“Are your male children as hard as you?”
“Not in the beginning. A father watches his male offspring closely for the first twelve years. Normally, a father has made a safe environment in his backyard for his child to play. I helped my friend to make an area for Mrac, his son.”
“All you mention are fathers and sons. What about female offspring?”
“The mothers keep the females. When sons are born, they are left near the fathers’ homes.”
“Alone?” She looked appalled. “With child-eating bangors around?”
“The mother watches until he is safe.”
“So you don’t cohabitate, at all. Not even the children. How sad. No wonder you don’t want me to go home with you. I don’t understand. You wanted to Holiday with me, but do you even like females?”
“Of course,” he said spluttering. “What an odd question. I loved my mother. Even though females aren’t nearly as intelligent as males, females are formidable opponents, regal and majestic. They have my respect. I enjoyed the four times I Holidayed with different females who found me acceptable.”
“Acceptable?”
“To battle with.”
“You battle females?”
Zuri looked like she was about to run for her life. It was his own fault for asking her to Holiday with him; now she thought he wanted to hurt her.
“Our cultures are different. I wouldn’t battle you, you’re too small. I won’t ask you to Holiday again.”
“My new life sounds so lonely. Kept in the same place day after day. Doing the same thing day in day out.”
“Can you not Holiday with your males?”
“Not my type.”
“Ah see, our females have certain types as well, you’re not so different in that respect.”
“Then why not just let me stay with your females?”
“I’m afraid our females aren’t as smart as the males. They would think of you as a pet.”
“I may as well be. Locked up, feeling as though I’m in jail for the crime of being human.”
“Zuri…”
“I’m tired. Where can I sleep?”
Kobe steered her to his bed. “Get some rest; I need to report in.”
With a last look to the new human climbing into his bed, Kobe went to report all he had learned. Citun was going to have to make life bearable for these humans, if he planned on keeping them. Kobe’s people weren’t jailers, he knew of some species that contained their enemy. Enemies were never brought back to Kobe’s planet. It was a dumb idea. Besides, these humans weren’t enemies. They were more novelties. Hopefully, in time, the humans would get used to the situation.
Kobe hurried off. He had to let Citun know all food would need to be boiled down. He had seen Zuri shiver; the room temperature would have to be raised. Humans were intelligent creatures; some type of recreation would need to be in place. This would take a lot of work. Thankfully, they had over a week to prepare. In the meantime, Kobe was going to learn everything there was to learn about human females.
* * * *
Zuri lay thinking on the huge bed, covered in a thick warm fur. Her fingers wove through the soft yet sturdy long strands. The texture was like nothing she had ever felt before. The fur was huge, large enough to be able to wrap around Kobe twice; she wondered what type of animal it had come from. Was it from his planet? It was a scary thought. She supposed whatever it was must be close in height to a small mammoth.
The cabin was void of pictures, novelties—except her. There lacked a certain touch—a woman’s hominess. The Zargonnii were strange beings. Flight savvy and animalistic, smart and yet still behind in thought. Strong warrior mercenaries out for trade. Was she a Zargonnii treasure? The spoils of war? Was he Zuri’s Zargonnii warrior? What would they do with her once she was on the planet? Would Kobe abandon her? What if the novelty of humans wore off and she was set free to wander?
Their planet sounded like a place she didn’t want to be. There was no way she was going to spend the rest of her life locked up as a zoo pet with only Cash and Leo for company, having male Zargonnii come to gawk at her. A fish in a fish tank. With a little planning on her part, she would escape. Zargonnii must have smaller vessels. Before leaving Earth, Zuri had taken classes on being a shuttle pilot just in case the pilots were rendered incapacitated. Simple maneuvering techniques was deemed mandatory. With her new knowledge of the Zargonnii, it shouldn’t take her long to master the controls of a small vessel.
Wrapping her arms under her head for a pillow Zuri lay plotting well into the night. What she needed to be was smarter than these Zargonnii. Kobe thought of himself as superior because he was male, she had that going for her. The female Zargonnii may not be too bright, but Zuri was. She wasn’t a leader or a follower; she marched to her own beat. She was going to march out of this situation right under their Zargonnii noses.
