Abducted (Blue Barbarian Series Book 1) Page 4

  The sun is moving along in the sky, and sweat trickles between my breasts. I have to move around the tree to follow the shade. It’s at least ten degrees cooler in the shade.

  A soft cooing interrupts my musings. I whip my head around to see the ugliest bird ever.

  At least, I think it's a bird. It's rather large, maybe even too big to fly. Its head is a strange cross of bird and...fish, attached to a long giraffe neck. It has strange bulging eyes like a fish. Surely if it did fly, something would get caught in that big ole eye. But just as soon as I wonder, a type of shutter erupts from its lower eyelid and brushes across the eyeball. It blinks.

  “What in the world are you?” I ask.

  Naturally it doesn't respond.

  “Don't move.” Drakar's voice hisses.

  I freeze as he instructs. He approaches stealthily and before I—or the bird-fish—can blink, he whips down with a scythe-like weapon that looks like it was made of a tree branch and lops off the creature's head.

  Blood flows onto the dirt, and it's immediately sucked into the ground like a vacuum.

  “Dinner,” Drakar says. Then he drops to one knee and gives thanks for the kill.

  He's also dragging behind him a huge, furry thing that's as big as a cow.

  I stare, stupefied.

  “On my planet, there are many predators. When I tell you to stay put, it also means do not talk to any animals that may stray near you. This one,”—he motions to the bird-fish—“strangles you with its tongue. That's why we chop off the head. The tongue loops round and round, winding down the inside of its long neck.” As he speaks, he pulls it out and there’s an abnormal length of amputated tongue.

  The sight of which makes me ill.

  The doors of the ship open and the two grunt aliens see the kills that Drakar has brought. “Pick those up and bring them inside,” Lech says. He walks toward me, and yanks my arm to pull me to my feet.

  Drakar flings the severed bird head at him and the alien winces, tripping on our leash and falling into the tree. I stare, waiting for the poison to take effect. But Lech simply brushes himself off and yells at Drakar again. This time, Drakar quietly picks up the two animal carcasses as the other alien leads us inside.

  We're locked back in the cage and this time it's an awkward silence. I can't see him because the interior room is still dark with only the soft amber glow of the emergency lights, but they don’t reach to the back of the room. All I can think about is the hot sex with the man I couldn't see. And now, he's probably looking right at me.

  “I know where we are,” he whispers finally. “I left a message for my people. I told them how many aliens were on board.”

  “A message?”

  “A hunting cave is right around the tree you were tethered to. I wrote the message on the wall. At night, when the basin of water is filled with glow-rocks, a reflection is cast on the bones we leave inside. It projects into the night skies. They will see it and come to the cave to investigate. I left more details inside on the wall, how many aliens are in the ship, how they have strange technology that can immobilize.”

  “I saw Lech touch the tree. But nothing happened.”

  “Not yet. But he will not live to see the morning. It will be a slow and painful death.”

  “How about the three outside?”

  “They were setting up lights outside. Obviously they will continue to work on the ship through the darkfall. No intelligent creature travels at night. The predators are out in full force. They will not live past one hour.”

  “So we'll be four aliens down.”

  He nodded. “The remaining two will panic and turn on each other. The chief will instruct the other to leave the ship and search for materials in the morning. My tribe will take care of that one. Then there is but one.”

  “I wonder if Lucie is still alive?”

  He shrugs. “I doubt if they harmed her. They need humans alive. They wished to breed you and sell the half-breeds as slaves.”

  “How do you know?”

  He raised a black eyebrow. “Why do you think I am here?”

  “I wasn’t sure if you knew. I overheard them talking about the strength of your people. The slaves would be workhorses.”

  His voice turns urgent. “Niki, we need to separate from the tether before it permanently attaches.”

  “How?”

  “I will cut it. But you need to be brave and remember it does not harm you. Your mind may go into shock, as if I cut off one of your limbs. I need you to remember it is not a limb, it merely attaches to your nerve endings and makes you think so.”

