Chapter 15
The next morning sucked.
Despite my doubts over how quickly I’d gotten attached, I was gutted as I watched from the vent as Carn was taken away. I was sure I’d found something special with the big male, and knowing he was headed to a fight to the death made me want to puke.
If he got hurt or died...
Sick worry was clogging up my chest and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to help. If something did happen, my only protection is the fact no one seemed to be looking for me. And I knew for a fact Carn would be furious if I exposed myself for no good reason.
Part of me wanted to scurry through the ducts and find his fight, but the possibility of getting lost was too strong to risk. I needed to be here when he got back. I waited about half an hour before slithering out of the vent and dropping to the floor.
The tiny cell seemed too big without Carn’s overwhelming presence and I putzed around in circles until I made myself dizzy and then retreated to the cot.
I stared at the gross dried stain where Carn woke me up with his midnight grinding.
There was nothing glamorous or romantic about sex in captivity.
I couldn’t wash myself or the cot, we didn’t even have a rag to mop up with and I resolved to hold off on any more sexy times until we were out of here.
I’d grown unexpected feelings for my giant red alien and he’d created a physical craving in me I’d never had, but I couldn’t live in a crusty, cum stained world. I was already too aware that a black light in this cell would give me a panic attack.
Breathing out as slowly as I could, I crossed my arms over my belly and stared at the ceiling. I could wait quietly while Carn did the hard part. It would be torture, but I couldn’t do anything else.
In the past, when I was stressing, I would go on a cleaning spree. Even if it didn’t fix the problem, at least I’d put the nervous energy to good use. But I was forced to lie here and think. My least favorite activity.
Hours later, the only thing keeping me on the cot was grim determination. My fingernails were digging into my wrists, my teeth were grinding with suppressed tension and I was a hair’s breadth from banging the back of my head into the cot with frustration.
He’d been gone for hours. He might be dead, or bleeding out and I was just laying here.
Just when I was ready to scream and damn the consequences, an alarm sounded. High pitched and ululating, it echoed off the bare metal walls around me and made my ears ring. I lurched upright, my hands clamped to the sides of the cot as I tried to understand what was happening.
All hell had broken loose outside the cell door and I was suddenly very aware of my lack of clothes. The siren blaring from the hallway sounded like someone was murdering a whale and the pounding of running feet was loud enough to make the walls tremble.
I hopped a few steps closer to the door and cast a nervous glance at the ceiling. Anything could be happening out there. An asteroid could have hit the ship, alien pirates could have boarded, rogue AI could be taking over the ship’s controls.
And my dumb ass was standing in the middle of the empty cell, with no way to get to the safety of the vent.
I hopped toward the door, steadying myself against the wall as I searched for a gap to look through. Unfortunately, the door was air tight, and this close to the hall, I could hear the screams and explosions being overshadowed by the siren.
Either we were in a war or the ship was falling apart.
The clatter of massive hooves was the only warning I got before Carn blasted through the door and slid into the cell.
“Naomi!” He was sweaty, and bleeding, his eyes wild and I was so glad to see him I launched myself at his chest.
“You didn’t die!” I cried, clinging to him like a leech. Hot hands clamped around my waist as he spun and bolted back into the hall.
“I didn’t die, I attacked the arena master and started a rebellion.” His heart was pounding under my ear, and I could feel the tremble of adrenaline in his arms as he hauled me bodily around corners at high speed.
“What!” I hooked a knee over his hip and hauled myself up to eye level with him. “You started a rebellion?”
He nodded, eyes scanning our surroundings.
“There was a mated turoch in the arena, he said he came from a band on your planet. If we escape the cruiser, we can go to them.”
My heart jerked at that statement. I could barely keep up with all the information he’d just lobbed at me. We were free (kind of), and escaping. There were more turochs on Earth. Carn could come with me and not be lynched by human survivors. Plus Earth still existed, which was a major plus for me.
“Is that where we’re going?” I asked, realizing for the first time that I was clinging to him like a monkey while he hurtled through the empty halls at breakneck speed.
“No, he’s already gone. I had to come back for you, and it took some time to fight through the guards.”
I lurched up and hauled his head against my chest in a quick hug, my heart almost bursting as I clung to him.
“Thank you for coming back,” I whispered against his fuzzy ear.
His arms wrapped around my waist and he squeezed me like he was afraid I’d disappear. I smiled when he pulled in a deep, shaky breath and pressed his face to my neck.
“I will always come for you,” he promised gruffly.
