by Jenny Foster
The sensitive skin on the back of her neck prickled. She felt like someone was watching her. It took all of her willpower not to turn around and run away as fast as her legs would carry her. Without drawing attention to herself, she tried to see something in the intact windowpane in front of her. The gray-yellow flakes prevented her from seeing anything that was more than ten feet away, but Cat thought she heard a low growl, like from a large animal. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might burst. The only weapon she had brought with her was hidden in her knee-high boots, and if she leaned forward to get it or went to her knees, she would be vulnerable. She took a deep breath and turned around. If she was going to die, she would do so standing up.
Whatever it was, it was coming towards her in the heavy falling snow. The sound of boots crunching on the fresh snow droned in her ears. A huge shadow was slowly moving towards her. There was a yellow shimmer where she assumed the eyes would be. Using the height of the eyes to judge how big the rest of the body was, then this creature, which was coming closer to her with every step, was at least two heads taller than she was. Her knees shook, and she breathed in gasps. She heard the growl again, much closer this time, and a soft – sniffing?
Cat prepared herself to die. She let out a scream and her knees buckled. So much for dying with her dignity intact, she thought, and braced herself for pain.
A face started to materialize out of the snow. Cat held her breath. When she could finally see his face, she exhaled sharply with a hiss. He was a man, with an alien exterior, but of a humanoid shape. Even though her senses, or what was left of them, told her that she was not out of the woods yet, she still felt immense relief flood her body. She could deal with a creature that could think and feel, even if … she pushed the thought to the side. This must be the man who had won her in the gamble. He was her ticket to freedom. She tried to remember the password the poker company had given her. “Dandelion?” she asked the man who was now standing less than a foot in front of her. The word came out in a mere whisper, so she cleared her throat and repeated “dandelion,” this time loudly and clearly.
“Gold rain,” he answered without hesitation. His voice was pleasantly deep and exuded poise. She was grateful for this. Now that she could see him more clearly, she realized that she had secretly expected a repulsive, disfigured or somehow otherwise disgusting figure. The universe was populated by a multitude of creatures, and many of them were not visually appealing to the human eye. This man here, however, was attractive, at least outwardly. It was strange, but the scar that ran across his face made his chiseled features even more attractive.
Cat suppressed the urge to use her gift. Never again, she had promised herself. Not after everything that had happened after the last time.
When the man raised an eyebrow quizzically and pointed in the direction from which he had come, she realized that she had been staring at him for far too long.
He seemed to be a man of few words. That was fine with her. The less they spoke to each other, the less she would be tied to him.
She stomped after him in the increasingly heavy snow. She was thankful for the protection his broad back afforded her and took the opportunity to study him more closely. The way the man moved, told her more about his character than hours of small talk could. Even though he carried an enormous muscle mass with him, he moved with grace and as elegantly as a predator. A dangerous predator, mind you, because there was nothing hesitant about the way he moved. Every now and then, he turned his head a few inches to check the area. Cat noticed that he did not rely only on his eyes. He flared his nostrils and took in the air. If her eyes were not fooling her, his pointed ears could even move in different directions.
He might look ninety-five percent human, but his behavior proved that there was literally more to him. Cat became aware of how little she knew about him, and just how dangerous this business was that she had jumped into, when she was panic-stricken. Even though the interstellar poker company promised boldly that all women would get a “husband according to the ritual of the race in question,” who was actually going to check on this? Her companion could drag her off to the furthest corners of the universe, and sacrifice her there, on the altar of a pagan god, and nobody would ever know.
She sighed again – this time a little louder.
The pointed ears twitched. “We are almost there,” he said. Cat needed a moment to realize that this was his answer to her sigh. “That’s … good.” she replied. What else could she possibly say? I have changed my mind was out of question, as was, tell me, what exactly do you have planned for me?
She didn’t see the space glider until he stepped to the side, moving his broad back from her field of vision. The ship was bigger than she had expected, and looked both maneuverable and dangerous. There was a blue shimmer surrounding the ship, emphasizing its sleek shape. Looking at it as closely as Cat was, one could just make out small hatches that looked like they had retractable weapons behind them. The entrance opened up about two feet from the ground. Without any further ado, the man lifted her up into his arms and jumped from a standing position into the interior of the space ship. Against her will, Cat was impressed with how little effort it took him to hold her against his chest. It also made her shiver with fear. She would need to have more than fast legs to put her escape plan into action.
Carefully, as if she could break at the slightest wrong move, he set her down on the ground. Cat almost regretted, just almost, that she couldn’t feel the warmth of his body anymore, even though the inside temperature on the ship was fairly high. The air was actually so warm that she took off her jacket and pulled her sweater over her head. Her eyes fell on the portrait of a man whose highly decorated chest swelled proudly towards the observer. He seemed dandy and feminine, somehow, maybe because of his pouty mouth that was smiling arrogantly.
