by Lily Thomas
Eventually, she blacked out into sweet oblivion only to wake up, with no clothing and sitting in a chair. Trying to embarrass her and take away her dignity? Try again Sri'thaens. Being naked did not take away any of her strength.
The room was dark, and her eyes glanced around trying to see what was around her. Then a bright light flashed on, and then off. Her eyes dilated painfully. Then the light blinked back on searing her retinas, but at least it stayed on this time.
"We've tried it the gentle way human, but we need results."
Susan gritted her teeth as she glared in the direction of the voice. "Good luck getting them."
"You will be killed in the end if you prove to be useless."
"I'm pretty sure I'm dead either way, so I may as well keep my secrets."
"Your death would be quick if you give us what we want. Otherwise, we can draw it out for as long as you'd like."
"I don't know much about Sri'thaens," like none at all, "but I can assure you that humans can be stubborn creatures."
"Then it is good that I can be a patient torturer."
With that said, a hand flew out of the darkness to smack her across the face. Dots danced in front of her eyes, and she thought about Earth and the people there that might never know how hard she was trying to keep them safe.
"She couldn't have gone far." Rylnuhn grumped, as he paced the bridge of one of his smaller vessels. "Are you sure you lost the shuttle's trail?"
"It's gone, sir." The pilot, a Vrak'rir, turned around as informed Rylnuhn.
"What other ships have passed through here recently?"
"I'm detecting several ship trails. Would you like me to list them?"
"No. Send them to my chair's console." Rylnuhn made his way over to his chair and took a seat.
His console screen lit up with the names of ships that had passed through the area, and there was only one on the list that made his hackles rise.
Sri'thaen.
If they had grown impatient with him, they might have used Susan's escape to their advantage.
"Do you see the Sri'thaen ship's trail?"
The pilot gave him a nod.
"Follow that one and when we get close enough to the ship, put up the cloaking device."
The cloaking device wasn't really a tried and true thing, but he was going to have to hope it worked well enough for him to get in close to the Sri'thaen ship. He'd paid good money for one of these prototypes.
"We've found the Sri'thaen ship."
"Cloak us."
The pilot turned back to the console in front of him.
Rylnuhn didn't want the Sri'thaens to see them coming when he didn't have a warship to match their own.
This was the exact reason Vrak'rir were not allowed to lead until they found their mates. If he had been the current leader, he would have threatened war by going after his troublesome mate with the entire Vrak'rir fleet.
At the moment, he was just a lone Vrak'rir acting of his own regard. No one would know who he was.
"We're cloaked, and it appears to be holding." Another member of his crew confirmed, this time a Cri. His horned brows rose a little with his skepticism. "But who knows for how long."
"As long as it works for long enough, otherwise I'll have to talk with the Daen'su who sold it to me." He stood up from his seat, finding himself restless. He wanted his mate back. "Pull us up against their ship. Get the rest of the Vrak'rir ready to board. I want everyone suited up and armed. When we're ready, attach the ship to one of their hatches."
"On it."
Rylnuhn left the bridge. There was no way to know for sure if she was on board the Sri'thaen ship, but he was ready to risk it for his mate. There was nothing he wouldn't do. It was too much of a coincidence that her ship's trail disappeared right after a Sri'thaen ship flew by.
Not to mention he had some unfinished business with his mate. Leaving him hard and wanting? She was eviler than she looked. He just hoped she hadn't run herself into any trouble she couldn't handle.
The Sri'thaens were a warlike people. Violence was a way of life for them. If he were honest, they weren't too dissimilar to Vrak'rir, which was why he feared he might not even find Susan alive.
His heart stilled in his chest. That thought sent his heart into overdrive. His chest tightened.
He'd kill every last Sri'thaen if Susan weren't alive. They wouldn't just be taking his mate from him but ruining his chance of claiming his seat as the Vrak'rir leader. Rylnuhn was still uncertain if he'd leave anyone on the ship alive if she were just harmed.
