Bay's Mercenary [Unearthly World Book 1] Read online

  Shiny, black, hip-hugging pants went straight down and were tucked into huge oval, black boot-like footwear. The dust on the ground exploded under his powerful feet as he took each step closer—closer. Bay thought she would die. She had thought the Tonan’s outer shield made him look hideous with his gray armor, white fangs and long gray tail. This creature was like nothing she had ever seen.

  The creature spoke and Bay could see large teeth—each with a space between them, he said something to the Tonan; the Tonan shrugged and the creature turned to walk away as Bay looked way up into its soulless red eyes. The Tonan growled, capturing her attention; he shouted and he reached to yank Bay from the enclosure. She screamed as he made a fist and raised it into the air, realizing he was finally going to kill her. The creature stopped, turned and yelled something, stilling the Tonan from striking a deadly blow.

  The creature returned and with obvious reluctance handed the Tonan something silvery; the Tonan stalked away leaving Bay in the dirt trying to crawl back into the safety of her enclosure. The creature strode over to her; it was more than Bay could take. Weak from hunger and thirst, she succumbed to merciful oblivion when he picked her up.

  Now, the same creature had her in frigid water with a massive handful of a slippery black substance. He was trying to rub the foam over her and into her hair while she screamed until she was hoarse, and beat at him until she stilled. The waves she had made began to settle; the water came up to just above her belly button. The steel-banded arms that held her were firm but not punishing. Bay realized he wasn’t trying to drown her. Sanity took hold and she collapsed into his arms. He wasn’t hurting her. His strong hands were wide and huge, his fingers thick. His deep voice grew calmer as she remained motionless.

  Alien hands soaped her breasts the same way they had soaped her arms; there was nothing sexual in the touch. The water had soaked him, drenching his clothing, fur and everything else in the small room; Bay could make out the contours of his huge sex, but he didn’t look aroused. Bay sat shivering while he washed her matted clump of hair. She cried out a few times when he became too rough and his hands gentled. The entire time, he made crooning noises in the back of his throat.

  The creature took his time, making certain every inch of her was devoid of dirt. She struggled a bit when he washed the folds between her legs, but he took extra care to be gentle. At last, he scooped Bay up and took her to another room. She was placed onto a square mat on the floor instead of a large comfortable-looking piece of furniture. He motioned with his hands splayed she was to stay put, and left for only a moment, returning with a towel to dry her off. When she was reasonably dry, he left her again and returned with a warm blanket she cuddled into.

  Bay looked up at him warily. He was looking down at his sodden clothing and dripping chest; he then waved a finger, muttering what had to be scolding words as though she were a naughty child—or a bad puppy. Bay sat with her mouth open when the hulking beast went to a wall that opened a set of drawers like the one he had washed her in. The drawer contained another pair of black pants and black boots. Her eyes widened further as he stripped before her as though she didn’t exist.

  The same white hair covered most of his legs on the sides and back, leaving the front bare and the sheer muscle mass of his impressive thighs exposed. His feet had a much finer fuzz covering them, but they looked like very large human feet, five toes—granted every ounce of him was solid and big. His broad back had hard, tanned skin with wrinkles every few inches or so. It didn’t look out of place; it looked more like odd, bulging muscles. For the most part, his ass was smooth, tanned skin that looked hard, but there was a fine layer of white fur that stretched from between his ass cheeks to his front. The white fur also went from his underarms in two patches down his sides in separate strips. When he turned, Bay could see a generous amount of white fur surrounding his huge stallion-sized balls and massive tan-colored, thick, hairless cock. Bay looked away, shuddering.

  The Tonan hadn’t been interested in her sexually, what if this creature was? Why else would he buy her? The beast was so big he’d hurt her if he forced her. From the shape of his cock, Bay knew they were compatible, but he had the largest dick she had ever seen. She was distracted from her thoughts when she saw the creature, now dressed, riffle through another drawer; he pulled out two brushes, looked at her and decided on the brush that looked like it had seen better days. He yanked out a wad of white furry hair from the sharp-looking bristles which he tossed in a rounded silver can and approached her.

