by Ruby Dixon
The blue alien grunts and gets back to his feet, returning to the fire. Ashtar loops one arm around me and says nothing, but my teeth stop chattering and I feel so much better already.
"Jesus, if she doesn't want to mate with you, I will," Bridget mutters. "Just stay under this blanket."
I reach out to smack her hand in the dark.
5
ASHTAR
I wake up the next morning in a good mood and touch my neck. No slave collar rests there. I send out a bolt of mental speech, and though it is not received, it does not blind me with pain to do so. No one is blocking me anymore. Maybe I am as free as they have said. In my arms, the small, brown-haired human female burrows against my warmth, pressing cold, small fingers against my skin and sleeping soundly. Her friend snores against my back. I do not care about the friend, though.
I care about Veronica.
I stroke the waves of brown hair back from her face. Her scent touches my nostrils, heady and sweet. There is no arousal there—not yet—but there is no fear either. I asked her to battle me, but she seemed embarrassed. A drakoni woman would send me away or receive my attentions. I think. It has been so long since I have been around other drakoni I don't recall all of our customs. But I do remember how very fierce my mother was when she wanted my father, and that they would take to the air in a furious battle and then disappear, only to return a short while later, limbs twined around each other in the aftermath of pleasure.
But Veronica won't be flying in battle with me. I do not know a lot about humans, but I have seen enough alien species to know that there are many that cannot shift forms as I do. If they could, surely they would have flown out of this ship instead of letting the mesakkah—sa-khui—drive it along the ground.
So. My human will not be able to battle me. I will need to learn the human mating customs, then. I stroke her hair back from her face and wonder what it takes to entice a female human into mating. Perhaps I can ask one of the other male aliens who has a human mate. I glance over at the fire, and one of the blue sa-khui is glaring at me from afar, as if he doesn't approve of my touching the human.
Foolish one. As if I would harm her. Out of all the females here, Veronica's scent calls to me like nothing ever has before. She could be my mate, this one. I've never been so fascinated with a scent. I don't plan on letting her go. A drakoni with his mate is the most protective of beings.
I'll shift forms and snap the head off of anyone that so much as tries to touch her.
The protectiveness surges inside me, and I bare my fangs at the male near the fire, letting him know my displeasure, even as I tighten my arms around Veronica.
She lifts her head suddenly, banging the top of her skull into my chin. I groan, falling backward even as she howls in pain and rolls away. "My head!"
"Are you all right?" I reach for her, only to be pushed aside by the blue warrior who helps Veronica to her feet.
Veronica moans and holds onto him, rubbing her head, and it takes everything I have not to snatch her from his arms. I bare my teeth, scowling as he leads her toward the fire and makes her sit down. "Here. Eat," he says in the human tongue, and pushes food into her hand. "It will be a long day today." He straightens and looks over at me for a long moment, warning in his eyes, before he moves to the other female who slept next to me. I forget her name. Breedit or some such. She lets the blue alien help her to her feet and he moves her next to the fire as well. "Sit. Eat."
I get to my feet, adjusting the annoying loincloth that feels tight in all the wrong places. I take a step forward, only to have the blue alien shake his head at me. "Go and find the other males," he tells me.
"I want to sit with my female—"
The alien stands in front of her and crosses his arms. Another comes to his side and does the same, and then I am staring down two of them.
Rage blisters through me and I can feel my eyes going black with anger. They think they will keep my female from me? My mate? I can feel the fire forming in my chest, like a hot coal, and I curl my claws. They do not know what they are doing, these fools. I can tear them limb from limb and char the ashes before they will have a chance to draw their puny spears. They—
Veronica is watching me from beside the fire. Her eyes go wide and she stares at me. I can smell her fear-scent touch the air. She looks uncertainly at the blue aliens, then at me, and hunches her shoulders ever so slightly, as if trying to make herself smaller.
And that makes the anger fade out of me. My eyes bleed back to a calmer shade and I straighten. I want Veronica at my side…but not if I am scaring her. She does not have my fires yet. I send a mental surge to her, but there is no response.
