by Tempest Luna
As she watched her alien head for what looked like a motorcycle at the front of the trailer, she caught sight of the sky. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
Beautiful. Purples, pinks, and blues streaked across the vast expanse, twin suns heading for the horizon ahead of them—one almost as dark as his skin, but blue, the other, a brilliant rose with a magenta halo.
Curling her fingers around the bars of the cage, Tessa tried to hold herself up as the alien kicked at the motorcycle and it roared to life. The wind intensified, whipping her hair around her face, freezing her naked and battered body. But she focused on the landscape. Jagged rock formations that seemed to reach for the sky. Sand—a pale pink with streaks of red—dancing over the ground.
The trailer bounced along the uneven road, and with every pothole, Tessa’s head, elbows, back, or hips slammed against the bars. The landscape that had been so beautiful a few minutes ago spun around her, and she moaned as she tried not to throw up—not that she had anything in her stomach.
The alien looked back at her and shouted something—his tone not altogether unkind—but she shook her head. Big mistake. Slumping to the side, she tried to lick her dry, chapped lips. “Can’t…understand. They…took…my chip.”
The single word her alien spat sounded suspiciously like a curse, and his silver eyes flashed brighter. Pointing behind them, his brow furrowed, his lips pursing, as if he were…sorry. Tessa turned her head to see the Citadel almost hidden. A flash of light reflected off one of the towers, then another, and another.
As soon as the massive structure disappeared behind the horizon, the alien stopped the transport. Racing back to her cage, he muttered something to himself and shook his head. When he withdrew the keys and the remote for the collar from his pocket, Tessa whimpered. He’d hurt her now.
Why he was waiting until he couldn’t see the Citadel to do it, she didn’t understand. After all, the green-skinned aliens had no problem hurting her. But she’d hoped…just for a moment…this one would be…kind.
“Please…don’t…I’ll be good. I swear.” She held her hands up as best she could in the cramped space, prepared to beg for her life if she had to. Anything to avoid more pain.
* * *
Ro
He cursed himself as the little female cowered away from him. Looking down at his hands, he shook his head. Of course she’d be scared. He set the remote for the shock collar down on the trailer bed, stood, and slammed his boot down on top of the small box.
As it smashed into pieces, she yelped, peeking out from behind the delicate fingers she’d held in front of her face. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Unlocking the cage, he offered her his hand. “I will not harm you, little one,” he said in his gentlest voice. She shook her head, but her eyes, a beautiful blue he’d never seen on another creature, had turned curious, if not still wary. Her teeth chattered, and her skin had taken on a sickly pale cast. Fuck. She wore nothing but chains, and from the number of scrapes, bruises, and cuts on her skin, she was easily damaged. So much more so than he was.
Ro turned and rummaged in one of the crates, withdrawing a thick blanket. “Warm.”
She crept forward, and Ro took her hands, helping her out of the tiny cage. So soft. And cold. She fell over as soon as her shoulders were clear, and stared up at him with her eyes glistening. “Help me.”
As gently as he could, he unlocked the cuffs that bound her wrists. She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her breasts as he slid his hands under her back and eased her into his lap.
“I’ll be good,” she whispered. “Please don’t lock me up again.”
With a shake of his head, he bent her knees, freed her ankles, and then wrapped her up in the blanket before bracing her against the cage so she wouldn’t fall over. Patting her shoulders with his hands, he hoped she’d understand.
Giving thanks to the ancient gods that he’d needed to replace a few of his tools this trip, he rummaged in a small box until he came away with a pair of large metal shears. The female whimpered when he approached and tried to scoot away, but the trailer was packed too tightly for her to escape with him blocking the only exit.
“Shhh. I will not hurt you,” he murmured as he knelt next to her. Tipping her head to the side, he felt all around the control collar. When he found the thinnest part, he gestured with the shears, arching his brows asking for permission.
“You…can take it off?”
