The storm picked up, turning into one of the worst they had seen. People were tossed sideways, sliding onto the portside then starboard. The bow crashed through mountain-high waves, sending more hapless souls to a watery grave. Just when the passengers had gained their freedom, they were under siege by Mother Nature. And it seemed she intended to take no prisoners.
Chapter 3
Time had no meaning. The bottom of the ocean floor could be so dark in places, so alive in others. Sounds were filtered, and depth perception played with your mind. Arax sat cross-legged on the ocean floor, rocking against the sand, which floated in disturbed clouds that rolled back and forth in small bursts from the tug of the current. Arax was neither warm nor cold. Each breath flowed through his gills. He could feel the current like wet fingers, tugging on his short hair.
Arax waited. Somewhere out there was a tiger shark intent on killing him. The idea was amusing. Rage was a powerful fuel for the sharks while Arax had none. Lately he hadn’t been given the time to think. His new female kept him overwhelmed. For two weeks he had struggled with keeping her alive. His water females didn’t know how to take care of her. Neither did the healer, so Arax kept her with him. Arax soon discovered he wasn’t much better for her than their females. Food was a problem, cleanliness was a problem, safety was exhausting. She was a fighter and the task was daunting but Arax came to realize he needed help. The only way to obtain that help was to break a law and open a portal to Earth and hope a human female had somehow survived to aid him.
The human female Bertha was so helpless. At least he assumed that was the name she’d whispered to him when near death. Day after day her demands wore him down, but he refused her nothing. At first her tears were the only communication he understood. Her speech was gone, replaced by a babbling mess. Her inability to meet any of her own needs kept him in a constant state of panic. She was unable to walk. Objects she held were used clumsily. She was his now. In her new state there was something about her that couldn’t be denied. Her big, green eyes drew him in and held him captive. Never before had any female moved him as much. She needed nothing from him really, nothing except him. Her vulnerability was innocence and helplessness.
She let him hold her and rock her. When tired she demanded his arms around her for comfort. The change of wanting him gone to needing him close was dramatic. He hadn’t been expecting her acceptance of him so quickly, but then again he was all she had. Even now when he sat waiting an attack his thoughts lingered on his precious human female. She was making him daft.
I’m so tired.
When the healer approached him with her memories from their machine Arax was moved to tears. Betrayal the likes never imagined in his world played before him. The monstrosity of human males and females gagged him. Atrocities committed to one so vulnerable was inconceivable in his world. Children were the future. How could one destroy their own future?
The healer was outraged, denouncing humans. Arax couldn’t blame him, but the female wasn’t responsible for another’s actions. The healer agreed she must be kept safe, especially in her state. Arax was adamant he would protect her forever. Or die trying.
What he did now he did for his little female. Within moments Arax knew he had been followed by many, when he was once alone. He wasn’t overly concerned. Crash’s group of sharks were pitiful. There was, however, a greater threat to Arax’s people, a threat that kept him awake at night.
“Well, what do we have here?”
Arax sighed. “Go away, Crash.”
“What is the great water warrior hunting today? What hapless victim do you seek? Surely you won’t risk the wrath of the Castian warriors or Zargonnii who covet humans.”
“I have no intention of harming anything.”
A number of sharks circled Arax. With a single thought a bolt of water lightning formed and sluiced through the water, barely missing Crash, but heating his ass with a sizzle. Crash flipped back. Arax resisted the urge to chuckle. A simple reminder Arax controlled the water, turning the substance into a warrior.
“Parlor tricks,” Crash said and sneered.
“Jealous?” Arax asked, amused.
“Not at all. But I am curious as to what brings us to Earth.”
“I am here for a reason,” Arax said, glancing topside. “You are merely here to annoy me.”
“There is talk of a human female in your castle,” Crash said.
“There is talk you’re uglier than ever. Oh wait, it’s true.”
“Still maintaining a sense of juvenile wit I see.”
“It fits when talking to a juvenile.”
