Hunted By The Alien Assassin by Ella Maven

Three

Karina

Kulks, the armored aliens who held me, were huge and strong. Their yellow eyes gave me the creeps. And the Ubilque behind me pounded the dirt with his large, booted paws.

Inside the gates, it was clear wealth existed here in spades. The buildings gleamed a bright white, almost like they were made of marble, and black opaque glass shimmered in the sun. Instead of small handmade stands of vendors, shops lined the street with wares on display outside—everything from jewelry to pelts to sweet treats. The species were varied, and I wondered if the council was also a diverse mix or if they were all Ubilques.

I focused on staying upright, and it wasn’t until we walked a little ways that I got my head together and tried to speak to the Ubilque over my shoulder. “How long before I speak to the council? There’s been a misunderstanding about what I do.”

The Ubilque didn’t answer. I frowned and lifted my head to gauge how close we were to the council building. The sun was beating down on my dark hair, nearly boiling my scalp. Except I didn’t see the council building’s peak. We were walking … away from it.

“Wait.” I began to squirm in the Kulks’ grips. “Where are we going?”

Again, no one answered my question, and I tugged harder. “Hello?” I ground out as I twisted at the waist to peer behind me. “What’s going on?”

Finally, the Ubilque lifted his head, but I couldn’t see his eyes very well beneath the dish-like rim of his skull. “Don’t worry about where we’re going.”

“What do you mean, don’t worry? I need to talk to the council and explain myself. I’m not trafficking my own kind, and I would have told that to the asshole back there, but he gagged me.”

“He wouldn’t have cared,” he said casually. “That’s why we hired him. No morals, that one.”

I didn’t really believe that. He’d been so … angry I’d betrayed my own species. But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t the one I needed to appeal to. “Okay, but the council will care.”

Finally, we came to a stop at a nondescript building in a narrow alley. After knocking on the door, the Ubilque turned to me. “They might care. But you won’t get a chance to talk to them.”

Fear slithered down my spine. “I’m sorry?”

The door swung open. Standing in the darkened doorway with a smarmy grin on his face was Frenz. “Hello, Karina,” he said with a chitter of his mandibles.

My stomach dropped, my blood thickened, and my heart pounded in my ears, drowning out everything but my own screams. Immediately another fucking gag was shoved into my mouth, and I was hauled into the building. Frenz’s guards, large Gattrix like him, picked me up with their front legs and skittered down the stairs. My head bounced against a hard thorax, and I was too stunned to cry. There was no council. No trial. I heard Frenz and the Ubilque talking, saw the exchange of credits just as we reached the bottom of the stairs. The Gattrix turned a corner, and my betrayer and captor were out of sight. Torches lit the dingy, damp stone walls, and a chill entered my blood that I had a feeling would never leave as long as I lived—which I predicted wouldn’t be much longer.

Tears pricked my eyes, for some reason I wished that stupid Kaluma was here. Something told me he’d care, no matter what the Ubilque said. But it didn’t matter now. He had his payment, and he was probably already on his way to his home planet, me all but forgotten.

I was tossed into a cell and the door slammed shut. The only visible light was through a small, barred window at the top of the door. A bolt slammed into place, followed by the sound of the Gattrix guards scurrying back up the stairs.

Voices drifted into my cell, too muffled for me to make out any words. I lay on my side where I’d been tossed. My hands were still tied behind my back, as they’d been all day, and my shoulders screamed. Shimmying until I found the sharp edge of a stone in the floor, I sawed at the rope for what felt like forever until I could snap the strands.

As soon as my hands were free, I tugged off the gag and let out a long groan of pain as I stretched my muscles. Rising onto my hip, I glanced around. In one corner of the cell was a small pitcher of water next to a grate, which I assumed was my only option for a toilet. Cool. Great. Although, to be fair, I’d had worse since arriving in this galaxy.

Other than that, there was no food. The Kaluma had fed me once, but I’d been so hungry I’d stuffed my face instead of talking to him, and as soon as I’d swallowed my last bite, he’d gagged me again. So, I wasn’t too hungry, but it wouldn’t be long before I’d need to eat. Would that tein bar he’d given me be my last meal? That was fucking depressing.

