Barbarian's Touch: A SciFi Alien Romance (Ice Planet Barbarians Book 8) (4 page)

Me too. My ass is frozen.

I smother a laugh behind my hand and look over at the fire. The one with the nice eyes - the friendly one - is watching me. His mouth curls a bit. Did he hear my laughter? I feel a blush scorching my cheeks and shrink down next to Maddie.
Do you know the names of the others
? I sign back.

I’m trying to memorize them all,
Maddie signs to me.
I think Kira’s husband is named Yayhago, though I might have that wrong. There is one called Raw-hosh but he doesn’t seem nice. The one standing by the fire is Beck. That one is Toshen. I think that one is Rowdan but he doesn’t say much, even to the others.

My mind whirls, trying to absorb all these names. They’re not easy ones to remember, except maybe Beck, but I don’t want to get to know him better. He’s one of the ones with the possessive eyes. I look over at the one that interests me. Rowdan.

His name, I will try to remember.

As if he can sense my stare, he looks over and tips his chin at me, a bit of a playful smile on his mouth. His lips stretch into a grin, and then I see nothing but white fangs.

I shudder and look away again.

* * *

A
fter another horrible
, cold night, I’m more than willing to get this coo-ee thing if it means I’ll be warm. This place is awful - it’s freezing cold and barren, and by the time even the warmest of food gets to me, it’s cooling off. If what they say is true, there’s no Burlington Coat Factory around the corner, no McDonalds, no nothing. There’s no warm beach to look forward to, or a break in the weather, even. This is an ice planet.

Sometimes I really hope Kira and the others are lying to me. That this is all an elaborate joke, like they do on those TV shows. That we’re going to go outside and see a city in the distance, and everyone’s going to laugh and hand me hot cocoa. I won’t even be mad. I’ll just be relieved.

But that doesn’t explain why my cochlear implant is gone, and non-consenting surgery definitely takes the joke too far. So this has to be real.

And that terrifies me.

Maddie seems to be handling things better than me. She’s wary and combative to the others, and protective of me, but she doesn’t shiver as much, and she sleeps like a log. She doesn’t look as if she’s living every moment in abject fear.

I’m envious of that. I keep my complaints and my fears to myself, because if Maddie knows I’m silently freaking out, she’ll worry about me and go into Mama-Bear Mode. And while I love my sister, I don’t know if I want her to smother me with overprotectiveness. Maddie can be awesome, but Maddie can also be too much. I’m glad that she’s here, and at the same time, I resent that I’m forced to rely on her again. It’s not Maddie’s fault that after years of hearing and independence, I’m forced to rely on her again.

Whoever took my implants is a jerk.

After we eat a quick hot breakfast of leftover stew, the aliens get out their weapons and pack their bags. Kira talks to Maddie for a long moment. I try to follow the conversation but Kira’s talking too fast. Maddie nods at her and then comes over to me.

They want to leave, she signs. They know where the sock-thing is and want to go hunt it to get us parasites. They say if we don’t get them, we will die and they worry you’re not strong enough as it is.

That’s a tough pill to swallow - that I worry them and look ‘weak’. I’m not much smaller than Kira. I resist the urge to flex my arms and show them the small muscles I’ve got. I may not be as hulking as the rest of the aliens, but I’m not a wimp.
That’s fun
, I sign back to her, because what else can I say?
Can you tell them to go fuck themselves?

Maddie’s eyes brighten.
There’s that fighting spirit! Where’s it been for the last two days?

Hiding and praying this will all go away?

Just think of it as camping. As long as they’re good to us, this is just like a camping trip, right down to the leeches.

I make a face at her.
Yuck, thanks for that. You know I hate camping.

She pats my arm, and then signs,
Suck it up, Buttercup
.

Guess I need to.

Kira waits for us to be done with our conversation and then hands us more furs to put on. I notice the men are wearing less wraps than before, which means they’re giving them to us. She produces a pair of rough-looking snowshoes and holds them out to Maddie and me.

Oh boy. We’re leaving the wreckage of the ship. I’m not sure if I’m excited or terrified. I guess it’s too much to hope that the sock-thing we’re going after lives in a nice, warm shelter. If so, I just might become its new best friend.

Maddie takes the snowshoes from Kira and hands them to me.
Bundle up
, she gestures as Kira hands over even more furs.
We need to keep you warm, weakling
.

