Zenik: Warriors of Etlon Book 4

by Abigail Myst

  Once again, the routine settled into place after about a week, except this time without the mind blowing hot alien sex. She was definitely missing that. Athen set up a com link, and some of the wives used it to chat incessantly to their mates, but Jane gave up her time to other women who needed it more. Zenik didn’t talk much, and he was often away, piloting the shuttle craft that brought over supplies.

  It was the drone of an engine that broke this routine. It was not the familiar shuttle craft that Jane had gotten used to and that signalled danger.

  “Incoming!” She fired a warning shot into the air.

  Jane had to admit, she was surprised at how fast the women scattered. Odette yelled for them to swim. Like the Etlonians, Suhlik had a healthy respect for the water, and moving women would not make good targets. Jane was more focused on guarding the barrels of goo that they had amassed. If the Suhlik took it, tested it, and were able to backward engineer it, their new weapon would be useless.

  Odette was obviously like minded. She had already headed into the cave. The damn Suhlik had moved fast, though, because before Jane had realized that they’d even landed, she was standing face to face with a golden scaled fiend with wicked sharp teeth.

  There was no panic in her. She realized that he planned to take her alive when he simple slapped the laser rifle out of her hand and rather than killing her outright, grabbed her by the neck. He laughed when she tried to stab him, or at least she thought it was a laugh. It was hard to tell through all those teeth. The Suhlik obviously did not see her as a threat. What he didn’t count on was Odette grabbing a canister of the Suhlik Death Spray and hosing him down. The Suhlik started to sizzle and stink like rotting flesh. Then her knife that had been useless before against his scales began to pierce through. If the lizard had realized what was going on, Jane would have been dead long before she could get her knife in deep enough, but this caught him by surprise and Jane was able to slit a hole in his throat and ride him down into a gurgling soggy mess.

  “Ha!” she shouted triumphantly. “Next!”

  Another Suhlik conveniently appeared above them on the cave’s ledge, and Odette swiveled her death stream to him. He lunged but took a force rifle shot in the back. It was only enough to stun him but the second blast sent him over and down in a grand fall. Jane stepped out of the way. When she looked up, she saw Paula, standing there with a force rifle in her hands. Jane felt a swell of pride. Paula had been one of the wives that had demanded to learn self defense and weapons handling, so she wouldn’t be useless and helpless if the Suhlik came. As president, she was determined to set an example to all the wives.

  “See, who needs a-”

  There was no time to warn her. One moment, she was standing triumphantly with the rifle in hand, and the next, a third Suhlik had sliced her through with his claws, sending her hurtling down next to the two dead lizards. Jane hoped she was dead before she hit the ground.

  A red rage flew over Jane. She was going to get that bastard unless he killed her first. She began to climb the vines that would take her up to the top level. Odette tried to stop her.

  “Jane!”

  “Hose me down!”

  “Jane, wait! Just let him go.”

  “That bastard is going to run. Spray me down! I’m gonna go give that mofo a hug!”

  “I don’t know how long it will work on your skin.”

  “Let’s find out!”

  Jane was totally willing to be a science experiment if it meant a chance at slitting that pretty bastard’s throat.

  Odette stopped protesting and started spraying. By the time Jane reached the top of the rock, her backside was covered in goo. She turned and let Odette get a good spray on her front. It was her warpaint and she was ready to do some serious damage.

  She picked up the force rifle that Paula had dropped and sprinted off through the jungle. The faster she actually found the Suhlik and applied the goo to him, the better. She didn’t want her sweat messing with the formula, and she didn’t want it to dry on her skin.

