by Luna Hunter
Turnon is silent for a few minutes that seem to drag on forever.
I fully expect him to fly into another fit of rage, to throw me out, to cuss me out… but instead he sighs deeply and rests his head in his hands.
“You’re telling me I have a homeworld?” he asks.
I swallow the lump in my throat. Why do I have to be the bearer of all this bad news?
“Yes and no,” I say. “The Zoran homeworld was destroyed by the Tyk’ix in the war. It’s a frozen wasteland now. The Zorans all moved to Earth, which is my planet. We live in harmony. For the most part.”
“My… parents. Are they still alive?”
“I’m not sure. I know your mother definitely was, but… Earth was attacked by the Nezdek, who kidnapped me… I have no idea what kind of state my homeworld is in. Or if I even have a homeworld to return to.”
He nods thoughtfully.
“So… we are not so different, then, after all.”
“I suppose not.”
Turnon stands up. “This is all a lot to take in.”
“I understand,” I say. “I’m here for you if you need me, but if you want to be alone for a moment I fully understand.”
“I just feel so stupid,” he growls. “All this time the answer has been right in front of me.”
“Not to sound like a broken record, but, it’s not your fault,” I say. “You know that right?”
He balls his fists, and the many muscles in his arms and shoulders bulge.
“I know that, but that doesn’t change the facts. I’m going out for a walk.”
“Do you want me to stay here?”
“Yes,” he growls. “Don’t go wondering off again, okay?”
“I promise.”
I hope for a kiss but he walks right past me, the metal doors whizzing shut behind him. I understand that hearing all this news is a lot to take in, but it would have been nice if he had said he retracted his we-are-done-statement…
I just have to give him some time, I suppose. I turn my attention back towards the console and keep an eye on the scanner. Perhaps someone will have picked up my distress call.
A knock on the metal door rouses me from my thoughts. Turnon is back rather quickly!
I open the door — and my blood runs cold when I find myself looking right at Lord Erran’s single, angry eye. The very Nezdek who promised he’d cut off my legs to stop me from running away.
“Well, well, look who we have here,” he snarls.
Behind him I see a whole squadron of heavily armed Nezdek warriors, and my heart sinks.
“Thanks for sending out that distress call, darling. Saves us having to comb the whole damn planet for you.”
Oh crap.
18
TURNON
I GAZE off into the distance, thoughts running across my mind at a million miles per minute.
Everything I’ve ever believed has been a lie. I feel like such a fool. There’s a whole world out there with people like me — and I have no idea how to act around them. I don’t know their customs, their ways. Even if I were to find them, I’d always be an outsider. The only thing I know how to do is hunt.
I feel so angry and hopeless. However, it’s not Ava’s fault. I see that now. To take my anger out on her was wrong of me.
The mysterious Tyk’ix, this invisible enemy, this ghost of my past is to blame. It’s an enemy I can never fight, never face, never defeat to re-claim my honor.
I kick a pebble. It rolls down the hill, and I follow it all the way down towards the lake. My eyes drift upwards, right to the stars. Night has now fallen, and the sky is lit up by countless tiny lights.
Somewhere out there is my former homeworld, and perhaps, my parents. Koryn. Kelly.
Will they even want to see me after all this time? I can’t imagine I’m anything like they expected their son to be. From my father’s outfit I gather he was some big-shot, and what am I? A savage.
It doesn’t matter — they might not be alive, and I’m stuck on this rock.
All my life I’ve wondered about my past, my origins, and now that I know, I wish I didn’t. Funny how those things go.
A star catches my eye. It’s moving fast, faster than I’ve ever seen any star move. It’s growing in size by the second, and it’s heading right for me.
Is it a falling star?
An asteroid come to take me out of my misery?
No — it’s not a star, nor a rock. It’s a ship! It’s shaped like a spear with three heads, and it rockets towards me with dazzling speed.
