Protected By The Alien Bodyguard by Ella Maven

Three

Mouse

“Smell it,” he said, holding the fungus flat on his palm.

I leaned down and sniffed deeply, closing my eyes as I sorted through my memories. “Coffee.”

He cocked his head as he popped one of them in his mouth and chewed. “What’s that?”

“A drink. It’s black and bitter.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Sounds like medicine.”

“It’s not,” I laughed. “Well, it sort of is. It’s medicine I used to take every morning to wake me up.”

“How did that work?”

“It had a natural stimulant in it. I was hooked on it.”

He frowned. “That’s not good. Don’t rely on a substance like that.”

That only made me laugh harder. “But the smell is divine. I used to have people order the coffee scent from me when they didn’t even drink coffee.”

“What was your best-selling smell?” he asked.

“An original concoction. I called it Star-Crossed, and it was a spicy vanilla with some secret ingredients.”

“What were the secret ingredients?”

“I can’t tell you.”

With a playful growl, he plucked me off my seat and plopped me in his lap. His lips touched mine and I smelled it again—Star-Crossed.

* * *

I woke up with a jerk, the scent lingering in my nose, and my head spinning with weird visions I couldn’t place. Me blowing out a tiny flame flickering near a window while picking off small dots of a waxy material from my hands and a wooden table. Outside the window had been a large tree with tri-shaped leaves. Tall yellow flowers that stretched to the sky. Was that… was that my home?

But that scent. That scent had been there. And also here. That scent was his—Cravus’s. But that didn’t make sense. I wished I could understand him. He knew what I was—human—and maybe he knew where I was from, and how I got here. Could I go home? Would I even remember it if I was there?

In addition to the scent, I felt achy between my legs, and my breasts were heavy. Beneath the fabric I’d once again wrapped around my chest, my nipples were peaked and hard. What was this feeling, and why did I get it whenever I thought of him—the bronze warrior? Cravus.

In my dream, he’d kissed me. I’d known who I was. What I’d done in my previous life. And I’d been happy. The hollow feeling I’d had in my chest since waking up in a cage suddenly felt a little fuller.

Underneath the blanket he’d given me, I’d dressed again in my chest wrap and short pants. I stared down at them, trying to remember anything else I’d worn on my body. In my dream, I’d been… in a very long shirt that was cinched at the waist. Low cut on my breasts. I’d felt pretty. Alive. And like I wanted more of Cravus’s kisses. What would he think if he knew I was having these dreams about him?

Even now, I wondered if he thought I was a burden and what he thought the future would entail. Maybe I should let him off the hook and tell him I’d leave once he got back. He’d only been hired to protect me during the caravan, and now here he was, stuck with me just because he’d clobbered something that had tried to snatch me.

I hit my head a few times with the heel of my palm, trying to jog something loose in there. I didn’t know where I was, so how would I survive on my own with Skags? Anxiety began to set in, and my mind whirled with fleeting images which I couldn’t decipher. Were they from the past, the present, the future?

By the time I heard footsteps crashing through the trees nearby, I was losing it a bit, terrified of what was to come, and unsure how to protect myself or who to trust. When Cravus burst into the clearing lining the stream holding a bloodied thing over his shoulder, I screamed so loud I nearly toppled into the water.

He dropped his dead prey with a thud and rushed toward me, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be approached. All I could see were the thick hands which had hurt me. Slapped me. Locked me in a cage. “No!” I shouted at him, scuttling away while Skags squawked with fright. “No, no, no. Please. Don’t touch. Just…”

He spoke words, but I didn’t understand them. They were kind and placating, but not much was penetrating the fog of my fear. Why couldn’t I get a handle on myself? My brain was fracturing into pieces as I whirled around, looking for an escape route—

Hands grabbed me, and I screamed again, and again, but the hands didn’t let up. I was pressed to a firm, warm chest, held there with a soft, yet unyielding grip. I couldn’t get away. My pieces had no way to fracture more. I could only remain in that position, breathing hard, heart pounding, as the broken bits of me slowly knitted back together.

My lungs seemed to let out an exhaustive breath and then calmed. I became aware of my surroundings again. The gentle babbling of the stream. The quiet rustling of the leaves in the breeze. Skags sniffing at my legs. And a big bronze warrior cradling me in his arms like I was precious. He spoke, and while I couldn’t understand the words, I was lulled by the rumbling deep tone and the vibration of his chest. My hands came up and I gripped his biceps. “So-sorry,” I gasped.

His hands flexed, an acknowledgement of my apology. But he didn’t let go or act irritated at my freak out. He stayed calm. In control.

