She strutted to the entrance like she owned the joint, while I followed closely behind. I wore a short, dark blue V-neck dress while Susan wore a tiny black dress with three-inch heels.
Susan shot the bouncer a smile before she said in a seductive voice, “Hi, Josh.”
Josh, a young, muscled guy with shaggy black hair, smiled back as he let down the rope for us to pass though. “Hi, Susan.”
My eyes slid to his grinning face, and after we entered the club, I said, “I think you forgot to tell me something.”
Her only answer was a throaty laugh.
The club was crowded that night. “Let’s go to the bar.” Susan headed into the mob of people, leaving me to follow.
“Excuse me,” I said to almost everyone I bumped into, until I saw him. “Sorr—” I started to say before my eyes met his. Without words, he took me into his strong arms as our bodies swayed to the music. When I leaned into him, he smelled of manly spices. As our bodies glided in sync to the music, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his strong hands as they skimmed down my hips. His hand traced the small of my back before skimming up to my neck. His mouth brushed my ear when he whispered in a deep voice, “Let’s get out of here.”
I groaned when the dream ended abruptly. I wanted to finish what the mystery guy and I had started.
Cotton was still snuggled into my body when I sat up. “Sorry,” I said sleepily to the little fellow.
The last remnants of the dream only reminded me how long it had been since I had done something normal, but that dream had never happened. There was no tall, dark, and handsome man who took me home. Only a gangly teenaged boy who took my virginity in an awkward two-minute encounter.
I pushed up from the ground and stood on shaky legs. My tongue felt thick, and my lips hurt from the dryness. I looked down on Cotton, who now stood beside me. “I guess we keep looking unless you have a better idea.”
After a mere second, he headed in a different direction. “Hey, wait up!”
When I caught up to him, I let Cotton lead the way. He seemed to know where he was headed. Was it stupid to follow him? Probably, but I didn’t have any better ideas.
I followed him around vines and shrubs, not the normal kind found on earth. More ominous-looking, warning us not to venture farther. We did. There were knee-high patches of orange flowers, begging me to pick one. But I’d learned my lesson with the menacing vine.
Up ahead was a clearing, and that’s when I heard it. “Catuaaa!” Someone yelled.
I froze but Cotton kept walking, heading toward the voice that kept calling out the same word. “Catuaaa!”
The voice was female, and after a moment of hesitation, I continued following Cotton. We rounded the last tree that headed to the clearing. That’s when I spotted her. A human woman dressed in the same silver outfit as me. She was a little shorter than my five-foot-six, and she had auburn hair. If I had to guess, I’d say she was in her early thirties.
Her eyes landed on Cotton first and a smile spread across her tan face. “There you are, Catua.” When she spotted me walking behind him, her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh my God!” She rushed over. “Are you okay?” Her eyes roamed my body as she appraised my condition.
I was so stunned from the shock of seeing another human, I couldn’t speak. My chin quivered, and if I had any more tears, they would’ve spilled down my cheeks.
“Oh, honey. Come on.” She took my hand and led me with vigor somewhere away from the forest we’d just came from. “I’m Jane.”
“Amanda.” My voice came out as a croak.
“It’s nice to meet you, Amanda.” She looked down at Cotton and shook her head. “We’ve been worried sick about you, Catua.” She pronounced it Ca-tuu-a.
The relief I felt was immense. I wasn’t alone anymore, and I didn’t care where she was taking me.
“Here, you look like you could use something to drink.” She swung a container that she had strapped over her shoulder and handed it to me. I took the banana-shaped metal object and turned it one way and then the other. Jane smiled before taking the container back from me. “Like this,” she said as she touched the sensor on the side. The top slid back on its own.
She handed it back. “Thank you,” I said just before I tipped it up to my cracked lips. The tasteless wetness felt heavenly on my tongue. I took several swallows before offering it back to Jane. I didn’t want to drink it all. What if she didn’t have any more?
“No, you can have it all. Drink up, I know you’re thirsty.” She didn’t have to tell me twice. I lifted the container to my lips and drank every last drop.
I smacked my lips together before a wave of guilt washed over me. “What about Cotton? Oh, God, I didn’t save the little fellow any!”
“Who?” Jane’s face twisted in confusion as we walked side by side, heading toward the cliffs.
“Cotton. I mean, Catua. Sorry. I didn’t know what to call him, so I named him Cotton.”
Jane laughed as her eyes drifted to Catua. “He does look like a cotton-ball.” With a smile on her face, she reassured me. “He doesn’t require much and can go a full week without a drop.”
“Really?” I glanced down at Catua, who just walked along like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Yeah.” We kept getting closer to the cliffs. They were beautiful with the odd sun shining on the black rock, making them sparkle.
“How did you get here?” Jane asked as we continued to walk at a normal pace.
“Those red-headed gray aliens took my friend.”
“Tureis,” Jane chimed in.
“What?”
“The gray aliens are called Tureis.”
I nodded. I didn’t really care what they were called, but it was nice to put a species name with the enemy. “Two of the Tureis took my friend. I couldn’t let her go alone, so I snuck onto their ship with plans to help her escape.”
