rocks, unable to keep her shaking legs moving forward. She could confirm Esme’s story and let the others know that she’d met him too, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell the others the entire meet and greet. There would be questions and judgment. Payton couldn’t handle either at the moment.
“I mean, he could’ve,” Esme said. “But I don’t think so.”
“It’s time to face facts,” Yesenia chimed in. “None of this looks like anything we have on Earth and that big planet hovering in the sky ain’t normal.”
“Let Esme tell us everything she learned then we can ask questions afterward,” Ben said. “I don’t want her to forget anything while you guys are bickering. Go ahead.”
Everyone quieted.
“First of all, that alarm?” Esme said. “When it goes off in the evening, the pods take the aliens away. He said that they have to go back to the lodge when the evening alarm goes off.”
Great. So the aliens get to go to a “lodge” at night while everyone else had to brave the elements and animals. Payton bet they had real beds, a television, and food too. Her stomach grumbled. Ah, real food. What she wouldn’t give for a slice of pizza.
“They don’t have a choice,” Esme continued. “And when the alarm rings in the morning, they’re free to come out again. Xrez, the alien, called it the off-limit hours.”
Xrez? Hmm. Could Themba have lied to her about his name?
Jealousy reared its ugly head again. She’d given up her name freely, and he was running around using an alias. Payton pushed back to sit on a rock and pulled her legs to her chest. “Oh, goody. It has a name.”
“He could’ve been lying about that,” Danny pointed out. “Lull us in a false sense of security. Then while we’re sleeping come and get us.”
“I witnessed it. The alarm rang, and he disappeared,” Esme said.
Payton paused and cocked her head. So not the same alien?
Why did that make her feel...better?
She opened her mouth to add to the conversation, but Min spoke first. “What did he tell you before he left?”
“What’s on our wrists is called a comlink. The aliens have one too but don’t worry, theirs is on a different frequency, and we can’t talk to them, and they can’t talk to us. It has different available options. We’ve already figured out everything it does except for the one that shows you what level you’re in. I have a single line. That’s because I’m still in Level One of The Hunt.”
Payton regarded her wristband, er, comlink. She had one line to
o.
“The characters on the side of that are universal numbers,” Esme continued. “And it’s on a countdown, letting us know, well, if we could read it, it would let us know how much time we have until we reach Level Two.”
“Wait. Back-up,” Ben said. “What do you mean ‘Level One’ and ‘The Hunt’?”
“Xrez said we were taken from Earth to be participants in a game called ‘The Hunt.’ The aliens tracking us are called hunters. We’re being hunted as prey. That’s what he called us. Prey.”
And here Payton was, getting all giddy inside when Themba told her that strange clicking sound meant “treasure” in his language. For fuck’s sake. He was actually calling her prey. The translation was all wrong. She really was hard up for attention. There might be no help for her at all. Payton slapped a hand down her face.
“Holy shit,” Ben said.
Yeah. That’s about right.
“We’re prey. This gets better and better,” Danny muttered.
“We have to get through three different levels, each progressively harder than the first. But if we get through them all, we’ll be freed. It’s all part of the game.”
“But it’s not a game. This is a hunt,” Yesenia said slowly. “Those things are like, for real hunting us down.”
No wonder Themba kept finding her. It’s what he was on this planet to do. Her stomach knotted, and bile burned the back of her throat. This was way worse than being stalked by a crazy ex across the country.
She turned to Jack. “Did you hear that? We’re being hunted.” She laughed humorlessly. “Hunted!”
“Yeah, hunters come here to capture prey,” Esme said. “If they capture us, they get to keep us—for a price. The lower the level, the cheaper we are. Right now, in Level One, my survival skill set is meager. I’m considered weak. He said most of the hunters are looking to capture Level One prey for mates or whatever.”
“I’m afraid you would be too easy to claim, clickity-click.”
No wonder he’d told her that. She didn’t understand it at the time, but now she knew. Payton leaned over and retched.
Hunters. Prey. Cheap.
He’d had the opportunity to take her twice. She wasn’t the badass she pretended to be.
“Hell no. I’m not trying to be anyone’s mate or whatever,” Yesenia ground out.
She wasn’t mate material, and even Themba had known it. She’d tried years to make Mike happy, and nothing she’d done had worked. He’d complained about the way she kept the house. So she devoted an extra day to cleaning. He’d complained about her cooking. She watched videos, and cooking shows to improve. He hadn’t liked the way she styled her hair, she changed it—multiple times. He’d complained about her in bed, she watched videos to help her improve in that area as well.
She’d tried so hard. For years. And she still couldn’t make her marriage work. Themba had somehow sensed that and wanted her for the “whatever.”
“No one wants that,” Esme said. “That’s why we have to survive and not only make it to Level Three but finish it. If we finish this without anyone catching us, then we’ll get freed and can go home. That’s what Xrez said, at least.”
“And how the hell are we supposed to make it to Level Three?” Miranda asked. “We don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing, where we’re supposed to be going or how to avoid those...those...things!”
More food erupted from Payton’s throat. This time it splashed against the side of a rock.
I can’t do this.
“We have to survive,” Esme said. “The better at it we are, the faster the countdown and quicker we can get to the next level.”
“So how do we make that happen?” Min asked.
“The more independent we are, the faster it’ll go. Payton’s countdown is probably going faster than mine. She’s alone and displaying proper survival skills while Ben, Miranda and I are relying on each other. He said that we can still progress, but not as quickly as someone who’s going it alone.”
