by Ward, Abella
"I don't feel like fighting."
Dievca scowled. "Fine."
Chapec put his sword back into its sheath. "So how do I go about wooing a woman who is terrified of me?"
"And like I said, she might be terrified, but she also desires you. You just have to lessen the terror and play up the lust." Dievca returned to the table and cleared off the noodles before grabbing two more packs, tossing one to her brother. "And you'll have to figure that one out yourself. I'm not getting involved in my brother's love life."
Chapec rolled his eyes. "I don't see why I have to woo her anyway. We have her, shouldn’t that be enough to get access into the Sanctuary?"
"It gets her in, but not necessarily us. Zon is most accepting of T'shav with human mates. Our best chance to gain free access is if the human claims you as her mate. You know that. We can't take any chances with this."
"I know."
Dievca slurped up some of her food, a frown heavy on her face. "So. How are you going woo her?"
"You just said that you weren't getting involved."
"I know. But I don't have a mate and I'm bored. So. How? You shouldn't make it too hard for yourself. Probably start by emphasizing how much you wanted to help her, and how killing the Wlobq and Aphrosian was a necessary evil. Maybe make up some evil crimes—"
"I think it's best to stick as close to the truth as possible. I'll think of something."
"Good. Just don't get too involved."
Chapec rolled his eyes. Sometimes it was really difficult to figure out what sort of things were going on inside of his sister's head. She always had a plan behind a plan and he always felt like he was ten steps behind in her little schemes. It was annoying, but that was his sister.
A groan from down the hall made him turn in time to the human leaving her room. She staggered, running face-first into the wall. Chapec jumped to his feet. As the human slumped to the floor, he ran forward and gathered her into his arms. She pushed a little against him before sagging against his shoulder and giggling.
"You're hot. You're Mr. Hottie McHottie Hotpants."
Chapec's brow narrowed. What was she talking about?
"Wait." She straightened. "You're not allowed to be hot. You killed people!"
A sluggish fist tapped him on his nose. Chapec had to smile at the weak attempt. He carried her to the table, where he set her down. She pushed at him, but as soon as he loosened his grip, she swayed, so he kept a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright.
"You killed people," she repeated accusingly.
"Those men were dangerous criminals," Dievca said. "They would have done terrible things to you. We had to kill them."
"I want to go home. Take me back to Earth." The human rubbed her eyes. "Take me back to Earth this instant."
Chapec frowned as he considered the human. She had just been taken out of the stasis pod. How terribly disorienting must all this be? Dievca may have thought that sedating her was the best way to get her slowly introduced into the new world that she found herself in, but did it really help?
"Earth is gone. I know it's hard to think about, but it is," Dievca said. Her voice was low and soothing. "But there are other humans. Thousands of them have been found and taken to a sanctuary. That's where we're headed. You'll be safe there."
The human glared at her. "Take me to Earth!"
"What's your name?"
"Take me to Earth!"
Would seeing the dust bowl that had been confirmed as Earth help, or hurt her more? If he was in her situation, would he want to see the desolated places he had known as home? All of the ancient Earth structures were buried under rock and dirt. These days, only archaeologists and people who worshiped humans as the first ancestors dared venture towards that planet. Well, them and tourists.
"My name is Dievca, and this is my brother Chapec. What's your name?"
The human swallowed hard. "Veronica. Veronica Benson."
Veronica leaned against him again. His hand slipped down, accidently brushing against her breast. She gasped, jerking, and he moved his hand. They looked at each other, and Chapec saw what Dievca had been talking about. Even though there was fear in her eyes, there was also undeniable desire.
Chapec's own eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know how to react to that… Terror and lust were two very different things. He didn't think it was possible for them to reside in a person at the same time, yet there they both were. And he had to woo her into claiming him as his mate.
It was that that made him most uncomfortable.
Yes, he liked the idea of her desiring him, and he couldn't deny that he'd love to seduce her–with that body, no man wouldn't want her in his bed! But in the end, why make it worse for her than it was already going to be?
Her fingers curled around his bicep. "Please take me back to Earth."
"Yes." Chapec was surprised by his own answer. Dievca shot him a warning glance, but he ignored it. "We can take you to Earth. But it's not what you remember. It's a dead world—"
"I want to go back."
"Okay. Okay, we'll take you back."
"Chippy, we'll lose a lot of time. And as soon as word is out that we have a human—"
"We'll get there as quick as possible and then head to the Sanctuary." Chapec put his arm around Veronica, supporting her as she slumped again. "No big deal."
Dievca frowned but nodded. "Fine. We go to Earth. I just hope we don't get our butts bitten off because of it."
Chapter Three – Veronica
There was a little plaque at the entrance to the museum that orbited the grey-brown orb that had once been Earth. The plaque read that the displays were being updated based on new information about humans. Veronica didn't know what that meant, nor did she much care. She didn't know how long she'd been in the ship with the two T'shav twins, but it was enough time for her to finally accept that this was real.
She had been abducted by aliens and was now billions of years in what she had known as the future. There was no going back home because home was long dead. Along with everything and everyone she knew.
