Kyro: A Sci-fi Alien Abduction Romance (Captured by Aliens Book 5) Page 2

  He couldn’t disagree or agree.

  Rokan spoke the truth but perhaps the humans were not to be judged so quickly. After all, he knew more about the humans than anyone else on the base.

  He had been reading their comedy shows.

  “Look,” Rokan lowered his voice, “if you ever want to head to Muk, I can get clearance. I’d do it alone, but we could go scout together.”

  Kyro lifted his gaze to meet Rokan’s. For him to suggest such a thing...

  Was Rokan just bored? Or was he lonely too?

  “What do you say?” Rokan’s question hung in the air as Kyro adjusted his gaze to look out the window.

  It wouldn’t be a bad idea.

  He had nothing to do for the next few days except analyze data and he had been intending to go to the central hexagon to provide his assistance.

  Heading to the desert planet, Muk, would at least give him something to do...help him shake some of this loneliness he was feeling—which, for some reason, had become more pronounced since that mission where they’d rescued those humans.

  Still gazing out the window that looked out into the street below, Kyro nodded.

  “That would probably be a goo...” his voice trailed off as soon as he saw her.

  The human he’d just been thinking about.

  As if his thoughts had summoned her, she was right there.

  Her hair blew in the slight breeze as she walked on the street two levels below his quarters, a small basket clutched tightly in her hands.

  “Kyro?”

  Rokan’s voice seemed far away and Kyro was rising from his seat before he even realized.

  “Sincere apologies, Rokan. We must continue this conversation at another time,” he said, setting his writing instrument down.

  “What’s the rush?” Rokan, eased off the table as he watched Kyro head for the door.

  “I’ve just...seen someone.”

  Rokan’s gaze moved to the window.

  “Who?” he asked, mild interest in his voice as his gaze searched the streets, but there was no answer.

  Kyro was already gone.

  2

  There was a slight wind today, just cool enough for her to tolerate the blazing heat.

  It was nice weather. Nice enough to make her want to smile.

  If she squinted, she could imagine she was back on Earth on some island getaway with an ethnic vibe.

  Or maybe the streets of Cairo...this section of the base definitely reminded her of Cairo.

  Loud.

  Busy.

  Colorful.

  Walking along the unpaved streets, her shopping basket clutched tightly in her hand, Evren kept her gaze forward.

  Squinting, she imagined all the aliens moving around were humans. She could forget their blue, green, or even red skin. She could forget the hilts of swords jutting from their waists or over their backs, the rifles and other strange weapons she’d never seen before. She could forget their strange alien features.

  All around her, males and females walked and none of them were human. They were all fighters, rebels, and they looked it.

  The females were strong and the males brutal. If they didn’t sport bulging muscles, they had an assortment of weapons strapped to them to back them up.

  How did she end up in such a place as this where she stood out like a sore thumb?

  She carried no weapons. Her muscles were questionable.

  The only things she fought were pages that stuck together in her science books.

  She didn’t belong here. Everyone around her was out there kicking the dickens out of those horrible toads that had abducted her. She, on the other hand, would prefer if she never had to see those toads again.

  Her days used to be spent burying her head in data when she wasn’t out studying some strange creature of nature.

  She was an ecologist...not a rebel fighter.

  Clutching her basket tighter, she tried not to draw attention to herself. Luckily, these were the good guys.

  If not for the rebel alliance, she and the other human women would not have been saved from what would have been a life of slavery, torture, and even death.

  They’d been lucky and she appreciated all that the good aliens had done for them so far.

  Yet, she couldn’t help the feeling that was gnawing in her chest.

  She felt...just a bit lost. It was an emotion that made her anxiety levels rise.

  Life had been going good for her on Earth.

  Great job she’d loved.

  Nice house.

  Good salary.

  She’d just moved to California with her cat, Nigel, on a new assignment studying organisms in Yosemite National Park.

  It had been a new dawn to a promising future.

  After years of studying to become an ecologist, after working her butt off to get there, she’d finally reached her life’s goal.

  Then bam, like a plot twist she hadn’t seen coming, she’d been abducted by aliens.

  Now, what was a girl to do when the world she’d focused so hard on building for herself was suddenly ripped away? What did that leave her with?

  Nothing, that’s what.

  A big fat NOTHING.

  Maybe that was the feeling she was having in her chest.

  That gaping hole inside of her was a nothing hole.

  She hated nothing holes.

  As she walked, the wind playing with the strands of her hair, Evren straightened the brown tunic that she was wearing.

  She was very aware she looked like a walking potato. It was nothing more than a crocus bag with armholes. And it itched.

  It was the main reason she was heading to the market.

  After she and the other women had arrived on the base, she had been given her own living quarters, a datapad that was like a smartphone with credits, and the brown tunic she was currently wearing.

  Apart from the itchy tunic, the other two things were great. Her living quarters were like a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a two-floor building.

