Page 20 of I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com (Cosmic Chaos #1)

The distant roar of the Gruulorak faded into the background as we galloped through the Fuchsia Grove. A coughing fit struck me out of nowhere. The kind that racks your body so hard your lungs slam against your ribs. I covered my mouth with my arm and tried to get ahold of myself. When I drew my arm away, there was blood left behind.

Hello, poison. I wondered when you’d start giving me trouble.

“Everything all right, Stardust?” Sol asked.

“Never better.” The lie came out strained and I hid the pain in my throat with the classic art of a subject change. “The fight is supposed to happen at sundown today. We need to figure out how to find Lok before then.”

“Easier said than done. It’s not like we can just say ‘Hey, Beast, find Lok.’?”

The duckbill stopped dead in his tracks.

“Wait, are you serious?” I asked.

Beast reared up on his hind legs and blew out a long, low note from his head crest. Once finished, he closed his eyes and stood motionless. A haunting cry echoed through the air. Beast’s head perked up at the sound, and he shot off like a rocket.

“Do you hear that?” Sol’s voice cut through the rushing wind.

I nodded, a flicker of hope igniting within me. “It’s Blossom. Lok must be close.”

Following the echoing cries, we navigated through the forest until I saw a glimpse of a building peeking through the trees. Beast charged through the grove until we came upon a hill revealing a strange marble structure that covered most of the hill. It resembled a series of interlocking curved panels that ascended toward the sky. Intricate geometric patterns were carved into the marble panels; the markings caught what little glimpses of sunlight the cloudy sky provided and cast long shadows along the grass. At the apex of the monument, a large circular hole framed the sky.

“Is that the Glyph Stone?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sol replied. “Though if I was a war general who decided to cast off my armor in a fit of melodramatics, this would be the place to do it.”

When we drew closer, chanting could be heard from inside. Through the windows I could see Yengro, the man from the cage, among the chanters. Each of them thumped a spear on the ground as they crowded around someone in the center. My heart leapt in my chest when I saw that it was Lok. He stood with his arms outstretched as his attendant tightened the straps of his breastplate. Once finished, he picked up his helmet.

“STOP!” Without hesitation, I dismounted Beast and rushed to Lok’s side—or I tried to. A well-muscled wall of a man caught me by the shoulders and refused to let me any closer.

I tried thrashing against his hold but might as well have been trying to bench-press a boulder. “Let go of me! Lok, take that off now!” I jerked an arm free, but the immovable prick just snatched my wrists and pinned them both behind my back. I stomped on his foot, only to scream in pain when I remembered that these guys had hooves, not feet. The injustice.

“Stardust?” Lok called. He dropped the helmet in his hands and rushed toward me. “Let her go, that’s my Zhali.”

“Yeah, you hear that?” I asked, rubbing at my newly freed wrists. “I’m his Zhali. Watch it.”

Lok gathered me into a hug, which would have been so nice if his breastplate wasn’t smashing my tits. Oh, fuck, the breastplate!

“How did you get free?” His hand cupped my cheek as he looked me over. “Where’s Sol?”

“Here.” Sol muscled his way through the crowd.

Lok stared at us both in disbelief before his face broke out into a wide grin. “Fuck am I glad to—”

I shoved away from him and tore at the straps of his armor. “No time for small talk. That psycho king said he rubbed poison all over your armor.” The number of straps on Lok’s armor was reminiscent of a 2010s cyberpunk nightmare. “There’s no fucking way all these straps have a purpose,” I huffed and smacked his back. “Well, don’t just stand there and watch me struggle. Strip, strip!”

Lok’s eyes started to water, and when he spoke, his voice came out in a ragged whisper. “I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear you say that.”

“Now’s not the time to flirt, you oaf.” Sol took a knife from his belt and cut the remaining straps, careful to keep his skin from touching any part of the armor.

Tears streamed down the larger Sankado’s face. “What can I say…I…” His voice faded into nothingness. His face grew an even darker purple than it usually was.

I gasped. “Shit, he’s not flirting, he’s choking!”

“What?!” cried Sol.

“His throat is closing! Get it off him now!” I motioned for Lok to kneel so I could lift the breastplate over his head and cast it aside. Beads of sweat dotted his brow, and his breathing was labored, each gasp a desperate struggle for air. I called his name, and he blinked up at me from swollen eyes before smiling weakly. “Star—” His voice broke off into a wheeze.

Another Sankado with a sensitive pale gray face came over and started shouting at both of us, and more of Lok’s men came forward to fuss over him. “Move back and give him some air!” I demanded. Of course, none of them could understand a word. “Dammit, Sol, you explain to these guys that he’s been poisoned with Aetherrot toxin. Ask them if they have an antidote.” I guided Lok’s head to the floor as he gulped for air. “And tell that attendant guy to wash his hands. Now!”

