The Alien's Escape: A SciFi Alien Warrior Romance (Drixonian Warriors Book 2)

by Ella Maven

  “Val?” he prodded softly.

  Were they pumping pheromones into this room? I’d never had a strong sex drive, so this was nuts to me. I shook myself. “Uh no, I wasn’t quite sure what anything was.”

  He picked up a leather-like strip that reminded me of jerky. “Dried antella meat. Haven’t had this in forever.” He tore off a hunk with his teeth and offered the rest to me. “Try it. It’s not bad. I make better though.”

  I plucked the meat from his fingers. “You do? How so?”

  “Nuh-uh.” He wagged his finger at me with that damn cheeky grin again. “You think I’m going to divulge my secret recipe?”

  I bit of the end of the strip and chewed. The jerky wasn’t bursting with flavor, but it was miles better than the bar I’d eaten. “Are you worried I’m going to write a New York Times bestselling book and score a show on Food Network with your stolen recipe?”

  His brow furrowed in an adorably confused way, and he scratched his ear. “Those words don’t translate for me.”

  I laughed, nearly choking on the jerky as I swallowed. My eyes watered, and that only made me laugh harder. Sax continued to munch on his jerky while I sucked down a drink and got myself under control. “Do you have books?”

  “Yes,” he said. There was a glint in his eye that made me pause.

  “What?” I asked.

  He picked at his jerky. “Nothing.”

  I squinted at him. “What are your books about?”

  “Mostly, uh…” He cleared his throat. “Mating techniques.”

  “Oh God,” I muttered. “Yes, legendary lovers would need Kama Sutra texts.”

  “Kama—?”

  I waved a hand. “Never mind.” Ugh, my face was hot. “So, um, the one Uldani mentioned your brother?” Nothing like talk of his brother to kill the sexually suggestive talk, right?

  Sax shoved a few more grape-things in his mouth, and I tried some too. They were bitter, but juicy. A bit like an underripe orange.

  “First, tell me more about how you got here. Were you on a ship with other females?”

  “I don’t remember much. These aliens with a single eye kept me unconscious most of the time.”

  “Rahguls,” he said. “They work for the Uldani.”

  “I vaguely remember female voices speaking my language. But I was the only one brought to this specific place. At least, that I know of.”

  He frowned. “That doesn’t make a lot of sense. None of this does.”

  “How did you end up here?”

  He huffed out a laugh. “I was out hunting alone. A mistake, but I was impatient and tracking a salibri. They are some of the most valuable game because of their thick coats. Their meat is a little tough, but as long as we cook it for a long time, it’s good.” He picked up a canteen and chugged the contents. “They brought me here and told my brother he had to deliver a Rahgul ship’s cargo in exchange for my release.”

  My heart sank. “Let me guess. The cargo was human females?”

  “You guessed right.”

  But that didn’t make sense. Unless his brother wanted the women to himself. I shivered. “He wouldn’t give them up in exchange for you?”

  Sax’s expression twisted with displeasure. “Give up human females? No way. We knew the Uldani would harm them. Drixonian warriors do not put females in harm’s way. Our creed is She Is All.”

  “But they were strangers. Another species—”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Sax speared me with a determined stare. “They still must be protected. Then one of the humans turned out to be my brother’s cora-eternal.”

  “Cora what?”

  “His mate,” Sax said. “His other half.”

  “How did they know?”

  “Fatas chose them for each other.” He explained how his brother, Daz, and his female mate had tried to rescue him, but ended up captured themselves. In the end, Sax chose to ensure they escaped and sacrificed himself to remain behind. “I’d make the same choice over and over again,” he shifted closer to me. “I felt Fatas tugging at me to stay, and now I know why. Because of you.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I said. “All I’ve done is cause you more pain.”

  He smiled. “No, that’s not all you’ve done.”

  I bit into more jerky. “Well I guess I got you a bed, clean clothes, and food.”

  “Yeah, those were nice too.” He handed me the canteen. “Drink up.”

