Protector: A Scifi Alien Romance

by Anna Hackett

  Then the man stood, rising with a sword in hand. His tattoos were stark on his skin, and his red cloak flared out behind him.

  Another man landed with a powerful grace, skidding on the sand, and raising his sword. His scarred face and icy gaze focused on the incoming guards.

  “Raiden,” Lore said with relief. “Galen. About drakking time.”

  A second later, Thorin’s big body landed, followed by Harper and Nero. Kace and Saff hit the sand, both of them landing with graceful rolls.

  Above them, other gladiators filled the ledges, chasing off guests and fighting the guards. Lore stared at the fighters, recognizing gladiators from other houses. All allies of the House of Galen.

  “For honor and freedom!” Galen bellowed.

  All around Lore, his friends lifted their weapons and their voices. “For honor and freedom!”

  Lore looked at Madeline and raised his own weapon.

  And for love.

  ***

  Saff

  As usual, Saff threw herself headlong into the fight.

  Her muscles were practically vibrating, and with a determined smile, she swung her sword. With her other hand, she tossed her net device. It exploded outward, taking down two of the Srinar guards.

  All around her, her fellow gladiators fought with shouts and focused determination.

  A Srinar charged at her and she thrust her sword into him. She pulled back and spun to face another. She was filled with energy, the excitement of battle charging through her.

  What happened down here in the fight rings was an abomination. And she was more than glad to play a part in taking it down.

  She wrenched her blade out of another enemy just as a giant, blue, tattooed body rushed past her.

  Drak. She watched as the wild man hammered into the line of guards with a fierce brutality. She made a mental note not to get on that guy’s bad side.

  Suddenly, the ground vibrated beneath her feet. She turned and saw a gorgo lumbering out of one of the gates.

  She flashed a grim smile. Good. This fight hadn’t been challenging enough. The reptilian beasts were banned from the legitimate arena, since the taste of blood sent them into a feeding frenzy. Rory had once told her the creature resembled something from Earth called Godzilla.

  The beast moved forward, and Saff raced toward it. It glanced her way, roared, and charged.

  She dived, rolled, and came back up on her feet. She pivoted, watching the gorgo stomping its feet, turning around to come back at her again.

  It started toward her, gathering speed, and Saff bounced on her feet, ready to attack.

  A big male body rushed in front of her. She watched the man leap onto the creature and stab his sword into the gorgo’s back.

  He was stealing her kill!

  It was the human man. Blaine.

  She watched, peeved, as he stabbed the creature again. The gorgo spun around, enraged, and Blaine leaped off it, rolling on the sand and into a crouch.

  Saff drew in a breath. She didn’t care that the man was well-formed, with smooth skin the same shade as hers, and an interesting swirl of ink markings on his left shoulder. She didn’t care that she liked the hard muscles and the intriguing scars that were marks of his skill in battle.

  That creature was her prey.

  She ignored the gorgo turning around and snarling, and stomped over to Blaine.

  “That’s my kill, Earth man.”

  Blaine rose, his gaze moving over her. Saff found herself snagged by dark, dark eyes filled with shifting nightmares.

  “Only if you kill it first.” His voice was a deep rumble.

  He was challenging her? No one challenged Saff Essikani, the best net fighter in the Kor Magna Arena. She’d been proving herself her entire life. She didn’t need some man from the other side of the galaxy questioning her skills and her right to a kill.

  Spinning, she ran at the gorgo. She leaped into the air, landed on the beast’s arm and started pulling herself upward.

  She heard the Earth man’s ripe curses. Suddenly, he jumped onto the gorgo’s other arm, matching her pace.

  Saff sped up, racing him to the top.

  The confused gorgo tried to shake them off, and let out a stream of fire from its mouth, the heat searing. She kept climbing.

  All of a sudden, the creature gave a violent shake. Drak. Saff lost her grip and went flying. Blaine’s big body bumped into hers and they both landed in the sand.

