The Zoran's Touch (Scifi Alien Romance) (Barbarian Brides)

by Luna Hunter

  The bushes rustle.

  Adrenaline rushes through my veins, and I grab a sharpened stick.

  “Who goes there?” I say, trying to sound as angry as possible. My voice isn’t as booming as Egon’s, but I might just scare an alien boar looking for a meal to scavenge… if I’m lucky.

  A massive, towering figure appears, a hog hanging around his neck.

  Egon smirks at me. “Told you I’d catch us a meal.”

  My hands rest on my heart. “You scared me. Again.”

  He looks at the shelter I have built.

  “Very nice work,” he says, running his hand over the leaves. “Very nice.”

  “Thank you,” I say. “I guess I learned more from watching movies than I thought. Who knew!”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “I’m starving!”

  Egon

  Within moments I have built a roaring fire from dried twigs that are lying around. We’re lucky it hasn’t rained recently, though I do see clouds off in the distance.

  I spit roast the animal, the smell of it making my stomach grumble.

  “Eat up,” I say as I hand my mate a piece of roasted meat. Her eyes light up, and she gratefully accepts. She practically devours it.

  “If I knew you were this hungry, I would have caught a whole pack,” I laugh.

  She licks her fingers clean. “How did you catch this… boar-thing. Whatever it is. How did you catch it?”

  “A chef never reveals his recipe.”

  “Oh come on. Tell me.”

  I shrug. “To be honest, I just stood very, very still and let him come to me. He was drawn by my scent. And when he was close enough, I pounced.”

  “You killed it with your bare hands?”

  “I had to,” I say.

  Killing gives me no joy, even though I’m exceptionally good at it.

  Well, except that human scumbag who crashed the ship. Knocking his lights out felt good.

  As the sun sets, we continue chatting. I let her talk about ourself, and enjoy the sound of her voice.

  She tells me extensively about her younger sister, and her artistic talent. Miah swears that the only reason she works for Onyx is to put food on the table for her family, and I’m inclined to believe her.

  “What about you? Do you have a family? Brother, sisters?” she asks.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I snap.

  I’ve been dreading that question all evening.

  Where is your pack, Egon?

  Your family?

  What really happened at Pazar?

  Why do they call you the Beast? The Butcher?

  Did you really kill all those people?

  You did, didn’t you?

  You’re a cold-hearted killer. Admit it. Admit it!

  I snap out of my thoughts. The interrogations, the hearings, the trial — they’ve left a bigger mark on me than I thought.

  “Why not?” she pouts.

  “It’s in the past,” I say. “I want to focus on the present.”

  I lean and kiss her, which shuts her right up, her lips curling into a smile.

  “The night is too beautiful to get ruined,” I continue, my hands sliding up her thigh.

  “Hmm,” she purrs. “Sounds to me like you’re just trying to distract me.”

  “Me? Trick you? Never,” I smirk as I bring my lips down to her neck. The moment I kiss her there, she is like putty in my hands. It’s her weak spot, which I attack head-on. My hands slide down her curvaceous figure, finding her softness, and soon I have her writhing underneath of me.

  We make love in the tent as rain gently falls outside. This time, we’re not as frantic, not as rough as we were in the caves. This time, it’s sweet, loving, intimate.

  She comes with a beautiful moan, her back arched, before collapsing on top of me. I hold her body tightly as we drift off into sleep, together, entwined.

  I want to enjoy this moment fully, but the last thought before I fall asleep is that I can’t keep running my from my past; it’ll catch up with me sooner or later…

  Chapter Twelve

  Miah

  My sleep is peaceful. When my body is curled against Egon’s, it’s like nothing can touch me. He’s my protector, my own personal bodyguard, keeping the world at bay.

  I dream about our wedding. It’s a nice distraction. He looks dashing in his black suit. His golden tie matches nicely with his playful, amethyst eyes.

  When I awake, he’s already up, cooking us both dinner.

  “Morning.”

  “Good morning,” I yawn. “How are you so active already? You already caught us breakfast?”

  “We have a long trek ahead today. Need to be prepared, and use every hour of sunlight we have. Here, eat up. And tell me about your dreams.”

  “My dreams?” I ask, my face growing red. “Have I been talking in my sleep again?”

  “Perhaps,” he smirks.

  Oh god.

  “What did I say?”

  Egon shrugs. “Nothing special. Just that I’m your protector, your bodyguard, your god, basically. You know, basic stuff.”

  “You wish,” I scoff.

  Damn it. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut for once? His ego doesn’t need to get any bigger.

  I nibble on the piece of roasted meat, avoiding his purple eyes. He looks mighty pleased with himself.

  It’s nice that’s he’s interested in me, but I haven’t forgotten last night. And I’m not talking about the love we made — though that’s hard to forget as well. I can still feel the soreness between my legs to remind me.

  No, I mean how he avoids every question I have about him. He deflects and dodges everything, and instead asks me to talk about myself, like I’m too stupid to notice what he’s doing.

