Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
RUBY
First thoughts, Shit - Damn - Hell ! How many more times am I gonna wake up somewhere else? This shit is getting old real damn quick. Second thought, ROWAN . With my heart beating fast in my chest, I anticipate the fight coming when whoever has done this realizes I’m awake. When I don’t hear anyone else nearby, I move my head gradually, glancing around. Realizing I’m in some sort of medical facility, a familiar cough has me sitting up. My eyes seek out Rowan , grateful when I find her in the bed next to mine.
Reaching up to rub my eyes, I flinch when something sharp pokes the inside of my arm. Moving it out from under the blanket covering me, I notice the odd tube and track it to a hole in the wall, where clear liquids are dripping into it like an IV back home. Picking the blanket up, there is no missing I’m naked and that seems to have become the norm lately. My leg has a huge patch over it, which has me glancing over at my shoulder. Rolling it gently, it twinges a little, but it’s tolerable. For the most part, someone has pieced me back together, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
Throwing my legs over the side, I gasp when my wrist hits the bed. I’d forgotten the damage until I put pressure on it. Rubbing the hard, clear wrap around it, I slowly slide down to the floor. Pulling the small hose out of my arm, I make my way sluggishly over to where Rowan is lying.
She seems to be sleeping peacefully, and tears form in my eyes when I realize I no longer hear the rattle in her lungs. She is clean and someone has even taken the time to brush her hair, oddly enough. Easing the blanket up to see how her bruising looks, I start to cry when I see that someone has removed that damn chain and its hooks. She has several patches like mine all over her and they’ve wrapped her ribs. Thankfully , most of her bruises are lightening, and this gives me an idea of how long we’ve been in this place. I shake her slightly, “ Rowan , can you hear me?” but she doesn’t move.
Leaning against her bed, I brush my hand down the back of her head, my mind trying to figure out, what now? I don’t believe someone would’ve taken the time to fix us up if they were going to hurt us again. Vaguely , I remember something large and gray carrying me, but I’m not sure if it’s a real memory or made up. A loud pounding sound outside the doorway has me looking around for a weapon. I will not lay here and be a good little victim this time. Grabbing what looks like a small knife off a tray, I push myself up onto Rowan’s bed, crouching over her when the door slides open.
I swing the knife out in front of me. “ Stay the fuck back.” The creature just stands there, his eyes roaming leisurely down my naked body and I can’t help but shiver slightly, as it feels like a gentle caress.
“ I wondered if you were real, but damn, seeing is believing that’s for sure. You can put those eyes of yours back in your head Big and Ugly . I’ve never been one who enjoyed being gawked at.”
He growls a series of sounds at me.
“ Look , I think we’ve already had this discussion. I have no idea what the hell you’re rambling on about. With so many different species out here, … wherever the hell here is, you’d think some smart ass would have found a way to fix this damn language barrier.”
I had just lowered the knife down some when something else charges into the room right at me. Without thinking, I slice out with the small knife when it reaches for Rowan . I don’t know who is more shocked, me or Big and Green standing aggressively over me. His tusk snapping angrily as dark blood drips from the slash on its arm, I back up, pulling Rowan with me when it advances again. “ We can do this all day, Green Giant , but you are not touching my sister.” He snarls at me, and I recoil.
My big and ugly grabs the green monstrosity and practically throws him out the door. That kinda shocks me because the green one is bigger. The gray one is standing over the green one, breathing hard. His massive, yet impressive chest is moving up and down quickly, like he has or is fighting something internally.
When Rowan sits up coughing, the big green one tries to charge into the room and I almost cheer when Big and Ugly slams him again. Out of nowhere, another one shows up, joining in the battle outside the door. I’m impressed at all the muscles it’s taking to separate the two massive beasts fighting out there. A whimper behind me has the green one stopping dead, mid-swing to look in at us. I flinch when my gray one swings out, clipping him in the jaw, blood flying off his torn knuckles as they’d caught on the green one’s tusk.