The spear rockets by overhead and several smaller ships suddenly drop out and land in the crater behind me, like little birds leaving her mother’s feathers.
Before I have time to react, tall pale aliens storm out en masse. They are coated in golden armor, carrying axes on sticks. These aliens don’t resemble Ava in any way, shape or form. Where Ava is soft and curvy, these aliens are skin-over-bone, with ghostly eyes and white hair.
These must be the ones who tried to hurt her — the Nezdek, she called them.
My eyes narrow as I reach for my knife. Time seems to slow down to a crawl as adrenaline courses through my veins. Dozen of them head towards the Maker — towards Ava, while another dozen wait by their ships.
I may not know how to fly a starship, but if there’s one thing I can do it’s protect my mate.
I belt out a deafening roar as I charge at the alien warriors with their strange weapons and clothes. I dash down the crater, picking up speed with every step I take. The aliens raise their axes at me, and I jump up in the air, flying over them as I slash downwards with my knife.
When I land, one of them falls down dead. The others look at me with fear in their ghostly eyes, shivering at the sight of me.
Good. They ought to fear me.
“Zoran! Wakzam!”
“Pjak hem!”
One of them lunges at me with his axe-stick, and I dodge it, grab it with one hand and yank the weapon towards me. He tumbles forwards, and I slip my knife right into his neck. The Nezdek falls to the ground, gurgling. Dying.
“Whose next?” I growl.
“Spreiden!”
The remaining aliens fan out into a circle, surrounding me, trying to keep me a distance with their long weapons. They try to stab me with their axe-spears, but I block their pathetic attempts with my forearms.
“Turnon!”
Ava’s voice cuts right through the sounds of battle. I whirl around, all of my heightened senses focused on my mate.
The aliens are leaving the Maker — and taking Ava with them. A Nezdek with an eyepatch is carrying my mate, who is resisting with everything she has. She claws, she punches, she kicks, but it’s not enough.
I have to save her.
With a hefty roar I push my way through the crowd of aliens surrounding me. Their axes cut into my arms and shoulders as I push past, blood trickling down my body, but I barely notice it.
I’m hyper-focused on my mate. Ava is now being dragged aboard one of their alien shuttles — I’m too far away.
I might not make it. No, I have to make it!
Time seems to stand still. All I hear is my own breathing, all I feel is every muscle in my legs crying out as I pump out one major step after another.
Ava turns to me, and when she sees me, she smiles.
And then the hatch of the shuttle closes with a snap when I’m only two steps away.
“No!” I roar so hard it makes my own ears pop.
I fling myself against the ship so hard I leave a Zoran-sized dent, and every bone in my body cracks. A searing pain passes through every fiber of my being, my body begging for a moment of rest, eager for a single breath, but I can’t.
I need to save my mate.
I lose myself in a primal rage, a fury unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. My vision turns red as I pummel the ship with my bare fists. My knuckles are bleeding, my skin cracked, blood dripping down my fingers, red marks all smeared over the metal ship.
The dented shuttle door opens with a whir — and I find myself looking down the barrel of a gun.
“A Zoran, here?”
The Nezdek with the eye-patch is shaking his head in disbelief, the gun pointed right at my chest.
“Sleep tight.”
The last thing I hear before the red blast of concentrated light hits my chest is Ava crying out my name — and then everything turns to black. I’m vaguely aware of my body dropping towards the ground, the Nezdek grinning to himself, and Ava’s terrified screams.
And then there’s nothing.
19
AVA
“HOW COULD YOU! YOU MONSTER!”
Lord Erran laughs at me as he holsters his gun.
“Please, go on,” he smirks. “Tell me more. I’ll make you pay for every insolent word, slave.”
I lick my lips. Fuck. I’m back under his control — and I just saw my mate die in front of me while trying to save my life. It hasn’t hit me yet. I’m still running on adrenaline, but it’s fading fast, and being replaced by sheer dread.