  While Sax stuffed his face, moaning every now and then while talking to himself about finally getting to eat good food, I thought about his sacrifice. He’d been willing to endure insurmountable pain not just to save his brother’s life and that of his mate’s, but also their unborn child. The future of his species. I’d like to think I would have made the same choice, but selfishness and survival were one hell of an instinct. He’d bucked that, suffered, and still found a way to find things to smile about. Even now he happily licked seasoning off his fingers with his pierced tongue. He grinned at me, all charm and fangs, before chugging some qua.

  I’d never thought of having children, mainly because I wasn’t the maternal type, and I hadn’t had a relationship with anyone I considered father material.

  Sax screamed Dad. Or Cool Uncle. I imagined him with a little blue rugrat on his shoulders, pulling his braid and screeching while Sax pretended to be a horse. Or maybe a bike. Just the picture in my head brought tears to my eyes. He deserved that in his life, to create a family with a woman he loved. She’d have to be human, or some other species that wasn’t his own, but he’d said there were more at his home who’d arrived with his brother’s mate.

  An odd pang twisted my heart. In my imagination, I’d been there with Sax and his little child. I’d been there because I’d been the mother.

  I shook my head. He would surely have his pick, and he’d charm the most gorgeous woman with the best personality. He flirted with me here, but surely it was just something to pass the time. I wouldn’t be his choice of a mate. The situation had bonded us as friends. If we ever found a way out of here, I’d have to ensure he got home to his family. I doubted there was hope for me to ever go home, but if there was any way I could play a part in Sax’s escape, I’d do it in a heartbeat. He’d done enough for me. I could do my part too.

  Five

  Sax

  “Can you tell me about your brother’s mate?” Val asked.

  We sat on the bed together, having eaten our fill until our bellies bulged. My back was propped against the wall and Val had curled up onto her side at the foot of the bed.

  “Her name is Fra-kee,” I said.

  “Do you mean Frankie?”

  “Yes, I think she pronounced it like that.”

  She nodded. “What’s she like?”

  “Brave. Dark hair. Smaller than you.”

  Val’s brows drew together, and she plucked at the bedding fabric. “Well, a lot of women are.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’m a little larger than most. Plus-size. Big-boned. Whatever.”

  “I don’t understand. Is this a bad thing?”

  “Not in my opinion. But in Earth society, I’m considered a little fat.”

  My back stiffened. “You are made to feel bad about the size and shape of your body?”

  “Sure, sometimes. We’re often told men won’t find us attractive or want to have sex with us.”

  “Your worth is tied into how attractive you are to a mate?” I was puzzled. “But you said you were a nurse. You heal people.”

  Her lips parted and for a moment, she did nothing but stare at me. Finally, she stuttered out. “Y-yes, I do.”

  “And you stood up to those Uldani flecks like a brave lioness. You would make a good friend. Fra-kee would like you.”

  She blinked rapidly, and her pretty eyes shone. “My God, who knew aliens were feminists?”

  “Femi-what?”

  She rose on an elbow and wiggled until she was closer to me, until her breath warmed my t
high through the thin material of my pants. “Tell me about your women. Do you remember them?”

  “Not much. Dax does. He was the oldest of us. I was the second oldest.”

  “You have another brother?”

  “Had. Rex died in the Uprising.” The pain was still fresh. I thought it always would be.

  Val’s pretty face collapsed, and her eyes filled. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “Daz killed the Uldani responsible, so that’s some revenge.”

  “I’ll say.”

  “Our females…” I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I’d been so young when the last of our females had died. “They looked like us, although smaller. When they came of age, they could choose a trade instead of joining the warrior ranks like the males. Some went into government, others studied how to grow crops, and others learned to make goods. They decided their worth, just like us warriors decided our own based on our skills. Not all males fought well, and those that didn’t worked on managing our fleet of bikes and weapons.”

  “Oh wow,” Val said. “A matriarchal society. I would have loved to study how you lived.”

  I nodded. “Our way of life was coveted in the galaxy, and we defended it well until the virus. No one had prepared us for fighting an airborne enemy.”

