Page 53 of Captured By The Alien Barbarian
Meanwhile, the first man regains his balance and swipes toward me with the tip of his lightning weapon. I know all too well the pain these weapons can inflict and how they can hinder my body’s movement. If it touches me, it’ll all be over.
I quickly shove the second man off balance and parry the first man’s attack. Better prepared, I kick him as his attack misses, causing him to slip in the mud at my feet.
I raise my axe, and the man’s eyes widen in fear. I’ll show no mercy for one without honor.
Suddenly, my body jolts backward as something hits my shoulder with surprising force. I glance at the wound and see my flesh blistering around the hole. A small tendril of smoke drifts up from my skin as blisters quickly form around the wound. The pain is slow in coming, but once it does, it’s significant. I roar at the burn that restricts my muscles from moving. My flesh feels like it’s on fire, but I refuse to drop my axe.
Somewhere in the distance, my drolvden howl, signaling their return, but they’re too far away to help me in this fight. No doubt they heard the commotion, and now my roar. I worry for their safety. If these humans wield such powerful weapons, these laser pistols, I am not sure I want my drolvden to become targets.
I spin to face the shooter in time for a bright flash to fill my vision. I am hit squarely in the chest, causing me to stumble back and into the cold stream.
The world tilts as searing pain hits my side. And then another. The warriors with the metal rods stand over me, jabbing me relentlessly. My vision starts to blur from the lightning shocks, and I struggle to stay upright.
“Oh, just die already!” Walter says, grinning maliciously as he stands behind his warriors.
He leads them. If I can just get to him, they will surely disband. My Ariana will be safe. Desperately, I try to crawl out of the water onto solid ground, tearing up plants in the process. But I can’t seem to pull myself out of the water.
Furious, I roar. My axe is long gone.
Walter looks down at me disdainfully as I cling to the creek bank. “It’s a shame you wouldn’t give up the female,” he says as he walks toward me. “You would have made a good soldier. Maybe Earth can find a use for your kind in the future.”
With a casual shrug, he places the toe of his boot against my forehead. “Good riddance to this trash.”
I plunge into the water, its cold embrace enveloping me and pulling me deeper into the darkness.
How has my life come to this? I have just found my Ariana. I finally have something to look forward to. But it’s all being ripped away from me. Even worse, I’m leaving my mate vulnerable without my protection. I won’t be there to save her.
ChapterFourteen
ARIANA
Itry to hold back the tears, but the dam is crumbling. I believed that my life is going to get better, that I would have control over my destiny. Sure, I knew relocating to a newly discovered planet wouldn’t be all sunshine and spa days. After all, I signed up for wide-open spaces and daring adventures.
But now, I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into. Did I just trade a miserable life with Walter away for a controlling monster? Is this what my life is truly going to be like? Sitting in some cave that I’m never allowed to even leave?
I sit in the bed of furs, clinging to them as if they were a barrier against the outside world. I snort at myself and my foolish thoughts.
I consider running, but I have exactly one arrow. Even with practice, I’m not sure I could hit a moving target if the fate of the galaxy depends on it. And boy, do I wish I could now.
I’m not even sure Taccit understands what he did wrong. He can’t just take away someone’s freedom. Sure, Taccit and I can have meaningful conversations, but he tends to get lost when it comes to the more... human sensibilities. Like, say, not locking up your houseguests. I mean, that should be a pretty straightforward and simple concept!
At least this time he didn’t tie me down... No, instead, he’s blocked the door from the outside. He literally locked me in his cave like a prisoner.
Taccit is right about one thing. I am a prisoner. I’m just deluding myself if I think otherwise.
I jerk at the sound of the rope outside the door being untied, wobbling in its sturdy frame.
My eyes widen and swing towards the sound. Oh God, has he returned? I just can’t deal with this anymore. I thought I was stronger than this. But faced with reality? I have no way to fight back. I can’t even retreat to safe ground, to gather my resources and find a way to make a stand on my own turf.
The light that streams in from the entrance blinds me, reminding me that I should have kept the fire burning. At least then I would have been able to see who stands there.
The door swings open fully, revealing a figure that’s decidedly not Taccit. Well, unless a shrink ray was involved.
“Who’s there?” I say. Fear claws at my throat. Every memory of Taccit talking about the other tribes and how dangerous they could be comes rushing back.
Heart pounding, I grasp for my bow, only to recall I left it near the front. Right beside the door. What a stupid place to leave it! It makes sense when leaving the home, having it so close to the entrance to easily grab. But with someone invading my home, I have no hope of defending myself. Similarly, my only hope for a weapon—a set of cooking knives that Taccit stores high up on a shelf—lies tantalizingly out of reach. There is no way I will be able to reach them in time.
As I brace myself for an inevitable fate worse than death, a voice interrupts. “Miss Ariana?”