  Jane didn’t really think through her strategy. When she spotted the Suhlik, he was so near his shuttle that she was afraid he’d take off if she delayed. Before he could, Jane ran and jumped on his back, piggy back style. She clung to him as he spun and hissed. She was sure that he had seen at least a part of what they’d done to his shipmates, and was anxious to get the soggy female off him so his scales would stop burning. Jane continued to ride him, but with one hand on the force rifle, she couldn’t pull out her knife. Finally, she decided to drop the rifle, but in trying to grab her knife, she slipped allowing the Suhlik to toss her to the ground. Defenseless, Jane decided to play dead. The Suhlik was too determined to clean himself off to check whether she was really a goner or not, but he was too close to her for her to reach her knife and stab him before his claws came into range.

  Odette fixed that little problem. She came out yelling obscenities and spraying her Suhlik Death Spray like a wild woman.

  The Suhlik turned and Jane scooped up her knife, rolled to her feet, and plunged the knife right between his shoulder blades. The knife did not slice through as smoothly as before, but it got the job done. Cognizant of his mistake, Jane checked that he was dead before gloating.

  “I’d say that experiment rates as partially successful,” she told Odette. “I’d give it a C+.” She kicked the dead Suhlik.

  “Yeah. Jane, you’re one hell of a badass.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter Six

  Zenik

  Zenik did not know whether to be pleased or not when he flew over the island with a slew of Mahdfel and found Jane and Odette guarding a Suhlik vessel, a dead Suhlik at their feet. Then he saw her fleetingly close one eye at him. He had heard this was a sign of sexual interest on the Terran world, but he did not have time right this moment to comply.

  There was plenty to do. The female camp was disbanded, and they now had two crafts to pilot instead of just one. It sped up the transfer, but the grief that had stricken all of them made everyone heavy. Although his mate had two kills, Bree and his mate Paula had died in battle. The Suhlik had attacked both camps at once, in the hopes of splitting the attention of the Mahdfel, but they had been no match for a group of Etlonian warriors in their natural terrain. Athen’s warriors had made short work of them. Bree had known, somehow that Paula had bravely faced down a Suhlik and had been cowardly murdered by another. Bree had gone into a rage and slayed many golden devils before being overpowered.

  Had Jane been a Mahdfel warrior, she would have been honored by more than one tattoo. At least two, one for slaying Suhlik and another for protecting the warlord’s mate. His mate was special, Zenik knew, and in the back of his mind, he knew her accomplishments did nothing to darken his own unresolved past. He wanted to tell Jane this, but every time he opened his mouth, one of two things happened. Either he lost the words to express his undying devotion or she kissed him. He’d had many nights alone in camp to think upon the words and when they got back to their quarters, Zenik would say them.

  Back at the main camp Kave was all apology to Zenik’s mate. Their friendly relationship only bothered Zenik a little, but he had seen enough to know that Kave merely was treating his mate like the other warriors. The respect Kave had for Jane caused Zenik to swell with pride, but their closeness twinged at his possessive side whenever he saw them talking.

  It well past dark before he managed to get Jane back to their quarters.

  “I’m exhausted,” Jane exclaimed as she peeled off her tank top and dropped her shorts. His cock had the natural reaction of a warrior deprived of his mate for an extended period, but if Jane was tired, it was best to wait until morning. He doubted after battle and a return of their mates if anyone would be held accountable for being on time to duty. He lay down on the bed.

  There would be time-

  “I’m not that exhausted,” Jane said.

  He lifted his head up to look at his mate. She stood there in a pair of black
panties that rode low on her hips.

  “I can wait until tomorrow,” Zenik said, dropping his head, closing his eyes, and attempting to drop into a meditation to calm his cock. Instead, her fresh scent surrounded him and each deep breath made the situation worse.

  “Well I can’t.”

  His eyes flew open as Jane straddled him, leaving just enough room to open his uniform and release his cock. He wasn’t going to argue any longer. He lifted her up and onto his cock. It was a frantic mating, over and done after a single orgasm each. She rolled off of him, smiling. She curled up and was asleep a minute later.

  The morning came, and resolved to confess to Jane, Zenik opened his mouth and lost the words again. Jane didn’t seem to mind. She just wrapped her hand around his cock and began to stroke him.

