by T. Cobbin
* * * *
“Amelia, speak to me.”
Trian’s voice drifted through her dream. Why did the bird that was sitting in her hand eating seeds have Trian’s voice?
“Amelia, me unum, wake up and answer your comm.”
Comm? Huh? Amelia woke with a start. Comm... Trian was trying to reach her. Slapping a hand over the flashing red button on her bracelet, she answered.
“Trian? I didn’t even know you’d left. What’s up?” A smile automatically broke out on her face; each time she asked what was up, her handsome, alien mate still looked up.
“We have incoming. I need you to gather your females and take them to the captain’s quarters. It’s the most shielded place on that floor. Can you do that for me?”
Amelia was already out of bed and gathering her clothes. “Yes, okay. Are we in danger?” she asked, her heart thundering inside her chest. The last time they were attacked she hadn’t cared less, she was more interested in getting laid. The Gracians hadn’t moved anybody either. But this time Trian was asking her to gather all of her group.
“I won’t lie to you, me unum, we could be. I have to go now. Let me know when you’re all in the cabin.”
“Okay. Trian…I love you.” Tears welled in her eyes. She’d only just found Trian, but it felt like she’d known him for years.
“I love you too. Stay safe for me. Trian out.”
Amelia glanced down at her bracelet, feeling lost for a moment before she remembered what he’d asked of her. Quickly dressing, she ran out of the cabin door and straight into a brick wall. A hand reached around her waist and steadied her. She looked up and saw a worried Knut.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Hurt her? Her mind seemed to blank for a moment. She hadn’t planned to walk into a damn wall of muscle. “Besides feeling like I’ve just run into a brick wall? No, I’m fine. Trian—”
“I know,” Knut interrupted her. “I’ve been made aware of the situation and have already placed Bell in the captain’s quarters. I and my team will aid you in gathering the rest of the females and taking them to safety.”
Amelia and the security team went into each of the female’s quarters and woke them up and sent them down to the captain’s cabin. The chef was also there, already supplying coffee and breakfast.
Coffee was a new substance for the Gracians. Amelia and her ladies had laughed so hard they’d cried when they’d seen one of the first Gracians try it. Instead of getting an energy burst from the drink, they became intoxicated. Hover said it was the worst day in his medical life when his medical bay was overrun by drunk Gracians.
A couple of days ago Amelia had asked Trian why she or any of the other ladies hadn’t seen any of his men drink coffee again. Trian had growled that he’d banned them from doing so. She’d just giggled, calling him a pussy. One day she’d get her handsome alien to drink some and let loose.
As Amelia delivered another woman safely to the captain’s cabin, Rosie called out to her. “Amelia, we want to know what’s going on. Iryano won’t tell me.”
“Hang on one minute, Rosie.” Amelia called to the nearest security officer. “Knut, we’re missing Maggie. She’s still in medical.”
“I’ll ask Hover about her,” Knut replied and walked down the corridor a little.
Turning toward the group of females, who were looking rather worried, Amelia noticed they were still missing another woman—Zoe.
“Knut, what about Zoe? She isn’t here either.”
“She wasn’t in her cabin. I can make enquires about her. We know she has found a way to get around the ship, but as to how we are unsure yet.”
Amelia nodded then turned around to address her ladies, hoping to calm them. “I’m sorry, I know as much as you do. I was asked by Captain Trian to gather you all up because we might be in danger. But...” She raised her voice over the growing whimpers and sobs. “Trian said this is one of the safest places on the ship.” She’d embellished the safest part of the ship rather than the floor, but it would have to do for now. “Why don’t you grab something to eat and drink? From what I’ve been told, the men are bringing in soft bedding so if it does get on the bumpy side, we will have somewhere to lay.”
Some of the women sobbed. Amelia went around the room speaking to the women, trying to settle them down and calm their fears, even though she was just as fearful as they were.
“Amelia?”
She spun around and looked up at Knut.
