by E. M Reders
Hey, in her mind it had seemed like a good plan.
They had finally negotiated their way out of the ship, exiting the venting system in the storage bay near the large ramp opening that she guessed was being used to load supplies. There had been no one around so making it from the opening to the nearest tunnel had been surprisingly easy. The problem now was that they appeared to be lost.
“I thought you said you knew the way out.”
“I do. I do. I have travelled these tunnels numerous times. I know exactly where the entrance is.”
Then why was it taking so long? And why did he seem not to know where they were? He kept looking around, turning one way before altering direction and backtracking. That did not seem like a guy that knew where he was going to her.
They turned a few more corners in silence before Joel made an excited noise, running his hands over some kind of markings on them. “Not far now,” he mumbled almost inaudibly.
As Jessie followed him down the next set of tunnels, his pace increasing, a sense of dread began to fill her gut. Something didn’t feel right about this section of the tunnels. It was darker down here, seemed older like it hadn’t been used for centuries. All the other tunnels had lighting throughout, illuminating the way. The section of tunnels Joel was taking her down now had nothing.
“I don’t like this. I think we should go back. This was a bad idea.”
She turned to go. She’d much rather risk being brainwashed than be down here in the dark with this creep. And anyway, would it really be so bad to be shacked up with the hunk she had been dreaming about? She knew he was for real now, had seen him with her own eyes, and couldn’t get him out of her mind. The further from the ship she got, the bigger the draw was to turn back and find him.
“No!”
Before she could even take another step, Joel ploughed into her from behind, smashing her against the wall, her head and upper body taking the brunt of the impact. She screamed out as a blinding pain shot through her head, the sharp rocks easily cutting her flesh. She could feel the warm flow of blood running down her face.
Gripping her by the shoulders, Joel spun her around. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from her eyes. Still, even though she could not see clearly, she could still see the frantic, manic look in his eyes. That was the moment that Jessie knew she had made a fatal mistake. The guy was not sane.
“You are not going anywhere. You’re escaping, remember? Escaping those alien freaks and their sick ways. I can help cleanse you of their taint.”
“Their taint?”
What was he talking about?
“They are evil. All creatures of the night are. Drinking blood is a sign that the devil is in them. We must cleanse you of their unnatural taint so you can be free and pass into the light.”
“Okay…” she agreed with caution. She needed to tread very carefully. He was obviously out of his mind, a raving lunatic. “But maybe we should go this way to do that,” she said, indicating to her left. “It’s much lighter down that way. We are less likely to trip if we can see where we are going.” And she was more likely to be found when she blacked out from the head injury she’d suffered which she was praying was not too serious.
She tried to move in that direction, back the way they had come, but it was no use, he wasn’t letting her go, and she was already unsteady on her feet as it was, her vision dimming in and out.
“We have to go this way, Jessie. The pit is this way.”
Pit? What pit?
As Joel pulled her further into darkness and the blood continued to flow from her head wound she struggled to keep her eyes open, her legs beneath her. She could feel herself slipping. She wouldn’t make it. In her life, she may have escaped an alien ship filled with overly large alien males, her friends and the males they now called mates, her controlling father, brother and husband, but it seemed she would not escape the crazy guy currently leading her fuck knows where.
“I can’t… I…”
Her knees went, her body dropped, and true darkness descended.
Chapter 14
Xandr had left the others to search the female's and Joel's cabins for any clue as to their plans while he set off into the tunnels in search of them. He knew that they had entered the south system from the male that had seen them exit the ship and fled to the nearest opening. What he didn’t know was where they had gone from there. The floor was solid, allowing for no impressions, after all the centuries of use by the Chaetdorians. There would be no tracks to follow... just his six sense.
He was the best tracker they had. And while tracks upon the ground did make it incredibly easier for him, they were not essential.
He had not long entered the tunnels when he came across Bender, one of his fellow Warriors.
"I wouldn’t go that way, Xandr, it’s all rigged to go."
The entire place was being set to explode upon their departure so as to not leave any evidence behind for the humans to find.
"We have two humans on the loose down here, you seen anything?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, though I doubt they went that way. It’s almost pitch black down the old section. Not even a speck of light."
Which was why he could not understand the pull he felt in that direction. His gut was telling him that the humans had gone into the old section of the tunnels, but there was no way out that way, just darkness and death. One misstep and the humans would fall to their deaths down one of the numerous pits.
Being cautious of Bender’s words about the explosives, Xandr proceeded down the darkening tunnels. A few turns later there was almost no light. He was forever thankful for his superior eyesight; it allowed him to see the dynamite placed in strategic places along his path.
He knew he was moving in the right direction. He could hear the grunts and moans of the male up ahead. What he couldn’t hear was the female, though he knew deep down that she was there too.
How did he know that?
