Japohn snorted, his gaze still riveted on a burnt out husk of a transport vehicle. Bacoj couldn’t be sure if he would obey his orders. Not for the first time, he wondered if he’d made a mistake clanning the assertive Nobek.
* * * *
Peeking through the filthy windshield of an electric car, Lindsey swallowed. Her dry throat clicked. All three aliens were staring in her direction. She’d been spotted despite her best efforts to remain hidden.
At least she was still a block away. Surely that was enough of a head start for her to evade the Kalquorians. Lindsey thought if she was going to abandon her plan to ask for help, now was the time to do so.
But her parents were starving, especially her father. Lindsey knew he’d been going without to make sure Tara had enough food. He wouldn’t last much longer, not the way things were falling apart. None of them would.
Desperation made Lindsey bold. She stood up straight and walked towards the Kalquorians, putting on a brave face like a mask.
She studied them as she drew closer, staring at them as frankly as they stared at her. Her eyes went to the tallest one first. She’d known Kalquorians were big, averaging about six and a half feet tall, but this one was a monster. His clinging black outfit showed every bulge of his amazing physique. Black curls hung to his wide, bare shoulders. His skin, like the other two, was dark like the people of the Middle East. His face was handsome but the expression he wore, watchful with suspicion, made him look brutish.
Fear licked through Lindsey’s belly, turning her insides strangely warm. Heavens, that big man was the most virile-looking creature she’d ever set eyes on. He could probably crush her with one hand. She was insane to approach such a beast.
Intimidated, she moved her gaze to another of the waiting Kalquorians. The smallest of the three men was still at least a foot taller than her own five-five height and well-muscled in proportion to his frame. The tense but gentle expression he wore gave Lindsey courage to keep going towards them.
Hair swept back from his attractive face in soft waves. She liked the strength of his chiseled jaw. He’d apparently been injured. One of his arms was encased in a hard-molded gray shell, and a strap slung around his thick neck held it close to his chest.
The third man was thicker bodied than his injured friend, his face striking even though it wore a frown. Despite the downturn of his sensuous lips, he didn’t look unfriendly. His was a look of concern, as if he had enough problems without an Earther showing up for who-knew-what reason. He tossed his head as a breeze blew an errant lock of his long, wavy hair across his unlined face. Lindsey wondered if the hair was as soft as it looked.
Lindsey had known the Kalquorians were similar in features to Earthers, but she hadn’t expected them to be so attractive. They were gorgeous examples of masculinity with wide shoulders, tapered waists, muscled thighs and … she warmed as her gaze skittered over the prominent bulges of their crotches. Their clothing left very little to the imagination.
Considering what she was about to do, it was a good thing she found them to be so handsome. Hopefully, she would be as attractive to them. She was clean, at least. Yesterday’s rain had given her the opportunity to bathe.
Lindsey reached the curb across the street from the three men. Without slowing, giving her mounting fear no chance to overtake her, she crossed Highway A1A. Her shaking legs brought her to the opposite curb and stomped over the soft beach sand to stand in front of the black-suited trio. She kept her blaster held loosely at her side. Lindsey wanted the aliens to know she wasn’t helpless but didn’t want to be overtly threatening either.
She looked up at them, trying to ignore her speeding heart. Three pairs of purple eyes regarded her, their pupils slit like cats’. That was the biggest difference she could discern between their races. She’d heard they also had fangs, hinged like those of a rattlesnake. A Kalquorian’s bite supposedly rendered his victim drugged and helpless.
They were so damned big. Lindsey had to force her blaster to remain at her side.
“Hello, Kalquorians. Can you understand me?” She enunciated each word carefully.
It was the frowning Kalquorian with the sensuous lips who answered. “We speech some English.”
His voice was a soft rumble, and Lindsey restrained a shiver. His gaze was so intense, she had to look away. She nodded at the badly dented spaceship behind them. “It looks like you’re having a little trouble.”
The Kalquorian glanced back at his ship, his frown deepening. His gaze returned to her, and he stepped closer. Lindsey caught a scent that reminded her of cinnamon.
“Much trouble,” the man agreed. “Portal unstable. Make damage.”
“The Bermuda Triangle wormhole? Yeah, it eats ships. None of ours can use it unless they’re double hulled with buffer fields.” She licked her lips. “Are you here to hurt Earthers?”
The Kalquorian’s eyes widened, and he held his hands up. “No to hurt. We to work containment for radiation.” He made a vague motion towards the northwest. “You understand?”
He must mean the Atlanta blast site. The Kalquorians are trying to contain the fallout? Lindsey nodded. “I understand. Do you have food?”
The biggest Kalquorian’s eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed. However, Lindsey saw compassion fill the others’ faces. The Kalquorian who spoke to her stopped frowning. He said, “We supplied short time. You hungry?”
Some of her tension bled away. They were willing to share with one Earther at least, but their food was apparently limited. She had to make it worth their while to feed the rest of her family. Lindsey gave them a hopeful smile, trying for friendliness. It wasn’t easy when her legs trembled so hard.
“Do you have names?”
The aliens’ speaker returned her smile, and Lindsey felt warmth cascade through her body despite her fear. The smile lit his handsome face, elevating him to mouthwatering gorgeous.