“Hover has informed me that Maggie is safe in his care. She is resting peacefully.”
“Thank you, Knut. What about Zoe?”
Knut grimaced. “She hasn’t been found yet.”
“You’ll keep looking for her, right?”
“It would be easier if we knew how she was traveling around the ship,” he stated.
Amelia sighed. When she had met with Zoe yesterday the woman had smiled and gushed about her pranks on Basup. Amelia didn’t want to share Zoe’s secrets, but her safety was at risk. She hoped that giving up Zoe’s traveling antics wouldn’t cause her to disappear back into her depression.
Amelia stepped a little closer to Knut. “If I were to tell you how Zoe is getting around the ship, would you have to inform all your men?”
Knut frowned and thought for a second. “I would only tell my security team, and I’d have them swear not to tell anyone else.” He held up his hand to stop Amelia from agreeing or denying his request straight away. “However, that will only last as long as she stays safe. And once the danger passes, I will have to inform the captain.”
Amelia nodded, knowing she could try to persuade Trian to allow Zoe that little bit of freedom for a tad longer if she didn’t disrupt the ship too much or become a problem. “Okay, but just your team right now though, and they won’t tell anyone else, right?”
Knut nodded and slapped a hand over his heart.
“Look in the vents of your ship. She uses them to get around.”
Knut’s eyebrows rose in a comical fashion. “Those… They…” He looked confused as he looked around the room, seeking out the vents on the walls. “The vents are tiny and are so far up from the floor. How does she get up into them?”
Amelia smiled. “I have no idea. My backside wouldn’t fit into one of those holes.”
Knut nodded. Glancing over her shoulder, he smiled before walking back down the corridor to help his team carry some soft bedding.
Amelia turned around to see Bell standing behind her. “You okay, honey?” Amelia asked.
The young woman nodded, but the tears that shined in her eyes said another thing. Amelia pulled her into a hug. Even though Bell was only a few years younger than her, Amelia felt what could only be described as a mother’s love for Bell. Perhaps it was because they’d both lost their mother at a young age.
Pulling back from Bell, Amelia cupped Bell’s face. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“I will make sure she is,” Knut’s deep tenor voice said from behind Amelia.
Amelia placed a kiss on Bell’s forehead. “Go rest if you can.”
Amelia stepped back, leaving Knut to take care of his mate. Picking Bell up in his arms, he carried her over to the captain’s bed and laid her down on it. Amelia knew without a doubt that Knut, as well as any of these alien men, would do whatever they could to keep the women safe.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the ship suddenly rocked to the side. Amelia stumbled. She reached out to the wall to stop herself from falling, only to realize it was the door in front of her and not solid wall. The damn door opened, leaving her flailing in thin air. Oh shit, this is going to hurt, she thought as the ship rocked again. She was surprised when strong, steady hands gripped the tops of her arms and steadied her. Looking up, she stared into a pair of brown, swirling eyes she didn’t recognize.
“Thank you. I, umm… We’ve never met, have we? Oh, hang on, aren’t you that Pausey guy, the one in Trian’s office earlier?”
Amelia glanced around. The small hairs on the back of her neck and arms had risen. Something about this Gracian didn’t feel right. She tried to step back out of his possession, but his grip tightened.
“Trian wanted me to stay here with the others. Let me call him and sort it out.”
“No,” the male all but shouted. “No, he knows I am with you, and he is incredibly busy. Come with me, female.” The word female was almost spat out. It occurred to her that if Trian had sent this male for her, not only would he have told her, but he would have told the male her name.
“What is my name?” she asked, trying again to step out of his hold.
The ship lurched again, causing the male to hold Amelia even more tightly. “Amelia. You’re the captain’s spark. He has asked me to bring you to him, and that’s what I intend to do.”
Amelia’s heart began to thud in her chest. This situation was really beginning to feel very wrong. “Release me,” she demanded, glaring at the male and his hands.
