by E. M Reders
“Not really. Every so often I get a flash of silver, then nothing.”
“Silver?” Nora sat up in interest. “Could be a Techno, they have silver markings.”
The doubt that flashed across her friend’s face was quickly followed by something else. “What is it? What’s that face for?”
“Nothing,” Katie said.
It was clear to all that she was lying, and Hannah was having none of it. “It’s definitely something. Come on, Katie, spill.”
Sighing heavily, Katie admitted, “He had a piercing.”
“Well, that helps narrow it down. I’ll ask Corr if any of the Technos have a piercing,” Nora stated simply but Hannah had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as simple as that judging by Katie’s reaction. Her face was bright red.
“Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not exactly in the sort of place that Corr would likely know of it.”
An alien lover with a penis piercing? OK, Hannah needed to see this. Or at least, find out who it was and get her friend happily loved up like Nora and Alice were, and hopefully she would be soon – if the whole dream thing turned out to be true and she actually got to spend some time alone with the twins. She hadn’t gotten to see much of them since they had escorted them back to deck seven the other day, at least not outside of her dreams, but she hoped that was going to change soon; she was going to make sure of it.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing Katie by the hand and pulling her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
As if she even needed to ask. “Hunk watching.”
“What?” Nora giggled.
“Well it’s obvious that Katie wants an alien hunk of her own, and I for one wouldn’t mind finding out which of these hotties have gotten their junk pierced. Also, for the first time in days, we are actually free from overprotective, domineering males. I say let's enjoy it.”
She liked Nora and Alice’s mates, but boy were they overprotective. They were also off doing whatever Chaetdorian tribe leaders did during the day, leaving the women to entertain themselves, which didn’t seem to happen very often. Normally the males had her friends locked up with them in their cabins doing the naughty’s.
Joel also seemed to be occupied elsewhere. He might not be a Chaetdorian, but the human male was driving her nuts with his constant presence. Sometimes she swore he was following her. Every time the twins set foot on deck seven, every time she got a glimpse of them, he would appear, never leaving her side until the twins had disappeared once more. She seriously needed to have a talk with him.
“One problem,” Jessie pointed out, “we can’t leave the deck.”
Oh hell, she was right. The door had one of those panels on it that only the Chaetdorians knew how to use. So much for hunk watching.
“Don’t worry,” Katie said with a smile, jumping to her feet. “I know someone.” She quickly ran off down the deck, disappearing through a door for a few moments before returning with some… supermodel?
Well, that’s how Hannah saw her. Seriously, the woman was gorgeous. All flawless skin and mesmerising eyes.
“Everyone, I would to introduce you to Temple. Temple this is Nora, Alice, Hannah and Jessie. Temple is the one that showed me how to work those damn showers.” It hadn’t been until Katie had shown them what to do that they had been able to use the ones in their own rooms.
“Hi,” Temple said, looking highly uncomfortable. Turning away from the group and focusing on Katie, she shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can, no one will ever know. Please, just open the door. I swear I will never ask you to do it again.”
Wait, this woman knew the language? How? The thing was confusing as hell, all weird shapes and dodgy lines. A time or two she and Jessie had attempted to figure some of it out, both having a thing for languages, but it was no good. How had Temple managed to solve the solvable?
After a little more begging, on all their accounts, Temple gave in. “OK I’ll do it, but you must all promise not to mention this to anyone. No one must know.”
“Deal,” they all agreed, but Hannah wondered why the secrecy. They were not prisoners, so what did it matter if someone had learnt the language or not?
“So where to?” Hannah asked as soon as Temple had opened the door and it had closed behind them. They had asked the woman if she wanted to join them but she had point blank refused.
“This was your idea,” Jessie said. “Shouldn’t you have at least some idea of where we are going before you drag us all along with you?”
True, but she had no idea where to go looking for hotties in this place. The space ship was still a bog of mystery to her. The only places she had been were the holding bay, deck seven, and the corridors between.
“There is a large viewing window outside our cabins,” Nora put in. “There are always males working outside the ship, loading supplies and stuff. We can start there.”
“Then lead the way.” This was going to be so much fun.
What were they doing? The females were not meant to leave the deck, at least not without an escort. With the assessments still ongoing it was not safe for them. And how had they gotten off deck seven? The place was locked down tight for the humans own safety. Once they had departed and they were positive Mandy’s killer was not on board, they would be given more freedom, but until them they were not meant to be wandering around the ship.
Jepa had taken the time between jobs to visit Hex in the engine bay, hoping to get a look at the footage from the attack on the holding bay that all the males were still talking about days later. But it seemed the male was not there. Though while he had not found the young Techno in his usual spot, what he had found was all the screens at Hex’s console lit up with footage of the females. Live footage that seemed to follow them wherever they went. Had Teks ordered his brother to watch them?
“Hecto, where are you?”
