Fawks (Dragons of Kratak Book 4)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  Once my course had been charted, I could step away from the controls. I went back and found the woman called Riley sitting on the floor, once again comforting some of the women. As her eyes locked onto mine, I saw so much fire and fight in them. She was so different than I was. And yet, remarkably, very much the same. I found that I couldn't stop staring. I admired her for that. After everything they'd seen and been through, she still had life and fire inside of her.

  “Riley, is it?” I asked her. “My name is Jendrish. Nice to meet you, I only wish it had been under more – ideal circumstances.”

  Riley stood up and walked toward me. Luckily, she had no gun in her hand this time, or else I'd be in trouble judging by the look in her eyes. She just stared into my eyes for a long moment.

  “Tell me where the hell we're at and what's going on,” she said, her voice ice cold. “Now.”

  “Alright, alright,” I said, hands up in self defense.

  And I told them – everything. About how they'd been abducted and taken to another planet to be sold as sex slaves. I saw disbelief in most of their eyes, but after everything they'd witnessed – and the ability to look out the ship's windows and see nothing but stars for as far as the eye could see – it was hard for them to argue with me.

  “Too much too soon?” I asked Riley.

  “Maybe for some of them.” She looked worried, biting her lip as she watched some of the others. “But we needed to know the truth. So, thank you for that. Even if it does sound crazy – I just don't know what else to believe at this point.”

  And then she laughed. A sound of pure amazement and disbelief – not one of pleasure or joy. But still, she laughed as she looked over at me and the sound was beautiful.

  “You're stronger than them,” I noted.

  “Nah, I just know how to pretend I am.”

  “Isn't that what being strong is?” I asked, feeling a smile tugging at my lip.

  She didn't say anything. There was pain in her eyes – a pain I found myself wishing I could wash away. There was something different about this Riley. Something very – intriguing. She had a story and I was more than a little curious to hear it.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “The others,” she said. “The ones we couldn't save. What's going to happen to them?”

  I sighed. “I wish I knew,” I said. “I wanted to save them so badly, it's why I stayed behind as long as I did. But I couldn't save them – there were too many guards. And I had to make a choice. Staying to fight would have left me dead and all of you back in the cages.”

  “I understand. It's hard, but I understand,” she said softly. “I just keep wondering – why me? Why was I saved? And why were so many others left behind?”

  Honestly, the reason for that was my fault. When I saw her, I'd gone to her first. I knew she was strong. I could see it from the start. But there was more to it than that, and I knew it. I'd been drawn to her from the moment I first saw her. She was the first one I chose to save, – and yes, it was a choice. And one I didn't regret.

  “Because I knew you were strong and would be able to help me help the others,” I said. “And I don't know if I could have saved this many without your help. So, thank you.”

  “I think anyone would have done the same thing,” she said with a shrug.

  “I don't know about that.” And that was the truth. “I don't now that anyone could have. But listen it's going to be a long trip back home. Perhaps you should get some rest?”

  “I can try,” she said. But she made no movement towards the bunks to lay down. Instead, she just stared straight ahead. “But I don't think it'll be possible.”

  “Just try,” I said to her. “I promise you, you're safe now. Nothing will hurt you.”

  She gave me a half smile. “I wish I could believe you, but I have a bad history of men lying to me. So I apologize if I don't fully trust you yet.”

  I wished she could believe me too, but me arguing the point wouldn't help. I'd have to prove it to her somehow. Prove it to all of them. But in the end, as long as they were safe and we made it back to Earth, I'd succeeded. At least a little bit.

  I prayed that Tarkonil would be proud with what I'd accomplished, even if I didn't save them all.

  There was still so much work to do though. I sighed, feeling my own eyes growing heavy. So many more people to save.

  But we'd save them all. And then we'd take down the men who'd enslaved them to begin with. I swore that on the graves of my ancestors.

  Book 3 – Protection

  Chapter One

  Riley

  There was no way I could sleep. Not only was I trying to come to grips with being abducted in the first place, I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it had been alien beings who'd taken me. Aliens – like, from another planet. The more I ran that thought through my mind, the more unreal it seemed to me. Alien abductions were just an urban legend – right?

  Yeah, that's what I'd always thought. I'd always believed that alien abduction stories were told by those people looking for some media attention. Or people who'd done way too much crystal meth and were seeing things.

  But as I stared out the window at – well – outer space, there was no denying it. Not anymore. I was in an alien craft, piloted by an alien being – who'd just rescued me from alien abductors. It was overwhelming and it continued to make my head spin.

  My heart raced every time I looked at the stars hurtling by and thought about where we were. Honestly, I'd never cared for flying in a regular airplane, but being in a space ship? In outer space? It induced a level of anxiety I never thought I could reach. I suppose I broke a personal record – go me.

  I tried to focus on other things. Tried to focus on the other women who were in the craft with me. Make sure they were okay – or as okay as they could be given the circumstances. Anything to help distract me from the reality of what was happening. And some of the time, it worked. Some of the time, I was able to push it to the back of my mind because there were so many other things going on.