I know my sister’s teasing, but it still grates on my nerves. I scowl at her as I take the shoes. She’s in such a good mood, and I’m a bit resentful of that. Maddie loves adventure and challenge. I think she’s thriving on irritating the big blue guys that look at us like we’re treats to be devoured. Me, I just want to be left alone.

Preferably somewhere toasty warm.

I put on the furs that Kira hands over, and it seems like layer after layer, until I probably resemble a stuffed toy more than a human. There are fur chaps that go over my leggings, a fur wrap that goes over my shoulders and then around my torso. Kira produces a belt and ties the wraps against my body, and then comes another layer, and then a heavy cloak. I’m itchy and stiff, and so I don’t protest when she bends down and starts to strap the snowshoes to my new fur boots. By the time she’s done with me, I look ridiculous. Maddie does, too. I want to joke that we look like a pair of teddy bears heading out for a picnic, but my hands are wrapped in warm, double-lined mittens and so I can’t sign.

Kira bundles up once she’s satisfied with our clothing, and then we all waddle to the broken end of the spaceship. I’m a little jealous of how well Kira can walk in her snowshoes; it’s clear she’s had practice. I want to stare at my feet to make sure that every step I take is a solid one, but I need my sight to know what’s going on around me. If I stare at my feet, I’ll truly be isolated.

We’re the last ones in the ship, I realize - the others are outside waiting for us in the pale gray light. I pull my hood down deeper over my face and step forward. The crunch of snow under my shoes can be felt, if not heard, and it comforts me.

Because what I see when I step outside takes my breath away.

I’ve stared at that sliver of light for the last two days. I know to expect a bleak landscape of snow and wintry skies. Even so, I’m not prepared for just how different everything is. I stare around me in a mix of horror and wonder.

Rolling, endless hills of white snow cover the landscape. It’s snow as far as the eye can see, heaps and heaps of it. There isn’t much in the way of landscape - no trees, no bushes, only a few rocks here and there. Behind the ship, purple, glass-looking mountains climb toward the skies like teeth and cast long shadows over the valley. No wonder it’s so bitterly cold - we’re in the shadows and the sun never hits us. I look up, squinting to see the sun. The sky is covered with thick clouds, but I spot the suns. Two of them, clustered together like mating fireflies, so small and watery-looking that I wonder they give off any light. My heart sinks at the sight of them and I realize I’m never going to feel a warm summer day ever again.

I’d cry but my eyes would crust shut with ice.

The aliens are standing a short distance away, as if waiting to grab me if I topple, but wanting to give me space at the same time. I shiver and make no move to get near them. It’s even colder outside of the ship’s protective warmth. A hard gust of wind nearly knocks me off my feet and I wobble in my snowshoes. I stagger, staring down at my feet, and then I notice some of the snow isn’t all that clean. Dark specks cover patches of the area, and I take a few steps forward, moving around the edge of the ship. Something reddish flashes and I approach it, curious. It looks like an emergency light of some kind, blinking over and over again, embedded into the body of the ship. It must be hot, though, because all of the snow around it is melted clear away. I avoid it and look over. There’s a male alien dragging what looks like a corpse of a giant, car-sized creature away. He pulls it by the long, spindly legs and then tosses it onto a snowy heap of what looks like other bodies. I shudder and head back toward the entrance, where my sister will be. I don’t want to be alone.

Maddie is standing at the gaping hole of the side of the ship, her lips parted in surprise. I see her mouth something like
oh wow
and she twists and turns, trying to take it all in. Kira moves to her side and then slips past, heading for her husband. I sidle closer to Maddie, who has pushed her hood off and is gazing around her with unbridled interest. I huddle deeper into mine, hating the cold.

That’s the Taylor sisters in a nutshell - Maddie staring out into the world with excitement, and me hiding behind her wishing I were somewhere else.

Someone grabs my waist and I squeak in surprise, stumbling backward into my sister. I feel Maddie grab me and try to right me, but I tumble into the snow, landing flat on my back like a turtle.

I close my eyes, embarrassed. Good thing I can’t hear them laughing.

A hand taps my shoulder and waits.

I open my eyes a bit and see the nice one - Rowdan - offer me a hand up. His dark blue hand is enormous, and I see three big, thick fingers and a thumb. I stare at it for a moment and then reluctantly place my hand in his. He hefts me back to my feet with ease and tilts his head as if to say
Are you all right
? I give him a faint smile.

