Bound to the Alien Barbarian: An Alien Warrior Romance (Crashland Castaway Romance Book 1)

by Leslie Chase

  “Where’re you taking me?” Tessa’s voice combined suspicious with sleepy amazingly well, and I found it impossible to hold back a chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

  “My love, we must go,” I said, hefting her in my arms. “If you won’t wake to discuss our plans, I must take drastic action. And you must go for a swim.”

  “What? No!” Tessa’s eyes sprang open as I tossed her into the air, and she shrieked in fear — only for me to catch her again, spinning her around and planting her feet on the solid stone walkway.

  She punched me in the arm, hard enough that I felt it through my scales. “You, you asshole.”

  “It woke you up, didn’t it?” I ignored her attempt to punch me, though I made sure not to show how amused I was. “We cannot stay here, much as I would like to.”

  “You said this place is safe, didn’t you?”

  “It is. Only one other knows it even exists, and she’d never share its location.” I grimaced. “The problem is we’ll have to leave before we starve.”

  For a moment, Tessa looked defeated. It was like a shadow falling across her face, and it vanished as quickly as it appeared. She sighed, sat down on the stone, and nodded.

  “You’re right,” she admitted, touching her wristband to summon her animal companion. “Fine, I’ll sleep later. Where are we going to go in the meantime?”

  “I am not sure,” I admitted. “All the nearby tribes will be turned against us by the Elders. Beyond their territories we will find safety from the Elders and make a new life on our own.”

  “Are you giving up on your tribe?” Tessa sounded sad, though she felt only a shadow of my pain at the idea. “Fanwell will be here, cementing his claim if we don’t expose him.”

  “I hate leaving them behind, but there is nothing to be done,” I said, guilt burning in my heart. “Leaving the Eldest and Fanwell here, strengthening their hold on the community, is an evil. If I stay and fight, though, I will die to no purpose. No, we must go.”

  It hurt so badly to say those words, to leave my people under the control of Elders who would use such a deception on them. But it was true. No one would listen to me, or to my translation of what Tessa said, and we’d be slain or worse.

  Perhaps, with the Gift of Words, we’d stand a chance. Then the people would hear her words for themselves and understand. Unfortunately, it was stored in the vault at the top of the temple. It would be impossible to get up there now that the guards knew to listen for intruders in the vents.

  And there was one other reason to leave, one that I would not share with my beloved mate. I’d seen the fire in her heart, the passion — if I told Tessa that I feared her death, she’d refuse to go.

  Tessa weighed the plan with a frown. I didn’t like it any more than she did — time alone with my taru-ma would be a wonder without measure, but a life alone? If illness took me, would Tessa be able to feed herself?

  If illness took her, I would follow her into death rather than be parted from her.

  I put those bleak and morbid thoughts aside as Tessa spoke up.

  “We could do that,” she said, biting her lip. “Or we could find another human settlement. Orson and I weren’t the only survivors, though I’ve no clue where the rest landed.”

  That hit me like a hammer to the chest. Why didn’t I think of that? Of course Tessa will be safest amongst her own kind.

  The only example I had of another human intruded into my thoughts, but I pushed it aside. If half of them were like Fanwell and the other half like Tessa, then on average the species was doing well. And I’d happily help drive the Fanwells out.

  “Yes, beloved, that is a marvelous idea,” I said. Her cheeks reddened and she stammered something too quiet for me to hear as I moved on to practical questions. “The Elders recorded and mapped what they saw of the firefall; if all the shooting stars were humans, I can guide us to them.”

  “I don’t know if all of them were,” Tessa cautioned. “As far as I could tell from the radio messages I heard, Prytheen pirates forced us down on this planet. They might be allies now, or not. It was a confusing message, and I lost most of it to static.”

  “Whoever these ‘Prytheen’ are, if they are your foes then I shall slay them for you,” I said, focusing on what I understood. “If we go to another crash site, we win either way — either you find your people and safety or I find your foes and make you an offering of their hearts.”

  I wasn’t sure how to interpret Tessa’s flustered reaction to that offer, so I moved on.

