Raff (The Vorge Crew Book 4)

by Laurann Dohner

  She opened the square bag and saw it contained what he said. At least she could identify the bar as soap. The other bottle contained green liquid. Maybe aliens didn’t have shampoo and conditioner since there was only one. Raff remained with the shuttle, out of sight. She hesitated before removing her undergarments. It was easy to use the soap to wash them. She rinsed the materials as best as she could, putting them on the pool ledge to dry. Then it was time for her to get clean.

  Ten minutes later Raff exited the shuttle. He carried a large duffle bag with him. He dropped it near the fire, sat down on the charcoal seat, with his back to her.

  “I have spare clothing for you next to me once you use my shirt to dry off, Lilly. I won’t peek when you get out. There’s also food if you’re hungry. It’s not much. Just emergency packets. I’d go hunting for fresh meat but the sun is going down. It’s never a good idea to roam out there in the dark.”

  “Why?”

  He hesitated. “This planet is called Gluttren Four, G4 for short. There are a lot of dangerous beasts that live here and it’s too hot during the day for them to hunt for their food. They come out at night. We’d be considered a good meal to them.”

  That had her shuddering, imagining all kinds of dangerous creatures. “Can they attack us in here?”

  “No. I told you about the imager shield.”

  She’d forgotten, glancing toward the entrance. The technology amazed her. They could see out but according to him, the opening would look and feel like solid rock to anyone on the other side.

  She stared down at the water, suddenly no longer wanting to linger in it. He said the pool was fed by cracks in the mountain. What if an alien version of a snake or something similar slithered through? She moved fast to the edge, reached for the shirt he’d toss there earlier, and grabbed it. Her gaze locked on his back as she climbed out.

  “You won’t peek?”

  “You have my word.”

  She wasn’t hot anymore. Shivers wracked her body as she tried to dry off. The material ended up very damp by the time she used it to wring out her wet hair. Raff didn’t move, keeping his back to her. She quickly darted forward, grabbed the folded clothing he had next to him, and back off.

  She had to figure out what he’d given her. The short sleeve shirt was soft, huge, and tented her body. The pants reminded her of sweats, the way they had an elastic like waist, and the material thicker than the shirt. She had to bend, rolling the bottoms up to avoid walking on them. He had almost a foot of height on her and her legs were much shorter than his.

  “I’m done.” She rounded him and put her hands out toward the flames to get warm.

  Raff scooted over. “We can share.”

  “I’m fine.” She glanced at the rock floor but didn’t want to sit there since she’d just gotten clean.

  He sighed, his golden eyes narrowing. “I won’t attack you, Lilly. Have a seat. Please. Are you hungry?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  He bent forward, grabbed the larger bag, and opened it. He rummaged inside and came up with two packets. One looked like a kid’s juice bag, only larger. The other reminded her of a sealed hot dog with its size and shape. He sat up straight and held them out to her.

  What if he grabbed her? Her stomach rumbled with hunger. It had been at least a few days since she’d eaten. Maybe longer since she’d spent so much time unconscious. She again reminded herself that Raff appeared to be strong enough to do anything if he wanted to do her harm. That urged her to inch forward, sit on the farthest spot she could from him, and twist to take both packets.

  “Thank you.”

  “This is vasia. It’s a drink. Nutrients and water. It won’t harm you. Cathian had all our emergency supplies replaced to be human digestion friendly.”

  She took the liquid packet.

  “This is rishnia. It’s close to a santwant.”

  She took it, frowning. She put the drink down, figured out how to unseal the wrapper on the food, and stared at it. “Sandwich. It looks kind of like one, if the bread were totally sealed closed. What’s inside it?”

  He shrugged. “Nara, my cousin’s life-lock, said they aren’t bad.”

  “It’s not like I can be picky. I’m starving,” she admitted, taking a bite.

