Sex, Love, and Aliens 2 (8 page)

“
Turana
, glad to finally meet you. Our Simpson did his work quite well and followed my instructions.”

Dria frowned at the woman who took a seat in the chair in front of her. She was likely in her sixth decade, but well preserved with immaculate hair and carefully applied cosmetics.

“You’re here because you represent the
Ba’Tua
. We would have preferred scaring you off, but you’re more than you appear. You were supposed to have been a silly piece of royal fluff with more hair than brains. Sadly, you’ve brought this on yourself as you involved yourself in human politics.” The woman looked down and observed her nails.

“Who are you?”

She gazed up at Dria and smiled. “Oh, so they never told you about me. Your mother and that bloody Cedun. My name is Felicity Kensington-Mare. You can call me Floss. That’s how your mother knows me.” She smiled broadly, and it was cold. Full of menace.

Floss?
The name didn’t ring a bell, but that didn’t mean anything, did it? “Why do you want the human and
Ba’Tuan
Accord to fail? Our combined strength—”

“Oh, stop chattering at me. You’re not as dumb as you make out. Surely you know? My lover was your mother’s partner for years. He wasn’t human or
Ba’Tuan
.” The final words were triumphant, and a glimmer of amusement filled her eyes.

Dria’s belly cramped. The
Galecian
? “You aren’t one of them?”

“Oh no. They weren’t really interested in me when they came to retrieve Garret, but I offered them a deal. Something far more...long term. I offered to destroy the agreement between the humans and
Ba’Tuans
if they would in turn give me supplies. Oh, and I demanded revenge on your mother. Anything I want they give me because they want Earth to join their alliance.”

A chill invaded Dria’s body. The
Galecians
weren’t a species to form any kind of alliance with. They invaded, took slaves, and killed indiscriminately. A quick glance in Floss’s direction told her there was no way the woman would listen rationally to anything she had to say on the matter.

Still, Dria needed to make one final attempt. “Look, Floss. Let me help you. You let me go and—”

The woman barked out a laugh—menacing and deep. For the first time Dria felt fear for herself.

“Dear, no matter what you do, the
Galecians
and I will rid Earth of the
Ba’Tuan
plague. Now, make yourself comfortable. They’ll be here soon for you.” With that, Floss rose and left her alone.

Hurry up, Marcus. Otherwise I’m in deep trouble.

* * * *

They transmitted to the location they’d chosen and Marcus cursed as a frond hit him in the face.

“Where the hell are we?” His furious snarl left several men recoiling.

“Sir, we’re less than a kilometer from the
Turana’s
location. By my calculations, we need to head over this rise and in the middle of the valley we’ll find wherever she’s being held.

Marcus grunted and checked his stingray-450 semi-automatic rifle. After a week of urban fieldwork it felt odd in his hand—clumsy and unwieldy. He checked the terrain before striding out. The rest of his team would follow.

The ground beneath his feet crunched, and he silently cursed. It didn’t help that his mind told him to slow down and plan, while his heart screamed there was little time left.

They moved as swiftly as possible, but took more care and attention as they ascended the ridge. At the top, he dragged field glasses from his utility belt. Nestled within the trees was a small house.

With swift movements, he silently organized his team. Three would head to the back of the property once he’d signaled it was safe. He and three others would take the main entrance.

Disquiet filled him. Where were the guards that should be posted? The Incubi had successfully caused urban chaos, but here, there should be at least five or more guards posted. None of this made sense to him. It seemed like they didn’t realize the gravity of the situation should they be detected. Or was there more?

He signaled for the group to advance, and he realized the building was more like a multi-roomed hut. Decrepit with shingles in need of replacing.

At the edge of the treeline, they stilled and Marcus waited, hidden by a tree fern.
No movement. Odd.

Two grotty windows flanked the front door. Four small steps and a broken handrail led to the front door he wanted to avoid, at least until he knew he wasn’t endangering Dria by entering. The windows had no curtains, so he’d need to be careful peering in. He needed to know exactly where they’d stashed Dria before entering the cottage.

The thumping of his heart crashed in his chest.

