by Ella Maven
I took advantage, slamming my tail into its body. When it tipped over, I was already on it, slicing my machets into his neck. Finally, that blasted noise stopped as the varins quit breathing. Couldn’t do that with its head severed from its body.
I stepped back, flinging dripping blood off my hand to find the other varins stalking Tabitha. She held a big stick in her hand, and she jabbed it at the beast. Instead of fear, she glared in anger, snapping her blunt teeth back at it. I almost laughed, but there was no time to waste. While the varins was distracted by Tabitha I walked up behind it and twisted its head off its body. Blood spurted and Tab dropped her stick. “Fucking gross, Xav!” she screeched, and this time I actually did laugh.
She whirled on me with fire in her eyes. “Now I’m covered in ostrich goo!”
“Ostrich?”
She gestured to the varins. “It looks a bit like an Earth ostrich, if an ostrich was a bloodthirsty three-legged demon who could fly.”
I reached for her. “You okay? That was a bit of a fall.”
She blew out a breath and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m sure I’ll be covered in bruises by sundown, but for now, I’m alive and so are you. That’s all that matters.”
“Well,” I brandished a hand at the dead bodies. The severed foot was still twitching. “Ready for breakfast? Because we’re having them.”
She blinked at me. “What?”
“They’re varins, and I don’t know what they taste like, but we’re about to find out.”
She wrinkled her nose and then shrugged. “Whatever. I’m hungry. Maybe it’ll taste like chicken.”
I didn’t know what this chicken tasted like, but I hoped she liked it.
After cleaning up in a nearby stream, I made a small fire. Skinning the varins proved harder than I anticipated. They didn’t have much meat and their bones were light and hollow. Tab told me that was normal for birds.
I managed to find some decent cuts and cook them up. Tab pronounced it didn’t taste like chicken at all, but that she liked it. I was so hungry, I barely chewed. Flavor was the last thing on my mind. As much as I liked a good fight, I didn’t feel confident in these new surroundings. I hated not knowing what was to come, and the unknown that awaited us, which could be dangerous for Tabitha, put me in a sour mood.
Tabitha picked up a varins feather and tucked it behind her ear. She preened, batting her eyelashes at me. “How does it look? I always did love a good accessory.”
And just like that, my mood lifted. No matter what life threw at my Tab, she found something to smile about. Her grin was contagious. “You look beautiful as always, Tab.”
Her grin widened and she gave me a peck on the nose. “You’re so sweet.”
I repositioned the feather over her ear, so it didn’t fall out. “I want to be when I’m with you.”
“Sweet in the streets, rough in the sheets. That’s my Xavy.”
I blinked at her. “I don’t know what that means.”
She giggled. “It means you’re sweet to me in everyday life. Like this. But in the furs, you can be as rough as you want. Best of both worlds.”
I gripped her chin. “I still can’t believe you haven’t run from me yet.”
Her eyes sparkled. “You’ll have to chase me off of you with a stick.”
Rubbing my nose with hers, I laughed. “Never.”
After burying the varins carcasses and doing our best to erase the evidence of our presence, I pulled a transplant updater out of the pack. “I meant to do this sooner. Nero downloaded the Kaluma language onto here.” I held it up to my ear and felt the slight sting of heat as the updater uploaded the language to my implant. I did the same to Tabitha and she winced. “Okay?”
She nodded and gave me a brave smile. After that, I hauled her onto my back, and we kept going. The closer we got to what I thought were the boundaries of the Kaluma’s land, the more I grew anxious. I tried not to let it show to Tabitha, but I could tell she was feeling the same.
“What was your life like on Corin?” she asked softly. “Do you remember?”
“I was an only chit. My dad was a warship captain, and that was what he wanted me to be, but all chit, male and female, get aptitude tests at an early age. I tested as a hand-to-hand fighter and a cruiser pilot. He was disappointed. I told him I didn’t want to command a flecking warship anyway. We fought. He got sick two rotations later and died within a few yoras.”