  They were both back on their feet in seconds. Blaine had lost his weapons. She saw the beast was eyeing the nearby group of human women.

  Drakking hell. This wasn’t a game anymore. The gorgo had to go down.

  “It has a weak spot,” she shouted at Blaine.

  “Where?”

  “The eyes. You distract it and I’ll attack it.”

  She saw him gauging the creature’s eyes. With a nod, his muscles bunched as he readied to run in front of it.

  “Human?” Before he even turned, she tossed him her spare sword. He caught it easily. “You might need this.”

  He lifted the sword, testing its weight. “Thanks.”

  Then, he raced toward the gorgo. She watched him as he ran, his speed and agility impressive for such a big man.

  Saff forced her focus back on the creature. As Blaine yelled and danced around in front of the beast, she ran and leaped onto its back.

  Seconds later, she crawled up behind its neck.

  Down below, she saw Blaine darting in, slashing at the gorgo, and keeping it busy. It was completely ignoring her.

  She changed her grip on her sword, leaned forward and jammed the blade into the monster’s eye.

  The gorgo reared back. Grimly, she held on and stabbed it again. This time, it jerked hard enough to knock her off.

  Saff flew through the air, closing her eyes as she fell. This was going to hurt.

  But instead of slamming into the dirt, strong arms caught her.

  Her momentum knocked them both over and she landed on top of Blaine’s big body.

  Lifting her head, she stared down into dark eyes. She’d thought they were black, but up close, they were a very deep brown.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Thanks for killing it.”

  “My pleasure, Blaine Strong of Earth.” A part of her didn’t want to move, but Saff pushed off his body. Standing, she dusted the dirt off her leathers. Around her, she saw her team had taken down all the remaining guards.

  She held her hand down to Blaine. He slapped his hand into hers and got to his feet.

  “You have the advantage,” he said. “I don’t know your name.”

  “Saff. Saff Essikani, gladiator of the House of Galen.”

  Blaine stood there, still holding her hand. “I hope I can see you fight again, Saff Essikani.”

  She tugged on her hand, but he didn’t release it. “I live to fight, gladiator.”

  “I’m not a gladiator.”

  She smiled at him. “Not yet, but something tells me you will be.” She tilted her head. “And you’d better let go of my hand, or I’ll hurt you.”

  Something bright lit in his eyes, as though he was considering holding on to her longer.

  “Blaine!” Suddenly, Harper ran in and slammed into Blaine.

  The man wrapped his strong arms around his friend, emotion flooding his face. “Harper.”

  Saff stepped back.

  But when she lifted her gaze, his dark eyes were watching her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Madeline paced her office.

  She’d already reorganized her shelves and drawers, and gone through every bit of paperwork. She shoved her hands through her hair. She’d run out of things to arrange and do.

  She dropped into her chair. They’d come back to the House of Galen in the early hours of the morning, and, after making sure all of the wounded were being taken care of in Medical, she’d had a hot shower, then climbed into bed with Lore, and then dropped into a deep, dreamless sleep. She’d s
lept late, and when she’d woken, Lore had been missing.

  Filled with energy, she’d worked for the afternoon in her office, but she still had a solid rock of emotion lodged in her belly. She realized that she’d been so focused on Blaine’s rescue, that she’d been using that to block out the pain of missing Jack.

  She squeezed her eyes closed. She felt…guilty. She was so relieved that Blaine and the women were free. She was pleased that Galen and his fellow imperators had shut down the Srinar’s fight ring, at least for the time being. And she had finally admitted to herself that she was completely, and utterly, in love with Lore.

  Here she was feeling happiness, when her son was so far away.

  She heard someone at the door and looked up to see Galen watching her.

  “The celebratory dinner has started,” he said.

  She gave him a nod. The staff had been busy all day, planning the dinner to celebrate the successful mission and welcome Blaine, Dayna, Mia, and Winter. “I’ll make an appearance.”

