The Alien’s Claim by Zoey Draven
Chapter Eight
Erin stood, frozen, watching the space that Jaxor had disappeared into. She listened to the gentle creaking of the cables as he descended until she could hear them no more.
Then her eyes flickered to the dark tunnel.
A part of her was in disbelief that he’d left her there. Alone. With those things such a short distance away. A part of her was hurt that he had, which was a ridiculous feeling in itself. Perhaps it was because she’d been jealous, hearing about the way her friends’ mates—Kate, Beks, Cecelia, Taylor, and newly Lainey—all doted on them, protected them, cherished them.
And there Jaxor was…threatening her, leaving her, glaring at her every moment he could, like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
Erin allowed the self-pity for only a handful of moments, wondering what it was about her that made others just not want to care.
First her father, then her mother…each leaving her in their own ways, letting her fend for herself in many ways.
She’d sworn to herself that the twins, Jake and Ellora, her half-siblings, would never know that feeling. Ever. She’d always fought for them, cared for them. They were her true family, the true loves of her life. And if she ever wanted to see them again, she had to get back to the Golden City. Away from the cold, surly male she’d found herself unwillingly tied to.
A crazy plan formed in her mind, dangerous and reckless. But maybe it was her only choice.
Swallowing, she realized the dried meat she’d eaten felt like a rock in her belly now that she considered what she’d have to do. She didn’t know how long Jaxor would be gone. To patrol, he’d said, whatever that meant.
She pushed off the heavy furs he’d placed on her shoulders and then padded over to the dark hole he’d descended into. At least now she knew what the pulley system was for. When she peered inside, it was so dark that she had to step away. She couldn’t see any light at the bottom and she no longer heard the mechanical creaking of the ropes as Jaxor lowered himself, though she saw the cables still moving. She didn’t know how far down it went but hopefully, she would never have to find out.
Drawing in a deep breath, she knew that she couldn’t waste this opportunity to be alone. She turned her gaze to the darkened tunnel where the hovercraft was parked…where those creatures lived.
Fire, she thought quickly. Jaxor had said to always keep the fires lit to keep them away and she swung her gaze around the empty base, searching for something she could use. Her eyes landed on a torch, propped against the crater wall nearest the tunnel entrance, and she snagged it quickly.
It was heavy and smooth in her hand. She brought it to the fire and dipped in the end, watching it spark to life almost immediately. Slowly, she walked back to the tunnel entrance, peering into the darkened depths, trying to remember how far back it went from the night before.
Erin’s heart was thudding an erratic rhythm in her chest, but she had to be quick. She didn’t want Jaxor to discover her gone or else he might never leave her alone again. And she needed him to leave her alone to do what she needed to do.
She thought of the twins and that was all it took for her feet to start moving down the tunnel entrance. The firelight illuminated every deep, dark crevice. Her breath hitched when she heard a slight hissing sound, only to realize a moment later it came from the torch in her white-knuckled grip.
Relax, she told herself. As long as the fires are lit.
The tunnel curved slightly and she pressed herself into the wall, peering around the darkened corner. Relief burst in her when she spied the hovercraft. It was parked just a handful of yards away. It looked like it had a spotlight on it from the grey light filtering in from above—the single, vertical entrance Jaxor had hurtled them into.
And next to it was the other tunnel. The one with the kekevir.
“Good,” she whispered, seeing that the sconces on the walls flanking it were still roaring brightly, no creatures to be seen—or heard. Gingerly, she stepped around the corner and propped her torch against the wall before sliding up to the hovercraft. Without making a sound, she pulled herself up onto the back end, her feet finding cool metal.
I can do this, can’t I?she questioned once she stood, once she walked to the control panel and peered down at the very alien technology.
Could Erin, a second-grade teacher from Northern California with a dizzying fear of heights and flying, learn to pilot an alien hovercraft and navigate a planet she’d never truly seen back to the Golden City, all without alerting Jaxor to her plans?
Thinking about it like that, her shoulders almost sagged in defeat before she ever even tried. But as she studied a silver pad on the console, a perfect square the size of a tablet screen and the color of brushed steel, she remembered the way Jaxor had piloted the sandcraft. He’d dragged the pads of three of his clawed fingertips over a very similar pad. When they’d veered, it had been because he’d made an arcing motion on it.
Shortly after Jaxor had kidnapped Erin and Crystal from the Golden City, they’d been skimming over the black sand desert in his sandcraft. They’d attempted to escape—a reckless plan, admittedly—by jumping off the back after lobbing a heavy sack at him. Jaxor had retrieved them laughably easily, but as punishment he’d made her stand in front of him at the console, her back to his front, surprisingly close given his obvious disdain for her now.