I feel Rowan’s small hands grasping my arm as she pulls herself up behind me. “ Are you ok?”
When she doesn’t answer me, I take my eyes off the scene in front of us to glance back at her. Rowan’s eyes are huge, and I can feel her trembling slightly right before a coughing fit hits. Apparently , that’s all it takes to push the green one into a rage. Because before I can even blink, he is standing right in front of me. I don’t even have time to raise the knife up before he grabs it quickly, prying it out of my hand. Then he picks me up and practically slings me toward the gray one, who catches me in his arms.
It snarls out something, then points to the doorway. The second I realize what it’s telling the one holding me to do, I start fighting like a madwoman. Just as the door closes, I hear Rowan’s weak voice calling out for me, and with renewed strength, I push hard against the giant arms holding me. Wrestling with me, it takes him a minute to get my arms pinned down, but once he has me secured against his chest, he takes a deep breath, then turns walking both of us down a long hall. Squirming in his arms, I try anything and everything to get free. Biting and kicking backward as hard as I can, he quickly catches on, simply moving out of the way. Feeling like a small doll in his massive hands, the skirmish finally wears me out, and I find myself in front of another door. He hits it with his shoulder and an even angrier guy opens the door. Looks like everyone is pissed off about something around here. This one is a mix of the green monster and the one holding me. They snarl back and forth at each other before I hear another voice.
“ Slavic , Ruarc , that is enough. Can neither of you see how scared she is? She just going to end up back in medical if you two don’t stop.” When Kallen sticks her head around the corner, I all but collapse in Big and Ugly’s arms.
“ You’re real and you’re alive. God , I thought I was losing my mind, even though that might be easier to deal with.”
“ Yes little Ruby , I am well, or at least on the mend. I see that you have found Slavic . Forgive them for all the growling, as they are not trying to scare or hurt you, it is quite the opposite. They can understand you, but as of right now, they do not have any translators on board so that you can do the same.”
“ Kallen , I think it’s more he found me. Will you tell him to let me go? I need to go save my sister from the green giant.”
“ Ruby , you must be speaking of Einar , he is their medic. Your sister will have the best of care with him. If he was aggressive with you, it is because he was worried about her. I promise, you and your sister are safe. Things are confusing for everyone right now, but it will get easier with each rising.”
“ Ahh , well, that explains a few things, … I think. Not sure why they were fighting each other like ragging bulls, but to each their own I reckon. Maybe you’d like to explain to me why these two are standing here looking at each other like they want to rip each other apart?”
“ Ruarc is fighting our mate bond, and all males, even his brothers, are a threat to him in his mind. It doesn’t help that I am in such bad shape either. His protection mode is in overdrive right now.” I see her start to slide down the wall, and the other guy, I believe his name is Ruarc , instantly has her in his arms. The growling starts again, but this time even Kallen joins in. It’s easy to tell they’re arguing, so I just hang here buck naked, down the front of Big and Ugly . Dangling in his arms like a rag doll he is packing around for his enjoyment, and I seem to be the only one who thinks this is odd.
For a moment Big and Ugly loosens his hold, and I hope it’s because he’s going to put me down, but nope. He simply swings my legs up so that I’m more comfortable cradled in his arms. Surrounded by his strength, I’m not sure how to act now. Lord knows, I am not strong enough to win any physical battles with this brute.
I see the guy holding Kallen start to shut the door, and she holds out her hand to stop him. “ Ruby , the male holding you, is Slavic . He is the captain and oldest brother of this crew. There is no place in this universe safer for you than in his arms, and he will take good care of you. Once your sister is feeling better, you will be allowed to see her, I will make sure of this myself. Take time to heal, you have no enemies on this ship.”
