Escaping the Hunt: SciFi Alien Romance (Galactic Courtship Book 4)

by Lily Thomas

  Kyux watched as the Cri tried to approach her with his hands outstretched, but she gave a quick jab with one of her fists that had the Cri backpedaling fairly quickly. The Cri sent her a smirk.

  Clearly, these men had picked her out as an easy target, but had underestimated their prey’s skills. The men started to team up and coordinate their moves. Kyux was sure they’d be able to tire her out before she could really do any harm to them.

  Kyux wanted nothing more than to turn his back on the human woman and go about his life of survival, but he didn’t appreciate three men picking on a lone woman. It wasn’t fair, or right.

  As he watched on, he had to admit she had some impressive techniques as she fended off the mens’ advancements. His black eyes skimmed over her body in the form fitting green outfit she was wearing. He felt his cock go hard at the shapely curves her outfit highlighted. Kyux enjoyed the way her top cupped her breasts to perfection.

  She was both beautiful and skilled. He never thought he’d find such a woman on this god forsaken planet. Women were rarely dropped here in the first place, which drew his curiosity even more. What had the Hennians seen in her? Was it because of this sample he was seeing of her fighting skills? Perhaps they thought she could make an interesting opponent.

  The men coordinated their attack, and although she had a great amount of skill Kyux was betting she’d never put it to any use against three opponents. She’d probably trained in a fairly controlled environment.

  “She doesn’t seem interested.” A Krocosian walked out from behind a tree and all eyes turned to him. His large grey horns came out from the top of his temple and swept around his skull, making him one intimidating alien.

  “What do you want?” The Cri asked, keeping an eye on her, but also checking out this new threat in the form of the Krocosian.

  “She’s ours.” One of the Daen’su spoke up from her other side.

  “I’m not theirs.” Skyler glared at all four of the men.

  She wasn’t quite sure what the Krocosian wanted, and she wasn’t about to assume he was on her side, but in case he was here to help her, she wanted to make sure it was clear she required assistance. He could be a good distraction to keep these men occupied while she made a wild dash away from them all.

  How her life had taken a turn for the worst

  “Leave Krocosian. This doesn’t involve you, and you are outnumbered.” The Cri took a step forward, trying to intimidate the Krocosian.

  The Krocosian just took a step forward in return, unfazed by the Cri’s threat.

  “You looking for a fight?” The Cri challenged.

  The Krocosian jumped forward in a blur of color and landed a solid blow to the Cri’s jaw sending him flying onto the ground. Then the Krocosian leapt for one of the Daen’su, and they landed in a heap on the ground as the Krocosian wholloped on the man’s face with his fists.

  Skyler took the opportunity to land a couple blows on the second Daen’su, who tried to grab her. She wasn’t about to let the Krocosian kick all the ass here. She was more than capable of helping the cause.

  The Daen’su took a jab at her, but she easily dodged it, bounced back up, and gave him a hard enough jab to the nose knocking him down as he cupped his bleeding nose. Skyler smiled triumphantly and gave a kick to his face with her bare foot, knocking him out cold.

  She looked over at where the Krocosian and the Daen’su were still brawling on the ground. The Cri got up from where he’d been knocked down and jumped into the fight against the Krocosian.

  Skyler wanted to leave and let them just fight each other, but she’d feel bad leaving if the Krocosian had indeed come to her aid, and she didn’t at least try to help him.

  She jumped onto the Cri’s back and wrapped an arm around the man’s throat. She wasn’t used to fighting dirty, but she could get imaginative, since she’d watched plenty of action movies. She applied as much pressure as she possibly could to the man’s throat.

  The Cri stopped hammering on the Krocosian and tried to pry her off his back. When he was unable, he backed up, and slammed her up against a tree.

  “Oomph.” Her teeth clattered together.

  The breath was knocked from her lungs, and she was unable to keep a hold of his neck. She slumped to the ground clutching her chest, as she tried to suck in air. The Cri turned around, put his hand around her neck, and started to squeeze.

