by ML Guida
“Are you okay?” Tash’s voice was filled with concern.
“No, I think I’m going…to pass out.”
He put his hand on her back. “Put your head between your knees and inhale and exhale.”
She numbly allowed him to do this.
“Breathe in.” His calming voice penetrated the panic threatening to turn her into the Invisible Woman.
Scarlett forced herself to take a deep breath.
“Now, exhale.” He rubbed her back that eased the terror in her. Not even her own mother had shown her such tenderness.
He was a big bear and a kidnapper, but he believed in her abilities.
She released the pent air.
“Take another deep breath.”
She filled her tight lungs.
“Now, hold for five seconds. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Exhale.”
She whooshed out the air.
The dizziness spinning around her vision faded.
“I’m feeling better,” she mumbled, her voice still tiny and scared.
“Good. Do you think you can sit up?”
“Yes.” But she ignored her unsteady heart.
He stopped caressing her back. Emptiness swelled in her gut. It had been so long since anyone except for Willow had shown her any tenderness.
She slowly sat up, and he moved away from her.
“Your color’s still a little ashen. Would you like something to drink?”
She pushed her hair behind her ears. “My throat is a little dry. What do you have to drink?”
“For humans, we have water, sparkling water, pop, wine, and beer.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “You do? Really?”
“My brother’s mate had us reprogram our synthesizers to accommodate your tastes. She’s a brilliant scientist.”
Scarlett held up her hand. “Wait a minute. Are you saying that your brother married to a woman from Earth?”
“Not married––mated.”
She frowned. “What’s a mate?”
“Our Gods, the Shades, choose who our mates will be.”
“So, you don’t get to choose who you want to be with? That’s terrible.”
He stiffened. “We’re actually fated to be together. It’s destiny.”
“Why do you need Earth women? Don’t you have women on your planet?”
Sorrow filled his eyes. “We did.”
“What do you mean that you did? Are all the women dead?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Our enemies, the Kamtrinians, poisoned our water supply on Aria and this poison only effected the women. The poison prevented the women from absorbing water or any other liquid, and they died from dehydration. We lost almost half of our women, mostly the old and the young.”
Scarlett put her hand on her chest. “That’s horrible. Why didn’t the poison effect the men?”
“The Kamtrinians like to torture their enemies slowly.” The bitterness in his voice tugged at her heart strings.
“I’m so sorry, Tash.”
He gave her a little smile. “Thank you.” He held out his hand. “You still look flushed. Let me take you to get some refreshment.” He gestured toward Willow who stood in the doorway intently. “What does your cat eat?”
“Willow eats mostly fish. I doubt you have anything like that. She’ll also need a litter box.”
He scratched his chin. “What’s a litter box?”
“It’s a box where she can relieve herself. Unless you want her peeing in your quarters.”
He wrinkled his nose. “No, I don’t. What exactly goes in a litter box?”
She folded her arms and lifted an eyebrow. “Granulated clay.”
“I’ll have my brother make-up a litter box.”
He pulled out his telicator. “Tash to Vaughn.”
“Vaughn, here.”
Merriment flashed in Tash’s eyes. “I need you to make-up a litter box for my quarters.”
“Excuse me? What’s a litter box?”
“I suggest you look it up. And, oh, don’t let the cat out of my quarters. Tash, out.”
Tash smiled as if he were the one that ate the canary.
She blinked. “He can do that?”
He winked. “Yes, I just ordered him to. As far as food, we have meat and seafood that are similar to Earth’s.” He grinned. “Shall we?”
“Yes.” She shyly took his large, rough hand. Her small one seemed to disappear in his.
When he smiled, the deep, tight lines around his eyes and mouth disappeared. Besides his father risking the death penalty, Scarlett bet he’d suffered some kind of tragedy. His anger blocked her from reading his mind, but she sensed there was another reason. Maybe it had to do with him being a space bear.
He led her out of the bathroom and toward a blank wall. She looked at him questioningly.
“Door open.”
Just like with the bathroom earlier, the door slid open as if by magic. Willow ran in between her legs and rushed out the door.
She released Tash’s gentle grip. “Willow, no.” Her heart beat wildly, and she ran after the cat.
But Willow darted in between men and women walking in the sleek hallway.
“What is that?” a woman cried out.
Someone else growled.
“I’ll get her.” Tash darted in the direction Willow had gone with Scarlett right on his heels.
Yowwwll! Willow sounded terrified.
Scarlett’s heart clenched. Tears pressed against the back of her eyes. “Please, don’t hurt her.” She scooted in between the men and women crew members. The women were at least twice her size and would make even Thor hesitate to tangle with them.
Her gut tossed into a wheeling tumbleweed. What if one of these things killed Willow? She was the only thing in the world that loved her unconditionally.
Tash lopped back to her, carrying a squirming Willow underneath his arms. “She’s quite the fighter.”
Blood dripped down from scratches on his hands.
“Oh, Tash. I’m so sorry. Please, don’t hurt her. She’s just scared.” She reached her trembling arms for her cat.
“I would never hurt her.” He immediately handed her Willow.
Scarlett held Willow close to her chest and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you,” she managed to say between her blurry tears.