He said, “I am Dramok Bacoj.” Motioning to the suspicious giant, he continued the introductions. “My Nobek, Japohn. The injured is Imdiko Vax.”
Lindsey dragged her memory for the limited information she had on Kalquorians. “Dramok is the clan leader, right?”
Bacoj looked pleased. “This is correct. Nobek is protector. Imdiko is caregiver. You name?”
“My name is Lindsey.”
She bit her lip. Was she really about to do this? She thought about her father’s drawn face, her mother’s twig-like arms. Yes, she was. She had no choice.
Taking a deep breath, Lindsey plunged ahead. “I’ll be blunt, Dramok. My family is starving. All the food has been looted from the stores and there’s precious little to hunt in Fort Lauderdale. We don’t even have anything to use for bait to catch fish, and—”
Bacoj held his hand up, stilling her stream of nervous words. “You fast speak too much, Lindsey. I no understand.”
Okay. Then we’ll just cut to the chase. Lindsey said, “Kalquorians like Earther women for sex, right?”
Three mouths dropped open in cartoonish shock. She almost laughed despite her growing terror. The expressions so didn’t fit the aliens’ faces.
Blinking fast, Bacoj answered, “We are need women for species survive.”
“Then the rumors of your imminent extinction are true.” At Bacoj’s confused expression, Lindsey said, “You like sex for its own sake?”
Bacoj exchanged looks with his clanmates and received very Earther-like shrugs. He returned his gaze to Lindsey. His tone was hesitant, as if afraid he would get the answer wrong. “We like sex.”
“With women?” Lindsey had heard so many stories about the Kalquorians that she had to be sure.
“We like sex with women.”
Lindsey couldn’t help another nervous swallow. “Fine. I’ll trade sex for whatever food you can spare. I can’t say I’ll be very good since I’ve never done it, but it’s all I have to offer.”
The effect of her statement was instantaneous. Even as the three men stared at her in continued surprise, th
e air was suddenly thick with that cinnamon-y smell. The bulges at their groins swelled. Lindsey fought the urge to run screaming. The only male sex she’d ever seen belonged to a statue in an illicit art book she’d gotten from a friend. From the looks of things, her would-be lovers were much larger than an Earther man. Frighteningly so.
The biggest Kalquorian, the scary one Bacoj had introduced as Japohn, spoke in a hoarse voice. “You give sex for us? All of clan?”
Lindsey forced her eyes to meet his. Blue-purple, they were beautiful to look at and the least threatening feature the man possessed. “That’s the offer, big boy. Willing sex from me for food.”
The soft voice of Vax spoke next. “How many to feed?”
“Three. Myself and my mother and father.”
The tension in the men’s exchanged looks told her she was asking a lot. Tears welled up in Lindsey’s eyes. Where would she get food for her parents if they said no? Resolutely, she blinked back the evidence of momentary weakness.
Her tone was less than diplomatic as she snapped, “Well, do we have a deal?”
Vax said something in his own staccato language. Japohn answered, his glowering face easing to show concern. Vax shook his head before delivering another burst of speech, his gentle smile growing. Both men looked to Bacoj, who nodded.
He smiled down on Lindsey, his eyes suddenly bright with eagerness. “We make trade.” He reached for her.
Lindsey stumbled back a step, her guts flip-flopping. She thought of her parents on the rooftop three blocks away, watching the exchange. If Aaron knew what she’d agreed to on his behalf, he’d throw himself down the stairs again.
“Can we do this inside?” she asked, looking towards their ship.
Bacoj nodded. “Good. Sleep mat inside.”
“Okay.” Lindsey’s stomach churned with nerves, and she couldn’t help but look at the large bulges in the Kalquorians’ pants. Handsome as they were, she was sure she wasn’t going to like their attentions one bit.
She turned to wave towards the office building where her family hid, letting them know everything was all right … okay lying to them that everything was all right. Her heart pounding, Lindsey marched up the ship’s ramp past the men and entered its interior.
Other books by Tracy St. John available at Amazon:
Unholy Union
The Font
To Protect and Service: Ravenous Virtue
To Protect and Service: Righteous Fury
THE CLANS OF KALQUOR SERIES:
Alien Embrace
Alien Rule
Alien Conquest
Alien Salvation
Alien Slave
Alien Interludes: Clans of Kalquor Short Stories
Alien Redemption
Alien Refuge
Alien Caged
Alien Indiscretions
Alien Hostage
Alien Revolt
Alien Outcast
CLAN BEGINNINGS
To Clan and Conquer
Clan and Conviction
Clan, Honor, and Empire
Clan and Crown
Clan and Command
Clan and Conscience
OTHER CLANS OF KALQUOR BOOKS
Sister Katherine
Michaela
Maryam
Joseph
Shalia’s Diary Omnibus
WARRIORS OF RISNAR SERIES
(from Carina Press)
Not of This World
Worlds Apart
Worlds Collide
Worlds Away
THE NETHERWORLD SERIES:
Drop Dead Sexy
Blood Potion No. 9
Once Bitten Twice Dead
Animal Attraction
Please visit Tracy’s website to read first chapters of all her books and sign up for her newsletter at http://www.tracystjohn.com/
Get the latest updates on upcoming books at Tracy’s blog at http://tracystjohn.blogspot.com
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Clan and Commit (Clan Beginnings Book 7) Page 21