Her gaze swept the space and finally lifted high enough to realize that there was a drape to one side of the high window. She jumped up on the bed and reached for it but it was above her grasp. Spotting the chair, she hauled it over to the bed. Cautiously she climbed up on the chair as it tottered against the soft surface of the mattress. A little higher…her fingers touched the drape just as her unstable perch gave out. The chair crashed into the wall with a distinct crack and Anna slammed back down on the bed with a soft oomph, but she had the curtain.
“Human?” The door opened slightly and Anna quickly pulled the drape across her body. There was a muffled thump from outside the door and an odd slithering noise. She retreated against the wall, expecting Jakkar to appear in the opening. However, no one appeared even though the door remained cracked. Cautiously, she peeked out but there was no one in sight. That was odd, but she wasn’t about to miss her chance for escape. Looking ruefully at the curtain, she decided it was the only option. It was a thin, rough-weave cloth that felt scratchy against her body, but she wrapped it around her like a sarong and knotted it at her breast before heading down the corridor.
Anna briefly considered heading for Melia’s stateroom but the other woman’s plan to help her had failed. She didn’t want to involve her friend anymore. If she could just make it back to the cave and the supplies there before Jakkar came after her, then she could run and hide until they had all left. Loneliness swept through her at the idea of being isolated on this planet by herself, but anger stiffened her spine. It was still better than being his sex toy, never mind how much she enjoyed the sex. The memories sent a throb of longing straight to her belly but she ignored it, just as she ignored the desolation that swept over her at the thought of leaving him. Instead she focused on her anger. She just had to keep ahead of him. Melia had told her how they had been brought to the ship. How hard could it be to fly a flitter?
Lost in her plans she headed for the hold, not hearing the footsteps behind her until the last minute. As she started to turn, there was an all too familiar sting in her neck, and the world went dark.
Anna regained consciousness on the metal floor of the flitter. Her body ached from the hard surface and the cold shivered through her as she sat up, prepared to give Jakkar a piece of her mind over his kidnapping attempt. To her shock, he was not seated at the controls. The man sitting there was a stranger, tall and skeletal with a heavy coil of dark green hair down his back.
“Wh-who are you?”
“You’re awake. What a pity.” He turned to look at her and she shrank back with a muffled scream. His face was equally cadaverous, with blood red eyes, and a round red mouth filled with a double row of pointed yellow teeth.
“What do you want with me?” She could hear her voice shaking, but she stared at him defiantly.
“Actually, you’re just a nice little bonus. I didn’t expect to run into you on my way to the flitter.” He sounded coolly amused and she glared at him.
“What do you mean?”
“My preparations had been made. It was time to leave.”
“What preparations?” A sinking dread crawled into her stomach.
“I was hired for a very specific job. A job that, unfortunately, I have so far failed to complete. I always complete my jobs.” His eyes glistened with anger before he composed his expression and regarded her with his previous detachment.
“You’re supposed to destroy the ship,” she whispered.
“Exactly. Or more specifically, that wretched DuLass woman and the Sardorans.”
Her whole body was shaking now and sweat started dripping down the back of her neck.
“If you destroy the ship, you can’t get off the planet.”
“Don’t worry about that. This craft will take us quite high enough for me to signal my contact. I’m sure we can think of something to do while we wait.”
She shuddered, her skin crawling at his words, but he only laughed at her reaction.
“Don’t worry; I really have no interest in that round little body of yours. Fortunately for me, lots of others will. You should fetch a good price at the slave auctions on Gamedon Twelve.” He ran his eyes over her. “Maybe even an excellent price. As I said, a nice little bonus.”
His words barely penetrated. She was too caught up in her horror about the ship. “Jakkar, Melia,” she whispered. “The baby.”
“Yes, that was rather a nice bonus as well. Who will want to hire Sardorans now if they not only can’t protect their cargo but can’t even protect the cargo’s infant child?”