His commlink beeped, signalling an incoming message.
“Have you found them yet?” came his commander's voice.
“They are situated in the old tunnels near the pits. I will be retrieving them momentarily.”
“Well do so quickly. The explosives are all set. We need to depart immediately. The female, Jessie, has been reported missing by a male reported to be her husband.”
“I told you, she doesn’t have a husband!” He heard one of the human females screech in the background.
“It is only a matter of time until the others are reported too. I am commencing the countdown to take off. You have fifteen earth minutes to retrieve the humans and get back to the ship. If you have to… leave them.” That news was met with angry shouts from the females his males had mated.
“I will retrieve the female.”
Why he didn’t mention retrieving the male also he was not sure. For some strange reason, the only thing that mattered at that moment was getting his female back.
His?
He didn’t have time to question that thought. Time was running out. If he didn’t get back to the ship in time, he would be buried down here for all eternity.
Entering the wide cavern that was littered with small pits silently, he gazed around. There was no sign of them, but he knew they were in there. Had they fallen into one of the pits? Was that why the male was panting?
He made to check each pit as he made his way around the cavern but there was no need, he knew exactly where they were. He could sense it, sense her. As he moved towards the large pit in the centre, he heard a moan of pain come from the female that had so far been silent.
As he gazed over the edge of the pit at the humans below, he was hit with two conflicting emotions. Joy, as when his eyes lighted upon the female trapped under the male, Joel, he instantly understood the reasons for his driving need to find her, to go towards the cabin on deck seven the other moon – her cabin he was sure. She was his mate. And secondly, rage, as the scent of blood overcame him. More imp
ortantly, the scent of Mandy’s blood. This was where she had been taken, where she had been killed… by this human male.
“That’s it. Come on, Jessie. Time to wake up. Time to cleanse you of all the aliens evil taint so you can walk into the light. I helped Mandy and Rebecca do the same. They were scared but are happy now. I saved them, as I will save you.”
The male was going to die, painfully.
***
Jessie couldn’t see a thing. She knew her eyes were open; she had to keep blinking to clear them of the blood that was still running down her face from the cut to her head. That told her one thing, at least. She hadn’t been unconscious too long. Otherwise, she would have expected the blood to have clotted.
The question now was, where the fuck was they? The tunnels Joel had led her through before his attack had been dark but nothing like this.
Being shadowed by darkness did not hide the fact that she was in terrible danger. She was laid on hard, cold, wet stone with a great weight on her legs. Joel. And from the cold steel she felt against flesh, he was armed.
“That’s it. Come on, Jessie. Time to wake up. Time to cleanse you of all the aliens evil taint so you can walk into the light. I helped Mandy and Rebecca do the same. They were scared but are happy now. I saved them, as I will save you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. He had killed them, killed those two women, and now she was all alone with him. No one knew where she was, knew that she had left the safety of the ship.
Now that was a twist of fate. She never expected to consider the alien ship with safety.
“It will hurt, be very painful, but your suffering will be worth it.”
What exactly was he going to do?
She heard him take a big, deep breath before the blade was placed firmly against her bare midriff where her top had risen. As he dragged it across her flesh, cutting her deep, a scream built up in her throat, though she never got to release it.
As she opened her mouth to cry out Joel’s weight suddenly disappeared, and his cries filled the air. They were cries of pain, of terror. What the hell was going on? They continued for some time, echoing around the cavern. Finally, with one final croak, silence fell.
As she laid there, hearing nothing but her own panting breath, that feeling came back, the same feeling she had had the one time she had seen the male from her dreams, and again when she had been locked in her room. He had been on the other side of the door that time.
“Who’s there?” she whispered into the darkness already knowing the answer.
The unseen male jumped down into the pit and knelt beside her, his hand placed over hers on the wound Joel had inflicted before his arrival. Her breath hitched in her throat at the contact.
“It is me, my heart,” came his deep voice. A few hours before she would have been terrified at his appearance, his touch, at the mere thought of him. But now, she could not have been happier. The brainwashing truly was complete, and she couldn’t care less.
***
His female was injured, in pain. He wanted to kill the human male all over again, but they did not have the time. Too much time had passed since Teks began the countdown. They needed to move, now.
Slipping his hands beneath her, Xandr lifted his mate up into his arms, cradling her against his chest. She gasped in pain at the move.
“I am sorry, my heart, but we need to move quickly. We are set to depart in five earth minutes. At that point the entire tunnel system is set to implode,” he explained as he jumped out of the pit with her and began navigating his way back to the ship.
“What about Joel?” his mate asked. Was she so soft-hearted that even after attacking her, attempting to end her existence, she cared for the male’s welfare? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Would she hate him, be disgusted with him by what he had to tell her?