Patience, I tell myself. I must be patient until I can give her my fires. Unfortunately, patience is not a thing drakoni are good at. We are excellent at fighting and raging…not with patience. But Veronica is important, so I clench my jaw and stalk away to find the other gladiator males.
Maybe one of them will feel like sparring.
6
VERONICA
I try to eat a bite of the jerky-kibble, but it falls from my lips and into the fire as Ashtar storms away. Dude looks pissed. My head still smarts from where I cracked it against his jaw, and I rub it absently, getting crumbs in my hair. I wonder if I should go after him. He gave me the most heart-wrenching look before striding away, and I feel a little guilty, as if I'm somehow responsible for his bad mood.
One of the blue guys sits down next to me and offers his waterskin. "Drink."
"Um, okay." I take it and have a tiny sip. I guess now isn't the time to talk about hygiene or sharing. Maybe it's not a concern on a primitive planet. "Thank you."
"Is the gold one bothering you?" He gives me a steady look. "Say the word and I will ensure he does not come near you again."
"No, he was nice." I hand back the waterskin. "He liked my smell." I opt not to tell this guy about the whole “want to mate” conversation we had. "I think he's just trying to be friendly."
The alien grunts as if he doesn't quite believe that and passes the waterskin to Bridget. "I am a father and a hunter both, and when he says he only wishes to be friendly, I do not believe such words."
"What did you say your name was again?" I ask politely. I remember this guy from yesterday, with the messy braid and the paternal frown on his face.
"I am called Zolaya." He stirs the fire. "And you are Ron-ka and she is Bree-shit."
At my side, Bridget coughs on her jerky. "Bridge-IT. Jesus Christ."
"Bree-shit," he agrees again, as if his pronunciation is fine.
I do my best not to laugh, but it's hard. "So, you have kids, Zolaya?"
"I have a son, and my mate, Air-ee, is carrying our second kit." His expression softens, and I see a hint of wistfulness in his glowing eyes. "They are back at our village." He looks at me. "Which is where I should be. But since I am here, I am going to make sure the unmated males do not bother you. You and Bree-shit will be as my own kits."
"Bridget, dammit," the girl next to me exclaims.
"That's very nice," I choke out, determined not to look at Bridget or I'm going to laugh.
He nods solemnly. "Simply come find me if you feel unsafe. He may be another hunter, but I will plant a spear in his tailless hide if he tries to hurt you." He pats me on the shoulder and then goes off to find others.
And I'm left with breakfast and wondering what Ashtar truly wants after all. Zolaya is convinced that he's got something up his sleeve. But what? There are much prettier girls here. Unless…he thinks I'm an easy lay. Suddenly the breakfast in my mouth tastes like char and I close the pouch.
* * *
I don't see Ashtar again until we're herded out of the ship itself for the big “hunt” that will get us our cooties. There's a creature with a name that sounds like gargling that will apparently have all the cooties we need, and so most of the hunters race off to bring it down, while Liz, Harlow, Farli and two of the guys herd all of us down the ramp. Someone carries
the struggling, snarling beast-man over his shoulder, but everyone else walks. I'm a little mystified when Ashtar heads to the front of the group and strides ahead, scanning the horizon. He's not paying a bit of attention to me.
I shouldn't care. I shouldn't. But for a brief shining moment, it was nice to be the center of attention, even if it embarrassed the crap out of me. I guess Ashtar switched gears and isn't all that interested in me. To take my mind off the bitter cold and the knee-deep snow we're wading through to get to the hunting grounds, I study my fellow humans to see who might be a likely candidate for his attentions.
