by Liz Paffel
Frustrated, she hurriedly undressed and slipped into the pool. The waterfall called to her, tempting her to swim over and relax under its gentle fall. No. She wasn’t going to partake of any luxury here. She didn’t want to be here and enjoying anything it had to offer felt as if she were betraying herself. After a few minutes of soaking in warm water, she washed her hair and body with products from a primitive looking basket beside the pool. The soap smells were a blend of sweet and musky. She dunked beneath the surface several times to rinse her thick, curly hair and bemoaned to find there was no conditioner. Without it, her mane would be an unruly mess of corkscrews.
Not that it mattered how she when she was put back inside her prison.
Finishing her bath well before the hour was up, Alora felt a small pang of regret as she pulled herself from the water and wrapped a large, fluffy white towel around herself. This room was incredible and were the circumstances different, she imagined she’d spend a lot of time here. Water was good for creativity, and creativity and productive thinking. Maybe she’d be able to think of an escape.
She swallowed hard. Would she ever see her lab again? She needed to get word to her colleagues that she wasn’t coming back and hand off the passwords to the program that held her research. If the King wasn’t going to allow her to go back to her work, perhaps she could persuade him to let her reach out to her employer and give them an in-depth rundown so her work could continue in someone else’s hands.
I require you to kill.
Five words that implicated so much. The King obviously had a plan for her and waiting for the details was like speeding in an out of control car, knowing you’re going to crash but being unable to stop.
Alora grabbed another towel and bent at the waist to wrap it around her hair. The towel around her body loosened and fell. She snagged the edge with two fingers before it hit the floor. Cool air washed over her flesh, followed by unmistakable heat wafting over her back. Her spine tingled as she straightened slowly, one hand holding the towel on her head.
“What a beautiful surprise.” A deep voice rumbled, the tone of it rippling through her like music. “Turn around little scientist and let me see all of you.”
Alora’s arms flew to criss-cross over her breasts, her thighs coming together as she hunched over slightly as if she could hide herself. She’d never been naked in front of anyone!
“I won’t.”
“You will. I am the King and you will do as I say.”
Her eyes darted around as she tried to think of a way out of this. Defeated, she slowly turned, squeezing her breasts against her chest with her arms and crossing her legs as if she could hide the thatch of hair between her thighs.
He was so tall and imposing, the red and green hues of his skin shimmering in the light reflecting off the water. A hard tingle went through her and she dropped the towel.
Without taking his eyes from hers, he retrieved it and handed it to her. “Put this around yourself.”
She snatched the towel with one hand and moved to turn her back to him, but he stopped her with three fingers on her arm. Staring at him with as much courage as she could maintain, she tried to recover her breathing, but her chest heaved, the sound of her hard breaths mixing with the rush of the waterfall. The scent of sweet soap floated on the humid air and she wondered what it would smell like on his skin. She wedged the towel under the arm still covering her breasts and tried to pull it around her body with her free hand. The towel was too big. Struggling to cover herself without revealing everything, she managed to get the fabric halfway around her body.
And no farther.
Clenching her eyes, she quickly used both arms to cover herself. His soft groan didn’t get by her in the brief moment her breasts were visible before she whipped the towel over them. Holding the seam securely with one hand and opened her eyes and took a breath. The hunger in his eyes made her nerves jack through the roof.
“Come with me.”
“I… I need to wait for Jahtal.”
“Her services are no longer required.”
Was she imagining things, or was the pattern on his skin glowing? The lines had looked iridescent before, but right now, they hexagon pattern appeared to have a soft glow. She walked ahead of him, felt his big body right behind as the sliding doors opened and they stepped into the hall. He directed her to another room. The doors opened and they walked into an honest to goodness Irish pub.
“What the--?” Alora did a double take.
The wooden floors beneath her feet were well-worn, the soft lighting casting an amber glow that highlighted burgundy papered walls with dark wood wainscot, and booths with seats that boasted velvet cushions. The bar was long and gleamed as two human bartenders chatted with warriors. In the corner, a trio sat with their instruments as if they were taking a break until their next jig.
Everyone in the room turned to look at them as they entered. Alora’s heart lurched to her throat when she spied Priya in a group of human women. She lurched forward, but the King caught her arm. Priya looked as if she were about to rush forward, too, but she checked herself. The women stood in a tightly pressed group, wide-eyed and silent. Axxeon men stood watch over them, as if they might run… and go where, exactly? At the bar, an imposing group of alien males spoke among themselves as if this were just another day and the women huddled in a nervous group were insignificant.
If this was their idea of creating a mingling situation or making the women feel comfortable, it was an epic failure.
A warrior stepped forward. Alora recognized him as one of the duo who had taken her from her brother—the one who hated humans. The King eyed him steadily as he approached. The warrior must be of high importance as he walked right up to his sovereign and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Is she being added to the group of the Summoned, my King?”
A rumble came from Tryllin’s throat, not unlike a growl. “No.”
“Shall I return her to her cell, Sir?”
“No.”
