The Zoran's Mate (Scifi Alien Romance) (Barbarian Brides) Read online

  His eyes travel over my body, and I feel violated from his creepy glare alone.

  “How are you feeling, human? A bit groggy, yes? The drugs will do that to you. Matif gave you a megadose. You’ve been out for nearly a day, you know. Only way they could keep you under.”

  He smirks, baring his fangs at me.

  “What a fine prize you’ll make… the Czar will be pleased.”

  I close my eyes and keep them shut, trying to block everything out. My captor’s grating voice, the soft hum of the ship’s engine, my rumbling stomach. If I concentrate hard enough, I might just wake up back home…

  No. Focus, Ava. Wishing is not going to make this better. I’m in deep, deep shit, but there’s always a way out. There’s always a plan.

  All I need to do is focus.

  However, it’s hard to concentrate with your bladder desperately asking for attention. And I don’t see a nice, comfortable restroom anywhere nearby in this cramped cell…

  “I need to use the restroom,” I say.

  “Ah, so you can talk?” my captor says.

  Now that my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, I can see a rifle strapped to his back. A plan starts to form in my mind.

  “You’re out of luck, though,” he snarls.

  “What do you mean? I need to use the restroom. Emphasis on need. I don’t know how your species’ plumbing works, but humans have certain needs. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say it might get messy if I don’t go. The Czar wants me ‘unspoiled’, right?”

  The guard frowns at me, his bushy eyebrows all puckered up. My cocky scheme just might work.

  “If I don’t use the restroom, I’ll be spoiled all right. Like you wouldn’t believe. Spoiled out the wazoo.”

  “What’s the wazoo?”

  “You don’t want to know. Trust me. It’s bad. Or do you want Lord Erran to find out you messed up?”

  The alien glowers at me.

  “I do not trust you,” he says, “but if you are telling the truth, Erran will have my head. Bah!”

  He grabs a pair of keys and unlocks my cell door. Yes! I’ve achieved the first step: Get the alien jailor to open my cell. Now for the crucial second part of my masterplan: Disarm him.

  How am I going to do that?

  Shit. I have no clue.

  I didn’t think I’d get this far.

  While I’m furiously debating with myself, the Nezdek opens the door and glares at me.

  Oh crap, I don’t have time. I have only one shot. I need to make this count. Breathe, Ava. You’ve got this. One step at a time.

  “Thank you,” I say as I get up and walk towards my alien jailor. The moment I’m next to him, I do the only thing I can think of: I knee him right between the legs.

  Clunk!

  My knee bounces off his armor. The Nezdek doesn’t even flinch, but my knee is hurting like mad. I stumble backwards, having to grab the bars of the cell for support.

  “Trickster,” the alien snarls. “I will teach you a lesson!”

  His long, thin fingers wrap round my throat, choking the life out of me. He lifts me right up, my feet kicking nothing but air. I can see his expression change from hatred to lust as his fingers touch my naked skin. He hugs me tightly, smelling my hair, pressing his bony figure against mine.

  “By the Nao,” he breathes into my ear. “So soft! So delicious! The Czar must forgive me! I must have you!”

  Oh no. No no no. Hell no.

  I reach behind my alien assaulter and gently pull the laser-rifle from the strap on his back. He’s so busy sniffing me he doesn’t even notice. I do my best to point the weapon in his direction, shut my eyes tight and pull the trigger.

  Zap!

  A burst of white light, so bright I can see it with my eyes shut, lights up the room. The jailor drops me and stumbles backwards, and a burning smell fills the room.

  He looks at me, surprised and disgusted. I can still feel his touch on my skin, and pure anger flows through me. I point the rifle at him and fire. Again. And again. And again.

  When I open my eyes, the only thing left in his place is a pile of ash.

  I did it.

  I rest my back against the cold, metal bars, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. Holy crap. I did it. I killed an alien.

  Only an entire ship more of them to go.

