The Abduction (4 page)

Now only if he could learn to keep it in his pants…

Her eyes roamed on their own accord from his downcast face down his chest, where a small diamond of white fur trailed in a fine line across a muscled abdomen and dark navel, above where the fur thickened and spread to cover… She averted her eyes, blinking back up towards his torso.

She did a double tak
e as she noticed some deep bruising across his ribs, and a row of fresh, raised slashes across his left upper arm.

“
Is that from last night?” she asked.

Krissik
twisted his arm to look where she pointed. “You mean when I chose you? Yes. But that was two days ago.”

“
Two days! I’ve been out for two days?”

He
nodded. “The jump is hard on those not prepared for it. I did my best to keep you comfortable.”

Samantha th
ought back to running through the hotel in the midst of some extraterrestrial orgy, when the gold eyes had stepped out of the dark to take her away from the alien chasing her down the hall—the same man who had shot Carly for rejecting him before setting his sights on Samantha.

Looking down at the miserable look on
Krissik’s expression, and the state she’d left his face in, she was tempted to apologize—and even thank him.

Out of all the aliens
who could have abducted me,
she thought.
I guess I could have gotten worse than this clumsy sod.

Samantha stood and swept past
Krissik into the bathroom, half expecting him to follow. When he did not, she grabbed two hanging towels and wet one in the sink with warm water and wrung it out. She picked up the small fallen bottle, corked it, and returned to the bed.

She tossed the dry towel to him from three feet away. “Please, could you cover up?”

Krissik obliged her, tucking in the towel around his hips.

Samantha hesitated, and then held out the wet towel. “Here.”

Krissik looked up, his eyes lidded and swollen. He reached up and took the towel. He acknowledged her with a nod, and then pressed the towel to his face. He sighed and leaned back against the bed, eyes closed.

“
Your arm looks like you should get stitches,” she said after a moment.

Krissik shrugged. “It is a battle scar. Probably one of the few I will ever obtain.”

Sam
antha’s heart finally began to slow, and she swallowed at the lump in her throat. She played with the little vial in her hands, and then held it out. “Here. I accidently knocked this over.”

Krissik
glanced at her, and then sat up with wide eyes. His face darkened to red, and then paled as he swallowed and almost started shaking. He held the bottle up to the light and shook it, testing the contents. Less than a third of the bottle remained.

Samantha’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you OK?”

Krissik’s eyes lowered, and his jaw tightened. He looked extremely unsettled.

Samantha stuck out her jaw. “If we’re on talking terms, I’d like to get some answers.”

“It is late. You should sleep.”

“I’m not tired.”
Though even as she said it, her eyes suddenly felt heavier and her head ached from the pressure in her sinuses.

He peeked up at her. “Yes, you are.” He groaned and pushed himself to his feet, holding the towel around his waist with one hand. “Do not worry. I will not try to touch you tonight.”

For some reason beyond her, Samantha immediately believed him. “Where should I sleep?”

“In the bed.”

“Where are you sleeping?”

“In the bed.”

She bit her lip. “I thought you said—”

“I said I would not try to… what is
your word… sex. I am tired.”

He walked to the closet by the door,
set the small vial down on the highest shelf, and used one hand to push around objects on the lower shelf. He pulled out a bottle of pills and fumbled to remove the lid for a few moments using one hand. Frustrated, he growled and let the towel drop to use both hands.

Samantha averted her eyes
from his exposed backside as he shook out two white pills, popped the top back on the bottle, and padded naked into the bathroom.

“How about I sleep on the couch?” she called out.

She heard the sink run as he slurped up several mouthfuls of water before shutting it off. He fumbled around with something against the vanity, and cursed something the translator could not relay.

She glanced up as he
emerged a few minutes later, dry and soap-free with a towel tied around his waist. He had bandaged his nose with medical tape, and he glared at her from blackened eyes as he typed in a code on the bedroom door, locking it.

“No.”

Samantha sniffed, wiping at her nose with the back of one hand. “You don’t have anything for sinus problems, do you?”

“What is wrong with your sinuses?”

“I’m fighting a cold.”

There was a pause. “Do you need
more blankets?”

“No, I’m not cold. I’m…
” Samantha groaned. “Never mind.”

