Hunter's Claim

  She bent to pick up her backpack before releasing a sigh of resignation. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t just leave the alien to die. She had listened to the others talk about what they were going to do to him. She would just as soon shove her dad’s hunting knife into his heart if he had one then leave him to those crazy lunatics.

  Straightening up once again, she drew in a deep breath behind the black scarf covering most of her face. She would release him. Well, she would release most of him if she could and leave him the means to finish the task while she ran like hell. She ran her hand over the universal key set her dad had shown her how to use. It would be a huge loss but she wouldn’t have much choice.

  Jesse set the black backpack just inside the opening that she had squeezed through before. She might have to run like hell but she couldn’t leave the food behind this time. Her sisters desperately needed it.

  Pulling her father’s hunting knife out, she glanced around the fallen debris before quietly stepping out. She let her eyes sweep the area before she swiftly jogged over to the side of the moving van. Pressing her back up against the cold metal, she waited for several long seconds, listening. Sweat beaded on her brow even though the air was frigid. She could even feel the dampness as it slid down between her shoulder blades, a testament to her fear.

  She refused to give in to the terror threatening to choke her though. She couldn’t just leave him to die, even if he was an alien. No one deserved to die the way the men and woman were planning. If she couldn’t release him, the least she could do was end his life in a more humane way.

  Jesse moved slowly, pausing to listen in case anyone came out to check on the van again. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she reached over and carefully slid back the bar locking the back of the van. Her hands shook as she pulled the door open just far enough for her to slip through the opening.

  The silence and darkness inside the moving van caused her to start panting. She had never seen one of the aliens up close before. She had always done everything in her power to stay as far away from them as possible so she had no idea of what she was about to see.

  She fumbled in the front pocket of her black cargo pants for the small penlight that she always carried. She turned it on and moved it along the floor until she saw the leg of a metal bench. Taking a timid step forward, she ran the light up along the bench until she encountered the huge boots of the alien.

  She stepped forward on silent feet until she was even with his feet. She frowned when she saw the thick chains holding him to the metal bench. She moved up his body, staring at the chains that were threaded through every few inches up his body. She flashed the light down to the corners and saw that there was a master lock on each corner. She turned to look at the top of the metal bed to see if there were additional locks there as well.

  She froze when her eyes locked on a pair of glowing yellow ones that were watching her with silent rage. Her hand began to shake so badly that she had to use both hands to hold the beam steady.

  “I…,” she began in a muffled whispered. She licked her dry lips behind the scarf before impatiently pulling it down below her chin when she felt like she was about to suffocate. “I… oh hell.”

  Jesse stared at the beautiful features of the man lying on the table. Even with the gag in his mouth, she could tell he was handsome in an exotic kind of way. He had long, thick black hair that was pulled back. His eyes were the shape of a lion or tiger. They were a deep yellow, almost gold color and glowed in the reflection of the flashlight. He had high cheekbones and small ridges along his nose which was flatter than a humans. Her eyes moved down over his shoulders and chest. He had very little hair on him considering he looked like he was part feline. One thing stood out above all others, though. He was huge! He had to be close to seven feet tall and she had never seen any man outside of the movies that muscular.

  Her eyes jerked back to his when she felt more than heard the slight rumble of a growl coming from him. That was when she realized that she had dropped her left hand down to rest on his stomach. Blushing, she pulled her hand away quickly and took a step closer to his head. She needed to make him realize she was there to help him.

  “Please, be quiet,” she whispered next to his ear. “They will kill me or worse if they catch me and I can’t be… I have to leave. I’m going to remove the gag from your mouth. Nod twice if you understand what I am saying.”

  She pulled back just far enough to see if he understood her. Satisfied that he did when he nodded twice, she carefully picked one corner of the tape loose. With a look of apology, she ripped it off his mouth. The moment the tape was gone, he turned his head and spit the rag out of his mouth.

  Jesse almost ran when he turned his hostile gaze back on her and bared his teeth. Her eyes widened and she bit her lip in indecision. A sense of panic began to sweep through her at the crazy decision she had made. If the humans outside the van didn’t find and kill her, the alien inside it looked like he would do it without any hesitation.

  “Please, listen to me,” she begged desperately, glancing at the door before looking at him again. “They want to kill you in a very horrid and painful way. I… I can’t let them do that but I can’t let you kill me either. Please, please understand me. I can undo the locks holding you down. I’ll undo all of them but one.”

  Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch his face. She needed him to believe her. She needed to know that he wouldn’t snap her neck or, her eyes moved to his sharp teeth, tear her throat out as she leaned close to him. She gently touched his jaw so he could see she meant him no harm.

  “I’ll show you how to use the keys I have to undo the lock. When you are free, you will need to go to the left. There is a door on the far side of the building that will lead you outside. Ten blocks to the west are some of your people. They will help you,” she whispered looking into his eyes intently as she gently rubbed his jaw with her thumb. “Do you understand what I’ve told you?”

