Protected By The Alien Bodyguard by Ella Maven

Five

Bloom

That felt like a trick question. How could I know what I wanted when I didn’t even know myself?

Cravus dropped his gaze to the floor, but I could see the tightness in his jaw. Zuri’s moved with quick jerks, which made me think she was irritated. “Are you annoyed with me?” I asked her.

She paused in the middle of scooping some sort of brown mash on my plate. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. “No, I’m not annoyed with you.”

“Are you annoyed with Cravus?”

Zuri let out a short laugh. “No, I’m not annoyed with him either. I’m pissed about what happened to you. I hate that you don’t have your memories. Mine are all that keep me going on this planet…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I only want you to be happy. And if you stayed with me, maybe I could help you regain some memories. Or maybe not. But I’d try.”

She handed Cravus a plate, which he took without looking at her. Skags got his own little dish full of meat, which he munched on happily. I took a bite of the brown mash and found the taste pleasant.

“I wouldn’t be a burden to you?” I asked Zuri.

“No, honey. You wouldn’t be.”

“And if I decided to go with Cravus, would you be disappointed?”

Zuri reached out and squeezed my hand. “No, as long as it’s your decision.”

I took another bite and eyed Cravus, who had nearly cleared his plate already. His head was bent, and his shoulders were tensed. One thing I hadn’t told Cravus yet was that every time he appeared in my dreams, he told me that he knew who I was. He knew my name. And even though they were just dreams… they were so real, which made me believe if anyone could help me regain my memories, it was him. While I felt safe with Zuri, Cravus felt like home.

“Am I a burden to you?” I asked him.

His head shot up and he frowned. “Are you speaking to me?”

I nodded, and the blue of his eyes glowed fiercely. “Have I made you feel like you’re a burden?”

“No, but—”

“I’d like you to come with me, Bloom. I know your dreams might be just dreams to you, but to us Kaluma, it means something that I appear in them while you sleep. I want to take you to my home. There is another human female there with her Kaluma mate. I know I can take care of you there and keep you safe.”

Zuri hadn’t let go of my hand. She squeezed it again, and when I met her eyes, I expected to see disdain or censure, but all I got was a nod of understanding. “You choose what feels right,” she urged.

I felt horrible leaving Zuri, but the thought of Cravus walking out of this settlement without me sent my heart racing in a panic. “I have to go,” I whispered as tears pricked the back of my eyes. “I have to go with him. I feel like that’s what’s right. My dreams… They mean something. I know it.”

Zuri wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I understand. And I’m glad you got to make your choice.”

“You can come with us—”

Zuri was already shaking her head with a smile. “I don’t think Cravus wants me to tagging along.”

My spine snapped straight in indignation. “He won’t mind.”

Cravus looked like he did, in fact, mind very much but he kept his mouth shut. Smart guy.

Zuri laughed. “He would mind, but even if he didn’t, I have made a name and purpose for myself on this planet, and here is where I will stay.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. Just know that if you’re ever on Gorsich, you can always count on me for help. I’m known as Hack, so just ask around for me.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

“Does that offer extend to me?” Cravus asked her with a slight smirk.

Zuri sniffed haughtily and poked at her food. “I guess so. But only in reparation for shooting you.”

Cravus smiled at me, and I held back a giggle. “I accept those reparations.”

“Well, that was all I was offering,” she muttered without looking at him.

This time, a laugh burst out of me, startling Skags. Zuri, her head still bent, smiled to herself.

* * *

We took a day to get some rest and eat. While Zuri had plenty of food stores, Cravus used some of his czens to purchase more supplies from a few vendors to replenish what we used. Zuri explained more about how she made a living, and I was amazed at her resourcefulness. While she didn’t talk much about how she came to this galaxy, she found a way to stay alive and support herself.

Known as Hack among the refugees of the planet, she supplied translation implants, comm devices, weapons, and anything else needed among the exploited species trying to return home or stay alive. Wanted by the Rinian Council, she moved around a lot, and said she would have to move from her current settlement soon.

She was adamant she didn’t want to return home with us, that she served a purpose here and wanted to fulfill it, no matter how dangerous it was.

We decided to leave the settlement when it was dark, so we sat in Zuri’s tent enjoying one last meal while we waited for the sun to go down. Zuri was telling a story about how she’d been nearly hijacked by a squad of Gattrix when Cravus, who was picking through a pile of what looked like junk on one of her tables, let out a bark of surprise.

Expression fierce, he thrust his hand in Zuri’s face. Between his fingers, he held a discolored disk. “Where did you get this?”

Zuri blinked at him. “Uh, not sure. I get all kinds of scrap from the occupants of this settlement in exchange for food. That’s a pile I haven’t sorted through yet. Why?”

His chest heaved, and I instinctively pressed a palm to his chest in an effort to calm him. His eyes lost a little of their scary glow when my fingers brushed his scales. Still, his teeth were gritted when he spoke again. “This is…” he pointed to his mangled ear. “My comm to home. I thought I lost it when I was shot during the transport ambush.”

Zuri studied him closely. “Your comm?”

“It was installed in my earlobe before it was shot off.”

She blew out a whistle. “That’s an unlucky shot.”

He studied it, pressing on it delicately before spitting out a curse. “It’s damaged.” He sank down in his chair. “If I could get a hold of them, they’d arrange passage home for us.”

Zuri held out her hand. “If it’s possible to be salvaged, I’m the one to do it. Hand it over and I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

Cravus

Zuri settled a pair of magnifying glasses on her nose, turned on a light, and bent over a desk with the disk in front of her. She fiddled for a while, muttering to herself in a low voice while I watched her every move, feeling like I was going to come out of my skin.

