by Stone, Piper
Not yet.
She took gulping breaths, her eyes darting back and forth across mine. “What...”
“No air in the cave. You were almost dead.” I said the words matter-of-factly, obviously creating a hint of fear in her beautiful blue eyes.
After a few seconds, she nodded, absorbing what I’d told her before shifting in order to scan her location. “Water. A river. I can see light.”
“Yes, but we will be required to swim a good distance. Are you able to hold your breath or are you too weak for travel?”
She snorted in the same manner she’d done before, as if nothing bothered her. “We need to get the hell out of here.”
I studied her carefully, having learned that humans didn’t always do what was in their best interest. “Very well. I will guide us.”
I could tell she wanted to argue, to try to usurp my authority but at least she must have realized she wasn’t in any condition to make her way out alone. The nod of acquiescence I knew was difficult for her.
She would not trust me, nor should she. I was the predator she’d feared, a monster of nightmares.
I grabbed her hand before swimming closer to the source of light, estimating it would take at least two minutes to clear the tunnel. As before, there was no way of knowing what kinds of creatures were lurking within the waters. While I wasn’t susceptible to poisons or other maladies, her frail body would be. Still, there was no other way.
Her grip on my hand was firm and as I looked into her eyes before pulling us under, I could see how much she was searching for answers. I dove down, yanking her behind me. The murky water turned almost pitch black for a short period of time and I was very aware of the venomous snakes swarming the change in water temperature and movement.
She struggled briefly, and I could sense her fear, able to read her mind as the fear became a strangling hand around her neck. Only one minute had passed.
The tunnel shrank in size, becoming almost impassable. I pulled her closer, squeezing her arm to provide some level of comfort before slamming my hand against a massive boulder. The heavy stone didn’t budge, a shock to my mind and jarring to my system.
My weaknesses could get help end her life.
The creatures swarmed, encircling both our bodies as I tried the maneuver again. Finally, the rock broke free, tumbling off to the side, a rush of water following. I could now hear her moans as the terror within her was beginning to take hold. It wouldn’t be long until she was out of air once again.
With one hard kick, I pummeled our way through the remaining rocks, several tumbling away, falling precariously close to the female, but the light grew stronger.
I powered up, breaking to the surface, searching the perimeter. There was hissing all around us, snakes ready to strike. One by one, I crushed them in my hand, tossing them away.
“Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.” Coughing, she clawed my arm, wrapping her legs around my back as I made our way through dense foliage that had covered the other entrance to the cave. When we finally broke free of the vines and undergrowth, the sight of blue skies was truly breathtaking.
“Are you all right, human?” I asked as I swam closer to the shore. The change in the temperature as well as the color of the water was amazing. I also heard what sounded like a waterfall in close proximity. I took a deep breath; the scent of various tropical flowers as well as the musk of dampness was very welcoming.
“Yes. Yes,” she murmured after several additional coughs, finally pressing her face against my back.
It had been so long since I’d been able to walk or savor the odd but enjoyable fragrances that another planet had to offer, the incredible jungle no exception.
I moved quickly toward the shore, continuing to scan the surrounding area, searching for any sign of other humans. There were no sounds, other than the cawing of birds and clicking of various insects, as well as slight rustle of wind through the trees.
But I could also smell that humans had been here recently.
I walked onto the shore, easing onto my knees until she crawled away. After taking several deep breaths, I rose to a standing position, searching the area before tipping my head toward the bright glimmer of sun. I hated the fact that I’d missed the beauty of this planet almost as much as my own home.
I could tell she was still trying to catch her breath, her thoughts shifting from fear to curiosity.
What does he want with me?
What is he going to do with me?
They have to be looking for me by now.
I half smiled, attempting to block out her thoughts. There were times I needed quiet in my mind to allow me to think.
“What now?” Annabella asked in a subdued manner, as if all the fight had been taken out of her.
I knew better. She was very much a warrior in her own right. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. I brushed my hands through my wet hair before turning to face her. “We find shelter.”
“Far away from the camp, right? There are horrible beasts in the jungle. I hope you’re prepared for that.” She’d folded her arms over her legs, hugging them against her chest.
“I need time.” Beasts. I’d killed more than one prior to my imprisonment.
“For what?”
After dropping the bag, I stretched out my arms, allowing the warmth of the sun to filter into my skin. The translucency was troubling. I should have begun to regenerate more quickly. The years of being placed in a stasis state had certainly taken a toll. “We need rest.”
She wheezed several times, her body trembling even in the heat of the day. I’d been able to gather the scent of a storm approaching. While rain was vital to the region, it would certainly hinder our travel.
“You’re planning on killing the man who runs the operation, code name Scorpion. Right?” Her question was laced with more of the rebellion from before. “Who is he really?”
I studied her eyes before answering. I couldn’t trust her with the information just yet. “He was once a powerful leader in your Federation government. He is that no longer.”
“So, you’re not going to tell me who this Scorpion is?”