One click of his comm unit told them he was going in alone.

He advanced slowly, his eyes moving left and right. A bird in the distance screeched and took flight, and Marcus stilled. Waited.

The building was less than ten meters now and he dashed toward it, careful to scoot along the outer walls in silence.

He waited, letting his breathing settle.

Which window to check first? The door canted slightly to the left. It followed logic that the main room, then, was to the left. He’d be better to try the right first.

Marcus hugged the wall, sliding slowly until he was beneath the window. He turned and reached up, ensuring he remained at the very corner, then peered within.

The sight before him was chilling. There was Dria, tied to the wall.

He watched for a moment as she twisted and turned. As if some connection between them alerted her, she looked up and caught sight of him.

He lifted a finger to his lips and indicated he intended to raise the window. She glanced at the door in unspoken warning.

At his nod she stilled and some of the concern on her face melted away.

He slipped the rifle over his shoulder and braced himself, pushing against the wood. It moved a little way, then stilled. With a small grunt he slid the fingers of one hand then the other below the partly raised slider and tried again. It moved a little further, but not enough to let him in.

He peered at the sides, looking for an obstruction. Nothing. Maybe there was a stopper on the edge?

Taking the weight on one side, he slid his arm in and twisted enough to feel around. Sure enough something obstructed his way. Carefully, he gripped the panel of wood and removed it.

Now the window opened and he climbed within.

Dria gave one last jerk and freed herself. “Took you a while to get here.”

He nearly laughed with joy. Instead, he released a whoosh of air from his lungs.

Leaning forward, he whispered against her neck. “We need to be quick.”

Her nod acknowledged his words. She too kept her voice low. “The ringleader is Floss. She knew my parents before they married, and she’s the head of the Incubi. They’re in league with the
Galecians
.”

He’d heard the term
Galecian
before but couldn’t place it. “Who are—”

“We don’t have time for this. They’re on their way, and we have to get out of here.” Dria shoved against him, pushing him back the way he came.

Confusion filled him. Up until now, fear hadn’t been something that Dria had exhibited. Clearly the
Galecians
put the wind up her.

“Dria, where are the Incubi?”

She shook her head. “We don’t have time to find them. Just get us out of here.” She stumbled to the window and started to climb out just as a roar emanated from overhead.

* * * *

The roar told her time was up. The
Galecians
had arrived. The cold, hard pit that formed in her belly when Floss had told her about her agreement became stone-like.

“We’re too late. How many men do you have?” She reached out and grasped Marcus’s shirt, twisting it in her hand.

“Another six. Why? Who is that, and what the hell was that noise?”

Before Dria could answer, the door burst open and Floss entered, her eyes wild. “What...” She stopped at the entrance, taking in the sight of Marcus.

In seconds, Floss recovered and whipped a tiny laser pistol from her pocket. Dria watched the woman as she considered their situation.

Two of us. Floss with a gun. Galecian ship overhead.
The odds were bad. In fact, they were horrific.

“You have to let us go, Floss. If the
Galecians
get what they want, all humans will be little more than slaves. That’s not what you want, is it?”

Floss ignored her concerns.

Her words were useless, and the sensation of failure filled her. They were going to die.

Her mind emptied of everything except fear for herself, but more so, for Marcus. The truth stunned her.
I can’t let the man I love die!

She felt responsible that he was mixed up in all this. How could this happen? His experience was in dealing with humans, not
Galecians
. They were a totally different kettle of fish.
If I don’t do something now, everything will be lost.
The thought freed her from the fear-induced paralysis.

“You have to let us go.” She leaned forward, mentally calculating the distance between herself and the other woman.

Dria balanced on the balls of her feet, ready to move when Marcus did. He rushed the woman, fast as lightning. Even as Floss turned and fired, the door burst open again and three
Galecians
entered. Marcus wavered, a flash of red appearing on his clothes, then he slumped to the floor.

“
Nooooo!
” Dria swept around, leg raised to attack Floss. The sound of her foot against Floss’s leg made a thwacking noise. The tiny weapon fell to the floor, and Dria dove for it. Her hand clasped it and she turned, rising up.

