She’d done the same to him, played with his hair. His was coarse and thick, almost like a horse's tail. She’d thought he’d cut his hair in that style, but it turned out his species didn’t have hair on the sides or back of their heads. It only grew on the top. He also didn’t have any other body hair besides his eyebrows. His skin was as smooth as a baby’s bottom all over.
“Bradliix gave me a file on how to care for you. I think there may be something in it regarding your dietary needs.”
“Oh, like a pet.” She pinched his nipple playfully.
He squirmed and chuckled. “Ouch! Nothing like that. I’m sure he wanted me to know how to take care of you all.”
For how long?
She kept the question she’d already asked to herself. She didn’t want to ruin the moment. She hadn’t felt this safe in such a long time. She wanted to revel in it for a little while longer before...
The hard discussions could be left for another day. Tonight she planned to let him hold her possessively while they cuddled in a real bed, in an actual room.
His room was oddly comforting. He had paintings hanging on the walls. Almost too many. She’d asked him about them, and he’d said the pictures were the only thing he could have to spruce up his space. Anything else wouldn’t stay in place, especially during any type of invasive maneuver.
But too many pictures and all, she liked it here.
Fanian tapped his comlink and a virtual document projected above them. The words didn’t make sense to her at first, but slowly her mind began to comprehend.
“Hey! I can read that!” She glanced up to look at him. “That can’t be English. How can I read that?”
A broad smile stretched across his face. God, that smile. She didn’t have this reaction to it because of that alien mojo thing he had. His smile was genuinely pantie dropping.
“It’s your new translator. It translates both auditory and visual.”
She turned back to continue reading the document. “Wait. Is the title actually, Humans: Getting To Know Your Prey?”
He flicked his finger, and as he did the document scrolled down.
“You really don’t have to read about me. Uh, hello? I’m right here. Willing and able to tell you all about humans.”
“But I need to know what vitamins you require.”
“I need vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. I also need iron supplements...um...and I think biotin for my hair and nails too.”
“Those mean absolutely nothing to me. See.” He pointed to the document. “This tells me what you need in foods and supplements I can relate to and understand. I’m sending this to Omni so she can have these added to your food selections.”
“Ugh, is the food going to taste even nastier?”
“I’ll make sure to mask any unwanted taste as much as I can,” Omni’s voice said throughout the room.
“Well, that’s creepy,” Miranda muttered, pulling the blanket up to cover her breasts.
“Omni, boundaries,” Fanian added.
“But I always listen in, Fanian. Should I change this?”
“So, I guess your lady friends don’t mind your AI eavesdropping?” Miranda asked.
“Fanian has never brought a lady friend on the Fortitude,” Omni said.
Fanian tensed. “Omni. Goodbye.”
Miranda turned around and crawled up his body to straddle him. “You never brought anyone on your ship?”
“I never had time for such things.”
“So how does dating and such work out in space? Do you always go to your girlfriend’s house, er, planet?”
He didn’t respond. He looked over her shoulder to scroll through the document.
“Fanian. You can tell me about space dating. I know you had girlfriends or might even have one now...” Why did she even add the last statement? It made her sound like a clingy one night stand.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend,” he said so low she almost didn’t hear him.
“Lie.”
He finally looked at her. “I don’t lie.”
“Why haven’t you had a girlfriend?”
He sighed. “I left Naahrex when I was seventeen years old. I had a few interests but nothing I would call serious. I was in school to become a computer data processor before I had to leave and focused all my time on that venture.”
She laid across his chest. “Tell me about it.”
“I was five when I took the placement test. My father was ecstatic to have me in the same field as him—”
“No, not that.” She shook her head. “Even though I would love to hear about this placement test at age five. I want to hear about Naahrex.”
The atmosphere shifted. The lighthearted air about him before turned thick and sad. “It was beautiful.”
“Was?”