  Once I’ve regained some of my composure, I peek my head out the door. The hallway is empty. Clutching the rifle tightly I make my way down the hall, trying to be as sneaky as humanly possible.

  There’s a doorway to my left. I peek in, but I don’t see any Nezdek. No, what I see is way worse.

  Rows upon rows of cryogenic sleep pods are lined up on either side of this massive cargo bay. I drop the rifle to my side and rush into the room. Through the small glass pane I can see the sleeping faces of countless human women.

  My own words come to my mind. To them we are nothing but cattle. Breeding stock.

  How right I was. They’re transporting them like livestock. I recognize a few faces from the classroom. The girl with the red sweater is among them.

  Oh god.

  I’m not just trying to save myself anymore. The fates of all these women depend on me.

  I grab the rifle with a renewed sense of purpose. This is bigger than just me now. I have to push aside my fear — for them.

  Low, guttural voices coming down the hall rouse me from my thoughts. They’re coming! I have to make a split-second decision. Do I wait for them, guns drawn? Or do I hide?

  My flight response wins out, and I duck behind one of the pods, cursing myself for being such a coward. Several Nezdek guards come striding into the room, chatting amongst themselves.

  “Wow,” I hear one of them say. “Just look.”

  “Nice.”

  “Fuck, I can’t wait to have my hands on one of them.”

  “Yeah, like a scrub like you will get his own personal slave. These are going straight to the Lords.”

  “Ah, come on. Not like they’ll miss one.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “No, but I’m willing to risk it if you two are.”

  His voice sounds smug and full of self-satisfaction. It’s making my blood boil.

  “You’re out of your mind. I’m not risking my head for no human, no matter how juicy they might be.”

  “Your loss. I heard they’ve got a live one just next door. Saves us the trouble having to wake them.”

  “That one is specifically for the Czar,” his mate responds.

  My heart skips a beat when he realize he’s talking about me.

  “You’re crazier than I thought if you want to taste that one. The Czar will have you drawn and quartered.”

  “Oh come on, just a peek won’t hurt.”

  The voices fade away as the Nezdek head down the hall. My heart is beating so fast I’m afraid the sound alone will give me away, and my palms are sweaty and sticky. I have to fight the urge to run down the hall and gun the Nezdek down — I have no idea with how many they were. I was too afraid to look, but I counted at least three different voices.

  I can’t believe they talked about us like we’re animals. Less than animals, even. And any second now, they’ll discover I’m no longer in my cell, and my cover will be blown.

  What would Sarah do right now?

  Oh, who am I kidding. I’m no Sarah. I can’t take out a whole ship of aliens. I can barely punch my way through a pack of butter. It’s hopeless.

  I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. Come on, Ava. Think. All of their lives depend on you now. This is no time to have a breakdown.

  I need to send out a distress call of some kind. Alert the Federation of our location. That’s the only hope I have left — that they can intercept the ship before it reaches the Nezdek planet of Archon.

  Assuming there is a Federation left to come save us…

  I have to assume there is, or else our situation is hopeless. And hope is all I have left right now.
If the Nezdek are anything like us, I will need to reach the bridge, and that will be on the top floor.

  I take one last deep breath.

  Showtime.

  I rush down the hall, and I instantly hear screaming coming from behind. So much for a stealth mission. I fire backwards without looking, not stopping for a second to slow down. Luckily, I come across an elevator, and it’s already at my floor.

  I hop in and press the button for the top floor. A tense thirty seconds later, the doors fly open, and I find myself smack dab in the middle of the bridge, surrounded by unarmed pilots and engineers.

  “Everybody down!” I scream as I raise my gun.

  The Nezdek back away, startled. I run towards a control panel… and all the hope I have flows away.

  Just because they implanted some translating device into me and I can understand their spoken language doesn’t mean I can read their strange script. The panel in front of me is filled with flashing alien symbols, none of which make any sense to me.

  Crap.

