I don’t want to think about him right now, but I silently beg that Aykeetan changed his mind and comes back for me. If what Kate says is true, I’m not going to make it out of here alone. If he can find me from across the galaxy, surely, he can find me in some random alien abduction center.
Kate nudges her arm on my knee. “Don’t cause any problems. The ones that do are the first to be confined and the first to go. I need to leave now; I've risked my ass trying to help you.”
She’s gone before I could thank her.
Chapter Eight
Aykeetan
Finding a beast worthy of my mate takes no time at all. The woods are rich with prey ripe for the taking. It’s like they have nothing to fear and are lining up for me to choose. I select one and track the beast silently for a while, assessing the correct time to move in for the kill. All experience hunters know that the key to a successful hunt is patience and silence.
Thinking of skills, I regret not showing patience with my mate, but maybe if I approached her as if she was the most delicate of prey, I would have better luck. Yes, that sounds like a good plan.
My prey is brown with white speckled dots, standing on four flimsy legs with two branches emerging from its head. It stands completely unaware of my presence as it stands there nibbling on grass. Occasionally, it lifts its head to glance around, checking for predators. I almost feel bad, but the circle of life requires the sacrifice of one to feed the other.
I stalk closer to the beast, readying myself for the strike. The beast stills and I jump atop its back, snapping its neck with deadly force, killing it quickly and humanely. A skilled hunter always maims and kills their prey with efficiency and kindness. To do so otherwise is considered cruel and is frowned upon by my people.
Dressing my kill takes longer than preferred. If I gathered my belongings before I met my mate, I wouldn’t be in this situation. Naked, hunting for food and dressing my kill with my claws. Sigh.
With my kill in tow, slung over my shoulder, I make my way down to the beach. I enter the cold, abrasive saltwater and rub my body down to wash away the dirt of my hunt. I pay special attention to my hands and claws, where the brunt of my uncleanliness is.
Satisfied, I exit the water and squat down on a large rock, waiting to dry off. The appeal of living so close to the ocean becomes apparent to me. Something about the fresh salty breeze is alluring. It’s very different from my territory back home, the oceans are several hours of travel away.
When I’m finally dried off, I give my vratike a good shake to remove any residual sand before wrapping it around my loins. I check to make sure all my knives and my comm are in place. Everything is as it should be.
I’m on my way back to my mate’s home when my ears pick up low rumble, which develops into a thunderous roar. The earth opens wide and the ground crumbles beneath my feet. This planet is trying to devour me whole.
I barely have seconds to react to my surroundings. With nothing to grab onto, I quickly become a victim, plummeting through a free-fall into a darkness so deep my eyes have no time to adjust. If I don’t survive this, I hope the gods have mercy and take care of my mate.
I feel the immediate bruising of my body as I crash to the bottom while my head cracks against something hard. Vrakk. Blood trickled into my scalp as my vision started to fade. My consciousness leaves me, and I black out.
AN AGONIZING HEADACHE greets me as I come to. My eyes are crusted shut and I must rub them with my fingers just to open them.
How long have I been down here?
As I move to sit up, a painful grunt escapes my mouth. My entire body feels like I’ve been battered by a beast from the Deep on my home world.
Vrakk.
My headache vanishes as heavy panic sets in. A vice grips my hearts with deadly intention. It’s the slow and painful pulse that tells me my mate is no longer in the area, but rather far away. If something happened to her, I’d never forgive myself for leaving her alone last night. Even if she rejects me as a mate, she will always be my responsibility.
My mission is clear. Ascend to the top of this pit and find my mate. No exceptions, no distractions. My claws are short and not meant to be used for climbing, but I refuse to allow that to get in my way. I reach for the earth in front of me, ignoring the screaming pain I’m in.
My claws tear into the earth, grabbing hold as best they can as I make my ascent. Every minima spent in this hole, is another minima I spend away from my mate. She could be in danger right now. Why else would she be so far away?
