by C. R. Jane
“Alright, I’ve got it all,” Derrial announced the moment I finally relaxed.
We stepped outside into a cold atmosphere, despite the lack of clouds and the sun out in full force. The air smelled fresh with a hint of pine…except there were no pine trees in sight.
Derrial stood at the rear of the vessel where a latch opened up. Thane went to join him, while I looked around. It didn’t look anything like Earth’s moon. This place was lush and inhabited.
The door to the cruiser slid shut and the whole thing shimmered to an invisible finish. Corran explained to me once that the effect was created with a reflective mirror technology and a bit of illusion.
I looked around and found no sign of my two husbands, so I assumed they were still behind the cruiser.
The crunch of grass sounded behind me, and I spun around.
An invisible window rolled down in front of me to reveal the inside of a car. Derrial sat in the driver’s seat of a vehicle also with invisibility shields that reminded me of a 4WD in height. “Get in,” he said.
I approached the back and stretched my hand out through the air until my fingers brushed a metal finish. Running my hand down the surface, I found a latch and flicked it. The door opened in front of me.
Not wasting a moment, I jumped in and shut the door. Black leather seats, dark upholstery, this car reminded me of a limousine. “This is a very fancy ride.” I leaned toward the front where the men sat. Thane stretched his hand between their two seats to reach me and took mine in his. “The vehicle is a bit run down, but it does the trick.”
“Run down? This looks fancier than my whole apartment.” I laughed as I settled down and Thane turned back to face the front.
And we were moving. Just like the cruiser, the drive was smooth, with what I imagined was the universe’s best suspension.
An array of buttons covered the door offering various drink choices, each filled with different colors, from blues, oranges, and greens. I pressed the clear one. A panel instantly popped out, and I flinched. A glass slid out, filled with what looked like water. I picked it up and smelled it. No real scent, so I sipped it. Refreshing water ran down my throat. Then I gulped the rest of it down in one go.
When I set the glass back down on the panel, it drew back into the door and the panel shut. The technology in this world astonished me.
As I sat back in my seat, I noticed Derrial looking at me through the rear-view mirror, his gorgeous eyes smiling.
We kept driving, and I looked out at the open landscape of rolling hills, then we drove around an enormous purple river. The surface was pristine, the sun glinting like jewels against the water.
How could something so beautiful be home to the vicious Khonsu? Last time I encountered them I’d been kidnapped, then I was forced to participate in an insane Mating hunt. So the idea of going anywhere near these aliens again terrified me.
“How much farther?” I asked.
“First settlement isn’t far,” Derrial explained. “This must remind you of road trips humans take often.”
I shrugged. “Sort of. Guess there are some similarities, like we’re in a car and driving.”
“So, what’s missing?” Thane asked, glancing at me over his shoulder.
“Music, snacks, lame jokes...a fun destination. But to be fair I’ve only ever been on one road trip with my old friend.” Cherry came to mind, the only close friend I thought I had, except turned out she was only using me. In truth, I was too scared to do anything about it, as I didn’t want to be alone after losing my parents. I sighed heavily, remembering life before I left Earth. That girl who was timid and scared was no longer me. I’d come so far since arriving on Veon, since falling in love, since surviving so many almost deaths. And… I lowered my attention as I rubbed my stomach, which almost felt like a little bump. Or it could be all those waffles I ate for breakfast.
A sudden explosion of fast beat music burst from the car speakers. I jumped in my seat as Thane rapidly pressed buttons on the front dashboard of the car.
Derrial was saying something, but it was too loud to make it out.
“That’s very loud,” I called out.
The panels on the doors flipped open and threw out green crispy packets at me. I flinched back at the sudden commotion. I snatched one from my lap to see an image of a snapple on the front, so I ripped it open to find fresh slices of the fruit.
“Sorry,” Thane yelled, just as the music flatlined.
