Barbarian's Touch: A SciFi Alien Romance (Ice Planet Barbarians Book 8) (2 page)

M
y first waking thought
? How cold everything is. So damn cold. Like frost in my veins. It’s like I’ve been dumped in a freezer with nothing but a wet nightie on. No panties, no shoes, no nothing. Just my nightshirt that clings to my prickling, shivering skin.

Then I wonder why I’m nearly naked, wet, and freezing my butt off. What’s happening? Why am I here instead of back home in the apartment I share with my sister Maddie?

Dizzy, I vaguely realize someone’s helping me sit up. My eyes are having trouble focusing, and my mouth feels like I chewed on a dirty sock. I blink repeatedly, even as something soft and fuzzy is wrapped around me, and the worst of the bone-chilling cold dampens a bit. It’s quiet, unnervingly so. Is everyone waiting for me to say something? Like why I’m here? Wherever here is?

Something blue moves in and out of my blurry vision. Things are slowly coming into view; it’s dark wherever I’m at, and there’s a faint scent of smoke in the air. Was there a fire? I rub my forehead, and everything aches. It’s like I’ve got a fever of some kind. Maybe that’s why I’m so cold. I try to remember what I did before I went to bed, but vague memories of television and working on the computer waft through my mind, completely unmemorable. The blue thing moves again, and my gaze crystallizes and focuses in.

The blue thing is…a face.

A devil’s face - enormous, horned, the brows creased with bony ridges. His face is hard and scowling, his nose and cheekbones prominent. The devil is holding me, his face inches from mine.

I scream, jerking away. At least, I try to. I push out of his arms, and my mouth is open but I can’t hear anything.

That’s when I realize I can’t hear
anything
. At all. And a new fear cascades through me.

The devil releases me and I shoot backward. My feet get tangled in the furry thing - a cape? A pelt? - And then my back slams into something metal. I can’t go back any more. I just scream and stare. There are other figures in this shadowy place, and a fire dances in the distance. My horrified gaze flicks from the devil sitting near me to another, and another. God, how many are there?

Am I in hell?

Did I die and now I’m in hell?

My fingers go to my ears and I run my fingers along the shell, looking for the familiar tubing that should be there. Ten years ago, I got cochlear implants. Ten years ago, I went from completely deaf to being able to hear - one of the greatest joys in my life. But as I touch my ears, I feel nothing - no tubes, no wires. I reach further back, to the circle on my scalp where the implant goes into my skull - and there’s nothing but smooth scar tissue and a bald patch the size of a penny.

I whimper. I think. I can’t hear it.

And that sends me into further panic.

Where’s Maddie? Where’s my sister? I squeeze my eyes shut, my world going black and silent as I touch my implant-less ears and try to grasp what’s happening. My mind is whirling and frantic, and I’m on the verge of hyperventilating. I need Maddie.

I need her.

Ever since I was little, Maddie’s been there for me. She’s been the arm that guided me when we went to school, because I couldn’t hear traffic. She’s been my interpreter when we met people that didn’t understand ASL - American Sign Language. After I got my implants, she’s taken more of a back-seat, but we’re still best friends, sisters, and closer to each other than anyone else in the world. I lean on her in everything.

I’m lost without her.

Hot tears splash down my cheeks and I sob into the darkness. It’s so quiet. I feel trapped, and I can’t stop shivering. I’m trembling because of cold, and of fear. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t know what to do. No one’s touching me, for which I’m thankful. I huddle in the fur blanket and weep.

I want this all to go away. I want my hearing back.

Hands touch my arm, and I open my eyes and jerk away, a little scream erupting from my throat again.

A familiar face is there, round with the same green eyes I have, and a wealth of messy blonde hair. It’s Maddie, her full lips pressed into a hard line. She touches my cheek and says something, but in the shadows, it’s hard for me to make it out.
Lila?
You okay?
I think she says.

I’m not. I’m so not okay. I do the ASL gesture for ‘can’t’ and then tap my ear quickly.

Maddie’s eyes widen and her hand goes to my ear, looking for my implant. She realizes it’s gone and then signs to me.
We will figure this out.

