Chapter 54
Survii
Those humans were despicable. As vile as the blood running through their veins. Their deaths hadn’t been nearly satisfying enough. He almost wished there was another. Just one more. Or maybe that the yellow haired male would wake up and give him another chance to pay back his pain.
Torture. What a completely barbaric and backwards practice. He knew prisoners of war that were treated better than he had been in the last few marks.
After they fit that plastic ring around his wrists, they dragged him into the trees.
One male kept him at gunpoint while the other two gathered the bodies of their comrades.
He could tell that they were furious about their deaths.
Like killing them was a personal choice that Survii had made.
He found their outrage itself outrageous.
Then, they set up the camera. Survii had been on Earth long enough to recognize what the little lens device was for.
They had also made sure to explain, using gestures and small words so he would understand, that they were going to cut his head off, record it, and release it to the world as proof of their hatred and disdain for aliens.
A scare tactic to banish all aliens from their planet forever.
It was their own fortune that they had been unsuccessful.
If Survii, a protected ambassador to this planet, had been killed so violently, so visibly, to broadcast such a message, the result would have been bad for the Earth as a whole.
Whatever group these males had worked with was very shortsighted if they didn't see the danger they courted.
But first, they wanted Alanna. Their search efforts throughout the day had been unsuccessful and they had been trying to beat the information out of him. As if he would ever tell them where his mate was hiding. He would have ripped out his own neck before speaking.
Primitive, foolish creatures. They deserved their deaths. They should be honored that their blood would waste on the ground at his mate’s feet as a gift for her suffering.
When he first spotted Alanna sneaking around in the underbrush, he had been terrified. She was the only thing left that they wanted. And he didn't know what they wanted her for, but he knew that it would be nothing good.
But when he saw her creeping around, pride had burned brighter in his chest than the pain. Even more so when he saw her burst forth. He had heard how powerful human females became in protection of the people they loved, but seeing it was truly inspiring.
And eye opening.
Because he realized in that moment, when he saw her, that he hadn’t told her that he loved her. Such an important thing, and he had never said it. She told him she would have sex with him when she loved him, and he had taken that fact for granted without ever returning her feelings.
A mistake he would fix the moment he had her safe again.
And the first step to that was getting them off this planet.
The house had burned, but as he stepped onto the balcony, he realized that it wasn’t actually as bad as it initially appeared. The area was extremely humid, and the wood had not burned easily. Likely, once the accelerant was gone, the fire itself died quickly afterwards.
The result was that all the furniture and walls were destroyed. But the support beams and wooden floors were only charred. They creaked and groaned in protest as he walked over them, but they held his weight as he crossed to what had once been the kitchen.
The remains of the food Alanna had been cooking were still sitting on the counter. The meat and vegetables were scorched and hardened from the passing of time, but they were still recognizable as their original shapes.
The sight angered him. Probably more than was reasonable. It was just another reminder of what had been stolen from them.
Turning from the destroyed meal, he let his eyes roam over the kitchen. He knew he had put the comm in here the day they arrived. He never touched it after, so it should still be there.
It took a little time to find it. Alanna must have pushed it aside while cooking – or he had, that time he put her on the counter to fuck her – because it wasn’t where he left it initially. Instead, it had been pushed into a corner between the wall and the refrigerator.
Like everything else, it was scorched black. But it was still intact. When he picked it up, it didn't fall apart in his hand. However, when he pressed the button to turn it on, it didn't respond.
Growling, he shoved it into the pocket of the pants and turned to leave. He would mess with it later. First, he wanted his mate off this island.
Alanna was still standing at the base of the stairs. Shifting her weight between her feet nervously as she waited for him to come down.
The moment his foot touched the sand, she was throwing her arms around him. It made pain flare up in his various wounds, but he chuckled, stroking her back.
“I’m fine, vi Vitralai. I promise.”
“Don’t leave my sight again. Not ever again,” she said fiercely, voice muffled from the way she had her face buried against his chest.
“You’re safe now. There were only nine and they’re all dead now.”
“I’m not worried about me; I’m worried about you!”
He laughed, taking hold of her neck and pulling her head back so she would look at him.