Of all the girls, I think Samantha is the prettiest. Maybe Callie or Devi, but Devi is an absolute chatterbox and I don't see Ashtar liking that. The girl called Lauren has brown hair like me and squints a lot, as if she can't see, so I'm guessing not her. Marisol's too cowardly. Hannah's bossy and I already know he doesn't like her. Angie's pregnant. Willa's pretty in a blonde, freckled sort of way. Maybe her. Or Nadine, who has the most gorgeous dark skin and a beautifully full mouth. I could see him going after her. Tia's really pretty, too, but she's also a few years younger than the rest of us and the thought of someone creeping on her makes me uncomfortable. Penny's pretty, though. Flordeliza, too, though I tell myself she's far too tiny for him to like. Raven's tall and slim (and blonde, despite her name), and Steph's less pretty but has an amazing curvy figure that would make Marilyn Monroe envious. Maybe Bridget. I look over at my friend. Her hair's dark and her skin's that golden color that speaks of mixed ethnicity, but her eyes are a gorgeous hazel. She really is pretty.
And he let her sleep curled up next to him last night despite the whole “not you” thing. Definitely a candidate.
Stack-ranking my fellow humans makes me feel like a jerk, though, and my self-esteem feels like it just took a beating. Really, all the girls here are better choices than me. Like Devi. Yes, she talks up a storm—she's talking even now—but she's got the most amazing long, silky hair and she's incredibly smart. If we're just going on appearances, her tits are better than mine, too.
I don't fall anywhere at the top of the rankings no matter how you look at it—personality, appearance, sex appeal…I'm solidly in the back of the pack in each one.
That's depressing.
We trudge on, and just when I think I can't take another step (back of the pack on stamina, too, it seems), we're there. Off in the distance, the blue aliens fling themselves at an enormous, spindly-legged furball of a creature that's bellowing and bleeding everywhere. I wince and wrinkle my nose, doing my best not to look as everyone gathers under a nearby cluster of trees and waits.
"Did you see that thing?" Bridget whispers, pushing past me. "I want to get a better look."
"I'll stay back here," I tell her, swallowing hard. There's a lot of blood and I'm not sure I want to see more of it spilled. I cross my arms over my chest, tucking my gloves under each armpit to warm my fingers. My breath puffs like a smokestack out in the air, and I shift back and forth on each foot impatiently. Did I think it was cold yesterday? It's a frost-bitten hell today.
At least I'm not the only cold one. Liz and the other “guides” are keeping an eye on the hunting and everyone else mills around, bitching about the weather.
"Do you need warming?" a familiar voice says, so close to my ear that I feel hot breath fan over my hair.
I gasp in surprise, jerking away and nearly stumbling into the person standing in front of me. A hand snags me before I can topple over, and I give Ashtar a grimace. "Sorry. I seem to be falling over a lot lately."
"Then it is lucky I am here to catch you." He helps me stand upright. "Are you cold?"
"Isn't everyone?" I gesture at my fellow humans, and everyone's doing the foot-stomping dance in the snow to try and generate heat. No one's looking at us, though. At some point I fell to the back of the group and the creature up ahead bellowing its death throes has everyone's attention.
Everyone except me, that is. Because I'm too busy trying to sneak a peek at the golden god that's appeared at my side. Even though I've told myself that I need to be less fixated on the guy, I'm flattered he's shown up to say hello. As I watch, he shrugs off his outer layer of furs and tugs it over my shoulders. Ashtar studies me for a moment. "Shall I put my hands on you?"
"Pardon?" I squeak.
"For warmth?"
Right. Warmth. That's certainly what I'm thinking about. "No, I'm okay. I swear." Well, okay-ish. I'm not an icicle yet, but I'm sure I will be, given time. "So, uh, what do you think of all this?"
"Of this place?" He snorts and puts his hands on his hips, surveying the area with that arrogant stance I'm starting to attribute as just part of who he is. "It is worse than a week in the sands of Sehiv, and I thought that place was bad." He shakes his head. "But if there are no slavers here, then I suppose there are worse places." He glances over at me. "You?"
"Yeah, uh, same." When he mentions slavers, I feel kind of like a baby whining about a bit of cold. I've completely forgotten that we were kidnapped from Earth to be used as sex slaves. Suddenly, all this snow looks a hell of a lot more appealing. "We're lucky, aren't we?"
"I feel lucky." He grins at me, displaying sharp fangs, and a little quiver races through me at the sight of that. His eyes are whirling a deep, intense gold and he cocks his head, studying me. His eyes narrow as if he's concentrating.
