Alien Freak - Calista Skye Page 0,76

galaxy. They’ve even heard of Earth, but only that females from there are becoming the hottest commodity in space. I’ve tried to inquire about other girls from Earth, but even these guys don’t know of any.

After an hour or so, the meal is eaten.

The abbot turns to me. “Now, Averie, let’s look at some more traditional ways to fight.”

He takes me to the main training area. Because my thinking is that if I’m stranded with warrior monks for a year, I might as well learn how to fight. My Resistance group will need to know that.

“This is a long club.” He tosses me a long piece of wood like a broomstick, and I fumble to catch it. These guys don’t really use weapons, just wooden sticks and their small, thin hands.

“You will now attack me with it, and I will evade. The first thing to get right is stance…”

Several hours and many meals later, I stumble into my cell on the second floor. It’s a small space with only a bed and a bathroom, but I don’t need more.

After the very physical lessons, I’m always sore, but the next morning the soreness is gone. I think the food has something to do with that.

Getting onto the narrow bed with the hard mattress, I try to stay awake despite the exhaustion because it’s the only time I have to myself.

I was really mad the first couple of days here. But now, that’s passed. Whatever faults he had, and whichever reason he really had to dump me here, I will always remember Zaroc with affection. He abducted me, but breaking me out of that concentration camp that Earth has become turned out to be one of the best things that could happen.

I miss that red, haunted prince with his incredible confidence and his knack for making me feel good about myself and the future. He’s been on the run for most of his life. And now that I’ve seen what he’s running from, I think I understand him.

My tears make the mattress wet. “Be safe, my love.”

30

- Zaroc -

“He’s still following,” Grandmother reports, her voice neutral.

I grind my teeth. “How far behind?”

“Two hours if we’re lucky.”

I slap the control panel in frustration. “Cursed Fate! That gives us only an hour for the refuelling.”

IruBex has been hunting me for eight days now. I was able to find him after I put Averie on Xrarar, drawing him after me. His spaceship is big, but not fast. I’ve been able to keep him at arm’s length, but I have to refuel more frequently than he, and he’s slowly gaining on me. I’m about to be pushed into a corner.

“Grandson, if—”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be hopeful. Don’t even say it. I hope we can get refuelled in time. I hope this will all get better in the next solar system. I hope my pursuer turns into a glass of water. Happy?”

“Not for a while,” Grandmother confesses. “But I won’t go on about that. No, I’ve been thinking.”

I sigh. “Do you ever do anything else?”

“Oh, you don’t want to know. But I’ve been thinking about IruBex.”

“Me, too. Every second I’m awake. And in my dreams. Him and Averie.”

“You’re being too predictable.”

I groan in frustration. “IruBex has seen everything. You know that. Nothing a hunted person does is new to him. He’s ready for everything. That’s why we are in this desperate situation!”

“Not everything.”

I aim the ship at the only station in this solar system and run the engines as hard as I dare. “What?”

“IruBex has now held you at gunpoint twice. Twice you have escaped. It should not have been possible. Not even once.”

“What’s your point?”

“He didn’t predict that. That you could escape. He was taken by surprise. Twice in a row. While he was covered by many allies, and you were practically alone. And he sustained injuries and almost died both times. He really did not predict it. Now ask yourself: what did those two situations have in common?”

“Not much,” I grunt. “One was on a planet, one on a station. One at the Fentrat, the other with Bathosc. Completely different circumstances each time— oh!”

“Yes? You get it?”

My world turns inside-out. “I think I do,” I say slowly. “Both those situations have a common element.”

“A big common element. One that renders IruBex helpless to predict anything. One that tricks him into making major mistakes. Mistakes that threaten his own life. I’ve never heard of that happening before.”

“Neither have I.” I sit back in the seat, feeling light,