Stolen By An Alien Read online

  When one of the hobs shifted, my body tightened. A male’s vow may be sacred but I feared that only her hold on me kept my promise from being broken. Such violence I felt towards these interlopers.

  One of them began scooping up the precious metals and stones on the floor and filling a brightly colored satin pouch. I noted Angie’s stillness, and realized she was watching, captivated.

  “Typical female,” I tried to tease. I wasn’t very successful; my voice was still rough from the adrenaline and the slowly dissipating rage. But my female didn’t allow the opportunity to falter.

  “Come on. You seriously wouldn’t have been curious why a pile – a whole pile, Arokh – of jewels,” her voice had gone high pitched and oddly strained, as if the sight of the trinkets waiting for the taking pained her, “was sitting in an abandoned cave? Come on! It’s like Aladdin’s cave, or a pirate’s dream. A pile of treasure! Just sitting there! Crazy!”

  Though her words were strange, I understood her meaning. “It is the oldest trick there is.”

  “I guess it worked.” She pursed her lips. “Where I’m from, it'd be one heck of a find. I take it stones like that aren’t rare here?”

  Shaking my head, I answered. “They are rare. What they baited you with is worth a fortune.”

  She whistled. “Quite a risk. What if I’d managed to pocket some of it?”

  “They’d be overjoyed.” I grumbled.

  “Ha.”

  The hobs were listening intently, and the taller of the two stepped closer. “We would be honored if you’d accept them, princess.”

  The other one hefted the bag but didn’t cinch the pouch; the firelight caught the gleaming, shining, glittery mass and I could see why females never failed to be attracted. My arms tightened around Angie.

  “Huh?” Angie pulled one of her arms free from under mine and wiggled a tiny finger into her ear. Then she flicked her fingers against the translator’s base. “I must have misheard.”

  I folded my fingers over hers so that she could do no more damage to her ear. She threw me a lopsided, soft, smile.

  And the hobs smiled at her indulgently. Then they thrust the bag towards her. I felt myself relax slightly when Angie moved to clasp her hands behind her back in the miniscule space I'd allowed between our bodies.

  "Wow. Beautiful. But… no thank you. I couldn’t accept them.”

  The males were crestfallen.

  But not deterred. This was probably because they’d been prepared for such a gentle refusal in one of their courtship scenario drills, or whatever they did in the academy. I curled my lip.

  “We will continue to woo you then, princess.” They bowed.

  Angie made an alarming sound almost like her throat was having fits. “Woo… what?”

  One of them pulled out a gem that was almost as large as his palm. “Do you have a preference for colors?” He raised a brow. And grinned. “Or sizes?”

  I stiffened. How dare he-

  “Ummm…” Angie threw me a very anxious, very confused look. “What’s with the hard sell on sparklies?”

  My lips twisted. “These tyros have been using all their spare coin to buy themselves mating baubles. The males to amass the best hordes - with the largest stones,” I sneered thinking of the many pebble sized ones that filled out their pouch, “are most likely to win the favor of a female.”

  The other one quietly sputtered to his companion, “Tyros? Tyros!”

  “Oh that’s… that’s… very flattering…” she finished weakly. “Can we get out of this cave now?”

  “Whatever you desire.” The male patiently put his gem back in the bag.

  “Rakhii.” The grimmer looking one gave me a cool, measured look. “Just what were you planning to do to protect her while you fought in a gladiator battle?”

  My teeth ground together so hard they squeaked.

  His expression was sardonic as his gaze scanned my slightly scruffy-looking Angie. It burned that I hadn’t been able to offer her the level of care she deserved. “Can’t tell you how glad we are to see that the Gryfala you have been ‘guarding’ fared a little better than your GMS unit.”

  When my venom sacs swelled, Angie's small hand landed on my forearm, stalling me just enough for the other hob to decide he should play the role of peacekeeper. With a nod he said lightly, “We learned that you've been offering to challenge in exchange for reliable passage on a ship.”

  “Yes,” I hissed.

  “We are willing to extend safe passage to you as a reward for keeping this Gryfala …safe… here until we arrived.”

