Alien Stolen

by Rena Marks

  I tried to pull them apart, but of course they held strong.

  I was incredulous.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I have to protect my family.”

  After all we’d been through, my mate still didn’t trust me?

  “Walk,” she said. When I didn’t comply, she reached out with the electrical probe and gave me a weak shock in the small of my back.

  I bellowed, a mixture of pain and disbelief.

  “Walk,” she instructed.

  My humiliation was complete. I—the royal highness of Nisibia, who battled countless beings, even taking out factions of Praydians—was captured twice by Earth insects. One being my own mate.

  The next realization nearly had me roar with pain. My mate didn’t want to enjoy my lovemaking earlier. She only wanted to steal my power.

  All I could do was glare at her. Damn the frustration of not having a throat implant.

  She prodded me with the electric probe again, but this time didn’t shock me. My feet thudded heavily down the hill toward the hidden entrance of what she called the underground mines.

  “It’s me,” she called out. There was a rush of running footsteps, and five people appeared. A young female no older than my mate, who hugged her. Her hair was as dark as my mate’s was light. With her were two older females, and two older males. They all took turns hugging her.

  “That’s him?” An older male said. This was Sian’s father. She had his eyes.

  “Yes. They had him hidden underground. He’s normally strong, but a little incapacitated right now.”

  “Is it safe to keep him here?” One of the females asked.

  “Yes, momma. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m much stronger than he is right now. I can probably take on five or six men in a fight, easily.”

  “How in the world did they transfer his strength to you?” The younger female asked.

  My mate blushed. Even in the dimmer light of the cave, I could see the pink that tinged her cheeks. “Umm, not sure exactly,” she mumbled, and deliberately widened her eyes at the other person. “More importantly, we need to find out why he was locked up. He’s obviously alien, and was being shipped to their nearest facility. But why lock him up?”

  This younger female must be her best friend. She acknowledged my mate’s stammered reply as if it was perfectly normal, and helped by trying to distract the parents. “We can’t just parade him around town. Maybe you, mom and dad, can go out and see if you can find Jessie Fritz. He was held on the base for a couple months before he escaped. Maybe he’s seen or heard something.”

  Her father nodded. “That’s a good idea. There were areas where the some of the prisoners were that had televisions. Come on, Marie. It’ll be good to get you out.”

  “Dad, maybe you and mom can go get some fresh water,” my mate said.

  “Nope,” her father drawled. “I’m not leaving you alone with a tied-up alien.”

  Sian raised her eyebrows. “I managed to get the tied-up alien here all by myself. Besides, I’m not alone with him. Ria’s here.”

  Her father looked over at my mate’s best friend. She waved with her fingers. “Hello? Not going anywhere. He’s tied, and Sian is strong as Hercules right now, remember?”

  “Xena,” Sian sighed. “I’m strong as Xena. Not Herc.”

  Her best friend smiled. “Sorry. I always think of you with a mustache.”

  “That’s because you tricked me into shaving when we were eight!” My mate exploded.

  Her friend smiled serenely.

  I watched the whole scene, slightly bemused. They were an odd little bunch.

  But as I watched them, Sian’s father watched me. Something seemed to ease his mind because he suddenly nodded. “Okay, we’ll go to the watering hole. Shelly, she’ll be fine.” Turning to Sian, he said, “We’ll pick up rabbits.”

  My mate groaned. “I’m starved. We only had a fish last night.” She looked over at me. “And he’s a big guy.”

  Her parents and her friend’s parents turned to leave. Sian waited for them to leave and then said to her friend, “He heals really fast, too. Somehow he was shot in the skirmish when I broke him out, and it’s completely healed as of last night. I dug the bullet out, and numbed the area, but the numbing shot knocked him out like he was prepared for surgery instead.”

  “His physiology must be different.” Her friend eyed me quizzically. I was glad when Sian led us deeper into the mine shaft. There were small pinpoints of light in the underground cave from up above. Somewhere, way up high, the ground outside wasn’t whole and allowed for light to come through. That must be why they lived deeper inside.

  When it was dark, Sian’s friend lit a small torch.

  “We scored big time,” her friend said. “When your dad and I got loose, there was a truck of supplies. Solar powered lanterns, Sian. Solar. Imagine that. We grabbed as many as we could carry on the way out, but they’re outside charging in the sun. We made it to the tree you told us about and picked up your binoculars, the knives and gun, too.”

  She knelt down and retrieved the weapon from behind a rock. She pointed the gun at me. I growled softly, threatening her enough to grab Sian’s attention.

  “Put it down,” Sian said. “I don’t want him hurt.”

  Her friend looked at her oddly. “He’s one of them, Sian.”

  “I know that. But, well, I may as well tell you since the parents are gone…Ria, I screwed him.”

  “Yeah, I know. He was shot, but he’s healed now.”

  “No, not that kind of screwed. The other kind. It’s how I steal his strength.”

  Ria looked even more like an insect with her eyes bugging out of her head.

  “You…fucked him?” she gasped. “How? Just how?”

  I couldn’t help but smile condescendingly at her. If the small human couldn’t figure it out, I imagined she would be an old maid.

