Kyro: A Sci-fi Alien Abduction Romance (Captured by Aliens Book 5) Read online

  The sun was high in the sky and, even though she had come to work late that day, she’d already managed to get through half of the shuttle already.

  Her hands were beginning to feel calloused and rough under the work she was doing but that didn’t stop her. She’d already amassed a lot of credits and the pig-man was always happy to give her overtime.

  Despite the credits though, she felt better in herself.

  Not being in her apartment all day was helping too. She was no longer plagued with thoughts of unfulfillment. Now she had a goal.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she looked toward the shuttle where her little animal friend always seemed to show up.

  He wasn’t there today and she wondered why.

  Every single day since that first day, he’d shown up, watching her work no matter how long her days were and when she left for the evening, he would go home too, to wherever he went.

  And every day she arrived, she half-expected him to not show up. But he always did. Except for today.

  Maybe he had finally grown tired of her company.

  Turning back to the shuttle she was scouring, her brows furrowed slightly.

  Another thing was bothering her as well.

  Through all this time, Kyro had been sending her messages on her datapad. Jokes mostly and a bit of chit-chat. But he hadn’t come by her apartment since that night and she couldn’t help but feel guilty about it.

  It was probably her fault.

  She’d scared him away with her indecisiveness.

  She couldn’t tell a man she wanted nothing to do with him and then the next second invite him to hold her tenderly in bed.

  That just didn’t work.

  Most human men would’ve forgotten about what she’d said and taken the opportunity to seduce her. But not Kyro.

  He was too gentlemanly for that. He respected her and she’d already learned that for a human in this new world, respect didn’t come easy.

  He must think she was some kind of manipulative bitch. It was no wonder he was steering clear.

  And the sad thing about it? She didn’t want him to.

  She missed him.

  There. She’d said it.

  She missed him.

  Missed seeing him. Missed speaking to him...like, really speaking to him. Not messages over the datapad.

  Glancing over her shoulder once more, she looked at the shuttle behind her to see if the animal had arrived yet.

  She missed the little creature too but the skunkat was nowhere to be seen. The animal reminded her of Kyro, and she wasn’t sure why. She guessed she was taking comfort in its visits because she couldn’t see Kyro herself.

  Sighing, she tried to focus on the task at hand.

  Maybe this was all a sign.

  Maybe this was Kyro’s way of saying goodbye and maybe it was a sign that she didn’t have hope for a proper life on the base.

  Maybe, it was the universe telling her to move on.

  Kyro stared at his datapad, not seeing anything on the screen. The weight of his feelings, his conscience, it all seemed to increase as time went by.

  In the silence, the device pinged.

  For a second, his heart leaped. Just the thought of receiving a message from Evren had his lifeblood spiking.

  But it wasn’t a message from her and as immediately as his heart leaped it fell like a ten-ton brick.

  Instead, it was a message from Xul.

  They were to head to Muk to search for the humans that might have been ejected from the slave ship they’d destroyed.

  Kyro stared at the message.

  He’d never been so unenthused about the prospect of going off base before.

  In the next few minutes, he got ready, grabbed his gear, and was at the meeting spot, his brother Crex’s dwelling, in surprisingly record time.

  When he arrived, Xul was already there and to his surprise, Rokan was there too.

  “I didn’t see you leave the quarters.” He eyed Rokan. His fellow Vorti flashed him a grin.

  “There are a lot of things you don’t see me do,” Rokan replied.

  In other circumstances, he would have said something. But this was not the day. For some reason, today his mood was sour. It had been sour for the last few days he’d spent following Evren and returning home, only to follow her again.

  And even then, the more he stayed away from her, the more his mood went downhill.

  The sickness was taking hold and he knew not the cure for it.

  “Glad to see you here, Kyro. Wasn’t sure if you were over your, er, sickness or not.” Xul greeted him, placing a hand on his shoulder and touching their foreheads.

  “The fever is still raging,” Kyro murmured absently.

  Behind them, Crex walked in, a small human female holding on to his arm.

  “Oh, hey Kyro. Didn’t know you arrived already,” the female greeted him with a smile. Her rainbow-colored strands were caught at the top of her head in much the same way Evren would catch hers and the similarity had him groaning inwardly.

  “Greetings, Piper.”

  “Would anyone like something to drink?” she asked already moving to the food preparation area. Of course, only Rokan replied with the affirmative. Back in their shared quarters, their cooling unit was often empty because of his excessive thirst.

  As Crex turned to Kyro, jerking his head in greeting, the doorbell chimed. Crex opened it to see Yce, their psionic brother, standing there.

  Kyro glanced around. So, it seemed the entire crew was heading off to the mission. Everyone except Kyris.

  He was just about to ask about his brother when Xul spoke up. “Rokan is taking Kyris’ spot today. Kyris’ wings still need healing.”

  Ah.

  Kyro nodded.

  “So what’s the plan?” Crex asked.

  “Shuttle leaves in three hours,” Xul began. “We have information on the area the stasis unit would have most likely landed. We head there. Search. Return home.”

  “Sounds pretty simple,” Rokan offered.

  “It is,” Xul said, but his gaze moved over them all.

