by Piper Stone
“What happened? Did the rumble of the mountain set you free? There were cracks in several of the rocks, the area where my group was working almost crushed in the turbulence.”
As I’d suspected, now there was complete silence. Swallowing hard, I darted another look around the room. There were other pods, but they were all dark and from what I could see, the clear fronts cracked, silhouettes of alien bodies barely visible in the dim lighting. I walked closer, both horrified and disgusted at what I was seeing. “God. They’re all dead, aren’t they?” I didn’t think he would answer, and I was right. The bluish haze was just enough light I was able to move a few feet before the darkness became too oppressive.
While I’d had some medical training, this was way out of my league. Still, two of the three I was able to see clearly had died years before, the bodies little more than skeletons. However, the one closest to the beast’s pod couldn’t have been cracked for very long.
The beast’s eyes were closed, from what I could tell his skin more translucent than the creature who was very much alive. The worst part was the alien’s mouth was twisted in pain, his fingers attempting to break through the acrylic-like covering before he... died.
I was shaken at the realization of what had occurred. I wanted to see and fully comprehend exactly what had been done to these people. Something didn’t feel right, much like it hadn’t the entire trip. I felt like I’d been lured here, but why? Goosebumps popped along my arms, more from the nagging in my mind.
Whatever had happened had been horrific, his own people killed after being imprisoned beneath the Habitable Unit’s surface, the tons of rock likely the reason they hadn’t been able to transport back home.
Wherever the hell home was.
None of this made any sense. I’d heard of the possibility of aliens since I was a child reading stories, fear of the unknown palpable. I’d seen ancient movies, the creatures always represented as if they were our enemy, preparing to annihilate Earth, as well as every one of the outlying colonies. I could understand fighting them off even if the reality came true, but this was... atrocious.
“Will you at least tell me your name? I know you speak English. You’ve also read my mind. How?”
As before, he remained quiet.
“Look, you know my name. Please tell me yours. And if there is a light of any kind. That would be helpful.”
I heard nothing for a full minute then a slight rustle as the being came closer. I could see his hand was fisted and I shrank back.
“I am Draziak.” He twisted his hand then opened his fingers. The bright blue light was incredible, the glow floating upward in a pearlescent shimmer, golden flecks dancing all throughout. “Light.”
“That’s amazing. How can you do that?”
He shifted a few inches closer, opening up his other hand. The color was entirely different, a bold red, the sphere-like hue licking with flames. A weapon. No wonder the people from years before were terrified. They’d never seen anything like what Draziak or the others could do.
“Who are you, Draziak? Why are you here?”
“You will rest now, Anna-bel-la,” he instructed in his gravelly voice, his tone direct and the meaning without the chance for a compromise. The way he said my name was almost as terrifying at the creature himself.
Anna-bel-la.
My throat seized as the velvety tone of his voice wrapped around me like a warm blanket. He’d used my name exactly like in my dreams.
“I’m not going to rest, Draziak. I will find a way out of here and back to my people. You will not keep me as your prisoner.”
He sucked in his breath, a slight snarl curling on his lip. The silence was terrifying. I could see him processing what I was saying, reading aspects of my mind. I could almost feel him crawling inside, grabbing information I’d stored away, violating me. I shivered, backing toward the entrance. There was no place to run, no way to get away from him.
“Perhaps my people can help you but only if we can find a way out of his damn cave before another earthquake occurs.” I could see a change in him, as if being out of his prison restraints was finally kicking in. There was no doubt in my mind he was enraged, getting more so as the minutes ticked by. “I know you understand at least some of what I’m saying. Read my damn thoughts. I don’t understand any of this. Your presence doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“You were brought here for a reason,” he finally said, his voice low and guttural.
“By you?”
“By your own people.”
He allowed the words to sink in, the harshness of reality. The crazy thing was that I believed him, especially given at least a portion of what Sandra had told me was true.
“I have no idea why they would. I’m merely a geologist. My work is important, an attempt to right the wrongs created two hundred years before I was born.”
I could swear he was still studying me, debating whether or not he could trust me.
“Is there a way for you to go back to your planet, wherever that is?” I continued.
His breathing was once again ragged and as he walked closer to the fourth pod, he opened his hand, the stream of light lifting the shadows for a solid thirty feet.
Thirty feet of other pods.
Thirty feet of death.
“Your people are responsible for this carnage. They killed my kind. We came to this planet in peace, seeking refuge until we could repair our ship, time to heal our injured from a great war we’d fought. We asked for nothing else. The humans in charge lied to us, providing food and shelter, teaching us about this outpost as well as the others. For a time, we were at peace. We absorbed your cultures, your languages. We studied humans, finally learning about your levels of entitlement as well as greed, but we remained true to our word, simply eager to return home. In turn, they stole from us; our technologies and our energy.”
What in the hell was he saying? My mind raced to everything I’d heard, the survivor who’d died after providing what must have been confidential information.
“Wait a minute, when did this occur?” I didn’t want Sandra’s story to be real, but I was beginning to believe in the possibility.
