Unwelcome

by Annalise Alexis

  Retreating down the stairs toward my room, Tao’s rigid shoulders catch my eye. He’s huddled up against the wall, staring daggers at the door of the small storage area that Ren’s using as the captain’s quarters. I wouldn’t let Ren leave the poor guy on Magera. Or Xalta. Or shoot him into space.

  When Tao sees me, he rises but doesn’t offer any other acknowledgment. His mate Una hasn’t warmed to me, so I’ve avoided him and their daughter Jara, not wanting to risk making anymore enemies than I already have.

  The captain’s been beating on his door since we made it to Xalta and found Bryn. I thought it would make him feel better to let him know we were actually getting somewhere, but all it did was knock a few more of his screws loose. It’s been four or five hours, and Bryn has yet to talk. All she’s done is follow Ren around like a puppy. I get it. I really do. But we’re just hovering over Xalta, wasting time waiting for her to open up. Ren could retrieve the answers, but it seems cruel to take one of the last things she still has. She’s lost her home, her family, and even worse, her body. Forcing her to reveal her memories would break her.

  “How long’s he been going at it this time?” I ask Tao as he squeezes his head between his hands. The captain better shut the hell up or he risks waking Rhia’s baby. I was mistaken in assuming the unmated were the most vicious of the females. I saw Rhia nearly rip off Sol’s head for whistling past her door.

  “I want to speak with her! Whomever you found! Let me talk to her. Please!” the captain begs in a weary voice.

  I rest my forehead against the door. “Look, I told you like four times. She isn’t ready.” I’ve been fighting to get Ren to let him out, and this is not helping his case. He needs to chill the fuck out before he has a heart attack.

  “Please. Let me out. Just let me talk to her. She has to know something,” he yells, choosing to ignore me.

  “She isn’t ready. I know you’re worried for your granddaughter but seriously, this girl has been through a lot.”

  “Is the human bothering you?” Ren asks, slipping an arm around my waist. Bryn’s standing close to him, but at least she isn’t touching him. That’s progress.

  “My Jordie is suffering. I have to find her. Please…” The captain’s begging grows louder, and he starts banging on the door again.

  “Ren, take her out of here. Please. She doesn’t need to hear this right now.”

  Ren gives my hip a final squeeze and pivots toward the common room.

  “Is she here? Can she hear me? Whoever you are. You were with my Jordan—my Jordie girl. Please, if you know where she is, you have to te—”

  “Jordan?” Bryn whispers through tight lips. The faint word almost gets missed under the captain’s loud rambling.

  Ren jerks his head toward her. “You know of whom he speaks?”

  As if shaking off a haze, Bryn’s eyes brighten, and she steps toward the storage room door. “There was a human girl named Jordan with me, before.”

  “Before what? Where were you before?” I ask, trying to get all the answers I can. This is the first time she’s spoken, and I have no idea how long it’s going to last.

  “I don’t know where we were. Some empty, in-between place.” She squeezes her eyes shut tightly. “Let him out. She wouldn’t want him kept in there.”

  I quirk a brow at her demand. “We can’t just let h—”

  “Now!” she yells, pushing past Ren and me toward the door.

  Tao stands alert, but Ren waves him off. “Let her be. Maybe he will help her settle. I will have the others remain upstairs while he is free.” Wrenching the door open, Bryn reaches down to help him up, then turns to glare at me.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself. Sticking him in there like a prisoner. His granddaughter saved my life.”

  What the hell? I didn’t do anything.

  “You saw her?” The captain looks up, a hint of hope in his gaze. His white hair is matted after several days of not showering, and his bushy mustache is sticking out every which way. I personally deliver his meals every night, and he barely touches them.

  “I did. Come on. Let’s get you up.” She struggles under his weight.

  Ren sighs. “Move little one, I will carry him.” Ren grabs the captain by the arm, then deposits him in a nearby chair. He glares at the man. “You are not to touch her or move from this spot. You will not be free to roam this ship until I trust you can follow orders. And I do not fucking trust you.”