* * * *
For just over a week Zuri bided her time gathering information from Kobe about their space ship. He was very forthcoming, obviously thinking her curiosity harmless. It helped she was female, she found Kobe to regard her as their own females—not altogether as smart as him, but he did treat her with a great amount of respect. Although it was annoying, he thought of her as a little less than intelligent, it worked to her advantage. Kobe spoke endlessly about him, Citun and warrior males in general.
Her Zargonnii improved by the hour as he spoke. She no longer thought of Kobe as animalistic, but thoughtful and intelligent. The Zargonnii weren’t complex beings, their ways were different. Kobe seemed to be spending more time with her as the planet came closer. She had confided she hated to be alone. It was her biggest fear on the 2BKs’ planet—to be left all alone. Kobe assured that would never happen.
There were times when Zuri almost abandoned her idea of escape. Kobe was intriguing, caring. He kept his word by keeping her safe. The temperature in his room was turned up when he noticed she chilled easily. Every day he helped her bathe until she was comfortable with him. He helped her make the best food choices when she explained her anatomy. Anything slimy was discarded immediately when he first brought back food for her to try.
Zuri refused anything still moving, on that she put her foot down—it was her fault really; she had mentioned sushi and Kobe thought he was accommodating her needs. Obviously, he thought raw meant alive. The first time he brought her a crunchy treat, the vida bug was stomped into a green goo with Zuri howling in disgust. There was a tasty yogurt with a creamy texture she adored. Kobe claimed it was baby food. He boiled her meat until it was tender and juicy. The fruits and vegetables he boiled with the meat into a savory stew she loved. The one item Kobe marveled she ate was a space crab. Zuri had seen them fly past the window and with excitement had pointed them out. Kobe was willing to let her have anything she wanted as long as she didn’t starve.
Surprisingly the foot long body of the black space creatures with the two-foot-long eight legs tasted much like crabs from Earth. She explained to Kobe they were found in water on Earth. These space crabs were tougher, and though she tried her best, most of the meaty insides had to be pulled from their hard shell by Kobe. As she explained, he just shook his head muttering; she went hysterical over a harmless vida bug and yet had no qualms about helping to rip the legs off a deadly creature, even if it was lifeless.
At night, Zuri lay pondering her dilemma over Cash and Leo. She wanted to see them but Citun wouldn’t allow it. Kobe explained the men were heavily guarded, there was to be no chance of their escape. When Zuri pressed as to why she couldn’t wander the ship Kobe appeared anxious while obviously not trying to frighten her.
“You exude a scent,” he began.
“Will you shut up about being stinky. I shower for heaven sakes.”
“Stop being a mouthy little thing for a moment. Your scent is pleasant, too pleasant. You reek of femininity. Your vulnerability is a magnet. The warriors are sensing you even behind closed doors. A helpless female is a novelty to a Zargonnii
male, it just doesn’t happen. A male’s hormones spike when females are around; it makes them want to Holiday…um, I mean…. What I mean is Citun is afraid if you wander, a warrior will want to battle you for dominance before he realizes you can’t battle at all.”
“Am I in danger?”
“No, of course not. I’m here and Citun has demanded you are off-limits. It’s easier to keep you close.”
“You mean contained,” Zuri muttered.
The conversation made Zuri uneasy. Kobe didn’t look as though he were actually telling the truth. There was something he was hiding. His mention of hormones and Holidays made her uncomfortable. More than ever, Zuri realized she needed to get away. As much as she was growing to care for Kobe, she wouldn’t remain with him when they landed. Sadly, he would hand her over into an environment she was certain was zoo-like. For some reason, the thought made her think of betrayal. There were times when Kobe held her close, crooning a sweet lulling tone. Zuri knew he liked her, was becoming fond of her, but it wasn’t enough for him to go against protocol and keep her with him. Zuri knew if the roles were reversed Kobe would definitely be put on display on Earth and more than likely be as miserable as she was certain to be.
