“What the seven hells is going on here?” Rubbing her wrists to ease the ache from the tight binders, Fallyn stared across the small room at the most magnificent example of naked, semi aroused male she’d ever seen. He was easily seven feet tall, built like a sculpture in perfect proportion, from his handsome face to his broad muscular chest, to the taut abdomen to the generous package between his legs—Fallyn blushed to the roots of her hair, realizing she was essentially ogling him and tried to avert her gaze.
He was gagged, spread eagled on a metal rack that looked painful, and the Khagrish had treated his body like a pincushion, probes and sensors everywhere.
She focused on his face, startled to see his eyes glowing like amber flames as he watched her.
Without conscious thought, she moved forward, approaching him and unbuckling the gag, throwing it to the floor in distaste. “I don’t know what they’re trying to do to you, friend, but this is barbaric.” Fallyn went on tiptoe to fumble with the restraint on his right wrist, rewarded by a loud click as the band opened.
“Free my ankles,” he said in perfect Basic, voice raspy. “I can do the other wrist. The Khagrish won’t give us much time.”
Going to her knees, she did as he asked and freed his legs, doing her best to ignore his nakedness and the suggestive position she was in, scooting back and rising the minute the metal bands opened.
He roared like an apex predator in the wild might, the sound echoing in the room, stepped forward and yanked free of all the sensors and probes. Fallyn gasped as she realized there had been some inserted into his skull. Bleeding from more than a few places, the man turned away from her and from the movement, was removing the sensors which had been attached to his most personal areas.
“What’s going on? Why did the guards bring me in here?” she asked, retreating to the wall. Even as she spoke, she was searching the space for anything usable as a weapon.
“Lady, you won’t believe me when I tell you.” Muscles flexing, he worked on the metal apparatus where he’d been restrained and managed to break free a side strut.
To her amazement he handed the jagged metal piece to her.
Fallyn took it, automatically hefting it to find the most effective way to wield the makeshift weapon. “Don’t you need—?”
“I have my own weaponry.” He flashed huge black talons at her, as big as steak knives, extending from his fingers and she gaped at him. Those scythes sure as hell weren’t there a minute ago. What is this guy?
Glancing at the door he asked, “How many out there in the hall?”
“Two guards.”
“We won’t get far most likely but we need to try and make a break for it.” Backing up to the far wall, he lowered his head and ran at the wall across from the structure he’d been bound to, striking it full force with one burly shoulder. The structure cracked and collapsed and he fell into an adjacent space, where Fallyn saw masses of equipment, most blinking red and emitting loud noises of alarm right now.
The man rose, seemingly unhurt and gestured to her. “Come on, we can get out this way.”
The door to the smaller room opened and a Khagrish lab tech screamed, dropping the mug and the handheld she was carrying. The former prisoner was on her before she could scream again, knocking her out with one tap to the jaw and dropping her limp body into the chair. “No time to waste,” he said to Fallyn. Taking a rapid glance into the hall, he reached back, grabbed Fallyn by the wrist and pushed her into the corridor as he said, “All clear. Run.”
She took him at his word and sprinted down the hall. Despite the mistreatment he’d undergone, he stayed right behind her and Fallyn had the feeling he could have outrun her easily but he was guarding her six as a fellow soldier would.
“Left here!”
She swerved in response to his command, just in time as stun bolts pulsed through the corridor she’d been in a moment ago. “Why don’t they use the bracelets?” she asked as she continued to run. Alarms sounded overhead and warnings about escaped prisoners droned on the internal com network in Khagrish.
“No idea. Enishiggama may have given orders not to use them on me and any human I reacted to. Count your blessings, temporary though they may be.” He yanked her into a side room and shut the door behind them. “The Khagrish do want us alive though, which is an advantage to us.”
Not pausing to take a breath, her companion raced to another door at the rear of the room and motioned her though. “If we can get outside the building, we might have a chance.”
She found herself in a narrow service type corridor. As they kept moving quickly, she asked. “How do you know the layout here so well?”
He laughed, although the sound didn’t carry much amusement. “Years of experience. Ah, there’s what I was hoping for.” Now he did sprint past her, going to an emergency exit door further down the corridor.
When Fallyn caught up with him, he was manipulating the controls at the side and with a hiss, the portal slid open. The man reconnoitered briefly and drew her outside. Immediately they were running again, along the side of the building. Fallyn crouched low as the other was doing and nearly bumped into him when he suddenly stopped.
“See those trees?” He pointed toward a clump of spindly greenery about a hundred yards away. “There’s a force barrier enclosing the entire compound but if we can get to that spot, we may be able to break out.” He gave her a grin and she noticed again how handsome he was, like the star of an action trideo in the Sectors. “I might have a secret card to play. Ready?”
Fallyn took a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Go!”
She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, the alien loping alongside. She heard shouts behind her and redoubled her pace, hoping this guy did indeed have something planned, a strategy for escaping. Or a secret squad of marines. Now she was outside and free, Fallyn wanted to remain that way.
Pain flickered at her wrist. “My bracelet is heating up,” she said as she ducked under the trees and took shelter on the far side with him.