Sickness was rolling through her but she gathered her feet under her, determined to make an attempt to stop him. Before she could move, he was standing over her, one hand clasping her throat. The saliva from his open red mouth burned as it dripped on the futile hand she raised to pry his grip from her throat. Her vision was going black and her lungs sobbing for air before he finally released his hand.
“Don’t be stupid. If I damage you, I will get a lower price but as long as at least one of your orifices is intact, someone will be willing to buy you. Although I don’t think you will like the way they use you.”
She huddled against the floor, gasping for air and letting his words wash over her as she groped for a way to stop him.
He turned back to the control chair. “On the other hand, if you don’t force me to hurt you and your looks are still undamaged, you could become a valuable commodity. And valuable commodities are treated well—at least while their usefulness lasts.”
Anna’s throat felt swollen and sore and her lungs were still raw, but she ignored the pain. She had to do something, anything, to stop him. She followed his gaze to the front of the small cabin and saw that he was watching a black box. Symbols flashed on the face of the box in diminishing increments and she suddenly realized that it had to be a countdown. Was that the control? She gathered her feet to make another attempt just as the symbols stopped flashing and a brilliant flare of light lit up the night sky, the sound of the detonation deafening as it reached them a few seconds later and the blast waves rocked the ship. Already off balance, Anna flew back against the wall.
Denial surged through her; he couldn’t have done it—they couldn’t all be dead. The image of Jakkar crumpled in a pool of blood ripped a hole in her chest and left a hollow empty place. Barely aware of what she was doing, she pushed to her feet, her mind chanting no, no, no. The rage flared so suddenly, and so violently, that she actually screamed and launched herself at the monster’s head with outstretched fingernails before he could react. She felt his skin part under her fingers with a savage satisfaction before he knocked her back across the cabin and into the wall. The room swam dizzily and she was sure she was hallucinating when the door was literally ripped off the side of the flitter and Jakkar appeared in the opening. His eyes were pure white, skin drawn tight into a mask of rage, and lips pulled back to reveal his fangs. She blinked hard, desperately trying to clear the tears from her eyes, and saw her kidnapper turn to the opening with a weapon in his hand.
“Look out!”
White battle rage had filled Jakkar at the sight of Anna being taken by the tall alien. Furiously he threw himself against the locked door. Behind him, he was dimly aware of Dragar trying all of the com channels without response. There was the sound of tearing metal. The other man appeared beside him and he snarled, but Dragar only snarled back and started wedging a metal bar into the edge of the door. Sanity returned to Jakkar long enough for him to add his weight to the metal lever. His hands bled from the rough metal edge as they applied more pressure but he ignored the pain. With a protesting shriek, the door sprang free from one edge of the frame and they were able to force it open.
Rage still tore at him, making it hard to think clearly, but as urgently as he needed to go after his human, he was still responsible for the Gliesh party and his men.
“I would assume he set a bomb,” he said between clenched teeth. “We need to evacuate and search. Positions?”
&n
bsp; “Rurikar was patrolling. Since the saboteur took out Nadodar, I would assume he took Rurikar as well.” Dragar looked at him grimly. “If so, he is a formidable opponent.”
“It doesn’t matter; he will die anyway.” There was no doubt in Jakkar’s voice. “What about the others?”
“In their cabins.”
Jakkar hesitated. “I will help you release them. Grimur will take Melia’s party as far from the ship as possible. He can take Rantor as well. Hardrar will get Nadodar and Rurikar off the ship. That leaves three of us to start searching for the bomb.”
The need to go after Anna was a searing agony in his stomach, but he knew that it would take two of them to open the jammed doors. Time passed with agonizing slowness as they released each of the men. Grimur and Hardrar sped off to release Melia and search for the two unconscious warriors, while the other three discussed search options. All of them knew it was probably hopeless—the ship was too vast and there were too many hiding places.
“Should we release the civilians to help search?” Dragar suggested.
