She traced lower, her fingers grazing the top of his weapons belt. He was defenceless against her, all his weapons there for her to take and kill him if she wanted to.
But Melody didn’t want to harm him. He’d helped her, and it was time to return the favor. She ran her fingers down the light ladder of hair that disappeared below Lazet’s waistband.
Lazet grumbled and let out a sigh, and as Melody raised her eyes to his, she saw he was watching her.
***
The sensual stroking of Melody’s fingers on Lazet’s stomach had broken him from his unconsciousness. He’d watched her for a moment as she explored his muscles and felt himself harden as her fingers traced lower. How far was she going to go?
Melody sat back on her heels, her hands in her lap, and her cheeks bright red. “You’re awake.”
“So it would seem,” said Lazet, “and you’re still here.”
Melody shrugged. “I was going to kill you, but I figured you did me a favor by saving me from that wolf. Couldn’t exactly leave you to die.”
“Three wolves.” Lazet sat up slowly and tested his arm. It ached, and it wouldn’t take any harsh treatment for a few days, but the worst of the pain was over. “Did you enjoy your exploration?”
Melody glared at Lazet. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You were taking advantage of an unconscious alien. There must be something in the Intergalactic Treaty that says that’s illegal.”
“I wasn’t taking advantage,” said Melody. “I was checking your injuries, not that I should have bothered.” She rose to her feet.
Lazet grabbed Melody’s hand and pulled her back down. “I liked it. You can keep going if you want to.”
Melody yanked her hand away. “I don’t.”
Lazet grinned, but his grin faded as he studied her. Despite just having fought off an enormous wolf, and being bitten, she was still there, still supporting him. She was quite a female.
“I’ll always help you if you need it,” said Lazet. “I know you never ask, but you will not die at the hands of the Fraken. Not in this game. You’re safe with me.”
“You’re going to kill me by your own hand,” said Melody. “That doesn’t seem safe to me.”
Lazet shook his head. “It won’t be like that; there won’t be any killing. Neither of us will die.”
“What do you mean?” asked Melody. “I know something else is going on here. Why aren’t you taking part in the Fraken game like you should? You said you wouldn’t kill me. Why not?”
“Because of loyalty,” said Lazet after a pause. “You’ve seen a Fraken game before?”
“That’s right,” said Melody. “I sometimes showed them in the bar.”
“So, you’ve heard of the Vorten warrior, Axen?”
Melody raised her eyebrows. “Of course! He’s the best Vorten warrior there is.”
Lazet snorted but then shrugged. “He’s okay.”
“Okay! I saw him take down three dragon hybrids, two of those without weapons. That Vorten is a legend across this galaxy.”
Lazet supressed a smile, knowing how embarrassed Axen would be to hear that. “Like I said, he does okay.”
“And you’re friends with him?”
“More than friends,” said Lazet, “we’re warrior brothers. The bonds run deeper than blood. We were bound together when I joined his elite warrior squad.”
“And he told you not to kill me?”
“That’s right,” said Lazet.
“I’m of no value to him,” said Melody. “Unless he wants to get his hands on illegal liquor, I’ve got no special skills.”
“Axen’s not interested in obtaining you so you can do something for him,” said Lazet. “For him, this runs much deeper. He’s not a fan of the Fraken.”
“But you’re allies. The Fraken are always boasting about their strong Vorten warriors.”
“They can boast all they like, but we don’t belong to them,” said Lazet.
“From the comms they put out, it suggests otherwise. People on Earth assume Vortens are controlled by the Fraken.”
“They can control us in certain ways.” Lazet pointed at the shock collar around his neck.
“I’ve seen those on all the gaming warriors,” said Melody. “How do they control you?”
“They help to keep us in line.” Lazet gave Melody a wry smile. “Fraken use them to summon us to communication points around the games. They do it when they want a progress report on what’s happening or to give us new instructions about what to do with prey.”
“Is that where you’ve been?” asked Melody. “When I woke up, you weren’t here.”
“That’s right,” said Lazet. “I got a summons. They shock us to get our attention.”
“Wait! That collar shocks you?” Melody reached up and traced a finger over it.
“It can’t kill, but it stings like an Andalusian hornet.”
“Can you take it off?”
“No chance,” said Lazet, enjoying seeing the concern for him in Melody’s eyes. “We have to wear them the whole time we’re warriors in these games.”
“And you serve for five years, don’t you?”
“Yes. And Axen is almost at the end of his time. But he doesn’t want to serve out the rest of his sentence under the Fraken. He wants to change things, which is why you get to live.”
“If I meet this Axen, I’ll make sure to thank him for making that decision.” Melody dropped her hand.
“You’ll meet him,” said Lazet. “He said not to kill you. I expect he’ll want to meet you as well.”
“He’s going to get us out of here?”
“He has a plan. I have no idea what it is,” said Lazet. “But I trust him. He’s my leader, and what he says goes.”
“Don’t you have some Elder Council who tells you what to do?”
Lazet nodded, impressed by Melody’s knowledge. “They are ancient Vorten, who have lived many of your Earth years, acquiring knowledge along the way.”
