by T. J. Quinn
“You’re not thinking about going by yourself?” Erin protested.
“Of course, I am. I need to do this by myself,” she assured her. “Will you help me, or do I have to go ask someone else for help?”
She snorted. “At least, let me go with you.”
“No, I’ll go alone.”
“You’re as stubborn as a mule, did you know that?” Erin said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yes, and I have never denied it,” she replied with a faint smile on her face.
Erin sighed. “Let’s go find Fritjof. He’ll be able to help us.”
They left Rosalind’s room and headed to the lab's area. “By the way, what happened yesterday? Did they catch Eskol?” Rosalind asked, remembering the reason they were at the palace.
“Yes, but I don’t know the details. Asgar went straight home with Sasha, his alleged pupil, Haakon disappeared into your room, and the King hasn’t been seen since he returned with Eleanor,” she informed. “Three facts that only confirm my theory,” she pointed out.
“Let’s hope you’re right.”
They reached the labs, and Erin asked Rosalind to wait outside. “This way, I’ll have better chances of convincing him to help us.”
Rosalind chuckled and allowed her to go alone.
It only took her a few minutes to convince him. They came out of the room, and soon they were at some sort of garage where there were several vehicles parked.
“Are you sure you can drive one of these things?” Fritjof asked, still not completely convinced he was doing the right thing.
“Yes, Haakon himself taught me. I just need you to enter the coordinates of his place at the mountains, and I’ll do the rest,” she assured him. “Just don’t tell him I’m on my way there. He might decide to escape,” she added, scowling.
He let out a sigh and nodded, heading to the nearest vehicle and opening. He punched a few buttons on the main panel and allowed her to get inside.
“No matter how many wrong turns you do, it will always get to the original course,” he explained.
“Thank you, I really appreciate all of your help,” she turned to look at Erin, “Especially you.”
Erin hugged her tight. “Just call me as soon as you get there, you know… before things get too interesting and you forget the whole world.”
She chuckled and nodded. “I will, I promise.”
“Have a safe trip.”
She was about to enter the vehicle when she remembered the order Haakon had given her collar. She quickly explained it to Fritjof, and he quickly erased the order. After all, there was no more danger for the women.
Finally, she hopped inside the vehicle and seconds later, she was on her way.
The vehicle ate the miles at a considerable speed, and though Rosalind wanted to get there as soon as possible, she was so nervous she thought she was going to throw up any moment.
When she was half way there, she made a stop. She needed some fresh air and try to control her nerves, or she wouldn’t be able to face him.
Haakon could be quite imposing when he closed himself up.
She paced the small area where she had parked the vehicle, for a few minutes, gathering all her strength and practicing what she intended to tell him and the way she was going to do it.
When she considered she was feeling a bit more controlled, she returned to the vehicle and headed to the mountains.
She parked the vehicle in front of the main door and called Erin.
“What the hell took you so long? You were supposed to call me as soon as you arrived,” she scolded her, apparently worried.
“I’ve just arrived. I had to make a small stop on the way here to calm my nerves, that’s all,” she explained.
“Next time, you’ll warn me of those changes,” she ordered, sounding relieved.
“Yes, I will,” she promised. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
She let out a sigh. “I know, sweetheart. Now, go find your dragon and make sure you tame him.”
She chuckled, “Yes, ma’am.”
“And call me in the morning, when things are a bit calmer,” she asked.
“I will, I promise.”
“Good luck, sweetheart. I’ll be crossing all my fingers for you.”
“Thank you.”
Rosalind ended the call and hopped out of the car. She had no idea where she would find Haakon, so she headed to the house. One of the employees was bound to know where he might be.
The first one she found told him he had gone to a small cabin higher on the mountains.
“How do I get there?” she asked him, in a demanding tone.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea you go there on your own, Víf Rosalind. The road can be dangerous.” The man tried to make her change her mind.
“You just tell me how I get there. That’s all I’m asking you.”
The man was clearly unsure of what to do, but her determination was evident.
“You should take one of the smaller vehicles. They’re easier to drive up the mountains.”
“Alright. Just put in the coordinates, and I’ll be out of here immediately.”
“Now? You’re planning on going now? Soon it will be dark, you can’t go now,” the man protested, clearly nervous.
“How long will it take me to get there?” she asked him impatiently.
“A couple of hours, minimum,” he warned her.
It was way past noon so she might get there with the fall of the night, but she was determined to see him as soon as possible. She knew if she gave, it much thought she would step back and return to the palace.
“I can make it. Just do it.”
The man obeyed, and soon Rosalind was on her way. The smaller vehicle was a lot easier to drive, and she managed to get to the little cabin just when the sun was hiding in the horizon.
The trip hadn’t been as hard as she had expected, but it wasn’t a jolly ride either. The road could barely be called road and the dark woods and deep ravines surrounding it didn’t do a thing to calm her nerves.