Jane stopped and grabbed my arm. “You went willingly onto their ship?” Her eyes were wide in either wonderment or horror. I didn’t know which.
“Yes.” I slowly pulled my arm back. I didn’t like the tone of her voice. “Susan is my best friend, and I would do anything to help her.” I shook my head in frustration. “Wouldn’t you do the same?”
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I really don’t know.” We started walking again. “So, what happened to Susan?”
“Before I could rescue her, she was sold at the auction.”
Jane froze mid-step for only a moment, then resumed walking again. Her lips tightened before she said, “I didn’t know they had another auction scheduled. It must have been last minute.” She heaved an angered breath. “Who bought your friend?”
My hands balled into fists as I thought about Susan, and the way that barbarian grabbed her arm. He was three times her size, and Susan didn’t stand a chance. I glanced at Jane from the corner of my eye. “One of those white-haired aliens with blue cat-eyes.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. The Azziarins would not buy a human.”
“Azziarins,” I harrumphed before letting anger leak into my voice. “I guess they don’t need to buy a human, they can take as many as they want from Earth.”
She briefly glanced my way. “That’s not what I meant. They are on Earth fighting the Tureis. Not stealing women.”
My lip snarled in disgust as I spat, “Well, they bought Susan.”
She stopped walking and faced me. “Look, Amanda, I don’t know what happened, and I’m not defending the Azziarins, but sometimes we buy females at the market to rescue them. I hope that’s what happened to your friend.”
I didn’t respond as we started walking. I hoped… prayed… that’s what happened. I didn’t want to think of any alternatives.
The closer we got to the cliff, the more I could see. A round opening was located at the base through which other aliens came and went. I froze. My eyes darted to Jane for a second before watching the entrance once again. “What is this
place?”
She smiled, but it looked a little sad. “Our new home.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Do you have anywhere else to go?” She crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
I smiled. “How about down to Freddy’s for a hamburger and some fries?”
Jane started laughing. “That would be awesome. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a hamburger?”
“Nope.”
She scoffed. “Well, let me just say that before the aliens attacked, I weighed 160 pounds.”
I looked her over from head to toe. She couldn’t weigh more than 120. 125 At the most. “Wow.”
“Yep. I haven’t seen one overweight person here.”
“That’s just sad.”
Jane giggled.
“Well, it is. I bet these people have never experienced the joy of a hamburger. But do you know what I miss the most?” Jane raised an eyebrow. “Pizzaaaaa! Oh, my God, I love pizza!”
Jane laughed. “Okay, stop. You’re making me hungry.” I smiled at my new friend as we headed closer to the cliffs.
4
____________________
Found
Kavvan
Standing in the dining hall, I gathered up some food I thought the female might like. She had to be hungry. From what I remembered about Jakke’s female, Sydney, humans didn’t normally eat spicy foods.
“Commander?” I looked over my shoulder and saw my engineer standing at attention.
I turned back to the selection of food. “What can I help you with, Gillian?”
Gillian spent most of his time in engineering. When I saw him, it was only in passing.
“I heard there is a human female on board.”
“That is correct.” I picked up some Yather and wondered if she would like it. It tasted sweet to me, a little too sweet.
“I would like the chance to meet her.”
I was just about to reach for something else, but he caught me off guard. I faced Gillian while still holding a tray of food. “Why?” I already knew the answer, but I waited for him to say the words out loud.
He raised his chin and answered, “To see if she is my true mate.” His body stance took on an almost defiant nature as he gauged my reaction.
I sighed as I turned back to the selection of food. With so many humans proving to be true mates, some males had given up their consorts in hopes of mating a human. A true mate was something that the Azziarin males desired, and they envied those who had found theirs.
The animosity between the Azziarin females and humans grew with every new human mate brought back to Azziar.
“Gillian, I will not parade the human around like a piece of meat.”
I turned slightly, and from the corner of my eye, I watched his jaw clench tightly before he turned abruptly and stomped away. I should have called him out on his blatant disrespect. But I let it go. This time.
I headed down the corridor carrying a tray of food for the human… Susan. When the door to her quarters slid open, I was unprepared for the female who stood with her back to me.
The blue dress showed off her slender back before flaring out around her hips. Silky red hair fell in waves past her mid-back. She turned when the door slid closed. Bright green eyes locked with mine, mesmerizing. She was indeed beautiful.
I cleared my throat. “I thought you might like something to eat.”
She gave me a warm smile as her eyes landed on the tray of food I held in my hand. “Thank you. I’m starving.”
I placed the tray on the table and then took a seat in the chair.
She slowly sat on the couch, her eyes watching me intently. I softly sniffed the air, not wanting to draw attention to the fact I was smelling her. She smelled good, much better than before, but she was not my mate. I had mixed feelings about finding a mate, not sure if I wanted one of not.
“I know you must be hungry,” I said just as I picked up a piece of food and shoved it into my mouth. There was plenty, and I didn’t want her to feel awkward, making her eat by herself while I watched.
