Stealth Read online

  Caris was shaking as she stood to peer closer, when she gazed at herself in the dark struggling to keep Brando and his bed from falling into a gaping hole. The steel railing was jerked from her hands with the weight. She hadn’t sunk into blissful unawareness. Brando was yelling for help as he slid from the bed feet first, his body tumbled past three levels before his screaming was cut short. Frail old bones snapped and his neck and back broke. He lay amidst the rubble, a broken old rag doll in a dingy hospital gown, his empty gaze sent moisture to her eyes.

  The tears began a steady stream, laying river paths down her cheeks. Caris was no hero, she’d failed. The images continued on. Tina, her friend, tried to keep Cooper alive but his IV became caught. The floor opened underneath and they were gone, only to reappear on the alien planet in limbo. All but her were dead. Everyone except Caris stood motionless, frozen in place on the screen. The alien spoke again.

  “The one female human was the only salvageable alien. As you can see, she would have tried to return to save another female and a little one. It was our sole purpose to create a safe environment in case she wakens. She will have no knowledge of us. It has come to our attention the death of the much older male is what is causing her such duress. The image will be stricken from all thoughts.”

  Despair ripped through her heart. Caris slumped and Benz caught her to sit her on a chair.

  “Why would they do this? Why just save me?”

  “The doctor proved cowardly, the aliens could smell his stench of betrayal. The patients were sickly,” Cobra said. “The aliens didn’t have a clue how to heal them.”

  “Tina…”

  “Tina died and there was nothing that could be done. The floor was gone, escape was gone. She died comforting the child. Your friend was admirable. It was a quick death,” Cobra said. “There are hundreds of these images of you.”

  “I was a guinea pig.”

  “It was never the aliens’ intention to harm you. They had planned to expand your cage and add a husband and children. Places to visit after the ‘Earth’ healed. You would have been happy until you died if the Annihilators hadn’t come.”

  Caris gaped at Cobra in horror. “An entire fake life? Are you real? Is any of this real? If other aliens can do that, how does anyone know what they are living is real? How do we know we aren’t some written words on a page and will disappear when the book is shut? Or left to relive the same life if we are in fact books? Chapters of entertainment, our memories earlier pages.”

  “I admit it’s a scary question,” Benz said.

  “Well,” Cobra said and clapped Benz on the back. “If you aren’t real, I am still honored to have you in my life.”

  Benz smile was grim. “Same.”

  “I guess there is no certainty. Except Doug did tell me what was going on in the end. He knew he was a program. I wonder if the others did,” Caris said.

  “I’m going to make sure the other tapes are watched.” Caris began to object to Cobra when he raised his hand. “Caris, we need to understand what happened. There could be clues to the enemy on one of these tapes. The Lipions were able to hide you and yet couldn’t save their own children. Why?”

  “I know,” she muttered. “They knew if they saved their children they would suffer my fate on the planet. If everything is gone, the children would have died a slow death. There wasn’t time to turn off my program to perish with them.”

  “I am sorry for their children. It seems in diverting energy to your hologram they bought you the chance of life. For now, you’ll stay with Benz,” Cobra said.

  “Why can’t I have my own dwelling?” she asked.

  “This is a battleship. There are no main floor dwellings. All living quarters are one story up off the main floor. There are no stairs or elevators,” Cobra explained.

  “Then how do you come and go and expect me to?”

  “We climb,” Benz said.

  “You will only come and go when aided by Benz. My ship is filled with warriors.” She could tell Cobra’s words were final.

  * * * *

  Benz watched as Caris went to the door after Cobra left. She leaned forward to gaze straight down. There wasn’t much of a ledge between door and open space, but this was a battleship, it was geared for warriors, not human females. Caris was the only female on board. All Castian females were murdered by the Tonans over four hundred and sixty years prior. Many changes occurred when the first human female, Grace, had been found by Cobra’s son Rask.