  The captain swallows hard in response.

  “Let’s give them some space. Maybe she’ll give up enough for us to figure out where they were,” I whisper to Ren’s mind. I could have just said it out loud, but I need his closeness. With Bryn all over him the last few hours, I actually miss him crowding me.

  Ren wraps his arms around my waist and nuzzles my neck.

  “Can Tao listen?” I ask, hoping to have Ren all to myself for a moment longer.

  “Please don’t go far,” a timid voice says behind me. Bryn stares at Ren, nervously picking at her nails.

  He chuckles and presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “Have patience, my Aciana, she is but a scared child.”

  Settling for the couch, rather than the privacy of our bedroom, I sink against Ren’s chest as we collapse onto the cushions. Despite him assigning Tao to stand guard, Ren’s listening. He’s always listening. The stakes are high, and if we don’t find some way to get Bryn talking, there’s a solid chance we could lose the stolen females forever. I don’t even want to think about what that would mean for Ren’s mom.

  “Stop worrying. She will speak. He has already coaxed her into talking.” Ren’s words rumble against my cheek.

  “Seriously? She’ll talk to him and not you? She looks at you like the entire galaxy rests on your shoulders.” I tilt my chin up and look at him.

  A smile tugs at his lips. “No, my Aciana. Only you look at me that way. And I, at you.” Ren kisses me, tangling his hand in my hair. I love how he pulls at the strands to direct my head his way.

  “Oh, really? You think the I’m the center of the universe?” I ask, rubbing my palm against the hard ridges of his abdomen. His shirt remains in place, but like any good geographer, I’ve studied and memorized every inch of his landscape.

  “You are the center of mine.”

  I blink rapidly, trying to dispel the moisture gathering at the corners of my eyes. I’m not the girl that cries during sex, or at the end of a sappy story, but I can’t control the wave of emotion that threatens to drown me with the power of his words. Not knowing what to say, I kiss him again, this time letting my teeth scrape roughly against his tongue. There’s more than one way to show someone you love them, and I’ve got about thirty positions in mind that should do the trick.

  “My desire for you is unending.” He arches his hips, pressing his hard length against me.

  “But…” I know there’s a but. He’s made no attempt to get into my pants, which means I’m not getting any relief soon.

  “The green-haired female asked that I not leave her. If she is to trust me, I cannot ignore her request by indulging in my need for you.”

  He may not show his emotions, but after experiencing what it’s like to be in his head, I know he feels them strongly. He’s really worried about his mom and the other females who were stolen from Xen’s group. They’ve been gone for so long. We’ve got to find them before it’s too late.

  I groan and crash back into the cushions beside him. “Has she said anything useful to the captain yet?”

  “She spoke of the time the captain’s granddaughter shared her meal when she had very little to eat and was starving. The two females were together only a short while. The captain’s granddaughter was taken in the middle of a raid similar to ours and thrown in with a group of about ten. It seems several captive groups were merged together for one large transport, and that is where they met.”

  “So, when did they split?”

  Ren presses his nose to my neck, then bites down gently. “She
has not spoken of that yet.”

  “Of course not.” I roll my eyes.

  “You have no reason to find the child threatening. I see no one but you.”

  Wait, did he just call me jealous?

  “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t find her threatening. She’s like twelve.”

  Ren’s eyes narrow, and he sniffs the air. “Your scent speaks to your discomfort with her touching me.”

  “Well, yes. Just because I don’t want her all over you doesn’t mean I’m jealous.” I cross my arms and scoot several cushion lengths away.

  “You are angry with me?” Ren analyzes my face, his brows furrowed in confusion.

  “No. Well, yes. No. Fuck I don’t know.” I shift uncomfortably, unsure if I’m more embarrassed or pissed that he just called me out. Even worse, he’s right. I am jealous of her.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  “I’m not mad at you. I just don’t like sharing.”

  “And you will never have to. I am yours alone. Forgive me if I made you feel otherwise.” Ren scoots over and tugs me back into his lap. “You and I should speak with her together. Perhaps she will respond better with another female in the room. We do not have time to wait for her any longer.”

