Alien Explosions

by Sadie Carter

  Moroco sent her a little nod. Great, now she had his approval for being a good little pet.

  Woof-woof.

  A door opened down the other end of the room and four other Sky Warriors walked in. She should have asked Moroco more questions about them. Like where their weak spot was and how to kill them.

  Useful things like that.

  “You brought the pet?” one asked. Well, it was more like a grumble.

  She guessed he was the leader.

  The one who had escorted them here nodded. “She is hungry.”

  Another one gave her the once-over. This time, she was only too pleased to drop her gaze. These guys gave her the creeps.

  The one she thought was the leader looked over at Moroco. “Does it need to be fed often?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about water? Toileting?”

  Toileting? Really?

  “It needs water regularly to survive and toilets the same as I do.”

  The Sky Warrior made a snorting sort of sound. “Sounds like a lot of work. Do you require a cushion for it?”

  “Yes.”

  One of them moved from the room.

  A cushion? Why? Was that a dig at her height because they didn’t think she’d be able to see over the edge of the table once she was seated? But wait, there were only six table settings and seven of them counting her and Moroco.

  Was someone going to put another setting out for her?

  The one who had left returned with a large gray cushion in his hands. Seemed to be the color of choice around here. He pulled out a chair then dropped the cushion on the ground. Moroco moved forward and sat then pointed at the cushion at his feet.

  “Kneel pet.”

  Oh hell no. That was just going too far.

  Moroco was aware that he was too tense and forced himself to relax. As though he did not have a care.

  As though he hadn’t been kidnapped, wasn’t being held by a group of deadly, ruthless Sky Warriors. And that he wasn’t responsible for keeping Saffron safe. This is why he had been keeping his distance from her. The last thing he wanted was responsibility for a fragile female. To hold her life in his hands.

  He quickly glanced back at her, saw the way her face reddened as she fought the urge to tell them all exactly what she thought. He knew he was asking the near-impossible of Saffron. She was not used to guarding her words or following orders.

  Moroco readied himself for what might come. If she exploded, he had to be prepared. Because there was no way he would allow anyone to harm her.

  It was only because he was responsible for her that he cared. He would look after any female that he found herself in this position with. Not that he could imagine being in this position with another woman.

  Most women, he was certain, would be crying by now. They would demand he take care of them.

  They wouldn’t kneel at his feet without a word.

  A sigh of breath escaped him. Then he glanced around sharply to make certain no one else heard, but they were all too busy grabbing at the food being placed on the table. Their manners were atrocious. Food flew between them, each of them snatched at it, tearing into it like animals.

  A hand slipped around his calf and squeezed. He glanced at Saffron but she kept her head down so he couldn’t tell if she was scared or mad.

  He was betting on the latter.

  Two of them reached for the last piece of food on one of the platters and a fought broke out. A sharply barked order from their leader calmed things, then he looked over at him.

  “Aren’t you eating?”

  Eating? He thought it was a feeding frenzy. But he bit back that response and nodded, reaching out to place some of the food that was left on his plate. In truth, he wasn’t really hungry anymore, but he knew he needed to feed Saffron. The human body needed nutrition. She couldn’t go long periods without taking in sustenance as he could. He drew apart something that looked to be some sort of meat and held it down to her.

  There was a moment of hesitance then she reached a hand up. He drew the food back quickly. “Take the food from my hand, pet.”

  He honestly didn’t want to push her, but he couldn’t be seen as weak or indulgent right now. He had to gain the respect of these ruthless warriors. He had to appear strong or they might just decide to take his pet for themselves.

  Although they’d be getting a whole lot more than they bargained for.

  He almost smiled at the thought as she delicately pulled the meat from his fingers without touching him. It would almost be worth the grief she would give them. If he knew they wouldn’t harm her.

  He fed her slowly, making certain he also ate so it wouldn’t look like he was taking care of her needs before his. It went against his every instinct. Her needs should come first. Her safety. Her health. Despite her bravado, she was still a delicate female who needed care.

  “Your pet requires a lot of care,” the leader said. The others didn’t say much of anything, sometimes speaking in their own language but otherwise ignoring him.

  “Yes. She is new.” Hopefully that would explain why she didn’t immediately jump to do his bidding.

  “I thought as much.” The leader leaned over to study her. “Do you use it for your pleasure?”

  He felt Saffron stiffen beside him. Please don’t let her speak. They were almost through this ordeal.

  “No.”

  The leader seemed surprised. “No? Then what is the point of having it? It is too small to be a service pet, it requires much care, it is not particularly attractive, if you cannot use it for pleasure then what is the point?”

  “I did not know Zerconians kept pets,” another said suspiciously.

  Stars! He was losing them.

  “She can be used sexually. We have not reached that stage yet. I must…prepare her to take me.”

  That sounded plausible.

  The leader nodded. “She is small.”

  He turned to the other one who spoke. “Most Zerconians do not take pets. But I am not your typical Zerconian.”

  “Where is it from?” the leader asked.