I sat with my back against the far wall, the dampness of the floor soaking through my pants. I still had my cloak, and I wrapped it around me like a blanket as I tucked my legs to my chest. It was only then, as I dropped my forehead to my knees, that I let myself cry. Alone in this dark cell, I sobbed out my fear. The only regret I had was not destroying every single one of Frenz’s cargo ships. If only…

Despair sank into my skin like a soaking rain. There was nothing I could do now. Hopefully Frenz would make my death quick. Or maybe this was it. I’d die here of thirst and starvation.

I swiped at my wet cheeks and blinked into the darkness. With the toe of my boot, I scraped the ground which was lit by the single square of light left by the door opening, feeling sorry for myself. I hadn’t made friends in this galaxy in all the years I’d been here. I had acquaintances. Partners. Allies. But never friends. It hadn’t bothered me before, but as I sat in this cell, loneliness wrapped its cold fingers around my throat and squeezed. What if I’d accepted my fate and tried to make good with my captors? What if I’d made friends?

I shook my head. No. No regrets. I’d made my choices knowing the consequences all along. Now I was facing them. Alone.

I crawled over to the pitcher in the corner and drank some water. Then I used the grate, as it’d been a while since I’d relieved my bladder. After that, I retreated to my corner and huddled there in a ball. Was I defeated? Absolutely. I had no weapons. No saviors. The creature who wanted me the deadest in this galaxy held the keys to my cell and my life in his insect pinchers.

I shuddered.

I hated all Gattrix. They were a cross between a giant ant and a lobster. Six legs, plus a pair of strong claws that could slice off my head. I’d had visions of boiling Frenz and then ripping off his big claw and dunking it in melted butter. Maybe that was sick. I giggled a little to myself, which quickly changed into more sobbing. I fisted my hands in my hair and let out a cry of frustration. I was losing it.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed. I thought I dozed off, but I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was my stomach was gnawing on itself, and my ass hurt from sitting on this floor. Which was probably the least of my problems, especially as I heard the telltale chittering of the Gattrix guards outside my door.

I pulled on my cloak and stood, remaining in the darkest corner of the cell. The door creaked open, and two guards stepped inside. Their beady eyes latched onto me immediately, because they could see in near darkness, the freaks. The ends of their legs were sticky and had tiny hooks, almost like burrs. They snatched the sleeves of my cloak and tugged me out of the cell.

They didn’t speak to me, but the excited clacking of their claws didn’t bode well for my future. They led me in the opposite direction from where I’d been bought in, so deeper into the bowels of wherever we were.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Not that I thought I’d get an answer.

“Freennzzzzz wants to see y-yooouuuu,” one guard stuttered.

The other snapped his claws near my face and then made a clicking sound in his throat I knew was laughter.

I didn’t want to see Frenz. I didn’t want him to snip off my limbs one by one with his blade, or beat me with his giant claws, or set me on fire…

Suddenly a thought occurred to me. The Gattrix exoskeleton was extremely flammable. I’d witnessed it firsthand when I’d lit up a cargo ship. Any nearby Gattrix that caught even a spark of fire went up in flames. The Kaluma’s thoughts on human design entered my mine. I wonder what he thought about the Gattrix’s weaknesses?

The guards holding me didn’t actually have a grasp on my arms—a mistake on their part. They held only my cloak, which was too large so I could slip out of it easily. If I could get my arms free and grab a torch on the wall, I might just be able to light up these Gattrix bitches and run like hell. Would I be caught? Maybe. If I fought hard enough and caused enough casualties, maybe Frenz would make the end of my life quicker. That was really my only hope now. Freedom was a distant dream.

The hallway was beginning to widen, which meant we were probably reaching some sort of underground cavern. Where Frenz likely was. I could see a light in the distance and could hear the distant murmurings of more Gattrix. Long shadows stretched out into the hall.

It was now or never. One… Two… Three.

I slipped my arms out of my cloak and ducked to a crouch. The guards didn’t even realize they no longer had hold of me until I rose behind them and snatched a torch off the wall. After shoving the flame into the thorax of one guard, I then slashed at the second one.

Immediately, they let out ear-piercing screeches and clicks as their bodies lit up like dry hay bales. The sound was deafening, and I stumbled back, falling onto my ass before recovering on a scramble. More screeches could be heard in the distance, followed by what sounded like an army of insect legs stampeding toward me.

