Hunted By The Alien Assassin by Ella Maven
Two
Karina
This was risky, but I had nothing more to lose. I was already hunted by the most skilled assassin in the damn galaxy. If I was going to go out, then I was going to go out making the most trouble for Frenz as possible. If I had my way, every one of his cargo ships would be nothing but space debris.
I walked onto a rural farm on the planet Gorsich, home of the Rinian Galaxy high court, council, and … Frenz. My nemesis. He was a massive source of the human trafficking taking place in this galaxy. The Uldani had been culprits many cycles ago, but I’d heard rumors of a war, and they were no longer employing the Rahgul to transport stolen humans.
Gorsich was one of the richest and most resourceful planets in the galaxy. The farm where I stashed my supplies was home to an elderly Pucin couple who no longer worked the land. Most of their outbuildings had fallen into disrepair, which worked for me.
Running in a crouch in the pre-dawn darkness, I skidded to a halt next to a lean-to that more was lean than to. Lifting a rotted piece of manufactured building material, I smiled when my black fabric bundle came into view.
If you would have told me when I lived on Earth I’d travel to another galaxy and become an expert on explosives, I would have called you crazy. I had JROTC training, and briefly considered joining the army—mostly for college tuition. I wasn’t some Hurt Locker character. But then … the Rinian Galaxy had turned me into everything I didn’t think I was. If I was honest, I hadn’t realized what I was capable of as a person, human, woman until I arrived here, scared out of my mind.
Once I escaped from the clutches of my captors, I knew my purpose almost instantly—save other women. I’d been a social worker back home in Michigan, so my empathic gene for the lost and less fortunate was bigger than most. Every day on Earth, women went missing never to be heard from again, and now I knew why.
They ended up here.
I couldn’t do much to save the women already smuggled into this galaxy, but I could do my best to cripple the supply chain. If I made it too expensive for Frenz to steal humans, then he’d choose some other shitty way to make money.
Had I thought about killing Frenz? Sure. But I knew another Frenz would pop up in his place. As long as there was profit, there would be someone looking to earn that profit, even if it was on the backs of sentient human beings.
I grabbed the pack and untied the strips I’d ripped into the fabric. Inside held the supplies I needed to blast a cargo ship into pieces. I’d found the blue and pink putty on another station, sold in a black market alley full of shady creatures. Mash the two together to activate, and then all it needed was a blunt force, which I usually achieved by a well-aimed throw of a rock or other object. It was amazing how a small amount of putty could go a long way.
Did I know what it was made of?
No.
Could it be poisoning me every time I touched it?
Maybe.
But again, I wasn’t in it for the long haul here. What was the saying? I was here for a good time, not a long time. And a good time in this galaxy meant… lots of explosions. My goal was to do as much damage as possible. This planet had been my last stop—a hub of Frenz’s shipments—but I’d had to stash my supplies and flee when Frenz’s soldiers got close.
No way would Kaluma think I’d walk into the lion’s den. He’d probably search for me on all the small space stations and backwater planets.
Right?
Right. That made sense.
I tied the bundle again and slung it over my shoulder. Biting my lip, I considered my options. I could hide out here for the day, but I’d lose time. A lot of it. Or I’d travel as far as I could before the sun rose.
My destination? Frenz’s docks. Ruin those ships and he’d be crippled for months, maybe years. A long ass time, that was for sure. Cargo ships weren’t like cars. They weren’t easy to come by.
I took one step, my boots crunching on the dried grass under my feet when a quiet thud stopped me in my tracks. I whirled around, searching for any unwanted company. Had the owners of the farm found me? Was it just a rodent? I squinted in the dim light and dug into the pocket of my cloak for my knife. It was small, but sharp as fuck, and I had been practicing throwing it—
Suddenly I was swept off my feet. I landed on my back with an oomph as all the air left my lungs. I hacked and coughed amid the swirling dirt and dried vegetation. My fingers grasped my knife, but before I could pull it out of my pocket, strong fingers seized my wrist and squeezed so hard that my bones grate together. Still coughing, I cried out and tried to roll onto my stomach. Get off your back, Karina! My mind shouted at me, but my oxygen-starved lungs weren’t delivering the proper fuel to my brain.
A boot flipped me onto my stomach, but before I could scramble to my feet, my hands were wrenched behind my back and tied. I screamed out a hoarse plea but that was the only sound I was able to get out before a rope of fabric was slotted into my mouth and knotted at the back of my head. Flaring my nostrils to inhale as much air as I could, I flopped onto my butt to look up into the eyes of my captor.