  She had it all to herself. Free of charge. And it had come fully stocked with food to last at least a week.

  She was still waiting for the catch, but she supposed the catch was that if she stayed she’d have to join and fight against those horrible toad aliens called the High Tasqals.

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to do that.

  She didn’t even know how to throw a punch properly.

  Granted, she’d surprised herself with her pure aggression in the past thanks to adrenaline.

  So maybe she could throw a punch, once bullied. Maybe take away her science book while she was reading it and she’d probably stab you with her pencil...not probably—she most definitely would.

  Her sandals slapped softly against the paved street as she walked, her head in her thoughts. With the cool breeze that tickled her skin, she could see why the other human women were planning on staying on the base.

  Why leave when God provided all that a woman could ever want?

  1. A hot guy.

  2. A hot guy that was devoted to her.

  3. A hot guy with a stiff cock who was devoted to her.

  4. And a million books free for her to read.

  It was a pity the translator chip the slave masters had installed behind her ear didn’t translate the written language of the aliens. At least she’d have had number four—because numbers one, two, and three were probably never going to happen.

  A sigh made her shoulders rise and fall as she continued on her way. As she crossed the narrow street, she almost bumped into a giant of an alien that looked suspiciously like a yeti.

  “Whoops! Sorry.”

  “Watch where you’re going,” the yeti grunted.

  She swung out of his way, turning to look at the alien Sasquatch as he passed.

  His tone had caught her off guard.

  He didn’t seem nice, but then again, that wasn’t exactly a prerequisite for living on the base.

  He could be fig
hting for the good guys, but that didn’t automatically make him good.

  She should remember that.

  She didn’t need to get on anyone’s bad side.

  She was alone here.

  Despite that she was one of five humans on base and that technically meant she had friends, the truth was that she was alone.

  The other four women had found the love of their lives. They were happy. They had a future on the base.

  She. Not so much.

  She’d heard mention of some intergalactic port city where some refugees lived.

  If things didn’t work out on the base, she guessed that was where she would end up.

  Hopefully, she could carve out a life for herself once more...carry on where she left off on Earth.

  New job. Something she could do to contribute her skills to her new society.

  As the hulk of the yeti-man ambled down the street, Evren realized she’d been standing and thinking for quite a few seconds without moving.

  She was just about to turn around when she saw a tall figure several feet down.

  Her brows furrowed slightly.

  Tall. Gray skin. Bald head.

  It was Kyro—one of the aliens that had rescued her and the others. He wasn’t that far off that she didn’t recognize him.

  He was looking up at the sky as if something was interesting there. Glancing upward, she couldn’t see what was drawing his attention.

  There was nothing in the pale gray sky, not even clouds.

  For a few seconds, she stood wondering if she should walk toward him and say hello.

  Despite that she’d spent so much time in his presence before, he hadn’t really spoken to her. He’d watched her, which she’d found creepy at first, but then she’d just gotten used to it.

  Kyro was weird.

  That was just how he was.

  But she didn’t mind his strangeness.

  As he continued looking at the sky, Evren decided she wouldn’t disturb him.

  What would she say to him anyway? Awkwardness was her middle name when it came to starting conversations.

  Turning around, she continued on her way.

  This was her first time heading to the market and she hoped she could find the place on her own. Around her, the hustle and bustle continued, undisturbed.

  Every step she took, there was a new type of alien she hadn’t seen before. It was hard not to stare at some of them.

  Even now as she thought about it, one was ambling toward her with one large eye on its cylindrical head. As it walked past, she couldn’t resist and she glanced back to watch it go, only to be confronted by another large eye on the back of the alien’s head.

  She guessed no one could stab him in the back without him seeing it coming.

  She almost laughed at her joke.

  She still had to come to terms with the fact that aliens existed, and the universe was much more vibrant than anyone on Earth had ever imagined.

  The fact that there was so much life outside of Earth tickled her scholarly interest but also terrified her a little. There were so many other species, yet humans were so blissfully unaware.

  Even just in this small subsection of space, so many different species of aliens congregated.

  As she continued walking, she assumed she must be going the right direction for the crowd was becoming thicker and with it was a rise in the noise level.

  Groups of aliens were everywhere along the streets. Some laughed together and conversed while others stood close to the peach-colored walls of the buildings as they watched the hustle and bustle go by.

  Glancing behind her once more, she happened to spot the tall gray alien again.

  Kyro.

  This time, he was paying close attention to one of the peach-colored walls, and he glanced in her direction for a second.

  Actually, he glanced right at her.

  He must have seen her.

  Evren frowned, her nose scrunching in a confused look.

  Was he following her?

  As she walked on, she slowed her pace. Pretending to put her hair behind her ear, she glanced behind her once more and this time, she was sure of it.

  He was following her.

  As soon as she’d glanced behind her, Kyro had suddenly stopped walking, jerking abruptly as if he hadn’t expected her to turn around.

