Good. Sophia lifted her chin in defiance and huffed.
“I should have told you about Arlean and Caldwell,” he said. “It was wrong of me to keep that from you.”
“Especially when I told you about my ex.”
He nodded. “You asked for the truth. The truth is I didn’t want a mate. Alton made me agree to give you a week but I had every intention of sending you away.”
He didn’t want her. Ice spread through her chest, settling in the cold pit of her stomach. All her niggling suspicions were confirmed.
“Do you even like me?”
He reached for her hand but she flinched away. Zan let it go. “Yes, asali, I like you. I wouldn’t claim you as my mate if I didn't like you.”
Sophia huffed again. He didn’t need to like her to claim her. He just needed to desire her body, and she had ample proof of that. And why didn’t he say he loved her, instead of merely liking her? Would that satisfy her wounded pride or only increase her suspicion? No, there was nothing Zan could say in that moment to explain away his actions and soothe her rage.
“I knew I would like you, though. Alton was right in that regard.”
This was his big plan to woo her? Hey, baby, I like you.
“He loves you, you know,” Zan said.
Sophia snorted. “He loves the idea of me. He doesn't know me.”
Zan scratched at the base of his horns. “That may be true.”
“If you’re trying to woo me back with sweet words, you suck at it.”
He chuckled softly. “Alton’s always been good with words and charming people. He’s the balance to my rather sour personality.”
Sophia didn’t think Zan was sour. Stubborn, yes, but so was she. Blunt and spoke whatever popped into his head? Yes and yes.
“Alton has always wanted a mate,” Zan said. “Most boys go through a phase where females are gross, but not Alton. And most boys have fantasies about growing up to be warriors or heroes but Alton has never wanted anything more than a homestead and family. By the time he was ten winters old, he already sorted out who would be his Brace partner. We sealed the deal with spit and a handshake.”
“He didn’t catch frogs and put them down Miri’s back?” Sophia folded her legs up to her chest and rested her arms on her knees. Alton’s early planning was equally cute and a little frightening.
“Not sure what a frog is but he tormented his sister plenty.”
Sophia grinned at the image of a young Alton and Miri squabbling. “If he had this grand plan, what happened?”
“College happened. We went to different schools. He stayed on Corra. I went to Arith.”
“Did you grow apart?” Distance and new environments killed more than one childhood friendship.
Zan shook his head. “No, I… I wanted to tell you. Tried to tell you earlier but my words just seem to…” He waved a hand like he was wafting smoke. “Caldwell and Arlean were older than me, already a couple. They were happy being two, never really looked for a third, but they needed help.” Zan’s eyes gleamed in the sunlight. “She was ill and getting worse and needed medical care Caldwell couldn’t afford. I enlisted with the Corrovian military right after graduation. Came with benefits, the kind my mate would have access to.”
“You mated so she could get medical care?” That was surprisingly sweet.
“We met in town. Arlean was giving a reading— she wrote these children’s adventure stories— and we got to talking. I liked them well enough and there were worse reasons to take a mate and she only had a year, two at the most. I wanted to help.”
He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water, watching the ripples spread across the surface.
“I did not expect to fall in love.”
Sophia’s breath caught in her throat and she clenched her fists. Jealousy, even misplaced jealousy for a deceased wife, was not pretty. “Tell me about her,” she said, struggling to keep her voice level.
Zan cocked his head, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as if he suspected her jealousy but wisely said nothing. “She had a condition. Had it her whole life so she knew her time was limited and packed in as much light and laughter as possible. That’s what drew me in, I think. Caldwell was nice enough but Arlean was the brightest star in the sky. She shined and you felt… felt like you shined, too, when you were with her. There was probably a prettier way to say that.”
“I liked it. Go on.”
“She loved stories. Reading, writing, telling tall tales. At the start, we’d spend all day in the library, letting her read every book she could get a hand on. Then when she was too tired to go out, we brought books to her and she read to us aloud. It was rather fine to have her between us, feet in my lap, head on Caldwell. Then when she couldn’t do that, we’d read to her. Even when she was too far gone to really be listening, I kept reading.” Zan picked up another pebble and tossed it into the water. “That’s all there is to the story, really. She got the care she needed at the end. Caldwell and I agreed to part ways. Arlean was really the only thing holding us together. Alton had a Guardian sentry post and needed a partner. Cleaning out a bug infestation seemed a good way to work out my grief. And here we are, ten years later, a Brace just like Alton always planned.”
Except it wasn’t like they planned, Sophia recognized. Zan lost a mate, a mate he never expected to love, and it hurt. He didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again.
“I should have told you. You shouldn’t have heard it second hand and for that I’m deeply sorry,” he said.
“So that’s why your horns are bigger than Alton’s?” She regretted her choice of words instantly. Zan beamed with cocky self-assurance.
“Do I need to explain to you what happen when a male claims a mate, asali?” He leaned in for a kiss. Sophia pushed him away with a smile.
“You know what I mean. Those jerks in the bar made fun of his horns.”
“So I do have to explain,” Zan said. “So, you have the claiming mark.”
“Yes.” Sophia rubbed at her shoulder where Zan sank his fangs in deep.
