The Arcav Guard's Female

by Hope Hart

  “Not a problem at all,” Harlow smiles. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  She chats with Jessica about the birth and I wince as she describes her contractions. Jess pales but then seems to collect herself, smiling as the baby lets out a weird little grunt.

  “Want to talk about it?” Harlow asks me, smiling as Jessica coos at Zera.

  “I miss cutting,” I say starkly, and she nods.

  “I bet you do.”

  I stare at her and she smiles.

  “You were a surgeon, right? I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you shouldn’t miss the shit out of your old life. God knows I do.”

  My mouth drops open and she raises an eyebrow.

  “I wouldn’t change this life for anything,” she says, smiling at her daughter. “I’m happier than I ever thought I’d be, even with this whole Queen gig. But that doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes wake up and automatically reach for my gun and badge. You’re allowed to have feelings, Peyton.”

  My eyes fill with tears at the understanding in her voice. Truthfully, I’d expected her to tell me to move on.

  “I’m still planning to go home,” I tell her, and she nods.

  “Well, you’ve got a few months left yet,” she says. “Varian told me you’ll be going after that son-of-a-bitch Udan with Vazta?”

  “I am.”

  “Good. Well, give him a kick in the balls from me. Look, I’m not saying I won’t be disappointed if you end up leaving. And I’ll sure as hell be surprised since Vazta is an incredible guy. But it’s your life, girl. You do you.”

  Strangely, this talk seems to be exactly what I needed. Someone who understands what it’s like to leave behind something they love without a choice. But while Harlow seems to have found her feet, ruling this planet like she was born here, I truly don’t think I’ll ever recover from being abducted and sold as a slave. Part of me just wants to wake up back on Earth, get back in the OR, and pretend the last year never happened.

  Vazta’s face flashes through my mind and I frown.

  “Do you think Vazta would ever come back to Earth with me?”

  Harlow raises her brow.

  “I think that male would do anything you asked. But unfortunately, Varian has forbid it. There are too few Arcav stationed on Earth right now. If HAA or HGA managed to get their hands on him, they’d make an example out of him.”

  I shiver, my blood running cold at the idea of what a few hundred determined humans could do to one Arcav, even as huge and well-trained as he is.

  We all look up at a knock on the door, and this time Harlow sends me a knowing look. The baby starts to fuss so she takes her from Jessica, bouncing her slightly in her arms until she calms.

  I’m not at all surprised when I open the door to Vazta. Truthfully, I’ve been expecting him all day.

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “We must talk,” he says, mouth firm, and I nod. I glance behind me and step outside into the corridor.

  “Varian says we may leave tomorrow,” he says. “We have been given one of the largest ships and a crew of around eighty men.”

  My heart beats faster and I grin up at him. Vazta slowly reaches his hand out toward me, one finger stroking my bottom lip. His face is hard, determined, and I’m suddenly getting a bad feeling.

  “What’s wrong?”

  His brows lower. “You will be the only human on this mission,” he says. “You are fragile and easily killed. You will not go with us unless you have been given the Alni plant.”

  I step back, feeling my mouth drop open. I’m not used to this kind of decree from him any longer. The Alni plant extends human lifespans, making us as long-lived as the Arcav. I would outlive everyone I know on Earth. Eventually, my future colleagues would notice that I’m no longer aging and questions would be asked.

  “Vazta,” I start, and he shakes his head. Just like that, I’m furious.

  “You knew this would happen,” I hiss. “This was all part of your plan, wasn’t it? Make sure I would no longer fit in on Earth so I’d have to stay here with you?”

  His eyebrows rise in surprise but I’m not fooled. I take another step back, rage making my hands shake. I don’t want the stupid plant.

  “Think what you like,” he tells me, and his voice is cooler than I’ve ever heard it, his gaze suddenly distant. “I leave tomorrow. If I have not heard from Brin that you have had the plant, you will stay here while I get the revenge you are so obsessed with.”

