Claimed by the Alien Warrior Triad (Scorp Blood Tribe Book 1)

by Corin Cain

  Now all I have to do is get back to the portal – and my sanity. At least those three aliens, real or not, will never see my scars.

  I relieve myself, emptying my bladder like I’ve just emptied my insecurities, and after so long of holding it in, the scalding flow feels better than sex.

  Well, better than sex with Joshua. I still haven’t experienced what it’s like to be the sole object of desire for three huge, massively-hung beasts…

  …and I never will.

  That thought gives me a strange feeling of loss, and I secretly long to go back into the safety of the cave. But I know I can’t let myself falter, or I’ll be pulled deeper into this delusion.

  I get my bearings, and start to creep down the mountainside, sticking to the shadows. Despite knowing this must all be fake – a figment of my fevered imagination – it feels so real that I don’t want to endure the pain of an imaginary animal attacking me. That would be a very unpleasant way to be shocked back into reality.

  My bare foot slips on an uneven rock, and I stumble forward, grazing my knee against the ground. I curse under my breath at the sudden pain – the pain that feels just as real as when I skinned my knees as a kid on the playground.

  I force myself back to my feet. Despite the pain, I feel light. Gravity has been turned down on this planet, at least by ten percent or more, and it’s a literal weight off my shoulders.

  One thing I’m blessed with, despite my many flaws, is a keen sense of direction. Even though I spent most of the journey being lugged around by those burly aliens, I still know exactly where I need to go. I step carefully, using the moonlight to avoid the rocks and pebbles that will cut my bare feet. Finally, I spot the patch of tall grass the three men ate from. My stomach growls, and I throw caution to the wind – grabbing a handful of the long stems and chewing them.

  Instantly, my mouth is filled with refreshing coolness – as if I’m chomping down on a cool, mint-flavored gum. Only, this feels so much more natural.

  It takes me an hour to get down the mountain, stealthily moving from boulder to boulder, hiding in nooks and crannies. My feet are aching, blistered and painful, but I manage to make it to the plains intact.

  Down there, the cool, slightly-damp grass is a welcome relief for my poor feet. Yet despite the ease of traveling on the soft-packed grass, I long to be back on the mountainside; where at least I had some protection and cover. Here on the plains, there is nowhere to hide; and I feel like there’s plenty to hide from.

  A growl freezes me in my tracks. Suddenly, I don’t feel free. I’m paralyzed for a moment in terror, then I slowly lower myself to the ground, hiding in the long grass, hoping that whatever made that sound hasn’t noticed me.

  I stare out through the grass towards the growling noise. In the light of the two moons, I see a massive, wolf-like beast stalking through the grass – ten-feet-tall and with a mouth full of teeth the size of kitchen knives.

  The wolf stops suddenly, sniffing the air, and then slowly begins walking towards me. The creature is the length of a football stadium away from me – but the distance is closing fast because of the length of its huge strides.

  Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Wake up, Aubrey! Wake up!

  I shudder, cursing myself for leaving the safety of the cave. Suddenly, this feels way too fucking real.

  Oh, God – if this is real, I’m going to die. I’m going to die!

  The wolf pauses twenty-feet away, sitting back on its haunches and testing the air with huge nostrils. It sniffs deeply, then snarls, the wolf’s lips drawing back to give me a closer view of those long, deadly fangs. It steps forward like a wraith. If I hadn’t just relieved myself outside the caves, I’d be pissing myself right now. I’ve never felt a fear so raw. It takes away my own thoughts completely – a fear so complete that it takes away everything that makes me, me.

  Instead, I’m an animal of prey, my heart pounding as I press myself as hard as I humanly can against the ground. I want to be swallowed up by the earth. I need to disappear.

  Closer, the wolf steps. I feel the vibrations of its bulk through the ground. The giant wolf-creature moves forward slowly, ducking down and approaching as if it doesn’t want me to see it coming. The creature growls – a sound that curdles my stomach and fills my veins with terrified adrenaline.