In the meantime, her companion had raised his left hand to his mouth and was speaking into his armband. So, they had the most modern communication methods here, too. She saw another obstacle to her path to freedom. He growled something in a language she couldn’t understand. It sounded like the grumbling of a predator. She tried to take her mind off the fear that was spreading through her body by asking him his name. “I don’t even know your name,” she said, but couldn’t prevent a fearful tone from creeping into her voice. “I am Catherine Burke. Cat. You can call me Cat,” she babbled nervously.
He looked down at her from his impressive height. His eyes seemed even stranger in the bright light than they had earlier in the dark of the cold night. Their color made his unnerving stare even stronger. They were a mix of something that changed from amber to the purest gold. Cat noticed her heart starting to race. Her instinct was screaming something to her, something about escaping, but it wasn’t just a deep-seated primal fear of a carnivorous predator that made sweat appear on her forehead. If she didn’t get out of here soon, she would lose herself in those eyes.
He cleared his throat. “Please forgive my manners,” he said and bowed slightly, so that he was almost at her eye level. “The weather on your planet is so inhospitable that I didn’t want to delay our departure.” Gold sparks flew in his eyes and then disappeared again. “My name is Talon Delkhari. I am one of the warriors of his Majesty Ferthoris III, who is also called the Wise One.” The last few words came out in a squeaky tone, and she wondered if he had caught a cold during his short stay on Earth. But before she could ask him about it, he pointed to a sprawling sofa against the wall. Overall, the entire interior of the ship was extremely luxurious. A few comfortable-looking chairs were arranged around a small bar, and two people could have easily slept on the sofa without bothering each other. Cat sat down on the sofa and nearly drowned in the overly soft upholstery.
“We will arrive at the mother ship in about an hour,” Talon explained. “Please make yourself comfortable until then. You are allowed to go anywhere except for the cockpit, and if you are hungry or thirsty,” he raised his eyebrows quizzically, “you are
free to help yourself here.” He leaned down and opened a small cupboard under the bar. The pouches probably contained dried food, but as long as she couldn’t read the foreign, swirling symbols, she would rather go without.
“Thank you,” she said politely. “Will you keep me company during this time? I would love to learn more about you and my new home.” She tried in vain to interpret his facial expression, and threw her head back. This would never work, not from this low-seated position. It would be better for her to make things clear, so she stood up. Now she wouldn’t have to look up at him all the time. It wasn’t easy to fight her way out of the sofa, and after some awkward flailing, Talon lost his patience, and pulled her up. His skin was warm and dry and felt so silky that she brushed her thumb over the back of his hand before she could stop herself.
He jerked back as if her touch had scalded him. His pupils widened, until his glowing gold eyes were reduced to a thin ring. A dull growl came from his throat. Cat’s heart gave a big lurch and she drew back. “I am sorry,” she stammered and cursed her involuntary action silently. “I didn’t mean to get that close to you. I thought …” She lost her voice.
“It’s okay,” Talon snarled. His nostrils flared, and Cat saw a bead of sweat run down his temple. He stepped back slowly, as if doing so took all of the self-control he could muster.
“I will leave you alone now. I am expected in the cockpit. We will discuss everything else,” he was looking at a spot that was behind her head somewhere, “when we are on board the Stella Solaris.” He turned to leave, but before he walked through the door that probably led to the pilot’s cockpit, he looked at her one more time with that look that made her afraid and something else she couldn’t put her finger on. “If you want to start preparing for your duties, you will find a handbook on the table next to the sofa. It contains everything you need to know about your new home and husband.” With that, he departed without saying good-bye, leaving Cat behind. She needed a moment to understand what he had said. Finally, when she saw the title of the fairly comprehensive binder, it dawned on her that she had made a mistake. “The King of Kanthari 7 and his Brides” was written on it in bold letters. Below the title, she saw the same man she had noticed in the portrait earlier, but with one significant difference: he was sitting on an elaborately carved throne, and at his feet, female creatures of every type and color you could imagine cowered, and also a few you would rather not imagine.
Talon was not her future husband. Fate had secured a place for her in Ferthoris III’s harem.
