Alien Salvation (2 page)

Japohn frowned. “I was the one who
insisted we take the unstable Bermuda Triangle portal. If anyone is
to be punished it’s me.”

Bacoj regretted sharing his anxiety.
“I’m the pilot and the clan Dramok. The responsibility is mine.
How’s that arm, Vax?”

The Imdiko tried for a brave smile, but
he looked like he might vomit. “Sore, but I think I’ll
survive.”

“I want you to take a pain inhibitor.”
When Vax opened his mouth to protest, Bacoj held up his hand for
silence. “We’ve got enough for you to last until we get to the
search party’s base.”

“But if someone else needs
it—”

“No one else is hurt. You’ll take as
much as you need.” It was easy to be clan leader with Vax. He took
orders with little argument.

Japohn stiffened, and they immediately
looked in the direction that had his attention. Vax asked, “What’s
wrong?”

“Someone’s coming.”

Bacoj saw nothing moving among the
refuse of the Earther landscape but didn’t doubt his Nobek’s claim.
A bounty hunter before the war, Japohn could detect danger better
than most. Bacoj’s hand went to the dagger sheathed in his belt.
“How many?”

“I think one. You two had better get
back inside the shuttle just in case.”

Bacoj let go of the blade, confident in
Japohn’s ability to handle a single Earther. “We’re a rescue
operation first and foremost. It may be someone who needs our
help.”

“
We aren’t in much of a
position to help anyone, including ourselves,” Japohn reminded
him.

“Still, let’s not be too hasty to
attack if we’re approached. We can at least give a good impression
of our people.”

Japohn snorted, his gaze still riveted
on a burnt out husk of a transport vehicle. Bacoj couldn’t be sure
if he would obey his orders. Not for the first time, he wondered if
he’d made a mistake clanning the assertive Nobek.

* * * *

Peeking through the filthy windshield
of an electric car, Lindsey swallowed, her dry throat clicking. All
three aliens were staring in her direction. She’d been spotted
despite her best efforts to remain hidden. She was still a block
away. Surely that was enough of a head start for her to evade
them.

But her parents were starving,
especially her father. Lindsey knew he’d been going without to make
sure Tara had enough food. Desperation made her bold. She stood up
straight and walked towards the Kalquorians, putting on a brave
face like a mask.

She studied them as she drew closer,
staring at them as frankly as they stared at her. Her eyes went to
the tallest one first. She’d known Kalquorians were big, averaging
about six and a half feet tall, but this one was a monster. His
clinging black outfit showed every bulge of his amazing physique.
Black curls hung to his wide, bare shoulders. His skin, like the
other two, was dark like the people of the Middle East. His face
was handsome but the expression he wore, watchful with suspicion,
made him look brutish. Fear licked through her belly, turning her
insides strangely warm. Heavens, he was the most virile-looking
creature she’d ever set eyes on.

The smallest of the three men was still
at least a foot taller than her own five-five height and
well-muscled in proportion to his frame. The tense but gentle
expression he wore gave her courage to keep going. Hair swept back
from his attractive face in soft waves. She liked the strength of
his chiseled jaw. He’d apparently been injured. One of his arms was
encased in a hard-molded gray shell, and a strap slung around his
thick neck held it close to his chest.

The third man was thicker bodied than
his injured friend, his face striking even though it wore a frown.
Despite the downturn of his sensuous lips, he didn’t look
unfriendly. His was a look of concern, as if he had enough problems
without an Earther showing up for who-knew-what reason. He tossed
his head as a breeze blew an errant lock of his long, wavy hair
across his unlined face. Lindsey wondered if the hair was as soft
as it looked.

Lindsey had known the Kalquorians were
similar in features to Earthers, but she hadn’t expected them to be
so attractive. They were gorgeous examples of masculinity with wide
shoulders, tapered waists, muscled thighs and … she warmed as her
gaze skittered over the prominent bulges of their crotches. Their
clothing left very little to the imagination.

