MIKKO

STOLEN WARRIORS SERIES

ELLA MAVEN

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 by Ella Maven

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

Copyedited by Del’s Diabolical Editing

Cover design by Natasha Snow

First edition: January 2021

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Ella Maven

PROLOGUE

Mikko

I was familiar with pain, but this agony was on another level. I was dizzy with it, my head spinning as blood dripped to the floor of the cage.

“You could have been something,” the Pliken guard sneered at me as he tightened the chains across my chest. “You could have had the crowd cheering for you every rotation.”

I should have ignored him, but I’d never been good at keeping my mouth shut. “You think I want your filthy kind chanting for me? Fleck off.”

“Suit yourself, Drix.” He took a step back and hooked his thumbs on his belt which had two long sabers. “You only had to do what you were told. With those weapons of yours, you would have won every fight. Now you’ll be thrown into the Pit and forgotten. No glory for you.”

I wished more than anything I could lash out at him, but I was chained to the back of the cage with my arms crossed under my chin. If I ejected my machets I’d only spike myself in the neck. So, I hurled the only thing I could at him—words. “Only a Pliken would think pitting slaves against each other to the death has anything to do with glory.”

That insult hit. The Pliken visibly flinched, and then his eyes narrowed. I braced for more pain and got it when he drove his fist into my side. I felt a rib crunch. My breath left my lungs and for a moment all I could do was gasp as I fought to inhale.

“You’re not on your safe planet anymore.” The Pliken said as he leaned down to snarl into my face. “This is Vixlicin where we make the rules. Here, you’re nothing. No one cares about your stupid Drixonian honor. You’re only worth what you can do for us. And you, well you didn’t want to play that game.”

He was flecking right I didn’t want to play that game. I killed my owner, and I would have killed more if the pain of ejecting my machets hadn’t brought me to my knees, giving the guards enough time to subdue me. I’d have to fight through that pain in the future. I could get used to anything.

“So now you’re here,” the guard said. “The Pit. It’s where we throw away the worst of the worst. There’s no way out. You’ll spend the rest of your life there, and for your sake, you better hope that’s not much longer.”

Sputtering, still struggling to breathe, all I could manage was a raspy, “Fleck you.”

The guard laughed, a creaky sound which grated on my nerves. “One by one, you Drix will die out. No more females. No compatible breeders. And you, well you can live the rest of your short life knowing your family line dies with you.” He straightened up and gave me a cracked tooth smile. “You should have followed the rules.”

I didn’t get a chance at the last word. The chain holding my cage began to lower, and I could only stare up at the evil smile of the Pliken guard as he watched me descend into the Pit.

I vowed then and there I’d do the impossible. I’d escape the Pit, and then I’d make everyone pay who was responsible for what happened to me. The first person I’d start with was that flecking guard.

ONE

Rian

I didn’t mean to kill him. Well, I wanted to, but I didn’t think I was actually capable of doing it. I fought him because that was what I always did when backed into a corner. I fought back. But apparently the four-eyed alien with six arms had an Achilles heel. Using the pipe I’d managed to wrench from the bed frame, I’d smacked him right in the jaw, and he’d gone down like a ton of bricks.

Clutching the pipe like a bat, I’d stood panting over his body in anticipation of round two. But round two never came. Instead, his furry minions had run in and chattered in horror as I stood chained to the wall of the docked spacecraft.

After that, well, there wasn’t a second chance to be sold to a nicer alien in this galaxy. I’d been hauled away by a squad of the caped aliens called Plikens and thrown in the back of a dune buggy-like vehicle.

We’d raced across a red desert as sand stung my skin and filled my mouth. My hands were chained to the roll bar, so I was stuck, and eventually just closed my eyes and mouth, hoping like hell my nose remained clear, so I didn’t suffocate.

A day ago, I’d been in my one-bedroom apartment in Baltimore, sinking into my sheets after a long day of secretarial work followed by a lonely dinner for one. When I woke up, I was on a spaceship—for real—with dolphin-faced, one-eyed aliens watching me. When we docked, it was on this dry, dusty-ass planet where I’d promptly been sold to ol’ four-eyes as a… Well I wasn’t sure what my role was supposed to have been. I just knew I didn’t want it. I didn’t want any of this.

My life wasn’t roses back on Earth, but at least it was mine. I’d overcome a hell of a lot to have what little I did, and it’d been snatched from me in my sleep. What a bitch.

I rattled my chains and received a smack on the thigh from the Pliken next to me with the flat of a blade. I hissed at the pain and glared at him but quickly had to close my eyes as a gust of sand blew into my face.

I hated these caped guys. They were scary as hell but hadn’t hurt me too badly yet—just some rough handling—although bruises were already blooming on my arms. Before I’d arrived, the dolphin aliens had implanted a translator device behind my ear, so I could understand the Plikens’ language. Which was why I listened closely when the four of them started talking about our destination.

“They’re going to tear her apart down there.”

“Commander said to give her a weapon and make it last. The guards were promised a show.”

The one beside me in the back seat made a weird rumbling sound that might have been a laugh. A hand gripped my curly hair and wrenched my head back. I gasped and got a mouthful of sand for it as I opened my eyes to see him sneering down at me. “Seems like a waste, don’t you think?”

“Commander wants her untouched before we send her to the Pit. No one wants to hunt a wounded animal.”

I shuddered as the Pliken holding my hair let me go with a shove. My head bounced off the bar and I saw stars for a moment. Where were they sending me? They mentioned guards, which gave me flashbacks to the few months I’d spent behind bars on a theft conviction. Not one of my finer moments, but I’d been desperate. Honestly, desperation felt a little like my life theme, and I was over it.

We drove for what felt like an hour but could have been drastically longer or shorter. My head pounded, and I knew I had at least a mild concussion. By now I could see nothing but red sand in either direction. Just when I thought they were going to dump me in the middle of nowhere to fend for myself, we came upon a small structure and a massive crater in the ground. A long metal arm extended over the edge, like a crane, and at the end was a cage.

They dragged me from the buggy just as the crane began to move, and I realized with a dawning horror that I was going in that cage. As they led me toward the edge, I could see nothing but darkness. I dug my heels into the sand, fought, and screamed, but it didn’t matter. There was no one out here to hear my screams and those that could weren’t going to help me. Eventually I stopped only to save my strength. I had no idea what awaited me below.

They tossed me in the cage and locked it. One of the guards peered in at me like I was a bug. “Welcome to the Pit, human.”

“What’s the Pit?” I gripped the bars just as the cage rose off the ground and begin to move out over the crater.

“What’s the Pit?” They mimicked my voice, and all began to make a weird cackling sound I guessed was laughter. One finally gave me an evil smile. “Vixlicin’s prison. It’s where we throw the worst of the worst. There’s no way out, and we drop in food every three rotations. But I doubt you’ll make it three yoras.”

“How am I the worst of the worst?” I nearly shrieked.

He shrugged. “This was our order.” He tossed something in the cage, and I dove for it.

My fingers closed around a handle seconds before it could slide out from between the bars. When I held up my catch in front of my face, I found he’d given me a long, sharp blade. I stared at it in bewilderment before meeting his mean yellow eyes.

“We’re watching,” he said as the cage lowered over the lip of the Pit. Right before I lost sight of him, he added with an eerie cackle, “Make your death interesting for those of us watching. It’s been a slow cycle.”

My stomach shriveled into a twisted knot, and my heart pounded so loud in my ears I felt like I was underwater. This felt less like a prison and more like a trash dump for living things. The metal arm extended me over a massive pit in the ground. The sides of which were coated in a shiny, smooth material, and I assumed it was to prevent anything from climbing out.

As I looked down, I could just make out some shapes moving in the dim light below. I gripped the steel blade in my hand, testing the weight. I slashed out a few practice moves in the air with the knife, but they felt a little silly. I was five-five and weighed one-forty. If any of the prisoners were even close to the size of the Plikens, I was screwed. Would they make it quick? Would I have to turn this blade on myself? I gulped. No way. I’d fight and take out as many as I could. I never knew when to quit, even when it was clear I was losing.

The cage began its descent, and I was grateful it wasn’t achingly slow. My stomach fluttered as it dropped, and the forms below grew larger until I realized I was being dropped into a literal pit of monsters. I’d never seen anything like what awaited me. My owner with four eyes seemed like the better choice now, as scarred faces, mean eyes, and snarling mouths came into view.

I trembled so badly my teeth chattered. I clenched them together as I fought to get myself under control, but my body was in flight mode. I was trapped in a cage to be left for dead among terrifying creatures. As I passed the first floor below ground, aliens shouted at me from within door-less cells. I counted three floors of them, and the creatures milled around the walkways.

Below, at the bottom of the pit, was a cesspool of bodies, and the aliens there looked ill-fed and crazed. Not that the ones in the cells seemed welcoming, but they at least seemed less like a pit of snakes waiting for a rat.

Frozen in place, I watched as the crowd gathered around a platform along a wall of the pit, just below the bottom cell floor. They were waiting for me, nearly salivating, and it was then I realized was where my cage was heading. A beeping sound came overhead, and I looked up to see a flashing yellow light. In a moment, I’d be on that platform, my cage doors would open, and I’d be at the mercy of whatever these aliens wanted to do to me.

I didn’t see one human. I saw aliens with missing limbs and infected flesh wounds. The overpowering smell of death made me gag. Claws reached for me. Blackened teeth gnashed.

Suddenly the beeping went silent, and the cage came to a jolting halt as it swung back and forth in the air about ten feet from the platform. The crowd erupted in a thunderous roar, and then my stomach soared into my throat as the cage dropped in a free fall. The cage hit the platform with a crash, and I slammed against the bottom on my hands and knees.

My knife fell from my hand with a clatter and I scrambled for it just as the light above me flashed a bright green. My fingers closed around the hilt seconds before there was a loud rusty click, and the door of my cage sprang open.

A clawed, two-fingered hand slapped onto the platform. I didn’t wait to see who that hand belonged to. No way was I getting trapped in this cage. I surged out and swung the knife at the alien’s wrist. A wail erupted from below as I sliced through bone, and a warm liquid spurted across my cheek. Heart pumping, I skirted the cage while dodging grasping hands at the edge of the platform. I eyed the walkway surrounding the first-floor cells. If I could just make it there, maybe I could find a lone cell with a door and shut myself inside. Buy some time…

Something slimy closed around my ankle, and I yelped as I stumbled. Slashing with my blade, I connected with a body. The hand released, but it was soon replaced by a whip-like appendage, which I soon discovered was a tail.

I hacked at it with the sharp blade, but the creature’s skin was too tough. The blade bounced off ineffectually. I fell to my knees as the tail yanked. The blade fell from my hands. I lunged for it, but it was gone—fallen off the platform into the abyss of writhing bodies.

“No!” I choked out as the tail yanked again. A terrible victory cry went up from the crowd. My hands sought purchase on the rugged stone surface of the platform, but it was no use. Whoever had me was too strong, and I knew this was it—Rian Perez was about to meet her end at the hands, claws, and tails of some alien creatures in a prison pit. What a fitting ending. If only my sad sack of a mother could see me now.

She’d blow a puff of smoke in my face and say, “You deserve this.”

A shout went up from somewhere in the back of the crowd, followed by a scream of agony. Were they fighting to get to me? More shouts followed, and the tail holding me yanked viscously. I tumbled off the platform and crashed into the body of a horned creature with half his face missing. Bloodied skin dripped off the exposed bone of his jaw. Rotten meat surrounded me, and my stomach heaved. His eyes glowed a sick yellow as he clicked his fangs at me. He gurgled something behind a mangled throat.

And that was all I could take. I pushed at him with all my strength and screamed my lungs out.

He only gurgled more in what sounded like an evil laugh. His hands closed around my neck, cutting off my air.

I wheezed as his face drew nearer and he unfurled a wet tongue which bubbled and oozed like a science experiment.

Tears ran down my face as I braced for the pain, as I wished for this to all end fast. Was he going to play with me? God no. Just kill me now. Please.

That tongue stretched an inch from my face, and just as I felt his hot breath on my cheek, a large black spike slammed into the side of his head. Right in his temple.

The alien’s eyes went wide, his body swayed while his face drained of color, and then he collapsed. I went down with him, gasping for air when his hands finally released my neck. I scrambled away from him but didn’t get far as claws raked my hair, tails wrapped around my thighs and an arm banded around my chest.

And now… Well, now I was just fucking pissed. Reaching down, I yanked the spike out of the alien’s head and whirled to face my attackers. I fought with everything I had—kicking and punching at the aliens around me. I was outnumbered, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t give in.

A gray alien tore through my shirt with his claw and immediately three black spikes, just like the one I held in my hand, plunged into his chest. He fell back, stunned, and glanced up. “The Drix,” he hissed before falling onto his back, blood oozing from his mouth.

Suddenly the bodies around me began to fall away as a shower of black spikes rained down upon us. Well… not me. Everywhere but me, as if I had some sort of invisible shield around me. I heard a distinctive noise now—a grunting and growling as a shadow fell over me.

I lifted my head to find a blue alien soaring toward me on a swinging rope. I didn’t have a second to run as his strong arm wrapped around my waist and hauled me into the air.

We swung over the crowd at a dizzying speed just before sailing up past the first and second floor of cells to land on the very edge of the third-floor cell walkway.

My feet didn’t even touch the ground as he leapt from the rope and took off in a sprint down the walkway. I struggled in his grip, because I didn’t even want to think about what one of these things would do to me if they got me alone. I would have been better off dying in that pit. But his grip was iron-clad, and there was no way I was getting away from him.

A few shouts came from the cells as we passed, and then he banked a hard right into one. I was tossed to the ground as he turned around and slammed a door shut. The only opening was a small, barred window at the top. He threw a metal bolt to lock us in, and the sound jarred me into action.

I sprang to my feet just as he whirled around. His chest heaved as he stared me down, and I brought my fists up as if that was going to be any sort of defense against this guy.

We sized each other up, and I felt more despair the longer I studied him.

First of all, he was huge—close to seven feet tall, and his fairly humanoid body was stacked with muscles. His skin was a mix of blue and black scales that seemed to shift in color. He wore only a pair of pants and boots, and his tail whipped the ground at his feet, the end bejeweled with some sort of spiked jewelry.

And speaking of spikes… He had them. A lot. Black blades, the same ones that had taken out many of the aliens in the pit, jutted out of his forearms and from the top of his head to the base of his tail. He had messy black hair which fell over his piercing purple eyes. Instead of eyebrows, his heavy browbone was ridged in hard nubs.

He had rings pierced through each flared nostril, and his full lips were parted as he panted. With high cheekbones, and a strong jaw, I likely would have considered him handsome in another life.

A steady dripping reached my ears, and I realized the blades in his forearms were dripping with black blood. Was that his blood? I saw a small trickle seep from his hair down his temple, and now that I paid attention, he seemed to literally be standing in a pile of black blood which dripped all around him.

His body trembled slightly, and he cracked his neck as his gaze coasted down my body, like he was deciding which part to eat first.

I wanted to cry and scream, but I was fucking exhausted. So, I held my ground, fists up, and prepared to defend myself to the death.

TWO

Mikko

A human female. Here. In the flecking Pit of all places. I had been minding my business when I’d heard the cage descend. I didn’t care about another body being added to the population, but then I’d heard the scream, and I’d known at once the new addition didn’t belong here as she was a) human and b) female.

And then I couldn’t mind my business. The Drixonian warrior in me had responded to her cry of distress without question. And now I was exhausted and bleeding as I’d had to eject and regenerate my spikes multiple times in order to separate her from the blood thirsty crowd.

When I saw that Zuthisk bastard with his tongue a hair from her face, I felt a possessive rage come over me unlike anything I’d felt before. And now I was stuck with her, this fragile human female in a pit of monsters.

She’d been fighting them, and she was still fighting now, her tiny fists held in front of her face as she prepared to take me on. Of course, she didn’t know I would never hurt her. She expected me to be like all the rest.

I was sure my appearance didn’t help since I was bleeding all over the floor. Fleck, I hurt. Ignoring her fighting stance, I sank to the ground with a groan. I bent my knees in front of me and let my arms fall into my lap, not caring about the blood that soaked through my pants.

The female’s large green eyes watched me warily with her fists still raised defensively. Her hair was a dark red, framing her face in a tangle of curls. Her figure was enticing—full hips and breasts. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I felt myself growing hard. Which only made my mood sour more. This flecking rotation just kept getting worse. Why couldn’t she have been an unattractive human female? Maybe those didn’t exist.

“Do all humans look like you?” I asked in Rinian, as I’d spotted the implant behind her ear. They updated all the prisoners in the language before dropping them in the Pit, although many didn’t bother using it. There weren’t a lot interested in conversation here.

Her body jerked, and she narrowed her eyes at me. Despite her tough stance, her voice shook when she spoke. “No. We come in all shapes and sizes.”

Not so long ago, my fellow warriors and I had come across another human female on this planet. Rexor, the leader of our small group, had taken her to our home planet where she’d be safe. While her features had fascinated me, her appearance didn’t ignite my blood like the one standing in front of me.

Her gaze shifted to the door over my head and then back to me. “What are you going to do with me?”

“That’s a good question.” I thunked my head back against the door. The main reason for getting killed in the Pit was having something others wanted. And I had just acquired the most desirable thing on the whole flecking planet.

There was a hierarchy in the Pit—the most powerful prisoners lived on the third level where some of the cells still had locking doors. The air was slightly cleaner here, and most of the prisoners kept to themselves. We also got first pick of the supply drop.

The second level had cells, but no doors, and the first level was more of a communal area with no privacy.

The bottom level near the fight platform was chaos—a mass of bodies and filth who fought over the scraps left behind from the three levels. That was where the guards had tossed this human while looking for some entertainment as she was ripped apart. Fleckers.

We were on the third floor, which was the best place to be in the Pit, but then again, no part of the Pit was good. The prisoners on this level had seen me and her, and it was only a matter of time before they came searching for what I had. And there was no doubt they’d want her. I could fight off a few, but if the majority came after me? I’d be in trouble.

None had even been aware I was here but swooping in like that and rescuing her had been a scene. Now they all knew the spiked Drix was back, and they’d be wondering why. They hadn’t seen me for five cycles. Did they think I’d died? Escape was unheard of here. I wonder what they’d say if I told them I had escaped and then snuck back in by choice.

“What do you mean?” The female’s fists were still raised, but her arms trembled. “Are you thinking about which limb of mine to eat first? I’ll warn you, I do kick boxing and my meat is probably as stringy as a horse’s.”

I had no idea what kick boxing or a horse was. I sighed. “I’m not eating your limbs.”

“Are you going to Indiana Jones it and rip my heart out?”

“What are you—?” I shook my head. “Relax, female. Sit. If I had really wanted to eat you, you’d be digesting in my stomach already.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

I shrugged. “You brought up the eating thing, not me.”

Her fists dropped to her hips. “So that’s it, just sit, take a load off, forget that I almost got ripped apart by those creatures down there and just be okay with a spiked alien sitting in front of me covered in blood?” Her eyes dropped to my arms and her head cocked. Her little brows turned in as she frowned and seemed to study me before she let out a small gasp. “Wait, can you shoot those things out of your arms?”

“These things are machets and yes. It’s one of my many talents,” I said dryly. “I need to think, so can you ease up on the questions?”

“You’re bleeding.”

I stared at her.

She huffed. “Well, that wasn’t a question. It was a statement.”

I pointed to the ground with a firm, “Sit.”

“I’m not a dog,” she muttered and flopped down on a raggedy fur in the corner. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

“What’s a dog?”

“If I can’t ask questions, then you can’t either.” She smirked at me.

Rexor’s female had been meek and agreeable. She was full of thank you’s and smiles. This human female was defensive, wary, and snarly. I liked it.

“For now, we stay in here. This cell has a locking door. I have enough food and qua for the both of us if we ration. When there’s a supply drop, I’m confident I can gather several portions.”

Several voices hollered from outside, and the din of the crowd below had lessened, although some jeers still rang out.

She shuddered. “And what about them?”

“I won you fairly. They will give me a few rotations alone with you as recognition of my skills and power. After that…” I let the sentence die.

She wasn’t having it. “Yeah? After that?”

I looked her square in her pretty green eyes and told her the truth. “They will demand their turn.”

Her breathing hitched, and I could see her throat bob as she swallowed. Her fingers flexed as her shoulders tensed. “What do you plan to do with your turn?”

“I plan to stop bleeding,” I muttered, picking at the flakes of dried blood on my scales. “Then eat. Then get some rest. Are you injured?”

“I’m not injured,” she said, still eyeing me warily. “But I-I don’t understand. Why did you bring me here?”

“I didn’t bring you here. How did you get on this planet anyway? You’re a long way from Earth, human.”

“Tell me about it,” she murmured. “I mean why did you bring me here in this cell?”

“Because those prisoners were going to tear you apart. And I mean that literally. Limbs first.”

“Yeah, I gathered that. So, what’s in this for you?”

I cocked my head. “What’s in this for me?”

She threw her hands to the side and crossed her legs in front of her. “I’m assuming you didn’t save me out of the kindness of your heart. So, what do you want?”

Her attitude fired me up, and every time she snarled at me, my cock got harder. But I also needed to get a few things straight. “I want you to listen to what I say and not make our lives harder. I know how to survive in here, and I have the ability to keep us alive. What you can do for me now is get some rest and lower your voice because my head hurts.” If my fellow warriors saw me now, they’d smack me upside the head for talking to a female like this, but I was tired, in pain, and irritated I couldn’t shut her up by licking her cunt. Fleck, I could smell the scent of her skin, and it made me dizzy.

But this was the Pit, and it was no joke. She had to know I was serious, and I didn’t have time to be patient and choose my words with care. This was life or death.

She watched me as I slowly rose to my feet with a groan. I grabbed a qua jug in the corner and handed it to her before grabbing one for myself. “Don’t drink too much. That has to last you for two rotations.”

Nodding, she continued to study me as I once again took my spot on the floor with my back to the door. This way, I’d be the first thing anyone encountered if they tried to get in.

Eventually, she took a few small sips of the qua before carefully replacing the cap on the jug and setting it near her. She lay down on her side, facing me, with her small hands folded under her head. I swore I could hear her heart pounding. “Be calm, female.” I made my best effort at gentling my voice. “I won’t hurt you.”

“My name is Rian,” she said softly, her green eyes no longer firing daggers at me.

It seemed important she had shared her name with me. “Mikko.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “You’re really not going to hurt me?”

“I won’t, Rian,” I leaned my head back against the door. My arms and back were no longer throbbing, and only a dull ache remained. Soon, the pain would be gone… until the next time I needed to use my machets. I had a feeling it would be sooner rather than later if I were going to keep Rian and myself alive.

“Okay,” she whispered back.

I let my eyes close, and hoped I didn’t wake up to Rian pulling out one of my machets and threatening me with it. I remembered the way she’d brandished one of the black spikes in the lower level of the Pit as she fought for all she was worth. Yeah, maybe I should sleep with one eye open.

Rian

I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was even, but I didn’t know enough about him to be sure. Maybe he could see through his eyelids. Who knew? He was an alien.

I found it hard to believe I was rescued in this hell hole by a Good Samaritan alien, but he remained on his side of the cell. He hadn’t touched me or hurt me. The worst he’d done was basically insinuate I talked too much, which… whatever. Excuse me for having questions.

But despite his annoyance, he hadn’t once threatened me with violence. Both of us knew he could kill me easily enough or use his strength to bend me to his will. Instead, he told me he wouldn’t hurt me.

The Pit wasn’t quiet. Random shrieks, screams, and grunts filtered through the door, and I swore I heard the rhythmic slapping of flesh that made me wonder if someone was beating his alien meat. I shuddered. Gross.

Mikko, despite the blood, looked relatively healthy compared to everyone else I’d seen in here. The color of his scales seemed vibrant, and his muscles were well-developed. He didn’t look like a half-starved prisoner used to rationing his meals. Maybe he ate other prisoners and used their bones as barbells. Ugh, my imagination was too active.

The cell we were in wasn’t much. It was more like a carved-out cave, lit only by a small lantern on the wall. There was a small crate and a few jugs of qua stacked along the side. Other than the fur I lay on, there was one other threadbare one with suspicious stains. The floor was gray, gritty, and cold. I shivered and tugged the fur around me. It didn’t smell so great, but then I didn’t smell so hot either.

My stomach growled, and I pressed a hand against it. Mikko didn’t stir. Banging sounded from somewhere outside, followed by a low howl. The lantern flickered, and fatigue set in. I wanted to stay awake because I still wasn’t sure how much I could trust Mikko. But before I knew it, I gave up the fight and succumbed to sleep.

I woke to the sound of rustling. I opened my eyes to find Mikko crouched on the balls of his feet as he dug inside of a crude crate. At his side was a small stack of tubes, about half a foot long each. I slowly lifted up onto an elbow to get a better look at what they were.

He didn’t even look up as he said, “I have your meal ready.”

I frowned. “How did you know I was awake?”

He paused and tilted his head to me. “Your breathing changed.”

Good to know he had some enhanced senses. “Oh.” While the food didn’t look appetizing, I was starving, and my stomach rumbled. “Um, you can throw it here.”

His gaze remained on me, and I could have sworn the corner of his mouth tilted up into a small smirk. “You can come here and get it.”

Come closer to him? Really? He was rested now. His expression was no longer pinched with pain, and he seemed extremely capable of snapping any number of my bones with a single finger poke. I held out my hand with the best sad puppy look I could muster. “Um, or you can throw it here?”

In a very suave move that showed the control he had over his massive body, he slowly spun on the balls of his feet to fully face me. “You can leave the fur and come eat your meal next to me.”

I swallowed.

His gaze dipped to my throat before returning to my face. “I understand you’re wary, and that’s good. No one in here is good. But I told you I wouldn’t hurt you, and I won’t. I’d like to get the chance to earn your trust. Please eat your meal next to me.”

I stared at his massive hands which could palm my face like a basketball. His pants barely contained his thick thighs. I wondered if he did squats. Even his neck was muscled. His boots were fit for a Sasquatch. What size shoe did he wear? Twenty-five?

He had saved me from a brutal death, and now he was asking me for a favor. He could have done any number of things to me in my sleep, but I’d woken up unmolested and safe. I could do this little favor. I took a deep breath and gave him a shaky nod. Emerging from under my fur, I slowly crept toward him on my hands and knees. When I was just within his reach, I stopped and rested on my haunches. “How’s this?”

This time, he did flash a quick smile. “Very good, Rian.”

He seemed to like saying my name, and that was okay because his voice was slightly accented, so he rolled the R in a way I shouldn’t have found so attractive.

Demonstrating, so I knew what to do, he lifted one of the tubes to his lips and squirted the contents into his mouth like a Go-Gurt. He handed me one, and the outside felt a bit like a Fruit Roll-up. “You can eat this part too,” he said, as he gnawed on the outer tube.

The color was a pale off-white that reminded me too much of an intestine. I felt bile rise in my throat.

He watched me as I studied the food. “I know it doesn’t look appetizing, and it’s pretty bland. But at least the taste isn’t bad.”

He might think it was bland, but who knew what my human tastebuds would make of this. “What is it?” I heard myself ask, even though I didn’t really want to know.

“We call it muhs. It’s an artificial protein.”

That was all he said, and while I believed he was telling the truth, I had a feeling he was making a big omission. Which was probably a wise decision. I took a deep breath, counted to three, and squeezed the tube’s contents onto my tongue.

At first, I didn’t taste much of anything, but then I began to chew the jelly-like food. Mikko was right—it didn’t have much of a taste at all. It wasn’t sweet, but it wasn’t bitter either. It was a bit like eating a really bland, overcooked porridge. My taste buds were extremely confused, so I quickly swallowed the glob on a grimace.

“Good,” Mikko said with a proud nod. “Now eat the rest and have some qua.”

I gnawed on the tube, which tasted about the same, but had a really off-putting texture. I was again reminded of intestines, but I forced it down until I’d eaten it all. After that, I drank the qua as he called it, which was like water with a slight vinegary taste. Luckily, it washed away the flavor of the muhs, but I was already dreading the next mealtime. I did have to admit it made me feel full, though, like a loaded protein drink.

“How did you get here?” Mikko leaned against the wall, and his back spikes scraped along the stone.

“In the Pit?

“Yeah.”

“Very fast public transportation in the form of a cage.”

He gave me a look. “I mean what did you do to get sentenced to the Pit.

I picked at my dirty fingernails. “I, uh, accidentally killed someone?”

He lifted one side of his nubbed brow. “Explain.”

I sighed. “So, I was taken from Earth. I don’t know how, but I woke up on a spacecraft that docked on this planet. The caped aliens—the Plikens—gave me this translator implant and immediately took me to another spacecraft. There, they handed me over like I was property to this alien with four eyes and six arms.”

“A Plosich,” he murmured with disgust.

“Sure, well he chained me to a wall in a bedroom. I broke the bed, managed to wrench a metal pole from it, and when he approached me, I swung it. I hit him in the jaw, he went down, and never got up. I didn’t mean to kill him. I was just defending myself.” I glanced at the door of our cell. “Whatever he had planned would probably have been better than here, wouldn’t it?”