  “The next nearest fallen star landed beyond the mountains. I know the direction but little more; if I could look at the Elders’ charts, they will have mapped its location by now.” I looked at the vents and muttered a curse. Once, climbing up to the hall of maps would have been a fun game. Now? It would take hours, assuming I didn’t get caught or trapped.

  But Tessa put her hand on my arm and shook her head. For a moment I thought she would offer to go in my place, which would be ridiculous — while, yes, she was smaller than me, she had no idea of the layout of the temple. I doubted she’d find the hall of maps, and she wouldn’t know what she was looking for if she did.

  My taru-ma had a better idea than that, though. Before I objected, she tapped her wristband and summoned her translucent animal friend. “Kitty Fantastic has a mapping function. Between the two of you, we can probably work something out without you having to squeeze through those ducts again.”

  The white-furred creature rumbled agreement, then head butted my leg in some kind of greeting. I wasn’t sure whether I believed Tessa about this, but decided the there was no harm in trying.

  “Well, small one? What do you have to show us?” I crouched before her and stroked her head. The sensation was strange, like the touch of a ghost — I felt the fur, but when I wasn’t careful my fingers passed through Kitty’s head without doing her any harm.

  She purred as I stroked her, and her answer didn’t come in words. Instead, a landscape of light unfolded above her head, the lands of my people as seen through the eyes of the Sky People.

  It took my breath away. Some of the Elder’s maps were from this point of view, but all were third or fourth copies of ancient texts allegedly given by the Sky People at their last visit. With each copy details were lost, and compared to the beautiful glowing image Kitty prepared for us, they were the scribblings of children.

  I stared in awe as, with a few gestures, Tessa expanded the image and showed me the cave in which the Temple Tribe dwelled.

  “Okay, so we’re here,” Tessa said. “Kitty, where is the nearest colony pod? Apart from mine, I mean.”

  Meow, Kitty Fantastic responded, and a line of red grew from the cave mouth, heading out across the mountains and beyond. It ended in a dim crimson circle, perhaps a ten-day’s travel beyond them if I read this ‘map’ correctly.

  I probably did not, but Tessa was at least as lost as I was, so I spoke up.

  “If we are to make that trip, we will need supplies. I do not know the lands beyond the mountains well, but I’ve spoken with hunters from the tribes that live there. I can catch enough to eat once we get there. In the mountains, though, it will be hard to find food. We must take at least four days’ worth with us to be sure.”

  I tried to manipulate the map myself, only to send it spinning in dizzying circles until Tessa stopped and reset it. Though she made this magic look easy, it was anything but.

  “There is a pass with a stream, that will be our best route,” I said, and Tessa scrolled the map until she found it. The detail was fuzzy and I found myself glad that Kitty’s magic had a limit. “Beyond there we will need to look for our own path.”

  I stood and Tessa joined me. “So, supplies. Where do we get them?” she asked, and I sighed unhappily. The only answer I had was not good, but we had no choice.

  “In the hunt master’s tower,” I said, wishing I had a better answer. “We cannot hunt on this side of the mountains, there is too much risk of being spotted. We
need to take what supplies we can.”

  Not an appealing prospect, I admitted to myself. Everyone would be searching for us, and the tower was my home. It would be watched, and we might be walking into a trap, but it seemed safer than trying to hunt and preserve enough food for the mountain trek.

  21

  Tessa

  “Wait,” I called out as Zarkav prepared to leap into the inky water. “I think I have a better idea.”

  Zarkav set me down at the water’s edge, looking curiously at me. Flustered, I thought through my half-formed idea.

  “We don’t have to get supplies here,” I told him. “It’s too dangerous with everyone looking for us. There are some supplies left at my colony pod — it’s not much, but enough for a four-day trek.”

  My alien lover turned that idea over in his head. In all honesty, I didn’t know if my idea was better — I did know that I wanted out of this cave as soon as possible, though.