The Nezdek Lord promised he’d torture me, and from the gleam in his ghostly white eyes, I understand he’s looking forward to making good on that promise.
I close my eyes and rest my back against the cold, metal wall of the shuttle, trying to block it all out. I concentrate as hard as I can, wishing it all away, but it doesn’t work.
No matter how hard I try, the moment replays in my mind over and over again. Turnon’s frenzied screams. The total devotion in his eyes when he saw me — and then the red blast hitting him square in the chest.
He fell over backwards, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
And now it’s over.
Turnon died for me. My friend, my protector, my mate. The sweetest and sexiest man I’ve ever known. It’s not been long, but I feel like I’ve known him my whole life.
And now he’s gone.
I wish I could join him.
A cold knife is pressed against my throat.
“Open your eyes,” Erran whispers. “I want you to see what I have planned for you.”
“Fuck you,” I growl. “Do it.”
The Nezdek laughs. It’s a horrible, nasal sound that makes my skin crawl.
“You’re not getting off the hook that easily. Not like that Zoran of yours. Tell me, what is it with you human females and those dumb brutes?”
My eyes fly open in a fit of rage.
“Turnon is more of a man than you’ll ever be,” I roar. “You’ll never understand. All you understand is death!”
Lord Erran smirks at me. I’m only giving him what he wants, but I can’t resist. I won’t let him besmirch Turnon’s name. I won’t.
“I understand power,” he says. “And you will learn that.”
The shuttle engine is humming dutifully in the background as we fly up into the air. I look past the Nezdek lord at the dented shuttle door. It’s amazing how strong Turnon is — or was. It looks like an entire construction crew went to work with sledgehammers on that door, but it was nothing more than my Zoran mate and his two fists that caused all that damage. I can still hear his frenzied cries ringing in my ears, screaming my name.
If I make a run for it and fling myself into outer space, will Turnon’s sacrifice have been in vain?
Erran studies the blade in his hand dutifully, like an artist studying his tools. “You know how long we searched for you?” he says absentmindedly. “I was starting to worry we’d have to comb through every cave on this backwater world and sniff you out like a rat. I half expected to find you starved to death, you know. You’re a resourceful little wench.”
Does that mean that the girls are safe? My heart skips a beat at that thought, the only sliver of hope I have left to hold on to — but my alien master crushes my optimism like a bug.
“You’re thinking about the girls, aren’t you?” he laughs. “I see it in your eyes. Don’t worry, we picked them up. You didn’t expect we’d leave our cargo behind, would you? That we’d drop you off without a tracking signal?”
Fuck.
Erran runs his forked tongue up the blade’s length. His ghostly white eyes are filled with desire, like he’s getting off on my despair.
“I’m going to enjoy this, human. You… not so much.”
20
TURNON
“WAKE UP!” Hey, wake up, you savage!”
Every inch of me hurts.
“Where is she, huh? What did you do with her?! Tell me!”
My ears are ringing and my knuckles feel like they’ve been crushed by a mountain — but that’s nothing compared to the burning I feel inside my chest. Every thump of my heart sends out a jolt of pain.
“You ate her didn’t you? I knew it. I knew Zorans couldn’t be trusted. You monster. I’ll cut her out of your belly if I have to!”
I slowly open my eyes, only to see a small, pudgy alien hovering over me. His hair is blonde, and he’s wearing a skin-tight uniform that’s several sizes too small for his figure.
“Ah, so you’re awake! Good! Tell me where she is! Where’s Ava?!”
Ava.
Her name brings back memories. They come rushing back to me like a waterfall. Her smile, her warm laugh, the way her body feels draped around mine… she’s the reason I exist, the reason I draw breath.
Ava!
The ship, the aliens, the fight — I remember. I remember failing, I remember being shot, I remember her being taken from me. I remember dying.
Now I don’t even get the sweet release of death? I have to live with my failure?!
In the blink of an eye I’m back on my feet. I grab the tubby alien by the scruff of his neck and lift him right up. His feet are kicking in the air, his cheeks turning a hot pink.