  The texture was similar to bread. Inside it had a paste filling that tasted like a meat mixture. Which ones, she couldn’t determine. Maybe chicken and beef. She closed her eyes as she chewed and swallowed, grateful it was edible.

  “Are you well?”

  She took another bite, opened her eyes, and met his gaze. “I’m fine. This is good. Then again, I’d probably think cardboard was delicious after what I’ve been through.”

  “There are more rishnia packets if that doesn’t fill you. All shuttles carry emergency supplies. The Vorge will reach us in about ten hours.”

  “What’s your ship like?”

  He hesitated. “The Vorge is a large vessel for an ambassador but we keep our crew number small.”

  She latched onto that. “Ambassador?”

  “Cathian represents the Tryleskian people and their home world. We travel to different planets for goodwill, sometimes trade business agreements, and occasionally to prevent a war. It’s why it’s such a large vessel. It’s not just a travel cruiser but battle ready in case we need to convince a potential enemy into rethinking that our race could be conquered or exterminated.”

  She ate, considering his words. It had been a huge honor to be hired onto Bax. Their mission had been to travel to discover new life and learn about alien cultures. The concept of going out there to meet aliens instead of waiting for whichever ones visited Earth had been huge news. According to Raff, it’s what he did on his ship.

  “How many planets have you been to?”

  He shrugged. “Too many.”

  She was interested. “Like a few dozen?”

  “Hundreds.”

  That blew her mind. “Wow. I had no idea there were that many. Aliens live on them? They all support life?”

  “There are three habited planets in this solar system. Seven in the one I just came from. Four in the system before that. This surprises you?”

  “Yes. We thought that maybe there might be a few dozen habitable planets in total. Only two alien races have visited Earth.”

  “Earth is in a remote system far from normal travel routes and the few scout reports that came in some years ago stated that you didn’t have any technology that was trade worthy to make that trip. They also stated humans were quick to fear and attempted to murder off-worlders.”

  She let that sink in. “We’re viewed as barbarians then?”

  “Worse. It’s one thing to attack someone who could be seen as an invader. Your people began to visit other planets. They haven’t made good impressions with the ones they have.”

  “Why?”

  He stared into the flames inside the fire pit. “The Yenisor incident comes to mind.”

  “What’s that?”

  He scowled, looking at her. “You don’t know?”

  She shook her head.

  “Earth sent a ship there. It’s one of the few habitable planets near yours. They are a peace-loving race. Non-aggressive. They are known for growing medical plants that cure many illnesses. Your people attacked them, bombed a few their settlements, and thousands died before help could reach them.”

  Horror filled Lilly and she found herself shaking her head. “No.”

  “Yes.” Raff stared back at the flames. “The humans who went there demanded the Yenisors give them what they wanted or lives would be lost. When the Yenisors instead offered to trade with them for something of equal value, your people began to drop bombs, stating it would stop when they complied with their demands.”

  She felt sick. “What happened?”

  “An allied race came to their defense. Some of the crops near those bombed settlements were destroyed. It effected the supply the Yenisors were able to send out to other planets in need of the li
fesaving medicines created from those plants. More lives were lost. Everyone knows Earth was to blame. Now there is a battle ship stationed in orbit to protect their crops from humans returning.”

  “I didn’t know. It was never on the news.” She realized how stupid that sounded. “Of course, whoever was responsible would have covered that up. It wasn’t like they would broadcast to everyone that they were being terrorists to aliens.”

  Raff nodded.

  She wished the drink packet she had contained something stronger, like booze. Any time she heard really bad news, when shit hit the fan, that was her normal way to deal with it. A good stiff drink or four.

  “That’s another reason why I won’t return you to Earth.”

  She yanked her head toward him, gaping.

  “Your people will eventually piss someone off enough to cause a war or they might sell you to aliens. You’re very attractive, Lilly. You could be bought by one of the races who would think of you as food or be forced to work in another brothel. I vow to keep you safe from this day forward. No one is ever going to hurt you again.”

