Capturing Carmen

by K. A Knight

  The promise of my death upon my attacker’s lips, and his sour breath against my face, are the last things I remember before blacking out.

  But where am I?

  I refuse to let any panic set in as I school my breathing—not wanting to alert my captors to my consciousness—and take in my surroundings. Cold grass tickles my skin, so I know I’m lying on the ground, and there is the tell-tale sound of soft, rustling of leaves from above me, which informs me that I’m probably not in Lorenthis. Far from it actually. Fires like the one I can smell are not permitted within the walls of Lorenthis, which means…

  I’m in the outlands.

  That bastard from Klan Norj must have joined the Drykken after we decimated his Klan. Anger brews inside me, anger that we—that Kronk—let him live. And for that mercy, I might lose my life.

  Vekk.

  By the conversations and murmurs filtering through my ears, it hasn’t been long since I was taken, a few hours at most. No doubt my Klan is already on the move, already out trying to find me.

  And they will.

  Klan Marix doesn’t know how to fail, the concept is foreign to us. And our mate is no different. No doubt she will have put Kronk and Xal in their place, and insisted she join them to search for me. They would be fools to think she wouldn’t, she is just as much a warrior as we are.

  That thought sends a rush of excitement to my cock, who has yet to realise the predicament we’re in.

  Down, boy.

  “We’ll take them down one by one,” a male with a grumbly voice announces. “Now that their weapons master has been...disarmed, the rest of them should be no problem. Then the human is ours.”

  “Oh, shut up, Hoth. Have you seen how big their leader is? It would take a dozen loaded hitrel to take him down alone.” I recognise this voice as the fucker from Klan Narj, although I liked it much better when he was begging at the sharp end of my narkket.

  “You’re right, Jarl,” another voice chimes in. “One look at your vekked up face should remind the rest of you idiots about the might of Klan Marix. Even one down, they will not be easy to defeat. And now? Now they know we’re coming for them.”

  “Yessss,” Jarl sneers. “And once they’ve been...taken care of, their hot little mate will be all ours.”

  I’ve got to get out of here. I need to warn them. I need to protect my mate. Fury roars through me, and I try to hold it back as my muscles bulge and my horns darken at the mention of my mate.

  Mine!

  “I will vekk her first,” Jarl snarls, “I want her mate over there to watch as I shove my cock in her alien pussy.”

  Before I can suppress it, a growl escapes my lips. I try to move, but my limbs are still unresponsive, the poison still has me in its grasp, even as my mind is whirring and ready to fight.

  “Ohh, look who’s awake! Ready to play?” Jarl cackles, his voice moving closer. I slit my eyes open just as his boot connects with my face. The force jerks my head away from him and blood pools in my mouth. I swallow it, letting it fuel my anger, which is slowly eating through the weakness in my body.

  Vekking ass. He’s going to pay for that.

  “Not so scary now, are you?” Jarl grabs my head, pulling my hair back and forcing me to meet his gaze. “You are nothing. You hear me? Nothing.” He throws my head down and it crashes into a rock, the pain causing my vision to go white for a moment. I feel fresh blood trickle down the side of my head.

  I spit out a mouthful of blood, aiming it at him. “Youuu. Willll. Dieeee,” I croak out. Speaking hurts my throat, but it’s worth it.

  Jarl laughs. “I will. But you’ll go first.” I grunt when he kicks me in the belly. “Come on! Let’s show him what the Drykken are capable of,” he calls out to the other members of his savage group. They rise from their fire and walk towards me where I lie prone on the ground. I swallow hard, sucking in deep breaths, knowing this is going to hurt.

  Then they attack.

  Fists bash in my face and feet kick every part of my body they can reach. My shirt is torn off and claws dig into my skin. The smell of my own blood fills the air as a stinger stabs my chest, yanking a scream from me as liquid fire spreads through my veins. The pain becomes so unbearable that my body can’t take it anymore. I force my mind away, not wanting to lose consciousness, and focus on thoughts of my little mate.

  I don’t know how much time passes when they finally stop. Waves of blinding agony roll through me like a violent storm. But I do not cry out, I don’t beg for my life, because I’m part of Klan Marix.