  ***

  Once again, things settled into a routine. Athen decided it was best to take his mate back to Etlon for the birth of their child. Kave’s mate, Humility, finally arrived, a relief to everyone. Jane liked her, so Zenik liked her also. Soon after, a doctor arrived and brought news that Athen had changed his mind and that Odette would return to give birth on Noven 90. She was the first wife, and many pregnancies would follow after. Soon, the camp would be teeming with little warriors. An expansion would be planned with a school and a large facility for the growing families. Plans were made to clear more of the forest and expand the force fence to accommodate the new growth.

  He imagined his own child running through the quad or hunting game in the jungle. With Jane’s strength and intelligence, his son would easily grow up to lead his own clan one day. He wondered if his son would have hair. At first, Zenik had been leery about the fact that Terran females, and their males apparently, spent so much time managing the follicles that grew from their head and other places. But he had come to appreciate the smell of the soap and the wispy way it floated around her head.

  Two ships landed just outside the camp. One was easily recognizable as Etlon’s cruiser, a sleek state of the art vessel that Zenik would love to pilot. The other was a rather junky little trading vessel. Athen had finally returned with a heavily pregnant Odette. The moment he seen to his wife medical needs and headed to command, Zenik was summoned.

  “The Wine Merchant has resurfaced,” the warlord told Zenik.

  Those simple words filled Zenik with both a dread and an anticipation all at the same time. He was going to finally have a chance of redemption. It also, however, meant leaving Jane behind. Once he’d taken a few deep breaths, he searched out Jane and took her into their quarters. It would not be right to lose his nerve and leave without saying goodbye.

  “I have been given a mission,” he said quickly.

  “Oh?”

  The word hung in the air. His mate obviously expected an explanation.

  “I leave immediately.”

  “Okay, immediately. When will you be back?”

  Zenik hesitated too long. He did not want to lie to his mate. It would dishonor his memory if the last words he spoke to her were a lie. “It is very dangerous,” he admitted.

  “Dangerous?”

  Why was she repeating everything he said? Zenik shifted from one foot to the other.

  “Dangerous,” he said.

  “Then when do we leave?”

  “We do not. You will remain.”

  “While you go off and die on your dangerous mission? Hell. No.”

  “Jane. This is not an argument. It is a statement of facts. You will not go and if I die, you will not mourn me. You will miss me. That is all.”

  Zenik scooped Jane up into a kiss. For a moment, she was all tightness and corners. Then she relaxed into him and urged him for more. Zenik did not have time for more.

  When he pulled away from her lips, they were both gasping.

  “Do you need anything from me?” Jane whispered.

  “I need you not to die.”

  “I’m going to live forever, or haven’t you heard?”

  With that reassurance, she stepped back and smiled. Zenik took a deep breath, and then headed to the armory.

  A few minutes later, Zenik boarded the ship that had come with Etlon’s cruiser. It was a cargo vessel and while small, it possessed a few niceties that made it quite versatile in a scrape. Zenik took off and spent the first few hours of the flight familiarizing himself with the controls and layout of the ship. When the time came, he’d need to play the part of the owner of the vessel, not just a temporary captain.

  Zenik drifted to sleep in the cockpit and was awakened by a yowl. There was some sort of creature aboard. It was a small furry quadruped with a golden coat and tiny claws. He pulled his knife out of its sheath and stalked toward it but the thing did not budge. In fact, it sat there, with a long tail lashing, before yowling again and then licking its paws.

  It was probably best to get rid of it, before the thing caused too much trouble, but then he noticed it was wearing a circle collar around its neck. He had heard of the custom, of keeping lower life forms as pets, and knew it was common among the Terran women. They had spoke longingly about the animals that they had left behind. He had heard that the vessel was captained by a Terran female, the medic’s mate. It was probably hers. She would not look too kindly upon someone who had injured her pet.

