Zorvak's Rescue: Compatibles

by Hannah Davenport

  “I can’t believe it healed so fast,” Cami said as she looked down at her stomach.

  I stepped up behind her, swept her hair from her shoulder and softly kissed her neck. She turned, giving me her luscious lips instead. Looking deep into her green eyes, I asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Yes. Let me change quickly and we’ll go.”

  Everything had been put on hold until Cami healed, but today was the day. Our bonding ceremony, the change of power ceremony.

  Cami darted off to the bedroom, while I went to the replicator. “Water.” Grabbing the glass, I sipped on the water while thinking about the events of the day.

  My family was shocked to find out that our line would rule the planet, and that Lord Garan supported our mating. Like me, they never dreamed that such a thing could be possible. Mother and Father had bonded with Cami, made her feel like part of the family. Even I finally felt like a part of the family.

  “Ready.” Cami smiled as my eyes widened in surprise.

  Her hair was piled high on her head with intricate braids. A few stands curled around her neck. She wore a white dress that sparkled with clear jewels. Long sleeves and a V-neck that showed a hint of cleavage. The dress hugged her body down to her knees before flaring out and leaving a trail behind her as she walked.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this.” I circled her. “It’s beautiful, but your dress will get dirty when you walk.” It did look beautiful, but not very practical.

  She laughed, the sound music to my ears after almost losing her. “It is an Earth wedding dress. I will only wear it one time.”

  “Good. Let’s go.” I held out my hand and she placed hers in mine.

  Facing the front of the mansion where thousands had gathered, we stood at the top of a balcony overlooking the crowd.

  I stood beside Cami wearing my white formal uniform.

  “Are you ready?” Lord Garan asked as he stood before us.

  “Yes,” we answered in unison and then smiled at each other.

  Lord Garan faced the crowd below. “On this day, I will bind Zorvak La’qa and Camilla Ryan together with my blessing. Camilla Ryan will become Ulayian from this day forth.

  He turned toward us. “Hold out your clasped hands.”

  With our fingers entwined together, we held our hands out to Lord Garan. He wrapped a golden string around our wrists as a symbol of our mating.

  “From this day forward, you are bond mated with my blessing. Lead well, Zorvak.” Looking at Cami, he said, “Be a rock for your mate. The one who is always there when the rest of the planet is against him.”

  With that, we faced the crowd and held up our clasped hands, letting them see the royal bonding string.

  The crowd cheered, and then quieted again when Lord Garan stepped forward and held up his hand. “From this day forward, I relinquish all power to Zorvak La’qa, new leader of Ulaya. From this day forward, I will only be known as Garan.” Someone set a small crown on my head. Its only use was an outward symbol for transfer of power. “All hail Lord Zorvak La’qa!” Garan finished to cheers from the crowd.

  That’s it?

  That’s it. You are stuck with me now and forever.

  I love you, Lord Zorvak.

  I like the sound of that. You can call me that in bed when my body is deep inside yours.

  We do have a new bed to christen.

  Yes, we do.

  The end!

  Read on for the first chapter in Kavvan, Book 7, Azziarin Series.

  Thank you for reading Zorvak’s Rescue. Don’t forget to check out my other books, which are listed down below. If you would like to be notified of future releases, you can sign up for my newsletter at hannahdavenport.com. You can also like my page on Facebook, or follow me on twitter. Isn’t social media great? It makes things so easy.

  The Azziarin Series

  Jakke

  Dazz

  Kollin

  An Azziarin Christmas

  Zekke

  Aydan

  Ambriel part 1 and 2

  Ambriel

  Ambriel’s Quest

  Read on for the first chapter of Kavvan, book 7 in the Azziarin Series

  It can be read as a standalone.

  1

  _____________________

  The Beginning

  Amanda

  Hiding in an abandoned building on Earth, I hadn’t spotted any of the red-haired ugly creatures as often, but there were plenty of white-haired ones crawling around the area. Why couldn’t they just leave? Get off our fucking planet!

  “I’m going,” Susan said as she looked out at the moonlit city. I widened my eyes at her, giving her a stern warning. “Let go!” She shot me her own warning.

  “It’s not safe yet.” There weren’t as many aliens, but still enough to stay in hiding.

  “Let go of my damn arm, Amanda!” I did as Susan demanded. “I’m tired of being cooped up in here. I’m losing my mind!”

  “Aren’t we all? But it’s better than getting caught. You’ve heard the rumors. Plus, it’s still light outside.”

  “That’s the magic word…r u m o r s.” She spoke slowly as if I didn’t believe it.

  Susan took off and I had no choice but to follow her. “Shit!” I hissed under my breath.

  I tore out after Susan, leaving the safety of a small abandoned building in the middle of downtown. It looked more like a war-zone thanks to the aliens.

  I wanted to call after her, tell her to slow down, but I didn’t dare risk someone hearing. Of the two, I was the more cautious one.