With that thought in mind, my muscles are blasted with strength fueling my speed as I continue to climb all the way to the top.
I’m panting in exhaustion. I crawl over the edge of the hole, dragging my legs up with me. Rolling over to lay on my back, I take stock of my injuries. There’s a huge, dark purple bruise against the side of my abdomen. The color is striking against my blue skin. Kea’Terrans are tough, but not indestructible. I’m lucky to have survived a fall of what must have been well over thirty feet.
I glance upwards and spot the sun low in the sky, beating pleasurable heat against my skin. The position of the sun tells me this is a new day. I must get going if I’m to find out what happened to my mate.
A sweet, but putrid scent hits my nose. It’s the smell that comes from something dead, before decay truly sets in. It’s my kill from last night. Insects are buzzing around it enjoying a free meal. That suits me. The meat is no longer safe for ingestion.
I dash towards my mate’s home, even more careful of the treacherous land in this territory. If she decides to stay here, I must properly inspect the perimeter to ensure her safety. She would not have survived that fall as I had. My hearts skip a few beats as I cringe at the thought. I’d carry her everywhere she wants to go, but I doubt she would agree to such a thing.
My mate’s home finally appears in the distance, and the first thing that calls my attention is that the front door is busted wide open. I wince in pain as I approach her front porch.
“Jane?” I yell out, knowing that she isn’t here, but the reaction is instinctive.
My head still pounds from the fall and prevents me from having the clearest of thoughts. I attempt to connect with my tavayk so I can locate the direction my mate is in. No luck. Fear for my mate consumes my mind and silently, I beg the gods for help.
Searching the entire home results in nothing. No clues, no notes, no mate. Smelling the air, I can tell that she hasn’t been here in some time. Frustration jitters through my limbs as my body is pumped with hormones.
Blinded by my own rage, I’ve flipped every vrakk’n piece of furniture, opened every cupboard, cabinet, box and drawer, making an entire mess of her home as I search for the second time.
“Where is my mate?” The sound of my roar is painful, even to my ears.
It’s faint, but I detect the metallic scent of blood. I spot the splatter by the front door. I must have missed it when I came in. My inability to pay proper attention annoys me as I lean down and take a deeper whiff. It’s not my mates.
Growling, I use my comm unit to make contact with the Silent Stalker. They probably aren't expecting me yet, but I still hope they are within range.
“Greetings Aykeetan. Are you and your mate ready for transport?” a familiar voice asks. If I didn’t hit my head so vrakk’n hard, I’d be able to tell who I was speaking to.
“No,” I growl out. “I need to speak with Rasheed now!”
A few moments of silence pass by, and I wonder if they're about to deny my request.
“What is it? Be quick,” Rasheed responds with annoyance in his tone. He doesn’t sound like he’s in a good mood, but I don’t care. “My mate’s in trouble. I need you here now!”
“We’re on a delivery. I can’t be there this second. You know this.”
“I don’t vrakk’n care,” I snarl. I know it’s not his fault, but I’m barely containing myself right now. “I hit my head and passed out last night. I came too not tha
t long ago. I can feel the painful pulse in my hearts, but I can’t feel her location and I found unrecognizable blood on her floor.”
He’s silent for several moments. “We’re on our way. Be ready.”
I’m grateful that he agreed to help. I knew he would with the right motivation.
I spend the time waiting for Rasheed and his crew sharpening my claws with my knives. It’s an old hunter habit my grand sire taught me. In an unknown situation you can’t always rely on your weapons. Claws can be deadly when they are groomed. I’ll have to file them down regularly around my mate or be extra vigilant not to harm her.
I’m shocked how quickly they arrive. I notice they did not arrive in their mother ship, but I guess Earth is too small to land it. Instead, they opted to land in one of their three mission ships. They are fully sized ships that can run a full crew, but when not in use, they are safely attached and secured to the sides of the mother ship.
