In His Alien Hands (4 page)

“Are you looking for a human, Arax? By all means we should find one. They are fair game since this portal is illegal. Let’s party, shall we?” Then he slipped under the vessel, and as Arax watched, a rotund human male screamed then quieted as he was snapped in half by the furious great white Arax had injured.

Arax was unconcerned; he didn’t want a human male. When another two humans hit the water Arax took note. Both females floundered. Arax was tempted to grab one, but humans had a distasteful smell when their soul was polluted. These two females reeked. A shark circled the two. Arax didn’t interfere, he wouldn’t bring filth home to his human, she was too vulnerable.

A hammerhead grabbed one of them and swam away. Arax stopped the shark from entering the portal with her. A wave of his hand and the portal door was covered in a three-foot layer of solid ice. Furious, the female was shaken and dropped. With silent menace Arax warned the sharks no polluted humans were allowed into their world. The contamination was already great, they needed no other toxins. He swam away, allowing the sharks their fun as the water filled with dozens of pustules. At least they were occupied. Arax had his own agenda. The scent of a possible female filled his nostrils.

* * * *

Mayhem pulled the hiders from within the boat topside, filling the decks. The woman and her two children ran with Meadow. Amid the chaos they dodged thrown fists while blood and ice made the deck slippery. The bow of the boat hit a wave and a sickening, splintering sound was the only warning anyone had of the vessel’s demise. The wood on deck cracked and rose up, splicing legs and torsos. The bow crumbled, sending the vessel nose first under the water.

The mother of the two children screamed when her son was flung overboard by a crashing wave. The woman dove in after him. Her young girl stood sobbing. There were no lifejackets. Another wave swept the child over and Meadow went in after her. Attempting to save her would be useless, the situation was hopeless, but she couldn’t simply do nothing. Death now or in hours was irrelevant. At least Meadow could offer the child some comfort.

The water was disgusting, brackish and foul. When she surfaced there was no sight of anyone. The heavens pounded the ocean. Soaked through, the bite of cold was painful. Confusion engulfed her; it wasn’t exactly saltwater she tasted. It should have been, but it wasn’t. Something touched her feet, and she screamed and glanced down. An eerie mass of ice slipped under her, gliding beneath then rolling the ship onto its side. Above water the iceberg was dozens of feet from her.

The ocean was freezing. Pins and needles assaulted her flesh. There was no hope for survival, hers or anyone’s, the vessel was sinking. A lump formed in her throat. Finally, she would be reunited with her family. Already her clouding mind began to go blissfully numb. Soon she would warm and she would sleep. It was only a matter of time.

Does death really happen so fast?

She could see more icebergs on either side of her, smaller chunks, bobbing in a hide-and-seek fashion. The water, a mixture of both salt and fresh with foul being the primary taste, was beyond polluted. If death had a flavor, this would be it. Meadow wondered what had happened to all the water creatures. She remembered someone screaming
sharks
and seeing the massive moving objects. It figured sharks would be the cockroaches of the water world.

Sweet thoughts, but you’re dying—think of happy thoughts.

The urge to sink and get it over with grew stronger. Her natural buoyancy took over when her feet stopped kicking. Overhead the sky snapped and snarled, a rabid animal of the heavens. Rolling, surreal dark clouds billowed in smoky waves. People cried out from all directions.

As Meadow watched, a demon from hell swooped in from the skies and grabbed the mother and her son. The sobbing woman pleaded with the being who appeared to be saving them. The creature swooped low and grabbed another child, the daughter. Meadow felt elated if not confused. The creature, alien-like with human features, held the three easily and possessively. The woman was reunited with both children, but she fainted. The children remained oddly quiet as they stared in horror-filled wonder.

His massive wings hovered over the tips of the rolling waves. He gazed at Meadow for a moment, her mouth gaping in awe, before he offered an expletive. Then he surprised her by speaking to her in English. “I’m sorry, human, my arms are full. Perhaps another will offer you aid.” The wings circled him in a perfect oval shape and the creature was suddenly exploding up into the air. He then vanished.

It wasn’t real.