When it came time for Kobe to go on duty that evening, Zuri faked sleep and watched him leave. Over the last few days, she noticed he had punched in a code to unlock the door. After listening to the harsh beeps with certain lights shining, she finally got the sequence right and the door sprang open.
After spending so much time sequestered in Kobe’s room, Zuri was curious about her surroundings. As she slunk through the darkness of each corridor, she peeked at the large warriors oblivious to her presence. Kobe said they would scent her if she was allowed to roam free; she kept that in mind and moved quickly. None were in battle mode; Kobe had mentioned their senses heightened during an altercation. As long as she was quiet, she should remain undetected for the time she needed to get to the loading bay.
The corridors were dark except for a blue light running along the middle of the wall. The light branched out down each corridor changing color; Zuri looked for the green light. It wasn’t far from Kobe’s room. Crouching she made her way along the empty hall, glancing in a few rooms to her left and right. The rooms were abuzz with rowdy, rambunctious, massive warriors. She stiffened when she saw Kobe in one room, laughing. He was talking about her.
“She isn’t as mouthy when she’s eating,” Kobe said and smiled. The others chuckled. Zuri stiffened.
Moron.
“It won’t be long, and you’ll be free of your little burden,” a warrior said in a teasing fashion.
“I’ll bet you’ll be happy when you can stop making baby food,” said another.
“A weak female isn’t natural.” This came from an angry looking warrior.
“You’re just mad because you’ve had a hard on all week,” said the teasing warrior. “Maybe if you ask Kobe nicely he’ll let you babysit.”
It was Kobe’s turn to look angry. “No one goes near my female.”
“Yours? Kobe, she belongs to no one and everyone. You heard what Citun said. I bet he’s going to pick who she mates with. And I’m guessing it won’t be you. All Citun really wants is her child to see if it will affect his own warriors. Titus can’t have all the advantages.”
Kobe growled, spun on his heels and strode from the room, his back ramrod straight. Zuri could almost smell him fuming. Thankfully, he was headed in a different direction or he might have stumbled over her. Saddened Zuri now realized there was a reason Citun wanted human females. To learn it was to give an advantage to his warriors with a child she might bear enraged her. Kobe knew this and had said nothing. There was always something that bothered him, especially when she felt they started getting close; he seemed to take a step back and keep his distance. And here she thought he was being respectful. Zuri had actually started to care for him and his gentle ways. He really was a dumb ass moron.
Feeling even more determined to get away Zuri hurried on. The large loading bay was just as she remembered—open, dark in some areas, bright in others. As Kobe had said, the smaller vessels were located in various hangers. It didn’t take long for her to open a shuttle door and start playing with the buttons she presumed were for flight. When the vessel’s engines caught, she smiled to herself and maneuvered the hovering craft toward the massive hanger door.
With the push of a button on a console in front of her, she crossed her fingers, wanting the hanger door to open. The shuttle suddenly veered sharply, aimed for a partition. She crashed into a few cylinders lining the wall.
“Oh shit.”
A large red button was to her left. She smashed her finger into it. The nose of the shuttle began to point skyward. The vessel backed up into the middle of the hanger.
“Damn it.”
Another button and the nose of the shuttle dragged across the ground, ass up. Sparks flew.
“Bloody hell.”
Concentrating, she flipped a switch hoping she wouldn’t send the thrusters into hyper drive and fling her against the door. From inside she could hear the sound of hissing air as the large door began to open. Zuri breathed a sigh of relief. By inching it forward, she managed to straighten the vessel out. Carefully, she maneuvered the shuttle to the opening so she could look out and slipped halfway through the door to gaze at her surroundings. Below, Zuri saw a massive amount of foliage. The space ship was moving slowly over a planet, its sheer mass darkening the jungle with its shadow. The sky was pastel in places; dark black holes dotted the atmosphere. There were no clouds. A light shone onto various areas.
This was it; she had done it and was on the verge of escape. As Zuri was about to urge the shuttle forward, she heard a large thump. She screamed when Kobe’s angry face was suddenly in the window before her.
