by Belle Harper
“Now I am away, I miss my world. But I have no one to miss. No one to miss me. I’m all alone with no one to care for me.”
I watched as his blue eyes flicked to mine and his words and expression made my throat tight. Catching the words in my throat, which was now thick with emotion. His hair is such a dark shade of blue that I wanted to reach out and stroke it. It was shaggy and covered his eyes at times. When it did, I gave myself free reign to look over his hot body and take it all in.
“You are not alone. Here…” I waved one of my hands around. “You have me. You have the clan. I never had someone to care for me, miss me when I’m gone. I was all alone like you. Then I met Marin and Zurcov, they’ve showed me what it was to have someone care for you, love you.
“I always wanted to travel when I was young also. I imagined a knight in shining armor would come to rescue me and take me far away to live in a castle.” The translator really struggled with that one and I laughed.
“It was a fairytale. An old story of a warrior who comes to rescue the female, and take her to live in his… hut.” I laughed again. Hut wasn’t the right word, but out here it fit.
“I like this warrior rescue story. It is similar to what the females on Zalli wished for with their fated mates. Marin and Zurcov have already come to be your warriors… they saved you from the bad Aashi”
He was referring to my story of how I escaped Clan Haalyn, who wanted to kill Marin. I put the terrible attempt of the blanket I was making down and watched as it slowly unraveled. Not caring at all, because Sanza was more important. His head was now hanging low. His hair hiding his eyes so I moved closer, I placed my hand on his bare thigh, just below his shorts closer to his knee. This was the second time I ever touched him and he felt nice.
His face turned slightly to see where I touched him, and I was worried he would be upset at the contact, push me away. But he surprised me. He placed his large hand gently on top of mine. His palm was rough, you could tell he worked with his hands.
“Sometimes people don’t need a warrior to rescue them the same way others do. Some just need a friend, someone to miss them when they aren’t around. Someone they can’t wait to see every morning, think about funny stories they want to tell them and make them laugh. Because hearing them laugh makes you feel like you are a warrior to them, like you have rescued their happiness.”
His eyes found mine, and I gave him a sad smile. I couldn’t stop myself, I wanted to help him, I wanted him to not feel so alone here, but he still did. I was sad for him and all he’d lost. He didn’t say anything for a while. He kept holding my hand and studying me. Then he broke the silence.
“I had never thought of it that way… I always thought I had to be strong and prove myself to others, that I was to be the warrior. But Elle, you have made me see this in a different light. You are very smart, caring and funny.” I blushed and tried to move my face so he wouldn’t see. But he reached out and cupped my jaw in his warm rough palm.
“I realize now…” he began as I bit my lower lip at his closeness, his eyes following the movement.
“Elle, you are my warrior.”
My lip popped free, I was his warrior. I didn’t even think. I moved in and pressed my pink lips to his blue ones. Hoping that he would kiss me back and that this wasn’t a one sided thing. After those words, he must feel the same. He pulled me closer and I sighed as he kissed me back. My mouth parted and I felt his tongue sweep in, god he was an amazing kisser. I got so lost in the feel of his lips and the taste of him on my tongue, that I almost jumped when someone called out.
“Meeting is on.” Luna called out, and I moved back see Sanza’s face. He licked his lips and I almost moaned at the sight. I bet Luna saw us… I didn’t care. I wanted to see where this would go, it might be just a crush… or it might be more. All I knew was that I had feelings for him and wanted to see where this went.
I looked up into his blue eyes and ran my finger over his bottom lip. So soft. I dropped my hand back to his thigh and let out a deep breath. I needed to calm myself down before going to the meeting. I was a little worked up from that kiss.
“We better go to the meeting, K’Tem was very insistent I be there.” I nodded to Sanza but I had no idea how I was going to concentrate after that kiss.