The two men started at each other, tension snapping between them. One corner of the King’s mouth hitched up, his eyes narrowing though there was a glint of humor there. “Perhaps I should gift her to you, Quixx.”
She bristled.
Quixx lifted his chin. “It would be a temporary arrangement, my King. And not a pleasurable one.”
“You will not choose today,” the King said sternly. “I will choose for you, but not today.”
Suddenly, the doors opened, and a warrior rushed in. He bowed low as he approached, keeping his gaze to the side. “Your majesty. My deepest apologies for interrupting; however, there has been a development.”
The King motioned the man to the side, dragging Alora with them as they moved away from the group. The warrior tapped on a screen he held in his hand and a beam shot out, populating an image in the air. Alora immediately recognized the street shown in the image. A house was fully engulfed in flame, people scrambling to throw water onto it with buckets and hoses they’d drug over from their own homes.
“Where’s the fire department?” She burst. “This is only three blocks from my brother’s station.”
The warrior kept his head pointed toward the King. “Sire, every firefighter in the city has been reported missing, and this happened only moments ago.” The image flipped to another, showing her brother’s firehouse go up in flame with a small mushroom cloud forming from the center.
Alora crumpled. “Brandon!”
Both men hurried to help her up. Somehow, she still had a death grip on the towel. “My brother,” she sobbed. “That’s my brother’s station.”
“There is more.” The image flipped again to a grainy image that looked like a live feed. Men and women were crammed into a small room, packed in so tightly they were wedged shoulder-to-shoulder. “This was transmitted to us from the Nozing just moments ago. They are holding these humans, yet no ransom has been announced.”
Alora reached a hand to the image as faces she kne
w came into view. The image rippled and dissolved, then repopulated as she took her hand away. “Tom. Ninny. Oh my God, Robert.” Tears raced down her face. Suddenly, it felt like someone had punched her in the gut as a familiar face became crystal clear. “Brandon!”
“This is your brother?” The King gestured but did not touch the image.
“Thank goodness, he’s alive.”
The King grabbed her upper arms and forced her to look at him. His brow fell when he spied her tears, but it was brief before his expression was steel again. “Listen to me. Now you understand why I am going to ask something of you that you don’t agree with. The Nozing are a parasite, do you understand?”
Sobs made her voice thick. “You want me to kill.”
She wanted to turn in on herself, to make it all go away, but he gave her a little shake and forced her to stay in the present. “You do as I ask, and I promise to return your brother to you, alive.”
He wasn’t being clear with her! Damn him. “What do you want from me?”
He dipped his head lower, his voice intimate yet strained. “The Nozing have been genetically modifying themselves, always tinkering with their biology in an attempt to become stronger, faster, more intelligent. This process has weakened their bio protections, making them susceptible to one of the few diseases that exist outside this atmosphere. You’re going to ensure that they get infected.”
“With what?”
“A substance that I have provided for you.”
With a small shake of her head, she took a breath to steady herself. “Are you asking me to create a bioweapon? Because I create cures, not…”
He tensed, his eyelids flickering slightly. She had the impression he wanted to tell her something but changed his mind.
She sucked in a shuddering breath, forcing herself not to look back at Brandon’s image. “You want me to kill off an entire species in return for my brother’s life.”
“Your brother’s life is an added incentive for your compliance.”
Alora closed her eyes, cutting off the last of her tears. Brandon’s smile was there, waiting in her memory. He’d been her only source of joy and stability growing up. He’d been her everything.
She wasn’t a killer, but she’d do anything for her big brother.
“I need you to utilize a substance called xerron-G which is like a neurotoxin to the Nozing and create a delivery system for it. Something that will vaporize. Once that is done, I will take care of the rest.”
Opening her eyes, Alora sneered at the King. “I’ll do it.”
A glimmer of a smile crossed his lips. He gave a nod as if that alone sealed the deal. Her middle sank and it took all of her strength to hold herself up.
She’d do whatever it took to get her brother back.
Chapter Seven
The towel slipped from her grip, revealing the rise of her breasts, but for the first time in her life, Alora didn’t care about modesty.
Her world was spinning out of control and there was no way to stop it.
Seeking out Priya in the crowd of gawking women, she locked eyes with her friend and shook her head. Priya looked shocked, slightly dazed. That’s when Alora noticed the cuffs. Each woman wore a pair of the glowing mind-benders. No wonder they all looked drugged.
The Axxeon men watched their King, as if waiting for a sign that they could resume their mingling. Moving beside her, he gave a flick of his hand and the men relaxed, returning to what they were doing.
She’d never seen her friend so pale, so quietly panicked. Priya was the calm and cool one, the rational one and it killed Alora to see her like this.
“I will not be choosing a mate today. Proceed with the pairings,” the King announced. “We will have a bonding ceremony at once.”
“Wait!” Alora put her hand to his chest. It was so small against the breadth of his chest. Warmth seeped into her palm, radiating off him as if he had some sort of internal heater.
He cocked his head as his hand placed over hers. “Yes?”
