by Heather Karn
Mate: Level 8
Heather Karn
To my dear friend Pam Merrill. You were the first to hear the original idea behind this story, and you didn’t laugh at me! Thank you for being the best at encouraging me to keep following my dreams.
Contents
Also By Heather Karn
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Author’s Note
Sneak Peek at First Blood by Heather Karn
Sneak Peek of Gargoyle’s Kiss by Heather Karn
Copyright © 2020 by Heather Karn
Published: June 13, 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without express written permission from the author. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
Also By Heather Karn
Standalones
Phoenix Awakened
Mate: Level 8
The Weregal Chronicles
Perfect Scents
Whitewash
Black Out
Redemption
Freedom
Unity
Gargoyle Collection
Gargoyle’s Kiss
Gargoyle’s Pixie
Gargoyle’s Christmas (Coming July 2020)
Christmas Collection
First Christmas
Cookie Christmas
Evergreen Christmas
Snowbound Christmas
First Blood Series
First Blood
Second Lineage
Third House
Zero Tolerance
Fourth Bunker (Coming August 2020)
Smoke ballooned out from under the hood of my little car, a sign that my already rough day at high school and work was continuing into the early evening. Shrieking my frustration, I pulled over onto the shoulder of the pothole-ridden dirt road and killed the engine. I’d just gotten this beast back from the shop to fix a different problem, and now this? Since this was a road even few locals traveled regularly, I was on my own with my one and only companion: my dead cell phone.
“Looks like you’re walking from here, Cammie,” I grumbled to myself as I stepped out of the car into the bitter Fall wind. It passed straight through my dark hoodie and t-shirt, sending a chill up my spine as I grabbed my backpack out of the back seat. There was no way I was leaving that in the car, not with the amount of homework I had to do tonight.
Dead phone in my back pocket, with the charger tucked in my bag, I slung the bag over my shoulders and started the long march up the road. Waiting for someone to pass by wasn’t an option. I’d taken such an out of the way route home that it’d likely be a couple days before the next person would pass by. With almost ten miles of packed dirt to hike, I set off down the road at a brisk pace, hoping to make it as far as possible before the setting sun gave off the last of its light for the day.
It wasn’t as long as I’d hoped. Clouds moved in. Dark, foreboding clouds that spoke of a cold, heavy downpour. Too late to turn around and seek shelter in the car instead of braving the elements, I pushed on as the cloud bank drew closer. When I could make out the sheets of rain falling in the distance, another chill ran up my spine, leaving goosebumps along my arms. This wasn’t going to be pleasant. If I didn’t freeze to death, I’d be lucky not to get lost or twist an ankle as the world fell into darkness. In town, the streetlights would be turning on, giving light to those driving down the main highway.
I should’ve just stuck to the main route home. Why had I decided that today would be a good day to stop being a creature of habit and try something new?
After lifting the hood over my long, sandy blonde hair and tying the strings so it wouldn’t go flying off my head, I shoved my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie and picked up my pace and lengthened my stride. This was going to be miserable. The wind picked up in a gust that slammed into me, forcing me to take a step back as large drops smacked my face and clothes. Hopefully the bag would keep my homework dry enough that nothing would be ruined. I didn’t want to have to explain damaged books to my teachers. I wasn’t the model student, but I did care a little about my grades, and I didn’t want to owe money for damaged school property.
It wasn’t much longer than a few seconds before the whole of the skies opened up and I was drenched from head to toe, the bitter chill of the water making me gasp. There were only two options left: run on the road and pray I didn’t sprain an ankle in a pothole or find shelter in the forest surrounding me. Another blast of wind, which managed to fly up under my shirt and hoodie, decided it for me. I’d search for shelter in the trees and hope I didn’t freeze to death before the storm ended.
Even in the forest, the storm was raging, though most of the wind and rain was blocked thanks to the tall pines. The downside to that was what little light remained was also blocked, and I was almost walking blind, tripping over exposed roots, downed trees, and fallen limbs. Whatever animals lived in these parts had already sought shelter, which was what I should’ve done earlier.
A blinding light exploded behind me, casting my shadow against a spruce’s trunk. If that wasn’t startling enough, a person’s shadow beside mine on the trunk made my heart skip. I didn’t even have a chance to turn to face the person when a foot-long rod of some kind was shoved at my body. There wasn’t even time to suck in a breath to scream before the end of the rod slammed into my bicep and lancing pain shot through me and the world blackened as I crumpled to the ground.