Mikko snorted. “No. He wanted you for his sons for mating practice. And Plosich’s are terrible at mating. They have barbed cocks that they don’t know how to use properly, and they practice on other species first, so they don’t kill off their female population.”

I couldn’t contain my horror. My heart pounded as my palms began to sweat. “Kill their… So, that means I would have died?”

“Do you know what a barbed cock could do to you?” he snapped.

My stomach lurched. “Well, I don’t really want to think about it!”

He sniffed as he scratched at a stain on his pants. “I wouldn’t have been there to save you, so trust me, you’re better off here.”

I pointed at him. “Yeah, about that. I don’t understand why you’re willing to help me.”

He cut me a sharp look. “What is there to understand?”

“Motivation, Mikko,” I said exasperatedly. “What is your motivation? My motivation is to live so I can eventually get back home, or at least somewhere safe in this freaking galaxy. What’s your motivation for putting your neck on the line for me?”

“Duty.” He tossed a small rock from one fist to the other, his purple eyes watching it closely.

“Duty,” I repeated.

His gaze shifted to me for a split second. “Yes.”

“I don’t understand. What’s your duty to me?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” he grumbled.

A curl fell down in front of my eye, and I blew it out of the way. “Well, you could answer with more than one word.”

“I’m a Drixonian warrior,” he said with a toss of the rock. It hit the opposite wall and broke on impact, scattering into many pieces that hit the ground like rain. “It’s who we are.”

I watched him take a deep breath. I could tell this next part was going to be important.

“Before everything fell apart, we were a society ruled by our females. The males were the defense of our race, but the females were the backbone and purpose. She is All is our motto, so when I saw you fighting for your life in the lowest level of the pit, everything that’s left of who I am called to me.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he explained his reason.

A society based around females. Wow.

“So that’s why you’re here now. That’s why I won’t hurt you, and why I will do everything I can to get you to safety. Because even though my body has been altered, my cora is the same.” He beat his fist against his chest. “It’s my duty, and I’ll die before I betray that.”

His words left me speechless for a moment. I hadn’t considered once he was doing this out of duty. Since arriving on this planet, I’d only encountered one terrible alien after another. So, it’d been hard to believe there was a being here who acted out with dignity and honor.

But I couldn’t deny Mikko spoke from the heart. There was zero deception in his body language, and his purple eyes glowed fiercely. He’d put a target on his back here, in a prison where no one would blame him for being selfish to survive.

“Okay,” I said softly. “Thank you for that answer.”

He lost some of the fire in his gaze and slumped back against the wall. “You’re welcome.”

He still looked tired and troubled, which made me feel guilty even though it wasn’t my fault I was on this damn planet. But then… it wasn’t his either. “I’m sorry for being so distrusting.”

“I understand.” He shot me a firm look. “And if anyone else in here tries to promise you something, just know they’re all liars and cheats.”

I let a small smile spread across my face at his command. “Everyone except you.”

He puffed out his chest. “Everyone except me.”

I nodded because he was so incredibly sincere I had no reason to doubt him. He was slowly earning my trust. “Are we…” I swallowed. “Is there getting out of here?”

“A sentence to the Pit is for life. There’s no way out, only in.”

My head spun and I swayed as I dropped my forehead into my palm. “Right,” I whispered. The guards had told me that, but I didn’t know if they were to be believed.

“Except…” his voice held an amused levity that drew my attention.

I lifted my head. “Except what?”

“You’re currently sitting in the cell of the only one who’s ever escaped this place. I got out once, and I’ll get out again.”

And that was the first time I saw Mikko smile a wide, cheeky grin that made my heart skip. He was shockingly handsome when he wasn’t glowering or snarking. I found myself returning the smile, and his gaze dipped to my lips as his purple eyes darkened. Surprised at the heat lurking there, I sucked in a breath just as a loud knock rattled the door.

THREE

Mikko

I knew who stood outside my door the moment the knock ended. When his voice rumbled through the thick door with a gravelly growl, I cringed. “Been a long time since I’ve seen your face, Drix,” Lozoric hissed. I imagined him licking his lips with his three tongues.

He didn’t give a fleck I’d disappeared or returned. He only wanted to see what was in my cell with me.

I was sure the third level prisoners had sent him as the representative, since he was the only one, I didn’t spike in the throat on sight. As strongly as I disliked him, he was the most intelligent out of the rest of the monsters in here. He was also the deadliest and the most ruthless. I shuddered to think what he’d do to Rian if he got a hold of her.

“Now you’ve seen it, so you can leave,” I shouted through the door as Rian sat frozen with her green eyes impossibly wide.

The knock came again, and her whole body began to tremble as her face lost color. Even her pink lips paled.

The deep voice came again. “We need to talk.”

I tried to stall. “Not now.”

The door rattled on its hinges as Lozoric slammed a heavy fist into it. “Now. Or I multiply and return.”

Translation? He’d bring fleckers crazier than him and tear my door down. This was as peaceful a visit as I was going to get regarding Rian. I had to buy myself some time and get him to leave us alone.

I gritted my teeth and ripped one of my forearm spikes out. The pain of ejecting my spikes never lessened, but I was more used to it now. Blood flowed, and Rian shrieked. Swiping my hand over the wound, I rushed to her side and smeared my black blood on the side of her face and down her neck. Throwing the fur around her shoulders, I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Act injured and scared.” She only stared at me, visibly shaking as she clutched the furs around her.

I opened the door to the sight of Lozoric with his giant fist raised as he made to knock again. It’d been a few cycles since I’d seen him, and he hadn’t changed much at all. He had a few new scars and I wondered who made them. He was a Haz’pitz, a warring race who often sent out legions of pirates to seize whatever spacecraft they could.

I didn’t know all of Lozoric’s story, but he had been a commander who betrayed his crew for a deal with the Plikens. Then he’d betrayed the Plikens too and they’d thrown him in the Pit. He was loyal to only himself, but he was also smart.

He stood taller than me, and his reddish skin was thick and nearly impossible to penetrate, even with my spikes. He kept his hair shaved to the scalp and wore a pair of patched pants I was sure he’d stolen from someone. Dark tattoos traced over his body, disappearing into his waistband.

His fists flexed at his sides as he peered over my shoulder. His lips pulled back into his form of a smile. “We didn’t hear noises. I was worried you’d remained soft like the rest of your pathetic race.” He cracked his neck. “But I see you’ve been busy.” He licked his lips, that triple tongue flicking as if scenting the air. Rian made a noise of distress and he closed his eyes as if savoring the sound. “Can I see one of her wounds?”

I took a step forward, shoving his chest with mine, and he stumbled back one step. I took the opportunity to gain enough ground to slam the door shut behind me. He recovered quickly and narrowed his eyes. “I asked nicely.”

“What do you want?”

“When did you get back?”

“I didn’t bother to count the cycles.”

“Some said you escaped, and others said you died.”

I shrugged.

“Since you didn’t die, then you must have escaped.”

“Brilliant reasoning, Loz,” I muttered.

He snarled, a warning I ignored as my head spun with a way to use this conversation to my advantage. “Or maybe I’ve been working the mines and then was brought back here.”

“I don’t appreciate this evasion, Drix,” he hissed.

“Well, I don’t appreciate the interruption. I don’t owe you an explanation on where I’ve been. Since when are you my mother?”

His nostrils flared and he leaned in. “Some things have changed since you’ve been here last. New bodies. Strong minds. You can’t flex those spikes of yours and expect everyone to fall in line anymore.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Consider it advice. You won’t be able to keep your toy all to yourself.”

I bared my teeth. “Leave us alone and I’ll let you know where I’ve been for five cycles. Trust me, it’s information you want.”

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Fine,” he backed up a step and pointed a finger at my door. “You have two nights with your prize. Make sure she’s still in good enough shape for me and a few others. Then we’ll have another talk. Understand?”

“Perfectly,” I spat.

He crossed his wrists in front of his neck in a mockery of the Drixonian battle stance with a sneer on his lips before sauntering off. A few voices shouted at him as he walked away. Over his shoulder, he hollered, “Two nights, Drix!”

His deep voice carried through the third and second level, enough so that a chant began to pick up. “Two nights. Two nights. Two nights.”

Dread settled low in my gut where it churned and bubbled before morphing into anger and then rage. Two nights? Flecking fine. That was more than enough time. They’d come for her only to find an empty cell. I was going to finish what I came here to do and then we were busting out. Again.

Rian

Mikko was no longer grinning. He had only spoken in short one-word sentences since that massive reddish alien had knocked on our door. Just the thought of him turned my blood cold. His eyes had been black, and he’d gazed at me with a hunger that twisted my insides.

When Mikko had returned, he’d helped clean his blood off my face with jerky movements and a clenched jaw. After that, there was nothing to do, so I’d taken to scribbling on the dark stone walls with a white pebble. While I was nowhere near an artist, it felt good to do something with my hands. Feeling melancholy, I drew things I missed. My goldfish. My job. My lumpy bed and fussy stovetop in my small apartment. Even my upstairs neighbor who liked to stomp around at two in the morning.

Any of that would be preferable to an alien planet prison. Eventually the pebble crumbled into dust and I stared at my drawings with my knees drawn up to my chest. When I glanced at Mikko, he was fashioning some sort of pack out of a large threadbare fur.

“Are we going somewhere?” I asked.

He paused his movements without looking up. “Yes.”

“Now?”

“After you sleep.”

I hadn’t been able to hear the conversation he had with the red alien, and when he’d re-entered the cell, a chanting of words I couldn’t make out seemed to hold an undercurrent of violence. “What were the prisoners chanting?”

“Two nights.”

I crept closer to him. “What does that mean?”

He finally looked up at me. “It means they are granting me two nights with you alone as a symbol of my status here. After that, I’ll have to give you up.”

I went still at his words. “What?”

“We won’t be here then,” he said, tightening a knot in the furs. “Don’t worry. They won’t get their hands on you.”

“Um, telling me not to worry doesn’t automatically make me not worry.”

“Well, try.”

I growled in exasperation. “Why do you have ‘status’ here?” I made finger quotes around status, honestly curious what it took to gain status here.

His gaze shifted to my fingers and his brows lowered in confusion. “What does this,” he mimicked my air quotes with crooked fingers, “mean?”

“It means I’m emphasizing that word.”

“Okay, well then I have status here because I’m—” he made very exaggerated air quotes, “‘Flecking deadly’.”

Yeah, I’d seen him in action with those spikes of his. He’d ripped one out just to coat me in blood to trick the other alien into thinking I was hurt. “Why do you eject your spikes if it’s clearly painful and makes you bleed?”

“Because the pain is only temporary, and they are excellent weapons.”

“Is that how all Drixonians fight?”

His hands stuttered as he fussed with the fur pack. “No.”

“No?”

He sat back. “Other Drixonians can retract their machets under their skin, but they cannot eject them like me. Mine eject and regenerate.”

“Why are you different?”

He snorted. “Because the Uldani are evil.”

“Who?”

He waved the question away with a flap of his hand. “Enough about me. What’s your story?”

“My story isn’t that interesting.”

His lips curved slightly. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I was a secretary who lived alone in a tiny apartment with a touchy radiator. I was getting my life back on track after some mistakes when I was taken and… Well, now I’m here.”

“Mistakes?” He cocked his head.

I shrugged. “I’ve been to prison before. For a year. But Earth prison is much, much different.”

“How different?”

“Well, there are actually guards, for one.”

“There are guards here, but they stay above ground.”

“Well, the guards in an Earth prison are more present. We are given three full meals a day with locking cells. We can shower. It’s not vacation by any means, but it seems like it compared to this place.”

“It’s not called the Pit for nothing.”

“Did you have prison on your home planet?”

He leaned his head back against the wall. “I was incredibly young when we left Corin, but the elders who were still alive made sure we knew everything about our society. Infractions were rare, but when they occurred, a council of females decided punishment, which was often physical labor or if the crime was bad enough—a public Drixonor.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s the ultimate punishment for a Drixonian. He is chained with his arms tied to his sides, so if he uses his machetes, he’ll gore himself to death.”

“Jesus,” I whispered in horror. “You mentioned you were a society ruled by females before everything fell apart. What did you mean?”

“A virus swept through our planet, killing our females and most of our elder males. We were directionless, mostly young warriors and most of us chits. The Uldani of our sister planet offered us a purpose to work as their defense. We agreed but didn’t realize the Uldani planned to betray us. We fought them for our independence and that was when…” his voice trailed off. “That was when I became who I am now and was sold to this planet.”

I found I was clutching my chest, heart aching. “I’m so sorry.”

His face softened a fraction before he jerked his chin toward my scribbles on the wall. “Explain to me what you drew.”

“Just things I miss from home.” I pointed out a few. “This is my pet fish.”

“What’s a fish?”

“An animal that breathes underwater.” I made a fish face by sucking in my cheeks and opening and closing my lips.

A deep rumble rose from his chest. “What is that?”

I smiled. “Fish make that face when they swim.”

“I like your faces. Tell me more of Earth animals.”

“You first.” I shifted closer to him and crossed my legs in front of me. “Tell me about an animal from Corin.”

He folded his hands in his lap, and it was the first time I’d seen him truly relaxed. “Let’s see. A salibri. On Corin we hunt them for their fur, which is soft and thick.” He poked at the bag. “This is not salibri fur. It’s thin and course.”

“What does a salibri look like?”

“They walk on all fours with big paws,” he held up his hand and curled his fingers with his claws out. He made a scratching motion along with a low growl.

I smiled at him as he peeled his lips back.

“Big fangs and ears up here.” He crooked his fingers on top of his head. His tail slapped the ground. “Rope-like tail.”

He looked kind of cute describing this animal. This conversation felt… almost normal. Like we were getting to know each other over dinner. “Are they nice?”

His eyes went wide. “No. Especially if you come between them and their young.”

“Well, that’s all of us, isn’t it?”

He smiled softly. “This is true. Are you a mother, Rian?”

I jerked. “Me? No way.”

“Do you want to be a mother?”

“This is a pretty personal question for a first date.”

“First date?”

“I’m kidding.”

But his eyes were intense, like a shark scenting blood. “Tell me what’s a first date?”

It’s like he knew there was something to those words and wanted me to say it. “A date is… when you’re interested in someone else. Romantically.”

“You want to mate them?”

“Well, I guess but you want to get to know them first. Before the uh, naked stuff, so you go out on a date.”

He was so interested, his intense eyes taking in every word. “Go out?”

“Yeah, like to eat a meal, or watch a movie, or attend a sporting event, or whatever.”

“And the purpose would be to get to know each other to see if mating was compatible?”

It was a blunt way to put it but not altogether wrong. “I … yeah. Sure. That.”

“Did you go on first dates a lot?”

“Not really. I was always pretty terrible at picking men, so for the last year I stayed single.”

“What does this mean that you were terrible at picking men?”

“They were usually shitheads.”

“This word … shithead? … is an insult?”

“Yeah, they were mean or cheaters or liars.”

His eyes went wide with a spark and his chest puffed out. “Earth males are like this?”

“Well, not all of them, no. There are plenty of good ones. I always seemed to be attracted to the crappy ones.” I didn’t want to say this out loud, but clearly my track record hadn’t improved now that I realized I was attracted to an alien-planet version of an ex-con. Jeez, Rian.

“Would you go on a first date with me?” He asked out of nowhere.

His question left me a little speechless. “Uh, I’m pretty sure there’s nowhere I want to go in here.”

He shook his head. “Pretend we’re not here. Pretend we’re safe. Would you go on a first date with me?”

“I mean … sure.” What was the harm in saying yes? Mikko had shown signs of good character, and I felt safe around him. A voice in the back of my head warned he could still betray me, but I swallowed down that dreaded thought. I rested my chin on my palm. “Where would you take me?”

His eyes went a neon purple and he shifted forward with a sly smirk to his lips. “If we were on my home planet, I’d take you to a hot spring. We’d eat fresh guara and drink spirits until we felt full and happy. Then we’d bathe in the spring. After that, I’d lay you out on some furs and lick your sweet cunt until you screamed.” He leaned back as he prodded at the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue.

My draw dropped open. That had gone from zero to one hundred. I was still stuck on drinking imaginary spirits. How did I suddenly get naked and orgasming?

Mikko wasn’t ashamed of his speech or embarrassed at all. He watched me smugly. “Why are your cheeks reddening, Rian?”

I pressed a hand to my heated skin. “I’m just… I’m…” I shook my head as I fought to collect myself. “You moved a little fast on that date.”

“While eating and drinking, we’d find out we were compatible to mate, so why wait?”

I narrowed my eyes. “How are you so sure we’d be compatible?”

He exhaled loudly with a satisfied grunt. “Because I know.”

“Okay, well how about this… You get me out of this hellhole, and I’ll take you up on that date and spread myself out like a buffet.”

His tongue—his pierced tongue with three silver balls in the middle—stretched down to his chin. He wiggled the tip before slurping it back in his mouth and clacking his teeth in a playful biting action. “I’ll be holding you to that, fierce Rian.”

FOUR

Mikko

That night, I slept on my side close to Rian. She gave me a wary look, but I couldn’t sleep sitting up another night. My spikes made that uncomfortable and while I didn’t need tons of rest as a Drixonian, the more I got, the more alert I felt. And I was going to need every single brain cell to get us out of this flecking place.

Of course, I knew where to go, but the difficult part would be evading the rest of the prisoners and ensuring they didn’t follow us to my escape route. I’d worked hard on my escape tunnel for ten cycles, and I still remember when I’d first emerged from the Pit to the sinking sands on the Vixlicin surface. I’d felt the sun on my face and breathed fresh air for the first time in ages.

It’d been one of the best moments of my life, a life that had been filled with enough heartbreak and pain to last many lifetimes.

Second best moment was this time alone with Rian. She was more trusting of me now. She let me get close to her as we moved about the space. I needed to exercise, and she watched me while she casually ate some muhs. She no longer raised her little fists in defense or stiffened when I drew close. I was utterly proud I’d earned her trust. It felt a bit like I’d tamed a salibri, and I vowed never to betray her trust.

“What did you do to get in here?” she asked as we ate a meal of muhs.

“I killed my owner.”

Her eyes went wide. “Did you try it or was it an accident like me?”

“I tried it.”

She clamped her jaw shut and muttered, “Oh.”

“They threw me in here.”

“But you escaped … and now you’re back. Did you get caught?”

“No.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Did you kill someone else?”

I scrunched my lips to the side. “Well, yes, but I didn’t get caught and that’s not the reason I’m here.”

She looked completely confused. “Then how the hell did you get thrown in here again?”

I chewed as I considered what to tell her. “I didn’t get thrown in here. I came back on my own.”

Her eyes bulged. “You… came back?”

“Yes.”

Now she looked at me like I had three heads. “Um, why?”

I bent my legs and rested my wrists on my knees as I wondered where to start. “Well, you got a decent look at this place, right? The bottom pit of living dead, the conditions we are forced to survive in. The food drop only happens every three days, and by the time the package reaches the lower levels, there’s nothing but scraps. It’s a place that shouldn’t exist. So, I came back to end it.”

“End it?”

“Cave it in. Collapse the whole Pit so they can’t throw in anyone else to rot.”

She crept forward. “So, are you going to show everyone how to escape first?”

“Why would I do that?”

She blinked. “Because they’re still… living beings, Mikko.”

“They’re criminals. They’re in here for a reason.”

“You were in here for a reason,” she demanded.

“Yeah, but—”

“And I was tossed in here for no reason. Well, there was a reason, but it was self-defense. I didn’t have a trial. No one cared I was fighting for my life. How many others are in here that have a similar story?”

I curled back my lips in a snarl. “You don’t know the kind of creatures in here. I do.” I slammed a fist against the door behind me. “Everything out there wants to violate you before tearing you to pieces, and you’re defending them?”

“I’m not defending them. I’m saying that you don’t get to decide if they all die. Maybe they belong here and maybe they don’t. But you condemning them to a death sentence is above your pay grade.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and I just stared at her. How could I make her see my point of view? I’d lived here for many, many cycles. I knew who resided here. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “If someone collapsed this Pit with me in it, I would have felt my death was justified.”

Her eyes got big and watery. “I don’t know about that. You killed your owner in self-defense. Did you kill anything else for the fun of it?”

I frowned. “No, but I also couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy killing Plikens who threatened to hurt me and my brothers.”

“So, it was self-defense for you too?”

There was a little bit of hope in her voice, and that made me flinch. “I don’t think Fatas would look at it that way, Rian. I’m not sure that it’s a good idea for you to look at me as moral and right. I left those desires long ago, and I have come to peace with that. I’m not the best Drixonian warrior. I’m not the best on this planet. I may not even be the best warrior in this Pit. But I am the one who knows how to escape, and I also know where the guards keep the riot explosives I’ll use to collapse the entire prison.”

She looked away, and I wished I could lie and tell her I still had honor, but I’d dedicated myself to the destruction of the Pit. I believed it was the right thing to do. I wished I’d met her long ago, before the Uldani and the Pit and the anger that took hold of my mind.

“But I will save you first.” Her eyes met mine when I spoke again. “I might not be the most moral, but I still have some honor left. So, I will complete the mission to save you before returning to carry out my own.” I swallowed. “I’m sorry I am not the male you thought I was.”

Her eyes glistened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it. She closed her mouth and gave me a shaky nod.

“Finish eating,” I said. “We leave soon.”

Carrying Rian on my back wasn’t an option because of my machets, so she was forced to run at my side. For someone who couldn’t see in the dark, she did well. That had to have taken a massive amount of trust to let me lead her blindly through a prison with hundreds of prisoners who wanted nothing more than to get their hands on her.

When I’d first entered this prison all those cycles ago, I hadn’t expected to ever get out. I hadn’t even tried to find an escape. It was by sheer accident I’d discovered a concealed tunnel a few feet above the third floor, only accessible by stabbing my machets into a slightly softer stone there and hauling myself up.

The Pit never slept—too many races with different resting needs and schedules, but the third level prisoners kept to themselves in their private cells. While walking, I kept as close to the wall as I could so the teeming masses below didn’t see us creeping by. I heard a few scuffles, moans, and groans from the bottom of the Pit as we jogged along the pathway. Rian’s palm was damp in mine and I could feel the trembles running down her arm. Her fingers squeezed mine with more strength than I realized she had.

I’d scouted the tunnel entry point many rotations ago—when I’d first re-entered the Pit and found it intact and unmolested. Bricks of stone fitted together perfectly to hide the tunnel, and it had been luck I’d walked by and heard the slight shifting of them, caused by a thunderous brawl in the cell two floors down.

The stone which comprised the Pit where we lived was garmin—a cheaper stone found on many of the planets in the galaxy. The upper walls of the Pit were quazal, an expensive and rare stone—but also hard and smooth. I couldn’t climb it using my machets, but the tunnel had been carefully built—I didn’t know by whom—in the garmin stone.

I’d already explained to Rian I had to climb up first, and then I’d drop a rope and pull her up. I didn’t like leaving her alone for even a moment on the pathway but there was no other way. Her claws were short and useless. I’d even caught her biting them shorter a couple of times. I suggested she grow them sharp like mine, and she’d muttered she’d “Think about it,” but I was fairly sure she’d been humoring me.

The closest cell door to the tunnel entrance was about five body-lengths away from me. The prisoner who resided there was a Vilke, who had excellent sight but only average hearing.

I left Rian on the path, directing her to stand with her back plastered against the wall, extremely still, and motioning for her to be silent.

She nodded; her eyes wide as she sought to focus in the dark. Clearly terrified, she didn’t whine or cling to me. I respected her show of bravery.

I took a few steps back to the edge of the pathway, and with a running leap, launched myself as high as I could. I hit the wall with a thunk and cringed as a few stones and dust crackled to the ground below.

A holler followed the sound from somewhere deep below, and I remained frozen there, machets plunged into the soft stone. The noise eventually quieted. After checking to make sure Rian was all right, I gritted my teeth at the pain of using my machets and continued to climb.

Blood trickled down my arms to drip off my elbows. Once I reached the tunnel entrance, I carefully pushed a few stones through. When I was able to get my fist inside, I picked them up one by one and placed them gently inside the ground at the front of the tunnel. As soon as I had a hole big enough to slip my body through, I leapt inside and immediately dropped a rope, letting it slap against Rian’s shoulder. She turned, wrapped it around her wrist, and waited. I pulled her up and watched as she aided by efforts by using her feet along the wall.

When she was safely inside the tunnel entrance with me, I didn’t take the time to celebrate. The entrance had to be rebuilt before anyone walked by and saw it. I had about half the stones replaced when the clank of a cell door opening sounded in the distance. For a split second, I froze, and Rian sucked in a breath. Stones crunched under boots as footsteps approached, and I placed the stones quicker, white noise roaring in my ears as I fought not to panic. My hands had to be steady.

The hole got smaller and smaller, and just when I detected a figure coming toward us, I placed the last stone, sealing us off from the Pit.

For a moment, I didn’t move. I only heard Rian’s breathing, which sounded loud as fleck in the small space. I placed my hand over her mouth, and she fought me for a second before settling.

The footsteps drew closer, stopping just outside the tunnel entrance, and then kept going. Another cell opened, voices greeted each other, and then the door closed. After that … silence.

I dropped my hand from Rian’s mouth and whispered, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said back.

I took her hand and led her deeper into the tunnel.

Rian

He could have been leading me to a dungeon. A torture dungeon. A sex dungeon. And not the fun kind. Anything really, and I would have had no choice but to blindly follow him. I couldn’t see anything in the pitch black, not even my own hand. I tried to hold it a few inches from my face and ended up poking myself in the eye. So, I stumbled at a dead run, my hand clasped in Mikko’s, as we ventured farther into the tunnel.

I had thought for a minute there that we’d been found out, but Mikko had stayed calm and focused as he replaced the stone entrance of the tunnel. I’d been going out of my mind, my heart beating so loudly in my ears I couldn’t hear a thing.

We ran for what felt like an hour but was probably only fifteen minutes. By the time his pace slowed, I was gasping for breath. He’d definitely shortened his strides so I could keep up, and while I wasn’t in the best shape, fear had a way of moving my muscles past the point of exhaustion.

Finally, he came to a stop and let go of my hand. I immediately bent over, hands on my knees, and panted like a dog. A click followed by a hiss sounded in the tunnel and suddenly we were illuminated. I straightened to find Mikko staring up at the ceiling of the narrow tunnel. I followed his gaze to find nothing, but a hole covered by a metal panel.

I reached for it, but Mikko, immediately snatched my hand away. I frowned at him. “Why can’t I touch it?”

Mikko’s nostrils flared, and his chest heaved. He picked up a few pebbles and tossed them at the panel. When they hit, sparks flew, and I yelped as I scrambled out of the way. “That’s why,” he growled at me.

“Okay, so… what’s the plan? How do we get past it?” He’d done this before, so he knew, right? Except I didn’t like the look on his face and the way his mouth went tight at my questions.

“I thought…” he shook his head and let it drop between his shoulders. “Fleck.”

“What? You thought what?” I tried to stop the swell of panic rising up my throat. “Mikko, what’s wrong?”

His desperate gaze clashed with mine. “This wasn’t here when I escaped. I don’t know how much area is charged…”

“What are you telling me?”

“I’m telling you we have to find another way out.”

I began to hyperventilate. All I could think about was that massive alien who was turned on at the sight of my “blood,” at the way he hollered two nights, at his threat to share me with the other prisoners. The hope died in my chest and turned into a rotten sludge that settled in my stomach like lead.

I dropped into a ball and covered my head with my hands. Tears didn’t come because I was too in shock to cry. A warm hand settled on my back. “I promised you I’d get you out of here, and I am going to fulfill that promise.”

I gazed up at him, his expression so serious that for a moment I thought I had hope again, until the reality of the situation swamped me again. “Don’t give me false hope.”

His jaw ticked. “I’m not.” He hauled me into his arms, and I felt like a child. “I’ll buy us some time,” Mikko’s deep voice rumbled. “I have a few favors I can call in.”

Extinguishing the light he’d lit, he plunged us into darkness again before he began to walk. I felt helpless and worthless, but fear had frozen my limbs. By the time we reached the tunnel entrance, my heart was working overtime to pump my thick blood through my veins. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Mikko or trust him. I just knew without a doubt my luck had run out.

We burst through the tunnel entrance, and Mikko landed on the path outside the cells with me in his arms. He didn’t bother to replace the stones at the entrance. What did it matter when the tunnel had no value anymore?

High above us, a lonely ray of sun peeked over the corner of the Pit. We raced around the pathway and were a few feet from the door of Mikko’s cell when it opened.

It. Opened.

The red alien named Lozoric stepped out, followed by a few others. Mikko skidded to a halt, and I felt every muscle in him tense. His machets began to vibrate, almost like a bristling porcupine.

Lozoric crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Where’ve you been, Drix?”

“A walk,” Mikko sniped.

“A walk? So, did you miss the announcement?”