“And they put you in these games?”
“In a way. They decided their warriors should be moved from the Vortex and take part in this, instead.”
“But you don’t seem to like it,” said Melody. “So, why do it?”
“Because we do what our Elders tell us,” said Lazet. “Isn’t it the same on your Earth?”
Melody shook her head. “There’s no permanent police force on Earth anymore. No order. People do what they like.”
“It’s the opposite for us,” said Lazet. “If we disobey the Elders, we face death.”
“So, what your friend, Axen, is doing could get him killed for going against orders?” Melody’s eyes widened. “Could get us killed as well.”
“It could,” said Lazet. “But he knows what he’s doing. He won’t let us down.”
“You really think he can get us out of this?”
Lazet leaned towards Melody, his mouth close to her ear. “I know because he’s gotten out of the game himself.”
Chapter 12
Melody sat back, a tingle running down her spine. “Axen was the last Vorten in the games?”
“He was,” said Lazet. “And don’t ask me how he did it, but he didn’t come back when it ended.”
“Maybe he was killed,” said Melody.
“You’ve seen Axen in battle,” said Lazet. “He’s invincible. Besides, I’ve talked to him, and he’s alive.”
A huge smile broke out on Melody’s face and her cheeks glowed. “This is amazing news.”
“I think so.” Lazet returned her smile.
“No, I mean for us, the women I was in the cell with. He’d have had Eloise Harper as his prey.”
“You know the human prey Axen was fighting?”
“Yes! She was with me on the Capella when it was attacked, and we were taken by the Fraken.”
Lazet sat forward. “And she was the last prey taken into the games?”
“She was.” Melody grabbed hold of Lazet’s hands. “S
o that means she’s still alive!”
“What does your friend look like?”
“Short, slim, with dark hair.”
“Is she attractive?”
Melody frowned. “I think so. Why do you want to know what she looks like?”
“I’ve seen her,” said Lazet. “I had a comms with Axen after he got out of the game. He had a human female with him and said her name was Eloise.”
“Eloise is still alive.” Melody grabbed hold of Lazet’s face and kissed him on the mouth. “That’s the best news I’ve ever heard.”
Lazet grinned at her. “Even better than the news that we’re both getting out of this game alive?”
Melody laughed. “It’s as good. I can’t believe it. When we were trapped in the Fraken cell, we didn’t have any hope of getting out. I tried to talk the other women into fighting back, and one of them, Sonia, attempted to escape, but the Fraken cut her down. They blasted her with one of their sticks and then cut her throat.”
Lazet winced. “They care nothing for their prey.”
Melody shuddered. “It was brutal. She only wanted her freedom.”
“Well, Axen has big changes for these games. I wish I had more details to tell you, but he’s keeping us all in the dark. It’s better that way. If the Fraken use their truth serums on us, we could reveal something important. He’s keeping things secret to keep us as safe as possible and make sure he has the biggest chance of success.”
“So, what do we do now?” Melody tapped her fingers on her leg. “How do we get out?”
“It’s a good question,” said Lazet, “and right now, I have no clue. But I know we need to get out of this cave. The Fraken will be looking for us, and they’ll want to see if their wolves were successful.”
“They’re going to be disappointed.” Melody looked at the bodies of the wolves.
“But before we go, we need to treat your injury.” Lazet carefully turned over Melody’s blistered palm. “That hand looks painful.”
“I’ve already used the Healing Stick on it,” said Melody. “But it was running low. I used most of it on you. The bite on your arm was much worse than my hand.”
Lazet frowned as he inspected Melody’s arm. It was a deep bite, but clean enough. He replaced the Medi-patch dressing. “It will do for now, but I want to keep checking your injury. At the first sign of infection, I’m going to pump all the Healing Stick into you. If you die from infection in here, I will have failed Axen.”
Melody grinned at him. “Neither of us are going to die in these games. I can almost smell freedom.”
Lazet smiled. “It could be some way off yet. Let’s get walking and find another safe place.”
“That might be a problem.”
“You’re too injured to walk?”
Melody shook her head. “Where are my clothes? I can hardly go prancing about in the snow in just this cover.”
“I like that look.”
Melody glowered at Lazet. “My clothes, wise guy.”
“I dried them for you.” Lazet pulled her clothes from his bag. “Everything was filthy after your bath in the swamp, and you stank.”
Melody grabbed her clothes, pulled them on, and then jumped to her feet. Nothing Lazet could say would dampen her good mood. “Let’s get out of these games.”
***
They’d been walking for two hours through the snow, and despite Lazet asking Melody if she wanted to stop several times, she always said no.
But he wanted her to rest. The attack from the wolves must have been a shock, and the bite on her hand was deep.
“We rest here,” he said as he dumped his pack on the ground. The area was sheltered, surrounded by thick bushes with a good tree covering. The Fraken would struggle to see them in here.
“I don’t need to.”
“But I do,” said Lazet. “I might be one of the most amazing Vorten warriors you’ve ever met, but I was savaged by a wolf saving your life. I need rest and food.”