  “He’s hot,” Sian defended. “Just look past the skin color.”

  “What about those pokey things on his arms and head?”

  “They’re quite soft.”

  Actually, mate, they grow hard in the heat of battle.

  “He wasn’t too bad, okay? But that’s what the military thought my purpose was. I was wearing your skirt to pretend to be a pleasure worker. I didn’t know they’d actually requested one to come service him. Apparently, aliens lose their strength when they have sex. I don’t think the military realized I gained it instead.”

  “What about the real pleasure worker?”

  Sian shrugged. “She never showed up. Maybe she got wind of what her job was going to be. In any case, it was her loss.”

  “But how did you…just how?”

  “They did drug me with something,” Sian admitted. “But, Ria, the strength wore off eventually. Right before we arrived here. I had to seduce him again.”

  Exactly as I suspected.

  Ria’s bug eyes grew wider. “So this is an ongoing thing?”

  “Yes,” Sian hissed. “Naturally, I’ll need to be able to manage it without the parents finding out.”

  “And you want my help,” Ria said.

  “Well, I don’t have any other best friends living with me.”

  “Do you think he understands us?” Ria asked. I was staring a bit too intently.

  “Oh, yeah, he does. He can’t speak English. He points to his throat, so I’m assuming the military did something to him.”

  “Well, that would’ve been nice to know.” Ria glared at Sian.

  “That’ll teach you some humility,” Sian said, unperturbed with her friend. “But let’s not tell the parents. I don’t need them getting all paranoid and whipping out the gun like you did.”

  Ria sighed. “Sorry about that,” she said to me. And then returned the gun to its hiding spot. I held back my chuckle. These humans.

  “So, how do you plan to keep—uh—seducing him?”

  Sian shrugged. “He’s been pretty agreeable. I guess we’re kind of enemies now that
I captured him, though. I have the shock stick to keep him in line.”

  Ria winced. “I used it on one of the guards. I could smell his flesh burn.”

  Sian looked slightly green. I fought not to smirk. I was sure my mate would think twice before using the thing on me again.

  Chapter Nine

  Sian:

  It was hot and muggy in the mine shaft, but much cooler than it was outside. Miack should be grateful that I left him there. I ignored the niggling shame over keeping him tied and imprisoned.

  It was necessary, dammit. Ria and I had to talk and I didn’t want him overhearing. I had family and a planet to protect.

  “So what’s the deal with him?” Ria asked. “There’s no way you can just fuck and not feel something. Anything. It’s not like you’re a real sex worker.”

  “I know. It’s weird. I would never have fucked him at all if I hadn’t been Spanish-Flyed.”

  “Is that a word?” she mocked.

  “It’s a condition,” I snapped. “Prison’s changed you.”

  Her mouth dropped. “I was only in a cell for two days. Prostitution’s changed you.”

  “A call girl’s gotta do what a call girl’s gotta do.” I looked down at my broken nails. They were a mess, but that was my life. “Especially when saving her father and best friend.” There you go. I’d said it. Now she owed me.

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, fine. What do you want me to do?”

  “I’m going to need you to distract the parents or something when I need to…you know.”

  “Jump on the alien? Ride the baloney pony? Suck the one-eyed snake?”

  “I wonder if Miack has friends,” I said, looking up at the clouds in the sky. “We can double date. Or…swing partners.” I grinned evilly.

  She looked horrified. “Sorry. I admire you for being open-minded and all…but I couldn’t go there.”

  “You always were a tad prejudiced.”

  “Prejudiced? We’re talking a different species here. Their sperm could be poisonous. Even now, a slimy tentacle thing could burst from your chest and kill us all.”

  I leaned in. “Face it. Men are scarce. For a while there, even you were beginning to look good. I was thinking about asking you to cut your hair in a buzz cut—for summer, mind you—just to see how it’d look. But then Miack came along.”

  “Praise the Lord.”

  We laughed like hyenas, and then she sobered. “Thank you for rescuing us.”

  “I couldn’t let you be eaten, Rib-Eye Ria,” I whispered, and there was no laughter. We all knew that was exactly what they’d do.

  “I hope your alien isn’t a total bad guy,” she said.

  “Me, too.” My voice was still a whisper.

  “This would be the perfect time to score supplies from the military base, you know. But I know the dads would never allow it, not after we got captured.”

  “We’ll keep it quiet.”

  “This time we have to plan it properly.”

  I nodded. This was my girl. “We’ll just watch them for a day while we’re perched up in the trees with the new binoculars. We’ll see how many soldiers are left and if they get distracted enough for us to steal a couple bundles from the packed trucks.”

  “God, it’d be cool if we could snag their radios.”

  “Wouldn’t it? I could stay up in the tree and warn you if someone approaches so you could quickly hide underneath the vehicle.”

  “It would be so worth it,” she said. “No one needs to know. All we need to do is observe for a few hours to get a head count of leftover personnel, and then you and I can decide if the risk of stealing supplies will be worth it.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it. Tonight when everyone goes to fish. We’ll leave Miack in the mine and sneak in during the night. The parents will be asleep and have no clue of how long we were gone. He won’t be able to talk to them.”