Tash could have ripped Willow to pieces, but instead, he brought her back in one piece. It was something she would never forget.
He gestured with her arm. “I think Willow would be safer back in my quarters.”
“I agree.” She stroked Willow’s head. “You’ll be safe, baby. I promise.”
She avoided looking at the curious looks thrown her way from the men and women walking in the hallway. Their thoughts only strung out her nerves even further.
She looked at the crewmen then at Tash. They wore uniforms just like on Star Trek. The Intrepid crewmen wore simple black pants and blue shirts with some kind of symbol embroidered on the right side. Except for the Tash’s. His shirt was red and had stripes underneath the symbol.
What is that thing?
Such a puny thing. I could eat it in two bites.
That’s the psychic? You’re kidding.
The doors opened into Tash’s quarters. Scarlett’s gut tensed and the hairs on her arms stood straight up. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake by leaving her cat alone. “Go on, Willow. I’ll be back. I promise.”
Willow hopped inside, but she whirled around, her tail straight up. She sat on her haunches and looked at her with those big blue eyes that seemed to say–liar.
“Doors close.” Tash muttered behind Scarlett.
The doors shut, but this time, Willow didn’t dart out. She seemed to have had her fill of bears––for now.
Scarlett’s stomach growled and she winced.
Tash gently clasped Scarlett’s elbow. “This way, Scarlett.”
Scarlett glanced into his determined eyes and nodded.
She followed dut
ifully behind him, glaring at his broad back. Nothing like being treated like a cave woman. She was surprised he wasn’t dragging her by her hair. Just call her Pebbles.
He escorted her down an extremely sleek hallway that had no visible doors. Maybe only Arians saw them. He stopped in front of wall and she immediately got whiff of barbecue.
“Door open,” he said.
Like magic, the wall moved, revealing a busy cafeteria with the most delectable smells. Her mouth watered and her stomach whined to take a taste. A kitchen filled with chefs, roasting, barbecuing, and frying meat, caught her attention. Just like in any college dorm, men and women stood in line patiently, waiting for their large plates to be filled. They told the cooks their preferences or scooped up what they wanted.
Except the food wasn’t anything Scarlett had ever seen. Fried purple and black strips filled one large pan. She thought they were vegetables, but wasn’t sure. Another bin had brown and white bread that was in the shape of mini-starships, or at least she thought the things were baked goods.
“Our cafeteria. Unlike the synthesizers in other ships, we have real cooks.” He led her inside and she could hear the pride in his voice.
Men and women stopped eating and stood at attention. Respect and admiration flickered in their eyes.
He waved his hand. “At ease.”
Scarlett turned her attention back to the food. “That smells like beef or pork. Wait a minute––it smells like garlic and sausage. Is that pizza?”
He smiled. “Actually it is. Vaughn’s mate showed the cooks how to make pizza and my crew loves it. We have pizza every Friday. Except the sausage isn’t made from pork. It’s made from merops.” He held up his hand. “Merops are more like your cows on Earth, but they’re green with six legs and have two heads. It’s a little gamer than your beef.”
She studied the gooey pie dripping with what looked like mozzarella cheese. She didn’t even bother asking what type of cheese it was. “Does the pizza taste good?”
He shrugged. “We think so.”
One slice was twice as big as an individual pizza, but it did smell delicious. It had to good right? A woman invented the recipe. “Okay, I’ll try a slice.”
He held up his finger to the female cook. “One slice of pizza for the lady and three for me.”
She nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
The slice barely fit on Scarlett’s plate and Tash had to get two extra plates for his. The aroma made her mouth water and her stomach growl. “This does smell delicious. Italian food is my favorite.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” he said softly.
His voice sent warm tingles and she lowered her gaze. Not many men had ever cared about what her favorite food had been.
Tash led her to a small table just for two that was near a window. Goosebumps slid on the back of her neck. She sucked in her breath and gripped her plate tightly as if to hang on for dear life. Stars glittered, big and small planets rotated on their axes, and suns burned brightly.
Tash pulled out a chair for her and then took her plate from her trembling hands. “Space is beautiful, isn’t it?”
Scarlett found her words. “I’ve never seen anything like that. TV doesn’t do it justice.”
He clasped her arm and led her to the chair. He leaned close, his spicy, cinnamon scent sent shivers down her back. “Here, sit down, before you fall down.”
She glanced up at him to see if he were angry, but only gazed into warm green eyes. “Thank you.”
He sat opposite of her and picked up a knife and fork. He sliced into one of the thick slices, dripping with cheese. “I’d like to ask you more about your visions.”
She turned away from the window and frowned. “What about them?” Iciness crept into her voice.
“How many times have you tried to control them?” He swallowed the piece of pizza and dabbed his lips with a napkin.
She shrugged. “I’ve tried to stop them. I have taken all kinds of different medications, but none of them work.” Her stomach growled, and she gave into temptation and took a bite. Her eyes widened at the creamy cheese and spicy sausage. She gobbled two more bites.
“Do you like it?”
“Actually, I do. It’s a little chewy like Rocky Mountain Oysters, but beefy.”
