Mikko: Stolen Warriors Series Read online

  And speaking of spikes… He had them. A lot. Black blades, the same ones that had taken out many of the aliens in the pit, jutted out of his forearms and from the top of his head to the base of his tail. He had messy black hair which fell over his piercing purple eyes. Instead of eyebrows, his heavy browbone was ridged in hard nubs.

  He had rings pierced through each flared nostril, and his full lips were parted as he panted. With high cheekbones, and a strong jaw, I likely would have considered him handsome in another life.

  A steady dripping reached my ears, and I realized the blades in his forearms were dripping with black blood. Was that his blood? I saw a small trickle seep from his hair down his temple, and now that I paid attention, he seemed to literally be standing in a pile of black blood which dripped all around him.

  His body trembled slightly, and he cracked his neck as his gaze coasted down my body, like he was deciding which part to eat first.

  I wanted to cry and scream, but I was fucking exhausted. So, I held my ground, fists up, and prepared to defend myself to the death.

  Two

  Mikko

  A human female. Here. In the flecking Pit of all places. I had been minding my business when I’d heard the cage descend. I didn’t care about another body being added to the population, but then I’d heard the scream, and I’d known at once the new addition didn’t belong here as she was a) human and b) female.

  And then I couldn’t mind my business. The Drixonian warrior in me had responded to her cry of distress without question. And now I was exhausted and bleeding as I’d had to eject and regenerate my spikes multiple times in order to separate her from the blood thirsty crowd.

  When I saw that Zuthisk bastard with his tongue a hair from her face, I felt a possessive rage come over me unlike anything I’d felt before. And now I was stuck with her, this fragile human female in a pit of monsters.

  She’d been fighting them, and she was still fighting now, her tiny fists held in front of her face as she prepared to take me on. Of course, she didn’t know I would never hurt her. She expected me to be like all the rest.

  I was sure my appearance didn’t help since I was bleeding all over the floor. Fleck, I hurt. Ignoring her fighting stance, I sank to the ground with a groan. I bent my knees in front of me and let my arms fall into my lap, not caring about the blood that soaked through my pants.

  The female’s large green eyes watched me warily with her fists still raised defensively. Her hair was a dark red, framing her face in a tangle of curls. Her figure was enticing—full hips and breasts. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I felt myself growing hard. Which only made my mood sour more. This flecking rotation just kept getting worse. Why couldn’t she have been an unattractive human female? Maybe those didn’t exist.

  “Do all humans look like you?” I asked in Rinian, as I’d spotted the implant behind her ear. They updated all the prisoners in the language before dropping them in the Pit, although many didn’t bother using it. There weren’t a lot interested in conversation here.

  Her body jerked, and she narrowed her eyes at me. Despite her tough stance, her voice shook when she spoke. “No. We come in all shapes and sizes.”

  Not so long ago, my fellow warriors and I had come across another human female on this planet. Rexor, the leader of our small group, had taken her to our home planet where she’d be safe. While her features had fascinated me, her appearance didn’t ignite my blood like the one standing in front of me.

  Her gaze shifted to the door over my head and then back to me. “What are you going to do with me?”

  “That’s a good question.” I thunked my head back against the door. The main reason for getting killed in the Pit was having something others wanted. And I had just acquired the most desirable thing on the whole flecking planet.

  There was a hierarchy in the Pit—the most powerful prisoners lived on the third level where some of the cells still had locking doors. The air was slightly cleaner here, and most of the prisoners kept to themselves. We also got first pick of the supply drop.

  The second level had cells, but no doors, and the first level was more of a communal area with no privacy.

  The bottom level near the fight platform was chaos—a mass of bodies and filth who fought over the scraps left behind from the three levels. That was where the guards had tossed this human while looking for some entertainment as she was ripped apart. Fleckers.

  We were on the third floor, which was the best place to be in the Pit, but then again, no part of the Pit was good. The prisoners on this level had seen me and her, and it was only a matter of time before they came searching for what I had. And there was no doubt they’d want her. I could fight off a few, but if the majority came after me? I’d be in trouble.

  None had even been aware I was here but swooping in like that and rescuing her had been a scene. Now they all knew the spiked Drix was back, and they’d be wondering why. They hadn’t seen me for five cycles. Did they think I’d died? Escape was unheard of here. I wonder what they’d say if I told them I had escaped and then snuck back in by choice.

  “What do you mean?” The female’s fists were still raised, but her arms trembled. “Are you thinking about which limb of mine to eat first? I’ll warn you, I do kick boxing and my meat is probably as stringy as a horse’s.”

  I had no idea what kick boxing or a horse was. I sighed. “I’m not eating your limbs.”

  “Are you going to Indiana Jones it and rip my heart out?”

  “What are you—?” I shook my head. “Relax, female. Sit. If I had really wanted to eat you, you’d be digesting in my stomach already.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

  I shrugged. “You brought up the eating thing, not me.”

  Her fists dropped to her hips. “So that’s it, just sit, take a load off, forget that I almost got ripped apart by those creatures down there and just be okay with a spiked alien sitting in front of me covered in blood?” Her eyes dropped to my arms and her head cocked. Her little brows turned in as she frowned and seemed to study me before she let out a small gasp. “Wait, can you shoot those things out of your arms?”