“Oh, that’s better,” I said, and pushed a piece of snapple in my mouth. It was crisp and moist.
“The music only has one volume level, and well, at least you got some snacks.”
I nodded and swallowed the food. “Not exactly road trip food, but it’s good.”
Thane’s smile was contagious, and I loved seeing him proud. “Do you still miss Earth a lot?”
His question threw me off guard. “Parts of it. Like the places where I hold the fondest memories. The botanical gardens. The zoo where Dad would take me. Feeling safe most of the time… I miss that part a lot.” I shrugged. “I used to miss it a lot, but lately, I’ve hardly given it thought. My home now is where the three of you are.”
Thane blew me a kiss, and my heart beat a bit faster.
I leaned forward in my seat and stared out through the front window at the path we drove alongside a lofty stone mountain without anyone in sight.
“Why couldn’t we just fly here if you have an invisible aircraft?” I asked.
“Space cruisers are easily detected, so we can’t risk being seen near any villages to avoid an all out attack. They will shoot before asking questions.”
Suddenly, I lost my appetite, and I pushed my third packet of snapple slices on the seat next to mine.
Up ahead, a crowd of trees clustered together. We slowed down as we approached and parked on the outskirts.
Panic skittered down my spine. “What now?”
“You stay here,” Derrial explained. “And we go and scope out the area and make sure this is a camp.”
I frowned and sighed loudly.
“We want to know you are safe,” Thane added. “Even if this vehicle is detected, which is highly unlikely, the locks are impenetrable.”
My muscles tightened, but I nodded as both of them stared at me expectantly.
“Good. We won’t be long.”
“Be safe,” I said.
They shut the doors, and I watched them sprint into the woods, vanishing into the shadows. I slumped back in the seat and reached for my half uneaten packet of snapple, suddenly hungry again.
The car still ran, as it pumped out cool air, and I kept looking out to see if they had returned, even though they’d just left.
Anxiety stretched through me as I sat there and waited. And waited. And waited.
When I caught movement from up ahead, I shuffled forward in my seat. Derrial and Thane strolled back almost casually, which told me this settlement wasn’t a camp. Now fear gripped my spine at the possibility that the rumor they heard about this moon having female camps was just that - a rumor.
The next two locations on the map proved just as useless. We reached the fourth place, which consisted of a group of over-sized warehouse buildings huddled in a large circle. We pulled up toward the rear of a shed, when the car made a strange clunking sound. Then it stopped suddenly. I lurched forward from the movement, and fear shot to my heart.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, glancing out to the metal buildings not too far from our position. I didn’t see anyone walking around.
“Fuck,” Derrial growled. “We don’t need this now.”
Goosebumps swept down my arms.
“Engine failure? How the fuck?” Thane muttered.
“I don’t know, unless I check the motor, and that means standing out there in plain sight.”
“Are we still invisible?” I asked, gripping onto the door handle.
“Unfortunately, no. And if we can’t fix the motor with no tools or parts, we hav
e no choice but to go on foot.”
A terrible feeling sank through my gut.
Derrial tapped his comm on his wrist and raised it to his mouth. “Corran, we need urgent extraction. I’ll send you coordinates.”
Corran was probably too busy sneaking about a lab right now to hear our call.
“So, what do we do?” My brain stuttered, and I felt vulnerable out here. We were sitting targets. “Wait for Corran to come get us?”
“We need to move on foot and fast,” Thane answered, and I didn’t like his answer at all. Us out there with nowhere to go.
“And pray to the universe no one finds the vehicle before Corran arrives.” Dread wove through their words, and now fear coiled tighter in my chest.
We were trapped. This couldn’t be happening.
5
We peered out from the edge of the forest toward the open yard. Long grass and blue weeds smothered the land. Six similar warehouse structures surrounded the area, each facing each other in a semi-circle. Why else would they have these out in the middle of nowhere, but to hide something…to hide the females they kidnapped. My gut clenched at the idea that maybe my mom was in this settlement.