  But in those moments where it came rushing back to the forefront of my brain, I still couldn't believe I was even there. And it filled me with a terror I'd never known before. But at the same time, it filled me with a sense of awe. Granted, it was a few grains of sand in a beach of fear, but – I was in space. Aboard an alien space craft. I had to admit, as terrifying as it was, it was sort of cool at the same time.

  I turned from the women to our host and pilot. He'd said his name was Jendrish. What was he exactly? He kept talking about us as if we were so vastly different than him. Yeah, there were a few differences, but he looked human-enough to me. Yet, he referred to us as humans, implying he was something else. But what was he then?

  It was too much for me to wrap my head around. All I wanted to do was sleep. But I was too wired to even do that.

  “Are you okay, Riley?” a female voice spoke up from behind me.

  It was a girl named Charlotte – a sweet, southern belle with curly red hair and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen who was all of about sixteen. She was one of the ones we'd saved. One of many. But there were others like her we'd had no choice but to leave behind. We couldn't save everybody. And that was a thought that continued to weigh heavily on me. I didn't know what was going to happen to them with any certainty, but I knew whatever it was, it wouldn't be good. The guilt was a lancing pain in my heart.

  “Yeah, I'm just trying to take it all in, that's all,” I said.

  “I know, right?” she said, standing beside me and looking out the window.

  All of the wonders of the galaxy were out there. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. And just so damn unreal. We stood in silence for a few moments, just taking in the scene before us. Charlotte looked as awestruck and terrified as I felt.

  “It's hard to believe this is real, but I'm seeing it with my own eyes,” she said. “I'm not crazy, am I?”

  Her question was a serious one, and I couldn't blame her. I'd asked
myself the same question about a billion times already.

  “If you are, I suppose that I am too,” I said.

  “At least I'm not alone in my insanity then.”

  We shared a laugh over that, but the laughter wasn't all that heartfelt or long-lasting. It almost felt like we were trying to force some levity into the situation. After our laughter died, we fell quiet once more. The others were asleep, and I knew Charlotte and I should be too. We needed some rest after everything that had happened. But sleep was more than a little hard to come by at the moment – for obvious reasons.

  “What do you think of him?” Charlotte asked me. “Jendrish? The alien guy. Do you trust him?”

  I sighed. “I honestly don't know what to think. I mean, he seems sincere,” I said, keeping my voice low. “And he did risk his own life to save us. But to be perfectly honest, I have to wonder why he'd do such a thing. Why risk his own life to save a bunch of women he didn't know? I had the really unsettling thought that maybe, this was just another trap, you know? How would we know any different?”

  “Yeah, I guess we wouldn't. And I hope you're wrong about that. I hope this isn't another trap,” Charlotte said softly. “He seems like a pretty decent guy.”

  I cringed at her description of him. “But is a guy at all? I mean, is he even human?”

  “No,” he responded. “I'm not human. To answer your question.”

  We both jumped at the sound of the voice behind us. It was Jendrish. We hadn't even heard him walk up. He moved so quietly – like he walked on air.

  “Jesus Christ,” I said, my hand over my heart. “I didn't hear you walk up. I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense by what – ”

  “None taken,” he said, stepping up beside me.

  He was smiling, and I had to admit, his smile seemed kind enough. His eyes were a vivid blue and seemed without malice or guile. I liked to think that I was a pretty good judge of character. I just didn't know if that sound judgment extended to alien beings or not. I supposed I was going to find out.

  Though, I had to take back what I said about Charlotte having the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. That title would actually belong to Jendrish. Except his eyes weren't a normal human blue – they looked more like the blue of the sea in a picture from some exotic locale. A deep, rich blue with specks of cerulean mixed in.

  “I'm not human,” he said. “I'm an Optorion male. It's just another description. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  His hair was sleek and silky, falling down around his face and highlighting the paleness of his skin, which seemed to further bring out the blue in his eyes. He was beautiful, that was for certain. There was an almost ethereal quality about him. But I knew from hard earned experience that beautiful men were often the most dangerous men. Mike had been very good looking – though not as ethereal as Jendrish – and he knew how to use that appeal to his best, and my worst, advantage.

  I didn't doubt that Jendrish knew he was handsome too. I just wondered if he used his good looks to manipulate women the way Mike had. Like I'd said, I didn't pick up on any guile on his part, but then, when it came to those gorgeous men, they were often able to hide their darker side. They didn't advertise that they were manipulative assholes and you only found out when it was too late.

  “I'm going to get some rest,” Charlotte said softly, excusing herself.

  I thought she probably felt a little uneasy in his presence. And after all we'd been through, I didn't blame her. I wasn't exactly the picture of comfort in the presence of a man who looked a lot like the men who'd abducted me. But – he'd given me no reason to not trust him. Quite the contrary, in fact. He'd gone out of his way to show me that he could be trusted – he had risked life and limb to save us, after all.

  “Good idea, Charlotte,” I said. “I'll join you in a bit.”

  Jendrish leaned against the wall next to the window and smiled as he looked at the vastness of space beyond. “Did you ever think you'd see something as magnificent as the universe in all its glory?”