  That one icy-blue eye watched her like a laser. “Are you okay? You should be happy. You helped free Blaine and the women. They’re safe now.”

  Madeline nodded. “I am. What about the other man? The blue alien?”

  Galen’s face hardened. “We brought him with us, but then he became violent when we got back here. He’s wild and unstable, and the healers are concerned that the drugs used on him may have caused some permanent damage.”

  “Has he said anything?”

  “Not a word. For now, we have him as comfortable as possible in a cell.”

  Locked up. She hoped there was something they could do for him. “Have you seen Lore?”

  Galen shook his head. “Not since this morning. He’ll turn up.”

  It wasn’t like Lore to just disappear. They’d survived that horrible experience in the fight pit together, and then this morning, he’d been gone. Madeline wasn’t sure what to think.

  Finally, she could make no more excuses. She made her way down toward the living area, where the dinner was being held. She stopped outside the door, listening to the happy chatter and laughter inside.

  Everyone was celebrating, but she felt a little hollow.

  For the first time in a long time, she felt very alone and she wanted Lore. That annoying prick of tears started, and she blinked them away.

  Strong arms wrapped around her from behind. “Madeline.”

  And just like that, the riotous emotions inside her settled. Just the sound of Lore’s voice steadied her. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed him.

  “Where have you been?” Her voice held the tiniest snap of anger.

  “I had something I needed to do.”

  She turned and leaned into him. She felt him studying her face. Finally, he grabbed her hand. But instead of leading her into the dinner, he pulled her away from the living area.

  “Where are we going?”

  He didn’t say anything until he pulled her into her office. He went straight to her couch, and pulled her into his lap.

  “What’s wrong, dushla?”

  She sighed. “Am I that easy to read?”

  “There is nothing I’d call easy about you.” He stroked her cheek. “Tell me.”

  She shrugged. “I suddenly realized that I was using the search for Blaine as a way to block my pain.”

  “And now that the search is over, the pain is back.” His chin rubbed against the top of her head. “I’m here, Madeline. And it’s okay for you to do whatever you need to, in order to get through the tough circumstances. It is okay to cry.”

  He was all solid strength, and always there for her.

  Suddenly, Madeline couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. The tears she really hadn’t let herself cry. The sorrow poured out of her, sobs wracking her body. For herself. Her friends. For Jack. For Yelena.

  Lore held her, brushing her hair back. “There you go. That’ll make you feel better.”

  Slowly, the storm passed, and she looked up at him. She sniffled. “Maybe I feel a bit better, but I must look horrible.”

  He smiled. “A blotchy face and red eyes have never looked so beautiful.”

  God. Her heart clenched. She knew him well enough to know he meant every word. She was in love with this man. She—hardass Madeline Cochran—had fallen in love with a charming alien gladiator.

  “Madeline? What’s wrong?” His gaze turned serious.

  “I was terrified of falling in love with you.”

  He watched her steadily, but his hands flexed on her.

  “But now that I am,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”

  “Thank the cosmos.” Pure joy raced over Lore’s face. He pulled her closer to him. “I love you too, dushla. So much.”

  He pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss was filled with so much love, tangled with desire.

  He nipped at her lips. “I can never replace what you lost, Madeline, but I will spend every day helping you remember, and giving you something new to hold on to.”

  ***

  “Where are we going?” Madeline demanded.

  Lore had her blindfolded, and was leading her by the hand. She’d told him she didn’t like surprises, but she was smiling.

  In the two weeks since they’d rescued Blaine and the other women, Madeline smiled a lot more. She was more relaxed, and was now an integral part of Galen’s team, who looked after the smooth running of the House of Galen.

  She’d started to make a life for herself at the House of Galen. With Lore.

  The same couldn’t be said for the others, yet.

  Dayna, Mia, and Winter were trying hard to adjust, but were still dealing with the fact that there was no way back to Earth. Blaine was having withdrawal problems from the drugs the Srinar had used on him—he was moody and sticking to himself. Harper and Madeline were trying to help him, but it would take patience.