The door shuts before she can say another word. “ Wow , bossy bunch ain’tcha? Well , I reckon I can no longer call you Big and Ugly . That probably wasn’t very nice of me, anyway.” I know I’m rambling, but he is just so … intense. His bright, yellowish-green eyes watch my every movement, like he’s memorizing me for a research paper or something.
I look over at the closed door and then back up. “ I don’t think he’s going to open that door back up no matter how long we stand here. If there’s no place we need to be, can you take me back to my sister?”
He shakes his head no. “ Ok , I’m not real happy with the answer, but at least I know what it means. Gotta count the little things sometimes, I reckon. I have another yes or no question … or several, actually. Is my sister safe with the guy you were trying to beat the hell out of earlier?”
I get a nod yes.
“ Hey , we’re making progress here, let’s move on and play the game. I have a million more questions for you. Are you planning on putting me down anytime soon?”
He shakes his head no.
“ Well , it was worth a try. Is there a rule about clothes? Because I would really like to stop flashing everyone we meet. I mean, I’ve never been overly bashful, but this is a little much. Pretty sure everyone in this place has now seen my tits. They’re nice, but I’d prefer to pick my audiences.”
He actually closes his eyes and looks up, like he’s fighting something inside himself. The moment he glances back down at me, it’s as if he just noticed I’m buck naked. Snarling , he turns so quickly my hair flies out behind me.
“ Whoa big guy, take it easy because the world just swam around in my head there. Where’re we going in such a hurry?” He doesn’t even acknowledge me as he stomps through the ship. The doorways are passing so rapidly, I shut my eyes and turn my head toward him, noticing that he smells rather nice to be big and ugly. Like fresh tilled earth.
Before I realize it, a door slides open then shuts, and the noises that were surrounding us in the hallway are no longer there. Opening my eyes, I glance around, immediately noticing we are in a bedroom. I almost panic when he moves to put me on the bed, but relax when he chooses a chair instead. Sitting me down gently, he motions for me to stay there. Then he turns away, touching the wall. I can’t help but gasp when it practically disappears in front of him.
He walks inside what appears to be a large storage area. Several containers are thrown to the side as he hunts for something specific. “ Hey , you don’t have to tear up the place, a simple towel would be great about now.” A very large thump has me crawling toward the back of this extremely large chair. “ Or not, the place seems to need updating, anyway.” ‘ Lord God , what have I got myself into this time?’
While he’s tearing that other room apart, I take a moment to look around. This area is rather large compared to all the others I’ve seen on this fun filled trip called “abduction”. The bed is the size of two kings and takes up the entire center of the room. However , these males are rather big, so that’s understandable. Hell , now that I think about it, this chair is swallowing me whole. I look like a little kid sitting in her dad’s chair, kicking her feet back and forth. There are a few stands here and there, but for the most part, the place is rather dull. No books, trinkets, or even a pair of dirty underwear lying around. A sudden shiver wracks my entire frame.
“ Hey , I’m going to freeze to death before you find whatever it is you’re looking for in there.”
He comes back out with a pile of stuff in his arms, practically filling my lap full as he dumps it all on me. He grumbles out a few sentences as I gather up the material all around me. At this point, I’m just letting him growl. I refuse to keep reminding him that I can’t understand him. Instead , I start sorting through the pieces of cloth, trying my best to figure out what all this is.
The first one I pick up has several holes down the sides, and I reject it, putting it to the side. I would prefer my tits not to be hanging out as an advertisement. He must have gotten aggravated with my sorting process, since he’s been standing over me, not saying a word. He suddenly grabs something out of the pile and slides it on over me. As I am fighting to get my head through the hole, he grabs me under my arms, standing me up in the middle of the chair.
“ Hey , watch the shoulder, you brute.”
He snarls something but still ends up pulling the material hard until my head finally pops through. I just stand here a little confused at his behavior when he reaches behind me, pulling my hair out gently. He motions for me to hold my arm out, then he proceeds to close the holes up in the sides by simply pressing the material together. Quickly , I’m completely covered in an oversized gown that’s hanging off me like a flour sack. Well , I’m not going to win any fashion shows, but my butt is no longer hanging out, and the material is soft and warm. So , at this moment, that’s amazing.
