Cosmic Castaway (Cosmic Romances #3)

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A human? Here?

A few of my less reputable racer acquaintances had invited me last night to join them in watching some fights on a planet closeby. Xome was out of Coalition space, so I probably shouldn’t go, but then again, I did many things I shouldn’t do.

Recreational fighting was a hobby of mine. I was a warrior soul, after all. Me and all my brothers were experts in hand-to-hand combat as well as blasters, but none of us participated in paid or recreational fights, unless you counted Kalvoxrencol’s challenges, though it had been cycles since he’d issued one. We were royalty, examples to our people, and while we originated from a warring species, we had worked hard to change our image. So having the empire’s princes fight for fun was seen as unwise by the Cohort.

I docked at a planet I would describe as seedy. I wasn’t shocked, because this was the xoi homeworld. The xoi procured as well as supplied nearly all of the products to the black market, not to mention operated it. They had very few laws and were generally seen as disreputable throughout civilized space.

A heavy cloud of yellow pollution hung in the air as I stepped out of my shuttle. People leaned out of open windows in dilapidated buildings, calling out their services to me and the others who landed at the minuscule port. The overwhelming stench of fumes, urine, and smoke made my nose twitch and my eyes burn. More than one person glanced at me and my sleek silver shuttle with narrowed eyes.

This was a bad idea. I’d been to similar planets more than any of my brothers would like or that I would tell them, but the calculating looks I received made me question staying here. I heard all of my brothers in my thoughts insisting I get back into the shuttle and return to their sides where it was safe.

I was about to follow their non-existent demands, but something made me hesitate. What? I didn’t know. Some instinct insisted that this was where I was meant to be. I’d learned long ago to trust my instincts, though they’d led me astray more than once. Unlike Monqilcolnen, I couldn’t predict the future. My inner fire was rather boring, and not worth mentioning in comparison to all of my brothers and cousin.

My fellow racers called my name, making me start, and I shook off my random thoughts and followed them, remaining prepared for any threat that might present itself. I was far from helpless.

Flashing signs with betting odds covered the front of the building, which had forcefields for windows and trash littering the illuminated entrance. I stepped over a pile of puke to go inside, ignoring the massive security guard at the door, and my acquaintances vanished from my side to the betting window. I leaned against a wall not far from the entrance to watch the crowd shuffle into the simple benches around a dirt circle that barely qualified as an arena.

When the first competitors came out, it became a slugfest between two aliens wearing compliance collars. They were owned by the arena. The Coalition of Planets had made slavery and indentured servitude illegal, but the xoi weren’t a part of it. To try and get rid of either would be an act of war. The xoi didn’t have to follow our laws, and nor did they wish to.

Disgust filled me as I watched the two aliens attack each other. I shouldn’t be here. I would’ve never come if I’d known this was what qualified as a “fight” on Xome. Damn instincts . I smiled at the English swear word. Drakconese didn’t have the same kind of swearing as English, and I quite loved their profanity. Besides, each time I swore, Seth and Caleb laughed, which made me laugh. I loved my mate-brothers as much as the ones who shared my blood.

I pushed off the wall to leave when I paused, soul throbbing. All of the raucous noise of the cheering crowd vanished as my entire being focused on one thing. A thin creature huddled near the door one of the fighters had come out of. His black hair was shaved to basically nothing, and his bones poked out of his dirty skin, but that wasn’t what caught my attention—he was human.

Supposedly, no humans had come from Earth besides Seth. Caleb had been a spirit at the time, so he didn’t count, not really.

How could this human be here?

Without thinking, I went to him. His brown eyes with round pupils narrowed at my approach. He crossed his bony arms over his chest, but his shoulders hunched and he curled in on himself as if he was expecting trouble. He was a couple of increments shorter than I was, but stars, he was thin. From Seth’s physique, I knew this wasn’t how he was supposed to look.

“Hello,” I said in English. Caleb had mentioned there were many languages on his planet, and he spoke but one. I took a chance that this human spoke the same one my mate-brothers did.

The man’s eyes widened. “You speak English?”

“I do. Why are you here?”

He licked his cracked lips with his pink tongue, and oddly enough, I liked it. He replied, “Agk owns me. I clean.”

“How did you get here?”

“What do you mean? There’s a lot of us here.”

My soul froze. “What?”

“Some prince married a human. Shouldn’t you know that? You’re drakcol.”

My youngest brother had mated a human. Kalvoxrencol and Seth were not often in public, but their mating was well known. Humans must have become prime products, like cats. So many cats had been stolen from Earth and sold on the black market, reproducing faster than anyone thought possible. As such, the ban on owning them had been lifted, though it was illegal to buy one from Earth now.

I grabbed his arm, my fingers easily meeting, and glanced around. I couldn’t leave this human here. It wasn’t safe, and he needed to tell Hallonnixmin what was happening so my eldest brother could address the Cohort, who would then fix this. The Drakcol Empire had to help these humans. It was a matter of honor. We had to fix the mistake we had unknowingly caused.

“What the hell are you doing?” He tried to rip his arm from my grasp, but I was significantly stronger than him. I felt horrible for touching him without permission, but the present situation required it of me. My tail curled about his ankle naturally, which made me pause momentarily as questions formed in my mind. I forced the thoughts away and continued to the closest door.