  Lilly gaped at him but then closed her mouth. He sounded absolutely sincere. She wasn’t sure if she should feel flattered or frightened.

  “I need to um, my bladder.” She peered at him.

  He pointed. “Look behind the wood pile. There’s a small cave in there with cracks in the floor.”

  She got up, worried. He suddenly removed a bracelet from his wrist, holding it out to her. She hesitated taking it. Raff touched it and a beam of light came out of it.

  “Flashlight. Thank you.”

  He gave a nod.

  She accepted it, making sure to avoid touching his fingers. The hole was there and it was a tiny cave she had to duck down to get inside. She understood what he meant when she saw the floor. Wide, foot long cracks splintered the uneven rock floor. She went closer to one, flashing the light into it. If it had a bottom, she couldn’t see it.

  She sighed loudly, put the oversized bracelet over her wrist, and glanced at the dark hole she’d entered through. Raff didn’t follow her. She unfastened the pants and squatted.

  “I wish caves came with toilets,” she muttered.

  It didn’t take long and she returned, taking time to crouch near the water to do her best to wash her hands. The bracelet almost fell off. She returned it to Raff. He turned off the light and stood.

  “We should get some sleep. I have an extra bed. You can take the mat where we sat. It will be more comfortable for you.”

  She watched him walk over to the shuttle and tried to relax. He was being good to her. Things could be a lot worse. Like if I hadn’t fought my way out of that brothel. A shudder went down her spine.

  Chapter Four

  Raff jerked awake when his wrist alarm began to beep. He sat up on the inflatable bed he’d taken from the shuttle and quickly glanced at the camping mat Lilly slept on. He’d given her the blanket and another folded shirt to use for a pillow. The fire had almost died out but he could see her eyes were open, peering at him.

  She sat up. “Is that your ship contacting you?”

  He rose to his feet fast. “No. It’s too soon. We’ve been sleeping less than an hour. Something else is out there. This is a proximity alert I set on the imager shield to warn me of any heat signatures.” He made it to the cave entrance and snarled in fury. Four shuttles were out there, their search lights roaming the walls of the mountain above them.

  Lilly gasped at his side. “Oh no.”

  One of the lights moved, hitting the barrier. He had to lift one hand to protect his eyes from being blinded by the strong beam. Lilly stumbled next to him. He moved on reflex, gripped her arm, and held her still.

  “They can’t see inside,” he reminded her.

  The light moved over and he lowered his hand. The four shuttles seemed to be searching every inch of the mountain. His mind worked fast and he snarled again. He’d checked Lilly for a tracker. He sure as hell hadn’t been tagged. The force field on his shuttle would have prevented anyone from attaching one to the hull when it had been parked.

  How did they seem to know where they were? It was obvious they were searching for a cave entrance. They’d have been found if it wasn’t for the imager device. It not only provided cover to hide them but emanated a signal to confuse life sign readings. Their pursers shouldn’t have known where they were unless…

  “Fuck.” He released her and rushed to his shuttle, turning on the interior lights. It took time to locate what had penetrated his hull. He glared at the hard-shelled capsule.

  “What is it?” Lilly had followed him.

  He turned and showed her. “Tracker.” It infuriated him. Someone had encased the device to breach the hull of his shuttle. It would be tough to destroy but he needed to cut the signal. He bent, pulling one of his guns from his boots, and set the tracker down on a rock to fire at it.

  “Wait!” Lilly grabbed at his arm.

  “They could start bombing the mountain to bring it down around us when they can’t find a way to reach us. The tracker tells them we’re somewhere here.” His gaze went to the cave entrance. They could try to flee but the other shuttles were almost on top of them. They’d be shot down within seconds.

  Lilly released him, bent, and snatched up the tracker. She ran away from him. He spun, confused. “What are you doing?”

  She grabbed a bunch of thin sticks and rushed toward the pool. “You said there’s a current and the water inside here goes down a waterfall, right? Takes the water away from the cave?”