Mikko sucked in a breath but didn’t answer. Slowly, aliens in different shapes and sizes began to emerge from the shadows of the Pit. Some crawled up from the lower level, grasping hands and claws digging into the dirt as they hauled themselves up. Groups crept out of their rooms from all directions. Mikko’s arms tightened around me as his head swiveled to take in the enemies closing in from all directions.

“The guards have given us a little competition. Capture the human alive. We get to do whatever we want with her, and we also get an extra food drop.” He gestured around him with his hands. “We’re all a little hungry for some variety, if you know what I mean.” His tongue snaked out to taste the air, and I couldn’t hold back my whimper.

Mikko’s legs braced, and I heard a meaty smack seconds before a prisoner went sailing over the edge of the pathway to crash into the bodies in the pit below. Mikko’s tail flicked as he curled his body around mine, turning his spiked back outward. “Who’s next?” he sneered.

“Mikko.” I choked out, tears streaming down my face.

“I promised.” The vulnerable crack in his voice broke me.

“You did your best,” I whispered, “but you can’t—”

With a roar, he flung his arm out and spikes slammed into the torso of an alien rushing at us. Blood flew as one spike speared him in the neck.

“I can do this all day!” Mikko shouted, spittle flying from his mouth as the crowd closed in.

After that… it was chaos. Aliens flew at us from all directions. Mikko’s tail whipped around us, cracking against flesh and breaking bones. He needed both arms to fling his machets and shoved me into a ball at his feet.

As I watched the crowd closing in on us while they dodged Mikko’s machets, a moment of clarity came over me. Blood dripped from Mikko’s forearms, head, and back as he ejected his machets as fast as they regenerated.

His handsome features were twisted in agony, fury, and determination. He was doing this all for me when he could have easily handed me over and carried on with his life.

So honestly, fuck this frozen in fear shit. I wasn’t a powerful alien, but I was scrappy as hell. They wanted me? They were going to suffer.

I scrambled to a nearby body and ripped the two black spikes—courtesy of Mikko—out of his chest. One in each hand, I stood my ground, slashing at anything that got in my way. A few aliens thought I was easy pickings, but I soon showed them I was agile and could swing a fist or two.

We were losing—I wasn’t naïve enough to think we’d win. My arms were exhausted, and Mikko staggered under the pain of fighting. He had a few injuries as the alien horde managed to get a few shots in.

His hand reached out and pulled me against his chest. His blood soaked into the back of my shirt and his body trembled with pain while he continued to roar. He was no longer taunting, which worried me because that meant he was flagging. There was no way he could fight them all.

A hand closed around my ankle, and I screamed as I kicked. But the clawed hand didn’t dislodge and when I looked down, it was into the sneering face of Lozoric.

I screamed again, and his mouth opened. An odd chatter rose from his throat, and I realized he was laughing.

He pulled and I slipped from Mikko’s arms. He went wild as he dove for me. His hands grasped inches from my head as I was pulled deeper into the crowd. I looked back, and we made eye contact one last time before the bodies closed in around me.

I screamed. And I screamed. And I screamed.

FIVE

Mikko

I was losing, and it was a feeling I’d never had. Even when I’d woken up in absolute agony in the Uldani lab, drugged and furious, I’d had a fire within me that couldn’t be extinguished. I never lost hope I’d be free again, even when I’d been tossed into the Pit to rot.

But as I watched Rian be dragged away from me, her small hands reaching for me as her terrified voice shrieked my name, I finally knew what actual loss felt like.

I’d seen her fighting at my side, my brave little warrior. With a face streaked with tears and knees wobbly with fright, she’d still managed to maim a few prisoners.

Pain coursed through my body, and a blow to the back of my legs sent me to my knees with a thud. A fist slammed into my head. Somewhere, Lozoric cackled. I managed to tilt my face up one last time just as I felt a hand fist my hair and pull my head back. A slim ray of sun warmed my face for a split seek right before a shadow blotted it out.

I missed my brothers, my warriors. I hoped Rexor and his human made it to safety. I hoped he was alive and well. I wished to Fatas that Fenix was happy, and Zecri would get the revenge he desired.

And I wished Rian’s end would be swift or she found a way to end her life before these fleckers could harm her.

I opened my eyes to peer into the hazy yellow irises of a Yupri. “Time to meet your end, Drix,” he laughed.

I waited for the final pain that would end it all, for my blood to gush onto this dirty path in this filthy prison. But instead. I heard a metal rattle moments before choking smoke suddenly filled the air. The hand in my hair released as angry shouts filled the Pit. Through the gray smoke, I could make out stumbling figures. Cries of pain and alarm followed by coughing and hacking.

I dropped to my belly, where the smoke wasn’t as thick, and crawled forward using my arms. Bodies collided with each other. I could hear the hollers of many falling off the level to land in the pit below.

My eyes burned, and I blinked away the smoke as I searched for familiar red hair. In the distance, I could just make out her voice. She was still alive, and that encouraged me, despite the burning in my lungs as I tried to breathe the poisoned air.

My vision swam, my head spun, and I fought to maintain consciousness. Was this the guards attempting to break up a riot? They’d never done this before… Had they? My brain wouldn’t seem to work right, and when I tried to move forward, suddenly my arms went numb. Drool pooled at the corner of my mouth. “Wh-what—?” I managed. “R-Rian.” I called out, but my voice sounded far away. I couldn’t make my thick tongue work.

And just as I heard a muffled. “—kko. Mikko!” My eyes closed and everything went black.

I came to in spurts. My body was moving, but I wasn’t doing the moving. I was being dragged, and no matter how hard I tried to resist, my limbs wouldn’t work. My brain still felt clogged and sluggish. Craggy voices echoed in my head, and I vainly tried to swat away enemies. My machets wouldn’t eject, and all I seemed to be able to do was curl my fingers in a weak fist.

“Ri-Ri-an,” I murmured with a dry and swollen tongue.

I wasn’t moving anymore, but my eyes wouldn’t open. Someone was arranging my limbs.

Voices filtered through my brain fog. “Heavy as a boulder, that ‘un.”

“Look at the size of ‘im. Bloody as a corpse too.”

“Be careful of those spikes, York.”

“I’m bein’ careful.”

“You know how thin your skin is.”

“I know, I know, I’m bein’ careful.”

“He’s going to wake up as pissed as a griger.”

“No kidding, Crife, that’s why I’m putting him over here.”

“This pale one is limp.”

“Like your cock.”

Snickers followed.

A cup was brought to my lips and at first, I couldn’t do anything as the liquid rolled down the sides of my face.

“Swallow, you big bastard,” a voice muttered. “Quit being dramatic. You’re not dead.”

I tried in vain to move my lips, and finally they twitched. I was able to open them a fraction and as soon as the qua hit my tongue, my body took over. I swallowed greedily, each gulp flooding my system with energy until I was clutching the cup and upending the rest of the contents in my mouth.

Finally, I opened my eyes to find myself in a dimly lit stone cave. The creature in front of me stared with impossible wide, round gray eyes. He was small, maybe half the size of me, with long gray hair and a beard that grew down to his round belly. His paws were large in proportion to his body, with concave claws.

He sat frozen in front of me. Behind him stood another that looked similar, but he was bald and had a shorter beard. Both blinked at me with eyes that took up half of their faces. Two small holes below fluttered as they breathed, and their mouths hung open showing sharp teeth.

And in the corner, laying on her side, was Rian. I leapt to my feet, stumbling a moment as I got my legs under me and dove to her side. The small creatures lunged out of the way and huddled together in the opposite corner of the cave. I ignored them, because they didn’t pose a threat to me, and gathered Rian in my arms. I held my ear to her mouth, and relief washed over me when I felt the small, hot puffs of her breath. When I placed my palm over her chest, her heart beat steadily.

“Rian.” I pushed her hair out of her face. Her eyes were closed, and her color was paler than I had seen her. “My little warrior. Please wake up.”

She didn’t move, so I laid her head in my lap and stroked her hair, working out the tangles with my claws. Blood droplets were all over her skin, and I despaired as I didn’t know if they were from her injuries or others.

A shuffled sound drew my attention. I glanced up. One of the creatures was approaching me, but he startled when I caught his eye. He stole a look over his shoulder. The other creature remained huddled in the corner. “York, get back here,” he hissed.

“She needs qua,” the one close to me said stubbornly. In his clawed paws was a cup of qua and a clean cloth. “Here, for her to drink. And to clean her flesh.”

I narrowed my eyes at him with mistrust. I didn’t know where I was or how I got here. What did they want?

He swallowed and once again looked back over his shoulder, as if for courage. He took another step closer with his hands out. “Please, for the small one. The effects of the ricin will take longer to wear off for her.”

I snatched them from his hands, and he quickly scurried back to his friend. They clung to each other. I sniffed the qua and took a small sip. Determining it was safe, I tilted it to Rian’s lips. Her throat worked as she swallowed some. I wet the cloth and swiped at her skin, relieved to find that she mostly had scrapes and scratches. No real injuries. My body still hurt like a mother flecker and my head ached liked it’d been tossed around.

When I was content she was all right, I glanced up at the creatures. They watched me warily. “Where am I?” I asked.

“In a tunnel. In the Pit.”

“How did I get here?”

The one with long hair who had given me the qua licked his lips. “We, uh, dragged you here.”

That took me aback. “What?”

The bald one spoke up now. “We heard the announcement. We saw you were fighting for the pale, little one. We threw the ricin canisters and dragged you here.”

I tilted my head. “You saved us?”

They glanced at each other. “We…” the bald one swallowed. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because we don’t like cruelty,” the long-haired one said.

“It is against our beliefs,” the other added.

“We must always provide aid. It is our oath. We haven’t had much cause in here to help before…”

“Innocence is rare.”

“But this little pale one? We couldn’t. We saved you because you were trying to keep her safe. We saw you attempt escape, just like last time.”

I jerked back in surprise. “You saw me escape?”

“We see everything,” the long-haired one said proudly.

“What are your names?”

“I’m Crife,” said the bald one. “This is York.”

“We are hilbobs,” York said. “From Filgreth.”

I hadn’t heard of them, but then that wasn’t unique. I’d been cut off from the greater galaxy for most of my life. “I’m a Drixonian warrior.”

“We know.” York jutted out his chin and raised his fists. “If you were fighting only to keep her for yourself to hurt her just know that we…” he glanced quickly as his friend, who only looked at him blankly. “We will make you suffer!” He finished with a rapid volley of air punches.

I stared at them. “I could kill both of you with one slap.”

York wasn’t to be deterred. “I’d like to see you try!”

“I do not!” Crife cleared his throat and gave me a trembling smile. “I do not want to see you try, oh great, wise, and strong warrior.” He elbowed his friend and gave him big eyes. “What is wrong with you?” he whispered, even though the cave was small enough I could clearly hear what he was saying. “His hand is bigger than your face. Last time we sparred you twisted your ankle taking a step back.”

“I told you I slept on it wrong!”

“How do you sleep wrong on your ankle?”

“It’s possible.”

“Sure, if—”

“Hey,” I snapped.

The two fell silent, eyes downcast with chagrin.

I sighed and rubbed my temples as the headache still pressed against the back of my eyes. Their bickering wasn’t making it any better. “I will not harm Rian. I promised to protect her. My name is Mikko.”

“Do you promise not to harm us?” Crife asked with a hopeful expression.

Honestly, they reminded me a bit of Drixonian chits when they squabbled. In spite of my strong conviction to dislike most living things, I couldn’t help but find them slightly endearing. Only slightly. “I promise not to hurt you as long as you don’t hurt Rian.”

“Never,” both said in unison.

I took in my surroundings. The cave was only slightly larger than my cell. The walls were marked with scratches, and I realized the hilbobs had dug it out with their large paws and claws. They were diggers, which explained how they were able to tunnel through the stone in a way that other prisoners couldn’t. Despite their stature, they had to be strong to be able to accomplish this. My respect for them grew. There were two tunnels leading out from the cave. A stone door was closed at the entrance to one, while a flap of fabric hung from the other.

The cave was organized with a bundle of furs in one corner for sleeping. A shelf system was dug into the wall above it, and several food goods were stacked there. I recognized some of the rations supplied by the guards, but they also had fresh food. How the fleck did they get fresh goods down here?

York caught me staring at the shelves. “Are you hungry?”

“I have some food in my pack.” I pointed to the bag at my feet. “Save your food for her.”

They both nodded eagerly.

“Did anyone see you bring Rian and I here?”

“No,” Crife said. “The ricin had knocked everyone out. We pulled you into our secret tunnel and dragged you here. No one knows about it. The guards have long forgotten about us.”

I frowned. “How long have you been here?”

“One hundred cycles?” York scrunched his lips in thought.

“Close to it, I think,” Crife nodded.

“What?” I asked in disbelief. “Why? If you can dig this well, certainly you could have escaped.”

“And go where?” York said. “Our home planet is stripped and lifeless. We would get caught on the surface quickly, and the Plikens like to use us to dig in the mines until our bodies give out. This is the safest place for us.”

“Absolutely the safest.” Crife agreed.

To me, it still seemed sad. “But… You’re not free.”

York’s smile spread across his face. “We are, and we will show you after the pale one wakes up.”

I leaned back on my hands, thinking about their words, when something soft brushed my finger. I glanced down to find a piece of plumage that reminded me a bit of a brigger feather from home. Picking it up by its stem, I turned it this way and that while the hilbobs began to murmur quietly to themselves. “What is this?” I asked.

Crife stared at his hands. York’s gaze slid to the fabric covered tunnel before returning to me. Then he offered me a small shrug. “That, Warrior Mikko, is how we are free.”

SIX

Rian

My head throbbed. I felt like I’d just gone three rounds with a bottle of José Cuervo. I groaned as I unstuck my dry tongue from the roof of my mouth. The faint taste of qua lingered there.

My cheek was pressed to something hard and firm. I gripped it with my hand, and it tensed beneath my fingers. I frowned and pried my eyes open. At first, I couldn’t see anything in the dim light, but as my pupils dilated, a few objects came into view. I was in a cave and sitting across from me were two small creatures. They stared at me with huge eyes that took up half of their faces. They were short, maybe about four feet, with round bellies and comically large hands that reminded me of a mole’s—shovel-shaped with long digger claws.

“She’s awake,” one whispered in a squeaky voice.

“Where—” I was bodily lifted in the air with a strong grip around my waist. I yelped and began to struggle until Mikko’s face came into my vision. I gasped, shock making me go limp as I had sworn I’d never see him again.

The last thing I remembered was being dragged from him, kicking and screaming, while he sought to get to me from under a pile of bodies hacking at him. An unexpected swell of emotion rose in me as I gazed into his concerned purple eyes. Tears gathered on my lashes and I sniffed before launching myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and buried my face in his neck as I wailed, “I thought you were dead!”

“Rian,” he murmured, as he hugged me to his chest. I sobbed into his skin, ignoring our companions, because I believed it was going to be okay as long as Mikko was alive and well. I pulled back, my hands running over his skin as I searched for wounds. Other than dried blood caked on his scales, he seemed okay.

Pain lurked in his eyes, but there were no open cuts on him.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked. “I was so scared for you out there—”

“I’m fine,” his hand pushed my hair off my face. “Thanks to our new friends.”

I glanced over my shoulder to find the small creatures still staring at me straddling Mikko’s waist. I slowly swung my leg over to sit curled up at his side. My limbs were still wobbly. “What happened?”

Mikko explained the smoke had been ricin, a type of gas that causes temporary blackouts. The two creatures—called hilbobs—then dragged us to safety. Their names were York and Crife, and they each shot me a smile and wave with their digger paws. They reminded me a little of hobbits, and I could barely believe they’d been able to pull Mikko’s bulk.

“Thank you for saving us,” I addressed them.

That got bigger, genuine smiles. “You are welcome, pale one,” said the one named York. “They would have done some bad things to you.”

“Nasty stuff,” Crife added.

“Most are in the Pit for a reason.” York nodded emphatically.

Yeah, I didn’t need the reminder. I swallowed and winced at my sore, dry throat. “Any qua?” I whispered as I peered up at Mikko.

He immediately snatched a jug off the ground at his side. “Drink all you need. It will help the ricin effects wear off faster.”

There was a flurry of activity as food was placed in front of me—food that wasn’t the jelly-like prison rations. There was some sort of fruit, and a baked good that had a sourdough taste. I made a sandwich out of the bread and a thick meaty paste. It tasted delicious, probably because I hadn’t had much of anything since I left Earth.

“Diddjoo eat dis?” I asked Mikko around a mouthful of food.

He shook his head. “I have the rations—”

I took advantage of his mouth being open and shoved the sandwich inside. He froze for a moment before peeling back his lips and biting down. After chewing and swallowing, I watched as his tongue lapped up every bit of paste that was left on his lips. “Good, right?”

“Very good,” he said with a smile.

I ripped my makeshift sandwich in half and dropped it into his limp palm.

He tried to refuse it, but I wouldn’t give in.

I couldn’t imagine how many calories his body required and I was almost full anyway, and I didn’t want to stuff myself and get sick. “Thank you so much for the food.” I pressed my palms together and gave them a little bow of my head. “That was very kind of you.”

“You like it?” Crife asked.

“Very much.”

Crife beamed. “The turik is my creation. It’s made of a tuber protein mixed with a little vipkis milk.”

“Where the fleck are you gettin vipkis milk?” Mikko demanded.

Suddenly a flap of wings echoed down the hallway covered with a scrap of fabric. As the person sitting closest to the tunnel, I let out a little shriek and scrambled over Mikko’s lap to his other side. I glanced around for a weapon seconds before a winged creature swooped into the cave and landed neatly. Flapping its wings one last time, it stirred up dust before casually folding its wings down its back.

This wasn’t a bird. It had feathers on its wings, but it was… More like a flying monkey? Kind of. It had four legs and two arms, and its furry body was about the size of a large cat. It had a long neck and a smushed face with a nose that twitched constantly like a hamster. It stared at me, then at Mikko, before letting out a screech of alarm.

“No!” York cried out just as the creature took flight, talons out, and flew at Mikko’s head.

But Mikko wasn’t some cowering victim. He snatched the creature right out of the air by its neck and brought their faces together. He snarled at it, fangs glistening in the flicking lantern light.

“No!” York was on his knees now in front of us, hands together in a plea. “Don’t hurt her, she’s our hilphen. She was only trying to defend us.”

“What’s a hilphen?” I asked.

“Our pet. She also visits the surface of the Vixlicin and brings us food. We wouldn’t be able to live here without her. All the food you just ate was brought here because of her!”

Mikko had stopped snarling. The hilphen had gone limp in his grip, probably from fright. It still breathed, and its legs trembled.

“Mikko,” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Put her down.”

“Will she attempt to attack me again?” He didn’t take his eyes off her.

“No,” York shook his head. “Please, hand her to me. She understands me.”

With one last glaring look at the hilphen, Mikko handed her over.

York cradled her in his arms while she panted.

“You scared her,” I admonished Mikko.

“She was going to claw my eyes out,” he growled.

He had a point, so I didn’t argue.

York was whispering to her, and I caught a few words as he explained who we were.

Crife patted her furry head and scratched her pointy ears. “This is Meri. She is protective of us.”

“I understand,” Mikko said. “I acted on instinct to protect myself and Rian.”

“That makes sense. Thank you for not hurting her.”

Mikko frowned. “I don’t like hurting anything. It’s not fun for me.” His defensive tone struck me, as I wasn’t used to Mikko being vulnerable. His jaw was tight. “It’s not my fault everything seems to be out to hurt me first.”

“You are safe here,” Crife said.

“Can I… pet her?” I asked.

York placed her on the ground on her four legs. She sidled over to me, her movements jerky like a chimp’s. Her round blue eyes took me in from top to toe. “Hello,” I said, holding my hand out like I would to a dog.

“She can understand you, but cannot speak,” York explained.

“Okay,” I addressed her. “Well, I’m Rian. Nice to meet you. On Earth, we often greet each other by shaking hands.” I gently squeezed one of her front paws between my thumb and fingers. “Nice to meet you, Meri.”

The little hilphen let out a squeak, and I dropped her paw, thinking I’d hurt her. She immediately scuttled forward and picked up my hand in both her paws. She began to shake my hand vigorously with a series of excited screeches and flaps of her wings.

“She likes shaking hands,” Crife laughed.

“She’s so cute.” With my other hand, I patted her head, finding her fur coarse. She tilted her head, and I obliged by scratching her ears.

Next, she moved to Mikko and took one of his massive hands in her paws. Looking up at him from under her lashes with big eyes, she slowly shook his hand. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing too loud as she gave him a slightly pitiful look as if in apology.

He scratched under her chin with a small smile. “I’m sorry for grabbing you, little one.”

She batted her eyes at him, and I wondered if now that she knew he was safe, she had a slight crush on him.

“Come get your dinner,” York said to Meri.

After one more look at Mikko, she shuffled over to York who handed her a bowl of crunchy leafy greens. She happily munched while squatting on her four legs. Her tail, a bushy thing like a squirrel’s, flicked lazily back and forth in the air.

I dozed off for a little after that, feeling safe for the first time in forever with York and Crife cleaning up the cave and Mikko’s strong presence at my side. His arm settled around my shoulders, snugging me up against his chest. I felt protected. Cared for. And for a moment, I could pretend like we were just visiting friends, not stuck in an underground prison on a strange desert planet.

When I opened my eyes after a short rest, Mikko and I both ate another small meal. Well, mine was small. I was right Mikko needed a lot to sustain his big body. I could tell he wasn’t full, but he stopped eating to preserve the hilbobs’s food.

“What did you do to get thrown in the Pit?” I asked York.

The hilbob squinted at me and then turned to his friend. “What did we do again?”

Crife didn’t glance up from where he was folding some furs. “They caught us stealing food from the guards in the mines.”

York nodded at me with a smile. “That’s it.”

“And the sentence for stealing food was getting tossed in the Pit?”

“Well we killed the guard first, before stealing his food,” York stated this as if I should have known.

I blinked. “Oh.”

“When we arrived, we saved Meri from where she was chained in a prisoner’s cell, dug out tunnels, and have been here ever since.”

“And your planet?”

He sighed. “Hilbobs are scattered all over the galaxy, as the Plikens stripped our planet. One day, maybe we can find a home together again.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. The amount of destruction the Plikens and Uldani had caused seemed unending.

He smiled. “It is what it is.” He gestured at my hair. “Would you like to wash up?”

What I really needed was to pee, and I hoped this washroom also had some sort of toilet. I nodded eagerly, and York pointed to Meri. “She will show. It’s not far, just through there.” He gestured to the fabric covered tunnel.

I stood and Mikko rose at my side, he had to bend awkwardly so he didn’t bang his head on the low cave ceiling. “I will go with her.”

“She will be safe with Meri,” York said.

Mikko didn’t flinch as he gazed steadily at York. “I will go with her.”

Crife smacked York on the head. “Of course, you want to go with her. That’s no problem. Meri will show you both the way.”

The hilphen trotted in front of us and nudged aside the fabric to the tunnel before glancing back over its furry shoulder to make sure we were following. I felt a moment of hesitation. This was okay, right? We were safe? Then Mikko’s heat warmed my back, and his strong hand settled on my shoulder. Immediately the worries vanished. In such a short time, he’d come to symbolize safety to me.

I’d spent most of my life trusting no one but myself. I’d been let down by everyone—my family, my friends, and the programs put in place that were supposed to help disadvantaged people like me. I wasn’t always proud of what I’d done to survive, but I didn’t regret it.

But now… I no longer felt on my own. Mikko had proven time and time again he could be trusted. He’d fought for me. He’d nearly died for me. And even now, he remained steady at my back like a solid shadow. I owed everything to him, and I couldn’t believe on this shitty planet, I’d managed to meet someone like him.

The tunnel was dark, but a dim light up ahead guided us. I could just make out Meri’s bouncing form in front of us as she made constant high-pitched noises in encouragement.

Eventually, the light grew larger, until we stepped out of the narrow tunnel into a small circular room. The center was carved out into a basin, about the size of an above-ground pool. Running the length of a ceiling was a large pipe.

Meri flapped her wings to settle on the top of the pipe. With her little paws, she flipped a lever on the pipe and a small hatch opened. Qua burst from a hole in the pipe to fill the basin with warm liquid, like a big hot tub.

I gasped as I took in the steam filling the space. A bath? I was going to get a bath? This was too good to be true.

SEVEN

Rian

I didn’t care if Mikko saw me naked for several reasons. One, I’d been strip searched before and that had a way of desensitizing you to nudity. Two, I was filthy, and three, well, almost getting captured by an entire prison of murderous aliens had a way of putting things in perspective.

First, Mikko showed me to a makeshift toilet, which I used with relief. Then, with my back to Mikko, I stripped out of my filthy clothes. I wished I could throw them away, but I had no spares. Once I got clean, I’d try to scrub them as best as I could. Meri remained on her perch cleaning herself and steadfastly ignoring me.

When I turned around, Mikko hadn’t moved. He hadn’t turned his back. He hadn’t looked away. He stood watching me intently.

I stared back at him as I stood on the edge of the basin completely nude. He’d probably never seen a naked human, so I couldn’t really blame him for ogling. He was simply curious. And maybe his species didn’t have the same kind of modesty as most humans.

He swallowed, and his eyes seemed to glow even brighter as his gaze slid down my body and back up. “I have maintained honor since we met, but this is the first time I have willfully disregarded it.” His tone was low and quivered slightly.

I tapped my fingers against my leg. “How so?”

“I should have turned away when you took off your clothes. But I didn’t. I’m…” he shook his head, eyelids flickering. His jaw worked a few times, like he struggled to find the right words. “I’m in awe of your beauty, warrior Rian. I have never seen anything like you, and I know I never will again, as long as I live.”

My knees went weak. What did he see? I had frizzy hair, freckles, and my boobs were uneven in size. I carried extra weight on the outside of my thighs that wouldn’t go away, and I was a little bow-legged. I wasn’t necessarily self-conscious of those things—they were just facts about my body I lived with. But under Mikko’s gaze I felt… perfect. Like all my little parts added together to a sum that caused Mikko’s eyes to fire purple sparks.

“Thank you,” I whispered, unable to say much more. He didn’t reach for me, and despite my vulnerable state, I didn’t feel unsafe. Mikko wouldn’t hurt me. I knew that now. I trusted that.

I took a step into the qua and let out a little squeak at how warm it was. I slid down into the basin, submerging myself up to my neck. I moaned as the hot qua soothed my sore and aching muscles. A few cuts and scrapes burned, but it was a good kind of burn. A healing kind.

I dunked my head under the qua for a brief second to wet my hair. When I wiped the qua from my eyes, I found Mikko still hadn’t moved. “Come in,” I said. “It feels great.”

I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t for him to toe off his boots and drop his pants without warning. At least I’d turned my back, but Mikko had no concept of modesty, clearly.

He stepped out of his pants and rose to standing, absolutely nude.

Absolutely perfect.

With pants on, Mikko was a vision—a muscled chest and chiseled abs. But naked… Oh good Lord. There was no point in hiding where I was looking, because his hard cock was impossible to ignore. Long and thick, it hung down between his thighs like a third leg. The head was a blue mushroom, with a bar pierced through the tip, and his balls swung low and full. I hadn’t spent a lot of time wondering what his anatomy was like down there, but to see that he was mostly a well-endowed human male was both exciting and intimidating.

That meant… well that meant we were sexually compatible. And the way he was look at me was nothing short of pure lust.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered as I imagined his pierced cock anywhere near my vagina.

He slid into the qua and didn’t remain at a safe distance, but instead waded right in front of me. His gaze lowered to the tops of my breasts which bobbed at the surface of the qua.

His fingers reached out, but he quickly withdrew his hand before he touched my skin. His nostrils flared. “I like these.”

“Most males do.” The was the first thing out of my mouth because I had no filter.

His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head. “What males?”

“Human males.”

“Ah, but no human males would appreciate them as much as a Drixonian.”

I smiled. “Is that so?”

He bent his knees, so our faces were level. I liked his smirk, as it’d replaced that wrinkle of worry and pain between his eyes. “No one appreciates the female body like a Drixonian.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, and how many female bodies have you appreciated, playboy?”

“None,” he answered quickly.

I waited for his smirk or a sign of his sarcasm, instead he maintained an expression so serious and desolate my stomach twisted, and my heart thudded in my chest. Suddenly in a flap of wings, Meri picked up our clothes and sped off down the hallway with them.

“Hey!” I called after her in alarm.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I heard York mention he wanted to clean them.”

“Oh,” I muttered. “Well, that was nice.” I shook my head. “Back to what we were talking about. What do you mean by none?”

“I told you all our females were killed.” He spoke monotone and matter of fact, as if he were trying to mask the pain.

“I know, but I figured you’re… Wait, how old are you?”

“One hundred and fifty cycles.”

“Cycles as in…?”

“Our rotations around our sun.”

My mouth dropped open. That was years. Of course, their years might be shorter or longer than Earth years, but a whole rotation around a sun was still a hell of a long time. And he’d never… he’d never admired a female? “I don’t understand…”

“I was taken from my home. My body was altered by our enemies and then I was sold here like property. Shortly after, I was sentenced to the Pit. I’ve only been free for a few cycles. In all that time, I have not seen many females, and certainly none like you.”