Considering what she was about to do,
it was a good thing she found them to be so handsome. Hopefully,
she would be as attractive to them. She was clean, at least.
Yesterday’s rain had given her the opportunity to bathe.

She reached the curb across from the
three men. Without slowing, giving her mounting fear no chance to
overtake her, she crossed Highway A1A, stepped up on the opposite
curb, and stomped over the soft beach sand to stand in front of the
black-suited trio. She kept her blaster held loosely at her side.
She wanted them to know she wasn’t helpless but didn’t want to be
overtly threatening either.

She looked up at them, trying to ignore
her speeding heart. Three pairs of purple eyes regarded her, their
pupils slit like cats’. That was the biggest difference she could
discern between their races. She’d heard they also had fangs,
hinged like those of a rattlesnake. A Kalquorian’s bite supposedly
rendered his victim drugged and helpless.

They were so big. Lindsey had to force
her blaster to remain at her side.

“Hello, Kalquorians. Can you understand
me?” She enunciated each word carefully.

It was the frowning Kalquorian with the
sensuous lips who answered. “We speech some English.”

His voice was a soft rumble, and
Lindsey restrained a shiver. His gaze was so intense, she had to
look away. She nodded at the badly dented spaceship behind them.
“It looks like you’re having a little trouble.”

The Kalquorian glanced back at his
ship, his frown deepening. His gaze returned to her, and he stepped
closer. Lindsey caught a scent that reminded her of
cinnamon.

“Much trouble,” the man agreed. “Portal
unstable. Make damage.”

“The Bermuda Triangle wormhole? Yeah,
it eats ships. None of ours can use it unless they’re double hulled
with buffer fields.” She licked her lips. “Are you here to hurt
Earthers?”

His eyes widened, and he held his hands
up. “No to hurt. We to work containment for radiation.” He made a
vague motion towards the northwest. “You understand?”

He must mean the Atlanta blast site.
The Kalquorians are trying to contain the fallout? Lindsey nodded.
“I understand. Do you have food?”

The biggest Kalquorian’s eyes narrowed,
and his lips pursed. However, Lindsey saw compassion fill the
others’ faces. The Kalquorian who spoke to her stopped frowning. He
said, “We supplied short time. You hungry?”

Some of her tension bled away. They
were willing to share with one Earther at least, but their food was
apparently limited. She had to make it worth their while to feed
the rest of her family. Lindsey gave them a hopeful smile, trying
for friendliness. It wasn’t easy when her legs trembled so
hard.

“Do you have names?”

The aliens’ speaker returned her smile,
and Lindsey felt warmth cascade through her body despite her fear.
The smile lit his handsome face, elevating him to mouthwatering
gorgeous. He said, “I am Dramok Bacoj.” Motioning to the suspicious
giant, he continued the introductions. “My Nobek Japohn. The
injured is Imdiko Vax.”

Lindsey dragged her memory for the
limited information she had on Kalquorians. “Dramok is the clan
leader, right?”

Bacoj looked pleased. “This is correct.
Nobek is protector. Imdiko is caregiver. You name?”

“My name is Lindsey.” She bit her lip.
Was she really about to do this? She thought about her father’s
drawn face, her mother’s twig-like arms. Taking a deep breath, she
plunged ahead. “I’ll be blunt, Dramok. My family is starving. All
the food has been looted from the stores and there’s precious
little to hunt in Fort Lauderdale. We don’t even have anything to
use for bait to catch fish, and—”

Bacoj held his hand up, stilling her
stream of nervous words. “You fast speak too much, Lindsey. I no
understand.”

Okay. Then we’ll just cut to the chase.
Lindsey said, “Kalquorians like Earther women for sex,
right?

Three mouths dropped open in cartoonish
shock. She almost laughed despite her growing terror. The
expressions so didn’t fit the aliens’ faces.

Blinking fast, Bacoj answered, “We are
need for species survive.”

“Then the rumors of your imminent
extinction are true.” At Bacoj’s confused expression, Lindsey said,
“You like sex for its own sake?”