“A male releases a hormone. It alters your scent but it also stimulates horn growth for us. Lets everyone know you’re mated.”
“Humans just exchange rings, you know,” Sophia said. The scent alteration and horn growth seemed so… public.
“Evolution.” He shrugged his shoulders, implying there was nothing to be done about it. “But my horn is still bigger.”
She rolled her eyes with a groan. “I need to get back to work.”
“I don’t like you working,” he said.
“Well I don’t like not working.” Besides, she couldn’t accept Miri and her Brace’s hospitality without payment.
They headed back to the cafe in easy silence, the first peaceful moment they really shared.
“Will you give us another chance?” he asked, stopping outside the cafe.
Sophia folded her arms, studying her mate. She already forgave Zan and her anger toward Alton ebbed, and she missed them both, but they didn’t deserve to know that. Yet.
“I’ll talk to Alton. Tonight. After the cafe closes.”
“Here?”
“Stars, no.” The difficulties in having a calm conversation between all three of them would be hard enough. Having Miri, Wells and Molig listening in? Impossible. “Meet me by the river. The sound of the water makes me amiable.”
“I like you amiable.” That grin was back and he leaned in for a kiss.
A hand on his chest stopped him. She forgave him but she wasn’t ready for that.
“I got closer that time, asali.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sophia
Sophia fought her instincts to keep glancing hopefully at the door every time it opened. The last customer left as the sun set.
Miri stood expectantly at the door. “Well?”
“We’re just going to talk,” she said.
Molig shoved a basket filled with food stuffs at Sophia. A quick glance revea
led three bottles of beer, flaky meat filled pastries and fruit. “Tell Alton he shouldn’t trespass on his sister’s hospitality much longer,” he said gruffly.
Miri gave him a sharp elbow to the side. “Ignore him, Sophia. My tongue caused this problem. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
Sophia liked Miri, Wells and Molig but she was ready to go home. When Alton and Zan’s homestead became home, she wasn’t exactly sure, but the notion sat right with her.
The heat of the day still lingered but the air cooled as she approached the river. Sophia heard footsteps behind her. She set the basket down and spun around, prepared to greet her Brace. What she found were the three thugs from the bar.
“Pretty little thing like yourself shouldn’t be wandering on her own. It’s dangerous,” the largest one said, a sneer on his pinched lips. The other two males chortled. The large one continued, “You know how hard it’s been to get you alone? Your pussy must be pretty damn sweet for those Guardians to never stray far.” More laughter.
This was bad. She needed to get out of there.
Sophia spun on her heel and only managed two steps before strong arms clamped around her. Hot, fetid breath pressed against the side of her face. A wet, disgusting tongue licked her cheek, followed by more giggling. She thrashed vainly, unable to break the male’s grip. “How about we find out how sweet she is,” said the male holding her.
Sophia screamed. A hand clamped over her mouth. She bit down, hard but not hard enough to break tough Corravian skin. Her effort to fight back earned her a slap.
“Don’t rough her up too bad,” the big one said.
“The Terran wanted her alive. He didn’t say anything about pretty.” More stomach curdling laughter.
Her hands were bound behind her back. A gag was placed over her face, covering her mouth and nostrils. Breathing became a real struggle. A hand in the middle of her back pushed her forward.
“Come on. Let’s get her back to Ma.”
Alton
Something wasn’t right.
Zan sensed it, too. His partner’s tail grew agitated and swished from side to side. “You think she’s waiting on us?”
A report of a clutch of mornclaw eggs kept them occupied well into the evening. Alton insisted on showering and changing out of his armor before meeting with his mate. She was mad enough at him. He didn’t need to be covered in bug guts.
They headed toward the river. Alton scented many things, the cool water, night blossoms, the remaining aroma of evening meals, but not his mate. The overturned basket on the ground confirmed his ill ease.
“Can you smell her? Track her?” Alton asked.
Zan crouched near the ground, touching the basket like it could tell him its secrets. “She wasn’t alone. I smell… another male.”
Alton growled. Another male with his mate. His mate, a defenseless, fragile Terran. He breathed deep, trying to taste the air. Could he smell her fear? Her panic?
Zan echoed his growl. “Stale beer and body odor. I recognize this scent. Gavis.”
Yes. Now he could detect it, the fetid odor that clung to the male who thought to harass his mate in the bar. “What does he want with our mate?”
Zan stood, lifting the basket. He checked the contents. Still good. “I suspect it’s not what Gavis wants but what his ma wants. Esterlin has a bee in her bonnet about Sophia.”
“Would they hurt her?” The notion of anyone laying a disrespectful finger on Sophia made him insane.
“I think they’re bright enough to know hurting her is a bad idea.”
“Agreed.” The men headed for the truck. They need to go to the homestead and gear up before staging a rescue. Fortunately, they knew exactly where Gavis would take Sophia.
Gavis was such a mama’s boy. He always went home to his ma.
Chapter Seventeen
Sophia
Unseen hands removed the bag over her head. Sophia blinked, eyes adjusting to the dim light. She was in a barn. Hay covered the dirt floor. The sound and smells of Bova calves filled the air. Tied to a chair, Sophia craned her neck to get a look at her surroundings. At the far wall, large, white sacks of a wispy, cottony material were stacked in a pile.