He raised his eyebrow. “What are Rocky Mountain Oysters?”
“They are steer testicles that have been deep fried.”
His mouth dropped and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He actually turned white.
She laughed and covered her mouth.
“And humans eat testicles?”
“We don’t call them testicles, but yes, we eat Rocky Mountain Oysters. Not everyone likes them. It’s a preferred taste.”
“But you like them?”
“Yes, I do.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think I would like those.”
“You can’t say that until you’ve tried them.”
“Maybe one of these days I’ll try them. But only for you.”
She had strong awareness of her own heartbeat and the steady pulse in her neck at his soft voice. Her laughter died, and she stared at him intently. He didn’t falter from her gaze. She was the first one to turn away and try to eat her food.
No man had ever said such things to her. Most men either feared or rejected her because of her visions. But not Tash.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
She looked up. “Yes, I did. I loved the pizza.”
“I wasn’t talking about the pizza. I was asking about your visions.”
She grimaced. “Oh, that.”
“You don’t like to talk about your visions, do you?”
“No, I don’t. People look at me as if I have freak stamped across my forehead. I told my sister I saw a spaceship, and she looked at me as if I had lost my gourd.”
“I don’t.”
But she didn’t tell him that being abducted by an alien––even a handsome one––put every one of her nerves on edge. Instead, she smiled sweetly. “No, you don’t. Why is that?”
“We don’t have magical people on Aria.”
“Magical? I don’t think so. I’m not a witch and I don’t ride on a broomstick.” She studied him. “You’re different. You don’t seem to fear what you don’t understand.”
“That’s a curious statement, but no, we don’t. We’ve learned that the universe is comprised of many different beings that are unlike ourselves, but we embrace those dissimilarities and have even developed alliances with people different than ourselves.”
She put her silverware down. “That’s refreshing. We’re not even close to that on Earth.”
“Earth is still a primitive species and have not reached the Age of Enlightenment yet, but you will. Otherwise, we would not be able to mate.”
She bristled. “I don’t think we’re primitive.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. It took Arians centuries before we reached the Age of Enlightenment. Humans will get there as well. You already possess the traits of mercy and forgiveness.”
“Are you saying that primitive people don’t possess those traits? Are they living in caves and carrying clubs?”
“No. Primitive does not necessarily equal cavemen as Earth would think. It also is based on technology.”
“Well, you definitely have us beat on that,” she admitted reluctantly. “So, have all aliens reached the Age of Enlightenment and accept other species’ differences?”
He stirred his meat around in his plate. “Sadly, no. The Kamtrinians want to alienate all planets. They’re conquerors and devourers. They steal all the natural resources from a planet and destroy or enslave the habitants. The United Planet Confederation is the only thing that keeps them from complete domination.”
Scarlett shuddered. “How horrible. Have they…have they ever tried to come to Earth?”
“Unfortunately, yes. The Zalarians paid a deathly price protecting your planet.”
The same dreaded t
ingles whooshed over Scarlett, blocking out Tash’s voice and the sounds of people talking, silverware clanging, and pots banging. His face disappeared and the yummy smells of the cafeteria dissipated….
She wasn’t on the spaceship, but on a planet similar to Earth. She stood in the middle of a sidewalk. Cold drizzled through her, turning her limbs numb. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t talk. She couldn’t breathe. Two suns were high up in the sky instead of one. Rather than birds, dragons flew high overhead.
Dragons, freaking dragons!
Men and women walked around on a busy cobblestone street without a care in the world. As if flying dragons was an every-day sight. Glass buildings and brick buildings rose high into the sky. A three-turret castle loomed in the distance. It was as if Star Trek had met Lord of the Rings.
A ringing sang in her ears. Above in the sky, a missile screamed then exploded. A multicolored gas descended onto the ground like fairy dust, but Scarlett couldn’t detect a scent.
The women cried out and one-by-one they turned to ash, falling to the sidewalk or blowing into the wind. It happened so fast Scarlett didn’t know what was happening.
“Nononononono!” Some men wailed.
Others picked up the ash that slipped through their fingers. Their faces were crestfallen.
Still others had tears in their eyes and others wept bitterly.
The dragons swooped down from the sky and shifted into men who rubbed their eyes as if in disbelief.
Then, Scarlett knew. The women were dead. All of them. The young, the old. No woman was spared.
Grief slammed into her. She could feel the men’s heavy hearts that crushed her chest, and a lump rose in her throat, hoping this was a dream, a nightmare.
Suddenly, she was shoved back into her body and her head snapped back. She gripped the arms of the chair.
“Scarlett, Scarlett, can you hear me?” A concerned male voice pierced the fuzziness in her brain.
Tash’s handsome face flashed in front of her eyes. He was kneeling in front of her, holding one of her hands. She hadn’t just been squeezing the armrest, she’d been clutching his hand for dear life.
But Tash wasn’t alone. He had a crowd behind him of men and women who stared at her with curious gazes.
She gulped down big bouts of air. Blood pumped through her faster, making her skin turn even hotter. “I’m…I’m okay,” she muttered, wishing she was back in his quarters with Willow. She tried to pull on her hand, but he refused to let go.