Alien Interludes

By

Tracy St. John

© copyright February 2012, Tracy St. John

Cover art by Erin Dameron-Hil, © copyright March 2012

Nook Edition

This is a work of fiction. Al characters, events, and places are of the author’s

imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or

events is merely coincidence.

Table of Contents:

Hunted

Abduction

The Negotiation

Michaela’s Child

The Sentence

A Family Affair

An Improper Proposal

Sins of the Past

Prelude to Redemption

Sample Chapter of Netherworld II: Blood Potion No. 9

Hunted

Amelia swalowed the panic in her throat as she hurried through the forest. The choking knot of emotion lodged in her chest, making her heart pound harder than her pace warranted. She navigated the woods with care but went as quickly as possible. She had a two-hour head start on the hunter, but when one was stalked by a Kalquorian Nobek, two hours wasn’t much of a buffer.

She’d walked these Kalquorian woods innumerable times with her three mates and their twins. She loved the patchwork quilt of jewel-toned leaves of the trees overhead, the springy ground that seemed to cushion her feet, the bright cheerful songs of drils, smal blue Kalquorian reptiles that nested high in the trees. But today she was on her own and running from a cunning and ruthless hunter, one of Kalquor’s best. She knew his savagery, knew him for the predator he was. She’d seen one of his victims, his throat torn out from the brute’s fangs.

Her Imdiko mate Flencik, as big as he was gentle, had warned her only this morning, “Nobeks are set off by prey in flight. Never let one see you running from them. It brings al their primal instincts to the fore. Stand your ground. Fight back. Believe it or not, you’re less likely to get hurt that way.”

And the leader of their clan Rajhir had added, not very usefuly, “Swinging big sticks or throwing heavy rocks would help. Or maybe it wil just make him mad.” Her mates were miles away now, having taken the twins to the pink-sanded beach close to their home. No doubt laughing at the babies’ cheerful antics while Amelia dashed through the woods with a stalking brute on her trail.

Amelia heard the rushing water of the stream ahead and felt a rush of triumph. Almost there. The next moment she saw it, glittering like a ribbon through the leaf-strewn ground as it wound from the distant mountains.

She ran now, pushing her long auburn hair back behind her ears and wishing she had put the thick waves in a ponytail. The mass kept faling forward to blind her eyes. A hat would have been smart too, considering her hair color must be like a beacon. The rainbow canopy of leaves was high overhead, and Amelia knew despite her muted clothing, her tresses would be blatant among the blue-gray barked trees.

Stupid. How many other details had she forgotten, details that would lead her pursuer straight to her? At least she’d had the sense to wear a blouse and short hiking skirt that were light and easy to move in.

Amelia reached the stream and puled off her tan soft-soled slippers. She waded in, catching her breath. The water was bitingly cold, but it would mask her scent too. The man on her trail had a remarkable sense of smel, as good as if not better than an Earth bloodhound.

How far ahead of him was she? Kalquorians were incredibly, inhumanly quick. At a ful run they turned into a blur, too fast for human eyes to folow. What took her two hours to traverse her pursuer would easily cover in minutes. The only thing slowing him down was looking for the clues of her passage, clues she’d trained hard to eliminate.

Amelia had physicaly prepared for this day, starting as soon as Flencik had given the go ahead after the birth of the twins. She’d gotten herself into the best shape she’d ever been in. The rigorous workouts, supervised by her clanmate Breft, had increased her endurance and strength. Her soft curves hadn’t al disappeared as she’d feared they might. Her figure remained hourglass, with sweling breasts and hips. But her bely was flat and her long legs sturdy and lean. Judging from the increased sexual activity her clan had engaged her in, they were as delighted with her shape as she was.

Amelia had gone beyond physical training too. She’d studied how to track fugitives, determined to make as few mistakes as possible. Then she’d mapped out her course of escape, carefuly going over her route over and over until she could have folowed it with her eyes closed.

For al her preparations, she knew she was terribly outmatched. The man who chased her was an officer in the elite Global Security that ensured Kalquor’s domestic protection. He was one of the most dangerous of the warrior Nobek breed and an expert hunter. Ruthless and brutal, he would never stop, never rest, never quit until he’d caught her.

After a few minutes slogging through the icy knee-deep stream, Amelia climbed up on the rocky bank, leaving wet footprints as she took a few steps towards the treeline. Then she stopped and reversed her course, stepping carefuly into the prints she’d left behind. She tried not to think about how she was losing precious minutes in her attempt to throw her pursuer off the trail. Every second he was closing in on her, coming closer to the inevitable end.

He would catch her. There was no doubt about that. But she wasn’t going to give up until that happened.

Amelia was back in the water, racing as fast as the dragging current alowed. Her toes tried to cramp in the cold, slowing her down. She cursed herself for not thinking ahead about the winter thaw. The ice-capped mountains in the north were feeding the rivers and streams, and she knew the miscalculation would cost her time. At least the streambed was sandy, giving her plenty of traction. Faling into the frigid water and soaking her clothes would be a nightmare.

Five minutes later she spotted the grassy meadow bordered by the thick-trunked ytaso trees that marked the point where she’d leave the stream. She gratefuly sloshed towards the gray barked trees that dripped seed pods as tal as she was.