Bright, fluorescent blue.
“Kaluma,” I muttered through my gag, so it came out more like “A-ooh-a.”
I shuffled until my back hit a wall, and I remained there, regret and despair flooding my bloodstream. My eyes pricked with tears. I’d been close. So, fucking close.
The giant Kaluma crouched on the balls of his feet in front of me, forearms resting on his thighs. He wore an open sleeveless vest, a pair of pants that seemed to shimmer silver in the low light, and large boots. His bat lay on the ground at his side.
His head cocked, and he studied me.
I tried not to lose my shit. He was huge. We were alone. I had no idea what kind of anatomy he had in his pants, and I was terrified he’d use it before handing me off to Frenz. I’d managed to keep my pants on all these years in this galaxy and I’d fight like hell to keep it that way.
While his face was fairly humanoid, his eyes were absolutely otherworldly, as well as the silvery sheen of his hair. The spikes on his shoulders seemed straight out of a Lady Gaga music video during her “Bad Romance” era.
For a while, he didn’t say anything, and then he huffed out a snort through his nostrils. “What a waste,” he muttered. He reached for me, and I tried to squirm away. When his hands tugged at my cloak, I began to scream in earnest and flail with my legs. With one hand, he held down my ankles and gave me a patronizing look. “Relax, human,” he said as if speaking to a child. “I’m checking you for weapons, so you don’t stab me in my sleep.”
He found my knife, which he kept. I glared at him for that. I’d cleaned an entire drinking establishment to earn the czens for that knife. It fit perfectly in my hand. Next, he claimed the rest of my money, shoved a half-eaten strip of jerky in his mouth, and then fingered my pendant. I shook my head violently, but he ignored me, twisting it this way and that before letting it drop back against my chest. “Did you get that on Rinian?” he asked.
I continued to glare at him.
He leaned close and gripped my chin. “You can answer this without speaking. Shake your head yes or no.”
Under protest, I shook my head no.
His eyes narrowed. “You brought it from Earth?”
I nodded.
Lines creased his forehead and his full lips turned down at the corners. “Huh,” he murmured. “That’s interesting.” For just a brief moment, what seemed like indecision flashed in those brilliant blue eyes before he shook his head with a jerk and began to twirl my knife with his thick fingers absentmindedly. “So, this is how your future is going to go. I’m going to deliver you to the Rinian Council to make you pay for the crimes you committed against your own species.”
I went still. The crimes I committed… The council… What the hell was he talking about?
“Do I give a yerk about humans? Not really. But I do care about loyalty. I’d do anything for my Kaluma. So, you, little human, in selling your own kind, represent the worst of the worst to me. Understand?”
No, I didn’t understand. Not at all. Selling my own kind? That wasn’t at all what I was doing. I began to shake my head frantically and tried to talk through the gag, but it was no use. My words came out gibberish and he seemed more amused by my distress than anything.
I wriggled and flailed. He only watched me before reaching out and running a calloused finger from my temple to the hinge of my jaw. I panted, sweat dripping down my back, more pissed off than anything. If only I could talk and explain. Maybe I could persuade him.
He picked up a lock of my hair and sifted it through his fingers. It’d been ages since I’d had a haircut and the length nearly reached my waist. “If I thought humans were attractive,” he said in a low voice that made me shiver, “then I’d probably consider you pretty.”
I stopped moving, captivated by the way his eyes burned as they focused on the pendant between my breasts. My stomach warmed, and my skin broke out in goosebumps. I couldn’t sort through my feelings. Was it terror? Anger? Why did I feel a warmth spreading to my lower belly? I couldn’t be turned on. Nothing about this was my kink.
Finally, his eyes drifted up to my face. He fluttered his lips as he rose to his feet, hauling me with him. “Good thing I don’t find humans attractive, then.” As he marched me forward, he continued to talk. “Why is your skin like this? Too delicate. Inefficient body temperature regulation. Terrible claws. Teeth that grind and mash rather than rip. Seriously, what are humans? What is your purpose?”
I kicked out and slammed my toe into his hard as hell calf. He barely let out a grunt, and all I got for the effort was a sharp stab of pain down through my foot. Gasping, I stumbled.
He let out a low chuckle. “Won’t try that again, will you? I appreciate the effort though.”
Seriously, I wanted this guy to die a slow death. I would have paid big money and maybe even my left arm to see that smirk wiped off his face. I glanced back. My pack of explosives remained behind. He hadn’t bothered to pick it up. All I had on me was my clothes and my pendant.
