Alien Warrior’s Treasure by Sue Mercury
Chapter 12
“Why would Molly beat your house?” Khann stared at Gavvin as the hovercar zipped through the trees. The male’s brothers, Axall and Myadd, sat on either side of him, both wearing worried but confused expressions.
“If she left our home,” Axall began, “the security system should have—”
“Molly likely scaled down the side of your house from the rooftop garden,” Gavvin interrupted. “She did so once—seven days ago, to be precise—and I came upon her in the forest. A bear had her cornered, but I chased it away and brought her to my house to treat her injuries.”
Khann tensed, his visage hardening. “I am her guardian. If you hurt her, I will—”
Gavvin blew out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t hurt her. I tended her wounds, cooked her dinner, and then walked her home in the early morning. I tried to make her promise not to sneak out again, but she refused.” He paused, trying to decide if he ought to say more. He had questions of his own, questions related to Molly’s unfruitful visit to Vaxxlian Matchmakers earlier in the day.
“You didn’t try to claim her?” Myadd asked in a tone of disbelief.
“No,” Gavvin replied firmly, settling a fierce gaze on the youngest brother in the trio. “I did not.” Agitation rippled through him. Molly was in danger and these males dared to question his actions toward her? He had saved her life once and he intended to save her again.
“Thank you,” Khann said with a nod, still tense but with a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you for not claiming her against her will. Many unmated males of our kind would not be able to control themselves in a similar situation.”
“I would never harm the sweet human,” Gavvin said, clenching his fists at his sides.
A suspicious look entered Khann’s gaze. “You have feelings for the human female.”
Heat surged to Gavvin’s face. He didn’t like that Khann was so perceptive, but he could not deny the warmth he harbored for Molly. For the last seven days, she’d plagued his thoughts and he’d been filled with endless regret over the way he’d treated her at the conclusion of their night spent together. He’d also been unable to keep away from her, spending his days and even his nights concealed in the trees closest to her bedroom window.
After a long moment, Gavvin cleared his throat and nodded at Khann. “Since meeting Molly seven days ago, I have thought of little else. I see her in my dreams and in the waking hours too.” I long to claim her under the moonlight. I long to make her mine forever. He held back revealing the extent of his desire for the sweet human, unsure how Khann would react.
“Is it true?” Axall asked. “Have you been intercepting and decrypting Irrcon messages? Have you continued helping Vaxxlian High Command, despite your… disgraced status?” The eldest brother shifted, as if suddenly uncomfortable in his own skin. Clearly, he was thinking of the past, of the time he and his brothers had tried and failed to capture Gavvin. Of the time when Gavvin was a suspected traitor, due to false evidence his own twin had planted.
Gavvin straightened and met Axall’s eye. “Yes, it is true that I have been intercepting and decrypting Irrcon messages. It’s what I did before and during the war, and it is what I will continue doing until my skills are best utilized elsewhere.”
“He wasn’t just your brother,” Myadd said, his voice trembling with sudden anger. “He was your twin. Most twins among our kind hold close emotional, if not psychic, connections. How could you not know what he was doing? How could you turn the other way as he betrayed all of us?”
“Stivv and I grew apart as we got older, and we never shared any kind of psychic bond.” Gavvin placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward, peering from Myadd to Khann to Axall. “I’m not my brother. I don’t hold any affection for the Irrcons, and I will never fully understand how Stivv found a place with the aliens, though I suspect it’s because he held aspirations for High Command and when he didn’t receive the promotion he’d been striving for, the Irrcons stroked his ego and gave him an exalted position among their warriors.”
“We’re here!” shouted Commander Vensinn, and the hovercar came to a halt in the clearing before Gavvin’s house.
Several other vessels had already arrived. There was no sign of Leader Bricco or Molly inside the house. The sweet human wasn’t here. But a trail led away from the clearing, with two clear sets of footprints. One the size of a Vaxxlian male, and the other the size of a human female.
Gavvin exchanged a look with Khann and the male’s brothers, then the warriors jumped back on the hovercar, intending to follow the trail and track down Molly as soon as possible. His arms ached to wrap around her, to hold her close to his chest as he stroked a hand through her hair, uttering promises to her that he would keep her protected always.
