Page 15 of Charmed by the Alien Warrior (Spirit Mates of the Laediriian Exiles #2)
Mara
We just barely make it unscathed to the Ancestors’ Ship.
By the time we make it to the ship, the sun hangs low in the sky, its rays casting harsh shadows over the rugged landscape as we crest a rise overlooking the small valley where it sits waiting. The terrain here is so different that it feels like we’ve stumbled upon an entirely different planet.
Dark gray rock formations rise up from the valley floor and reach towards the sky like the fangs of a massive predator ready to devour us. The sight of them sends a shiver of unease down my spine. It even smells different here. Instead of the lush, spiciness of the jungle, it’s drier with a faintly woodsy scent that drifts from the scrubby evergreen trees that are scattered around the land.
Then there’s the ship.
“There it is,” Sorrin says, his voice tinged with awe.
And I have to admit it is awe-inspiring. Its triangular shape dominates the valley below us. A colossal, matte gray mass of metal jutting out from the ground like a sleeping giant. Its sleek, otherworldly design stands out among the rocks and plants that surround it.
But before we can even begin our descent, a deep, foghorn-like roar rips through the air.
My heart lurches in my chest as I look up to see a tiniio on the other side of the valley. Its hulking, T. rex-like body is covered in scales and marked with bright blue polka dots. Its perched on top of a rise, and it’s clear from the direction of its reptilian gaze that it’s spotted us. The tiniio lets out another bone-rattling foghorn roar before it begins its descent, its clawed feet scrabbling against the rocky slope.
“We need to move quickly,” Sorrin says, urgency in his voice.
His skin flickers, the bright aqua color changing until he blends seamlessly into the mottled gray rocks around us. We rush down the slope, moving as quickly as we can while still being careful. The path is treacherous with loose stones and uneven terrain, but the sight of the Ancestors’ Ship looming larger with each step drives me forward. Over the pounding of my heart, I can hear the tiniio’s roars grow louder and closer as it leaps over the rocks and down the steep hill, racing to beat us to the ship.
Luckily for us, the tiniio is built for the soft ground of the jungle, not the rocky slopes of the valley. Its bulky form takes a tumble a couple of times buying us precious seconds.
When we reach the floor of the valley, the shadow of the massive ship looms over us. My heart pounds in my chest as I gulp down my fear and push my legs to move faster, every muscle in my body straining as I sprint toward safety. We’re so close, I can almost reach out and touch the metal exterior of the ship.
But just when I think things are finally going to go right, Laedirissae does what it always does and throws a stumbling block in my way.
Literally.
The tip of my sneaker catches the edge of a rock half-buried in the ground, and I go flying. A startled yelp flies from my mouth as the ground rushes up to meet me. My heart plummets, but before I hit the hard ground, strong arms, hardened by years of training, wrap around me.
Sorrin doesn’t even break his stride as he continues to race towards the ship, and I breathe out a sigh of relief as he pulls me close and cradles me against his chest.
I chance a glance at the tiniio and realize that it’s reached the more stable terrain of the valley floor, and it’s managed to gain speed. The dinosaur races across the ground, making its way closer to us. Its cold, reptilian eyes lock onto us like a heat-seeking missile, as it opens its gaping mouth wide to release another foghorn roar. Rows of sharp teeth glint menacingly in the sunlight.
“There!” Sorrin calls out as he points to a thick, moss-covered door built into the side of the ship. In the center of the door is a large metal wheel.
Wasting no time, he sets me down and grips the wheel with both hands, the muscles in his arms bulging as he gives it a hard twist. The metal groans in protest before giving way with a resounding clang, and the door creaks open just wide enough for us to slip inside.
With the tiniio bearing down on us, I dive through the narrow opening, hitting the floor with a hard thud. Sorrin slams the door shut behind us with only a second to spare as the beast crashes into the metal with a deafening thud.
Then, the dinosaur hits the door again. And again. And again. Each time, the sound reverberates through the ship like thunder. Until finally, with a roar of frustration, the tiniio gives up.
I’m sprawled on the cold metal floor, panting and dazed, but alive when Sorrin reaches down to help me up, his expression a mix of relief and amusement.
“All he got for his trouble was an aching head,” he quips, flashing me a lopsided grin.
It’s not particularly funny, but for some reason, maybe the adrenaline or the sheer absurdity of our situation, I laugh.
The sound bubbles up from deep inside me, turning into full-blown giggles that echo in the small space. Maybe it’s the thrill of surviving yet another close call on this deathtrap of a planet, or maybe the air on Laedirissae has some sort of psychotropic quality, but I dissolve into uncontrollable, nearly-pee-your-pants laughter.
Sorrin watches me, his grin growing wider as he joins in, the tension of the moment easing.
Clutching my stomach, I finally manage to catch my breath long enough to ask, “How do you know it was a male?”
His goofy grin widens into something almost boyish. “Because a female would not be so dumb as to run into a metal door.”
That only sets me off again and before I know it, I’m laughing so hard that tears prick the corners of my eyes as I double over. Sorrin’s laughter joins mine, his rich, warm voice filling the enclosed space.
For a brief moment, it’s as if the fear and danger outside these metal walls don’t exist, and it’s just the two of us, in a shared moment of ridiculousness and enjoying each other’s company. The abduction and my sister and my friends, all the people depending on me, fade into the background. For the first time in forever I’m genuinely happy.