My heart cracked open. “Your body was altered? What do you mean?” I swam closer to him and placed my hand on his chest where I could feel his heartbeat beneath my palm. His muscles bunched at my touch before relaxing slowly.

“My machets.” He raised his forearms out of the qua to show off his forearm blades.

“Yes?”

“I already told you that Drixonians cannot eject and regenerate their machets. Normally they retract their machets to lay flat under their scales and only raise them for battle.”

“So, you can eject yours, but you can’t retract them.”

“Correct. Because the Uldani experimented on me to turn me into a super warrior for them. Except they failed because the ejection causes me much pain. I was a failed experiment, so they sold me here to rot.”

“Mikko,” I whispered.

“Now you see, warrior Rian, why I will do anything for you,” his voice was low, almost seductive. “Because you are the only good thing to ever come into my life. Since I can remember, I’ve only wanted to destroy my enemies for revenge. That festers in here.” He jabbed his finger at his temple. “And in here.” He pounded his fist over his heart.

I gasped softly.

“It’s a sickness that tore me up from the inside. But now because of you, my purpose isn’t to destroy. It’s to protect and deliver you to safety where you can live out a happy life in this galaxy that’s far from your home. I want to create something with you, not destroy others.” A slight smile curved his lips. “There have been many rotations I wished I wouldn’t wake up, that my cora would stop pumping the toxic anger through my veins. Now, there’s nothing better than breathing the same air as you.”

Every single word was a shot of adrenaline. If someone could experience death by a thousand cuts, then one could also be revived by a thousand words from Mikko. I felt like every ugly thought had been chipped away and all that was left was the way I saw myself before all the ugliness of life altered the picture. I saw what Mikko saw. And it was beautiful.

I cupped his cheek, and his eyes fluttered as he leaned into my touch. “It breaks my heart how painful your life has been. I know I didn’t trust you at first, because it’s hard for me to rely on anyone. But you’re the only person in my life who hasn’t given up or let me down when things got rough.”

“I’m not perfect.” His purple eyes bore into mine.

“Perfect by what standards?” I asked.

He flinched, and then frowned. “I’m not sure.”

“Exactly. Objective perfection doesn’t exist.”

“Subjectively, you’re perfect to me.”

“I’ll allow that. And ditto.”

“What’s ditto mean?”

“It’s means I’m repeating what you said.”

“I’m subjectively perfect for you?”

“Yes.”

“Then say it.

“I did!”

“You said, ditto. I don’t like that.” He pouted. An actual pout with pursed lips. “Say it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, big strong Mikko. You’re subjectively perfect for me.”

“You forgot to mention that I had a big cock.”

I barked out a laugh and then playfully slapped him on the cheek. With a sexy growl, he lunged forward, and our lips touched.

I was kissing an alien in an underground hot tub, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even the craziest thing I’d done all day.

Mikko

Rian tasted like nothing I’d ever had before. Her lips opened for me and I dove inside, tangling my tongue with hers as I sought to imprint her flavor onto my brain.

She clung to me with her short fingers, and her blunt nails dug into my scales.

I hadn’t meant to kiss her, but I hadn’t been able to help myself. When her hand had playfully cracked across my cheek, my cock had leaked libo and for a moment I lost my head. I had to have her.

I’d never met anyone like Rian. She was so small yet fierce. She showed her emotions willfully, and even when she was afraid, she still fought. Her spirit was unlike anyone I met. Despite her situation, she still had a fire within her that called to me.

And she kissed me back without hesitation. On a low groan, she pushed her tongue into my mouth, and I relished in the feel of her want to explore me. Her hands began to roam and everywhere she touched, my nerves lit up with sparks.

My cock pressed against her belly, and I didn’t bother to hide how she made me feel. Her body quivered in my arms, and when I smoothed my hand down her back to squeeze her rounded backside, she let out a breathy moan that nearly made me come.

“Rian,” I whispered as I skated my fangs down her neck. “You make me crazy.”

“Ditto,” she answered with a smile in her voice.

I barked out a laugh and nipped at her soft skin.

The frenzied flapping of wings had me abandon my downward study of her body. My head went up to find Meri sailing into the room in a cacophony of shrills and squeaks. She dropped our clean and folded clothes in a bundle along the edge and patted them frantically while looking over her shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Rian asked a moment before York and Crife hobbled into the room on their stubby legs.

“You must run!” York cried. “They are coming. They will find you!”

“What?” Rian cried.

I didn’t bother asking questions. Using my body to hide her nakedness, I hauled her out of the qua and shoved her clothes at her. We both dressed quickly and then I grabbed her hand. “Is there somewhere we can hide?”

“We have several small tunnels to hide in, but they are only large enough for us.” York’s lower lip quivered. “They are even too small for the pale one.”

“Oh no,” Rian whispered as scraping sounds could now be heard all around us. “What do we do?”

“I’m sorry!” York wailed, clearly distraught. “We never thought to make them larger—”

“It’s not your fault,” I said gruffly.

“The guards gave them tools,” Crife said. “They must have found our main tunnel entrance after the ricin wore off.”

“You three need to hide now before they dig through these walls,” I said, gesturing to the two hilbobs and Meri. “Rian and I will figure something out.

York wrung his hands helplessly while Meri began to flap about and clap her paws together. She emitted a series of squeaks to which Crife listened to intently. When Meri pointed to a small alcove in the room, Crife blinked. “Are you sure?”

Meri once again clapped.

“What’s she saying?” Rian asked.

Crife glanced at York before staring up at me with big eyes. “She wants to help you escape. Topside. She can show you the tunnel she takes to get us supplies. You will have to climb. It will not be easy.”

“We’ll do,” Rian said quickly. She slid a glance at me. “Right?”

“It’s our only chance.” But my gut was uneasy, and I felt unsettled looking at the hilbobs. “But what about you two?”

“We will hide.”

“What if they find you?”

Crife stepped forward and placed a hesitant hand on my wrist. “We will be fine. And if not, then we will die knowing we committed one last good deed.”

“No,” Rian said on a gasp. She reached for Crife and held his clawed paw in hers. “Come with us, please—”

“We cannot climb that far. We are diggers. Not climbers. Our life is here.”

Rian glanced at me helplessly.

“I can carry you,” I offered.

York shook his head with a sad smile. “That is kind, but no. We will only be a burden.” A sudden muffled shout sounded through the cave walls just as dust and debris rained down on our heads. “Quick, go,” Crife urged.

“You must go now.” York handed me my bag, which felt fuller than it had before.

I frowned at it. “Did you—”

“Just some things for you. And Meri.” York swallowed as he gazed at his furry friend.

Were they worried they wouldn’t see each other again? Fleck, my cora hurt. It had been my choice to leave my friends, but the pain of missing them never faded. I thought about them every day.

The two hilbobs joined paws and gave us one last nod. “It’s time for us to hide. Until we meet again.” And as the digging sounds from the outside grew louder, they took off down the tunnel. Meri didn’t waste time. In a flap of wings, she sailed over to an alcove and slid open a small hatch to reveal a doorway. Rian and I ran through it into a small tunnel. A dim solar light lit our way. After closing the hatch, Meri sailed over our heads to lead the way.

The farther we ran, the more distant the digging sounds became, letting me know we were venturing away from the Pit. A faint light appeared in the distance, and as we drew closer, I realized it was a single beam of light. When I stepped into it, I looked up and far above me up a narrow vertical path, a small patch of sky was visible.

The problem? To get there, we had to climb straight up. I didn’t have wings like Meri. This was going to be a climb, one agonizing step at a time, using my machets. I looked back at Rian, who blinked at the sky, the light highlighting the small dots on her face. Her hair sparkled. And despite my already aching body, I knew I’d do anything and suffer any pain to get her to the surface.

EIGHT

Rian

I could see the sky. It’d been so long since I’d seen it, I wanted to cry, but there was no time for emotions. Although the digging sounds were faint, they were still present, and growing louder.

We had to move, or we’d be trapped. But as I stared up the shaft to the surface of the planet, despair stooped my shoulders. That had to be a couple hundred feet straight up. I ran my hands along the walls, and although they were made of the softer stone, there was no way I could climb it. There was nothing to hold onto, and I didn’t trust my strength for that long.

Meri sat on the ground in front of us, clearly worried as she wrung her paws together. Her big eyes shifted between the sky and Mikko.

I watched him as he studied the shaft and dug his claws into the stone to test the material. His great chest heaved, and he dropped his hands to his sides where he flexed his fists. He nodded at Meri. “I can climb. I’ll carry Rian.”

“Wait, what?” I asked. “There’s no way you can climb all that distance with me weighing you down.”

He raised a nubbed brow. “You think I can’t do it?”

“I—it’s not—it’s just—that’s a really long distance!” I pointed up. “How are you going to climb? There’s nothing to hold onto.”

Keeping his gaze locked on me, he ripped out the longest spikes on his forearms, the ones closest to his elbows. He barely flinched, but his purple eyes darkened with the pain. He held up the long spikes and slammed them into the stone. Blood dripped from his arms to splatter onto the ground. “I’ll use these.”

His machets were already regenerating, and they emerged bloody and shiny. I swallowed. “It’s too far.”

“I can handle it. You’ll have to hold onto me. I can’t climb and hold you too.”

He was so sure. I didn’t have any other options but to agree and do my part. I nodded. “Of course. I can do that.”

Leaving the spikes in the walls, he beckoned me with his hands. “Come on then.”

Right, I couldn’t be on his back because of his back spikes. So, I hopped into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. I could just barely lock my ankles behind his back. He was thick so it was a stretch. I wasn’t comfortable by any means, but then again, he had to rip out his own spikes. I could hang on to him.

I buried my face in his neck, the scent of him now so familiar. It represented safety to me. I blushed thinking about how it had felt to kiss him. Normally men who were rough around the edges didn’t do it for me, but Mikko… he was different. Maybe because under it all, I could tell he was nothing but sweet and honorable.

He’d proven it to me, and while it took me a long time to trust, once I made my decision, I was loyal. Mikko had earned that loyalty trifold. So, I wanted his rough too.

I wanted to know what he’d sound like when he let go, when he was able to put his hands on me.

Great, now was not the time to be thinking about that as he gripped his spikes stuck in the wall and got into position.

“Meri,” his deep voice rumbled.

I repositioned my grip at the back of his neck and spotted the hilphen standing at attention.

“You fly ahead. I’ll follow.”

A deep boom reverberated somewhere in the distance, and dust cascaded over our heads. A chunk of stone from above us came loose and crashed to the ground at our feet, narrowly missing Meri.

“Go!” Mikko shouted at the hilphen. “Before this shaft caves in!”

I hadn’t even thought of the shaft caving in. Thoughts of being buried alive gave me a full-body tremble. With a flap of wings, Meri took off. With a deep breath, Mikko plunged his spikes higher into the shaft, and he began to climb.

The shaft was slightly narrower than Mikko’s arm span. Using the spikes in his fists, he slammed one into the rock and hauled himself up enough to slam the other spike a little bit higher. Each time was an effort, as he grunted and panted.

He used his legs to help haul himself up, but the majority of his body weight was hauled by his arms. The sharp edges of the spikes dug into his hands, and by the time we were halfway up the shaft, he was panting heavily, and his palms were bleeding. Black blood trickled down his wrists and forearms to drip ominously off his elbows.

I felt useless just clinging to him as he used every muscle in his body to get us to safety. More explosions sounded in the distance, each one causing stones to crash down around our heads. One hit Mikko’s biceps, and with a cry, his hand slipped off the spike, I screamed as we swung to the side and crashed into the shaft wall, held there by Mikko’s one-handed grip on the other spike. His blood dripped on my forehead, and his breath was hot and heavy in my hair.

“Mikko,” I whimpered.

“I’m okay,” he panted. “Just give me…” his breath came in sharp gasps. “a moment.”

“Can I help? What can I do?”

His free hand patted my back. “You’re doing great.”

“I’m not doing anything. You’re doing all the work. You’re bleeding. You’re tired—”

He bristled at that. “I’m not tired.”

Despite our situation, I held back a smile. He was such a male. If a little ego stroking got us out of here, then I wasn’t above it. “You’re right. My mistake. Gosh, you’re so strong. I can’t believe how well you’re climbing. You’re my hero.”

He pulled us up with one hand and managed, with a loud grunt, to grasp the other spike. “Are you patronizing me?”

“Not at all.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed under his breath. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just hang here then.”

“Mikko!”

“What’s my incentive to get you to the surface, warrior Rian?”

I couldn’t believe he was smirking. “Now is not the time.”

“Now is exactly the time.”

“What do you want?”

“I want to lick you.”

My breath left my body in a rush. “Um…”

He began to climb again, grunting each time he pulled us higher. “I want—” grunt, “—to lap up—” grunt, “the sweet juices of your hot—” grunt, “tight—” grunt, “wet—” grunt, “cunt.”

And… I was turned on. At a totally inappropriate time. But damn, his voice was gravelly and thick. His muscles were bulging. He was bleeding for me, and yeah, I was down for whatever he wanted. I buried my face in his neck. “I did promise I’d lay myself out for you like a buffet if you got us out of here, so I’ll uphold that promise.”

“That’s my warrior mate,” he murmured.

“Mate?”

A sudden, close explosion rocked the shaft. From above, I heard Meri squawk and I glanced up to see her perched on the lip of the shaft at the surface. She seemed close yet so far away at the same time.

Mikko let out a cry of agony as several stones slammed into us. One glanced off my head and I felt a trickle of blood slip down my temple.

I gritted my teeth at the pain, unwilling to draw attention to my injury.

“No jokes, Mikko,” I yelled as the shaft trembled. “Please, please get us out of here. I could never do what you are doing. I don’t know anyone who can. I trust you and I believe in you. Now please, climb!”

With a roar that echoed up and down the shaft, Mikko hauled ass. One fist after another, he powered up the shaft as it crumbled around us. To the percussion of explosions and the symphony of Mikko’s grunts along with Meri’s squeaks, we reached the top of the shaft in record time.

Mikko flung us out of the hole onto the red sand of the surface just as the shaft below us imploded. We scrambled out of the way of the sinking dirt until we were safely at a distance to stare as the shaft caved in. In record time, the sand came to a standstill, and it was like the shaft never existed.

I placed my hand over my mouth as I knelt in horror. “York and Crife,” I gasped.

Meri sat at my side despondently, one hand on my knee while the other gripped the fur on the top of her head. She made little snuffling noises that sounded a lot like crying.

“Maybe they’re okay,” I patted her back. “They said they had lots of tunnels, right?”

She nodded and I turned to attend to Mikko. He lay flat on his back, staring up into the sky as his mighty chest heaved. His hands were worse than I realized—his palms sliced clean to the bone. I shuffled to his side and gripped them, horrified. “Mikko!”

“They will heal,” he muttered, but he held his arms stiffly, and I didn’t like how pale he was.

I ripped a few fabric strips from the bottom of my shirt and wrapped them around his palms. I despaired at the fact they were soaked with black blood in seconds. “What can I do?”

“I promise they’ll… heal.” His eyes seemed glassy. “Is there qua?”

I hauled the pack from my back and upended the contents of the canteen in his mouth. He sputtered a moment and pushed me away. “Not too much,” he admonished. “Need to ration it. Desert planet, you know?”

“You need this right now. I don’t give a fuck if I have qua if I don’t have you!”

I hadn’t meant to shout it, but I did. His eyes went soft for a split second, and a faint ghost of his telltale smirk crossed his lips. “Okay, warrior Rian. Help me drink.”

He’d swallowed a few gulps with his eyes closed when a shadow fell over us.

Immediately, Meri started losing her shit.

I glimpsed up and all I saw was a massive figure blotting out the sun. I lunged for one of the spikes Mikko had used to climb and snatched it up. Brandishing it in front of me, I crouched over Mikko and snarled, “Stay back.”

My eyes finally adjusted, and I realized I was looking at… well someone who looked like Mikko.

His spikes weren’t out, but he had fiery orange hair and black gloves up his forearms. With his fist on his hips, he glared down at Mikko. “You mother flecker.”

Unsure what to do, I remained in position as Mikko blinked his eyes open and responded with a groan and an eyeroll. “Oh great.”

“That’s all you have to say?” The orange one dropped his fist to his side just as another Drixonian stepped beside him. This one had long straight black hair and massive scarring around his neck and wrists. He studied me with violet eyes.

“I was just taking some personal time,” Mikko muttered.

“Personal time?” The orange haired Drix sputtered. “And you managed to collect a female human and a—” Meri took flight, flapping around his head as she sought to gouge out his eyes with her claws. “What the fleck is this thing. Call it off!”

“Are you going to hurt us?” I asked.

“You? No,” he answered. “But Mikko—”

“Meri, it’s fine,” Mikko said with a tired sigh. “They won’t hurt us. I promise. Save your strength.”

After an outraged squawk, Meri landed next to me with a little scowl on her features. I patted her back to soothe her, but she didn’t take her eyes off the two hulking Drixonians.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“This one is more bold,” the long-haired one said in a soft, low voice. He looked at me, but his words seemed directed at Mikko.

Mikko groaned as he sat up, but then shot them a lopsided grin. “She’s a warrior.”

“I’m not—”

“They have warriors on Earth?” Orange hair said.

“No, I’m not a—”

“She is brave,” Mikko swelled with pride over me. “She fights. She tried to take on the dregs of the Pit.”

“So, you did go to the Pit!” Orange hair gestured to Mikko as he shouted at his friend. “I told you!”

“Rian,” Mikko said, “meet Fenix and Zecri. Brothers, meet my brave female.”

Fenix was the gloved one with orange hair, while Zecri was mostly silent, stoic, and observant. Fenix, meanwhile, displayed every emotion on his face. “I can’t believe you, Mikko. You just left!”

“I wrote a note.”

“Fleck your note!” Fenix spat.

Mikko rose to his feet, and I stepped to his side. “Can you yell at me another time? I just climbed a vertical underground shaft. I’m tired, bleeding, and starving.”

Fenix, who seemed to just notice Mikko’s injuries and the way he swayed unsteadily on his feet, immediately leapt to Mikko’s other side and let Mikko lean his weight on him. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“Because you were yelling at me.”

“Whatever. Let’s get you to our camp. You can rest there.” They began to walk ahead.

When I turned to shoulder my pack and gather Meri, I found Zecri crouched in front of her. At first, I was alarmed he’d hurt her, but instead he held his hand out and slowly opened his palm. In the center was a strip of dried meat. He didn’t say a word as he waited patiently for Meri to come closer.

She took tentative steps, her gaze pinging between the meat and his face. When she was just close enough, she snatched the meet and shoved it into her mouth. Chewing rapidly, she continued to watch him until she swallowed.

He gave her a nod and patted his shoulder. With a little squeak, she hopped onto his shoulder and remained perched there.

He rose to his feet and turned to find me watching him. I couldn’t quite read him, as his expression was placid. I lifted my leg to turn and follow Mikko and Fenix when he spoke softly, “I saw you move to protect Mikko from the potential threat.” I stared up at him as his hair blew around his shoulders in the slight breeze. “Thank you. That is commendable for a warrior human.”

I didn’t bother to correct him as he gestured for me to walk ahead of him. I wasn’t a warrior. At least, not like these guys were. But I was starting to think that just maybe… I was a warrior in my own way.

Mikko

Fenix wanted to yell at me. I could feel the words vibrating under his skin like an itch. But he could also tell my strength was flagging, and now wasn’t the time.

“How did you find me?” I asked as we walked across the red sand. Out here, near the Pit, the land was deserted, but up ahead I could see some craggy rock formations, and I knew that was where we were heading.

Fenix cut his eyes to me for a moment. “I know we all have things we want to finish on this planet. Rexor finally got to save someone instead of killing them. You want to destroy the Pit.”

“I never told you I wanted to destroy the Pit.”

Fenix shrugged. “You didn’t have to say it.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I hadn’t realized he’d paid that much attention to how I felt about my past. It was one thing we didn’t talk about much, the four of us. We’d all been through unimaginable horrors—first with our mods, then with our life on this planet. We’d all gotten free, but we all had unfinished business.

“So, you came here?”

“We didn’t think you returned to say hi to old friends. We had a feeling we’d know when you were making your move. We felt the ground shake and came running to find you laying on the sand with a human and a—”

“A hilphen.”

“Yeah, whatever. She’s cute though.”

“Rian is incredible.”

“No, I meant the hilphen.”

He grinned at me.

I smacked his chest with a husky laugh. “I like this better than you yelling at me.”

“Oh, that’s still going to happen.”

I rolled my eyes, and glanced over my shoulder. Rian walked behind us, her head down as she trudged through the sand.

Zecri brought up the rear with Meri…perched on his shoulder? How the fleck did that happen? She looked happy as she preened her feathers. Zecri’s eyes met mine and he gave me an approving nod. I wasn’t sure what he approved of—my decision to leave them, to rescue Rian, or both.

I hadn’t taken my decision lightly. After escaping from the Pit, I’d found Rexor, Fenix, and Zecri, who all had their own horrors to tell. We’d all managed to free ourselves from the Plikens, but we weren’t really free, not with our altered bodies and permanent damage.

We all had plans on this planet and going home had never even been a part of the discussion. What was for us at home? More fighting? We had business to finish here.

We found a crashed spacecraft half buried in a desolate part of the planet. We’d made that our home base and invited other species who freed themselves from Pliken rule to stay with us. I’d been happy there—or as happy as I could be.

But I couldn’t forget about the Pit. Knowing it existed was a constant itch under my skin. I always knew I’d have to return. So, I’d left one night without telling Fenix and Zecri. I knew they’d try to talk me out of it. I also knew they’d understand why I had to leave. I never thought they’d follow me. But then … maybe they were worried about our dwindling group of friends, now that Rexor was gone.

Rexor had found a human female in a gladiator arena and chose to take her home for her own safety. I didn’t know if he succeeded, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever know. I thought about it every day. Still, he made the right decision. This planet was no place for a human female.

I glanced back to Rian just as she lifted her head and met my gaze.

Her expression was grim, and I could tell she was exhausted. She’d need to sleep, and soon.

Soon, we entered a series of stone arches and nestled between two of them was a makeshift camp where Fenix and Zecri must have been staying. A few furs lay on the ground as well as the remnants of a fire.

“Rian needs to rest,” I told Fenix.

He nodded. “I figured that. Get her settled and then I can show you where we’ve been collecting qua. There is a small underground reservoir.”

The sun was beginning to set, and the dry air was growing cold. In the lengthening shade of an arch, I shook out a fur before beckoning Rian over. She staggered slightly as she made her way toward me and immediately curled up on the hard packed sand. “I’m exhausted,” she murmured. Dark circles lurked under her eyes, and her full lips were cracked.

I laid a fur on top of her. “I know. You are safe here. Rest.”

I made to stand up and she shot up to a sitting position as her hand clamped around my wrist. Her wide eyes darted around to where Fenix and Zecri stood nearby, watching her curiously. “Wh-where are you going?”

I rattled the empty canteen. “To fill this with qua for us.”

“Then you’re coming back?”

I cocked my head. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…” Her tongue wet her dry lips. “You’re going to sleep here too, right?”

I crouched down so I could meet her eyes. “What’s this about?”

Her cheeks pinkened, brightening up her pale complexion. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry about what?”

Her voice lowered to a whisper. “It’s not that I don’t trust your friends… Well, I guess I don’t really. I don’t trust anyone but you. So, you’ll sleep here, right? At my side?”

My cora pounded and my blood rushed hot through my veins. It took everything I had not to reach for her. But she didn’t want intimacy right now. She wanted reassurance she was safe, and I’d protect her.

I reached out and grasped her neck. “Zecri and Meri will stay right here while I get some qua. Then I will come back and sleep at your side. Okay?”

Her shoulders slumped as the tension released from her muscles. “Yeah, okay.”

“Good?”

“Good. That was what I needed to hear.”

I appreciated her honesty and rewarded her with a light kiss on her forehead. “I’m glad you told me.”

She ducked her head as her flush deepened. I let her go then and walked to Fenix’s side who had waited patiently, his head turned with the illusion of giving us privacy. But I knew he’d heard every word.

As we walked toward the qua spring, he raised a nubbed brow in my direction. “A female favors you? Never thought I’d see the rotation.”

I shoved his shoulder with mine. “Fleck off.”

“And a difficult one too. Daisy was sweetness and sunshine. Yours is fire and thorns.”

I laughed at the accurate description. “And that’s why I like her.”

“Yeah, always thought you liked heat and pain.”

“Do you plan to stop talking anytime soon?”

“Not really.”

The spring was mostly hidden at the base of a large arch. We entered through a narrow crack in the rock to find a shallow spring of warm qua. As I filled the canteen, Fenix loitered nearby. I could tell he had something to say. It was unlike him to remain quiet for long.

I rose as I screwed on the canteen lid. “Yes?”

He frowned. “Yes, what?”

“You want to say something. Is this where you yell at me?” I joked. Immediately my humor fled when Fenix bit his lip and looked away. I took a step closer, careful not to touch him as always, but near enough he felt my presence.

He swallowed and met my eyes. “I panicked when I found you left.”

Guilt swamped me. “Fenix.”

“It’s fine. I want you all to return home if that’s what you are called to do.” His smile was weak, and my cora pounded.

I couldn’t reassure him I wouldn’t leave the planet. I already left him once to return to the Pit with the knowledge I could die there in my mission to destroy it. And now because of Rian… I was conflicted. My priorities had shifted to rescuing her the moment I’d laid eyes on her. I didn’t want to leave knowing the Pit still existed because I stubbornly held onto my belief it was my destiny to end it.

My priorities had shifted to rescuing her the moment I’d laid eyes on her. I didn’t want to abandon my mission—it was still a priority. How did I keep Rian safe and complete my destiny at the same time? I sighed. “I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do now. The first step was rescuing Rian from the Pit.”

“You’ll return home,” he said quietly.

“I don’t—”

“You will because that is what is best for her. Zecri has a plan, but I can’t remember it now.” His brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate. His short-term memory failed him sometimes. There were many times I wished I had the power to make him forget all his bad memories, so only the good ones remained. He shook his head. “Anyway, he and I will be fine.”

He turned to go, and I called after him. “You can return home too—”

“No,” he said over his shoulder. “I can’t. But She is All.” A small smile tilted the corner of his lips. “Even a prickly one.”

He left the spring through the crack in the rock, and I stared at the place he’d been. I’d have to have a talk with Zecri to watch out for Fenix. He’d always been prone to mood swings, but he’d been much melancholier since Rexor left.

When I returned to camp, Zecri and Fenix were asleep together with a sleeping Meri nestled between them. I turned away from them with a smile to find Rian still awake, her eyes glittering with the remnants of the small fire.

I crouched at her side and held out the canteen. “Thirsty?”

She nodded emphatically and drank about half of the qua before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and handing me the canteen with a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I was waiting for you to get back.”

I lay down next to her and pulled a fur over top of me. We were beneath a large stone arch, and the sand made a decent enough bed, at least compared to the stone cells of the Pit. “You didn’t have to wait for me.” I turned on my side to face her.

She lay on her hip with her hands folded under her cheek. “Okay, I’ll be more honest. I couldn’t sleep until you returned.”

When she said those things to me, they felt like a gut punch. She’d started off wary, angry, and defensive. And now she admitted to a vulnerability that she required my presence to fall asleep. “Well, I’m here now,” I said softly. “You can sleep.” I rolled onto my back and stared at the stone above us.

She moved until I felt her chin land on my shoulder. “Where are we going after this?”

I needed time to think before I answered her. “That doesn’t sound like sleeping to me.”

“Mikko.”

I sighed. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I turned my head to face her. “What do you mean?”

“I think you know but you either don’t want to tell me or you don’t know how we’re going to get there.”

A laugh burst out of me, and I muffled it quickly, so I didn’t wake anyone up. “Is that what you think?”

“Am I right?”

Fenix’s words rattled around in my head. I didn’t want to return home. I had never been a great rule-follower and I’d clashed often with my Drix superiors. I couldn’t imagine what life was like now for the warriors, and what their relationship was with the Uldani.

Still, Rian would be safest there, especially if Rexor had successfully returned home with his female. But that still left the Pit intact. In operation. Like a hunner sting under my skin. I rubbed my forehead. “You’re right,” I said finally. “Let me sleep on it and we’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

She was quiet for a few moments before I felt her muscles go lax next to mine.

I turned my head to find her eyes closed, and her breathing steady.

She’d fallen asleep in the middle of giving me shet.

“That’s my warrior Rian,” I whispered as I brushed a knuckle down her cheek.

She smacked her lips and nuzzled further into my neck.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep next to her soon after.

NINE

Rian

Once again, we stood next to each other at a spring, but this time… it was different. The kiss was an elephant in the room between us, the one we’d shared before being interrupted.

As soon as we’d woken up, we’d ate and then Mikko had been eager to show me the spring where we could get clean.

He took off his clothes first, back to me, so I had a fantastic view of his round, tight ass as he got into the qua. He’d been in a good mood this morning, and he didn’t walk with a stiffness or show any signs of pain from our escape yesterday.