Sol’s eyes widened. “Did you say Aetherrot?” He leaned in closer to the armor, then covered his nose with a grimace. “Gods, how did I not smell it before? Even touching the fruit could cause you to break out in a rash.” His gaze turned sorrowful when Lok wheezed. “Lok, I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, no, don’t say that, he’s still alive, we made it, there has to be some kind of antidote. Right?” Panic rioted within me at the misery on Sol’s face.

“I’m sorry, Dory.”

Bitter grief had me swallowing the sob that built in my throat. I fell to my knees, feeling helpless. “Lok, I’m so sorry.”

“Ss my…fault,” he choked out. “Should have known from the damn trees.” He broke off into a coughing fit. “Heard you were poisoned and…couldn’t think straight.” He lifted the letter in his hand, but his strength failed him and his hand fell to the floor.

“Tree? What tree?” I asked. But Lok’s eyes became unfocused, and he didn’t answer.

Sol repeated the question in Sankado, and the pale gray man pointed to a cluster of apple trees growing on the side of the hill.

“Apple trees?” I knelt closer to Lok, ignoring the concerned gasps of the other men, and sniffed his armor to find the sweet, crisp aroma of apples. “But apples aren’t poisonous, so why…?” I looked over his symptoms again, trying to remember all the first aid classes I had to take in order to be cleared for fieldwork. His skin was swollen and flushed, difficulty breathing, wheezing. I put two fingers to his neck and checked his pulse.

“What are you doing?” Sol yelled, snatching my hand away. “Are you insane? You can’t touch him!”

“I need a straw!” I yelled back.

His anger bled to confusion, which—understandable. I should explain. Lok reached out and took my hand. “It’s all right, Stardust, seeing you one last time was enough for—”

“Shut up!” I snapped. Then I felt bad for telling a man slowly choking to death to shut up, so I took a deep breath and tried to get my shit together. “Sorry, I mean…not shut up. But don’t talk like that.” Turning to Sol, I continued. “He’s not poisoned, he’s in anaphylactic shock. We need to open his airway as soon as possible. Tell the men to look for any kind of reed with a hollow stem. Check by the river.”

Orders received, the men ran off to find what I needed. Lok watched them go with growing concern. “How…how will a reed help?”

I tore a strip from my shirt and used it to wipe the sweat from his brow. “I’ll have to use it as a nasal tube to open up your airway.”

His eyes squeezed shut as he struggled for air. “Nasal?” he gasped.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, love, but I’m gonna have to shove a reed up your nose.” Angry dark purple hives littered the skin where the armor had touched. The more I looked at them, the more my own skin burned, as if in solidarity.

“Wait, I feel bet—” He tried his best to choke the words out but fell into a harsh wheeze that racked his body.

“You’re gonna be fine. I’ve done this before.” On a plastic dummy under heavy supervision. Admittedly my hands were shaking so badly it had taken an embarrassingly long time to get the tube in the nostril. In my defense, I had two papers due that week and was running on fumes fueled by energy drinks and a crippling fear of failure, but technically I still got it in.

Not that Lok needed to know that. I made quick work of removing the rest of his armor bracers and used a stool to elevate his legs.

A wave of dizziness hit me and I braced my hands on the floor to avoid falling over. I coughed blood into my arm, then shielded the sight from Lok when he tried to see what was wrong. “I’m going to grab something to wash you off with; I’ll be right back.”

He tried to speak, but it was too difficult and he nodded instead. I rushed to the duckbills and grabbed our waterskins as well as the sash I had used as a bonnet. Kneeling beside him, I wet the cloth and gently washed away the remaining apple juice from his skin. The silver rings on his horns lit up. They were dimmer than normal, but seeing him do literally anything other than wheeze and die was something to be celebrated, in my book. All the while, Lok watched with a grin on his face.

“You are oddly cheery given the circumstances,” I said, dabbing at the sweat on his brow.

A small laugh gasped out of him. “Told…you to…leave me. No—” He paused for breath. “Rescues.”

“You did,” I said succinctly.

His grin widened. “You didn’t…listen.”

I rinsed out the cloth, then leaned him forward to wash his back. “You can count on that being a recurring theme in this relationship. Get used to it.”

He took my arm and pulled me to him. The kiss was slow, thoughtful. When it ended I felt a loss between us both. He brought his forehead to mine and whispered, “Thank you.”

