Judged: A Dark Sci-Fi Romance (Alien Captured Mates Book 1)

by Ella Long

  I kept my fists clenched and my lips pressed together.

  I had to stay calm.

  My mates would find me.

  Somehow, they would find me.

  They had to.

  Ghislan

  That evening, I couldn’t wait to get back and see Ashley.

  There had been a strategy meeting that had gone well past its time, dragging on with all the endless contingencies and possibilities of the upcoming battle.

  Necessary, crucial even, but still tedious.

  Knowing Ashley was home, waiting for us, made it even harder to be patient.

  Sadhbah was a bit behind me as he stopped to talk to the troops. I headed up the steps to the mansion and called out her name as I went through the door.

  I paced through quickly, getting more worried by the second.

  “Servant!” I yelled, a bit too harshly. One came rushing through the doors and it was a new face again. I was reassured that my attendants never got offended by the fact I didn’t remember their names. I really didn’t have time.

  “Where is Ashley?” I snapped. Sadhbah came in and when he heard my question his eyebrows went up with a pile of unanswered questions.

  “She has not arrived yet, my lord.”

  I wanted to shake him, scream at him, and restrained myself just barely. It wasn’t his fault and he couldn’t help the situation.

  It took a bit of self-control, but I managed to dismiss him without violence.

  Just before he left the room, I called out for him to send to the schoolhouse and see if she was there. He bowed low and left the room.

  Sadhbah and I looked at each other with expressions of anger, mixed with fear.

  “Why isn’t she here?” Sadhbah snarled. “Why didn’t she come back?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m worried. Maybe she’s just spending more time with the kids.”

  We both nodded, trying to calm each other down. We were too wound up to bathe and relax so we sat down over our food, picking at it.

  The servant we sent out was back fairly quickly.

  “She is not at the schoolhouse my lord. Nor in the mess hall. She has not been seen since mid-afternoon.”

  As he slipped away, I tried to hold on to hope. I didn’t want to think terrible things.

  All I could think was that she was human.

  Flighty, emotional, irrational.

  Did she really just get us into a place of trust so she could walk away?

  Sadhbah and I looked at each other, both of us echoing each other’s fear.

  “She’s gone.” He said it like he was trying to convince himself.

  “I can’t believe this.” I hung my head, pushing away the food. The lack of her deep inside me was only just starting to burn.

  Having known my mate, I couldn’t live without her now. I knew this ache would grow. It would suck the joy out of my every minute.

  I wouldn’t be able to focus on my duties.

  I’d end up losing my honor and my mind, becoming one of the outcasts who lived for cruelty and killed for sport.

  Funnily enough, that didn’t bother me.

  Losing Ashley was far worse. Quite frankly, I didn’t give a fuck what happened to me.

  I wondered if her bite marks were throbbing, if she had noticed that her body was craving us. It would be like working through a neurotoxin.

  She may survive it, or she may be permanently damaged by it.

  There was no way to tell. A human had never been bonded to the Xael before.

  Had never broken that bond.

  The idea that she would risk so much pain just to get away from us was horrifying.

  I thought she trusted us, that we loved each other. I couldn’t understand.

  For a few moments silence stretched between us. The sky out the window fell into true black, lighting the stars.

  “I can’t believe she just left the kids.” Sadhbah said softly. “After all the work she did to keep them safe!”

  We contemplated the darkness for a few moments. Both that of the night and our futures.

  There was a sudden flurry at the door. One of my stern-faced guards snapped to attention.

  “Will you receive the lady Mishra, my lord?”

  “Send her through.” My heart leapt and I told myself not to get too excited, but I couldn’t help it.

  “Where is Miss Ashley?” Mishra came into the room, twisting her hands. “My lord, I must find her!”

  “Why?” Sadhbah looked at her warily. He wasn’t going to give away a thing.

  “The boy! Ben. He’s gone.”

  We looked at each other and it was like a shock crackled through us both.

  “You’ve searched?” I snapped at her.

  She nodded, still twisting her hands. “The schoolhouse, grounds and most of the buildings have been searched. I came here thinking maybe Miss Ashley brought him here…”

  Her voice trailed off and we could see how distressed she was. I dismissed her and ordered the guards to join the search.

  “I don’t like it, brother.” Sadhbah said quietly, eyes bright in the dark.

  “Nor I.” My voice was as light as the candles that danced on the table.

  My blood sang, a faint tug at the moment.

  Within a few hours, if I didn’t find her, it would begin to burn.

  “Let’s go and have a look.” I got up, grabbing my combat uniform instead of my ceremonial robe. “We may be able to track her by scent or at least get an impression of where she’s been.”

  When we hit the streets most of the camp was looking through buildings and in every dark corner. We walked steadily towards the schoolhouse, knowing that if we were going to pick up a trail, it was there. All of the Xael had a good sense of smell but picking up the pheromones of our mate went beyond the five senses.

  As we approached the schoolhouse, I looked into the deep shadows of the outcasts camp. A few residents stood around outside their dwellings, smoking cigarettes and looking over at us with hostility. Some of the place had been searched, but not all.

