TAKEN: Journey to a New Home (19 page)

  “You know you didn’t have to go to all this trouble and expense. We would’ve been happy going back to the ship,” she told him as she slid her arms around his waist. “But thank you.”

  “I wanted to do this. And since we have several more stops to go I thought getting out of the ship would help,” he kissed the top of her head. “A couple of the stops it won’t be safe enough to take any of you with us. So if I take you along where I can it won’t be as bad when I say no. I hope,” he told her with a laugh.

  “Thank you,” she said as she leaned back to look up at him. “I love the fact that you think about us.”

  “Oh, I think about you quite a bit,” he told and leaned down to kiss her. “Do you need a nap or can I interest you in something a little more active but bed related?” He slid his hands under her shirt to her back. Heat suffused through her.

  “I am definitely interested in a little activity,” she told him sliding her arms around his neck and reaching up to place her lips on his. He lifted her and carried her to the enormous bed in the next room. They spent the next two hours wrapped up in each other. Sienna finally made it out the balcony while Dezek was in the shower. The view was spectacular. There was a pale pink sand beach as far as she could see in either direction. The water was a beautiful cerulean blue. The sky was a shade of blue similar to Earth’s. She could see people of all sorts and shapes walking on the beach and playing in the water. Farther out in the cove there were several types of boats with bright colored sails. Dezek joined her and she smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. Leaning back against him she continued to watch the peaceful scene.

  Dinner was delicious meal of various types of seafood with new vegetables to taste. During the meal they discussed the next day’s activities. As a group they decided to spend the morning on the beach and for the afternoon they would tour one of the forests. Dezek explained that part of the forest was set up similar to a safari park or wild zoo on Earth where they could see the animals and plant life. After dessert everyone returned to their rooms where most spent time on the balcony as they watched the amazing site of the sun setting to the east and the second sun rising in the west. Sienna told Dezek it was one of the most breathtaking scenes she’d ever witnessed. He was thrilled that she enjoyed it so much and the way in which she chose to thank him.

***

  Ashaa closed the doors on the balcony and pulled the drapes over them. Rev was about to ask her why when she shimmered back into green. He smiled.

  “Not crazy about brownish pink anymore?” he asked as she stopped to remove the green lenses. She turned to him and shook her head.

  “It makes me feel smothered now.”

  He removed his own lenses and shimmered back to green also. “Better?” he asked.

  “Definitely, I don’t find you nearly as attractive in gold,” she teased him.

  “Is that so? I’d be willing to bet I could convince you,” he told her with wicked leer. She peeled off her shirt and tossed it at him.

  “If you want to stand around in gold, I won’t stop you but I’m going to take a shower in real water,” she told him as she walked away. He looked up from catching the shirt and saw her spine spots flushing and forgot about what color he was. All he could think about now was Ashaa, nude and wet. He tossed the shirt on the chair and started peeling off his own clothing as he chased after her.

  She was in the water when he reached her, stepping into the cube. Water and steam swirled around her. For a moment he just stared. Her black hair was slicked back from her face. Streams of water slid down her tall lean body. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. He drew her close and kissed her hotly. His calluses scraped against her spots as he ran his huge hands down her back. She shivered at the sensation. He growled low deep as the scent of her arousal hit him over the scent of water.

  “I can’t wait,” he told her gruffly, “I need to be inside you.”

  “You’re the one stalling,” she teased. He trapped her against the tile, lifted her knee over his hip and plunged into her to the hilt. She cried out in pleasure and bucked against him. She was warm and wet inside and out he decided as he demanded entry into her mouth. His tongue slipped into her mouth, dueling with hers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lifted her other leg to lock them both around him. He thrust hard and deep into her over and over until she was panting. His hand went to her breast and pinched the hard nipple. She broke the kiss to scream his name as the orgasm blasted through her. Her channel contracted around him tightly milking his own orgasm past his control. He held her there, joined with him, for few moments and then eased her back to her feet. He shut the water off and pulled her out of the cube. He dried them both and carried her to the bed. She pulled back the blankets and they slid in together. She rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head stroking her back with a soothing touch.