  “I could go into shock?”

  “From the pain. It will feel as though I will cut off your leg. You need to chant in your head that it is not your limb, that it is a parasitic leash.”

  I take a deep breath. “What will you use?”

  “Did you not see me place another piece in the gate?” He leads me to the gate, and it's swollen to the point of where it's slightly ajar.

  “What is that?” I ask.

  “A bit of maosho root. You chew it and it shrinks. Then later, when it dries, it expands.”

  Wow. “Popping the latch.”

  He nods and pushes the gate. It swings wide open. “Come.”

  He picks up the excess leash that binds us and heads to the counter beyond the exam table. He rifles through drawers until he finds what he's looking for and leads me to the table to sit.

  “Wait a minute,” I say. “Are you going to feel the pain, too?”

  “No. They attached the painful end to your ankle. I am so sorry.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  “I am not.”

  I may understand his language, but the communication barrier with the nuances of language is still there. Scratch sarcasm from my repertoire, because he didn’t understand my exclamation wasn’t serious.

  “Wait,” I say, grabbing his wrist. My fingers don’t reach completely around. “Wait.”

  “It’s okay. Just chant in your head. It’s a rope. It’s not part of me. Over and over. I’m right here with you.”

  “Okay,” I agree.

  But before I’m ready, he slices.

  My God, the pain! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever gone through.

  I open my mouth to scream, but Drakar covers it with his hand, pressing against my teeth as if he wants me to bite.

  All I can focus on is the pain. White hot and searing, it rips through me. I immediately feel a horrific sense of loss. And he’s right, it feels like my leg’s been amputated. I’m sure I’m bleeding out, splayed open onto the table. I can feel the blood spurting from my stump in tandem with my heartbeats. I open my mouth to gasp and he loosens his hold so I can breathe. Suddenly his face is there, right in mine. His eyes are a beautiful blue, brighter than that of his skin. They almost glow. His breath rustles my hair. “Shh, Niki. I have you. You are safe. It is not real.” He rocks me against his chest. “I promise, little one. It is a trick of the mind.”

  I gasp, trying to suck air into my tortured lungs. The pain doesn’t stop with his words, comforting as they may be. It’s still there, burning through my leg with a strange sense of horrific detachment.

  “I’m here. Focus on my voice. I won’t let you go. You’re safe, it’s not real. It’s a trick of the parasitic tether. Breathe through it.”

  My breathing has changed to rapid pants. I try to chant mentally. Not real. Not real.

  “That’s it. You’re doing great. You are the bravest little female I know.”

  That’s the clincher. Not once did Drakar say I’m the bravest little human he knows. To him, my humanity is a simple fact of life.

  Suddenly the pain is gone and all that remains is a harsh memory.

  He’s aware the second my breathing returns to normal.

  “Are you all right?”

  I nod, my eyes wide. Suddenly, he bends his head and brushes his strange blue lips against mine.

  I’m shocked, even thou
gh we’ve been a hell of a lot more intimate than this. Those blue lips kissed another part of my body repeatedly. I just didn’t know they were blue at the time.

  “I’m so proud of you,” he whispers. “You would make many a warrior proud.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck, and he holds me for a second, both of us aware of the intimacy between us.

  Then he helps me sit and I quickly feel around. Both legs are definitely there. I wriggle my toes and everything feels normal.

  “I know you cannot see well in the dark. Stay behind me and we will leave this room.”

  “Are you sure? What if they have cameras?”

  “They would be offline with the emergency lighting.”

  That makes sense. He helps me to my feet. I stand behind him and he takes my hands and clasps them to his waist so I can follow while hiding behind the safety of his body.

  He’s huge. I can stand behind him and be completely hidden behind his massive strength.