Ro nodded, and she bent forward, letting her silky blond hair fall over her face to expose her neck. He had to wedge the shears between her skin and the collar, and a thin line of blood dripped onto her shoulder as she hissed out a breath. But the collar snapped in two as he bore down on the handles, and fell to the trailer bed with a loud clang. Along with…by the ancient gods…a neural chip?
Scooping the chip up in his hand, he showed it to her.
“The doctor…I think. He came before the auction.” She gestured towards her neck. “I couldn’t understand him, but he kept pointing at the collar, then the chip. So…I hid it. Can you…?”
Pointing across the plains, he nodded. He could insert it, but not here. A spasm of pain rolled through the female, and more tears gathered at the corners of her blue eyes. A possessive need to claim and soothe consumed him, and he pulled her into his arms. “You will ride with me.”
Withdrawing a length of rope from his supply bag, he carried his little human up to the front of the speedster. She tried to push out of his arms when he draped the rope around her body, but as weak as she was, she could not even extract her hands from the blanket. “I will not harm you, little one. Shhh. This is for your safety only.”
Though she could not understand him, he hoped the quiet tone of his voice would help her trust him. He sat, placed her across his thighs, and guided her head to his shoulder. With one hand at her back to keep her still, he held the end of the rope, and six loops later, she was held securely.
“Thank…you,” she whispered as her body went slack, and her warm breaths tickled his neck. So brave. Ro started to hum, an old song his mother had once sung to him, and threw the speedster into gear. He did not know what he would possibly do with a human, but he knew he had to protect her.
* * *
His female shuddered against him as the speedster bounced along the plains. He cursed himself for not taking care that she understood him before they left the Citadel. He’d told her he would free her and get her warm as soon as they were out of sight of the monitors, but she had not understood a single word.
No wonder she’d yelped when he’d kicked the cage. But if he hadn’t shown the Sypian he would discipline her, the Supreme Ruler would have heard of it and he could have lost her—and his own freedom.
The auctioneer’s description of his little human did not fit with what he had seen in her eyes. Nor with her sigh as he hummed to her. She was spirited. Her cursing at the auction had proved that. But she was also frightened and weak.
He stared down at the small, pale patch of skin at her shoulder—all he could see with her wrapped in the blanket. Bruises, scratches, and burns covered her tiny body, but he’d taken her hands. She bore no defensive or offensive wounds. She had not fought back. Not once. Ro would bet his life on it.
The winds picked up as he sped across the desolate planet. The female whimpered from time to time, whenever he stopped humming, but never opened her eyes.
Half a cycle later, in the near-total darkness of night, he steered the speedster into his outbuilding. With her still strapped to his chest, he opened the hill beast’s cage and led the giant ruminant to the pen. The animal started munching on the dried grasses Ro had spread out before he’d left.
The rest could wait until the suns rose. Taking care of the little female was more important.
He carried her inside and laid her in his bed. He could not tear his gaze away. Her skin was almost blue, her lips chapped, and her eyes sunken.
Retrieving a soft cloth and a bowl of h
ot water, Ro bathed her, applied healing wraps to her wrists and neck, then maneuvered her arms into one of his shirts. He tried not to stare at the swell of her breasts, the downy patch of dark blond curls covering her mound, or her toned thighs and flat stomach as he did up the buttons, then found a pair of socks for her half-frozen feet.
He did not know how she had come to be on Balrov, but the presence of a neural chip—or the wound where one had been—meant she’d traveled the stars. Perhaps her ship had flown too close to the wormhole that hid the planet. Ro pressed a medicated patch to the angry mark behind the female’s ear, and she made a small, pained sound.
“I am sorry.” What was he saying? She could not understand his apology. Not yet anyway. Her eyelids fluttered, and she jerked away from his touch. The scent of her fear wafted over him. “Shhh. You are safe.”
“Wh-where…am…I?” she whispered. So small and delicate. And terrified.
“Balrov.”
Her brows furrowed. “Bal…?”
“Balrov.” Pulling the new neural chip from his pocket, he showed her the tiny device, then gestured to her uninjured ear.