She closed her eyes
as he clicked the lights clicked off and listened to the rustling sound of cloth sliding against bare skin as he slipped between the sheets.

Krissik
gave her one last glance before rolling onto his side, his back toward her. He lay still for several moments, and almost immediately his breathing slowed and became even.

Samantha stood, wrapped in the
tattered robe, and debated her options. A night lying in the same bed as the naked alien who had tried to bed her twice in one day was not her idea of rest, but hours curled on the cold metal flooring was not exactly inviting either.

I could always try to crack the code on the door panel,
she thought, eyeing the little red light glowing in the dark.

And if I got out? Where am I going to go?
I doubt I could call a cab to take me home.

She turned to tiptoe to the open window. She looked up at the dark sky to see two moons
, one blue one red, floating above. She stuck her head out into the cold breeze and looked down. The vertical drop was multiple stories down. The blue moonlight reflected off the metal siding of the flat building, showing no grooves or outcrops that she could use to climb down. Below she could just make out the edges of a street, though she saw no signs of life or movement.

Her eyes burned, and she wiped angrily at her nose and sniffed. Her head ached, her
stuffy nose felt raw and she desperately did not want to be alone, sick and naked, on some alien planet.

She turned to glance at
Krissik’s form on the bed. She held her breath to listen; his breathing was still slow and steady, obviously asleep. The wind picked up outside, and swept across the back of her neck and lifting her hair. She shuddered.

Damn.

She hesitated, and then tiptoed over to the bed and slowly lifted the corner of one sheet and slipped one leg in. She hesitated, and then continued to slip onto the bed. The mattress sunk below her weight, molding around her body to cradle her like a custom fit. Once horizontal, weariness bore down on her chest and shoulders, and she closed her eyes. She lay as close to the edge of the bed as possible, keeping as much distance between them as she could.

I’ll just rest for a moment,
she thought.
Just enough to keep my strength up so that I can try to figure out how to get home…

Weight pressed down on
Samantha’s legs, trapping her against the bed and twisting her knees apart. She kicked out, trying to free herself.

No!
she screamed.
No, not like this!

The hold only tightened, and she screamed and lashed out with her hands…

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around to find herself alone in the bed. Red sunlight poured into the room from the open window, bathing her skin in a warm glow. She looked down. She lay sideways on the bed, her arms out at her sides. The front of her robe lay wide open, her breasts and stomached bared for all to see. The sheets and coverlet twisted tightly around her legs, and she quickly kicked herself free and sat up.

Her eyes roamed the room.
Krissik was nowhere to be seen. She slowly stood and padded into the hall, but was only greeted with silence.

“Hello?” she whispered. “
Kris?”

Glad to be alone for a few moments
, she quickly crossed the hall to the bathroom, wanting to take care of personal needs before she was surprised with anything else. She blew her nose several times, her head clogged and sinuses aching. Once finished, she figured out how to turn on the water in the shower and stepped in, grateful that the heat was immediate.

The water felt amazing, and she rolled her shoulders in the heat and closed her eyes. She s
tood still for several minutes letting the multiple showerheads beat near-scalding water against her shoulders, back and chest. The thick steam rising off her body help clear her nose, and she relished being able to breath deeply. Eventually her skin screamed for relief from the heat, and she went about scrubbing every inch down with the blue bar of soap setting on a small ledge. She lathered up her breasts and neck, trying to wash away the lingering scent Krissik had left behind the night before.

She turned the dial to stop the water, and a sudden flow of cold water shocked her and made her cry out. She frantically pressed the controls until the water shut off, and she shivered and stepped out onto the metal flooring. She
grabbed the last hanging towel and quickly dried off and wrapped it around her torso as she tiptoed to the doorway and peeked out.

“
Kris?”

The silence in the
apartment sat heavy like a thick fog. She was surprised he hadn’t returned by now, and her heart began to race. Suddenly she felt that the presence of her resident alien wasn’t such an annoyance after all. Being on an alien planet with a dysfunctional alien was one thing; being on an alien planet completely alone was something else.

She sniffed and rubbed at her nose, and then froze. She blinked, thinking, and then gasped and rushed over to her torn jeans in the corner. She patted down her pockets and let out a little joyous yip as she pulled out the package of cold medicine.