“In your terms, eight years ago.”
“Jesus. Who are they, the people who did this to you?” I asked, trying to fathom his story. If this was true, the people involved certainly had equipment and intelligence to be able to rival such a powerful species. His rendition meshed with the timeframe. No. No. I couldn’t get over the question of why, unless Draziak’s people threatened whoever was responsible. I was even more wary, the clenching fear returning.
Even if the commanding officer of the outpost had gone nuts years before, what made him believe he could get away with murdering an entire group of... aliens?
He hissed as he ran his hand down one of the pods, his fingers flexed open as he positioned them against the acrylic. “Men of your government, but there was one man entirely responsible.”
“I... don’t know what to say. What did you do to them?”
“Nothing. We were not at war with your species.”
Now I was forced to admit that whatever Sandra’s father knew was obviously the truth, the stories embellished to seem unreal in case whatever they were hiding was discovered. While I wanted to believe the government wouldn’t cover up such a horrific story, I knew better. The Earth Federation couldn’t allow humans to learn of a project like breeding either. All hell would break loose. “I’m sorry, Draziak, but every human isn’t a monster. I find everything you’ve told me difficult to believe. Just doesn’t make sense.”
“Those we’d come to trust began to interrogate us, testing us like animals. By then, many of my fellow soldiers were so weak that they were unable to fight back. A mysterious illness took so many more. Now I know that we were ceremoniously being exterminated.”
I shuddered hearing the words, unable to fathom what they must have gone through. “What did they want?”
“Power.”
“To what, rule the world? If what you say is true, why hasn’t this evil leader used what he learned to take over other planets?”
“I do not know.”
Why did I have the feeling he wasn’t telling me the entire truth? Then again, why would he dare trust me in any capacity? For all he knew, I was a plant. But why? Pieces weren’t making any sense. “How did you and the others end up in the cave?”
“My greatest warriors, men who fought for our planet during the most terrible wars were rounded up like cattle, brought to this godforsaken place and locked away.”
“Why here? Why this place in the middle of freaking nowhere?”
“Because we would not be able to make contact with our kind, asking for help. The rocks hindered our communication systems, even though they’d already been stripped of their capabilities. Another betrayal.”
My God. Had this actually happened?
“They were afraid another war would be started if your people found out what had occurred,” I half whispered.
“Yes, but they were wrong. The humans that you believe can offer help will stop at nothing to have me killed, to silence me, hiding what occurred all those years ago.” He turned to face me, his eyes reflecting the same anger I’d seen before. “And I believe you currently work for the man called the Scorpion.”
Scorpion. A glitch in my mind forced a tic in the corner of my mouth. I shrank back, placing my hand against my cheek. “That’s crazy. I’ve never worked for the government. If you’re talking about the man who runs this outpost, he has nothing to do with the reason I’m here with my colleagues. I have no idea who he is.”
“Hear me, human. I am Draziak Zecon of the Volkodan species from the planet Tretonia.”
My body began to sway, the realization that Sandra’s story was indeed true hitting me hard. He closed the distance, towering over me.
“Make no mistake, Anna-bel-la, I am still a warrior for my people. You are my prisoner. I will do with you as I want. I will take you as I hunger, feed on you when I thirst. And you will obey me, or you will be punished.”
The words lingered in the air, stilling in every manner.
“Why? I did nothing to you. Nothing.” I heard the unbridled anger in my voice even as another round of fear encapsulated my system. There was such vehemence in his tone, the brutality of what he’d been through surfacing in every syllable.
“Because you have what I need. You are the key, Anna-bel-la Caruso and you will help me find the person responsible for this atrocity. And trust me. He. Will. Die.”
Chapter Eight
Draziak
Humans.
Deadly. Vile. Wretched.
Including the female that I craved with everything deep inside my awakening system, boiling every drop of my blood from the raging desire continuing to build.
That’s exactly what I’d come to understand about the species. I rubbed my fingers across the deep scratch, hissing in her direction. I refused to use my abilities to heal such a ridiculous wound. I would wear it like a battle scar, a reminder that humans were just as dangerous as the Volkodans.
Landing on the volatile planet hadn’t been in my plans as commander of the battleship. I’d had years to recollect every minute since navigating into the planet’s atmosphere. We’d been on course, heading directly for our planet when all hell had broken loose. I would never forget the day of awakening, learning that we had no recourse but to crash on this blasphemous planet. We’d merely been passing by the particular solar system, a shortcut given our transport unit allowing us light speed had been damaged in the last attack. When every system had begun to fail, there’d been no other choice but to land.
Even our cloaking device had failed after smashing through the atmosphere, the crash landing only marginally controlled. Almost instantly, we’d been greeted by two hundred soldiers brandishing weapons, all prepared for battle.
Even though eight wretched years had passed, I would never forget the initial interrogations, my beloved people forced to endure a full week of being locked inside little more than a cage.
One meant for animals.