  “Yes.”

  Jesse gave him a shaky smile before she moved to one of the locks near his head. Setting the penlight down, she pulled the universal key set out of her pocket and went to work. It took her several minutes to undo the lock. Once it was unlocked, she pulled it free of the loop as quietly as she could and set it down on the floor of the van before moving to the next one. Within minutes, she had his arms free.

  “Wait,” she whispered when she saw him start to pull the chains from his upper body. “We need to be as quiet as possible until I can get at least one of your feet undone. Can you lift the chain off quietly while I work on the other lock?”

  “Yes,” he hissed.

  Jesse nodded in relief. She was beginning to feel a glimmer of hope that maybe she would be able to pull this off and both of them could escape and go their own ways. She was more familiar with the locks now and it only took her a few seconds to undo the third lock holding him captive. She was about to explain how to use the keys when the sound of footsteps outside the van drew their attention.

  Jesse looked fearfully at the huge male sitting up on the table now. Her eyes flew to the last lock. She had to undo it or he would be an easy target for them. She scooted between the wall of the van and the table and frantically worked at it. They would know something was wrong when they saw the doors unlocked. Her hands shook so badly she almost dropped the key several times.

  I should have left him, she thought as the lock finally sprang open. I’ve killed my sisters and myself to rescue those responsible for us being in this position.

  Jesse fell back and slid between the bench and the wall of the van as the huge male jerked the last of the chains off of him and wound them around his thick palms. She bit her lip as she watched him lean forward for a moment, as if waiting to attack. That was exactly what he did when they heard the muttered curse outside the door. All she saw was a blur of shadowy movement before the doors to the back of the van exploded outward.

  Jesse didn’t wait to see what happened next. She
had done what she could to save the huge alien. Now it was up to him to run back to his people. She had her own family to protect. Jumping from the back of the van, she rolled under it before sliding out the opposite side near where she had been hiding. She grabbed the black backpack and squeezed through the ripped sheet metal, ignoring the pain as it cut a deep slice across her stomach.

  She ran as fast as she could away from the loud roars and the bloodcurdling screams that filled the night air behind her. She had finally come face to face with one of the aliens and it had left her shaken and confused. In the back of her mind, she hoped he survived and was able to get back to his people. Maybe he could convince the others of his kind that the Earth was better left to its own self-destruction.

  Chapter 3

  Hunter listened carefully, waiting to see when the human would return. He had worked a small blade out of the hemline of his vest. He was trying to break the metal band around his wrist when he heard the hushed sound of the latch on the door. Relaxing, he hid the blade in the palm of his hand.

  It had been several hours since the last man had come out to check on him. He had hoped they felt confident enough in their chains and locks to wait a while but it would seem they were rightfully paranoid. He would have to work fast once the male left again if he was to save himself.

  He frowned when the door barely opened before it closed again. He sniffed the air to see which of the humans had come in this time. He barely controlled his reaction when a delicate, sweet scent washed over him. He fought the urge to growl in frustration at not being able to taste the air with his tongue. He wanted to know if the air held the same sweet taste as the smell. He did not recognize this scent or understand why he felt such a need to know more about the human who carried it.

  A moment later, a small beam of light illuminated the darkness. He could not see the figure of the human because of the way he was strapped down but he knew from the scent and breathing patterns that it was a female. It didn’t take long before the figure moved far enough to the front of the van for him to see.

  Vivid dark brown eyes stared back at him in fear. He couldn’t see much of the female’s face because of the dark cloth that she had over most of her face but he swore he had never seen so much emotion in one set of eyes before. He wasn’t sure what this human wanted. She had not been with the others. He would have smelled her sweet scent if she had. A dark thought crossed his mind that she might belong to one of the males. He had not gotten close to the one that had driven the transport that he was in. He had only heard the male’s voice. A low rumble of rage swept through him that any female, much less the one staring back at him, would belong to such a male.

  He listened as she spoke in a voice that was barely audible. She paused before ripping the cloth down from her nose and mouth. Her words were soft and it took a moment for the translator embedded in his ears to understand what she was saying.

  His whole body tensed when she unwittingly rested her left hand on his stomach. The vibration of the purr that escaped him at her touch shocked him. The purr turned to a growl of anger when she jerked her hand off of him.

  His eyes narrowed when she leaned over him to whisper in his ear. Her voice was very soft and held the faint tremor of fear. Her warm breath fanned over his cheek as she explained that she was in danger from the other humans as much as he was if she was caught.

  His fists clenched as a fresh wave of rage washed through him at the thought of this female putting her life in danger for him. He forced himself to listen carefully as she explained what she was going to do and asked if he understood what she was saying. He nodded twice to show her he did.

  Her fingers were icy cold and shaking as she carefully picked one side of the tape free. He never looked away from her, unsure of what she intended to do next. He hated being defenseless. He was at her mercy and that did not sit well with him as either a male or a Trivator warrior.

