by Ella Maven
I turned back to the Kaluma and stumbled to my feet. “Make it quick,” I spat at him.
He’d been watching the Gattrix as well, and now his gaze shifted to me. His fluorescent blue eyes narrowed. “Stupid human,” he muttered. “Let’s get out of here. Should have known better than to trust the council.”
My knees buckled, and I would have hit the floor if he didn’t grab me and haul me into his arms.
Bosa
The human weighed next to nothing. How had I not noticed that before? Or maybe I had noticed and had been trying not to feel sorry for her. Red blood trickled from her nostrils to stain her lips and drip off her chin.
I took one last took at Frenz before bolting away. I’d watched the human take out the guards with a sick sense of pride, and she’d been fast as she sprinted away, but the Gattrix would have caught her. But she was with me now, and my speed was five times hers. I took the stairs three at a time before bursting out into the alley. I couldn’t blank with her, so this would be a race in the shadows. Luckily, it was night, so I could at least remain undetected from most of the eyes in this city.
I hadn’t realized how deep the corruption in this city ran. After leaving the human with the Ubilque, I’d grown increasingly suspicious. As much as home called me, the truth called me more. There had been something not right about the situation, and once I began to do some digging, I’d overhead a conversation with Garquin and his guards. That was when I found out the truth—the human wasn’t a betrayer of her own people. She had escaped from Frenz, and he was determined to get her back and make an example out of her. I’d delivered her right into his hands.
As I ran crouched along the wall of the city, I cursed my conscience. I hadn’t thought I had one, but my current situation would prove otherwise.
The human ran next to me, perfectly quiet and compliant. I doubted she trusted me, but she was smart enough to know I was her only option now. Still, I predicted she’d take every opportunity to stab me in the neck. Not that I blamed her.
Yerk, I cursed to myself, suddenly remembering how I’d gagged her and tied her up and then dropped her off in Frenz’s hands… I shuddered. Nearly unforgivable. More guilt settled on my shoulders like a too-tight war fur. I’d get this human to safety and then get back to jobs I liked. Jobs where I could maim evil creatures without feeling like I was doing something wrong. Having a conscience was the worst.
I knew the Gattrix would be after me, but I also knew they wouldn’t find us. Frenz wasn’t that powerful. He might have paid off Garquin to get the human, but he didn’t have control of the whole city and its security.
Plus, I knew it all. Being able to blank and go undetected did wonders for finding out secrets. It was how I learned about the human’s truth.
I’d hid a hover buggy outside the city in an abandoned storage facility. The human balked when I led her into the darkness, but I pulled her along, easily strong enough to drag her if I had to. I hauled her into my lap and turned on the buggy, not wasting my breath to explain anything because there wasn’t time. We had to get somewhere safe, and good thing the human had me, because I knew just where to go.
Nomera was a forested area of Gorsich that was protected from development—mostly because the orhanus ruled that forest. They were an intelligent species with wicked archery skills and their own language that couldn’t be translated by any device. One thing they liked? Anything shiny. As long as I brought them gifts and left their females and young alone, they let me stay unmolested.
Living in the trees was where I felt comfortable. While Gorsich didn’t have the large fungus pads we built our huts on in Torin, the Nomera forest was full of massive, thick pukua trunks.
After parking the hover buggy in a small ditch and covering it with leaves, I led the human deep into the forest to my hideout. She was exhausted now, stumbling over her feet, and panting for breath. A sheen of sweat shone on her pale skin, and her cheeks looked less colorful than they’d been when I’d first seen her. Did she need feeding and watering? I didn’t dare stop though. If she needed something, then she had to speak up. I wasn’t a mind reader. I tugged her along harshly, irritated at myself for caring, and she slammed into my back before righting herself.
When we reached the base of my pukua tree, I hauled her onto my shoulders. She let out a small moan and weakly batted at me, but I was already halfway up the trunk. The branch where my hideout sat was as thick as my torso and flat. It spanned out into a series of smaller branches and that was where I’d fashioned a makeshift hut of leaves and vines.