Her feet were nearly numb when she stepped up on the shore. Amelia made herself walk on her reddened toes, leaving as little crushed grass in her wake as possible. As soon as she reached the treeline, she put her slippers back on. Here, spiny roots stabbed up out of the earth like daggers.

The earth here was harder packed and left few traces of her passage. She picked her way over the roots, careful to not break any. The going got harder as she pressed further into the growth, the roots covering most of the ground’s surface.

A splash from the stream behind her froze Amelia in her tracks. She slowly turned around, certain she’d see her pursuer, his dark face spread in a predatory snarl, his fangs flashing in anticipation of the kil.

Her breath had gone stil as she peered back the way she’d come.

The ytaso trees blocked her sight of the ribbon of water. No man, no movement. Her ears strained to hear anything else above the sound of the stream rushing on its way. Nothing. Perhaps the splash had only been one of Kalquor’s water animals then. Maybe.

Amelia turned around again, heading for the Dagoonda Plain. Rattled, she hurried a little faster, breaking more roots than she should, a definite roadmap for the chasing Nobek to folow. But the need to put distance between them was driving her close to panic.

A snap of a root in the distance behind her brought her to a halt once more. Her breath screaming in her ears, she scanned the forest for pursuit. Nothing stirred. There wasn’t even a breeze to rock the seed pods overhead. But Amelia was suddenly sure she was being watched. Stalked.

Never run from a Nobek. It’s the worst possible thing you can do
.

Ignoring every instinct that pushed her to race headlong in flight, Amelia forced herself to walk with a quick, steady pace. If he folowed her, he’d at least not come at her with fangs bared and mindless intent. She hoped.

Amelia picked her way through the forest, listening hard for anything. Once in awhile she thought she heard a footfal or the snap of a root. Her heart pounded. If it was him, he was deliberately making noise. Her pursuer was wel versed in the art of silent tracking.

He wants me to lose my nerve and run
.

She forced herself to breathe evenly though her pulse galoped like a frenzied racehorse. She didn’t know for sure he was there. She might only be hearing things in her growing terror, imagining the feeling of piercing purple eyes, their cat-slitted pupils narrowing down as they watched her.

The ytaso trees were thinning out, giving way to the regional deciduous growth again. Ytasos were predatory foliage from another world that destroyed Kalquor’s forests if alowed to gain a foothold. If Amelia got home in one piece, she’d have to alert natural resource authorities about this stand.

At the border between the native trees and ytasos, she paused. The forest before her was more welcoming with its canopy of red, blue, orange, green and yelow leaves. The blue-gray bark of the trees was smooth and the ground, carpeted by falen leaves and free of ytaso roots, was soft. The lovely beckoning of the treescape was a false promise, however. If her pursuer was behind her, he’d take her in these woods. And she knew exactly what would happen then.

She knew because he’d once whispered his threats as he pinned her helpless against a wal.

“I would like to set you free in the forest and let you run from me. I would like to hunt you like prey, to follow your scent, to sense your fear as I draw close. I will chase you down, throw you
to the ground…”

She made herself stop hearing the growling voice in her head. It threatened to overwhelm her. Her legs were shaking and she had the urge to sink to the earth and give up.

Amelia swalowed and looked about. Nothing moved. No sign of pursuit. She didn’t trust it though, not one little bit. But there was nothing to do but continue on and hope for the best.

She entered the cool forest, the castoff leaves rustling softly under her feet. The going was much easier, but she left subtle traces of her passage, traces the Nobek would folow easily. She needed to hurry.

Amelia alowed herself to break into a trot. She was headed upwards now, the incline slight but enough to make her calves burn with the effort. The forest slid by, and she thought she just might make the harder-to-track terrain of the Dagoonda Plain after al.

Then a growl roled through the silent wood, a heart-shattering bestial noise that should have never come from any inteligent being’s throat. It was so deeply primitive that Amelia felt it rumble in her bones.

He’d found her.

Al sense, everything she’d been taught, was erased by that monstrous, feral sound. Terror flooded Amelia’s mind, and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

The trees flew past now, but she had no time to be impressed with her own speed as a ful-throated roar blasted through the air. Amelia dared to look over her shoulder.

He came at her so fast he was nothing but a dark blur against the sun-dappled backdrop of the forest. Amelia didn’t have a chance to scream before he was on her, taking her down to the leaf-cushioned ground.

The Kalquorian, his instincts fuly raised by the chase, was a terrifying sight as he pinned her down. A ful foot taler than Amelia’s five feet ten inch height, he was al lean chiseled muscle. His remarkable body was clad in a sleeveless black formsuit that showed him off to advantage. His skin was dark, much like the people of Earth’s Middle East. The waves of his jet-black hair tumbled forward as he bent close to her, his breath warm on her face. The sharp planes of his face were softened a little by his mustache and goatee, but there was nothing except predator in his purple cat’s eyes. He opened his mouth, and Amelia’s breath caught as thin, hinged fangs descended from his palate.

His hands were like vises on her wrists, and she struggled despite knowing the futility of it. He lowered his hips over hers, his weight holding her down, keeping her frantic kicks from connecting. She felt his hard masculinity pressing on her sex, teling her what would happen next. Her breath sobbed in and out as his intent face closed in on hers.