Hope for the Alien Warrior (Treasured By the Alien #12)

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

“ I t’s important to have hope,” the female said quietly, and Luxor immediately regretted having spoken.

Hope was meaningless. Hope could not save his people from extinction. Hope couldn’t even save him from the lies of others. Yet somehow he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that. He didn’t want to see that pretty little face crumble.

Pretty? What the hell is wrong with me?

She was a completely different species, and a Cire male was only capable of mating with a Cire female. He should not have found her attractive—and yet he did. Her skin was pale and covered with tiny gold speckles, and her face was soft and gentle despite the determined little chin. Her body looked soft as well—delightfully soft and curved. To his utter astonishment, his shaft began to respond as his eyes traced those delicious curves.

When he’d first left Ciresia, he’d been so hurt and angry that he was determined to rebel against everything he’d ever been taught. He’d sought out several females, even though every part of his body had protested. To his disgust the Cire Ruling Council had been correct about that at least—there was no satisfaction to be found with a non-Cire female. But ever since this female had passed his cell and her sweet scent had reached him, he’d wanted nothing more than to test that theory again.

Do not be such a fool , he ordered himself.

Hadn’t his most recent lesson taught him the deviousness that hid behind the most innocent female smile? He’d just concluded a lucrative—and not entirely legal—deal on Triguera and had been heading back to his ship when a young female rushed up to him, her scales shimmering purple with distress as she grabbed his arm.

“Please, my child—” Her voice broke with what he later realized was practiced perfection. “He’s trapped and I can’t free him.”

His feet moved before his brain caught up. The Cire teachings he’d sworn he’d abandoned wouldn’t permit any other response. It was his duty, his honor to care for those weaker than himself. A flash of movement caught his attention as he followed her into the shadows of a nearby alley but by then it was too late.

The sharp sting of a needle pierced his neck. His tail whipped out, catching one of his attackers across the throat, but the drug worked too fast. His legs buckled and the ground rushed up to meet him. His last thought before darkness took him was what a fool he’d been. And here he was, feeling even more protective over another female.

“The children should not be here,” she added.

“No one should be here.” His fingers traced the rough wall of his cell. “But the Ruijin care little for such distinctions.”

The small one—Nina—shifted in her sleep, and Felicity adjusted her hold to make her more comfortable. The sight twisted something in his chest, a feeling he did not want to examine.

“You know our captors? The Ruijin?”

“Enough to know they will sell anything that breathes.” His mouth twisted. “And some things that do not.”

“Is there anyone in your world who doesn’t want to sell people?” she asked bitterly. “First the Vedeckians, and now the Ruijin.”

“Neither of them are from my world,” he said dryly, but his conscience pricked him. “There are good beings in our systems as well.”

Fine upstanding citizens who would never dream of breaking the law. He was not one of them.

She nodded, then looked down at her hands, avoiding his gaze.

“I… I think I understand why we are here. But why did they take you?”

His tail flicked anxiously, but he finally shrugged and decided she already knew about the darker parts of their society.

“Some of those non-good beings prefer more… violent entertainment. Underground fighting rings are very popular in certain places. I am considered a good candidate.”

She gave him a horrified look.

“They’re going to make you fight? That’s barbaric. What if you just refuse?”

“Then I would die,” he said bluntly and heard her breath catch.

He shifted against the cold metal bars, his tail curling tight around his leg at the prospect. His stomach clenched, not from fear—he’d faced worse odds before. No, it was the waste of it all. Fighting should mean something. Protection. Survival. Justice. Not entertainment for creatures who’d forgotten the value of life.

The Red Death had swept through their worlds like wildfire, leaving nothing but ash and silence. Whole cities emptied overnight. The survivors were changed forever, marked by loss. Yet here were these Ruijin, treating life like a game piece to be discarded. Not just the Ruijin , he admitted to himself. They might have supplied the fighters but the demand certainly went beyond their species.

His tail lashed again, sharp and violent. He’d survived the Red Death. Survived the loss of his family. Survived betrayal and the loss of everything he’d once known. He’d survive this too. But survival wasn’t always a victory. Sometimes it was just another form of torture.

Especially if I cannot save them , he thought, looking at the female holding the child so gently and the other female curled protectively around her child.

“Then what are you going to do about it?” she demanded. “Can you get off this ship?”

He gave a half-shrug. They were on a Class 2 Freighter and he was familiar with the layout. If he were free of his cage, he should be able to make his way to the hangar and steal whatever vehicle was available. And while he would prefer to avoid confrontation, if he should encounter any of the Ruijin, he could handle two, possibly even three, as long as he was not drugged. But any escape plan depended on being outside his cell, and he’d already checked it from top to bottom. There were no weaknesses in the bars or the locks.

“Perhaps,” he said reluctantly. “If I could get out of this cell.”

“How did they get you in there?”

“Drugged. I did not see the trap until it was too late.”

The words tasted bitter in his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, but then her chin firmed, and she gathered the child even closer as she stood up. The little one stirred fretfully, and she murmured softly, rocking her back to sleep as she started to pace. Even burdened by the weight of the child, she moved gracefully. The absence of a tail only drew his attention to the lust roundness of her ass instead. His tail lashed again. What was it about her that made him think of forbidden things?

“I might have an idea,” she said finally, coming to a halt and studying him intently. “How common is your technology?”

“It varies from system to system, although there are some common principles. Why?”

