The Alien’s Reward by Luna Kingsley
Chapter 1
Sarah
“There you are.I should’ve known I’d find you here.”
The sound of Maren’s voice jolts me out of the peaceful daze I’ve slipped into as I stare out of the windows of the ship’s observatory, the unfinished Sudoku puzzle forgotten on my lap. Now that we’ve entered Cruna’s atmosphere and zoned in on Nedruinia, there’s suddenly so much to see of this new planet. It’s nearing dusk which means before long everything will be covered in shadows. But until then, I’m taking in the mountains with jagged peaks like fingernails that point toward the sky. And the spattering of trees that remind me of pussy willows, but they have thick brown trunks with white puffs along the branches the size of balloons. I knew I’d see amazing things on this trip which is one of the reasons I decided to come along. Everything is bigger than on Earth, like it was given steroids and now we get to gaze upon its majesty while flying overhead.
“It won’t be much longer now,” I say, tearing my eyes away long enough to look at Maren. I close my puzzle book, creasing the corner so I’ll remember my page the next time I have a moment to myself. She relaxes in the seat next to me, pulling a blanket over her lap while bringing the mug of steaming chamomile tea to her lips that I’ve prepared for her.
She takes a sip, making a face while trying to identify the unique flavors. “Did you add something else to the tea tonight?”
I’ve studied traditional medicine for two years now. But I’m interested in all things related to medicine—including herbal remedies. It’s why we’re on this spaceship in the first place. We’re part of an intergalactic educational program that allows us to meet with cooperating species and exchange information about useful herbs and medicines. There’s no other way they’d allow a bunch of twenty-three-year-old students on this type of mission.
“I added lavender and passionflower to the chamomile. You should sleep well tonight.” She looks like she’s ready to watch the feature film of the night and I guess she isn’t too far off. For now, it’s just wilderness outside these massive windows but eventually it’ll be the cities we’ll be visiting. “Did Trinity mention how much longer until we reach our destination?”
“Tomorrow. Late afternoon.” She tucks her brown hair behind her ear and leans back, resting her head like she’s exhausted. Ever since Maren and I met at the start of our program, I knew we’d be close friends. One of the first stories she told me was how she decided to apply for the program when she realized she was her boyfriend’s mistress after she saw his wedding photos online. Deciding to leave the entire planet after being scorned by a lover is a whole mood and I was here for it. But tonight, I’m seeing a different side to her. She lacks her usual fire.
“That’s nothing after how long we’ve been on this ship. You doing okay?” You’d think after weeks of space flight, we’d be used to this routine by now. But like everything, after a while, it becomes monotonous.
“I’m tired. I should be sleeping but even with the workout facility, it’s like I need more mental stimulation. I need to go somewhere. How about you? Still having trouble sleeping?”
I smile and shrug because there’s no use denying it. “It doesn’t matter how many concoctions of tea I make or how many puzzles I do to distract myself.” I hold up my little puzzle book before tucking it away in my pocket. “You say it’ll get better with time so I’m doing my best to wait it out. Let’s face it, we could both stand to get off this ship. The distraction will be nice,” I say, stretching my legs and trying to change the subject.
“Exactly.” She sips her tea as we settle in, enjoying the sights that are like watching an IMAX.
The truth is, she inspired me to be bolder with my own life choices. I may be interested in learning all I can about medicines from around the galaxy, but I never would’ve signed up for this trip on my own. My parents already lost one daughter. I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving them to an empty house while I went galivanting across space. But in the end, they encouraged me to follow my dreams.
A large screen between the two massive windows shows the ship’s path. Right now, we’re flying between the cities of Dundurn and Nedruinia, our first destination on a medical mission that begins in Nedruinia tomorrow where we’re scheduled to meet with the city’s healers.
A large herd of animals the size of elephants but without their girth runs along a path around the top of a mountain, kicking up plumes of dust in their wake. Short spikes protrude from their backs, massive horns from the tops of their heads. They move fast like cheetahs, which is impressive for their size and mass. “Did you see your crush around the ship when you were looking for me?” I ask, changing the subject.
Finally, I get a smile. “He was playing cards with a few of his buddies. I stopped to ask if any of them had seen you.”
“You know what you’re doing.” I smile back and shake my head, impressed with her gumption. We’re stuck with our military escorts for the entirety of this trip, after all. While I prefer to keep things mess-free and professional, Maren is all for seeing where things can go. “He’s probably going to sneak into your bunk tonight.”
She snorts after taking another sip of her tea. “He’s welcome to. Maybe I’d actually sleep…if by some miracle he could make me orgasm.”
We both laugh but our moment is interrupted by flashing red on the map. “What does that mean?” I ask, moving closer so I can read the flashing notice.
“Restricted territory,” Maren says, reading the message.
“How would we know it’s restricted territory? Isn’t that something they should’ve told our military escorts or the pilots?”