Payton wiped her mouth. Her throat burned, and stomach ached. She steadied her breathing and watched the characters on her comlink. They moved fast, but she didn’t know how to read it. Maybe being by herself had its advantages? As long as she avoided Themba, she could finish and leave? If being alone was the price she had to pay, then she would gladly take it.
“Maybe he’s just trying to break us up,” Miranda said.
“No. I think he’s telling the truth about that,” Danny said. “Me and Kaylin met up with Yesenia and Min earlier today. Now our countdown thing is going much slower than it was when we were by ourselves.”
“So we should split up?” Min asked.
“We don’t have to split up,” Esme said.
“But if we don’t, we’ll stay in the game longer,” Yesenia stated.
Payton closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. If she wanted to fight off that guy, she needed help. But if she wanted this nightmare to be over, she had to stay by herself.
“I really want this crap to be over, but I also don’t want to be on my own,” Yesenia said.
Payton wanted this nightmare over as soon as possible too. “I guess I’ll be the first one reaching Level Three.”
“Yeah, but you’re also out there all by yourself with no one watching your back,” Esme pointed out.
Mike had started alienating her from her friends in high school, then her family after they’d married. When he’d successfully made her dependent on him as her only source of human interaction, he’d began to use alienation tactics such as ignoring and not talking to her whenever he was mad. She knew what abandonment and loneliness were.
Payton pushed away from the rock. “It’s not the first time.”
THAT NIGHT, THEMBA prowled his rooms again. This was becoming a common nightly occurrence. Payton had caused him flux for two days now and had almost gotten him killed on one of them.
The shock delivered to his system had been so intense that he’d relieved his bladder as he’d spasmed on the ground. One glimpse of her and he’d forgotten all rules and common sense. Forgetting either again could get him killed in The Hunt.
Melisizwe talked on, seemingly unaware that Themba wasn’t listening. The holo-call showed him sitting behind his desk, dressed finely even at this late hour on Ipakethe. When Themba walked through the door, and the wall panel blinked indicating an incoming call, Themba had thought the worst.
When it became apparent that Melisizwe had only called to confide in Themba, as they did nightly at home, Themba felt his thoughts pulled elsewhere.
Payton. He practiced making the sound. “Pay-ton. Pay-ton.”
Even though he’d learned the universal language for this sector of the galaxy when he was a youngling, he preferred his own. It wasn’t natural for his mouth and lips to move to make the sound of her name. His people spoke using teeth and tongue. Air was pushed from the back of the throat, adjusting one side of the tongue, causing it to roll and make a clicking noise. He’d heard from an off-world lover that his tongue moved in ways like no other.
But now he wanted no other but Pay-ton. She’d been so willing and ripe for the taking. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would claim her and change her mind about him.
“The ru Videndah warriors have breached our borders, and we’re going to war,” Melisizwe stated.
Themba stopped in his tracks and turned toward the hologram. Their kingdom hadn’t been to war in generations, and his impending bonding ceremony would help to ensure they didn’t now. “Did you say we’re going to war?”
Melisizwe looked like him except he was a few years older. As the Kgosi, the responsibilities of their kingdom fell on him, and it showed. Graying hair mixed with black, especially at the sides where his hair was pulled into the traditional braids. There were lines around his eyes and mouth and even gray in the braids of his chin hairs.
Melisizwe’s serious contemplation slid easily into a smile. He chuckled and shook his head. “I wanted to see if I had your atten
tion.”
“You have it.”
“Really? You’re wearing a path on the floor and mumbling to yourself. Are things not going as planned?”
Themba scrubbed his palm down his face. No, things were not going as planned. He was supposed to be enjoying the thrill of the hunt. Instead, he was obsessing over a female. When had a female last held his attention so?
Well before he’d become an adult and had more pressing matters to attend to. He’d thought his days of sniffing behind every female who came his direction were gone.
“Brother?” Concern laced Melisizwe’s voice. “Stay where you are and bar the door. I’ll send for a security team to retrieve you. Turolois has a good security system, but we’ll make it through.”
Themba dropped his hand and frowned at Melisizwe. “What? No. Everything is fine. I’m just...” Themba didn’t know how to express what he was going through. Enthralled and enchanted were words younglings used to explain first loves. “Uptight. The Hunt is having an unexpected effect on me,” he forced out.
Melisizwe’s apprehension dropped, and he let out a relieved sigh. “You feel primal and alive with energy. Your senses are in overdrive. You want to fuck, fight, run, and roar.”
He should’ve known Melisizwe would understand what he went through. “Exactly. There are too many thoughts firing through my head, and it’s hard to think straight. So many tantalizing scents. And humans. Brother, my desire has been awakened. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
The sides of Melisizwe’s mouth ticked into a smile once again. “I would’ve loved to have hunted a human. I know they are stupid and weak, but the thrill of hunting a protected species would’ve been engaging just the same.”
Themba shook his head. Payton wasn’t stupid or weak. Knowing that he hunted her, she’d hidden well. And weak? Not her. She was braver than most. Instead of running away and cowering, she’d faced off with him both times. “We weren’t told the truth about humans. They aren’t the weak and docile species we were led to believe. The one I encountered today was strong and feisty. When we engaged in the mating fight, she didn’t back down.”
Hunted by the Alien Prince Page 7