  My mom and dad called out from over the hill, and we waved at them as they approached from the distance. “Cook-out coming,” Ria said. “Maybe you should go get your green-gold guy so he can enjoy some sun and human company.”

  “You don’t think they’ll be weirded out with him?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “But it’s not fair to him to keep him locked alone in a dark place to ease everyone else’s anxiety.”

  She was right, and I was again ashamed of what I’d done to him. “I’ll go get him.”

  I entered the mine shaft to find him sitting in the same position we’d left him in. He didn’t even lift his head when I approached.

  I kneeled down in front of him, wrapping my hand on his jaw to turn him toward me. “Miack, I’m sorry,” I said. “Can I loosen your ties for you to make you more comfortable?”

  His mouth hung open, and he didn’t respond.

  I went behind him anyway and loosened the ties, adding an extra length of material between his hands so he could move them more freely. I knew it was dangerous. He could easily strangle someone with that length, but I didn’t think he would. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s go outside. We’re going to roast rabbit. I’m sorry I left you alone, but I’ve never had a prisoner before. I’ll take better care of you, I promise.”

  A flash of guilt hit over how I had to take better care of him. I’d be using him for his strength. And so far, the guy hadn’t tried to kill me once. I’d have drowned me in the river last night. I helped him up, and he stumbled slightly, his legs cramped from having been in one position too long.

  I stepped in close—my arms around his waist—to steady him. And for a brief moment, he dropped his cheek onto the top of my head, resting there. His heart—no, hearts—thudded like twin engines under my ear. I closed my eyes and pretended, just for a minute, that things were different. That he was human.

  Then he rumbled something in that strange language, and the moment was broken. He wasn’t human, and he never would be. I pulled away and led him through the mine.

  He blinked a few times at the sunlight, his eyes completely black. The more he blinked, the more he gained his color-shifting ability. The eyes must have a “light-filtering” eyelid. There was so little about him that I knew.

  By the time we reached the top of the hill, Ria’s parents were arriving, too. I led Miack to a tree where we could sit together under the shade. Ria left my parents to sit with us.

  “Wow, his skin is iridescent in the sunlight. Does he sunburn? It looks so sheer.”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll stay under the shade just in case.”

  I tugged Miack down toward the ground, sitting down cross legged. Mr. Abeyta sat across from him, and the mothers sat near Ria and me. My dad sat to Miack’s right where he could get up and check on the roasting rabbits. The barbecue grill was one that someone had left behind in a house, on a back porch of all things. It was an old-fashioned charcoal grill that we built a fire in the center of, and then grilled our meat over the metal grill. We lacked grilling utensils, however, so we looked like cavemen poking the meat with sticks.

  “How’s that new knife working?” I asked my dad.

  “It’s amazingly sharp. Great find,” he complimented.

  “I can’t believe you found the location.”

  “It was easy. Ria says you always turn to the right and hide things about three trees from you. So from where you described, we turned left and counted three trees. Bingo.”

  The parents laughed, while my laughter was rueful. “She tells all my secrets.”

  “Not all,” Ria said pointedly and smiled at Miack.

  I narrowed my eyes at her because the parents were looking curiously between us.

  “Did you find anything out?” My dad asked Robert.

  “Plenty. He’s definitely not of the same species that originally landed here.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “The Praydians are described as humanoid with dark skin, a greenish black. The leader—Pie something—is paler, more of a gray. His is a green and gold. Praydians have no n
oses or lips, and their faces resemble a lizard because of that. His does not. He looks kind of human except for the coloring. There was no mention of those spiky things he has on his arms, head, and back on the others. What are they? Are they sharp?”

  I reached over and touched one on his arm. “They’re soft. I’m not sure what the purpose is.”

  Miack looked at me, then down at his arm where I’d touched. I removed my hand, and the spikes hardened before our eyes. They grew, and instead of bending backward toward him, they moved forward as if toward the enemy, at the same time thickening.

  “Holy crap, did those grow?” Ria asked.

  “They stiffened,” my dad said. “They look sharp.”

  I reached out tentatively, with one finger.

  “Be careful, Sian,” my mother warned.

  But Miack didn’t protest, so I touched one spike. It was indeed hard, and narrowed to a sharp point on top.

  “So it’s a defense mechanism,” I said.

  “His skin looks a little different right now,” Ria said. “The little square patches are more pronounced. Less sheer.”

  She was right. I touched his arm where a spike didn’t reside. The skin had become scales.

  “Wow,” I said. “His skin just turned into body armor.”

  “They definitely didn’t mention the Praydians had anything like this. I think he’s a different kind of alien, but what he’s doing here is anyone’s guess,” Mr. Abeyta said.

  “Any ideas as to what they want with him?” I asked.

  “I’d assume they had him locked up for a reason.”

  “Who knows if they’re looking for him?” Marie said. “Maybe you should have left well enough alone, Sian.”

  “Mom,” Ria said. “They’re looking for all defectors. What’s one more? Besides, he helped Sian escape. I can’t help but wonder if he deliberately passed his strength on to her.”

  I looked at Ria in surprise. That was so far from the truth.

  But she merely winked.