  “I wasn’t too rough, was I?” He knew she wasn’t as delicate as human but he was still much larger than she was. She smiled against his shoulder and pressed a kiss there.

  “Your sensitive side is showing,” she teased with a smile in her voice. He swatted her bare bottom and she laughed and squirmed against him. And just like that he was rock hard. He rolled her underneath him. He stroked her damp hair back.

  “You know how much you mean to me don’t you?”

  “I think I do but you can tell me again,” she said with a soft smile.

  “You are the other half of my soul and heart,” he whispered against her lips. “I love you.”

  “I love you back. I never dared to hope or believe that I would ever be free of that place and those people.” Tears shimmered in her eyes and his rage at those who had harmed her simmered.

  “It will never happen again. Not while I have breath in my body,” he swore to her. He lowered his lips and proceeded to show her just how much she meant to him.

***

  Holly came out of the bathroom in her bed clothes and found Ax sitting on the floor near the open door fiddling with one of his gadgets.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “It’s a security device. It projects a hologram that makes the doors appear closed to anyone looking in and acts as a force field to keep anyone from actually breaching the door without notice,” he explained. He stood and came to sit with her on the bed. “This way you can sleep to sound of the ocean and feel the breeze.”

  She looked down at the floor and he realized she was crying. Pulling her into his lap, he held her tight. He pressed his lips to her temple and rocked her gently. She turned slightly and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his throat.

  “I wish the babies were yours,” came the broken whisper.

  “The babies
are
mine. They’re mine because they are part of you,” he told her gently. “And you are mine. I’m going to be a father to two beautiful little girls. Do you know how rare that is on my world? It only happens on the rare occasion that a mate is chosen who already has a child or is with child. Those relationships don’t happen often. I consider myself extremely fortunate. You’re smart, funny, and talented. We haven’t even talked about how gorgeous you are or how sexy I think your green eyes are.”

  “I’m getting fat,” she whispered.

  “Hey, don’t talk about my little women like that,” he pulled back and gave her mock scowl. She laughed finally as was his intention. “I do happen to think you are the most beautiful being I have ever seen. I will still think that when you look like you have a beach ball under this cute little shirt you wear.” He said the words with a fierceness that made her believe him. She threw caution to the wind and kissed him. The next thing she knew she was flat on her back and partially under him as he kissed her senseless. His hands roamed her body. He settled one on her breast and she moaned softly. He lifted his head, his eyes blazing and deep bronze.

  “I need to share something with you,” he told her. His voice and face were so serious she felt afraid.

  “You’re not going to tell me there’s someone else are you?”

  “No,” he smiled at her. “It’s the law that our mates know our full nature before we become intimate.” He pulled back from her and stood in the middle of the room and stripped down. She blushed furiously but couldn’t look away. His spot patterns were amazing. His skin shimmered and she watched muscle and bone twist until there was a green and gold dragon where the male she had come to love had been standing. She blinked several times. He was still, just watching her. His eyes swirled in shades of bronze and gold. She stood and touched him. He was real and warm. His spots had stayed in relatively the same places as on his bi-ped form. She walked around him. He was big, nearly fifteen feet in length, slightly taller than her at the shoulder, what appeared to be folded wings along his back. She sat on the bed again.

  “Can you fly?”

  “
I can but not here. It’s only safe at home.
” His voice drifted through her mind.

  “Can Ashaa do this?”

  “
I do not know. I would hope so. Females of the past were capable of the shift to Gazian form.
”

  “Well, this is a much better surprise than an ex-girlfriend showing up,” she giggled. “When we have a child, will he be able to do this?”

  “
Yes, all Zargazian males can shift no matter the species of his mother.
”

  “I think I’m getting the better end of this mating. I get a gorgeous hunk that can change color and shape. You’re just getting plain old me.”

  He shifted back to shape and came to the bed. He lifted her moving her back to the middle of the bed and stretched out beside her. “Yes, but I’m getting three for the price of one,” he teased her. She laughed until he started kissing the side of her neck and distracted her. “Is this safe for you and the little women?”