“You can say that again. That shit they gave me on the other ship was awful, and then after I shared it with Amanda, there wasn’t much for either of us to eat.” She eyed the tray with curiosity before she picked up a Koba.
“What’s this?” she asked, but before I could answer, she took a bite. “Mm,” she closed her eyes and slowly chewed. I stared in fascination as a mask of pure pleasure dropped over her face. When she finished, her eyes opened once again, and a slow smile spread across her face. “That was great. It’s a little sweet and a little salty.” She popped another bite into her mouth.
I leaned back in the chair, crossed my arms, and studied the female. I never answered her question, but she didn’t seem to mind as she ate half of what I had brought. When she finished, I stared at her long, thin finger as she licked the juices from them. She glanced up and caught me staring. “What?” she said with an easy smile.
“You are a beautiful female,” I admitted. There was no reason to lie.
“Thank you. And thank you for rescuing me.” Sadness blanketed her eyes as she asked, “Do you think we’ll find Amanda?”
“Your friend?”
“Yes.”
She waited for me to answer, but I remained silent at first. She looked so hopeful beneath the sadness, but I wouldn’t lie. The chances of us finding her friend were slim, if not impossible. Amanda had most likely been found and sold to the highest bidder. I doubted she was even still on the planet.
“I can’t say, but the odds are not in our favor.”
Tears glistened in Susan’s eyes just before she leaned forward and reached for my hand. “Please find her.” She begged me with her watery eyes as a silent sob squeaked out. I could tell she held back a lot of her emotion, and it bothered me.
Unable to watch the female in such emotional distress, I jumped from my chair and went to her aid. It was odd to see water leak from her eyes, although I’d seen it before. I kneeled in front of her and once again, I took her hand in mine. “Please don’t cry.” It took me by surprise when she threw her tiny arms around my neck.
Susan pressed her body to mine as she held me tight. It was wrong for so many reasons, but my shaft twitched in response. I tightened my grip around her waist and waited until her crying slowed.
I could feel the instant things changed. Her crying stopped, but she hugged me tighter, pulling her body so close that no space remained between us. “Thank you,” she whispered before kissing the lower part of my neck. My shaft roared to life. It had been a long time since I’d felt the warmth of a female, but I couldn’t take advantage of Susan’s vulnerability.
I let go of her waist, leaned back, and shook my head no.
She let go and stumbled backward. She looked like I had punched her in the face. “You are in shock, and I will not take advantage of you.”
“You don’t like me?” her lower lip trembled.
I reached for her hand, and surprisingly, she let me take it. “You are a beautiful female, but this is not right. You were kidnapped, and then you lost your friend. You’re not thinking straight, and I don’t want you to do something you will regret later.”
“I wouldn’t regret it.”
Her imploring eyes begged me to change my mind, and I was tempted, but I still said, “I’m sorry.”
She slumped in defeat and then asked in a small voice, “Can you at least keep me company?”
I gave her a soft smile and nodded.
~~~~~
Her laughter danced across the room as we talked. I needed to be working, but instead, I’d been here for standard hours getting to know her better. With the stories she told, I also felt like I not only knew her, but I also knew her friend.
I poured a mug of Fire’s Breath, and when I glanced over my shoulder, she was watching intently. I knew other Earth females liked the strong drink, so I offered her one. “Want a drink?” I asked while holding up my mug.
“Yes, please.”
I poured her one as well and then handed her the mug before I took a seat in the chair, facing her on the couch.
She took a sip and closed her eyes. “Mmm, this is good.” When her eyes opened, she smiled. “Very smooth.”
“I’m glad you like it. Now, where were we? Oh, I remember, you were telling me that you broke into the school and changed your grades. You weren’t afraid that you’d get caught?”
“Not back then.” She smiled and took another sip. Her posture was much more relaxed. “Amanda’s mom didn’t care, and neither did mine. We did what we wanted with no thought about anything else.”
I shook my head. Such things on Azziar would not be tolerated. The young would be taken away and the parents punished if they didn’t take care of their younglings.
“Do you still do such things now that you’re older?”
Susan shrugged. “Not so much, no.”
“You’ve matured. What do you do on your planet now?”
“Nothing now that the aliens destroyed everything!” she huffed. “Sorry, I mean the Tureis.” I nodded, wanting her to continue. “I worked as a gas station attendant, but Amanda had saved her money and started taking college classes.”
“College?”
“Higher education so she could work in a specialized field.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Just as I took a sip of my drink, the comm unit chimed. “Commander, we have arrived at the Decca Sector.”
“Thanks, Padda. I’m on my way.” I took one last sip and set my mug down on the table in front of me just before I stood.
Susan jumped to her feet. “Is that the planet where Amanda is?”
I nodded. “It is.”
“I’m coming with you,” she said with a fierceness in her voice and fire in her eyes.
Shaking my head, I said, “I’m sorry, but no. You wait here, and if we find her, I’ll bring her to you.”
She pointed her delicate finger in my face. “Listen here, Kavvan, I like you, but that will not stop me from going with you one way or another.”
Kavvan (The Azziarin Series Book 7) Page 4