He pulled on his helmet, the screen lit up. It was like having a second pair of eyes when it came to seeing in the dark, finding enemies, and aiming true. The rest of his armor was placed on his body by the ship. It melded around his body like a second skin. Grabbing a pair of plasma guns, he gathered the rest of his men.
They positioned themselves around the hatch.
"Attach to the other ship and pop the hatch."
"Done." The ship shook as they made contact with the Sri'thaen vessel.
The hatch popped open, and Rylnuhn and his men filed in. They quickly scanned the area inside the hatch, found it empty, and made their way onto the ship.
They had to get in, search, and find Susan before the Sri'thaens had time to react to their boarding party.
Although bashing some heads together sounded incredibly appealing. They'd better hope they hadn't harmed Susan because a Vrak'rir looking for revenge was a force to be reckoned with.
"Locate the brig." Rylnuhn took a stance looking down the corridor, while one of the men pulled up a schematic of the ship.
"Two corridors down and to our right."
The men headed down the corridor, Rylnuhn in the lead. They made it to the brig, but right as they neared the door, plasma shots rained down the corridor. Their armor absorbed the hits until they backtracked and found cover.
Rylnuhn motioned to a few of his men. "Go around and take them out from behind. If you meet resistance do all that you can to push them back."
With that, a few of the men left down another corridor. Rylnuhn took a glance around the corner, and a few plasma shots flew past his face. They only had a few more Sri'thaens left to take down.
"Keep them distracted." He fired off a couple more shots, ducked back behind his corner, and watched plasma shots shoot past his face.
He took a couple of blind shots down the hall, his men joining in with the fire.
Then everything went silent.
Rylnuhn took a peek down the hallway to find his men had incapacitated the Sri'thaens from behind.
"Guard all hallways leading to this one. I want a clear shot back to our ship." He wanted to go in and out as quickly as possible before any reinforcements showed up on their level. Again, he was assuming Susan was on the ship and in the brig, but this ship was the only solid lead he had, and he was going to follow it until it was completely explored.
Rylnuhn kept his plasma gun at the ready and moved down the hall to the brig door. He and another man braced themselves against the walls around the brig door. He held up a finger, and then they both entered the room at once, guns at the ready.
A plasma shot screamed past his helmet from the lone Sri'thaen in the brig. Ducking down he leveled his plasma gun and shot the Sri'thaen until he crumpled to the ground.
"Search. Quickly." Rylnuhn said to the other Vrak'rir, and then searched his side of the brig.
"Found her!"
Rylnuhn sprinted over to where the other man stood and then froze.
The sight in front of him made rage sear through every cell in his body. He didn't even recognize his mate. She was so marred with bruises, and her face was swollen. Her fiery red hair was mixed with her blood. He felt bile rise in his throat. What she must have endured!
Rylnuhn fired his plasma gun at the panel that controlled the force field. The blue light flickered and then disappeared altogether. He rushed in and placed a hand gently against Susan's face. Her eyes di
dn't open, or maybe they couldn't, but she did flinch at his slight touch.
"Shh… I'm here. It's Rylnuhn. I'm rescuing you, Susan." He wrapped his arms around her and carried her out of the brig.
His men formed around him, defending every angle until they made it back to the airlock.
"Take her." Rylnuhn passed her off to another man. He didn't want to leave her, but he had a Sri'thaen captain to kill. The captain was to blame for Susan's treatment, besides he really should self-destruct the ship and leave no survivors. If no one knew what happened to the ship, all the better.
"Where are you going, sir?"
"To destroy their vessel."
Rylnuhn marched back onto the Sri'thaen ship with a couple of men trailing close to him. "Pull up a diagram of the ship. Locate the captain's quarters and the bridge." He told his suit.
He was hoping the Sri'thaen captain would be at one of those two places. He first wanted to kill the captain face-to-face and then self-destruct the ship.
