Alien Mate (Zerconian Warriors Book 3) (12 page)

“I believe you can convince Dex to stay and I am willing to give you whatever you wish to achieve this.”

Drawing her legs up to her chest, Zoey rested her forehead on her bent knees. “Really? So you’ll stop throwing other women at Dex? You’ll cease trying to get me to leave him? No more bribes, threats, or bullying?”

“Yes, to all those things. I will attempt to accept you as Dex’s mate. If you can get him to stay.”

Zoey stared up at her, blinking as her vision blurred. She really needed some sleep. Nausea bubbled in her stomach and a headache throbbed in her temples.

With a sigh, she leaned back against the wall behind her. Rastian was still working on his tablet while Stinky had slumped back on the arm chair, asleep.

“I can’t promise anything, but I will talk to him.” She was still uneasy about Dex leaving Zerconia for good. Yes, she’d left her home behind to be with him. But what had she really given up? A career that was going nowhere and a few friends.

Dex would be leaving behind much, much more.

But whatever he decided, she would stand behind him. His happiness was what really mattered.

“If that is the best you can do—”

“It is.”

“Very well.”

Liula turned and grabbed hold of the wardrobe doors, opening them. “What is this?” She stepped back, sounding shocked.

Christ. What now?

Tiredly, she climbed to her feet and stumbled over. “What is—oh shit.”

Zoey gaped at the wardrobe that wasn’t really a wardrobe at all but more of a storage cupboard. Inside, hanging from the walls of the cupboard, were an assortment of whips, paddles, and canes. She pulled open a drawer. Inside were a collection of handcuffs. The next drawer down held some silken scarfs.

“Is this a torture chamber?” Liula asked, her gaze wide.

Zoey shut the wardrobe doors and turned to scowl at Rastian. “Of a sort. Was this the only room available?”

Rastian had the grace to look embarrassed. “I believe the owner placed us in my employer’s usual room.”

She should have guessed.

Dex, please get here soon.

“Get away from me, you disgusting little creature.”

Zoey silently groaned. Could she pretend to still be asleep?

A loud slapping noise made her flinch then Stinky said something in a clearly angry voice.

Nope, she guessed not.

Zoey sat up with a yawn, pulling herself onto her feet. She swayed slightly but managed to find her balance after a moment. How long had she been asleep?

“What’s going on?” she asked, glancing over to see that Rastian had positioned himself between Stinky and Liula, who were glaring at each other.

“I woke up to find him pawing my breast!” Liula pointed at Stinky like there was any doubt who would be pawing at her.

Zoey scowled at them both. “It’s probably the only breast he’s touched that he didn’t have to pay for or that didn’t come out of a bucket of chicken.”

“He touched me without permission. I demand he be punished.”

“Off with his head!” Zoey ran a finger over her neck.

“That might be a bit harsh,” Liula relented.

Zoey strode over to Stinky, breathing through her mouth as she grew closer. Was his stench actually starting to enter her pores? “Listen, buddy. She’s not your type. She’s not inflatable. If you want to get laid, then crawl up a chicken’s ass and wait. Got it?”

Rastian turned to her. “Would you like me to translate that?”

“I’m tired, hungry, and really grumpy. My patience is at an end. So the three of you need to tread carefully.”

She pointed at Stinky. “You, leave my mother-in-law alone. Rastian, contact Dex again. I need to know where he is.”

Please let him be close; she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

As Rastian moved over to his communicator, there was a loud banging on the door and a female stepped inside. Her blue-tinged skin and long, lizard-like neck, coupled with her three eyes proclaimed her to be a Beaton.

She spoke a few words with a slight hiss. Rastian nodded.

“We must leave. They have found us.”

“What? How?” Liula asked.

“No time for questions, let’s go.” As they ran out of the room, they could hear angry voices from the floor below then the sound of someone stomping up the stairs. The female who had come to warn them beckoned them down the hall.

Stinky must be a really good customer if they were willing to help them out this much. The female led them down another set of stairs, through the kitchen, and out into a back alley.

“Come, this way,” Rastian said and raced off, Stinky once more on his back. As they rounded the corner onto the street, he came to a sudden stop. Zoey slammed into him, falling back onto the ground.

She winced as she scraped the palms of her hands on the hard ground.