“You will learn when necessary.” I took another deep inhale of the air. We would have maybe three hours before the heavy rain set in. I was determined to find some kind of shelter before them. “Come. We must continue on.”
“I’ve been told he’s over the mountains.”
Her words furrowed into my mind. I turned my head, studying her intently. “The mountain range is several hundred miles wide. There are caverns in between, drop-offs so dangerous that a single misstep means instant death. Those predators you mentioned? They are monstrous beasts with an insatiable hunger, their teeth capable of ripping you apart in seconds. We will rest and determine a course of action.” I noticed her lower lip quivered but she nodded, blinking several times.
“What is your planet like?” she asked after a full minute.
“It was once almost as beautiful as your own.”
She struggled to move to a standing position. “What happened?”
“Several wars scarred our planet, drying up what you call rivers and oceans, destroying our food supplies. Then our most prized possession was taken, preventing the possibility of survival for my people.”
“So, they’re dead?”
I tipped my head in her direction before offering my hand. “I do not know.” The simple grasp of her fingers was just as electric as before, stirring my intense arousal. As I pulled her out of the muck and against me, her lower lip trembled. “But I will find out.”
There’d been no comfort from anyone for as long as I could remember, no caress from a mate or even from my mother. Children were rare, considered commodities, another worker or warrior in an effort to save our planet. When she brushed her fingers delicately across my cheek, the ripple effect was instantaneous, the hunger almost unbearable.
There were no words spoken as I pulled her onto her tiptoes until our lips were only centimeters apart. He
r breath was scattered, not like before when she’d found it difficult to breathe, but from the same arousal I felt deep within my system. Only she was fighting her urge, determined to keep me as her enemy.
I entangled my fingers in her hair, drinking in her sultry essence until it filled me, quenching at least some of the hunger. I would take her again and soon, but not until there was some amount of safety. I wanted nothing more than to crush my lips over her, to taste her once again.
As had occurred before, an extreme sadness blocked out my once raging desire. I had to continue on my quest.
“We will find shelter.” I hoisted the bag over my shoulder, turning and heading into the forest. We would stay by the water as long as possible in our attempt to find a location to sequester in for at least a night. I wanted to get as far away from her group as possible. At some point, the area would be crawling with others, all determined to find the female.
Was the Scorpion still commanding his post, gloating over the game he’d designed, or had he simply orchestrated my escape because he’d tried various uses of the Quantum Unit? At this point, he had a magnificent and very expensive sapphire on his hands and nothing more.
I sniffed the air once again, satisfied that we’d be left alone for now. If all went well, I would find the capacitor tomorrow. Then the hunt would for the Scorpion would continue.
And I would find him.
And I would exterminate him.
“I don’t know what you think you’re going to find. From what I know, there’s the colony over those mountains and the camp my team established and nothing else,” she huffed from behind me.
“I assure you that we will find somewhere suitable to rest, edible food.”
“Maybe wishful thinking,” she muttered.
An hour passed as we continued on our journey, the foliage becoming thicker. From what I could tell, we’d walked at least two miles. At minimum, I could no longer smell the other humans. “We rest for a few minutes.”
She doubled over, planting her hands on her knees, taking a series of deep breaths. I admired her tenacity, her ability to keep up with me something few human females could do. I was also aware she was weak, perhaps ill in some manner.
“Are you under the belief that the Earth Federation knew what was going on with the Scorpion?”
Sighing, I knew she would continue to press for information. “In truth, I am not certain. There were many working with him under duress.”
“That doesn’t sound like what ultimately happened to you was ordered by anyone other than the Scorpion. Why was he allowed to remain here?”
“Because all evidence was destroyed.”
“Of course. He must be biding his time for something. What?” she asked once again in a demanding manner.
“As I said, little human, you will know certain information when necessary.”
“If you want me to help you, then I need to understand what we’re facing.”
I leaned against one of the trees, studying the terrain. We’d been brought to the colony from our crash site in the middle of the night, the oversized vehicles covered on all sides, preventing us from seeing anything in the progression. I hadn’t seen that much vegetation since I was a boy and only then highlighted in beautiful paintings and pictures of the past on Tretonia. By the time I’d been conceived, the world was devoid of so much life, thousands of miles of barren land, scorched from the lack of water. “What I know is that what belonged to us was stolen. I will retrieve what I was commanded to obtain and protect.”
She dragged her tongue across her dry lips as she sat down, wiping dirt from her face. “I’ll venture a guess that the item in question is something humans can use to their own benefit.”
“You are correct, little human. Save your energy. We have a distance to go.”
I heard words said under her breath, the sound of defiance and frustration. I wasn’t entirely certain I wanted to go through the damning story at this point to any greater degree. I was to blame for what had occurred and if I was so lucky to return to Tretonia, no matter if I brought with me the object that could save our planet, I would be killed for my treachery.
As I deserved.
She remained quiet as I allowed her to rest and I found it difficult to take my eyes off her. She was truly what humans called beautiful, only I gathered a sense that she neither believed nor had any idea how lovely she was. My attraction was intense, the tip of my cock bulging from arousal. The mere sight of her erect nipples was enough to keep me hard. I turned away, disgusted with myself. “We should go.”