The place was silent, and once more, she missed the chirping of the birds. There was no sign of Haakon outside, so she entered the cabin, to look for him.
The construction was really small, composed of one main room that served as bedroom and kitchen and a small bathroom.
But he wasn’t there either. This time she would have to wait for him. She had no idea where he could be, and she didn’t know her surroundings.
So, she went to bed and threw herself on the bed, feeling suddenly too tired.
Perhaps, she should have waited a bit more, instead of coming all the way up to this god forsaken place. But she was there now, and she planned on staying there until she got the truth from Haakon, one way or the other.
Haakon had been wondering through the woods for a long time when the cold breeze brought him her scent.
For a moment, he thought he missed her so much he had started to imagine things. There was no way she could be there, on his mountain. She would never go after him.
But another whiff of breeze told him the truth. She was there. His whole body responded to her smell immediately, as if he had been without her for thousands of rotations and not just one.
She had become so essential for his life, he missed her the way he would miss his heart or his soul.
But what could she possibly be doing up here? And all alone since he couldn’t sense anybody else with her?
Worried, he headed back to the cabin, running as fast as he could but it still took him a while to get there. The woods were so thick where he was that he simply couldn’t fly his way out of there.
He noticed the small vehicle as soon as the cabin came in sight and his frown became deeper. She had taken a significant risk coming all the way up there on that thing, and he would give her a piece of his mind as soon as he saw her.
Her scent now was stronger, and any doubt about her presence he had was now gone.
When he re
ached the cabin, he entered it, stomping his feet to let her know he wasn’t happy.
But not even all the noise he made coming in was able to awake the sleeping woman on the bed.
She didn’t even move.
Suddenly worried, Haakon ran to her side to check on her, sure she had overexerted herself coming all the way up here when she had been so weak just the night before.
He caressed her pale face, but again she didn’t move. She was sound asleep, and he could see on her face, the marks that tiredness and exhaustion had left.
Taking a deep breath, he crawled into bed with her and pulled her into his arms, needing to feel her as close as possible to him.
She let out a deep sigh and cuddled up against him, still in her sleep, and he kissed the top of her head, too happy to have her there, to do anything else.
He didn’t sleep. Instead, he watched her sleep the whole night, caring for her and making sure she was all right.
When the sun came up in the sky, she finally moved in his arms.
Rosalind must have fallen asleep. She had felt so tired she had thrown herself on his bed, and that was the last thing she remembered.
The sun was up again, and she was cuddled up in his arms once more.
She inhaled his scent letting it flood her senses and relished on the warmness of his body. She felt home again.
“Haakon…” she murmured.
“Good morning, Rosalind,” he greeted her in a soft tone, loving the way his name sounded in her lips.
She tried to get up, but he didn’t let her.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she scolded him, with a slight frown.
Reluctantly, he released her, and she hopped out of bed, disappearing into the other room.
She stayed there for so long he was about to go after her when she finally came out.
Haakon hopped out of bed and closed the distance between them. “What are you doing here?” he asked her, in a soft tone.
“We need to talk, and since you decided to escape, I had no choice but to follow you,” she explained, in a curt tone.
“I didn’t escape,” he replied, frowning. That idea made him look like a coward.
“No? What would you call it?” she asked in a scornful tone. “You simply dropped me off at the doctor’s house and disappeared, without giving me, giving us a chance to talk about what had happened,” she continued, crossing her arms over her chest and facing him, with determination written all over her face.
“I hurt you. There was nothing else to discuss,” he stated.
“That, by itself, is discussable,” she assured him, annoyed. “I need answers, and I’m staying here until I get them.”
He pursed his lips but didn’t comment her decision. “Why don’t we get something to eat first? I’m sure you didn’t eat a thing last night,” he suggested instead.
She was about to protest, but the mere mention of food caused her stomach to complain. “I guess I can wait a few more minutes,” she grumbled, walking to the kitchen area and taking a seat at the table.
Haakon didn’t waste a second, and soon he had food on the table for both of them.
She helped him clear the table when they were finished, and she followed him outside, feeling a lot better.
“Well, you said you had a question?” he said, taking a seat on a chair on the small terrace that surrounded the cabin.
She paced the terrace in front of him, looking for the right words.
“I need to know the truth. That has become vital for me. Can you understand that?” she asked, standing in front of him.
“Yes, of course.”
“Are you my soulmate? And before you answer that, take in consideration I’m not accepting an answer that is not a ‘yes’ or ‘no' not at this point,” she warned him.
He looked at her in silence for a few moments and Rosalind had to control her desire of shaking him until he admitted what she wanted to hear.
“Yes.” The small word finally came out of his lips, and the waves of relief that crashed over her were so powerful, her whole body shook, and she fell on her knees in front of him.
