by Tempest Luna
“I’m not your property.” She swiped at her cheeks, and Ro tried not to notice the way her breasts heaved as she drew in a ragged breath.
By the ancient gods, he needed her. The bonding had already started, and his chest tightened with the need to hold her, to take away all of her pain, her fears. “No. You are…my heart,” he whispered.
“I understand now. How terrible Balrov is. How can you live like this?” She snatched the blanket from his hands as she got to her feet, swaying slightly. Ro couldn’t force himself to answer, and after a long, tense moment, Tessa released a breath on a sob and turned away.
As she stumbled back to the bedroom, Ro said quietly, “Because I have no choice.”
When the door had shut firmly behind her, Ro risked pulling out his communications array once more. “Sypian. Are you there?”
What was he doing? If he were caught, he’d be sent to the mines. And then…what would happen to Tessa?
“Did you find the bag?”
The hissing voice coming through the speaker almost knocked him off his chair, and Ro cleared his throat. “Yes.” From the small parcel tucked inside one of Tessa’s boots, he withdrew a rectangular image. So much like the drawings Vrax and their father used to create. Except, this one was in color.
Tessa stood in the center of two other females. The edges of the picture were blackened and eaten away, but one of the females had red hair, the other dark hair like his. All three were smiling, though in their eyes, sadness lingered.
“We do not all feel as the Supreme Ruler does. You shall know those of us who are friends by a red chain on our belts. I must go. Protect her.”
“Wait. What are you called?” Ro asked, but only silence answered him.
Ro took the image and pressed his ear to the door of his sleeping chamber. He could no longer sense Tessa’s emotions. She had either cut herself off from him, or fallen asleep.
Easing the door open a crack, he risked a glance. She slept curled around his pillow, her eyes puffy and her cheeks still wet. He left the image next to her and headed for his outbuilding.
He prayed he’d find more answers amid the supplies he’d bought at the trade, but even if he came away with nothing, he had to prepare for the ice storms, and the fruits, wools, and speedster parts would not sort themselves.
Chapter Nine
Tessa
As she rolled over, she focused on Ro sleeping with his back against the wall, a blanket draped over his muscular frame. He looked exhausted. His scent filled the small room, the only bit of familiarity she had on this awful planet. She knew her alien. Vision after vision had taught her of his kind heart, his unwavering sense of right and wrong, and his need to claim, to protect, to comfort.
He wasn’t the cruel, cold man who’d bruised her and had barely flinched when the Sypian had touched her.
For a short time, sitting outside in the sun as Ro had talked about life on Balrov, she’d believed this would be better than Earth. That she’d have a chance for happiness here. A chance at a life on a planet that wasn’t dying. But now, she feared she’d been wrong.
This planet was just as dead as hers, only here, the true horrors lay in what was happening to Balrov’s people, not the land.
But here, she had Ro. “You are my heart.”
Tessa pushed herself up, pleased she no longer ached with every movement. The wraps had dissolved, and as she examined her naked body, a strange electricity skittered over her skin. Need. Raw need. For Ro.
Their kiss had made her feel alive and safe. Even as terrified as she’d been with the Sypians leering at her, she’d known, instinctively, that he’d have done anything to keep her safe.
As she tugged at the blanket, something fluttered to ground. Tessa shifted gently, resting her bare feet on the soft animal skin rug. A touch of lingering dizziness still plagued her, and she felt like she could sleep for another week, but the suns had started to rise—if the pale pink glow from the skylight was any indication. She’d slept all through one of Balrov’s nights.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, trying not to wake Ro as her fingers closed on the photo she, Maren, and Naomi had taken before their very first harvesting run. The edges were burned and blackened, the bottom right corner gone. She slid down to the floor, pulling the blanket from the bed and wrapping it around her shoulders as she blinked back her tears.
In her periphery, she caught sight of a pair of boots. Her boots. They, too, were slightly charred, but even the laces were intact. How?