  The captain and Bryn are sitting across the table from each other as we enter the kitchen. What an odd pair.

  The captain tenses as Ren brushes against him and slides into the seat next to him. The air is thick with an uneasy trepidation, like no one at this table really wants to be here. Because we don’t, and everyone knows it.

  Unsure of what to say, I try blunt honestly. “You don’t know me. And you’ve been through some real shit.” I point at Ren. “But his people have been taken, and we have to find them. As fast as we can.” I fight the urge to snap my fingers when she keeps her gaze trained on Ren. Seriously, she can’t look away from him for two seconds?

  Get over yourself, Jayla.

  “His females were with you at some point, before you were all split up and placed in the reinforced containers. Do you remember where that was?”

  Her shoulders sag and turn inward, almost as if she’s withdrawing from her memories. She lets out a trembling breath. “The in-between place.”

  The shuffling of feet draws my attention to the stairs. Amina and Dreya huddle at the top, listening in.

  “The in-between place…” I repeat. “What did it look like?”

  “Dark. Cold. Gray dirt.”

  Okay, that’s something.

  “What about the sky? Anything stand out?”

  “It was so dark. But I did see two moons and some sort of swirl in the distance.”

  I glance at Ren. “Any ideas?”

  “What did it smell of?” Her head jerks up at the sound of Ren’s voice.

  Bryn chews on her nail for a moment before answering. “Salt and something metallic.”

  “And the males that offloaded the carrier and transferred you to the new container—did you see them?”

  She swallows hard and pulls her knees to her chest. “They were cruel. Laughing and reaching out to grope us as we struggled to walk on the sharp ground. Most of us were taken without shoes. They wouldn't even help us up when we fell.”

  “And their appearance? Were they red with short horns and forked tongues?” The muscles of Ren’s thigh tense under my hand.

  She nods and squeezes her eyes shut. “Yes, and they had the most horrible facial markings.”

  The metal of the table groans, then crumbles under Ren’s’ grip. “Fucking Tsuvians.”

  My eyes nearly bug out of my head and my mouth goes dry. “They still exist?”

  “Yes, and like a stain on my blade, I can never quite rid myself of their filth.” Ren stands and pulls me up beside him. “Inform everyone we are to leave immediately, and Tao—have the males search all the storage areas. We will need more weapons.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jayla

  Waiting for Rivan to engage the ultra-drive is like waiting for my period. The longer we’re confined to our seats, anxious to leave, the tenser we become. And now that we know a species as nasty as the Tsuvians are involved in trafficking our females, fears for their condition weigh heavily on us all. Tsuvians are animals, and any female subjected to their cruelty could be torn to fucking pieces.

  We used to hear rumors on Earth about abductions that happened at the turn of the twenty-third century. Scary stories aimed at keeping children and women safe. Don’t walk alone at night or travel unaccompanied—the Tsuvians might take you. They were suspected in nearly a hundred abductions over the course of fifty years, and their leader was tried and found guilty of human rights violations. They abducted and tortured a group of three women in rural Brazil, then skinned them alive.

  Other life forms were beginning to integrate into the human world, and UCom hadn’t yet become the monster powerhouse it is today. Violence and rioting swept across Earth as the different governments battled each other over how to contain the threat. Some wanted integration. Others staunch aggression. War broke out among the continents, and only after the formation of the Universal Community did the people of Earth unite. Acceptance through integration and understanding. That’s their motto. The first universal decree? All known Tsuvians were to be rounded up and incarcerated.

  So, how the hell are they roaming free and trafficking females?

  Ren’s focus strays to my left. Leandra has kicked her bare feet up on the arm of Ragar's chair beside her and he's rubbing them.

  Okay…that’s odd. But that’s not the only thing. Something doesn’t feel right, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Scanning the rest of the long, dread-filled faces inside the nav room, it hits me.

  “Why didn't anyone look surprised that Tsuvians are involved?” I fidget with my harness, tugging at its straps.