From the ground, it faded into the foliage of the tree, making it nearly undetectable to everyone but the orhanus. I listened for their familiar whoops and whirls, as they would have seen me enter. They would come sniffing around eventually, looking for payment and wondering about the creature in my arms.
I dropped her on the bed pallet, and she immediately sprang back up onto her feet. Except her strength was nearly gone, and she tripped over her own feet before righting herself and plastering her back against the wall. The whites of her eyes were visible around her brown irises as she darted them around the space. I stood with my hands on my hips, watching her.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse. “Where are we?”
“My home away from home.”
I tried to envision the space from her eyes. Dust covered the floor in a thin layer, and a few insects buzzed around our heads. Also … I sniffed. Something was decaying somewhere, but it wasn’t my problem, so I ignored it.
The human, however, looked terrified out of her mind, which irked me. I’d rescued her, and now she was viewing my place with disgust?
I kicked at the bed pallet with a sneer. “I apologize if it’s not up to your standards, but I suggest not being picky about it. Staying here is better than getting boiled alive by Gattrix venom.”
She wrapped her thin arms around herself and trembled. “Oh God.”
I knelt and rooted in a basket where I kept dried meats, nuts, and berries. But instead of food I found…the source of decay. Picking the rodent up by its tail, I held it up in front of my face. “Well, now I know why it stinks in here.”
The human’s skin turned a sickly shade, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. I tossed it through a small break in the vines and wrinkled my nose at the basket contents. “We’re not eating anything in here.” I squinted at the human. “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head quickly.
I scratched my stomach. “I could eat. Maybe I should have kept that rodent and fried it up. Looked kind of scrawny though.”
A gagging sound came from the female.
I swiped my hands together and stood up. I unclipped my water canteen from my belt and tossed it at her. She fumbled it before grasping the neck and unscrewing the cap. She kept her gaze on me the entire time she drank, which I found unnecessary. When she finally lowered the canteen, water dripped from her chin, which she swiped with the back of her hand. “What are you going to do with me?”
I snatched the canteen back from her, which only made her cower further against the wall. “Not boil you with Gattrix venom.” I took a long swig of water as her gaze drifted to my bat leaning against the vine wall near the doorway. I jerked my chin toward it. “I’m not going to swing Babe at you either.”
“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered. “Of course, you named it.”
I pointed to the scarf I had knotted on my belt. “I could gag you again.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, and I saw the fire that had been there when we’d first met. I liked it. “I’ll pass.”
The threat was empty. Now that she was speaking, I found I liked conversing with her. I sank down into a chair in the corner and stretched out my legs in front of me with a groan.
She slowly dropped onto the bed pallet but kept her wary eyes on me. “Why am I here?”
I yawned. “Why are any of us here? What’s the purpose of life? Is there a higher po
wer?”
“You’re really annoying,” she muttered.
“Gag,” I reminded her.
She let out a small growl that made my vurs pulse. “What are you going to do with me?”
I eyed her thoughtfully. I’d always been a little impulsive, but this might have been the most spontaneous decision I’d ever made. I preferred being alone, and if I were to have company, I certainly only wanted fellow Kaluma. But the human’s presence in my space… I found I didn’t hate it.
“I’m not sure yet,” I answered with smirk. “Convince me of your skills, and I’ll decide if I’m going to keep you or not.”
Four
Karina
Had I found the most smartass alien in this whole galaxy? Sure, he was huge and little scary, but he smirked a lot. Avoided questions. And now he was eyeing me like I was the main dish.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been ogled, and usually eyes on me made my skin crawl. But for some reason, his fluorescent blue eyes made my skin heat and my nipples pebble beneath my shirt. This was stupid. I hated this asshole. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him my best withering look. “Maybe I don’t want you to keep me.”