“Of course we should,” she huffed. “I need to be compliant at all turns.”
I shifted, snagging handfuls of vegetation and pulling them away. Her words were meant to goad me. She would soon learn to respect my authority. She would have no choice. I was thrown, what humans called a memory invading my frontal lobe. Another defiant woman at an earlier time. Why couldn’t I get a handle on who that person had been? I hissed, pushing aside the notion. We remained in grave danger the longer we were out in the open.
I was no fool to think that members of the Scorpion’s army hadn’t been assigned to watch the cave in case of escape; that is if any remained loyal. There was no way of telling whether the group Annabella belonged to had been sent in reconnaissance. The truth would soon be revealed.
I’d kept us on a path at the base of the mountain, even though the danger was more significant, but the odds of finding shelter much greater. I remained quiet, shifting my direction, taking a deep whiff of the vegetation. The water source was pure, the plants rich in nutrients. At least there would be a food source of some kind. We would both need nourishment very soon.
A wretched stench suddenly filtered across my nostrils. We were no longer alone.
She hesitated, remaining behind. “You believed you would be set free in the beginning. You accepted their hospitality because of that.”
I heard her words, the tone full of determination to find the answers she sought so desperately. My keen hearing also managed to catch the weighed breath, the low-slung growl meant to announce a special find to others.
We were being hunted, only Annabella was the prey.
I issued a keening roar, charging in her direction. The look of terror on her face was palpable. As the creature let out another cry, I raised my arm, hoping that I had enough strength.
Chapter Nine
Annabella
My scream bellowed into the jungle, the hard thump of the animal as it dropped to the ground thunderous. Birds cawed from every direction, the sound of their flapping wings in a strange rhythm as they fled from the area.
And the danger.
Hero.
The word seemed ridiculous as it floated into my mind yet that’s the only way to describe the roughhewn alien who’d unceremoniously saved my life. I was still shell-shocked from everything, my attempt at rationalizing what had occurred useless.
For now.
As I studied the brawny man, his almost aristocratic face, chiseled muscles and broad shoulders, and his back that was mottled with scars, I felt more empathy than I would have imagined.
Draziak continued growling as he stood over the massive, ugly beast, his shoulders heaving. It seemed his entire body was electrified, a live wire humming and vibrating. There was an aura surrounding him, the glow unlike anything I’d ever witnessed.
Nothing was real any longer. Not my education or my past, certainly not what I’d been led to believe regarding monsters or aliens.
I’d seen what I could only describe as a blast of energy erupting from his hand, the eerie crimson color lighting up the foliage. The red-hot heat singed several of the plants in close proximity, the stench of burning fur and flesh overwhelming. I stumbled backwards, slapping my hand over my mouth and nose, unable to take my eyes off the fallen beast. In the distance, I heard a series of growls as the creatures retreated, beaten by a predator much more dangerous.
The alien crouched down, tilting
his head back and forth as he studied the fresh kill. The animal was very dead. Very slowly, he looked in my direction, gazing up and down. The rumble of his continued snarl vibrated all the way to my toes, my mind still having difficulty processing what I’d just witnessed.
Once again, the being from some distant galaxy had saved my life, even though he’d told me in no uncertain terms I was his enemy. I had no idea what to say as I remained foggy. When he grabbed the animal, slinging it over his shoulders, heading back to the path he’d been walking, I dropped my head into my hands.
The disgusting aroma remained, the odor strong enough it sounded as if other creatures in the jungle had scuttled away in fear of being next. When Draziak disappeared into the forest, I wasn’t certain to believe he would come back for me and I certainly wasn’t going to stay alone.
All of the ‘should haves’ popped into my mind as I fought my way through the dense underbrush. I should have grilled Stephen about the trip. Maybe then I would have figured out he was up to something. I should have taken more time to investigate the outpost and the man in charge of it. Maybe then I would have found some scrap of evidence regarding whatever had occurred eight years before.
And I definitely should have found a way to bring a weapon, not that I owned one. Maybe then I’d be the one in control. Hissing, I wiped heavy perspiration from my forehead. The humidity was thick, the change in the barometer indicating one of the usual downpours approaching. While I’d never been a fan of storms, in the jungle a washout could occur within minutes.
I finally caught up to him, still shaking from the experience. The beast’s eyes were open, glassy in death, but I could swear the creature was staring right through me.
Just like Draziak had before.
I had far too many questions and while he wasn’t forthcoming in any of them, I would find a way to pry answers out of him. So much of what he’d said hadn’t made sense to me.
If an alien ship dropped to this outpost, I would imagine the soldiers responsible for protecting what had been colonized had surrounded it in their determination to find out if the aliens were hostile. That much made sense. Even incarcerating the entire group seemed plausible, although why risk starting an interstellar war? Actually performing medical experiments was insane, especially since it seemed unlikely that those involved in the secret project had learned of the special skills the Volkodans had.