“Frinxing female. Why are you making this harder than it needs to be?”
“I will warn you only once,” she said, getting pissed at the male’s behavior. “Take your hands off me or I’ll scream so loud every male within earshot will hear me, and then I’ll kick your balls so fucking hard they will replace your tonsils.” If you have them.
The Gracian was about to say something when he and Amelia were taken to the floor by a heavy but soft weight falling from above. Amelia groaned then instantly felt weak and dizzy. She’d only felt like this once before, and that was when a Gracian had zapped her to a different location.
She struggled to push the weight off of her only to find herself looking into Zoe’s shocked eyes. Suddenly, Zoe bent over to the side of her and spewed. The smell of vomit made Amelia gag.
“Oh God, what did you do?” Zoe whined.
Amelia managed to sit up and stroke Zoe’s back, trying to comfort the woman.
“Frinxing females.” The Gracian male who was getting to his feet swore. “Enjoy your new home.”
Amelia opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but before she could speak the male zapped and was gone. She and Zoe shared frightened looks.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Amelia muttered.
“No shit, Toto,” Zoe answered.
Amelia stared at Zoe and couldn’t help the small chuckle that left her before the seriousness of the situation overcame her once again.
“What do we do now? Where do you think we are?” Zoe asked.
Quick as a flash, Amelia remembered their comms. Hitting the button on her bracelet, she called out Trian’s name. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing.
“Does yours work? Perhaps mine got damaged when you fell…. You fell on us?”
Zoe grimaced. “I was in the vents when I saw that male grab you. Jumping on him was the only thing I could think of to distract him. Only I was off, and I landed on you too. I didn’t expect the jerk to zap us though.” Zoe glanced around them, climbing to her feet. “Where do you think we are?” she asked again.
Amelia got to her feet and swayed as another wave of dizziness swept through her. Zoe gripped her arm. Zoe hit her comm at the same time, uttering Trian’s name and then another and another name. But no one answered. She glanced at Amelia and winced.
Chapter 16
“You wanna spew on my spot too?” Zoe asked with a half-giggle. “Add more shit to the ship?”
“Eww.” Amelia echoed the woman’s chuckle and felt a little better.
Zoe shrugged and grinned. “Come on, let’s see if we can find out where we are.”
They both froze when two deep male voices were heard at the end of the corridor where they were standing.
“Think the extra firepower will help this time?”
“It better. The Koplas said they’re losing hand over fist with those damn Gracians protecting that planet. I must admit, after they shared how much dragnoid they were getting for just one female, I’m impressed. I could do with another set of bars on my thighs.”
The other male laughed. From the way the men were talking, Amelia summed up they could be Lesh.
Amelia could hear their footsteps now, and they were getting closer. Zoe pointed to a closed door. Quickly, the women headed toward the door, and relief washed through Amelia when it automatically opened, revealing a small room with a toilet and sink. With one last look around the corridor to make sure it was clear, she and Zoe walked into the room.
“The door’s not shutting,” Zoe whispered, panicking.
Suddenly, the door whooshed closed, lighting up a red panel inside. On instinct, Amelia pressed it, hoping that the door would lock. The button changed from red to green just as the male voices could be heard outside of the room.
“You think that Gracian will stick to his…” The man’s words trailed off. “What the frinx is that smell?”
“Not sure, but it seems to be coming from that.”
Amelia could imagine one of the Lesh pointing to Zoe’s pile of vomit. Glancing at Zoe, realization was written over the young woman’s pale face too. Amelia pressed a finger against her own lips, signaling for the other woman to remain quiet, not that she needed to tell her that.
“What is it, and where did it come from?”
“Frinx knows, but it looks like a pile of puke.”
“Can’t be one of us, we don’t project food out of our mouths. Better inform the captain that we might have intruders.” Two pairs of boots rushed off.
“What do we do now? You think that dickhead zapped us to one of those Lesh ships?” Zoe asked with a worried expression.