  He looks out the small window of the door to make sure the coast is clear. Then, slowly he opens the door and sticks his head slightly out. When he’s sure it’s safe, he grabs my hand and yanks me down a long hallway.

  I barely have time to look around but the odd looks of the ship means nothing to me. The walls are smooth, strangely slick. There’s more light out here than in our holding cell. Before I know it, Drakar pulls me into a door. It’s a facility closet.

  “What are we doing in here?” I whisper.

  “Hiding. Did you notice from the hallway window that darkness approaches? Remember when I told you predators come at night? It won’t be long before the three outside are taken care of.”

  I didn’t even think to observe anything beyond the ship, whereas studying his surroundings comes naturally to Drakar.

  “How did you know there was a closet here?”

  “I’ve seen them approach from this direction when they bring you humans in. So I headed this way. Soon they’ll look for me when Lech sickens. They’ll want to know if I know what the symptoms are. Or else they’ll look for us when the three go missing.”

  “They may find us.”

  “I can take down two of them. They won’t expect me to have a weapon.” He must still have the scalpel he sliced the tether with, because I don’t remember any other weapons. “I just want you to run and hide. Stay inside the ship, though. Don’t go outside.”

  I nod, remembering he can see the movement in the dark.

  Large hands span my waist and lift me onto a shelf of some kind. Then, when I’m seated, he pulls me to him in an embrace. My head tucks into his neck. His scent is warm and comforting. We’re in this together and it feels nice to have a partner. I wrap my arms around the big, blue hunk and caress the muscles in his back.

  “I’m not ever going home, am I?” I whisper.

  “I doubt it,” he says. “I’m sorry. My tribe will take you in.”

  “What about the other humans?”

  “Of course.”

  “What is your tribe like?”

  “We don’t have the fancy metal boxes you speed around in on your planet. Here, what you see is what you get. We hunt, we fish and at night, we lock down in the caves where we live. There’s safety in numbers from the predators of the planet.”

  “You live in caves?”

  “Mmm.” His rumble is deep and sexy, and I feel the vibration of it in his chest.

  “Niki,” he said suddenly. “Our people look very different than yours. Could you learn to love one of my kind?”

  “What?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. After what we’ve shared, even now that I cuddle against him, he’s worried about our differences?

  “Your face—when you saw me for the first time. I know how shocked you were by my appearance.”

  “Probably as shocked as you were when you saw your first human.”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “But I’ve had more time to adjust to you. You have not yet had that time.”

  Okay, that definitely makes sense. “I don’t know if I could learn to love you, Drakar.” I want to be as honest as possible. “With humans, it’s kind of different. We love you or we don’t. It’s not something we turn off and on.”

  “But there’s a chance?”

  “Yes, there’s a chance. I’m very attracted to you and more than that, you’re my friend. Right now, my best friend.” The irony makes me smile. “We’ve been through a lot together. Why are you asking me this?”

  He sighs. “Because after last night, I’m afraid we’re tied together. They were correct when they said I will mate with you. With my species, it is forever. I know your people are probably different, so you may not feel the calling I do. If you reject me, I will never know another mate.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No. I am not.”

  “How will I know if I feel the call?”

  “Your attraction to me will grow until only I can relieve your need.”

  I’m not sure what he speaks of at first, until I remember the hot sex from the night before. It was an almost frantic need for him to possess me. Was I infected by whatever mating rituals there are on his planet?

  “Shh,” Drakar hisses. “They’re coming.”

  Commotion sounds out in the hallway. There are sharp words and running footsteps. We hold still, though Drakar keeps his attention focused on the door. One large hand is still splayed at my hip, transmitting warmth. It shouldn’t feel sexy, but it does. Damn contagious mating needs. Or maybe I’m just needy. A desperately needy, horny human.

  “How the hell did they get out of the cage?” Bossy screams from out in the hallway.

  Flunky mumbles a response I can’t hear.

  “Go check outside and see if anyone noticed the outer door to the ship opening.”