The obnoxious clicking and beeping I woke up to wouldn’t have been so bad to deal with if the throbbing in my head didn’t turn my stomach and make me want to vomit. A sharp sting at the inside of my wrist as a needle was shoved into my skin would’ve made me scream if I had the energy, but whatever had knocked me out was still wearing off. I could barely make myself focus on anything, but a cool sensation emitted from the injection site, and seconds later, the aching in my head began to recede.
“This one’s waking up, Sir,” a light tenor voice spoke above me.
“We’ll be right there,” another man responded, his voice deeper and raspy. “We’re examining this one first.”
This one? There was more than one kidnapped person here? And from the sound of it, they were still unconscious.
“Actually, Sirs,” the first man spoke, and I noticed his distinct attention to the plural “sir” this time around, “this one looks different than that one.”
“How so?” a new, husky voice asked, the tone of his voice giving away his confusion and suspicion. Footsteps drew near as the first man spoke again and I tried to force my eyes open with little...okay, no, success.
&nb
sp; “I think this one’s female.”
“What?” the third man bellowed, rage replacing any other emotion he’d previously shown. Even with the injection working its magic on my headache, the volume of his voice made me wince in pain and a whimper escaped me. The man’s voice lowered in volume, but the tone could’ve cut through steel. “How is this possible? Saren, your mission was specifically to find two males to study. Females are outside of our parameters. Females are to be left alone and not taken.”
The second man’s voice shook as the footsteps all halted beside me. “She was dressed as the first, so I assumed she was a male. You’re sure she’s female?”
Clearing his throat, the first man, who sounded much younger than his companions, responded. “I thought she was male as well, but once I began my initial examinations after implanting the translation tech...well, she has traits that resemble our females. She’s much smaller than the other specimen, and her build appears far different, more soft. Truly, I believe this is a female and that is a male.”
“You said she was waking up,” the third growled, the timbre of his voice chilling me almost as much as the rain. The reminder of the storm brought with it memories of what had happened, and as they sprang up, I realized I still wore my damp clothes, but my backpack and cell phone were gone.
Warmth encased the hand that had received the injection. It wasn’t a touch like I first thought, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. The longer it remained, the more my sluggish mind and body responded to what I wanted it to do until my eyelids finally succeeded in their battle to lift. It took several blinks for my eyes to focus and my surroundings to clear, but when they did, my body finally responded exactly how I wanted.
Shrieking, I dove off the side of the table I’d been laid on and fell to the floor. It wasn’t a graceful landing like I’d hoped, but I was able to regain my footing and stand up in a defensive stance before the creatures I’d startled could recover. My breathing was shallow and erratic, and as I forced my mind to believe what it was seeing, I tried to calm myself by focusing on longer, deeper breaths. It wasn’t really working, and I could already feel myself growing lightheaded.
The one with the husky voice rested his hands on the table, his tall stature dwarfing his companions, who were well over a foot taller than me. “We will not harm you. You were taken by mistake.”
“Taken?” I squeaked, not caring that I sounded weak and pathetic. Heck, for all I knew, these creatures thought a squeaky voice was normal for a human, and they definitely weren’t human, not with their animal-like appearances.
A light coating of tan fur extended up their arms, though their hands appeared human in shape. Dark whiskers protruded from a narrower nose, that also appeared human. The furry, triangular shaped ears on both sides of their heads were definitely not human. Sandy blond hair fell in waves over the giant alien’s forehead but was trimmed short around his ears and the back of his head. From what I could tell, his face was clear of any fur, except maybe a light dusting of peach fuzz that would be soft, but not deter from his human-ish facial features. Almost eerie, the eyes staring back at me were also animal-ish, with yellow irises and slit pupils, though the shade of yellow was different between each man. Each one wore a dark gray uniform made of a material that I’d never seen, but appeared to be a mix of leather, spandex, and some sort of armor-like substance.
“Yes, taken. Our scientists were directed to take two males of your species for study. Unfortunately, they mistook you for a male.”
“So, take me back home,” I sputtered, trying to keep my hands from shaking as the alien shook his head.
“We can’t do that. For one, you know about us and we can’t have you spreading word that we exist-.”
“Crazies are always talking about being abducted by aliens.” Never in my life would I ever think I’d be one of those crazies. “Nobody believes them. Plus, I promise not to say a word.”
He was still shaking his head, an obvious cultural similarity. “We’re also too far away from your galaxy by now to return you. We have our next assignment, and I will not jeopardize this one as well. You will remain with us.”