  “If we can’t have a little fun with you, then you are of no use to us.” He growled into her face.

  Her hands came up to pry his fingers off her neck. She dug her fingernails into the skin of his hand, but he made no reaction, so she raised her hand and slashed her nails across his face.

  “Bitch!” His hand applied more pressure and little black dots danced around her vision as she started to choke.

  A cracking sound permeated the air, and the Cri slumped to the ground, his head landing in her lap. Skyler pushed him off of her and looked up to find the Krocosian standing above the Cri with a large rock in his hands.

  “Are you alright?” His voice sizzled over her skin.

  Skyler gave a nod. She wasn’t sure she would be able to talk with how sore her throat felt.

  “Come on.” The Krocosian grabbed onto her hand and pulled her along after him. “We need to get out of this area.”

  He was right of course. None of the men were dead, just knocked out, and she wouldn’t want to be nearby when they woke, because they were going to be in quite a foul mood.

  After about an hour of rotating between walking and running, the Krocosian finally stopped.

  “We should be far enough away now.”

  “Thanks for helping me out back there.” Her throat was still a bit sore, but it was feeling much better than before. A bit of bruising might appear, but there was nothing she could do about that. At least she’d made it out alive.

  The Krocosian’s black eyes stared at her with their cold depths and a shiver ran through her. He was definitely intimidating, with his height and the grey horns that curved along his blonde hair.

  Slowly, the black of his irises encompassed the whites of his eyes.

  Was he angry? Skyler tried to rack her brain for information about Krocosians and came up empty. She’d met and dated plenty of aliens, but she’d never come across a Krocosian before.

  “Umm, my name’s Skyler. What’s yours?” She held out a hand, assuming he would know about handshakes.

  “Kyux.” He offered, but his eyes were fixated on her so intensely that it made her squirm a bit. He didn’t take her offered hand so she let it fall to her side.

  “Nice to meet you. Again, thanks for helping me back there. I probably wouldn’t have made it out alive. No, I definitely wouldn’t have made it out alive.” She had to be honest about those odds.

  Kyux took a step closer, and she backed up a step. His gaze seemed to bore holes into her with their intensity.

  “I think I should… leave.” He was creeping her out with his silence and intent stare, so she didn’t really know what else to say to him.

  Slowly, she walked away from him. Before she could blink, he pushed her up against a tree, the bark digging into her back.

  “What are you doing?!” She placed her hands on his pecs and tried to give him a push, but it was like trying to move a two-ton boulder.

  His head dipped down to her neck, and he whispered in her ear. “You’ve stimulated me.”

  “Good for you?” Skyler gave another push on his chest. She didn’t know exactly how to take his strange statement.

  “I’m a Krocosian, and we have mates.” He growled in her ear, his voice washing over her, sending thrills through her skin.

  It took her a second, and then her mouth dropped open. “No!” Her knee came up and slammed into his groin.

  Kyux let out a groan, but didn’t move away from her. Thankfully, his black of his eyes receded back to his irises, so she could see the whites of his eyes again. Now she knew what that meant. His eyes going fully black mea
nt he was aroused. By her!

  “Are you back to normal now?” Skyler asked, as she watched him warily. He might try something, and she wanted to be ready. She knew a little about alien species with mates, it wasn’t news to her. She just hadn’t thought she’d personally run into one.

  Space was enormous and not every species had a mating urge, but of course she’d land on the planet with a Krocosian.

  Kyux leaned in so their noses were just touching. “Never… do that… again.”

  She knew she should be intimidated by his tone, but his smooth voice just made her quiver a bit inside. Skyler had only kneed him to get some sense back into his head. If he had claimed to be her mate before Robert, that would have been fine. She just wasn’t ready for a serious relationship so soon after breaking up with Robert. A little time needed to pass, and she had to know this Kyux guy first.