His eyes flashed with surprise, and I had a moment of satisfaction for getting a reaction out of him. I also wondered how much I could poke the bear. Being antagonistic was probably the wrong move, but I was tired, pissed off, scared, and felt sick over the rotting smell of that dead furry thing.
I thought his face would settle into a glare, but if anything, he looked excited as he gestured toward the hut’s opening next to him. “You’re free to leave.”
I stared at him. “What?”
“I rescued you because I didn’t like that I was lied to. I was told you were one thing but found out you were not.”
“When did you find that out?”
“After I’d already handed you over.”
“So… you rescued me because of a pride thing?” So much for the belief he had a conscience.
He tapped his chin. “Sure, you could say that.”
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. That he gave a shit about me—a random human? “So, I can leave.”
His eyes fell to half-mast, and he relaxed into the chair as if he had no cares in the world. He was the picture of no fucks, but his fluorescent blue eyes were aware as ever. “Go ahead.”
“This feels like a trap.”
He grinned, displaying wickedly sharp fangs. “Give it a try, Karina.”
It was the first time he’d said my name. I hadn’t even realized he’d known it. I knew his name was Bosa but referring to him as the Kaluma let me keep some emotional distance. Now that my name fell from his lips with a rolled R, I couldn’t stop replaying the sound in my head.
I stood up, fisting my hands at my sides. Was this probably a trap? Sure. But if it wasn’t, and I was free, then I could return to finish my mission. All I cared about was incapacitating Frenz’s ships, especially now I knew what he’d planned for me.
I took a step toward the opening, watching Bosa the whole time. He didn’t seem to be looking at me. In fact, his eyes appeared closed. Was he sleeping? Seriously?
With a huff, I stalked toward the door and slowly peered outside. The forest was fairly noisy. Leaves rustled. Paws or hooves pounded the dirt in the distance. Something chattered and squawked. But there was still an eerie stillness that gave me pause. I took another step forward, then another, studying the darkness lit only by the bright stars in the sky. I would have enjoyed the beauty of it all if I wasn’t scared out of my mind.
I took one more step before a soft whistling reached my ears. Suddenly arms wrapped around me, and the world flipped upside down before I landed on a hard body. A solid thunk shook the branch inches from where I’d been standing. I stared as a massive arrow, the spear tip the size of my hand, quivered in place.
I struggled against the body holding me until my hands slid off leathery-feeling scales. “Relax,” Bosa said from beneath me. I went still as his blue eyes glittered at me in the dark. “That was just a warning shot.”
“A warning shot?” I squeaked. “From who?”
He jerked his head. “Them.”
Out of the darkness figures appeared. Some on the branches above. Some below, and a few venturing toward us. I lurched in Bosa’s arms, seeking the protection of his hut, even though it was clear their arrows would turn it into Swiss cheese. “What do we do?” I hissed at him frantically. “Where’s Babe? Do you have another one for me? A Babette?”
He chuckled, which seemed wildly inappropriate for the situation. He picked me up easily and stood, shoving me behind his back as he faced off with the largest figure. I peered around Bosa’s bulk to get a good look at our attackers.
What looked like the leader walked on short legs and long front arms, similar to a gorilla. He was covered in a thick hide like a rhino with a large horn jutting out from his chin, giving him a nasty underbite. Draped over his hunched shoulders was a furred headdress that still dripped with blood from a recent kill.
“Oh fuck,” I muttered.
He looked pissed. Or maybe that was just his face. His eyes were nearly covered with about a dozen forehead wrinkles. Behind him a few of his friends made odd chirping sounds following by a series of chest thumps and lip smacks.
Bosa didn’t seem concerned. He stood with his hands loose at his sides. No bat in sight. Then I spotted a fabric wrapped package on the branch at his feet. He opened his mouth and let out a chirp before pushing the package forward with the tip of his boot.