  I feel my mouth tremble and for a moment his eyes soften and then he turns, stalking away.

  Chapter Eight

  Peyton

  I open the door, meeting Harlow’s eyes. One look is all it takes for me to see she’s heard our conversation. I glance at Jess, who gives me a sympathetic look.

  “I’m going to have to do it,” I say. “I know Vazta well enough to know he’s not bluffing.”

  “No,” Harlow says, shaking her head softly. “He’s not. Vazta’s ignoring all of his instincts so you can go on what’s sure to be a dangerous mission. This is one of the biggest concessions from an Arcav male I’ve ever seen. Truthfully, the Alni plant is a smart idea considering how dangerous this trip could be. I’m surprised he didn’t bring it up sooner.”

  I frown, wondering why he hasn’t. Then I remember how he suddenly changed when I mentioned the difference in lifespan between humans and Arcav in his garden yesterday.

  Maybe it really did just occur to him, and I just accused him of manipulating me into it. Shit.

  I can really be an asshole sometimes. Vazta’s hard, furious face swims through my head and I groan. Harlow raises her eyebrow at me and I simply shake my head miserably.

  “Well,” I say. “I guess I better get this over with.”

  “I’m going with you,” Jess says, and I smile.

  “Thanks.”

  “No, I mean I’m going with you.”

  My mouth drops open and I glance at Harlow, who has the same look on her face that I probably do.

  “Uh, Jess…”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Peyton. If you can go to get revenge, then I’m going to find my baby’s father.” Her eyes shine with tears. “I miss him so much, and he has no idea what happened to us.”

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  “I knew what everyone would say and I don’t want to hear it. I trust that the Arcav will keep me and my baby safe. How could I look him or her in the eyes one day and explain why I never searched for daddy?”

  Well, when you put it like that.

  I turn to Harlow. “Can you get the Alni plant when you’re pregnant?”

  She shrugs. “I have no idea, but I guess we’re about to find out.”

  Ruby stares at us as we walk out, and Jess slides me a look. I don’t know how Ruby and Shauna will do without us. Harlow intercepts the look and nudges me with her elbow, even as she gently soothes Zera.

  “We’ll look after them, I promise. Honestly, it could be good for them to have to be a little independent.”

  I nod. I can’t think about it now. But I’ll make it up to Ruby and Shauna once the monster who tormented them is dead.

  Brin looks surprised to see us, but nods when Harlow explains the situation. He tilts his head at Jessica.

  “I have to advise you to stay here,” he tells her, and her mouth thins. I’ve seen that look before, and there’s no way she’s not getting on that ship. Brin seems to realize this and sighs.

  “Can pregnant women have the Alni plant?” Harlow asks, and Brin nods.

  “Yes, although we will spend a few extra hours monitoring Jessica afterward just in case. If you are both determined to leave tomorrow, then let’s get this done right now.”

  My stomach clenches as we walk down the long corridor. I miss Vazta. Usually, whenever I have anything even slightly uncomfortable to do here, Vazta is immediately insisting that I allow him to help and support me.

  I push it out of my head. Vazta’s not going t
o be in my life forever, so I need to get used to being independent again.

  I don’t even have Bree anymore, since she managed to convince Saria to take her to Huldra and their ship left yesterday.

  Brin decides that I’ll go first, since I’ll need less monitoring. I hug Jess and Harlow, strangely nervous considering this is something that’ll make me as close to Superwoman as a human can get.

  He leads me down yet another corridor, this one surrounded by plants on all sides. A small part of me wants to ask if these are Alni plants, but then another door slides open and I gulp at my first look at the plant.

  It’s… beautiful. I thought I had never seen such incredible plants before when I was in Vazta’s garden, but this one seems almost magical. Near the base, the plant is stark white, sticking up out of the soil in a way that reminds me eerily of bones. It quickly changes to a green so dark it’s almost black, before gradually lightening to a blue color near the tip of each leaf.