“Where’s Ava?!” I growl like a wounded animal.
“P-put me down! I w-was asking you th-that!”
“Where did you take her?!”
“I j-just arrived! C-come on, I-I didn’t mean what I said, really! Some of my b-best friends are Z-Zorans! You know K-Kazim? We’re real tight! S-served together and everything!”
My vision is still blurry, my heart working overtime as my broken and bloodied body is forced back into working order. I narrow my eyes and concentrate on the strange alien in front of me.
Slowly, he comes into focus. His skin isn’t ghostly pale — it’s more salmon. His hair isn’t white either, and he’s far from tall and bony.
This isn’t a Nezdek. It’s a human male.
I drop him to the floor and he scrambles to his feet, coughing and wheezing.
“What was that for?” he complains as he wipes his uniform clean. There’s a symbol of a green and blue orb fastened to his chest, with a golden star right above it.
“Who are you?” I growl.
“I could ask you the same thing!”
I glare at the human male, and he snaps to attention.
“C-captain Donovan Ferguson, sir!” he says. “I’m here on a rescue mission to save Ava Payne! Now, if you would be so kind as to tell me where she is, so I can get my just reward…”
“You’re too late.”
I slowly clench and unclench my fists. The skin is torn and bloodied, but my bones aren’t broken. My shoulder and forearms are covered in deep cuts — I’ve lost a lot of blood. The blast to my chest has left my purple skin seared. It could have killed me, but instead, I live to regret my mistakes.
The human gasps. “Too late? Y-you killed her?! You, you… beast!”
He raises his small fists at me.
“I challenge you to a duel, sir! For Ava’s honor!”
I raise one eyebrow and push my shoulders back. His blue eyes travel over my bloodied frame, and with a deep sigh he lowers his hands.
“Oh, what does it matter,” he mumbles. “No sense dying for some dead chick’s honor.”
He sits down on a rock and kicks up dirt. “Just my luck. I figured picking her up would score me some major points, and instead I find a
nother Zoran has beaten me to the punch. I can’t believe I gave up the victory party back on Earth for this — you know the soldiers are drowning in pussy right now, right? And I’m a captain! Do you know what that means? Ah, what I’m saying, of course you don’t. You’re some kind of alien hobo. Oh well, it was worth a shot. If I hurry, I might pick up some leftovers. Better than nothing!”
“Ava’s not dead, you blabbering idiot. The aliens took her.”
Ferguson cocks his head. “She’s not? What aliens?”
“The pale ones.”
“The Nezdek? They came back for her? Well, fuck me sideways. She’s as good as dead then, anyway.”
He rises to his feet, slapping his inner thighs.
“So much for this mission, then. To Earth!”
If this blithering idiot represents mankind, I can see why Ava was attracted to me — I feel dumber for hearing him talk. And if he thinks that my mate would ever fall for someone like him… he’s even dumber than he looks.
The man walks towards his spaceship — his spaceship!
My heart skips a beat when I see it. I’ve been so focused on the man’s drivel, I hadn’t noticed the small spaceship parked in the distance. It’s yellow and blue, with one pod fixed between a set of wings.
“You came here on that thing?!” I growl.
“No, I walked,” the human male says. “Of course I did. Idiot.”
Within three large steps I’ve caught up with the human. I grab his neck, and he screams out like a wounded animal.
“S-sorry! You’re not an idiot! I’m sure you’re the smartest barbarian around, really!”
“We’re finding Ava,” I growl. “Let’s go.”
“What? Are you mad?” he says. “We’d need a whole fleet to take them on! This is just a cruiser, a passenger ship. My personal baby. I like to take her out for a cruise around Saturn. Chicks dig that. Something about those rings that just make their panties drop like that.”
“Stop thinking with your cock or I’ll rip it off,” I growl menacingly. Every second we waste is one where Ava is getting further away from me.