The Alien’s Reward by Luna Kingsley
Chapter 26
Sarah
“We should befine to head back to the base. Everything is quiet now,” Vah’all says. “Unfortunately, you’re going to have to put your wet clothes back on, but it won’t be for long.”
I’m still trying to process the flood of emotions coursing through me. The most noticeable and nagging thought is that I don’t know if I want to leave Vah’all anymore. That was the plan all along, to find a ship and get to Nedruinia. Vah’all wanted me to stay with him from the beginning, but I was never really on board with that. I went along with it while we figured everything else out. Now my feelings have changed but it’s no longer safe for me to be here. So, I don’t know where that leaves us.
I snap out of my daze and pull my clothes back on. He’s right, it is quiet now. The sounds of the guns firing, and the explosions ended a while ago. We just haven’t been in a hurry to get moving.
“Did the others make it back to the compound safely?” My question comes a little late, but we were preoccupied with other things before this.
“I turned off my comms unit so I could hear if anyone was approaching. I’ll check in with Stux’an once we’re in the air. My brothers are reliable, though. You have nothing to worry about with your friends.”
“I know.” My answer comes without thought because I trust him. How could I not after he’s shown me multiple times that I can count on him?
As soon as I’m dressed, Vah’all grabs onto me and lifts off into the sky. Even though we’ve done this a few times, it’s hard to imagine ever getting used to this feeling. It’s freedom in the purest form. The only way it could be better is if I had my own set of wings. We enter the dark sky like thieves, glancing all around us to make sure we’re alone.
“This feels strange. Too quiet and empty.”
Vah’all agrees with a deep rumble in his chest. He’s alert, on edge and I’m counting down the minutes until we reach the mountain pass. After a moment, another voice comes through his comms unit.
“There you are. We’ve got you on radar, brother. Happy to know you’re okay.” Drocrek’s voice cuts through the quiet of the night.
“We were forced to take a detour, but we’ll reach the pass in ten minutes. Did the other women make it back safely?”
“They’re all accounted for except for yours.”
“I’ve got her.”
“We assumed.” Drocrek’s amused chuckle sounds out of place in the quiet night sky around us.
“Are the skies clear around the perimeter?”
“It’s all quiet now. We’ll expect to see you soon.”
My friends are safe, just like he promised they would be. “You have some sort of strong hold now? Somewhere you’re safe and won’t be attacked?”
“Our military base as well as the outlying lands surrounding it. We’ve formed a solid perimeter that basically divides Bameh in half. Once we cross the mountain pass, they’re all allies.”
“This must have been developing for a while. It’s nice to think you’d do all of this for the four of us, but there must be more to it.”
Vah’all slows. We’re still flying but it’s more like a carefree glide while he holds me, as if time could stop for a little while and give us this moment together. “Many of us began to question the strict laws of the elders but the way the council is set up, we were always outvoted to change the archaic ways.”
“The council initially voted to allow us to stay. It sounds like there’s other influential factors that also hold power.”
“Exactly. Nothing changes and if we continue on this path, it’ll lead to our extinction.”
“Or unethical practices like using females against their will as surrogates for your future young.”
This reminder produces a growl from him. “They’ve gone too far. I was ready to suffer the consequences for you but wasn’t expecting so many of my warrior brothers to do the same. But their hearts are pure and good. I should’ve known they’d stand beside me when I needed them to.”
“You’re one of the good ones, Vah’all. I can see that now too.”
It isn’t the time or the place, but I steal a kiss in this secret moment where the two of us drift in the sky twisted together like one. I slide my tongue past his lips, seeking the guidance of his firm stroke. His hand presses into my ass, fixing me against his growing bulge. I break away flushed and disoriented. “This is crazy,” I say, laughing at my brazenness. “I can’t make out with you while we’re floating mid-air.”
He brushes his fingers across my cheek and smiles. “You’re right. We shouldn’t linger out here. But I like having you all to myself.”
After another few seconds holding me in a close embrace, we fly toward the mountain pass. Vah’all’s body heat is keeping the chill of the night away. So, after the reassurance from Drocrek that the skies are clear, I take a deep breath and force myself to relax. My friends are safe and before long, we’ll join them at the compound.
A breeze rustles my hair, a hint of smoke and something metallic still lingering from the conflict hours earlier. The outline of the mountain pass rises ahead of us, the jagged peaks illuminated by the stars. Memories of sitting in the spaceship right before we crashed flood my mind. Everything held a touch of magic because it was unlike anything I’d seen before.
“Vah’all! Incoming—” Drocrek’s voice cuts into the quiet night sending fear straight to my gut. Before we have a chance to react, Vah’all is struck from the side, sending both of us spiraling out of control. After a few seconds he straightens, but we take another hit. I’m clinging to him like a spider monkey while my head whips around to try to get an idea of what’s coming at us. There’s a pack of aliens surrounding us—above, below, behind. From the little I know about flying, we’re trapped.
Vah’all surprises me, though, because he has tricks and abilities I didn’t consider. Even though he’s at a disadvantage because he needs to hold onto me while fighting off our pursuers, he’s excellent at evasive maneuvers. We’re spinning and twisting, dropping and changing directions all while I start suffering from a serious case of motion sickness. While I’m silently wishing this would end, Vah’all makes a sudden, strangled sound. Time slows, our eyes lock and we start to drop. Unlike his movements before, there’s nothing smooth or graceful about this. He’s struggling to hold me, struggling to keep us from plummeting into the rocks below and all I can do is hope he’s not injured too badly.
“Hold onto me, Sarah. I need to let you go for a moment.” I’m already clinging to him like my life depends on it when he flips onto his back so I’m resting against his stomach. He pulls his weapon and fires while I bury my head into the crook of his neck. It could be my imagination but his body trembles beneath me, as if he’s using the last of his strength to keep us in the air. And I don’t know what to do to help. Once again someone I love is in the fight for his life and I’m a useless bystander. I’m not equipped to help him fight and until he lands, I can’t help him with his injuries.
Our impact is painful when we finally land. We’re outside of the perimeter, not at the mountains, yet. But the ground is rocky with sporadic patches of tall grass growing in between. Vah’all takes the brunt of the hit, his body curled around me to protect me when we finally land. We’re wedged between two rocks but need to move to find better protection before we’re found again. Vah’all isn’t moving, though. The fear of his injuries being more than I can handle freezes me in place. I should be doing something, but my mind is scrambled, and everything blurs in and out of focus.
Finally, I give myself the mental slap needed to focus. Bending over Vah’all’s body, a quick assessment shows he’s conscious but bleeding from multiple wounds. “First things first, we need to hide, Vah’all. They’re going to be looking for us.” I already know it’s a lost cause to try to move his body on my own, but it doesn’t ease the panic that swells in my chest knowing we could be discovered at any moment. “Let’s try to move behind the rocks. Can you signal Drocrek for help?”
“Comms on,” he says, his voice weak. “He’ll track us.”
“Okay. We still need to move, Vah’all. We’re out in the open and I can’t protect you.”
I scoop my arms under his body, but he doesn’t have the strength to lift himself up. After a pained cry, he falls back to the ground, thudding hard against the rocks. My hands slip through the pooling blood as I hurry to help him. We lack supplies but even if I had what I needed, it’s my emotions that are clouding my judgment and making it impossible for me to think clearly. The pressure of our situation settles on my shoulders but where I had hoped to have the strength to weather the storm, the weight of it begins to crush me.
Vah’all isn’t moving anymore. His eyes are closed while I kneel next to him, tears streaming down my face. Rough hands eventually grab me, trying to haul me away from him and there’s nothing I can do to fight it.
I’ve failed him.