“Try to fight it.” Not the least bit winded, he stared fixedly at the low hills nearby. “Come on, come on. Hell of a time to be out of position.”
She tried to see what interested him but saw only the shimmer of the sun’s heat baking the ground. Fallyn did a double take and blinked hard as she thought she detected movement, but then the bracelet amped up and she collapsed, clawing at the tree bark in a futile attempt to stay on her feet. Her unnamed companion remained standing, obviously fighting the pain, stubbornly searching for whatever help he’d hoped to find.
Shouting curses, guards ringed them and one more eager than the rest—or more frightened of her imposing fellow prisoner—fired a pulse at pointblank range. Fallyn toppled over, the man falling on top of her, driving all the breath from her body with his weight and she passed out.
CHAPTER TWO
Regaining consciousness, Fallyn realized she was lying on a bed in a different cell than her previous one. Hand to her head, she sat up carefully and did a double take because the large alien was lying on a nearby bed. He was still naked but someone had left one of the prison jumpsuits folded on top of his nether regions. He was bruised, spectacular black and purple marks in the area of his rib cage, and bloody. Surprised the Khagrish were keeping them together after their failed attempt at a jailbreak, she rose to her feet, grabbing the bed post as the room whirled around her. Breathing deeply, she wobbled across to his bed, checking his pulse, which was regular. Relieved, she set out to explore this large new cell, which appeared to have been designed for quite a number of occupants. Hoping to find supplies to use to clean her companion’s wounds, she checked the area where a sink and rudimentary bathroom facilities were located.
Hearing a sound behind her, she whirled to see the man rising, holding the clothing over his crotch. “Are you all right?” he asked, staring at her with those uncanny golden eyes.
“A bit dizzy but no lasting effects. You?” She blinked har
d because his bruises had faded in the few minutes since she’d first awakened and the wounds were now closed and no longer bleeding.
“I’ve had worse, believe me.” He turned his back and dressed. “Have you been conscious long?”
“Maybe five minutes longer than you. I’m guessing the enemy worked you over more than they did me.” She walked to the beds and stood, hands on her hips, watching him now he was safely clothed. “How can you heal so quickly?”
“Long story, which I may or may not have time to tell you, depending what the Khagrish do next.” He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Reede of the Badari. Sorry we didn’t make it out of here on our first try but I haven’t given up.”
Surprised to be offered a human style handshake, she grasped his massive hand and they shook. Reede didn’t exert more than minimal pressure, which she appreciated, and there was no sign of the massive claws. Yet she was sure she hadn’t imagined them. “I’m Fallyn Damara.” It was on the tip of her tongue to add her rank but she really didn’t know this guy.
“Military experience, I’m guessing?” Head tilted, Reede looked her up and down. “You had the mindset and the moves when we were on the run earlier.”
“Some, yes.” Uncomfortable not being more open with him, she gestured to the long table on one side of the room. “Mind if we sit down? I’m still a bit lightheaded but I have so many questions. You seem to know a lot about this place and the Khagrish. And I want to hear what the seven hells was going on earlier when the guards threw me into the room with you.” She moved to the table and picked a chair, sitting down with a sigh. There was a dull headache throbbing in her skull and she was parched.
“Thanks for taking such quick action to free me earlier, by the way.” Reede went to the cabinets over the sink and searched rapidly. “Nothing.” He sounded unsurprised.
“No problem.” Fallyn tried and failed to erase the mental image of how she’d first seen him. I need to think of him as a fellow soldier. “It uh gave the impression of being pretty damn uncomfortable.”
“Routine for the Khagrish,” he said, giving her a good natured smile. “Although the addition of the spikes into my spine and skull were an unpleasant enhancement.”
Not to mention the ones on your cock. Fallyn shook her head. What is it with me and this guy? I’ve sure seen naked men before. But not like this one, she admitted to herself. Reede was in a class all by himself. Realizing she hadn’t answered him yet, she said, “I bet.” Feeling the need to say more, to assuage her guilt over admiring his body while he’d been a helpless prisoner, she added, “I apologize if I was staring in there. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Think nothing of it. Being stared at is part and parcel of undergoing a Khagrish experiment. The shame is on them, not on the prisoner. I can fight them equally well naked or dressed. Your instinctive reaction to free me was the important factor in my mind.”
“Kind of you to say so but I did want to apologize.” Relieved he was able to be so pragmatic, she nodded acknowledgement of his point and watched him as he continued to ransack the cupboards. Fallyn was relieved to have cleared the air for herself anyway, even if he seemed unperturbed.
“I hope they bring us food and drink, even though the rations here are swill.” In the next cupboard he found a stack of mugs. Rinsing two out in the sink, he brought her water, placing the drink in front of her with a flourish. “The best this place has to offer at the moment. Important to stay hydrated.” He sat and drank the contents of his own mug rapidly. He began shuffling a deck of cards he’d plucked from a drawer, doing dazzling sleight of hand tricks with them. “At least we can pass the time.”
“Our next move is playing cards?” She lifted an eyebrow. “I’d hoped for more from you.”
Now he stared at her, eyes glowing, and she averted her gaze, a blush warming her cheeks. “That didn’t come out right. I meant in terms of information and or us getting out of here. Nothing else.”