  The tattooed beast was having the hardest time of all. The healers speculated he’d been placed in the fight rings as a young child. He’d been subjected to torture, fighting, and the drugs for years.

  He was wild, and let no one close without lashing out. Galen wasn’t letting anybody near him. Lore knew it broke Madeline’s heart that the beast had to be locked up.

  Lore knew time would help each of them, but sometimes, waiting and doing nothing was the hardest thing of all.

  He led her into a building, and into an elevator. He pressed a button, and they whizzed upward. He was almost sorry that he’d blindfolded her, because he knew she’d enjoy the view out of the glass elevator at the city below.

  “Tell me where?” she pleaded.

  “You’ll see.”

  The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. He led her out and took the blindfold off.

  She blinked, her eyes focusing on the smiling man in front of them.

  “Welcome to my domain,” Zhim said.

  She frowned at the information merchant, looking around the wide balcony of his penthouse apartment, and then to the dizzying view he had of Kor Magna, and the desert beyond.

  “What’s going on?” she demanded.

  “You’ll see.” Lore tangled his fingers with hers. Zhim waved them inside.

  His penthouse was all glass, clean lines, lovely arches, and sparse furniture. But then he led them deeper and into a windowless room that was covered in comp screens.

  This was Zhim’s real domain.

  He pushed a chair out and invited Madeline to sit. She did so gingerly.

  “The gladiator here paid me a visit not long back and gave me a lot of money for your surprise,” Zhim said.

  She shot Lore a glance before frowning back at Zhim. “Why?”

  “He became my investor a few weeks back. He sank a lot of money into my micro-wormhole technology.” Zhim smiled and it was wide and pleased. “I’m happy to say that his investment is paying off. My early tests have been very successful.”

  Lore watched Madeline blink, confusion on her face. T
hen Zhim reached over to touch a screen. “I successfully sent some short, audio-only messages through a wormhole. And today, I received a response.”

  “Mom? I hope you’re getting this?”

  A young man’s voice filtered through the speakers. Madeline stilled, her face turning white. She gasped, her fingers squeezing Lore’s. His heart clenched for her.

  “The message made it through telling us what happened and that you were okay. I was so happy to hear that you’re alive. I can’t believe you got abducted by aliens.”

  “Jack,” she murmured.

  Lore bit back a smile. The young man almost sounded excited.

  “I miss you so much. Dad was pretty upset when he heard your space station had been attacked. But I just knew you weren’t dead. Not sure how.” Now he sounded a bit sheepish. “Anyway, it is so solar that you’re getting to see the other side of the galaxy. I’ve been telling all my friends.”

  The young man paused to take a breath. Madeline pressed a fist to her mouth, unshed tears in her eyes.

  “They’re telling me I can’t talk much longer. Take care. I miss you and I love you. I can’t wait to hear your next message. Tell me everything about where you are. And next time, I’ll tell you all about this girl.” Jack’s voice changed, turning a little shy. “Her name is Skye and I met her at school. Mom…I love you. Make sure you have fun where you are. You forget to do that sometimes. Okay, love you. Bye!”

  Zhim shut off the message. Lore looked down at the tears streaming down Madeline’s face.

  “Thank you.” She leaped to her feet and threw her arms around Lore. She buried her face against his chest. “I love you.”

  He hugged her tight.

  Then she pulled back and moved to Zhim, pressing a kiss to the man’s cheek. “Thank you, Zhim.”

  The information merchant cleared his throat. “I may give you a few discounts on the next messages.”

  She reached out and patted his arm. “And whatever you want to know about Earth, I’ll tell you.”

  Zhim’s eyes widened and he nodded. “I’m working on seeing how much data we can pass through the wormhole, and maybe including images as well. For now, it’s just audio.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I am good, though, so we’ll see.”