by Abella Ward
He looked around my ship, appraising every inch of it. “Are you alright?” he finally asked.
“Yes. You saved me, how?”
“I had my men put a tracking device on your ship. I’ve been watching you since you left. When this other ship entered the system I knew it was coming for you and I knew I had to beat them.” He stepped towards me and I looked up at him. “When you left, it was like my heart left with you.”
I reached up and put my hand on his chest, over his heart. I could hear the thumping, feel it under my fingers. “I didn’t want to leave.”
“But you had to,” he finished my sentence for me. “Did you get what you needed? That which was so important?”
I nodded, “I almost lost it again, but thanks to you, it’s safe.”
I wrapped my hand around his neck and pulled him down. I needed to kiss him. I needed to know that he was really here. We kissed long and hard, I finally broke the kiss to talk to him.
“I’m not free,” I said, looking up at him. “I’m not and I never can be. I can’t be some woman who just sits around waiting for a man. That’s not who I am.”
“I know,” he said with a nod, as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“It’s easy for you to not be involved in the war. But I can’t. My people are losing. I have to fight for them. I can’t sit back and do nothing.”
“That’s what I love about you,” he said, “your fire and your passion and your wits. I would never take that away from you. I am not truly free either. I am indebted to my people. I must think of them and their safety and happiness.”
“And now because of me, you’re involved.”
He shrugged, “I can handle the Regime. I’m not without my own resources.”
“You could help us, you know,” I said. “I know you appreciate Earth’s arts and culture. If the Dolcivs Regime has its way, all of that will be lost.”
He nodded, “Tell me where you need to go. I’ll go with you. Anywhere you go, I’ll be with you.”
Andromeda smiled, her heart bursting, a tear trickled down her cheek. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy. Was she ever this happy, she wondered? Having Strath by her side, she felt she had it all.
*****
THE END
Kidnapped by the Barbarian
Description
What's a girl to do when her kidnapper is the sexiest alien she's ever seen?
T’shav mercenary Taliga didn’t plan for his prisoner to be so freaking gorgeous. He kidnapped her for a reason. And it wasn’t to fall in love. Love only stabs you in the back. So why is he staring at her hourglass figure, the roundness of her belly and her over-sized hips?
Whatever happens, Vanessa has made one vow: she won’t give up her virginity before marriage. But that’s proving to be damn hard around this piping hot alien. It’s wrong to have these lustful thoughts, especially about her kidnapper. Right?
But hot or not, a terrible fate is awaiting Vanessa. The people who hired Taliga intend to cut out Vanessa’s heart and feed it to the Earth. Taliga is her only chance.
Can he find it in himself to take a chance on love once again - and risk his life for her? Will he lie for her if he can save her and their unborn child?
Chapter One – Vanessa
White wasn't a wedding color out among the stars, but Vanessa still felt like a bride. The tight bodice of the dress she was laced into emphasized her curvy hourglass figure, minimizing the roundness of her belly while at the same time balancing out her oversized hips and large breasts. The white fabric looked good on her golden tones, and she grinned in satisfaction as she gazed at her image projected by the little probes that buzzed around her, capturing pictures of her from every angle.
"I wish I could be half as beautiful as you," her alien attendant, a three-eyed Trioeil named Miki said, sighing in adoration as a silver crown was settled on top of Vanessa's head. "But then, all you humans are beautiful."
"You'd be beautiful, too if you were worshiped," Vanessa joked. "Honestly, back on Earth, I was certainly not considered a great beauty. Maybe parts of me, but not the whole."
"I don't believe that."
Vanessa shrugged. It had been almost a decade now that she had been woken up from cryostasis to find that she had been abducted from Earth. Not only that, but she had been drifting through the cosmos at light speed for who knew how long before she was woken. The temporal distortion caused by lightspeed travel combined with the stasis meant there was no knowing exactly how long it had been since she was taken from Earth.
One thing was for certain, though. Earth had died a long time ago. Vanessa had been taken to see it once. From orbit, it was a ball of brown. She hadn't gone to the surface, but it was clear that it had become an uninhabitable world.
Humans themselves had become mystical beings of sorts, revered by most, if not all, of the new religions practiced by the various species throughout the galaxy.
All the species were descended from humans, and though they couldn't interbreed with one another, human genetics accepted all other species. Thus, a human woman could give birth to every other species in the galaxy. Yet another reason why they were practically worshiped by churches, such as the one Vanessa found herself being pampered by at the moment.
"We are blessed to have you," Miki said, beaming at her with three large yellow eyes. "We have petitioned for a human to lead us through our dawning rites ever since the Zon Sanctuary was founded, you know."
"Yes, I know." Vanessa turned from her image. "Zon told me all about your parish before I journeyed here."
Zon, the fierce warlord that protected humans, had asked for volunteers, having carefully gone over security. Parishes such as the one Vanessa found herself in might worship humans, but there were plenty of aliens out there that did the opposite. Dozens of churches had declared the humans rescued from their stasis pods as 'fake' and encouraged violence against them. Not to mention the various corporations that were still after humans to dissect their DNA and conduct all sorts of horrific experiments.
