Chapter 4 #3
She unfastened her harness and stood. Ransom did the same and rose, his face pale.
“How bad is your head?”
“Feels as if I ran into a meteor rock.”
The ship tilted abruptly to the right, sending them flying off their feet. Loose objects sailed after them. A book struck her shoulder. Ransom hit the wall with an oomph, and Scarlett landed on top of him.
“Is it safe to move?” Ransom asked, a beat later.
“Think so.”
“Good.” Ransom curled his arms around her back and kissed her.
The warm, physical contact of his lips on hers and the suddenness of his move startled her.
She opened her mouth to protest, and the lout took this as an invitation to proceed.
Her hands gripped his ears. She intended to yank them.
She really did, but his lips softened, and he coaxed rather than demanded.
He invited instead of presenting an alpha male challenge.
Her feline voted hell, yeah, and before Scarlett recognized her surrender, she was participating.
Exploring his luscious mouth. Tangling her tongue with his and gripping his shoulders, trying to climb into his body instead of assaulting him.
His taste. A delicious honeyed sweetness.
His scent of amber, warm and musky with a hint of burning earth.
Addictive and enticing. His body—a hard stack of muscles that fit exactly against her curves.
Ransom pulled back, and Scarlett followed, pressing her lips to his again and nipping his lower lip. His dark groan thrilled her, and her feline purred, the sensuous sound echoing through Scarlett’s mind.
She stirred restlessly, the drag of her nipples against his chest a silent demand for more, more, more.
Ransom separated their mouths again, his expression tender yet with a note of seriousness that told her this interlude was at an end.
For the best, she told her feline, and she scrambled off Ransom, taking care not to glance at the place that had been stabbing her. With the ship at an angle, the footing was treacherous.
“We’d better go. They’ll be waiting for us,” Ransom said.
Her eyes narrowed. “Who?”
“I’ll explain later.”
She grabbed his meaty biceps as he crab-walked toward the exit. “I don’t enjoy surprises. Tell me now.”
“They’re listening,” he said in a terse voice.
Scarlett did a slow blink and felt her frown etch into her forehead. What the hell? She released him and wordlessly followed his example of scuttling like a crab to reach the door.
“Our engineers have assembled a chute for your exit,” a voice said in the universal language. “They will repair your ship while we speak.”
Ransom disappeared from her sight, and when nothing startling occurred, Scarlett followed in his wake.
She flung her legs over the edge of the ship exit and shot down a steep chute.
Toward the bottom, the gradient eased, slowing her for the descent.
Ransom caught her, holding her against his side as he turned to their waiting visitors.
Aw, a protective dragon-man. Cute, since his balance wavered like a human when they’d guzzled too much alcohol.
She slid her arm around his waist, silently offering him more stability as she observed their visitors.
They were tall and slender with pale faces and long golden hair.
Their locks were loose, apart from intricate braids at their temples that kept the rest of their hair from restricting their sight.
Each had pointy ears that reminded her of characters from a fantasy novel.
The group comprised male and female, and all possessed a military bearing.
Soldiers with wary gazes, although their weapons remained holstered at their sides.
Their bright clothing—tight leggings and fitted tops—matched the vibrant plants and flowers in the surrounding jungle.
Had that storm been an alien form of a tornado? Because they sure as hell weren’t in Kansas anymore. Questions pinged around Scarlett’s brain. Where the hell were they? Who were these people?
Okay, not Kansas. They’d landed on Narenda. Fact. She hadn’t struck her head during their unfortunate run-in with the meteors and their hairy landing.
“Greetings.” Ransom’s attention centered on a female who stood to the forefront of the group. “You wish to speak with us?”
“Who are you?” Scarlett demanded, stepping up beside Ransom to present a united front. “And why should we trust you?”
“Shush,” Ransom said. “Show some respect.”
Scarlett gaped at him. Respect? These were trained soldiers. They carried weapons, and even if they weren’t pointing at them yet, they could.
“We are Elevenoss people. If we intended to harm, we’d have done it when you landed.
Ransom assures us you will behave with decorum and are trustworthy.
Come, we will eat while our engineers repair and strengthen your ship for the return journey.
” A thread of amusement wove through the woman’s words, and her expression softened when she glanced at Ransom.