Then everything had changed, as if we’d been welcomed into society. If only I’d known the subsequent acts of kindness had been nothing more than a ploy.
Because of the Scorpion’s greed.
Hissing, the anger was flowing freely, my mind unable to place the entire series of events into perspective. Even my incarceration hadn’t altered my hunger for retaliation.
I’d once been convinced by others that humans were a species that we could learn from. I’d once allowed my guard to fall, accepting our forced visit to one of their secured outposts, learning from another culture so far removed from ours. Now I only wanted to exact revenge. What I’d told the human female had been a brief look at the six months spent on Bellenia, the friendly group who’d greeted us with questions and smiles turning into what I’d heard called zookeepers. We became nothing but animals to them, creatures to be inspected, dissected, and studied.
The various tests had been benign at first, nothing more than obtaining fluids. We’d been allowed to use their machines and technology to begin repairs on our ships. Several of their engineers had worked side by side with mine, aiding in the work needed. They’d merely been there to steal our technology. We’d complied without question. Then our injured had begun to die mysteriously. I’d been the one to discover the horrors of what they’d been put through, the vile scientific experiments performed all while they were still alive.
My entire system rattled from the rage I felt, heartache that would never cease.
I’d waited too long to determine that humans weren’t our friends as they’d purported themselves to be. In the end, the thirty warriors who’d been rounded up, shackled in chains had been dragged to this horrible place. Their scientists had believed they’d recreated our systems, capsules that would keep us alive indefinitely. They’d failed on several accounts, their inadequacies and greed ending the lives of our most powerful and well-trained warriors.
But I’d learned from years defending our planet to keep certain aspects of our world secret. While the Scorpion had taken the very item that was vital to my planet, he would never be able to use the energy source to its full capabilities. None of his beatings or his drugs had been able to break me.
Sadly, I refused to trust anyone else, including Annabella. My mind swirled with the same memories that had plagued me for years, the desire that had only increased with time. I also remembered that she’d volunteered for the sick portion of the Scorpion’s project—breeding. She had managed to entice me, drive me to near madness. A good little human soldier. Was she working closely with the Scorpion? I would find out.
She glared at me, folding her arms as her eyes opened wide. “Should I bow or salute you? A man of such importance should be exalted. Right? That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
As I’d come to expect, her defiance was something I would have to deal with. “What I want is your total obedience.”
The eerie quiet in the chamber was exacerbated until she laughed throatily. “You’re not going to get it.” When she turned away, a portion of me was incensed, more so than I’d experienced before.
I took two long strides in her direction, yanking her by the arm. The anger rushing to the surface was unusual. Riled by a female and a human no less. I lowered my head as I dragged her onto her tiptoes. “I claimed you.”
“That’s not how we handle things in the Federation.”
“That doesn’t matter to me, little human. There is no one coming to find you. There is no one who will care about you.”
“Except you?” she demanded, slamming her hand against my chest.
I’d had all I could take, my patience dragged to a minimum. My nostrils flaring from frustration as well as desire, I ripped at her clothing until I was able to cup her full breasts. I could see the lust in her eyes, the way she looked at me enshrouded in unbridled hunger. Even as she slap
ped at me, her mouth pursed, her breath skipping.
“I don’t want you,” she half whispered.
“I think you do.”
She twisted her mouth as I kneaded her nipples, her eyelids fluttering as I flicked my fingers back and forth. “No, I...”
“Tell me you long to have my cock buried inside your pretty pink pussy.”
Annabella shook her head, licking her lips. “I can’t. I won’t.”
Growling, I lowered my head, sucking on her tender bud as she clung to me, no longer trying to push me away. “Tell me.”
“I don’t understand. I just...” She tipped her head back, taking several shallow breaths as she fingered my arms, her entire body quivering. The moan slipping past her lips was a clear indicator that whatever our connection, it was unbreakable and necessary. Then she issued the single word, the only one I needed.
“Yes...”
I rubbed my lips to her other breast, taking my time to lick and bite down, enjoying the taste of her tender tissue in my mouth. She was so sweet, her fragrance intoxicating to the point I felt drunk.
There wasn’t a part of my body that didn’t feel like a live wire. I slid my hand between her legs, darting the tip of a single finger around her clit. I was a barbarian with regard to women, always taking exactly what I wanted, but a part of me wanted to please her.
To bring her to a climax.
I wrapped my hand around her neck, keeping her shaking body steady as I fingered her, swirling in circles and zigzags until a flash of heat rocketed through me. I plunged two fingers deep inside her pussy, pumping viciously.
“Oh, God.” She undulated her hips, jutting them forward as I thrust harder and faster. Her eyes were now glassy, her pupils dilated. I was rough, biting down on her nipple until she cried out in pain. I added a third and fourth finger, flexing all four open as I finger-fucked her like a crazed beast.
She dragged her nails down my arms, no longer fighting. When she finally shifted one hand down my chest, crawling in a slow and steady fashion, my balls tightened. I had to have her again. I required being inside of her.