  He followed her as she dropped to her knees. “Yes.”

  “What’s the size of the waterfall opening?”

  She grabbed one of her small white pieces of clothing she’d left on the edge of the pool, wrapping it around the tracker. Then she bundled the sticks to surround it.

  He crouched down, watching her with a scowl. “What are you doing?”

  “Answer me!” She reached up, grabbing the second piece of small clothing she’d left there. She wound it around the bundle, tying the ends of it together. “Is it too small for this raft float through?”

  Her plan became clear. “That’s brilliant. It will fit. You’ve made a raft of sorts for the tracker. Why the clothing?”

  “The tracker is bullet sized. I didn’t want it to slip through the sticks. I wrapped it in my underwear in the center.”

  “How did you think to do this?”

  “Easy. I hated going fishing when I was a kid. I used to float worms away in the river on little twig and plant vines rafts I built when my dad made me go with him. Those were what he used for bait. I also figured I might be saving their lives, which was a bonus. The fewer the worms left in the bucket, the faster I got to go home.” She paused. “My bra should hold all the sticks together so it doesn’t fall apart and drop the tracker. We don’t want it to sink.” She picked up the bundled sticks, handing it to him. “Will this make it through the waterfall hole?”

  He took it, studying what she’d done. “Yes.” He rushed to the far side of the pool and leaned over the water, dropping it. It landed, went under, but then floated to the top. The slight current was stronger near the drop and it began to flow that way. He turned on his wrist light, aiming it for the bundle. He watched it go over and fall out of sight.

  The waterfall would flow to the canyon floor and then into the ground cracks there that fed into an underground river. He spun, rushed past Lilly, and back to the opening of the cave. The four shuttles were still hovering just outside, their search lights in motion. Lilly came up to his side. He turned off his wrist light. The longest minutes of his life passed but then the shuttles began to move away toward the other side of the mountain.

  “It’s working, isn’t it?”

  He turned and smiled Lilly. “Yes.” He felt proud of her quick thinking. It made him want her more. He acted without giving it thought by reaching for her. Her black hair was softer than it appeared when he gently cupped her face and head
, leaned down, and planted a kiss on her lips. She had soft, pliable ones.

  Her mouth parted slightly when she gasped. He liked it when her hands flattened on his shirt but she didn’t push him away. Instead she seemed to just want to feel him. He ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lower lip and deepened the kiss. Her hands fisted in his shirt.

  He would stop if she tried to twist her face to the side or push him away but she didn’t. It encouraged him to swipe his tongue with hers. She leaned into him, kissing him back. Little moans came from her. Desire shot through his body lightning fast, straight to his shaft. She tasted sweet, probably from her meal, but he liked it.

  He released the side of her head, sliding his fingers of that hand out of her hair and reached down, getting a good hold on one side of her ass. It felt soft and nice to squeeze. He pulled her short body even closer to his, released her ass, and wrapped his arm around her waist. Humans were fragile. He needed to remember that has he lifted her higher up his body.

  She twisted her head, breaking the kiss, and he froze. Her eyes opened and he stared deeply into them. They were foreign but beautiful. That light shade of blue was quickly becoming is favorite.

  “Shit.”

  Her whispered word had him wondering if she was about to begin fighting and demand he put her down. She surprised him instead by releasing her tight grip on his shirt and sliding them up to his shoulders.

  “What are we doing?” She glanced at his lips, before gazing back into his eyes.

  “Celebrating your intelligence.” He smiled. “That was my first kiss. How was it?”

  Her eyes grew bigger and her lips parted. He went for her mouth again. It seemed like an invitation to him. She closed her eyes and didn’t flinch away.

  He kissed her again, deeply. He remembered what Cathian had told him about how he’d accidently cut Nara a few times with his fangs, being careful to not apply any pressure with them when her tongue touched the pointed tips.