Being pulled into her mental amphitheater was different than imagining it herself. It had happened many times, so it wasn’t frightening, but was similar to what superstitious people called an “out of body experience”.
Her feet were still on the ground, her knife in her hand, aliens waiting behind her…but she didn’t feel anything from her physical form. Her toes weren’t gritty. Her legs weren’t sore from running. The medkit wasn’t dragging across her torso. It was both a relief and unnerving.
We’ve made contact, Paul told hivemind. They’re cooperative for now and are leading us to their people.
Good, came a unified response.
We’ve also made contact. The tinny echoes of three distinct voices cheered Lanie up. At least one other transpo had made it safely into the caves. They seem reasonable so far.
Our group is resting; we were too tired to reach out to hivemind. The tranpos had a rough landing and Melissa is hurt. The crew sounded weary, even their mental voices.
Concern buzzed through Lanie’s mind. Poor Melissa! It was scary enough to be on the moon, but being vulnerable near the aliens would be terrifying. And they had to be nearing exhaustion.
For now, we need to focus on safety. Melissa’s group, stay hidden if possible. Rest. Regroup. Everyone else, do your best…we’re all counting on you. Brandon’s prominent voice held an authoritative ring and was echoed by all the other survivors still on the ship.
With that, everyone dropped out of hivemind.
“I hate you so much, Paul,” Dee muttered, rubbing at her temples. Obviously Lanie wasn’t the only one suffering from being sucked into the hivemind.
“Dickwad,” Lanie added. It felt like she’d been hit by a truck—hivemind exhaustion was no joke.
“Are you well?” Mr. Horny hadn’t moved closer, but there was definite concern in his voice. He had no way of knowing what just happened, and though the entire exchange had wrapped up in less than a minute, it had probably looked like a strange adaption of the Red Light/Green Light game.
Lanie waved over her shoulder. “Fine, thank you. We’re just grabbing our stuff.”
Once all three humans were ready to go, the aliens led them deeper into the caves. The big lugs were silent and super tense, always looking over their shoulders. As if expecting…what? And attack? Lanie almost snorted. The survivors of Paradise Colony were mutated, not stupid.
Mr. Horny wasn’t exactly an exception, but he did drop back and send her glances that were obviously not suspicious. She tried her best to ignore him, but the tunnels weren’t big and pretending obliviousness in such a tight space was almost impossible. So, Lanie did what any self-respecting woman would do: she hid behind her gay friend.
Paul rolled his eyes but didn’t protest when she scurried behind him during a short break when Mr. Horny was actually paying attention to where he was walking. Miracle of all miracles, the rest of the hike was drama-free and easily navigated.
“We’re going into the Den. They aren’t expecting to see…” Mr. Horny looked at Dee and then Lanie, “guests.”
Also known as females.
Lanie clenched the back of Paul’s shirt, suddenly very nervous. Paul adjusted is grip on his knife. Her grip on her own knife was too tight—her fingers were numb—but she couldn’t loosen her fingers; too much fear pumped through her.
Voices hummed low and then grew louder as the aliens led them into their home. The tunnels opened into an enormous cavern; the diamond walls had been cut away in thick blocks to make the space seem less claustrophobic—almost airy. She had no idea how they’d managed that architectural feat, but the dome-like cavern was impressive. The central area was open and obviously well looked after, with several roughly-hewn diamond tables situated around a crystal-clear pool.
The men sitting at those tables stopped talking and stared when Mr. Horny led their group into the Den. It was unnerving, but Lanie was focused on the walls. The thick blocks that had been cut away to make the space habitable were neatly stacked into dozens of crude staircases, all leading up to seemingly private caves. It was…a honeycomb.
“Amazing,” she whispered. “I wonder how this is impacting the environment. And the deposits…”
“Do your scientist thing later, Lanie. Mission first,” Dee reminded her.
“And what, exactly, is your mission?” Mr. Horny asked.