  Then another sound comes from behind me – a faint rustling that grips my heart like a fist. Before I can turn to see if another wolf is sneaking up on me from behind, the great wolf in front leaps towards me.

  I force my hand into my mouth to stop myself from screaming, as the massive creature leaps over me. I stare up and watch the beast’s belly as it flies overhead. I whip my head around and watch as an enormous deer bolts away, racing for its life with the wolf in hot pursuit.

  Thank you, not-so-little deer. Thank you!

  It was luck that saved my life. I tremble, wondering why my own mind tortures me so. I think back to high school, when I used to bring the razor blade to my legs until the pain was so bad I forgot all my anxiety…

  I’ve got a long history of hurting myself physically. Now, I can add mentally torturing myself to the list. Of course my own mind would want to torment me.

  I lay there, quivering, the fear still pulsing through my veins.

  “Get up Aubrey! Get up!” I whisper to myself, trying to unthaw my paralyzed muscles. I grit my teeth and push myself to my feet. I don’t have any time to spare. I got lucky… once. I won’t trust my luck to hold any longer.

  I start to jog, knowing I’m about an hour away from the portal. Each step sends pain through my bruised, blistered feet; but I have to get to safety.

  It takes me perhaps an hour to get to the spot where I came through the portal. I have no way of telling time exactly, but the movement of the moons suggest that.

  All I do know is that I’m at the right spot – exactly where we stepped into this verdant, alien world…

  …but there’s no sign of the portal.

  I squint my eyes. Hovering in the air instead is a teardrop-sized black dot. I wave to it, trying to get its attention.

  “Please! Please open,” I plead, looking over my shoulder for the next creature that wants to turn me into a late-night snack.

  The black dot widens and my hope surges.

  Then it blinks out.

  Pain and loss hits me. If my mind is tormenting me, the pain is not over yet. My breath catches as not just the black dot disappears, but the moonlight itself waivers, then disappears.

  Where before I could see almost as well as daylight, suddenly I can barely see my own trembling hands in front of me. I look up, and the moons are gone.

  The sound of pure hatred fills the air.

  It’s the sound that I heard earlier – while waiting to enter the cavern. It’s the noise that had made even the seemingly-invincible Stryker stiffen with genuine fear.

  Only now, the noise is much, much closer. I stare up at the moons, and I realize that something is obscuring them. Some huge creature is blocking their light.

  It screams again – the sound of primal fear, a roar that rends the air, tearing apart the silence and desecrating it with the fervor of violence.

  The darkness overhead suddenly splits open into flames. The sky burns as a stream of molten lava shoots through the air, and I witness for the first time the creature that even those three proud, alien warriors fear.

  It’s a dragon.

  “No! No…” I say to myself, barely believing the sight. The beasts’ wings spread so far they blot out the horizon. Its eyes burn with dark hatred, as it beats those immense wings and screams out a bloody challenge to the universe. I feel puny and minuscule – even more so than in the presence of Stryker, Brigg and Haleon.

  With them, I feel as small and vulnerable as a child.

  But in comparison to this… this dragon? I feel like an ant; insignificant, and as easy and inconsequential to crush as any insect.

  Far to my right, the huge wolf has killed the deer. The dragon
races towards the snarling predator, flying straight past the moons which can again shine their eerie light across the violent scene.

  With the moon no longer blotted out, I can see the scarlet blood bathed in silver light. The wolf had been victorious in its hunt – but now leaps away in terror, using its huge legs to flee as quickly as it can; before the mighty dragon approaches.

  The dragon lands, its huge claws pounding into the ground and sending chunks of rock and earth flying. It opens its massive maw and gulps down the carcass of the freshly-killed deer, bones and all, in a single bite.

  Then it turns and stares at me with cruel eyes, filled with an other-worldly intelligence.

  “Aubrey!”

  I snap my head behind me, and see Haleon and Brigg sprinting towards me at full speed, their weapons drawn. Haleon’s axe is activated and brutal – but this is no mere dinosaur-sized eagle that he’s facing.