At least the United Species, the ruling government body over the core worlds of the galaxy, had recently declared humans to be legal persons. It was thanks in no small part to Zon and his own human wife, Lisa. The announcement meant that humans were safer traveling outside of worlds controlled by Zon, although the safest places were still under his protection.
As for her part, Vanessa hadn't left the Sanctuary for a decade. At least, that was what she figured it to be. The planet the Sanctuary had been built on was Earth-like, with a similar daily and yearly cycle, but 'Earth time' remained substantially different from the standard time that the United Species used. Ten years was a long time, but the loss of Earth still hurt. Even though she had adapted to her new life, nothing felt like home.
Before she was taken, Vanessa's plan was to be a famous country singer by the time she turned thirty, a birthday that had to have come and gone by the time she awoke. When she learned that the dawning rites for this particular parish were led by a singer, well, she knew she couldn't pass up the chance to get her singing career back on track. Her mother always said that God gave her a voice to be used, so Vanessa was going to use it.
Although Vanessa wasn't sure what she believed anymore. Being abducted from her home and waking up thousands of years after Earth was rendered a dead world could do that to a girl.
"Ready to cut loose and do some dirty dancing?"
Miki looked horrified. "The dawn rites symbolize the purity of the new day and the new year. That's why you are dressed in white – to indicate the cleansing snows that will soon fall to wash away the sins of our previous year. There is no mud for you to dance in."
Vanessa sighed. "I was making a joke."
Miki made a little noise in her throat but didn't say anything else.
Within a few minutes, Vanessa was declared perfect, and she was led out of the small preparation room. Dozens of children, also dressed in white, lined the c
orridor as Vanessa walked towards the golden light of the performance hall where she would be singing the song she'd been practicing for months.
A bubble of nerves built in Vanessa's stomach. This was always her favorite part of the performance: excitement mixed with dread. What if she fell flat on her face? What if she lost her voice?
But every fear was counterbalanced with something more exciting. Imagining hitting the high notes just right. People being moved to tears by the clarity of her voice. The possibility of greatness.
It had been so long since she had sung to an audience. A real audience – not friends and not in the futuristic karaoke bars that had been built in Zon's Sanctuary.
Behind her, the children fell in line, humming. Vanessa had to remind herself to walk slow and stately. She represented all the possibilities of things to come, the fresh new start in these rites. Bouncing wasn't going to help anything. The parish had a lot riding on this ceremony, which meant a lot was riding on her.
She was almost to the end of the corridor when two aliens stepped out of a side corridor, blocking her way. Both were T'shav – Zon's species. Their devil-red skin looked out of place amidst the cool gray tones of the corridor, as did the great broadswords strapped to their backs. Both were bare-chested, wearing the skirt-like var'ki that was traditional among T'shav males.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, bewildered. "Did Zon send you?"
The T'shav on the left, shorter of the two, snickered. "Certainly not."
A frown creased Vanessa's brow and she turned to the other one for more information. As she got a good look at him, her heart skipped a beat. It had taken her a while to come to grips with aliens in general, but this guy would have been piping hot back on Earth as is. Strong jaw, deep black eyes, straight nose. Lips that were so full that Vanessa had to stop herself from staring. His black hair was slicked back into a wolf's tail at the crown of his head.
"Kulog, you are an idiot," this T'shav said to his companion as he drew the broadsword from his back. "This could have gone much smoother if you kept your mouth shut."
"You'd better keep your mouth," Kulog growled. "I didn't save your life to have you talk that way to me."
Vanessa drew back from the two T'shav. She had only positive interactions with the species, given that they were her protectors, but now she remembered the stories she had heard. T'shav had a reputation as mercenaries and cutthroats throughout the galaxy. And if these two had not been sent by Zon, that must be what they were.
"What are you after?" she demanded, even as Miki grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her back down the corridor.
"You, of course," the taller T'shav said. His brow furrowed as he stared at her.
Her heart was in her throat, but Vanessa shook off Miki and stepped forward. "If you promise not to hurt anybody, I'll go with you."
The taller T'shav's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, but before he could respond, a shout rang down the corridor. Vanessa turned to see one of the priests coming for them, a blaster in his hand. Two muted blasts echoed from behind her. Twin balls of bright red energy shot past her. They impacted the priest's chest, lifting him bodily from the ground.
Vanessa's mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out. The children were all running away, their cries echoing in the narrow space. Miki wrapped her spindly arms around Vanessa's waist and tried to pull her back, but the human gripped her wrists and pulled them off. She spun to face the T'shav, only to find herself face-to-face with the taller of the two.
Whatever she had been about to say or do faded away. Her lungs locked, and her heart seemed to stop beating altogether. She stared into the black eyes and a thrill of fear ran down her spine. What were they going to do with her?
The T'shav reached around her and grabbed Miki's arm. He spun the small alien around, slamming her into the wall. The little alien shrieked and collapsed, hands pressing over her face. Blood poured down her face. The T'shav seized Vanessa around the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She yelped and began beating against his back, but he didn't seem to notice at all.