Alora pulled away from him. Her hand tingled at the loss of his heat, but she shook it off and pointed to Priya. “That woman is a brilliant microbiologist. She’s my colleague, and I trust her with, well, my life.”
“Go on.”
“You want me to create a delivery system as quickly as possible?”
“It is, yes.”
“I need her assistance. If we could… if we could put off the mating thing for a few days so we can solely focus on this, it would allow us the absolute concentration we need to get it done.”
He hitched one eyebrow, his mouth turning down. His displeasure made her uncomfortable, but she held her ground. Turning from her, he beckoned at Priya to come forward. Quixx was quick to grab her. Alora held her breath, expecting her friend to fight him off, but she walked along like a complacent slave. Her eyes were wide and round like a scared cat. Her face went a shade paler when Quixx halted her in front of the King.
Tryllin gave her a quick once over as if she were insignificant. “You are being dismissed from the Summons for now. You will assist with whatever Alora needs.”
Priya nodded and looked to the ground. He moved away to speak with one of his men and Alora took a big, deep breath. They grabbed each other’s hands and clung together. “It’s going to be okay,” Alora whispered. “You’ll feel better as soon as they take the cuffs off.”
“Cuffs off.”
“Yes. Listen. I can’t promise that everything is going to be okay, but I need you, okay? Maybe we die trying, but we’re going to get out of here.”
“Not reassuring.”
“I’m sorry. You know I’m a realist.”
Priya tossed her a look. “You don’t have cuffs?”
Tryllin hadn’t put any on her when they’d left the baths. Maybe he figured he was too powerful for her to overcome him, and besides, there was nowhere for her to run. Alora lowered her voice so only her friend could hear.
“I don’t want to do this, but they promised to get Brandon. He’ll die if I don’t.”
Priya’s eyes shimmered, her grip tightening in a comforting measure. She nodded but didn’t speak, and Alora was glad. They’d probably both start crying if either of them uttered a sound just then.
Quixx took Priya’s arm again. “Come with me. I am to show you to your quarters.”
Her face blanched again, but she didn’t argue. Letting her fingers trail away from Alora’s, she followed the warrior, suddenly gone. The King returned and gestured that she follow him. Leading her from the room, he paused to glance down at her.
“I will show you the laboratory where you will perform your work. You make a list of things that you need, and they will be retrieved for you.”
“My lab at the hospital has everything I need.” She bristled as the words flew from her mouth.
“I am sure that it does; however, you will never be returning there.” He eyed her pointedly. “Your home is here, now.”
The sliding door opened for them and he ushered her out into the hallway. She couldn’t accept that! This wasn’t her life; this was captivity and forced bioterrorism. Maybe it didn’t apply anymore since the world had been colonized by aliens and global dynamics had drastically changed. She’d been so busy working in her lab and ignoring the aliens that she hadn’t a clue what kind of species they really were. Maybe if she had been paying attention, she would have known that genocide was a fun game for them.
Who was worse, the Axxeon, or their enemy?
His arm brushed against hers and rested there for a second. She jerked at the hot sensation blooming where their arms pressed together. Her body went feverishly warm inside the towel.
She rubbed the point of contact over her arm. “What was that?”
His stride was urgent and wide. She had to hurry to keep pace with him.
“What do you mean?”
“It felt like you were burning me.”
“Oh, that. I apologize.”
She waited for an e
xplanation, but he offered nothing more. Alora glanced at his profile as they walked. He was so tall, she had to look up, making it obvious that she was staring at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. His cheekbone and jaw were strong, his nose straight and slightly rounded at the tip. He turned his head slightly and the overhead lights caught the blue of his hair, creating fractures of light and dark hues that looked like a shattered sapphire. The parts of his skin she could see showed the lines of the hexagon pattern glowing again. Softly, with a neon tint that would probably be blinding if it increased. How much of his body did the pattern cover? His chest and his abdomen. Did it go lower… down his thick thighs and over his firm, round ass?
She faltered a step, but quickly caught herself. She had to get her mind out of the gutter. “What color is your blood?” She heard herself ask.
His mouth curved up at the corners, the sides of his eyes crinkling. “Why do you wish to know? Are you planning ways to kill me?”
“I don’t ponder ways to kill people.”
He gave a cursory glance. “I feel as if that comment was meant to insult me.”
She shrugged.
The Axxeon stopped in front of her. Alora squeaked in reaction, bouncing into him. She put her hands out to push against his chest and nearly dropped her towel. Desperate to hold it into place, she fisted the fabric, but it fell sloppily around her breasts.
His face was smooth, showing nothing. But his eyes did. They burned, the violet in them like a supernatural storm. He gripped her hand against his chest and the heat started again, flowing through her palm and down her arm as she were standing near a fire. With a gasp, she tried to pull away, but he didn’t allow it.
He pressed a button near the door beside them. It opened with a whoosh and he walked backwards across the threshold, pulling her along with him. It closed again, encasing them in darkness.
“You will understand one thing, little human.” The deep growl of his voice rippled through her. “I am your King, and you will show me no disrespect or face punishment at my hand. Do you understand?”