Zecri: Stolen Warriors #4 Read online

  Zecri

  Stolen Warriors #4

  Ella Maven

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2021 by Ella Maven

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

  Copyedited by Del’s Diabolical Editing

  Cover design by Natasha Snow

  First edition: April 2021

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Ella Maven

  Prologue

  Zecri

  I carefully swiped at the dried blood behind Graven’s collar. While my skin had long since turned into a mass of scar tissue, Graven’s wouldn’t toughen up. He bled every time the chains on his collar were yanked, which was often.

  “I’m fine,” he grumbled, but his face pinched with pain and he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  I didn’t respond and continued to clean him up.

  He settled down after a while and let me do the work until I felt satisfied, he was as clean as he could get in this filthy place. Truly, Graven was the purest thing here. And that included me.

  I dropped the blood-stained cloth back into the qua basin and leaned back against the wall. The chains holding me in place rattled, and the sound grated on my raw nerves.

  Graven lay on his side front of me on a thin mat with his hands tucked under his head. He wore nothing but a pair of thin briefs—our uniform here in Fisk, a pleasure house on the outskirts of a seedy town on Vixlicin.

  I stared at the grimy window of our room where the glow from a few blurry stars was barely visible.

  “Zecri,” he rasped.

  I faced him and waited.

  He gave me a weak smile. “Talk to me.”

  I flinched.

  His request didn’t come often, but when it did, I never denied him. Graven was younger than me, and as the elder warrior, I took my job of caring for him seriously. “What do you want to hear?”

  “A story,” he murmured, his eyes half-closed. He’d been gone most of the rotation with a new visitor. While I didn’t talk about what I had to do here, Graven needed to verbalize how it made him feel. But this time, he hadn’t talked at all. Just stumbled in exhausted and bleeding. When he got like this, I knew he just needed some time. He’d talk tomorrow and then would be back to his smiling self.

  “A story,” I sighed. “Real or fiction?”

  “Real,” he whispered.

  “There was a Drixonian warrior with long hair who lived in chains and was used for the enjoyment of others. Until one day, he got free. He spent many cycles plotting how to free his friend and get revenge until one day, his plan came together. He punished those who had hurt him, and he saved his friend. Together, they carried on the legacy of the Drixonian Warriors so no one would ever forget we can’t be defeated.”

  Graven smiled sleepily. “I thought I said real.”

  “That’s your story,” I said. “It’s real, it just didn’t happen yet.”

  He reached out and squeezed my calf. “It’s not my story.”

  “It can be.”

  His eyes opened and the purple irises glowed as he held my gaze with a seriousness he rarely showed. “No, Zecri. It’s not my story. But it might be yours.”

  I swallowed. “I’m not the hero here.”

  He laughed. “And you think I am?”

  I slapped the chains on the wooden floor, kicking up dust. “There is no legacy for me to carry on.”

  His face fell and he pushed himself up on his elbow. “Don’t.”

  “We’ll get out, Graven. I promise. And then—”

  “If you get out, promise me you won’t come back.”

  The words felt like a slap. “What did you say?”

  “Promise me. If you get out, you’ll run far away from here. You’ll return home. You’ll find the rest of the Drix and rebuild with compatible females. You will not risk anything for me.”

  I turned away and locked my jaw.

  “Zecri!” he barked.

  I ground my molars until I managed to utter two words which scraped up my throat like blades. “I promise.”

  He sighed and fell back to the ground on his side with a groan. “Good.” He yawned. “Now get some rest.”

  His eyes closed, and it wasn’t long before his breaths evened and out and a few snores escaped his lips.

  I leaned forward and pressed a hand to the top of his head. “I promise,” I whispered, “that I’ll never rest until you are safe and can carry on your own legacy. The future of the Drixonians need you.”

  He snuffled while he slumbered.

  I lay down beside him and fell asleep to the sounds of his snores.

  When I woke up, Graven wasn’t beside me.

  He wasn’t anywhere in Fisk. He had been sold, and I had no idea where he was.

  One

  Sybil

  I’d spent nearly a decade on this planet, and I still wasn’t used to the food. I winced as another cramp hit and stumbled over a rock.

  “Sibbie?” said a little voice beside me.

  Swiping at the sweat on my forehead, I righted myself and squeezed Riven’s hand. “I’m fine, honey. Just tired.”

  Her nubbed forehead creased and her little lips turned down in a frown. “You need more sleep.”

  I did, but between sleeping with one eye open and getting kicked or slapped by her tail in the middle of the night, I hadn’t had a decent sleep in… Well, I couldn’t remember. But it was okay. As long as Riven was alive and well, then I’d deal with the fatigue. Never letting my guard down was of utmost importance. That was one thing Graven had always taught me—trust no one on Vixlicin. No one.

  “Hurry up!” Kilzer barked from his seat in the hover vehicle. “I want to get there before sunset.”