Chapter Seventeen
Elle
A meeting had been arranged in the clan today, apparently K’Tem was going to speak to us about something. I had asked Jessica earlier if she knew what it was about, but she wasn’t sure, “I’m as clueless as you all.” She told me.
So, I made my way over with my two mates. After a little adventure earlier with them both… then the kiss just then with Sanza, I was on cloud nine. I sat next to the girls, they were all chatting and giggling. It was so nice, but it felt a little like we were back in high school though. Waiting on the teacher to come to class.
“So, who had a good day today in the woods?” Jessica asked looking at me and I stilled for a moment. Her eyes flashed to Brooklyn then Hadley. Huh? did she see me and the guys? No... no way. She must have seen me kissing Sanza.
“Huh?” Brooklyn glanced over to Jessica, her big brown eyes wide with questions. She then shook her head. “Oh, no I didn’t go in the woods today, I was…ah, I was at my hut most the day. Pregnancy sickness… and other things.” The pink crept up her cheeks and I knew what she’d been up to.
Just like I had been up to in the woods. Jessica nudged her shoulder and Brooklyn giggled. She has so many mates and they love to please her every chance they had.
“Well, that leaves two…” Luna from me to Hadley. Oh shit, they did know someone was having fun in the woods and don’t seem so impressed. Fuck, I looked to Hadley who looked to me.
“Oh, it’s like that is it?” Quinn laughed, we gave ourselves away. Wait, was Hadley in the woods to? Maybe it was both of us, but which one really got caught? I just played it cool and didn’t say a word. I didn’t think they would understand it. This thrill I felt of being watched, or caught… it had been different since Hadley got her own hut and moved out and I just wanted to experience that same thrill. It wasn’t the same, but it was hot.
“I’m all for getting it on in heat of the moment, I just keep finding myself as a third wheel to an uninvited threesome. How about we move the outdoor show a little further away?” Jessica said watching me then Hadley.
I wanted to say, “You would have been the fourth wheel. Zurcov was there too… he was standing watch and jerking himself off.” But then it would have really implicated myself and I didn’t think they would understand my new kink. So, I nodded to Jessica, but still didn’t admit to anything. When they weren’t looking, I snuck a smile to Hadley, and I could see the grin on her face that she’d tried to hide. I stifled a chuckle. She’d definitely been fucking in the woods.
Vallyn stood up and introduced K’Tem to the clan… like no one knew who he was. I hid my giggles at that. K’Tem stuck out… just like Sanza. Everyone knew who he was. But Luna saw me and I straightened up, hiding my giggles with a small cough.
“Clan Wolf, as you all know I am K’Tem, mate to Jessica.” He started.
I wasn’t good with meetings, I kind of drifted off in thought often. It was probably why I was fired from my last job at a call center. I really wanted to just work with animals. It was my dream to be a Veterinarian, although that was squashed with the fact that I had bad grades. So, I dreamt of being a veterinarian nurse. I wanted to comfort the animals more than operate on them. I just didn’t have the time and resources to study. I’d had to work full time to keep food on the table and the lights on. Which went off more times than I could count.
My whole life I’d wanted a dog, a cat and a bird. But where I’d lived, I couldn’t have any pets and it wouldn’t have been fair to them either. I could barely afford to eat myself. I couldn’t afford to look after a dog. So that’s why I’d volunteered at the shelter downtown. Even though being a volunteer was rewarding, it didn’t put food in my bel
ly. And after I was fired, I’d struggled to find steady work.
That was how I ended up applying to be here, and wait… K’Tem was still going, I looked up at him and pulled on some purple grass, “Were illegal in the Universal Federation.” Huh? That’s the people who brought us here, like with the M’Mori. What was illegal. I should have paid more attention.
“The mines have poisoned your water. The aket has seeped into the underground water supplies. This causes anyone who drinks to become infertile over time.”
I sat up, what the fuck did he just say? I heard him loud and clear that time.