  “Yes,” she laughed again, this time the sound was low and sexy. “You should have seen Vax trying to have that conversation with me! His spots kept flushing and he kept swallowing and wiping his face. Rose and I both burst out into laughter when he left the room, he was nearly bolting from my room the last time he checked the babies.” He smiled and shook his head. He kissed her deeply and began removing her clothes and Vax was forgotten for the night.

  They rose early enough to see the sunrise and set from the restaurant on the roof where they had breakfast that consisted of bright colored fruits, a delicious tender meat that Dezek told them came from a pig like animal and eggs that were green. The eggs had the women giggling and attempting to explain Dr.Suess.

Beachwear was purchased in the boutique on the hotel grounds and they spent the morning playing in the surf and sand. Dezek called everyone in when several of the women began to look pink even with the sun deterrent. The red heads and blondes he discovered would burn despite the deterrent. So they left the beach and cleaned up in the rooms. Everyone packed up the items they had brought along or purchased in the boutique and Dezek had the small amount of baggage sent on the ship. After another delicious seafood lunch they headed for the forest tour.

  The animals were unique and strange as was the plant life. Taylor told them it was like Dr. Suess come to life. Dezek felt unsettled for some reason. His intuition was tingling and Sienna picked up on it. She slipped her arm around him and whispered as everyone was listening to the guide and looking at the bright bird like creatures in one of the enclosed areas.

  “Something’s wrong,” she whispered. He looked down at her.

  “You feel it?”

  “Yes. I don’t know what it is but I feel it.” They boarded the transit units again and the tour proceeded. A few minutes later it hit.

  The small transit system they were riding in jolted to a stop as the power was suddenly cut. The guides were telling everyone there was no need for concern but Dezek’s intuition was screaming at full volume now. Dezek and the others scrambled out of the cars pulling the women with them. Stun bombs flew at them from the trees. The women collapsed, the effect on them immediate. Dezek and the others staggered but remained on their feet as did some of the other alien tourists who were now beginning to panic. Dezek issued orders for the women to be carried to cover in the trees. The area was then filled with screams from others that had managed not collapse from the stun blasts as suPonicks came out of the forest on the opposite side firing plasma weapons. Dezek cursed the Saneeran government and its weapons policies. He and Rev tackled the first suPonick that came close enough. Rev dispatched him. Dezek yanked up the weapon and began to return fire. He sent mental messages to the ship for help. He kept firing as Fazon and Rev took down two more of the gray giants while Moz and Axon commandeered the weapons and fought back. Suddenly there was bright flash and agony struck everyone the stun blast hadn’t put down. The sonic bomb rendered everything and everyone exposed to it without protection unconscious, some dying from the fierce sound waves.

***

  Nogith had his prize again. She and several other of the females were a few yards into the forest with four gold Saavin males.

  “Find the rest,” he demanded. “The informant said there were eleven in total. I only have four here. The fifth is with child I don’t want her, too much trouble. She isn’t worth enough,” he said pointing to the human with blonde curls. The gold males started to rouse.

  “Nogith, we don’t have time to find them all,” Legoch informed him. “The Saavins are coming around. We need to leave now if you expect to get away with her.”

  Nogith swore under his breath but saw the wisdom in retreat. The damn Saavins had killed three of his men
before
they had weapons. Six others had died when they had commandeered the weapons of the fallen. The strength of the little gold brutes was amazing. He scooped up his prize and had the others bring the two red-haired humans and the dark skinned one. The shuttle in the field next to the transit system de-cloaked. They boarded and were away before Saneeran security forces had even gotten off the ground according the communication scanner.

***

  Dezek woke with a throbbing head. He and Rev started rousing the others. Nyman and Vax called to them from inside the trees where he sent them for cover with women when the shooting started. They found Vax with only Holly. Axon knelt and took her into his arms. Vax stood.

  “They have Rose, Sienna, Taylor and Ashaa.”

  “No!” Moz and Rev roared as one.