A squealing sound caught both males’ attention. Crash looked up. The underbelly of a massive ship rocked back and forth. Arax scowled at him.
“Hunting, Arax?”
Arax shot another bolt of water. This time he skewered a hammerhead shark’s tail. Crash’s hammerhead bellowed in rage and agony as steam engulfed it.
“Struck a nerve, have we?” Crash asked.
“Seems I’m the only one to strike things,” was Arax’s taunt. Another bolt of water skid across the underside of a great white, leaving a trail of blood. Playtime is over. The huge boat overhead creaked as it turned onto its side. Arax heard Crash’s sinister laugh.
“Are you looking for a human, Arax? By all means we should find one. They are fair game since this portal is illegal. Let’s party, shall we?” Then he slipped under the vessel, and as Arax watched, a rotund human male screamed then quieted as he was snapped in half by the furious great white Arax had injured.
Arax was unconcerned; he didn’t want a human male. When another two humans hit the water Arax took note. Both females floundered. Arax was tempted to grab one, but humans had a distasteful smell when their soul was polluted. These two females reeked. A shark circled the two. Arax didn’t interfere, he wouldn’t bring filth home to his human, she was too vulnerable.
A hammerhead grabbed one of them and swam away. Arax stopped the shark from entering the portal with her. A wave of his hand and the portal door was covered in a three-foot layer of solid ice. Furious, the female was shaken and dropped. With silent menace Arax warned the sharks no polluted humans were allowed into their world. The contamination was already great, they needed no other toxins. He swam away, allowing the sharks their fun as the water filled with dozens of pustules. At least they were occupied. Arax had his own agenda. The scent of a possible female filled his nostrils.
* * * *
Mayhem pulled the hiders from within the boat topside, filling the decks. The woman and her two children ran with Meadow. Amid the chaos they dodged thrown fists while blood and ice made the deck slippery. The bow of the boat hit a wave and a sickening, splintering sound was the only warning anyone had of the vessel’s demise. The wood on deck cracked and rose up, splicing legs and torsos. The bow crumbled, sending the vessel nose first under the water.
The mother of the two children screamed when her son was flung overboard by a crashing wave. The woman dove in after him. Her young girl stood sobbing. There were no lifejackets. Another wave swept the child over and Meadow went in after her. Attempting to save her would be useless, the situation was hopeless, but she couldn’t simply do nothing. Death now or in hours was irrelevant. At least Meadow could offer the child some comfort.
The water was disgusting, brackish and foul. When she surfaced there was no sight of anyone. The heavens pounded the ocean. Soaked through, the bite of cold was painful. Confusion engulfed her; it wasn’t exactly saltwater she tasted. It should have been, but it wasn’t. Something touched her feet, and she screamed and glanced down. An eerie mass of ice slipped under her, gliding beneath then rolling the ship onto its side. Above water the iceberg was dozens of feet from her.
The ocean was freezing. Pins and needles assaulted her flesh. There was no hope for survival, hers or anyone’s, the vessel was sinking. A lump formed in her throat. Finally, she would be reunited with her family. Already her clouding mind began to go blissfully nu
mb. Soon she would warm and she would sleep. It was only a matter of time.
Does death really happen so fast?
She could see more icebergs on either side of her, smaller chunks, bobbing in a hide-and-seek fashion. The water, a mixture of both salt and fresh with foul being the primary taste, was beyond polluted. If death had a flavor, this would be it. Meadow wondered what had happened to all the water creatures. She remembered someone screaming sharks and seeing the massive moving objects. It figured sharks would be the cockroaches of the water world.
Sweet thoughts, but you’re dying—think of happy thoughts.
The urge to sink and get it over with grew stronger. Her natural buoyancy took over when her feet stopped kicking. Overhead the sky snapped and snarled, a rabid animal of the heavens. Rolling, surreal dark clouds billowed in smoky waves. People cried out from all directions.