  He’s not the first emotionally-closed-off man I’ve ever met. However, he is the first one who’s an intergalactically wanted criminal. One who’s name is synonymous with evil. Whose face is plastered all over the news constantly, reminding us who the real enemies of the Federation are.

  Zorans.

  I glance up. He’s prodding the smoldering fire with a stick, a look of pure concentration on his face. Egon catches me looking at him and smiles.

  How can a man this kind, this caring, this loving be a wanted criminal? It doesn’t make sense to me.

  I want to understand.

  I want to know.

  I want to get to know him — the real him. I can’t do that if he keeps shutting me out. If he keeps putting up walls. If he keeps treating me like a stranger.

  We spend the day traveling up the mountain. It’s tough, but we’ve both got a spring in our step. Egon’s is an excellent hunter and provider. It seems that our fortunes are finally looking up. I’ve got a good feeling about finding the research probe on the very top of the mountain. The planet is teeming with life, and the air is breathable for humans; two things that the Onyx Corporation likes very much.

  If your mining crew doesn’t have to wear spacesuits all the time, that’s one hell of a cost you don’t have to pay.

  The thought of finding the research pod makes me happy… but it also fills me with dread.

  Because finding that, means getting in touch with the real world.

  And in the real world, Egon is a wanted man.

  Our union, relationship, or whatever you want to call it, won’t survive that.

  Not unless I go into hiding with him… but that would mean abandoning my little sister.

  That’s not a choice I can make.

  A small part of me wishes the research pod won’t be there, and my choice will be made for me… but that would also mean never seeing Abby again. It seems no matter what happens, I lose.

  These thoughts are still running through my mind when we set up camp at the end of the day. I whip up another tent, and Egon hunts us down another boar. At the rate we’re going the top is only a few day’s marches away.

  “Tell me something about yourself,” I say after dinner. />
  Before I’m forced to make the impossible choice between Egon and Abby, between my heart and my family, I want to learn as much about the Zoran as possible.

  “Nothing to tell,” he grunts defensively.

  “That’s not true and you know it. If anyone lived an interesting life, it’s you.”

  “Interesting? Is that what you’d call it?”

  “What would you call it?”

  He stares into the fire. “Terrifying.”

  “Why?”

  “None of your business,” he growls, the agitation in his voice rising.

  I was afraid this might happen…

  “Don’t shut me out like this,” I say. “I want to know you. The real you. Let me in. Please.”

  “You do know me. Better than any human knows me. We mated. Is that not enough?”

  I shake my head. “As good as it was, and it was mindnumbingly good, believe me, no. To be perfectly honest, it’s not enough. I need more. I’m not looking for a mere physical connection. I want a spiritual one. I want us to be in sync. I want us to a be a team. I can’t do that if I barely know who you are.”

  “I am what you see right now.”

  “You carry a burden, Egon. I can see it. Share it with me.”

  “What do you want, Miah?” he growls, his voice rising. “I don’t blame you for working for Onyx. Why do you want me to chastise myself? Why do you want me to beg for forgiveness?”

  “I’m not asking you to do that,” I sigh. It’s like he mishearing me on purpose. “You’re not listening to me. I just want to know what happened. I want to hear your side of the story!”

  “No,” he says. “Either you accept me you don’t. It’s that simple.”

  “How can I do that?” I ask, growing desperate. “If we get out of here, they’ll be hunting you. You know that, right? If I give myself to you, like you’re asking me, I’ll be damning myself as well. You do realize that, don’t you? How can I do that if you won’t even tell me what you did?”

  “You know what I did. I saw the fear in your eyes, back at the shuttle. You know exactly what I did.”

  “I know what the news said, yeah. But I don’t believe that. I don’t see how you could commit such atrocities. I want to hear your side.”

  He ignores my question, like he’s done time and time again.

  “I’m not asking you to give yourself to me,” he says. “I’m not asking you a damn thing.”

  His words cut right through me.

  “So I’m just a diversion to you? A trophy? A notch on your belt?”

  “How can you say that?!” he grows furiously. “I saved you, I provide for you, I open myself up to you, and this is how you repay me? Is this not enough? You want more? Is it ever enough?”

  “This is opening up?” I say. I can’t help but laugh, though I try not to. I cross my arms. “You know what? Perhaps it’s never enough, no. We can always be closer.”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking,” he says. There’s a threat lingering underneath the surface. “I’m Egon now. You don’t want to know Beast. Trust me.”

  “I do,” I say, reaching out for him. “I do want to know.”

  He yanks his arm away and stands up. For a second I fear he’s just going to storm off and leave me here, but then he turns to me, his eyes filled with anger.

  “You want to know? You really want to know?!”

  “I do,” I say defiantly. “I do.”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

  “Try me.”

  He paces around the smoldering fire. The flickering lights play with his shadow. The hairs on my arms are standing up, for the look on his face is serious and solemn. The night is quiet, and it seems even the birds have stopped chirping.

  “No,” he says definitively. “You’ll never sleep again, knowing what you helped cause. I must protect you from yourself.”

  I can’t believe his arrogance.

  “I’ll be the judge of that! Who do you think you are?”