He lowered his hand, and the document disappeared. “The Thruul scorched it. When they invaded, some of us were able to go into hiding. They’d given us an ultimatum, join them, or lose our home planet for good. We didn’t believe they’d do something as heinous as destroying a planet, but we were wrong.”
Wow. “I was prodding. I shouldn’t have. If this is too painful for you, then we don’t have to talk about it.”
“When I was sixteen, the Thruul came to my homeworld to form an alliance. They wanted us to use our zvodny to persuade their enemies into surrendering to all their demands. We refused, of course. We’re a race of science, medicine, and technology. We aren’t fighters. The Thruul spent half the year trying to convince us to change our minds, and when they couldn’t, they came and took who they wanted.”
Miranda listened in silence. He’d told her the story of what had happened before, but he’d done it devoid of emotion. Now his voice cracked with emotion.
“The first wave of my people tried to flee in ships. My father sent my mother and little sister in that group.”
“D-d they get away?” she asked anxiously, hoping they did.
“We watched as the Thruul incinerated their ship before our eyes.” His breath hitched. Pain she wished she could shield him from radiated from him. “They wanted us to know that the only way we would leave was with them.”
“That’s when you hid,” she said in a shaky voice.
He nodded. “Anywhere we could. We abandoned our homes, taking only what we could carry. My dad, brother, and I hid in an underground research facility with other families. We had planned to stay there, thinking of waiting the Thruul out. Then the fires started.”
“How did you finally escape?”
“We worked for months on a galaxy gate. All of us. Day and night. It was unstable and unreliable. Only one person could travel at a time. But it was the only way to escape.”
“I have no clue what that is, but it sounds dangerous.”
“It was either die at the hands of the Thruul, become their tool, or try the gate. I chose the gate.”
She was almost afraid to ask. “Your brother and father?”
“My brother went through before me. I’m not sure what galaxy or planet he ended up on. I’ll find him one day when it’s safe. My father...”
Fanian turned his head away.
“Fanian...” She didn’t know why, but she needed to know what happened to his family.
“He told me right before I left that he was staying. He wanted to help as many of us as he could escape. I hope he accomplished his goal.”
She hugged him tightly, pressing the side of her face against his chest. Her tears pooled around her cheek.
His hand glided across her hair. “Girlfriends lead to strong relationships and possibly children. I already lost a family, Mishka. I can’t lose another.”
“Why would you lose another?” She sniffled.
“The last I heard, the Thruul are still hunting us down. They haven’t come to this galaxy yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they do.”
“You think they might find you one day?”
“Yes.”
She clutched him tighter.
Chapter Twenty
“I’m glad you made it out of The Hunt alive.” There was a chuckle in Az’ud’s voice that was one part sadistic and other parts condescending.
Fanian hated the way Az’ud talked to him. It’d been easy to ignore it before. Az’ud’s tone grated on his nerves now. There was no denying it any longer. He didn’t like Az’ud, and he didn’t like Az’ud’s voice.
Fanian sat back in his Captain’s chair and hoped he gave the illusion of calmness even though something akin to overbearing protectiveness raged under his skin. “You knew I would have or you wouldn’t have hired me for the job.”
Az’ud steepled short fingers together. His eyes, all white except for a speck of the lightest gray where his irises were, gave Fanian an assessing look. “Very true, indeed.”
Fanian assumed one of Az’ud’s employees might’ve been unnerved from such a look. Az’ud was average for a Nulxel. His clothes and precious jewels around his neck and adorning his head indicated his high caste status on his planet. He was powerful, owning a majority share of his planet and use to people bowing down to him. Most of all, Az’ud was known for his cruelty and vindictiveness.
Az’ud was older in his years, and it showed. Not by wrinkling or sagging skin. With the excess credits Az’ud had at his disposal, he was able to correct any deficiencies surgically. Cosmetic corrections were easy, but there was no disguising the age and wisdom behind those eerie eyes.