She was about to crawl over to Ro when her vision went white and agony exploded inside her skull.
Digging her fingers into the soft flesh behind her knees, she tried to use the pain to stave off the vision, but images flashed behind her eyes.
An industrial kitchen, but one unlike any she’d ever seen. A flicker of amethyst skin. A large male. The one she’d seen in the trade pens. He stirred a massive pot, staring straight ahead. Several of the green-skinned Sypians stood off to the side.
“It seems unusually cruel to assign slaves to the kitchens and not allow them to eat,” one of them said with a shake of his head.
“The Supreme Ruler wants them to have only the altered cold anu mash. It keeps them docile,” another replied. “But do not tell the head monitor. I often allow the slaves on duty a bit of broth or juice. Never enough for a meal. Just enough to stop them from spitting in the pots. They do not deserve what we have done to them.”
The other alien agreed and touched a red braid on his belt.
When the skylight came back into focus, warmth surrounded her. She was back in the bed, held in her alien’s arms under the blankets. “Tessa. Are you all right?”
The concern in his voice made her eyes burn—almost as if she could feel his emotions. The fear at finding her on the floor. The intense need to comfort and protect.
“I…had to pick up the picture,” she said.
“What form of art is this?” Ro asked as he stroked a finger over the photo. “I have never seen anything like it.”
“You don’t have pictures on Balrov?”
He shook his head. “Vrax—my brother—draws. Like our father used to. But the images do not have such…detail.”
“A picture is,” she chewed on her lip for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain a photo to her alien, “kind of like a perfectly preserved memory. Every visible detail. If the picture were larger, you could probably count the hairs on my head.”
“That is…extraordinary.” Shifting her so he could look into her eyes, he let out a slow, deep breath. “There is much I have to tell you, Tessa. You know little of our world. Of its dangers.”
Our world.
“So tell me. I won’t break. I survived a whole day in a cage wearing a shock collar. You had to hit me in front of two Sypians just so they wouldn’t take you away from me. Pretty sure anything else you have to tell me will seem like a walk in the park.”
“I do not understand ‘a walk in the park.’” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and her heart squeezed. But not with her emotions. With his.
They had so much to learn about one another. “It means something easy. Something you don’t have to worry about. Parks…they used to be places humans went to play or relax. Games. Sports. Trees and grass and swing sets.”
A ray of sunlight slashed across Ro’s handsome features, and he squinted as he raised his hand to shield his eyes. “There is work to be done before the sun cycle is over. And tomorrow, we must travel into the mountains to forage for food in case we are cut off by the ice storms. They are not usually severe in this sector, but we should still prepare.”
“You’re avoiding the conversation.” She wriggled up, keeping the blanket tight against her breasts.
“No. But if we are to speak of these terrible things, I would like to do so in the light of the suns. I would like to be able to believe…even for a short time…that we are free.”
* * *
Ro dressed quickly, the
n laid out a variety of items of clothing. “I do not expect these to fit you. But perhaps…”
“I’ll figure something out. My grandmother taught me how to make clothes when I was little. Go on. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” She shooed him away, and as he closed the door behind him, she thought she heard an exasperated rumble in his chest. “Get used to it, big guy. You don’t get to do everything around here anymore,” she called.
Examining each shirt and pair of pants, she sat on the bed. They were all black. Did Balrovians wear any other color? The pants were too long, but the thin material was stretchy enough she could tie the bottoms off around her ankles. Her waist was a bigger—or smaller—problem. But she found a length of rope in a drawer and used it as a belt.
It wasn’t until she stepped out of the bedroom that she realized what she hadn’t seen. Underwear. Was Ro…going commando? All the time?
He hadn’t been wearing any yesterday. Before they showered. Oh God. Her core throbbed with need, and the thought of him left her almost immediately wet. He’d left her a mug of juice on the counter, and she heard him moving things around outside.