Worried, Haakon kneeled in front of her, cradling her face, gasping when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Please, don’t cry. If that doesn’t make you happy, I shall not impose myself on you,” he assured her, with a strangled tone.
She laughed through her tears, smacking his hands. “It’s good to know you can be silly sometimes,” she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
He frowned, obviously not sure of what she meant.
She sighed and rested her forehead on his muscular chest. “Of course that makes me happy,” she assured him.
“Then why were you crying?” So far he had only seen her crying when she was distressed or in pain.
“We also cry when we’re happy,” she explained, leaning back and raising her eyes to meet his. “Why did you leave, then? Why did you leave me alone?” she asked him, allowing all the pain she had been through in the past hours, ooze through each word.
“I hurt you. I put your life in danger,” he murmured, and she could tell how the simple idea distressed him.
“You hurt me more when you left,” she assured him. “For you to really hurt me, you would have to take four times what you took. I’m sure that will never happen.”
“There’s more at stake than just that, válkana,” he explained, in a stern tone.
“I don’t care. You’ve become a necessity for me. The one I need to satisfy permanently. Being without you is no longer an option,” she stated, locking her eyes with his. “I love you. More than I thought possible to love someone else.”
He cradled her face once more. “I love you too; you’re my other half, my true soulmate,” his words felt like a balm on her troubled soul, appeasing all the pain and wiping away all the loneliness she had ever lived.
“Then, all of the rest can be solved, one way or another. We belong together.”
“It’s still dangerous…” he started saying, but she stopped him, resting a finger over his lips.
“We can handle that, together. We’ll find a way,” she assured him. “I assure you I’m willing to take the risk. I rather live ten days with you than the rest of my life without you. Do you understand that?” she asked him, forcing him to see how she felt.
“Yes, I do, and I feel the same. It hurts me causing you pain.”
“Physical pain is temporary. You would hurt me much more keeping me away.”
He leaned forward and kissed her, showing her all his passion and love on that single kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, allowing him to deepen the kiss until they were both breathless and eager for more.
He got up, picked her in his arms, and carried her to the bed. Being away from her had only increased his hunger for her, and now, he planned to satisfy it as much as he could, though now he knew it would never be completely satisfied.
His need for her would only grow in time.
Rosalind felt so happy she didn’t have words to describe her feelings. For the first time in her life, she felt complete, a whole being, with a bright future ahead of her, and no matter if that future was long or short, she planned on living it to the fullest.
The end
Abduction 2140
Chapter One
Whimpers and little cries filled the hallways of the mothership as the Slythonians walked around, preparing everything for the slaves’ auction. It was their job after all: provide the best slaves in all the galaxies.
“Are the slaves ready, Eskol?” Rurik asked, his forked tongue hissing the words.
The Slythonians would be easily described as huge lizards, able to walk on two feet, but still covered with brownish scales and with beady eyes, and let’s not forget their tail, hovering behind them, and known as a potent weapon they used whenever in need. They wore long, dark tunics that covered their bodies and several golden accessories, an
d the highest the rank the more accessories they would wear.
But the Slythonians weren’t warriors; they preferred to let others fight while they dedicated their time to search the galaxies for the best slaves they could find. Their reputation as the best traders wasn’t built on words but on facts. They possessed the fastest spaceships and the best technology known in all the galaxies that money could buy. They were able to travel through space and time, likes others would cross the street to get to their homes.
Coming from a small planet, without lofty ambitions, they had become the most known merchants in all galaxies, who stopped at nothing to get what they wanted, providing their clients with all they needed, no matter what that was.
For that night’s auction, they had traveled very far; to gather a good group of specimens they were sure would sell quickly.
“Yes, Captain Rurik. They all have been collared and prepare,” the trainer answered, bowing to his captain.
“Show them to me.”
“Of course, Captain Rurik,” he opened the gate leading to the slave cells and stepped aside to allow his Captain to go in.
A long row of specialized cells sealed with metallic vertical bars and containing a simple bunker and small bathroom facilities lodged females from a few different species. Most of them had been purchased from their families, but others had simply been abducted.
They only looked for humanoid slaves. Even species like theirs seemed to be more attracted to that kind of females, so amongst their slaves, you wouldn’t find women such as the Slythonians, unless, of course, a customer would specifically, ask for them.
“We have an excellent group this time,” the captain said as they walked down the hallway, pointing at the naked bodies of the slaves imprisoned in the cells.
“Yes, Captain.”
They reached the cells where they kept one of the two human females.
“Open the cell,” the captain ordered, approaching the female in it.
“Stand up for inspection, slave,” Eskol ordered the woman, and she reluctantly got up.
“These Earthlings… I believe we should remove their body hair, permanently,” the captain suggested, observing her thoroughly, as he ran a finger through the woman’s arms, belly, and mound. “They don’t add anything to their bodies.”