"Leave the Trioeil," he ordered.
Vanessa's head jerked up to see the shorter T'shav bending over Miki. He looked annoyed. "I need somebody for my musth."
Musth. The hormonal cycle that T'shav males went through. Vanessa could breathe for a moment as horror froze her.
During their musth, T'shav males became both unpredictably violent and had an insatiable sexual drive. Pheromones they produced at the time made women go crazy with lust for them as well. Vanessa's stomach cramped and she renewed her efforts, fighting against the T'shav that held her. He grunted in annoyance and dropped her.
"Leave the Trioeil. You can hire a woman once we're paid for the human. And you." He shoved a finger into Vanessa's face. "Stop fighting me or I'll kill your friend. Understood?"
Vanessa's mouth was dry, but she nodded. The T'shav grunted and picked her up again. This time, she didn't struggle as he and his companion raced down the corridor. She couldn’t hear anything but the blood pumping in her ears. What was she supposed to do now? And how could she have ever found this animal attractive?
Chapter Two – Taliga
Taliga sat in the middle of the third cargo bay, breathing deeply through his nose before releasing it from his mouth. There was an ache right below his sternum, the likes of which he hadn't felt for a long time, that hitched his breath. It was ridiculous. Years had passed since he has been run through by a jagged blade, and yet the old wound had been bothering him ever since he had brought the human aboard.
He breathed in again. Maybe it was the look in her eyes when she offered to go with them without a fight as long as nobody was hurt. Or maybe it was how her dark eyes contrasted with the pale golden hue of her skin, or her hair, which was thick, dark and shiny. Her curvaceous body certainly didn't hurt. She was gorgeous.
Pure animal lust. That must be why all these unwanted feelings were welling up in him.
The door clanged open, and Taliga looked up, irritated, as Kulog stomped in. He was barefoot, revealing the enlarged claws that meant the other T'shav was approaching musth.
As if he wasn't annoying enough. Whenever Kulog entered his musth, he became unbearable. But the other male had saved his life all those years ago, and they made a profitable team. Taliga was better with people and got them well-paying jobs, while Kulog could punch his way out of almost anything. It didn't make Taliga like him any better, though.
"We got a message from Zon's Sanctuary," the other T'shav said, turning over an empty bucket to sit on. A faint banging came from the corridor, but Taliga ignored it. Kulog grinned and rubbed his hands. "Zon has offered us twice as much as whatever payment we've been offered for the human to return her to him unharmed and unmolested."
Taliga was quiet. There was, of course, no question of accepting the warlord's offer. For one thing, the people they were selling the human to were vicious, bloodthirsty brutes in their own right. Second, if he and Kulog did give her over to Zon, the warlord would likely arrest or kill them. Third was Kulog's history with the Sanctuary.
"I told him he could take his offer and—"
"I think I know what you told him." Taliga unfolded his limbs and stood. "How long until we reach the rendezvous?"
That was another reason that Taliga stayed with Kulog. There wasn't a better pilot in the galaxy. Taliga's own skills were basic. If he was flying this ship, it would take them twice as long to get to any location he wanted to get to.
"Depends on the asteroid belt I've plotted us through. I'll have to pilot through it manually, and that could take anywhere from a few hours to a day or more if we have to stop to rest. But even if we're delayed, worst case scenario is that we get there in four days. Plenty of time."
Taliga nodded, trying to ignore the twist in his gut as he thought of handing the human over to the Wytsian Order.
The banging from down the corridor increased. His hesitancy combined with the noise made a spike of ir
ritation shoot through him. Did that woman have no sense of when to be quiet?
The T'shav grabbed his black broadsword from where he had leaned it against the wall when he began his meditation. He had forged the blade himself. The blade color was a flaw, from when he had had to melt and shape the ore a second time after his first attempt shattered, but Taliga thought it suited him perfectly. Broken once, but remade stronger than ever.
"Has she been doing that this whole time?" He turned to Kulog with a raised brow.
"Yes. I wanted to see how long she could keep it up, but she's getting damn irritating now." Kulog picked at something between his teeth with the long, sharp dagger he always had strapped to his thigh. "At least she's not screaming anymore. 'Let me go, let me go.' I have half a mind to go in there and rip out her tongue."
A spike of anger shot up Taliga's spine. "You'll do no such thing."
Kulog stared at him, muscles tensing. His grip tightened on his blade. Taliga glared back at him. Musth was not the time to antagonize the already unstable male, but he wasn’t going to let Kulog harm the human – their commission wanted her untouched.
"We lose money for every mark on her. They might just reject her completely if she's permanently damaged."
Kulog scowled as he stood, slipping his dagger back into its sheath. He cracked his neck from side to side, clearly waiting for Taliga to blink first. It was a pathetic display, but one that was necessary at this point. Until the other T'shav found a way to deal with his increasing aggression, Taliga would have to watch his back.
A lesson he had learned the hard way.
"So," Kulog said, pulling the word out until it was almost three times longer than normal. "If commission goes down with every mark on her, I suppose it means that delaying a day or two and using her for musth is out of the question."