Panic like I’d never known before welled in my throat when he went limp in my arms. Sol and the others returned with various reeds, all of them shouting words that only sounded like muffled alarm bells and that stupid fucking Tamagotchi’s song. “You’re not dying,” I whispered.

Shaking hands sorted reeds as I repeated the words. After finding one of a suitable length, I grabbed a knife and cut both ends for a clean insertion. I tilted Lok’s head back and took a moment to settle my shaking hands. Every noise but the frantic beat of my heart faded away. Slowly, I fed the reed into his nostril.

His chest rose and the sound of whistling air made the world start up again. It took a moment, but Lok coughed, his lungs expanding and contracting on their own. I could do nothing but sit there and watch. I did it. He was going to be okay.

The next few minutes passed by in a blur. Sol and the other men fussed over Lok, making sure he was stable and helping him drink. With Sol to translate, I managed to convince the lot of them to hold still long enough for a smooch for easier communication.

Yengro was the first to introduce himself and damn near crushed my spine with a hug. He wore his dark hair in an undercut with the top slicked back. His arms were covered in full-sleeve tattoos, and he wore a concerning number of knives on his belt. “Thank you for bringing our idiot back to us! And for speaking up for me while I was in that cage. Couldn’t understand a word you said, but the others told me you were Lok’s woman and I knew it had to be something ballsy.”

“You’re welcome,” I groaned. Then, when black spots appeared in my vision, I eked out a cry for mercy and he released me.

The pale gray man was named Kizolo; he wore his hair half tied up in a bun and had runes carved into his horns. He shoved Yengro away from me and offered a polite smile before running off to find more water. The tall wall of muscle that had grabbed me earlier was Ruu. Or so Kizolo said. Ruu refused to speak, so I took his word for it.

After what seemed like hours, Lok’s breathing evened out, the swelling went down, and the redness in his skin faded. As soon as he was well enough to remove the reed and speak, his men stopped their fussing and stared him down.

Lok sat up and scratched the back of his head. “So, I imagine you all have questions.”

“QUESTIONS?” Yengro yelled. “Yes, I’ve got a lot of fucking questions. First of all, where the fuck have you been?”

“Why’d you leave in the first place?” Kizolo asked. “We’ve been stuck with that taskmaster Osid ever since you ran off.”

Ruu didn’t have a question and instead merely uttered the word “Ojenna.”

Lok ran a hand down his face with a long-suffering sigh. “I’ve been with the Roamcrest herding yix. I didn’t want to be king.” He paused and pointed to Ruu. “You watch your damn mouth. Don’t think I won’t rip your horns off just because my mate is here.”

Ruu came and sat beside him, letting his head rest on the stone slab. “Talk.”

I watched the mask of the carefree joker slide from Lok’s face. “After we were dropped on this planet, hopelessness plagued me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the flooding of Tynfo and all the people who died at my order.”

“That’s war!” Yengro growled. “Are you forgetting that those savages burned down Uslanknot? You cannot blame yourself for taking the vengeance that was owed to us.”

“Yes, that’s what I told myself. And then the world ended. All the people I sought vengeance for died in the Calamity. Most of those who managed to flee Tynfo before we struck died in the Calamity. So what was it all for?”

His questions stunned Yengro into silence.

“Now what? I’m expected to continue the same fight, and die for a land my father and my father’s father never stepped foot on? No. I refuse. I spend my days spinning wool and herding yix and it’s the most peace I’ve felt in my life.”

Kizolo crossed his arms over his chest. “Even so, the leader of the Singing Arrows can’t just disappear like that. Everyone was worried about you. They said you went mad.”

“I’m not the leader of anyone anymore. Find someone else to do it or follow King Osid.”

“Over my festering corpse,” Ruu cut in.

Yengro crossed the room and socked Lok so hard his head snapped back. A pregnant pause filled the air before Yengro pulled Lok to his hooves and hugged him. “You should have told me.”

Relief melted the tension that coiled around my heart and threatened to suffocate me. I sat and stared at my knees as the emotional toll of the day settled over me, making it feel as if I was wrapped in heavy wool. I let the men and their animated chatter be drowned out and allowed myself time to bask in the moment. A tentative hand touched my back, and I turned to Lok, who held out his hand. I reached up and took hold of it, relishing its warmth as he led me to sit with him away from the crowd.

He looked me over, a small smile on his face. “Thank you again, Stardust.”

“You can thank me by never getting close to an apple again. My heart can’t take you fainting like that.”

He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tight. “On my honor, I promise to make a valid attempt at avoiding poisonous fruit.”

“Hey, you said a whole sentence without wheezing. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

The grin on his face was charged with the sexual magnetism that made him so infuriating and perfect. “You think I’d die after what you let slip earlier?”

