Kidnapping His Rebel: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Zalaryn Conquerors Book 2)
Page 16
“It’s fine,” she assures me. “The healer says that it’s only three weeks. You’ve been busy with your work. I mean, sense it? Cut yourself some slack.”
“Three weeks,” I think aloud. I try to remember. “That’s when you returned from your last trip.” A smile consumes my face. “That makes sense.”
“I love you,” she says. “I’m actually excited about this.” She gestures vaguely towards her belly. It’s still flat, but my cock stirs at the mental image I conjure of her stomach round and full.
“I am, too. The offspring will only increase our love. It will be a joy to love something together.”
“Four days,” she says. I watch her board the ship, and the only thing I can think about is how everything in my life has just changed.
And like Lia said before: almost all changes are for the better.
I know this one is.
- - -
My comm panel beeps, and I grope blindly in the darkness for it. My first thought is: Lia. My second thought is: our offspring.
Beeps in the middle of the night are never good.
I look at the message. It’s from Vano. “To the comm-station now.” A man of few words. I slip on my breeches and my boots, think twice, then drape a fur around my shoulders. It’s starting to get colder here, and even though Zalaryns run hot, we don’t tolerate the cold very well.
By the time I get to the comm-station, all manner of gruesome fates that could have befallen Lia have run through my head—some of them twice. Vano and Orlon are sitting at the panels, but Queen Bryn is absent.
My heart sinks. They must have heard something from Lia. That’s the only reason Bryn isn’t here.
“What’s wrong?” I say.
I notice that Orlon is wearing breeches, waist-pouch and boots. He doesn’t look half-asleep either. Then I see he’s got a travel bag slung over his chair.
“Are you going somewhere?” I ask. Vano and Orlon look at each other.
“The traitor on Lia’s ship,” Vano says. “He claimed his daughter held some weapon or key to be used against the Rulmek?”
“He said she was the key,” I correct. “And yes, she had some sort of knowledge or item that would put an end to the entire fleshtrade, not just the Rulmeks’ role in it.”
“I think I’ve finally tracked her down,” Orlon says. “From the information you gave us, I’m quite sure she’s on Nurk.”
“And you’re going now?” I say, pointing to his travel sack. “In the middle of the night, and you woke me up and summoned me down here so you could kiss me goodbye?”
“He was going to leave in a few days, after some more inquiries could be made,” Vano says. “But things have just changed.”
“Changed?” I ask.
“We’ve gotten a message,” Orlon says. “From the Guuklar leader called Tos.”
My mouth goes dry and I can’t say a word. My mind reels. We didn’t kill the bastard when we had the chance; we were too eager to get out of there in one piece. Has he tracked down Lia? Does he still consider her to be his property?
“I’ll read it,” Vano says. “To the esteemed citizens of Lekyo Prime. It was with a heavy heart that I learned of the fate of the Rulmek slaveship and the untimely demise of the crew upon landing at the Kraxx settlement. It didn’t take long to figure out that the clever Zalaryn shadow government was behind it.”
“Shadow government?” I ask. So this doesn’t have to do with Lia?
“It gets worse,” Orlon says.
“While I do not grieve the loss of the Rulmek,” Vano continues to read, “I do grieve the loss of the one hundred slaves aboard that ship. Those were my slaves, you see. I had already paid the Rulmek in advance.”
“What a fool,” I say. “You never pay in advance, especially slimy assholes like the Rulmek.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” Vano says and continues. “Those were my slaves, you see. I had already paid the Rulmek in advance. I purchased one hundred slaves. You have them.” Vano clears his throat.
“And we’re coming to get them.”
The End
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VIKI STORM is the author of thought-provoking literary masterpieces science-fiction romance.
I live in Los Angeles and, like everyone else who lives here, I hate it and constantly threaten to move. I studied creative writing in school, but it was the sort of creative writing program where you’d get kicked out for writing about getting banged by an alien warrior.
I’m married and a proud parent (to an actual human child, not a ‘dog parent’ or ‘cat parent’ though I do have a cat).
I read just about anything. Except for non-fiction. I don’t know if I ever finished reading a non-fiction book.