Her Alien Abductor (Aegarian Saga) (2 page)

Another splash of water to the face and Besh replaced his helmet and walked back into the large main space of the café.

When he returned, the woman was back to serve the men cold water, lemonade and sandwiches. Besh noticed some of the men had started to unlatch their helmets so they could dig in before the woman had left, endangering their upper hand, the fear these people had of them in full gear. If they saw the faces underneath, the fear might subside. 

“Halt! Do not take off your gear!” As he rushed toward the tables, the scent hit him again and almost overpowered him. He pulled for all his strength, hoping he could make it across the room without falling, and grabbed the woman by the arm to escort her back to the kitchens so his men could eat unhindered. As soon as he closed his gloved hand around her upper arm, his cock became painfully erect.

Damn … there was no way this human female could do this … no way possible this was Daya N’goul
. But only finding his mate could make his body react in this way, and it couldn’t be explained away now by heat exhaustion. The heat was not giving him an erection.

He needed time for his brain to function, which wasn’t easy with all the blood draining to his lower half. He needed to get away from her. Shoving her through the door to the kitchen, he spat, “I will call for you when we are done. Stay in here until that point. Don’t come out.”

Her chocolate brown eyes opened even wider at his tone, and tears began to collect there. The last thing he needed right now was a weeping woman, especially when he was contemplating what he was contemplating.

Stalking from the swinging door which was the only thing between him and this woman, he nodded to Dar to close the heavy curtains gathered at each side of the window. Once they were hidden, he allowed his men to take off the helmets and enjoy their respite. The sighs of pleasure the men let out after freeing their heads from the hot gear echoed through the room as Besh grabbed Dar and pulled him to the lavatory.

“Did anyone else experience
that
?”

“No, sir, I don’t even know what
that
you are talking about was. I’ve checked with the men, and no one else has smelled the odor or felt drugged. Should we head back to camp to let a wi’ mia check you over for heat exhaustion?”

“Yes, we should head back.” He paused, shaking his head, unable to believe what he was about to say. “I think there is a possibility it is Daya N’goul. Have two of the men subdue the woman in the kitchen, drug her so she will not resist and bring her back to the ship. Let’s try not to make a scene in this town by having a screaming woman on our hands. I don’t want to create panic in the people here for abducting one of their own. But if we don’t take her, I may not find her again so easily.”

“Sir? I know I said it sounded like Daya N’goul … but…?”

“But? What?” Besh turned and glared at his second, not being in the mood to have his orders second-guessed.

“Sir? She
is
human. A human can’t be the cause. It must be the heat. Are you sure you want to do this and give these Earthlings a reason to fight us? She may become the martyr they need, a rallying cause to join together and rebel against us. This female could be the beginning of the end.” Dar looked beseechingly into the eyes of his Captain.

“Until I get back to camp I don’t know what to think. If she is drugged and taken in secrecy, no one will know but our warriors. The townspeople will have only rumor and hearsay. They can’t have a martyr if they don’t know for certain what happened to the woman.”

“But, sir … if she is gone, they will know it was us. You’re only giving them the opening they need.”

Besh stepped close to his second in command. “I want her with us when we return. If it is heat, we release her and nothing is amiss. She will not be mistreated in our care, so make sure the men take great strides in being gentle with her. Do I make myself clear?”

“Sir … I know it is not my place … but … what if it isn’t the heat? What if it truly is Daya N’goul? What will you do with her then? You can’t Join with anyone but an Aegarian woman, so what would be the point? You know of the factions in the Empire that are already anti-human. This would be the perfect opportunity for them to exploit their propaganda.”

“Dar, be glad you were my brother’s best friend. If it weren’t for that, I would have your head for questioning my commands.” Besh softened a little at the quick remembrance of the pain of losing his brother. “I will have to decide what becomes of her if it is Daya N’goul. And the decision is none of your concern. I am fully aware of the anti-human factions, as it seems your father wants to lead the pack.”

Dar blushed lightly, the embarrassment his father caused him evident on his face. “Of course,
sir
. I meant no offense. I just wanted to make sure you had thought this through, especially if you aren’t yourself at the moment.”

“I know you meant no harm. Which is why you are still standing before me, but do as I wish. Subdue her, wrap her in linens, and have a man carry her over his shoulder back to the meeting point. I will decide what happens after.”

“Yes, sir.”

****

Kaya awoke lying in a bed that wasn’t hers. She jumped from the sheets, only to find she was nude. Grabbing the abandoned sheets, she wrapped them around her body as she rose to inspect her surroundings and attempted to clear her head.

She dug through her hazy brain trying to find the last thing she remembered. The alien warriors. They had come to her café, and the last thing she recalled was two of the soldiers approaching her and grabbing her arms.

She had been abducted.

Why me?
Where the hell am I?

Studying the room around her, she found she was quite alone. The initial step to figuring out how she could get herself home was to figure out exactly where she was in the first place. The room was large, larger than her whole entire house. The ceilings were at least fifteen feet high, and the space could have been used for a ballroom versus a room to hold her captive in. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
If this is how they hold captives, what do they sleep in?

The large canopied bed she had been sleeping in was outsized and round, at least ten feet in diameter, and placed squarely in the center of the room. It was covered in a fabric which felt softer than silk. She had never felt something this soft in her life and the sheets covering her body were like heaven itself. The walls were a soft cream color, also covered in a soft fabric. There were enormous pillows gracing the floor everywhere she looked, all of them large enough to sit and snuggle into. One whole wall was graced with glass doors, open to a large outdoor area. Once she walked outside, she was greeted with an outdoor half-canopied living area with handsome furniture. There were heavy wooden chairs and tables as well as more of the large silken pillows in every shade of the rainbow gracing the floor.

