Esme the gazelle.
“Does that make you a gazelle too, Piper?” Her voice was too deep and her throat scratchy.
Esme wanted to open her eyes to make sure Piper hadn’t magically turned into a gazelle. Then she remembered Piper’s three eyes, red lips and rows of serrated teeth.
“Of course you aren’t. But according to Bradliix, you might as well be now. I’ve turned you into a well-behaved pet.”
A memory of Piper flashed in her mind. She’d torn into the leg of a hunter who’d run them down on their last outing. The hunter had tried to kill Piper, but in the end he’d died from Esme’s knife.
“Okay, not so docile.” She chuckled, which sounded more like a dry cough.
“How are you doing?”
She knew that voice. That voice made her happy and sad.
She sighed. It was probably just her imagination which seemed to be growing crazier with each passing day. She didn’t trust herself to know what was real and what was fake anymore. She hadn’t eaten in a week, and her water ran out three days ago. She wasn’t dying, but she was definitely experiencing signs of starvation and dehydration.
“Peachy,” she replied to the voice in her head. “I’m out here living the dream.”
“You are not satisfactory.”
“Ah, so your translator knows what peachy means.” It hurt to talk. She ran her tongue across her teeth. They were tender. How can teeth hurt?
“I’m concerned about you.”
A pounding started behind her eyes. “God, that hurts. Dream, Xrez? Do you mind sending me some caffeine or an aspirin to help with the headache? Some toothpaste and a toothbrush would be good too. Oh, and doggy treats for Piper. She’s been a trooper through all of this. She hasn’t once tried to eat me even though we’re both starving.”
“Esme, although it does something to my hearts to know that you dream about me, you aren’t dreaming this time. I’m going to send you food, water and extra firesticks. But I can’t until the morning. The ground is too frozen for a pod to get through, and I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself trying to climb down to get it.” There was a pause. “But if you want I can forgo the food all together and send an emergency pod for you. I would be happy to serve you a feast when you get to safety.”
“Now I know you’re real. Dream Xrez never offers to liberate me from The Hunt, because dream Xrez knows that’s not what I want, and he promised to leave me here to finish.”
His deep sigh came across the comlink. “I know that’s not what you want, but I can’t sit here and watch you slowly starve yourself to death.”
“Humans can go three weeks without food. I’ve only gone one.”
“Turolois orbits its sun at a much slower pace than Earth rotates around its sun. You’ve gone closer to two weeks without food in Earth time, Esme.”
As if on cue her stomach growled. The pain was almost unbearable. She pressed her eyelids tight together. “How long can arrancars go without food?”
“Arrancars can go up to two months without eating. It isn’t ideal for them, but they’re able to do it. In their natural habitat food is scarce. You’ve been feeding her every few days or so. She has enough fat reserves stored to sustain herself. Besides, I’m not worried about the arrancar. I’m worried about the human.”
“I’m not your problem anymore. I did what you wanted me to do. I made it to Level Three, and contrary to what you wish, I plan on winning.”
“I want you to win, Esme.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, right. If I win, you have to pay me. Bradliix told me that I’ll get enough credits to settle down anywhere. I’ll be free to do whatever I want. I think I might write a book about my experience here. Maybe go with Payton on some kind of alien talk show circuit. Hey, do you guys have talk shows?”
“To win you have to survive. Stay holed up where you are, and you’ll be dead soon.”
“I still have some time. I’ll go out in a few days and check my traps.”
“And how are you going to climb down your tree? You barely have enough energy to open your eyes.”
“Hey! Stop spying on me. And how did you get a camera in here anyway?” She wanted so badly to open her eyes and find where that camera might be hidden, but the fact was, Xrez was right about her being tired.
“Esme, you’re talking to yourself, can barely move and when you do you’re wobbly on your feet.”
“You didn’t answer the question about the camera,” she ground out.
“I might’ve had it installed during one of your outings,” he grumbled.
If she were sure she had enough strength to open her eyes and glare in the direction of the camera, she would’ve.
“I’m going to send you food in the morning,” he added. “I’ll let you know when it’s available. Please go down to get it.”
“Are you sending anyone else food?”
“No.”
She hated to ask the next question. “Is there anyone else?”
“No.”
“Th-they beat the game before me?” She knew there were two other ways they could’ve exited The Hunt, but she wouldn’t bring herself to think of that.
Xrez was silent and Esme whimpered.
“Yes.”
Esme’s breath caught in her throat. Pressure built behind her nose. Tears spilled over her eyelids. “So I’m here alone?” she asked softly.
“I’m with you.”
She didn’t want to find comfort in that statement, but she did.
* * *
“I don’t understand,” Xrez said.
Esme knew he watched her and she rolled her eyes for his benefit. “What exactly perplexes you?” She plucked a handful of berries from the vine of a short tree and reached for another bushel.
“Not, those. They aren’t ripe yet.”
She held up the berries in her hand against the ones she wanted to pick. “How can you tell? They look the same.”
“The stems. The stems of the berries you’re holding are darker.”