Her lip wobbled as she walked through the museum halls. Images of humans with skin every color of the rainbow were everywhere, along with small bits of pieces of technology and garbage that were crusted over and in various states of decomposition.
Veronica stared at what might have once been a plastic bag, a hand pressed to her mouth. Chapec put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him unconsciously.
"My family is all gone."
The T'shav held her a little tighter.
"My parents. My brothers." A lump choked her as tears burned her eyes. "Everything I knew is gone. My friends. My job. My home. My parents had just got remarried. They divorced when I was little, but they remained friends and a few years ago, they decided to try dating again. Their wedding was just last month. They looked so happy…."
"T'shav don't marry, at least not usually," Chapec said, squeezing her gently. "We take mates, and stay with each other for as long as what seems right. It's quite common to be monogamous. But our culture isn't one where some elaborate display of commitment is required."
"Yeah, I was never a huge fan of the big white wedding." It helped a little, to learn more about his people. It made him less alien. "But my parents had only this simple ceremony, just close family and friends. There were only about twenty people there. They didn't want fanfare, they wanted to share a special moment with those they loved the most."
Her voice cracked and the next thing she knew, she was crying. She almost pulled away from Chapec, but when he put his other arm around her as well, she couldn't help but give into his strength. She usually wasn't the type of girl to lean on others, but this was a unique situation.
"I need to go make sure we have time left at the docking port," Dievca whispered. "We can't afford another fine."
She slipped away, but Veronica hardly noticed. Everything was crashing down on her and she clung to Chapec, sobbing. What was she going to
do now? Even if there was a colony of humans out there, what was she going to find? Well, at least they'd be familiar… At least she would have help to navigate this alien world she had been thrust into.
The T'shav twins might look like the old cartoon devils on Earth, but as far as she was concerned, they were angels. They'd saved her from the aliens that pulled her from her stasis pod and were taking her to a place she'd be safe. What more than that could she ask for?
"I lost my parents, too," Chapec said, stroking her hair. "My father was murdered when I was young, and my mother died just five standard years ago."
So he had an idea of what she was going through. Veronica sniffed. "I'm sorry."
"She was sick, but we couldn't afford the treatments. We sold off all our land, our home, everything, and took her to the corporations begging for help, but they all turned us away. If my father was alive, he would have been able to save her. But they're both gone. I know it's not the same, but I want you to know you're not alone."
Veronica felt a surge of gratitude towards this massive alien. Even if the sight of him killing those first two aliens haunted her, she now knew that Chapec and Dievca were on her side. And as she looked up at the T'shav warrior, feeling a kinship with him through their shared grief, she felt an almost overwhelming desire to kiss him.
Whoa, what are you doing?
She pulled away from him, ducking her head. Here they were in a museum dedicated to the long-extinct human species, and she was wanting to kiss not only a complete stranger, but an alien? There had to be something wrong with her. Maybe it was the treatments she had been undergoing to increase her fertility, so it would be more likely for her to conceive with the artificial insemination… that had to be it. It was just her hormones going crazy.
Still, she couldn’t stop a well of guilt rising in her. This was wrong, wasn't it? It was disrespectful to her family, her friends. Or was it just a coping mechanism?
"I think I'm ready to go now." She looked at the floor to avoid seeing the wrecks of what had been her culture–or at least, the culture of her species from some time and some place on Earth.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. If there's a place with living humans I can go to, that's a better place to be, isn't it? Rather than here among the long-dead memories of Earth."
Chapec nodded. He took her hand in his as they headed back towards the ship. They had only gone little ways before Dievca ran around the corner. Her face was lit up with a mischievous expression, her sword drawn. Several tiny-sounding voices came from the corridor behind her, calling her to stop.
Chapec pushed Veronica behind himself and drew his own weapon. "What did you do?"
"I decided since we needed to refuel soon, we might as well borrow some funds from the donation box. I may have a couple guards on my tail."
Veronica's jaw dropped. Had she just robbed the museum?
Chapec growled. "Dievca!"
"They're robotic, it's not like we're going to hurt anybody! Besides this place won't miss a few double helixes."
Chapec grunted. "Veronica, I need you to—"
Half a dozen robots wheeled around the corner. They all had gun-shaped attachments pressed to their bodies, and small silver orbs attached to their chests. One of them started to say something, but before Veronica could even process the sight, Chapec had jumped forward. He drove his sword clean through the robot's body.
Dievca quickly joined him. She sliced a robot in half, laughing as she did so. There was no place to hide, so Veronica threw herself onto the floor, her hands covering her face as she curled into a ball. Loud blasts of energy ricocheted down the corridor. The screech of metal tearing drowned out Dievca's laughter and Chapec's grunts. Veronica curled as tightly as she could, wishing that she was anywhere but here.
When the noise died, she looked up to see the twins standing in a circle of ruined, smoking robots. Dievca grinned, while Chapec looked furious. He jumped over the remains and grabbed Veronica. She pushed against him instinctively.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said, his voice low. "But we have to go."