“I’m risking a lot coming down here like this,” he says. “But my kind doesn’t take kindly to the mistreatment of females. We’ll find who’s responsible and make them pay.” The disgust in his voice is apparent and I know he’ll make good on his promise.
“I owe you a debt,” I begin to tell him, but he waves his hand in the air as if the favor he’s paying me is simple as breathing air.
“Tell me everything from the beginning.”
I explain in exact detail, starting from when they dropped me off until now, leaving no detail unmentioned. If we are to find my mate, we need every available source. I feel awkward showing Rasheed and his team around my mate’s home. It doesn’t feel proper without her consent, but it’s necessary. Apologies can be made later.
Dr. Dushaad brushes through the doorway. Setting his equipment down, he carefully retrieves a sample from the dried blood and sends one of the crew to deliver it to his medical bay.
He points in my direction. “Aykeetan, you look like the spawn of death. See me in medical bay as soon as possible.”
We all head to the bridge. Several crew members are hacking local medical facilities, so they can track who the blood belongs to. If I was more familiar with this tech, I would have been the first one at work, but I’m not. It’s been several hours since I woke up in that pit, and I still can’t feel where my mate is. All I know is not close by and her distance hasn’t changed.
Rasheed activates the cloaking technology now that we're staying aboard. It’s imperative we stay cautious, not alerting Earth’s officials we are here. It’s clear they are unaware of other life forms in the universe and it’s not our responsibility to inform them. Doing so, could cause panic and catastrophe.
I head to the medical bay and I’m greeted by an assistance who starts scanning my body for injuries.
Dr. Dushaad rounds the corner and takes over. “Third degree bruising, several cracked ribs, one broken rib, minor internal bleeding, head trauma with concussion leading to unclear thoughts, lack of focus, irritability, and last but not least, inability to use common sense and call for medical assistance.”
I frown at him, and just as I was about to start an argument I probably shouldn’t, he continues.
“Calling for backup for your mate was the right choice, however, you should have also called as soon as you were able to for yourself. Your wounds would have festered without treatment, and it’s not like you can run to the locals for assistance.”
What he says is true, however, I don’t bother to correct him by explaining that as soon as I woke with my injuries, I realized something was wrong with my mate. I’m not about to get into a deep discussion with someone who's giving me medical treatment.
Dr. Dushaad treats my conditions with a few injections and a mild laser surgery for my internal bleeding. I’m advised to take it easy and rest, but this is unlikely. I asked and the gods provided. I will not sit by idly while my mate is in danger.
Heading to my cabin, I take a hot shower and change into a new vratike. I should be resting, but my body is too pent up to rest. Instead, I kneel and pray to the gods for the safe return of my mate and a successful rescue mission. I can only hope she stays safe and unharmed until I can retrieve her.
With nothing else to do, my thoughts spiral out of control, and I begin to feel vrakk’n awful. I can’t help but feel responsible. I’ve made some mistakes, and in my eagerness to make things right, I left her alone and vulnerable. I know I can’t be held responsible for everything that happens. It’s outside my control, but to be so close by when something terrible happens, gnaws at my insides.
I steel my resolve to make this right. Soon, I’ll be able to rescue her, and hopefully that will show her that I can be a dependable mate. I’ll earn her forgiveness, trust and hopefully, her love and the right to claim her as my mate. We will complete our Kea’Vah and start our own family.
MY COMM BEEPS.
I leave my cabin and head straight for the bridge and see how everyone is busy with quick work. Not a single crew member is sitting idly by.
“What's the news?” I ask.
Rasheed looks up from his data pad. “We have located your female in a privately-owned facility. It’s been listed as abandoned for the last ten Earth years; however, initial scans show that is far from the truth. We have detected several hundred human life forms on the inside. Vashawn, how are you coming?”
“Sir, I’m still trying to hack into the facilities network. It’s nothing like the previous networks I’ve hacked on this planet. Their system is complicated, and will take some time,” the technician grunts out.