Over the balcony railing, she spied a village of people below, all going about their day. She saw what seemed to be bakers and butchers as well as farmers selling their produce. Women with small children rushed through the market area purchasing this and that for their households. It was like something from another age, an old-time marketplace, yet something was not quite right with what she saw. The people looked a little odd. Different. She could not put her finger on it, but there was something about these people that was not quite …
human
?

Walking back into the bedroom area, she tried to determine if there was a way out of this luxurious jail cell. She opened the many doors in the room, finding a bathroom, a dressing area off the bathroom, and closet after closet. Another door opened to a completely barren room with no windows and no decor. Just as she was about to explore her last chance to find escape, the door opened before she could grasp the handle. She jumped in surprise, only to find an extremely tall woman standing in the opening, apparently just as surprised to find her so close.

“Pardon me, my lady. I am here to attend to you,” said the meek looking woman standing in front of her. Kaya found it odd she looked so submissive when the woman was easily six inches taller than she.

“Attend to me?”

“Bathe you, dress you, prepare you for your tutor.”

“My tutor? What is it I am going to be tutored in?”

“Why, your education in the ritual of Daya N’goul, of course.”

“Die a na ghoul?”

“Yes, Daya N’goul … and you will learn soon enough, I am not trained to be your teacher. Come, we must ready you, as your tutor will be here momentarily.” The woman clutched her arm and tugged her toward the bathing area. Kaya pulled her hand from the woman’s grasp. “Wait, I have a lot of questions. To start, what is going on here? Who are you? Why am I held captive and what
education
am I to receive? I’m not interested in being brainwashed, so you can tell my
teacher
I’m not interested.”

The woman just smiled dazedly at her. And it infuriated Kaya even more.

“What the hell is going on? I want to go home, dammit!” Kaya screamed as she stomped her foot like a spoiled child.

“Do not worry yourself so. We are not going to brainwash you. We are simply going to teach you our culture and our history to put you at ease and help you understand Daya N’goul. Your teacher will tell you much more. That is, if I can prepare you in time.” The attendant pushed her toward the bathing room as she went on. “He is a very impatient man, but he will answer many of your questions.”

The woman’s seemingly sincere words, calm demeanor, and smile calmed Kaya a bit, but she was still fearful and confused. She felt like she was in an episode of
The Twilight Zone
.

“And by the way, my name is Be’in. And my sister and I will be your lady’s maids.”

“As a captive here, I will have
lady’s maids
? I didn’t have maids at home, but I get abducted and get two.” Kaya shook her head in exasperation. “This makes absolutely no sense at all.”

“It will. Soon, everything will make sense. Come, and let me prepare you for your lessons.”

Kaya let herself be pulled into the large tub filled with hot sweet smelling water. Be’in’s strong hands bathed her and washed her long auburn hair. Kaya wasn’t used to having someone do such intimate acts as this, and she stiffened at the touch, demanding to wash certain areas herself.

Something in the water must have had a calming effect as Kaya nearly fell asleep from the aroma, the warmth of the water, and the kneading hands over her body. Be'in pulled her weak limbs, standing her, and urged her from the tub. Another woman came through the door, and the two women dried Kaya’s body thoroughly. “This is my sister, J’
Halle
. As I said, she will be your other lady’s maid.”

The other woman was much younger than Be'in and quite shy. She gave a timid smile to Kaya and turned her head as Be'in pulled Kaya to a seat in a corner of the bath she assumed was the dressing area. Kaya turned when prodded by the women to take a seat in front of some sort of vanity.

She looked into the mirror and nearly screamed at the sight she beheld. The image looking back at her was herself, yet different. Her hair was much, much longer, and tied up on her head. Her body was thinner and toned. Her extra few pounds had evaporated overnight. And her freckles were gone. She had always hated those freckles, but without them she looked so strange. So alien.

After the initial shock of seeing herself looking so differently, she settled in to the ministrations of the two women, almost numb from everything happening around her. She kept telling herself answers were coming with whomever the tutor was and kept repeating that as she tried to hold on to the edges of her own sanity. She’d fallen down the rabbit hole, and she wondered if this were but a dream.

The maids pulled a comb through her thick hair and drew it away from her face with a gold-jeweled clip. Tendrils wrapped and curled around her face, and her tresses shone with health and curled down her back. They next applied makeup, something she rarely wore. Heavy dark liner went around her eyes and gold dust was applied all around her face and neck.

Then a beautiful green gown was brought into the room and wrapped elegantly about her. It fell off one shoulder and twisted in complex turns all around her upper body and then flowed to the floor, with slits from the waist down on either side due to the oddly collected fabric and all the complex ties.

Kaya looked down and noted the fabric was shear and she could easily see her dusky nipples through the cloth, even with all the twists of the fabric on her body. Soft sandals were put on her feet and tied up her legs to the knee. And then the final touch, jewels were added. She was adorned with a thick golden choker, golden earrings that covered her entire ear like a shell, and a golden headband resembling a weaving branch of ivy, as well as gold bands on both upper arms and wrists.

She looked into the mirror and tears formed in her eyes. Fear, fatigue, the ministrations of these women and the unexpectedness she would ever look so beautiful all caught up with her at once and she began quietly sobbing.

“Please, please. Don’t cry. You will ruin all our work, and you will be late for your first lesson. You must stop … look how beautiful you are. There is no reason to cry.” Be'in had hugged her to her chest and was rubbing her back, actually making her cry more.