  That was the problem. Nothing was ever simple when it came to the Tasqals.

  If there was a potential set of humans buried somewhere under the sand all sleeping in stasis, the Tasqals wouldn’t just let them go.

  They just had to hope the Tasqals hadn’t found the humans yet.

  “The Mukkians have found an unidentified object but do not have the technology to scan it. They say it is not like any other ship debris they’ve come across.”

  There was a collective silence around the room.

  “If it is what we think it is, then we needed to get our asses there yesterday.”

  As Piper walked back into the room, a drink in her hand, she greeted Yce and handed the drink to Rokan before heading back to the food preparation area for another.

  “Congratulations, brother,” Yce suddenly said, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Crex.

  Everyone followed his gaze, looking at Crex as if he would clear up Yce’s sudden compliment.

  “Quiet.” Crex’s voice was hushed, and Kyro didn’t miss the nervous glance he shot in the direction of the food preparation area.

  A slow frown materialized in his brow.

  He couldn’t help but ask. “Congratulations for what?”

  Crex glanced at Yce, giving him a look that could kill—and it might kill. One never really knew with Crex.

  Yce seemed unfazed. “Piper is carrying young. I can feel its soft mind pulses.”

  “Curse you and your freakish gift.” Crex’s voice was still low. “I haven’t told her yet.”

  “You mean she doesn’t know?” Rokan and Xul said at the same time, voices hushed.

  “No.” Crex glanced toward the food preparation area with agitation once more. “I only heard the child’s heart beating a few days ago.”

  “Why haven’t you told her?” Kyro had to ask. The fact that his brother was keeping back such great ne
ws baffled him.

  What he would give to have offspring of his own—something he would never have. It was a gift that should never be taken lightly.

  Crex glanced around the group before his eyes settled on Kyro. “I don’t know how she’ll react.” He paused, the next few words obviously difficult for him. “I can hardly believe she accepted me. I don’t think she realizes she could bear my young.” He paused once more. “I didn’t realize.”

  Neither did he. He hadn’t even considered the prospect of humans being compatible outside of their species.

  Could Evren bear offspring? If she found a mate, would she bear offspring for them?

  The thought of her with someone else...

  Just then, a cheery Piper walked back in, a drink in hand for Yce. There was dead silence as all five sets of eyes watched her.

  Catching that something wasn’t right, the little human frowned slightly, her smile wavering a little as she cast a glance in Crex’s direction.

  “Everything all right?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Totally.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Of course.”

  “Certainly.”

  Piper’s eyes noticeably narrowed. “Right. Nothing suspicious going on here.” She looked at Xul, her demeanor suddenly brightening. “So, I was thinking. I should tag along on this mission—”

  “No!” It was a chorus of five different voices, and it caused the human’s brows to almost meet her nose.

  “Geez Louise, what is up with you all?”

  “I mean,” Xul cleared his throat, glancing in Crex’s direction before meeting Piper’s gaze. “It is too dangerous to risk it.”

  When Piper cocked her head, obviously not buying the excuse, Kyro found himself speaking up. “Maybe it would give you some time to hang out with the other humans. That is how you say it right? “Hang out?”

  That seemed to lighten her a bit and she smiled. “Ok, I get it. You want us to spend more time together.” She turned to Crex. “Fine. I’ll spend more time with my friends.”

  As she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, Crex’s eyes met his with obvious gratitude.

  It was not until they had left the apartment and were in the shuttle that he told Crex he would do some research on how humans broke it to their mates that they were carrying offspring.

  He also had other research to do too.

  Mainly, if humans could carry Vorti offspring.

  Even as he thought it, he wondered why he wanted to torture himself with such questions.

  An affirmative answer would only break the remaining muscle that made his life-organ beat.

  22

  Muk was an unforgiving planet. As soon as they landed, Kyro and the rest of his brothers were hit with a raging sandstorm that had them sheltering under makeshift tents till the worst of it passed. As the grains of sand flying through the air finally calmed down enough for them to walk, Kyro checked his blaster on his hip as his brothers rose around him to begin the trek and search.

  “Do you think your hunch was correct?” Rokan began. “Do you think we’ll find humans here?”

  Xul was walking ahead of them all and he shrugged. “I hope not.” He paused, checking his navigation instrument.

  “The Mukkians approach,” Yce said from behind and Kyro looked in the direction in which Yce’s glowing eyes pointed. Sure enough, a small cloud of dust was approaching and as the Mukkians drew nearer, Kyro could make out the large serpentine beasts on which they liked to travel.

  “These little fiends,” Rokan said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked like a statue with his bald head gleaming in the sunlight and Kyro paused for a second, wondering if that was how he looked too. After all, they looked almost identical if not for Rokan’s thicker frame and wider head and green eyes.

  “Fiends?” Crex shot him a look. “Those little beings? Hardly.”

  Xul chuckled as the Mukkians arrived. “They can be fiends if they don’t like you. I guess they don’t like you then, brother.” His gaze landed on Rokan, laughter swimming underneath it.