  I lunged. I was on top of the hob before he could react, my weight pinning him into the soft dirt and I’m not sure what I would have done to him if I hadn’t seen the second hob’s movement out of the corner of my vision. Instead of helping his fellow, he recruited my whole attention simply by advancing on Angie. Brilliant play. This adversary was not stupid.

  My plan to attack forgotten - as he’d known it would be - I leapt up, but instead of tackling this other hob, I had to open my arms to catch Angie, who was launching herself at me in order to avoid him. I felt her tremble against me. I stroked her hair and whispered soothingly.

  The interlopers were frozen, staring. It was obvious that they were stunned by the inconceivable fact that a Gryfala had just turned away two hobs to fling herself into the arms of a lowly Rakhii.

  “Tzads,” one cursed.

  The other said reasonably, “Careful, Rakhii. You are displaying so many warning signs of possession and aggression that it would seem you are in imminent danger of being broken.”

  “I’d guess that’s what that smell is too,” the other added.

  “Don’t you think I know that?” I snarled. Angie tried to fit herself to me even tighter. Her face was pressed into my chest, so her words came out muffled.

  “Broken? Is that like a euphemism for taking you out back and fuhking you up?”

  She peeked out to see we were all blinking at her.

  “Yeah, okay. All of you gaping at me isn’t uncomfortable at all.” She made a move to hide her head against my shoulder.

  “When a Rakhii develops an unhealthy attachment—“ the more insufferable hob began.

  “Can we discuss this on your rutting ship?” I cut in. “We’re ready to never see this planet’s surface again.”

  “You said it,” Angie breathed into my neck. My scales changed colors rapidly everywhere her breath fanned. I was only furious that the hobs saw this too.

  I lifted her and she gave what I felt was only a token protest. “Hellooo, I can walk.”

  Not ‘I’d rather walk’, or ‘Put me down, you presumptuous Rakhii’. No command meant I could interpret the situation for myself. So I nuzzled her head and spoke only for her ears. “Let me carry you, sweetling,” I murmured to her. While I am still allowed to, I added silently.

  As we headed out of the catacombs, I begrudgingly admitted – though only to myself – that I appreciated the protective presence at my back and our front. Finally, my Gryfala was being properly guarded and soon she would be standing on homeland, and she would be safe.

  I glanced over my shoulder and met the flinty cold stare of the gruff one.

  Yes. She would be reaching her planet safely.

  But the odds of me being at her side? Nominal.

  I’d be lucky if they didn’t literally kick me out of their ship’s cargo bay. While crossing deep space.

  18

  ANGIE

  Arokh carried me the whole way to the guys’ ship. As his boots thudded up the ramp, my heart began to beat faster, and my stomach began to twist. Everything happened quickly after we arrived. They shut the big door, did whatever they had to do to get the ship ready to go airborne, offered us refreshments (which I gobbled down with much delight – their snacks were the best thing I’d had since I’d been on earth) and we didn’t hit a snag until they wanted Arokh to leave me in a seat.

  Not that I was protesting about being safely
belted in. Not at all. It was more like how they were treating my alien that was getting my back up.

  “You may place her there. You will find the cargo bay has a strap for you to hold onto during takeoff.”

  “And if I pull on this strap, is it attached to a lever that conveniently sucks me out of airlock?” He snorted. “No. I will not be leaving my princess.”

  “Rakhii–“

  Enough of this. I held up a hand then pointed at nothing in particular. “Not. Happening.”

  The strangers froze, and it unnerved me how fast they both went from hostile whenever they addressed my alien to almost simpering whenever they faced me.

  Almost ingratiating.

  Adoring.

  Weeeird…

  I gave them both a hard look. “He stays.” Sheesh, look at me. Who was I to start toting out the orders? The guys’ spines had all snapped straight. I sighed and tried again. “Look, I’m with him. If you want him in the cargo bay, then we’re both going to this cargo bay.”