He turned at the other edge and leaned back with his arms extended and braced on the edge of the pool. I hadn’t removed my clothes yet, but the way he looked at me made me feel naked already. There was a charge in the air here, in our private little pool.

“Come in, warrior Rian,” he said.

I pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the side. He sucked in a breath as I dropped my thumbs to the waistband of my pants. “Slower,” he said softly.

I raised an eyebrow before following his command and shimmying my pants down my legs. I toed off my shoes and tossed away my pants, so I stood in front of him naked.

For a moment, neither of us moved. Steam rose from the qua. With his head cocked back and eyes half-closed, Mikko watched me with a self-satisfied smirk, like a barbarian king inspecting the spoils of war.

We’d been through what felt like war. And I was the spoils. My nipples pebbled in the cool air, and heat settled low in my belly. I shifted my weight to relieve the tight ball of pressure in my core. His lips tilted up slightly as if he liked watching me squirm. He probably did.

“Turn around,” he said in a low gravelly voice with a flick of his thick index finger. “On your hands and knees.”

I slowly dropped to my knees and crawled closer to the edge of the pool, wondering if he planned to use my mouth. I’d never been a big blowjob fan, but something about the thought of getting his thick rod in my mouth had me salivating.

“Nuh-uh,” he chided with a click of his tongue. “Other way. Cunt facing me.”

Jesus wept. My heart pounded, and I swore I felt a gush of warmth between my legs. On shaky limbs, I turned slowly until my ass faced him. In this vulnerable position, I should have felt uncomfortable, but now all I wanted was to see what he thought of me baring my intimate parts to him. I glanced over my shoulder to see his eyes glowing a bright violet. His chest heaved, a muscle in his jaw bulged, but other than that, he didn’t move. I felt his gaze like a laser as he stared unashamedly at my nakedness.

My arms shook from nerves, and I swore I was going to come out of my skin if he didn’t react soon. Just when I was about to snark at him, he moved.

Quick.

Like lightning. His body moved like a blue panther through the qua until he was right behind me, his face inches from my bared pussy.

“Mikko,” I whispered past a dry throat.

Finally, his eyes met mine, and what swirled there took my breath away. He wanted me with a reckless abandon. I didn’t think anything would stop him now. Nothing except my word. He was in charge of how this played out, but I was in charge that it was happening at all, and that made it even more arousing.

“What does a buffet mean?” he asked.

The question caught me off guard. “What?”

“You told me you’d lay yourself out like a buffet for me if I got you out of the Pit.”

“I-it means—” My voice cracked, and I swallowed. “It means what you want is available to you. And… you can keep eating. Until you’re full.”

“Until I’m full?” He flashed his fangs as if on a dare.

Ooo fuck, why did that turn me on so much? “Y-yes.”

“Then put your head down, my little warrior. Cheek to the stone. I want to eat what’s available to me until I’m full.” His tongue snaked out and touched the bottom of his chin as he let out a rumble of laughter. “It might be a while. I’m pretty insatiable.”

I bent my elbows and lightly touched my cheek to the stone. “Oh fuck, Mikk—” My words were cut off on a groan as that long tongue slipped between my legs. The tip swirled around my clit before he dragged it back over my folds to play around my entrance.

His hands gripped my thighs and his thumbs dug into my ass as he ate me at me like I was breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. His fangs lightly skimmed my heated flesh, and I slapped the ground because I couldn’t stop my hips from gyrating.

He didn’t bother to hold me steady, and let me push back against his face as I sought more. The pressure had been building for what felt like hours, and I wanted to come so badly, yet I didn’t want this delicious anticipation to end.

His tongue was a work of art working me into a frenzy until I was making foreign keening sounds. I couldn’t process anything but what he was doing to me. My arms no longer supported me, and I lay spread out before him like the buffet he’d asked for. I was positive my knees would have given out, but he held me up with a strong grip.

Head empty with nothing but bursting synapses of pleasure, I babbled his name and begged him not to stop. When he speared his thick tongue into me and began to vibrate it with a deep rumble from his chest, I screamed. My limbs trembled, my body shivered, and when my orgasm hit me, I thought I was going to explode. My vision went out, my voice failed me, and all I could do was buck against Mikko’s hold while he licked me through it.

When his grip left my hips, my legs collapsed, and I lay sprawled on my belly in a daze.

His heat coated my back, and I felt the thick head of his cock drag up the back of my leg. “I’m not done my buffet,” he murmured with a lick to the sweat-coated skin on the side of my neck.

I managed to move my muscles enough to smile. “Well, I’m available.”

His fingers skimmed the top of my ass. “I was worried I broke you.”

“Mmm,” I moaned. “You did, but a promise is a promise.” I managed to tilt my head enough to see his face. He held himself above me on muscled arms. His tail lazily curled around my ankle. And his cock hung thick and heavy near my pussy. “Take your fill, Mikko.”

With a long, low moan, he pressed the head of his cock against my entrance. He was big, but I was slick and stretched from his tongue and my own juices. He slid home on a long thrust, and the delicious drag of the piercing on the edge of his cock had me seeing stars.

My inner walls clenched around him, and he groaned. “You feel better than I ever imagined.”

“That’s what every girl wants to hear,” I murmured. “Come on, fuck me Mikko.”

“Fuck you?” He pulled out and thrust back in, jolting my body on the stone. “Is that your word for mating?”

“Yes,” I hissed at the fullness of him between my thighs. “So, fuck me.”

His hips pulled back and he snapped them forward. I cried out, and he grunted. Then he did it again, and again, his rhythm perfect and mind-blowing. My body was a vessel for his pleasure, and I loved being used by him. His pleasure-filled sounds only made this hotter.

He still held himself above me with straight arms, as not to crush me, and with his knees, he pushed my legs wider, almost too wide, as he slotted his hips between them to get even deeper. With one hand, he held onto my hip and drove me onto his thrusting cock so hard my teeth clacked together.

I scrabbled on the stone as my body simultaneously sought to flee and get closer.

“That’s it,” he growled above me. “I want you completely open to me. You’ll be this vulnerable with me, won’t you little warrior? Only me. I’m the only one.”

“Only you,” I managed to grit out between powerful rolls of his hips. My pussy was on fire, and I could feel the beginning of another orgasm, one that felt so big I was almost scared of it.

“That’s right.” He continued to rumble as his head dipped lower to speak closer to my ear. “You’re my warrior Rian. My female. I’ll never get my fill of you as long as I live.”

His punishing grip didn’t let up. I’d never had sex like this, never thought I wanted sex like this, but with Mikko it was… unexplainably amazing.

He was getting close. His rhythm was frenzied, and he panted above me louder than when he’d climbed that shaft. Just then he changed the angle of his hips, and my orgasm rocketed through me with unbelievable force. I screamed, he roared, and as my walls clenched around him, his cock pulsed inside of me.

Only when the shuddering of my body stopped did I realize he was gently pulling out me. Fluid gushed between my legs, but I was too tired to deal with it. I could barely feel my limbs. My throat hurt, and I just wanted to sleep.

But Mikko… he had other plans. With gentle hands, as if I were a kitten, he lifted me up and pulled me back into the qua. He settled me on his lap, my back to his front, arranging my limbs like I was a doll. He pressed constant kisses to my temples and shoulders as he cleaned me with a gentle palm between my legs. His hands glided over my stomach and breasts, and he tutted slightly at the scrapes there. But I kind of loved them. Although they stung a bit, I liked knowing the evidence of what we’d done was on my body, mostly because the entire thing had felt like a fever dream.

I sighed as I leaned back on his shoulder with my eyes closed.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.

I could hear him swallow and when he spoke again, his voice shook just a little. “Thank you for what you just gave me.”

“Ditto.”

He let out a low chuckle that made me smile. “How do you feel?”

I yawned. “Like I could sleep for days.”

“You sleep,” he said, and his voice sounded far away as my body gave into fatigue.

“Okay,” I murmured. “I’ll sleep.”

The last thing I felt before I fell asleep was his hand in my hair, and a light kiss to my temple.

Mikko

When I pulled a shirt down over Rian’s head, she grumbled slightly and opened her eyes, but as soon as I once again lay her down in the furs, she fell back asleep with her hands tucked under her cheek. The sun warmed the sand, even in the shade, and I watched her for a while to make sure she would stay asleep. I knew she needed her rest.

A voice drew my attention, and I looked over to the other side of the arch to find Fenix talking quietly to Zecri as they munched on some dried fruit.

I pulled on a pair of pants and walked to them.

Meri was there, snugged up against Zecri’s side eating out of his palm.

I glanced over to make sure I could see Rian from where I sat, and sure enough, her red hair was visible peeking out from the furs.

I raised my brow at Zecri as I sat down, and he ignored me as he continued to feed the hilphen. He even murmured a few words to it in a low voice.

“Seriously?” Fenix asked him.

He glanced up with a frown.

“You have said more words to that thing in one rotation than you’ve said to me in… five.”

Zecri thought about that for a moment before answering. “Three.”

“Fine, three,” Fenix huffed as he drew shapes in the sand with a stick.

“I listen to you, Fenix,” Zecri said, drawing Fenix’s head up. “I think that’s more important than talking myself.” With that, he lowered his head and once again fed Meri in a low voice.

Fenix’s mouth was open, and he slowly shut it before glancing at me with a chagrined look. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I guess that’s pretty important. And you probably have talked more, and I just haven’t remembered it. Right?”

Zecri nodded. “That’s probably right too.”

“Speaking of that,” I cut in. “Fenix said you think you know a way off this planet.”

“Is that what you want?” he asked. “To leave?”

I glanced at Rian again before meeting his purple eyes. “Look, when I first saw Rian, she was about to be killed in the bottom of the Pit. So, my first instinct was to rescue her. Then it was to keep her alive. And then it was to escape. I hadn’t thought past that because I needed to complete one step at a time. Now that I’m here…” I shook my head. “I know I want two things—I want Rian safe, and I want to destroy the Pit.”

Zecri was quiet for a moment. “You plan to do both of those things?”

“Yes.”

He shook his head. “I think you’re going to have to make a choice between those two.”

“Why? I can do both. I singlehandedly carried us out of the Pit. I can destroy it and make her safe.”

“Do you hear yourself?” Zecri snapped in a tone uncharacteristic for him. “How do you plan to do this? Will you take her with you? She will hate staying behind with us, and while I’ll defend her with my life, are you asking us to do that? Will you live with yourself if we die defending her while you’re off on a needless mission?”

“It is not needless!” I shouted. I quickly glanced at Rian, but she didn’t wake or stir. “It’s not needless,” I said again, softer this time. “You haven’t been there. You don’t know what it’s like.”

“Then make a choice,” Zecri said. “Destroy the Pit and everyone in it or save the life of a human woman.”

“That’s not a fair comparison,” I growled. “I can do both. I will destroy the Pit and then I’ll take her off planet, because I would do anything to keep Rian safe. Maybe we’ll go home. Maybe we’ll find another home. I just know she’s safest when she’s with me.” I swallowed as I glanced at Fenix, who still drew circles in the sand. “So, I’m going with her. And I won’t come back.”

“If you have to make a choice, just remember who you are,” Zecri said. “You’re a Drixonian warrior.”

“I’m a flecked-up version of a dying honorable race, Zecri.”

He made an exasperated sound. “Be stubborn then. Convince yourself you can have it all.”

“I don’t think I can have it all. I’m doing a favor putting those males in there out of their misery.”

“Did you ask them all that?”

I looked away. I had been in there. I would know. No one understood.

Zecri let out a heavy sigh and lifted Meri to his shoulder, where she perched with a contented sigh. “Fine. But I’m not involved in that. We’ll get you off this planet. And as much as it pains me to say this, I hope I never see you again.”

Fenix let out a gargled sound, and I shifted toward him. Rexor always had a soft spot for Fenix—we all did—but Rexor the most. Fenix and I had a habit of bickering like brothers, but that was because I did view him as a brother. I knew he was terrified of being alone. Again. I laid my hand near his thigh. “You can come with us.”

He shook his head immediately and gave me a sad smile. “Stop, I’ll be fine. I’m not a chit.”

“No, you’re not,” I agreed, hating I could see the pain in his eyes.

He itched his arm, his black gloves wrinkling just enough to reveal the ruined, scarred skin of his forearms. He immediately yanked the gloves back in place. “Don’t worry about me or Zecri.”

He itched again and then rose abruptly. “I’ll be back,” he announced, and then disappeared between a set of arches.

I dropped my head between my shoulders because I knew where he was going. A dose of Kixx would stop the itching—and the pain—for a little while. Until it wore off and he needed more. While ejecting my spikes hurt like fleck, I wasn’t in constant, chronic pain like Fenix. I didn’t fault him for his addiction. He hadn’t asked for his body to be altered. He was managing the best he could.

When I lifted my head, Zecri was watching me. “I won’t leave him,” he said.

I pursed my lips “I didn’t intend to leave him either.”

He inclined his head. “Fatas will not cross my path with a human female.” His jaw tightened, and he looked down and away.

My fists clenched, and if an Uldani would have been in front of me right now, I would have slashed him to pieces. “You don’t know that.” Except I did. And so did he. Fatas wouldn’t be so cruel to Zecri after all he had been through, would she?

“I won’t leave him,” Zecri said again. “But you and her…” his gaze drifted to where she slept, and a small smile crept across his face. He rarely smiled, but sometimes I thought that out of all of us, Zecri was maybe the biggest sucker for a perfect mating. “You were meant to meet. She is a match for you, and you were for her.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

I grinned. “Yeah, I do too. I just wanted to see what you’d say.”

He let out a snort that might have been laughter. He handed his last piece of dried fruit to Meri, who munched it happily.

I leaned back on my palms. “How come she likes you so much?”

He shrugged. “Animals have always liked me. Chits too.” I blinked, and his hand froze from a moment before he resumed petting Meri. He cleared his throat and so did I. Talk of chits was off-limits usually. “Maybe I just have a weakness for the ones who don’t require me to make conversation.”

“You talk to Meri.”

“But I don’t have to.”

I fell silent at that and watched him tend to the small hilphen. When Fenix returned, the sun had stretched high in the sky. His steps were a little sluggish and his eyes were a bit hazy, but he also moved with less tension, probably because he couldn’t feel pain. I wasn’t sure he felt much of anything.

He plopped down on the rock next to me, leaned back, and closed his eyes. I thought he was asleep until he spoke up after a while. “Hey Mikko?”

“Yeah,” I answered him.

His head rolled to face me. “Say hi to Rexor for me.”

His eyes closed, and I reached out to flick a strand of orange hair that had fallen into his eyes. His lips turned up, and I pulled my hand back before I touched his face and ruined his peace. “I will, Fenix,” I whispered softly to my sleeping friend.

With Meri sleeping curled in his lap, Zecri leaned forward. “So about leaving.”

I focused on him. “Yeah?”

“I know a way. It’s risky.”

I chuckled. “Is there anything without risk?”

He nodded. “Good point.”

TEN

Rian

I munched on some jerky that tasted a little sweet and game-y. I actually hadn’t asked what animal this came from. I didn’t really want to know, just like I didn’t want to know what was really in that muhs I’d eaten in the Pit.

When I’d woken up from my nap, Mikko had been sitting beside me with his knees bent staring off into the distance where the Pit was located. A pile of food and fresh qua sat at my side. While I ate, he absentmindedly curled a strand of my hair around his finger.

“Can we stay here?” I asked after I’d eaten my fill.

“No,” he said softly, his gaze still on the horizon.

“Where are we going to go?”

“There,” he pointed with an outstretched arm and I squinted my eyes to try to see what he saw. But all I could make out was a series of rocks and more red sand.

“I don’t see anything,” I frowned.

“No?” He gave me a confused look.

“Sorry, buddy. Your eyesight is better than mine, I think.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed. “Well anyway, there’s a Pliken docking station at the top of the Pit. Tomorrow, there will be a Pliken cargo ship arriving with the food drop.”

I sat up. “What does that mean for us?”

He turned his head. “We’ll be leaving this planet on that cargo ship.”

“What?” I squeaked. “We’re leaving the planet?”

He turned back to face the horizon. “Yes.”

“Why? Where are we going to go?” He flinched at that question almost imperceptibly, but I caught it. “Mikko? Where are we going to go?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“You don’t…? So, we’re just going to cruise around outer space for a while?”

“Maybe.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I have ideas of where we can go. I haven’t decided on them yet.”

“Do I get to be involved in this decision making?”

He sighed heavily and dropped his head between his shoulders before turning to face me. “The right thing to do would be to ask your opinion, wouldn’t it?”

I stared at him. “I mean… yeah. That would be nice.” I bit my lip. “Is returning to Earth an option?”

His sad eyes met mine, and he shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. We cannot travel that far with the Pliken cargo ship.”

I had figured that. And honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go home. I was a completely different person now than I’d been when I left Earth. How would I even acclimate back to that life when I knew this whole other galaxy existed? I’d go crazy. Someone would 5150-me in a heartbeat once I started babbling about aliens with spikes and three tongues.

“So where else can we go? Can we … go to your home?”

He closed his eyes on a wince, as if I’d sank a knife into his chest.

“Mikko,” I whispered as I wrapped a hand around his wrist. “What’s wrong?”

“Home is complicated,” he said. “To the best of my knowledge, the rest of my race still live on Planet Torin, which is where the ones who did this to me still live.” He gestured to his forearms. “I have never had any wish to return.”

“I get that. I don’t want to go where you don’t want to go. What about your home planet? What is the name?”

“Corin.”

“Yeah, can we go there?”

He exhaled and his brow dipped as he thought. “I… hadn’t considered that. We’d be alone, Rian, as long as no one has settled there in the meantime.”

“I’m fine being alone… as long as you’re with me.” I smiled. “Alone together.”

His head lifted, and the hope in his purple eyes made my heart skip a beat. “You’d accept a future with me?”

How did he not understand how I felt about him? “I can’t see my future without you.”

“I want you to be my mate,” he said, more confident now as his back straightened.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Ditto.”

His arms shot out, and I let out a shriek of surprise as he tugged me into his lap. His hands gripped the side of my neck as he brought our foreheads together. “After you let me be inside you, I could only hope you’d accepted me. I’m not a human male. I’m a Drixonian male who long ago lost the dream of finding a mate, as I’m no longer who I once was.”

“Mikko,” I said softly. “I don’t know who you were before, but who you are now is honorable, loyal, and strong. You are everything that is safe to me. I know it took me a long time to trust, but you’ve earned it tenfold. I should be the one begging you to accept a future with me.”

A huge smile broke out on his face. “I wouldn’t choose anyone but my little warrior Rian.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a warrior.”

“As the warrior expert in this mating, I’ll be the judge of warrior status.”

Laughing, I dropped a kiss on his nose. “Fine.” I smiled. “So, does that mean you have abandoned your plan to destroy the Pit?” His expression shifted to a blank mask, and my heart sank. “Mikko?”

“No,” he said shortly.

“No?” I tugged myself out of his grip and shifted off his lap to sit at his side. “What do you mean no?”

“I’ll destroy the Pit and get you off planet.”

I’d just slept, and I was tired all over again. “I don’t understand. Why are you so insistent?”

“You’ve seen what that place turns the prisoners into. No one wants to live like that. I understand because that was me.”

“It was me too!” I shouted. “I do understand. But I didn’t want to die in there. I still held out hope. Hope is what made me want to stay alive. And if you destroy the Pit and everyone in there, you’ve taken that away from them. Can you live with being responsible for killing all of those beings?”

“I’ve killed before, and I’ll do it again.”

“For a reason,” I emphasized. “In self-defense or in protection of me. But that… going in there and collapsing the Pit on everyone inside, that’s not justifiable to me. And if you think that’s right, then…” I felt tears prick the back of my eyes. “Then you’re not who I think you are.”

He visibly flinched. Hard. As if I’d slapped him across the face. He turned on me with a snarl that showed his fangs. “I thought I told you not to assign morality to me.”

The tears spilled over, not because I was sad, but because I was fucking pissed. “I know who you are. I don’t know why you’re acting like this.”

“Because I refuse to abandon my mission.” He pounded his chest. “I have spent tens of cycles imagining the end of the Pit. That was the hope that kept me alive, even if I died doing it.”

“I don’t get it. You escaped. Why can’t you just let it go?”

“Because that place made me feel helpless.” He slashed a hand at a nearby rock, leaving behind deep claw marks. I startled and shifted away from him as his eyes blackened in anger.

“Mikko—”

“When I woke up in that Uldani lab, bleeding and in pain, my body altered without my consent, I was helpless. In chains. Taken from my brothers and sold like property. When they were lowering me in that Pit, I promised myself I’d destroy everything that made me helpless. And that starts with the Pit.”

I shook my head. “But you’re not helpless anymore. Decide if you want to be someone who looks to punish others for your past or if you want to focus on the future with me. Your mate. Because you can’t do both.”

I didn’t look to see if he flinched. I walked away to hide with tears streaming down my face and pieces of my heart sprinkling the sand at my feet.

I quickly discovered stomping away dramatically on an alien planet was not possible. There was nowhere for me to go. I thought about retreating to the spring, but the sky was darkening as night fell, and I wasn’t comfortable being out of sight of any of the Drixonians.

So, I had to pout within ten yards of Mikko while his concerned gaze remained on me. I mulled my words over and over in my head, worried I was too harsh. Was this a cultural thing and I was misunderstanding the importance of this mission to him? But I couldn’t reconcile him ending the lives of everyone in the Pit with the caring, selfless way he treated me. If he wanted to take out a few guards, I would have easily looked the other way. But ending all those lives? I couldn’t understand that.

I hated he felt helpless at any time in his life. Because I absolutely knew what that felt like. But destroying the Pit and ending lives wasn’t going to fix how he felt in the past. Couldn’t he see the future was what mattered now?

I also wondered what happened to York and Crife. Were they still alive? Did they get out safely? Meri was currently cuddled into the crook of Zecri’s arm, and I had a feeling my new friend would stay behind rather than come with us.

My heart ached. My head pounded. I felt like the ground was shifting under my feet and I couldn’t get my footing. Mikko had been the solid foundation for me since I got here, but now that solid base was cracked. I believed in my heart he was who I thought he was. Why couldn’t he see that too?

Eventually Fenix wandered over toward where I sat hunched against a rocky arch. Mikko watched us the whole time with sad puppy dog eyes, although I pretended I didn’t notice.

Fenix sat down in the sand next to me, his orange hair flopping over one eye. “Mikko is really stubborn, you know.”

I sniffed in response.

Fenix’s lips curled into a small smile. “I heard your fight. Kind of hard not to since we weren’t far. I’m on your side and so is Zecri.”

I plucked at a tear in my pants. “I don’t want you to pick sides. Maybe I’m being too hard on him, but why can’t he move on from the past and accept we can have a future?”

Fenix glanced over at Mikko, who was no longer watching us, but instead sat with his head bowed, almost like he was praying. “While I agree that Mikko needs to turn his focus away from the Pit, I think I need to explain something to you.” With a sharp breath, Fenix peeled off one of his long black gloves.

I just barely held back a gasp at his hand. From the tips of his fingers to the middle of his forearms, the scales were a twisted mass of scar tissue. My reaction wasn’t from how he looked, but because I couldn’t imagine how painful that had been. “Fenix,” I whispered. “What—?”

He closed his fist, and when he opened it again, a spark ignited in his palm. Fire spread to cover his whole hand and wrist. Flickering flames, reflected in his purple irises. He closed his fingers again and the fire went out. Face pinched with pain, he replaced his glove and met my eyes. “We are reminded of the past every day. It’s not so easy to let go when every waking moment is consumed with what happened to you. When you’re reminded of the time you were powerless. It’s not that we don’t want to move on, it’s that we can’t. We don’t know how.”

I reached for his hand, in shock at what I just saw, but he drew back out of reach with a jerk. I quickly withdrew my hand. “I’m sorry, I—”

“It’s okay.” His eyes held infinite sadness as he ducked in what seemed like shame. “Touch causes me pain.”

At his words, understanding clicked into place in my brain. I got it then. Their traumatic past held them in an iron grip in a way I could never imagine. While I’d made many mistakes in my life, and I’d surely felt helpless at times, it was nothing compared to what they’d gone through.

Fenix, who exuded a friendly warmth, couldn’t be touched.

Zecri was massively scarred and seemed to carry a heavy weight of sadness on his shoulders. And then there was Mikko, as prickly as the spikes on his back, but once I got past the deadly exterior, I found a soul just trying to handle all that life had thrown at him.

“I’m sorry, Fenix,” I whispered to him.

His head came up and he gave me a small smile.

I held my arms out in front of me and curled them in the air like an imitation hug. “There’s an air hug for you. It’s not much, but—”

His eyes lit up as he mimicked my gesture. “Air hug. I like it.”

I smiled. “Thank you for patiently explaining to me why I should be more understanding of how Mikko feels.”

He cocked his head. “Did I really do that?”

“You did. I don’t think it will change Mikko’s decision, but at least I get it now. I just hope Mikko can live with the consequences of his decision.”

“I don’t know what he plans to do, but I do know you’re worth him choosing his future.”

“I hope I am,” I whispered as I glanced at Mikko. Our eyes met from across the stretch of sand. “I really hope I am.”

I knew I needed to talk to Mikko. Even if I didn’t agree with him, I did have to respect his past and his feelings. I hated there were even a few hours where a rift had opened between us. I gathered my courage to go speak to him when I caught sight of a figure racing across the sand toward us. I braced, worried it was a Pliken until I spotted the familiar blue skin and horns.

Zecri barreled into our camp and skidded to a halt near Mikko. “The cargo ship is early!” he panted. “I went to scout and spotted it. You have to leave now before they send out a search team for Rian. You can’t wait another three rotations for the next drop.”

Mikko cursed and sprang into action. We’d already packed as we’d planned to leave tomorrow. Now, with the shadows lengthening at the end of the day, there would be no rest. We were going off planet. Now. To where? I had no idea.

“I have time,” Mikko was saying to Zecri in a low tone as Fenix and I drew closer. “I know how long the drop lasts. I still have time.”

“You better be sure,” Zecri said. “Because if they come searching for Rian in numbers, we won’t be able to hold them back. You cannot miss getting on that ship.”

“I won’t,” Mikko gritted out. He took my hand and tugged me to his side.

I stumbled and had to brace myself with a hand on his abs. The muscles tightened under my palm, reminding me of happier times in the spring when we’d been a team. Now we were at odds. My stomach soured.

“Stick to the path we talked about. Wait for them to unload. Get on and get the fleck out,” Zecri said. Meri sat perched on his shoulder, looking sad.

“Hey,” I reached out to her. “You can stay here, or you can come with us. Your choice.”

Her little paws shook my hand and then she pulled back to grab a lock of Zecri’s hair.

I smiled and felt tears gather in my eyes. I was going to miss the little hilphen. “I get it. You’ll be safe here.” I smiled at Zecri. “Take care of her.”

His finger touched her foot. “I will.”

Fenix shifted beside us, and I turned to him with the tears spilling down my cheeks. “Thank you for everything.”

His expression was tight with pain, and I imagined it was a mix of physical and emotional. “Of course, warrior Rian. You keep Mikko in line, all right?”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I’ll try.”

Mikko and Zecri clasped each other around the back of their necks and brought their foreheads together. They whispered something to each other before Mikko turned to face Fenix. “One last time, brother?”

“One last time.” Fenix’s voice wobbled.

They brought their foreheads together and Fenix let out a long exhale before saying, “She is all.”

Mikko nodded and his hand tightened in mine. “She is all.” He pulled away, slung the pack over his back and nodded to his friends. “May Fatas bless us and we never meet again.”

“Thank you both,” I babbled as Mikko began to pull my arm. I felt unsettled as I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to rely on the security of the three Drixonians in such a short time. “I’ll miss you. Thank you!”

They didn’t say anything, only watched us as we began our trek back to the Pit, where I’d find out just who Mikko was. I glanced up at his face as we walked at a steady pace. His brow hung low over his eyes, and his lips were pressed firmly together in concentration. This was Mikko on a mission. I just hoped it was one that ended with us both alive and without an extra burden on our souls.

ELEVEN

Mikko

The cargo ship was a growing black dot on the horizon. The sun had set and only a slight glow remained along the edge of the sands. When I’d been in the Pit, I’d been aware that a ship arrived with the food drop. It had been easy to hear. And it had never been early. Zecri was right, and it should have arrived tomorrow at sunset. Maybe the search for Rian had something to do with it. I had heard the digging and explosions as we escaped. Were there repairs to make in the Pit?

What I hadn’t known was how the drop worked. When I escaped the first time, I hadn’t hung around to observe. Zecri said the entire cargo ship was vacated during the drops. Some guards made security rounds while others conducted repairs. Then there were those who gathered the food into the cage for the drop.

He said at most two guards stayed behind, and I could easily take out two guards. The ship stayed approximately three yoras. Zecri said it had just landed. That left me two and a half yoras to find the Pit explosives and then another half a yora to get on the cruiser.

Beside me, Rian panted as she sought to keep up with my jog. Her curly red hair was piled into a knot on her head. I wished we had material to make her a hood, as her locks stood out even in the moonlight.