She closed her eyes and looked skyward, whispering, “Oh, thank you!”

She darted into the bathroom and pushed out two orange, liquid capsules and downed them with ha
ndfuls of water from the sink. She wiped her mouth with the edge of the towel, and then walked toward the kitchen as he growling stomach egged her on. She reached up and began poking around in the upper cupboards.

The lock on the
front door beeped as someone punched in a code from the other side. Samantha yipped in surprise and stepped back, looking around the room. She snatched up the heavy serving tray on the counter from the day before, and held it up like a bat ready to swing. Suddenly, the nonexistence of her captor settled like a cold weight in her stomach. The idea of some new alien stepping through the door in his stead terrified her.

Please be
Kris, please be Kris…

The door hissed open and swung inward. A clawed hand grabbed the edge, pushing the door further open.

Samantha’s eyes burned, her throat tight, and she readjusted her grip on the tray.

Krissik
looked up and froze, his eyes going wide. The white tape on his nose stood out starkly against the bruising around the corners of his eyes, and several specs of blood had bled through to spot the surface. He stared at Samantha as if she’d grown a head in his absence before turning to shut and lock the door behind him.

“What are you doing?” he asked slowly.

Samantha sighed and lowered the tray. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, and then shrugged. “I didn’t know where you went. You’ve been gone for a while.”

Krissik
’s face went solemn as he set two bags and a silver paper wrapped package on the table. “I did not expect you to wake so soon.”

“
Where have you been?” Samantha set the tray on the counter and crossed her arms.

Krissik
stopped on his way to the bathroom. The gold eyes narrowed. “I do not answer to you.”

Samantha frowned. “
Considering you hold my life in your hands, you owe me some answers.”

“Later.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and shut the toilet door behind him.

Samantha made a strangled noise as she ground her teeth.
She was surprised that she felt comfortable around Krissik enough to feel anything but fear, but not enough so to hold her frustration at bay. Now that the feeling of imminent danger had passed, Samantha’s mind was set on only one thing: get home.

She waited until she heard the water flush, and then
opened the bathroom door and stepped inside to intersect him on his way to the sink.

“I
need
answers,” she nearly shouted. “You assholes kidnapped me from my home, killed my friend, and I have no idea where I am or why I am here!”

“We did not kill. Only stun
.”

Samantha sucked in a breath, her heart overjoyed. So Carly was alive!

“You mean… like you tasered them?”

“I do not know that word.”

Krissik tried to step around her, but Samantha blocked his path. He frowned down at her.

“
Move.”

“
Not until you give me more answers.”

He
looked ready to throw her out the window. “Do you think I could not move you?” He lifted one hand, fingers curved to show off his claws.

Samantha jerked back and stepped away.
She was fairly certain he wouldn’t actually use those claws on her, but the sight of them alone made her body react. Krissik’s eyes followed her movements, and Samantha was sure she saw a small smirk at the corner of his mouth.

“Please,” she started again, subdued. “I really need you to talk to me.”

Krissik finished washing his hands and dried them on the nearest hand towel before walking back into the living room.

Samantha’s cheeks heated and she balled her hands into fists
and followed him. “You abduct me and try to screw me, stick me in the neck with some alien gizmo so I can understand you, and now you don’t want to talk?” She sucked in air as she screamed, “You selfish alien bastard!”

Krissik
’s eyes went wide as he turned from the counter, a package in his hand. His eyebrows knotted together, and his shoulders hunched forward protectively.

Samantha breathed in and out heavily, the blood pounding in her ears. Her eyes dropped from his shocked face down to the package in his hands. She looked back up to meet his eyes—which never left hers as he carefully set the package down on
the arm of the couch and stepped back.

“What is this?” Samantha said after a moment, the red in her vision dissipating.

“For you,” he said.

Samantha blinked, and curiosity overcame anger. She gave
Kris one last glance, and then crossed the living room to the couch and unwrapped the silver packaging. Her fingers melt cool cloth, and she lifted up a plain black dress and matching slippers. Relief flooded through her at the sight of something to wear other than the ripped robe, and she clutched it to her chest.