A place run by Khonsu, alien creatures who infiltrated the Vepar’s homeland and kidnapped their females for breeding. Add to that, the Khonsu used a type of glamor technology to conceal their real appearance to look like my Vepars. So detecting them wasn’t always easy.
With a flick of Derrial’s hand, we ran from the woods to behind a stone building the size of a large shed…perfect for keeping prisoners.
Another hand signal, and Derrial pivoted around the opposite side of the building. Thane and I inched forward on this side.
The silence grew heavier, and I was certain the next planet over could hear how hard my heart hammered.
Thane twisted his head to look at me and whispered, “Let me check the front, then when I give the signal, you join us.”
Before I could even nod, he darted forward and slipped around the corner. Crap, he hadn’t even told me what his signal was, so I rushed forward and stuck my head around the building to watch.
He and Derrial both fiddled with a lock to the door into the place.
I looked around the area, surveying the location, when my sights fell on someone sitting on a bench in front of the next building near us. He wore gray clothes, which easily blended him in with his surroundings. He had to be a Khonsu.
The Khonsu shot me a venomous glance, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air for our scents. He looked normal…like one of the Vepar. Short gray hair, tiny horns over his temples with a burley build. Khonsu were primal and wild and I could see the wildness in this creature’s eyes. He didn’t say anything, but slowly rose to his feet.
Shit! Panic launched to the back of my throat. “Thane, Derrial,” I whispered loudly, but they didn’t hear me.
I ran to them just as the Konshu darted across the field toward the black warehouse across the field.
“Fuck, he’s spotted us,” I blurted, pointing.
Both men snapped around and saw where I showed them.
Thane’s face blanched and he leapt into a run, moving faster than I’d ever seen anyone move, closing in on the alien in seconds.
The Khonsu yelled out just as Thane lunged into him, bringing him to the ground with a thud.
They rolled on the ground, fighting, the thump of dull punches from Thane, who straddled the alien. In seconds, he leapt up and snatched the creature’s legs before dragging him our way. I couldn’t take my gaze off the Khonsu who no longer resembled a Vepar, but took his own form - pale skin and hair, and dead eyes black as the night. I remembered well the fact that these monsters had a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. I wanted nowhere near it.
My skin rippled with fear, but I refused to panic. I wasn’t the one trapped by these things and prepared for breeding. And just the thought had me scolding myself that I’d have such a thought. I kept fidgeting with my hair, unable to stand still. I struggled to keep it all together as fear coiled in my chest, and all I could think was that an army of Khonsu was about to come racing out of the sheds any second now. We had no car to escape, and who knew how long before Corran arrived.
I didn’t want to panic. I’d been through so much since arriving in this universe, but it wasn’t just me anymore… there was a little innocent baby inside me that I had to care for. Maybe I’d made a mistake by coming out here with them.
Thane dragged the Khonsu into the bushes in the woods.
As if sensing my unease, Derrial slid an arm around my waist and drew me against him. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed myself to the warmth of his body.
“We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Thane heaved for breath. “Okay, new plan. We need to check what’s inside each of these sheds damn fast.” He raised his hand with what looked like a laser pointer.
“Is that a key?” I asked.
He leaned closer and kissed me on the lips. “You bet it’s a key, pet. We stick together and do this quickly.”
I pulled free from Derrial and shuffled to face the building to our back. “Let’s start here,” I said.
Derrial pointed the pencil-shaped object at the padlock surface, emitting an orange beam of light. In two seconds, the lock clicked open.
I bounced on my toes, eager to get inside. Thane took the lead and opened the door. He peered inside and sighed loudly. He glanced back and shook his head. But I needed to know what he saw, and as he moved out of the way, I stuck my head inside to a huge enormous empty room. Broken crates and a few blankets lay in a heap to indicate there were living beings here at some point.