As Meadow watched, a demon from hell swooped in from the skies and grabbed the mother and her son. The sobbing woman pleaded with the being who appeared to be saving them. The creature swooped low and grabbed another child, the daughter. Meadow felt elated if not confused. The creature, alien-like with human features, held the three easily and possessively. The woman was reunited with both children, but she fainted. The children remained oddly quiet as they stared in horror-filled wonder.
His massive wings hovered over the tips of the rolling waves. He gazed at Meadow for a moment, her mouth gaping in awe, before he offered an expletive. Then he surprised her by speaking to her in English. “I’m sorry, human, my arms are full. Perhaps another will offer you aid.” The wings circled him in a perfect oval shape and the creature was suddenly exploding up into the air. He then vanished.
It wasn’t real.
Screaming to her left made Meadow swivel around. Sharks. As if the humans weren’t terrified enough. The captain floundered for mere seconds before a shark snapped him in half. His scream was cut short as part of him floated downward. Meadow watched wide-eyed and couldn’t breathe, but a small sense of peace filled her. She was neither happy nor sad with the captain’s death. Her humanity had stayed intact after all. A huge hammerhead approached two women and a man clinging together. A black void opened around them. Meadow watched in horror as the three disappeared into hell. The hole closed; all that remained was the shark, and it turned to her. She feared being eaten alive.
Damn, die faster, Meadow, before you’re snapped in half… Yeah, I’ll get right on that.
An awful thought to be sure, but she was serious. Watching as the inevitable approached, Meadow couldn’t move. It was surreal to witness the approach of the Grim Reaper. Water slapped her face and neck. Closer it came. Closer. Without thought Meadow balled a fist and sent a right hook across into the shark’s nose. The shark twisted away and for the life of her Meadow thought she heard the word bitch muttered. She didn’t have time to feel smug in shark-infested waters as a great white joined the hammerhead. Her legs numbing, her fist aching, and her sanity slipping, Meadow gave in to her terror and howled for help.
* * * *
“Oh God, oh my God, help me!”
“I don’t think the sharks are religious. And I know for a fact none are named God.”
Arax had popped his head out of the water and when she saw him she panicked and screamed. Her arms slapped at the water, causing waves to hit Arax in the face. He grew angry; two of Crash’s sharks were closing in, and he had no time for hysterics.
He slipped under the water and came up behind her. This human had a scent that drew him in. He wanted her. Keeping her breathing would be harder this way, but he had an idea. Arax crushed her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, locking her against him. She couldn’t move and he knew she was holding her breath.
“Be still, female. I will allow you to breathe, but you must stop fighting me. If you continue resisting, it makes my helping you harder.”
Arax slipped under the water, taking her with him. It took mere seconds to spirit her away to a safe place. Her efforts to free herself doubled. She was strong, but her terror gave her added strength. When she finally slumped against him Arax turned her in his arms. He created a blanket of bubbles. She could breathe if she chose. Getting her to trust him would take little effort the longer she waited, the second her mouth opened to gasp in air she would understand he spoke the truth. Her frightened gaze locked with his. She had beautiful eyes. Her long hair flowed around them both.
She was small and thin. Her muscles were defined, he could feel them under her clothing. Humans wore so much clothing to ward off the cold above. Then again, the water by her standards would be freezing, not that she had any choice of swimming as the vessel capsized. Tiny waves developed as she shivered against him. He pulled her closer, trying to offer her warmth. She was half-dead, but he couldn’t risk putting another human in the healing chamber, the effects were too disastrous. He needed this female to aid his own.
“Breathe, female. You can trust me, you are safe with me.” Arax was pleased he had learned English. Without the aid of the mind-altering Gorgano the female would never understand his language, and even then it would prove difficult. Unfortunately, the Gorgano were enemies.
The female shook her head, her eyes pleading. Arax continued to hold her, knowing any second she would either be unconscious or she would take a breath. She took a breath. The surprise on her face made him smile.