  “Earth. She’s human.”

  He could feel Saffron growing tenser by the minute with their conversation. He really needed to get her out of here before she exploded.

  He hid a grimace as he realized all the anger building inside her was going to be aimed at him.

  “Human? I have heard of them. I had heard they were a primitive race. I can see now that the rumors were true. They are rather inconsequential and are obviously poor fighters if they let their females be taken for pets. Or do their own males keep the females as pets as some races do?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  Saffron’s hold on him grew tighter and he knew he had to end this dinner. Now.

  “Might I check on your packmate before I retire for the night?”

  The leader nodded, still staring down at Saffron, who thankfully kept her head lowered. Then he said something in his own language. One of the others stood and came around to him. “Brogan will show you the way.”

  Moroco stood and waved his hand at Saffron. “Come pet.”

  “Leave her.”

  He turned to the leader. “What?”

  “Leave her. Acton will return her to your quarters.”

  “We need bathing facilities,” he said to delay things while he tried to think up some way of insisting that Saffron stay with him without appearing worried.

  “You need?”

  Stars. Wrong word to use.

  But he’d started this now. So he firmed his shoulders. “There is nowhere to relieve or wash ourselves in that room.”

  The leader turned to one of the others who nodded. “Fine. You may have new quarters with bathing facilities. See how accommodating I can be?”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  “Now you will see to my packmate. And you will ensure that you are doing everything to ensure his health, are we understood?” His voice had grown colder, firmer.
>
  “Of course, I would do the same for any of my patients,” he replied, feeling slightly offended at the implication that he wouldn’t do his absolute best.

  Saffron placed her hand against his back, a subtle touch but he knew it was a warning to tread carefully.

  “But you will attend to our packmate with more care and attention, will you not?”

  “As long as my pet and I are treated well then I have no reason not to.”

  Stars. He’d gone too far now. He could see it in the coldness in the leader’s eyes. The way he’d grown completely still, as though getting ready to pounce. Then he smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.

  “You know, I might actually like you under different circumstances.” Moroco relaxed slightly. That didn’t sound like he was about to lose his head. “But these are not different circumstances, so tread very carefully, Zerconian.”

  “Moroco.” He cleared his throat as Saffron made a slight noise. Yes, he knew he should probably remain quiet now. But he didn’t want to leave her alone with these warriors so he was doing everything he could to delay that. Including risking his continued good health.

  “What?”

  “My name is Moroco.”

  The leader just grunted then waved his hand. “Go. See to Marcun. We will ensure your pet remains healthy.”

  Stars. He knew he didn’t have much choice but to leave her. But it felt like he was being torn in two. Fear for her filled him, fueling his protective instincts and sending them into overdrive. He didn’t know if he had ever felt this protective over anyone. Including Fancia.

  Determined to check on Marcun as quickly as possible, he moved faster, almost overtaking the warrior.

  The sooner he returned to Saffron, had her under his watchful protection, the better.

  He just hoped she stayed out of trouble. Oh stars. Saffron stay out of trouble? That was like wishing for a cure for mating madness.

  Never going to happen.

  Crap. She was in trouble.

  She kept her gaze down, knowing it was probably better that she kept playing the part of the subservient little pet.

  Oh, but it was hard. Really hard.

  Besides, with her head down it meant that they couldn’t see her facial expressions. She was bound to give herself away. Hard to act obedient when you’re spitting mad. She just hoped Moroco would be okay, she knew he hadn’t wanted to leave her. That helped somewhat to ease the fear she felt as he’d walked away. She had no right to feel abandoned. It wasn’t like they really meant something to each other. And he hadn’t truly abandoned her. He was coming back.

  He better come back. Because if he didn’t, she’d hunt him down and teach him that pissing her off was something he really, really didn’t want to do.

  “Look at me.”

  Shit. Fuck. She’d hoped they’d just do what they said they would and return her to that drab, dreary room. What to do? What would Moroco want her to do?

  Keep calm. Do what they want.

  It was almost as if she could hear his voice in her head. That low, gravelly tone that sent pleasure rushing through her body.

  So she raised her head and stared up into the face of the one who did most of the speaking. It was becoming easier to tell them apart. There were subtle differences, nothing major, but once you knew to look for them they were there. The leader had a hint of green in his blue eyes. The one to his right had a larger nose. The one to the left of the leader had a scar on his right cheek. She couldn’t see the one behind her and she wasn’t turning to look.

  She met the blue-green gaze of the leader, trying to keep her face calm. To show none of the fear beating through her.

  His gaze narrowed. “As I thought. You are no pet, are you? Tell me. Why did you lie?”

  Oh shit. Seemed like that had been a test. One she had failed spectacularly. What to tell them?

  “No. I’m not.”

  Yeah, that probably wasn’t the best thing to go with. She could have claimed ignorance. Could have reminded them that she was just new to this. Instead, she’d gone with the truth.

  Just wonderful, Saffron.