  “How do you live now?”

  “We separated into clavases, groups of males who fought together.”

  “Do all clavases get along?”

  This was a sore spot for me and for Daz. “Unfortunately, no. After the trauma of losing our females and what the Uldani put us through, there are some clavases who have turned their backs on our ways. Most Drixonians can be trusted, but not all. Not anymore.”

  “Well, that’s like any society, I guess.”

  I nodded. “When we worked for the Uldani, we were issued bikes to travel on. We kept them during the Uprising and after, and that’s how we get around. We have access to fuel deposits to feed them.”

  “Bikes? What do you mean by bikes?”

  I held out my hands as though I were gripping my handlebars. I missed my bike like crazy. I’d modified her to be the fastest in our clavas. Daz thought I was crazy. He drove a massive beast, while mine was sleek and light. If I would have had her when the Uldani found me, they never would have been able to catch me. My only consolation was that she was back at the compound, safe and sound. “A bike. Glides in the air.”

  Her eyes went round. “Glides in the air? So, no wheels?”

  I shook my head. “Disks along the bottom push out air that raises us off the ground. An engine at the back propels us forward.”

  “Wow,” she murmured. “I’d like to see one. And how do you all get along in a clavas? Do you elect some sort of council?”

  “Each clavas elected a drexel, and my brother is ours. He is a good leader. Fair. I’m his sub-drexel, so I’m his second in command.” In my absence, he’d likely relied heavily on Ward and Gar. Fleck, I missed those grumpy brothers.

  “You miss him.” Val’s soft voice floated in the air.

  I felt a warm hand on my stomach and opened my eyes. “Very much. It was amazing to see him one last time, even if we were in separate cells. It felt like old times, us working together to do what we thought was right. He and Fra-kee got away, and now the entire clavas will protect her and the other females.”

  For a long time, she examined my face, and I watched her right back, nothing to hide. Finally, she spoke. “You’re a bit too good to be true,” she said. “I’ve seen all kinds at my job, so I feel like I’m a good judge of character. You’re so sincere, but it’s hard for me to believe that out of all the species on this planet, I’m locked in a room with one that has your beliefs.”

  I reached out and rubbed her hair between my fingers. Some strands sparkled in the light. “What is the color of your lionesses?”

  “Lions? Uh, I guess like a golden tan.”

  “Golden,” I whispered. “Like you.”

  She tossed her hair back and rolled her eyes at me. “I’m not golden, and I’m not a lioness, Sax. I’m a terrified human female under control of an alien species who wants nothing but my womb.”

  “That’s how you see yourself, but I see you different.”

  “And how do you see yourself?”

  “I’m a fleck-up and if anyone was going to be taken by the Uldani, I’m glad it’s me. My only regret is my brother has to live with the pain of losing Rex and me.”

  She nibbled on her lip. “You don’t think you’ll see him again?”

  A black hole opened in my cora, pulling the oxygen from my lungs. I inhaled sharply. “If Fatas chooses.”

  She huffed out a little noise which was more cute than annoying. She laid her head down on the bedding beside my hip, curling her knees up against my legs. I wondered if she realized how much she touched me, sought out comfort in our physical connection.

  “What are we doing to do in seven days?”

  “I don’t know yet,” I said. “But we have seven rotations to figure it out.” I laid my hand on her shoulder, and she nuzzled into the touch. “Sleep, my lioness. We’ll wake with fresher minds.”

  “I hope,” she whispered.

  “Me too,” I murmured back.

  Her breaths evened out quickly, but I stayed awake. I’d scoured the room for recording or listening devices and found none. I still couldn’t be sure they weren’t listening in, but I also didn’t think they’d bother. They didn’t care what we talked about because they were confident in our inability to escape.

  Since I’d been taken, my mind had dulled. In order to get through the pain, I’d turned myself off, but by doing so, my senses weren’t as sharp as they’d been. I’d managed to kill a couple of Kulks earlier, but my kills had been sloppy and brutal. I’d vowed they wouldn’t break me, but slowly I’d been shifting into the animal they wanted me to be.