  In a last ditch effort, I randomly start striking keys, hoping that by some stroke of luck, I might just send out a distress call.

  “You won’t stay still, will you?”

  A grating voice makes my blood run cold. I turn around and see Lord Erran facing me. The Nezdek leader is wearing an eyepatch now, and his smile is cold and lifeless.

  “I can fix that. I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me.”

  His eyes travel across my body.

  “You won’t need those legs of yours to breed. The Czar would prefer a perfect specimen, but an exception can be made for one as dangerous as you.”

  Fuck.

  Suddenly, the ship lurches to the left. The alarm starts blaring, and the room is coated in a harsh, red light. The engineers surrounding me are scrambling, screaming amongst themselves.

  Did I do it? Did I manage to send out a distress call with my fumbling? But how would they have gotten here so fast?

  “The Asir! We’re under attack!” one of the pilots yells.

  “Damn it!” Lord Erran curses. “Evasive maneuvers! Now!”

  Oh, it’s another alien species that’s coming to my rescue. Ah well, beggars can’t be choosers, right? They can’t be much worse than the Nezdek.

  An explosion rocks the ship, and I’m thrown up into the air. I hit the cold, metal floor with a hard smack. If these Asir don’t watch out, they’ll kill us all. What kind of rescue would that be?

  “We can’t shake them, my lord!” one of the pilots says. “They’re too fast!”

  “Throw her in the hold,” Erran bites at one of his soldiers while pointing at me. “The cargo is slowing us down. Dump it on the nearest habitable planet. We’ll come back for them later!”

  Two soldiers grab my arms and lift me right up, yanking my rifle away from me. I fight them as hard as I can, but it’s of no use. They easily carry me away and throw me back into my cell, slamming the door shut behind me.

  I’m in for a rough landing.

  4

  AVA

  A LOUD GRINDING noise is all I hear — the bolts of the cargo hold being detached. The next moment I’m free-falling, the artificial gravity of the ship now gone. I hook my arms into the metal bars of my cell, holding on as best I can.

  The entire room starts vibrating, and I fear the entire damn shuttle will shake itself apart. I can already feel the light tug of gravity, and I know what that means. We’re about to enter the atmosphere of a planet.

  I’ve only travelled into space aboard the HF Spearhead. That ship is the size of a cruise ship, with all the comfort and luxury that its massive size affords. Crash-landing on a planet onboard a rickety cargo-hold like this is more akin to facing a hurricane on a rubber boat.

  I’m not looking forward to it.

  The pressure on my chest builds, slowly but surely. There is a loud banging outside of the hold, like someone is standing on the outside and is trying to bang the doors with a sledgehammer.

  I try to remember everything they taught us about emergency landings at the Academy, but right now I can barely remember a thing.

  Floating through the air makes it kinda hard to focus.

  My stomach drops when I feel a massive, sudden tug. I’m smacked right into the ground. Right, that must be the parachute opening to slow our descent. I remember that bit now. Wish I had a moment ago, so I could have prepared!

  Time to prepare for impact. I cross my arms and wait, tensely. My ears are pounding as adrenaline courses through my veins, while wind is whipping the shuttle, the sound as sharp and as loud as a whistle, while I wait for the moment, the impact, the moment when—

  BOOM!

  It’s like a car crash, but ten times worse. The entire shuttle shakes violently, and I feel every inch of my body cry out in pain.

  And then… silence.

  The sound of the wind has disappeared. No more banging, no more shaking. I have a few scratches and some bumps, but nothing major.

  Another win: The door to my cell hasn’t survived the crash. It is laying on its side, and freedom beckons. The only question is what will be waiting for me on the outside…

  I crawl my way out and run towards the cargo bay. I’m intensely relieved to find that the sleeping pods have also survived the crash. The girls look so peaceful in their sleep — they have no idea what kind of trouble they’re in.