I forced myself to think as he led me across the dried grasses toward a small hover vehicle. He said he was taking me to the galaxy’s council. They’d have to let me talk then. I could tell them the truth. Plead my case. I had to begrudgingly respect this stupid Kaluma. He wasn’t some dumb assassin. He was more like a bounty hunter who thought he was doing the right thing. If I was who he thought I was, then I’d want me captured too.
Stay calm, Karina.He hadn’t hurt me yet. And the best news of all? Frenz hadn’t hired him. Maybe luck was on my side after all.
* * *
Bosa
She wasn’t pretty. Or attractive. I didn’t like her long, fluffy hair or pale, soft skin. The warmth in her eyes didn’t draw me in, and the rounded curves of her breasts and hips didn’t make me feel anything. Not at all.
She rode in the hover buggy beside me. I’d strapped her in, and while she sat uncomfortable with her hands behind her back, she hadn’t protested too much. In fact, she hadn’t protested much at all once I dug her out from her hiding spot. Was she planning something? I couldn’t imagine what. I never lost a mark once I got them. There was no way she’d get away from me now. The job was almost done, which meant I could get my czens, treat myself to a feast, and then buy some extra supplies to take back home. Gurla wanted some beads for jewelry, and the twins, Grego and Uthor, wanted a stone gaming set.
Originally when I’d agreed to be an assassin, I’d told Sherif, my pardux and friend, that I’d take any job as long as my mark wasn’t a juvenile. He’d refused, telling me I had to only take jobs from the Rinian Council to hunt down criminals. I’d given in because it didn’t really matter to me either way. Which was why the odd feeling that had been buzzing in my head and had now graduated to a pounding knock on my conscience pissed me the yerk off. The human deserved this, and even if she didn’t … it wasn’t my job to decide her punishment. The council would deal with her. Once I delivered her, my job was done, whether she was guilty of her crimes or not.
I gripped the wheel and focused on the drive. Her hair swirled around us, flicking against my skin, sending bolts of heat racing over my scales. It took me a moment to realize I was hard. As a rock. Just from the feel of her hair on me, and the scent of it surrounding us. The vurs on my shaft pulsed and my cock cap had already begun to flare. Soon, it would be visible through my pants, and the only way to take care of it would be to find release.
I couldn’t. I refused to come knowing this yerking human was the reason for my aroused state. What was wrong with me? I needed to find a mate back on Torin. Soon. Before I started finding something else attractive I shouldn’t. Like a Rogastix. I shuddered, which seemed to soften my cock somewhat. At least I wasn’t too far gone.
The sun had risen over the horizon, throwing a pink and orange glow on the human’s skin. I’d originally thought her skin without tone, but now I could see all the colors—the redness of her cheeks, the pinks of her lips, and the blue lines of her veins on her temples…
Oh, for yerk’s sake. I picked up her cloak and threw it over her head. She let out a squeak but otherwise remained silent and still. There, now her stupid skin and hair wouldn’t distract me. The job was what mattered. The czens. My home and my Kaluma. I wouldn’t risk any of that for one stupid little human. No matter how pretty she was.
“Yerk!” I shouted into the sky.
The human made a squeak of inquiry next to me.
“Leg cramp,” I shouted over the rushing of the wind. “Just be quiet.”
She settled down after that and seemed to doze off as we sped over the land. We weren’t far from the council’s headquarters, and I wondered why she came to Gorsich of all places. Maybe she figured this was the last place I’d look? Which was a fact, but then it had been easy to track down when she left and where she was going. I hadn’t had to hurt anyone, really. Usually just the sight of my stained bat was enough to loosen lips, and the one who aided her escape wasn’t any different. Everyone was a gangster until I showed up.
The sun was setting by the time I arrived at the gates of Haliya, the capital of Gorsich and home to the Rinian Council. No vehicles were allowed inside, so I parked the hover buggy in the mass lot outside, next to a few hover bikes and a carriage pulled by a peeved-looking trubis—a large, beaked, feathered animal with two strong, spurred legs.
I hauled the human out of the vehicle with her cloak still over her head. She stumbled and made a noise of protest I ignored. Her arm felt fragile in my grip, and I had to grit my teeth to prevent asking her if she was okay.
I didn’t care.
Why would I care?
Shedidn’t give a yerk if her fellow humans were well-cared for in this galaxy.
“You know what happens to the humans you bring here?” I growled at her. I flashed my council-issued badge at the detector at the gates. After a low-toned beep, they swung open.
