The Alien's Glimpse (Uoria Mates IV Book 5)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  “Why did he do the tying ceremony on the ship?” he asked, trying to redirect the conversation back to the ceremony between Loralia and Bannack that Elianna had contacted him to describe. “I know he had mentioned something about a tying ceremony when he first met her, but I thought that they would wait until they were back on Uoria to do something like that.”

  “I think that’s what she thought, too, but something changed his mind. I was in the infirmary and Samira came in and told me that I should take a break and have a bath.”

  Ciyrs laughed, then glanced nervously at the women who had finally fallen asleep across the furthest back section of the vehicle. He didn’t want to disrupt their rest, assuming that it had been a long time since any of them had really been able to sleep deeply, knowing that they were secure and safe.

  “That sounds pretty amazing right now,” he said.

  The sound of Elianna’s laugh in his mind was refreshing and brought a bigger smile to Ciyrs’s lips.

  “I have to admit that it didn’t take a lot of convincing. I felt bad leaving the wounded just so I could take a bath, but they were resting and I knew that there wasn’t much more than I could do for them in that moment.”

  “It’s alright,” Ciyrs told her. “You can’t always think of others. Sometimes you have to think about what you need, too. You can’t be a good healer if you don’t. Did you enjoy your bath?”

  “More than I think I have ever enjoyed a bath in my life,” she said, then paused. “Well, no.” She paused again and Ciyrs felt like he knew what she was thinking about in those moments of hesitation. “The first bath that I took after getting out of the Covra prison. That was the best bath of my life.”

  “I bet it was,” Ciyrs said, wishing that he could rid himself of the thoughts of that dark, horrific time that lingered in his mind.

  “Anyway,” Elianna said, obviously wanting to get away from the thoughts just as he did. “After I took the bath, Eden brought me some of the clothes that I had with me for the wedding and told me to put them on. I don’t know what I was expecting, but somehow I just couldn’t imagine that they were going to bring me to one of the lounges and Loralia and Bannack would surprise us all with their tying ceremony.”

  Ciyrs laughed again, but he felt a tug of pain in his chest. He knew that that ceremony was one of the most important events in Bannack’s life, and he hated to have missed it.

  “I really do wish that I had been able to be there to see it,” Ciyrs said. “I know that was really important to both of them.”

  “I know,” Elianna said. “And I’m sure that they were sad that all of us couldn’t be together, but it was something that they felt like they needed to do. It was amazing to see Azrael officiate for them. I know how hard it was for Loralia when she first found out who he was, but it’s obvious how much he loves her, and she seems to be really growing close to him.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Ciyrs said.

  Suddenly he heard a small gasp behind him. He turned and saw that one of the human women was writhing in her sleep, her face contorted slightly as if she were either afraid or in pain.

  “What is it?” Elianna asked, recognizing that his thoughts had turned away from the conversation that they were having.

  “One of the women,” Ciyrs said. “She’s restless.”

  “I hate to think of what they’re going through,” Elianna said. “After everything that they’ve already suffered, they shouldn’t be traveling like this, and they definitely shouldn’t be going somewhere like Penthos.”

  “I know,” Ciyrs said, “but I understand why they wanted to come with us. Would you want to stay in the facility where Ryan kept them? I know that some of them chose to remain there with Jonah, but if it was me, I would want to be as far away from all of that that I could possibly get. I would always be afraid that Ryan would come back and that I wouldn’t be able to get away.”

  “But you know that it is very possible that Ryan will show up on Penthos with the rest of the hybrid army. We could be bringing them right to the most dangerous place they could be.”

  “No,” Ciyrs said. “Even if he does come to Penthos, they won’t be alone. They’ll be with us, and we’ll protect them. I just don’t know what will happen to them from there.”

  “I don’t either,” Elianna said.

  He was about to respond when the healer heard the human woman let out a sharper, louder cry. He turned to look at her and saw that she was now sitting part of the way up, her eyes open and wide as she clutched at her belly. She took a gasping breath and looked up at him frantically.

  “What’s wrong?” Ciyrs asked the woman, speaking out loud now as he leaned across the seat where he sat to get closer to her.

  “It hurts,” the woman gasped.

  “What’s going on, Ciyrs?” Oro asked from the front of the vehicle where he was piloting. “Is everything alright?”

  The woman groaned loudly and another of them woke beside her.

  “Astrid,” the second woman said. “What is it?”

  “It hurts,” Astrid said again.

  “What hurts?”

  “My belly,” Astrid answered. “It really hurts.”

  “You can’t be in labor,” the other woman said. “You still have more than a month to go.”

  “What’s your name?” Ciyrs asked.

  The woman looked at him briefly before turning her attention back to Astrid.

  “Zadie,” she said.

  “What’s happening?” Ciyrs asked.

  Astrid curled around herself, crying out again and wrapping her arms around her belly tightly.

  “She seems to be having contractions,” Zadie said. “But she shouldn’t be.”

  “Why?” Ciyrs asked.

  “What’s wrong?” Elianna asked in his mind.

  “One of the women may be in labor, but another said that she shouldn’t be.”

  “Is something wrong with her?” Elianna asked.