  “You both lied to us. Why?” The Sky Warrior’s voice had dropped an octave, his face twisting into a scowl.

  “Because Moroco was trying to protect me.” It was a weird feeling, having someone look out for her. She didn’t need someone to watch out for her. And yet…right now she would give anything not to be alone. To have him next to her. Because when he was next to her, she felt safe.

  This was crazy. She couldn’t trust him. She didn’t trust anyone but Sophie. But she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. So far, everything he had done was to protect her. She shook her head. Who would have known that the man who infuriated her so much would also be the only man she might ever possibly trust?

  “Protect you? Why? You cannot tell me you are his mate?” There was a slight sneer to the words, a hint of disbelief.

  Insulting asshole. Why couldn’t she be his mate?

  Um, Saffron, focus.

  Right.

  “I’m not his mate. But we don’t have to be mates to be fuck buddies.”

  “Fuck buddies?” The leader looked over at the others who all shrugged. “What is a fuck buddy?”

  “Someone you have sex with but have no emotional attachment to.”

  “Sex?”

  “Wow, this is like teaching a bunch of third graders about the birds and the bees.”

  “Birds and bees? We are not speaking of animals.”

  “No, we’re talking about sex.”

  “Sex?” he asked again.

  She let out a deep sigh and rubbed at the headache forming in her temples. “Lord give me strength. Ah, I don’t know what you guys call sex. Not fucking. Screwing. Doing the ugly. Come on, Saff, think. Joining! Is that what you call it, joining?”

  They just looked at her.

  “You know, when part a gets inserted into part b.” She used her fingers to demonstrate, rather crudely. “That’s assuming you have a part a.” Kind of hard to tell what was under all that armor they wore.

  “I call that fun,” the one with the scar commented.

  She stared at him. Okay, she had not pegged these guys for having a sense of humor, but then seeing as he’d said that with a completely serious face, maybe it wasn’t humor. Perhaps that’s what they really did call it.

  “And yes, we have a part a,” Big Nose said.

  “More than one,” Scar added.

  The one behind her remained silent, which was kind of creepy, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off the others to look at him.

  “More than one. Holy shit, Batman.” She gaped at them. “All right. Well, however you like to have your fun. You know what I’m talking about, right? We call it fucking. So fuck buddies are friends you have fun with.”

  “Fucking is fun?” the one that told her he called it fun said.

  “Yes. Fucking is fun.”

  “Fucking is fun,” another repeated.

  “Right.” This really was the most bizarre conversation she’d had and she’d thought talking to Moroco was confusing.

  “And that’s what I do with Moroco. I have fun. But nothing more.”

  “Nothing more?” the leader asked.

  “Well, we’re not mated.” She didn’t want to make it sound like he didn’t care about her, though, remembering Moroco was worried they might get rid of her or separate them if they thought she wasn’t important to him. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t care about each other. It’s just not a lifetime commitment.”

  “And this is common on your Earth?” Scar asked. “To be fuck buddies.”

  “I guess so.” She’d never had one so she couldn’t comment much from experience. “I think it’s hard for feelings to stay out of it though.”

  “In our experience, it is hard for females to engage in anything without bringing their feelings into the things,” Big Nose stated.

  “That’s a bit sexist. Sometimes it’s the male’
s feelings that get in the way of things, you know.”

  They just stared at her stonily.

  “Anyway, I guess Moroco thought it was safer for me to pretend to be his pet in case you didn’t understand, you know, that fuck buddies could mean something to each other.”

  Oh jeez, that sounded lame even to her ears.

  “You must be very good at this fucking,” the one behind her said, making her jump. Jesus, she’d almost forgotten he was there. As she turned side-on, carefully keeping the others in her sights, she found herself swallowing heavily as she took the last one in. Cold. Powerful. Mean. This one made the others seem practically cheerful.

  “I’m not sure about that,” she said lamely.

  Icy widened his eyes slightly. “If you were not, why would he bother with such a strange looking creature?”

  All right, she didn’t want to claim she was so great that they decided they wanted a test run to see if that was true. But he was right, why would someone as gorgeous as Moroco want her?

  “I think he feels more for her than he lets on.” It was Scar who made that observation.

  “What?” she asked sharply, letting out a nervous laugh. “That’s absurd.” Wasn’t it?

  They all spoke amongst themselves for a moment. She thought about pointing out how rude that was, but figured she’d probably talked enough. Moroco was going to kill her once he found out.

  That was assuming that these guys weren’t getting ready to do just that.

  Finally, Scar turned to her. “Come.”

  That was it? Come? As he walked away, she looked at the others but saw nothing on their faces to indicate what they were thinking. So she did the only thing she could think of, she started walking after Scar.

  “Human,” one of them called out. She turned. She wasn’t sure which of them had spoken, but she thought perhaps it was the leader, so she looked towards him.

  “Yes?”

  “Are all humans like you?”

  She frowned slightly. “What do you mean? Humans don’t all look alike if that’s what you’re asking. Many of them are more attractive than I am.”