Alien Slave (26 page)

Damn it, she had to be important to
somebody.

Heat suffused her lower body in a flash
fire of sensation, and she tensed as the swollen bubble of ecstasy
ignited to fill her entire body with bliss. Krijero’s rhythm
stuttered, and as quiet surges of gratification waxed and waned for
Dani, he came with a drawn-out groan. Gelan followed suit moments
later, gasping like a man desperate for air.

As soon as she was capable of speech,
Dani whispered to the two men, “Please don’t go yet. Hold me until
I go to sleep?”

“
Of course, little Dani.”
Gelan clutched her tight to himself.

Behind her, Krijero pressed as close to
her as their bodies would allow. “Are you well? Any pain or
sickness?”

“
No.” She snuggled into the
wondrous refuge of their embrace, her eyes shutting as fatigue
refused to be denied any longer. “I’m so good right
now.”

Deeper and deeper she descended into
sweet, restful oblivion. The soft breath of the Kalquorians and the
bass thuds of their hearts followed her down. Sleep cradled her in
gentle arms. All was well…

A snarled exclamation dragged her from
the sticky molasses of slumber, and she blinked as the bodies
around her jerked away. Gelan was on his feet in an instant, a
knife in his hand. Krijero fumbled with his discarded formsuit for
a moment before his own blade appeared. He crouched next to Dani,
his and Gelan’s gaze trained at the cave’s entrance. They softly
growled, and a rush of adrenaline spiked through the Earther at the
sight of their fangs bared.

She yelped when Wynhod suddenly
appeared, sweeping her into his arms and rushing to the back of the
cave. He set her high up on a ledge over his head.

Dani stared into the shadows beyond the
fire, trying to see the cave opening. She whispered, “What is it?
Did the Tragooms find us?”

Wynhod yanked a knife from his boot and
pressed its handle into her palm. The blade was as long as her arm
and incredibly heavy. She hefted it in both hands, still waiting
for Wynhod to answer her.

A snarl erupted from the entrance of
the cave. Wynhod whipped around, a shorter knife from his belt at
the ready. With one voice, he and the other two men roared
back.

Something furred bounded into the
firelight. Dani had a moment to register that Gelan and Krijero
were still naked, that Wynhod sped to their sides in a blurred
rush, that the massive animal, as tall on its six legs as the men
were on two, had a mouthful of dagger fangs. The next instant it
sprang at Krijero, claws that looked a mile long reaching for the
still crouched Imdiko.

Dani screamed, sure she was about to
see the gorgeous body torn to shreds. Suddenly Krijero wasn’t
there, and the beast landed on nothing. Quills spiked from the
monster’s neck ruff as it swung at Gelan next, who also
disappeared.

Krijero arrived below her ledge, and
she had a second to feel grateful he wasn’t injured. He took a
protective stance between her and the creature, which was now
snapping at the circling Wynhod and Gelan.

Gelan’s face wreathed in a ferocious
grin. Dani was shocked to see all three men looked like they were
enjoying themselves as they faced down the lethal creature that
screamed and swiped at the Dramok and Nobek. The men evaded its
attacks just barely.

Gelan chortled. “Look at it! I didn’t
realize there were apex predators like this here.”

Wynhod ducked as brutal claws nearly
took off his head. “We’ll have to hunt here more often. Quite the
trophy.”

Dani thought she might lose her bladder
in fear. “Be careful! God, why don’t you use those percussion
blasters you got off the Tragooms?”

Gelan darted close enough to the beast
to slash a rear leg. He danced back just in time to avoid being
disemboweled by the shrieking animal. “Percussion blasters? That
wouldn’t be any fun. No sport at all.”

They were insane. Dani wanted to smack
every last man upside his head. If they lived, she vowed she would.
“Sport? Are you crazy? Look at that thing!”