“No. We can’t trust them.”
“If they were left locked in their quarters, it would indicate that they were not part of this plan.” Dragar’s voice was reasonable but it grated on Jakkar’s already heightened nerves.
“I said no,” he roared.
The other man merely looked at him and he sighed, releasing a tiny fraction of his anger. “We can’t take the chance. Whoever has been trying to kill us has been too persistent.”
“In that case—”
Trondar interrupted. “I have a portable scanner in communications. If the energy signal on the bomb is similar to the one I tracked through the escape pod, I should be able to find the source.”
Jakkar nodded curtly and the man hurried off while Jakkar and Dragar headed back to the engine room. It was a calculated risk but they agreed that a bomb placed there would cause the most damage. Trondar joined them and began slow methodical sweeps of the room. Jakkar growled with impatience as he and Dragar waited.
“Go after her,” Dragar said softly.
Jakkar’s heart leapt at the thought, but he shook his head. “I can’t. This is my responsibility.”
“We could abandon the ship.”
“If we do, I doubt we will ever leave this planet. And the council will never know that this could be our new home.” He shook his head. “This is too important to too many lives. We have to try and save the ship.”
The minutes ticked by and Jakkar paced restlessly, unable to stand still. Despite the logic keeping him here, every instinct urged him after his woman. He drew some faint consolation from the fact that Anna had obviously been alive when the alien had taken her. Fear was not a familiar emotion for him but the thought of her alone and helpless with their unknown enemy struck dread deep in his stomach. “I will find you, little human,” he vowed softly.
Trondar’s head appeared around a stack of equipment at one end of the room. “I think I found it.”
“That?” Dragar asked as the men gathered around Trondar’s find. ‘That’ was a small black box, no more than one hand span in any direction. The only break in the featureless surface was a small blinking red light in one corner.
“New technology,” Trondar said. “If it’s what I think it is, it will vaporize the ship.”
“How long?” Jakkar asked.
“I’m not positive but the blinking has been increasing. My guess is that once it reaches a continuous glow, it will detonate.” Trondar responded grimly.
“Can we move it?”
“Yes, it’s not attached. But I’m not sure that we can get it far enough away.”
“I have an idea,” Dragar said. “We need to get to the cargo bay.”
They all hesitated for a fraction of an instance and then Trondar shrugged and gingerly picked up the small box. All three men raced for the hold while Dragar explained his plan. “We can take the bomb away by transport sled.”
Jakkar nodded, instantly approving of the idea. The transport sleds were open hover sleds designed for moving cargo. They needed to be steered manually but they could easily take the weight of a man and could travel quickly when pushed.
“How far do I need to take it?” Jakkar demanded.
“At least five kilometers.” Trondar paused. “I think.”
“Right. Since Melia’s party headed for the cliffs, I will take the sled out across the desert, drop the bomb and return.” They entered the hold and Jakkar headed for the sleds. As he pulled one out, Dragar put a hand on his arm.
“Jakkar, I will take the bomb.” Jakkar opened his mouth to protest, but he continued without pausing. “I can fly a bomb into the desert just as well as you can—and there are two sleds. Go after your human.”
Jakkar hesitated but his hands were already reaching for the second sled. “Very well.”
“Here.” Trondar made a few quick adjustments and handed him the scanner. “I have set it to follow the flitter signal.”
Jakkar nodded, then threw himself on the sled, the scanner clenched between his hands. Both men left the bay at the same time, Dragar winging out across the desert and Jakkar arrowing along the edge of the desert parallel to the cliff. The cold night wind buffeted the sled, unstable at this speed, and tore at Jakkar’s hands and exposed face. He gritted his teeth and kept the control pressed to maximum speed. The engine was a high-pitched whine and he could feel the sled shuddering underneath him but it didn’t matter as long as it held together long enough for him to find her. Urgency was a knot in his gut and the rage that he had battled for so long could no longer be denied. With a flare of triumph, he spotted the flitter ahead, just as the sky exploded in a flash of white light. The sound waves immediately following sent the sled tumbling to the desert floor, knocking Jakkar loose and sending his body thudding into the sand.