  I almost want to wake one of them up, just so I won’t be alone, but I decide not to. They will probably be safer in there than with me. I’m stranded on some unknown planet, no food, no water. Their pods are taking care of all of their needs.

  Talking about needs, I really need to go to the bathroom this time.

  I look around for a restroom, but I don’t find anything. I don’t see any comms panel either, so sending out an SOS is out of the question. I have no how the Nezdek do their business, and I have no intention of finding that out either. I guess I’ll have to go outside.

  Into the unknown.

  Fuck.

  I don’t have any other choice. The Nezdek will be back for us, and I don’t want to be here when they return. Or they lost the battle, and they won’t return, which might even be worse, seeing as there is no food or water for me here.

  I suppose I could try one of the cryogenic sleeping pods… but that idea just gives me the creeps.

  I need to get moving. I push my shoulders back, take a deep breath and head towards the metal hatch, while I’m scared absolutely shitless. Anything could be waiting for me on the other side of that door. A frozen landscape. A scorching hot desert. Massive beasts, all fangs and horns, or giant, poisonous spiders…

  Or it could be a peaceful little meadow dotted with apple trees, I remind myself. I’m not ruling that out just yet.

  I take a deep breath, grab the big red lever, and pull. The door whizzes open.

  Yep.

  We’re definitely not on Earth anymore.

  5

  AVA

  I’M BATHING IN SUNLIGHT. Twin suns shine down on me, one big and one small, and a gentle breeze makes my white gown flap in the wind.

  My arms are stretched wide as I drink it all in.

  No frozen tundra, no barren desert, but a lush, fruitful world, teeming with life. In the distance I hear birds chirping and bees humming. Our shuttle crash-landed in a clearing, on the edge of a vast wilderness, a primeval forest.

  It’s not quite paradise, but it’s close.

  The grass feels wonderful between my toes. I was mentally prepared for the worst, so this is a more than welcome surprise.

  YAWK!

  A giant bird flies by overhead, snapping its beak as it passes by. Its massive wingspan casts a large shadow, and a shiver runs down my spine. How primeval is this world, anyway?

  To my relief it passes by, not giving me a second thought. Good. I can’t deal with evil birds right now. My bladder calls for attention once more, and I head into the overgrown forest in front of me. The foliage is so thick th
at it nearly blocks out the two suns. The air is decidedly cooler in here, and in the distance I hear the soft, gentle rumbling of a stream of water. I allow myself a moment to relax.

  After taking my well-deserved bathroom break, I make my way towards the running water. After rummaging through some bushes I stumble upon a small, picturesque stream which cuts right through the forest. The water is so clear it’s transparent, and without hesitation I stick both my hands in and gulp as much of it down as I can.

  It’s cool and refreshing, and tastes cleaner and better than any water I’ve ever had back on Earth. When I look up, my eyes land on a tree filled with the biggest, juiciest fruits I’ve ever seen. The many branches of the trees look like they’re about to snap because the purple fruits are so heavy.

  I simply must taste it.

  I pluck one of the fruits and dig in, and the purple thing is every bit as juicy as I had hoped. It runs down my chin as I stuff my face, and I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

  I think I’ve earned my right to eat like a caveman.

  If everything tastes as well as this fruit on this planet, then this might not be such a bad place after all. In the distance, through the thick foliage I see more trees, with different colors of fruits — red, yellow, pink.

  I can’t resist temptation.

  I make my way through the dense forest, amazed at the sheer size of the trees and of the fruits they bear. I’m so lost in thought I lose my sense of direction, and I stop dead in my tracks when I find myself facing the open mouth of a cave.

  It’s pitch black inside, and a cool wind rises from the depths, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. With a jolt I realize what an absolute fool I’m being — stranded on an alien world and the first thing I do is wander off into some dark, foreboding forest?!

  I turn around, fully intent on finding my way back by following the line of fruit-trees, but my plan grinds to a halt when a massive alien beast stalks out of the high grass and growls at me, exposing its imposing fangs.