She busied herself, gathering small rocks and making a ring for a fire pit. Krista had been camping often enough with her family to know what was needed.
She cautiously stuck her head outside the cave entrance and felt the dramatic drop in temperature now that the sun was setting. She worried her lip between her teeth as she contemplated her next move. She knew what she should do, but she’d seen the snapping plants.
There were some twigs lying near the cave entrance that looked harmless enough. Krista grabbed as many as she could carry and hurried back inside before making another trip. When she had enough twigs and a few bigger logs, she made a teepee with the twigs. “Now what?” she wondered as she stared at the fire pit.
She grabbed the phaser and stared at the settings. Nothing look remotely familiar. Even though she was a little scared, she aimed the phaser at the twigs and fired. Blue light shot from the barrel, and smoke rose from the twigs. She threw the phaser aside and quickly started blowing on the twigs. It took a little time, but when the first flame kindled, she squealed in delight.
She nursed the tiny flame and kept feeding it wood until it raged into a healthy campfire. She watched as the smoke rose to the ceiling and disappeared. Looking up with wide eyes, she said aloud, “Huh, I forgot about that. Glad it has a place to go.”
Now that she had light, she explored the cave more fully. “Someone has been here before.” She found a primitive-looking object made of rock that would work great as a bowl.
Near the back of the cave, she found a very small pool of lavender-colored water no bigger than a kitchen sink. That explains the color of the planet. Looking at the bubbles, Krista knew it must be coming in and going out, but she couldn’t tell from where. She grinned as she knelt, thrusting her hand into the pool and letting the water fall through her fingers. If felt like water, so she collected some and quickly took it to the fire. If she remembered correctly, it needed to boil first to kill any bacteria that it might harbor.
After drinking several bowls of water, Krista noticed that it was almost completely dark outside, and she worried about the two aliens. Where were they? She paced the floor before finally settling down next to the fire. It was cold outside, and some of it crept into the cave.
Not long later, a noise outside the cave startled her, and her eyes shot to the entrance. She grabbed the phaser just in case it was an animal.
The two aliens came in carrying an animal the size of a deer. It had a flat face, sharp teeth and a long, barbed tail. How had they killed it? she wondered.
“I see your mate has been busy.” The female said something, and the male shot her a grin.
“She has. If I’d thought we would be gone for so long, I would have built a fire before we left. After being in the cold, it does feel good in here.”
“I’m glad you two are back; I was getting worried.” Krista spoke to them, even though they couldn’t understand her.
The big guy grinned as he started cleaning the animal. He tore off a chunk of meat and offered it to her. Before she took it, her eyes widened and she said, “Oh, wait! I found something!” She quickly grabbed the bowl of water, knowing it was cool by now, and handed it to him. He took it with his other hand while still holding the meat and drank half before handing it to the other alien.
When she handed the bowl back, Krista set it aside and looked for a way to cook the meat. She found an extra-long twig to use as a skewer, grabbed the bowl and headed for the pool of water. After refilling the bowl, she quickly soaked the skewer so it wouldn’t catch fire.
Heading back to the fire, she curled her lip in disgust when she spotted both aliens eating raw meat. They must be really hungry. She was, as well, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat it raw.
They all sat around the fire with full bellies—well, hers was full. After eating nothing but white mush, the meat tasted amazing.
“Oh my God!” Krista exclaimed when she spotted Kollin’s feet. She crawled over and examined his bloodied feet—at least she assumed it was blood. Dark brown fluid the color of mud covered them both. Some cuts were older and some freshly made.
Krista’s heart swelled. He had saved her from this agony by carrying her all the way here.
Krista grabbed the remaining shreds of the blanket and the bowl of cooling water. She stuck her finger in it to make sure it was still warm. “I’m so sorry I didn’t notice this before,” she said as she doused a strip of the blanket in the warm water. She cleaned his feet and then wrapped them in another piece of blanket, tying a knot at the top of his foot. She moved to the next one and repeated the process.
With his feet bandaged, she looked at the female alien. Before Krista had a chance to offer aid, the female took everything from her and tended her own needs.
It didn’t take long for sleep to claim them. At some point, Krista awoke, shivering on the cold hard floor. She crawled over to her alien and… What? He isn’t mine! She crawled to his side and let her body form to his back. She didn’t touch him, but she could feel the heat radiating from his body. It didn’t take long until Krista fell fast asleep.
Chapter Eight
Kollin
Kollin watched as his mate cleaned and bandaged his wounded feet. Yes, they hurt, and the warm water felt good, but her hands touching him felt even better. It had been a difficult standard day. The animal had put up a good fight, and if he and Usla hadn’t worked together, well… he didn’t want to think about it. She was a warrior in her own right, and he had a hard time thinking of her as female.
When he drifted off to sleep, his mate startled him by curling up to his back. He hadn’t lain with her for fear of frightening her. Communication was a problem, so he tried to give her space, but he took her gesture as a sign.