“Don’t worry, my total focus right now is on escaping. The cards won’t distract us from any opportunity to get out.” Reede stacked the deck and set it aside. “How long have you been here?”
“A few days. They kept me in a cell by myself but I discovered there are a lot of other human prisoners when the guards walked me to the room you were in.”
“Are you from the colony? Or a ship?” Brow furrowed, Reede had the air of a man conducting an interrogation rather than making polite conversation and Fallyn found herself falling into crisp military response in reaction.
“Ship.”
He considered for a moment, striding to the sink to refill their water cups. When he sat down again, he handed her the mug and said, “First, you should know the Khagrish have been trying to find a human woman to be my mate.” He raised a hand to quell her immediate exclamation. “There’s a lot of history but let me assure you, the two of us can use their fixation on this issue to our benefit. Follow my lead in any discussion we have with them.”
He gave her an encouraging smile and Fallyn’s heart beat faster, to her own annoyance. Maybe Reede was a good guy but she wasn’t about to tamely fall in with any such scheme. “You may be twice my size but I’m warning you—”
“I’m not going to touch you,” he said. “Or not more than it takes to convince the Khagrish there’s a chance they might be right. We need to stay together and we need the tiny bit of freedom being prospective mates might give us. A few of the men in my pack have human mates and in most cases the woman doesn’t accept the idea for quite a while after the Badari does so I’m hoping to persuade the Khagrish to give us time to bond.”
She decided not to push back immediately against his statement about touching her in favor of obtaining more information. She’d also noted his use of the word pack to describe his affiliation—more mysteries. “And this helps us escape how?”
“If we can get them to let us go outside, into the fenced area, I can get us out.” His confidence was absolute.
“Then why didn’t it work for us yesterday? If it was yesterday.”
He grinned. “Yeah, being stunned can mess with a person’s mind. Let’s say not everything was in the right place yesterday and I have metaphorically reamed someone’s ass over it. There won’t be another slipup.”
Interesting. Does he have people outside the force field fence working with him? But how’s he contacting them—telepathically? Meeting Reede might be her big stroke of much needed luck on this mission. Playing along with the mate thing might not be a bad idea. “All right, count me in on our building a mate bond, but I warn you not to go confusing the illusion with reality.”
Reede drew himself up and frowned. “We Badari have an inviolate code of honor.”
“All right, I believe you but I think it’s best to be clear about the mission parameters.” She was unfazed. “So what is this place exactly?”
“This planet houses many research facilities where the Khagrish work under treaty for the Chimmer, doing so-called science their customer wants explored and quite a few side experiments of their own.” He reached for the cards again and laid out a fan shaped arrangement, adjusting them a bit and beginning to play a game.
Fallyn considered the pronouncement for a moment. “Are we a side experiment?”
“In a way. My people were created by the Khagrish 800 years ago from bits and pieces of assorted DNA. The Chimmer wanted an army of invincible soldiers but we turned out to be too independent for their needs.” He dropped three cards into the discard pile. Despite a small chuckle, his expression as he met her scrutiny was anything but amused. “We think for ourselves and we’re hardly the animals the scientists wanted us to be. The Chimmer ended the program.”
“Yet here you sit.”
“With human help, we broke out of the original lab before we could be terminated. We’ve gone to ground in a place the Khagrish can’t find. I’m here in this lab under orders from my Alpha for a reason I can’t share with you. O
perational security reasons. Once we’d escaped, we Badari became a hot commodity to the Khagrish. They’d invested so much time and resources into studying and abusing us, the individual scientists want to continue their own lines of inquiry. Enishiggama, who’s in charge here wants to find out the secret of the mate bond and the ability of at least one Badari to father a child. So she was trying to find a match for me among the human population of her facility.” Reede swept the cards into a pile and reshuffled the deck.
“And I was the lucky girl?” Fallyn sat back in the chair. “Deal me in and go over the rules. I need something to distract myself with too—you’re dropping a lot of information on me here.” She examined the oddly shaped cards he gave her and arranged them by suits as best she could. Returning to the topic at hand, she asked, “Why me?”
Reede shrugged. “No one knows why the goddess fits two people together. But we can use it to our advantage. Once I get out of here and report to my Alpha, I’ll have to work on my particular assignment from another angle. I give you my word not to leave you behind.”
Fallyn pondered what he’d said. “What about the other humans here?”
“We try to rescue as many as we can, every time, but we only have so much fire power and so many soldiers. Right now we’re stretched dangerously thin so we’ve prioritized the labs where the experiments are more immediately lethal. Unfortunately, there are a great many labs and many more human prisoners than we believed.” Rubbing one hand over his face, Reede clenched his jaw. “In the beginning we estimated there were only two hundred or so from the Amarcae Seven colony but now we’ve learned there are large numbers of people snatched from cruise ships and other vessels in the Sectors.”
She leaned forward, sitting on the edge of her chair. “Have you thought of trying to get help from the Sectors?”
“Well of course but we have no spaceships and no way of communicating with the Sectors. We don’t even know where we are in relation to the Sectors.”
Reede Page 2