There was also no hiding the malice within them. Even if Fanian hadn’t witnessed Az’ud’s brutality, he would’ve known Az’ud wasn’t a trustworthy person. He’d accepted this job with one condition. Az’ud had to pay for the job and expenses upfront.
Az’ud leaned closer to the camera. His holographic image wavered out of focus then re-focused quickly to accommodate the position change. “When should I expect my package to be delivered?”
“You assume my hunt was successful?”
Az’ud laughed heartedly. “Of course! As you’ve stated, that’s why I hired you for the job.”
Fanian grunted at that remark.
“Now tell me who you claimed.”
Fanian didn’t miss the sparkle in Az’ud’s eyes. “I caught someone. She’s cunning, smart, fierce—”
Az’ud made a rude noise as he silenced Fanian with a harsh noise and a dismissive wave of a hand. “What do I want to know anything like that for? Tell me, is she breeding material? I expressly asked for a human who can carry my offspring. I understand humans only have a short window for breeding; thirteen to fifty of their years, roughly. Does she fall within this age gap?”
“We need to discuss—”
Az’ud talked over Fanian. “Is she young? Do I have time to get her with many children? Or do I only have a few years left to use her?”
“Az’ud, there’s been a change of—”
“Show her to me. I want to see my mate,” Az’ud snapped, his impatience showing in his tone.
Fanian clenched his jaw, and he dug his fingers into the armrests of his chair. “No.”
Az’ud’s face went from excited to confused in a blink. “No? What do you mean, no?” Az’ud narrowed his eyes. “Ah, I see it clearly now. You mean to keep her for yourself, don’t you?” He laughed as if that was the funniest thought in the world. “If my hunter is behaving this way, I can assume my mate is a worthy catch. I can’t wait to get my hands on her.”
“You mean to break her. Destroy who she is,” Fanian growled.
“Of course. Then I’ll rebuild her, make her worthy of my attention and affection. Our children will be well sought after.”
“What if she already has children who went through The Hunt with her?”
“Hm...” Az’ud tilted his head in thought. “She will soon forget about her life back on Earth. Her new life consists only of me and my desires. You can keep them if you want.” Then he shook his head. “Strike that. They’re mine. I can use them to form alliances. Someone would like a human child to raise as their own.”
Fanian didn’t know why he argued with Az’ud about this. He had no plans on giving Miranda to him. He’d made up his mind in the processing center. Maybe sooner if he was honest with himself. He knew exactly what her life would be like under Az’ud’s care, and he’d made the decision—the right decision—to free her.
“No,” Fanian repeated firmly.
Az’ud chuckled, but the humor didn’t reach his voice. “That word again. As if you have a choice. I’ve paid for a service, and I expect you to see this through.”
“I’ll return the credits, less The Hunt entrance fee. There was never a guarantee my hunt would’ve been successful.” Fanian pressed his comlink and opened his credit account. Refunding Az’ud would almost bankrupt him, but there would be other jobs.
He’d have to work hard to earn this amount again. He would also have to avoid this sector and stay out of Az’ud’s political reach. Az’ud would put out the word that Fanian couldn’t be trusted, and contracts in his area wouldn’t be available to him any longer.
“To use a word that you’ve taken a liking to, no.”
“You don’t have a choice. I’m refunding you.” Fanian tried to reverse the transaction between his account to Az’ud and received an error message. He tried again. The funds wouldn’t transfer.
“As I’ve said, no. We have a contract you must honor.”
“A contract no authority would uphold because it involves illegal activity. You have no legal claim on her unless you want to litigate the contract between us. I doubt you would want that contract to see the light of day, and you wouldn’t dare let the Okuthyu get wind of it. They would kill us both for violating humans.”