Finding my feet, I took off at a dead run. I had no cloak, no protection, just a thin shirt, leather pants, and boots. My destination was the stairs, and my heart pounded in time with my feet. Suddenly, freedom didn’t seem so far away. At least, I’d get to see the sun again. I imagined Frenz had eyes all over this city if he was in league with the council, but maybe, just maybe, I’d find an ally—

Suddenly, I slammed into what felt like a brick wall. I heard the crunch of my nose right before I fell back onto my hip. Gasping for breath, I looked up. At first, I saw nothing, which made no sense. What the hell had I run into? Then, a series of clicks reached my ears, but not the sound of Gattrix. This was more … like a waterfall. Appearing before me, seemingly out of thin air, stood the Kaluma. He stood with his feet braced apart, his bat in one hand, his gaze leveled on me in pure anger.

Blood trickled from my nose, and I swiped at it as all hope quickly fled from my heart in one fell swoop. The ground shook with Gattrix running toward us from behind me. I was trapped. I wasn’t getting an ally. I felt like I had Deja vu I stared at the end of the bat and waited for it to swing.

Except it stayed still. Confused, I glanced behind me. The rest of the Gattrix were held up trying to put out the still flaming bodies of the guards, but it would only be a matter of time before they reached me. I could see Frenz through the flames, his mandibles spitting his venom irritant as his eyes promised me death.

I turned back to the Kaluma and stumbled to my feet. “Make it quick,” I spat at him.

He’d been watching the Gattrix as well, and now his gaze shifted to me. His fluorescent blue eyes narrowed. “Stupid human,” he muttered. “Let’s get out of here. Should have known better than to trust the council.”

My knees buckled, and I would have hit the floor if he didn’t grab me and haul me into his arms.

* * *

Bosa

The human weighed next to nothing. How had I not noticed that before? Or maybe I had noticed and had been trying not to feel sorry for her. Red blood trickled from her nostrils to stain her lips and drip off her chin.

I took one last took at Frenz before bolting away. I’d watched the human take out the guards with a sick sense of pride, and she’d been fast as she sprinted away, but the Gattrix would have caught her. But she was with me now, and my speed was five times hers. I took the stairs three at a time before bursting out into the alley. I couldn’t blank with her, so this would be a race in the shadows. Luckily, it was night, so I could at least remain undetected from most of the eyes in this city.

I hadn’t realized how deep the corruption in this city ran. After leaving the human with the Ubilque, I’d grown increasingly suspicious. As much as home called me, the truth called me more. There had been something not right about the situation, and once I began to do some digging, I’d overhead a conversation with Garquin and his guards. That was when I found out the truth—the human wasn’t a betrayer of her own people. She had escaped from Frenz, and he was determined to get her back and make an example out of her. I’d delivered her right into his hands.

As I ran crouched along the wall of the city, I cursed my conscience. I hadn’t thought I had one, but my current situation would prove otherwise.

The human ran next to me, perfectly quiet and compliant. I doubted she trusted me, but she was smart enough to know I was her only option now. Still, I predicted she’d take every opportunity to stab me in the neck. Not that I blamed her.

Yerk, I cursed to myself, suddenly remembering how I’d gagged her and tied her up and then dropped her off in Frenz’s hands… I shuddered. Nearly unforgivable. More guilt settled on my shoulders like a too-tight war fur. I’d get this human to safety and then get back to jobs I liked. Jobs where I could maim evil creatures without feeling like I was doing something wrong. Having a conscience was the worst.

I knew the Gattrix would be after me, but I also knew they wouldn’t find us. Frenz wasn’t that powerful. He might have paid off Garquin to get the human, but he didn’t have control of the whole city and its security.

Plus, I knew it all. Being able to blank and go undetected did wonders for finding out secrets. It was how I learned about the human’s truth.

I’d hid a hover buggy outside the city in an abandoned storage facility. The human balked when I led her into the darkness, but I pulled her along, easily strong enough to drag her if I had to. I hauled her into my lap and turned on the buggy, not wasting my breath to explain anything because there wasn’t time. We had to get somewhere safe, and good thing the human had me, because I knew just where to go.

Nomera was a forested area of Gorsich that was protected from development—mostly because the orhanus ruled that forest. They were an intelligent species with wicked archery skills and their own language that couldn’t be translated by any device. One thing they liked? Anything shiny. As long as I brought them gifts and left their females and young alone, they let me stay unmolested.

