The Game Warden's Mate: An Alien Abduction Romance (The Hunt Book 1)

by A. M. Griffin

  The next few hours were spent taking selfies and playing tic-tac-toe and other games in the dirt. Each time they checked, the couple remained close to the entrance and rutting away. They’d taken turns videoing the aliens. It was gross, but Esme thought she might win a Pulitzer for it.

  Late into the day, the sun disappeared, and the sky turned a purplish haze. Fat raindrops fell, pounding into the ground and lightning and thunder clashed. Each clap of thunder rocked the cave. Both Esme and Payton cowered near the entrance, hoping for a fast getaway if the roof caved in.

  The rain drove the aliens away but left Esme and Payton stranded again. When they tried to go, they’d only gotten a few steps from the cave before fast-moving water, and the slippery ground made them turn back. Night fell and the evening alarm sounded. The rain continued harder and stronger.

  This time during roll call Esme got to hear Miranda and Ben’s voice and talk to them both. No one else had gotten caught. The rain seemed to clear out the aliens.

  Esme fell to sleep knowing they were safe for as long as the rain kept up.

  That false sense of security had lulled her into a deep sleep and a very rude awakening. Esme awoke to her lungs on fire and coughing she couldn’t control. Payton clutched and shook Esme’s shoulders.

  Esme took in a breath full of smoke and coughed it out. She opened her eyes to black smoke filling the cave. “Wh-what’s going on?” She was lightheaded, and each breath burned her lungs.

  Payton let her go and ran to peer out the opening. “They’re trying to smoke us out.” Jack whined and tried to step outside. Payton pulled him back by his collar.

  Esme kicked her way out of the sleeping bag. “Are they out there waiting for us?”

  Payton shook her head. “I don’t think they know which cave we’re hiding in. They’re throwing smoke bombs in all the openings, large and small.”

  Esme folded and stored her bedding. “Should we wait them out?”

  Payton coughed into her shirt. “We can’t,” her voice was deep and gravely. “The smoke just started, and we can barely breathe. If we don’t get fresh air, we’ll die of smoke inhalation.”

  Esme ran to Payton and peered over her shoulder. The rain continued to fall, and now the ground was a lake, rushing downhill, carrying broken rocks and sticks in its path.

  “I don’t see any of them.”

  “They’re somewhere above us. Every couple of minutes I can hear them talking and walking around.”

  Esme rubbed her burning and scratchy eyes. “What’s our plan?” Her chest burned as she talked.

  Payton glanced over her shoulder at Esme. Payton’s eyes were red and swollen. “We’re gonna have to make a break for it. Don’t run on the rock, you’ll end up falling and busting your head open. Drop to your butt and slide as far as you can. When you get to solid ground, call a pod.” Payton lifted her shirt and pulled out a knife. “Here, take this.”

  Esme’s jaw fell open. “I-I can’t. It’s yours.”

  Payton slipped the knife into Esme’s purse. “Don’t be afraid to use it, Einstein.”

  “I can’t take this from you. You might need it.”

  Payton pat her back pockets. “Don’t worry about me. I have two more knives, brass knuckles and pepper spray.”

  “Why do you have so many weapons? You were only taking Jack for a walk.”

  “Crazy ex. Divorce court. Remember?”

  Esme nodded. Of course, she remembered. She wanted to tell Payton that the shock was making her brain fuzzy, but she couldn’t make her mouth form the words. Esme grabbed Jack into a hug and kissed his face and before Payton could object she did the same to her.

  “It’s been cool hanging out with you two. See you in Level Three?”

  Payton squeezed her back. “See you in Level Three, Einstein.” Payton pushed away and wiped a tear from her eye. “On the count of three.”

  Esme nodded.

  “One, two, three.” Payton took off, and Jack followed.

  Esme bolted from the cave, going in the opposite direction and immediately slipped, falling on her butt. The current pushed her forward, and she hurried, helping it along.

  “There!”