Her words to me rattled around in my head. When she’d walked away from me, I knew she hadn’t wanted to be followed, but I would have if she’d left my sight. I wasn’t angry with her. In fact, her words only made me more resentful about my past. If I could just do this one last thing, if I could eliminate the Pit, I’d be able to move on. I knew I could. I’d show Rian.

We reached a small cluster of rocks and I drew us to a stop while dropping down to a crouch. Rian followed me, falling to her knees as her chest heaved. I laid a hand on her back. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded with a gasp, her head down. “I thought I was in decent shape, but that was … tiring.”

She wiped at her forehead and glanced up. “What now?”

I peered at the rim of the Pit. I counted two patrol guards walking the perimeter, four loading the food into the cage, and two more near the supply building. That was where the explosives were. They were stored in case of riots, and used sparingly, they didn’t do much damage except to break up fighting. But all of them together would cave in the entire Pit. I could kill Plikens all day and they’d keep cropping up like weeds. But take down the Pit, and they’d lose the ability to sentence anyone for life. “I’m going to get you on that cruiser.”

She stared at me with big eyes. “And you?”

“I just have to finish my mission first, then I’ll join you.”

I saw the moment she knew what I meant. Her shoulders fell and her face paled. “Mikko…”

“We have time,” I insisted.

“Please, can we talk—”

“When we’re safe.”

“And what if we don’t get safe.” She tugged on my arm with her small hands.

“We will get safe,” I said. “It will fall into place. This is supposed to happen. It’s my destiny.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead, my mind already on what was to come. “We have to go. Stay at my side and do what I say.”

She nodded with wet eyes. “Yeah, of course.”

With her tucked behind me to the side of my spikes, we took off across the sand toward the ship. The guards stood at the bottom of the boarding ramp, backlit by the interior lights. Leaving Rian crouched under the landing gear of the ship, I took out the guards quickly and quietly with a quick twist and snap of their necks. After dragging their bodies behind a few nearby rocks and swiping away the drag marks in the sand, I returned to Rian’s side.

Her hand was clammy when I held it, and her breath came in sharp bursts. I could feel the rapid beat of her cora. She held strong though, her chin lifted in determination as we entered the ship. The cargo ship had several rooms—including a lower hull where the landing gear was located, and a main living quarters as well as the crew quarters. After determining we were alone, I directed her to hide in a small cabinet in the storage room of the ship. She curled her body into a ball and gave me a sharp nod. “I’m good. Go, Mikko. Erase your past.”

I turned and ran out of the ship, but her words followed me like a shadow. Erase your past. Was that what I thought destroying the Pit would accomplish? My steps faltered. I’d still look the way I did. I couldn’t change or forget. None of us could. Even Fenix with his poor short-term memory couldn’t forget what had been done to him.

I hid in the shadows until the guards left the supply shed. With careful steps, I crept toward it my eye on the guards walking the perimeter and the others loading the cage. I could hear the din from the prisoners below. They were eager for food. I remembered food drop nights when we all gazed up at the sky while hunger gnawed our bellies.

Breaking into the supply shed was easy. The lock was rusted and a quick pick with my claws had it clicking open. Inside, I rummaged through a mish mash of unorganized crates until I found what I was looking for. The remote detonator. Before I escaped with Rian, I’d found storage crates of explosives hidden in the walls.

The Plikens wanted a way to end the Pit in case anything ever got out of control. They were the ones who would have provided the prisoners with supplies and explosives in their search for Rian and I.

Now that I had the detonator, I cuuld end it now. I flipped off the safety and turned on the detonator. A green light lit the small bulb at the top. Slowly, a series of lights spread across the screen letting me know the detonator had detected the live explosives.

A smile spread across my face as I left the cabin. Except I wasn’t smiling much longer. I walked outside to the blinding beams of several solar lights. As soon as my eyes adjusted, my blood ran cold.

Rian stood in front of a cluster of Pliken guards—more than I’d counted. Where had they come from? Her hands were tied in front of her and the guard behind her held a blade to her throat.

I immediately braced and my machets began to vibrate as I prepared to eject them and lay waste to every flecker here.

“I thought you Drix were supposed to be all honorable and shet,” said the Pliken holding Rian. “But you abandoned her to dig around for an old detonator. Is that what you stand for now?”

I didn’t answer. I only looked into Rian’s wide, frightened eyes as she trembled.

“We knew you’d come back,” he said. “We knew when you escaped, and we knew when you returned. You wanted something, and now we know what.” He gestured to the detonator. “Drop it.”

I stared at the device in my hand. One click of the button and I’d destroy the Pit.

“If you don’t drop that button in the next five seeks, I’ll slit her throat,” he growled. “Five…”

The detonator felt heavy in my hand as I watched Rian’s tears drip from her chin. She made no noise, but her body shook. A single drop of blood slipped down her chest from where the blade nicked her neck.

“Four…”

There was no question what I had to do. And I felt helpless I had no other choice. My hand tightened around the detonator in anger.

“Three.”

“It’s okay,” Rian whispered. “Do what you have to do.”

“Two.”

I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Rian.”

“One.”

I dropped the detonator. It hit the ground with a small thump, a weak sound in comparison to the destruction it could have wrought which was within my grasp.

“Collar him.” I heard the Pliken guard say as Rian’s shoulders convulsed on a sob. “If any of my men so much as get a scratch from your spikes, I’ll kill her. Slowly.”

There was nothing to do but comply. A heavy metal collar snapped around my neck and my arms were shackled behind my back. My spikes couldn’t saw through heavy metal.

“Get him on the ship,” the guard ordered. “We’ll use her to keep him in line. We’ll sell her at Rinian II, and we’ll take him to Barzotis. He doesn’t like the Pit? Well, he can have a whole planet to rot on.”

I didn’t give a fleck if they dropped me off on some primitive planet. But if they sold Rian on the Rinian II space station… I couldn’t let that happen.

They led us into the ship, and just when I didn’t think things could get any worse, I heard familiar voices. “York, quit moving.”

“I have an itch!”

“Your claws are digging into my spine.”

“Well, I can smell your breath from here, so I guess we’re both unhappy.”

The hilbobs sat in a cage, dirty and disheveled, their round eyes peering up at us. “What happened?” Crife ask, struggling to stand. “I thought you saved her. Why didn’t you save her?” He rattled the bars as he stared at us helplessly.

I was in an enemy ship with my mate, unable to do anything without risking her life. All because I’d insisted on blowing up the Pit. We could have been gone by now. In space on our way to freedom.

I closed my eyes and did the one thing I hadn’t done in so many, many cycles. I prayed to Fatas.

Rian

I tugged on the chains holding me in place, but they were strong as shit. There was no budging. I was stuck here and wouldn’t be moving unless I learned how to melt steel with my eyeballs.

Chained to me, yes to me, was Mikko, his arms crossed and locked at the wrist so that if he attempted to eject his machets they would… well they would spear me in the face and neck. Honestly, they’d probably sever my head from my body. I had to hand it to the Plikens, they were smart.

A collar around my neck connected to his wrists with a chain. There was no way for me to avoid his spikes, and even just sitting still, they were dangerously close to my skin. I eyed them cross-eyed until I got a headache. We were in a small holding area below the main cockpit room of the ship.

York and Crife were in a cage together nearby sleeping. I could hear the footsteps of the Pliken guards above us. We were in orbit now, on our way to some space station where I was going to be sold like property. Cool. Great.

Mikko hadn’t spoken a word. He wouldn’t look at me. He sat staring over my head with his jaw tight. I didn’t know what to say to him. I wasn’t angry. The Plikens had told us even if Mikko hadn’t gone for the detonator, we would have been caught. They had suspected we’d try to gain access to the ship and had been watching us the whole time.

“Mikko,” I whispered.

His eyes fluttered closed and he swallowed before opening them again, still staring over my head.

I wet my lips. “They can’t sell me. Promise me you’ll…” I glanced again at his sharp spikes. “Promise me you’ll make it quick.”

A rumbling growl vibrated his chest and his spikes began to vibrate as the colors on his chest shifted rapidly. “I will not kill you.”

“So, you’ll let me be sold?”

He heaved a deep breath. “No.”

“So—”

“I don’t know how yet, but I’ll get us out of this.”

I raised an eyebrow at the chains. “This looks pretty hopeless.”

His head lowered, and his spikes brushed my face before he realized what he was doing and jerked upright. His mouth opened once, twice, three times before he finally got the words out. “I’m sorry. I failed you.”

“You didn’t fail me.”

“I was so intent on bringing down the Pit that I didn’t focus fully on getting you to safety. I was distracted. Maybe if I’d been paying better attention I would have noticed—”

“Mikko, stop.” I wanted to touch him, but my hands were tied at my waist, preventing me from lifting them. “I understand. I can’t stand listening to you apologize. I get it more now after I talked to Fenix. While I don’t agree, I understand. You are trying to deal with your past the best way you can—”

“I don’t care about my past!” he roared, muscles straining against the chains wrapped around his biceps and chest. “The seek I stood there holding the detonator while facing you, the decision was clear. I choose the future. I choose you. And I’m so sorry I didn’t see it sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I’m so flecking sorry.”

A sob left my lips. “Mikko.”

“But I’m not giving up. I just need to think. And thinking isn’t my best skill. I usually left that to Rexor and Zecri.”

“How long until we reach the space station?”

He winced. “I don’t—”

“Three rotations,” Crife called out from his cage. I turned my head as much as the chains allowed to find him and York awake and pressed against the bars of their cage. “But it’s hard to tell how long it’s been already in space.”

“What happened?” I asked. “How did they find you?”

“When the prisoners searched for you, they came with digging equipment and explosives,” Crife said. “They’d never had that before, but the guards gave them supplies for the search. They found our entrance and pulled us out. Then York opened his big mouth and asked about you two, so they knew we helped you.”

“We’re being sold on Rinian II as well,” York said.

“Apparently hilbobs are entertainers there.”

“Entertainers is putting it nicely, Crife. We’re basically little jokes. Dress us up and make us perform. Like animals!” York crossed his arms over his chest in a huff. “I will not put up with that indignity.”

“What choice do you have?”

“I don’t know.” York sniffed.

Crife’s big eyes misted. “They’ll separate us.”

“No,” I whispered. The thought of the two friends being apart broke me. “They wouldn’t.”

“One of us could be sold to an elite family as a servant.”

“Oh, Crife.” I was so tired of crying. And I didn’t know when I’d next get some qua. They’d left us no food in the hold. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “It was our choice to get involved with your escape. We have no regrets. Right, York?”

York’s big paw settled on his friend’s shoulder. “Right.”

“I’m sorry, friends.” Mikko’s deep voice rumbled. “But I don’t intend on making it to Rinian for any of you to be sold. Any ideas on how we can get out of here?”

The two hilbobs shook their heads just as the door to the hold opened and a Pliken guard dropped down holding two small boxes in his hand as well as two canteens of qua in the other. He tossed a box and canteen to the hilbobs and otherwise ignored them as he strode over to Mikko and I.

I recognized him as the one who’d held a blade at my throat, as he had thick hoops pierced through each horn tip. I could still feel the sting of the sharp edge where it had pricked me. I noticed Mikko stared at my neck a lot, likely at the wound.

The Pliken crouched down next to us, and I took in his mean yellow eyes and large horns. He stretched out a long dirty claw and touched the corner of my eye.

I didn’t dare move. One centimeter and he’d poke my eyeball out, but I could feel the utter rage emanating from Mikko. The chains between us rattled and a low growl rumbled.

The Pliken turned his head to Mikko, his gaze a dare, before slowly withdrawing the claw from my face. “What are you going to do about it, Drix?” He sniped. “I could take her up to the cockpit right now and ask her to put on a show. Space travel is a little boring and we’ve made this trip hundreds of times.”

Mikko’s nostrils flared, and I began to shake. While it had just been Mikko and the hilbobs down here, I’d been able to pretend we weren’t in imminent danger but coming face-to-face with the evil that could be my future filled me with a choking dread.

“Leave the food and go, Pliken,” Mikko snapped.

“So, I can take her then?”

“Sure, see what happens when my machets are no longer aimed at her.”

“Ah, and I’m supposed to be scared of you.”

“If you hurt her, yes. Because I got nothing to lose. I’ll take this entire ship down.”

“But aren’t these your friends?” he jerked his thumb behind him at the hilbobs. “That’s how you repay their aide in your rescue?”

“We’re okay going down with this ship!” York called out.

“Yep, it’s all right,” Crife added. “We both have sore backs and York has that bad ankle.”

“I told you my ankle is fine!”

“I saw you limping on it. Pretend all you want, but you’re ancient just like me.”

Their voices dissolved into whispered bickering.

Mikko lifted one side of his brow. “Does that answer your question, Pliken?”

“Dream all you want. I can’t wait to watch while we drag your female away kicking and screaming.”

Mikko’s nostrils flared as his lips curled back to show his fangs. “Mark my words—you will die on this ship.”

The Pliken barely reacted, but I heard the slightest hitch of his breath. He was scared of a freed Mikko, and so he was banking on him remaining in chains. “That’s a big statement for a prisoner in chains.”

“I’m a warrior in chains,” Mikko said with a smirk. “There’s a difference.”

The Pliken rose to his feet and tossed the box and qua canteen at our sides. “As much as I’d love to starve you, we have orders to bring you food.” He shrugged. “Didn’t say we had to put it in your reach though.” With a gross chuckle, he climbed his way out of the hold and shut the hatch behind him.

I stared at the box, which had burst open when he dropped it. A few of the prison ration tubes were the only contents. Still, my stomach rumbled. Then Mikko’s tail slithered across the floor. He hooked the end around the food and canteen, then drew them close enough I could twist my hands to grasp it with the tips of my fingers. “Thank you.”

“Stupid Plikens,” he murmured. “Did they forget I had a tail?”

And that was the first time in a long time I laughed.

TWELVE

Rian

Eating proved to be difficult with my hands tied at my waist. I could bend my head just enough I was able to bite the end of a tube, narrowly avoiding Mikko’s spikes. But he couldn’t move his hands at all, so we ended up each eating from opposite ends of the tube like some really messed up version of the spaghetti scene from The Lady and the Tramp.

But we both had to eat and drink. I didn’t want to give up hope yet. I believed in Mikko. I believed in myself too. But as the time stretched on and neither of us could find weak links in the chains, hope dwindled.

The hilbobs were sleeping, and the footsteps above had lessened, which led me to think some of the crew were sleeping. My eyes were heavy, and I let my head fall forward just enough to rest it on the back of Mikko’s hand. He remained awake and vigilant as he studied our surroundings.

I must have fallen asleep because I snapped awake when I felt Mikko’s body go tight. I opened my eyes in the dim light to find him staring at a spot on the wall, his purple eyes glowing.

“What?” I asked, wishing I could wipe the sleep from my eyes. A strand of hair had fallen down the back of my neck and itched like crazy.

“Something’s in here,” he whispered.

“Something…” I went still. “Like what? A stowaway? Some strange space flesh-eating amoeba?”

His gaze flickered to me in confusion before returning to the spot on the wall. “No, it’s—”

A thump hit the floor, and I nearly peed myself. “What was that?” I hissed.

Mikko’s tail slid across the floor around us like a radar beacon. “I don’t know, but—”

A flap of wings caught our attention and then our visitor stepped into a small beam of light.

I gasped, Mikko cursed, and a strangled shriek sounded from the hilbobs’ cage. “Meri?” York whisper-shouted.

Meri stood on her four legs; her wings folded along her back. Wide eyes stared at us before she ran over to the hilbobs’ cage. They both reached through the bars to pet her head, cooing over her, telling her how much they missed her.

Meri accepted their attentions for a little while before shuffling over to Mikko and I. She began to tut over the chains locking us in place as her little paws ran over the links and locks.

“I don’t get it. How did you get here?” I whispered to her.

She didn’t answer—because of course she didn’t—but she did pat the side of my head.

The lock connecting our chains hung above us, attached to the ceiling, and Meri easily climbed the links until she could perch where they all connected. She inspected the lock, making small squeaks and chirps while she did so.

“If you can get my chains loose,” Mikko said to her. “I will get us out of here.”

The determination in his voice gave me chills. “Do you think you can pick the lock, Meri?”

“So, about the dying thing,” York mentioned. “I was mostly saying that for the Plikens benefit. I would actually like to live. I have dreams. Goals.”

“What goals do you have?” Crife tossed a half-eaten tube at him.

“Goals! I want to be a farmer, thank you very much. You wouldn’t understand because you have no drive.”

“I do too have drive.” Crife gasped in offense. “I want to learn how to knit.”

“With those claws?”

“Are you saying I can’t be anything I want to be? My neck needs warmth in the cold season.”

Mikko cleared his throat. “If Meri gets my chains loose, I will get us all out of here. York, you can farm until your ankle gives out. Crife, you can knit us all clothes.”

“Thank you,” the hilbobs said in unison.

“He said my name first,” York muttered under his breath.

Meri ignored us all as she focused on the lock and chains.

I watched her small paws work with a mixture of awe and hope. How had she boarded the ship? I had thought she stayed behind with Zecri. As worried as I was for all of us, I was thrilled she was here.

The Plikens obviously didn’t know about her presence, or they would have done something about it.

Mikko spent the time she was working flexing his limbs as much as he could from his cramped position. He had been sitting down with his legs spread on either side of my hips. He bent his knees and rolled his shoulders as if preparing for battle. In essence, he was.

I ate more but didn’t drink anything else. I already had to pee, and soon it would be urgent. The last thing I wanted to do was call down the Plikens to unchain me and use a bucket. I shivered as I watched Meri who had been hard at work for what felt like hours. She’d climbed down a few times for a drink from the canteen before returning to her task. I saw her try all kinds of things, like sticking her small claws in the lock, but the massive lock made her lock picking ineffective.

“Meri,” Mikko said suddenly, interrupting the tense silence that had filled the space. She jerked to attention.

He gestured with his chin toward a large metal box in the corner of the hold. “That’s the heat regulator for the ship. If you take off the outside panel, there will be hot coils inside. He looked around the hold. “If there is something metal, we can heat it on the coils and then directly apply it to the chain, we can melt a link. I just need them loose so I can break them without worrying about hurting Rian.”

Meri shimmied down the chains and leaped to the ground. She raced around the space in search of a heat conductor when York cried out. “There, Meri!” He pointed to a small panel in the well. “That’s a tool panel. There has to be something in there.”

With a flap of her wings, Meri elevated herself to the tool panel. Inside was a series of well-organized tools, all metal. She grabbed a wrench-looking object and immediately flew over to the heating element.

“Be careful, Meri,” Mikko warned. “It’s going to be really hot. Wrap something around the end you are holding so you don’t burn yourself.”

She accepted a strip of cloth from Crife’s shirt. As soon as she opened a small panel in the heating element, orange coils were visible. She applied the business end of the wrench, and we watched as it turned from yellow, to red, to an orange-ish white.

“Here, Meri,” Mikko called, pointing with one claw to a link near the chains around his wrist. “Careful of Rian’s skin. Melt a link here.”

“Careful of Mikko’s scales too,” I called out.

He shook his head. “I don’t care. I’d gnaw my own arm off to get out of here if I thought I’d survive the blood loss.”

His words wouldn’t have been romantic on Earth, but this wasn’t Earth, and he wasn’t human. Coming out of Mikko’s mouth, that declaration was romantic as fuck. I almost swooned.

Since the wrench cooled quickly, it took Meri four trips back and forth before the final piece of the link melted.

I gasped as Meri let out a victorious shriek. The chains around Mikko’s wrists loosened enough for him to pull his wrists apart. With his spikes away from my vulnerable neck, he let out a roar as he snapped the remaining chains from his body like Hulk. His collar fell off now it was no longer bound with chains. With a few slashes of his machets, my wrists were free.

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck.

He wrapped me in an embrace, and I hadn’t realized how badly I needed a freaking hug until I was enveloped in his strength. Sitting so near but not being able to touch him without being gouged was torture. I sank into his warmth and his lips nuzzled the top of my ear. “Not much longer now. I told them they’d die on this ship, and now is the time to follow through on that.”

So I was turned on by his sacrifice and violent tendencies toward our enemies. Sue me.

Meri fluttered next to us, and I broke from Mikko’s hold to reach down and pull her against my chest. I petted her head and back and she preened as I cooed at her. “You’re so brave and smart, Meri. Thank you. I don’t know what we could have done without you.”

She peeked at Mikko and he reached out to scratch her under her chin. “You did good. A warrior hilphen.”

She puffed out her little chest and made a chirping melody that sounded very grand.

“Hey, uh, love the party over there but can we be invited?” York called out as he pressed his face against the bars of his cage.

Crife smacked him on the head. “Seriously? Be nice.”

“I am being nice! I want out of my cage though. You know I don’t good around too much metal. It gives me a rash.”

“I’ll free you as soon as I’m able,” Mikko said. “Next time one of them comes down here, I’m going to pretend to still be chained. When they come close, I’ll attack and then head up to finish the rest off. They need to believe you’re still caged, okay?”

“That makes complete sense,” Crife said with a glare at York.

With a sigh, York plopped down on the floor. “Okay,” he muttered glumly before itching at his neck.

I finally got a chance to relieve myself, although it was in a bucket since that was all we had. It was better than nothing. After eating some more and drinking the qua, we began to hear more footsteps up in the cockpit. Meri found a hiding spot tucked into one corner of the ceiling.

In order for it to look like we were still locked up, Mikko wrapped the chains around himself again with his arms crossed at his neck while I sat across from him, my hands held at my waist. We looked into each other’s eyes between his fists. “When I say now, curl into a ball.”

I nodded as my palms began to sweat. “Are you going to be okay? What weapons do they have?”

“Don’t worry about me.” He flexed his forearms. “I have plenty of experience fighting Plikens.”

His gaze drifted over my head as the footsteps neared the door of the hold. His jaw clenched, and his entire body tensed.

I stared at a pulsing vein in his neck as his machets vibrated.

The door of the hold opened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two Plikens drop down. They glanced at the hilbobs, who remained quiet for once, before walking over to us.

I gulped when I saw they held gun-like objects in their hands. I didn’t want to panic, but suddenly I wondered if our plan was suicide. How was this going to work? How would Mikko take on everyone on this ship?

I didn’t have much longer to panic.

Mikko met my eyes, and in his, I saw a delighted battle lust. He opened his mouth, shouted, “Now!” and I dropped to the fetal position.

Mikko

My machets slammed into the two Plikens with so much force, it took them off their feet. They didn’t even have time to fire their laser guns. They clattered to the floor seeks before their bodies crashed down with a thunk. Machets littered their bodies. I tossed one laser gun to the hilbobs through the bars of their cage. York bobbled it in his paws like it was a hot coil before Crife snatched it.

“What was that?” I heard shouted above and knew I didn’t have much time before we had more company. I hauled Rian to her feet and handed her the other laser gun before gently shoving her into a corner where she’d be out of sight. Then, I stood in front of her, my wrists crossed at my neck with my machets pointing toward the hold door.

Plikens dropped down two by two and I took them out before they knew what had happened. Their bodies lay in a spiked pile until the leader—the one with the ring through his horns who had held a blade to Rian’s throat—figured out what was going on and stopped the rest of them from their sudden death at the end of my machets.

“He’s free!” He roared from overhead.

Blood dripped from my arms as my machets regenerated. The pain was immense. I rarely fought this many Plikens on my own where it was necessary to eject my machets at such a rapid rate. My hands were nearly numb from the pain, and my head spun with dizziness. I could hang on though. All I had to do was hear the panicked breathing of Rian behind me and suddenly everything was a lot clearer.

Ring-horn stuck his head down through the hole and before I could do a single thing, a laser shot pinged the ceiling near his face. He swore and ducked back up. I turned slowly to find Rian with her laser gun pointed right at the hold, a snarl on her face like I’d never seen before.

I stared at her and she glanced at me.

Her shoulder shrugged with a jerk. “I hate him.”

“I’m glad I never got on your bad side.”

“Well, I never had a gun before.” She shook it, which made me a little nervous. “This thing is fun.”

“Look, Drix,” Ring-horn called from above. “You—”

“There’s nothing to bargain with now,” I yelled back. “So how about we fight it out. I won’t eject my spikes. We fight hand to hand. Or my machets to your blade.” Silence met my challenge. “Hello?” I called. “I’m ready to get out of the hold and lay on a proper bed. Use the cleanser. Bathe in your blood.”

“I hear you, Drix,” Ring-horn hissed. Quiet murmuring let me know he was discussing the terms with the few crew he had left. At least, that was what I thought until two Pliken dropped down on the pile of bodies and immediately fired their laser guns in my direction. One shot hit my thigh and I hollered as the pain seared through my flesh. As my leg buckled, another shot clipped the top of my ear.

Rian shrieked, the hilbobs screamed, and Meri came flying out of nowhere to circle their heads. Laser fire flew from all directions as Rian and the hilbobs opened fire. The Plikens sought to take out Meri who was doing everything in her power to take their eyes out.

Burning flesh filled my nostrils, and I ignored that the smell was coming from my thigh as I slid across the floor on my good knee. With one hack of my machets at their ankles, the Plikens hit the ground with cries of agony.

I went to finish off one of the Plikens only to find a laser shot right between his eyes, I turned to slash the throat of the other and gaped at the smoking hole in his chest.

Silence filled the room as laser fire stopped. I gazed around me to find Rian blowing the tip of her gun with a smirk. Meanwhile, Crife remained holding the gun in front of him, his already wide eyes huge in his flat face. “I…” he muttered. “I think I shot him.”

“You did,” Rian said. “I was the center mass shot. But between the eyes? You’re a natural Crife. Maybe you should be a hunter rather than a knitter.”

Crife’s gaze shifted to the gun as he lowered it. “A hunter,” he murmured in awe.

A laser gun dropped down on the bodies. “I accept your challenge,” Ring-horn called from above deck. Come up here and fight, Drix.”

I took a step and was stopped by Rian’s panicked, “Mikko!” I turned to find her gaze pinging wildly from me to the hatch above me. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “What if he’s lying?”

I shot her a smile. “Oh, he’s most certainly lying.” I took two steps toward the hatch and then leapt to the deck, rolling immediately as laser gun fire erupted from Ring-horn’s direction. I expected that and continued to roll until I hit the far wall. As Rian screamed from below, I rose to a crouch and then leapt halfway up the wall. With the flat of my boots, I pushed off and flipped over Ring-horn’s head as he wildly waved his gun in an attempt to take me out.

Mid-air, I lashed out my arm, and my machets speared him in the hand. The gun hit the floor before spinning to fall down into the hatch below. I touched down on his other side in a crouch, one hand braced on the floor, and shot him a smirk. “Ready to fight hand-to-hand now?”

With a pained roar, he withdrew the long blade strapped to his belt with his uninjured hand. “Come at me,” he growled.

I flew at him with glee. There wasn’t much I loved more than a good fight, especially with this flecker who’d made Rian bleed. I couldn’t get the mark on her neck out of my mind. It had taunted me the whole time we’d been chained together in the hold. When she’d gotten it, I could have sworn I felt the slice myself.

Ring-horn wasn’t a typical low-level vat soldier. He had training as he blocked all my blows. The blade sliced off some of my machetes, and I ejected the maimed spikes so more would grow in their place. Fresh blood dripped off my fingers as we continued to parlay with each other.

“How long before you tire out?” He mocked me. “Before you lose too much blood? Because I can keep going.”

“You haven’t met many Drixonian warriors, have you?” I slashed at him and grinned as blood spilled from a gash in his thigh.

He stumbled a moment before righting himself. “I think your reputation is overblown. You hid behind your females and your wealth, but you weren’t so strong when the Uldani tricked you, were you? We bought many of you.” He bared his teeth. “Easily.” He whipped his blade through the air, narrowly missing my chest. “I can’t wait to return to Vixlicin with your human. I think I’ll keep her for myself.”

I lunged at him, my machets ripping into his shoulder and nearly severing his arm from his body.

He dropped the blade from his useless hand on a wounded cry and staggered back toward the cockpit. One hand was gored with my machets and the other was useless.

I lashed out again, tearing into his mid-section.

He wrapped his one good arm around his stomach as blood bubbled out between his fingers. He coughed, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

I watched as his yellow eyes reached the conclusion he wasn’t winning this fight. A Drix with a female to protect wasn’t an ordinary Drix.

His back hit the control panel and he braced himself on it. His lips split in a red-stained smile. “Ah okay. I see how it is.”

“My victory?’

He tilted his head and shrugged his one good shoulder. The other gushed blood to add to the puddle of crimson on the floor at his feet. “You won this fight. But good luck with your… extremely short future.” He flipped open a small panel and slammed his palm down on a red button. The lights in the cockpit began to flare, and alarmed shouts came from below. The Pliken began to laugh, a gurgling wheezing sound that felt like nails in my temple.

“Engine release in fifteen… fourteen…”

“Engine release?” I echoed. “No!” I dashed to the control panel, but the sequence had already started, and I didn’t know how to turn it off. The panel was slick with the Pliken’s blood, and I only succeeded in smearing it more. If the engines released—a safety mechanism in the case of fire—we’d be flecked. No way to travel anywhere. Just… floating.