  Then I noticed Lochin was not there.

  He was always in everyone’s faces, why was he not observing this chaos with all the others?

  Ashley said he always watched her.

  I changed course and headed straight for his caravan. Sadhbah turned and hurried after me. I could sense his excitement and his urgency.

  It mirrored my own.

  We banged on the wall of the trailer and no lights came on. We went inside, tossing things around in the cramped space. He was clearly not here.

  “I’m going to ask the others if he’s involved in the search.” Sadhbah took off out the door. I kept looking through the place, wondering how anyone could live in this filth.

  Sadhbah stuck his head through the door.

  “He isn’t here. At all. No one has seen him.”

  I took slow steps, walking out onto the crushed grass. I turned my head to the sky, looking at the stars.

  I was not losing my mate. I didn’t give a fuck what stood in my way. I was not losing her.

  As we stood there thinking about our next move, Finbarr and Mishra came running out of the schoolhouse. They came towards us with a small transponder that was blinking cheerfully.

  “We have the boy!” Finbarr cried. “The nannonites I used to repair him continue to emit a faint signal. His location is not far away, towards Denver.”

  I snatched the thing out of his hands and turned and ran.

  Sadhbah kept pace beside me. We knew there was nothing to prove that Ashley was with the boy, but this was the only lead we had.

  And if we didn’t save him, our mate would be lost to us anyway.

  I went charging into the command tent to see Swarton sitting over a map. He saluted us as we ran through the door.

  “In a hurry boss?”

  I slammed the transponder on to the table, right where we had already scouted a Najiik base.

  “Mobilize. Now. Cal
l in the troops, get the fighters in the air.”

  Swarton started punching keys on his console and I heard alarms ringing. Troops started running past the tent, fueling shuttles and grabbing weapons.

  “How many contingents you want on this?”

  I turned to look into his eyes, and I had never been more serious about anything in my life.

  “All of them.”

  Sadhbah

  As the shuttles deployed from the airfield I grabbed onto the doorframe of the helicopter as it lifted off the ground. I was riding with a bunch of human mercenaries and we were all armed to the teeth, anchored against the movements of the chopper.

  I loved these things. They might be woefully unstable, but they were highly maneuverable, and a good pilot could really pull of some fantastic moves.

  Like a lot of earth tech, it had many advancements that were pure genius yet failed in its stability.

  I didn’t know if it was the roaring of its blades or the way it shivered in the sky like an insect that excited me. All I knew was riding in a chopper was thrilling and somehow more satisfying than a Xael craft.

  Ghislan was ahead of us in a stealth shuttle. He and his crew would fly low, bombing the outer buildings to draw the main force out.

  It was likely that Ashley and the boy were being kept in central command. The Najiik always kept their hostages in the most densely guarded areas of their bases.

  But it wasn’t going to make a bit of difference.

  We’d get her back.

  The chopper lifted high over the trees and swayed in the wind. It was actually being piloted by a Xael soldier. Most of us were enchanted by these primitive earth machines and found them challenging as well as effective when utilized correctly.

  No human pilot would push the unstable machine this far. I found it hilarious that the human mercenaries were all whooping and cheering as they were almost thrown from the doors. These guys feared nothing.

  I hung far out the window, one hand brandishing my gun—an earth weapon, fully automatic machine gun—the other hand holding tight to the door frame as I watched the glow of the Najiik camp get closer.

  Like the chopper, I found the machine gun satisfying. The majority of humans in my group had chosen crystal powered blasters and they enjoyed the clean fire with no recoil.

  I, on the other hand, loved the vibration and recoil, not to mention the way the enemy was literally shredded by bullets.

  Reloading was a pain in the ass, but a worthy sacrifice.

  Ahead of us, Ghislan’s flagship descended. It was in full camo, reflecting the nearby terrain by refracted light. It was almost completely invisible as it swung around the edges of the camp, spitting fire.

  The shuttle turned its nose up and did a circuit around. I could see soldiers running towards the fires and ships started mobilizing. Najiik fighters started taking to the air.

  Ghislan kept his ship high and fully concealed. Around the camp other camouflaged shuttles popped into vision, engaging the Najiik ships and drawing them away.

  The choppers around me increased speed, following the one I hung out of like an earth cowboy, whooping like a maniac.

  We dropped flammable chemicals on the outbuildings, taking the Najiik completely by surprise.

  They thought the first wave was the entire attack and they weren’t expecting human tech to come thundering down on their heads.

  We drew out the remainder of the forces, all the aerial troops already deployed.

  I let out a primal scream as we flew low over the buildings. Everything was lit up from the billowing explosions and I could see the Najiik scurrying around between them. I jammed my finger down on the trigger and roared as my bullets cut down waves of running Najiik.

  Ghislan’s ship hovered over the central command building. He was still in camo mode and only visible if you knew what to look for. The Najiik were too involved in the attack to pay any attention.

  We went through another sweep and our human mercenaries joined me in the ripping cheers of battle as we bombed the fuck out of the outbuildings and shot down Najiik.