I stared at him, confused.

“You said I’d have to get used to you,” he said, smug. “That must mean you’ve decided to stay. Tell me—it was my cooking, wasn’t it? Or perhaps you humans simply can’t resist a large set of horns.”

I shook my head, laughing. “You are so—”

“Stunning? Virile? So painfully handsome and gallant that you simply couldn’t bear to part from me?”

I found myself giggling uncontrollably. The man was just one hoof in the grave and he still couldn’t help himself. I brushed a lock of thick black hair away from his face. My breath caught when I noticed just how much his condition had improved. “It’s incredible you heal so fast. Your skin is almost completely back to normal.”

“It is?” he asked, looking down at himself. He took a long, slow breath. “Well, would you look at that?”

“How is this even possible?”

“It’s our bond,” he said in wonder. “Didn’t Intern say the Zhali match increased our healing abilities?”

“Oh my damn, he did.”

He laughed and took me by the waist. “If I had known keeping my hands on you would work such wonders, I’d have picked a prettier place to get my fill of you. Perhaps a meadow? Somewhere surrounded by flowers and some candles for a little atmosphere? A nice view to look out on while I—”

“Keep your reckless ass seated so you don’t push yourself into an early grave,” Sol interrupted. He sat on the other side of me and handed Lok a drink.

He took it gladly. “Ah, my other savior to the rescue once again.” Lok flipped the cap off the waterskin and took a long drink before wiping away the excess water that dribbled down his chin. His face grew somber. “Sol, I want to thank you, truly.”

Sol chuckled. “Don’t go soft on me now, General.”

“I mean it. You didn’t have to come save me; you could have taken Stardust and left me for dead, and I wouldn’t have blamed you in the slightest. But you didn’t. Thank you for that.”

Sol reached behind me and clapped Lok on the shoulder. “It was too quiet with you gone. And this one,” he said, jamming a finger at me. “On and on, she blubbered. ‘Where’s Lok? We have to find him! How will I ever go on without my big strong general?’?”

His teasing broke into laughter when I hit his shoulder. “Oh shut up, you were worried too!”

Lok smiled and pulled me against him. I laid my head on his shoulder, happily settling into his warmth. “Don’t mind his teasing, Stardust. Men like that just use it to hide the fact that they are the sweetest, most altruistic do-gooders around.” He reached over and pinched Sol’s cheek. “And here I thought you hated me.”

Sol knocked his hand away, then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Tamagotchi. “Not completely altruistic. Turns out saving you had its perks.” He pressed the center button and proudly held it up for us to see. The pixelated version of Sol danced happily next to a full affection bar, while Lok’s bar was just behind at nine. With a painfully smug smirk he added, “I win.”

Lok grew quiet. He gently took the Tamagotchi from Sol and inspected it closer. Then, as cold as ice, he stared Sol down and crushed the Tamagotchi in his fist. Its chipper song ended in a dying wail, then colored bits of metal fell into the grass.

Sol looked down at the broken pieces, then fixed Lok with an exasperated glare. “You are so—”

“Just stop.” I laughed. Having them both back with me felt like a dream. I was weightless and happy and fucking terrified to wake up. The intensity of that fear made my voice waver. “I love you both.”

The humor faded from Sol’s face. “Stardust?”

“There’s something I haven’t been completely honest about,” I said.

Lok squeezed my hand, urging me to continue.

I worried my bottom lip. “Well, I know we’re technically all in this breeding program, and babies are very much the goal, but how would you both feel if I couldn’t give you children just yet?”

“That would be ideal,” Lok said.

“Wait, really?”

“Of course it’s ideal,” Sol continued. “We’ve not had a day of peace since you landed on this planet. We haven’t even discussed where we’re all going to live.”

“Why would we want to bring a child into this right now?” Lok asked.

“Please tell us you’ve been on some kind of birth control this whole time.”

“Oh. Well, great news. Lok, Sol, there’s a birth control implant in my arm, and I’m not ready to ask them to take it out yet.”

“Which arm?” Lok asked.

I pointed to my implant. He traced the skin until he found the little matchstick lump just underneath. Then he kissed it. “Thank you for your service.”

A loud snapping of tree branches brought him up short, and whatever insult he had locked in the chamber abruptly died off when a thunderous horn blared in the distance. King Osid’s war party, riding atop towering triceratops, thundered toward us. At the helm of the charge was the king himself, his red-and-black armor gleaming like polished obsidian in the harsh sunlight. Behind him, a fuming Blair was gagged and chained to the saddle.

The commotion brought the others over to investigate. Sol cursed under his breath. “It just never ends.”