  I almost clap my hands with glee. It’s dark outside and if any predators are out, Flunky will be taken care of along with the three outside. I can taste the sweet smell of freedom already. If Lech is poisoned and dying, the three outside are taken out by predators, Flunky is also attacked when he leaves the ship to check on them, that just leaves…Bossy.

  “I’ll go check the other females in encapsulation,” he barks.

  Footsteps thump down the hallway. “Bossy is heading to check the other humans,” I whisper. “Flunky's going outside to see if the mechanics heard the outer door swing open.”

  “Stay,” Drakar commands and opens the door the barest crack. The lighting in the hallway floods into the closet, making me blink. Then he slips out to follow.

  Fuck that. I’m not staying hidden in a closet. I jump off the shelf and open the door just in time to see Drakar turn the corner at the top of the hallway to the right. I tiptoe after him.

  As soon as I peek around the corner, Bossy turns and startles at the sight of Drakar. Drakar swings with his massive, bulging arms, knocking him against the wall. While the smaller alien is stunned, Drakar grips his neck and squeezes. Just like that, Bossy's head explodes.

  From the back, gelatinous brain matter shoots all over the ceiling and walls, and dribbles down in thick, dark rivulets.

  Drakar tosses him to the floor, taking care to not mar the center of the hallway, and immediately, dark gray blood gushes from the body.

  I know they called Drakar a barbarian, but geez.

  He doesn't look back at me. “I told you to stay put.”

  “I didn't want to,” I whisper. He’d known where I was all along.

  He holds out a hand and I run to him.

  * * * * *

  Drakar:

  Sweet Niki is too delicate to witness the harsh conditions we live by. From what I saw of her planet, they have adapted to warm comfort and soft living. The reactions of the other humans who died from shock taught me about their lack of exposure. But Niki? Niki taught me that she is adaptable. Still, I wish to protect her when I can.

  But what's done is done. She now knows what I'm capable of with my bare hands.

  She's not repulse
d by my violence, however. She still places her tiny human hand in mine, as trusting as a child. Her bones are fragile, she could easily be crushed. She has five fingers, just like me. The gray aliens have but two, like the creatures that dwell in the salty waters.

  I keep her close to me and move toward the door he was heading into, where the other humans are kept. It swings open. There is no one inside. Instead, there are ice-like tubes where females are frozen, their eyes staring sightlessly ahead.

  The only one that has her eyes closed is Lucie. She must be awake in there, merely sleeping, and not frozen like the rest.

  “How do we get her out?” Niki asks, in my native language. It sounds sweet on her tongue, the pronunciation less harsh from her lips.

  “I'm not sure.” There are no buttons or levers on the glass-like enclosures. Suddenly, Lucie awakens, and her eyes widen when she sees us. She raises her hands and places them on the glass in front of us.

  I realize humans have a lot more trust than we give them credit for. Like Niki, Lucie has never actually seen me. Yet, she recognizes who I am just by me standing with Niki.

  Niki places her hand directly over where Lucie's is on the glass, so their little human palms almost touch. She whispers, “We'll get you out. Promise.”

  “Show her how to curl into a ball,” I say to Niki.

  She lets go of my hand and tucks her arms and shoulders, mimicking the fetal position.

  Lucie nods and bends to draw her legs up, tucking her chin down. It lowers her entire body. With the exposure at the top of the tube, I smash into it with my fist. It cracks and shatters, and pressurized gas hisses as it escapes. I reach down for Lucie, pulling her up and out of it.

  “Thenkyew,” she mumbles over and over, in her strange human language. “Thenkyew.”

  Niki responds in my language. “Are you all right?”

  Lucie responds back, realizing I don't speak the Heenglish they do. “Yes. The gas is weird. It makes you sleep a lot and you don't feel hungry. Plus you don't need to go to the bathroom.” Then she looks down and realizes she's naked. “Oh!” She covers her female parts.