Taking a few minutes to savor the juice, Tessa tried to get herself back under control before joining him. If she didn’t, she’d just throw her arms around him and try to fuck him blind.
“What the hell is happening to me?” she muttered under her breath. Her nipples tightened under the thin shirt, and with every step, her need intensified.
Lacing up her boots felt surreal. And Ro still hadn’t told her how he found them. Or the photograph.
Tessa pulled the thick, black curtain to the side and watched her alien work out his frustrations on the pile of rocks that would keep them warm during the ice storms. His muscles rippled and corded as he swung the axe, the ridges along his arms flexing with each movement. God, he was so strong. And…kind. And…she wanted him. Needed him.
This is so not what I thought I was getting myself into when I signed up for this mission.
With a small shake of her head, Tessa stepped out onto the smooth stone next to the door. “Ro?”
The axe fell to the ground, and when he met her gaze, the punch of power shocked her enough to take a step back.
“Is it safe?”
He scanned the horizon. “You are mine, Tessa. Even if more monitors come, you are mine. It is as safe as it can be. I will tell any who come that I gave you clothing so you could help me outside without damage.”
Tessa stumbled on the last step, and Ro caught her in his arms. “You did well with my things.” His black brows drew together over those haunting silver eyes.
With a chuckle, Tessa tugged at the waistband of her—his—pants. “I tried. You’re…huge.”
The deep laugh had Ro bending over and resting his hands on his thighs. “I have not laughed…” he said as he tried to catch his breath, “…in many revolutions.”
“Clearly, you don’t drink alcohol on this planet, then. And what’s a revolution?”
Ro drew up to his full height. “A revolution is the time it takes for our planet to circle the twin suns. And as for alcohol, it is forbidden. But I have some…in a secret place.”
“So, you do have a rebellious streak.” Smiling at him, she stroked her hand down the ridges along his arms. “I never understood what I was feeling in my visions when I touched you. These…muscles. Humans don’t have them.”
Uncertainty ghosted his handsome features, and Tessa slid her fingers up to his neck and the scar she knew as well as she knew her own name. “I dreamed of you for so long.”
“But you did not dream of Balrov. Of the Supreme Ruler.” Ro took a step back, turned, and stalked over to the pile of Foxfire crystals. Gathering an armful, he carried them to the drying table against his outbuilding. “You did not dream of a world where your survival would be at risk every single sun cycle.”
“No. I suppose I didn’t. Not exactly.” Carefully, she tucked a half-dozen crystals in the crook of her arm and joined him, laying them out where they would absorb the suns’ rays. “Do you—we—have enough crystals now?”
Ro let his gaze rove over the table. “I would feel better if we had another few dozen to get us through the ice storms, but likely, yes.”
“How do we get more?” Tessa glanced back at the dwindling collection of reddish rocks that had been so massive the previous day. “You blew through that pile in no time.”
“Tomorrow, we will explore the land around our home. I will teach you about our plants, how to survive on this planet. Then, at the next suns rise, we will hike into the mountains. There, we will gather food and as many crystals as we can find. The veins in the cliffside offer easier access. We will not need to carry large rocks back here. Only the crystals themselves.” He gestured for her to follow her into the outbuilding, then cleared a space for her on the edge of his trailer.
A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the frigid ride over the plains, trapped in the cage Ro had thankfully broken down into a pile of twisted metal.
“While you were sleeping, I unloaded the trailer and found your boots and a small parcel. Along with a note to keep you safe. There are Sypians who do not believe in the Supreme Ruler’s regime.” Ro glanced around, as if he were worried someone would hear them. “The note said…there may be other humans on Balrov.”
“Maren? Naomi? Oh God. Ro. Where are they?” Tessa jumped up and grabbed his arms, though her fingers only reached halfway around the bulging muscles.
“I do not know.” He wouldn’t look at her, and Tessa reached up to touch his cheek. “I swear, sonara. I have tried to contact my brothers, but they have not answered me.”