  Chasing after Susan, I came to an abrupt stop. “Oh, shit!” I ducked behind a trash dumpster to watch the scene.

  Two red-haired monsters grabbed Susan. She screamed, “M-A-N-D-Y.” That’s what Susan always called me, but I was helpless to do anything but watch. Following close behind, but not too close, I watched as Susan fought them every step of the way until they reached a shuttlecraft.

  We’d seen them land before, spill out at least thirty or so aliens, so I knew it was fairly large.

  Hiding behind a tree, one of the few left in the park, I watched two of them drag Susan inside, and after a few minutes, they came back out. I didn’t know if it was the same two, but determination propelled me forward. I had to rescue Susan, no matter what.

  I tiptoed, wanting to be as light as possible on my feet so I wouldn’t make a sound. The smell of smoke from burning buildings tickled my nose. Hastily, I scratched it and tried not to sneeze. A lone gunshot could be heard in the distance. Hopefully from Earth’s military.

  Reaching the entrance of the shuttlecraft, I climbed the few steps and cautiously glanced inside. Nothing.

  Looking toward the front and then the rear, I took my first step inside and headed toward the rear.

  The shuttle was made of hard gray metal, and sparsely furnished. They obviously didn’t care about comfort. Even their chairs were made of gray metal.

  As I neared the back of the shuttle, my eyes widened in horror. Cages, a little wider than a high school locker and as tall as a person, lined the back wall. Susan wasn’t the only one there. There was another girl, but she didn’t look so good.

  “Get me out of here!” Susan hissed.

  I threw my arms up in the air and angrily whispered, “How?”

  “I don’t know how. Just do it!”

  I shot Susan a ‘shut the hell up’ look while I tried to figure out how to unlock the cage. “Maybe you should’ve just stayed put like I asked you to.”

  “Too late now.”

  “I can’t find a way to open it.”

  “Shit! Now what do we do?”

  “I don’t know.” I looked around, trying to find something to pry the bars open. “What’s wrong with her?” I nodded to the brunette that was slumped over in the other cage.

  “I don’t know, but I think she’s unconscious.”

  My eyes glanced back to the brunette. “She looks like she hasn’t eaten in awhile. She’s skin a
nd bones.”

  An outside noise startled us. Heavy boots hit the steps. They were coming back. “Shit!” Susan screeched. “Hide!”

  I scrambled, looking for a place to hide. A small storage closet was all I could find. It was so small the door wouldn’t fasten with me in it. I held it closed with my hand, while my nose touched the inside of the door.

  I closed my eyes and prayed they didn’t find me. Another mess me and Susan had gotten into. It was Susan’s fault, but it didn’t matter. We talked to each other like crap, but it was just our way. We would die for each other and there was no way I would let Susan go through this alone.

  Instead of loading another girl on the shuttlecraft, it hummed to life and took off. Without a seatbelt, I was tossed one way and then the other as I tried to balance myself in the tiny closet.

  It didn’t take long until it landed hard. Damn, they need to go back to driving school. I heard the footsteps grow closer, the screech of the cage door opening, Susan calling them every name in the book. I didn’t have to look to know that Susan fought them every step of the way. And then there was nothing, only my heavy breathing.

  I cracked open the door and peeked out, just to make sure it was empty. My hands trembled slightly, but I had been in tight situations before. Treading carefully through the shuttle, I made it back to the open door. Five steps down. Instead of descending them, I laid on my stomach, crawled over, and peeked outside.

  The two that took Susan were dragging her out a door, followed by another one carrying the unconscious girl. The rest of the room was empty.

  After the door slammed shut behind them, I descended the metal steps. It was a large room with various crates and other shuttle crafts.

  Now what? With my hands on my hips, I surveyed the cargo bay lined with shuttlecrafts.

  I’d seen enough sci-fi movies, but didn’t know if they were remotely accurate. Still… I glanced up at the air vents. That’s how they do it in the movies.

  Glancing around looking for a ladder, I didn’t see anything. Of course, they didn’t have one. There were some crates and barrels sitting in a corner. That’ll work.

  Carefully stacking them, I climbed up and shoved at the cover. “I don’t have the muscle for this.” I wasn’t in the best physical shape, but if determination was a strength, I’d be fucking Superman.

  I grunted with execration as I tried to hoist my way up through the small opening. It took a little time, and a few scrapes on my hands and knees, but I finally made it. Lying on my back, I heaved, trying to catch my breath, before turning over and crawling on my hands and knees. I needed to find Susan.

  Crawling through the vent was not as easy or clean as it was in the movies, not that I was clean to begin with. That was hard to do with no running water.

  It took awhile, but I finally spotted her pacing a dark room. One lone ray of light illumined her cell just enough to see.

  “Susan,” I whispered through the grate as I looked down at her.