  When the being sat near her, Bay snatched the brush away from him and threw it across the room. When he raised his hand, as though to strike her, she ducked and hid under the blanket. When nothing happened, she hazarded a glimpse and peeked out from under the blanket. The creature was before her and was again holding the brush. Bay knew this wouldn’t end well if she kept fighting him. Her hand tentatively reached for the brush; his look was skeptical—puzzled—annoyed. For a moment, he tapped the wooden handle against his thigh as though thinking. Finally, he allowed her to take it; his narrowed gaze was stern. This time, she ran the rough edges over her tousled hair. The creature seemed surprised and then relieved. Bay wondered why the alien hadn’t made any effort to tell her his name.

  Bay stopped what she was doing after her long hair was free from the horrible mat it had once gnarled into and pointed at her chest. “Bay.” The word came out as a squeak; the Tonan had gripped her throat so often and squeezed so hard she was no doubt badly bruised. With all of her screaming, she could hardly mutter the one word.

  The creature cocked his head and Bay repeated her name, only slowly. Her sore throat was raw, her word raspy. The creature rose and went into the room where he had washed her, he returned with water. Bay took the steel bowl in her hands after handing him back his brush. She gulped the cold water thirstily, wincing as it went down and wished he would give her food—except she wondered if the big black beetles were considered food. The idea was nerve wracking and nauseating; she shuddered.

  Once more, Bay tried to get him to acknowledge her name. When her hand lifted to point at her chest, he took hold of her and studied the deep bruising. He frowned and, looking resolved, he picked her up and strode from the room, down the hall. The hall was alight with blue lights glowing every few feet against the black shiny walls. Bay could hear the humming of engines. The ceiling was high, no doubt to accommodate the creature’s large size. A few portal windows showed a massive span of darkness beyond. They passed more creatures that were even bigger than the one holding her. Some stared at her curiously, others shook their heads.

  When they came to a deeply polished black door, the creature pushed a red button and the door slid open. Glancing around at all the silver machinery, Bay immediately determined it was some kind of laboratory and she was about to have every orifice probed. She wiggled and kicked, but the creature held her easily. Bay was plopped onto a table, her blanket taken, and she watched, horrified, as another creature came over to look at her; he seemed none too happy. An angry alien was even more frightening. The two creatures became engaged in a battle of words. Bay understood nothing; she shrank into a ball as best as she could with her knees drawn up.

  With a deep growl, the larger being tossed his hands in the air and approached her. Bay shied back, whimpering, wondering what foul thing he was about to do to her already tortured flesh. The creature stood before her and seemed to notice she was scared shitless; he said a gentle word and ran his large hand down her hair first, his fingers lingered near her nose and Bay wondered if it was the creature’s nature to allow beings to sniff it. He then cupped her quaking jaw between his hands. He stared deeply into her eyes while his fingers gently roamed around her jaw and throat. He frowned as she tried to speak to him. The pads of his thumbs stroked her bruising and she winced in agony, she was unable to stop a whimper when he touched the same spot again only more gently.

  The creature ran a hand over her shoulder, he firmly pushed her leg
s down so they dangled from the bed and she stiffened when he reached to examine her breasts. His look was curious and he laid her down to feel her belly. Bay wondered if he was some type of doctor. He seemed to know what he was doing. The creature said a few words to Bay’s captor and shook his head in a negative way. For some reason, the two males seemed amazed she had breasts. Bay wondered if their females did, and if not, what did their offspring eat? Again, the foul beetles came to mind and she shivered.

  Blu said something to the doctor who took her blanket into his hands. He held it up and pointed at the wet spots her damp hair had made. Bay’s teeth were clacking together; the room was cold. The doctor tossed the blanket on the floor, and Bay realized he didn’t want to wrap her up in a wet cover.