“Thank you,” she said after a moment. She looked up to his expectant
stare, and then dismissed herself to the bathroom.

Surprisingly the dress fit fairly well.
Conservative and covering, it was several inches too long, and she suspected that it meant the alien girls—whatever they called themselves—were tall just like the men. There were slits in the sides for small pockets, and she slipped the cold medicine in one and a ball of tissue in the other. She rolled up the ends of the sleeves to fit her shorter arms, and ran a finger along the high neckline that reached the bottom of her jaw.

They obviously aren’t for showing much skin.

Krissik was sitting on the couch studying his claws when Samantha emerged. He looked up as he heard her near, and he seemed to perk up. He nodded in approval.

“Come,”
Krissik said, his voice low but stern. “Sit.”

Samantha hesitated.

Krissik pressed his lips in a straight line and pointed to the cushion beside him.

Samantha did as she was told, making sure to keep ample space between them.
Krissik noticed, and he frowned before looking down at his folded hands.

“My world has suffered a lot since the last war,” he began slowly
, the translator beeping occasionally at a word that had no English equivalent. He seemed to be carefully choosing his words. “Many men were killed during the invasion, and sickness and famine killed most of the females and children. We have never recovered from the imbalance of genders.”

Samantha
slowly reclined against the soft cushions, her eyes going wide as she listened.

Krissik
sighed. “There are very few females alive of breeding age, and so our race is dying. We have tried to artificially incubate, but the offspring do not… they are not
right
. Mentally. So in an effort to rebuild our society our Tsiari has ordered to bring honor to our families and continue our species…” he spared a sideways glance at Samantha, “take mates of a similar race to continue our blood.”

Samantha’s
breath hitched in her throat, and she wiped at her clogged nose. “And you brought
me
here?”

He nodded.

“Why?”

“Because
you are of breeding age.” He hesitated, dipping his head to gaze at her face. “And you are beautiful.”

Samantha let out choked sob. She covered her face with her hands. “So you’re just going to lock me in a room a knock me up…”

“You will be free to move around the apartment once we consummate.”

Samantha
turned and narrowed her eyes as she studied his shameful look. She sat up straight. “Wait…” She hesitated, licking her lips. “You mean we didn’t…”

Krissik
looked at her, confused, and then blinked and shook his head, a blush deepening on his cheeks and neck. “No. I tried, several times.” He let out a half-hearted chuckle. “But you pushed me away every time despite being told you would want to.”

“Why didn’t you force me?”
Samantha stared harder. “All of those women at the hotel…”

“I do not approve of such actions
. Besides, I think my brother would kill me…” Krissik looked down at his slightly trembling hands, then back at Samantha. “I do not want you to be afraid of me. I will not hurt you, nor force you to do what you do not want to.”

R
elief flowed over Samantha, and she tilted her head back and let out a long sigh. Even though it might not be permanent, knowing he wouldn’t force or hurt her gave her hope for escape from his planet. She wiped at her face and nose, her head aching.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Krissik stood and opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of pale yellow liquid from the door. He popped the cap off and tossed it onto the countertop, and then took several long, slow gulps. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes before turning back to where Samantha stood.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Thirsty?”

Samantha shook her head, even though her stomach betrayed her by choosing that very moment to complain.

Krissik pursed his lips, as if debating calling her on her bluff,
yet stayed silent as he walked past her and plopped back down onto the couch, stretching out his legs and clicking on the monitor to what looked like a news channel. He glanced sideways at Samantha, and then settled back to stare at the screen.

Samantha glanced over at Krissik, who leaned against the other side of the couch with arms crossed
over his open computer and boots propped up on the low table. His eyes were closed, and she studied his face as she flipped aimlessly through the channels—even though she couldn’t understand a word of what was being said.

They had sat watching the monitor
together for the two hours, with Krissik unsuccessfully trying to scoot closer and slyly put his arm around her shoulders. She found his bumbled attempts almost endearing, though not wanting the close contact repeatedly pushed him away. After a while, he had retreated to the other side of the couch and went to work complaining about being behind on his studies, and they’d spent the next several hours in relative silence. Lunch had been a quick and tasteless affair, and Krissik went back to work before falling asleep at his computer.