  Dezek moved to Nyman and confirmed he still had Blanca, Tabitha, Jasmine, Wendy, Natalie and Samantha where the others had left him and Zorn to stand guard over the unconscious women while the others returned for the rest of the women. They had been a little further into the forest so Nyman and Zorn had not been affected by the sonic blast. They had been able to hide the first group women.

  Fazon gathered the unconscious Wendy into his arms. He looked up with rage in his face. “We’re going after the others.” It was statement not a question. Dezek nodded. He couldn’t feel Sienna yet as she was probably still unconscious but he could feel the rage from his men. Dezek’s head came up after a bowed prayer.

  “Gval has transport in the field next to the transit system. We’re leaving now. I’m not waiting for the damn Saneeran bureaucracy to get through interviewing us.” Dezek told them. They lifted the females and carried them into the small shuttle. Once at the ship, his crew swiftly secured the shuttle. Nyman turned Samantha over to Bast so she could be taken to her room. They entered the bridge as Gval was issuing orders from flight control, already lifting off. They lifted off despite the no fly order from Saneeran air officials and the threats from the Saneeran port official who was so unsettled he had gone from a light pink to nearly neon in color.

  “We’re tracking the beacon signals from the translators the women have. I have a lock on the suPonick ship. They are cloaked but the beacons are still coming through loud and clear and undetected,” Gval reported. He exchanged his seat at flight control with Nyman and moved to secondary weapons control. Nyman was the best pilot they had and everyone knew that.

  “Nyman, as much speed as you can give me.”

  “Already on it, Boss.”

  Dezek turned and looked at Axon who had arrived after seeing to Holly and was now standing behind communications which they had muted, tracking the sensors, and helping Kern make minor adjustments to maintain the strongest beacon signal.

  “You changed out their translators?” Axon turned and looked at him.

  “Yes. The ones the suPonicks gave them were cheap universals. I changed all of them to the newest ones we have with the locators in them during their second week here,” Axon confirmed.

  “You have no idea how much I owe you,” Dezek said quietly, closing his eyes in relief for the younger man’s innovative thinking.

  “You don’t owe me anything. Holly will be devastated if we lose them,” Axon told him. “I’m still shocked they didn’t take her. Vastly relieved but shocked. I don’t know if I could be as calm as you are.”

Dezek didn’t tell Axon that inside he was screaming in rage, fear and pain.

  ***

  Sienna woke with that horrible feeling of being hung over again. She sat up and looked around. Her heart dropped and she fought not to start sobbing. She had been in this room before. She knew she was back on the suPonick ship that had taken them from earth. Rose knelt beside her with water.

  “The others?” she asked.

  “It’s just you, Taylor, Ashaa and me. I don’t know what happened to them,” Rose told her softly. “Taylor is still down and they took Ashaa a little while ago,” Rose sniffed. “I can still feel Vax. I can’t hear him he’s too far away but I can still feel him. He’s enraged.”

  Sienna closed her eyes and reached inside herself for the feel of Dezek. She smiled a little when she felt the slight trace of him. “So is Dezek. Let’s see if we can help Taylor.”

  Just then the thump of booted feet was heard. A large suPonick came in and placed a box on the floor and left. Rose went to the box and found more water bottles and food. They helped Taylor sit and drink.

***

  “Father, I promise you it was worth the trouble,” Nogith stated firmly. His father was unfortunately furious. He was so furious in fact his face had turned a charcoal color. Not a good sign. According to his father in the four galactic hours since they’d left Saneera, his father had been reamed repeatedly by not only the Coalition of Planets’ Council but by the Rank, the suPonick leadership, as well.

  The Saneerian government was screaming. They had filed multiple complaints with the Council that the sonic bomb had killed several tourists as well as quite a few animals in the vicinity. They were demanding billions of credits in damages and lost tourism. Cancellations were pouring in to the planet by the millions as word of the attack spread according to their complaint. Tourists did not go places that were attacked by military units. The Council was talking heavy sanctions and restrictions and warning more complaints would be following from the home worlds of the deceased tourists and those of the abducted. His father was in process of passing on those reamings.