“You think your brothers know where my friends are?”
“It is possible. The Sypian’s note said he chose me to care for you. I would not have stayed until the end of the auction had I not been specifically told to do so. If he also chose my brothers…” Ro shook his head. “We will try to contact them again tonight. It is safer to use the communications array after the suns have set. The Supreme Ruler’s drones patrol the skies in the daytime, and they can intercept our communication signals.”
“I don’t like your Supreme Ruler very much.”
Ro chuckled, then drew her closer and sighed deeply. “You are wise not to. He is consumed by one desire: To conquer as many races as he can in order to save his own.”
“How is enslaving an entire planet saving his race?” Tessa nestled closer to her alien, enjoying the feel of his arms around her, of his solid muscles, the way his heart thudded rhythmically under her ear.
“There are no pure Sypian females left. The Supreme Ruler has traveled the stars to find races whose females can breed with his people. When he does…” He waved his hand out at the landscape. “Our females are held captive in his breeding pens. A select few,” his voice lowered and he swallowed hard, “including my sister, are trapped in his harem, where he rapes them at his whim.”
“Ro.” Tessa tried to tip her head up to meet his gaze, but he held her so tightly, she couldn’t move. “I’m so sorry.”
“It is the way of things here. And why I fear for your safety. You are mine, yes. But the Supreme Ruler and his monitors have more powerful weapons, an army of slaves forced to do his bidding, and there are so few free males left that we have had no hope of fighting them.”
He released her, jumped onto the trailer, and started rummaging around amid the boxes still left.
Tessa sank back down to the edge of the flatbed. She’d seen glimpses of the war, of life on Balrov, and she rubbed her neck, remembering the feel of the heavy collar, how she’d been helpless against its powerful shocks.
“Nothing. There is nothing else,” Ro muttered from the front of the large trailer.
“What do you mean?”
“I do not know who left your boots on the trailer. But I believe he is the same Sypian who warned me the monitors were coming. He claims to be on the Balrovians’ side. A friend. Someone who does not bel
ieve in the Supreme Ruler’s mission to destroy our people. I hoped…perhaps there would be some way of finding out who he was.”
With a frustrated curse, he kicked one of the empty boxes. It sailed across the interior of the outbuilding. Tessa flinched as it crashed into the wall and broke into pieces.
“Fuck. I am sorry, sonara. Go back inside. I will be right in.” He stalked over to where he’d left his axe, nudged it with his booted foot, and flipped the handle up so he could sling the tool over his shoulder.
Tessa hovered at the door, watching him tuck several tools, small boxes, and ropes into a backpack of sorts. “Are you chilled?” he asked as he reached her. “Your body is fragile.”
“I need—” She stopped, unsure what, exactly, she needed. This awkwardness between them to dissipate? A hug? Food? All of the above. “I need pants that aren’t ten sizes too big for me.”
Ro tugged at the waistband of her britches. “I like how these look. And how they will fall off of you if I pull this cord here.”
Tessa blushed. “Is there something I can…um…cook? You’ve done so much for me.”
“I will prepare food for you,” he said. “You are not my slave.”
“That’s not what I…never mind.” She fiddled with the hem of the large shirt as she followed him inside. “Where I’m from, everyone helps out. Or they used to. A long time ago. When people lived in houses and went outside and grew their own food.”
“They do not do that any longer?” He set the backpack down on the cushion and moved to the small kitchen. A variety of dried flakes went into a pot with some water. Next, he started slicing pale gray meat as she shifted from foot to foot on the other side of the counter.
“We’ve destroyed the Earth. All we have left is what we can manufacture. Naomi found a rat once. It’s…uh…” Tessa held up her hands a few inches apart. “A small rodent. Pretty disgusting. They squeak.” She shivered. “There are still a few. But they’re really good at hiding from humans. The big beast you bought at the trade? It’s kind of like a cow, I think. We used to have a lot of them. People ate the meat.”