I’d been so confident in my ability to leave, but now I realized how very much not equipped I was to handle all this strangeness on my own. I felt like a helpless newborn.

“I was going to leave,” I explained, speaking softly into his chest. “So, I didn’t burden you.”

His hands tightened a moment before he held me out at arm’s length and speared me with an intense gaze. He shook his head vehemently and uttered out one word fiercely which I took to mean, no. There was no point arguing, because he immediately turned and began to tend to the dead animal.

I stood there, shivering for a moment, warring with myself on whether I should push the issue or let it go. And part of me felt like I was a little too trusting of him, but everything about him called to me. He showed up in my dreams, kissing me and taking care of me. Would my mind really be that wrong about someone? Could I even trust myself?

I sat down, and Skags crawled in my lap, wet from his swim. I smoothed my hands down his wiry coat as he wriggled and sought to get comfortable. While Cravus had been gone, before I fell asleep, I’d managed to make the blanket he’d given me into a garment with a hood that made me feel more protected. For now, I pushed it off my head, running my hand over my short hair. It felt so good to have a clean scalp. Plucking at some flowers nearby, I fiddled with them while Cravus worked. He skinned the animal and cut off hunks of red meat. After that he made a small fire and slid strips of the meat onto sticks to cook it.

The smell filled the air, and I inhaled deeply. The smoke tickled my nose, and I sneezed just as an image hit me. Outdoors standing barefoot on green grass. A flowery fabric swirling around my legs. A female who looked like me stood nearby, her belly swollen and round. Everyone was laughing, and nearby a man—a human male—holding a cooking utensil stood over a big black square that smoked. And that smoke… it was similiar to what Cravus was cooking.

In a flash, the image was gone, and I wanted it back. I’d been happy there. Incredibly happy. Hopeful.

Cravus made a sound, and I came back to the present. His gaze was on my lap, and I looked down to see that I’d woven the stems of the flowers together in a circle. I stared at it a moment, unsure what I’d done, when my hands lifted of their own accord, and I placed the ring on my head. The flowers tickled my scalp and forehead, and I shimmied my shoulders at the feel, a small laugh escaping me.

“I don’t know what this is, but my fingers did it on their own,” I murmured. I went to take off the ring of flowers, but Cravus stopped me with a gentle touch on my palm. I stared at him, but his gaze was on my head before he finally met my eyes. “Toke sirrup,” he said, then tilted his lips in a soft smile.

Of course, I didn’t know what he meant, but he seemed to be telling me to leave it. And that smile… it caused that ache in my lower belly that I’d had in my dream. Right before he’d kissed me. A heated warmth that made me shift my legs. He inhaled sharply, and his pupils dilated a moment before he turned away from me quickly. He poked at the meat on the stick, almost viciously.

His profile was strong and powerful with a broad straight nose, full lips, and square jaw. The spikes on his shoulders looked wicked. I reached out to touch one, and the tip wasn’t razor-sharp to the touch, but I was sure it could do some damage with a little force. This was clearly an alien species meant to battle and fight. I wondered where the rest of his family was.

Were we close?

Would he take me to them?

I hated not being able to ask him questions. Well, I could ask him questions, but I wasn’t getting detailed answers. Skags had fallen asleep on my lap, and I scratched his ears.

For my own sake, I had to ask one question, and I hoped the answer was easy. “Can I trust you with my safety?”

He went still and then slowly turned on the balls of his feet where he crouched near the fire. The flames flickered in his fluorescent eyes before he gave me one firm nod.

And that had to be enough. He could have been lying, but my heart told me he wasn’t.

* * *

Cravus

She seemed ready to take flight at any moment, whether it was to run away or fly into pieces. The tears and trembles, I could handle. But if she ran… what right did I have to chase her? Sure, I wouldn’t get paid for this job, but as far as the Rinian Council was concerned, I was dead. And so was she.

I had no intention of delivering her to the council, not now I knew she was a human, even though I trusted the council. They had assured us that they’d ousted the council member—a Ubilque named Garquin—responsible for selling out Karina to her former captor. This transport was one of their amends, they said, in an effort to slow the trafficking so rampant in the Rinian Galaxy.

But this had gone all wrong. This female wasn’t like Karina, who’d managed to live on her own in the galaxy for several cycles while disguising herself. This human as vulnerable, innocent, and unaware of all the dangers. She had no memory.

When I’d killed the buril for our dinner, I’d first traveled back to the scene of the ambush. There had still been wreckage of the hover truck and the platform trailer. While most everything had been burned, I’d managed to recover a few first aid supplies and a few pieces of spare clothing for the female.