  The dragon is a full-fledged emperor beast; a tyrant of the skies that makes even the seven-feet-tall warriors look tiny.

  Brigg brandishes his shimmering, black mace – but the spiked head of his massive weapon isn’t not even the size of one of the huge dragon’s steely black eyes.

  The dragon turns its head, its eyes leaving me and turning towards the new threat.

  Stryker tails his two companions – his legs pounding into the ground as he rushes forward towards me. His veins are pulsating, his eyes glowing bright green and filled with madness as he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder. He sprints with me, rushing away from the danger, leaving his friends behind.

  The dragon beats its wings, taking to the air, and it fires a long stream of magma towards the two remaining aliens. Flames sear towards them, and I scream out in terror. Brigg and Haleon dive to the side – singed, but alive as they escape the dragon’s blast with super-human agility.

  By then, I’m too far away to see the rest of the battle. Stryker runs with me, carrying me back up the mountain slope and into the cave at an incredible speed. At the top of the mountain, with me still slung over this shoulder, he pushes the boulder aside – his muscles flexing and his veins popping as he groans and grunts in exertion.

  Then, frustrated, he throws me angrily inside. I stumble, nearly falling, and when I turn back and look into his eyes, I see no humanity any more. Stryker is now an enraged beast – a demon that wants to kill and destroy everything in front of him. He grunts and groans, pushing the boulder back into place.

  It shuts, and I’m finally blocked off from the outside world – almost. This time, he leaves a tiny opening, just narrow enough to slip through, and I realize with horror that this means Stryker isn’t sure if he’s going to make it back alive. He’s sealed the boulder so I can shelter in the protection of the cave, but he’s left just enough room for me to escape; knowing I’d never be able to move that mammoth boulder without the strength of these towering aliens.

  Then, giving me a final angry snarl, Stryker takes off in a sprint back towards his battle brothers.

  I stand there, alone in the cave, and guilt hits me like a fist.

  The three warriors might have abducted me, but they’ve always tried to keep me safe.

  Now, they’re all going to die – because of me.

  The warriors might be fierce and able, but there’s no way they can face that horrific dragon on their own. That means I’ve killed them – not by my hand, but by my actions. Though I know they may just be a figment of my imagination, I’ve already started feeling something for these three incredible men. I hate the idea of this deranged fantasy continuing, but not including them.

  “Please! Please survive,” I plead to no one, aching for the three warriors to return safely.

  I sit down heavily in the darkness. I’m in the tunnel, leading towards the three alien’s cozy cavern – but I won’t give myself the comfort of their cave, with its warm, comforting furs. I don’t deserve them. Seconds pass, then minutes, then hours…

  I think. I don’t know, I can’t tell time without a watch, or my phone. My only way to measure its passing is my heartbeat; pounding fast and then slowing as I wait longer and longer.

  Suddenly, a crinkling sound from outside makes me jump to my feet. It could be a wolf, or something small enough to fit through the crack…

  …but I hope beyond hope that it’s my abductors.

  Then the boulder shifts, pushed aside, and I squeeze against the wall as Haleon runs inside carrying Brigg with him.

  The sight makes my heart break. I look desperately for Stryker, but he’s nowhere to be found. I follow Haleon into the cavern, where he sets Brigg gently on the ground.

  Brigg is burnt, badly.

  His eyes roll back in pain, and the proud, powerful warrior groans in agony. His pure white skin is marred, blistered, and burnt on his left arm and across his chest. In the darkness of the cave, I can barely make out his wounds – but I know they must be bad.

  Stryker is gone, Brigg is wounded, and it’s all my fault.

  I wish there was something I could do. Haleon uses his flint and tinder to light a torch, and the sudden fire makes Brigg whimper and try to crawl away. My jaw drops as I see the extent of his brutal burns. My heart pounds, and stress fills me. It’s impossible to believe he’s still alive with the extent of his wounds. He might cling to life for a few moments more, but surely those burns are a death sentence. I hear footsteps coming down the entranceway, and relief fills me as Stryker runs into the cavern.