  And with the tools there, I might be able to fix Killer’s wristband. I felt bad about the hologram wolf, and if I could patch him up I would. Right now, all I knew was that he wouldn’t switch on. Which might be due to the damage from my makeshift club or the fact that the cracks had let in water. We’d find out when it dried.

  “Are you certain there are enough supplies?” Zarkav broke into my thoughts. His voice a low growl, he turned my suggestion over in his mind. I licked my lips before answering.

  “It’s a mess, you saw that, but there’s food unless Fanwell brought it here. Water too, and containers. And some survival gear, sleeping bags and cold weather clothes.”

  He nodded. “The snows fall on the mountains even now. I would not have you freeze. That decides it, we return to your vessel first.”

  My calves ached at the thought — we’d be retracing the walk here, and my legs hadn’t stopped hurting from the first trip yet. It would be churlish to complain about my own idea, which somehow made it feel even less fair.

  But Zarkav, bless him, paid more attention to my expression than I’d thought. Squeezing my shoulder with one powerful hand, he smiled his razor-sharp smile.

  “Do not concern yourself, little one,” he said. “If need be, I shall carry you.”

  The prickly crimson heat that spread across my face pushed out my dread at leaving our sanctuary. Words stuck in my throat and all I could do was nod quickly. For some reason the idea of being carried off by Zarkav overwhelmed everything else.

  Oh, who am I kidding? I want him to carry me back to bed, that’s why. Admitting it to myself didn’t help; if anything, my cheeks burned worse.

  Zarkav tried hard to hide his amusement, but it showed in the sparkle of his eyes, the bright orange patterns on his ssav, the quick flick-flick of his tail. He might not show much emotion in human terms, but I was learning to read him. An effect of our bond? Or just of spending time with him?

  “We should go,” he said, breaking the silence. “We circle the city, leave the way we came in, and follow our trail back to your ship.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” I said, and the orange scales on his chest brightened.

  “No, not easy. But easier than stealing supplies in the city would be.”

  I shook my head, held up my hands. “You’re right, and it’s my plan. So let’s go.”

  Without waiting for him, I dropped into the icy water. The freezing cold bit into me as soon as I touched it, getting a squeal from me, and I almost scrambled back out.

  Zarkav dove in so gracefully he barely made a ripple. I watched in awe as he swam in circles under me. When he’d dragged me through here, I hadn’t been able to watch him. Now that I could, I marveled at his speed and grace.

  His tail sweeping side to side, pushing him forward, he cut the water like a dagger through smoke. No human could move like that, swim like that. He’d give dolphins a run for their money.

  After three circuits around me, he surfaced. Water ran down his scales, his eyes shone, and my heart raced. No, woman, you don’t have time to be ravished right now.

  Even in the icy water it was tough to tell myself that. Just one look at Zarkav tested my resolve. Fortunately, his self-control was stronger than mine. Taking my wrist, he pulled me under and towards the tunnel that led to the lake.

  It was a distressingly long swim, and I doubt I’d have made it without Zarkav to pull me along. By the time we surfaced my lungs burned, and keeping quiet was harder than I’d have liked.

  Zarkav, damn him, seemed serene and focused, his scales darkening to match the water. Eyes darting around the far shore, he must have seen what he was looking for because he set out across the lake.

  Somehow, he didn’t make a noise, didn’t leave a ripple on the water. I followed, feeling clumsy by comparison. Even slow and careful movement made far too much noise for comfort.

  The moment he reached the shore, Zarkav pulled himself up in a slow and graceful moment that hardly disturbed the water’s surface. How did anyone get to be so quiet? It was like watching a horror vid, the monster inexorable and silent as it crept up on the horny teenagers.

  I stifled a giggle. Maybe I’m not a teen anymore, but he can sneak up on me anytime.

  Satisfied that the area was safe, he crouched at the edge of the water and grabbed my hands. With a single pull, he lifted me out of the lake and onto the shore.

  The streets were empty, thank goodness. Oppressive silence surrounded us, broken only by the occasional whistle of wind somewhere in the massive cave complex.

  Together, we crept out of the city, Zarkav taking the lead. He gave the path ahead of us his full attention. Every corner, every alley, anywhere someone might lie in wait for us, Zarkav peered into with claws at the ready. I followed, nervous and trying to watch the path behind us.