I watched her eat her meat, chewing hungrily and making small happy noises in her throat. The sound of her light laughter when she dropped the crown of blooms on her head would ring in my ears forever. Her fingers had worked deftly, quickly. She knew how to braid, even if she didn’t remember how she knew.

“Bloom,” I murmured.

She glanced up, tilting her head in a question as she paused mid-chew.

I plucked a bloom from the ground and pointed at the petals before pointing against her. “Bloom.”

She blinked, and then resumed chewing. “Bloom.” She jabbed her thumb at her chest.

That name fit her. I nodded, and a smile spread across her face. Her cheeks warmed. “I like.”

“Me too,” I said.

* * *

I didn’t want to stay where we were for too long. I couldn’t be sure there weren’t more roving bands of Gattrix looking for us. We needed supplies, more food, and most importantly—a way for Bloom and me to communicate. As determined as I was to take her home with me, I wanted to explain and at least give her some sort of choice, when she clearly hadn’t had one in a long time.

I packed up our things, and Bloom understood quickly we needed to leave. I watched her as she moved with agile steps. I wondered what she did on Earth, who she was loved by. I imagined a lot of people missed her—I could already tell her instincts were to care for others.

She’d saved my life, and she’d taken the turret under her wing, who clearly adored her. She talked to Skags often, and always shared her food to make sure he was well taken care of. I’d even seen her fashion a little brush out of a plant bur to tug through his fur.

Before taking on this mission, I’d studied a map of Gorsich closely. I couldn’t be sure of our exact location, but I had a general idea and where we were and where we needed to go. We traveled through the wooded area, using the trees as cover.

It took most of the rotation, and we stopped frequently for breaks, as Bloom had been in a cage for a long time and wasn’t used to walking this much. But she trudged on, committed to traveling on her own even though I offered to carry her on my back. I was thankful she had shoes, although they were council-issued—flat without much sole. On a few of our stops, she took them off and rubbed at white blisters on her small toes.

I knew we were close when the trees began to thin out, and hills rose on either side of us. When I saw the smoke of cooking fires floating above us, I sighed with relief.

Virzhat was less a town and more a place to hide, a series of tents and primitive structures nestled into the valley between the craggy cliffs of two mountains that had decided to get close, but not too close.

The terrain was nearly impossible to get to, the plant life was minimal, and it made sense why the ones who lived here chose this place—no one would come here willingly. Or even unwillingly. The Rinian Council probably left it alone as long as the residents kept quiet.

And it was the one place I knew I could show my face and obtain goods without drawing too much attention. Sure, I could blank, but I had to communicate to get what I needed, and that wasn’t possible camouflaged. Also, I had Bloom and Skags with me, so blanking wouldn’t do our group any good.

I could tell Bloom was tiring from our trek. She was skinny, without much muscle, probably from her time spent in a cage. I wondered what she looked like when she was healthy. I imagined round hips, and fuller breasts. Not that I had any opinion about the shape of her body, but I knew that the weight she carried right now was not enough, not even close, not when I could see her ribs and her muscle tone was too soft from her confinement.

Still, she kept up as best as she could. When we started down the dirt path toward the center of town, she stuffed Slags in her cloak, and pulled up her hood until only the lower half of her face was visible. I pushed up the fabric around her neck, effectively hiding her appearance. I hoped most would practice discretion at a place like this, but I couldn’t be too careful.

Usually, vendors flew flags to identify their species, but in Virzhat the scraps of fabric were solid nondescript colors only advertising their wares. They lined the entrance and called out to us in barked tones to check out their stalls. For a small settlement, the center of town was surprisingly busy. We drew attention as newcomers, and I tried to settle some nerves with a purchase. I had a few czens in my pockets, so I bought Bloom and I some fruits. She nibbled on a fleshy rishel while I finished mine in a few bites. While walking, I surveyed the place for someone who seemed to be comfortable here, a long-time resident, someone who knew things.

There was an odd collection of species here, but most of them were not a predatory species or warriors. Most were similar to what I saw in the cages transported to the Rinian Council—peaceful animals and sentient species who were easily manipulated and exploited. This was a hideout for them, a new start, and I could already tell my size and the weapon strapped to my back were not welcome.

I walked by a small building where a Uripon stood outside. A few others surrounded him, chatting in low tones, but when I drew closer, they scattered. He remained, watching me closer, his gaze shifting to Bloom as his horizontal pupils lengthened. He didn’t seem scared of me though, which was a good thing.