I opened my mouth to argue when his words sunk into my brain and it stalled. “Did you say we’re out of my galaxy? Exactly where are we?”
His lips twitched and one side of his mouth lifted. “We studied your technology and scientific knowledge as the retrieval team was at work. You do not have enough knowledge to know where we are located. What you will understand is that we’re on a spaceship moving through space at a speed faster than your scientists believe possible.”
“How is that possible?”
“Now is not the time to discuss this.” He turned back to the men beside him, his grin evaporating into a scathing glare. “Saren, you will take full responsibility for this. In the meantime, let’s have her classified. If she is to spend the remainder of her time with us, she should abide by our ways of life.”
The remainder of my time? Did he mean the remainder of my life? Until I died?
“Heck no,” I spat, my brain to mouth filter misfiring. All eyes turned on me. “You’re going to take me home. Maybe not right this instant, but you will take me home.”
The two smaller men stared up at the taller alien, who stared unblinking at me as I continued to hold my fists up in a defensive stance. “I will speak to the council upon our return to our home world. Do not expect or hope for them to side with you. They are not a sentimental group. Now, you will let Saren or Yulaki take a sample of your blood to test it to classify you. If you resist, we will use force.”
“Captain-.” Saren began, his tone one of horror, but the Captain’s cold glare silenced him. “Yes, Sir. Yulaki, take the sample.”
The youngest alien retrieved a small device from a nearby counter and approached me, leaving me to choose between a rock and a hard place. My breathing changed once again as I fought to swallow my panic. He approached cautiously, but when he was almost within reach of me, I took a step back to mimic him. Eyes wide, his face grew pale under the peach fuzz, likely terrified of the idea of restraining me to take his sample.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” I spoke, my eyes locking on those of the Captain. “But can you tell me more about this classification first? What’s it for?”
“Let him take the blood and while it analyzes, I’ll explain it to you.”
I shook my head at him. “No way. You tell me first.”
Yulaki’s eyes widened like he’d never heard anyone speak to the Captain that way, or object at all to an order. I didn’t care. He wasn’t my captain.
However fearful Yulaki was because of my behavior, the captain didn’t appear bothered by my response. Amused, perhaps, since his lips twitched once again, though they didn’t lift into a grin. Was he trying to appear serious when he was enjoying himself? Being aliens of a different species, it was difficult to decipher.
“I will tell you that there are two classifications. Neither are looked down upon. Females among our species are highly respected, as you will be as well. Now, please, let Yulaki take the sample.
The young scientist stepped up to me, and it was all I could do not to step away again out of his reach. Bile rose in my throat as he took my finger and pressed it against the small machine in his hand. A brief pinch in the tip of my finger signaled he’d taken his blood sample. The second he had the blood, he backed away and moved to what appeared to be a computer station, but it was unlike any computer I’d ever seen.
“How long until you know what I am?” I squeaked again, not taking my eyes off Yulaki as he worked.
Seran moved closer, eyeing my wet and grungy clothes. “Not long. I’m very curious to know about these clothes that you wear. They do not look comfortable.”
“They’re wet and gross, so no, right now they’re not comfortable,” I threw back at him. “Are you the one who tased me?”
“Tased?”
“Whatever it was you did to knock me out.”
&
nbsp; The scientist looked unphased as he gave a brief nod and appeared almost a little smug. “Yes, it was I. You were a fighter. It took much longer than normal to render you unconscious.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Finished with his morbid curiosity, I turned my attention to who was likely the least threatening alien at the moment, and that was the captain. Yulaki was waiting for my classification to finish, making him a dreaded outcome I couldn’t change. “What are the two classifications?”
The captain took a deep breath and crossed his fur covered arms. “Once our kind reach maturity, we are all tested, though the results for females, since there are so few, are watched carefully. The classifications are: Mate or Companion.”
My throat threatened to close on me. “What’s the difference?”
“Fertility.”
“What?” I cried as Yulaki turned around, eyes wide with awe.
Seran noticed the young scientist first. “Have you the results?”
Yulaki only nodded until the captain turned his cross-armed stance to face him, his face stone cold. “Uh...she’s...she’s a Mate. Level Eight.”
Whatever that meant, it was significant as both of the other men turned to stare their own wide-eyed, awed stares on me. This time, the captain’s eyes dipped to take in what he could see of me, which wasn’t much in my current state of baggy hoodie and ripped jeans. None of them seemed inclined to explain, so I met the captain’s stare when his eyes lifted back to my face.