by Liz Paffel
She couldn’t even be upset about it. In her heart, she’d known time had long passed. “Figures.”
“The females with you now are the ones who delivered the Estral pods?”
“No. They were all alien females. None were human. The Lork took them and the pods. Ee-naa and the female you buried were the last to deliver. The Lork didn’t take them when they raced out of here. What’s going to happen to the Estral offspring?”
“They will be sold as pets. It has happened before. Only the wealthiest of Kings could own one before. Now they are smuggled to anyone with enough credits or coiqua to pay the price.”
“How do you know that?”
Hahn swallowed. His throat made a graceful bob. “My father used to have one. He swore it watched over my brother and me and protected us. I imagine any trader having access to a male and female can create embryos in a lab which can be transferred to compatible hosts. Estral females have one pod every few years, but if her seed was collected and joined with a male’s seed, there is no telling how many embryos might be produced.”
“To some extent, similar practices occur on Earth. What happened to your Estral?”
“I begged my Father to return it, but he refused. I set it free, thinking she would find her way home. I will not tell you how this part of my story ends because it is not pleasant.”
He looked away and her heart suddenly ached for him.
“I guess I understand now why the Lork told me they’d be back for their prize. They want the last pod.”
His gaze cut to her, his body turning to follow. “The pod isn’t the prize, Sasha. The prize is you. You’re more valuable than any amount of Estrals the Lork can create.”
“Me?”
“Scavenger tribes like the Lork are increasingly dealing in flesh trading. Females, children. Babies. You are human, and a healer who helps offspring deliver safely. The Lork need you to ensure the viability of their product. Especially, when the mothers are human.”
“Do you think there will be an increase in human women being traded on the, the flesh market?”
“Yes. It’s something the Galax Union is working to stop. It’s similar to your human police force. They will be instrumental in returning Ee-naa to her home once we get you all out of here.”
Sasha stood and ran her fingers over her mouth. She didn’t bother asking if she and the others would be returned to Earth. In her heart, she knew the answer. “You said earlier that things have happened on Earth since I was taken. What’s happened there?”
Hahn stood too, moving closer. Instead of adding space between them, she found that she wanted him in her proximity.
“War. War between humans and their government. We left the planet just one human month ago. The violence and unrest were just beginning, with no signs that it would stop. The home you once knew is gone. I am sorry.”
Turmoil had claimed the planet since aliens started showing up. First the Axxeon, who had been peaceful, then others who had shown more aggression. She’d kept tucked away in her little bubble, working and dealing with her own nightmare. Alien intrusion on her planet had always been in her mind, of course, but after a while, it became somewhat normal. Nothing bad happened. Apparently, once she’d been abducted, all hell had broken loose.
She sipped her coffee drink. It was still remarkably hot, the taste very similar to a good dark roast. It wasn’t nearly creamy enough, which irritated her. She may never get back to Earth, never have a latte or espresso again. Remembering the candy bar she’d put in her pocket, she produced it and unwrapped the top. She dunked it in her coffee and gave it a swirl. The chocolate began to melt, revealing the caramel and nuts on the inside. She kept swirling, a little too forcefully as some of the liquid sloshed over the side.
Hahn watched her with interest.
“I like my coffee with a little sweetness.” She sipped. Not terrible. Not perfect. She handed him the mug while wrapping the rest of the candy and putting it back in her pocket.
He eyed her, his lids dropping halfway in a seductive glance. Oh, shit. Maybe offering him her food or drink was a mating sign or something. He took it and put the mug to his full, sculpted lips. She couldn’t stop herself from watching his throat again as he swallowed. Her nipples pebbled, startling her with the sting of their sudden rise. She glanced down, remembering she was wrapped in the cape. Thank, God.
“It’s not bad.”
“Yeah.” Quickly, she took the offered cup back from him.
His hand went immediately to his weapons belt, his other palm up to indicate that she go still. Eyes wide, she clamped her lips together. That’s when she felt it, a tremor beneath the ground. It was subtle at first and grew stronger until it vibrated against the soles of her worn slip-ons and quivered up her calves. The vibration grew and grew until it was an all out quake.
The sand suddenly gave way beneath her feet. With a cry, Sasha plummeted down to her hips, something hard stopping her from going further. The sand began to part and collapse back in on itself, bouncing and swaying. Hahn grabbed her by the wrist just as the ground shifted, the sand sweeping them up like a giant broom whisking them out the door.
They tumbled on a sand wave, the bits getting in her mouth and ears as her body rode the current. Somehow aware that Hahn wasn’t holding her anymore, Sasha didn’t dare open her eyes to look for him lest they fill with burning sand.
She toppled to a stop, a rush of sand piling up around her legs. She held herself in position, arms crossed over her head, legs to the side, her chest heaving up and down, up and down. A weird silence filled the air. Finally, wiping at her face and brushing sand from her ears, she slowly opened her eyes. She was immersed in pitch black. No sign of the sky or stars above. No colors.
No Hahn.
She was just about to call for him when a hand clamped over her mouth, an arm coming around her chest, pulling her backwards into the abyss.