  “Not in a million years,” I said. “I've actually only flown in a plane once – when I first moved out to San Francisco. Scariest experience of my life. Well, at the time, at least.”

  Jendrish was quiet, as if he expected me to say more. But I wasn't one to talk about myself, not even with those I might consider friends. And I hardly knew this man. I wasn't about to unload my entire life story onto him. He continued to look at me, an inscrutable expression on his face. It was as if he were trying to see into me, trying to figure out what made me tick.

  Little did he know, I'd spent a lifetime crafting high, thick walls that were pretty impenetrable. Nobody saw anything in me that I didn't want them to see. I didn't reveal anything I didn't want revealed. When it came to protecting one's self, I was a master.

  An awkward silence descended between us and when he continued to not say anything, I decided to shift the tables a bit and see if I could get him anything.

  “What made you do what you did?” I asked.

  He turned his gaze from the stars outside the ship to me, his brow furrowed. “You mean rescuing you?”

  I nodded, and he looked down at his hands. He looked somewhat nervous, perhaps a little uncertain. I expected a lie – just because I'd found that most men can't look you in the eyes when they're lying. But he turned his gaze back to mine and held it steady before he answered.

  “Because that's the type of person I am,” he said. “I was raised in a diplomatic family and joined the Royal Guard to protect and to serve the people of Optorio. And what I witnessed inside the building where you were being held – it was shocking. Deplorable. That's not the planet I fought for. Not anymore.”

  Funnily enough, I almost wanted to believe him. He sounded sincere. He sounded genuine. But it almost sounded too good, too perfect.

  “A diplomatic family?” I asked. “What does that mean?”

  “My father was a diplomat on Optorio and I grew up in an environment where we talked openly about relations with other species and civilizations. My father often took me to meetings with diplomats from other worlds. He even took me to diplomatic sessions offworld. It gave me the opportunity to meet others out there – people outside of my own species. It gave me an opportunity to learn to appreciate those who aren't like me. My father always wanted me to remember that any decisions our planet made affected the universe around us. Honestly, he wanted me to go into politics instead of the military. I think he was a little disappointed.”

  Jendrish looked away for a split second, as if to collect his thoughts. His smile was gone though, and had been replaced with a much more serious expression.

  “Your father, where is he now?” I asked.

  “He's dead,” Jendrish said solemnly. “He passed away not that long ago.”

  “I'm sorry to hear that,” I said quietly. “And your mother?”

  Jendrish closed his eyes before speaking and when he did, I could hear the pain and raw emotion in his voice.

  “She died during childbirth – which is why I'm an only child.”

  He too was alone in this world, just like me. Just like the rest of us who'd been taken. Without even thinking about it, I reached out and stroked his arm, gently.

  “I'm sorry, Jendrish,” I said.

  “And you?” he asked, turning toward me. “What about you? What do you do down on Earth?”

  What do I do? As in a career? I felt ashamed to answer him, to admit that I was basically nothing but a worthless waitress at a cafe – so I didn't admit to that part. Instead, I focused on the more positive aspect of my existence, such as it was.

  “I'm in school,” I said. “Trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.”

  “Oh? What are you studying?” he asked.

  “Criminal justice,” I said quickly. “I'm not sure what I want to do with it yet exactly. But I do know that I want to stop the bad people from doing shit like this, you know?”

  Jendrish cocked his head and got a faraway
look on his face. It was as if he were listening to somebody speaking – somebody apparently, only he could hear.

  “Oh, criminal justice – as in, you want to be a judge?”

  “Oh no, nothing like that,” I laughed. “Maybe a police officer. Perhaps a criminal prosecutor. I haven't decided which route I want to take yet. But I still have some time before I have to decide. Though honestly, I don't know that I could meet all of the physical requirements to be a cop, so law might be the better option for me anyway. ”

  “And why couldn't you?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in a curious manner. “Meet these – physical requirements?”

  “Because look at me,” I said, pointing to my curvy physique. “I'm a little out of shape, and not sure I'd pass the trials.”

  He nodded as if he understood. “That is something you can train for though, correct?”

  I shrugged. “I suppose so,” I replied. “I just don't know if I can do it.”

  “Why not?”

  His question was the definition of simple, but for some reason, in that moment, it resonated with me. I always assumed there'd be no time to do any hardcore training – I hardly had time to sleep as it was, much less work out and get into top shape for the police academy. But that wasn't something I wanted to explain to him. I thought it was venturing too far into the personal territory and that was the last place I wanted to go.

  Before I could come up with a good response though, he spoke again. “Honestly, after everything I saw from you tonight, I believe you would make a very fine police officer. I think those women in there would agree with me as well.”

  I could feel the heat in my cheeks and knew I was blushing a deep shade of red. I wasn't one who took compliments very well – and no one had ever really said such a thing to me before. Honestly, I didn't believe I could actually do it. And since no one told me otherwise, it just sort of became fact in my head. I had always prided myself on not needing a cheering section, but in truth, not having one, not having that person who stood behind you and said, “you can do it,” made me believe I couldn't actually do it. Without somebody to reverse my own hypercritical self-evaluation, I'd always just assumed that I couldn't.