Other aliens—a mix of species, it seemed, some with horns and some without—all crowded behind their escort. None of them seemed angry or aggressive, but the longing and desire on their faces as they stared at Lanie and Dee was enough to make the situation uncomfortable. Paul wouldn’t be able to save them if the horde decided to do anything. Lanie took an instinctive step back. Dee trembled and followed suit.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Mr. Horny told them, looking offended by their fear.
“The last time they saw your kind, they were made into slaves,” Paul snapped. “Give us some space and they’ll relax.”
Some of the aliens growled—legitimate growls, like wild animals—as they backed away. Even Mr. Horny took a step back. “We’re not like the ones you’ve encountered. We’re Peacekeepers, not pirates.”
“Did he just say pirate?” Dee asked. “Like, swashbuckling?”
The Den rumbled with throaty chuckles. Horny shook his head, fangs on full display as he smiled. “No, though your planet’s version of pirates were amusing. We found descriptions of them in several of the informational relays sent out by your home world.”
“Fucking diplomats,” Paul muttered. “Why not just lay out a welcome mat?”
Lanie sighed. “They did, Paul. It’s why we’re here.” She looked at Horny and tried to sort through her questions. “If you’re not like Earthen pirates, and you’re not like the invaders who enslaved us…what are you?”
Horny shrugged. “Like I said, we’re Peacekeepers. Or we were.” He frowned, as did many of the aliens around him. “Peacekeepers protected a cluster-system known as Trialliance, though we mainly focused on the planets Lu’O, Gkiven, and Abbaleer. It was our home, and we guarded it closely—our home port was there for a thousand years.” He paused, as if remembering home was hard. “And then the disease took hold, and we were banished for being carriers of it. There’s no cure. Suddenly homeless, some of our warriors reverted to their more barbaric ancestry, from before the pact with Trialliance...we’re the few who fought against that backsliding behavior.”
“Prove it,” Paul demanded. “If what you say is true, prove it by helping us. Be our Peacekeepers. We came here because one of our women was told”—not strictly true, since the woman in question used her mutated gift to read the mind of her ‘master’—“that you were marooned here. That you might help save the rest of our people.”
An alien behind Horny stepped forward, his pale skin seemingly made of scales. “The rest? How many of you are there?”
Paul shrugged and Dee was still trembling, so Lanie answered. “Our colony was attacked, not our home world. The uninfected population on Earth numbers in the billions.”
There was a long, stunned silence.
“We didn’t see that in the informational relays,” the scaly alien muttered.
“If your people go to our world, they will devastate our population…only one percent of the colony survived. Earth—humans—would never recover. Our entire species is at risk.” Paul’s voice was a rasp; he still had ties to Earth. The descendants of his family left behind on Earth, during Paradise’s colonization, kept in contact with him, and Lanie knew he cherished the connection. “We need your help.”
Horny rubbed at his horns. “I don’t know what you expect us to do. We’re stuck here—marooned, as you put it.”
“We stole a ship from the invaders,” Lanie admitted. “It’s in orbit around this moon.”
Excited chatter filled the cavern, and the aliens seemed to momentarily forget the humans. All except Horny, who stared at Lanie with a calculating gleam in his eye. “We’ll
discuss this and then talk to you more. Have a seat, get comfortable. We’ll bring you food.”
Paul nodded. “Thanks.”
Dee stayed close to Lanie until the aliens dispersed. The big guys didn’t wander far, and they didn’t stop staring even while talking amongst themselves. Lanie kept her blade out, but she did sit down. Exhaustion was weighing on her.
“Hivemind,” Paul whispered.
“No, please,” Dee begged. “My head feels like it’s going to explode.”
He relented with a grimace. Passing out from hivemind was painful—possibly deadly—and they were too vulnerable to risk it. Especially since Dee was their sharpshooter. “I’ve noticed the way he looks at you,” Paul said, staring at Lanie. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged. “I’m not a slave. It’s an improvement from the last time I got that look,” she answered honestly. The door on those memories was firmly locked. “He hasn’t done anything…but I get the feeling he’s planning to. I’m guessing being our peacekeepers will come at a cost.”