  “Because they always have their claws in something foul.”

  “I don’t understand. They’re free?”

  Ren picks at his nails with the edge of his knife. “Things outside of the Universal Community are not as you have been led to believe.”

  A rumble of the floor below my feet signals the ultra-drive spooling to life. I grip the arms of my chair and push back, ready for the gut-pitching first few seconds of the initial jump. The pressure in the air doubles, and my ears pop as our craft lurches forward. Several groans echo through the room. Good to know I’m not the only one who hates this feeling. I relax a fraction, rubbing the small crescent indentions in my palms as the equalizers balance the pressure. Now that we’re past the initial push, Rivan gives us the okay to get out of our seats.

  “So, back to the Tsuvians. What were you saying?” I ask, climbing into Ren’s lap.

  “Where you were raised, you were taught Universal history, correct?” I nod. Of course, I was. “Your history is wrong.”

  My mouth goes dry. “Wrong, how?”

  “Earth was not the first planet to reach out in an effort to discover other life forms. There were already multiple small alliances in place prior to your home planet’s entrance into trans-galactic travel.”

  “Okay, so they embellished a bit. What does that have to do with the Tsuvians?”

  “Before you came into contact with us, had you ever heard of an Inokine? Or an Illusian for that matter?”

  “Well, yeah. Because of my family. But they never taught us in school. At least, I don’t remember it being much of a lesson. My grandfather had high security clearance. So your race…I knew a little. But nothing about the Inokine.

  “Your Universal Community picks and chooses the information it distributes to the masses. The truth is, the Tsuvians never stopped destroying or wreaking havoc. Once the Universal Community established the borders and found a group capable of enforcing them, the Tsuvians redirected their efforts elsewhere. Those outside of The Universal Community’s protection were left to fend for themselves.”

  “So you’re saying everything I know is a lie?”

&nb
sp; My heart pounds in my ears as I wait for his answer, and the urge to run and hide creeps in. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Withdrawing my hand from his thigh, I slide off his lap and return to my seat.

  Concern flashes across Ren’s pale blue eyes. He releases his straps and scrapes his palm across his shaved head. “There are things you have been protected from…knowledge of atrocities that have been buried, hidden from sight. And no amount of digging will reveal the true devastation that resulted. “

  “You should have told me,” I whisper, shame stealing my voice.

  “I did not tell you out of concern for your distress. Forgive me, my Aciana. Do not be cross.”

  I shake my head, intentionally keeping my mind blank. I’m embarrassed at my ignorance. Even more so, I’m hurt no one saw fit to correct it. With nowhere else to look, I stare at the darkness surrounding us, watching the occasional streak of color zipping by.

  “Looks like we’ve got a lot to learn, eh?” Leandra squats by my chair and slaps me on the thigh, startling me from my thoughts.

  I nod, still reeling from Ren’s confession. We haven’t been together that long, but damn, it stings. I swipe at the tears threatening to fall and shrug. “No shit.”

  “Come on, let’s go get something to eat. Ragar says it’ll be several more Earth hours before we get there, and that when we do, it’ll be a fucking mess.”

  I pause at the door, giving Ren a quick glance. His black pupils are downcast, focused on his knife. He’s on edge. Confusion and anxiety trickle down our bond. Everything in me wants to soothe him. Wrap my arms around him and tell him it’s okay. But it’s not, so I follow Leandra out of the room instead.

  Ren’s blades clang loudly against the floor as he drops the waterproof bag holding them. One by one he runs them over a rock, sharpening them, using his own finger to gauge the edge. His corded muscles bunch and loosen as he straps the weapons on. Two-foot-long blades—one on each thigh—one short dagger in each boot, and another two six-inch blades hang at his sides. Seeing him shirtless and covered head to toe in weapons has me regretting my decision to walk out earlier. His perfectly sculpted pecs are covered in a light sheen of sweat, and the animal hide straps that crisscross over his torso and hold his arsenal are giving me some major bondage vibes. He’s so fucking hot, it’s stupid.