Her watery gaze met his. “You can…make that work? So I…can understand you?” After he nodded, she bit her lip. “On Earth, they put me under to insert the other one. Will it hurt?”
Ro nodded again. He hated the idea of causing her pain, but he did not know what else to do. He could not speak her language, and it would take her months to learn Balrovian.
“Do it.” She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw as she offered him easier access to her neck. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and Ro wished he could kill the Sypian who had gouged the chip from her body.
Priming his pressure syringe, Ro placed the chip in the hollow needle. Gently, he cupped the back of the female’s head and pressed the needle to the skin just behind her ear.
“Relax,” he whispered. The chip slid into her fragile body with a hiss, and she cried out but did not move. Desperate to soothe her, he rubbed his thumb over the slight swelling until he felt the chip settle, its fiber optic tendrils snaking under her skin to wrap around her ear.
The process took long moments, and by the end, his little female was shaking. Once he saw the gently pulsing lights that signified the chip was operational, he drew back.
“All over now. Breathe, little one. I am Ro. What are you called?”
Still in obvious pain, her voice, when she answered, was so faint, he had to strain to hear her. “Tessa.”
“Tes-ssa. Tessa.” Ro liked how her name sounded and felt on his tongue. Something he hadn’t felt in ages flared up deep inside him. Purpose. Determination.
He would protect her. On his life, he would protect her.
“Rest now, Tessa. I will not let anything happen to you.” Her eyelids drooped, and Ro pulled the blankets up to her shoulders., whispering, “You are safe…with me.”
Chapter Six
Ro
He sat with his back against the wall, a blanket pulled tight around his shoulders while his human slept. She made frightened, pained noises from time to time, startling him awake, but when he spoke to her, reassuring her she was safe, she quieted.
He ached to hold her. Like he’d done on his speedster. But after all she had been through, he would not violate her in that way.
When the first rays shone through his skylight and slashed across his cheeks, he pushed to his feet and staggered out to his main room. His little human would need sustenance.
He pulled some raw anu root from his food stores and heated a pot of water. After adding the roots and some dried nissal leaves—one of the planet’s most nutritious substances, he pulled back the drape covering his door. In his sector, the days stayed warm until the ice storms were almost upon them, and he often avoided closing the heavy wooden door, hating the feeling of being trapped inside.
A breeze blew through his home, gently stirring his hair and carrying Tessa’s sweet scent to his nose. He hovered just outside his sleeping chamber, watching her steady breathing. She looked so small and fragile under the blankets.
When the anu root was cooked, he mashed it in a bowl and brought it to the bedside. “Tes-sa?”
Her eyes flew open, her entire body stiffening as he touched her shoulder. “Where…? Oh God. You.”
“Ro. I am Ro.” He did not understand. Had she forgotten him? “You are safe here, Tessa.”
Though she grunted as she pushed herself up to sitting, she managed to stay upright. “Safe? You bought me! My ship went down, and I woke up naked, collared, and strapped to a table with a big green scaly guy groping me!” Tessa’s voice cracked, and she started to shake.
A possessive need to claim, to beat the Supreme Ruler and his minions so badly they’d never walk again consumed him, and Ro growled, causing the little female to squeak and scramble out of bed. But her legs would not hold her.
Ro caught her as she fell, hating how much he liked feeling her in his arms. His cock swelled against his britches, and he tried to hide his very obvious arousal as he set her back on the bed and tucked the blankets around her.
“I bought you because I knew what would happen to you if I left you there. Did you understand anything said at the auction?” He rubbed his hands on his thighs, unsure she would even believe his words.
“No,” she whispered. “They took my chip before that…”
“Several of the males wanted to use you. Others wanted to condemn you to a life of manual labor. The auctioneer warned you would need to be broken. That your owner would need to use your control collar often.” He clenched his fists, trying to keep the worst of the anger from his voice. “And then someone changed your price at the last moment and threatened to send you to the mines. You would have died in less than a sun cycle. Not that you would have ever seen the suns again.”