In the corner, corralled by the hum of a sonic enclosure, was a glossy black creature about the size of a large dog. Sophia recognized the rounded body, six legs and massive front pincers from the faded posters in the settlement: a mornclaw. It paced the enclosure, legs skittering across the floor.
Gavis leaned over the barrier and stroked the beast behind its head plate, cooing reassuringly. It was his pet. The male kept a pet monster. Disgust coiled in her belly. The white cotton bags were not bags but egg sacs.
A strong hand landed on the back of her head and pushed her head down.
“Eyes down.”
She did not recognize the voice. Linis or Vinis, like anyone could tell them apart. Still gagged, Sophia wanted to spew profanities at her abductor. Alton and Zan would find her. Panic briefly flared at the idea that her mates might believe she stood them up.
No.
They would realize instantly that something was amiss. She’d dropped the basket containing their meal and Gavis and his brothers weren’t smart enough to pick the basket up.
Her mates would find her.
“You’re a dumb one, ain’t ya, Sophia.”
Her entire body tensed at Derek’s voice. No. No no no. She left him behind. He could have easily figured out where her shuttle was headed when he confronted her on Aldrin One, but why would he? She had no more money for him to take. She had nothing.
Derek crouched in front of her and smiled. He patted her legs sympathetically. He gave a nod to the male standing behind her and the gag fell away. Sophia took a deep breath, preparing to scream, but a hand pressed against her throat. “Don’t,” Gavis warned.
“Why couldn’t you have sold the painting, huh? Look at what you made me do,” Derek said.
Her brows knit in confusion. Derek had it appraised last year but discovered her beloved painting wasn’t worth insuring. At least, that’s what he told her. “You said it wasn’t worth the canvas it was painted on.”
“Oh, the painting? Your mother was a hack. But the paint? I found investors very interested in your mother’s proprietary formula. Seems the formula she used for her personal projects was different from the one she developed for commercial use.”
Sophia recalled a few half-hearted offers from pawn shop owners to buy the painting, but she always turned them down. The money would have been good for a couple months’ rent, not nearly worth selling a treasured artifact created by her mother.
“I tried leaving you hints, but you weren’t smart enough to take the bait. I even enlisted Frankie.”
“Frankie would never—” The idea that Frankie would ever work with Derek was laughable. Frankie hated him.
“Oh, not directly, but she is very susceptible to suggestion. Do you know how many customers at the bar had to mention art collectors and art auctions before she mentioned it to you?”
Frankie did mention an art collector looking for undiscovered Terran painters.
“But still you didn’t take the bait.”
“If you wanted it so bad, why not just take it?” Like he did with anything she had of value.
“Because you loved that ugly picture. You wouldn’t roll over and accept that it was stolen. I needed you to choose to get rid of it, to need to sell it. And did you? No, because you’re a stubborn dumb cunt. How many jobs did you have to lose? How many months behind on your rent did you need to be?”
Sophia bit her lip. Derek wanted to make her upset. His words hurt but she refused to cry. The days of him being able to wound her were over. She wasn’t the same girl she was on Aldrin One, needing his approval. “Go fuck yourself,” she spat.
“It was clever of you to run to those two Corravian brutes. Even if you did have to sell yourself. How much did they pay you?”
Sophia refused to respond.
“I heard it’s a million credits,” a greasy voice said behind her. Not the deep rumble of Gavis, the tone was higher. Linis or Vinis. Sophia had difficulty telling apart. Someone’s tail brushed against her face, rough and scaly. She flinched away from the unwanted touch. “I bet a million credit pussy is pretty sweet.” Laughter rippled through the men.
Sophia held Derek’s gaze.
“Is that true? They paid a million for your cheap ass? Lucky me, getting it for free.”
Barely. They hardly had sex when they were together. Derek spent more time in the bar or at the gambling tables than in her bed. “Please, like you could keep it hard long enough.”
The open palm smack across her face turned her head and the chair wobbled with the force of the blow. Copper flooded her mouth. Sophia grinned with her busted lip. Struck a nerve did she?
“Well shit,” a third voice said from the back. “She stinks of them but I don’t mind sloppy seconds. I want a piece of her, too.”
Derek paled. He wasn’t a rapist. Sophia felt certain of that. He would hit her, beat up her self confidence and call her every name he could think of, but force her? No. But the Corravian thugs he hired might be and he would be helpless to stop them. It was three to one. If Derek stood in their way, they’d overpower him with their superior size and numbers.
“What would your mother say,” Sophia said, desperately grasping for anything to cool the males. “Contaminating your superior genes with my Terran filth?”
Gavis licked his lips. “What mother doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
She needed to change the subject and fast. “How much could the painting be worth, Derek? It wasn’t cheap coming here.”
He quoted a figure that made the breath catch in her throat. The one million credits she would get from the Cosmic Connections deal was fresh-start-money. The credits he’d get for selling her painting was fuck-you-and-the-universe-money. It was enough to tempt her.
Delivered to the Aliens: Cosmic Connections Page 12
