“Brother,” Ryzen huffed, his arms crossed. “Everyone is aware that we are constantly in need of medics and pilots. We’d be fools to deny him his request if he’s willing and capable.”
“We can talk about it more once we get everyone registered in our system and settled.” Rylyx glared at his brother and rolled his eyes. “Right now, we need to figure out what to do about the humans who were brought aboard. I did not believe we intended to bring any along, especially since they were not abducted.”
“I can explain myself,” Xizi said, instantly drawing the attention of the four males around him. “After we got away, I felt something pulling me toward the city. I eventually found myenax, the one who the Stars and Fates had chosen for me. Unfortunately, I was so eager to seal my fate that I ignored the warnings I should have heeded.”
“What warnings?” Xenak inquired, casting a glance at his twin. “Do we need to be concerned?”
“Myenaxwas eager to mate with me because...” Xizi cast a glance at his enax, who was swaddled in the blanket he’d wrapped her in and lying along the wall with the rest of the unconscious humans. “She’s a bounty hunter who enjoys collecting her victims’ cocks after photographing them in vulnerable positions.”
“You brought a bounty hunter aboard our rescue vessel?” Xenak snarled, his head snapping in her direction. “Why didn’t you leave her behind?”
“I don’t know.”
Eleven
Ashley
Different faces and places blurred into one another, making it hard to decipher if what she saw was a dream or reality. It was as if there was a movie playing in her head she couldn’t turn off—or wake from.
She saw eleven black reptilian humanoid aliens that resembled Xizi but had different color tints to their scales.
As his family traveled through space, their ship hurtling through the stars at incredible speeds, they appeared to live on a ship together, each with their own responsibilities to help it function.
As she watched them soar through the galaxy, exploring new worlds and discovering new wonders, she was filled with awe and wonder.
They traveled through space as explorers in search of adventure, only to crash-land on Earth in the ocean, in a location known as the Bermuda Triangle. They swam to shore and traveled the world, taking in everything humans had to offer.
But then, something changed as a sense of dread washed over her.
Ashley watched as the crew tried to take the President of the United States but, somehow, got caught.
She saw the humans who had kidnapped them and dragged them into the secret underground base beneath Area 51 where they were being held captive.
She felt a sense of shock and horror as she watched Xizi being subjected to cruel experiments and tests, his body poked and prodded by heartless scientists who seemed to care nothing for his well-being.
She felt Xizi's fear and pain, as he was experimented on and tormented by his captors. She knew that he had been through so much, that he had suffered so greatly.
Despite his feelings of despair, Ashley sensed determination and resilience in him as he fought to survive and escape.
She was in awe of his strength and perseverance, and she had a deep admiration for him as darkness took over her vision.
Ashley slowly opened her eyes, feeling disoriented and confused. She sat up, looking around her position, trying to make sense of what was happening.
She found herself on an alien ship, surrounded by a bizarre and diverse array of creatures. Green space fairies flew around her, their wings beating softly in the air. Scaled blue aliens stood nearby, their eyes glowing with a strange, intense energy. Nagas slithered across the floor, their tails swishing back and forth.
Then she noticed them—a line of unconscious humans lying beside her on the floor. She felt a surge of fear and confusion for a brief moment, wondering what had happened to them.
She was naked and wrapped in a blanket like a cocoon from home.
Her body felt raw and totally spent, as if she’d had the best sex of her life, only to be told something horrific.
Where was she? How did she get here? And why were there others?
Ashley looked around the room, her eyes taking in the strange and otherworldly scene before her.
She noticed her cosplayer, who was standing with two other black reptilian-humanoids dressed similarly to him, deep in conversation with a couple of long blond-haired guys. They appeared to have come straight from some Vegas night show, with their brightly colored paint on their skin and exotic outfits.
A wave of confusion and disbelief washed over her as she rapidly closed and reopened her eyes while shaking her head, trying to figure out if this was her new reality or a dream.