I feel a surge of relief and nod. Maddie’s got me, no matter what else happens. I huddle in the blankets, feeling small and like that isolated twelve year old I once was, not the twenty-two-year-old grown woman I am. I watch as Maddie surges to her feet and confronts the nearest person. I can’t hear any of it, but I’m guessing Maddie’s yelling. Her body is stiff with anger and she shakes a fist as she speaks.

I’m not strong, not like Maddie. My first instinct isn’t to fight. It’s to hide. I’d give anything to be able to hide right now, I think as I watch my sister.

Since her back is to me and she’s standing in front of the person she’s yelling at, I can’t read lips to try and follow along. I glance at my surroundings, trying to make sense of them. At first I think we’re in a cave - I can see an opening up ahead and what looks like snow blowing in, which is bizarre. Maddie and I live in Arizona.

This…is not Arizona.

I don’t think it’s a cave, either, as I look around. Everything is super square and the floor under me feels like metal against my skin. I’m sticking slightly to it, like my fingers do when I touch a wet ice cube, and I shudder inwardly. The big cave-room-whatever seems to be pretty empty. There’s no lights, but there is a warm fire built up in the middle of the room. There are people sitting near it, though - big people. Basketball-player sized people with enormous shoulders and curling horns sticking up from their heads. Are they really blue or are the shadows playing with my mind? I look at them again, trying to calm myself and logically make sense of what they are. I see tails, and horns. Their skin seems rough and rippled across the breastbone and on the lower arms. One watches Maddie with intense emotion, but most of them are scowling, probably because my sister only has one volume - loud. I see one demon with long hair and thick muscles watching me with a rather creepy intensity and pull the blankets closer to my body. This can’t be real, can it? If I close my eyes, maybe it’ll all go away.

Even as I question my sanity, I make eye-contact with another one of the demon-men. His eyes glow light blue, like they’re lit from within. It’s eerie, and yet his expression isn’t cruel. He watches me with a look of concern and empathy, not the skin-crawling interest that the other one does. He crouches near the fire, his features lit up in inhuman shadows, but from what I can see, his chest is bare and he doesn’t seem bothered by the cold. How can he not? I’m freezing and I’m wrapped in a fur.

None of this makes any sense at all.

My sister makes another angry gesture, drawing my attention back to her. One of the scowling males hands her a blanket, and my sister turns and storms back toward me. As she does, I see for the first time that there’s a human woman - how did I miss her? - with all the devils. She’s average looking except for the weird glowy-blue eyes she has, just like the devils. She wears furs like the men do. Why is she here with them?

Maddie kneels at my side and begins to sign.
You are not going to believe this shit.

What?
I sign back.

The other woman comes forward and squats near my sister. Maddie looks pissed that we’re interrupted and pauses before she can tell me what’s going on. The stranger looks at my sister, and then at me. She begins to speak and I read her lips.
Can she not hear? Is that sign language?

Back off
, Maddie tells her, and I can just imagine my sister’s bitchy tone. It makes me smile, weirdly enough. Maddie speaks again.
We need a moment.

The woman’s brows draw together and she nods, giving me a fragile smile. She retreats, hugging her fur clothing close to her slim body and moves to the side of one of the devils, saying something to him. He puts an arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head, and I realize that she looked about my size when she knelt, but next to the demon, she looks tiny—

Fingers snap silently in front of my face.

I look over at Maddie.
Focus
, she signs.

Sorry. I’m freaking out.

Me too.
Her mouth flattens and she thinks for a moment, then continues signing.
Do you remember anything that happened?

I shake my head.
All I remember is falling asleep watching Castle, I think. Then I woke up and we’re here and it’s silent. What’s going on?

It sounds ridiculous but,
Maddie pauses, then starts to sign again.
I think we’ve been kidnapped by aliens.

Even though I know the females are uncomfortable, I cannot help but watch them. They sit in the back of the cave, bundled in furs. That is the only help they will take from us; they want no fire, no food, nothing but to be left alone right now. Kira says we should give them time, but looking at Hassen and Bek’s hard faces, I worry they will not be given time. Already they are disappointed that neither female has resonated yet.