Chapter Nine
Hahn moved silently around Sasha to show himself. Her eyes were huge, the terror he saw there slicing straight through him.
He put a finger to his lips then indicated that she look in the direction he pointed. She nodded in understanding and followed his gesture. The sand slide had pushed them into a sort of basin with tall, wide pillars of compact debris scattered throughout. They were far enough down that light from the night sky didn’t reach and it wasn’t safe to use his light.
The aliens across from them had no fear over revealing themselves as they devoured the carcass of some four-legged animal around a fire. The sand slide hadn’t reached them, or bothered them, apparently, as they fought over who got the last of their meal.
This was no good.
He wished the Lorks had returned. Instead, five Meshuuks slobbered and growled, their fetid stench reaching from across the basin fill his nose. They were unpredictable, reckless, and void of a single lick of guilt or conscious. Their lack of feeling made them successful flesh traders. If they were here, it’s because they knew the humans were here, too.
Sasha moved close enough to whisper in his ear. The feel of her breath against his skin made his cock twitch. “What are we going to do?”
“I can’t fight them alone. Not without help.” Using his comlet, he ensured it was on silent and mapped his location to the Threv. “We need to get back to my craft. I have weapons there.”
“What about the weapons you’re wearing?” She gestured to his belt.
Hahn shook his head. “The Meshuuks are kings of vaporization tech. They carry long range, wide field vaporizers. One shot and they’ll take us both out from where they sit. It makes them hard to fight.”
“Fuck.”
He’d heard that word often but used in a different reference.
“You’re using that word as a reference for your frustration.”
A thin line formed between her brows. “Yes. I mean, this is a terrible time for the other meaning, don’t you think?” She said the words with a hint of jest that did nothing to
hide the flicker of heat in her eyes.
He felt it, too. He’d felt a lot of things since laying eyes on her. Protectiveness waved its way through him, the instinct to get her out of harm’s way the forethought in his mind.
“Do you think they’re going to find the others? We have to go back. We can’t leave them unprotected.”
He was between a jagged edge and a fire. The Meshuuks were here for only one reason, so hiding the humans wasn’t an option. There was nowhere to go. His only hope was to get the Faze 2 from the Threv and blast them to pieces. If they had any chance of getting back before the compound was infiltrated, they had to go now.
“They’re skin traders. They already know the women are here. We must get to my craft so I can protect all of you.”
She pulled in a shuddering breath and huddled closer to him. One of the Meshuuks stopped tearing at his meal and looked into the distance as if he heard something. His counterpart followed suit, but of them scanning the area. Hahn held back a curse and flattened himself against the pillar. After a moment, he peered out again. The traders were talking animatedly now, their gruff voices increasing in intensity.
“We’re going to have to wait them out.”
“Why?”
“They suspect were here.” He reached into a small compartment in the back of his belt and produced a thin rectangle of fabric. It fluttered like silk as he unfolded it, the ends and sides slightly curved like a mummy sleeping bag. He checked on the enemy again to be sure they were still occupied before laying it on the ground and stretching himself slowly on top of it.
“You need to lie next to me. Make sure your body and the cape are completely on the fabric.”
Her face wrinkled. “There’s barely any room.”
“Then lie on top of me. Hurry, or you could be the next female they strip naked and stick in a cage for their enjoyment.” Judging by the look on her face, that wasn’t the best thing to say. “Quickly. Move carefully, quietly.”
“This is like a bad, bad date. One I can’t call my friend to rescue me from.”
“If you would just lie on me, you’ll find that nothing about me is bad. You don’t need rescuing from me, Sash. Hurry.”
Making sure the cape was tucked around her tightly, she eased onto the fabric next to Hahn. He wrapped an arm around her to help her along until she was pressed up against his side, her leg running the length of his leg, their chest touching. With a flick of his wrist, he folded the remaining fabric over them like a cocoon. It sucked against their bodies, encapsulating them inside.
“What is this thing?”
Hahn looked down at her. She was so small tucked in against him. The curves and dips of her body fit perfectly to him. So lush and soft and… fuck. And not in the frustrated expression way.
“They have vaporizers, but I have invisibility. This will mask our scent and blend us seamlessly into the environment. You must speak very softly, though. And lie completely still.”
Sasha’s lips twitched, but she remained silent. His solarderm began to heat from her proximity, his senses increased to take in every sensory treat she tossed his way. The sound of her soft, yet labored breathing. The notes of sweetness from the soap he’d left her to use in the cleanser. The scents of fear and something headier, something more alluring radiating off her smooth flesh. Her fingers flexed, her blunt nails raking along the firm metafabric of his shirt before she gripped his hip as if holding on.
She looked up at him, her lashes sweeping along her cheeks, her lower lip plump and inviting as she wet it with her tongue. Trying to concentrate on sounds outside the cocoon, he quickly realized focusing on anything other than Sasha was proving impossible. His cock stirred, not caring they were hiding for their lives. And the lives of the others.
“Your skin is glowing.”
He didn’t need to look to know that the pattern on his solarderm was lit. He could feel it, warm and crackling, down to his bones.