Blinking back the sudden emotion his words triggered, I pulled back and took the chance to really look at him. He didn’t look injured but his words about fighting his way past the guards finally registered.
I stared down at his blood and sweat slicked chest.
“How much of this blood is yours?”
He didn’t even glance at himself.
“Some.”
“Carn!” I grabbed one long ear and yanked until he was forced to look at me. “Where are we going?”
His eyes darted away and I squeaked as his grip on my ribs turned crushing.
“I don’t know.”
“Then why are you hauling me around like your tail is on fire?” I demanded, kneeing him in the ribs as I wiggled toward the floor. The floor was freezing and I hissed as my bare foot made contact. I was going to lose a layer of skin to frostbite if I didn’t find a shoe.
As it was, I almost lost a toe when Carn stomped a massive hoof in frustration.
“I need to get you to a safe place, somewhere we can barricade that has supplies and some way to communicate with your planet.”
I scraped my hair to the top of my head and turned in a slow circle. We were standing in a long empty hallway, red lights flashed on the ceiling, the blare of the siren echoed around us and there was no hint about where we were.
It was strange to realize that Carn and I were the exact same level of clueless when it came to this spaceship. Neither of us knew where anything was, let alone how stuff worked. This escape was going to be short lived if we just wandered around hoping to find something.
“What if we asked a guard?” I suggested. “They know the ship better than us, we probably need a key or something to get in any of the good doors anyway.”
Carn’s mouth opened and then closed as he stared down at me.
“You’ll stay behind me?”
I lifted my hands. “Does it look like I’m ready for a fight?”
A smile tugged at his face and he strode past me.
“I expect you would find a way, fearless female.”
Despite the chaos of the situation, I found myself blushing at the compliment. Grabbing his arm I hopped after him, keeping my eyes open for a handy hostage.
“If you get me a gun, I’ll be able to watch your back,” I offered, my blood humming in my veins with excitement. After days of waiting for an opportunity, we were finally doing something. Even if this whole rebellion went belly up, it was worth it for this moment of freedom.
How Carn had lived years in that stifling cell, I didn’t know. Barely a week and I’d started to lose my mind from boredom.
We charged past a window wrapped corner and Carn skidded to a stop.
“Get back,” he ordered, his eyes narrowing on the shuttered window at his eye level. The moment I was out of the way, he hauled back and punched straight through the glass. There was a panicked yell from inside when he batted the shutters aside and pulled a light blue syto out by his throat.
The male pissed himself halfway through the window and started fighting like hell once his legs were free. Almost casually, Carn batted the bulky gun from his hand before snapping the syto’s fingers in a massive clenched fist.
I cringed at the blood curdling scream the guard let out as I darted after the discarded weapon.
I’d known Carn was brutal, but seeing it first hand was something different.
His expression didn’t change as he reached down and ripped a single boot off the syto before crushing his exposed ankle under a heavy hoof.
The boot came flying my way and I barely caught it before it took out my front teeth.
“For you,” Carn said when I sent him a confused look.
“Oh.” I looked down at the gray, seamless foot covering in my hand. The boot was way too big but the ankle had an adjustable strap so it should stay on. The real question was whether or not it was worth fighting with an ill fitting boot when I only had one foot.
Then a bolt of pain shot through my half frozen toes and I slid to the floor with a grimace. Setting my space blaster aside, I hauled my chilled foot into my lap.
Worst case scenario, Carn could be my living crutch as I flopped along down the hall, but I was going to lose a toe at this rate.
“You!” Carn turned back to his terrified captive. “We need a safe place. Somewhere with supplies, communication and a sturdy door. Cooperate and I won’t crush your skull, too.”
I jerked the too big boot over my foot and tried not to imagine the sound effect that went along with his threat.
These assholes had kidnapped me, destroyed my planet and enslaved Carn, they didn’t deserve my sympathy.
Still, I didn’t want to have to see my sort of boyfriend turning aliens into puree.
The syto was trembling in Carn’s grasp, his eyes rolling in pain.
“The officer’s lounge,” he gasped. “It’s kitted for a siege. There’s a blast door and a comm suite.”
“Sounds perfect,” I broke in before Carn threatened our captive anymore and pushed myself off the floor. “Point the way and we won’t kill you.”
The syto whimpered but nodded. I hopped the few feet to Carn and grabbed his arm again. The boot felt awkward and unsteady but at least I wasn’t getting frostbite. And I had a gun. I hefted the heavy weapon and hoped it was as simple as point and shoot.
Carn hauled the syto against his opposite side and we followed his wavering directions into the bowels of the ship.