He kissed her, sweet and slow and deep, ignoring the sharp ache in his face when he did so.
Proving that they had all the time in the world now.
She was safe. They were both safe. He just needed to get them off this island because there was nowhere for her to sleep and nothing for her to eat.
And he had something to say to the two security men still on the other island.
His claws ached to cut through their flesh. They better have a good explanation or there were going to be two more human deaths here tonight.
“Can you swim to the boat, Alanna?” He asked after he finally broke the kiss.
“Yeah. Are we leaving?”
“No reason to stay.”
“Did you get the comm?”
“Yes. It’s not turning on. I’ll look at it later. I want you off this island first. Let’s go.”
He took her hand and pulled her away from the front of the house.
The boat was still there, bobbing gently in the waves. Alanna swam out in front of Survii, splashing just a bit as she rushed to the back.
The speed with which she moved told him he had made the right choice. She was clearly eager to get away from this death island.
He absolutely hated that those males had ruined her post mating trip. This was an important part of the ceremony for her, and they had destroyed it.
All those involved would pay.
He helped push her up the small steps at the back of the boat, then followed after. She sniffed, wiping her nose again as she looked around. Orienting herself to the new boat.
“No keys,” she said, pointing to the control console.
“They must have brought it ashore. Are you all right here?”
She nodded and Survii jumped back into the water.
He moved quickly. He swam back to the island and jogged to where the bodies had been left. The first one he checked was the male that he had seen on it initially. And, sure enough, he found a ring of keys in one of his pockets. Since he was there, he searched the others.
He found a bottle of water, some food bars using grains that he couldn’t eat but Alanna certainly could, and a map of the islands.
Survii took them all back to the boat where Alanna was sitting, wringing out her shirt over the side of the boat. When he started climbing up, she jumped, whimpering, before seeing it was him and calming down again.
“Ah, my poor female.” He said, setting down his bounty. He pulled her into his arms and held her close, kissing her head. “You’re safe now. Don’t think about it again.”
“Way easier said than done,” she mumbled, clinging to him. “I’m okay. I’ll be okay. I might need therapy. I’ll definitely need therapy. But I’m okay for now.”
“That’s my female.” He kissed her head before stepping back. “Can you read the map? I’ll drive the boat, but I need to know how to figure out where to go.”
She released him only reluctantly before stepping back. “Yeah. I can. Did you bring me water and granola bars?”
“You need food and water. Eat. We’ll go once you’re done.”
Alanna looked like she was about to argue with him but gave up before she could say anything. She grabbed the bottle and downed it quickly. She hadn’t had anything to drink since yesterday, so he knew she must be thirsty.
While she was quickly chewing and swallowing the bars, he moved to the front of the boat and started it up. It came to life with a gentle roar.
Alanna returned to his side rather quickly. Still chewing the last of her food. She had the map in one hand and the bottle in the other.
She swallowed quickly, then drank the last of the water. Both pieces of trash she put in the storage of the boat so it didn't fall into the water. That done, she put all of her attention on the map and trying to figure out where they were.
It took some time. Apparently, she wasn’t used to nighttime navigation. She knew the direction based on the sun, but not how to navigate by the stars. Survii remembered which direction the sun set in though, and that was enough for her to pick a direction.
That decided, they were off.
The boat zoomed across the water. The difference between coming here and leaving couldn’t be more stark. Alanna didn't lean into the air this time. She didn't laugh and throw out her hands. She stood stoically beside him, watching the horizon for the island.
The distance between the two land masses wasn’t great. Just far enough that they couldn’t see the other peeking around the horizon. Almost as soon as their island began disappearing, the larger, more populated one was rising up in the distance.
They didn't need the map. The lights of the town and the docks drew them forward.
Alanna stowed the map away and stood beside him. Shaking.
“Are you cold?” He asked.
She stared forward numbly. Then nodded. Not really like she was cold, but more like she was in shock and was just agreeing to agree.
Survii put one arm around her and brought her in close. She was stiff for a moment, but eventually turned and sagged against him.
His poor female. His instincts were screaming at him to get her to the safety of their den. Knowing that it was too far away to reach was ripping him apart inside.
He wouldn’t stop until she was safe.