“Let us go. We are close to our village.”
Ransom limped, and a trickle of blood seeped from the wound on his head.
Scarlett frowned at that because his shifter half should’ve repaired the injury or at least stopped the bleeding.
She’d had the same thought earlier, but now anxiety struck her hard.
Most shifter beasts, no matter the variety, were healthy specimens.
Of course, Sly had been in a coma during his adventures in the fairy village.
He’d lost weight, and his health had suffered because of the crazy princess who’d abducted him.
Likewise, something was off with Ransom.
She did her best to help him remain upright, but the dragon-man was built, and his muscles weighed heavy. To compound the problem, the track narrowed and made walking abreast difficult.
“Please, let us help,” an Elevenoss man said. He snapped his fingers, and a stretcher appeared out of thin air. Another snap of his fingers had Ransom in position, and two of the men picked up the litter and marched after the woman leader.
“Whoa,” Scarlett muttered. “Magic.”
The worry residing in her chest deepened. What if they refused to let them leave?
Scarlett trotted after the men, her mind busily working on a plan.
Red parrotlike birds flitted amongst the treetops, their loud squawks deafening.
She needed a series of steps to escape. A list. They rounded a bend in the track and entered a clearing.
She took a beat longer to detect the dwellings since they were cunningly concealed within the trees and foliage.
The aliens had used wood to construct their houses, and vines and other plants clung to the buildings.
The alien leading their group whistled. Three shrill notes, followed by one long beat.
People emerged from their houses, and greetings flowed to their party.
A woman bustled forward when she noticed the stretcher.
Although she had the same build and pointy ears as the others, the same dress, her skin was a deep purple, and her hair a raven black.
“You have a patient for me?”
Her accent was thicker than the others, and it took Scarlett a second to decipher her meaning.
“We do, Mistress Aelene. Time is short.” The woman Scarlett recognized as the group leader glanced at Ransom. “We will conduct our business while Mistress Aelene tends to your wounds.” The woman caught Scarlett’s gaze and held it.
A jolt ran through Scarlett as she experienced the hum of power the woman emitted.
“You will give us a chance to speak before you do anything stupid.” The woman’s voice held sternness and warning.
Scarlett scowled. “I abhor getting shanghaied by strangers. First Ransom and now you. I am irked.” She folded her arms and didn’t hold back on her glare. “You haven’t even introduced yourselves.”
The woman’s lips quirked as if she was amused.
Scarlett failed to see the joke, and frankly, she was pissed. But before she could retort, the two males carrying the stretcher with Ransom headed toward a dwelling. Everyone else fell into step, and with a muttered grumble, Scarlett followed suit.
Mistress Aelene strode to a huge, towering tree. Up close, the wooden door was simple to discern, but from a distance, the textured bark, flowers, and foliage made the entrance seem part of the landscape.
Another surprise lay in store for Scarlett when she followed the group through the portal and into the vast room beyond.
She blinked before pressing her lips together.
Saber always said she spoke before thinking, and this was one of those times when it was better to watch and wait.
These aliens sported weapons, and although they hadn’t brandished them, their efficient demeanor told Scarlett they’d act decisively if necessary.
“Welcome Ransom Drake and Scarlett Mitchell.” The woman gestured Scarlett to a seat. “As I mentioned, we must conduct our business with speed and get you to your ship. Ransom, we have told you of our plight. Are you willing to help us?”
How? When? What the hell? Scarlett pressed her lips together to trap her indignation.
“Daenys Gaylia, how do I know you speak the truth?” Ransom asked. “I’ve had a stomach full of lies recently.”
“You don’t know,” Daenys said without hesitation. “But I have no need to make up this story. In your time, most of our people are gone. Check this for yourself. Only a few escaped the machinations of the Maphra and moved away from Narenda. The Maphra people have no soul.”
“Most,” Mistress Aelene interrupted, her tone tart.
“Of course,” Daenys agreed. “I forget. You are different because you were raised in our ways.”
Curiosity aroused, Scarlett opened her mouth to speak and stopped after thinking better of it. Best to remain silent and listen at present.
“You are traveling to the region where we used to live, which puts you in the position to offer aid.”