  "Unthinkable,” one countered. “Angie, it is understandable that you would develop an attachment to the adequate source of protection you found on the auction planet, but –“

  I spoke right over Arokh’s growl. “Adequate?” My head went back and I narrowed my gaze at the grumpier looking one. Dohrein, he’d informed me as he tried to feed me (right before Arokh snatched it from him so that he could be the one to feed me) was his name and he’d be deeply honored if I called him that.

  “You have no idea.”

  He bowed his head briefly. “I overstep – “

  “Yes you do!” I cut in. “NO IDEA. Look. I don’t know you. And from what I’ve seen, I don’t think you’re very nice.”

  Note to self. Pointing this out to the grumpier one did not make him look any less grumpy. And note to self, these two guys were getting us a ride out of here. Watch your tongue, self. You’re an idiot.

  I sighed. “Thank you for the ride. REALLY thank you. Big time. And if Arokh says we can trust you for a ride, then great. Kindly get us off this planet.” Oh! Manners, much? “Please!” I added. I pressed my palms together and tapped my thumbs to my breastbone. “Then we’ll go our separate ways.”

  The nicer one looked like he wanted to argue, so I turned my – again, narrowed – eyes to him and mentally sent a message to my eye lasers telling them to go from irritated to pulverizing.

  For once, my eye lasers might have actually been a thing because he shrank back and both guys acquiesced and began to move on with their ship prep. Begrudgingly, Arokh was offered one of the seats next to me.

  Bad situation averted for now, I took his hand, and turned my attention to our surroundings. The seats themselves were interesting. Mine was smaller than the rest, and actually, it was pretty close to perfect for my size. It was sort of in the center of the other seats, which seemed odd. Maybe this ship was equipped with a child’s chair, front-and-center? Strange place for a kid’s seat, but then again - aliens, so.

  The floor rumbled beneath our feet, and as the ship rocketed higher and higher, my ears popped with the pressure. My skin instantly felt tight all over. My head felt weird, like it was being squeezed in a vice. I was reminded of how I’d gotten airsick the time that I’d crossed the country by plane. It had sucked. With connecting flights going and returning, it had been a miserable set of experiences I’d promised myself never to repeat and plane passengers everywhere would be relieved if they never had to sit near a woman that rabidly grabs for their vomit bag after she fills her own.

  Oh, how I’d like to rule out space travel too. The ship lurched a little. My stomach rolled and I began panting in an attempt to stave off the vomit that was working its way up my throat. I didn’t know if it really helped; I’d been told as a child to do it when I’d been about to get vaccinated. Probably to keep my mind focused elsewhere. It hadn’t worked then, it hadn’t worked on plane rides, and it wasn’t working on a spaceship either.

  “Angie?” Arokh said. “Are you overheating?”

  My mouth was watering. I gave up with panting and dropped his hand so that I could press mine to my mouth as I valiantly tried to swallow.

  Claws curled around my shoulders carefully. “What is upsetting you, sweet one?”

  “I don’t—“ I swallowed hard, twice. Three times. “Fly well. Get sick.” I gulped and shuddered. Waves of chills suddenly began radiating inside my body.

  You get sick when you fly?” Dohrein sounded appalled. He had toggled the controls a little when he turned to examine me, and the resulting wiggle of our spacecraft was enough to blow my attempt at keeping my stomach contents where they belonged. Literally.

  “Tevek!” Arokh gathered my hair at my nape, and rubbed my back. He was trying to be soothing, but his claws’ light drag was causing little shivers and no doubt this only added to my wretched appearance as I dry heaved. I straightened and gave myself a little breathing room. The worst of the pressure had eased and the ship had leveled out. “Can I stand now?”

  “Yes. And here,” said the other one, Crispin, his tone sounding worried as he started to hand me a cloth. Arokh snatched it from him so that he could give it to me himself, earning him a warning brow from the guy. “Your excessive level of possessiveness is once again noted, Rakhii.”

  “Tevek you.”

  “Boys,” I said shakily as I tried to stand. “Let’s play nice.”

  Crisin bowed his head gallantly. “Of course.” He dropped another cloth on the floor, and started to clean it up.