****
Talon left the operation of the space glider to his officer. The cheeky whippersnapper had taken one look at Talon’s dark demeanor, and all of his questions about the new woman had gotten stuck in his throat. Talon barked his commands and they took off in the direction of the Stella Solaris. The maneuverable little ship passed through the Earthly barriers without anyone stopping them. The officers in charge, he thought cynically, were probably sitting around, drinking their disgusting beer, and bragging about their affairs with women. Humans! Once again, he marveled that this species had not gone extinct yet. Not only had they destroyed their own planet’s biosphere, but they were also doing everything possible to exterminate each other. He had absolutely nothing against a reasonable and small conquering expedition, or even a war, if it was about defending your home, but no Kantharian (not even their crazy king) would ever attack their own race. He shook his head. The humans had tried to subdue other races in an insane undertaking, and to conquer other planets. Then, they had almost completely annihilated each other. They had even undertaken crazy experiments on their own race. How ruthless must a scientist be, to stoop to that kind of research? Over the years, this experimentation created humans that had special abilities. Some could see the future, while others could move things using only the power of thought. He wondered what the king’s new toy was capable of. This was probably the reason, he thought resigned, why Ferthoris III had paid such a hefty sum for the little woman to begin with. He already had more than enough legitimate sons, and his illegitimate ones were so numerous that he recruited his bodyguards from their ranks. The kick he would get from having a new wife would last one, maybe two weeks, and then he would get bored with his new toy. This one, however …
Talon leaned back and closed his eyes, thankful for the moment of peace before he had to take up his duties as commander of his ship again. This woman with the cat name had gotten under his skin. If he was honest with himself, not just under his skin, but also in his loins. She was tall for a human woman, and seemed to be strong enough to be able to fight with a lion. But under all of that strength, which she wore for show, there was a vulnerability that touched him against his will. He clenched his fists, without knowing it, as he thought of Cat in the king’s bed, moving underneath him and uttering small sounds of lust.
If he didn’t watch himself, he really would be beheaded, namely for committing high treason, and not for just having a big mouth.
Really, who was he trying to fool, anyway?
It was too late for caution already. The predator inside him had only needed to look at Cat once – at her breasts that were clearly defined, even under her thick parka, at her round hips, and her light, curly hair under her hood – and had sharpened its claws in desire. More than that, really. His animal had roared. It hadn’t been a battle cry. It had been the cry of a predator that was ready to mate, a predator who was claiming a female as his. When she had touched him, running her thumb over the back of his hand, he had been close to losing all self-control. It hadn’t been the thought of his king that had stopped him from seducing her right then and there. It had been the sadness in her eyes that had made him hold back. It was only because he had worked on controlling his body for his entire life, that he had been able to put the predator in his place.
If he survived the trip home with his health and sanity intact, he would ask his king for an assignment that would take him far away – if necessary, to the ends of the universe. Damn it, he would even humiliate himself to the point of begging his king. Talon knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle seeing Cat every day, imagining what her nights in the king’s arms were like. At some point, he would lose all control, and kill anyone who got in his way.
A static hiss tore him from his dark thoughts. All he could hear was “… are being attacked … irates …” coming from the loudspeaker on the steering console. With a start, he was back in the present. “Stella Solaris, repeat please,” he said as calmly as he could, and turned up the speaker. One look at the pilot told him that the boy was staying calm and relaxed, despite being relatively inexperienced. He nodded at him quickly and concentrated on his first officer’s voice again. “Pirates have just boarded the Stella Solaris,” the man said. “Position 34.02 west of the Earth’s moon. Protective shields,” there was a short pause, and Talon leaned forward so he wouldn’t miss a single word. “Protective shields are at zero percent. Our weapons room has been blown up. They …” His words disappeared in the static of the universe once again.
“How far are we from the mother ship?”
“Another 50 minutes,” the pilot responded and checked his instruments one more time. “We won’t make it in time.”
Talon pressed his lips together. Even if they could reach the beleaguered mother ship in time, they would be able to do nothing. The weapons on the space glider would be nothing more than an annoyance to the pirates. All they would do is irritate them, but wouldn’t stop them. He thought for a second. The Stella Solaris was only about an hour away from Earth, and there were enough space gliders to hold every single one of his men. He grimaced when he thought of the king’s budget measures. The king had wanted to spend all taxes on gaudy jewelry and women. Thank God, that notion had faded again. Talon furrowed his brow and listened, but nothing else came out of the speaker. His men were waiting for his decision.
“Evacuate immediately,” he ordered. The man next to him closed his eyes in relief, before concentrat
ing on flying the glider again. “Fly towards Earth. We will meet at position 47.46.03X. There is enough room to land there. 2 miles west of there, you will find an abandoned building, where we will stay for now. Good luck, and over and out.”
“You heard me,” Talon told his subordinate. “Back to where we started.” He looked out at space through the super reinforced windshield. Somewhere out there, his men were preparing to abandon the Stella Solaris, leaving their ship to its fate. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when he thought about the pirates who would now have their hands on a second class Star Cruiser. But Talon knew that he hadn’t had a choice. In the time it would have taken for him to reach the Stella Solaris, the majority of his men would have been wounded or even dead. That was something he would never risk, not even when his honor as a warrior lord was at stake. He would rather let his kind accuse him of having lost the mother ship than put a single one of his men in unnecessary danger. Talon was proud that, until now, he had always brought every warrior home, even if some of them had been severely wounded.