  Esme turned. The two aliens she’d watched having sex yesterday were standing on the ledge, pointing at her. That was the motivation she needed to hurry. She slid down one side of a rock and into a large pool of water that went up to her waist. She fought her way to the other side.

  One look behind her and she knew she was in trouble. The aliens had split up, one in the direction Payton had gone and the other on her tail. The one who followed her had thin legs bent at an odd angle that looked both grotesque and cartoonish at the same time.

  Oh, no! Oh, no!

  She hauled herself over the ledge and jumped to her feet. Her body was waterlogged, and her shoes sloshed as she ran. Three strides into running and her foot slipped underneath her again. Her tailbone and elbow crashed hard against the rock. She howled in pain.

  She couldn’t give up. She couldn’t get caught.

  Fighting through the pain, Esme rolled to her belly. She couldn’t run, but she could slide her way to the bottom, reach grass and escape.

  The alien wrenched her head back. The tendons in her neck cracked and pain burned across her scalp. “Mine!”

  She scratched at the scaly hand holding a fistful of her hair. “No!”

  She fought as he dragged her down the remaining slope of the rock. Her kicks and scratches didn’t have any effect on him. He pulled her forward and to the grass.

  No!

  If he got her to grass, he would call a pod.

  She screamed and fought. He pulled her along. She reached for anything within her grasp. Her fingers wrapped around something hard. She grabbed the jagged rock and smashed it against his hand. With a howl, he released her, and she lurched to her feet in a run. The alien caught her foot and pulled. Her chin slammed against the ground. She didn’t let the pain stop her.

  She rolled to her back and kicked at his hand. “Let. Me. Go!”

  “Mine!” The alien fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

  Esme struggled under his weight, crying and fighting to no avail. Then she saw him. Xrez. He sat perched on a tree branch watching her.

  “Help me!” she begged.

  He didn’t respond.

  She cursed him. Fine, she would save herself. She pulled out the knife Payton had given her. With survival on her mind, she stabbed his side. The alien gurgled. Esme stabbed him again.

  And again. And again.

  She didn’t stop until the alien was in a dead slump on top of her and her hand was coated with thick, warm liquid. Esme pushed his limp body to the side. She took one last glaring look at Xrez then pushed her comlink.

  “Wait!” he called out.

  So now he wanted to talk to her?

  Esme lifted her middle finger as she dropped into the pod. She wept uncontrollably as the pod propelled forward. Her screams and cries reverberated against the see-through walls. She didn’t pass anyone else.

  She was alone once again.

  She slumped into a ball, her body wet and sticky with blood.

  The pod came to a gradual stop then air pushed her to the surface. She fell into a fresh blanket of snow.

  The cold air immediately bit into her skin and seeped down to her bones. A chill took over her. She shivered uncontrollably.

  Get up.

  She forced herself to her feet, leaving blood stains against the once white snow. She glanced around, opening her eyes wide. Gone was the jungle. She was now in a wintery place with ice and a forest of dead trees.

  With a shaking finger, she pressed the button for her sleeping bag. Her teeth chattered as she wrapped it around her shoulders. A gust of wind almost blew her over, tearing through the sleeping bag as if it were nothing.

  Two things were very apparent. She was going to freeze to death if she didn’t find shelter and there were now two solid lines on her comlink
instead of one.

  She’d made it to Level Two.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “No!”

  Xrez reached out, to warn her not to summon an emergency pod, but Esme was already gone. The atmosphere in the Level Two arena was more like his homeworld than the jungle of the Level One arena. And he had no doubt Esme was in Level Two and in the Arctic Wastelands. The dead body of a Vaczix had guaranteed that and he’d seen her collar change from yellow to white as she’d fought for her life.

  Xrez dropped from the tree, landing squarely on his feet and pulled up his map. Instead of seeing a landscape plush with vegetation and wildlife, there were dead trees and barren lands. He looked forward to leaving the stifling heat. He would thrive in Level Two.

