by S. E. Smith
“Where… where are we?” She asked in a husky voice, licking her dry lips. “How long have we been here?”
“You are in our compound,” Hunter replied as he turned and poured water into a glass on the side table. He held it out to her. “Drink,” he ordered roughly.
Jesse stared at the glass like it was filled with poison. Her eyes moved nervously to his. The only reason she finally accepted it was because the look in his eyes promised if she refused he might just pour it down her throat.
Her hand was shaking so badly she spilled a small amount on the bedcovers. She spilt a little more when she heard him emit a low dark curse in his own language. At least, she suspected it was a curse as his hands covered hers to keep the glass steady.
“I said…,” she began before her voice faded at the dangerous look in his eyes.
“I know,” he bit out. “I am not to touch you. That is not an option. You are weak. You will get weaker if you cannot get nourishment and liquids. Carp said you must be fed. Your body is sick. The medicine he gave you will work better if you eat.”
Jesse opened her mouth as he pressed the glass to her lips. She took several sips before leaning weakly back against the wall. She sighed with relief when he set the glass back down on the table.
“Why are you helping us?” She asked, confused.
Hunter stared at Jesse’s pale face. He had not really noticed the faint dots that covered her nose before. He liked the dots, he decided. He also liked her nose. It was small and stuck out further than the females from his world and did not have the ridges across the top. He wondered what it would be like to touch the smooth skin.
His gaze swept over the tangle of dark brown hair that fell around her shoulders. He liked it, too. His hands itched to tangle in the long strands. Those feelings confused him. It was not like him to want to touch a female’s hair.
Bree had dressed her in one of the long tunics the Trivator females liked to wear over their leggings. It hung on her slender frame. She needed more meat on her. He was afraid he would break her until she had more on her.
His eyes moved up to her lips. They were also fuller than the females of his world. He had never thought about lips as being attractive before but he liked how full hers were and how they curved upward at the corner, as if she smiled a lot. He wondered if they tasted differently from the Trivator females he had bedded.
He frowned as he thought of her words. “Why did you help me escape?” He asked instead. “You risked your life? Why?”
*.*.*
Jesse stared at the alien blocking her way to freedom. She fought to keep her eyes from moving to the door. She didn’t want him to know that she was thinking of the different methods of escape that she was planning. Granted, she was weak but she could already feel her strength and determination returning. She had to find her sisters. He said they were next door.
She lowered her head and raised a shaking hand to push her hair back while she looked at the table near the bed. There was a large metal pitcher on it. If she could grab it and hit him hard enough she could knock him out. There was also a metal lamp. She just needed to distract him long enough to grab one or the other.
She raised her head and looked out the window. It was dark outside. That would work in their favor as well. They would just need to find a way off the compound. She had seen a few of the ‘camps’ the aliens set up. Each had some type of force field around them. Every ten feet there was a device they stuck in the ground. It had the same effect as an electrified barb wire fence. If she could destroy one of the devices, it would take out one section of the barrier.
She looked back at the alien who she had helped. Shrugging her shoulders, she forced herself to relax back against the wall. She needed time to gather her courage.
“I heard a truck coming down the road,” she replied, looking into his eyes. “It isn’t safe to be found. I knew I had to find a place to hide. It just happened to be in the same place they were going. I planned on just waiting until they either left again or it was safe enough to escape back out into the streets but then I heard what they planned to do to you,” she paused and glanced at the water.
Hunter reached over, picked up the glass and handed it to her. She gave a faint smile of thanks and sipped the refreshing liquid. She frowned down into the clear water. It tasted like water but she felt – stronger after drinking a little.
“There are nutrients added to help you heal,” he said, seeing the frown of confusion on her face. “It gives you vitamins and minerals that will help your body heal faster and give you strength.”
“Like a vitamin drink on steroids,” she murmured before drinking a little more.
“You were telling me why you would risk your life for mine,” he encouraged, sitting back again.
Jesse nodded and wrapped both hands around the glass. “I couldn’t leave. I wanted to,” she admitted with a heavy sigh. “But I couldn’t. No one deserves to die much less the way they were planning on killing you. I planned to just release you enough that you could finish the task while I escaped but when I heard them coming back to the van… I couldn’t leave you trapped,” she finished awkwardly. “What did… what did you do to the people who, you know, what happened to them?”
Hunter shrugged his broad shoulders. “I killed them,” he said calmly. “Except for the woman. She killed herself before we could.”
Jesse paled and she clenched the glass tightly between her palms. “How did you find me?” She forced herself to ask.
She needed to know how he found her so she could make sure it didn’t happen again. The more information she had, the better prepared she would be when she and her sisters escaped.
“It was not as easy as I expected,” he admitted with a grin. “You were very careful, even though you were sick and wounded. If it had not been for the blood you left behind as you moved it would have taken much longer.”
She glanced down at the glass again in satisfaction. If she and her sisters could get far enough away they could avoid being caught again since she would not be leaving any blood behind this time. She was about to ask a few more questions when her breath caught in her throat. She froze as she noticed her wrists for the first time. She lifted her left wrist and frowned as she saw the marks circling it.