  I picked the pace, and Riven’s little legs moved double time to keep up with my strides. After sliding into the back of the hover vehicle, I settled Riven into my lap. There were no seatbelts, and Kilzer’s Pliken bodyguards drove like they had a death wish.

  I locked my arms around her small blue body and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. She let out a small giggle and squirmed into a comfortable position. She often slept in the vehicles, lulled by the vibrations, but I couldn’t let myself join her in dream land.

  In her small arms, she clutched a plushie I’d sewn long ago. Made of fabric scraps and stuffed with an old T-shirt of mine, the poor excuse for a bear was the only gift I’d ever been able to give her. And she loved the thing. It hadn’t been attractive to begin with—my sewing skills left much to be desired—and the buttons for its eyes had long been lost, but Teddy was Riven’s best friend.

  It wasn’t the most inventive name, but when I’d described to Riven I had tried to make her a stuffed animal called a Teddy bear, she’d been adamant on the name. One ear had been torn off, and the other was discolored where Riven had sucked on it for comfort. She had grown out of that now, but Teddy still bore the marks.

  I patted him on the head. “Is Teddy excited for the trip?”

&nb
sp; “He can’t talk, Sibbie,” she said with an exasperated eye roll.

  I smiled even as a pang hit my heart.

  She was at that age where she was still a child, but was very much trying to be a grown up. Every time she acted mature; it nearly took my breath away. She would certainly be taller than me. She already came up to my chest at about five cycles old. I wasn’t sure what we’d do then. She was easy to hide now… But when she was an adult? Not so much. I didn’t want to think about how I’d protect a full grown Drixonian-human hybrid female.

  I sighed as the vehicle lifted from the ground and began to speed over the sand. We were on our way to a pleasure house on the far side of the planet which he visited every ten cycles. I’d never been, as Kilzer had bought me about eight cycles ago.

  I wasn’t sexually compatible with Kilzer, who was a Gattrix, a type of insect alien species with a stinging dick, which was truly the only saving grace in my life—other than Riven. But the pleasure house—named Fisk—had a type of species he could mate with.

  I didn’t know who or what they were, and I didn’t really want to know. As long as Riven and I were safe, then that was what mattered.

  I wasn’t sure why we were being taken along. Couldn’t Kilzer attend his sex weekend by himself? But no matter the reason, we had been forced to come along, stopping every so often at a filthy lodging house to pass the night.

  We were now on the last leg of the journey and I was ready to be done with the travel. I had never been a fan of car trips.

  I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. Riven fell asleep in minutes, and I spent the next few hours listening to Kilzer bark orders at his bodyguards and hiding my face against the stinging red sand.

  The sun was beginning to set when we rode into the gates of a small town at the base of a rocky outcrop. We continued past a small market, dingy houses, and into a dark section of town which gave me the shivers.

  The vehicle finally stopped outside an unmarked three-story building.

  Kilzer stepped onto the ground with his stick-like legs and scratched his thorax with his two-fingered arm, of which he had a total of six. His beady eyes gazed up at the grimy windows as his antennas began to vibrate—a sign of either excitement or agitation.

  The door opened, and a female Pliken stepped outside with her arms crossed over her ample chest. “It’s been a long time, Kilzer.” Plikens were nasty aliens. Gray in color with varying shades of black, gray, or white hair, they bore temperamental dispositions.

  The females were tall and muscled. This one was named Wargo, and the only reason I knew was because she used to own Graven before he was sold to Kilzer.

  Kilzer took a step forward, his leg joints clicking. “I heard you have something for me.”

  She gave him a smarmy smile. “You don’t visit often, but when you do, you pay well.” Her gaze drifted to the vehicle and when she caught sight of me and Riven, her smile dropped off and her eyes went wide. “Is that…? Kilzer, you—”

  “That’s for later,” he said, waving a leg in my general direction.

  I cursed myself for not covering Riven sooner. I’d hoped to fly under the radar here. Was it possible she recognized Riven as Graven’s offspring? I hoped not. He’d told me that he’d been one of her favorites, and if she thought she could get a piece of him in the form of his child… I didn’t want to think about what she would do.

  She blinked a few times and opened her mouth, but Kilzer stepped between us, blocking her view. “Wargo?”

  I couldn’t see her, but her voice wavered for a moment before she cleared her throat. “Yes, let me show you to your rooms. Your pixes are waiting for you. I handpicked them myself.”

  “Of course, you did.” He followed her into the building, his voice slowly drifting away. His Pliken guards shuffled me out of the vehicle, and I held Riven in my arms, covering her with a blanket so her blue scales and nubby horns didn’t draw attention.

  She was a gorgeous little thing, and if Graven was correct, then she was the only female Drixonian alive. Which meant just about anyone on this planet would kill to get their hands on her. To me, she was my everything. To anyone else, she was just a thing to sell.

  I hated this goddamn planet.