  Once we left the city it was easier going, though Zarkav didn’t relax his vigilance. Neither did I, though there was no sign of anyone searching for us. The silence didn’t reassure me much — I’d never heard Zarkav sneaking up on me, and who was to say the other Zrin were worse at stealth than he was?

  My throat tight, hands trembling, heart racing, I expected something to go wrong at any second. All it would take was for someone to step out of a nearby hut and we’d be doomed. There was no hiding that I wasn’t a Zrin.

  But for once everything went our way. We reached the narrow, winding trail up the cliff without trouble, and no alarm sounded as we climbed. No one raced after us, and no laser shots rang out to fill us with hot light. A little way up, Zarkav turned back and leaned in to give me a kiss on the lips before whispering in my ear.

  “You lead up the path, beloved. I will follow, and if any give chase, I will put a stop to them.”

  Coming from him, stopping them meant killing them. I winced at the price he’d paid to get me free of this place; he’d killed members of his tribe and was ready to kill more if he had to. As much as his devotion moved me, I didn’t want to be the one responsible for putting him in that position.

  So I didn’t delay. The path was a scramble for me, though Zarkav followed with no trouble. As we climbed the steep switchback, I glanced back to see figures starting to emerge from the houses. No one noticed us, not yet, and I redoubled my efforts to reach the top before someone looked our way.

  We made it to the ledge at the top without anyone raising an alarm. Probably they thought we were long gone by now, after a day with no sign of us. I smiled and straightened up, hitting my wristband and summoning Kitty Fantastic to my side as I strode into the concealed tunnel.

  My confidence didn’t extend to Kitty, though. She shimmered into existence, took one look ahead, and turned to yowl at me.

  If I hadn’t crouched to see what was the matter, that would have been the last sound I heard. A thrown spear whizzed through the spot my heart had been, clattering against the rock behind me.

  The next few seconds happened too fast to follow. At the end, I was on my back, Zarkav standing over me facing off against a gang of Zrin. One of them lay on the floo
r, gurgling and clutching at his bleeding throat, but the others didn’t seem bothered by the death of one of their own. They blocked the tunnel, weapons leveled at us, and Kitty hissed her defiance at them as I scrambled back.

  No time for stupid heroics. Behind Zarkav I wouldn’t distract him from the fight that was coming. He braced himself for the inevitable, snarled something at our enemies, and beckoned for them to come at him. One of the Zrin facing him stepped forward, tasting the air with forked tongue.

  They hiss-growl-snapped at each other, speaking too fast for me to catch any of the few words I knew of the language. Even with my newfound connection to Zarkav, the best I could do was approximate it to this:

  ‘Give us the girl and no one has to get hurt.’

  ‘Fuck that, get out of our way or we’ll see who gets hurt.’

  ‘Hey, if that’s how you want it, no skin off my snout.’

  ‘Bring it, assclown.’

  Okay, sure. None of that’s strictly accurate, but the gist is there. They wanted me. Zarkav wouldn’t give me up. The rest was details.

  The Zrin lifted their weapons into ready position, a wall of death blocking our way forward. Turning to run wasn’t an option, either. We’d just get spears in the back, and even if we avoided that fate, they’d be right behind us. We had nowhere to run.

  I swallowed, pulled the field cutter from my belt, and tried to get ready to fight. My hands shook as I pressed the control stud.

  Bang. The noise startled everyone as much as it did me, and smoke leaked out of the cutter’s grip. I dropped it, cursing, my hand stinging, and before it hit the ground it burst into flames.

  Well, shit. Too late, I realized I should have checked it still worked. This was a tool, not a weapon, not designed for combat use. Certainly not meant to be thoroughly dunked in water. Okay, I guess I’m not helping out in the fight.

  I backed off and Kitty Fantastic took up a position next to me, claws and teeth bared, ready to mildly annoy any enemy who attacked me. Zarkav backed up a step, then another, almost on top of me as our enemies closed in.