“On my way to see Hannah.”
“No need, she’s not there.”
“WHAT? Where is she, brother?”
“Mate missing. Must find her. Claim her. Kill all who get in our way.”
“Calm, brother. She is well, she is just not on deck seven. She and her friends are currently on the cabin deck with Corr and Torq’s mates.” Though why and how he had no idea.
“Do they know? I cannot imagine either male being happy about this.”
Neither could he, which lead him to the conclusion that they did not know the current whereabouts of their mates.
“More than likely not. We should inform them so they can collect them and return the others back to deck seven.” Where they would be safe.
A short while later, Jepa spotted Torq and Hex coming back through the tunnel system. When he informed Torq of his mate’s current location the male was not pleased.
“We need to find out how the hell they managed to get off deck seven. They didn’t do it alone; someone must have helped them.” There was no way the females could have figured out the combination or the language in such a short space of time.
“And we will, brother, but first we have more pressing matters to attend to.”
Yes, they did, like claiming their mate.
Chapter 14
Smashing his fist into the once magnificent rock formation, Xandr received not one drop in the level of rage or pain currently burning through his body. For the past hour, he had been reducing one rock formation after another to nothing but rubble.
Not that it was doing any good, he still could not get the image of the female out of his mind.
Mandy hadn't been his mate, they had both known and accepted that, but he had enjoyed their relationship immensely. She had kept the loneliness that had plagued him for decades at bay.
Now, on the eve of their departure and future together - until he found his mate, of course - she was gone, snatched away by one of his own.
But who? One of his fellow Chaetdorians had the madness and was doing a damn good job of concealing it.
"You know, the less evidence of our existence we leave behind the better. Your blood and the imprints of your fists in the rocks are not going to do us any favours."
He hadn't even realised his hands were bleeding.
Fists clenched tightly at his sides, he turned around to find Teks. He wanted nothing more than for his fists to connect with flesh and bone but his commander was definitely not the best option for that.
"I think a dead human body is more of a problem than me rearranging a few boulders." He did his best to keep his emotions out of his voice and off his face but it seemed that unlike when they had found the body, he did not succeed.
"You had something with her, didn't you? I know she was not your mate, you wouldn't have kept something like that quiet, never mind let her away from you, but there was something more that friendship between you."
It had started off as friendship. He had always felt protective of her when she was a child, would always make sure she got home safe, was always well, but as she got older, when she matured and became a woman, he couldn't fight his attraction to her. Nor her to him it seemed.
They had been sleeping together for just over a year. Because of her close ties with the Chaetdorians and the fact that they had all watched her grow up as a child, Mandy had wanted to keep their relationship a secret. She didn't want anyone to judge.
Not that they would, the Chaetdorians were a long-lived race, they were used to the humans around then being mere children one minute and full grown the next.
"It doesn't matter, she's gone now, nothing I can do or say will bring her back."
And that was what hurt the most. He had always been there for her, always been her protector, her shield - much to her annoyance - and the one time she had truly needed him and he wasn't there. The worst thing was he had been in the same building, had been a member of the team sent to fetch and safeguard the volunteers, and he had failed.
“No, it won’t, but maybe focusing that anger elsewhere might be more productive.”
And with that Teks left him alone, left him to wallow in his pain and guilt. He understood what his commander was getting at. He needed to use his heightened emotions to drive him forward, to do what must be done. He wanted, needed, Mandy’s killer to be brought to justice... his justice.
But first, there were a few more rock formations with his name on them.
Chapter 15
“What about him?” Hannah asked, pointing out the window to another male. Whoever had pissed him off was seriously going to regret it if the mess he was making to one of the rock formations with his fists was anything to go by. He looked seriously angry.
“Nice… but not for me,” Katie sighed. It was at that moment that Hannah heard Jessie let a large breath go. The woman had seemed awfully tense since they had arrived outside on the cabin deck and started checking out the talent that was the Chaetdorian race.
“Him? Him? What about that one?”
Shaking her head, sadness filling her voice, Katie sighed, “I doubt there is a hot alien mate in my future.”
Hearing the shuffle of feet, Hannah turned around to find two males behind them, one of which she recognised.
Smiling wildly, Alice moved straight into the arms of their original abductor, her mate, Torq. “Well, if both Nora and I have found one, I’m sure you can too.”
Hannah couldn't help but smile. Never before had she seen such an honestly happy expression on her friend’s face.
Gazing at the other male, his spooky silver eyes focused wholly on Katie, Hannah took in the silver markings running up his arms.
Silver? Could this be the male from her friend’s dreams?
Only seconds later it seemed her question had been answered.
“Well, I disa…”
The male sped forwards, grabbing Katie and chuckling her over his shoulder before disappearing down the deck without a word.
Were they all destined to be mated - as the Chaetdorians put it – to one of these amazing males? She hoped so. She also hoped that there might be two males in her future – if she could ever get a moment alone with them to find out.