“What the fuck,” Luna muttered from behind me. I reached down to my bubba growing in my belly, would the water hurt him? I looked to the others all with their hands on their bellies. This wasn’t good news, this was bad.
When K’Tem added, “Infertile… not be able to have kits.” for the Aashi to understand.
All the Aashi males were mad, calling out, threats to the M’Mori and the like. Shit what can we do about this?
“But wait, wouldn’t the Federation people stop this?” I asked. How are they letting this happen? They must know it was killing the Aashi… why else would they need more females to reproduce for them. He didn’t know what was going between the Federation and the M’Mori.
“… the Aashi race is slowly dying out. More rapidly now than ever.”
His words rang over in my head, dying out. They sent us here and it wasn’t going to get better. We were a peace offering to the Aashi from the M’Mori. So that the Federation would turn a blind eye to what they were doing to the people here. That was my theory on all of it.
It was the only theory that made sense. Shut up the locals until they are dead and they could have all the dumb rocks to power all their spaceships. Stealing people like Sanza from his planet and killing his family all in the name of power. Literally for aket to power the spaceships that they kidnap them from. This was all fucked up.
I watched Sanza and he seemed irritated. I wanted to hug him, but my mates swept in concerned for our baby and me. K’Tem kept talking but all I could think about was how my life seemed to have been going right for the first time. And now this… was my luck that bad?
Chapter Eighteen
Marin
We had mated in the early mornings fog, but it wasn’t our usual mating. Elle was not herself after the news of yesterday. The M’Mori were killing us… slowly. Making it so we couldn’t have kits, I was worried about my people. I kept turning this news over my head until my mate had stripped and was in the bathing pool. Zurcov was with me, we’d decided our mate needed both of us today.
We were to be moving the clan, Vallyn had said we would be leaving this place to find soemhwere away from the mines, where they were contaminating our water. But I didn’t know when we would leave.
“Do you think we will leave this week?” I asked Zurcov. We had both done well out in the free lands with Hadley, Vetok and Jaka. With so many it might take time to move and it would be much safer for Elle when we were all together as a group.
“I don’t know, maybe K’Tem has more answers, there he is with Jessica.” Zurcov pointed him out to me, and it was easy to spot him. Today he wore a cloth like the other Aashi. I started to walk towards him when K’Tem removed his cloth. My eyes widened. He wished to bath with my mate?
All the girls froze and watched as. K’Tem stood in only two feet in and removing his little loin cloth. Jessica swiftly moved to cover him before he completely exposed himself to my mate. K’Tem quickly retreated from the water, the look on his face was too funny not to laugh. He didn’t know our ways.
I moved back to stand next to Zurcov, he laughed at K’Tem. “He was trying to bath with the females. That would have been funny to see.” I shook my head and laughed. I was sure the females would have told him to get out.
K’Tem was now speaking to Axoh, I would speak to him after. Maybe they were making plans. I wouldn’t want to be trying to organize so many Aashi to move at once. I was happy to just continue in what I had been doing. Helping out with hut building, some warrior duties. I was trying them all out until I found what I wanted.
Zurcov stood and clapped my shoulder. “I will go start breakfast for our mate and meet you at the feast table.” I nodded and quickly called out.
“Oha, don’t forget some or she will have an upset tummy again.” Elle was still feeling sick in the mornings from the kits. She liked oha. It made her not vomit as much. She needed to keep all her food down to grow strong kits.
“Can you hear that, Makee?” I looked up to where Jessica spoke to the mute mate of Brooklyn. Hear what? I looked and saw Elle watching Makee and that was when I saw the dark swallow the sun, high above the tree canopy was a large dark shadow.
“M’Mori fleet ship,” K’Tem called out and I didn’t know what that meant, but I heard the worried tone in his voice and recognized that this wasn’t a good sign. I dove into the water, I didn’t care that I hated to be submerged in water, I needed to get my mate out of there. She needed to be taken to safety.