  His species was made for it. The short hair covering his body made it difficult for snow to seep to his skin, ice to form on his body and helped to protect his skin from becoming wind burned. Like all Dar’E male and female, he was muscular. The muscles on his body generated heat to keep his temperature regulated on even the coldest of days. But Esme didn’t have any of these cold weather advantages.

  She would surely die.

  Xrez closed his map and glanced toward the North. It would take all day running top speed to reach her if he left now. He didn’t mind since he’d completed a half-day’s run to reach her in this part of the arena. It hadn’t taken long to locate Esme. The rain had almost washed her scent away, and the cave did well to hide her smell, but he’d found her quickly. He’d stayed close and watched over her even though he should’ve visited the other humans to see how they fared.

  Things were not going as he’d initially planned. So far, instead of contacting multiple humans to help them, he’d only had contact with three.

  “Sir, can I assume you are upgrading to Level Two hunting status now?” One of the game attendants asked. Xrez didn’t recognize the speaker.

  “Immediately.”

  “I’ll take the liberty to have your belongings moved into the Level Two hunter lodge as well as upgrade you to executive membership status.”

  “Of course.”

  “You will find that there are more perks afforded to those with Level Two upgrade.”

  “I look forward to finding out what they are,” he said even though he knew.

  In Level Two hunters with executive status were able to harm other hunters. If the attendant had been monitoring him, then he’d seen Xrez’s previous behavior with the two hunters and the shock he’d received as a result.

  There was a quick buzz in his comlink as additional icons activated on his band.

  “Is there anything else that I can take care for you?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Enjoy your hunt.”

  The communication ended, and Xrez set off toward the Level Two arena. He ran without stopping to rest. He’d trained all of his life and remained in top shape, studying with generals and top warriors. For someone not in his shape the journey may have taken one to two days. Even for him, it was grueling to go from the heat of the jungle to the cold of the Arctic.

  The change was dramatic. A network of crisscrossing lasers separated the arena. A chip on his comlink allowed him to pass through seamlessly. For anyone who hadn’t upgraded, an invisible force would've stopped them and propelled them backward.

  Xrez stopped briefly to summon the new items added to his comlink. His new boots had unique gripping on the bottom of the soles. He could run across the ice without slipping, as well as protect his feet from the severe cold. His coat was thick and provided insulation against the freezing weather and served to keep his body heat normalized without sweating underneath. The goggles protected his eyes from the sun’s reflection off the snow that would have blinded him. It wasn’t the caliber of items that he had at home, but it would do.

  He picked up Esme’s scent by nightfall. When he finally found her, she was a huddled mass, leaning against a dead tree. Snow had fallen between the barren limbs to cover the sleeping bag she hid under.

  Xrez came to a halt in front of her still form. His heart pounded from exertion and fear.

  Was he too late?

  Xrez listened carefully. Her heartbeat was present. It was slower and softer than the fast-paced bounding she’d had before. Her breaths were almost inaudible. The other noise he couldn’t place until it came to him. Her teeth chattered.

  “Esme,” he said softly. “You can’t stay here, or else you’ll die. You need to find proper shelter.”

  “T-t-too c-cold.”

  “Check your comlink. You should have more options available to you now. Call for warmer clothes, coat, boots, a heated blanket and fire sticks.”

  “M-my h-h-hands t-t-too c-c-cold. C-c-can’t m-move.”

  The evening alarm sounded. Xrez had only a few seconds to decide what to do. He took off his coat. Just as the ground swallowed him, he threw it to cover her. “Is this where you wish to die, Esme?” he yelled.

  Xrez fell into the pod, and the door closed over his head before she could give him an answer.

  * * *

  Xrez waited impatiently for the morning alarm. Two other hunters waited with him. More would come to the Level Two lodge as the prey progressed. It was time for him to admit that he’d failed his mission. His energy was on one human in particular. Esme.

  She was all he thought about every waking minute, and she even occupied his dreams. He’d gone from being intrigued by her to overwhelming obsession. She’d made it to Level Two. Xrez should’ve been happy to leave her there and concentrate on helping the others. That was his original plan, to help as many humans as he could to higher levels.