  Skyler cleared her sore throat. “I’m amazed it didn’t bring you down. Most men would be on the ground holding their nuts, after what I just did.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Nuts?”

  Her eyes shifted over to his grey horns. They were so close, and those did intimidate her a little bit, but they were also intriguing. She could see all the fine details, like the ridges. She had to resist reaching out and caressing his horns.

  “Didn’t translate? I meant balls. The things that dangle between your legs.” She pointed down to his crotch.

  Kyux grunted at her. “If I had fallen to my knees in pain, you would’ve made a dash for freedom.”

  “No, I wouldn’t have.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Ok, fine.” She threw her hands in the air. “I would have run, but you came on a little too strong for my taste.”

  “We are mates.”

  Skyler gulped. There was that word again. Mates. It sounded so official and permanent. “Have you ever met a human before?”

  “Many.”

  “Then you should know we don’t have mates. Besides, I just came out of a relationship, and I’m not really looking for another right now.”

  “Whether or not you were looking, you found one, and you can be sure it’ll be your last.”

  “Yeah… sure…” This had to be the second worse thing to happen in her life. First, she’d been dropped off on an unknown planet with crazy people, and now she had someone claiming she was their mate.

  “Come.” Kyux backed off, but Skyler eyed the area around them wondering if she could make a run for it. “Do you have somewhere better to go? I’m sure the Cri and his Daen’su friends will all take turns keeping you warm at night, if they find you alone again.”

  Skyler’s hands landed on her hips, as she searched for a response, but he was right of course. She still had no idea where she was and why she was here. “I’ll come with you, but you better not try to keep me warm at night. I’m a human, and I want you to respect the fact that I don’t do mates.”

  Kyux’s brows drew together, as his corners of his lips drew down into a frown, but he gave her a nod.

  “You agree?” Skyler tried her best not to sound too surprised.

  “For now, you won’t have to worry, but I will change your mind about having a mate.” He sounded overwhelmingly confident.

  “Ok, you have fun with that.” It was probably the best promise of her safety she could pull from his lips.

  “I didn’t think I’d find my mate on a Hennian hunting planet.” He tossed her a broad smile over his shoulder, as he guided her through the forest.

  She would keep her eyes on him, but for now he was probably her best hope for survival. She didn’t like the sound of a Hennian hunting planet, whatever that was.

  “I’ve heard someone else mention that. What exactly is a Hennian hunting planet?”

  “The Hennians are a hunter species, and we are their chosen prey. They bring aliens here so they can hunt and hone their combat skills.”

  “Ah.”

  “You must have attracted their attention somehow.” His black irises scanned over her.

  Maybe Robert was innocent in this after all. Damn. She was kind of hoping to nail his ass to the wall, since he’d left all those threatening messages on her answering machine.

  “I think I know why they may have chosen me as prey. I am a boxing champion. They probably thought I would give them a good fight.”

  “I don’t know what boxing is, but if you are a skilled fighter, that would be the reason.”

  Skyler glanced around the forest, as the conversation died. Strange animals darted out of their path and things that look like a mix of a bird and a squirrel went flying through the branches of the trees.

  After a few minutes of silence, she couldn’t take it anymore. “What do you think our chances of survival are on the Hennian hunting planet?” Skyler hoped for at least a seventy percent chance.

  “Slim to none, but I have managed to survive for about three months, so it’s not impossible to stay alive.” Kyux said matter of fact.

  “Three months?” Her jaw nearly hit the ground. “How often do the Hennians hunt their prey?” She wanted to know how many times she might have to fear her own death, if she was stuck here for three months.

  “It’s unpredictable. Sometimes they land their ships once a week, and then sometimes it might be three times a week. The Hennians won’t leave until they die or until each of them kills one of us.”

  One to three times a week for three months? The angst might kill her before the Hennians did.

  “Have you managed to kill any of them?” She needed the answer to be yes. If she was going to be stuck with him as her mate, then she wanted to know he could defend her from danger. Skyler supposed that was one good reason to have a mate. Kyux wouldn’t let her die without a valiant fight.