“ Thanks ! If this thing had pockets, it would almost feel like a robe.” Even standing in the chair I’m not quite as tall as he is. Rowan and I are both a little on the short side, and I have the hips to prove it, or I did anyway.
He just stands there looking down at me, and I decide to take a moment to do the same. Massive is one way of describing him, as he has the widest shoulders I’ve ever seen on a guy. He’s built like a tank. Now even though there is absolutely nothing pretty or even remotely handsome about him, his looks work for him somehow. Those big ass, scarred shoulders taper nicely into his slightly smaller waistline. My eyes can’t find a single ounce of fat anywhere. The pants he has on are weird, though they seem to be sewn in long strips up and down all the way to the colossal boots covering his feet. An old rusty belt wraps around his waist with small pockets hanging on it. Now that I’m looking closer, the cuffs on his wrist match. Apparently , rust is a fashion out here.
Originally , he appeared gray, almost slate in color, but now I can see other shades faded in. There are huge chunks of muscle missing in his skin and I have to stop myself from running my fingers over one particularly painful looking scar. My eyes drift upward, landing on what appears to be a dark collar that circles his neck, leading down to the top of his shoulders. I don’t remember seeing that on him before, but things were crazy. Not much different than they are now if I really think about it. Another thing I missed is that he has a short beard.
The color of his facial hair practically matches his skin. Sharp cheekbones lead straight up to pointed ears that he has no hair to hide, but it’s his eyes that really catch your attention. Not only because they’re so bright compared to his skin, but his pupils run up and down like a snake or dragons. Oddly enough, as terrifying as he is, I’m not scared of him. Reaching up hesitantly, I touch the cut on his face.
“ I’m sorry you got hurt. Seems like the big green guy got you good right here. You should probably have that looked at.”
His large hand covers my own, pressing it harder against his rough skin. He closes his eyes for a second and I hear something rattle behind him. This seems a little too intimate for me, and I’m glad when he doesn’t resist me pulling away.
“ So , you’re Slavic ?”
I get a nod, and then he points toward me.
“ Ruby .”
He tries several times to say it, but it comes out more like ugby. “ Ahh , you’ll get it right eventually, but right now you have all my attention so you shouldn’t need my name, anyway.”
A small chuckle growl leaves his lips, and I have to make myself not flinch when he smiles. Or I think that’s what that was supposed to be because his messed-up shark teeth just scared the living hell out of me.
“ Wow , where’s a dentist when you need one?” I mumble to myself. “ So , what now?”
He shrugs his shoulders as he moves away from me, headed toward the wall. He touches another panel, and this wall also disappears like it was never there. However , I’m not prepared for the view. He turns away from me, looking out, and this is the first time I’ve seen his back. There are large, spike-like things running down his spine and across the back of his shoulders. When I don’t join him immediately, he motions for me and the spikes shake. This is the sound I heard earlier when I touched him. Kinda freaky, … those could hurt the baby .
Sliding off the chair, I walk slowly toward him. I get within a few feet of him before stopping. It looks like I could take a big leap and float right out. When he sees me hesitate, he touches the wall to show me it’s solid. I can feel his gaze on me as I ease closer.
“ Talk about a view, Wow ! You just had to do this didn’t ya? Up until now, in the back of my mind, we could’ve found a way to get back home. I mean yeah, we were on the run, and there isn’t really anything for us to go back to, but home is home. Now , I can’t pretend this ain’t real. I reckon I could lie to myself and say that I’m in a planetarium staring up at all the things that few have ever truly seen. But that’s not going to change the fact that I’m on a spaceship, standing next to a creature that could snap me in half, … with no damn underwear on!”