“Ten… nine… eight…”

Ring-horn’s breathing had turned more labored now, and his face had a gray pallor. He watched me with a dimming sparkle of glee in his eyes. “There’s a way to cancel it, but you’ll never find it in time,” he whispered. “You’ll die out here drifting through space. You, those filthy hilbobs, and your beloved human. Enjoy starving, Drix,” he laughed as I frantically searched for anything to turn off the engine release sequence. But there was no use.

I kicked him away from the cockpit and he lay sprawled on the floor gasping his last breaths. I dashed below to find Rian huddling with Meri and the uncaged hilbobs, her arms around all of them for protection. My brave warrior mate.

“What’s happening?” she cried.

I didn’t have time to explain. I didn’t know much about the Pliken cargo ships, but I knew the sides of the hull were connected to the engines. I had to get them, because when the engines released, doors would open in the hull. If they weren’t secure in the cockpit, they’d be sucked out to space.

“Six… five… four…”

I picked them all up in my arms, which were slick with blood, and stumbled to my feet. “We have to get to the cockpit, now!” I hollered. I leapt with every ounce of energy I had left to the upper floor of the cruiser, dumped my bundle, and spun around to slam the lever to close the hatch.

They rumbled shut just as the countdown uttered a final, “Two… one… Engines releasing.”

The whole ship rumbled and shook. Rian threw herself on top of the hilbobs, who shrieked in fear, and I watched out the front window as the engines… our ticket home… drifted away into the black of space.

THIRTEEN

Rian

In the front lights of the cargo ship, two cylinders floated away. I crawled away from my position covering the hilbobs and stumbled to my feet to stand next to Mikko. “What are those?”

He stared at them blankly, almost in disbelief. “The engines.”

“The…” I blinked. “The engines? Like the vroom-vroom things that make us go?” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and nodded. The ship seemed unnaturally quiet. “So, we… no longer have, uh, things that make us go?”

“Right,” his said in a hoarse voice.

“So, what you’re saying is we’re just floating space debris right now.”

“We have the generator that powers the lights and cycles the air but…” His fingers curled into fists. “We can’t power the ship directionally.”

My brain was slow to catch up. In theory, I understood what he was saying, but it took me a moment to realize what that actually meant for our future. “So, we’re stuck here on this ship until we run out of food and fresh air.”

“We can’t call for help because we can’t alert the Plikens to our presence so…” Mikko’s eyes closed. “Yes,” he whispered.

I sank to the floor as my entire body went numb. The only sound in the ship was the raspy death rattle of the Pliken who had passed out. I gazed around the ship, at the hilbobs who huddled together with an exhausted Meri. The blood-stained floor. The laser-damaged walls. This was my home for the rest of my life. I expected my heart to pound in panic. I waited for the tears to come. But instead, all I felt was an odd sense of peace.

There were many times in my life when I thought I wouldn’t make it. When I wasn’t sure I wanted to make it. Arriving on this planet, I’d almost died in horrible, painful ways a handful of times.

If this were the way I was going to go out, with Mikko and my new friends at my side, well, I couldn’t complain too much. This was better than getting sold to some evil alien or forced to be separated from Mikko. This was the best I could have hoped for in this galaxy.

I slipped my fingers through Mikko’s and tugged on his hand. He glanced down at me, his brow immediately lowering. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “Come here.”

He studied me for a moment before dropping into a crouch at my side. “I’m sorry.”

I cupped his face and swiped at a scratch on his cheek with my thumb. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“I can’t get us to safety.”

“Are we not safe now?” I asked.

He cocked his head as his gaze drifted around the cabin of the ship.

“Listen to me,” I said, gaining his attention once more. “You did it. You kept me safe. You didn’t fail. There are worse places to spend the rest of our lives, right?”

“Rian,” he whispered with a shaky voice.

“I’m serious. It’s okay. We’re safe. We can spend some more time together, and then when the food runs out, we’ll open up the airlock and just… go.” Tears pricked my eyes, but I wasn’t sad. Not really. “You’re still my future, Mikko. It’ll just be short and sweet.”

He let out a wounded sound and tugged me to his chest.

I buried my face in his neck as he palmed the back of my head.

“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured against my hair.

“We deserve each other,” I said with a sigh.

We held each other like that for a long moment, until I realized the labored breathing of the Pliken had stopped. I glanced at his body to find his chest unmoving and his face slack with death.

I pulled away from Mikko as pain began to burn in my wrists. I sucked in a breath as I tucked them against my chest. Assuming I’d nicked them on Mikko’s machets, I swiped at them expecting blood. But there was no blood. The pain intensified as I stared in disbelief at my skin. Two black lines, about two inches apart, ran the circumference of my wrists as if etched by an invisible tattoo needle.

“What the fleck?” Mikko muttered. The same black lines were etched on his wrists, and when the lines closed, a pattern began to emerge between the lines. Sharp aggressive lines fit together like puzzle pieces, reminding me of interlocking shark teeth. The pain continued, but I was too focused on the pattern to pay much attention to it.

When the lines were complete, they glowed with a bright white light before dulling to a golden yellow. The pain faded as quickly as it had come, and I rotated my wrists to stare at my bracelet tattoos. The hilbobs slid across the floor to marvel at the marks.

“What are those?”

“They are so pretty.”

“Did they hurt?”

“What do they mean?”

Mikko sat with his palms up, staring at the marks with wide eyes. “They are…” he shook his head. “I don’t know what they are.”

I winced as my head pounded and felt stuffed like the start of a sinus infection. I sniffed and rubbed my temple. But this wasn’t a sinus infection. I twitched as my mind seemed to be veiled by a thick curtain, and I felt like a weight sat on my chest making it hard to breathe. I groaned as a zipping sound echoed in my head a moment before a large blade sliced a hole in the curtain, shedding light and fresh air. More blades shredded the veil until I could breathe easy. Free.

“Rian,” Mikko gasped. He held his head, fingers speared into his hair. “I can… feel you… in here.” He tapped his temple.

“What? Is that… are you… are you the blades in my mind?”

“Blades?”

“I mean, they are good deed blades.”

He blinked in confusion, and yeah, I didn’t understand what I was trying to say either. He wet his lips with the tip of his tongue. “You’re like a wall. A firm blockade between me and enemies. I can feel their evil intent, but they can’t get to me… because you’re there.” He reached for my hands. “I think…” his lashes fluttered as he considered our wrist marks. “I think this has something to do with mates. I think Fatas has decided … we are mates.”

“Mates,” the hilbobs echoed in awe.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means we’re a perfect match and Fatas has blessed us with these marks. We can feel each other in our minds.” He let out a low rumble of irritation. “Why would she do this when we don’t have much longer to spend together? Why would she dangle this perfect future only to watch it waste away?”

“Hey,” I murmured as I scooted closer to him. “We knew we were mates already, right? So, this is just… confirmation. And we’ll make the best use of the time we have left. I’m not going to squander it being mad. I don’t want you to, either.” I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. I couldn’t sit here and be sad. I had to do something. Keep busy. I gazed around at the mess around us which included a dead body. “Let’s get this place cleaned up, mate. This is our home now, and I don’t like a dirty house, okay?”

His hands squeezed mine, and although I could tell he wanted to argue, be pissed, and rage, he nodded with a jerk of his chin. “You’re right. Let’s clean house.”

I smiled as I rose to my feet. Sure, there was an ache in my chest, but I was determined to make the best of this. I wasn’t in a dark smelly cell. I wasn’t alone in my buggy apartment. I was in a spaceship with my mate. My friends. A pet. I glanced at the cockpit window. And the view wasn’t so bad either. Life could be worse, and I’d know, because I’d lived it.

Rian

Cleaning up the cargo ship didn’t take as much time as I thought with the four of us working hard. The hilbobs cleaned the floor with rags we made from the Plikens’ capes. As for the bodies, Mikko took care of them by piling them in the airlock and then launching them into space. I didn’t mourn a single one of them.

After that, we explored the ship’s contents beginning with the food and qua supply. The hilbobs were skilled at planning out meals, and they estimated we had plenty to last us the equivalent of sixty rotations.

Of course, their days didn’t exactly match up to the length of Earth days, but that didn’t stop my mind from blaring two months over and over again. We talked about how to divvy up the food and make it last as long as possible.

Staring at the food once it was all laid out—it didn’t look like a lot. My initial thoughts had been brave, but with my death looming, I began to lose some of my courage. My limbs felt heavy, my head hurt, and all my muscles were sore. I stifled a yawn.

Mikko noticed—of course he did, we practically shared brains now—and guided me away from my obsessive stacking of the food. “I’m going to set us up in the main quarters for sleep.” He looked over his shoulder at the hilbobs. “You okay with taking the crew quarters?”

“Absolutely,” York nodded, feeding Meri a small handful of seeds.

Watching him, I was reminded of something, but my brain was moving too sluggishly to remember. “Come on,” Mikko was saying. “We can use the cleanser and then you need to rest.”

The thought of getting clean got me to perk up and focus. “Cleanser?”

He led me down a hallway toward the back until we came to a door. Opening it up, he gently pushed me inside. “Yes, a cleanser. We’ve only had qua springs to clean ourselves, but the civilized way is a cleanser.”

I was surprised at the contraption, which was like a shower with no water. A strong gust of air burst forth from the hosed nozzle and stripped my body of dirt, grime, and… blood.

After stepping out of the cleanser, I found a clean pair of clothes waiting for me on top of furs piled on an elevated platform. I nearly wept. I hadn’t had new clothes since I arrived on the planet. While I’d rinsed my current set a few times, they were still stiff with dirt.

I pulled on the large soft shirt and drawstring pants. The door opened and I jerked up to find Mikko standing there—and he was clean. My eyes went wide taking him in. He jerked a thumb behind him at the closed door. “I used the cleanser in the crew quarters.”

His skin shone, his short hair looked soft, and he wore a pair of new pants in a soft green khaki. And suddenly my courage returned, just a little. This was what I got for the rest of my life—Mikko like this. Calm, clean, and so utterly handsome. He must have gotten an idea of what I was thinking because his eyes softened. “Sleep, my warrior mate. We’ll talk when we wake up.”

“Where are you going to be?” I asked.

He smiled. “Right beside you.” He stretched his arms overhead on a yawn. “I’m sleeping too.”

With a jump, he landed on his back on the furs, feet sticking off the end. I crawled in next to him, tossing a fur over me as I snuggled down into what was an impossibly comfy bed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me and I jolted up on an elbow as I glared at the furs. “Wait, did that gross Pliken sleep in here? What if he jacked off and I’m sleeping in his jizz?”

Mikko turned his head slowly and stared at me. “I don’t know what some of those words mean, but I tossed the old furs while you were in the cleanser. These were wrapped and new.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat. “Um, okay then. Never mind.” I laid back down and closed my eyes. It was a long moment later when I heard Mikko’s voice mutter. “What fleck is jizz?”

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I opened my eyes to a wall of gray steel. I blinked a few times before I remembered where I was—a room on the Pliken cargo ship. Well, I guessed it was my bedroom for … for the rest of my life. And for a bedroom it wasn’t so bad. A little sterile, but it wasn’t like it was full of Pliken personal effects. There were no photographs or trinkets. Just a platform bed, a desk in the corner with a tablet and some pamphlets, and a chair with a rip in the seat.

My hand lay in front of me, and my fingers were twined with large blue ones. Mikko’s heat was at my back, his breath tickling the hair at the back of my neck. My knees were bent, and his were tucked behind mine.

I also felt something hard pressing insistently against my back. When I wiggled my butt, that hard object jerked a little, and so did Mikko.

He rumbled a low moan and his fingers released mine only for his arm to tighten possessively around my waist and his hand to curl until he held one of my breasts in the palm of his hand.

My nipple tightened at the touch, and heat pooled in my core as I remembered the way he’d touched me when we’d been in the spring. So confident and sexy. But I didn’t want to wake him, even if I was three seconds away from hopping on his blue cock.

His fingers squeezed. Then squeezed again. Then his index finger flicked my nipple. I glared at the wall in front of me. “You’re not asleep, are you?”

A deep chuckle rumbled behind me. “I’m asleep.”

“Oh really?”

“Deep sleep. Very important. I’m dreaming.”

“Dreaming about what?”

“Well, there’s this human…”

“Male, female, or non-binary?”

“She’s female. Red curly hair and green eyes. A bit snarly.”

My spine straightened. “Snarly?”

Lips brushed the back of my neck. “I like snarly.”

I humphed and he chuckled again.

“What’s this human doing?” I poked at the marks on his wrist.

“She’s stretched out on a soft fur naked.”

“Naked, huh?”

“And she’s begging me to…,” the tip of his tongue flicked the rim of my ear, “lick her cunt.”

“Oh Jesus,” I breathed, somehow forgetting he could slay me with a few words. “A-and are you going to do that?”

“I don’t know,” he answered as his hand squeezed my breast again before sliding down my stomach. “I might have other plans.”

FOURTEEN

Mikko

She felt so good. Warm from sleep, soft skin, wiry red curls, and bright pink lips. All mine. My mate.

I drifted my hand down her stomach until I reached the waistband of her pants. With one tug, I loosened the drawstring and then slipped my hand inside. When the tops of my fingers brushed the curls covering her cunt, she let out a raspy breath and shifted her legs.

I stopped and kissed her ear. “Are you eager?”

“No,” she said with a stubborn tilt to her voice that made me even harder. “I’m… unaffected.”

I barked out a laugh because I could smell how bad she wanted my cock. I let my hand slip lower until the folds of her cunt moistened the tips of my fingers. I pulled out my hand and held them in front of her face. “Unaffected?”

“Mikko,” she whispered, hips moving.

I once again slipped my hand into her pants and sought out her clit. As expected, the bud was engorged and hard. Rubbing it with my index finger, I let my tongue trace the vein in the side of her neck as she arched her back into me. “Oh yes,” she hissed as I let my middle finger slip inside of her.

She bucked and groaned. Her hand reached back and gripped my hair, pulling until my scalp screamed.

With a growled, “Fleck yeah,” I worked her cunt with my fingers, plunging three inside of her while I thumbed her clit.

She went wild, thrusting into my hand as she sought her release. Her shirt rode up, revealing a creamy breast.

I dipped my head so I could flick a beaded nipple with my tongue.

Crying out, her body convulsed. Her inner walls clenched around my fingers, and she let out a panting cry that went right to my cock and tightened my balls.

I slipped my fingers out of her, shoved her pants down, and plunged my cock into my mate. She let out a scream of pleasure and slammed back into me. Pushing her onto her stomach, I gripped her hips and pounded into her. Below me, she gripped the furs and arched her back. My claws dug into her soft flesh and I bent over her so I could bite down on her neck just as I released myself into her body.

I collapsed beside her, panting as I sought to catch my breath. She lifted her head and pushed her hair out of her eyes. A large, sleepy smile lit up her face, and her green eyes shone like gems. “Now that was a good morning.”

I rubbed at the red marks on her hips, but she moved my hands away and snuggled into me. “I never liked cuddling much, but you’re just so… warm. And hard. But also sort of soft.” Her hand petted my chest. “I think I could sleep again.”

“It’s not like we have a schedule,” I murmured as I kissed her temple. “Sleep away.”

“No.” She ran her fingers over my ribs. “I’ll get up and check on York and Crife.”

She tilted her head up. “How are you doing?”

The question surprised me as it felt abrupt. Also, I’d just spent my release inside my mate. Of course, I was doing well. “Fine.”

“No, I mean…” she gestured around us. “With all of this.”

Not even the thought of our short future could derail my euphoria. “I want to make the most of the time we have left, as you said. We’re together and we’re safe.” I had some other thoughts, but I hadn’t sorted them out in my head yet, so vocalizing them was a step I wasn’t willing to take.

She sat up and righted her clothes. “We’ll talk later.” She patted my chest and hopped off the furs. In her bare feet, she padded to the door of the cleanser. When she was finished, she shot me a smile over her shoulder before leaving the room.

I scratched my chest as I used the expeller before taking stock of my physical condition. Considering all the fighting I did yesterday, I expected to be much sorer, but my body felt … good. Great even. In fact, I had more energy than normal and felt ready to tackle whatever chores Rian cooked up for us. I knew she would have some. After bending for a few stretches, I left to join my mate.

The next few rotations were busy. We organized the food and qua and separated into rations to last us the full sixty rotations. The hilbobs were subdued and I knew it bothered Rian. She tried to cheer them up, but they often remained huddled together with Meri between them.

They remained that way, barely even arguing with each other, when one afternoon Rian was digging through the supply closet and found a suspicious looking package. She screamed as she held it up and I immediately snatched it from her, convinced it was poison and took off down to the hold to toss it out of the airlock. “No!” she called after me. “Hold on!”

“It caused you pain,” I frowned, even though to me it was harmless.

She shook her head, “I screamed in excitement. It’s soil. Actual soil! This is an emergency survival kit. She hurried over and snatched it from me before running to where Crife and York sat in the corner discussing the taste of the rationed jerky. “York!” she slid to her knees in front of him. Grabbing a few of the seeds in front of Meri, she held up the package. “You can still have your dream. You wanted to be a farmer, right?”

He looked at the brown contents of the package. “Yes, but human Rian, we’re in space.”

She slid one of his claws across the top of the package and then rolled down the sides. When she flattened the bottom, the package sat flat on the floor of the ship. “Put your finger in here,” she said.

York looked horrified. “What? No, we don’t stick appendages in strange places.”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his claw before plunging it into the substance. He made a squeaking sound before going still and peering down at it. “It feels… soft.”

“It’s dirt.” She smiled huge and looked over her shoulder at me. “And these seeds… I don’t know what they are, but they’ll grow something. I’ll teach you. You can be a farmer yet, York. This plant will be your baby, okay?”

He blinked rapidly as he wiggled his claw in the dirty. “R-really?”

“Really,” she said softly.

York sniffed. “Thank you.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon fussing over the small pot of dirt as they buried the seed and found a sunlight simulator with heating attachment. I was impressed the Plikens had this on their cargo ship, but then most of their ships were stolen from other races.

Crife feigned interest for a while in their activities, but soon grew bored. He wandered around the ship, dragging his claws on the floor while Meri fussed at him. I watched Rian for a little, my cora swelling for her as she worked so hard to make York happy. She would have made a great mother, and the thought made my throat tight.

I walked to Crife’s side where he poked around at some of the weapons and personal items we’d taken off the Pliken bodies. I crouched at his side, and he glanced at me with a small smile. As he shifted a spare cape and a laser gun came into view, his clawed hand paused.

I remembered when we’d been held in the hull, and Crife had managed to hit a Pliken dead between the eyes. A hunter, he’d said with awe when Rian suggested it. “So,” I picked up the laser gun, and saw it wasn’t charged. Good thing we had a sun simulator as these were solar charged. “We can’t hunt anything in here unless York wants to volunteer, but I can set something up and you can practice your aim.”

Crife’s head turned slowly as his round eyes bulged. “You would do that?”

“Sure. I bet Meri would help me set it up, wouldn’t you, Meri?”

She squeaked and flapped her wings as she clapped her front paws.

“See?” I said to Crife. “Let me charge a few guns and we’ll do some target practice.”

And that was how York’s plant and Crife’s guns found a little home together under their solar light. Later, Meri did in fact help me set up some targets down in the hull. Crife spent many yoras down there shooting at the targets I’d set up for him with a point system. I explicitly told him where not to aim so he didn’t blow a hole in the side of the ship.

He happily reported to Rian every night before he went to sleep how many points he’d achieved, while York let her know on the seventh rotation that a sprout had burst from the dirt. We celebrated that by breaking out the rations we’d been saving—a bag of hard sweets.

It was easy to lose track of time in space, but the ship had an alert that let us know when it was time to sleep. Rian was what she called a “night owl” and preferred to sit in the pilot chair of the cockpit, her bare feet propped up on the panel, while she gazed out into space. That night after we’d celebrated York’s sprout, she sucked on the rest of what she called “candy.”

I sat down beside her in the darkened cockpit. The hilbobs and Meri were asleep in their quarters and it was just us and the silence of the drifting ship.

“This is good and all,” she said, popping a small square in her mouth. “Tastes kind of like butterscotch, but I could really use some chocolate.”

I propped my feet up on the panel too and braced my wrists on my knees. “What’s chocolate?”

“It’s sweet and creamy. It’s…” she sighed. “Nothing can really describe chocolate.” She shot me a sad smile. “Guess I’ll never taste it again, so this’ll have to do.” I wanted to say I’m sorry, but she yelled at me when I did, so I chose to remain silent. “Do you think about the Pit?” she asked after a moment of silence.

The question surprised me. “The Pit?”

She rolled her head on the backrest of the chair to face me. “Yeah. Do you regret not destroying it?”

I let out a short of laughter. “Funny you mentioned it because it truly hadn’t crossed my mind.”

“Really?”

“Truly,” I fixated on a star in the distance. “Destroying it wouldn’t have changed anything, and I’m not sure why I thought it would. You’re right that ending those lives deliberately would have permanently stained me. I wish… I wish I hadn’t spent so much anger on that place.”

“It’s okay to be angry,” she said. “And I understand why you are. But I’m also glad you made the decision to spit in the face of all the Pit stood for and choose a future.”

“Even one drifting through space?”

She laughed. “Even one drifting through space.” She leaned back in her chair and I reached across to take her hand.

Every night when we retired to the furs, she pulled me against her and let me inside of her body. Sometimes in the morning too. Those moments with her were the best times of my life. When it was just us… when we were us. “But you’re here with me, mate, so it’s not so bad.”

She squeezed my hand and closed her eyes. She was quiet for a moment before straightening in her chair with a grimace. “So, there’s something I have to tell you.”

I nodded, a little wary of her tone.

“Human women… we…” she cleared her throat and started again. “I have my period. Which means I’m bleeding.”

I sat up and dropped my boots to the floor with a thunk. “You’re what? Where?”

“From…” her mouth opened and closed before she swallowed and gestured between her legs. “From my vagina.”

I stood up so abruptly, I got lightheaded. “What?”

“Sit down and stop shouting.”

“You’re bleeding!”

“I know, and it’s normal.”

“It’s normal to bleed?”

She rubbed her forehead. “I already have a headache, cramps, and I’m bloated all while being stuck on a spaceship with no proper sanitary products, chocolate, or Advil. Please stop yelling and sit down.”

She looked a little scary as her green eyes fired at me, so I did what she asked and sat down.

She took a deep breath. “This is normal. We bleed every four weeks if we aren’t pregnant. I’m not by some miracle since you likely are very virile, so I’m bleeding. It’ll last for like five days. And I’m sorry but sex is the last thing on my mind when I’m bleeding, okay?”

“What can I do?” I felt panicky. “I’d make you chocolate if I could.”

She smiled. “I believe it.” She rose and pressed a hand to her back. “I could really go for a back rub.”

I pointed at my chest. “You want me to rub your back?”

Grabbing my hand, she pulled me to my feet. “Come on, let’s make it an early night. I’ll teach you how to rub me right.”

We walked to our room with my arm around her shoulders as I nuzzled her ear. “I thought I already knew how to rub you right.”

“Cool it, Romeo.”

I frowned with suspicion. “Who’s Romeo?”

Her laugh preceded us into our room.

Rian

Time passed slow at first, then fast as hell. Our supplies seemed infinite until the piles dwindled, and we had to get more serious about food rationing. All the while we drifted through space in our makeshift home, pretending we wouldn’t eventually have to make the decision to starve or end our lives quicker.

York’s plant turned out to be a flower, a pretty purple bud that blossomed under his attentions. I think we were all sad it wasn’t some sort of food source, but I hadn’t been hopeful one seed could be enough for all of us to live on indefinitely either.

Time was hard to keep track of, but I tried by marking every time the night alarm went off with scratches on the wall above our bed. One morning I sat on the furs cross-legged, feeling more drowsy than usual and a little nauseous. Mikko had noticed immediately and dashed off to get me some hot brewed drink with what resembled tea bags among the supplies.

I stared at the markings, because something was firing in my brain that urged me to make sense of how I was feeling. I counted the marks and when I hit forty-five, I frowned. Forty-five days. My hand fluttered to my stomach as realization dawned.

Of course, I’d always known this would be a possibility, but the real knowledge I could be carrying Mikko’s baby was heart-wrenching. It made sense though. I’d gotten my period once since we’d been on this ship, about five to seven days after we took control. Forty-five minus seven was… thirty-eight. Which meant… I should have had my period again. Of course, I couldn’t be sure of time, but I’d been eating fine. I hadn’t lost weight. I felt pretty well otherwise…

I closed my eyes as my heart twisted. I’d come to terms with the fact that my future would be short but knowing I was making the decision of another life… one I wanted. There was no doubt in my mind that if we were safe and surrounded by a community of Drix, I’d have shouted from the rooftops with excitement to be pregnant. But now? Now I felt nothing but sorrow.

The door opened, footsteps padded across the room and then the furs depressed as Mikko sat beside me. I opened my eyes as the smell of the tea floated below my nose. Mikko’s expression was full of concern and love. We hadn’t said any words of declaration to each other because it wasn’t necessary. Every day, I felt how much he loved me in my own mind.

I took the mug from him and sipped the hot brew. “Thank you.”

“Is your stomach feeling any better?” His hand reached out and rubbed my belly. I flinched at his touch—the thought of a baby still too raw—and he jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned. “What is it?”

Stalling, I drank some more. “Still a little queasy.”

He tilted his head and studied me. “There’s something else.” His purple eyes softened with concern and he tucked a lock of unruly hair behind my ear. “You seem troubled.”

“Just from not feeling well.”

“You sure?”

I couldn’t tell him about the baby. There was nothing he could do, and it would tear him apart knowing he couldn’t save us. I refused to let him die with that on his conscious. So, I’d take it all on mine. I felt like it was the least I could for him as the love of my life. I smiled and patted his hand. “Fine. I think I’m going to rest some more.”

He didn’t seem convinced. And of course, he wasn’t. He could probably tell I was conflicted about something, but he didn’t push. After I finished the tea, he took the empty cup from me and helped me snuggle down under the furs. His movements were careful as he handled me like I was precious.

Drawing the fur up to my chin, he pressed a soft kiss to my temple. “York and Crife are making an obstacle course for Meri. They asked me for some help, but I can tell them another time if you want me to stay with you.”

I shook my head. “Go, I’ll be boring just sleeping.”

“But what if you—?”

“Mikko, it’s just an upset stomach. I probably ate something wrong. Go. Meri could use the exercise.”

He sighed. “All right. Holler if you need anything.”

“You know I will.”

After another kiss to my forehead, he left and shut the door behind him. For the last few days, I’d had a headache, a fullness I chalked up to Mikko’s growing emotions about the dwindling of our rations, but now that I concentrated on myself a little more, I realized the feeling wasn’t due to Mikko. I felt… the life. The baby. The emotions weren’t fully formed yet, but nonetheless they were there, an ambiguous space that would eventually be filled by my child. That was how I knew my suspicions were confirmed. I was pregnant.

Alone in the room with my stomach bloated and queasy, I let the tears fall. For Mikko, for me, for York, Crife, and Meri, and most of all for the life growing in me.

I woke with a jolt and rubbed my head, disoriented to find myself on the ground next to the bed platform. Had I fallen out? When I tried to stand, I realized the cargo ship was shuddering beneath my feet. A loud shout sounded from outside the room a second before the door flew open and Mikko raced inside.

This wasn’t the Mikko I’d lived with for the last forty-five days. This was Mikko the warrior. His eyes were dark, his machets were vibrating, and the colors on his skin shifted rapidly. Behind him, Meri screeched and squawked as she circled the main cabin of the ship.

“Are you okay?” His voice was garbled with anger.

“I’m fine, just fell out of bed. What’s going on?”

He swallowed and clenched his jaw. “We’re being boarded.”

My blood froze in my veins. “We’re being boarded? By who?”

“Plikens. A cruiser has attached to our loading dock. They don’t need permission to board. The systems are connected.”

“Mikko,” I could barely get his name out as fear chilled my vocal cords. “I can’t… we… you can’t let them take me.” I rushed to his side and gripped his hand. Pulling his forearm to my neck, I touched his spikes to the soft skin under my chin. “You have to do it.”

His nostrils flared. “I can’t kill you.”

“You have to,” I pleaded with him.

“I won’t let them take you. I’ll defeat every Pliken the comes on this ship.”

“But what if they overpower you?”

“I won’t—”

Panic welled up my throat. “Mikko, you don’t understand, they cannot take me.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but suddenly stopped and leaned closer. His eyes searched my face. “What’s going on, my little warrior?”

This changed everything. He had to know. “I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

Mikko jerked as if he’d been struck. His body swayed and his hand slipped from my grasp as he went down like a tree in a forest. His knees hit the ground and he would have pitched forward on his face if I didn’t drop down to keep him upright. “Mikko,” I whispered just as the ship shuddered again and the ship’s communication system said, “Cargo 440, prepare to be boarded.”

“Mikko, please,” I begged as he blinked unseeing at the floor. “They can’t take me. They cannot get their hands on our child. You have to do this.”