The human continued to protest, growing louder, so I pushed him against the wall and covered his mouth. He had lenses over his eyes, one of which was cracked, but I saw the panic rush into the brown depths. He thrashed under me with muffled screams.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I whispered in his ear. My mind scrambled to find the right words in English. “We must leave. Stay quiet, please.”

Muffled words came from beneath my palm, but I didn’t remove my hand; I couldn’t risk him drawing attention to where we hid. I peered around, searching for a guard, or better, yet a well-marked exit. Nothing presented itself, except for where I had come in, and a couple of big garganlics guarded the main door with their four arms crossed over their muscular chests and their four eyes flicking over the crowd. Getting past them with this tiny human, especially with him struggling, was impossible.

Something wet and soft licked my palm, and I jerked back. His pink tongue slid back into his mouth, and oddly enough, I wanted to press my lips against his and feel the softness of his tongue on mine. I froze. What was going on with me?

Humans did not interest me.

“I can’t leave,” he said.

“Why?”

He lifted his arm, and I noticed a sizable lump under his pinkish gold skin. Dermal implant. That was unfortunate. I inspected the bump, running my thumb over it. His skin was soft, extremely soft. By the Crystal’s light, he was so soft against my scales. I forced my attention away from the feel and to the pressing issue.

Because his skin was as soft as it was, cutting him open with my claws to extract the implant would be easy enough, but it would hurt—not to mention he would lose his translator. That wasn’t much of a problem, because I spoke English and NAID on my shuttle was perfectly capable of translating if the need arose.

“I can take it out,” I said, extending my claws.

The human pressed further into the wall. “How do I know you’re not worse than Agk?”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“So you say. People say a lot of shit.”

Shit . Ah, humans. It was amusing but now wasn’t the time. I had to get this human away. I could inform Hallonnixmin without the human, but the Cohort was more likely to act and believe me with him present. Not to mention, Seth and Caleb would never forgive me if I left him behind, and I would never forgive myself. Everything in me rebelled against the very thought of abandoning him. He needed to stay right beside me until he was safe.

“Please,” I tried again.

“Fuck off.”

I blinked, then remembered it was a swear. He was not asking me to masturbate. These humans. Their profanity was so colorful.

My eyes darted back to the two garganlics by the door. I wished I had the time to reassure him of my good intentions, but I didn’t. I was going to have to do something unfortunate and I doubted he was going to like it, but I had to save him. This human would thank me in the end, I was sure of it.

I smiled in reassurance, and the human recoiled further, his pupils blown wide while the pulse in his neck throbbed wildly.

“I am so sorry.” I covered his mouth and dragged him toward one of the shadowed corridors further away from the door and the massive guards. He fought against me, kicking my shins, but I didn’t release him. He viciously bit me, and I grunted, but I held on. When I found a private space, I pinned him to the wall. My tail coiled around his wrist to keep his arm flat against the wall.

“Let me go, you bastard .”

I didn’t remember what the last word meant, but it was a swear, and my translator supplied: child of an unmated mother. “I offer you my deepest and sincerest apologies, but I have to rescue you, even over your protests.”

“You fucker.”

With a grimace, I dragged a claw over his soft skin. He cried out, which made my soul cringe. I didn’t want to hurt him. I truly didn’t, but I had to help him. The human kept crying, tears coursing down his cheeks, and I glanced at the door multiple times. Someone was going to hear. I covered his mouth, and he sobbed beneath me, thrashing as much as possible in my tight hold.

Red blood coated my fingers and dripped to the filthy floor. When the slice was large enough, I inserted my claws as delicately as possible, but the thin human released a muffled scream.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered against his ear and pulled the implant out; it fell to the floor with a tink. The human panted, shaking. I ripped the base of my tunic and wrapped his arm as I apologized over and over again, hoping he would forgive me.

He sagged, colliding with my chest, eyes closed and body limp. My arms caught him, supporting his weight with ease.

Had I hurt him more than I thought? What if I’d nicked something important? I knew nothing of human anatomy. I’d never needed to before this moment. Why hadn’t I studied? I should’ve anticipated this. Somehow.

I lifted him, and he was far too light. I would have to feed him. Soon. I pressed my ear to his narrow chest. His soul beat steadily, and his breath came out without any rattle. The blood on the makeshift bandage wasn’t growing either.

Pain must have stolen his consciousness.

“Don’t worry, human. I’ll make sure you’re safe, alright? I’ll even take you back to Earth if I can.” I snuggled him close to my chest, tucking his face in the crook of my neck, his warm breath rushing over my scales. I would keep this little human safe if it was the very last thing I did.

Now how to get out of here?

With him securely in my arms, I went back to the door that led to the ring and peered outside. One of the fights had concluded moments ago, and a good portion of the crowd was filtering out. This was our chance—our one chance. I set him on his feet, but the human crumpled. I caught him well before he touched the ground.

Well, that wouldn’t work.

Keeping an arm around his waist, a wing hugging him, and his face turned to my neck, I walked out as confidently as possible, dragging the limp human beside me. My soul pounded, but I remained relaxed. All I needed was confidence. Everyone believed confidence. Act like you belonged, and people assumed the same.

I exited, and no one said anything. The guards didn’t even notice us.

The moment the building was out of sight, I swept the human into my arms and rushed to my shuttle with my precious treasure.