"When will she wake up?" Rylnuhn grumped, as he glared over at his doctor.
Akuhr raised a black eyebrow. "When I allow it. I induced this coma, and it will stay that way until her body has healed. Humans are more fragile than us, and you'd kill me if she died." His blue skin crinkled as he sent Rylnuhn a smile.
True. He would kill Akuhr, but not before he destroyed all Sri'thaens for starting this mess.
"She looks much better than when I brought her to you." Rylnuhn's eyes skimmed over her. Her face wasn't puffy anymore, and the bruises had faded away, leaving her creamy skin unblemished.
"Her recovery is proceeding better than expected. Thankfully the Sri'thaens didn't do anything irreversible to her."
Rylnuhn wished there was something more he could do for her. Akuhr was the best doctor around. When she woke, she'd only have the memories of what happened to her but no physical scars.
She'd been in the induced coma for a couple of weeks now, and he was tired of seeing her so motionless on the medical bed. It was like a preview of her deathbed, and he found it beyond disturbing.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Akuhr looked up at him, and Rylnuhn saw the sympathy in his doctor's black eyes. "I'm sure your presence helps her. She might be in a coma, but she must know she is now in a safe space."
Rylnuhn took a seat by her bedside and clutched her small pale hand. He'd stay by her side until she woke up. Nothing would budge him.
Chapter 12
"How are you?" Rylnuhn strode into the medical bay. "I thought we could move you out of here and get you settled in my room."
Susan glanced over at him and smiled. "Have I thanked you for rescuing me from the Sri'thaens?"
"Several times since you woke up." He took a seat beside her. "And there is no need for that. I will always be there for you."
"I'd love to leave this medical bay and take a walk."
"You should probably rest."
Susan glanced over at Akuhr who was pretending not to listen to their conversation. "Akuhr agreed a walk might do me some good."
"Did he?" Rylnuhn glanced over at Akuhr who was doing his best to look absorb in a couple of data pads.
Reluctantly, he gave up when Rylnuhn kept staring intently at him. "A walk might be good for her."
"You feel as though you are ready?" He turned back to her.
"Of course. I've been ready to leave this medical bay for days." She glanced over at Akuhr. "No offense or anything."
"None taken."
Rylnuhn rose up and offered her his hand. "Who are we to disobey the doctor's orders then?"
Susan flipped off the covers and slid off the bed. She swayed a bit on her feet.
"Are you sure about this?" Rylnuhn looked skeptical that she could make her feet work for a walk.
"I got this. I may have been in a coma for a couple of weeks, but I'm fine." She was amazed by how well she'd healed in the end. Akuhr had described what she looked like when she'd been delivered into his hands. He'd made it seem like it was a miracle she'd even made it out alive.
Rylnuhn guided her out of the medical bay and down the hallway.
"Give me a second."
Susan watched him disappear into a room, and then come back with a plasma pistol strapped to his side.
"Is that necessary?"
"Just in case the Sri'thaens ever decide to pay an unexpected visit to my planet, I want to be ready for them."
Her eyes scanned over his blue skin, searching his face. "Thought they didn't know it was you who rescued me."
"I assume not, since they haven't shown up yet, but I'm not taking any risks with you."
"You never told me exactly what happened when you rescued me."
Rylnuhn opened the door allowing her to walk outside into the fresh air.
"What exactly would you like to know?"
"You stormed the ship and rescued me? Was that all that happened?"
"I may have gone on a bit of a rampage." He sent her a smile.
"So that's why you're acting a little paranoid about the Sri'thaens finding out it was you and coming here to wipe us out. It wasn't just a simple rescue mission."
"It's not like I could just let them walk away after what they'd done to you."
"I get the feeling some of them aren't even alive, let alone walking." Susan made her way towards the waterfall. "We need to work on you being less of a warrior and more of a level-headed leader."
"With you by my side, I will be the level-headed leader of Vrak."