Screaming to her left made Meadow swivel around. Sharks. As if the humans weren’t terrified enough. The captain floundered for mere seconds before a shark snapped him in half. His scream was cut short as part of him floated downward. Meadow watched wide-eyed and couldn’t breathe, but a small sense of peace filled her. She was neither happy nor sad with the captain’s death. Her humanity had stayed intact after all. A huge hammerhead approached two women and a man clinging together. A black void opened around them. Meadow watched in horror as the three disappeared into hell. The hole closed; all that remained was the shark, and it turned to her. She feared being eaten alive.

Damn, die faster, Meadow, before you’re snapped in half… Yeah, I’ll get right on that.

An awful thought to be sure, but she was serious. Watching as the inevitable approached, Meadow couldn’t move. It was surreal to witness the approach of the Grim Reaper. Water slapped her face and neck. Closer it came.
Closer.
Without thought Meadow balled a fist and sent a right hook across into the shark’s nose. The shark twisted away and for the life of her Meadow thought she heard the word
bitch
muttered. She didn’t have time to feel smug in shark-infested waters as a great white joined the hammerhead. Her legs numbing, her fist aching, and her sanity slipping, Meadow gave in to her terror and howled for help.

* * * *

“Oh God, oh my God, help me!”

“I don’t think the sharks are religious. And I know for a fact none are named God.”

Arax had popped his head out of the water and when she saw him she panicked and screamed. Her arms slapped at the water, causing waves to hit Arax in the face. He grew angry; two of Crash’s sharks were closing in, and he had no time for hysterics.

He slipped under the water and came up behind her. This human had a scent that drew him in. He wanted her. Keeping her breathing would be harder this way, but he had an idea. Arax crushed her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, locking her against him. She couldn’t move and he knew she was holding her breath.

“Be still, female. I will allow you to breathe, but you must stop fighting me. If you continue resisting, it makes my helping you harder.”

Arax slipped under the water, taking her with him. It took mere seconds to spirit her away to a safe place. Her efforts to free herself doubled. She was strong, but her terror gave her added strength. When she finally slumped against him Arax turned her in his arms. He created a blanket of bubbles. She could breathe if she chose. Getting her to trust him would take little effort the longer she waited, the second her mouth opened to gasp in air she would understand he spoke the truth. Her frightened gaze locked with his. She had beautiful eyes. Her long hair flowed around them both.

She was small and thin. Her muscles were defined, he could feel them under her clothing. Humans wore so much clothing to ward off the cold above. Then again, the water by her standards would be freezing, not that she had any choice of swimming as the vessel capsized. Tiny waves developed as she shivered against him. He pulled her closer, trying to offer her warmth. She was half-dead, but he couldn’t risk putting another human in the healing chamber, the effects were too disastrous. He needed this female to aid his own.

“Breathe, female. You can trust me, you are safe with me.” Arax was pleased he had learned English. Without the aid of the mind-altering Gorgano the female would never understand his language, and even then it would prove difficult. Unfortunately, the Gorgano were enemies.

The female shook her head, her eyes pleading. Arax continued to hold her, knowing any second she would either be unconscious or she would take a breath. She took a breath. The surprise on her face made him smile.

“Trust me, little starfish. I won’t let the sharks hurt you. I won’t let you drown. Look around. Where else can you go?”

Arax had taken her lower into the water. The sharks hated icy water, deep below the surface was too cold for them, but they were tempted enough to play with the humans closer to the surface. Arax was protected from the frigid temperatures by his skin. He could protect the female from freezing to death as well with her pressed so closely to his body.

He had witnessed the dark winged warriors in the skies. For a moment he wondered if the shuttle his human female had been in had found its way home to Zargonnii territory through a portal. The vessels were programmed to return. The idea terrified him briefly. The Zargonnii had set Bertha off on her own trying to save her. She belonged to Arax now, and he wouldn’t hand her over.

The war between the Gorgano, Castians, Zargonnii, and rogue Tonans kept the alternate universe busy. Perhaps there was a lull in the fighting. If so Arax was lucky to get his hands on the female he now held. There were no toxins radiating from this female, her soul was clean, but her fear was palpable.