  We are warriors.

  I will suffer or die the way we live...with pride.

  “String him up!” Jarl’s command is followed by the stomping of feet. Hands wrap around my body and drag me. I’m airborne for a moment before my back comes smashing down onto what feels like a long pole. I try to open my eyes, but they are swollen shut from the beating, jackhammers of pain pounding through my sore head.

  “Vekk off,” I try to shout, my will unbroken though my body is decimated, but my voice falls on deaf ears. My arms are brought above my head and I feel something like rope tied around them. Next, my feet are bound. Another sting in my belly has me bellowing in agony, my voice hoarse as the venom courses through me as if a thousand bakkets are repeatedly stabbing me over and over again.

  I try to stay awake, wanting to fight them with every ounce of blood in my body, but the combination of the venom and the poison is too great. I can feel myself fading. My last thoughts are of my little mate.

  Carmen.

  I have to live through this for her, because if I die, she might not survive.

  34

  Vrid

  Fres’s blood coats my skin, reminding me of what’s to come.

  Battle.

  My hands ball into fists, my claws digging into my palms at the mere thought of fresh blood. My little mate prances beside me, her tiny body decorated in leather and weapons. She’s like a sexy warrior goddess sent from the Great One to defend us all.

  And she’s all ours.

  A growl escapes my lips and Carmen turns to look at me, her eyebrow raised, her green eyes gleaming as if she can sense my naughty thoughts.

  “Later,” she whispers, licking her plump lips. “After my thirst for blood is quenched, my thirst for cock will need tending to.”

  “Vekk,” I groan. I turn away from her, not wanting to be distracted as the wall closes behind us, leaving us outside of the protection of Lorenthis.

  Xal sniffs the air, his eyes darting around on the ground, searching for any evidence to show us the right direction. “There,” he says, pointing to a dark streak in the grass. He kneels down next to it and dips his finger in the liquid, rubbing it between his fingers. “Blood.” He brings it up to his nose. “It’s Ryx’s. They went this way.”

  Xal picks up the pace, jogging through the trees. Carmen follows right behind him and Kronk protects her back.

  “I can smell it too.” Kronk’s voice floats back to me. “It’s getting stronger.”

  “We’re getting close,” Xal agrees. “Through there.” Xal leads us through dense trees. Tall cornifs rise above, their dark black leaves covering our heads. Shorter retlas are dotted between them, their needle-like leaves poking out at all angles, like an odd combination of Earth’s cacti and pine trees.

  Our pace slows so we can weave through them all. The canopy of leaves is so thick, the moons of Oxious aren’t able to shed any light, putting our sweet Carmen at a severe disadvantage. The Totiv have learned that the humans’ eyesight is far less advanced than our own.

  I narrow my eyes and see that she’s holding on to Xal’s tail with her hand, helping to guide her through the dark. That gesture alone is enough to let me know how much he cares about our little mate. He wouldn’t be caught dead doing such a thing...yet here he is. Our tails, though useful, are private. No one touches them publicly, not even our mates.

  We travel for what feels like miles, the puffing of our breathing the only n
oise accompanying the stomping of our feet. I don’t have to see Carmen to know this trip is wearing on her. Her legs are so much shorter than ours, and her lungs so much smaller, unable to bring in as much air as we are.

  “Stop,” I order. My Klan comes to a halt and I pass Kronk to take a look at Carmen. “How are you feeling?”

  “I-I’m fine,” she pants. “Just—a bit—winded.”

  “I have something that will help you heal.” Before she can respond, I lash out my tail and inject her in the belly. She grunts, but the pain of the sting quickly subsides as my healing venom flows through her. I can hear her heartbeat slow, her breathing normalise.

  She stares up at me with a smile on her face. “Coulda warned me, ya know.”

  “No time.” I cup her chin with my hand and rub my thumb across her plump bottom lip, unable to help myself, needing to touch her. Her eyes close and she shivers at the gesture, my own eyes darkening as a wave of her arousal fills the air.