“What is this?” She asked, holding her wrist up.
“It is my mark,” he said uneasily. “It shows you are mine.”
Jesse’s eyes flew to his. “What do you mean by ‘you are mine’?
Hunter shifted in the chair before he rose and walked over to the window. They were on the ground floor. He stared out at the back of the compound that butted up against a line of warehouses and supply storage areas. He turned to look at where Jesse sat forward on the bed. Her face was turned upward as she looked at him with a combination of horror and distrust.
“I owed you a life debt. I also promised to protect you and your sisters with my life,” he said heavily. “The only way I could do that was to claim you as my Amate.”
“What… what does an Amate mean?” Jesse asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with being ill.
Hunter straightened up to his full height and looked down at Jesse with a fierce, possessive look. He could sense her unease and growing fear. There was nothing he could do about it. He would not lie to her. The sooner she accepted that she belonged to him, the better for them all. He would be leaving in less than two weeks to return to his world as his tour of duty on Earth was up and Jesse and her sisters would be returning with him.
“You are my mate now,” he stated holding up his wrists that had matching tattoos on them. “You belong to me and I will protect your sisters until they are given to another warrior.”
Shock held Jesse frozen. Her mind rebelled against what he was telling her. Her eyes swept over the huge alien standing over her. She had never felt so small or defenseless in her life. There was only one thing that she could think of as his words sank in. She had to acco
mplish one thing as soon as was humanly possible.
We have to escape, she thought as horror seized her in its ugly grip. Now!
Chapter 6
Jesse looked at Jordan and nodded as her sister glanced back at her with a silent question. Taylor was animatedly talking to Hunter who was listening with a bemused smile on his face. Jesse knew her little sister was the perfect distraction when she was on a roll.
They had met earlier when Jesse had asked if her sisters could help her bathe and dress since she was still weak. The alien – Hunter – had started to argue that he would help her but had quickly excused himself when Jesse’s eyes had filled with tears. A few minutes later, Jordan and Taylor had rushed into the room and wrapped her in their arms. Hunter had quickly excused himself saying he would have food prepared and brought to them.
“We were terrified,” Jordan had said, quickly glancing at the closed door. “When we saw you lying so still in his arms we thought he had killed you.”
“We didn’t know you were sick, Jesse,” Taylor said, brushing Jesse’s hair back from her forehead.
“What happened?” Jesse asked as she sat back on the bed.
“Hunter found you unconscious on the ground,” Taylor said. “Dagger had picked Jordan up and the other guy had me. They came out of nowhere! I thought for sure we were goners.”
“They brought us back here,” Jordan added. “The doctor and his wife were nice. They put this thing over us and it healed the wounds,” she said quietly touching her side where her ribs had hurt. “He said I had two broken ribs and pneumonia. He healed that and whatever he gave us to drink was like the mega-energy drinks we used to get.”
“Jesse, what do we do now?” Taylor asked, worriedly biting her lip. “They haven’t hurt us yet. Do you think they are going to?”
“I heard Hunter call you by a name,” Jordan said with a frown. “The minute he said that, everything changed. The man who had stopped them from bringing us onto the compound started yelling orders and the doctor appeared.”
“Am… ami…,” Taylor was saying.
“Amate,” Jesse whispered, looking at the marks on her wrists. “He said I was his Amate. That I belonged to him now and he would protect you two until he could give you away to other warriors.”
Jordan and Taylor looked at Jesse in horror. Their eyes glued to her wrists when she held them up. Determination glittered in Jesse’s eyes. She planned on being long gone before the aliens knew what happened.
“We need to escape,” she said. “Tonight!”
Jordan slowly nodded head. She bit her lip and looked out the window at the darkness. She glanced back at Jesse and Taylor.
“How?” She asked. “How do we get out of here without them knowing?”
“I know!” Taylor said with a grin.
Both Jesse and Jordan looked at their little sister in surprise. She had a huge grin on her face and a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She looked back and forth between her two big sisters with a raised eyebrow.
“Okay,” Jesse said. “How do you think we can escape without being seen?”
“You two were out of it when they brought us in but I wasn’t,” Taylor said with a knowing smile. “I did like you taught me, Jesse. I watched everything going on and looked for ways to escape.”
“Alright, all ready,” Jordan said impatiently. “How do you think we can get out of here?”
“With the trash!” Taylor said. “It will cover our scent and they don’t look through it.”
Jordan’s face wrinkled in distaste. “Great, out with the garbage. Just what I was hoping.”
“Hey, if it works,” Taylor started to argue before Jesse interrupted.
“You did good, squirt,” Jesse said reassuringly. “So, now we have to figure out how to get away from the big guy who thinks he owns us.”
Taylor’s grin widened. “I’ve got that covered as well. I had two of the best teachers in the world,” she said pulling a small gun shaped device from her pocket. “I lifted this from medical when the doc wasn’t looking. It will knock him on his ass.”