  “These things are machets and yes. It’s one of my many talents,” I said dryly. “I need to think, so can you ease up on the questions?”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  I stared at her.

  She huffed. “Well, that wasn’t a question. It was a statement.”

  I pointed to the ground with a firm, “Sit.”

  “I’m not a dog,” she muttered and flopped down on a raggedy fur in the corner. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

  “What’s a dog?”

  “If I can’t ask questions, then you can’t either.” She smirked at me.

  Rexor’s female had been meek and agreeable. She was full of thank you’s and smiles. This human female was defensive, wary, and snarly. I liked it.

  “For now, we stay in here. This cell has a locking door. I have enough food and qua for the both of us if we ration. When there’s a supply drop, I’m confident I can gather several portions.”

  Several voices hollered from outside, and the din of the crowd below had lessened, although some jeers still rang out.

  She shuddered. “And what about them?”

  “I won you fairly. They will give me a few rotations alone with you as recognition of my skills and power. After that…” I let the sentence die.

  She wasn’t having it. “Yeah? After that?”

  I looked her square in her pretty green eyes and told her the truth. “They will demand their turn.”

  Her breathing hitched, and I could see her throat bob as she swallowed. Her fingers flexed as her shoulders tensed. “What do you plan to do with your turn?”

  “I plan to stop bleeding,” I muttered, picking at the flakes of dried blood on my scales. “Then eat. Then get some rest. Are you injured?”

  “I’m not injured,” she said, still eyeing me
warily. “But I-I don’t understand. Why did you bring me here?”

  “I didn’t bring you here. How did you get on this planet anyway? You’re a long way from Earth, human.”

  “Tell me about it,” she murmured. “I mean why did you bring me here in this cell?”

  “Because those prisoners were going to tear you apart. And I mean that literally. Limbs first.”

  “Yeah, I gathered that. So, what’s in this for you?”

  I cocked my head. “What’s in this for me?”

  She threw her hands to the side and crossed her legs in front of her. “I’m assuming you didn’t save me out of the kindness of your heart. So, what do you want?”

  Her attitude fired me up, and every time she snarled at me, my cock got harder. But I also needed to get a few things straight. “I want you to listen to what I say and not make our lives harder. I know how to survive in here, and I have the ability to keep us alive. What you can do for me now is get some rest and lower your voice because my head hurts.” If my fellow warriors saw me now, they’d smack me upside the head for talking to a female like this, but I was tired, in pain, and irritated I couldn’t shut her up by licking her cunt. Fleck, I could smell the scent of her skin, and it made me dizzy.

  But this was the Pit, and it was no joke. She had to know I was serious, and I didn’t have time to be patient and choose my words with care. This was life or death.

  She watched me as I slowly rose to my feet with a groan. I grabbed a qua jug in the corner and handed it to her before grabbing one for myself. “Don’t drink too much. That has to last you for two rotations.”

  Nodding, she continued to study me as I once again took my spot on the floor with my back to the door. This way, I’d be the first thing anyone encountered if they tried to get in.

  Eventually, she took a few small sips of the qua before carefully replacing the cap on the jug and setting it near her. She lay down on her side, facing me, with her small hands folded under her head. I swore I could hear her heart pounding. “Be calm, female.” I made my best effort at gentling my voice. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “My name is Rian,” she said softly, her green eyes no longer firing daggers at me.

  It seemed important she had shared her name with me. “Mikko.”

  She nibbled on her bottom lip. “You’re really not going to hurt me?”

  “I won’t, Rian,” I leaned my head back against the door. My arms and back were no longer throbbing, and only a dull ache remained. Soon, the pain would be gone… until the next time I needed to use my machets. I had a feeling it would be sooner rather than later if I were going to keep Rian and myself alive.

  “Okay,” she whispered back.

  I let my eyes close, and hoped I didn’t wake up to Rian pulling out one of my machets and threatening me with it. I remembered the way she’d brandished one of the black spikes in the lower level of the Pit as she fought for all she was worth. Yeah, maybe I should sleep with one eye open.

  * * *

  Rian

  I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was even, but I didn’t know enough about him to be sure. Maybe he could see through his eyelids. Who knew? He was an alien.

  I found it hard to believe I was rescued in this hell hole by a Good Samaritan alien, but he remained on his side of the cell. He hadn’t touched me or hurt me. The worst he’d done was basically insinuate I talked too much, which… whatever. Excuse me for having questions.

  But despite his annoyance, he hadn’t once threatened me with violence. Both of us knew he could kill me easily enough or use his strength to bend me to his will. Instead, he told me he wouldn’t hurt me.

  The Pit wasn’t quiet. Random shrieks, screams, and grunts filtered through the door, and I swore I heard the rhythmic slapping of flesh that made me wonder if someone was beating his alien meat. I shuddered. Gross.

  Mikko, despite the blood, looked relatively healthy compared to everyone else I’d seen in here. The color of his scales seemed vibrant, and his muscles were well-developed. He didn’t look like a half-starved prisoner used to rationing his meals. Maybe he ate other prisoners and used their bones as barbells. Ugh, my imagination was too active.