  “Amanda? What are you doing up there?”

  “Duh…looking for you.”

  I tested the grate and knew it would open. “Step back,” I said, “I don’t want it to hit you in the head.”

  Susan stepped back. I shoved the grate until it fell to the ground with a loud clang. “I’m coming down.”

  Without much grace, I dropped to my feet. Susan crossed her arms and grimaced. “Sorry I got you into this mess.”

  We both eased down against the back wall. “We’ve been in worse situations.”

  Susan looked at me and, for the first time, I worried. “I don’t think we have.”

  As each day passed, Susan shared her food with me, which wasn’t much. And then one day, we felt the difference.

  “Oh, shit! I think we’ve landed somewhere. Quick, get back in the vent!”

  I was already shaking my head ‘no’ when I said, “I’ll stay with you, Susan.”

  “No! You can’t help me if they find you here.” She knelt down. “Come on, stand on my shoulders.”

  I stared at my best friend for a mere second before doing as she asked. From the safety of the air vent, I watched as they drug Susan from her cell.

  Kavvan

  “Padda, set a course for the Decca Sector.”

  “Commander?” He turned his puzzled gaze on me.

  “You heard me.”

  “Yes, Commander.” He turned back around and did as ordered.

  I sat in the Captain’s chair studying my holo-pad. King Mallik had ordered the Victory to investigate rumors about a black market.

  “Commander, we will reach the Decca Sector in three standard hours.”

  “Thanks, Padda.”

  I wanted to return to the Dreama Sector, help continue the fight against the Tureis. Zekke had returned to lead the fleet, and with the help of the Curazin’s they would soon rid Earth of their attackers.

  “Did Aydan and Riley get home safely?”

  I turned my head and spotted Nikkul standing just behind me and to my left. With Aydan now planet-side, Nikkul had been promoted to Second in Command.

  “They did. The way I heard it, his mother was happy to see him and opened her home to his mate and the young.”

  Nikkul nodded before asking, “What do they think we’ll find in the Decca Sector?”

  “A black market filled with slaves.”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  ~~~~~

  I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nikkul at the rear of a large, boisterous crowd. Species from all over had shown up for the auction. Some owned pleasure houses, others used slavers for their own personal gratification. The species here were like the Tureis, uncaring about others, only taking what they wanted.

  The auctioneer’s voice boomed across the crowd, quieting everyone to a soft murmur. “Attention everyone! Today we have a special treat for you!” Two Tureis dragged out a thin red-headed female kicking and screaming. “An unknown female species. Take a good look and let the bidding begin!”

  “Let go of me you fucking son of a bitch! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you!” She thrashed her head around and twisted her body, trying to free her arms. “MANDY!”

  Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, Nikkul tilted his head sideways, bringing it closer to mine, and quietly asked, “Are you sure we need to save her? She has a foul mouth.”

  I spared him a glance and said, “Yes. Come on.”

  We weaved our way through the crowd, heading to the front.

  “300 credits!”

  “400 credits!”

  “1,000 credits!”

  I glanced at the one who bid last, and sneered. A Gubu. They were known for their brutality of females during sex.

  The auctioneer’s grin fell from his face when he caught me and Nikkul standing there. I thought about fighting, but after glancing at the size of the crowd, I changed my mind. With a serious expression on my face, I raised my voice and said, “10,000 credits,” and gave him a look that warned he’d better take the bid or else.

  The auctioneer held my gaze, and after a moment of hesitation, he called out, “Sold!”

  Nikkul went to retrieve the girl while I waited to see if they brought out another human.

  “Next, we have a hard-working Bix.” Bix’s were house helpers, nothing more.

  With that, I left to find Nikkul. If they had had anymore humans they would’ve been brought out first.

  I spotted them coming around the edge of the platform. Nikkul looked irritated and he’d just met the female. I wanted to chuckle at the sight.

  “Let go of me you son of a bitch.” The female kicked at Nikkul as she tried to get out of his grasp.

  “Calm yourself. We’re here to help.”

  I shook my head at Nikkul. “She can’t understand you.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and screamed, “Mandy!”

  Nikkul glanced at me and frowned. “What’s a ‘Mandy?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. Let’s go.”

&
nbsp; The female twisted one way and then the other, trying to break free. It was all Nikkul could do to constrain her. I’d had enough. In one swift movement, I dipped, my arm going around her upper legs. I hoisted her over my shoulder while she continued to pound on my back.

  Once on board the Victory, I headed straight to sick bay. Her voice vibrated off the walls, “Let me go you mother fucker! Mandy!”

  When we reached sick bay, I leveled my gaze on the healer. “Sedate her and then implant the translator.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  I laid her on the cot, before stalking off to the bridge. When I stepped on the bridge, I looked at the navigation’s officer and said, “Let’s go home.”

  Kavvan

  (Coming soon!)