  One of the most significant changes was human females could carry offspring at any time, not every four hundred years. The rise in Castian and Tonan numbers was substantial. The Tonans joined forces with the Castians many decades ago and both species concentrated on the enemy they knew was coming. Theirs was a new and deadly battle with the Annihilators who had reached their space sector.

  The door closed as Caris moved back. She glanced at him, her expression wary.

  “I guess I’m your prisoner.”

  Benz rose and went to stand before her. She was small like the other human females on his planet, dainty, cute as hell, and scared to death. To a Castian scent was everything. She met his gaze when she tilted her head.

  “You are no one’s prisoner, Caris. This is a battleship. We are at war with the aliens who destroyed the planet you were on. No one would dare hurt you here.”

  “I keep glancing at the mirror wondering when I’ll turn into an eighty-something-year-old woman.”

  He had seen her look at herself and wondered why, now he knew. Poor thing.

  “You won’t suddenly grow old this second. The Lipions preserved your body and mind. You’ll age normally now, at least that is my hope, unless of course you mate a Tonan or Castian warrior.”

  “Then what will happen to me?”

  “I’m four hundred and sixty-five years old. My body will mature, but I won’t age the way your people did. If you mate me you will never age either. Your mind will expand with knowledge to make you appear more mature but your face and body will remain the same.”

  “Forever?”

  “When a Castian or Tonan take a mate, we mate for life. If I mated you and died, you would die. If you were to die, so would I.”

  “Is your love so great?”

  “Yes.”

  Caris broke eye contact and took a few steps back. Her arms crossed over her chest and she appeared to hug herself.

  “Are you cold?” Benz asked.

  “No. My thoughts are swirling around in my head too fast. I thought I saved Brando. He was a lively sweet person. That poor old man. The way he died. I remember the trauma as it set in, now that I’ve seen it. But this time it’s different. I spent time with him, albeit his program, but he was kind and funny. I will remember that.”

  Benz placed a hand on her bare shoulder. She shuddered and then quieted. A Castian warrior was able to soothe a female with a touch. Secretions were created immediately to give a female what she needed to be calm. His touch wasn’t a drug, his fangs were. It took Benz a moment to control his emotions. He battled his need to drag the little beauty into his arms and make her his.

  When Caris turned she cried out and stepped back. “Your teeth.”

  Benz knew his two fangs had grown. “I won’t bite you.”

  “Then why do you look like a vampire?”

  Benz wanted to growl, she was terrified. “I’ll be back.” He pointed at the replicator as he made his way to the door. “You can ask for food from there.”

  “Where are you going?” she cried out as his armor went up and he jumped out the door.

  Benz saw her peeking over the edge as his claws and talons gripped the sponge-like interior of the ship.

  “Go back inside,” he yelled. “I’ll come to you later.”

  He waited, suspended sideways until she ducked back and the door closed. When he reached the main floor he strode to Cobra.

  “I have a slight problem,” Benz said as his agitation rose.

  Cobra studi
ed him then grinned before slapping his shoulder good-naturedly. “Whenever your urge gets the best of you, pretend the little female just picked her nose. Then she stares at this big hunk of green tasty…”

  “Eww gross, Cobra, that’s fucking sick. The mental image alone is…what’s the word your female uses?”

  “Ick.”

  “Fucking ick.”

  “Still got a hard on?”

  Benz let his shield drop. “No,” he grouched. “You’re so totally twisted. If that image gets stuck in my head every time I see her so help me I’ll…”

  Cobra was now chuckling and Benz stormed away.

  Chapter Three

  “I find it difficult to sleep without some kind of sound,” Caris said.

  Benz had returned a short while later. When he gazed at her, he shuddered then sighed. She wondered what that was about. She was tired and hungry, and wasn’t certain if she would feel a fool if she talked into a microwave-looking box and it ignored her.

  “What would you like?”

  Caris watched Benz stride over to a white box on the wall. He touched a button. Soothing ocean sounds began. At another touch music played, then the sounds of a storm. Lastly the hum of a fan was heard.