  “Come on, you two,” Kronk encourages. “Ryx is close.” At the sound of our missing member’s name, Carmen stiffens, and her eyes fly open like she’d forgotten for a moment what we’re doing out here. I think I did too, lost in everything that is Carmen, as always. “Let’s go,” Kronk orders.

  I drop her chin and she nods, turning to follow Xal again. Another hour passes, and we finally begin to smell fire and the stink of a Drykken camp. The potent stench makes my stomach churn in disgust. The scents of rotten food, shit, and piss fill the air like smog, polluting our oxygen.

  I don’t know how they stand it.

  Xal puts up a hand, halting us, and creeps forward. “Stay,” he orders, before taking off through the trees. My adrenaline pumps through my veins, the desire to fight, to draw blood, surging inside me. Kronk paces in the small space we’re occupying, unable to stand still as we wait. Carmen bounces from one foot to the next, looking like one of those Earth boxers, ready to strike.

  Xal returns several minutes later, his eyes narrowed in anger at whatever he saw. He might appear in control, but like Kronk, he tends to be more animalistic than Ryx or me. “They are half a kile up there.”

  “How many?” Kronk growls, his voice deadly, his knuckles tightening around the handle of his oprey as he tries to hold himself back.

  “I counted at least twenty.”

  “Any sign of Ryx?” Carmen inquires, her small voice hopeful.

  Xal’s face turns grim. “Yeah, I saw him. Be prepared, little mate. What you are about to see will be difficult.”

  “Tell me, Xal. I need to know what I’m in for,” Carmen orders. She stands up straighter, throws back her shoulders, and meets his gaze head-on. I admire her bravery. She’s perfect for Klan Marix, a true fated mate.

  Xal sighs. “They’ve got him strung up in the middle of their camp. His body is completely covered in blood, bruises. I don’t know how he’s still alive.”

  “But he is...alive. Right?” Carmen presses, her heart rate picking up.

  Xal nods. “Barely.”

  Carmen deflates but quickly pulls herself together, allowing her sorrow to fuel her anger.

  “That’s not all,” Xal informs us. “The base of the pole is surrounded by kindling, dried branches. The perfect mixture for a fire.”

  “Vekk!” Kronk exclaims, tugging at his hair. “We need a plan and we need it now.”

  “I have an idea,” Carmen states. “I—”

  “Before we decide on any plan,” I interject, “there’s something I need to do first.”

  “Do it fast,” Xal growls. “Ryx can’t afford another moment.”

  I nod and turn to my Carmen. “Little mate. Remember how our tails have different uses? For example, mine can give you healing.”

  “Yes, of course. I think I’ve had the umm…pleasure of experiencing all of your tails.” Her gaze heats with her admission.

  “All but one,” I agree, remembering the time we all restrained her with our tails, spreading her body wide for us to enjoy. “Like Xal’s, mine can be tasted.”

  “Okay. And why does that matter now?” she huffs, impatient.

  “Mine can give you strength you’ve never experienced before. It will enhance your muscles, your senses. In essence, you will become Totiv in all but form. I’d like you to drink it.”

  “Fuck yes,” she says, reaching for my tail with no hesitation. I have to suppress a shudder at her touch and focus on conjuring my venom. Finally, a drop of the purple liquid forms at the tip. Carmen brings the tip of my tail to her mouth, closes her eyes, parts her lips, and sucks.

  I almost come in my pants.

  A moment later, her eyes fly open, wide and filled with surging emotions as she drops to her knees before me, my tail flinging behind my back. A soundless cry escapes her lips and a trickle of fear grips my insides.

  I’ve never used this venom on a human before, so I’m not entirely sure how she will react to it, uncertain what to expect. But one thing’s for sure…

  Carmen is changing.

  35

  Carmen

  Agony, pure unfiltered agony races through my blood. I can feel his venom changing me, melding me into something...more. My bones feel like they are snapping and rebuilding, my muscles growing stronger...even my skin feels thicker. Harder. Tougher.