“It is my heat reserve activated to keep you warm.” Not completely a lie. His solarderm stored heat that his body used to keep warm when exposed to cold climates, to warm a mate during the incubation period after conception. It also signaled arousal, something he hadn’t experienced before but knew from hearing elder males talk.
“Oh. It… feels nice.” Her voice was the barest whisper.
“Finally, something about me that does not scare you.” He kept his tone to an even, soft tone. The blend of their quiet voices was intimate. Arousing.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Hahn winked. “Give it time and no part of me will intimidate you, Sash.”
“Is that fact, or wishful thinking on your part?”
“Both.”
“Why did you call me that?”
“What?”
“Sash. There’s an A at the end of my name. It’s Sash-a.”
“I know. I prefer my way.”
A noise came from outside. He went still, indicating that she should be quiet. Soft rustling in the sand sounded not far from them, the scuffling of footsteps indicating two Meshuuks were walking around. Their strong, musk-like scent filled the cocoon. Sasha wrinkled her nose. Her chest hitched and held against his side. Aware of every small twitch and contraction of her body, he slowly realized that he’d cupped her ass with one hand and was holding on tight. He wanted to knead the full, soft mound with his fingers, but he held still. So still.
If only his cock would understand and listen.
The only benefit of having the enemy shuffling around was that they hadn’t gone to find the other humans yet. Time ticked on to the monotone of bog boots moving around in the sand. They got close to the cocoon, but never close enough. Finally, the footfalls receded. After some time had passed, Hahn relaxed and quickly moved his hand from Sasha’s rear. Her eyes flared at him.
“I’m going to check.”
Her palms went up in surprise as he edged himself half on top of her so he could lift the edge of the cocoon. Darkness met his eyes. The fire was out, only massacred embers left with a dying glow. Focusing his strong hearing on his surroundings, Hahn finally felt confident the creatures were gone. He moved back and tossed the fabric off them, then used his scanner to search the area. The Meshuuks were pinged, moving away from their location. The Threv was in the other direction, with the compound between them.
They had to hurry.
“We have to go.”
He helped Sasha to her feet. She was silent and he was thankful for it so he could assess the surroundings and keep his mind focused on the task at hand. They had to climb out of the basin. Somehow.
Using the scanner, he looked for any change in the terrain that could be used to their advantage. A few meters to their left was a rock formation. Using a thin beam of light from his comlet, he led Sasha there and found several large chunks of compacted sand, not unlike a rock. Yet when he stepped on one, it dissolved beneath his foot. They’d have to pick their way carefully.
They didn’t have time for careful. With a silent curse, he began to pick his way.
“Put your feel exactly where I place mine,” he whispered to Sasha. Pointing the light between them so they both had a view was difficult and she often got the worse end of it as he climbed. She didn’t complain. Tight on his heels, she placed her foot the moment he removed his. He was nearly to the top when the surface beneath his left foot gave way. His body jolted down, his foot slamming into Sasha. She grabbed the formations, managing to hang on as he righted himself.
He wanted to chastise her for being so close, yet if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be able to see.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. You?”
Her soft affirmation filled him with relief. She could have gone sliding all the way back down, ending up in the inky bottom. But she didn’t. She’d hung on despite his foot slamming into her. Hahn pulled himself to the surface and swung around on his knees, reaching a hand to her. Her warm grip wrapped around his wrist. He hauled her up in one sw
ift motion.
She brushed herself off. “Where to now?”
“This way.” He pointed the scanner in the correct direction and let it guide the way. Grateful to once again have some light from the night sky, he kept his senses high as he trotted steadily across the desert. Sasha kept up with him wordlessly, effortlessly. He increased his pace and she matched him, until they were both running evenly. She breathed hard, but neither of them stopped. His pulse kicked up when he saw the Threv glow at the end of his light. It hadn’t even been a full rotation since he’d left her, but it felt like forever.
He skidded to a stop beside the buried craft and used the light to search for tracks or sign that any other lifeforms had been here. Seeing nothing, he lifted the side hatch and waved Sasha ahead of him, slipping inside after her and lowering the door.
His muscles relaxed some at the familiarity of the cabin.
“This is your ship?” Sasha turned to look at him.
“Isn’t she a beauty?”
She rolled her eyes again. “You’re telling me even aliens dudes are in love with their cars?”
He frowned. “This is not a car. The Threv-beta is a synthetic neuron powered-”
She waved him off with a laugh. “Okay, okay. I get it. What are we looking for?”
“I’m looking for the Faze 2. You’re looking for a way to earn forgiveness for suggesting my Threv a car.”
Her soft laugh filled the cabin. It was sweet, nice. Checking the comms at the control panel, he anticipated seeing something from Axxeon 9. An acceptance of his transmission, a reply, something. But there was nothing. Nothing had gone through even in the calm of the storm.
“Can I ask you something?”
Disappointed, Hahn moved to the compartment above the captain’s seat that held small weapons. “Yes.”
“Why are you really here? I know you said you were just cruising around or whatever. But I have the feeling there’s more to it.”
He gave her a quick glance. “I was on a scouting mission and I got sucked into the storm.”
“I know. You said that. What were you scouting for?”