  But it’s not the colors that make it extraordinary. The plant itself seems to shimmer and glow, and the smell… it reminds me of all of the best memories of my childhood, spreading comfort through my chest.

  “Wow,” I manage to get out, and Brin nods, already moving toward one of the small beds further back in the large room.

  I follow him and swallow nervously as he gestures for me to climb onto the bed.

  “There is nothing to worry about,” he says kindly, obviously picking up on my nerves. “You’ll simply fall asleep for a few hours and then wake up feeling no different.”

  “Okay. Let’s get it done.”

  Brin moves back toward the plant with a tiny syringe-like device in his hand. I don’t see exactly what he does. But when he returns, the syringe is filled with a milky, incandescent liquid.

  I’m shaking as he reaches for my arm and injects it into my vein, and within moments, my eyes are the heaviest they’ve ever been.

  Vazta

  I watch as my female approaches the ship, her friends at her back. I should be with her, but I could not find it in me to approach her last night, even after Brin reported that she had been given the Alni plant.

  She looks tired, dark circles under her eyes, and her movements are slow, as if she is exhausted. I frown. She must have barely slept last night.

  Peyton meets my eyes, and her teeth begin to bite into her lip. I know what this means. She is nervous, which is unsurprising considering where we are going. But she seems unable to look at me.

  Did I frighten her so much yesterday? I was frustrated, yes, and furious that she could think I would manipulate her in the way she was describing.

  Truthfully, I could manipulate her this way. I do not know a single Arcav male who has mated a human female and not made choices that he came to regret.

  But I have been careful at every turn. I have tried to win my female’s trust over and over again. Perhaps she will never truly trust me.

  I am pulled from my thoughts as the females step closer. Jessica has a look of determination on her face, and Peyton casts me an uncertain look, peering up beneath her lashes. We will talk about this, but not in front of so many curious eyes.

  “I’m going with you,” Jessica announces, and I turn to Harlow, who nods.

  “Varian approved this?”

  Harlow glances back to where the Arcav King is taking in the ship, talking seriously to Jaret while bouncing his daughter slightly in his arms.

  “Jessica isn’t a mate, Vazta. She’s had the Alni plant, and it’s her decision.”

  I nod, it is a good thing that I managed to convince Varian to give us a few more Arcav to take with us.

  Jessica and Peyton say their goodbyes, hugging the others. Both Ruby and Shauna have tears streaming down their faces, and the four of them stand in a group, arms wrapped around each other while Peyton and Jessica whisper assurances to the other two women.

  Finally, it is time to go. Amanda and Eve approach, hugging the two females, who then reach for Harlow while I try to mask my impatience. Now that this mission is happening, I want nothing more than to get it done and return to Arcavia, with my female safe and healthy by my side.

  Peyton casts me a look, as if reading my mind, and finally pulls herself away from the other women. We walk up the ramp, and she begins shaking, her terror hitting me in the gut.

  “What is it?” I ask. “What is wrong?”

  She simply shakes her head, striding forward.

  “I’m fine,” she says, and Jessica slides me a look.

  “Spaceships have never boded well for any of us,” she says. “We all have our triggers, even Peyton.”

  I hurry to catch up and pull my female into my arms, ignoring her weak struggle. She refuses to meet my eyes, but her breath is coming too quickly, and when I touch her neck, I feel her pulse racing.

  Arcav are looking on curiously, and Peyton still refuses to look at me. It occurs to me that she is unwilling to fall apart in front of so many strangers, and I steer her toward our quarters, keeping one arm wrapped around her.

  I nod at Bregaz, who moves toward Jessica, ready to show her where she will be staying.

  Once in our quarters, I direct Peyton to a sofa and fall to my knees in front of her. Tears stream from her eyes and her hiccupping sobs are like acid burning my ears.

  “What can I do?” I ask desperately. Seeing this female cry will always make me crazed.

  “N-nothing,” she says, another sob leaving her body.