  The doctor creature cast his glance around the room, strode to a desk and returned; he covered her with a rumpled sheet he scooped off a chair. The thought of a doctor not using a sterile covering was confusing; she was clean now. An idea occurred to Bay: she didn’t know what these beings were; perhaps they didn’t know what she was. Bay had no idea where she was in space; for all she knew, it could be a million miles, a billion miles from home. Why would these creatures know what she was? Or even that she was intelligent?

  Both creatures conversed and Bay found her eyelids drooping with exhaustion. Her tummy rumbled loudly, catching the males’ attention. Both widened their eyes and crept closer. Bay could feel the red blush creep over her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten.

  Both captor and doctor creature stared at her when her belly rumbled again; the doctor peeked under the sheet as the noise was heard again and examined her belly button. The doctor creature gazed at her thoughtfully and strode to a silver box that looked a cross between a microwave and a fridge. He opened it, pulled something out and came back over to the table. He helped Bay sit up and opened the container in his hands.

  She heard her captor groan when the doctor creature produced a smooth, wooden, flat-surfaced utensil and dipped it into the contents. The substance looked not unlike yogurt and smelled nice. Bay opened her mouth when the creature offered her some; she felt it best, her hands were shaking so hard the food would have been tossed across the room.

  The food was like yogurt, she had never tasted anything as creamy and delicious. It was hard to swallow, but she choked it down. The doctor fed her the entire contents of the container then tossed both the utensil and the container into a steel garbage bin. Bay yawned tiredly. Neither of the creatures seemed inclined to hurt her, and she was exhausted. She was settled back onto the firm, bed-like stretcher. Before long she was asleep.

  * * * *

  “Baby food?” Blu was incredulous. “It eats baby food?”

  “It’s probably for the best for now. Your little pet is injured. It’s dehydrated and half-starved. It hasn’t been cared for very well. It’s been abused; no wonder it’s so skittish. I don’t think those odd colored areas on its body are natural, they’re damaged parts and there’re a lot of them. Someone has come close to crushing its throat.”

  “The Tonan.”

  “That Tonan should be vaporized. I abhor cruelty to anyone, but a pet is helpless. Look at this tiny thing; it’s going to need constant care.”

  “I can’t give it constant care,” Blu said in distress.

  “You should have thought of that before you brought it here.”

  “I was only thinking of Zane and my nephew. You know Draven has been distressed since losing his toff.”

  “You can’t just replace a pet, Blu. They become part of the family. What were you thinking anyway? This being is like nothing I have ever seen; we know nothing about it. I can only hope it isn’t allergic to the baby food.”

  Blu sighed and ran a hand over his face in annoyance. “Look, can you just keep it here and try keeping it alive. I swear, if Zane isn’t interested, I’ll find it a good home. In the meantime, I have duties that need attending or Titus will slaughter me.”

  “I’ll keep it here in my office during your working hours. But that’s pushing it. I need a sterile environment; I don’t think the female is diseased, but again—I don’t know what it is. After that, it’s your responsibility. If the female’s not supervised, it could get into anything on this ship and seriously injure itself; it could chew on exposed circuits and accidently fry itself or the ship. I won’t turn the little creature over to you if you won’t learn to care for it properly; your pet could be hurt or maimed if you’re not dependable. I’ll euthanize it if I’m not satisfied with your care of it.

  “That means you not only keep it clean but fed, watered, warm and most importantly, a pet needs your time. As you train it, you’ll need a gentle hand. No cuffing it as you would a toff; you might break its nose. And lots of positive reinforcement when your pet does something well.”

  “Fine.”

  Blu stormed from the room. Finn looked down at his new charge. It was cute lying there sound asleep, all wrapped in a sheet. It wouldn’t be responsible pet ownership to leave the female alone on a table; it could fall off, and its bones were so tiny, Finn didn’t doubt for a second they wouldn’t break. The idea of a broken bone was mind boggling—Finn had never once seen such an oddity.