  “The Butcher of Pazar,” he whispers. He grinds the fire out and returns to the tent.

  The rest of the night is spent in silence.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Miah

  The bond between us is thoroughly broken. The next couple of days we barely talk. All we do is walk, up the damn mountain, dragging our bodies up. I think he owes me an apology, and he’s way too damn stubborn for that.

  Finally, on the fifth day, I see the gleam of the research pod, standing high on top of the mountain, like a miracle. I’m hit with a new sense of energy, and the two of us nearly sprint the last mile up the mountain.

  “It’s here!” Egon says.

  “It sure is.”

  “How did you know?” he says. “You said this was just a vantage point to look from!”

  A tinge of guilt trickles down my spine. I haven’t been completely honest with the alien warrior either, I guess.

  “The elevation makes it easier for the probe to send and receive signals,” I say. “Plus, we’re also incredibly fortunate.”

  I run my fingers across the metal frame. The elements have worn it down, but it still works, for the screen lights up at my touch. Three bars fill the top right of the screen.

  More than enough to send a distress call back home!

  I’m so relieved I could cry. I thought I’d never see Abby again. I was already half-okay with the thought of having to spend my days here in the wilderness, foraging berries and weaving baskets, just the two of us trying to eek out a living in this primitive world.

  In a strange way, it was almost a pleasant idea.

  Just the two of us.

  No one around to judge us.

  No one around to worry about. I was sure that, with time, I could get Egon to open up to me.

  Now, with the SOS button resting underneath my thumb, the full force of reality hits me like a freight train. We’re all out of time. If I push this button and send a distress call, Onyx will send a rescue mission for me.

  And they won’t look kindle upon Egon.

  To him, he’s Beast —A criminal. A murderer.

  And not just to the Onyx Corporation — every single human will only see that side of him.

  Our union is doomed. We can’t ever be together. If I choose Egon, I’ll be on the run. Forever.

  I can’t do that to Abby. My sister is more important than some crush I have. Than my summer fling, my Stockholm-syndrome-type-obsession.

  I should probably hit up a shrink when I get back home. They’ll have a field day with all the trauma I’ve been through…

  “What are you waiting for?” Egon growls. “We should dismantle it, strip it for parts so we can power the escape pod of the Allure.”

  “Sure,” I say.

  And I push the button.

  Forgive me, Egon.

  Egon

  The human assists me in stripping the beacon. There is a power supply inside, one that’ll power the escape pod. With it, we can finally get off this godforsaken rock.

  I have enjoyed my time here more than I thought — that is true. I have shared something truly special with Miah… but I couldn’t get myself to be truthful with her.

  The trauma is too great.

  And she won’t accept that.

  I’m doing it for her sake, but she doesn’t see it that way.

  There’s nothing I can do to change her mind.

  Perhaps it’ll just take some time. We’ll have more than enough of it when we’re on that shuttle, trying to stay out of the Federation’s way.

  The way down the mountain is twice as fast as the way up. The Allure’s crash site comes nearer and nearer every day, and with it, Miah grows more and more restless.

  “What’s on your mind?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” she snaps, her voice breaking.

  She’s a poor liar. I don’t press it — if she wants to keep secrets, she can.

  Once we get to the cave entrance, she freezes up.
/>   “Only a few more days of travel,” I tell her. “Don’t worry, I will guide you, or carry you if I have to.”

  “It’s not that,” she says, avoiding my gaze.

  “What is it then?”

  I place the battery on the floor. My muscles ache from lumbering the heavy thing around, but I don’t care. We’re so close I can taste freedom already.

  “I… can’t follow you,” she whispers.

  I furrow my brow.

  “Are you worried about the sand worms? Again, I can carry you and the battery easily. It won’t be a problem.”

  “I know you can,” she says. Her voice is soft and meek. “It’s not that. I… I sent a distress call using the research pod. The Federation will be here to pick me up any day now. You should get out of here… before they show up.”

  She looks up at me. Her blue eyes are filled with tears, and my heart breaks.

  “Wh-what?” I stammer.

  I’m at a complete loss for words. I sensed a distance, sure, but I thought it was just a bump in the road. Something that we would get sorted once we’re off this godforsaken rock.

  And now she’s telling me it’s actually goodbye?

  A fiery rage grips my heart tightly, winding its way around it like a snake. How could she lie to my face like that? I thought I knew her. I thought I could trust her — trust a human — but no.

  My gut has been right all along.

  Trusting her… has been a mistake.

  “I’m sorry,” she says. “I have a sister I have to take care off. I can’t follow you. I’m sorry.”

  I whirl around. I can’t bear to look at her another second. It hurts too damn much. I can hear her sobbing, and it’s like daggers stabbing like soul. I want to comfort her — but I want to yell at her. I want to forgive her, and hate her forever. All at the same time.

  We had something beautiful. Something unique.

  For the first time since Pazar, I thought I’d found peace. I thought I could trust, I thought I could open my heart. I wasn’t quite ready yet to bare my entire soul, but I was making progress. I thought Miah would stick by me.

  I thought wrong.