  Her face creased into a look of apology before she ripped the tape from his mouth. He ignored the burning sting as the tape pulled his skin. Turning his head, he spit the rag out of his mouth with a low snarl of hatred. Turning his head, he glared at the small female and flashed his teeth in warning should she try to harm him.

  “Please, listen to me,” the female begged nervously as she glanced at the door before looking at him again. “They want to kill you in a very horrid and painful way. I… I can’t let them do that but I can’t let you kill me either. Please, please understand me. I can undo the locks holding you down. I’ll undo all of them but one.”

  Hunter stiffened as she stepped closer and reached out to touch him. She barely touched his jaw but it was as if she had suddenly held him in a paralyzing hold. The sensation of her thumb rubbing tenderly against his skin was igniting a fire in his loins that he hadn’t experienced in years.

  “Do you understand what I’ve told you?” She asked as she continued to stroke him.

  It took a moment for him to focus on what she had said. She would release him. Well, give him the ability to release himself and she was telling him where other warriors could be found. That meant that she had been close to them. He didn’t like the idea of her being around the other warriors. Many of them had not had female company since they came to this world. That made them dangerous even with the relief rooms set up for them.

  “Yes,” he responded harshly when he realized she continued to wait for his answer.

  He held himself still as she moved closer to his head and set the small light down near the lock holding the chains around his upper body. After several long minutes, a soft sigh escaped her. A smile of amusement tugged at his lips as she slowly set the lock down. He could have escaped once he had one of his arms free. He felt confident he would have been able to escape if given enough time. He carefully slipped the blade in his palm back into the sheath hidden in his vest.

  He paused lifting the chains when the female called out a warning. His eyes followed her as she moved to the third lock. He sat up, carefully holding the chains so that they wouldn’t make any noise.

  She opened her mouth to say something to him before turning in horror at the sound of footsteps approaching. Hunter had heard the other human the moment they had begun walking. He planned to rip the last lock off but the female had already moved to it and was working furiously at undoing it. He flicked his tongue out, finally giving in to the need to taste the air around her. An assortment of flavors hit him hard in the gut. He could taste her terror. She had not been lying when she said the other humans would kill her. The fear was thick in the air around her. He could also scent the faint aroma of blood.

  He would have to check the female for injury after he took care of the other humans. As much as it galled him, he owed this female a life debt. Well, life debt might be stretching it as he was confident he could have escaped but the fact that she was risking her life thinking he was going to be brutally killed was close enough for him. It was obvious she did not have a protector. He would assume that responsibility until a human male could be assigned to her.

  He rose up as soon as he was free from the bench and wound the chains around his fists. Holding still, he waited until he heard the male’s voice just outside the door before he made his move. He hit the doors with enough force to rip them from the hinges. The metal door struck the thin male who had been driving, instantly killing him.

  He didn’t pause as he jumped from the back of the transport. Using his senses, he rushed across the large empty area between the transport and the room where the other males and the female were. It was time to show them what happens when they have angered a Trivator warrior.

  *.*.*

  Hunter threw out the chains in his left hand as one of the human males came rushing out of the door of the small room. He snarled in satisfaction when he heard the sound of bone breaking under the blow. The human’s loud scream of agony echoed throughout the building.

  He jerked hard on the chain before he turned and rolled to the left as the huge
male who threatened to hang his balls on the back of his truck lifted one of the Earth weapons he carried. The sound of skin and bone ripping made a sickly noise as the chain he had wrapped around the thin human’s arm tore it off as he pulled it away. A single shot silenced the male’s incoherent screams.

  “Kill him!” The female yelled out in terror. “Kill him, Kyle.”

  “You should have fucking let me earlier,” Kyle snapped back as he moved backwards toward the office. “I can’t see a fucking thing.”

  “Don’t let him near me,” the woman whimpered. “Don’t let him near me.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Betty,” Kyle bit out. “Get back in the office. If he tries to come through the door, we’ll shoot his ass.”

  Hunter chuckled darkly when he heard the door slam behind the human called Kyle. It would appear the female did not care about the male. She had locked him outside with the beast.

  “I will slice your balls off,” Hunter whispered menacingly. “But I will not hang them on the back of my transport. I will feed them to you.”

  “Stay… stay the fuck back,” Kyle snarled, raising the weapon in his hand and firing into the darkness where Hunter had been. “You just stay the fuck back.”

  Hunter was already on the other side of the male. He had scaled the tall beam up to the one that ran over the male’s head. He dropped down lightly on the male’s right side. He grabbed the male’s arm as he swung around and broke it before wrapping his other hand around the male’s neck.

  “Now human,” Hunter whispered, flashing his teeth at the male. “Threaten me, now.”

  Kyle’s choked cries ended as his body suddenly jerked. His eyes widened for a moment before they glazed over in death. Hunter cursed as he felt a burning in his side. He dropped the body of the male and twisted to the right. Three holes in the door let small beams of light through.

  “How bad are you hurt?” Another dark voice asked calmly from next to him.