Dee gasped and swayed, paling so fast that Lanie reached out to catch her in case she fainted. The freckles on her face looked stark on her suddenly ashen skin. “No,” Dee whispered. “I can’t do it again.”
A big alien—bigger than the horned guys or the scaly fellows—walked over. “Is she sick?” he asked. His pale skin appeared armored and a bit furry, from his cheekbones down to his hip bones. Only his threadbare pants kept her from determining how far down the textured plates went. His expansive, bare chest was impressive.
Lanie stared for a minute, entranced by all the muscles, and then shook it off. She rubbed Dee’s back before answering. “She’s scared.”
Mr. Muscles tensed. His pectorals and biceps flexed slightly, and Lanie had to swallow back the desire to drool. She’d always loved a buff man. “Has someone said something to frighten her?”
Dee looked up at her would-be defender, her hazel eyes searching his for a long minute. “I don’t ever want to be a slave again,” she told him. “I can’t be.”
He stared down at her, intensely but not without compassion. “Every male here has a mother, a sister, or a lover he’d die to protect. We shared a ship with the pirates who invaded your home, but we share nothing else of worth.” His words were measured and serious, as if imparting more than simple truth, but rather a promise.
Dee licked her lips nervously when Muscles continued to stare, and Lanie almost fanned herself when the big guy dropped his gaze to her mouth. Chemistry, meet Dee and Muscles.
“What’s your name?” Muscles asked.
“Deegan, but everyone calls me Dee.” Her smile was shy and strained. “Yours?”
“Muscles,” Lanie interrupted. “His name is obviously Muscles.”
Dee and Paul both laughed, breaking the last of the tension, and the big alien grinned. “No, though the description is accurate of my breed. My name is Tugarth.” His intense gaze held Dee’s for another long, heated moment, and then he said, “I’ll get you food.”
They watched him go with varying levels of amusement.
“Definitely prefer Muscles to Tugarth,” Paul muttered. “And, can I just say, daaaamn?”
Lanie chuckled. “I know, right? I drooled a little, especially when the heat between those two started to burn.”
Dee blushed at their teasing, her freckled face no longer a sickly ashen color. “I hate you both,” she whispered.
After that, their nerves were settled. Tugarth brought them food—which seemed to be some kind of algae soup—and eventually the other Paradin crew wandered in with another group of aliens. Daniel, John, and Sarah joined them at the diamond tables, and they rehashed everything together.
When Horny finally returned, Lanie was on the verge of collapse. She wasn’t alone, either. Dee had her head on the table, eyes closed. Paul was on his feet, pacing to keep from succumbing to sleep. The other crew were huddled together like puppies after play. They needed a safe place to hunker down for rest. Thankfully, she didn’t have to beg for that luxury. Horny took one look at them and suggested they take his cave for themselves.
“Thank you,” she told him. The others made their way up the block stairway that Horny pointed out to them, but Lanie hesitated. She refused to question her curiosity, even as she indulged it. “What’s your name?”
He smiled, fangs glinting. “Delloruin.”
Interesting. Dell-Oh-Roon. She still preferred Horny. “Mine is Lanie.”
Delloruin stepped closer, his big body emanating enough heat to make her shiver. “Are you lifebonded, Lanie?”
“Um, what?”
A look of frustration passed over his face. “Lifebonded? To a mate?”
She backed up a step, his interest in her love life a little too intense. “I’m not entirely sure how you lifebond, or what, exactly, you mean by mate, but the answer is probably no…and no, I’m not looking to do so anytime soon.”
“You don’t know what it is, but you already know you don’t want it?” A hint of amusement threaded through the question. “Seems reasonable,” he teased.
Lanie blushed. “I’ve seen the way you look at me,” she blurted. “I don’t want that. I can’t do it again, not after…” she shuddered. The door on those memories was locked, damn it. “I just can’t. So no, I don’t want a lifebond or a mate.”