  I gasp audibly, my eyes wide at the power flowing through me. Bliss chases away the pain until I slump forward, catching myself on the ground with my hands. I control my breathing, making sure the change is over, then sit up...only I use a little too much strength and end up thrusting myself into the air. I cry out with a bit of fear and excitement, then land on my feet and fall forward. Vrid catches me, watching me with worried eyes.

  “Carmen?” he calls.

  “I’m okay,” I croak, and then clear my throat, trying again. “I’m okay. Holy dick on a prick, that rush is amazing.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? I didn’t know how it would affect you.”

  I nod, stepping out of his arms, and spin, the movement faster than normal. Laughing, I race at Kronk, feeling like I’m flying because I’m moving so fast. He grunts as he catches me, his eyes darkening as I wiggle in his arms.

  “I caught a wild human, what shall I do with her?” he growls, and I huff.

  “Put her down, she has a plan,” Xal grumbles. Kronk rolls his eyes and lets me go, but only far enough so I touch the ground. I twirl as he pulls me back to his chest, his arms wrapping around me.

  “A plan?” Xal prods when I hesitate, getting lost in Kronk’s touch. It’s all magnified. In fact, even my eyesight and hearing are amplified. I can see the tiny details on the trees far away and hear the mumbled talking of the Drykken.

  “Yes, they want me, right?” I ask, and they all nod. Kronk growls, the sound rumbling through me as his claws dig into my skin without piercing. I pat his arm and carry on, “Let’s give them what they want.”

  They all growl then and I roll my eyes, forcing myself away from Kronk. I prop my hands on my hips and face them down. “Listen up, boys, and listen hard, you were never going to stop me from coming with you. You won’t stop me now. I need partners—a Klan—you said as much. So let’s work like one. You wouldn’t stop Xal from going in there, it shouldn’t be different for me.”

  “But it is—” Vrid starts, and I cut him off with a glare.

  “I wasn't finished, mister. That’s my mate down there. We need to move fast, you said that, so at least listen to my plan before you scold me,” I snap. They all nod eventually, even Kronk.

  “Okay, so we make them think they have me. I’ll stumble into their camp acting all helpless and lost, distracting them. We all know they’ll converge on me. You guys use that time to sneak in, then cut Ryx free and start killing the bastards. I’ll take my bakket with me, for protection,” I explain calmly, though I added a little white lie at the end. I want a piece of the bastards who hurt my mate, but they don’t need to know that yet. They would probably tie me to a tree or some bullshit to stop me i
f they knew what I really had planned.

  “It's not a bad plan,” Vrid admits, scrubbing at his head before he sighs. “Anyone have a better one?”

  “We storm it and kill them all,” Kronk snarls.

  “Good one, they will kill Ryx straight away!” I yell, throwing my hands in the air. “I can do this, you asked me to trust you once, I’m asking you to trust me now. Let’s save our Klan mate.” I search their eyes. “You will all be close by in the surrounding trees. If anything happens to me, you can jump out and kill them.” That seems to settle them a bit.

  “We don’t have time for this, let’s do it.” Xal nods and I grin at him, loving his support.

  “Fine,” Vrid sighs.

  “I hate this,” Kronk grumbles.

  “Let’s get this party started!” I yell, and do a little happy dance. They all watch me and then glance at Vrid.

  “Did that venom make her weird?” Xal deadpans, making me glare again.

  “Asshole,” I snap, and start to stomp past him, but he catches my waist and swings me around. He takes my oprey and hitrel, but leaves me with my bakket.

  “Keep this hidden. We will give a signal once we are in position, then you can commence your plan,” Xal tells me, and waits for me to nod.

  “You distract them, and once Ryx is free, you get the fuck out of there,” Kronk orders.

  “Got it, big guy.” I smile sweetly.

  “Be careful,” Vrid adds, he drops a sweet kiss on my lips on his way past me. Xal copies him, his kiss harder, though, before he tears himself away and stomps off into the woods. Kronk places himself in front of me.

  “Don’t do anything too crazy.” He grins. I grin too, knowing he realises there is more to my plan than what I told them. He grabs my face, yanks me close, and smashes his lips to mine, his fangs cutting my tongue. My blood fills our mouths, making us both groan, and I reach up and hold on to his horn, plastering my body to his.