“She is a Zargazian. I know it. I saw the spots and the green. I have the DNA scan. I sent it to you already. There is no way to fake that.”

  “You idiot! The Zargazians are extinct! When will you stop believing in myths and accept that. It was one thing to believe this when you were young. Now it is just embarrassing. Not one other supports your claim that they too saw this event. The Council is out for blood. The Saneerians are out for credits. The Rank here is out for blood and credits. Mine, you idiot! I put you in charge of that mission. It should have been simple for you to deliver the goods to the humans and bring back the exchange property. Even you shouldn’t have been able to screw it up! So some idiot human managed to combine DNA from a crashed alien and got something you think is similar to an extinct creature. The Heavens only know what the damn humans did when they were messing around with the DNA of whatever poor suba they got a hold of. You already destroyed a human installation! That was bad enough but at least the backward little brutes couldn’t complain. The Rank was unhappy enough with you for that incident. Then you raid a Coalition member! Have you lost your mind? Why am asking you, of course you have. It’s the only explanation for your unheralded stupidity!” His father yelled, banging a fist on his desk yet again.

  Legoch brought in the human female in question.

  “This is my father and commander, Togith,” Nogith introduced his father to the tall woman. Togith viewed her contemptuously. “I want you to show him your green skin and spots.”

  “I do not have green skin or spots,” she told him calmly. “Humans come in many colors but green is not one of them.”

  “You are not human. The DNA scanner confirms this,” Nogith growled at her.

  “True, I am not completely human. I have alien DNA in me that the humans gained from a crashed vessel. But I am still not green with spots,” she told him in a matter of fact tone.

  “I saw you at the base. You were unconscious, yes but you were green with green spots. I know what I saw,” he told her forcefully. “Now change and show my father or else!” Ashaa looked toward the screen and then looked at Nogith again.

  “If I was unconscious, that means I have no knowledge of what you claim occurred. As far as I know I have never been green with spots,” Ashaa stated again. She turned to the screen and addressed Togith, “If, this is true then he has more knowledge of me than I have of myself. I am an experiment the humans conducted. I am usually kept caged unless they have another experiment to do. But to my knowledge when I was on earth, I was not green.”

  Nogith roared in fury and swung a heavy fist at her. She dropped to the floor and rolled away from him. She scrambled behind Legoch. Nogith rushed them both. Ashaa dove under the table as Nogith rammed into his second slamming them both into the wall.

  “You will cease this behavior immediately!” Togith roared from the screen. “Order! Order! You will come to Order!” Togith was so furious with his son now his face was completely black. “Arrest him, arrest him now for treason!” Togith demanded of the others on the bridge, pounding his fist repeatedly on his desk. It took the four suPonicks several minutes to get the huge furious Nogith into restraints. All were breathing heavily when it was done.

  “Stand damn you!”Togith said to his son. Once Nogith was on his feet, Togith delivered the blow. “You, Nogith, son of the house of Ith, are under arrest for treason and the nine deaths of your own crew by negligence. Treason defined as behavior that brings sanctions against your people and government by the Coalition Treaty. Take him to the brig!” The four suPonicks did as they were told and Legoch righted his uniform and stepped to the view screen awaiting orders. “You will drop that human and the others he told me he had taken at the nearest weigh station. I do not need a war with the Saavins because mates were stolen from them. Another complaint to the Council and we may starve!” The screen cut out. 

  “You can come out now,” Legoch told the hybrid still hiding under the table. She looked at him warily and then slid from under the table. He helped her to her feet. “Are you injured?”

  “No. But I’d prefer not to be in the same room with that guy again,” she told him.

  He gave her a toothy grin. “Unfortunately, he will be in the cell next to yours. But fear not, he will not be able to leave the cell. He can yell and curse you but he will not be able to get to you. And it will be only for a few hours. We are going to drop the four of you at Petatay. It’s not as pretty as Saneera but you will be able to contact the Saavins from there.” He led her back to the brig. The four had placed Nogith in the cell and Ashaa noticed the other women had moved to the opposite wall of their cell.