Living in the trees was where I felt comfortable. While Gorsich didn’t have the large fungus pads we built our huts on in Torin, the Nomera forest was full of massive, thick pukua trunks.

After parking the hover buggy in a small ditch and covering it with leaves, I led the human deep into the forest to my hideout. She was exhausted now, stumbling over her feet, and panting for breath. A sheen of sweat shone on her pale skin, and her cheeks looked less colorful than they’d been when I’d first seen her. Did she need feeding and watering? I didn’t dare stop though. If she needed something, then she had to speak up. I wasn’t a mind reader. I tugged her along harshly, irritated at myself for caring, and she slammed into my back before righting herself.

When we reached the base of my pukua tree, I hauled her onto my shoulders. She let out a small moan and weakly batted at me, but I was already halfway up the trunk. The branch where my hideout sat was as thick as my torso and flat. It spanned out into a series of smaller branches and that was where I’d fashioned a makeshift hut of leaves and vines.

From the ground, it faded into the foliage of the tree, making it nearly undetectable to everyone but the orhanus. I listened for their familiar whoops and whirls, as they would have seen me enter. They would come sniffing around eventually, looking for payment and wondering about the creature in my arms.

I dropped her on the bed pallet, and she immediately sprang back up onto her feet. Except her strength was nearly gone, and she tripped over her own feet before righting herself and plastering her back against the wall. The whites of her eyes were visible around her brown irises as she darted them around the space. I stood with my hands on my hips, watching her.

Her throat worked as she swallowed, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse. “Where are we?”

“My home away from home.”

I tried to envision the space from her eyes. Dust covered the floor in a thin layer, and a few insects buzzed around our heads. Also … I sniffed. Something was decaying somewhere, but it wasn’t my problem, so I ignored it.

The human, however, looked terrified out of her mind, which irked me. I’d rescued her, and now she was viewing my place with disgust?

I kicked at the bed pallet with a sneer. “I apologize if it’s not up to your standards, but I suggest not being picky about it. Staying here is better than getting boiled alive by Gattrix venom.”

She wrapped her thin arms around herself and trembled. “Oh God.”

I knelt and rooted in a basket where I kept dried meats, nuts, and berries. But instead of food I found…the source of decay. Picking the rodent up by its tail, I held it up in front of my face. “Well, now I know why it stinks in here.”

The human’s skin turned a sickly shade, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. I tossed it through a small break in the vines and wrinkled my nose at the basket contents. “We’re not eating anything in here.” I squinted at the human. “Are you hungry?”

She shook her head quickly.

I scratched my stomach. “I could eat. Maybe I should have kept that rodent and fried it up. Looked kind of scrawny though.”

A gagging sound came from the female.

I swiped my hands together and stood up. I unclipped my water canteen from my belt and tossed it at her. She fumbled it before grasping the neck and unscrewing the cap. She kept her gaze on me the entire time she drank, which I found unnecessary. When she finally lowered the canteen, water dripped from her chin, which she swiped with the back of her hand. “What are you going to do with me?”

I snatched the canteen back from her, which only made her cower further against the wall. “Not boil you with Gattrix venom.” I took a long swig of water as her gaze drifted to my bat leaning against the vine wall near the doorway. I jerked my chin toward it. “I’m not going to swing Babe at you either.”

“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered. “Of course, you named it.”

I pointed to the scarf I had knotted on my belt. “I could gag you again.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, and I saw the fire that had been there when we’d first met. I liked it. “I’ll pass.”

The threat was empty. Now that she was speaking, I found I liked conversing with her. I sank down into a chair in the corner and stretched out my legs in front of me with a groan.

She slowly dropped onto the bed pallet but kept her wary eyes on me. “Why am I here?”

I yawned. “Why are any of us here? What’s the purpose of life? Is there a higher power?”

“You’re really annoying,” she muttered.

“Gag,” I reminded her.

She let out a small growl that made my vurs pulse. “What are you going to do with me?”

I eyed her thoughtfully. I’d always been a little impulsive, but this might have been the most spontaneous decision I’d ever made. I preferred being alone, and if I were to have company, I certainly only wanted fellow Kaluma. But the human’s presence in my space… I found I didn’t hate it.

“I’m not sure yet,” I answered with smirk. “Convince me of your skills, and I’ll decide if I’m going to keep you or not.”