  Zenik sighed. The creature obviously wanted something. He just didn’t know what.

  “What do you require?” he asked, futilely.

  Again, it yowled. Zenik approached it and the creature ran ahead of him. He stopped and it stopped. It was leading him somewhere. He decided to play along and follow. It was a short trip to the Captain’s quarters. The door activated when the animal drew near. There was probably a chip embedded in its collar to allow it access to certain locations, but not others.

  On the floor next to the cleansing room, there was an empty metal bowl. It stopped there and looked up at him expectantly.

  “Nourishment.” He stood there for a long moment with the creature’s yowls getting progressively louder. It wanted food and was going to die soon if it was not fed.

  An idea sparked in his brain and he approached the replicator. Scrolling through the history, he saw a number of Terran foods and one labeled “cat food.”

  “Are you Cat? Or is that your species?” He pushed the button on the replicator and a moment later, a meat pate appeared. It did not look in any way appetizing to him, but Cat must have recognized the smell of it. It demanded that he put it down And Zenik scraped it into the metal bowl. Immediately a rumbling noise from Cat as it shoved its face into the food.

  He sighed and took the opportunity to look around. It was definitely the quarters of a Terran female. It was neat but there was a bit of clutter everywhere. Most warriors preferred to keep their belongings to no more than could be carried in a bag. Terrans liked to put useless objects around like dead vegetation or the even more puzzling fake vegetation to make the place look ‘lived in’, whatever that meant.

  Cat seemed pleased with the meal and after a brief period, climbed atop a pillow and snuggled into it. If that was all that it took to keep Cat content, then they would get along just fine.

  Zenik found himself dreading the first sleep cycle and it took him awhile to realize why. He knew that he was unlikely to sleep with his mate at his side again and that realization was a growing pit of despair in his stomach. He wished that he could once more smell her hair or feel her hand wrapped around him in the middle of the night. He could almost convince himself that smelled her in the air, somewhere near, yet so far away. Once he washed and cycled his clothes, there would be little left of her scent to remind him. On one hand, he wanted to get it over with, to flush Jane out of his system so he could move on to his other tasks. On the other, he wanted to keep the memory of her for as long as possible, knowing that when it was gone, it would never come back.

  Regardless of his dread, Zenik stripped his uniform and climbed into the bed. He had barely closed his eyes when a rumbling weight pressed onto his chest.


  “Cat. It is time to sleep,” Zenik prompted, but Cat simply sat on his chest for a moment before flopping over and getting comfortable.

  “Cat, I do not know if this is an appropriate way to sleep.”

  Cat did not have any intention of moving. It just continued with the internal rumbling noise and kneaded its claws into the blanket. Zenik sighed and decided it was best to try ignore it and sleep.

  When he awoke, Cat was sitting on his face. Despite that, Zenik could smell Jane. He bolted upright in bed and sent Cat skittering away. His eyes locked on his mate, standing, leaning on the doorway.

  “Aww, how sweet. I’ve been replaced by a cat.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jane

  There was no way on God’s green Earth, or Noven 90’s for that matter, that Jane was going to let her husband go off and get himself killed on some grand adventure. It didn’t require a degree in rocket science to wait until Zenik was distracted. She didn’t even have to creep up the ramp because no one had been set to guard the ships. She’d have to talk to Kave about that when she got back.

  The ship's owner, Clover, was a woman after Jane's heart. A moment after stepping on board, she found a place for everything and everything in its place. There was something comforting about a woman who knew the importance of organization. Even though she'd mostly just got an eyeball of Clover when she had arrived, Jane was pretty sure they'd get along famously.

  If she survived.

  Jane had made herself a pact a long time ago when she'd join the services. If she went out, she was going out fighting. Even her first encounter with the Suhlik had not dimmed her enthusiasm for such an outing. Zenik was set on going so she was going with him.