  Rokan only lifted his chin higher in the air and eyed the little men as they hopped off their transport. They were short, brown little men wearing robes that matched the color of the sand and their skin. From afar, if they weren’t beside their serpentine rides, they almost blended in with the desert itself.

  In one hand they carried little spears.

  They looked almost childlike with their small stature, not reaching even his knee in height, and their small beady eyes and large ears added to the picture.

  “Oh look,” one of the Mukkians nudged another as soon as they hopped off the creature, “two bald heads today.”

  No doubt they were referring to him and Rokan. Why they refused to use anyone’s names was beyond him. It was incredibly...rude.

  But the Mukkians didn’t care.

  Another chuckled. “Bald.”

  “As shiny as Mexclar’s behind.”

  More chuckling and Kyro frowned as Rokan made an irritated sound in his throat.

  The laughter behind Xul’s eyes only grew in intensity as he heard what they said.

  Crex tilted his head. “But you are bald too,” he noted, speaking to the Mukkians as the rest of them hopped off the creature.

  There were six of them and they all turned to look at him at once, the laughter dying from their lips.

  Crex shrugged, lifting his hands in the air, a rare grin splitting his face.

  “You are wise to give up that conversation, Dark Terror.”

  “Dark Terror?” he and Rokan spoke at the same time and Yce burst out a laugh. Crex frowned at the three of them.

  “Why does he get such a name, but you call us names based on the way we look?” Rokan’s eyes flashed with anger. “Baldhead, for instance.” Rokan touched his head and Kyro watched him rub his hand along it.

  He knew why Rokan was so upset.

  Hair was Rokan’s weakness. He missed his full head of hair.

  “Glow eyes and Xul know why,” one of the Mukkians said.

  Everyone looked from Xul to Yce as Rokan threw his hands up in the air.

  “So, you call Xul by his right name?” Rokan lunged for one of the little men but almost lost his step as the little man easily moved out of the way, the sand gliding under his little feet with ease.

  Rokan growled, much to the ire of everyone standing there.

  “All right, enough.” Xul sobered. “We’re here on a serious mission, in case you forget.” He turned his attention to the Mukkians. “Reports at the base said you found an object.”

  “Affirmative.” One of the Mukkians stepped forward.

  “Lead us to it.”

  With a jerk of their heads, the group of little men began leading the way, their serpentine beasts moving through the sand beside them.

  It did not take long before they came upon a mound of sand that was much bigger than the other dunes dotting the area.

  Rokan flipped out an instrument and scanned. “My device says this is not a natural occurrence.”

  Kyro walked along it, his eyes moving up and down.

  It was as large as a small ship. It could be a ship.

  The Mukkians moved up to the rise of sand, one of them burying his spear into the sand until it could go in no farther. Jamming his spear in a few times, it was obvious that whatever was underneath was solid because the spear kept hitting something, a dull thud echoing underneath the sand.

  Crex sniffed the air and Yce’s eyes began to glow, no doubt each sensing if there were any life forms onboard.

  Taking out a little gadget he’d brought along, small enough to fit in his pocket, Kyro activated the little droid. As the thing unfurled and constructed itself, the little whirring sound it made had the Mukkians’ attention immediately. Despite that they’d carved a way for themselves on their dying planet, they all had a deep interest in metal and gadgets and he was sure they were going to want to ta
ke his little droid when the mission was over.

  As he placed the droid against the sand, he ordered it to dig and it began making a hole, moving forward toward the large object.

  “I can sense nothing,” Crex finally said, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the large mound of sand.

  “Neither can I,” Yce said.

  The droid’s progress was quick, a hole big enough for two of them to fit into materializing as they spoke.

  As the object underneath the sand was revealed, Kyro made a note on his datapad for the Restitution to pick up.

  The dark metal that was being revealed was undoubtedly a Tasqal vessel—only they used the rare talik metal to construct space vehicles.

  “A stasis hold,” Rokan breathed, stepping closer.

  Xul’s eyes narrowed. “If this is here, our hunch was true. There could only be one set of species inside. The Tasqals had only made one stop before we took their ship down.”

  “Humans,” Yce said.

  “Many humans,” Crex breathed, his eyes traveling along the length of the vessel.

  Kyro kept silent.

  He could only look.

  The thought of humans only reminded him of Evren. If the mound of sand was anything to go by, the vessel was a large one and that meant there were a lot of stasis pods on board. Many humans. Many female humans, most likely.

  Yet, he was sure none of them could hold a flame to his Evren.

  Even now, he’d have preferred stalking her to the shuttle yard to watch her all day.

  This mission was pretty straightforward. Only one person had been probably needed to confirm the presence of the pod-carrier and to arrange for Restitution pickup.

  Xul was already looking his way as he thought about that. “Kyro—”

  “On it. Arranging for pickup. Coordinates sent.” He punched the information in his datapad and sent the encrypted ping to the Restitution.

  The little droid stopped clearing the sand and returned to him just as the Mukkians surrounded his legs.

  Shaking his head, Kyro let them ooh and aah over the droid as he watched Rokan approach the cool dark metal that was exposed.

  “A 3P9 carrier.” Rokan touched the metal as he spoke.

  “Right,” Xul agreed. “Only the engineers on the base can open it.”