She’d watched his hands as he’d navigated the sandcraft because there’d been nothing better to do. But the question was whether the hovercraft would work in a similar way. It was like comparing driving a car to flying a plane, wasn’t it?
She blew out a small breath, her eyes flickering to the kekevir tunnel, making sure the sconces were still lit.
It was a risk she would have to take, wasn’t it? And while she wasn’t going to be piloting out of there that day, she could at least memorize the controls—the pad, the layout of the console, maybe even take the chance to see how to start it up before Jaxor returned.
She had to do something. She couldn’t just wait around, twiddling her thumbs.
Erin only wished that she’d paid more attention when Jaxor had piloted the hovercraft yesterday.
There were no buttons on the console, only clear blocks of a material that felt tacky to the touch when she skimmed her fingers over them. When she dared to press one of them with more force, the block grew warm to the touch and she suppressed a surprised cry when beams of blue light suddenly shone in front of her, outlining—she peered closer, frowning—terrain, it looked like. A map?
It certainly resembled one, but unlike any map she’d ever seen before. When she applied force to the clear block again, it disappeared.
Okay, the map button, she thought. Progress.
There were six clear blocks in total, three on each side of the silver pad. One down, five to go. Her finger hovered over the next one, just to the right. Inhaling a small breath, she pressed down before she lost her nerve…but nothing happened.
Then she moved on to the next. Again, nothing happened.
Moving to the ones on the opposite side of the silver pad, she pressed one—and then yelped when a rush of something coming from the front of the hovercraft whooshed her hair back. Her alarmed cry echoed around the tunnel and she held her breath, not daring to move, listening.
Her shoulders relaxed, though her heart still stuttered in her chest. A faint humming sound met her ears and she noticed that the air seemed to shimmer towards the front of the hovercraft. Lips parting, she lifted her hand to touch whatever it was and her fingers met slight resistance. It was the strangest sensation. When she pushed her hand farther through the shimmering air, it felt thick.
It’s some kind of shield,she realized excitedly, peering down at the block. A blue glow emanated from it and—
A familiar hissing shriek came from deep within the tunnel to her left.
A shiver raced up her spine, her blood chilling with the sound. She had no weapon, had nothing to defend herself with except for a torch.
Fool, fool, fool, she chided herself mentally, fumbling with the block, pressing it with force. There was a slight hiss and the shimmering in the air fell away, but Erin hardly noticed. She was already scrambling down from the hovercraft and snagging her torch.
She didn’t spare the kekevir tunnel a second glance as she ran back towards Jaxor’s base, her footsteps echoing as they slapped on the rocky floor. A biting pain registered when she felt something cut into the bottom of her left foot, but she bit her lip, ignoring it as she stumbled into the brightened clearing. Cold air whipped across her cheeks, unshielded by the rocky walls.
Her eyes alighted on the cave she’d slept in the night before, on the thick door that could offer protection just in case one of those things managed to slip past the protection of the fire sconces.
Hurriedly, she snuffed out the torch against the wall and propped it back into place, hoping Jaxor wouldn’t notice she’d used it. There was still no sign of him. Although, Erin had probably only left for five or ten minutes at most.
Racing towards the cave, scrambling up the makeshift staircase, she opened the door, slipped inside, and then sealed it behind her. Only when it was bolted did she relax, drawing in lungfuls of air. She stood there, listening, but after a few minutes of hearing nothing, she finally turned and sat at the back of the cave, her spine curving against the hardened, cool stone.
She felt a tingling pain and, remembering she’d cut her foot, she lifted it and inspected the bottom.
Wincing, she saw the cut wasn’t too deep, though there was a smear of blood across her sole.
“Shit,” she murmured, watching more well up. She hoped she hadn’t left a blood trail leading from the entrance tunnel for Jaxor to find.
There was a chest next to her that she’d snooped through the night before as Jaxor slept. Inside were supplies and rations…and weapons. Though, rummaging through it now, she saw that those were gone. Jaxor must’ve hidden them after the stunt she’d pulled last night.
There was, however, a skin of fresh water and strips of what she hoped was clean cloth. Rinsing her foot with the water, Erin gingerly wrapped her foot, knowing it was all she could do for it now.
She blew out a small breath, remembering the panel of the hovercraft console in her mind.
Far right is the map. Third from the left is a shield, she recited, swallowing.
Then, since there was nothing else to do, she waited for Jaxor to return.