For some reason, I feel a sharp pain in my head, like the onset of a migraine. It flashes away as quickly as it appeared, and I wince, rubbing my brow with cold fingers.
Ashtar's eyes widen. "Can you hear me?"
"Hear what?"
He frowns, an absent look on his face. "Nothing. Merely a wish."
Before I can ask what he means by that, there's a bellowing cry in the distance.
"That's our cue," Liz calls out. "Everyone step up! Time to get your cootie."
I surge forward, nearly falling forward again. This deep snow is messing me up, hard. As if expecting this, Ashtar snags me by the arm. "Let me help."
I nod and let him put his arm around my waist. It must be awkward for him, because he's a lot taller than me, but he doesn't protest. If anything, he looks pleased as punch.
* * *
SOME TIME LATER
A humming sound wakes me out of my sleep. I yawn, rubbing my ear and rolling over. Stupid alarm. I want to go back to sleep.
Snow crunches under my cheek and that makes me open my eyes. Huh? A second later, it all comes surging back. Ice planet. Aliens. Kidnapping.
Bronze god o' love.
I put a hand to my throat, remembering the cut placed there. It feels like only moments ago that I watched someone put a wriggling, glowing worm up against my skin. Then…nothing. I woke up here and I'm shivering so hard that my entire body is shaking.
I roll onto my back, rubbing my eyes. It's quiet, the distant crackle of a fire nearby the only noise other than my loud shuddering. I blow on my hand to warm it, but to my surprise…it doesn't feel cold. Not like before. That's odd. I open and shut my mouth a few times, testing it, but my teeth aren't chattering. The snow under my body feels a little chilly, but not unpleasant.
Certainly not unpleasant enough to make my entire body hum with shivers. I put a hand to my chest, since it's where the humming is originating from. Wait. I'm not shivering.
Oh no.
What was it the others said about the cootie? That it'd pick a mate for me and we'd have to make babies? That I'd…resonate? That's the word. I think I must be resonating, because now that I'm becoming more alert, it's less of a shudder in my body and more of a reverberation. A song, I guess, if you're into drum beats and humming.
But who am I humming to?
I sit upright slowly, blinking at the encampment. The other girls are still laid out, unconscious. All seems to be quiet. A few of the blue guys pace distantly, watching over the campsite. I eye them with worry. One of those guys? But it can't be—they all have mates already.
Snow crunches nearby. I turn and
look over my shoulder. There's Ashtar. His eyes shine a fierce blue for a moment before gold surges into them and fights for dominance. It flicks back and forth, as if internally warring. He's wearing nothing but a loincloth again and crouches down next to me.
As he does, I notice he's humming.
"Oh no," I moan.
The expression on his face can only be called “utterly delighted.” "Oh yes."
7
ASHTAR
I knew it. The moment I scented Veronica, I knew she was mine. That I resonate for her is only logical. If it is my khui that chooses, it knows what I want—and I want her. I wait for her to show me her battle form, but she does not. I have forgotten—human females have no battle form. Perhaps we just go straight to the mating, then. With a fierce growl of pleasure as I look into her eyes, I strip off my loincloth and bend down over her.
"Wait," Veronica says, breathless with shock. Her eyes—blue and glowing with the light of her khui—go wide. It doesn't matter what color they are, because I like her no matter what. But now that we resonate, I find her even more appealing. Her scent is like nothing I have ever experienced before, and I can smell the arousal blooming between the folds of her cunt as she gazes up at me.
No waiting is needed. She is mine. She knows that just as her khui knows it. I will make this so good for her that she will brag to all the others about her virile mate. "Come, my fires," I purr to her as I get down on my knees. "On your belly so I can mount you properly—"
Someone tackles me from behind. With a snarl, I fling the warrior—for it must be one of the blue sa-khui—off my back and move to shield my mate from their attacks. A swift moment later, another tackles me. Then another. I am pushed to the ground beneath three big sa-khui males, their weight pinning me to the ground. Still, I struggle to get up. "If you do not let me up in this next moment," I warn ominously, "it will go badly for you."