“Oh, of course.” Melody grinned at him. “And there I was, thinking you were invincible.”
“I am when I don’t have to protect the back of a vulnerable human woman all the time.”
Melody swung a punch at him, which he easily dodged. “There’s nothing vulnerable about me.”
Lazet smiled as he watched her unpack her bag. No, there really wasn’t anything vulnerable about Melody.
“So, tell me about the Vorten.” Melody made a clean space on the ground, free of snow and branches, before sitting.
Lazet joined her. “What do you need to know?”
“How did you get to be so close to the Fraken?”
Lazet shrugged. He hated talking about this part of Vorten history. “I don’t remember the details.”
“But you must,” said Melody. “It’s affecting your whole life, probably your whole planet.”
“The Elders decided upon it,” said Lazet. “And what they say goes.”
“But why? What do the Fraken have over the Vorten that means you have to put your elite warriors into these stupid games?”
“I’ve told you before, we don’t question the decisions of our Elders. They have many years of study and experience. They are much wiser than warriors.”
“And you always do what they tell you?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Lazet occasionally walked a thin line when it came to orders, but he never directly disobeyed them.
“Because they’re wrong when it comes to your involvement with the Fraken,” said Melody. “These games are bad for you.”
“Someone has to take part in them,” said Lazet.
“Nobody should,” said Melody.
Lazet agreed with her. The joy he felt in battle was not the same as the games provided. “Our connection to the Fraken has something to do with an antidote they gave us. It was long before my time, during the first Vorten battle in the stars. We hadn’t encountered many other alien races. One planet we explored had some sort of virus on it. It struck down many of the warriors.”
“A lot of you died?”
“Many did,” said Lazet, “and those who survived were weakened, no longer able to be the warriors they were supposed to be.”
“Let me guess; the Fraken came to your rescue.”
Lazet nodded. “They provided the treatment. They saved our race.”
“And now they’re using you for their entertainment.” Melody shook her head. “It doesn’t seem fair.”
“It isn’t,” said Lazet. “It’s a different life from my time at the Vortex.”
“You used to defend the Vortex?” asked Melody.
“I did.”
“And you don’t want to go back to doing that?”
“I’ll be back there one day,” said Lazet. “But I have to serve my time in the games, first.”
Melody tapped Lazet on the knee. “But you’ve been through the Vortex?”
“I have.”
“What’s it like?”
“It’s like all of space,” said Lazet, “mainly dark, with the occasional planet and blobs of color.”
“Don’t tease me,” said Melody. “This is my first time in space.”
“And has being at the mercy of the Fraken put you off returning and exploring more of what space has to offer?”
Melody let out a sigh. “I’m not sure. I never expected this, though.”
“You’ll go to Earth, once you’re out of the game?” Lazet felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of sending Melody back. There was so much fun to be had in space, and for the first time, he realized it would be good to share that with someone.
“I’m not sure where home is anymore,” said Melody. “I can’t go back to work. It’s too dangerous there. If the radiation doesn’t get you, then the gangs of half-crazed uncontrollable thugs who roam the streets at night will.”
“You’re looking for a new home?”
Melody looked at him through lowered lashes. “Maybe we could get a house together on Vorten?”
Lazet smiled. “I don’t have anywhere to live on my home planet. I’ve been in the stars so long, they’re my home now.”
“I never saw myself as a space traveler,” said Melody. “When did the Vorten first venture into the stars?”
“Many thousands of your Earth years ago.”
Melody smiled. “And all we managed to do is get to the Moon a few times, fail at colonizing Mars, and send a few satellites into deep space. You must think we’re pathetic.”
“We all had to learn how to conquer the stars. Your space travel technologies are primitive,” said Lazet. “But you’re learning how to use it, now.”
“Mainly thanks to the Deorg,” said Melody. “Do you know anything about them?”
Lazet nodded. “They’re close allies of ours, in more ways than one.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning you ask too many questions.”
“Just one more,” said Melody.
Lazet sighed, but he enjoyed Melody’s persistence. She just kept digging until she found what she needed.
“We’ve got nothing else to do,” said Melody. “Just one story about your first trip to the stars. I’m interested.”
“It wasn’t so much a trip, but a battle.” Lazet eased back onto his elbows, being careful not to aggravate his shoulder wound. “We were fighting a parasitic race, called the Mantee. They’re an aggressive race, who land on planets, steal water and resources, and leave. Anyone who stopped them from doing that was killed.”
“Sound like the Fraken.”
“Not dissimilar,” said Lazet. “We were called into battle against the Mantee by the Intergalactic Council, and we used the Vortex to get us to battle ready positions swiftly.”
“We had no clue the Vortex even existed until the Intergalactic Council told us,” said Melody.
“It messes with your head when you first find out,” said Lazet. “Before Vortens had space travel, we were so confident of our place in the galaxy. Then everything changed, and we had to accept we weren’t the only race. We had to learn negotiation and cooperation skills quickly.”
“It took everyone on Earth by surprise.” Melody leaned back on her elbows as well, and Lazet struggled not to admire her figure. “Just imagine if we’d been the first to discover the Vortex.”
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