She took a closer look. One was a little darker. Shucks. But they both looked so scrumptious. Her mouth watered. “Yeah, but not by much. Can I still take them though?”
“I can tell by that look in your eyes and the way drool is dripping from the side of your mouth that you’ll end up eating them. Those berries are a great source of vitamins for humans, but only when they’re ripe. If you eat them now, you’ll suffer from gastrointestinal problems.”
She stared at the berries in longing.
“I know you like them because they taste like Starburst, whatever that is, but trust me, leave those alone. You have plenty in your bag for now.”
“But they’re soooo good. I haven’t had candy in a long time.”
“I’ll make sure to have goodies at your ceremony.”
“Ohhh, goodies.” It took everything in her power to turn her back on the delicious berries. She could wait a few more days. Probably.
“Back to what you were explaining to me about your previous job. You helped make medications for diseases? But your medications didn’t cure the disease, only treated the symptoms?”
They’d been talking about what she would do after The Hunt. She’d accepted the fact she couldn’t return to Earth, and even though she would be given a hefty payout, she still wanted to do something meaningful with her life. Xrez had offered to help her find a new career path. There were plenty of scientists and chemists in all different types of fields, but judging by Xrez’s reaction, treating symptoms and not actually curing diseases was a totally foreign concept.
“We don’t know how to cure a lot of the diseases that affect us. And when we can’t, our best option is to treat the symptoms to halt the disease process.”
“We have a medical unit that detects diseases and recommends possible cures.”
“So do we. We have MRI’s, CT scans, X-Rays and all types of diagnostic tests available. Then, after we get the results, we use something that we call ‘Best Practices’ to
determine the course of treatment that’ll obtain the most optimal results.”
“But you said the medications are taken many times, as a course of treatment.”
“Right.”
“Our medications aren’t used for disease treatment, but as cures.”
“You can’t possibly say that you’ve cured all diseases.”
“No, we haven’t. We still get diseases that we aren’t familiar with, especially on planets that are frequented by tourists who come from underdeveloped worlds. In those cases our medics have to develop the cure. It doesn’t take long though.”
“It must be nice to have that kind of technology where no one dies of a disease.”
“Even though we have cures, not everyone believes in taking the remedy for it. Some are content in letting their life come to an end. They see it as enlightenment. They no longer feel the need to partake in the physical life and are more than happy to be with their ancestors.”
“We’re so far behind you guys that tourists visiting other countries on Earth could introduce a disease and cause an epidemic.”
“No wonder the Okuthyu protect her world. So infantile in their development.”
“Hey, buddy. Infantile or not, that’s my home planet you’re talking about, and the subject is still a very touchy one for me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to hear that. I thought I was on mute.”
“Bye, Xrez.”
“Tonight?”
She shouldn’t. “Yeah, call me later.”
* * *
“Oh my god, Xrez. He’s so adorable. Look at those cheeks.” She laid on her back and watched the hologram of a little Xrez projected above her comlink.
“He’s getting so big. One day he might be bigger than I am.” Even though she couldn’t see him, she knew Xrez was bursting with pride.
“This next picture is him in an ulno’i, it’s a traditional Dar’E dress.”
The picture changed to show the same smiling baby, but this time he was sitting up and drowning in a maroon tunic with gold designs. He also had a gold chain link around his neck. It was so long that the bulk of it sat in the child’s lap and guessing by the way the child leaned forward, it was also heavy.
“Xrez, as lovely as his outfit looks, he still has a while yet before he can fit it. The poor guy looks like he’s going to fall over.”
“I couldn’t wait for him to grow into it. I wanted him to wear something special for his naming day.”
“What did your sister decide on?”
“N’Obe. In my language, it means blessed one.”
“N’Obe,” she repeated the name softly to herself. “I like it.”
“I’m sorry, Esme. This must be difficult for you. I wasn’t thinking. I was just so excited to show you the pictures that it didn’t occur to me that this might make you miss your family even more.”
“I miss them every day.”
Looking at pictures of Xrez’s nephew wouldn’t change that. Besides, it made her happy. She couldn’t really explain it.
“I’m glad you showed me pictures of your nephew’s ceremony. It reminds me of my niece’s christening.”
Maybe that was it. Aliens cared for their family too. And if she got out of this mess, she might be able to start a family of her own someday. At least there was still hope in that.
“How many nieces and nephews do you have?” he asked.
“Four nieces and two nephews.”
“I would be blessed to have that many. Unfortunately, this will most likely be Chaeya’s only child. They may petition the High Council for another, but the application process takes years and even still the odds aren’t in their favor.”
“But your parents were granted permission to have two children.”
“My mother wanted a second child, and my father had the means to make it happen. Pi Vesna’s largest space station holds my family’s name. The space station is the same age as Chaeya.” He chuckled.
Esme smiled and ran a finger across her comlink and imagined instead she was touching Xrez’s face. She missed that laugh. God, she missed everything about him.