"Wait." Susan paused mid-step. "Leader of Vrak? What's that supposed to mean?" Who was the man standing in front of her?
"You are my mate, and now I can claim my position as leader of all Vrak'rir." He looked supremely proud.
"So… I'm your way into the leadership?"
His big blue arms folded across his chest. "Now you are twisting my words."
"I don't think I am. You just said with me by your side you can now claim your position. It feels like I'm being used once again."
"Once again?" He arched an eyebrow.
"You bought me so you could sell any information I had, and then I got kidnapped by the Sri'thaens." It was Rylnuhn's fault she'd been tortured. She'd been so close to breaking, but thankfully her jaw had been swollen too much for her to speak.
"They would've made a move at some point, and they could have killed you."
"Yeah, they almost did, Rylnuhn. Or didn't you see me when you rescued me?"
She saw a vein in his neck strain as she heard his teeth grit.
"I couldn't forget that sight even if I tried." His eyes took on a haunted look.
Susan shook her head. She had a lot of time to think about this while sitting in the medical bay. This wasn't the place for her. She liked living among other people and aliens. She wasn't meant to live on a planet with a population of less than fifty.
The roar of the waterfall greeted her ears, and she walked at a brisker pace, her legs steadier than before.
Nature. It always brought her comfort.
Rylnuhn felt his mate drifting away from him. Did she hate him? It was so frustrating. If she'd been a Vrak'rir female, this wouldn't be happening. She'd feel the same draw to him that he felt to her. But instead, he'd been given a human woman who would have trouble viewing their relationship as solidly as he did.
Her jade eyes lit up as she gazed at the rushing water. Time to make a move on her before she completely slipped from his grasp.
Stepping up behind her he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her into his chest. His head bent down to the crevice of her neck and kissed her.
"I've been up for a day!" Susan laughed as her head and shoulder tried to push his mouth away from her ticklish skin.
"And I've been up since you left me tied to a bed."
Susan spun around in his grasp. Her dazzling smile stole his breath away. "You deserved it."
"And you deserve this." Rylnuhn swooped her up into his arms, and then laid her down
on the grass.
Susan knew this was a bad idea, but he drew her in like a fish on a hook. There was no future for them so why continue this… because it felt oh-so-delicious when he kissed his way down her neck and kneaded her breasts with eager hands.
Resisting her desire had been a lot harder than she'd expected. And she was glad she was so weak, because his mouth was getting closer to her breast, and she couldn't wait.
Rylnuhn flicked up a black claw and instead of her heart dancing in fear she felt it thump with nothing but desire. His claw made short work of her shirt freeing her breasts to his greedy view. A growl rumbled up his throat, his hands running down her sides to her hips, and then used his claws to rip her pants off.
"I think you need to learn how to take clothes off without ripping them from my body."
"But it makes you hot. I can smell your arousal."
Her cheeks flushed. "You can smell it?" Susan wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"You'll never be able to hide that from me. You like it when I use my claws to rip off your clothing."
Busted.
"You're going to finish what you started a few weeks ago."
She smiled as his head dipped between her thighs, his tongue licking its way from her hot center to her clit. Then he sucked it into his mouth, and her head fell back on a moan.
"My doctor said a walk, not a sprint." She moaned, as her hands dug into the grass around them.
All he gave her in response was a growl. Both his hands wiggled under her ass, and each grabbed an orb. Gently his black claws massaged her cheeks as he pushed her firmly against his mouth.
Her fingers dug into the grass as her body slowly built, and she felt herself balancing on a cliff.
Rylnuhn abandoned her clit.
"What…?" Susan's eyes popped open, and she looked down at Rylnuhn. "Don't be cruel."
"Cruel?" His black eyes met hers. "You left me hard and tied to a bed. I'll be as cruel as I want."
Rylnuhn stood up to his full height. His hands made their way to his pants, which he whipped off in less than a second. His shirt quickly followed. It had to be her lust-addled mind, but his tight blue abs made her want to claw them.