  “Bring us lower!,” I called out to the pilot as we swooped over the center of the base. I could see Ghislan landing and I knew he was going to need some help.

  As the chopper ducked low, I clutched the gun close to my chest and flipped through the air, falling a good twenty feet before I landed in a crouch.

  Ghislan moved towards the door and I immediately backed him up.

  He entered first and I covered him. Two burly Najiik went down under our guns.

  And then it all went to hell.

  “You come back here and she’s dead, you hear me! Stop now! Hold your fire!”

  Lochin.

  The traitor.

  We looked at each other in agreement.

  We couldn’t lose her.

  I could smell her, the scent high and strong in her fear. I didn’t know what to do.

  “Drop your guns!”

  We looked at each other again, this time with resignation.

  Reluctantly, I tossed my gun to the floor. Ghislan did the same.

  My hand hovered by my right hip. I had a sharp dagger there and it would be my last hope.

  Lochin came shuffling out from behind the curtains that separated rooms within the command tent.

  He had Ashley held tight to him by a hand around her throat. She was grabbing at his arm, but it did no good. He held her as easily as if she was a doll.

  “That’s it. Real quiet like. I’m leaving this tent with her. If you fire, she’ll die. I’ll either make sure she gets the bullet, or I’ll snap her neck.”

  His crazy yellow eyes were like lasers. He meant every word.

  I wish we had listened to her when we had the chance.

  I would never doubt her instincts ever again.

  Lochin started shuffling towards the door, keeping Ashley faced towards us as much as he could. As she looked over at Ghislan I felt a ripple of communication.

  I could hear it and feel it. The energy washed over me, prickling goosebumps up out of my skin.

  She was communicating with us.

  Now that we were back in scent range she was reaching out. So far this had only happened during sex.

  We had been too afraid to talk to her about the extreme mental connection that would only get stronger as we kept mating with each other.

  From our study, historically humans tended to respond negatively to the idea of telepathy.

  The sense got stronger. She was definitely connecting with us. I kept my hand ready. It was going to go down any second now.

  Lochin paused by the door, turning to face us. He kept an arm around Ashley’s throat, pressing her against him.

  For a few seconds he’d be vulnerable as he went through the door. If we fired now, the shot would go through him into her, but we could hit him across the back of the head.

  “Now.” He grinned confidently. “I’m going to take the stealth ship that you so kindly provided for me. You’re going to sit there and watch me take her. If you come after me, she’s dead. We can negotiate our trade later, under more pleasant conditions.”

  He started laughing.

  His grip loosened, just a touch.

  Ashley had been waiting for it.

  She slammed her dainty, boot-clad foot down on Lochin’s toes. He howled but before he had time to tighten his grip she bent and sank her teeth into his arm.

  He roared in rage as she threw herself at the ground, slipping out of his grip. She was rolling towards Ghislan who had his arms open to receive her.

  Lochin was focused on her, ready to scuffle with Ghislan to get control of the situation.

  My fingers found the knife. The room seemed to fade back, everything slipping into slow motion.

  I saw Lochin’s throat in vivid detail. My body was moving with the speed and force of fire.

  I couldn’t be sure, but I believed I only took two steps. My hand came up all by itself.

  T
he movement was so quick, Lochin didn’t seem to realize what had happened. As I stopped in front of him, he looked up at me, touching his neck.

  He had felt the blow, but my knife was so sharp he didn’t yet know he was doomed.

  His eyes went pale as he felt the blood pouring around his fingers. I had slit his throat from ear to ear in one movement.

  He crumpled to the floor.

  Ashley gasped in relief, clinging to Ghislan.

  “Ben!” she screamed. “He’s through there!” She pointed towards the back room..

  I charged in, slaughtering the few Najiik who were guarding him. The boy was cowering under a table and started to cry as I grabbed him.

  We ran through the tent and as soon as he saw Ashley, he reached for her, sobbing.

  We bolted for the shuttle. Orange blooms exploded all around us. We jumped onboard, the doors sealing up and all of us collapsing on the seats.

  Under us, the bombing intensified. Everything living in this camp was dead. We didn’t even care to salvage anything. Just burn it to ash.

  Ashley’s eyes were big with tears. We put our arms around her, Ghislan and I comforting her while she kept her arms around Ben.

  She looked up, eye contact shifting between the two of us. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it.

  I love you. The whisper came through the ether, it vibrated through my soul and my singing bones. She was fully connected.

  Her mind, body and soul were committed to us.

  And we you. The vibration came from Ghislan and I at the same moment. We had always shared light telepathy and synchronicity. Now that we had met our mate it had increased tenfold.

  We folded together, all four of us, rocking to the motion of the shuttle. Nobody said a word.

  No words were needed.

  We were together and we always would be.

  Ghislan

  The arrival back at base was chaotic. Shuttles and copters flew in, crowding across the air strip. Men ran everywhere shouting and throwing equipment bags. Swarton walked around screaming orders for debriefing.

  Ashley didn’t want to let Ben out of her sight. She clung to him as he was put on a stretcher. Finbarr quickly joined her and gave the boy a sedative.