  “No, no – I’ll do that! You don’t have to do that!” I said. How embarrassing. Having someone else clean up after me?

  He held up a hand when I moved to take the nasty task from him. “It is done, princess.” He gave me the smallest, sweetest smile.

  Riiiight, princess. Me. Ha. And wiping up princess-vomit. Way to take one for the team. “Uh, thank you. That was very, very kind of you.”

  He beamed at me. “I am pleased you think so.”

  “You’re… very, very agreeable,” I croaked, then pressed my cloth to my mouth.

  “For you, I’d agree to anything you asked.” When I looked at him, his face held the most earnest… longing? Whoa. He sanitized his hands. When he reached out to brush hair from my temple, I jerked back, and Arokh, I realized, hadn’t interfered. I glanced back to find him just standing stiffly, his body almost ...vibrating - but just watching.

  Me shutting Crispin’s gesture down seemed to reanimate him once more though. Arokh snapped forward and grabbed me by the hips, tugging me to his body.

  “You can rinse your mouth out here,” Crispin said dejectedly as he nudged open a narrow door and a light came on, showing a tiny sink, what I assumed was the spaceship equivalent of a urinal, and what looked to be a toilet made for beings with tails in mind; no tank in back and set away from the wall a bit. It was a small room, made even smaller when Arokh inserted himself inside with me, and Crispin squeezed into the doorway. I did my best to ignore the challenging stare contest they were holding above my bent head, but it was hard with the big mirror reflecting it all. I washed out the cloth, then worked it over my clammy face. When I caught the sound of a low, threatening growl, I snapped. “That’s it! Out!”

  “You heard her.” Arokh sneered.

  “Both of you.”

  Crispin’s smirk was so full of nose-rubbed-in-it smugness that even I felt stung. And then there was the wrecked look on Arokh’s face. Damn. It didn’t feel good to have my alien’s pride taking a beating, even if he was making me feel like a toy caught between two fighting dogs. No, that wasn’t right. He was my alien. He had defended me and protected me time and again, and now he didn’t want these two to touch me. I was all for that plan.

  Time to save his pride.

  I took his hand and brushed it against my cheek. “I am looking forward to private time with a toilet that is not a bush and I want to kiss you before you go, but we both know what just came out of my mouth so…” I gave a weak smile a
nd Arokh instantly relaxed.

  He took control of his hand then, rubbing his thumb over my skin, then bent over to drop a kiss to the top of my head. He squeezed past me and glared down Crispin who slowly stepped back from the door. I don’t think they ever broke eye contact but I couldn’t do much about their dominance war.

  I took advantage of the wonders of indoor plumbing, revisited the wonders of water that came out both temperature controlled and from a tap – heaven, utter heaven I tell you - to wash my hands, and then I cupped some to sip.

  And that’s when I remembered something about earth spaceships filtering their wastewater into drinking water. Was that real? Did aliens do this too? Was I drinking filtered alien piss? I sniffed my hands (which smelled perfectly clean) and made an “Ewww,” noise.

  Instantly, knuckles rapped on the door, and Arokh’s voice was right outside.

  “Angie, are you alright?”

  “Uh, yeah, I’m fine, big guy. Just wondered if the water was safe to drink from the faucet in here.”

  A pause. “Yes.”

  I shrugged and took another couple of handfuls. When I looked – really looked – into the mirror I’d been avoiding, I took in my raggedy, filthy appearance.

  I was a mess. Sigh.

  And then I noticed something behind me. I turned, and yes! It looked pretty much like a showerhead. I almost danced on the spot. Fuck it! I did dance. The spout was just tucked into the corner, unobtrusive and utilitarian. No curtains or anything, just a drain in the floor. Guess aliens liked walk-in showers. Really, who cared? I was one step away from bathing in the damn sink I felt so dirty.

  “Arokh!”

  The knob jostled and the door flexed inward with a hard bang. But it held. Barely. “No! No - I don’t need you to come in – I just really want a shower and I wanted you to know so you didn’t feel you had to hang around, you know, right at the freaking door handle.”