She turned and was up one of the steps when his gentle touch on her arm stopped her. “When I look at you, I see the potential for a future, Lanie. Not a slave.”
Her breath caught.
His hand was still on her arm, the rough callouses on his fingertips dragging a shiver from her when he stroked from her shoulder down to her wrist. “I want you to feel safe, but also want you to know my intentions. My hope. A lifebond is just that—a lifelong bond. I want that with you.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered, refusing to turn and continue the conversation. Their chemistry made her knees a little weak, but that wasn’t enough to lock her into something as profound as a lifelong bond.
He stepped even closer, so that the front of his chest brushed against her back. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You’re intelligent and brave, despite being wounded.” His lips touched the shell of her ear, and the tip of his nose-horn grazed her cheek softly. Since she wasn’t hurt physically, he had to mean the lingering trauma of being enslaved. He wasn’t wrong. “You’re also honest.”
“There’s no way for you to know if I’m honest,” she argued, her words much more breathy than she’d intended.
He chuckled. “Little Charm, your eyes hide nothing.” The heat of his breath on her ear was making her tremble, but Lanie didn’t move away. For the first time since the invasion, her body was awake. Alive. “Intelligence, bravery, and honesty…those things matter. Everything else can be worked out after you belong to me.”
Such a guy thing to say. She stepped away from him and looked back over her shoulder. “There’s something you should know about humans.”
Horny lifted his eyebrows, which in turn lifted his horns.
“We need more before we marry—lifebond. Go through the informational relay you bragged about, find the word ‘love’. The next time you whisper into a human’s ear, you won’t sound like an ass.”
Lanie climbed the diamond steps without a single backward glance.
Chapter 4
There was no way to judge how long they slept, but it was deep. They didn’t set a guard—what would’ve been the point? They were outnumbered and vulnerable and everyone knew it. So they slept.
Dee’s leg ended up across Lanie’s butt, and Paul’s arm under her cheek. The dog pile on the floor probably wasn’t as comfortable as the untouched, enormous bed taking up most of the room, but none of them even mentioned crawling between Horny’s sheets. The situation didn’t need another layer of awkward. She cuddled closer to Paul, and he snorted in his sleep. Lanie smiled, content just to rest among her friends.
Only when people b
egan moving around did Lanie yawn and stretch. She felt a million times better. She had to pee like nobody’s business, but her headache was gone and her mind was clear. Hopefully everyone else felt the same way.
“Hivemind?” she whispered. The other five Paradins each nodded, and together they fell into it.
The comfort of the collective was nice. There wasn’t any real news to share, but just being part of the group eased a bit of her worry. They didn’t stay connected for long, though, not when they needed to be at full strength.
A battle of wills was coming—the hivemind agreed with her that the Peacekeepers would ask for something in return for help, and everyone knew the most likely price.
The cave they’d been given had a crude bathroom, with a hole cut into the floor of a back alcove. It seemed very deep and didn’t smell, so it probably connected to another…
Lanie shook off her musings. Now was not the time to start questioning the environmental factors, even if it was fascinating how well the caverns had been chiseled into livable quarters.
Everyone took turns using the bathroom, and somehow Lanie ended up at the end of the line. When she came out, they were all still milling around the cave. More than one face was shadowed with fear.
“We should go down,” she said. And, because she understood their hesitance, she added, “The mission comes first.” Before fear. Before their lives. The mission was the only thing that mattered.
As they descended from the cave, it became obvious that the aliens were waiting for them. The Den was full—packed, actually. Lanie hadn’t known so many peacekeepers were marooned. There wasn’t enough room for the humans down on the floor, so they stayed on the steps.
“We’ve discussed your situation,” Horny—no, Delloruin—announced once Lanie and the others had settled. It felt like they were perched on a stage, or a pedestal. “And we’d like to offer you aid…”
Lanie's Choice: Survivors of Paradise Book 1 Page 3