  But my relief is short-lived. He’s dripping blood from a long gash on his chest. Stryker casts me a dark glance and brushes past me, holding a mushroom the size of a football in his hands.

  Haleon and Stryker crush the mushroom with a mortar and pestle on the stone table, chanting under their breath. As they work, Brigg writhes in agony on the floor. I run to Brigg’s side, and hold out my hand, curling my fingers around his enormous, right hand. Brigg clenches, staring into my eyes wildly, and pain shoots through my palm as the wounded warrior holds onto me for dear life.

  I embrace the pain. I deserve it, and I just want to help him.

  “You’re going to be fine, Brigg. Haleon and Stryker are going to help you,” I murmur softly, trying not to look at the brutal burns covering so much of his once-perfect skin. His hand is wet in mine, and sweat drips down his body.

  Stryker and Haleon crouch next to Brigg. They’ve turned the mushroom into a white paste. The two men chant, applying it to Brigg’s arm and chest. At first Brigg winces and moans in pain at their hands on his fresh wounds – but once they’ve coated half of the paste over every burn, Brigg’s face relaxes and he stops clenching his jaw.

  Whatever is in that salve is healing him, or at least relieving his pain.

  Haleon and Stryker lean Brigg back against the furs, and only then does Stryker dip his finger into the paste and presses his finger over the gaping gash on his own chest.

  The two of them haven’t even looked at me. I hope it’s because they’re concentrating on their battle brother – but I know the truth. They hate me.

  I almost got them all killed, and the pain Brigg is feeling is my fault. They trusted me enough to leave the crack in the boulder so I wouldn’t feel trapped...

  …and I betrayed that trust.

  They won’t make that mistake again. Stryker says something guttural in his language, then stares at me with angry, green eyes. His eyes glow venomously as they judge me. I can’t understand his words, but I get his meaning. Guilt roils up inside of me, and I hate myself more than he or Haleon ever could.

  You know exactly what he means, Aubrey. You’re a fucking idiot. You nearly got all of us killed!

  Stryker and Haleon stand, leaving me with Brigg. I hear the sound of the boulder closing in place. I suddenly feel so naked, with nothing covering my chest, and I take a small fur to wrap around my upper body.

  In the chaos, I’d barely remembered to feel ashamed of my own nudity – but now the judgmental eyes of those two warriors make me feel it more than ev
er.

  I’m trapped in a cave with three very pissed-off warriors. Stryker comes back, and my blood runs cold.

  He’s got a switch in his hand. A long, thin branch. I know exactly what is going to happen next.

  The massive beast is going to punish me.

  Stryker towers over me, reaches out, and grabs the fur I have covering me.

  He throws it aside easily, and then motions for me to bend against the wall.

  I know how vulnerable I’ll feel with my ass arched for his discipline. I hesitate, fearing the pain that’s going to come no matter what I do, or say… But I know the pain Stryker inflicts on me will be nothing compared to the agony that Brigg’s burns and wounds must be bringing him.

  I deserve so much worse than just a switch.

  Stryker motions again. I shake my head, trembling.

  “Blaza gan,” snarls Stryker when I don’t move. Then he grabs me, picks me up, and walks me next to the table – where he throws me effortlessly over his lap.

  The towering alien is sitting down on one of the stone-hewn lumps that serve as chairs. My legs and arms dangle over either side of his powerful legs. Stryker presses down firmly on my back, holding me in place.

  Then, his huge hand slips down to my skirt, pulling it up and exposing my thong.

  I gasp as Haleon’s huge hands rip my thong apart – leaving my pussy and ass naked and completely exposed.

  Then I feel Stryker’s cock surge beneath me. He’s brutally angry at me, but the sight of my naked pussy and ass is too much for him to control.

  I groan in fear and lust as I realize that being naked and exposed to these two powerful aliens – even though they’re about to brutally punish me – is turning me on more than I can stand.

  My nipples harden into sensitive buds, and I bite my lip, knowing the two men can sense, and see, and maybe even smell my naked arousal. Heat grows between my thighs and my pussy tingles with need for them.