He rolled over and hugged her up. She snuggled next to him, and he couldn’t help but smile. His heart felt content to hold her in his arms. She was small and delicate, which shot his protective instincts into overdrive. He closed his eyes once again and let sleep claim him.
Waking up with her snuggled into his side, her head on his chest while her arm draped over his waist, made his heart flutter as his shaft roared to life. He willed it to go down, thought of the task for the day, animals he would have to fight… anything. The last thing he wanted or needed was to take her in front of the princess or to scare her with his massive shaft.
She stirred in his arms. He tilted his head down just in time to see her look at him with a sleepy smile. “Good morning,” she said with a raspy voice.
“Good morning,” he replied. He knew she didn’t understand, but she grinned at the gesture.
The next day continued as the day before. He and Usla hunted, and then at night his mate rested in his arms, snuggled next to his chest. She didn’t fight it, and neither did he. This went on for a standard week before someone showed up to help.
Kollin awoke to a strange noise outside the cave entrance. It sounded like the humming of engines. Krista remained tucked into him, her arm across his waist as she slept soundly. He gently eased away from her before grabbing the phaser that lay next to him. He jumped to his feet, his phaser trained on the cave entrance. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Usla was awake and had her phaser in hand. With determined eyes, he waited.
Two Siccia males came in, holding their own phasers.
“Stop!” Kollin commanded.
“Don’t shoot!” Usla ordered as both sets of eyes shot to the princess.
One bowed his head before he spoke. “Princess, we have found you.”
“Finally,” she sighed. Kollin knew she was determined to prove her worth, but this past standard week had taken its toll on the princess. She wasn’t used to this type of living.
While Usla spoke with her males, Kollin gently woke his mate. She needed much more sleep than he did.
“Wake up,” he said gently as his fingers brushed her face.
Sleepy, unfocused eyes peered up at him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
When she spotted the others present, her eyes widened in surprise, and then she grinned. “We’ve been rescued?” Kollin nodded. “Wait,” she looked at him suspiciously. “Can you understand me?” Kollin nodded once again. Krista sucked in a quick, shallow breath before swatting his arm. “You big dope! You could have found a way to tell me that before now!”
Kollin laughed and held out his hand to help her up.
They gathered the knives and other meager supplies and followed the others out of the cave to the shuttlecraft located just outside the entrance.
Krista
They had been rescued! She sighed in relief. They had plenty of food and water, and she kept warm by sleeping in his arms at night.
Krista trusted him, felt comfortable around him, and what started out as attraction had grown into something more. It was odd, and she couldn’t explain it.
When she realized that he could understand her, she tried to remember everything she’d said that week. Too late now, she thought.
He carried her out of the cave and onto another shuttlecraft. She took one chair while he took another one right beside her.
The two aliens who rescued them flew the shuttlecraft straight up, where a massive ship waited. Amazement shone of her face as her mouth gaped open, then closed again. She held her breath as they flew into a cargo bay that reminded her of Star Trek. How many times had she seen this on that show?
After landing inside, he stood and reached out his hand. She placed her hand in his and gave him a smile, but he didn’t return it. She could see the concern shining in his beautiful eyes and wished they could talk. Did she need to be worried, too? Were they in danger? God, she wanted to talk to him.
“Whatever happens, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” His face softened, but he never replied.
She was startled when the door slid open, and Usla left without any hesitation. The other two followed behind her.
He nodded toward the door, and she knew it was time to leave. Krista took a quick breath, gathered her courage and followed him off the shuttlecraft.
As he led her down the ramp, Krista got her first look at a ship full of cone-head aliens. Her thoughts immediately went to the movie she’d watched years ago as she watched the female who traveled with them talk to another one of her kind. Now that she thought about it, Krista had watched a lot of TV and movies growing up. And my parents thought I was wasting my time.
Kollin
“Princess Usla,” the male bowed. “I am Loul, Captain of the Medur.”
“Captain Loul,” Usla acknowledged. “This is Kollin and…” she glanced at him and the female by his side before continuing, “his mate.”
“Kollin,” the captain’s eyes widened slightly. “Welcome aboard.” His eyes looked at the female by Kollin’s side. “I’ve never seen her species before. What is she called?”
“Human.” That was all Kollin was willing to offer. He didn’t know these people, and he would not be offering more information than necessary. “Where is your healer?”
“Are you ill?” Captain Loul looked taken aback.
“No, my mate needs a translator.” Kollin’s no-nonsense tone had Loul locking eyes with him in a sort of dominance battle.
Without breaking eye contact, Loul finally said, “Of course. Giddia, take them to the healer.” Kollin nodded slightly before he spun on his heels to follow the Siccia.
As they followed Giddia down the corridor, Kollin got his first look at a Siccia vessel. It was made for battle with few comforts to be seen. His own vessel was made for battle, but they allowed a few comforts from home.