“Xavy,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
I shrugged. “I had to make peace with it a long time ago. He said my mother coddled me, and maybe she did. We laughed a lot, her and I. She was the funniest person I’d ever known. When she died, she told me she was proud of me, and told me never to stop laughing. So, I guess I’ve tried to make them both proud.”
“If they could see you now, Xav, they would absolutely be proud. You’re respected. You took on this mission knowing the extreme risks.”
“I carried a lot of guilt for my desires.” Even at a young age, my fantasies had been… different. “I wondered if my father always saw that in me and that was why he was so hard on me.”
“No,” she answered quickly. “Don’t make me repeat myself. There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing wrong with me, and there’s nothing wrong with us together.” She gripped me tighter, and her arms seemed to ground me. “I’ll prove it to you if it’s the last thing I do—”
Her words cut off on a scream as she was wrenched off my back. “Tab!” I shouted and whirled around only to be struck in the back of the knees with a hard blow. My legs buckled, and I hit the ground hard. I turned my head and lashed out with my machets but there was nothing there. Nothing. Tabitha was suspended in mid-air, but something was holding her, because she struggled and kicked, screaming my name.
I stumbled to my feet but didn’t get far as pain exploded in the side of my head. The world went upside down for a moment as I found myself spitting out dirt and leaves on my hands and knees. “Fleck,” I blinked and shook my head, but my vision swam as my skull felt like it’d been tossed against cliff.
Tabitha was still screaming. “Let her go!” I growled.
A voice answered me, a low rumble that came from somewhere above me. “I don’t think we will.”
I lifted my head and one minute, the ground before me was empty, and in the next moment a series of subtle clicks reached my ears. One by one, scales flipped to reveal a massive bronze creature, standing taller than me with long white hair down to the small of his back and a swirl of white tattoos covering his neck and chest. The sides of his head were shaved, and matching tattoos covered his scalp. A row of small barbs began at each side of his neck, and extended out, increasing in size to large spikes jutting out from each shoulder.
He wore only a pair of pants in a unique silver material. He studied me with glowing blue eyes while swinging a club in his clawed hand.
“Kaluma,” I whispered.
He smiled, revealing sharp pointed teeth. “Drix,” he hissed.
I held my hands up, palms out. “I’m sorry for trespassing. I mean no harm. I seek an audience with your pardux.”
He continued to swing that club, and only glanced once at Tabitha, who had fallen silent. More clicks followed, and soon we were surrounded by over a dozen Kaluma. One of the largest held Tabitha in his massive fists. Her chest heaved, and her eyes were wild, but she’d ceased struggling.
Finally, the head Kaluma gestured to another behind him. “Bring them.”
I exhaled, but my relief was short-lived. A massive Kaluma approached me, a club in his hand. I realized what he was about to do a split second too late. The club slammed into my head, Tabitha screamed, and everything went black.
Ten
Tabitha
I opened my eyes with a jerk, sitting up so fast my head spun with dizziness. Groaning, I prodded my temple and winced as my fingers pressed on a sore spot. When I pulled my hand away, flakes of dried blood fell from under my nails.
&nbs
p; Now I remembered—that Kaluma swinging a club like a baseball bat right into Xavy’s head, his lifeless body hitting the ground. Me screaming, and then… an explosion of pain. Seemed they’d clubbed me too.
I glanced around to gather my bearings. My vision was a little blurry, but I could make out green-ish walls surrounding me in a cylinder. At least I wasn’t tied up. The ground I lay on had an odd springy texture. Something brushed along the back of my thigh and I squeaked as I whirled to find out what touched me. All around me, like a massive mosquito net, hung thick tendrils of leafy vines so dense I couldn’t see through them. I glanced up to see a spoke-like wheel above me, which spread the vines out to create a type of living tent.
I shivered, the air cool, as I took in the rest of my surroundings. My vision had begun to clear up, and I could see I was in some sort of living space. Across from me was a massive pile of fabric and leaves which I could only assume was a bed. A few chairs were scattered around the area, as well as crates of material that seemed to be clothes. A table stood nearby, with a few cups and bowls on top. The center of the floor was covered in a leaf-woven mat that was remarkably clean.