Az’ud smirked. “Who said anything about involving the Okuthyu or the authorities? Ninety-eight percent of my dealings are illegal. Do you think you’re the first person who’s tried to cross me, withheld goods, services or information?” he sneered. “I didn’t get where I am by trusting everyone. I have my ways of claiming what’s owed to me. The question is, how hard are you going to make me work at retrieving what’s rightfully mine? If you turn her over now, I’ll make this unfortunate situation...less painful for you.”
By the gleam in Az’ud’s eyes, Fanian didn’t believe him one bit about the pain part. He was sure he was going to pay for crossing Az’ud, whether he handed over Miranda or not. “You mean to kill me?”
Az’ud shrugged. “You’re making me angry, Fanian. I don’t generally let people who make me angry walk around breathing. It irks me to no end.”
“Then consider yourself irked and without a mate.”
“How do you think this will end? Hm? You and my human will live happily ever after?” An evil gleam was seen in Az’ud’s eyes. “What will happen to the human when the Thruul come to this galaxy?”
At hearing that name, Fanian’s heart skipped a beat as it always did. “What is the Thruul?” he said as calmly as possible, and face devoid of emotion.
Az’ud leaned back, relaxing in his seat. “Who do you think the bio-technician works for?”
“Who?” Fanian played it dumb even though his chest tightened.
“The person who sold you the biomarkers now pumping through your blood, that mask your species. I know exactly what you are, Givvek.”
Fanian tried to swallow past the growing lump in his throat, but couldn’t. He tried to remain calm, so Az’ud wouldn’t know how much he’d unnerved him. “The Thruul don’t have a presence in this galaxy.”
“Right now, they don’t.” Az’ud smiled, showing all his teeth. “But they might be persuaded to send a small warship here to pick up all their cattle.”
Fanian narrowed his eyes. “You think too highly of yourself. If you give them that invitation and entice them here, I’m not the only one who’ll end up as their cattle.”
“It matters not—”
Fanian disconnected the holo-call and scrubbed a shaking hand down his face. Would Az’ud call the Thruul here? They would decimat
e everything in their path. Az’ud couldn’t be that stupid, could he? “Omni, how are we? Any locks on our position or flight status?”
“We’re registered as a personal ship owned by the Mihr government. No one has targeted us for scanning.”
Fanian let out a relieved breath. He’d changed the signature of the Fortitude as soon as they’d left Turolois airspace. Besides the current signature Fortitude now possessed, Fanian had ten others. The fake signatures were expensive but necessary in his line of work. He hated to burn one for this mission, but it might be required.
“Let me know if someone is scanning us.”
“Yes, Fanian.”
“You’re really not turning us over to him?” The voice came from behind him.
Fanian focused on the systems check. They needed to get out of this sector as fast as they could. Az’ud hadn’t scanned for them yet, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t tried to find him. “No.”
“Then why didn’t you lie to him? Tell him that you didn’t catch me?”
Fanian plotted a course. It would take them a few weeks to leave Az’ud’s reach, a long journey was in store for them, but first, they needed to make some stops for supplies and fuel. “He wouldn’t have believed it. I have a one hundred percent success rate.”
Miranda snorted. “So, I never had a chance of escaping from you?”
“I don’t have time for this!” he erupted.
“Th-this involves me and mine.”
“It was a private conversation. Do you normally hide about listening to other people’s private conversations?” he said, his words too angry.
He wasn’t angry with her, more with himself. He should’ve come up with a better plan. Played like he’d intended to turn Miranda and the children over to Az’ud. That way, he would’ve had more time to get them to a safe and secure location before Az’ud had been the wiser. But no, he’d lost his calm.
“I wasn’t hiding about. I came to see if you were hungry and heard the conversation. It’s not my fault you had a private conversation where I was able to hear it.”
He swiveled his chair to find her standing by the doorway and out of sight from the hologram. She wore one of his t-shirts and pants. Both were loose and big on her. Her hair was down and flowing past her shoulders. The sun damage on her face was healing nicely.
Hunted by the Alien Vampire Page 18