His gaze lifted to mine. I’d seen him fight with everything he had. I’d seen him shot with laser fire in the leg. I’d seen him scale a hundred-foot wall with me as a burden. But I’d never seen pain in his eyes like I saw now. “How can I kill my mate and child?” he whispered the words in a voice wracked with agony.

A sob bubbled up my throat. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He wrapped me in his arms and his hand palmed the back of my neck as I wept into his chest. “Don’t say you’re sorry. Don’t ever say you’re sorry. You gave me the best rotations of my life, Rian. Because of you, I know what happiness is. Don’t apologize for that.”

“What are we going to do?” I gripped his shoulders as I heard the hilbobs race across the floor of the ship. They threw themselves into our room with Meri and slammed the door shut just as the step of boots could be heard entering the cabin of the ship.

Sniffling, I reached down and once again placed his spikes at my throat. “Now, Mikko,” I whispered as I stared into his pain-filled eyes. “Now. Please. Before it’s too late.”

FIFTEEN

Mikko

This pain was excruciating. I felt it down to my bones. I couldn’t look away from Rian’s pleading eyes. The hilbobs trembled as they held onto each other while the footsteps outside walked with a slow, measured pace.

My machets pressed into her skin, right over the vein in her neck that pulsed her lifeblood. My chit’s lifeblood. Right now, her body was feeding the life we had created together—the future of my race. With the death of our females, I never thought I’d have one of my own, especially after my body was used as an experiment.

And now, Fatas was playing a cruel trick. Why would she give us this gift when I had to make the decision to end it? What had I done to deserve this? But Rian was right. The Plikens could not get their hands on her or the chit in her belly.

“It’s okay,” she whispered as she gently pulled on my hand to pierce her skin. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I love you, Mikko.”

“State your race and purpose!” A deep voice called from the other side of the door.

Rian let out a sob just as the tip of my claw drew a bead of blood on her pale neck.

“Who’s there?” the voice called again.

I curled my other hand into a fist just as a thought cut through the murkiness of my mind. That voice… he spoke in… he spoke Drixonian.

I yanked my hand away from Rian, and she let out a cry of distress as I leaped to the door. “Who are you?” I called out, not willing to open the door quite yet. “Why did you board this ship?”

“I saw your drifting cruiser and ran the thermal imaging radar. The readings came back showing five living beings, but none fit a Pliken description.” His voice drew closer to the other side of the door. “I am Trawn Warinks, former captain in the Drixonian space fleet.” He cleared his throat. “She is all.”

My legs nearly gave out as I thew open the door. Standing in the narrow hallway was a large Drixonian, older than me, with long dark hair tied at the nape of his neck. Gold studs pierced his ears. Speechless, I could only stare at him.

His eyes softened a fraction as he took me in. Then he nodded with a small smile. “Hello, warrior.”

Small hands gripped the waistband of my pants, and Rian’s head peeked around my side. Her eyes went wide as she took in the Drixonian in front of us. Larger than me, his presence took up nearly the whole cargo ship. When he caught sight of her, his smile dropped. I instinctively curled my body around hers.

“Where did you find this human?” he barked.

“In the Pit,” I said through gritted teeth. “She is my mate.”

His gaze dropped to my wrists, and then the tension left his muscles as he held up his own arms. He also bore marks, but the pattern was different. I frowned. “You—?”

“I have my own human female mate who I rescued from Vixlicin.”

Rian gasped. “Another woman?” The hope in her voice made her sound like a chit.

Trawn nodded at her. “She will be happy to meet you.” His gaze drifted to me. “You can put away your machets now. It’s only me and my mate.” He made to turn around.

“I can’t,” I gritted out.

He froze mid-turn and glanced at me over his shoulder. He took me in from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. “The Uldani?” he queried.

I nodded.

His mouth dropped open and he spun back to me. His hand latched onto the back of my neck, and at first, I resisted the touch. I didn’t know him, and while I knew I should give deference to my elder, I’d never been what one would call openly friendly. But when our foreheads touched, and he said in a soothing rumble. “You’re safe now, brother,” I could do nothing but sink into his greeting. I’d carried the weight of our short future on my shoulders since I met Rian, and it felt good to hear someone else tell me I could rest.

After introducing Trawn to the hilbobs and Meri, we gathered what was left of our supplies and said goodbye to the cargo ship which we thought was going to be our last home. Trawn explained he had escaped Vixlicin with his human female and a Pliken cruiser. Our cargo ship had come up on their radar, and he said the drifting nature of the spacecraft had spurred him to investigate. When he completed the thermal radar, he had found that what lived on board weren’t Plikens.

He had latched the cruiser onto our cargo ship, left his human mate behind in case of danger, and came looking for the occupants. He said he never expected to find another Drixonian.

“I almost didn’t board.” He held a bundle of supplies in his arms while we headed toward the loading dock where his cruiser was attached. “But Lea was concerned, just like me. Who would be stuck in an engineless cargo ship?”

“I’m glad you made the choice.” I gestured toward the minimal supplies we all carried. “This was it. Once we ran out, we would have starved.”

He glanced back at our little group. Rian wore a fur around her shoulders. York clutched his plant between his massive claws and Crife held Meri. “You said you’ve been here for forty-five rotations?”

“Just about.”

He gave me a significant nod. “You did a good job, warrior.”

We boarded the cruiser, which was smaller than the cargo ship, with only one large room. We would be cramped for a while, but at least we’d be going somewhere. A figure sat in a cockpit chair, wringing her hands. As soon as we stepped inside, the human—Trawn’s Lea—jumped up. Larger than Rian, she had long golden hair and big blue eyes. When she spotted Rian, her eyes went impossibly wide as she let out a squeal. “A human!”

“A human!” Rian echoed. She threw the fur off her shoulders and sped toward Lea. The two females met in an embrace full of shrieks and tears. They babbled as we unloaded the supplies.

Rian then called over Meri and the hilbobs to introduce them to Lea. York and Crife preened as the females fawned over them. I stood with my arms crossed over my chest, still wondering if this was a dream.

Trawn talked at my side, telling me he’d been stolen by the Uldani and sold to the Plikens to work in the mines. That was where he’d been for fifty cycles until he’d found an opportunity to escape. On the docks above the mines, he’d found Lea and boarded the cruiser with her. They’d been chased by Plikens, who breeched their ship. The repairs to the ceiling were still visible. But he’d defeated them, and then he’d found us.

“I heard about some… altered Drixonians on Vixlicin,” he said.

“As far as I know, there are four of us. Rexor left with a human female of his own. He was a winged gladiator.”

Trawn’s jaw clenched. “I heard about him.”

“Then there is Fenix and Zecri still on Vixlicin.”

“I wish we could tell the Drixonian fleet. Our brothers need to be brought home.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think they want to come home. I didn’t… not until I met Rian.” Her hair glistened in the light of the ship. Was she feeling better? Still queasy?

A hand settled on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

I looked into Trawn’s weathered expression. I had never met him, but then I was nothing but an insubordinate young warrior the last time I’d seen the rest of my race. I would never have rubbed shoulders with someone of Trawn’s rank. Still, he exuded a commanding presence that usually would have rankled me. Instead, I felt soothed. Things had changed. I had changed.

“I’m all right,” I gulped as I realized how close I’d come to losing Rian. “It’s hard to believe this. We lived for the last forty-five rotations knowing we’d die on that cargo ship when the food ran out. When we learned we were being boarded, Rian wanted me to…” I felt my throat grow tight. “She wanted me to end her life.” I looked up into Trawn’s eyes. “We couldn’t let her fall into Pliken hands. She’s carrying my chit.”

Trawn’s mouth dropped open. His gaze darted between me and Rian. She was unaware, as she was still talking rapidly to Lea, who talked back in her own rapid-fire way, as they regaled each other with their survival stories.

The hand on my shoulder tightened. “They won’t get her. We’re going home.”

“Home?”

He nodded. “Planet Corin. We’ll start over, even if it’s just the four of us.”

“Home,” I muttered. As I watched Rian talk, her hand fluttered to her belly often. Home sounded better than it had in a long flecking time.

Rian

Lea was sweet, funny, and gorgeous with a whole lot of curves and big boobs. I was a little jealous, although I suspected my boobs were about to get big real soon.

She adored York and Crife, and cooed over Meri. “It’s so good to have friends,” she said as we lounged around at the back of the cruiser while Trawn and Mikko sat in the cockpit. “Trawn said we’re going to their home planet they left after the virus hit, so I thought he was going to be one of the last people I ever saw in my life.”

“So, there’s really going to be no one there?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine a whole habitable planet just… empty.

“He said it was vacated when they left for the sister planet to work for the Uldani.” She scratched Meri’s chin who yawned sleepily.

“Wow,” I murmured. “Well, I guess you should know then—it’s not like I have a way to confirm but I’m ninety-nine percent sure I’m … pregnant.”

Her eyes went wide before she drew me into a warm hug. My face pressed into her boobs and I had to admit it was kinda nice. Like a pillow. “I’ll be there for you,” she said. “Not that I have any medical experience. Sorry you didn’t luck out with a nurse or anything. But I’ll do whatever I can. Hold your hand. Babysit so you and Mikko can have date nights.”

When she let me go, I reached out and rubbed at the marks on her wrists. “So, you and Trawn are mates too?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I saw you have loks too.”

“Loks?”

“That’s what they’re called. Did Mikko tell you?”

“He didn’t really know much about them.”

“Ah, okay. Trawn’s an old man compared to your Mikko.” She grinned and held my hands. “You can feel Mikko in your head, right?” I nodded. “These loks mean that he’s your cora-eternal. Your forever heart.”

“So why didn’t they appear when we first met?”

“Because the bond starts when your blood is drawn by an enemy. When Mikko kills the one responsible for drawing your blood… that’s when the bond is confirmed and the loks appear.”

I stared at my loks, remembering the drop of blood the Ring-horn Pliken had drawn from my neck. The loks had appeared after he’d taken his last breath on the floor of his ship, succumbing to the injuries Mikko had inflicted on his body. “It makes sense now.”

Lea patted my hands. “Weird, right?” She told the story of how Trawn rescued her after she’d been delivered to Vixlicin. I recanted my own story, which had her gasping and tearing up at several parts. “You’ve been through hell.” She turned and dug around in an open panel of the ship. Pulling out a leaf-wrapped item, she placed it on my palm. “Here, not that this erases what you went through, but it’s the closest thing to chocolate I’ve found on this ship.”

I stared at the package in my hand, wondering if I misheard her. “Did you say chocolate?”

“It’s not chocolate. But it’s close. Sweet and creamy.” She smiled. “Try it.”

I didn’t waste any more time. I ripped open the package to reveal a brown square. Shoving the entire thing in my mouth, I moaned as it melted on my tongue. She was right, it wasn’t chocolate, but it was damn close. “Oh my God,” I said around a mouthful of the sweet treat. “This is delicious.” Suddenly I realized I hadn’t offered to share. Not to her, or the hilbobs or Mikko. Shame made the chocolate turn bitter on my tongue. “Oh my God, I just selfishly ate all this myself. I’m such a shithead.”

She laughed. “No, it’s okay. There is more where that came from. I promise.” We were much more careful with the next piece. Breaking it into two halves, we let York and Crife try it.

“Tastes like the gricho beans from Filgreth,” York said.

“No, it does not,” Crife argued. “It reminds me of the uligo drink that my uncle used to brew.”

“That stuff tasted like pee. You’re out of your mind.”

Crife’s eyes rounded in offense. “How dare you? He won awards for his brew.”

“Awards, shmawards. He got a medal at one festival and you act like he’s the king of hilbobs.”

Lea turned to me with wide eyes as the hilbobs continued to argue. “Should we break this up?”

I watched them lovingly. “No, this is a good sign they are in a great mood.”

Lea blinked. “Uh, okay. If you say so.”

I dozed off after a while and woke to find myself tucked into a corner of the ship; a fur pulled up to my chin. I rested on something warm and when it moved under me, I realized I slept on top of Mikko.

His hand sifted through my hair. “Are you awake?”

“Mmmm,” I rubbed my eyes, still a little groggy. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

I glanced around the ship. Meri was cleaning her feathers next to a sleeping York and Crife. Trawn sat at the cockpit, awake, with a dozing Lea tucked against his chest.

Mikko’s fingers continued to comb through my hair. “Trawn talked to me about what the marks on our wrists mean.”

“Yeah, Lea told me too. Loks.”

“Loks. And you’re my cora-eternal. I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me. I’d heard of cora-eternals, but I wasn’t aware of the loks. They were so rare in Drixonian society. It’s baffling to me how Fatas has decided to grace Trawn and I with mates.”

I propped my chin on my fist. “Maybe she thinks you’ve been through enough. Although I’m not sure getting shackled with me is a great reward. Lea’s pretty great though.” He swatted me on the butt, and I yelped before glaring at him. “Hey!”

“You’re the best reward.” His hand slid up to cup my waist. “And so is this. Did you mean it that you think you’re pregnant?”

I nodded. “I can’t know for sure. There isn’t a pregnancy test lying around. But remember when I had my period?”

He pressed his lips together. “When you bled for seven flecking rotations. Yes.”

I laughed. “Well, that should have happened again. About ten rotations ago. Feeling nauseated can be a symptom. But most of all…” I tapped my head. “I feel the baby. In here. It’s like a little presence.”

His eyes widened in awe as he cupped my face. “You feel our chit?”

I nodded, my eyes blurring with tears. “I do.”

“The greatest reward,” he whispered. “And I’d go through everything again if it meant I got you in the end.”

SIXTEEN

Mikko

We stood at the back doors of the cruiser. Trawn and I in front with the women behind us. Crife, York, and Meri brought up the rear. The hilbobs were quiet, as they always were when nervous. They’d explained to us many times that they were happy to be joining us, but I couldn’t imagine how they felt about walking into the unknown with little defenses. They’d helped save my life though, and I’d defend them with all I had.

Lea and Rian stood arm in arm. They’d grown close over the last leg of our journey as Trawn and I spent most of it directing the cruiser and deciding where to land on Corin. We ultimately decided to land near Granit, our once great city.

This was surreal to me. I left Corin when I was a chit. I didn’t remember much of it, or my parents. But as the doors opened and I gazed out at the lush greenery, I felt in my bones I was home. Tall trees with blue leaves stretched up to the sky, and waist-high blue grass swayed in the breeze. I heard the cheerful chirps of briggers and in the distance, the trickle of a qua stream. Other than Rian’s words of affection, it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.

Lea gasped behind us. “It’s so pretty.”

“Beautiful,” Rian murmured.

I turned to find her blinking her wide eyes at the horizon.

Her belly had already begun to round, which she had seemed alarmed by. “Isn’t it too soon?” she’d asked Lea.

Lea had shrugged. “You’re growing a big alien baby. Who knows?”

Rian had paled and hadn’t spoken much after that. I hadn’t known what to say to make her feel better. It wasn’t like I was an experienced father. I hoped Trawn knew more.

He took a step down the landing ramp, and I followed. Our little crew fell into line behind us. I took my first steps on Corin soil since I was born there and inhaled deeply. In the distance, the tall buildings of Granit could be seen.

We’d already talked about Meri being our lookout. We’d settle for a night on the outskirts of the city, and Meri would check it out overhead to let us know if the planet had visitors.

The air was just so… fresh. Lush. Moisture hung in the air, a welcome change from the dryness of Vixlicin. Behind us, Lea and Rian were picking bundles of blooms among the grass stalks. The weather was pleasant, with a bright breeze blowing Rian’s curls about her face. Her and Lea smiled with pink flushed cheeks.

York cradled his plant, his eyes huge as he took in the vegetation of the planet. “Human Rian, I can… I can grow things here!”

“So many things, York!” She hopped over to him and grabbed his paws, spinning him around as she laughed. “All kinds of things!”

“And I can hunt!” Crife called out.

“You can definitely hunt,” I said. “We’ll need game for food.”

“I still want to knit,” he murmured softly.

“Knit?” Lea asked. “I know how to crochet. I can teach you.” She eyed his claws and bit her lip before giving herself a firm nod. “Sure, yeah, I can teach you.” Crife looked up at her adoringly.

A stronger breeze blew through, and Rian shivered.

Trawn went stiff at my side, his gaze lasered onto the horizon. A split second later, I understood why. I heard the sound too, a distinct buzzing that grew louder and louder with every seek.

“That sounds like…” A myriad of emotions flickered across his face. “No, it couldn’t be.”

I listened closer as I gathered the females behind me. “Sounds like…” Suddenly, about a dozen shapes burst through a copse of trees, bearing down on us fast.

Rian let out a holler and Lea screamed. The hilbobs shrieked and began to frantically dig into the soft dirt. Squawking, Meri took flight, and I caught her out of the air before she could get far. I didn’t want her to get hurt, but I was also pretty sure I knew what was heading toward us.

The figures drew closer. When blue skin and black horns came into view, I thought I was dreaming.

“Unbelievable,” Trawn muttered. “Un-flecking-believable.”

I recognized some of the Drixonians riding toward us at a fast clip on hover bikes, but the one I couldn’t take my eyes off of had long white hair streaming behind him. I didn’t even think. I took off at a dead run toward the brother I never thought I’d see again. He must have noticed me, because he sped ahead of the pack, jumped off his bike mid-air, and slammed into me in a collision of limbs.

“Rexor,” I grasped his neck so hard my claws dug into his flesh. Our foreheads knocked together. “Brother.”

“Mikko,” he whispered, his voice quivering. “I never… I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

“You made it home. I thought of you every day.”

Bikes zoomed past us, and I heard Trawn say in an awed tone. “Shep.”

“Holy Fatas, Trawn Warinks. In the flesh.”

A hand clapped my back, and I turned to find Rexor’s brothers, Dazeem and Saxus, standing behind me. “Mikko, it’s good to see you.”

“How did you—?” I didn’t even know where to start. “How is this all possible that we’re on Corin?”

Daz smiled. “We’ll explain later. Let’s get you to the village. The females will be eager to welcome the crew.”

“They have a whole welcome committee formed now,” Sax said. “There were arguments over something called introductory refreshments and debates over the length of time before new additions should be put on the babysitter rotation.”

I stared, overwhelmed, before I glanced sharply at Rexor. “Daisy?” I asked urgently.

His smile lit up his face. I’d never seen him smile like that. “She is happy and well.”

“Mikko?” Rian’s voice called. I immediately pushed the Drixonians out of the way to find her standing nearby, York and Crife on either side of her. Dirt coated their claws.

“This is Rian,” I said, meeting Rexor’s eyes. “My cora-eternal.”

A cheer went up among the Bakut brothers, just as another cheer echoed from the warriors surrounding Trawn. “Trawn has a cora-eternal too, Lea. And these are York and Crife.” Meri circled our heads, watching us suspiciously. “That’s Meri. She’s protective of us.”

“Mikko the grump brought a whole crew?” Rexor laughed, a deep rumble that calmed me.

“Rian’s the one who makes friends,” I said.

She laughed. “Aw, give yourself some credit.” She beamed at the brothers. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

They all crossed their wrists in front of their necks and murmured, “She is all.”

“One more thing,” I said as I wrapped my arms around Rian’s shoulders. “I’m going to be a father.”

This time, the cheers were deafening.

Rian

I had gone from thinking our small crew would be alone on this massive planet where I’d have to birth an alien baby alone to the stark reality of walking into a fully functioning village with scores of Drixonian warriors, a bunch of human women and… babies. A lot of babies. And…was that big furry thing a direwolf?

A few Drixonians had rode ahead to announce our arrival, so a line of human women greeted us as we rode into the village. Numerous huts lined a landscaped path, and in the center, benches surrounded a large, full tree. As Lea and I dismounted from our bikes, a short woman with long dark hair holding the hand of a blue toddler stepped forward, her brown eyes warm and inviting. “Hello! I’m Frankie, Daz’s mate. I’m sure you’re tired from your journey. Do you need anything? Food or drink?”

A woman with faded purple hair held up a dark bottle. “Spirits?”

“Tab!” A woman with tattoos and short black hair rolled her eyes. “We agreed no alcohol during the welcome meeting.”

“No, you all discussed it. I never agreed.” She stuck out her tongue playfully, and when the dark-haired woman just sighed and bumped their shoulders, I could see the affection between the two. “So,” Tab, the purple-haired woman, said. “Spirits?”

“I’ll take some,” Lea hopped forward. She nodded to me. “But she can’t because Mikko knocked her up already.” She clasped her hand over her mouth and turned to me with wide eyes. “Oh no.”

I laughed, not really caring that Lea spilled the news as a half dozen women converged on me. Babies were handed off to big blue arms as I was wrapped in a variety of warm embraces. The introductions came fast after that. Miranda was a tall black woman with braids and a small baby bump. Her mate stood closer than all the rest, his gaze never leaving her. Naomi, the smallest out of the bunch with a splatter of freckles on her nose, told me not to worry about having a baby, because she had two. I gawked at her as she pointed to a hulking, scarred Drixonian holding two babies swaddled in pink in the crook of his arms. He carried them as if he did it all the time, and I got the sense he didn’t let them go often.

“You had two babies?” I blinked at her in awe. She was maybe five-two and probably one-hundred and fifteen pounds.

“We have a human nurse and two healers,” she pointed to a curvy woman with blonde hair who I learned was Val, Sax’s mate. “You’ll be fine.”

Val assured me she’d give me a checkup as soon as she could. Justine, the tattooed woman with assessing eyes squeezed my shoulder and said, “Welcome to the chaos.”

Then there was Anna, who stood next to her daughter, Bazel, a young girl with light blue skin and nubbed horns who looked to be close to pre-teen age. A dog-like creature lounged at her side. Daisy, Rexor’s mate, was a blonde bundle of sunshine who fawned over Mikko and squeezed my hands excitedly until they hurt.

Last was Reba, a pretty woman juggling a baby who was just learning to walk. Next to her was the large wolf creature who I learned was a welf named Luna.

Overwhelmed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I’d gone from being an only child to a single abusive mom to this… a found family of humans and animals and creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

When I broke down in tears, shouts for Mikko immediately rang out. He stomped through the crowd, glaring at everyone in his path. The women cleared his way with concerned looks. “What happened?” he cradled my face as he accused those around me. “Who made my warrior cry?”

I shook my head frantically. “They…they….didn’t…” I hiccuped and tried again. “They didn’t do anything. I’m just…overwhelmed. They are all so…nice. I’m not…used to so much nice.”

“You’re all being too nice!” he barked at everyone.

And Frankie, clearly not scared of anything, put her hands on her hips. “It’s called a welcoming committee. And we’ll take her feedback in advisement and work on it for next time.” She glanced at the women. “Who’s in charge of taking notes?”

“Reba,” one called out.

“Where’s Reba?”

“She was here a minute ago…”

“Matti,” a voice shouted from further down the path. Little feet padded on dirt and a tiny blue streak darted behind a hut. On his heels was Reba. “You come back here, young man!” She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she ran. “Ward! Where are you?”

“Here, mate,” a deep voice called from between two huts. He emerged, holding a squirming bundle of blue limbs. “Got him.”

Reba let out a low growl as she bent over, hands braced on her knees. “I refuse to have more of your babies. No way. No how.”

Her mate, a big bald Drixonian, laughed and winked at all of us. “Sure, sure.”

“I mean it!”

“Okay, mate.”

“Argh!”

And then I started laughing. Heads whipped to me as peals of laughter left my mouth. I’d gone from crying to uncontrollable giggles in seconds. But this was just… too much. And yet everything I wanted.

“Definitely pregnant,” said the braided Drixonian I recognized as Sax. He munched on a dried piece of meat. “I notice those mood swings anywhere.”

“Ex-cuse me?” Val squared off with him.

His eyes went round. “N-nothing. Lovely mate. Fatas, you look so pretty today. New hair soap?”

Val rolled her eyes while Daz let out a bark of laughter. Rexor hid a smile behind his palm. Mikko threw his arm around my shoulders. “I think my mate needs to rest.”

I shook my head and reached for Frankie’s hand. “No, no I’m good. Great. I actually think I’d like to continue with the welcoming committee program. It’s very entertaining so far.”

A huge smile stretched across Frankie’s face, and she gave a little fist pump. “Yes!”

Tab was already pouring a cup of spirits for Lea. Suddenly, Bazel pointed behind me. “Who are they?”

I turned to find York and Crife standing next to each other, Meri in Crife’s arms while York still clutched his plant. Their eyes were the biggest I’d seen them as they huddled together and took in their surroundings.

“Oh my God, it’s Frodo and Samwise,” Naomi whispered.

“They can hear you,” Miranda whispered back.

I cleared my throat. “This is York and Crife. They were hilbobs, and this is Meri.” I spoke louder for the next part. “The three of them saved our lives.”

Mikko’s gravelly voice carried over the crowd. “We wouldn’t be alive without them.”

York’s lower lip trembled, and Crife let out a sniff. “Aw, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration,” he said, shuffling his feet in the dirt.

“It’s not,” I corrected. “And you know it.”

“They are warriors,” Mikko said. “York is also a skilled farmer, and Crife an excellent shot. Meri is loyal and smart.”

The hilbobs, warming to the attention, slowly puffed out their chests. “Yeah, warriors,” York squeaked.

“Not with your bad ankle,” Crife muttered.

“Don’t ruin my moment,” York elbowed him.

“It’s my moment too,” Crife sniped back.

Then their bickering was drowned out as the women converged on them, and the Drixonians lined up to offer their thanks. The hilbobs were treated like royalty, and after a lifetime in the dark, they were finally getting the shine they deserved.

Mikko took the moment to lead me away from the crowd. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am,” I assured him. “But I appreciate your willingness to fight everyone for being too nice.”

He looked around suspiciously. “Are all humans this nice?”

“No,” I laughed. “But then, I think these women have a different perspective now, just like me.”

His face softened. “I had the same thought when I met Trawn. I hadn’t always been the best with authority, but this life had a way of subduing the rebel in me.”

“I like the rebel in you,” I said. “He has his purpose still.”

“The rebel in me saw the warrior in you.”

“And that makes me nervous for what kind of child we’ll have.”

He laughed. “Watching that female chase her son is probably a good indicator of what our lives will be like soon.”

I glanced around at the village, where smiles and baby coos were in abundance. “I think I’m okay with that.” I let Mikko draw me into his warm, safe embrace. “Yeah,” I sighed as contentment flowed over me like warm waterfall. “I’m definitely okay with that.”

Thank you so much for reading MIKKO! Curious about Trawn and Lea? Their story is FREE and can be downloaded HERE. It can be read before, during, or after any books in this series!

Curious about Daz, Frankie, and the rest of the Drixonian Crew on Corin? Check out my complete Drixonian Warrior series!

Want to know what happens to the other Stolen Warriors? FENIX is next!

The deal is to protect her, but I'll do more than that. I'll save her.

Jennie: I can't remember that last time I saw Earth. All I know now is red sand, cruel aliens, and silence. Getting sick from some alien virus damaged my vocal chords, and it's painful to even say yes when my captors ask if I'm hungry.

I don't know what my future holds, but I've always had a sixth sense about things. That's why I know when the blue alien with orange hair and black gloves meets my eyes, that my life is about to change. I just don't know if it's for better or for worse.

Fenix: The only way I've been surviving through the chronic pain of my mutation is the drug, Kixx. I hate what the addiction has done to me, but what I resent the most is that I've had to barter with a lowlife Rogastix for my supply.

One day, he shows off his new property--a human female. He makes me a deal to protect her until he can exchange her for a healthy supply of Kixx of which I'll get a lion's share. But I'm a Drixonian Warrior somewhere beneath my melted skin and raw nerves. Now matter how badly I need the drug, I won't let her be sold. I'll get her to safety, even if it costs me everything.

Fenix is a Sci-Fi Alien Romance that features a fire-starting alien who craves touch even though it's painful and a patient human female who knows foreshadowing when she sees it.

PREORDER FENIX NOW

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I was so nervous starting this new series, and I can’t express enough how grateful I am to the reader who have embraced my new warriors! The love for Rexor blew me away, and I hope you all like Mikko just as much!

Thank you to Natasha Snow who really brought Mikko to life with this cover. You create amazing art and I don’t know what I’d do without you!

Thank you to my editor, Del, who always comes through for me.

And thank you to my readers, especially those in my Haven, who make this job the best job in the world. I hope my books give you a real world escape for a while. <3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ella Maven is the pen name for a multi-published USA Today Bestselling author who decided to finally unleash the alien world that had been living in her head for years. (Is that weird? Probably). Her books feature dominant, possessive aliens who are absolutely devoted to their humans.

She lives on the East Coast with her completely normal husband and two spawn who sure seem alien some days.

ALSO BY ELLA MAVEN

Drixonian Warrior Series

Daz and Frankie: The Alien’s Ransom

Sax and Valerie: The Alien’s Escape.

Ward and Reba: The Alien’s Undoing

Miranda and Drak: The Alien’s Revenge

Gar and Naomi: The Alien’s Savior

Xavy and Tabitha: The Alien’s Challenge

Nero and Justine: The Alien’s Equal

Stolen Warrior Series

Rexor

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Ella Maven