  Her incredulous look turned into one of amusement as she watched him fold his arms across his chest and glance around him, looking at everything except her.

  His obvious failure at disguising the fact that he was trailing her was amusing and she fought the sudden giggle that bubbled into her mouth.

  She knew he wasn’t dangerous...his stalking, if anything, was most likely not based on any ill will.

  On a sudden burst of mischief, Evren smiled to herself.

  Deliberately increasing her pace, she moved quickly so she was walking a few feet in front of a tall, burly brown-skinned alien who was so thick he was his very own wall.

  Popping her head around the alien as she walked, she spotted Kyro and their eyes locked. Just as quickly, he moved out of her view, choosing to walk behind a group of tall yellow aliens who were just in front of him.

  Evren’s shoulders shook with a laugh.

  Her smile was still on her lips as she raised her gaze only to realize the tall, burly alien in front of whom she walked was now looking down at her.

  “Hello,” he said, his large, toothy mouth splitting in a smile. His greeting was pleasant, but his teeth looked as sharp and pointed as knives. Evren swallowed hard, giving him a ghost of a smile before moving out of his path and to the side, increasing her pace as she did.

  It took her just a few more moments before she came up on a metal archway. Through the entrance, she could see hundreds of people, er, aliens moving about and what looked like stalls and little shops.

  There was a sign above the archway in a language she couldn’t read, but she was pretty sure she’d arrived at the market.

  Glancing behind her one last time, she searched the crowd of marketgoers and tradesmen and was surprised when a bead of disappointment formed within her.

  Kyro was nowhere in sight.

  His little game had caught her attention and taken her mind away to someplace pure.

  If even for a moment, it had felt good not thinking about anything.

  She was still looking through the host of aliens walking about, trying to spot him once more, when her eyes caught movement on top of a wall close by her.

  There was a strange-looking animal balancing on the wall as it headed in the direction of the market.

  It didn’t look like a wild animal and no one was paying attention to it, so she guessed it wasn’t.

  Must be someone’s pet.

  It was gray, with a long bushy tail like a skunk’s, four legs, and a head like a cat. A rectangle of dark hair ran along its spine and there was a tuft of dark fur behind each ear.

  She couldn’t help but stare. It was a skunkat—a skunk plus a cat all in one.

  As the animal sauntered along, it turned to look at her, silver eyes focusing on her. It stopped to sit on the wall, eyes on her the entire time.

  Evren cocked her head, her brows furrowing as she looked at the animal and it looked back at her.

  Those eyes.

  They seemed so familiar.

  Her own eyes narrowed. It was very...peculiar the way the animal was watching her—almost as if it knew her.

  Just then, another big yeti-alien lumbered past and bumped into her. His grunt broke her concentration and she moved out of his way.

  She wasn’t sure if it was the same yeti as before or if their species was just generally impolite.

  Nevertheless, when she looked back to where the animal had been, she realized it was gone.

  Shrugging it off, she took one more opportunity to scan the crowd of beings in front of her, squeezing the handle of the basket tight as she felt a little hope at the thought of seeing Kyro walking in the thron
g.

  But he wasn’t there.

  It seemed he had gotten tired of playing his little game with her.

  Well, it was fun while it had lasted, she told herself.

  Only, there was still that feeling of disappointment as she turned around to enter the market.

  For once that entire day, she’d been genuinely amused by something—humor that hadn’t been based on self-deprecation, negativity, or pulling from her own depression.

  It had felt good to be free.

  3

  He didn’t know why he was following her.

  Boredom?

  Interest?

  A need to embarrass himself?

  He wasn’t sure.

  All he knew was that following her gave him some form of pleasure he hadn’t anticipated—took his mind away from things even. So, he had continued.

  He told himself it was because he was Vorti—because of his love for data.

  His people thrived on information. The more they knew, the more powerful they could become.

  It was that power that brought about their fall. Vorti were almost extinct. Finding one was rare.

  Since the end times began when the Great War started, what was left of his people had scattered across the galaxy, taking refuge wherever they could.

  They hid, like he was doing now. Hid in plain sight.

  It was all they could do to survive. All they could do when most races who knew of their existence saw them as being dangerous.

  It had been something he hadn’t understood as a youngling, back when the Great War had begun. But after he was taken, he’d learned pretty quickly—beings feared what they did not understand, and most beings did not understand the Vorti.

  Most beings. But not the High Tasqals. They were different. They hadn’t feared his people. They had seen what others didn’t see—they had seen the Vorti as weapons to be used.

  It didn’t help that the Vorti were nothing like the propaganda the Tasqals broadcasted about them to all worlds. Fighting their power only made things worse.

  So, he’d done what all Vorti were doing to survive.

  He’d deconstructed his eyebrows, smoothed his skin, hid his reflectors, cut off his chets—all to look like the Borxclan.