  “There was wind that rustled outside the cave.” She stood thoughtful for a moment. “It’s funny, now that I think about it. I mentioned to Doug that first night I was happy the wind was blowing. I told him I found it hard to sleep with it too quiet. Every night after, the wind would begin before I lay down for the night.”

  Benz pressed a button and Caris could hear the wind blow. A gentle whisper. She frowned and the sound intensified. She nodded, that was it.

  “Did you eat anything?” Benz asked.

  “No.” Then she hastily explained not wanting to sound stupid. “Everything is so different here. All I had before came from glass jars or cans. Nothing was fresh, but it all tasted fine.”

  “What would you like? This is a battleship but the warriors have found Earth food to their liking and it’s been replicated. Tell me, Caris, what is your pleasure?”

  “Do you have crab and sushi? What about lobster? I haven’t had seafood in…” She stopped to think. “I guess I haven’t had seafood in over sixty years.” She cast a fast glance at the mirror. No wrinkles and her boobs were up where they were supposed to be.

  Caris frowned. She went to sit on the bed. Benz spoke into the replicator and brought her a plate filled with food. Everything she asked for was before her. She inhaled and her tummy growled, sending her thoughts back to the cave. Tina always fed Cooper. She mentioned to Caris it made her happy so Caris never interfered with her joy. It was an act. Though it appeared she was giving him food, there was no doubt she hadn’t. The Lipions were masterminds of deception. It was a scary thought while gazing at the fare before her and then Benz—was this also a deception?

  “Little Cooper was such a delight. He never asked for anything except a story and a cuddle from me. Tina saw to his other needs or Doug. I miss holding his warm little body in my arms. His sweet smile.”

  Benz stroked her arm with a finger and Caris blinked. Her sadness vanished. She saw Cooper smile within her thoughts. She watched as he drifted away. There was no pain to the death she witnessed. Did a program feel remorse or sadness? Cooper was smiling at her as he vanished.

  “Eat, Caris,” Benz said. “Then a dip in the healing pool and bedtime. You’ve had a busy day.”

  “A busy few decades it seems,” she replied. “What’s a healing pool?”

  Benz went to the replicator and returned with melted butter. The sight was too tempting. She dipped a long piece of crab into the butter and took a small taste. It was heavenly. She wondered if Brando had liked seafood. Or Doug. Why had Doug turned so cowardly? That hurt to think. Benz sat beside her and stroked her knee. Her emotions calmed immediately.

  “A healing pool was created by accident; before human females came to our planet. All water was poisoned killing only our females. The males were spared if we weren’t mated. I was only five when my mother died, then my father. Cobra took care of us but a battle was imminent when the Tonans tried to kill us off—they failed. They abandoned some of us on another planet with Cobra’s son as our leader.

  “The planet had pools of water. We have some very annoying critters on one of our planets. We had to add chemicals to the water to keep the creatures out or they would be forever nipping our toes.”

  “Sounds charming.”

  Benz chuckled. “I love human sarcasm. It took some time to understand it. Cobra’s mate is a pro.”

  Caris finished her crab and reached for sushi. The flavor was fantastic. She stopped eating mid-bite.

  “I drank water when I first came here.”

  “The chemicals wore off after the first hundred years. The ones we added won’t hurt a female. We now have healing pools everywhere on our planets and our ships.”

  “Why are you on a battleship? Are you at war? Don’t your females fight?”

  “Our females never needed to fight. They have their mates for protection.”

  “But if you are all here on this ship who’s watching your females and children? Who are you at war with?”

  “We call them Annihilators, and our females and offspring are safe, for now. It’s why we are keeping track of the Annihilators. We no longer war with the Tonans. But the Annihilators are on the move.”

  A dark foreboding expression crossed his face and his cheek twitched. Benz began to pace. Caris absently ate an oyster. She sipped a sweet pink drink from a mug. The taste told her it was lightly fermented.

