Page 23 of Accidentally Abducted
I remembered when I had heard Zeysor's voice. He'd come to save me, even after I'd been a jerk to him. (Even though he deserved it.) He'd risked it all to free me from the slavers, just to end up locked up beside me.
"It could be worse," I offered, but my voice fell flat.
"The slave colonies are a fate worse than death," Zeysor said. "You're not going to last a day there. I promised I'd save you and I will."
I shook my head. "Do you really still believe that?"
Zeysor refused to look at me, staring out towards the dark corridor instead, looking past his translucent reflection on the plexiglass. "I won't give up as long as there's a chance," he said.
"That's very noble of you," I sighed, leaning against our shared transparent wall. "But your restlessness is exhausting."
Zeysor rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. His hard brick-like skin shielded bulky, hard muscle. It was like built-in armor; I saw him deflect a laser.
My eyes wandered, wondering if all of him was like that.
"What?" Zeysor asked.
"Nothing," I said with a nervous smile. I shouldn't be looking at him like that. It was bad enough I kissed him. I had no idea what came over me, maybe I was so desperate for touch that I lost my mind when I was close to him.
When I looked at Zeysor, I started to see less of a scary alien brute, and more of a strong, sexy man. For a moment, I wondered if our bodies were compatible? I mean, he seemed pretty humanoid overall. When I realized where my thoughts were going, I shook them from my head.
"Have you given up on freedom?" Zeysor asked me. He challenged me.
"No," I said a little too quickly. I let out a sigh. "To be honest, I would have given up a long time ago if it wasn't for you. Thank you for trying to save me."
"And I'm not done trying," the alien said, setting his jaw.
I held my hand up to the plexiglass, linking my fingers through the holes to his side. "Why do you care so much?" I asked.
Zeysor opened his mouth to reply and then shut it.
For a moment, I thought my translator node was malfunctioning.
Then he found his words. "Because it's my fault you're here." He looked at me pointedly. "As you've said about a million times," He added. "Terruxian Hunters are loyal and sworn to their duty. It is my duty to return you to Earth where you belong. I've decided it and now I must do it."
That made me smile. "Thanks," I said. "I really appreciate it, but now it means we both die, doesn't it?"
"Not if I have anything to do with it," Zeysor replied.
The dim lights along the corridor flickered and fizzed. Somewhere a level or two above us, someone was screaming.
I shivered. It wasn't cold, but the pain in this place made it seem like sitting in a deep freezer.
Zeysor came to his side of the plexiglass and knelt down. His fingers brushed mine through the ventilation holes. "Don't give up, Lola."
I looked up at him, stricken by his handsomeness, that was much more apparent when he was close to me. His skin was hard but smooth, like stone. It wasn't like I imagined it would feel like.
"I'm not going to give up yet," I said. The problem was that I didn't know how long those words would be the truth.
"Good," Zeysor said with a smile.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked.
"When the Commander took me away, I heard someone say they're staying for a day. Presuming they mean one rotation of Mars, we have less than twenty-four hours left to figure out to get out of this place."
I bit down on my lip. That wasn't much time, but it was more than I was expecting. "I can help," I said.
Zeysor gave me a questioning glance.