He rolled as he hit the ground, registering the impact in one part of his mind but thrusting it aside as he regained his feet. Sending a brief prayer to the Goddess for his friend’s safety, he headed for the flitter. The door was unlocked, but rage and adrenaline were pumping through his veins so strongly that he ripped it off as he opened it.
With one glance, he saw Anna crumpled against the back wall, her head bleeding and red strangulation marks on the pale skin of her neck. Battle rage roared through him so loudly that he barely heard her cry out a warning as his eyes focused on his enemy. He didn’t recognize the species, but it was unimportant—this man had tried to kill him and his men, had tried to kill those under his protection, and had stolen and damaged his woman. He was going to die.
As he launched himself at the tall alien, there was a brief, hot flare of pain along his side, but it was irrelevant as he slammed into the man and knocked the weapon aside. His enemy rolled away, recovering with surprising quickness and reaching for a knife as Jakkar flew toward him again, but Jakkar was quicker, clamping a hand around one thin wrist while he slammed the man’s head against the wall. There was a cracking sound, but the other man raked his claws into the fiery wound in Jakkar’s side before Jakkar broke his wrist. The rest of the fight was short, bloody, and brutal, but the outcome was never in doubt. With a final decisive stroke of his knife, Jakkar severed his enemy’s head.
As he rose to his feet, his gaze immediately snapped to Anna. She was still crouched against the back wall, eyes wide, and he dropped to his knees in front of her, not realizing until he reached out a hand and saw the blood dripping from his fingers how he must look to her. He raised his eyes from his bloody hand to her face, terrified that he would see the same look of fear and horror that he had seen before. Tears filled her eyes and he started to pull back just as she flung herself into his arms so hard that she almost knocked him backwards onto the deck. She kissed him frantically, wrapping her arms and legs around him, uncaring of the blood. Half-dazed he listened to the flood of words coming from her lips between kisses.
“I thought you were dead. I love you so much.” Tears streamed
down her face. “Don’t ever leave me. I don’t care if I have to be your slave, promise me that we will be together.”
Jakkar kissed her back, his heart overflowing with emotion, before burying his face in her neck and breathing in her delicious scent. She was safe in his arms and she loved him. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
Anna kept crying until he finally stopped her by taking her lips in a slow, demanding kiss until she melted against him. When he eventually lifted his mouth, she slowly opened her eyes and he could see the love in her gaze. She was tear-stained, bruised, and covered with blood. She had never looked more beautiful.
Jakkar cradled Anna in his arms and she was content to be there, feeling safe despite the carnage that surrounded them. He loved her. The knowledge sent a warm pleasurable thrill up her spine and she knew that she had meant what she said. If she had to be a slave to be with him, then she would be his slave. Of course that assumed they were going to get off this planet –
“The ship? Melia, the baby? What happened?”
“You know about the bomb?” She nodded. “We found it and Dragar flew it out into the desert to detonate.”
“Is he all right?” she asked anxiously.
“I don’t know,” he said, a worried expression crossing his face before he smiled at her. “But he’s been through worse and somehow he always survives.”
He rose to his feet, pulling her up with him, and together the two left the flitter and stepped out on to the soft, red sand. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, the dark emerald sky streaked with the pale green of dawn, and Anna took a deep breath. The air was cold and clear, and the breeze washed away the smell of death. Jakkar’s arm was warm around her shoulders and she smiled up at him. “There’s a saying on my planet—joy cometh in the morning.”
He looked down at her solemnly. “Joy cometh wherever you are.”
Before she could react, he dropped to his knees in front of her and took hold of her hands. His eyes burned into her face, a deeper gold than she had ever seen.
Anna and the Alien: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 1) Page 16