The leader eyed him, then me, before picking up the package. He unwrapped it to reveal a round, shiny platter that caught the light of the stars. He let out a grunting sound followed by a mouth pop straight out of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Bosa dragged me out from behind him and placed me directly in front of him. I squirmed, unsure what was going on, but went still as he wrapped a hand around the front of my throat. He squeezed. Not hard, but enough to get my attention. The leader’s eyes watched this whole exchange carefully. For a moment there was silence. Stillness. Then the leader let out an ear-piercing chirp that made me cringe before the entire group of…whatever they were…faded into the night as quickly as they’d come.
Only then did Bosa let go of my neck and duck his head to enter the hut. “Come on, Karina. Let’s get some sleep.”
I whirled around. “Some sleep? What the fuck was that?”
From inside the hut, his voice came in a gruff answer. “I wasn’t lying. You’re free to leave if it was up to me. But the orhanus won’t let you out of here alive without me.”
“The what-anus?” I stomped back into the hut to find Bosa shaking out the furs.
“The orhanus.”
Forgetting he could snap me like a twig, I planted myself in front of him with my hands on my hips. “So, you were just going to let me… walk out there and get my head taken off?”
He continued to snap the fur as dust swirled in the air. “They weren’t aiming for your head.”
I coughed and waved my hand in front of my face. “Okay, my leg? Foot? Whatever. Either way, I almost lost a vital body part.”
“It wouldn’t have hit you.”
“Excuse me?”
He let out a sigh and flopped onto the bed pallet. “I told you. That was a warning shot. That arrow landed right where they wanted it to.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “A warning shot.”
“Yes.”
“And if I would have taken another step?”
“Then yes, you would have lost a vital body part.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So, you trapped me here.”
“I don’t have you trapped here. The orhanus though? They have you trapped here. You can’t leave without an escort. Which is me.”
“But you brought me here knowing I couldn’t leave.”
His eyes turned on me, two burning blue flames as he sat up on an elbow. “Look, human. I brought you here because this is t
he only safe place. Frenz won’t come here. It’s a protected area and the orhanus are fiercely territorial if anyone dares to enter. I’m allowed because I respect them and bring them gifts. So yeah, I chose to bring you here because this is the only place you won’t get dead.” He let out a huff and dropped onto his back. “A thank you would be nice.”
I gritted my teeth. “Thank you.”
He let out a sound that sounded like a deep chuckle. “Very heartfelt.”
I flopped down on the floor and stared at his side profile. His eyes were closed, and his one arm lay bent over his head, the other on his stacked abdominal muscles, like he was posing for a magazine editorial. Draw me like one of your Rinian guys.
I poked at my bootlace. I was tired as hell, but too keyed up and feeling vulnerable to lay down and sleep. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I don’t have one.”
“You can just… drop me off somewhere. I’ve survived this long on my own—”
“No.”
My spine snapped straight. “Why not?”
He finally rolled his head to face me, and his eyes opened to small slits. “Frenz will hunt you to the ends of the galaxy. What did you do to piss him off so badly?”
“I thought you heard the truth about me.”
“I heard you escaped, and he wanted you back to make an example out of you.”
I cackled. “That’s not the whole truth.”
This perked him up, and he rolled onto his side, propping his head on his fist. For a moment, I felt like I was at a sleepover with friends sharing gossip. “So? The truth.”
I hugged my knees to my chest. “You won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“I destroy his cargo ships so he can’t steal humans from Earth.”
For a moment, Bosa didn’t react, and then he threw back his head and roared with laughter. I picked up a nearby stick and threw it at him. It bounced off his chest, but he didn’t even notice.
“See?” I growled. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”
He finally lowered his head, and his eyes shone with mirth as he reached for me. I let out a squeak but couldn’t avoid his hand closing around my wrist. He hauled me onto the pallet next to him, and I gasped at the warmth of his body pressed up against me. “I believe you, human,” he said, his face inches from mine. “I knew there had to be a reason Frenz was willing to pay so much for your capture.”