Angrily , I wipe a lone tear off my cheek and look up. “ We can’t go home, can we?”
He makes a few gestures with his hands like an explosion, or maybe something fading away.
“ Shake your head yes if you are trying to tell me it’s too far, or no … if it’s gone altogether.”
He hesitates before shaking his head no, but I can tell this wasn’t something he wanted to tell me. He seems almost as sad as I do. As his words sink in, I quickly fathom the what’s and whys are becoming overwhelming in my mind. Realizing I could rapidly spiral into anguish, I make myself push this information aside to deal with later. Right now, all that matters is mine and Rowan’s survival.
A bright flash speeds by the big window thingy, and I lean forward a little to see it better. Part of me wants to ooh and ahh at the sights in front of me, but I can’t seem to find any enthusiasm at the moment. He points at something in the distance, and it takes me a second to make it out in all the vast darkness.
“ Is that another ship?”
He nods yes.
“ Are we going there?”
Another yes. He points at himself and then back at me, shaking his head no.
“ So let me get this straight, I’ve never been good at charades. You’re saying I’m not, correct?”
He points around the room and then back to the object that really doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s shaped like a round, cylindrical object with multiple arms sticking out of it. Lights flicker on and off as smaller things move all around it. He touches my arm gently, making me look back up at him.
He makes several attempts to tell me something with his hands, but I just can’t figure it out. Until he makes a cutting motion across my neck. “ Ohh , you’re saying it’s dangerous for me?”
The relief on his face is almost comical. He gently tugs on my arm, leading me away from the big window, and then touches another place on the wall. This time, a door slides into the wall, and he motions for me to go in. I glance in before walking all the way inside. Trust is just not something easily given from me, especially now.
It’s a bathroom, or a version of one, anyway. He takes a second to show me how each thing works, and I can’t help but laugh when he gets to what I’m assuming is an alien commode. Just to be an ass, I make him explain it several times because I can tell this is embarrassing for him. Finally , feeling sorry for him, I ask, “ Do you have a stool I can borrow around here?”
He shrugs his shoulders.
“ I can’t reach any of this. Everything is giant sized, and I’d prefer not to have to crawl onto that commode. My luck, I would slip and end up face first in something I really don’t want to talk or think about. Then I’d be flushed out with all the other turds into space. I mean, wouldn’t that just make this trip all the more memorable? It’s been so much fun so far; I can barely hold in all my excitement as I wonder what’s next.”
He growls out something and for some reason, I can’t deal anymore. Turning away from him, I stomp out of the room, heading for the big chair he originally set me down in. It takes me a second to crawl up in it and once I’m there, I gather all the pieces of material he dropped on my lap. Lying down, I simply pile them all on top of me.
I don’t even have time to settle before his enormous arms are sliding under me and I find myself being put in the bed. Mad , I smack his hands away and crawl out, gathering all the material back in my arms again. This time, it takes me several tries to get into the chair because my shoulder and wrist are hurting so damn bad, but I’m not easily swayed when angry.
Once again, I settle down, completely covering myself over with all the loose pieces. I hear him let out a long sigh and I prepare for a fight when I feel him bump the chair as he leans down. But instead of him grabbing me again, he slowly separates the layers until he finds my face.
He then gives me this ‘why?’ expression. “ Look , I need to be in control of something, no matter how big or small. Just give me this because my mind can’t handle anything else right now. I’m tired and my whole life has been turned upside down. Please .” The last part comes out as a whisper.
Gently he runs his hand down the back of my head and then shockingly tucks the material all around me. Closing my eyes, I try my best to blank everything out, even though this is a huge improvement from where I was. The unknown is still terrifying. I fight the tears and the helplessness I feel. I know feeling sorry for myself isn’t going to help, but damn it, it’s hard to see the positives. However , Rowan is apparently with a doctor, I’m clean, warm, and momentarily safe, … I think. So , thank you Lord , for the little things.