She sighed and looked down at the little girl in her arms. “If I tell you and it works, will you take us with you?”

Yes. He bit back his first instinctive response. Was this another type of trap?

“The more people I must transport, the more difficult it will be.”

She bit her lip, then nodded.

“I understand. Will you at least promise to take the children with you?”

He gave her a stunned look. She was bargaining for the children’s safety rather than her own? Any Cire warrior would have made the same choice, but it was… unexpected coming from this small female. Did she not understand the fate that awaited her? He remembered the way her voice had quivered earlier, and saw her give a slight, betraying shiver. No, she understood.

“Female…”

“Felicity,” she said firmly, giving him a frustrated glance. “Will you promise?”

“What of you? Of the other child’s mother?”

“Well, of course I hope you’ll take us too, but the children are more important.” She frowned at him. “I don’t know why you seem so shocked by the idea.”

“It is not shock, it is… respect,” he said slowly. “To make that decision is not easy.”

“No, but it’s the right thing to do.”

The right thing. Honor. Duty. The Cire code he had once valued so highly. But what did he value now? The cold emptiness of his ship? The dark alleys he traversed as he went about his business? The hollow feeling inside?

Perhaps he could find a measure of redemption in helping her and the children. Assuming he could escape.

“Very well. If you show me a way to escape, I swear on Granthar’s honor that I will take the children to safety.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, her eyes shining in a way that made him uncomfortable. She was looking at him as if he were still an honorable male, not the broken shell of one. “I can’t promise this will work, but it’s how we escaped on the Vedeckian ship. Is there a seam in the metal beneath the lock? A small seam?”

“Yes.” He’d noted it previously, but discarded it as unimportant. “Why?”

“On the Vedeckian ship, the electronics which controlled the lock were concealed behind it.”

He’d started examining it before she even finished speaking, but the seam was too narrow. He had no way of prying it open.

“You may well be correct, but I have no means to remove the panel.”

“I think I do.” A pretty shade of pink suddenly colored her pale skin. “Will you turn around? This is a little embarrassing.”

“Why?” he asked suspiciously.

“Please?”

When he simply crossed his arms and looked at her, she sighed.

“Fine. Then I’ll turn around.”

She very gently placed the child next to the other female, stroking her hair when the little one whimpered. Keeping her back turned to him, she lifted her shirt. His mouth went dry at the sight of her smooth naked back. His eyes traveled from the generous swell of her hips up the delicate curve of her spine to where a strip of red lace bound her flesh. Why was she bound beneath her clothing? And why was that knowledge so incredibly erotic?

He was so entranced that it took him a moment to realize that she was unfastening the binding. She performed some type of complicated maneuver that made her ass move even more enticingly before pulling a handful of red lace free and turning to him with a triumphant smile.

“There.”

He realized that the binding must have encompassed her breasts as well. The thin fabric of her shirt now clung to them, revealing their lush fullness and the hard peaks of her nipples. His shaft immediately reacted to the tempting sight, but fortunately his pants were tight enough to restrain the unruly flesh.

She was watching him expectantly, still holding up the bundle of lace, and he forced himself to respond.

“I do not understand.”

“There are two thin wires in here, one beneath each cup. You should be able to use one to remove the panel.”

“You bind your flesh with wires?”

The pink color flooded her cheeks again as she shook her head.

“No, it’s a kind of… support.”

His eyes dropped to her lushly curved breasts before he could stop himself, and his shaft stiffened even further. Why did this one small female arouse him as no other female ever had?

He dragged his gaze away and focused on the red lace.

“Can you free the wire and pass it to me?”

He gestured to the empty cage between them.

“I think it would be easier to throw the whole thing.”

She pressed herself against the bars, stretching one hand as far as possible to try and reach him. He was momentarily distracted by the way her position pulled the fabric of her shirt even tighter across her breasts, then forced himself to concentrate, mimicking her position and extending his hand. She launched the garment towards him but the lightweight lace fluttered to the ground, falling far short of the bars.

“Oh no,” she gasped, despair flashing across her face.

“Do not worry. I can retrieve it from there.”

He adjusted his position until he could snake his tail between the bars and snag the red lace. The garment was still warm from her body and infused with her scent. Fighting back the urge to bury his face in the soft fabric, he concentrated on the task at hand. He carefully extracted the two wires from their concealment beneath the lace. They were indeed long, thin pieces of metal that should do the trick.

“Did you get them?” she whispered.

“Yes.” He raised his head to find her leaning forward, her hands clasped anxiously. “I will try now.”

“Good luck,” she said, then sat down on the metal shelf and gathered the child into her lap again.

He nodded and set to work. The wires were as thin and flexible as she had promised and he carefully inserted them into the seam. The panel popped open and he managed to catch it before it clattered against the bars. A series of wires and circuitry were revealed, and he studied the display, frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

“I am not sure which circuit controls the lock.”

She tilted her head thoughtfully.

“I’m pretty sure Lauren pulled out the large one that ran down the side.”

Lauren? Did his female already have a male companion? Frowning at the thought, he yanked at the wire with more force than necessary. Sparks erupted from the panel and he held his breath waiting for an alarm. No sound disturbed the silence of the hold and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. The door had not opened, but when he pushed against it, it swung free.

Thank Granthar. But now there was work to do. Afraid that his female would distract him, he didn’t look in her direction as he started down the path between the cages.