“Oh you have to be kidding me!” Jessie screeched.
OK, so maybe not all of them were happy with that idea.
Chapter 16
“Where is she?” Hecto asked as he joined his brother.
They had spent the last few days doing their best to get their mate alone, to spend some time with her in order to claim her as their mate, but they had been kept busy, what with the finally preparations being made for their departure, and hadn’t been able to see Hannah as much as they would have liked. It didn’t help matters that she still seemed to never be alone when they did manage to visit deck seven. The talkative one, Katie, had turned out to be Hex's mate and the young Techno had carted her off to his cabin the moment he saw her. That meant that the only obstacles in the way of them having time alone with their mate now were her friend Jessie and the annoying human male, Joel.
“I'm not sure.”
Looking around the lounge area there was no sign if her. The angry one, Jessie, was sat staring out of the window, though what she was looking at Hecto had no clue as there was nothing but rock to be seen. Other humans were using the facilities available to them, eating, chatting, watching some human entertainment on the big screens Hex had installed for them, but there was no sign of their mate.
“Hannah?” Hecto called out with his mind.
Time was running out, Doc’s deadline was looming, and with every minute that went by with their mate unclaimed his control over the voice and the impulses it caused slipped even further from his grasp.
“Where are you?”
“Dealing with a pain in my ass,” came her curt reply.
He could feel her impatience, her anger. She was not happy at all, was extremely annoyed, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“We need to find her.”
Setting off, he didn’t wait for his brother's reply. He trusted that Jepa would follow. They spent the next few minutes working their way down the deck, checking every open doorway. When they reached the end of the main living quarters, Jepa made to turn back but Hecto forged on. He hoped he was wrong, hoped that she was not in the only other place she could be, but after finding no sign of her anywhere else he had to check. The further he got down the corridor, the stronger the pull in that direction. She was down here somewhere.
“Why is she in the feeding area?” Jepa asked, echoing his thoughts.
This part of the deck was where the feeding rooms were, where the human volunteers came to offer up their blood to the Chaetdorian males that needed it.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” As their mate, the only males to get a taste of her should be them.
Coming to a sudden stop at the first feeding room door, Hecto listened carefully. He could sense his mate in the room, could hear her talking, but who she was talking to remained a mystery.
“Seriously, just stay out of it. I can take care of myself,” she practically shouted.
“They are dangerous, Hannah, you need to stay away from them.”
“No, they are not!” She screamed in frustration.
Hecto could take no more and neither could Jepa. Within seconds they had the door cleared and were in the room. Standing guard on either side of their mate they stared down at Joel.
“Leave,” he forced out over the screaming in his head.
“Kill him. Snap his neck. Gut him and bathe in his blood.”
“I think you should do as he says,” Hannah said, seeming to know how close he was to snapping. Placing her hand in his, she gave him the strength he needed to block out the voice. Killing the male would not get him any closer to claiming his mate, if anything it would just scare her off.
“I’m just trying to protect you.”
“She has all the protection she needs,” Jepa responded, taking a step towards the male, blocking his view of their mate completely. “Now, leave.”
“Fine.” Skirting the edge of the room, keeping his distance from them, Joel moved towards the doorway. Just as he exited, before Jepa reactivated the door, he turned. Grasping his brother by the wrist, his eyes hard and angry, he hissed, “You’ll regret this.” He said it so quietly that Hecto knew their mate had not heard him.
“Should we be worried?” Jepa chuckled once the male was gone and the door closed.
“Of a mere human male? No.”
Chapter 17
“What are you guys doing here?” Hannah asked, extremely glad that they had turned up when had.
Things hadn’t gone as planned with Joel. For the past few days, ever since Katie had been carted off by Hex – Torq had explained who he was – Joel had been a constant thorn in her side. The second the door to the deck opened, he would be there, no matter who was coming through. If it was anyone else, he would make quick polite conversation before disappearing. If it were Jepa and Hecto, he wouldn’t leave her side.
After another sudden rapid appearance by Joel, followed by his instant retreat the moment he realised that it was not the twins that had arrived, she seeked out Jessie. They ate dinner together - as much as they could stomach - and Jessie had ranted and raved for hours that there had to be one human on board that wanted to leave as much as she did. After Jessie had finally gone quiet, which was extremely rare for her, Hannah had decided to check out the rest of the deck. It had only been when she had left the main part of the deck behind and entered the long corridor she had yet to venture that she'd realised that she was not alone. Joel had then proceeded to give her the guided tour with all the intimate details of what went down in those rooms.
“This is where they feed on us,” he had explained. “Like vampires.”
The way his face had twisted in disgust made it obvious that he wasn’t as keen to be doing so as the others she had met. So why was he here?
“Well, it’s what you volunteered for.”
He mumbled something but he spoke too low for her to hear.