“Trust me, little starfish. I won’t let the sharks hurt you. I won’t let you drown. Look around. Where else can you go?”
Arax had taken her lower into the water. The sharks hated icy water, deep below the surface was too cold for them, but they were tempted enough to play with the humans closer to the surface. Arax was protected from the frigid temperatures by his skin. He could protect the female from freezing to death as well with her pressed so closely to his body.
He had witnessed the dark winged warriors in the skies. For a moment he wondered if the shuttle his human female had been in had found its way home to Zargonnii territory through a portal. The vessels were programmed to return. The idea terrified him briefly. The Zargonnii had set Bertha off on her own trying to save her. She belonged to Arax now, and he wouldn’t hand her over.
The war between the Gorgano, Castians, Zargonnii, and rogue Tonans kept the alternate universe busy. Perhaps there was a lull in the fighting. If so Arax was lucky to get his hands on the female he now held. There were no toxins radiating from this female, her soul was clean, but her fear was palpable.
“Who are you?” the female asked. Her tone was dreamy in quality, and he knew she would lose consciousness soon. The muffled sound of her voice was also filled with anxiety. Fear could kill a human. Arax wanted this one alive.
“My name is Arax. Don’t be afraid. What’s your name?”
“Meadow.”
“Close your eyes, Meadow. You will be safe and warm soon, I promise.”
Arax wasn’t certain if she simply complied or if she fainted. When he looked up he could see the sharks gathering. It was time to go home. In his arms lay the answer to his problem with his human female. Earth was dead. Bertha’s transformation was his mistake, and she would die without him. The female he now held was young but a grown woman. Meadow would be perfect for his needs, and his female’s needs. She would do everything Arax told her to do. Besides, he had infuriated Crash, leader of the shark people, and his men by getting the upper hand. Another battle with the enemy while they warred, won. Today had been a good day after all.
For a moment Arax felt a sense of loss as a few human bodies drifted lower. Some were already dead, perhaps all of them were—no one moved and he sensed nothing. Can you freeze a soul? He hadn’t created the storm, but he had inadvertently brought the sharks. Scowling, he felt anger build. The council would have been quick to damn Arax if the female Bethany had died in his care after he stole her from Finn the Zargonnii warrior. Now here was Crash and his horde destroying humans at will. Crash had no council watching his every move. It was unfair.
Crash should be the one to suffer the consequences.
The ice covering the portal melted with a thought. Using a vindictive wave of his hand, Arax closed the portal he’d created. Floating in water, trapped on the other side, he saw Crash’s enraged face glaring at him through what appeared to be a sheet of glass.
“Cool your fins, shark,” Arax spat. “I’ll set you free sooner or later.”
Crash smashed his nose against the portal. Arax didn’t laugh at his fury. Arax wasn’t happy and he wasn’t smug. If Crash would only listen. There was a deeper danger to the people of their world. Perhaps cooling his fins in foul water would make him more receptive to communication.
Chapter 4
Meadow’s eyelashes fluttered. When she lifted her heavy lids she saw she was in a room on a large, soft bed. The vaulted ceiling above was high, with a massive fountain flowing freely near a wide window. Blue skies from beyond made her want to cry. It had been so long since she had seen breathtaking blue. The walls in the room were soft greenish blue, a dazzling color. Splendor run amok. A spoiled, pampered person lived here.
A touch of dizziness invaded her senses as she moved into a sitting position. A strange man-creature came into view. Bleary-eyed, she tried to rub what she thought too strange an image from her mind, but the image was real. This was the man-fish who had saved her from the sharks. Her frozen mind hadn’t dredged him up.
He was tall and broad, his skin grayish, his white, short hair spiked. Meadow had never seen such beautiful blue eyes. Their clear ocean depths gazed back at her. His fingers and toes were webbed with the baby finger seemingly fused to the one beside it. She thought at first he was nude but on closer inspection the shorts he wore were the same color as his flesh. The outline of a huge cock pressed against the material.
In His Alien Hands Page 3