“
Magnificent, isn’t it?”
Wynhod executed a last-second backflip as the beast hurled itself
at him. The monster thudded to the ground, empty-pawed once more.
It howled its rage. “But it must be sick with something to come so
close to a fire. Most animals won’t do that.”

“
You definitely don’t want
to be scratched or bitten by it,” Gelan agreed. He and the beast
jabbed and feinted with each other, almost as if performing an
intricately choreographed dance.

Anger joined Dani’s terror. “I’ve heard
of testosterone gone overboard, but you idiots are taking it to a
whole new level. Stop playing with it!”

Gelan snorted. “She sure doesn’t have
much appetite for adventure, does she?”

Krijero glanced up at Dani. His
laughter was a bizarre counterpoint to the animal’s enraged
screams. “Maybe we could take her fishing. Swimming among a school
of razor-teethed rihpas with a spear might be more to her
liking.”

The other two laughed hard as they
continued to harry the bleeding monster. The Kalquorians had scored
quite a few blows with their knives on the animal. Despite its
continued attempts to claw and bite Gelan and Wynhod, it hadn’t
landed the first injury on them yet. There were plenty of near
misses however, and Dani shrieked at each one.

She’d had enough of the men being …
well, men. “Kill that thing already!” she yelled.

The creature squalled at the sound of
her voice and abruptly left off trying to catch the Dramok and
Nobek. It pivoted and barreled straight at her and
Krijero.

Dani held the ridiculously huge knife
straight out, as if the beast would do her the favor of skewering
itself in its madness. Krijero never wavered an inch, standing
stock still and tense for the attack as it bore down on him. In a
flash, both Wynhod and Gelan were on either side of the creature,
staying clear of its quills as their knives flashed, disemboweling
the animal. It happened so fast the monster bounded twice more
before crumpling dead at Krijero’s bare feet.

Dani’s scream dwindled as the men
pounded fists against each others’ chests. She noticed every single
one of them sported erections.

Standing over their kill, Gelan grinned
happily, like a kid who’d hit the game-winning homerun. “That was
fun.”

Dani scowled. She tossed Wynhod’s
oversized blade onto the ground and tried to make her hands not
shake. “You guys are such freaks. I’ve never seen anyone court
death like you fools.”

Krijero reached up to grasp her about
the waist. He carried her to the fire, where the other two were
already washing blood from their hands and knives in the water from
their jugs. They jabbered at each other in their own language, no
doubt reliving every jab and parry and congratulating themselves on
being such masterful monster killers.

Men.

She couldn’t help admire how sweat
gleamed on their muscles, how stunning they were pumped up with the
glory of victory. How handsome they were with their faces alight.
How very masculine they were with their primal power. Damn it, was
she getting aroused again?

I’m every bit as weird as they
are.

Dani shook her head as much at herself
as at them.

Chapter 14

They set off first thing in the
morning, Gelan instructing Dani to let them know the moment she
felt weak or dizzy.

“
You’re still going to feel
the effects of that bacterial infection,” he said, stroking her
hair. “I don’t want you in trouble again, so if you have to be
carried, tell us.”

Dani felt she could have jogged all the
way to their ship, but she knew he was right. The energy she had
would probably be temporary. Besides, having the Kalquorians care
for her was addicting. She fought not to wallow in their
concern.

Clouds scudded the morning sky, turning
the surroundings a strange but beautiful tangerine color. In spite
of all the trouble this little moon had caused her, Dani had to
admit the forest surrounding them looked ethereal with beauty. Even
the odd chirps and cries of the critters inhabiting the woods
sounded musical.

Funny how being healthy and in the
company of people who take care of me changes my perspective on
things.

As she plodded through the trees with
her companions, Dani asked, “What does Kalquor look
like?”

“
Similar to Earth is my
understanding,” Gelan replied. “We have oceans, beaches, deserts,
and wetlands. Our clan lives in a cave in the
mountains.”