He led them down one corridor after another until they were standing inside medical. A male with a healer insignia on the shoulder of his standard red uniform sat at a nearby desk.
“Are you the healer?” Kollin stood in a commanding pose.
The startled healer looked up, and at the sight of the two of them standing in the sick bay, he gasped before regaining his composure. “I am.”
“Good, my mate needs a translator so she can understand us.”
His eyes darted back and forth between the two of them before settling on Kollin.
“Very well. Have her sit on the table while I gather the supplies.”
Looking at his mate, Kollin gestured toward the table. She looked scared, but he could see the trust shining back at him, which caught him off guard. This entire time, she’d done everything he had asked or gestured for her to do. Had anyone ever had so much faith in him? He never showed weakness, but with her, he couldn’t help but soften his actions. She’d awakened some part of him, and he needed to see to her needs, to make her happy.
Unlike Jakke and Dazz, he had always desired a mate whom he could love, and someone who would love him back. He was the biggest of all the brothers, and except for a few occasions, the females avoided him. They feared his size, both in battle and in the bedchambers. Now his mate sat in front of him, and he feared she would be too small to accommodate his large shaft.
“Okay, I have what we need,” the healer said as he strolled over.
He held up an injector, and terror washed over his mate’s face. “No, please don’t!” she cried. Scooting back on the table trying to get away from the healer, Kollin wrapped his arms around her, trying to offer her comfort and hold her still.
“It will be okay,” he said softly, looking into her terror-filled eyes.
Turning to the healer, he ordered, “Make it quick.”
“Just hold her still,” the healer said as he came toward the female with the injector. She screamed, the shrill sound bouncing off the walls and down the corridor.
It all happened fast. The healer injected the translator, and she lost consciousness just as the guards burst through the door with their phasers drawn.
Quickly but gently laying her on the table, Kollin stood in a fighting stance, blocking their way to his mate. It was a stand-off until Usla and Captain Loul came running in.
“What is going on?” Usla demanded. She now sported the standard red uniform of the Siccia.
“Captain, we heard screaming,” one of the guards answered, not acknowledging Usla. Strange.
“Lower your weapons and return to your post,” Captain Loul ordered before turning to Kollin.
“My apologies, Prince Kollin.”
Kollin just nodded before ordering, “I need quarters so she can rest. We also need food and clothing.”
“I’ll see that it’s taken care of.”
“I’ll show him where they can stay,” Usla chimed in. “Follow me.”
Kollin scooped his mate up and followed Usla to their much-needed quarters. As they walked down one corridor after another, the stares, although subtle, didn’t escape Kollin’s attention.
“You can stay here. They are normally reserved for Siccia government ministers, so they are more comfortable than standard quarters,” Usla said as they stopped in front of a metal door.
“Thank you.” Kollin carried his mate inside and laid her on the large bed. He really needed to find out her name.
“About your ship,” Usla started. “What were the last known coordinates?”
“We were heading to Azziar and had just exited the Norda wormhole that leads to the Dreama Sector.”
“Okay, we’ll start looking.”
“Thank you,” Kollin said with sincerity. They had never been friends or allies with the Siccia, but they had never been at war with them, either.
“You’re welcome. Food should arrive soon.”
Chapter Nine
Krista
Delicious smells tickled her nose as she lay in a soft, comfortable bed. Her eyes opened slowl
y, and when she turned over, she spotted the male alien sitting in a chair near a table filled with food. Her stomach growled loudly enough that he turned his head her way.
“I see you are finally awake.”
“Yeah, I must have been exhausted. Wait, I can understand you now!”
“Yes, I had them inject you with a translator. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You did?” With his nod, she said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Krista got to her feet and after noticing that he was now wearing a red jumpsuit, she asked, “May I have some clothes?”
“Yes, they are right there.” He pointed to the end of the bed, where another red jumpsuit was neatly folded.
“Ah, thanks. Can you turn around?”
“Why?” he asked, truly puzzled.
“Because I’m changing clothes, if you can call this shredded blanket that,” she shot back, annoyed that he would even ask such a thing.
“I’ve seen you naked before.”
“Don’t remind me,” she grumbled as she turned her back to him and quickly dressed. She heard him chuckle and had to close her eyes. Not from annoyance, but from the sexy tone of his voice. It had been a long time since she’d had sex, and the sound of his voice had her body screaming to life.
Now dressed in clean clothes, she felt very dirty. She glanced at him again and saw that he had showered. “Ah, can I take a shower?”
“Yes,” he smiled. “I’ll show you how to use it.”
Krista followed him into a small bathroom. He showed her how to turn the water on and handed her a towel for drying before leaving her alone to shower. She stepped under the warm spray and closed her eyes, letting the water run down her face. As all the stress and lust cleared from her mind, she thought about everything that had happened during the past six months.
Kollin (The Azziarin Series Book 3) Page 5