  She slept in my arms and her head bobbed on my shoulder as we entered the pleasure house. I kept my head down. While Riven was worth a lot, I—as a human female—wasn’t worthless either. Even now, plenty of aliens who lounged around the bar area of the pleasure house followed me closely with their eyes as I made my way across the floor.

  My hair was long because Kilzer didn’t hire someone to cut it, and he refused to let me near anything sharp after I stabbed one of his bodyguards with a shiv I’d carved out of a brush. The blonde locks hung down to my butt. I wore a pair of tight pants, boots, and a bandeau top. I would have loved to wear more clothes, but Kilzer didn’t give me much material. I usually tore up my clothes to give more to Riven.

  My pale skin was like a beacon here among the alien colors. I hugged Riven tighter and soldiered on as the Plikens led me up a set of stairs. Riven and I were placed in a room alone. When the lock bolted into place, she woke in my arms with a jerk and a yawn. Rubbing her eyes, she blinked at me sleepily. “Sibbie?”

  “I should have woken you up earlier,” I said with a smile. “Now you’re not going to be able to sleep tonight.”

  Her stomach rumbled, and she smiled. “I will after a meal.”

  There was a knock at the door, and then it opened to reveal a Pliken child carrying a tray. He placed it on the floor and then scurried back out without a word.

  Riven trotted over to it and squatted down. Lifting off the dome, she hummed with contentment before shoving a wedge of cheese in her mouth. “Sibbie! Come eat!”

  I was starving and walked over to find a few pieces of jerky that usually agreed with my stomach. I munched on those, leaving the majority of the food to Riven.

  Her shiny black hair had come loose from the single braid I’d done that morning.

  I hooked a lock over her ear so it wouldn’t dangle in the food below. “Do you like the food?”

  Riven nodded with a full mouth and grin, but she wasn’t a picky eater. She also grew like a weed. Already her head was up to my chest, and I was five-six. Graven had said Drixonians reached maturity around ten or twelve cycles. I couldn’t imagine her not being my baby anymore.

  Finally full, she stretched out on the floor with her hand on her bulging belly and the other clutching Teddy. She preferred to wear leggings with a tunic and flat shoes. Her hair splayed on the floor around her, and I forced myself not to mention how dirty it was getting. She seemed so content lying.

  “Why are we here?” Her voice asked after a long moment of silence.

  I crossed my legs in front of me. “What?”

  She eyed me with an unusually serious look. “Why did Kilzer bring us here?”

  I patted her leg. “Maybe he just wanted to give us a change of scenery.” Eager to change the subject, I gestured toward the bathroom door. “Why don’t you—”

  “Will he separate us?” She wasn’t to be deterred, and when she was curious about something, she was like a dog with a bone.

  Just the thought of Kilzer taking Riven away from me fired my blood. My molars squeaked as I grated my teeth together. Forcing myself to stay calm, I shook my head. “No.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because I will never let him take you from me.”

  She studied me for a moment. “Sibbie?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll never let him take you from me.” Her hands balled into fists as she heaved a sigh and stared at the ceiling. “I can’t wait until I’m full grown and can protect you like you’ve protected me.”

  I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Riv—”

  “One day I’ll pay you back for all you’ve done for me.”

  “You pay me back every day.” I once again squeezed her ankle. “What’s with t
his talk? Nothing’s going to happen to us. Come on, let’s use the cleanser and get ready for bed.”

  Riven didn’t answer for a moment, but then her features softened, and she gave me a shy smile. “Sure, Sibbie.”

  We took turns in the cleanser, a shower-like device which cleaned us with high-powered filtered air. I went second, and when I emerged, wearing a ripped tank top and a pair of shost, loose shorts, Riven was standing at the window with her face pressed to the dirty glass. I rushed over and pulled her away.

  She stumbled and let out a yelp. “What’s wrong?”

  I sat down on the mat and tugged her down with me. “Riv, anyone could have seen you standing out the window.”

  “Why—?” She stopped abruptly and then her face fell. With a resigned nod, she sighed. “You’re right.”

  I’d explained many times why it was important to remain hidden on this planet. It broke my heart, but Graven’s constant warnings echoed in my head. I had promised I’d protect her, and I would. “I’m sorry, Riv.”

  “It’s not your fault.” She gazed at the window.

  “One day it won’t be like this,” I whispered, petting her shiny hair.

  Her violet eyes held mine and then she wrapped me in a small, warm hug. “Okay, Sibbie.”

  “Time for sleep?”

  “Time for sleep.”

  We curled up on the mat together, and I covered us with the blanket. She fell asleep quickly. I didn’t follow for quite some time.

  * * *

  Zecri

  I’d seen a flash of familiar blue through the dirt-encrusted window. I was sure I had. My breath grew short, and I gripped my chest as I sought to control my racing cora. Every cycle I traveled here on the same rotation to see if Graven’s buyer had returned. Every cycle, I’d left disappointed, but convinced this was the only way I could find him.