Bloom drifted closer, until she settled onto her knees at my feet with her chest pressed against my calf. She seemed to like that position, and every time she looked up at me with those green eyes, a part of my soul settled. I ran a hand over her hair, wondering how Bosa felt when he realized he’d found his linyx. I was still unsure Bloom was my mate, but I couldn’t deny her visuls or the way she made me feel. So much of how we chose our mates was instinct, and all of mine were acutely attuned to her.

She folded her hands on my knee and propped her chin on them. “Tell me about your home.”

I knew what she was doing—taking my mind off Zuri tinkering with the comm device. While I still planned to get home without it, getting direction from Gurla or Bosa would make my mission a lot easier.

“Home,” I blew out a breath and closed my eyes. I could almost smell the popular weed the warriors liked to smoke. I could feel the weight of the tools in my hands as I worked in my weapons workshop. And I could see my friends—brash Bosa, too serious Sherif, and Karina’s smile. My father, whose mind was failing him, yet still greeted me with a proud smile every day. The twins Grego and Uthor who I’d promised new weapons to when I returned.

“We are in a rebuilding period as our previous pardux nearly drove us to extinction. It’s a long story but he went a little mad and forced all the females into a harem with him.”

Zuri was listening, because I heard her let out a little growl.

“It was a dark time for us. But when he was defeated by one of our allies, his son took over—Sherif—who is a childhood friend of mine. He’s…” I could feel the smile on my face. “A good leader. Fair. He was always meant to rule. While the effects of our former pardux’s rule can still be felt, we’re trying to rebuild. We have crops and livestock and live in the trees. The stars shine bright through the leaves. I miss the smell of the stream near our settlement and the laughter of the females. I miss Gurla who always snuck me treats because I’m her favorite other than her two mates.”

Bloom let out a small hum, and I opened my eyes to see her smiling up at me. “That sounds nice. What’s the other human woman like?”

“Karina is tough. She puts up with Bosa’s mouth, which runs a lot.”

“You think she’d like me?”

I cupped Bloom’s cheek. “She will absolutely like you.”

Her skin warmed my palm, and I both felt and heard the intake of her breath as she stared up at me with an expression that was quickly shifting from contentment to something more urgent. More heated. Her pupils flared, and I caught a whiff of her scent, that warm spice I’d first encountered when she’d been caged.

My cock pressed against the front of my pants, eager to play with the pretty human at my feet. And unless I was mistaken, she was aroused too.

She shifted on her knees, swallowing thickly just as her gaze dipped to my groin. Her eyes went wide, fear leaching into the lust, as she backed up slightly. I quickly bent over to cover the bulge. I reached for her and hated the way she flinched. “Bloom, it’s not… just ignore it.” What did I say to her? How did I make her see I wouldn’t hurt or force anything on her, most of all myself?

Her chest heaved, and I tried again, “Bloom—”

Suddenly a crackle rent the air, and Zuri let out a whoop of triumph. Fiddling with the knob of a machine in front of her, she beckoned me over. “The speaker on your comm is shot, but I hooked it up to this external one, and it should work…”

She tongued the corner of her lip as she concentrated. I strode over to her table, Bloom at my heels, to see she’d all but dissected my comm device.

More crackling filled the tent, and then a distinct voice filtered through the scratching noise. “Cra—us?”

The sound of my garbled name in Gurla’s voice made my legs weak. “It’s me. There was an ambush. I was shot and have recovered and missed the shuttle. How can I get transport home?”

For a moment, there was nothing but a staticky silence. I clenched my fists. “Can she hear me?” I asked Zuri.

“I think so,” she murmured, fiddling again with the knob just as Gurla’s voice came back. “Thank… so worried… didn’t hear from you…” A male’s voice boomed in the background, unmistakably Bosa’s, and it was a little hysterical. Gurla said something indecipherable, seemingly to him and then spoke again louder. “…compromised. Whatever you do… go to Council. I repeat… go to Council. Wait for… passage.”

The ambush made me concerned about moles in the council, but if Gurla confirmed they were still the safe option, I trusted her. “Go to the council?”

Her next few words were garbled before they became clearer again. “…Council. Be safe… home.”

The comm device sent out a spark, nearly singing Zuri’s arm, before falling completely silent. “Yerk!” I shouted, pounding my fist on the table.

Zuri worked with the comm more, but finally threw her hands in the air and tossed her glasses on the table. “I’m sorry. It’s done. Beyond all hope. Maybe I could fix this with a ton more supplies and about five days.”

I shook my head. “No, we don’t have that kind of time. We need to get moving now. Gurla said to go to the Rinian Council, so that’s where we’ll go.”

Zuri didn’t look convinced. “You think they can help?”

“We work for them. I was hired by them for this job, and it nearly killed me. The least they can do is get me home,” I grumbled.

“What about her?” she jerked her chin toward Bloom.

“They had rescued her from traffickers, so they’ll be happy she’s alive.” I didn’t want to say the next words, but they might be a good option. “Do you want to stay with Zuri until I can come get you?”

She shook her head immediately. “No, I’ll come with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive, Cravus. What if you need help? Who will save you?”

I opened my mouth to tell her I would save myself, but then I realized she’d already kept me alive twice. Maybe I did need her as much as she needed me. I nodded. “Okay then. Sun is down, so it’s time to go. We have a journey ahead of us.”