Amelia nodded, coming to the same conclusion. She had to think fast. If she and Zoe were on one of the Lesh ships, they were in a whole lot of trouble. A loud explosion was heard before the ship lurched to the side.
“Oh God, we’re going to die,” Zoe whimpered, holding her head where she’d smacked it on the wall.
“We need to contact Trian before he blows us up. If Pausey can zap us here, one of them can zap us back.” She looked at Zoe, a plan coming to mind. “You’re good with electronics and shit, right? It’s helped you get around the Gemorph?”
Zoe nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“Can you do it here?” Amelia asked.
“What about those dudes?” Zoe pointed to the door. “What if we get spotted before we can find something to help?”
Amelia paled. From what she remembered about the big, blue bastards, she didn’t want to come across them again. “We’ll have to look for weapons.”
“Where the hell are we going to find them? Any one of those four-armed aliens could be behind these doors.”
“It’s better than crouching in a damn bathroom waiting to die,” Amelia muttered.
Being on this ship gave her the creeps and brought back memories of being in that blue, see-through cage. Never in her life had she thought about being in space, let alone mated to an alien. But ger only wish right now was to be back in Trian’s arms.
She lay her ear against the door and listened carefully to the corridor beyond. Nothing. Glancing at Zoe, Amelia pressed the green button and the door whooshed open. Gingerly sticking her head out, she breathed a sigh of relief to see it empty. Reaching for Zoe’s hand, Amelia tugged her out of the bathroom and into the corridor.
“What’s the plan?” Zoe whispered.
“Basically, we’re winging it. Let’s try each of these doors and see if we can find something to communicate with, or a weapon of some kind.”
“What if one of those Lesh…” Zoe’s words trailed off, and she shivered.
Amelia didn’t want to think about getting caught either, so she just silently urged herself to keep moving. As she and Zoe stepped toward another door, it opened to reveal a large room that looked similar to a human g
ym. Amelia entered the room cautiously, looking around to see if anyone was inside. She breathed easier as it seemed to be empty.
“Wow, a whole room of potential weapons.” Zoe grinned, picking up a long, silver bar. She removed some black, circular weights off the end and then stood swinging the bar around her like a pro. She stopped and shrugged when she caught Amelia’s stare. “I was bullied a lot at school. My parents decided to get me a martial arts tutor. He taught me the art of Silambam. It’s been a few years since I had to use it. Good thing I kept practicing, huh?” She smirked with an evil twinkle in her eye.
“I love your parents.” Amelia grinned at Zoe, then started to seek out her own weapon.
She might not be able to swing a pole like Zoe did, but she could sure do some damage with some of the weights Zoe had removed and placed on the floor. Amelia picked up one in each hand, feeling confident that if she were to throw them at those blue aliens they’d cause some damage.
“What now?” Zoe asked.
“Now we have to get these bloody communicators working or find a way to contact the Gemorph.”
Zoe ran her gaze over Amelia’s body and then looked around the room. Spotting something on one of the walls, she smiled and looked back at Amelia. “I think we might be able to get through those vents.”
“Oh no.” Panicked, Amelia shook her head. She didn’t do small spaces, not after getting locked in a trunk when she was little. “No way. Not me.” Her heart sped up just thinking about being in a vent. “Sorry,” she apologized. “You can go, and I’ll wait here.”
Zoe glanced at her pole then looked at the wall again. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I wouldn’t be able to take this with me.”
Amelia felt instant relief. She was grateful that Zoe hadn’t pushed the idea of them crawling through the vents. Perhaps the woman had seen her fright.
“Come on,” Zoe said. “Let’s go find a way to contact your man.”
With their weapons in hand, they walked toward the door, but before they reached it a huge explosion rocked the ship.
“Shit,” Amelia cursed as she stumbled and fell against a large rack holding some weird kind of alien weights on it. Her head caught one of the metal corners, causing a rolling sickness to sweep through her.