  Ciyrs repeated the question to Zadie, who was now pressing her hand to Astrid’s forehead. By now the other woman were starting to rouse and Ciyrs felt like he was losing control of the situation.

  “It’s too early,” Zadie repeated. “She still has weeks to go before she should be delivering.”

  Ciyrs relayed the information to Elianna.

  “How do they know?” Elianna asked. “She is carrying a hybrid baby.”

  Ciyrs repeated this to Zadie, who looked at him sharply.

  “Do you honestly believe that Ryan left anything up to fate?” she asked angrily. “He knew every detail of everything that he did. We weren’t people to him, we were living machines. He followed the development of our babies from the moment that they were conceived and knew with almost perfect accuracy when they would be born. Astrid shouldn’t be ready to give birth now.”

  “I can’t stop it,” Astrid gasped.

  “You’ll have to deliver the baby,” Elianna said.

  “I’ve never delivered a human baby,” Ciyrs said. “I’ve only been present for one birth, and I didn’t manage it. I’m going to need your help.”

  Zadie looked at the other women.

  “You need to stay calm and give us as much room as you can,” she commanded. “If you can, get into the seats further up. Astrid needs space.”

  Ciyrs helped two of the women climb over the seat to sit in front of him and then climbed over into the back section where Astrid lay. She was soaked in sweat now and tears had pooled under her eyes. She gasped again, her back arching with the shock of the contraction, and Zadie reached to guide her back down.

  “You need to try to relax,” she said. “We can’t stop the contractions now. The baby is coming and you have to help it.”

  “I can’t,” Astrid said in a tremulous voice. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can,” Ciyrs told her. “You are ready for this.”

  Astrid’s eyes opened and she looked into his with an ins
istence that chilled his blood.

  “Please,” she said.

  It was the only word she said, but he knew that it carried with it far more meaning than the single syllable implied. Her fingers had weakly gathered her skirt up her thighs and over her knees, and when he looked down he saw blood spreading across the blanket beneath her. Suddenly her hands fell away from her legs and he saw her eyes roll back in her head.

  “What’s happening?” Elianna asked. “Ciyrs, what’s happening?”

  “She’s bleeding,” he said. “She’s not responsive.”

  “You have to get the baby out,” Elianna said. “Now.”

  The urgency in Elianna’s voice jolted Ciyrs into action. He pushed her dress the rest of the way up Astrid’s legs and pressed on her belly, allowing Elianna’s voice in his mind guide him through urging the baby out of the woman. Zadie cradled Astrid’s head in her lap, stroking the sides of her face as she spoke softly to her. Ciyrs worked as quickly as he could and finally a tiny baby emerged into his hands. He gathered him close to his chest and reached for one of the blankets, draping it over the frail, shivering frame. In his arms, the tiny child let out a weak cry just as Ciyrs looked up and saw the dark outline of a planet building on the horizon.

  To be continued…

  Book 1 – Captured by Sweet Alien

  Chapter 1

  The hairs on my neck stood. It happened every time my boss was near. He gave me the creeps and on more than one occasion I had to politely remind him to keep his filthy hands to himself. Ever since I turned down his advances he made up his mind on giving me the worst cases and projects. I lifted my tired eyes to see him standing in front of my desk with a smirk. I knew that look. It meant he had something planned—and I wasn’t going to like it.

  “Ms. Baines, I have a new assignment for you.”

  Leaning back in my chair I nodded giving him permission to sit in the chair and waited for him to spit it out.

  “You’re going on a trip.”

  “Where to?”

  “Uoria.”

  I gulped. Out of all the places he could have sent me and it was to the planet full of the most temperamental species humans had ever studied. “What for?”

  “We need to learn more about them, what’s in their blood.”

  I gasped. “You know that’s against the rules, Ryan.” Everyone knew that the King and Queen made the rules. They still allowed us to do testing, but never of their blood. And I knew what happened to those who tried getting the blood of a Denynso. They never came back that’s what.

  He shrugged. “You’re sneaky enough and no one pays much attention to you. We need to know what makes them so powerful.”

  His eyes lit up and I shuddered. I knew exactly why he wanted a sample of their blood. It was the same reason every other scientist wanted it, and it was exactly why they had all failed.

  “Oh, and preferably the blood from their strongest warrior is what you need to get. You’ve heard of him right?”

  Of course I had. Everyone in my line of work had heard of the monstrous Denynso called Pyra. He was one mean son of a bitch and no one wanted near him. Well, besides all the women that vied for a place in his bed. But there was nothing scientific about that.

  “You know I won’t do that.”

  He shrugged. “Then you’re job is as good as gone and so will your reputation. You’ll never work again. Not in this field!” He spun on his heel and looked over his shoulder. “Might as well practice saying, “Do you want fries with that?” because that’s the only work you’ll ever get. You know how much we need this information.”

  “Wait,” I said and sighed. I couldn’t lose my job. It was all I had, my livelihood. I’d have to find a way to convince the leaders to let me have a sample and test it. Maybe fudge the results or something. I would find a way. “I’ll do it!” I prayed I live long enough to explain why I was asking for the one thing they’d refused since we learned of their species.