  I move next to her and pull her into my arms. She does not struggle, but curls close, wetting my chest with her tears.

  It takes a long time before she is through, and she likely does not notice when we achieve lift-off. A ship this size cannot dock on many planets, and lift-off is a slow process. However, boarding this ship in Arcavia will mean that we will not need to take a smaller ship to its dock, and we can simply head straight to our destination.

  Peyton pulls her head back, her face ravaged by tears.

  “I’m sorry,” she says finally.

  “You may shed water on me whenever you like, female, although your tears do not please me.”

  A tiny laugh escapes and she looks surprised.

  “Not for this,” she says. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I should’ve listened and talked it out like an adult. Instead, I accused you of lying to me.”

  I sigh, pulling her close so I can stroke her hair.

  “It is okay. I understand that you have had little reason to trust anyone since you were on Earth. But one day, I swear you will trust me more than you have ever trusted another,” I vow.

  Her sleeve rides up, and a growl escapes me before I can stop it. My bands cover her wrists, the black dark against her skin. She has not told me about them, choosing instead to pretend they do not exist.

  I push her sleeve back.

  “These were not on your wrists when we were in my garden,” I say.

  She tenses but doesn’t reply, and I lean back, choosing not to talk about the subject now. Instead, I am happy to spend this time with my female in my arms.

  “Do you know what this ship is called?” I murmur, and she shakes her head against my chest. “It is the SSA Vengeance. A show of support from Varian.”

  Her shoulders shake with a tiny laugh and I grin down at her.

  Finally, she pulls back slightly, looking up into my eyes. The urge to kiss her is so strong that I can no longer ignore it and I lean down, pressing a gentle kiss against her lips. She gasps into my mouth and I take advantage of the opening, gently stroking my tongue against hers. She sighs against me, her body relaxing, and I growl into her mouth, wishing to do nothing more than to roll her onto her back and cover her body with mine.

  But she will ask me to mate with her before this happens. I will not risk seeing terror in my female’s eyes when she looks at me.

  Peyton

  Apparently, the Arcav have been keeping track of Udan ever since I made my deal with Varian so many weeks ago. According to their spies,
he’s currently on a ship close to Cilphi, likely on his way to find more slaves.

  A shiver runs through me at the thought. Apparently, we’ll be able to board that ship today since our Arcav forces are so much greater than anything Udan has available.

  I want to look him in the eye when he realizes there’s no way out.

  I jolt as a hand touches my elbow. Jessica smiles at me, her face pale. Neither of us enjoy being back on a ship. Even after we were rescued by the Arcav, we never truly trusted that it wasn’t a trick— that they weren’t about to sell us once again.

  “How are you doing?”

  I shrug. Truthfully, I don’t know how I’d get through this if it wasn’t for Vazta. Over the last couple of days, he’s helped me stay calm, encouraging me to curl up next to him, finally able to sleep properly in his arms. I’ve felt him hard and ready against me, and while I know he wants me— it’s evident every time he looks at me with his burning gaze— he hasn’t pushed.

  I want him too.

  But being with Vazta that way… I’d simply be leading him on. I want nothing more than to lose myself in that huge body of his, but he’s not looking for a one-night-stand or even a fling. He wants a lifetime.

  “I’m okay. How are you? How’s the baby?”

  Jessica smiles, rubbing her bump. I don’t know how she’s managed to stay so calm throughout the past few months. I don’t know what I’d do if I was knocked up on a strange planet after being kept prisoner. Oh, and with my baby daddy either dead or still locked away on that same planet.

  “I just want Agaz. I don’t even care about Udan at this point. All I want is to move on with my life.”

  I can’t imagine not waking up with the need for revenge pushing me through the day. Jessica smiles at whatever she sees on my face.

  “Some things are more important than revenge,” she says softly.

  I feel my mouth twist. Maybe for her.

  “He doesn’t get to do what he did and just live his life like nothing happened. He’s going down, Jess. If not for us, then for all of the other people trapped on that planet.”