Another one appears - the one with the scary, possessive eyes. Hassen. I watch in surprise as Rowdan steps in front of me and looks as if he’s giving Hassen a dressing-down. Hassen gestures at me, a rope in his hands, and then makes a motion for tying the rope at his waist. Was that what he was trying to do? Tie me to him?

I don’t like this at all. I try to take another step backward, but that’s near impossible in snowshoes (as I’m learning). I lose my footing and flop onto my back again. This time, both alien men rush to my side and offer hands, along with Maddie.

I ignore both of them and let Maddie help me up, even though I nearly knock her down in the process. I cling to my sister as both men continue to argue and a third one - the stern-faced leader - arrives and wades into the argument. They gesture at me and Hassen shows his rope and then points at the sky. Rowdan points at me and then at Hassen. The argument continues and then Hassen looks expectantly at the leader.

The leader throws his hands up in disgust and then nods, pointing at me. He gestures to Rowdan and then Maddie. Rowdan’s mouth thins and he does not look pleased.

Hassen, however, does. He stalks toward me, that predatory look on his face, and comes to put the rope around my waist. I cling to Maddie’s arm, trying not to be scared. This is what the leader wanted, right? There must be a reason for this. It’s a safety precaution of some kind, I realize. Like the climbers on Everest. Except when he starts to tie the other end of the rope to his waist, I panic.

I don’t want to be tied to this one. I realize now that’s what Rowdan was trying to argue about - he knows I’m scared of Hassen. I guess he lost the argument, because he moves to Maddie’s side with his own length of rope.

“No,” I squeak out and cling to Maddie. “No! I don’t want to be with this one.”

Maddie says something back to me, brows furrowed.
You’re babbling
.
Is ok, Lila
.

Oh sure, it’s okay for her - she’s not going to be strapped to this guy. I shake my head again and then try to rip my gloves off so I can signal to my sister in private that he makes me uncomfortable and I don’t like him. But Maddie stops me and shakes her head. “We need to go,” she mouths.

I stare at her.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

The itch to extend my middle finger at her heightens, but I ignore it. Am I being ridiculous and babyish by not wanting to be tied to this guy? Maybe, but I’m scared. I’m allowed to be a baby. I look around and everyone’s watching me, waiting. There’s impatience stamped across more than one face.

I have to remember the Yes Plan.

Shit. I already hate the Yes Plan.

I sigh and put my hands down. This time, when the scary one - Hassen - ties the rope around his waist and points for me to start walking, I do.

Because I guess the only thing worse than being tied to the scary guy would be being left behind.

M
y ‘knowing
’ feeling is rumbling in my chest. Something is about to go wrong. It sets me ill at ease. My feeling is centered around the soft one - Li-lah - but I am not entirely certain of what it is I am feeling. I do not feel she is in danger. I am not resonating to her. And yet, …I do not like this.

I eye how close she walks to Hassen, and the protective looks he gives her. Is this jealousy, then? Am I envious that he has staked his claim on the same female that intrigues me? Or is it something more? Normally my ‘knowing’ is clear, but this time, it is as muddy as the churned snow at our feet. I want to say something to Haeden, to call off this hunt, but I am torn. Until I know why I am troubled, it is foolish to end the hunt. The humans are already out in the snow, and moving slow. The trek back to the cave would take as long as moving forward, and they need khuis to warm them and heal their bodies. Li-lah needs a khui most of all; as others have pointed out, she is not strong, and the fact that she cannot hear worries everyone. Her hand words are fine in the cave but in the wild, when she cannot hear the scream of a sky-claw as it rips through the air, or the growls of metlaks as they emerge from a cave? She is in danger.

Perhaps this is what makes me uneasy. If so, all the more reason to get to the sa-kohtsk and bring it down.

“Are we close to there?” The one at my side says. Mah-dee. “I’m tired and I’m sure Lila is too.”

“Soon,” I tell her, and it is clear that my vague answer irritates her.

She snorts and mutters under her breath. “Been saying that for the past hour.”

I steal another glance at Li-lah and Hassen. The human’s steps are slowing, and as I watch, one corner of her fur cloak falls off her shoulder and drags on the snow behind her. Before she can recover, Hassen scoops it up and tucks it around her body.

And my gut burns once more.