  The hunters wouldn’t have anything to complain about. The Hunt would be successful, and his father’s legacy would be intact. Of course, his main focus was The Hunt and his father’s legacy, but now.

  He had competing thoughts.

  As soon as the alarm rang and the barrier dropped, Xrez took off, running to where he’d left Esme the night before. He didn’t care if anyone followed him.

  Xrez made it to the tree and found a dip in the snow from where she’d been. She’d taken his advice and left. But the question was, did she find shelter?

  It was easy to see her footsteps, even with new snow falling it hadn’t had time to cover the deep holes made by her legs. He followed the path she’d left behind, finding that she’d backtracked a few times, starting in one direction only to turn around and go in the other. If he hadn’t seen how cold she’d been, he would’ve thought she’d left a confusing trail to throw off the hunters, but he knew better. She’d desperately searched for someplace warm.

  He stayed on her trail, using his sense of smell when her tracks became confusing. He didn’t waste any time. Time was not on her side. Not in the state she’d been in. Fear of what he would find kept him going. He figured there were three options.

  Esme was alive.

  Esme was a frozen corpse.

  And lastly, there would be nothing left of Esme but bones licked clean by the predators that roamed the wasteland.

  In the scenarios in his head, she was dead in two out of three. Xrez didn’t like those odds.

  Both of his hearts skipped a beat when her scent became mixed with that of the fire sticks. Xrez let out a sigh of relief. Esme was alive—for now.

  He found her near a formation of ice and rocks. The rock had a smooth side and an overhang, protecting her from the snow that fell and the wind that blew hard enough to push him forward. It also provided a good source of protection from any predators that might want to sneak up to her from behind or above.

  She’d draped his coat over her head and shoulders, the hood hung so low that it covered her eyes and most of her face. She had her sleeping bag underneath her legs, serving as a barrier between her and the snow covered ground.

  Xrez crept closer. She didn’t move or acknowledge his approach. If he were a predator, she would be dead within seconds, and if he were another hunter, she would be cl
aimed.

  Xrez knew all too well the thoughts that were going through her head. She was tired, cold and giving up.

  “You took my advice and found shelter. Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least you have some protection from the elements.”

  She didn’t reply.

  He eased closer. The heat from Esme’s fire was a stark contrast against the coldness at his back. The firesticks would last for days and provide her with much needed warmth, and a means to cook her food. Once these died out, she could call for more.

  “Esme? Do you hear me?”

  “You left me to die.” Her voice was low and hoarse.

  Xrez closed the distance between them and crouched in front of her fire, needing badly to be in her presence. “I had to leave. The bell sounded, but I left you my coat.”

  She shook her head. “Not just last night. When that other alien attacked me. You said that anyone taking me in Level One would end up killing me in one way or another. You were there, and you didn’t help.”

  “I couldn’t. He had claimed you, and he had his hands on you. It’s against the rules.”

  “You. Left. Me. To. Die.”

  “Esme.”

  She pushed the hood from her face and glared at him. Her eyes were cold and dark. There were dried tear tracks down her cheeks. Her skin had lost the vibrancy it once held. Now she was ashen and pale. “Why are you even here, Xrez?”

  “I wanted to make sure you lived.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “And why is me living so important to you? You told me you couldn't interfere, but you’re always lurking. Are you one of the aliens who brought us here? Are you responsible for kidnapping us? Are you one of those game attendants that you told me about?”

  His words caught in his throat. The instant he told her who he was, she wouldn’t want to talk to him anymore. And he wouldn’t blame her. He hadn’t brought her here, but he was just as responsible for her capture as his father was.

  “I’m a hunter. I’m only interested in Level Three prey. Not you.”

  “Then why are you here?” she ground out.

  He straightened. “I’m here because I worried about you all night. I imagined you sitting under that tree frozen to death. I couldn’t eat or sleep.”