“Wait,
Turana
!” The lead
Galecian
raised both hands in an attitude of treaty.

Dria panted and waited. “Leave him alone!” She waved the weapon from side to side, unsure which currently was the bigger threat, her mind scrambled by the knowledge that Marcus was hurt.

The officer turned to her, then pointed at Marcus who groaned. “He’s injured, but it’s not life threatening. Should I offer medical assistance, Gurdu?”

The leader, Gurdu, looked in her direction. “Yes. Have Manteru take the female human into custody.”

“What?” What the hell was going on? Dria shook her head. “What are you doing here? Earth is a protected planet under the Callistan Agreement.
Galecia
has no business here.” Her voice wobbled, and she silently acknowledged her words were full of bravado.

Marcus was injured,
Galecians
were there with weapons, and there were maybe six other humans somewhere out there.
Why weren’t they in here?

The whine of a transmitter filled the air, and a tactical guardian from her own planet appeared before her. The gold and yellow of his uniform and the purple pips told her of his position as Commander. “
Turana
, we’re here on your father’s orders.”

The gun she’d been holding slid to the floor with a thud. “My father’s orders?”

Joruzan, her step-grandfather, materialized beside her. “Commander, Ist’an,
Turana
. I see all is...” His voice broke off, and his gaze locked on Marcus. The one who’d first advanced had knelt beside him and was already cutting away the material from his wound site.

“Would someone please explain what the hell is going on?” She looked at Joruzan. “You, Joruzan. Explain to me what is happening.”

“Your father and the
Galecian
, Ran’uzan, created a political alliance three years ago. When the ruler, Amu’zan, passed on. Emperoer Ran’uzan became the next in line to the throne, after Emperor Vil’nak. Emporer Vil’nak died two days ago. Ran’uzan immediately enacted a treaty and sent Gurdu, his second, to deal with this situation. He’d been aware that there were factions that coveted Earth. Ran’uzan neutralized them and wants to enter into treaty negotiations. Their power base has dwindled with Vil’nak’s desire to colonize and has left them open to attack.”

Dria looked at the man she’d known for so long. “But why wasn’t I informed about...”

Joruzan smiled enigmatically. “Until now, you didn’t need to know.”

Anger coursed, scalding her. “So instead you sent me here, put lives at risk—”

“That’s enough, Dria! This is neither the time nor the location for such a discussion. You will be recalled soon to discuss this with your father. Until then, you will hunt out the rest of the Incubi and deal with them.” He dismissed her by turning his back. “Thank you for your assistance Gurdu. The
Turaa
will, of course, require your report, as no doubt will your leader.”

“If you are ready, Ist’an?” The leader spoke to the one treating Marcus, who was now sitting upright, his face tight but the bleeding diminished.

“Yes, sir.” Ist’an gave a tight bow, then he and his people disappeared.

With an angry look in Joruzan’s direction, Dria moved to Marcus and crouched down. “Are you okay?”

His gaze was distant, but he was alive. “I’ve felt better.”

She lifted a shaking hand to his face. “I’ll bet. Let’s go home.”

He nodded, panting heavily. She wanted him out of there. “You have a transmitter?”

“Yeah. Two in my pocket—one for you and one for me.”

She removed them from his pocket, wincing as he groaned his discomfort.

“I’ll alert your team,” she said. “And then we can—”

Bang! Crash!
The door thudded open and Marcus’s people hurried in. Looks of disbelief flooded their faces as they took in the tableau.

Dria looked up. “He’s fine. But we’re going home. Joruzan, you can sort this mess out.”

With that she depressed the buttons and the room turned black.

* * * *

The sun shone down as Dria left the palace. Her parents had been stunned at the ultimatum she’d just given them. Down below the mountain, in a small cafe, Marcus waited for her.

For Marcus, she’d concocted a story about needing to return home and that her parents wished to meet him. Today wasn’t the time though. No, she needed the truth about Christina before taking a chance. Dria had reached the point of no return in the small shack when Marcus had been hurt. Like a lightning strike, it had hit her—he was the most important thing in her life.