  Finn picked the little creature up and marveled at its slight weight. With his foot, he pushed a pile of fairly clean sheets together that sat on the floor to be washed. It couldn’t hurt them—they needed a good cleaning anyway. He set the female on the pile and went back to his research.

  Chapter 3

  Bay woke and winced when she stretched. She was lying on a pile of sheets on the floor. Feeling a bit disorientated, she rose to a sitting position; she was alone. The sheets were okay, but something softer would be better. Bay gazed around the room curiously and noted a large, stuffed piece of furniture. She rose stiffly and made her way to the comfortable-looking fixture.

  There was no escape from these creatures; out a large portal, she saw the void blackness of space. She was on a vessel; there would be no hiding. Bay settled onto the furniture feeling relieved they were no longer inclined to keep her in a box; the glowing bars had zapped her when she had touched them, it hurt. The material on the couch-like furniture she lay on was like soft velvet and seemed to radiate warmth. Soon, she was once more sleeping, exhausted from her ordeal and the horror of a captivity that no longer felt so overwhelming.

  When Bay awoke again, she found herself lying once more on the pile of sheets on the floor. They didn’t exactly smell, but it was apparent they needed to be washed. The doctor creature was now seated on the comfortable-looking furniture with a mug of something steaming in his hand and paperwork in the other. Granted the pile of sheets was nicer than anything the Tonan had offered, but this was ridiculous. These creatures didn’t treat her like a captive—more like a pet dog.

  The more Bay thought about it, the more it made sense. She had been smacked on her nose when they thought her being out of control and biting—they didn’t see it as her fighting back. She had been washed like a mutt at a poodle parlor, the doctor creature had pet her head and let her sniff his hand and now she was being forced to sleep on the floor. Good God, she was surprised they hadn’t stuck a collar around her neck or had a pooper scooper nearby.

  Bay got to her feet and approached the doctor creature stiffly. Her entire body ached as she moved, but she was determined. They had to learn she was intelligent—then again, would they turn her into a slave? The idea was frightening, but Bay couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping on floors and being fed by hand or lapping water from steel bowls.

  The doctor noted her approach and smiled at her, he motioned for her to sit at his feet. Like a good doggy. It was all Bay could do to keep from growling. She shook her head and pointed at her chest as best as she could with the sheet wrapped securely around her. Surely they must see she wasn’t a pet simply because she felt the need for modesty.

  “Bay,” she said and damned her raspy grunt; she sounded like a disgruntled chi
cken with a lump in its throat. She then pointed at him. The doctor looked at her questioningly and Bay stomped a foot. “Bay.”

  The doctor shook his head somewhat quizzically. Bay went and sat beside him on the furniture and was immediately pushed to the floor, though not harshly; she landed with a bang onto her bottom. The doctor pointed at the mound of covers on the floor in the corner and spoke a sharp word, making her jump. He picked up the paperwork that he had placed in his lap and ignored her.

  Bay stared up at him for a few moments, rose and, rubbing her derrière, made her way back to the mound. She glanced back at him as she went, but he continued to ignore her. This is not going to be easy. She settled down onto the pile that was her spot. These creatures actually thought she was an animal. She had gone from being a tortured captive to a pet. Why hadn’t the Tonan explained what she was? Then again why would he? He had been so hell bent and determined to be rid of her, she imagined he had told her new ‘owner’ anything he had wanted to hear.

  She was so lost in thought, Bay was startled when the doctor suddenly appeared before her. He held something in his hand that he motioned her to take. The words he was speaking were clearly meant to know she had made him happy with her obedience. The food in his hand was her reward.

  Good grief. Would there be no end to this embarrassment?

  Bay hoped he didn’t expect her to lick his hand in gratitude. Whereas the backs of his fingers and hands were covered in a much finer layer of silky white fur, his palms and the front of his fingers were hard wrinkled flesh. The item he held was shaped like a popsicle; it was white and Bay wondered if it was frozen yogurt. She was torn between refusing it out of principle or taking it, knowing it would soothe her throat.