Veronica wet her lips, but couldn't think of anything to say. She allowed him to pull her with him.
"There will be more coming. Come on!" he shouted at his sister, running down the corridor. Dievca rolled her eyes and followed.
***
Veronica didn't stop shaking until they were well away from what had once been Earth. Chapec spent that time in the cockpit, checking to see if they were being followed, and making sure their plotted course was safe. Dievca made up a sandwich of some sort for Veronica, grinning broadly.
"Did you see what an excellent fighter my brother is?" she asked. "He took down two of those robots in one stroke! Amazing, isn't it?"
Veronica stared at her. "It doesn't bother you at all that you robbed that place and destroyed their security?"
"Robots are easily replaced, and that place brings in enough every standard week to buy a brand new warship. Most of it goes to corporations that don't need it. All I did was take enough to be able to pay our way to the Sanctuary. We want to get there as quickly as possible."
The explanation didn't placate Veronica, but she ate without saying anything else. Were the twins more criminally-inclined than they had led her to believe?
Chapec entered the kitchen. His eyes were narrowed, his fists clenched. "What were you thinking?"
The laughter died from Dievca's face. "As I was just telling Veronica—"
"You could have ruined everything! You could have gotten us killed or imprisoned. Our faces could be getting broadcast everywhere right now!"
"Chippy, stop overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Chapec slammed his hands on the table, making both women jump. "Dozens of corporations could realize we have an unregistered human with us. She doesn't have her citizenship, she could be taken as a slave!"
Dievca's eyes narrowed. "They aren't going to broadcast our faces anywhere. The people that run the museum like to proclaim it as a holy shrine, it would ruin their reputation if it was robbed."
"And what about Veronica? Those guards could have hurt her!"
"Her?" Dievca got to her feet. "Might have hurt her? But not me? I understand you're mad at me, but are you seriously saying that you were more concerned for her safety than that of your own sister?"
"My sister is the one that acted like an idiot!"
"Don't fight!" Veronica jumped to her feet and grabbed Chapec's arm. "Don't fight. Come on. Let's just go calm down, okay?"
Her heart thumped as she tugged him away, but there was also a great deal of relief. Dievca may have acted criminally, but Chapec didn't condone it. That was a good thing. Especially since now that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off, her previous soul-crushing realization that everything she knew was gone was coming back. She wanted comfort. She wanted something to distract her.
"I don't know about her sometimes," Chapec muttered as they went into Veronica's room. "She just doesn't… I don't know. She's smart, so I can't say that she doesn't think. But the way she thinks… I don't understand it. She does this sort of thing all the time, getting us into terrible situations while saying that they'll help us in the end. It drives me crazy. She's my sister, I want to protect her, but she makes it damn hard."
He dragged a hand through his black hair. Veronica stared at him. It was totally the wrong time again, but she was feeling heat swirl through her at his closeness. And if she wanted a distraction…
Well, maybe Chapec needed a distraction as well. She caught his face in her hands and kissed him. His eyes widened, but his arms wrapped around her waist. He pulled her flush against him and she gasped. Her eyes drifted closed as the kiss deepened.
Chapter Four – Chapec
Her body fit just right in his arms. Ample breasts squashed against his chest, her mouth hot and hungry on his own. Chapec felt his body responding eagerly to her. He was more than happy to let himself get carried away by passion.
>
Until he remembered that he had no intention of becoming her mate. No intention of staying with her once they got to the Sanctuary. And he was only with her so he could kill the man who killed his father.
He grasped her shoulders and gently pushed her away, shaking his head. "We can't."
Veronica's bright eyes clasped onto his. "Why not?"
"Because… because I'm not looking for a mate. And I don't want to hurt you."
"Mate means girlfriend," Veronica muttered, then shook her head. "I'm not looking for a mate, either. And I get that you're just taking me to the Sanctuary. I'm not looking for anything more than right now. A distraction, a reassurance, I don't know. But you don't have to feel like this is any sort of commitment."
Chapec hesitated. Dievca seemed convinced that he needed to woo Veronica in order to their mission to be a success. And as the human started kissing his neck, making his body ache for her, he couldn't deny that he wanted this as well. But there was the ethics of it. He had no problem taking a human on board to get admitted into the Sanctuary. After all, she'd have been sold off as a slave or worse if they hadn't saved her. And once she was at the Sanctuary, she'd be safe. His actions once they were there wouldn’t jeopardize that.
And she felt so good in his arms, his body feeling tight and hot, her hips grinding against him, a moan low in her throat. She nipped at his earlobe and all his reasons why not to do this fled. With a growl he grabbed her, swinging her onto the bed. Veronica laughed.
Chapec growled again as he caught her mouth with his. As he started to pull her clothes off, she rose her body to him, as responsive as anyone he had ever been with before. He dove into her neck, making her cry out.
Veronica's hands bumped into his as they both scrambled at the clothing they wore. Soon they were bare to each other, and Chapec paused in his frenzy. Maybe this was an answer to pure animal lust, but they weren't animals, and she deserved gentleness.