“Oh.” She worried the blanket in trembling fingers. “And you…?”
He read the fear in her eyes, almost thought he sensed it. “I will protect you.” All the males at the trade knew he’d purchased her. Soon, despite the destruction of the planet-wide communication system, word would spread of the human female. He hoped he would not need to defend her against his own kind, but the long revolutions under the Supreme Ruler’s reign had turned many of his fellow males almost…feral.
Tessa bit her lip as if she couldn’t decide whether or not to trust him.
“Tessa, I make you this vow. On my life and the lives of my brothers, Vrax and Zaden, I will die before I let any harm come to you. You are under my protection.” Ro took her hand and laced their fingers. Heat traveled up his arm, through his chest, and settled in his cock.
She nodded, but then her eyes unfocused, and she started to sway. “I don’t…feel well.”
“Boltrak.” The curse slipped out, and Tessa flinched as Ro caught her by the shoulders. The contact seemed to steady her. “I am going to help you, Tessa. Will you trust me?”
She didn’t speak, but nodded weakly, and Ro climbed into bed with her. When he’d settled her against him, he picked up the bowl of anu root.
“Eat.”
Holding a scoop of mash close to her lips, he watched her sniff, then take a tentative bite. She finished half the bowl before she tried weakly to push his arm away. “Do you…have water? My head…”
“Do not get up. Do you understand?”
“Uh-huh.” She sank back against the pillow, then curled on her side.
Rushing into his small main room, Ro cracked open a koa nut and drained the juice into a cup. He made quick work slicing the orange fruit, and then returned to her with a dozen of the sweet wedges and the nourishing liquid.
“Drink,” he urged as he slid his arm under her shoulders and helped her sit up. Though she tried to take the cup from him, he nudged her hand away. “You will let me help you.”
She did not fight him. After she’d finished the juice, he fed her three of the fruit slices. She leaned against him, her eyes closed, and he set the bowl aside. “B
etter?”
“A little. I don’t know how long I spent in that cage. But…I only had a little water. Once. This…big guy…missing part of his ear...gave me a little. He didn’t have any food. I think…” Her voice faded, and Ro smoothed a hand over her hair.
“Missing part of an ear? That was Sarl. He is…was…a good male. Before.” Snagging another slice of the fruit, he held it to her lips. “Koa is restorative. Hydrating. Have more. Can you tell me what happened? How you came to be on Balrov?” He wanted to know her. Why, he was not sure. Except…he had not talked this much in six revolutions, and as he tried to comfort Tessa, his loneliness eased.
Ro stretched his legs out with his back against the wall and let Tessa nestle in the crook of his arm.
“We were headed for Bayone. Do you know it?”
“I do.” Before…some of his people had traveled the stars. Bayone was not far. Had not been far.
She sniffled, swiping at her cheeks. “We came out of hyperspace ready to navigate the Alpha Star Nebula. But then…something happened. My ship—the fire storms tore it apart.” Tessa turned to Ro and grasped his arms weakly. Her tiny fingers didn’t wrap more than halfway around his biceps. “Were there any other humans at the trade?”
“No. Why?”
“Naomi and Maren. I saw…the fire…” She dissolved into hiccuping sobs, and Ro pulled her against his chest.
Sorrow made his eyes burn. Not his sorrow. But hers. How? “Shhh, Tessa. You are safe.” He did not understand. Though his chip translated her words, he’d never traveled the stars. Did not understand firestorms or nebulas or Naomi or Maren.
“My friends are dead,” she whispered. “Why did I live?” She hissed out a breath as he tightened his arms around her. “My…ribs. Crap.”
“Lie back.” Ro helped her down, then unbuttoned her shirt. At her protest, he held a finger to her lips. “I have seen you naked, little one. I can treat your injuries.” He lifted her wrist, stroked his fingers over the healing wrap absorbing into her skin. “We do not have much here anymore. Balrov is dying under the Sypians’ rule. But our healing is very advanced.”