Strange, that he couldn’t stop thinking of a human female he’d met only once. Strange, that he would risk his life, or even forfeit it, for the golden-haired beauty who’d faced down a bear. He sent up a prayer to the Star God for her safety. Leader Bricco was likely desperate, and he knew better than anyone that desperate men not only made poor decisions, but they were prone to violence as well.
“Activate the automatic tracker and scan that area near the bullumat trees,” Gavvin shouted to the warrior at the helm of the hovercar. “The rest of you, head northwest at full speed and scan the forest for Vaxxlian and human life signs.” He wasn’t the commander in charge of this mission, but he couldn’t help but shout the orders before Commander Vensinn got the chance. Fortunately, the commander nodded his approval, and all the warriors jumped into action.
* * *
Molly openedher eyes to darkness. She blinked and tried to focus on her surroundings. Why was it so cold, and why did her jaw ache? She dragged her tongue over her teeth, tasting blood, and felt herself drifting off again.
But alarm filled her, and she forced herself to keep her eyes open, forced herself to remain awake, even though the effort was taxing.
Something wasn’t right. Where the hell was she? Not in her bedroom. Not in Khann’s house. Not even in the forest. She couldn’t make out any stars or the moons. And the surface beneath her was hard, unlike the soft grasses and leaves that covered the forest floor.
Water dripped on her from above. She shifted slightly, trying to move away from the constant drip drip drip hitting her face, but her arms and legs felt too heavy. When she managed to turn slightly to the right, she realized her hands were bound in front of her.
And just like that, all her memories returned, flashing through her mind in a series of images. Visiting Vaxxlian Matchmakers and not liking what she heard. Going home and hiding in her room to avoid answering Khann and Belle’s questions. Sneaking out once darkness fell and rushing off to Gavvin’s house. The other memories came too.
Horror clutched her. She’d been kidnapped by a Vaxxlian Leader named Bricco, who wished to keep her as a hostage, though she wasn’t certain what his crime was or why he was hiding out from his people. She also wasn’t clear on what Gavvin had to do with it and why Leader Bricco had come to his house in the first place.
She glanced around the darkness but it was all pitch black. She held her breath, listening, but all she heard was the drip drip drip of water.
I’m in a cave.
The horror rushing through her deepened. The moment she’d glimpsed the caves in the hidden cliff, she had feared death awaited her inside. She’d tried to trick Bricco into removing the vines from her wrists, so that she might fight back and escape, but then he’d punched her in the face. Hard enough to knock her out cold. Her jaw ached.
As she shifted again, she felt something in her pocket. The knife! She’d forgotten about it until now.
Heart racing, she wiggled around until she managed to withdraw it from her pocket. She shoved it between her knees and unwrapped the leather strip from the blade. All alone, in the darkness of the cave, she set about freeing herself. Leader Bricco wasn’t here right now, and she didn’t intend to wait around for his return.
She hadn’t escaped war-torn Earth only to die in a cave on New Vaxx. She’d come to this planet with a goal: Make a life for herself and move beyond the hurts in her past, move beyond the loneliness, and find true happiness.
She wanted a mate and children and all the friends she could possibly make. Friends who wouldn’t run away when they saw her walking down the street. She wanted a family and to be part of a community, and by God she planned to make it happen.
When she finished cutting the vines, she shook the remnants away and rubbed her chafed wrists. She clutched the knife in one hand and slowly rose to her feet. Dizziness assailed her, but she didn’t fall down. That had to be a good sign.
She just needed to gather enough strength to escape this cave and run to Starrzia for help. Or maybe run to Gavvin’s house instead. His home would be closest. Maybe he was home by now.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, warmth filled her when she imagined seeing him. How would he react when she showed up on his doorstep? Would he admit lying to her when he’d claimed to never want to see her again? Would he explain his reasons for lying?
She took small steps forward, unsure of which direction to go. She found herself stumbling blindly through the darkness, until finally, a faint light appeared ahead of her. She moved toward it and the light grew brighter. It was the mouth of the cave, and she breathed a sigh of relief to discover the exit.
But a large figure stepped in front of her, blocking out the light.
“Going somewhere, puny human?” Leader Bricco’s dark chuckle reverberated throughout the cavern. He gripped her neck and squeezed.
Without overthinking it, she brought the knife up, plunging it into his chest. His pained screams echoed in the cave, and she pushed him down and ran toward the light of day, toward freedom.