I stopped in front of him, and he clicked his beak at me, but otherwise remained still. Uripons were a nervous type, with hooves, greasy feathers, and a small skull.

“A Kaluma. A Kaluma. Well, I’ll be. A Kaluma. Haven’t seen one in ages.” He twittered the two sets of wings that grew from his back and ruffled his head plume at a nearby lurker. “Hey Rip, remember that big one that came through, oh, what was that, ten cycles ago? Yeah, yeah, you big ones. A Kaluma. Not a Drixonian. Not a Rogastix. A Kaluma.”

“You’ve seen one?” That got my attention. The only Kaluma I knew that had been off planet was… I shook my head. No way.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Hmmmm. Maybe not. Maybe that wasn’t a Kaluma. You are. But not him. Maybe not.”

Bloom shifted closer to me, maybe unsure of his strange speech patterns.

“Have you been here long?” I asked him.

“Been here long? I’ve been here since the Gattrix raids. Remember those, Rip? The Gattrix raids.” He ruffled his plume again, and a ripple went down his back. “Nasty stuff, those raids. Nasty.”

I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but Gattrix were a nasty insect-like species with a hard thorax and a venomous spit. Karina still bore a scar on her shoulder from one.

“Is there anyone here good with tech?” I asked slowly. “I’m looking for some comms possibly. Maybe a navigator.” I didn’t want any of that, but I also didn’t want to let on about what I actually needed.

“Tech? Ah tech. We all need tech. Navigator is good. Hard traveling out here. Don’t get many new ones. Mostly by word of mouth. Word of mouth to those that need us. Don’t like newcomers a lot, especially big ones with weapons.” He fluttered his wings with a clicked beak.

“Just looking to speak to someone about tech. Then we’ll be gone. We are peaceful.” I held my hands up, palms out, but I knew what I was and what I looked like. The Uripon didn’t look too convinced.

Suddenly the Rip lurker spoke up. “He’s got some. He’s the one to ask.”

“Who?” I said to him.

“Go away,” shouted the first Uripon, and Rip ducked out of sight. “Telling everyone his business. That’s his business. Not your business. His business.”

“Who?” I asked him this time.

The Uripon let out an angry squawk. “If you hurt, we hurt you. We have weapons. We can defend. Hurt you, big warrior. And this little one too.”

“I won’t hurt anyone,” I insisted.

He went into a series of annoyed shudders and trembles before pointing with a wingtip to a small, closed tent near the back edge of the settlement. “There. He has tech. Tons. But he can be nasty. Yells. Don’t mess. Don’t mess and don’t hurt.”

“No mess. No hurt.” I gave him a nod in deference for his help. “Thank you.”

I began to walk, nudging Bloom to fall in step beside me as the Uripon called after us. “No hurt and no mess!”

“He’s loud,” Bloom murmured. “And kept making the same noises over and over again.”

“They repeat themselves a lot,” I said, even though I knew she wouldn’t understand me. I hoped this he had a translator implant. I wanted to talk to Bloom more than anything.

The tent was quiet, a slight breeze flapping the edges of the stained, ripped fabric. Through a small slit, I saw movement inside, but when I pulled back the edge and stepped in, Bloom on my heels, no one was there. I gripped Bloom’s shoulder tightly in case we had to bolt. The tent was full of tables of dusty tech and wires. Something sparked on a tarp, and I got the impression the owner of this tent had just been working on it. “Hello?”

There was a moment of silence, and then a deep voice spoke from somewhere above me. “What do you want?”

There was something about the tone that didn’t seem… right. It didn’t seem… alive. I glanced around until I spotted a square structure in the corner of the back of the tent. The sound had been coming from there. Where was the tent’s owner?

“I want—”

From behind sounded a loud thump followed by a clatter. I turned to find Bloom had tripped over a wire on the floor and in doing so, her hood had fallen off and her face scarf had slipped down to her neck. She stared up at me with wide eyes as I pulled her to her feet and shoved the hood down back over her face. I whirled around, studying the tent, looking for any threats.

A second too late, I heard the click of laser gun cocking a second before a different voice—way different—growled from the back of the tent. “Don’t move.”

A figure appeared in the shadows of the tent, wearing a pair of pants, knee-high boots, and a tight shirt that stretched across her chest. The female, unmistakably human, wore a band to keep her full, dark curly hair off her face, and her skin was a few shades darker than Bloom’s. The laser gun she held in her hand didn’t waver, not once, and her full lips were pressed together while her brown eyes fired hatred at me.

She spoke again, the weapon trained on me. “The human stays here and you leave. Your other choice is a laser hole in your forehead. You decide because I don’t really care.”