“You’d think,” Maren says, her expression one of worried confusion.
Before we have a chance to really figure out what’s going on, the ship suddenly lurches to the side, throwing Maren and me into the reinforced glass. The lights flicker before leaving us in darkness, the ear-splitting sound of metal ripping causing my stomach to drop and my insides to fill with fear. The paneling above is peeled back, exposing a hole in the ship that causes numerous things to happen at once—multiple alarms sound while the ship drops so fast my stomach heaves.
Maren screams but I’m too busy staring at the wing-armed creature attached to the ship. It glares down at me through the gaping hole—the two turquoise-blue eyes pinning me in a way that makes it impossible for me to move.
“Holy shit,” I say, mustering barely a whisper. Its head tilts while it clings to the metal by its claws. It crouches only for another moment before its muscular legs push off and it takes flight, disappearing into the darkening night sky.
Moments later we crash. The impact throws me straight through the huge hole where the glass used to be.
* * *
I swallowthe coppery taste in my mouth. Why are my ears ringing? I tell my eyes to open, but it seems to take forever to find the strength. What is going on? Am I dead? Did I pass out? I blink as memories of the crash replay in my head. One moment I was staring at the creature attached to our ship and the next I was weightless.
Pain pulses through my leg. My head aches as I try to clear the fogginess weighing me down. Then another sensation, wet and soothing against the pain acting like a drug to my system as I sigh with relief. A piece of crumpled metal lays to my side, a silver mass crouched over my lower body dangerously close to the apex of my thighs.
Smoke billows, swelling above me and adding to the clouds already blocking the sky. Rustling and then movement from the side of the ship draws my attention, even though I can’t move. The armed military guards who are still on their feet run toward me with their weapons pointed directly at me.
“Freeze!” One of them yells in my direction. My head is still too dazed to make sense of what’s going on. Why the hell are they pointing their weapons at me?
This silver mass that I mistook as part of the ship pinning me to the ground moves. It lifts its head and I’m staring into its eyes—a strange mix of human and alien swirled into a deep pool of blue. One minute there are six marines advancing toward me and the next, two of them are lifted off the ground, disappearing from sight. Then the screams start before being quickly cut off. The air smells metallic, the constant popping of guns causing my panic to rise at being unable to flee because of my leg wound.
Then another immediate thought crosses my mind: Maren.
Where is she? I scan the scene, but don’t see her or any of the other men or women from the ship other than the marines. The ship has crashed but it isn’t destroyed. It’s smoking but not a crumbled ball of metal. There could easily be survivors. I can’t be the only one.
More gunfire just before the silver, winged alien lands with a thud not far from me. It appears to be male. He throws one of the marines into the cliffs where his body crumples from the high velocity. He does the same to one more. The two men still standing fire endlessly at the creature. His body jolts and flinches but he doesn’t go down. When they finally stop, he’s still standing—no signs of blood, cuts or injury.
The alien pulls his arm back, his claws tipped, and slices downward. Unable to watch the bloodshed, I close my eyes as the alien finishes off the last two soldiers. My whole body is trembling at this point. Whatever this thing is, it has come to kill us. We flew where we weren’t supposed to and now we’re paying the price. Even our military escorts can’t protect us from this creature and the blood he seeks.
The quiet seeps into my bones while I wait with my eyes closed, unwilling to look death in the face. The screams have stopped. There’s no more gunfire. Only the occasional creaking and bending of broken ship parts as they settle against the side of the mountain. I cling to the sliver of hope that reinforcements will arrive any minute. There had to be more than six of them that survived the crash. Surely some of them will show up to investigate all that gunfire.
When I finally get the courage to open my eyes, the silver alien is standing above me. The first thing I zone in on are his feet. They’re bare with spikes on the back of his heels. The same sharp talons on his fingers are also on his toes, the logic clicking into place as to how he was able to cling to the ship while it was still in the air. My eyes move up his strong, muscular legs, over his defined torso and barrel-shaped chest until I’m staring in those intense blue eyes once again. He’s completely silver from his body to his wings to his hair—except for his eyes. They’re the color of the ocean, a calm turquoise that doesn’t fit the chaos he’s created around us.
My breathing is rapid, my body consumed with pain and fear as he begins circling me. It’s cold lying here on the ground without the appropriate clothes for the environment. Was I imagining him crouched over me before? What was he doing? I’m afraid to look down and see the state of my legs but I do it anyway, relieved to find they’re both still attached. There is a deep gash in my left thigh, the blood flowing free and steady. There’s no way I can fight him in this condition—not that it would matter anyway. I saw what he did to the marines. I’m no match for him.
Then, to my complete surprise, he slides his arms under my body and lifts me, holding me in his arms. I’m too shocked to say anything but it doesn’t matter because in the next moment, his wings extend and he lifts me into the air.