Despite the danger and the constant near-misses with dinosaurs and hairy enemies, I feel alive in a way I never did on Earth. My laughter slows to a chuckle and I stare at the man in front of me—that cheesy grin that used to irritate the hell out of me is still stretched across his face.
Only it doesn’t irritate me anymore. Instead, it makes me have the urge to kiss him. Again. To press myself against his hard body and to feel his hard cock moving inside me.
And I realize, it’s him. Sorrin is the reason why I’m actually having fun and enjoying life for once. It’s his devil may care, lighthearted personality. He brings joy and energy to everything he does, and I’ve come to appreciate that. To even crave it.
But as the last echo of our laughter fades, the reality of our situation creeps back in. Inside the ship, the air is stale and cool. And quiet.
Too quiet.
My shoulders sag as I glance around the dim corridor. I had hoped—maybe even expected—the rest of our group to be here waiting for us. But the empty halls make it clear they’re not. Sorrin steps forward, his expression softening into something more serious as he takes the lead.
“If the others made it here, Vrenner will have left a message for us in the control room,” he says, his voice calm as he leads the way deeper into the ship and I follow him.
The corridors are surprisingly narrow, just wide enough for two Laediriian warriors to walk side by side. The walls and floors are clad in a dull gray metal that reflects the faint light emitted by small, round fixtures set into the ceiling. Their weak glow helps dispel some of the surrounding darkness, but they do little to diminish the ship’s eerie, abandoned feel.
Each step we take reverberates through the silent corridors, adding to the sense of eerie desolation. My heart pounds with anticipation and apprehension as we head deeper into the vessel, passing sealed-off rooms and dust-covered, dormant machinery. The ship is a maze of nearly identical hallways, and it doesn’t take long before I’m hopelessly turned around. I really hope Sorrin knows his way out of here because I sure don’t.
Finally, we reach a dead-end with no way out except back, and I hesitate, glancing around uncertainly.
“We’re lost, aren’t we?” I ask.
Sorrin grins at me, a chuckle in his voice as he says, “I prefer to think of it as exploring the scenic route.”
His grin is so disarming that I find my lips tipping up the barest amount. Still, I can’t help but roll my eyes at him. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously charming.” A mischievous glint flashes in his eyes before he turns to the bare wall in front of us and inspects it. After a few seconds, he places a palm on a small circle right in the center of the wall.
A sharp beep echoes through the corridor, and with a hiss, the entire wall slides away to reveal a large room with banks of monitors and controls that look like they came straight from the set of a sci-fi movie. A small seating area with upholstered benches takes up one corner of the room. The technology, while old, is awe-inspiring and looks like it’s light-years beyond what’s available on Earth.
Sorrin strides across the room and approaches one of the consoles, placing his palm flat on a small screen. The monitor flickers to life and with a soft, almost imperceptible hum, every light in the control room switches on, illuminating the open space in a warm glow.
“Wait… How is all this stuff running? I thought the Ancestors’ Ship was out of fuel,” I say, glancing around in awe.
He doesn’t look up as he answers, “It is. Laedirissae was at the edge of the Ancestors’ fuel range. They couldn’t go any further when they stumbled upon this planet, but some of the ship’s systems can function on solar and lunar power.”
His fingers fly over the touchscreen as he types out something in a language I can’t read. Damn. I wish the translator implanted in my head worked on written language, too.
A block of text appears on the screen, and Sorrin turns to me with a triumphant grin.
“They were here,” he says, relief flooding his voice. “Vrenner left us a message.”
“What does it say?” I ask, moving closer as he scans the text.
“They stopped here for a day but didn’t find any sign of the other humans. They left supplies for us,” he says, gesturing to a satchel on one of the benches. “He was able to use the instruments on the ship to confirm that another vessel did crash on Laedirissae. He was also able to narrow down the crash site to the territory near the Lost Tribe’s village.”
My heart skips a beat at his words. “So, there really are others? More humans like me?”
Sorrin nods, his expression serious as he continues to read the message. “Yes. But we’ll need to find them quickly. Vrenner’s message also warns that they spotted Pugj patrols in the area. Now, that they know about you and the other females, they’ll be searching for more of you.”
A chill runs down my spine at the thought of my friends or the other women in the hands of the Pugj and the Tussoll. They would like nothing better than to capture a bunch of helpless humans.
“We have to find them, then,” I say, determination hardening my voice.
But as the words leave my mouth, a shrill alarm cuts through the silence and the lights dim.
“What is that?” I shout over the noise.
“I don’t know.” Sorrin shakes his head as he taps away at the touchscreen before a diagram of what I suspect is the ship fills the screen. He growls and for some reason the sound goes right through me, settling in the bottom of my stomach.
“It’s an intruder. Something has breached a door on the upper level of the ship. It must be that sarding tiniio.” A countdown flashes up on the screen and Sorrin stills. He lifts his head, looking over to me. “We have to get out.”
“What?”
He stands and grabs my hand, pulling me along behind him. “The doors are going to seal us in—" His words are cut off by a hiss as the wide door slides closed right in front of us. The metallic clang of the lock sliding home is audible even over the still-blaring alarm.
Then, there’s silence as the alarm abruptly shuts off and the lights flicker until they dim, dousing the control room in shadows.
Fuck. We’re locked in.