Zuri was so startled, she fell from her seat and bashed against the shuttle door, hitting the handle. Half of the craft remained hovering inside the large loading deck, the other half hung over open air. With a loud whoosh the shuttle door opened, knocking her to the ground, and Zuri’s fingernails made a squealing sound as she dragged them across the floor trying desperately to stay inside. The floor was too slick; soon, she was staring down at the far distant ground. She screamed. The shuttle tipped as Kobe reached for her hand, calling to her. The entire shuttle slipped sideways with his weight.
A box of equipment inside the shuttle shifted and went flying toward Zuri. She would be smashed to pieces if she didn’t let go. She shoved herself away from the black box, seconds before it would have struck her in the face. Her one arm went straight up as she dangled by four fingers. She screamed again as her fingers lost their grip. Zuri felt a hand grasp her flailing wrist. As the box went flying, it clipped Zuri’s shoulder. The force of the blow was enough for Kobe to lose his hold on her. Zuri fell. The ground was suddenly the most important thing on her mind, as she spiraled into the open air.
Zuri’s breath was knocked from her lungs when something smashed into her, midflight. It was Kobe, he had jumped after her. Zuri was certain they were falling to their death.
Chapter 6
Zuri screamed as they fell. Kobe had her pressed tight to his chest but they were so far from the ground. His body curled around hers; his hair wrapped its way across her back and behind, holding her still. Kobe’s large tree-trunk arms cocooned her body, his legs pulled up. They fell, moving as would a bullet. Flashes of sky seeped through his thick hair to offer glimpses of their rapid descent. The breeze made it hard to breathe at times. Falling was too surreal, she knew they were falling, knew they would eventually hit the ground and yet she could still hear and think—ponder her demise.
Was death better? Zuri had felt caged while in Kobe’s cabin; knowing hundreds of aliens wanted to gawk at her was frightening, hurtful. Then to learn she was wanted for a tactical maneuver. All she had wanted was her freedom. This was so unfair. Kobe should have let her leave; now, they would die. Zuri winced when they hit somet
hing. From the corners of her eyes, she saw thick, hunter green vegetation zipping by. The snapping sound of branches being broken reached her ears, and she was hopeful it wasn’t Kobe’s limbs shattering.
When Kobe made impact with the ground, vibrations rattled every single one of Zuri’s bones. Dirt surrounded them as the collision sent them deeply into the planet’s earth. When Kobe finally settled, Zuri estimated they had sunk at least seven feet into the black soil. They had literally dug their own grave. But they weren’t dead. At least, she wasn’t.
Zuri shook the dirt from her head, arms and chest. The inky black flakes fell onto Kobe’s chest where he lay, unmoving.
“Kobe?”
He groaned in response. They lay there with the warm air from the sun clashing with the cold dampness of the soil.
“Are you hurt?” she managed to say.
“I just fell from a space ship, what the hell do you think?”
Zuri didn’t know what to think. Kobe was cranky but no doubt fine. It was his own damned fault for trying to stop her and scaring her half to death. She assessed her own body and determined there was no damage. He groaned again as she tried to stand, but the only place for her feet was on his chest or thighs. Grabbing the top of the hole, Zuri was able to scramble up with Kobe’s hands pushing her feet. Her hair fell forward as she peered down at him.
“I thought you were indestructible?”
“I said virtually indestructible; I didn’t say I was immune to pain. I have mentioned we have healers.”
“Can you move?”
“I can, but I’m not sure I want to,” was his mumbled response.
“Well, you can’t just lay there. It’s creeping me out with you lying in a grave.”
“What’s a grave?”
“The place you bury your dead.”
“You bury your dead?”
“Don’t you?”
Kobe rolled to his side, again groaning. He used his hands to push himself to his knees, his back bowed for a second. Zuri winced when she heard a crack. Kobe’s backbone popped back into place, his muscles filled out from their squished look. His flat ass cheeks expanded like inflated balloons.
C.L. Scholey - Zuri's Zargonnii Warrior (Unearthly World # 2) Page 7