Dani was a little dismayed. It had been
her understanding that Kalquorians shared equally in the precious
ores mined from their home planet and other moons and planets
within their empire. She thought all Kalquorians were at least well
off enough to afford decent housing. “You live in a cave? Boy, you
do like it primitive.”

Krijero squeezed her shoulder as if he
discerned her apprehension. “Not like the one we camped in these
last few days. Our home has power, running water, technology … all
the latest amenities. It doesn’t look like a cave system on the
inside.”

Wynhod added, “Our people choose not to
disturb the natural landscape when possible. I assure you, you’ll
find it quite comfortable.”

Dani snorted her disbelief. “Yeah, and
killing rabid monsters is fun entertainment for the whole family. I
do like rock climbing though. Being around mountains would be an
advantage.”

The Nobek looked at her in surprise.
“Really? I am fond of that myself, and we have excellent
opportunities for it.”

She felt a small swell of excitement.
The thrill of taking on a near vertical wall of stone, creeping up
its implacable face, defeating all the obstacles in order to gain
the roof of the world was a high nearly impossible to match. She’d
even belonged to a climbing club. It had been the one thing in her
old life that guaranteed the dependable aid of others.

The thought of returning to that
adventure with Wynhod’s capable strength to trust in delighted
Dani. “You’ll take me?”

His smile gentled his fierce face. “Of
course.”

She warmed at his encouraging
expression. She had to admit, she enjoyed getting along with this
clan. It certainly beat being at odds with them. Dani saw
possibilities for her servitude. The more time she spent with the
Kalquorians, the less she found to dislike.

It’s nice not to be pissed off with
someone for a change.

She almost laughed out loud at the
thought.

The morning passed pleasantly enough,
with gentle teasing from her companions, questions regarding how
she was holding up, and long stretches of friendly silence that
allowed her to think. She found herself contemplating the positive
qualities of the alien men: Gelan’s almost childlike enthusiasm
when he came across the tracks of some large creature (“I am
definitely coming back here to hunt,” he declared more than once),
Wynhod’s never ceasing alertness as he hovered protectively near
her and Krijero, and Krijero’s adorable clumsiness that matched her
own awkward progress.

“
I swear if one more vine
trips me, I’m going to stop and someone will have to carry me!” he
finally yelled in frustration.

The trees thinned as they continued
into the afternoon. Dani saw the fingerlike protrusions of the rock
formations in the distance. She wondered if she could climb those
with the proper gear. The gentle earth scents were overcome by the
salt tang and richer aromas of damp sludge. The soft soil Dani
tread on grew wet, and she grimaced when it squelched between her
toes.

“
I’m squishing,” she told
the others.

Gelan peered up at the still cloudy
sky. The light had turned grayish-orange. “We’re getting into the
marshland. I believe we’re making good time. We should be at the
ship by tomorrow evening.”

Dani smiled up at the clouds that had
kept the worst of the day’s heat from beating down on her.
Sarcastically she said, “Yay. In two days I get to trade the swamps
and caves for mountains and caves.”

Wynhod swatted her bottom with an
affectionate grin. Dani yelped at the slight sting and laughed at
his playfulness.

“
You’re a very bratty girl,”
he told her.

She stuck out her tongue. “Yes, I am.
Get used to it.”

“
Correcting a brat can be
much fun,” Gelan observed, waggling his eyebrows
suggestively.

Dani gave him wide eyes. “Are you
flirting with me, Gelan?”

That earned a grin from the big Dramok.
He patted her rump, and her insides tumbled with desire at the warm
touch.

A sense of peace with her situation
made Dani glow inside. Where she’d seen only frustration for the
next three years, she now saw promise. And after that? She looked
at the men surrounding her. Maybe there were possibilities for
further on.

The marsh became thicker, sludgier.
Dani’s feet pattered through it, Krijero’s heavy tread squelched,
and even Gelan and Wynhod made slight sounds as they passed through
waist-high reeds. The slower going began to wear on the Earther,
and she opened her mouth to ask for one of the men to carry
her.