“What are you do…oh shit.” She trailed off as she glanced around Rastian to find the slave trader who had bought them scowling at them furiously. Beside him stood the woman who had shown them into the whore house.

“Looks like they’ve been chatting,” she stated as Liula helped her to her feet.

Glancing behind them, she saw two of the slave trader’s guards step up behind them, surrounding them.

“What do we do?” Liula whispered. “Should we yell for help?”

“I don’t think there’s much of that going around,” Zoey answered as the guards moved in. One guard reached out and grabbed her arm roughly. Zoey kicked out at him, screaming in anger. She attempted to fight, bringing her knee up between his legs. Nothing. Who the hell knew whether his balls were even there? Supposing he even had some.

Nearly two feet taller than her and outweighing her by probably two hundred pounds, she knew she had little chance of fighting her way free. But damned if she was going to go down without at least trying. She hadn’t gotten so close to freedom just to wrap herself up in a bow and give herself over like a present.

“Let her go.”

The voice didn’t penetrate her panic-stricken mind for a long moment. Not until she was dropped unceremoniously on the ground—damn, she was going to be so covered in bruises people would think black and blue was her actual skin tone—and she found herself looking up into Boris’s face.

No, it wasn’t Boris. Boris didn’t talk. And this guy had green eyes, not purple. It was his twin. Except the guy next to Boris’s twin looked like him as well. Triplets? Okay, was she seeing things because there were a lot of guys that looked eerily similar to Boris surrounding them.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Sometimes we’re a nightmare. But right now, we’re your saviors.”

“Right. Glad we cleared that up. Nightmare and savior. I feel so much better now that I know exactly who you are.”

He ignored her, turning away to talk to the slave trader who was actually backing away, his hands held out in supplication.

Huh? Did the slave trader know these guys? Because he was acting frightened.

Not-Boris said something and the other man stopped moving and nodded. Suddenly Not-Boris grabbed Stinky, pulling him off Rastian’s back and throwing him over to the slave trader. Not an easy feat. Stinky might be short, but he was hefty and Not-Boris had just flung him through the air like he was a tennis ball.

“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked as one of the slave trader’s men grabbed Stinky, flinging him over his back.

“He cheated the slave trader.”

“Maybe, but he’s a slave trader. He’s scum. You can’t just hand Stinky over.”

“Stinky?”

“Yeah, you know, because he smells like he bathed in a dead, rotting carcass then rolled around in decaying vegetation to dry off. Surely you can smell him?”

“Slave trading is legal on Locali. He has a legitimate claim.”

She didn’t like Stinky. He was grabby, smelly, and a cheat. But he had saved her.

“You can’t let him take him. I owe him.”

“Let him go, Zoelle,” Liula interjected. “He is not worth your angst.”

“Please,” she begged Not-Boris. “I will owe you one.”

“Owe me one what?”

“A favor. I will owe you a favor.”

“You will be in my debt?”

She nodded and he turned to speak to one of his companions in his own language. It was beautiful, lilting. Almost mesmerizing. When he turned back, Zoey had to shake her head to get herself to concentrate.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Kian will retrieve him and return him to you. What about him?” He nodded at Rastian.

Zoey sighed. “He’s with us too.”

He nodded. “Come with us.”

“Sure, why not? Let’s see where the night takes us. Surely it can’t get any worse.”

As dawn broke, Zoey, Liula, and Rastian were escorted into a large, underground bunker. It was cool and surprisingly clean with a few chairs down one end and a tiny kitchen and dining table at the other end.

“Nice place you have here. Minimalist.”

“These are temporary lodgings,” Not-Boris replied. “We do not require much. Please sit.”

She sat on the hard bench seat and Liula sat beside her. “You will be richly rewarded for coming to our aid,” Liula stated. “But please tell us who you are.”

Their rescuer sat and turned to Zoey, ignoring Liula entirely. Zoey bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

“You said I remind you of another male.”

“Yes, I thought you were twins except you have different eyes and your face is a bit rounder than his is.”

“Oh, that is who they look like,” Liula stated. “That crippled male that follows you around.”

“He is not crippled,” she defended.

“Crippled?” he asked.

“What is your name?” she asked.

He frowned. “My name is Klaran. You describe our lost brother yet his name is not Boris.”