  The cell we were in wasn’t much. It was more like a carved-out cave, lit only by a small lantern on the wall. There was a small crate and a few jugs of qua stacked along the side. Other than the fur I lay on, there was one other threadbare one with suspicious stains. The floor was gray, gritty, and cold. I shivered and tugged the fur around me. It didn’t smell so great, but then I didn’t smell so hot either.

  My stomach growled, and I pressed a hand against it. Mikko didn’t stir. Banging sounded from somewhere outside, followed by a low howl. The lantern flickered, and fatigue set in. I wanted to stay awake because I still wasn’t sure how much I could trust Mikko. But before I knew it, I gave up the fight and succumbed to sleep.

  * * *

  I woke to the sound of rustling. I opened my eyes to find Mikko crouched on the balls of his feet as he dug inside of a crude crate. At his side was a small stack of tubes, about half a foot long each. I slowly lifted up onto an elbow to get a better look at what they were.

  He didn’t even look up as he said, “I have your meal ready.”

  I frowned. “How did you know I was awake?”

  He paused and tilted his head to me. “Your breathing changed.”

  Good to know he had some enhanced senses. “Oh.” While the food didn’t look appetizing, I was starving, and my stomach rumbled. “Um, you can throw it here.”

  His gaze remained on me, and I could have sworn the corner of his mouth tilted up into a small smirk. “You can come here and get it.”

  Come closer to him? Really? He was rested now. His expression was no longer pinched with pain, and he seemed extremely capable of snapping any number of my bones with a single finger poke. I held out my hand with the best sad puppy look I could muster. “Um, or you can throw it here?”

  In a very suave move that showed the control he had over his massive body, he slowly spun on the balls of his feet to fully face me. “You can leave the fur and come eat your meal next to me.”

  I swallowed.

  His gaze dipped to my throat before returning to my face. “I understand you’re wary, and that’s good. No one in here is good. But I told you I wouldn’t hurt you, and I won’t. I’d like to get the chance to earn your trust. Please eat your meal next to me.”

  I stared at his massive hands which could palm my face like a basketball. His pants barely contained his thick thighs. I wondered if he did squats. Even his neck was muscled. His boots were fit for a Sasquatch. What size shoe did he wear? Twenty-five?

  He had saved me from a brutal death, and now he was asking me for a favor. He could have done any number of things to me in my sleep, but I’d woken up unmolested and safe. I could do this little favor. I took a deep breath and gave him a shaky nod. Emerging from under my fur, I slowly crept toward him on my hands and knees. When I was just within his reach, I stopped and rested on my haunches. “How’s this?”

  This time, he did flash a quick smile. “Very good, Rian.”

  He seemed to like saying my name, and that was okay because his voice was slightly accented, so he rolled the R in a way I shouldn’t have found so attractive.

  Demonstrating, so I knew what to do, he lifted one of the tubes to his lips and squirted the contents into his mouth like a Go-Gurt. He handed me one, and the outside felt a bit like a Fruit Roll-up. “You can eat this part too,” he said, as he gnawed on the outer tube.

  The color was a pale off-white that reminded me too much of an intestine. I felt bile rise in my throat.

  He watched me as I studied the food. “I know it doesn’t look appetizing, and it’s pretty bland. But at least the taste isn’t bad.”

  He might think it was bland, but who knew what my human tastebuds would make of this. “What is it?” I heard myself ask, even though I didn’
t really want to know.

  “We call it muhs. It’s an artificial protein.”

  That was all he said, and while I believed he was telling the truth, I had a feeling he was making a big omission. Which was probably a wise decision. I took a deep breath, counted to three, and squeezed the tube’s contents onto my tongue.

  At first, I didn’t taste much of anything, but then I began to chew the jelly-like food. Mikko was right—it didn’t have much of a taste at all. It wasn’t sweet, but it wasn’t bitter either. It was a bit like eating a really bland, overcooked porridge. My taste buds were extremely confused, so I quickly swallowed the glob on a grimace.

  “Good,” Mikko said with a proud nod. “Now eat the rest and have some qua.”

  I gnawed on the tube, which tasted about the same, but had a really off-putting texture. I was again reminded of intestines, but I forced it down until I’d eaten it all. After that, I drank the qua as he called it, which was like water with a slight vinegary taste. Luckily, it washed away the flavor of the muhs, but I was already dreading the next mealtime. I did have to admit it made me feel full, though, like a loaded protein drink.

  “How did you get here?” Mikko leaned against the wall, and his back spikes scraped along the stone.

  “In the Pit?

  “Yeah.”

  “Very fast public transportation in the form of a cage.”

  He gave me a look. “I mean what did you do to get sentenced to the Pit.

  I picked at my dirty fingernails. “I, uh, accidentally killed someone?”

  He lifted one side of his nubbed brow. “Explain.”

  I sighed. “So, I was taken from Earth. I don’t know how, but I woke up on a spacecraft that docked on this planet. The caped aliens—the Plikens—gave me this translator implant and immediately took me to another spacecraft. There, they handed me over like I was property to this alien with four eyes and six arms.”