Series: Zandian Brides Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Let’s get the veck out of here,” I order. I should throw her over my shoulder and take a second one on the other side, but I’m not willing to hold her in any way but this. She’s too delicate. Or maybe, I just can’t look away from those lovely dark eyes. I have no business claiming her, but I want to. Veck, do I want to. I’m drawn to this one, mesmerized by her.
Axe picks up the second female–one with her head shaved and punishment tattoos across one shoulder and down her arm.
The other three seem able to walk, after he speaks to them in a low voice and points, gives them a nudge to get them into motion. We exit the shack in a ragged line, and Axe closes the door behind us, leaving it the way we found it. We start to walk to the craft, but that’s too slow. Eventually, Axe takes two females in his arms and races them to the ship, then comes back for more, while I carry my wounded human alone, moving carefully, so I don’t break her before it’s too late to save her.
She sighs and nestles into me as we move, and something stirs in my chest–but there’s no time to think about it.
It’s seconds before we’re at our cloaked craft. “Karl, start us up in stealth mode,” I bark at the warrior I left to protect the craft.
Axe’s lip curls in disdain as he holds a fluid tube to a human’s lips. I do the same for my female, then get fluid tubes to the other three. As I do, Axe checks the vitals of my female. “She’s in bad shape,” he mutters. “She might not make it.”
My stomach drops. I’ve only seen her for a short time, but something about her makes me feel protective. “Do everything you can, Axe. We need to save her--them.”
I get blankets for the females and drape them around their shoulders. They sit silent, all of them trembling.
“We’re getting you out,” I tell them, not knowing if they even comprehend anything. “You’re safe here. We have a doctor who will heal you.”
Karl starts the engines in silent mode, and the craft lifts, a marvel of technology. There is no action from the Ocretion crafts parked near their camp: Our cloaking is still better than their surveillance. They’re the second-best in the galaxy. We’re number one. A small planet, but a brilliant one.
As we leap into hyperdrive, I maneuver around asteroids and put the craft into autopilot. Then I step over to examine our new bounty. All I can focus on is the one I saved in my arms.
The little human with long lashes and beautiful dark eyes.
Mine now, for better or worse.
Chapter Two
Outer Space
Sia
Through the haze of pain, I sense movement above me.
Instinctively I try to huddle into a ball. “No,” I whimper. “Don’t hurt me again.”
My limbs quiver in terror. The Ocretions are back, and this time, I don’t know what will happen. Somehow I saved us before–what was it I said? The thoughts skitter around inside my skulls like hail in a storm, then splinter into confetti. I can’t remember anything.
“No being is going to hurt you. You’re safe now.” A low voice, deep and pleasant, at least compared with the Ocretian grunts, rolls over me. And there’s a fluid tube in my mouth. I suck greedily, even though my mouth is on fire, and the broken skin burns.
“We rescued you. You’re on our ship. We’re going to help you.”
I can’t seem to open my eyes. My hands--somehow untied?--flutter up to touch them.
“Shh, don’t do that. We put on bandages. Your corneas were dried and scratchy. We’ve put on healing salve.”
“Please. Take it off.” My terror mounts.
“It should be all right if you take it off.” The male speaking to me seems to be conversing with another. “That salve works quickly.”
“If she sees us, maybe she’ll relax.” The second male seems to agree.
Gentle hands remove something from my head.
“Slowly,” a voice cautions.
I blink, and everything is blurry.
“Here.” He wipes at my eyes with a soft cloth. “Try again.”
I blink, and he zooms into focus. He is very tall, with broad shoulders. He has purple skin and horns atop his smooth head. It’s the same voice I heard before, but back in the shack, I couldn’t focus. I see now that he’s a Zandian warrior. His face is full of angles and planes, and for some reason, I think he’s handsome--although that makes no difference at this moment.
“I’m Daven.” The handsome one observes me then gestures to another Zandian, who’s a little shorter and stockier. “This is Axe. We rescued you and some other females from an isolated planet in an old trader’s hut.”
Thank the stars. I cough. My whole body hurts. I can barely make out where I am. I’m lying on something soft, at least, and there are bright lights all around. “You saved me?” I look up at him. “Saved us?” My eyes fill with tears.