  But Val’s presence was bringing me back. My eyes were more focused, and I listened more carefully. I had to be at my best for her. We only had a few rotations before they expected us to mate. I couldn’t afford to do nothing.

  As much as I wanted to remain on the pallet with Val’s soft body pressed against mine, it wouldn’t do either of us any favors. I eased myself from her side and stood. After jogging in place to get my cora beating, I went into a series of exercises. The familiar movements came back to me even though my muscles protested at being worked hard after so long.

  I smiled as I dropped to the floor for pushups. I couldn’t do much, but I could do this. Stay strong. Stay sharp. I had to believe Fatas would reveal her plan to me soon and show us the way out of here. I hadn’t accepted defeat yet, and I wouldn’t until my last breath.

  Val

  I woke to the sound of grunts. From my curled position on the bed, I saw Sax’s body glistening as he rapidly performed a series of pushups. Two hands. One handed. Other hand. His muscles rippled down his back, and his biceps were impossibly big.

  I didn’t move, content to watch him work out, because in this hell hole, I was going to take whatever pleasure I could get. A work of art, this guy. His tail lashed the floor, steadily sweeping little clouds of dust.

  He rose to his feet and went into a series of squats which severely tested the seams of his pants. I kept expecting them to split, but they held on by a miracle. He jogged in place for a while before going into a complicated maneuver that resembled a burpee. He repeated that over and over again. I lost count at fifty.

  I rose to a sitting position, my bladder screaming, and he stopped when he realized I was awake. “Val,” he murmured, he panted a little, but not nearly what I would have expected after that level of exercise. “You all right?”

  “Um.” Wait, what did I need to do? A cramp squeezed my gut. Oh right, pee. “I need to pee.”

  He cocked his head before nodding. “The expeller. I’ll show you how it works.”

  Turned out, a seat descended from the side of the cleanser. He instructed me to sit on it, p
ee, and then a jet of air would clean me. I followed his instructions, despite how odd. Peeing here was like using a water-less bidet.

  Afterward, a Kulk walked down the hallway holding a tray, and I got excited at the idea of a meal until I noticed the two Uldani following behind him. Polu and Hawn. Those motherfuckers.

  The door opened and the Kulk walked through first. He dropped the tray on the table and stood by the door. Polu and Hawn sauntered inside, each brandishing a shock rod in clear view.

  “I see you’re both settled in,” Polu said. “Happy, human?”

  “Delighted,” I spoke through clenched teeth.

  Polu shot me a withering smile. “I spoke to Borhan, and while he couldn’t confirm your claim that ovulation is affected by stress, he also couldn’t deny it. So, I guess you’re in luck.”

  “Oh yeah, super lucky,” I deadpanned.

  Hawn tapped his rod on the ground in warning, and I flinched. Sax fisted his hands at his sides and took a step forward, a menacing growl rumbling from his throat. The colors on his skin shifted rapidly to show his ire. Coupled with his workout-induced muscle swelling, he was a sight to behold. Even I was scared a little, and I knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

  A flicker of wariness passed over Hawn’s face before he covered it with a sneer.

  “But I’m making this super clear,” Polu said, his gaze drifting between me and Sax. “When she’s ripe, you’ll stick your cock in her. As many times as we say. As a Bakut, you’re our first choice, but if you don’t do it, we’ll find a Drixonian who will. And I’m sure the next one won’t bother to be gentle. Understand?”

  Sax’s nostrils flared, his scales rapidly shifting like a crashing wave. His lip curled. “Fleck you.”

  “Nah, fleck you,” Polu said. “Hopefully. You’d think you assholes would be grateful to get cunt for once in your lives.” He gestured to Hawn as they backed their way toward the door. “Until then, you’re going to earn your keep for all the trouble your family has caused us. And because princess needs something soft to lay her head on.”

  I glanced at Sax, but he wasn’t paying attention to Polu. His attention was on the window, his body coiled tight like a predator. What was out there?