“Oh, that’s just what I called him when he wouldn’t tell me his name. He’s your brother?”

“We are not related by blood. But we claim each other as family.”

She felt the same way about Giz. And Boris. She didn’t know what she would do if he chose to go with these guys.

“You all look the same, though.”

“Outsiders struggle to tell people of our race apart,” he told her.

“He doesn’t say anything,” Liula interjected. “He is mute. And crippled. His left arm is useless. Why my son allows him to guard his mate, I cannot understand.”

“Boris is an excellent bodyguard!” Zoey scowled at Liula. “Don’t listen to her.”

“He is injured?” Klaran asked.

She frowned. “Yes, we’re not sure how, but his left arm no longer works properly and he has scars on his face and body.”

Klaran looked up at his companions. They were silent yet she got the weird feeling they were communicating with each other. She shrugged, putting it down to lack of sleep.

“Is that a problem?” she asked.

“You owe us a debt. We demand that you return our brother to us.”

“I can’t just hand him over like he’s a pet or something. Boris goes where he wants to go.”

“He is not your slave?” Klaran looked surprised.

“Of course not! I don’t own him.”

“Then why has he not returned to us?”

“How the hell would I know? Maybe ‘cause you guys have some phobia about scars.”

“We have no phobia. We are his family. He should be with us. Where is he? We must retrieve him.”

“I think he’s on his way here. With my mate. They are coming to rescue us.”

Klaran nodded. “Then we will wait.”

“Do you have a communicator or something? How else will they find us?” she asked.

“Kruz will find us.”

Boris’s name was Kruz. Somehow that didn’t suit him at all.

***

“Dex?” Thor asked. “Are you certain we should be following Boris? The last communication we had said they were over the other side of the city.”

“I know, but Boris wants us to go this way.” And in his gut he trusted the other male. Especially when it came to Zoey.

“How do you know?” Koran asked. “When he does not speak?”

“I know.” Boris had a way of getting his point across.

Stars, he hated this planet. It was boiling hot during the day and freezing cold at night.

Boris came to a stop and glanced around him. The street was deserted, everyone taking a nap in the scorching heat of the day. Boris waved them forward. They followed him into what looked to be an abandoned building. There was no glass in the windows, the inside was empty and dark, and the smell of rotting garbage told him no one had lived here for a while.

“Boris? Where are you taking us?” Dex asked.

Boris disappeared into the black shadows and Dex swore under his breath as he, Thor, and Koran attempted to follow. He gestured to Torex to wait outside.

They moved through the building and Dex wondered if Boris was leading them astray. Then he spotted him up ahead.

“Boris. What are we—?” He came to a stop as he spied another male just beyond Boris, who looked like his double.

“One of you is Dexanon Xa’an?” the other male asked in perfect Standard.

“I am.” Dex stepped forward.

“Come with me. We have your mate.” He pulled up a hidden trapdoor and climbed down. Dex followed him down, tense, unsure what to really expect. As he stepped into a large room, a figure flew at him, her red gold hair flying behind her.

Zoey.

Dex grasped her close, holding her tight. He dug his face into her neck, just breathing her in as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

She shook in his arms. He didn’t know if he imagined it, but she felt lighter. More fragile.

Someone cleared their throat. He ignored them; Koran and Thor would have his back. He had despaired of ever holding her like this again. They could all wait.

“Dexanon, this is unseemly,” his mother said disapprovingly.

Zoey moved and he held her tighter. “Don’t even think about moving.”

“I stink,” she told him.

“I do not care.” He looked up, studying his surroundings, searching out any threats. The room was dark and cool. Besides his mother, a large, thin male sat on a bench, a male troll sat next to him.

Around the room stood seven other males. All of them looked remarkably like Boris.

“Someone needs to explain what is going on.”

***

Zoey looked up at Dex as he paced the dark room. She’d just finished telling him everything that had happened, with some help from Liula. Part way through, Dex had placed her gently down and started to pace. His face could have been carved from marble for all the emotion it showed, but she could sense his fury through their bond.

Dex turned to Klaran. “I owe you a debt for rescuing my mate and mother.”

“He wants Boris, ahh, I mean Kruz. They’re brothers. Sort of. But I explained that Kruz makes his own decisions.”

“Do you know why he doesn’t speak?” Dex asked Klaran.