Jordan grinned at her little sister and hugged her. “I’m so proud of you, Taylor,” she whispered. “Dad would be too.”
Taylor’s smile wobbled for a moment before she nodded. “He said we needed to look out for each other,” she said huskily. “You and Jordan have protected me. It is time I started helping out more.”
“You have definitely done that, kiddo,” Jesse said. “Let’s do this. Gather as much as you can that you think will help us once we get out of here.”
*.*.*
Jesse glanced at the clock. It was almost two o’clock in the morning. Taylor was telling Hunter some ridiculous story about an old cat they had when they were kids. It was time to put their plan in motion.
“I need to visit the ladies room,” Jesse said, standing up.
Hunter turned to gaze at Jesse as she stood up. A dark frown creased his brow. He started to rise as well. Jordan looked wildly at Taylor who nodded.
“I need to go after you, Jesse,” Taylor said, reaching out to grab Hunter’s arm. “Hunter, did I tell you about the Bellamees that lived two houses down from us?”
*.*.*
Hunter shook his head but sat back down. His eyes followed Jesse as she walked around the table back toward the bathroom behind him. He turned his attention back to Taylor as she started telling him about an older couple that lived near them years before.
He glanced at the clock wondering how much longer it would be before he could send Jesse’s two younger sisters back to their room. He had hoped one of them would start showing signs of being tired but so far none of them appeared to be feeling like sleep. Hell, the young one acted like she could go on sharing stories for several more hours.
Frustration gnawed at him. He wanted to get the female alone. It had been a long time since he had relieved himself with a living female and Jesse’s scent was driving him crazy. He wanted her with a hunger that surprised him. He would have to be gentle when he took her so he would not break her but he felt confident that would not be an issue.
He started to turn back around when he heard Jesse returning but Taylor touched his arm and leaned forward, said something to him that he missed. He bit back a growl. He was going to have to ask the little female to repeat what she had said as he had been distracted… again.
“What?” Hunter asked impatiently.
“I said I hope you have a nice sleep,” Taylor repeated.
“A nice sleep?” Hunter repeated with a frown. “What do…” His voice faded as he felt a cold injection being pressed into his neck.
He half rose and began to turn when his legs gave out under him and his knees hit the hard floor. His eyes blurred as he stared in disbelief at Jesse. His eyes moved from the injector in her hand to her eyes. He opened his mouth to howl in rage before they rolled back in his head as the medication worked its way through his system.
Humans were not to be trusted, he thought. No matter what their age or gender.
That single thought swept through his mind as several sets of hands grabbed him and lowered him gently to the floor as he started to fall forward. He heard Taylor’s frantic whisper followed by Jordan’s. He fought against the sedative they had injected him with but it was useless. The last thing he heard was Jesse’s soft voice as she knelt next to him and covered him with a blanket.
“You aren’t so bad for being an alien. Be careful and try to stay safe,” she whispered, brushing his hair back from his face with tender hands. “Goodbye, Hunter.”
*.*.*
Jesse climbed out of the window last. She looked back one last time at the huge alien warrior sleeping on the hard floor. Regret burned in her chest. He was different than she expected. She shook her head and quietly closed the window behind her. Jordan waited at the corner for her. They would follow Taylor to where she had seen the garbage trucks leaving. They each had a pillowcase filled with items. It made it a little clumsier to run bu
t they had no choice since they had lost everything when they were captured.
Jesse fingered her dad’s hunting knife that she had found in the top drawer of the single dresser in the room. Tears had burned her eyes when she had touched it. She also found the universal key set he had given her.
“There,” Taylor whispered, pointing to an area where several large trucks were sitting. “We can hide in the back.”
“It looks like they are about to head out,” Jordan said. “Let’s go!”
Jesse looked back one last time at the building they had just exited. She bit her lip and shook her head in frustration at her indecision before she turned and followed her sisters. They waited at the corner of the building nearest where the trucks passed by. The minute the last truck drove by they ran in the shadow behind it. Taylor vaulted over the side, followed by Jordan. Jesse gripped the back, almost falling, before Taylor and Jordan reached out and grabbed her arms pulling her over the side.
“This stinks,” Jordan whispered as she laid down on top of several black bags.
“That’s the whole idea, isn’t it Taylor?” Jesse whispered back before she lifted a bag and set it on top of Jordan. “Now, we hide.”
Chapter 7
“You leave in three days,” Dagger observed as he leaned back against the side of the transport. “Time's running out.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Hunter bit out with a snarl of impatience.
“They have to be close,” Dagger said wiping his face and scowling up at the dark skies. “I swear I have never seen a planet with so much rain! The stuff falls every blasted day. How do the humans stand it?”
Hunter understood his friend’s frustration. The rain made tracking any scent difficult, if not virtually impossible. They had been hunting Jesse and her sisters for the past two weeks.
He looked at the map of the area. He glanced around the ruins. They were in what was the former downtown area of the city. They had discovered how the females escaped. If he wasn’t so pissed he would have been amused at their ingenuity. Unfortunately, by the time he had woken from the sedative Jesse had injected into him, they were long gone.