  “Annihilators destroyed the planet you were on.” He stopped pacing to gaze at her. “They, the alien beasts, have butchered many. They are cowards. They never land, and they never look their victims in the face. They don’t care about age, sex, helplessness of those they murder. They suck up water, minerals and anything of value. They have the ability to turn icebergs into water during transport. Same with snow. They steal clouds.”

  “Clouds?” Caris raised a brow.

  “Clouds are valuable. They are comprised of frozen crystals and liquid drops. Not only that but chemicals, and on each planet the chemicals can vary. Combined chemicals can aid them in mass destruction. They also drill into dead planets for anything left in the core. And they don’t care how they do it. Planets have split, exploded. Can you imagine the devastation to your Earth if they blew up the moon?”

  Caris could feel her heart begin to pound. She was on a warship chasing beasts. Then again she had been no safer on a planet. Her half-filled plate found its way to her side. Benz went and sat beside her. He reached a finger to trail down her skin making goosebumps rise. She settled and cocked her head.

  “How do you do that?” she asked. “How can you calm me with a touch?”

  “Castian and Tonan males have a secretion that knows what a female needs to feel safe. It isn’t meant for any other purpose. It’s not an aphrodisiac. It’s like a drug but not to make you compliant. There is no malice or bad intentions involved.”

  He continued to stroke her arm. It was a pleasant sensation and he was right; she didn’t feel an attraction to him, though he was the most handsome male she had ever seen. Caris pulled back and narrowed her gaze. Nope, even when not touching her, he was still drop-dead gorgeous. Benz smiled at her and picked up her plate.

  “Please eat a little more. I’m sorry I frightened you. I promise you are safe aboard this vessel. You are safe with me.”

  Caris took the plate and made certain there was distance between them. A piece of calamari found its way into her hand. She wished Benz would leave. She wanted to dive face first into her food. His calming touch had returned her appetite.

  “Why am I dressed this way?” she asked. Caris didn’t want to know who put the clothes on her. Cobra’s dark sensuous gaze came to mind followed by Benz’s sexy hands and she fought off a blush.

  “My planet is heat controlled as is this ship. Your shoul
ders are bare to indicate you are not mated. The replicator can make you different clothes but it’s best not to cover your shoulders near warriors.”

  “Why?” she was breathless.

  “Castian warriors have self-control, most of the time. If they see you are not mated they will be interested, but Cobra has warned all males they must wait for an invitation. Once you have been bitten and claimed there is no turning back.”

  Caris was wide-eyed munching noisily on her calamari. So absorbed was she that her mouth was open as she chewed and a piece of food landed between them. Caris snatched it and this time her blush was uncontrollable. Benz chuckled and rose from the bed.

  “If you’re done I’ll take you to bathe at your leisure.”

  Caris almost dropped her plate but Benz was quick to snatch it up. He returned the remainder of her dinner to the replicator where it vanished. He extended his hand. Caris jumped to her feet ignoring his offer and trailed behind him. The room they entered was bland. There were no pictures, nothing homey. A clear pool of water lay in a circle. Caris didn’t know what to expect but she’d never seen anything so unwelcoming and boring.

  “Well,” she muttered. “This is, um, unimpressive.”

  Benz gazed at her. “You mean it’s lacking a woman’s touch. Remember: warship.”

  She could hear his sarcasm and shrugged. He had a point. Still, she wasn’t about to be nude on this vessel, especially with him around. Caris went to the edge of the pool noting the shelf to step onto. No stairs. She gazed back at him and realized a man his size would have no need for a few steps. She could tell the water wasn’t above her head but probably close to it. She noted Benz didn’t seem interested in leaving. If he thought she was going to strip in front of him he had another thing coming. He turned to gaze at her.

  “There’s a few things you should know…”

  “No time like the present.” Caris jumped in not waiting to listen to him talk about how to bathe. He might be over four hundred years but she wasn’t a toddler.