  “I’ve taken out a couple of them, but I don’t go out of my way to find them.”

  “Of course not.” Who would be crazy enough to search out the hunters?

  They stopped in front of a small water fall and the corresponding lake and stream it created.

  “Beautiful.” Skyler commented as she looked around the area.

  It really was quite gorgeous. She definitely had to move out of her apartment and find a spot like this to live near. She’d have to move off Jirian, but it would be well worth the move. Too bad this planet was a hunting planet or else she’d consider moving here. It was a shame such a beautiful planet had to be the site of such brutality.

  “It’s more than just beautiful to look at.” Kyux informed her.

  Skyler glanced over at him, as he stripped out of his shirt and pants. Her eyes popped wide, but she couldn’t peel her eyes off the delicious sight in front of her.

  Kyux was in shape and the best eye candy she’d seen in a long while. Kyux waded into the water, immersed his head under the water, and then popped back up. Water droplets shimmered off his blonde head of hair, and she sucked in a breath. He was dreamy, she’d give him that. Her eyes watched tiny droplets drip of the points of his horns.

  Now this was the kind of man that wouldn’t mind a strong woman by his side. If anything, he’d probably enjoy her boxing skill. Skyler wouldn’t intimidate him, but he might intimidate her a little and that idea sent some thrills through her. She liked a more dominant partner, not overbearing, just more assertive.

  He was the exact opposite of Robert. Maybe there was something to this mate thing. The universe, or whatever deity picked mates, had done a fantastic job with Kyux. He’d been painstakingly carved from stone.

  “Would you like to join me or just gawk at me?” Kyux sent her a cocky grin from where he stood waist deep in the small lake.

  “I’m enjoying the gawking.” Skyler said completely honest. Her arms folded across her chest, as she sent him a smile of her own.

  Kyux tossed her an even bigger grin. “You stay there. I’ll be right back.”

  “What? Where are you going?” Skyler took a step forward, but he disappeared behind the waterfall. Was he washing under it to
avoid her staring, or was there something behind there?

  She waited impatiently. Every once in a while, she would glance around. Skyler didn’t want to be out in the open by herself for too long.

  Then he popped back up as she grew more restless.

  “Where did you go?” She came up to the bank of the lake edge.

  He held up a couple spears for her to see.

  “What are those for?” Skyler backed off a little, as he came up on the bank. Would he spear her for refusing to be his mate?

  “Do you want food?”

  Skyler nodded. “No grocery stores around here I’m guessing.”

  “No. If you want to eat, you’ll have to learn how to hunt for your next meal.” He eyed her. “Have you ever hunted for a meal?”

  She reached out and grabbed one of the spears from him. It felt a bit awkward in her hands. “It might take a few times for me to get the hang of hunting with a spear. It’s not like I’ve gone hunting before, but I’m willing to give it a try.” She’d do what she had to if it meant she survived.

  “Good.” Kyux strode over to his clothing and quickly threw them back on.

  The moment the pleasant view of his naked body disappeared from sight she felt a sense of loss. She had been enjoying him strutting around naked, and the sight of his cock had definitely warmed the area between her thighs.

  “Let’s get ourselves some dinner then.” Kyux led the way back into the forest, either not noticing her disappointment or ignoring it.

  Chapter 4

  Kyux was glad to see his mate was eager to learn. He’d been worried she might turn her nose up at the mention of hunting down an animal. Most people lived with modern amenities and no need to do their own hunting. They had a middle man between them and their fuzzy dinner, but this planet was all about survival.

  The Hennians on the other hand were out of control. Hunting other aliens was beyond insane, it was delusional and grotesque. Once the Hennians had killed their prey, they’d document it, and then leave it to the animals on the planet’s surface.

  “So how should I hold this exactly?” Skyler’s voice rang out as she fumbled with the large spear shaft.