What I didn’t see was Xavy. I stood up, but my head throbbed, and I had trouble focusing my vision. I had to have a concussion, and who knew how long I was out. Long enough for the Kaluma to drag me here. But that didn’t matter right now. I had to get to Xavy. I was still alive, and I could only hope that meant he was too.
Just then several vines separated, and two figures walked inside. I took a step back, eyeing them. They looked to be females, as they each wore slashes of white material which wrapped around the backs of their necks like scarves and hung down the front of their bodies, to cover their full breasts. The ends were tucked into long, belted skirts of the same material.
Their hair was white, like the males I’d seen, and they each wore carved ornate necklaces around their necks and upper chests made of an iridescent white stone that reminded me of Mother of Pearl. Instead of the shoulder spikes of their male counterparts, they only had small nubs.
They were gorgeous, with high cheekbones, and golden bronze scales. Their eyes were their most unique feature—a bright blue that seemed to glow from within. They were taller than me, maybe five-foot-ten to my five-foot-five. They also looked a little terrified of me. Well, the feeling was mutual. Despite them being unnaturally attractive, my head still spun from the damage their men had done to me.
The one with shorter hair seemed to be younger. Her face had less lines, and she studied me like I was a museum exhibit. She held fabric draped across her two open palms, and she eyed me before turning to her companion. “Has Varnex seen her? She’s pale and small. What could he want with this creature?”
The other one sighed. “You know Varnex. He wants to collect anything unique.”
“Uh, hi,” I waved. “I can understand you.”
Both stared at me, and then the one with the fabric dropped it and opened her lips. A split second of a scream got out before the older one clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.
“Gurla, go get Sherif.” She took her hand away with a pointed look.
Gurla’s eyes took up nearly the entire top half of her face. “But Wensla, Bosa said—”
“I know what he said, and I don’t care. Go. Get. Sherif.”
Gurla nodded and with one last look at me, took off like a shot, her skirt billowing behind her.
Then it was just me and Wensla, facing off against each other. I had zero idea how to fight, but I readied myself in case I had to slap a bitch or pull some hair. Maybe she saw something in my eyes because she held up her hands. “I won’t hurt you.”
I pointed at my head. “Well I don’t really trust anything any of you say. And how can you understand me?”
She picked up the cloth Gurla had dropped and brushed off some debris with a sigh. “There isn’t anything that happens on this planet that Varnex doesn’t know about. He knew the moment the Rahgul delivered you humans, and Varnex ensured we would be able to communicate.”
I eyed the opening directly behind her. “Well that’s great, but all I care about is Xavy.”
She cocked her head. “Xavy?”
“The Drixonian I was with.” I swallowed and remembered our plan. “My mate.”
It was her turn for her eyes to go wide. “Your mate?” Her gaze skittered over my body. “But where is your mating collar?” She brushed her fingers over her necklace.
“Collar? What? No, I don’t wear a collar. But he’s my mate.”
“Varnex will not honor—”
The vines opened again with a vicious whipping sound, and a large Kaluma male stepped into the tent. And by large, I meant massive. He was bigger than any of the other males we’d seen earlier, and older. Built like a World’s Strongest Man competitor, his barrel chest expanded as he filled the room with a presence that was nearly suffocating. He wore a kilt-like skirt that fell to the top of his knees and no shoes.
He was scarred all over with little nicks marring the bronze of his scales. He stared down his nose at me with a mixture of curiosity and desire. I instantly disliked the vibe, and took note of Wensla’s posture, which had turned from confident to submissive. And not willingly submissive. After making a small sound that sounded like a curse, she fisted her hands where she held them clasped against her belly and tightened her jaw.