“Babe,” Derrial murmured, and took my hand. “We need to go.”
I nodded and followed him to the next shed, which was exactly what the Khonsu had been guarding, so my hopes sky rocketed we’d find something.
Thane opened the door hastily, and shut it quickly behind him.
Dread collided into me, and I exchanged worried glances with him. “He’s found something, hasn’t he?” I whispered.
Derrial nodded and leaned closer. “If he doesn’t come out in a minute, I’m in there. Otherwise, he’s scoping for guards and danger and he’ll be right out.”
I kept glancing over my shoulder, staring at the other buildings. Our saving grace was that they didn’t have windows, so unless more Khonsu emerged from the building, they wouldn’t see us.
My head was spinning. Derrial was deadly quiet, not breathing heavy or sweating like me. The breeze picked up, bringing with it the scent of forest and animals. The utterly agonizing silence sat on my chest, and to be honest, when we spoke about coming out here, I’d assumed we’d find a small camp and women huddled somewhere near in a cage. Delusional hope on my end.
“Has it been a minute?” I trembled, my gaze flipping between the door and the rest of the field.
When the door to the shed opened, I flinched backward and bumped into Derrial who caught me in his arms.
Thane stuck his head out. “All safe. You gotta come in here.”
He opened the door, and we both hurried inside as Thane closed us in.
It took my mind a moment to work out what I was looking at. On the three walls in front of me were metal cages stacked on top of each other, four cages tall. Each was easily six-foot high and wide, except there were people inside them.
Something in my gut twisted at the sight. Only females filled the cages…maybe half a dozen in total.
Derrial and Thane rushed forward and started to release them from their imprisonment, starting with those higher up. Together they helped each other climb the top, then used the laser key to open the doors.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breath as I selfishly scanned the faces for my mother. It had been so long since I had seen her, and she looked like me everyone said, so I searched the cages. The room was dimly lit with the only shards of light slicing the dark through holes and cracks in the ceiling and wa
lls. The first woman I found appeared about my age. Blond hair and wild blue eyes, and human. She lacked horns or a tail or those stunning colorful eyes Vepar were known for.
She pressed herself to the metal bars. “Please let us out before they return. Please.” Her voice trembled, her face stained with dirt and dried blood. “The things they do to us if we don’t behave. I don’t want to die.” She lashed out a hand through the bar and snatched my wrist. Her grip was weak. She looked thin and so exhausted. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She stared at me blankly, like she’s seen so many horrible things, she was completely stunned.
“We’re going to get you out, I promise.”
Her fingers uncurled from my wrist, and she withdrew back into her cage, sitting in a corner, rocking herself.
The ache in my chest as seeing her agony carved me in half. Why hadn’t the Vepar Council demolished these camps if they suspected they existed? Or were they too busy lining their pockets and creating a new virus strain to care about fixing the existing problems?
Quickly, I moved to the next cage, which sat one higher, and a woman with golden curls and short white horns stared down at me with desperation in her eyes.
What surprised me was how quiet everyone was, and I suspected they knew noise meant the chance of them not being rescued. Whispers drew my attention to Thane, who hopped down, carrying a young girl who wore a tattered yellow dress. She had to be fifteen, maybe sixteen.
I wanted to murder these Khonsu, rip out their spines for destroying these people’s lives. The more cages I searched, the more my hope dissolved at finding my mom.
The next cage I stepped in front of left me breathless. I dropped to my knees and watched a young mother with black horns and red eyes cradling a tiny baby in her arms. They were both fragile and my eyes pricked with tears. I wanted to scream at the cruelty, but it was heartbreak that climbed up and over my body, icing every cell in my body.
“You’re going to be free,” I promised, and she lifted her gaze to meet mine. The fabric from around the baby’s head slid down to reveal a tiny bundle with tiny pointy horns running in a line across the top of his brow. It did so all around his face, and that was when I noticed a long white tail flicking over the mom’s lap.