But where would it be safe if they were above us. Loud screaming from the females as their mates also rushed them out of the bathing pools.
“Intruder alert,” was called out through the trees in Aashi and the Human language, male warriors were dropping out of their trees and running with us now. Elle gripping my neck tightly as I carried her towards the table, I knew Zurcov was setting up for her. I didn’t know what to do, I should have known. I was first mate. But I needed Zurcov, we both did. He would know what to do.
K’Tem had told us the M’Mori were here because the people who should be protecting us were just as bad as the M’Mori. They had also found out that he was here with us… and Sanza. That they had escaped the M’Mori and were now with Clan Wolf.
My Elle had just kissed Sanza for the first time yesterday. Zurcov had told me. She didn’t speak to us about it, so we didn’t mention it last night. We weren’t sure if she was to take him as a mate or not, so we didn’t want to interfere with what they were doing.
K’Tem stood in front of us once again. “Clan Wolf. My brother has informed me that the has tried to speak with the federation. They are not good people like the M’Mori who have come here, I don’t know why. If it is to kill me and Sanza, or if it is to attack the clan? Or any reason.”
“So, we need to go now.” Vallyn responded to K’Tem’s speech,. “Clan Wolf, you all know your roles. This will make things easier for us as we travel. We must protect the whole clan.”
I felt relief at his words. I had feared he would send Sanza to the M’Mori. I would have stopped him, or at least done the best I could for my small size. Vallyn wasn’t that much larger, only he had the whole clan who would side with him.
Vallyn had everyone running to their jobs. The ground warriors were who I had just started with the day before, and we were tasked with pulling down huts so we could move the material with us.
“No, no… we need to leave.” Elle begged as I handed her to Zurcov to help the ground warriors take down a hut closest to me. Some of the females screamed when the spaceships made a loud sound and I froze, looking up at them.
K’Tem believed they had come for him and Sanza.
Chapter Nineteen
Elle
We were fleeing, there were so many spaceships up there. I didn’t know what was happening. We girls had finally got through to the guys that we need to leave everything and run. These were things we could build again. Our lives were worth more than the hut we were trying to save. Koh and his group could build a new one in three days. I wasn’t going to let someone give up their life so we could spend three less days building a hut.
I was worried for Sanza and K’Tem who couldn’t travel through the trees. I kept watch on them below. Marin had been carrying me, now Zurcov. They were a little slower than the clan. Keeping pace with Sanza as if they knew I needed to see him, I needed to see that he would be okay. We hadn’t spoken s
ince the kiss yesterday and I really wanted to speak to him. See where this was going between us. But that would have to wait for when we get to the mountains that K’Tem’s brother told us about.
We had stopped for the night. Zurcov handed me to Marin who stood on a large tree branch which had been widened.
“They have built some platforms for the females. This one is big enough for you and another female.” Marin explained when I was confused by what I was seeing. He sat and opened his legs, I nestled my back against his chest and ended up snuggled on my side. He stroked me with his tails.
“Sanza is okay, he is making camp down below.” I sighed, happy to hear that. I hoped with so many warriors in the trees, that if any M’Mori were to sneak in they would have time to warn them. The spaceships seemed to have gone, or I wasn’t sure, but I hadn’t seen them for a while. I hoped they were gone for good.
“Do you wish to sleep beside Elle?” I looked over at the mention of my name. It was Tomlee. Jessica’s newest mate.
“We have room,” I offered. She looked so worried about K’Tem and well we had one thing more in common… I was worried about Sanza. The only two who couldn’t climb trees. Well… apart from us of course. Tomlee sat beside us and Jessica did the same as I had, curling into him. Held in his arms just as I was wrapped in Marin’s arms.
“I’m exhausted and I haven’t even done anything but be carried. I kinda wish I could have slept while I was being carried, but there was too much jostling,” I said to Jessica to help keep her mind off the two special guys down below. I yawned and she did too.