“Who are you?” the female asked. Her tone was dreamy in quality, and he knew she would lose consciousness soon. The muffled sound of her voice was also filled with anxiety. Fear could kill a human. Arax wanted this one alive.

“My name is Arax. Don’t be afraid. What’s your name?”

“Meadow.”

“Close your eyes, Meadow. You will be safe and warm soon, I promise.”

Arax wasn’t certain if she simply complied or if she fainted. When he looked up he could see the sharks gathering. It was time to go home. In his arms lay the answer to his problem with his human female. Earth was dead. Bertha’s transformation was his mistake, and she would die without him. The female he now held was young but a grown woman. Meadow would be perfect for his needs, and his female’s needs. She would do everything Arax told her to do. Besides, he had infuriated Crash, leader of the shark people, and his men by getting the upper hand. Another battle with the enemy while they warred, won. Today had been a good day after all.

For a moment Arax felt a sense of loss as a few human bodies drifted lower. Some were already dead, perhaps all of them were—no one moved and he sensed nothing. Can you freeze a soul? He hadn’t created the storm, but he had inadvertently brought the sharks. Scowling, he felt anger build. The council would have been quick to damn Arax if the female Bethany had died in his care after he stole her from Finn the Zargonnii warrior. Now here was Crash and his horde destroying humans at will. Crash had no council watching his every move. It was unfair. Crash should be the one to suffer the consequences.

The ice covering the portal melted with a thought. Using a vindictive wave of his hand, Arax closed the portal he’d created. Floating in water, trapped on the other side, he saw Crash’s enraged face glaring at him through what appeared to be a sheet of glass.

“Cool your fins, shark,” Arax spat. “I’ll set you free sooner or later.”

Crash smashed his nose against the portal. Arax didn’t laugh at his fury. Arax wasn’t happy and he wasn’t smug. If Crash would only listen. There was a deeper danger to the people of their world. Perhaps cooling his fins in foul water would make him more receptive to communication.

Chapter 4

Meadow’s eyelashes fluttered. When she lifted her heavy lids she saw she was in a room on a large, soft bed. The vaulted ceiling above was high, with a massive fountain flowing freely near a wide window. Blue skies from beyond made her want to cry. It had been so long since she had seen breathtaking blue. The walls in the room were soft greenish blue, a dazzling color. Splendor run amok. A spoiled, pampered person lived here.

A touch of dizziness invaded her senses as she moved into a sitting position. A strange man-creature came into view. Bleary-eyed, she tried to rub what she thought too strange an image from her mind, but the image was real. This was the man-fish who had saved her from the sharks. Her frozen mind hadn’t dredged him up.

He was tall and broad, his skin grayish, his white, short hair spiked. Meadow had never seen such beautiful blue eyes. Their clear ocean depths gazed back at her. His fingers and toes were webbed with the baby finger seemingly fused to the one beside it. She thought at first he was nude but on closer inspection the shorts he wore were the same color as his flesh. The outline of a huge cock pressed against the material.

As he moved closer his features cleared. She’d never encountered a male so dangerously handsome, regally rugged,
and
with classical beauty. His powerful muscles flexed as he moved with easy strides, his air was royalty mixed with warrior.
No doubt a leader.

High Tide
had been filled with men, all mainly assholes, so it surprised her when this man’s features stirred her and made her flesh tingle. His differences were appealing.

“Where am I?” Her stammer was little more than a whisper.

“Sitnalta.”

“You brought me here.” Meadow swiveled to look around and winced. Her side ached. Her hand pressed to her ribs, and she couldn’t help the grimace of pain she shot in his direction.

“I’m sorry I can’t heal you. It might be disastrous.”

“Disastrous? It always takes time to heal a wound.”

He looked upset that he couldn’t help, which was confusing. He’d just saved her from sharks and from drowning.

“Not always, not here with my people, but with humans it can be catastrophic. Something we recently discovered. We’ve had a healing device since the beginning of time. There is a special drink the healer prepares. He is from a long line of healers. If one cannot swallow, the ingredients are injected into the machine, you are then submerged in a larger dose with other elements to aid healing. The machine systematically heals your wounds by invading semi-permeable skin in the places where it’s needed most. It usually takes no more than a few moments. There is one small problem with the healing machine though.”