Based on her reaction and seeing as Gurla was nowhere to be seen, I assumed this was not Sherif. With dread, I had a feeling this was Varnex, the pardux, and he was in charge. I took in that the tattoos on his chest and neck matched the pattern of Wensla’s and Gurla’s necklaces. That did not fill me with good thoughts.
The blue of his eyes was less bright, covered in a thin milky sheen, which sent an eerie shiver down my spine as he stepped into my space. There was nowhere for me to retreat, and even if there was, my body was frozen in terror. This male looked like he could crush my head like a grape, and I wasn’t about to test that theory. He picked up a lock of my hair and rubbed it between two calloused fingers. “Fascinating” he murmured.
I was no stranger to men looking at me with want, but the possessive lust in his eyes made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
I swallowed, finding my voice. “Where’s Xavy? Where’s the Drixonian?”
“She has an updated translator implant, Varnex,” Wensla said softly. “And she says this Drix is her mate.”
“Making friends?” he sneered at her.
She ducked her head like a kicked puppy and a ball of dread tumbled down my throat, choking me. “I’m sorry, she—”
“Leave us.”
No, I absolutely did not want to be alone with this guy. “Where’s Xavy?” I demanded, louder this time. “I need to see him. You can’t keep me from my mate.”
He scoffed. “He’s not your mate.”
“Is he alive?” I darted my gaze to Wensla, who had parted the vines with one hand to leave. At my question, she paused, and glanced at me over her shoulder. The pitying look she gave me sent white hot rage singing through my veins.
“Is he alive?” I shouted, ignoring the narrow-eyed gaze of the male in front of me. If they killed Xavy, then they might as well kill me. No way was I leaving here without him, and over my dead body would I be part of a harem to this dickhead. I raised up on my toes and screamed in Varnex’s face. “Where is Xavy? Take me to him now, or I swear on everything that is holy, I will make your life miserable. You won’t sleep easy because I’ll be waiting for your eyes to close so I can bite your dick off and feed it to a varins. Now, take me to Xavy right this minute!”
That was when I heard it, a call so faint that I thought I imagined it, but it was there, like a whisper in my ear. Tabby.
Varnex reached for me with a growl, but I was small and quick. I ducked under his arm and took off at a dead sprint flying past Wensla and out of the vine-room like the devil was on my heels. Except I didn’t get far. I took a few steps on the spongy ground
and stopped dead, pinwheeling my arms so I didn’t fall to my death.
I found myself maybe six stories above the ground on a brown mossy platform which extended out from a massive redwood-sized tree, like a large mushroom out of some fantasy land. Below me was a network of mushrooms platforms, all with vine roofs and walls. Foggy clouds drifted in and out of the trunks and homes, the humidity dampening my skin.
“Xavy!” I called out, panicking. I was trapped here on this stupid fucking mushroom with a massive alien who…
“Tab!” The voice was a pained croak from below, but now I knew I hadn’t imagined it. At the sound, I caught other Kaluma peeking out of their vine homes, peering up at where my toes curled over the edge, eyes glowing like blue Christmas lights. Varnex roared from inside his tent, no doubt on his way to drag me back inside by my hair.
There had to be a way down. Gurla had left, and Varnex had arrived. That was when movement to my left caught my eye. A large vine thick as my wrist shook and when I raced over to it and looked down, I saw Gurla descending on it, sliding down effortlessly as she hopped from platform to platform like a parkour champion.
Varnex stomped outside, and I knew I had to make my move. It was now or never. Xavy said I was brave, and I had to believe in myself. I couldn’t let him down.
I gripped the vine, said a small prayer to Fatas, and slid down like the rope activity in high school gym class. Air rushed by me, blowing my dress up like Marilyn Monroe over a city grate. I was giving everyone here a show, but it didn’t matter, as long as this would take me to Xavy. At least I had my underwear back.
My hands and inner thighs burned where they rope chafed them. I didn’t dare look, knowing I’d left skin and blood behind on the vine as I slid down way too fast. I stuck out a foot to catch on a platform to slow my descent. Varnex’s shouts followed me as he sought to organize his warriors to subdue one little human female.