It is clear the females are frightened, though. They are silent, shooting furtive glances over at us when they think we are not looking. Their hands move frantically and they give each other worried looks. The big one with the yellow mane will do well here, I think. She is a fighter. She has already bellowed at Kira in a way that would make even Leezh proud. It is the other one - the female with the dark mane - that worries me. She seems fragile compared to the other, and cannot stop shivering. I think of the thick snow outside, the sky-claws that dive from above, the harsh weather, the metlaks, and a hundred other dangers. This is not a world for those that are fragile. Everyone in the tribe knows that; the weak do not last long.

But there is something about her that draws my gaze, endlessly. I cannot stop staring, even though I know it worries them. I think of the human and her dull eyes that do not shine with a healthy khui. There is something about this female that pulls me to her. My chest is silent, and so is my ‘knowing’. If it is not resonance, what is it, then? Maybe it is protectiveness; she still shivers despite the fact that neither of them will approach the life-giving warmth of the fire. I glance at the stew-pouch. There is still plenty left. Kira has eaten, and the other hunters avoid it, as we prefer our meat raw. Should I offer them food? Will they take it?

Hassen makes an impatient noise in his throat and jabs the end of his spear into the fire. “Their teeth are clicking again.”

“It’s cold,” Kira says in her gentle voice. “They don’t have khuis to warm them. When they’re ready, they’ll come join us. Right now I think they need more time to adjust. The kindest thing we can do is leave them alone.”

“The kindest thing we can do is drag them to the fire,” Hassen snarls and tosses his spear down onto his blankets. “They are too valuable to the tribe to let them freeze out of stubbornness.”

I glance over at the females again, then back at the stew. If they will not come to us, perhaps I should give them a peace offering. I get to my feet and pull a small carved bowl from my pack and scoop it into the pot, then cross the cave toward the females. Hassen and Bek make angry noises, but I ignore them, my gaze focused on the two small humans huddled in the blankets. I deliberately make myself as un-threatening as I can, dropping my shoulders and walking slowly. When I get closer, they scoot back against the wall, and so I drop to a crouch and offer the bowl to the dark-haired one.

“Food,” I say in the human language. “It is warm.”

She gazes at me with frightened eyes, glancing over at the yellow-maned one. At the other’s nod, she reaches one hand out, and I hear the rumble of her stomach. A surge of protectiveness moves through me, and I want to do more for this small, frightened female. I want to keep her safe, to show her we are friends. I hold the bowl steady, because I know any movement will terrify her.

Her fingers twitch and then her gaze flicks to something over my shoulder. She shrinks back and the yellow-maned one pushes in front of her, a snarl on her face.

Feet move to my side, and I glance up to see Haeden snarling down at me. “Leave them alone, Rokan.” In a lower voice, he murmurs, “You are giving Hassen ideas.”

I swallow my annoyance. Haeden means well, but he is protective of his task; he promised his mate he would bring the females back safely, and he is determined to do so. I nod - again, slowly - and set the bowl down on the floor in front of the females, and then unhook my water skin and leave it as an offering as well. Then I get to my feet in unhurried motions and walk away with Haeden. I do not look back to see if the females pick up the food. I know they will; they have no choice. A pang of sympathy makes me feel uneasy at my role here. Of course they are terrified - if their story is like Kira’s, they woke from their furs to this strange place with no explanation. To them, we are monsters. It will take much convincing.

And somehow we have to gain their trust and convince them they both need a khui, or else they will die.

“Stay by the fire,” Haeden snaps. He picks up his spear and goes to talk to Raahosh, and then the two of them move to stand midway between the females and the fire. Their backs are to the new females and it is clear to all that they are not there to keep the females back, but to keep us from harassing them.

I return to my seat, torn between irritation and resignation. I want to speak to the dark-haired one, to ease her fears, and now I am treated as if I am just as much trouble as Hassen and Bek? I glance over at the two males and they have their heads together, whispering and scowling as they converse. They shoot glances over at Raahosh and Haeden.

Haeden is right to be wary. My ‘knowing’ sense tells me that Hassen and Bek are hatching a plan, though it does not take much to guess that. It is plain on their faces.