That is what this is, then. It is not my knowing. It is envy that he gets to keep her close and I do not. I am ashamed - Hassen is my friend and a good hunter, if hot-headed. If he resonates to Li-lah, I will be glad for him and their happiness. I have no claim on her. I cannot, because resonance decides. Reluctantly, I tear my gaze from her and point in the distance. “Do you see the trees? The tops have been shorn. That is because the sa-kohtsk was here recently. We will get to those trees and there we will find our prey.”

Mah-dee puts a hand to her forehead, squinting in the distance. “Those are
trees
?”

“They are. Do they not look the same in your world?”

She laughs loudly. “No!”

As we walk, I see Li-lah’s arms flail and she grabs at Hassen for her balance. I fight the strange envy in my gut at the sight of that, and the sight of his arms going around her.

Then, I feel it a moment later - the ground vibrates. A second later, it vibrates again. It is the heavy footfalls of the sa-kohtsk, and it is near. I sling my bow off my shoulder and look over at Haeden. “Our prey is near.”

He nods, jogging over to us. “I feel it.”

We cluster as a group to discuss the set-up of the hunt. One of the hunters will stay behind, all three human females tethered to his waist so they cannot be lifted away by a sky-claw. The worry is still present even though the skies are clear at the moment. They will hide in the safety of the trees while the rest of us bring down the creature. When it is safe, they will be brought forward again. All of this is said in the human language so Mah-dee can follow along. I try not to watch Li-lah but I see her studying our faces as we speak and I wonder what it is she looks for.

I am a selfish male, because I want her hearing to be fixed. I want to speak to her. I want to hear her laugh.

“Can we have weapons?” Mah-dee asks, and gestures at her sister. “Me and Lila?”

Hassen crosses his arms over his chest and scowls down at her. “Why? You will not be hunting.”

She flattens her hand and pushes it in front of his face. “Talk to this.” Then she turns to Haeden and repeats her question. “Can Lila and I have weapons?”

The look on Hassen’s face is incredulous and he pushes Mah-dee’s hand aside. “I said—“

“You do not decide for the humans, Hassen,” Haeden says in a weary voice. Raahosh just rolls his eyes, annoyed with Hassen and the rest of us. “If they will feel safer with blades, we will give them weapons.”

“Ha!” Mah-dee says triumphantly and smirks up at Hassen. “Suck on that, Smurf.” She wiggles her fingers at Haeden. “Now gimme a knife.”

“Is this wise?” Hassen demands, switching to sa-khui. “We should not arm them!”

“Why? Do you not think you can take them?” Bek counters. He is no happier with Hassen than I am for being selfish with the dark-haired female.

“Hey, speak English,” Mah-dee interrupts, frowning. “This is rude!”

Hassen ignores her. “I do not want the females to hurt themselves,” he says, and looks at Taushen and Aehako for support. “Remember when the other human females were given their khui? Some of them fought out of fear. And now you wish to give these two blades? They will not hurt us but they can easily harm themselves.”

“He is right,” Raahosh says. “My Leezh is strong like this one and she fought hard against the placing of her khui. We do not need to give them weapons.”

Haeden considers Raahosh’s words, then nods. “It is decided, then. Unless someone feels strongly that we should do otherwise?”

Kira raises a hand, and then sighs. “I’m outvoted, aren’t I?”

Aehako grins and presses a kiss to the top of his mate’s head. “You are.”

“Okay, but you guys break it to them, then.” Kira raises her hands. “I absolve myself of this conversation.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Mah-dee asks. “Why—“ Her mouth opens and she goes silent.

The sa-kohtsk lumbers into view in the distance, all legs and shaggy gray fur. Even from here I can see its four eyes glowing.

Li-lah whimpers.

Mah-dee’s gaze remains locked on the creature. “Fuck, that is hideous.”

“That is what we are hunting,” Haeden says.

“Where’s the parasite?” Mah-dee asks.

“Inside,” Kira tells her. “We have to kill it and pull them out of the heart.”

“Gross.”

“Yup.”

* * *

A
snow storm grows overhead
, the skies darkening to an angry gray. A few of the others eye the clouds with worry, and glance over at me. It is well known in the tribe that I am good at understanding the weather, but this particular storm is not what is making me anxious. Even if it is, we must continue.

It is more important to hunt and get the khuis for the females.

The sa-kohtsk is not in a herd, which means it is a young male. It is alone and because it is young, is swiftly brought down by our group of experienced hunters. Raahosh’s arrow hits it in the eye and it tumbles to the ground in a crash and an explosion of snow. The females are hurried forward even as Hassen and Bek pry the rib-cage apart, exposing the still-beating heart and the glowing khui threads within.