I assess the information I’ve been provided. I knew something bad had happened. Vrakk’n earth criminals, treating their own kind with such disrespect. It’s dishonorable. My tension has reduced a little knowing her location, but this mission could get complicated.
“What’s our plan?”
“Well, typically I’d recommend sending a recon team first to assess security but being as this is likely an abduction type of situation with females involved, I want to get in there quickly. We will be setting down close to the site, but far enough away, so we will still have to travel a bit. We can’t take the risk of being noticed.”
I understand that. The cloaking tech Rasheed owns and operates is highly expensive. We can’t risk getting too close and alerting the humans of our presence. It would be dangerous to allow them to get their hands on the tech, even more so considering these humans have ill-intentions.
Rasheed had explained earlier that because humans are not space flight capable, and still waging wars on each other like primitives, if they had access to this level of tech, the consequence would be galactical.
A map lights the front screen. It shows our current location and that of the facility. We’re going fly the ship in low orbit and land at the new location as it appears.
“Our new landing site will be here. We have to wait until nightfall, so we have more cover. Our plan is to go in quietly. I’m sending in the entire team. We don’t know what we’ll face when we get there. No explosives and guns must be set to stun. Kill only if you must, however, I’d appreciate no wounds. I don’t want any trace of our existence, so cover your tracks,” Rasheed orders.
Time passes by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, we have touched down at the landing point. The painful pulse in my hearts has dimmed in their intensity.
She’s here. I know it.
The sun is setting and darkness approaches. Rasheed, his crew and I are briefed again for our mission and we’re ready to begin. We exit the shuttle. The ship disappears into thin air behind us, like it didn’t exist at all.
“Hold on Jane, I’m coming.”
Chapter Nine
Jane
I’m back in my room, cell, or whatever they want to call it. The guard Steve was nice enough to unstrap me out of the wheelchair if I stayed obedient. Obviously, I agreed.
Exhaustion creeps up, but my room is colder than the arctic and the blanket they gave me is barely but a scrap of fabric. Abd
ucted for aliens and these people can’t even afford a decent blanket? I can’t sleep in these conditions.
My cell door creaks open and Steve is back. “Come with me now.” I sigh loudly. Well, so much for getting some well-deserved rest. What now? Can’t these people give me a damn break?
It’s clearly nighttime, the sky outside my window is pitch black. Despite being drugged and knocked out God knows how many times, I’m still tired. My patience has worn thin and I’m just emotionally drained. Maybe I’ll wake up somewhere and realize this was just some horrific nightmare.
Steve grabs an arm and yanks me towards him, but he lets go as soon as I start to follow. We walk down several long corridors until we reach an elevator and step inside after him. I look to the right and see a map. It’s huge. Eight floors with several corridors spread across each one, it’s a damn maze.
The elevator chimes and we arrive on a one of the upper levels. It’s brighter and cleaner in here. There are several staff members with guards pacing around doing their jobs as I’m being forced past them.
Where are they taking me in such a rush? “Eyes ahead, unless you want back in the chair?” Steve orders.
He’s giving me whiplash, one moment he's friendly, the next he's not. What’s that about? I don’t respond verbally to him, but I look forward begrudgingly.
It appears we are here wherever here is. There’s a large, white double door with a name on it. ‘The office of Dr. Shaw’. That bastard! I grit my teeth so violently I’m certain everyone within range heard it.
Steve pushes the door open and shoves me inside and closes it behind me. I’m in some sort of laboratory with a desk in one of corners stacked with a bunch of paperwork neatly in a pile. The word neat freak comes to mind. I’m half temped to take a peek, but I’m not sure I’ll enjoy the consequences. Instead, I just stand here like cattle waiting to be slaughtered.
Several long minutes go by before Dr. Shaw comes through an adjacent room. “Ah, Jane, you’re here just in time,” he says to me while looking down at his clipboard.
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