His personal shield would hide their life signs. It would even mute a tracker signal if Kelsey had been injected with any. The Cristos weren’t known for having advanced technology for locating lifeforms, but he wasn’t risking it.
Minutes passed before the enemy ship rose, flying higher. He sighed as the engine sounds faded until he was only left with the rustling of a breeze blowing the large branches overhead. The Cristos must have concluded that they’d died in the crash.
Crath lowered his chin, studying Kelsey. She remained unconscious but she was breathing. He slid down on his ass, carefully draping her over his lap, and shrugged off the sack of supplies. Once he had her settled, he used his free hand to place the emergency kit on the ground.
“Beautiful? Please open your eyes.”
He waited. Kelsey didn’t stir.
He started to worry.
“Kelsey! Wake.”
She sucked in a deeper breath and her eyes fluttered open. His entire body relaxed as he stared into her pale green eyes. They were a nice match for her nearly white hair and pale skin.
“Hello. We survived, just as I said we would.”
She blinked at him a few times before sucking in another deep breath. “That was…”
“Amazing, correct?”
“The worst ride ever.”
He chuckled. “It could have been much worse. The pod came down intact.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It is, since we survived.”
She started to move around, trying to climb off his lap.
“Relax. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“My stomach isn’t feeling so hot. I don’t think I’m going to puke though. I need to stand up.”
He hated to let her go but helped her until they both were on their feet. Crath took a quick glance down her body, still not spotting any new injuries. He wished he could see where the blanket covered her but he wasn’t about to stress her more by asking her to strip.
She peered around, her eyes wide.
Crath wondered what she was thinking. “Is this your first alien world?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not a bad one.” He glanced around too. “The air is comfortably breathable and it doesn’t stink of something unpleasant. The temperature is pleasing. Not too warm or cold. Even gravity here is compatible. We also haven’t been attacked by anything unfriendly.”
Her gaze met his. “Is that a joke?”
“Yes,” he lied. “Don’t worry. The Vorge will come for us.” He glanced at his wristband, not spotting any damage to his tracker. The shield remained active. “I figure my family will show sometime tonight unless the Cristos stick close to the planet. Then they might wait a bit to avoid a battle. Or not. The Vorge could take on five Cristo ships and win. It’s not like my oldest brother must worry about causing a war with their people. They have no allies and are enemies to all.”
She just stared at him.
He smiled. “Did I mention my brother Cathian is the ambassador for my home world? The Vorge is a large vessel that is extremely well-armed. He doesn’t just negotiate trade treaties and spread good will. There are times when he’s had to prove that my people aren’t weak. Even one of our own military vessels would hesitate to engage The Vorge in battle.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“Yes. You’re no longer a slave. I have rescued you, and my family is capable of keeping you safe from all enemies.”
“I’ll take that as a positive. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We should find shelter before it grows dark.” Crath didn’t know much about the planet besides the fact that it could support life. He had no knowledge of what sorts of lifeforms they might face. It could be anything from primitive aliens to wild animals. Even the vegetation could be dangerous. It was best to be prepared.
“You’re sure your brother is going to come for us?”
“Brothers. Two of them, plus my cousin, and some other crew. Not to mention the human life-locks. They will come for us.”
“Life-locks?” Kelsey’s features grew wary. “That sounds like slavery. You said you were rescuing me from that.”
“Life-locked is our term for marriage. My people abhor slavery and do not permit it. You are free, Kelsey.”
She stared at him for long seconds but then nodded, seeming to believe him. “What if they didn’t get that weird message you sent?”
“They did. I had it on repeat transmission until the shuttle blew up. Have faith, Kelsey. My family and The Vorge crew would have been listening for any transmissions with me missing in action from our rescue mission.”
“I’m a little short on faith after all I’ve been through.”
He could understand and sympathize. “I promise everything has changed, now that I’ve come into your life. I rescued you from being taken by the Cristo twice now. I’m highly skilled at being what you would term as a white knight.”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a tiny bit arrogant?”
He grinned. “It’s a good trait.”
“I think I’m still suffering from an imperfect translator. Either that, or your English still needs some work,” she said, frowning.
“We can fix that on The Vorge.”
“Just so you know, arrogant isn’t a compliment.”
It was Crath’s turn to frown.
Chapter Five
Kelsey tried not to gawk too hard. She was on a real alien planet. The trees were weird and definitely not like anything she’d ever seen on Earth. The bark was thick, ash gray in color with darker streaks, and the trees were more like long, twisted vines tightly woven together to form a solid mass. The massive leaves were various shades of blue, pink, and orange. Each one was easily the size of a hammock or larger.
There were other strange things, too, like not seeing any bugs or birds. They were in a thickly wooded area. That should have meant a shitload of both those things, especially since it had obviously rained recently.
The muddy ground was also a dull gray, instead of brown. Almost clay-like, but it didn’t smell like clay or dirt. In fact, there was a lemony citrus scent hanging in the air.
She kept fighting with the blanket to keep it wrapped around her body. It was a lightweight material but awkward to wear. Still, she was grateful not to be stuck parading around in a skimpy nightgown. The air was just cool enough to have made her miserable otherwise.
“Does anything else live on this planet?”
Crath shrugged. “I am not certain. The limited scan I was able to run only revealed breathable air and the fact that it wasn’t claimed by any alien race. There would have been a beacon broadcasting to warn visitors of their rules…or to stay away entirely, if they didn’t want anyone to land here.”
“That doesn’t bode well for us, does it? I mean, the not knowing. There’s air and vegetation. Where are the other lifeforms? Not that I’m an expert on alien worlds or anything, but I figured most wouldn’t be too much different from Earth if they have oxygen and gravity. It’s kind of like Earth already, with the climate. We’d be seeing furry animals and birds on my planet in this kind of landscape. Bugs too.”