The women look faint. Mah-dee turns to Li-lah and pulls off her gloves, moving her hands frantically. I watch them, curious to see if I can understand the words. But Li-lah just shrugs. “We do it,” she says, words soft and slurred. I am surprised - and strangely pleased - to hear her sweet voice. “There’s no going back.”

Maddie throws her hands up in exasperation. “Fine.”

“Are you ready?” calls Raahosh. He looks at me and Taushen. “Keep your spears on alert. The smell of blood will draw metlaks.”

“Or sky-claws,” Haeden adds.

I nod and ready my bow while Taushen jogs away a short distance to keep watch. Bek and Aehako do so as well, and Kira ushers the females forward. “The sooner we get this done, the better, ladies,” I hear her say. “It’s starting to snow.”

Kira is right - fat, slow flakes are appearing in the air, and within moments, the skies are white with falling snow. I turn and scan the darkening skies, watching for sky-claws. Visibility is decreasing by the moment, and my job grows ever more important. I want to watch the females - Li-lah especially - but I am a hunter and I have my duty to protect. There were shadows hovering on the horizon and I watch to make sure they do not come closer.

I must ignore the swift intake of female breath, the soft whimpers, Kira’s encouraging murmurs.

Focus.

I want to see her, though. I want to see Li-lah’s strange green eyes flooded with comforting, glowing blue. I want to know she is safe and she will be strong. I—

A shadow swoops in the distance, barely visible in the heavily-falling snow. I squint, not sure if it is my imagination, and then I see it again, circling closer. “Sky-claw,” I warn, raising my arrow higher. “Be alert!”

“Get them up,” someone shouts. “Get them protected by the trees.”

I glance backward and see Aehako scrambling towards his mate. The two new humans are sprawled on the blood-spattered snow, unconscious. This is normal when one accepts a khui, but they do not have hours to recover. Not with sky-claws in the air. Another shadow flits overhead and I look up. Not just one sky-claw, but three. “Be alert,” I shout again, loosing my first arrow when one dips low. “Look to the air! Get the females to safety!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hassen scoop up one of the females and run for the tree-line. Bek scrambles past me, and I hear him arguing with Haeden over another female and who should carry her. I nock another arrow and let it fly, and then I see Raahosh at my side, his bow raised. We loose arrow after arrow. Two hit the thin, veiny-wings of the sky-claws and one hits low in the belly. The small wounded one gives a high-pitched scream and whirls away, and then a second breaks off and chases after it. As I watch, the larger one attacks the smaller, and snaps its neck. Before the body can plummet from the air, the victor scoops it up in its claws and carries it away.

That just leaves one. It circles around the sa-kohtsk corpse, and I turn, shooting my last arrow before tossing my bow aside and picking up my spear. It snarls and snaps at Bek, and I rush forward with the other hunters. Taushen’s spear slams into the creature’s lashing tail, and then it is pinned. Bek, Taushen, Raahosh and I stab it over and over with our spears, avoiding the dangerous, grasping jaws. Bek’s arm is scored by the teeth, but he side-steps and is out of danger quickly.

Then it is nothing but a corpse, bloody and reeking next to the discarded sa-kohtsk. I pant, wiping blood from my face.

“Is anyone hurt?” Haeden asks, storming forward, his spear in hand. “Do you need a healer?”

Bek rubs his bleeding arm. “There is no healer, so it does not matter. And the wound is not deep.”

Haeden hands Bek his waterskin. “They have dirty mouths. Wash it well and see Maylak when we return.” He looks around, a frown on his face as he stares out into the driving snow. “Where is Hassen?”

I look as well, but my gaze is seeking someone else, someone with long, dark hair and a pale human face. Mah-dee rests under a tree, unconscious. Kira is at her side, and Aehako protects them both. Li-lah is not with them.

My knowing sense shoots through me with force, and I realize that I have been wrong. I am not jealous of Hassen. My sense does not surge when I see him because I am envious of him.

He
is the danger. It is not the storm. It is not the sky-claws. It is Hassen. “He has stolen her,” I say aloud. “He has taken Li-lah.”

Hassen is going to try to force resonance. The thought fills me with helpless fury, and my hands curl so hard that my bone blade cracks in my grasp.