“He is dead. No one harms what is mine.” And no one would ever get the chance to again. He was not going to let this female out of his sight, ever. He had failed Mandy, allowed her to be taken, killed. He would not make the same mistake twice.
“Good,” she snapped, surprising him. “Fucking bastard deserved it. Dragging defenceless women down dark tunnels. Slicing them up with fucking knives. The sick fuck!”
His female had high opinions and was not afraid the vent them.
His wrist unit beeped, a voice shouting through a din of yelling. “Xandr, have you located them? If not get back here now. I will not lose anyone else to this blasted planet. You are running out of time.”
“I have the female,” he replied, picking up the pace.
“Then bring her straight to the command deck upon arrival. Maybe then these damn females will leave me be,” his commander growled. It seemed that his mate’s friends were causing all sorts of stress for Teks. Too bad he had no plans of taking her anywhere other than his quarters for the next few moons.
The first of the explosions came just as they entered the last tunnel, the main cavern only meters away. His mate screamed, her body jutting as she threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. He raced forwards, knowing they only had seconds before the entire tunnel system collapsed in on itself. Then the cavern roof would blow, leaving a gaping hole for the ship to exit through, followed quickly by another even larger explosion. There would be no evidence of their existence left behind.
“We’re not going to make it.”
“Yes, we are, my heart. Have faith.”
Sprinting out of the tunnel and into the cavern, he was relieved to see that the ship’s cargo doors were still open. Standing at either side were Jepa and Hecto. Both males were screaming at him, yelling for him to run faster. He didn’t need to look behind him to know that the tunnel systems they had just exited had chosen that moment to collapse. The blast nearly knocked him off his feet, debris pummelling against his back, shredding his covering and reaching skin. He ignored the pain, pushing his body harder. He would not fail at protecting his true mate. No way. Now how.
As they ran up the ramp, crossing the threshold into the safety of the ship, Jepa and Hecto activated the doors, sealing them instantly behind them. They’d made it. He didn’t wait, didn’t speak to the males he knew he needed to apologise to. He had a mate to see to.
First stop was Doc. She was injured and needed attention. Then he was taking her to his cabin to claim her as his for eternity.
The ship chose that moment to rock, the engines coming online for the first time in centuries, causing his mate to yell in his ear, her nails to claw at his already injured back.
Okay, so maybe they would be the second and third things he did. It seemed his number one priority was getting his mate through take off without seriously damaging him beyond repair.
Chapter 15
Never again. Never. Fucking. Again.
Jessie had always been a huge fan of rollercoasters. She never missed an opportunity, no matter the weather, to take a trip to her favourite theme park. But the take-off from Earth? Pure terrifying Hell!
“You promise it’s over,” she said to the male currently hovering over her with some kind of medical device. Xandr had taken her straight to the medibay upon their arrival, but it was only now that the shaking and rumbling had stopped that she had allowed him to put her down so Doc could examine her.
“Yes. We have now left the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Left the Earth’s atmosphere…
There truly was no going back now.
“All done.”
Sitting up, Jessie looked down to see the damage Joel had done expecting to see the gruesome gash across her midsection cleaned and taped up, maybe even some stitches. Instead, she was shocked to find nothing there. It was gone, as if it had never been there. It was amazing.
She opened her mouth to ask how he had done it when the door opened, and her friends came storming in.
“What the fuck, Jessie?”
“You could have died.”
“You left without saying goodbye.”
The
y bombarded her with question after question, but there was one that stood out most to her. Something she had kept secret from them, from everyone, for the past ten years.
“You have a husband?”
“Ex-husband.”
She had met Benjamin shortly after leaving home. She’d spent years under the thumb of her father and brother, being nothing but a slave to them after the death of her mother. He had swept her off her feet, making her feel loved and adored for the first time in years. They married only six months later, and then it all changed. He wasn’t just like her father and brother; he was worse.
“You have a lot of explaining to do, lady,” Katie said, her arms crossed.
The explanation would have to wait for later it seemed. Strolling forward, Xandr scooped her up into his arms, ignoring her friends yells as he turned and carried her out of the room. The women would have followed but were stopped from doing so by the males they were now mated to.
“Where are we going?” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the handsome male that only a few hours ago she’d wanted nothing to do with. Now, she couldn’t imagine life without him. It seemed the brainwashing was complete. The crazy thing was, she didn’t care.
“My cabin,” he growled. “I can smell the dead male on your skin. I need to saturate you in my scent.”
“And how will you do that?”
Oh, she had an idea, but she wanted him to say it.”
“By claiming you as mine. I will fill you with my cock, bath your womb with my seed, and sink my fangs into your soft neck. You are mine, Jessie, if you want to be.”
That gave her purse. “I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice. I want you, need you. There is no doubt in my mind that you are the female meant for me. But if you do not want to mate with me, I will restrain myself.”