“Everyone knows how my parent’s application for another child got approved. There’s still resentment to this day about it. I don’t blame anyone who’s mad at my family for bribing the High Council. It was wrong.”
“It happens on Earth all the time. At the University I attended, there were plenty of buildings named after the biggest donors. Those donors have children that were able to circumvent the University’s selective admission process and were admitted not because of their test scores or grades, but because of their last name.
“People on Earth get upset about that too, but hey. The University needed to fund its projects, and the donors are more than willing to pay for it. My family couldn’t afford to build a new library in a million years, but I still benefited from it. So I really couldn’t be mad. It’s the same for your space station. Those other people probably couldn’t provide the funds to build the station, but they sure as heck use it.”
“I never thought about it that way. I’ve always felt a little guilty whenever my ship docked there, and the first sign I saw was ‘Welcome to the Ym’ihla, Pi Vesna Space Station.’”
“Don’t be. Be proud. Your dad did that to make your mom happy, and as a result, Chaeya was born.”
“I should remind Chaeya that she’s only here because the High Council wanted a space station.”
Esme burst into a laugh.
“I missed your laugh.”
Esme closed her mouth. She missed his laugh too, but she would never tell him that. Her feelings for Xrez were jumbled into one big mess.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said, all humor had left his voice. “I should’ve kept my thoughts to myself, so you wouldn’t have stopped.”
“I don’t have a lot to laugh about these days,” she whispered. “Nothing really makes me happy anymore.”
“If you let me, I would change that for you.”
“I can’t. You know I won’t leave The Hunt early. I have to stay.” She hesitated. Did she really want to know? Yes. “Do you know how much longer it will be?”
“I can’t rightly say. Because of your…wishes, Bradliix doesn’t share your progress with me. But if I can give you advice?”
She chewed on her bottom lip, unsure if she should indulge him or herself. “Go ahead.”
“You’re doing a lot of hiding. Not so much thriving. At the rate you’re going it might take you longer to complete this level.”
She wanted to cry, but steeled herself against it. The goal wasn’t how fast she could get through The Hunt, it was about winning. If Ben were here he would reaffirm that thought.
She sniffled, feeling more alone than ever.
“Knock. Knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Extraterrestrial.”
“Extraterrestrial who?”
“How many extraterrestrials do you know, Esme?”
She laughed out loud.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’ve got a list of them.”
“Did you make up knock knock jokes yourself?”
“Bradliix helped with some.”
“Good lord.” She chuckled and shook her head. She could go to sleep, or she could listen to Xrez’s voice for the rest of the night. She pulled Piper close and wrapped her arms around her neck. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Xrez she held tight. “Hit me with the next one, game warden.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“I’m not such a great catch,” Esme told the hunter.
They were at a standoff, with ten feet between them. The hunter wanted her, but he was wondering if she would kill him. She saw the way he kept glancing at the daggers in her hands.
“You’ve overcome all odds and progressed to Level Three. You’ve killed well-known hunters who pursued you. You’ve even killed a deadly arrancar and trained its pup.” He straightened and jutted out his chin prou
dly. “My people will worship you. I will make you my mate.”
“There have been many before you who’ve told me the same. But here I am, and their bones have been picked clean by animals.”
“You don’t want to kill me.”
Oh, the poor thing actually looked like he believed his words. Esme wasn’t the naïve woman who wasn’t sure if she could kill. Now, she knew she could take another’s life. Although Xrez and Bradliix sometimes referred to The Hunt as a game, it was far from it.
She snorted. “I kinda do. You scared away my dinner. That means I’ll go hungry tonight.”
“Come with me, and I’ll give you a feast fit for a queen. I’m royalty. I’ll be able to provide you with anything you want.” He inched forward, his eyes on her hands. “My people will adore you. We’ll have many children. Our line will reign forever.”
He wasn’t that bad looking as aliens went. He had humanoid features and was maybe six feet tall with a green tint to his skin. He had dark hair that hung in a long braid down his back. He was dressed nice, and his clothes were clean, which was more than she could say about hers. They also looked expensive with leather bindings. He looked a far cry from the other hunters she’d encountered in Level One or Two. He actually looked like he took care of himself and had pride in his appearance.
Come to think about it, he may not be her worst option. He was offering to take care of her. But she’d heard that lie before.
“I’m not an idiot. I know you hunters will say anything to get me to give up.”
“I’m not lying. If there were a way to prove my status to you I wouldn’t hesitate.”
What was the big deal anyway? Even if he wasn’t royalty, going with him would be a lot better than staying where she was. He obviously had credits and wanted her as a mate. God, she was tired of running, hiding, killing for her food, roasting by day and freezing at night.
“What about my arrancar? Will she be welcomed too?”
He pulled his gaze away from her daggers to look at the growling arrancar beside her. “They’re deadly.”
“Yes, they are.”
“You’ve trained it to obey and respect you. You will do this for me?”
“I will.” She had no clue if she could train Piper to like other people or not.
The Game Warden's Mate: An Alien Abduction Romance (The Hunt Book 1) Page 26