She struggled in my grip and mumbled something through her gag.
“Nothing good happens,” I snapped at her. “Some species use them for breeding practice for their males, and trust me, that doesn’t end well for them. They’re experimented on, sold, and treated like property since you’re a terrible species with no defenses.”
She let out a growl, which seemed to perk up my yerking cock again.
“Who made you?” I hissed at her as we walked inside the walls. Buildings rose all around us, housing Rinian elite. “Whoever designed humans could have at least given you sharp teeth.”
I swore I could hear her try to snap her jaws at me. I nearly laughed. “I have claws. Teeth.” I jerked a thumb at my shoulder spikes. “Spikes.” I snorted. “And that’s not even the best part, I can also—”
“Kaluma!” A voice called out. I stopped short and turned around to find one of the council members, Garquin, standing with two guards behind him. Garquin was an Ubilque, a former tree-dwelling species. Silver-furred and hunchbacked, they could run on their four paws as well as upright. His head was shaped like a circle, and concave, so his eyes were almost always in shadow. He spoke from a series of three mouths beneath his neck, his lower lips protruding so he could scoop up grubs and insects.
I kept my grip on the human. She wriggled next to me enough so that the cloak fell from her head. When she caught sight of the Ubilque, her eyes went wide, and she went perfectly still.
I snatched the cloak from the ground and draped it over her shoulders.
I nodded at the Ubilque as his large head turned to the human. His mouths stretched into thin lines. “I see you’ve completed your job.”
“I have.”
He gestured toward the peaked tower of council building in the distance behind several rows of business buildings. “We are having some renovations done, so when we were notified of your entrance, I came to retrieve the human and take her directly to our cells to await trial.”
I glanced back at the building, but I couldn’t see any scaffolding. When I didn’t respond, Garquin stepped closer. “You can’t see the workers because of the other buildings blocking the view, but the front doors aren’t functional.”
I ignored the weird itch under my scales. “Where will I get payment?” I asked.
Immediately, he thrust forward a czen credit square. I took it from him and flicked the thin metal chip it to verify its authenticity. Not that I had any reason not to trust him, but this was out of the norm from the way I usually did things. Usually, the council deposited the czens directly to Gurla while I waited. Now, I’d have to take the credit square and get it converted into czens.
“My guards will take her off your hands,” he motioned to the helmeted Kulks behind him, who stepped forward in sync. I stared at their yellow eyes through the slits in their helmets. Related to the Ubilque, they were big, dumb, and strong. Decent guards, but no match for me.
When I didn’t immediately hand over the human, Garquin sat back on his haunches and rested his large front paws on his protruding stomach. “Did she cause you any problems?”
“None,” I answered.
His gazed settled on me in a way that turned my stomach. “I’m sure you’re eager to get back home.”
Home. That was why I was doing this, right? So why did I feel like I was doing something wrong handing her over to Garquin? I had to shake some sense into myself. She was a job. I got my payment. Get out and get home, Bosa. I swallowed heavily before looking down at the human. Her light brown eyes met mine, and a myriad of emotions swirled there. Fear, determination, regret. I jerked away with a low noise of irritation in my throat, shoved her at the Kulks. She tripped on her feet, but they caught her between the two of them. She shot me a glare over her shoulder.
“Perfect,” Garquin said. “Thank you for a job well done, as always.”
I nodded. “Get her into a building soon. Humans are allergic to the sun.” Garquin blinked at me in confusion, and I wanted to slap myself. Never had I cared about what happened to my mark after I turned them in. Clearing my throat, I bristled. “Just a human fact.”
“Right,” Garquin said slowly, like I was dumb yerk. “Thank you for that.”
I took one last look at the human, and then slipped my claw in the knot of the fabric at the back of her head. For some strange reason, I wanted the stupid ugly scarf. “This is mine.”
As it fluttered from her mouth, I snatched it into my hands. She stretched her jaw and licked her lips before scrunching her nose and narrowing her eyes at me. “You’re making a mistake, you dumb asshole.” Her voice rasped out, dry and cracked.
My spine snapped straight. “What?”
“The sun must be getting to her,” Garquin said with a cackle. “Let’s go.”
The Kulks hauled her past me, and I watched as they dragged her between them, her boots barely touching the ground. Garquin gave me a nod as he passed. “Good job, Kaluma.”
The last look I had of the human was her tossing that mane of hair and shouting something at me that was indecipherable as the wind swept it away before it reached my ears. Glancing down at my credit square, I forced myself not to think of her anymore. I was going home.