  His smile widened as if he had won the biggest prize. He knew I wouldn’t be coming back and that was his plan all along. They’d kill me before I got close enough to the warrior, and if I managed to sneak by he’d break my neck with two fingers. I shuddered. This wasn’t going to be a fun vacation. I needed to form a plan and offer the Denynso something they couldn’t resist, but I didn’t have anything—not really. I only hoped I could get them on the off chance that they wouldn’t want me to lose my job. Maybe they’d feel sorry for me, throw me a bone or something. No matter how small it was, I’d take it.

  “Good, I knew you’d see it my way. You need to be ready at four a.m.”

  Then he left me stewing knowing he’d given me an impossible task. If I was going down, I was taking that piece of shit down with me. I smiled evilly. They were an angry species. It shouldn’t be too hard to piss them off and let them know it was all Ryan’s idea.

  After he left me alone, I did what I was best at. I hacked the system and copied the surveillance from my office. Right there I’d be able to prove what was going on to the Denynso, if I could play it. I already knew there wasn’t electricity, but I’d charge my laptop for that purpose alone. Proof my boss was a scumbag and it was his idea to send me there to specifically break their rules. Maybe I’d have a chance to survive my stay there, but coming back home wouldn’t be so great.

  Chapter 2

  I was ready to go and waited for my boss well before four. I hadn’t slept at all. All night I planned how I would handle the situation my boss had put me in. I knew they would be expecting another scientist. I’d have to meet with them before I step foot on their compound. From what I had learned it was a very secure planet. Warriors scoured the land to keep watch over the humans, and be on the lookout for an attack from their enemies.

  I shuddered and thought about what I’d heard about their enemies. There were several horror stories of the attacks on Uoria. The Klimnu were disgusting beasts. Luckily they hadn’t managed to make it to Earth yet or humans would be in big trouble.

  Ryan strolled up to me at four on the dot and smiled handing over my paperwork.

  “Here’s all the stuff you’ll need when you get there. I have you down as routine testing for plant and animal life. You’re there for up to six months. That should be plenty of time to get what I need.” He gave me a look and I didn’t miss the tone.

  I nodded, but inside I was fuming. He was trying to get me killed. I was his competition, and the one that turned his ass down. He didn’t take rejection well, and now I was paying for it. But I was smarter than him and would come up on top.

  “All right, well you know how to get in contact if you need anything, but I’m sure you won’t.”

  I kept my mouth shut because this was all a fucking set up. I couldn’t believe he’d stoop so low, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was up for the promotion he wanted. Luckily I’d learned to control my Irish temper. My mother always told me one day it would come in handy to have self-control, and now I was learning.

  Without a word I picked up my bags and boarded the ship. I was nervous as hell. This was the first time I was traveling to another planet, and I wasn’t too sure about it. I wasn’t the type of person who wanted to experience new things. I’d much rather stay in the lab by myself. I felt Ryan’s eyes burning into my back and straightened without turning back. He wouldn’t get a rise out of me. As soon as the metal door clanged closed I let out the breath I’d been holding and muttered, “stupid ass mother fucker.” He would get his.

  The very human pilot chuckled. Apparently I spoke a little louder than I thought. Oh well. Everyone knew how I felt about Ryan so it wouldn’t be a surprise that I’d be cursing him. They also knew I had a temper and I held a grudge like no other. I glared at the man and he shrugged before getting ready to take off.

  The ship shook and my stomach dropped. Leaning back in my seat I held my breath and closed my eyes. My hands gripped the arm rests and I clenched my tee
th as I was lifted into the air at an unknown speed. My stomach rose back up into my throat and I nearly lost what little I had eaten. As soon as the ship leveled some I was able to relax but the speed hadn’t slowed and I kept my eyes shut hoping the medication I had taken would kick in soon knocking my ass out.

  * * * *

  I woke up to the pilot shaking me. I swung my fist and smiled when I heard the satisfying crunch of the bone in his nose breaking. I didn’t like being touched especially without permission.

  “Shit!” he shrieked. “What the hell, I was only waking you up. I’ve been trying for nearly an hour. These warriors are starting to get antsy.”

  I shot up and grimaced. “Sorry,” I replied sheepishly. Now I felt bad. “Sorry about your nose.”

  “It fucking hurts. No wonder everyone is scared of you.” His eyes watered and he’d lifted his shirt to catch the blood.

  I smirked. “Yeah, well next time refrain from touching me. Use a blow horn if you have to, but keep your damn hands to yourself.”

  He nodded and winced. “You got it, but please get the hell of my ship.”

  I stood and stretched knowing I’d just slept for probably five days. My body wasn’t ready to stand and I wobbled but caught myself before I fell. “Give me five.”

  He didn’t respond so I took it as an okay and paced the small area while the rest of my body woke up. I needed to be alert when I met the King and Queen. My insides fluttered like butterflies. I wasn’t the biggest socialite and meeting people, human or not, wasn’t my thing. After the given five minutes I walked behind the pilot and laid a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and looked at me in fear.

  “Thank you for the ride, and again, I’m sorry about your nose.”