Bacoj exchanged looks with his
clanmates and received very Earther-like shrugs. He returned his
gaze to Lindsey. His tone was hesitant, as if afraid he would get
the answer wrong. “We like sex.”

“With women?” She’d heard so many
stories about the Kalquorians that she had to be sure.

“We like sex with women.”

Lindsey couldn’t help another nervous
swallow. “Fine. I’ll trade sex for whatever food you can spare. I
can’t say I’ll be very good since I’ve never done it, but it’s all
I have to offer.”

The effect of her statement was
instantaneous. Even as the three men stared at her in continued
surprise, the air was suddenly thick with that cinnamon-y smell and
the bulges at their groins swelled. Lindsey fought the urge to run
screaming. The only male sex she’d ever seen belonged to a statue
in an illicit art book she’d gotten from a friend. From the looks
of things, her would-be lovers were much larger. Frighteningly
so.

The biggest Kalquorian, the scary one
Bacoj had introduced as Japohn, spoke in a hoarse voice. “You give
sex for us? All of clan?”

Lindsey forced her eyes to meet his.
Blue-purple, they were beautiful to look at, the least threatening
feature the man possessed. “That’s the offer, big boy. Willing sex
from me for food.”

The soft voice of Vax spoke next. “How
many to feed?”

“Three. Myself and my mother and
father.” The tension in their exchanged looks told her she was
asking a lot. Tears welled up in Lindsey’s eyes. Where would she
get food for her parents if they said no? She blinked back the
evidence of momentary weakness. Her tone was less than diplomatic
as she snapped, “Well, do we have a deal?”

Vax said something in his own staccato
language. Japohn answered, his glowering face easing to show
concern. Vax shook his head before delivering another burst of
speech, his gentle smile growing. Both men looked to Bacoj, who
nodded.

He smiled down on Lindsey, his eyes
bright with eagerness. “We make trade.” He reached for
her.

Lindsey stumbled back a step, her guts
flip-flopping. She thought of her parents on the rooftop three
blocks away, watching the exchange. If Aaron knew what she’d agreed
to on his behalf, he’d throw himself down the stairs again. “Can we
do this inside?” she asked, looking towards their ship.

Bacoj nodded. “Sleep mat
inside.”

“Okay.” Lindsey’s stomach churned with
nerves, and she couldn’t help but look at the large bulges in the
Kalquorians’ pants. Handsome as they were, she was sure she wasn’t
going to like their attentions one bit.

She turned to wave towards the office
building where her family hid, letting them know everything was all
right … okay lying to them that everything was all right. Her heart
pounding, Lindsey marched up the ship’s ramp past the men and
entered its interior.

Chapter Two

Lindsey waited for the men in the main
cabin of the shuttle. It was a small space with bench seating
around two small round tables attached to the floor. The ceiling,
floor and walls were all the same white surface, and the black
furniture was stark. She thought little of the Spartan
décor.

She shrank back as the aliens joined
her. Their sheer size was so intimidating. Was she really going to
do this?

Bacoj looked at her, his gentle
expression doing little to alleviate the dread settling heavily in
her stomach. He walked past her to the back of the cabin, where a
door hissed open. “Here sleeping room,” he announced.

She slowly walked toward him, aware the
other two men were behind her. Surrounded. If she changed her mind,
would they let her go? Or would they force her to keep her bargain?
The swelling of Bacoj’s groin told Lindsey he very much wanted to
have her. She fought back the rise of panic that threatened to send
her screaming out of the shuttle and down Fort Lauderdale’s
debris-strewn streets.

She peered into the sleeping room,
standing just outside the doorway. This room had a little more
warmth than the main cabin. Golden light emitted from the walls and
ceiling, casting a warm glow. Soft chocolate brown plush covered
the little bit of the floor not covered by the bed, a raised
billowy surface big enough to sleep a family. Or three large
Kalquorians. White linens covered its surface.

“You all sleep in here?
Together?”