Cage (Dark World Book 1) Read online

  “Shift?”

  “You change into animals?”

  “I un-cage inner demons. I become your worst nightmare.”

  Charming.

  “I need to go back to Earth, now.”

  Understatement.

  “Earth?”

  “My planet has one name, it’s called Earth.”

  “Then you are from a tribe of arrogance? Or perhaps ignorance, a planet belongs to no species and all species. Either way your return is impossible. My people neither need nor want space travel. This is where you will spend the rest of your life.”

  “As a prisoner?”

  “It could be worse; you could be spending it as a corpse. Hence, my generosity.”

  Still not feeling the gratitude.

  Cyra was hauled up into Cage’s arms, curled into one arm. She guessed him to be just over seven feet. His body was solid and warm. There would be no escaping this powerhouse. Her hands touched his chest, he was damp with sweat. Either the camouflage was his real skin color or the paint was durable. He grinned as his gaze roamed her body. Soon his hands joined the roaming. Cyra squealed when he gripped her ass with his hand. She struggled to no avail. He was the largest male Cyra had ever set eyes on, and there were many a militia she had come face to face with. On more than one occasion Cyra was drawn to the same greens and blacks this alien sported. Militia roamed Earth’s streets daily, keeping peace. It wasn’t necessary, but the practice was years old after terrorist attacks run amok, and the male squadrons were pleasant, large and amiable. This commando looked anything but amiable. She groaned when his hand squeezed harder.

  “Let go,” Cyra demanded, well sort of demanded, pleaded actually.

  “What species are you? You’re a little thing. You seem awkward to be a warrior. Your body feels soft and warm and very pleasing.”

  “I’m human, a human female.”

  “Female? Interesting, your mate must be livid he has lost you. I have plans for you human female from the arrogant tribe.”

  “I’m not arrogant. I didn’t name an entire planet. And I don’t have a mate.”

  “No mate? That is unheard of.”

  “I take care of myself, I don’t need a mate.”

  “You take care of yourself and yet you are in the hands of your captor, having soiled yourself in your terror of me. Your Earth sounds like a strange place for a female, a dangerous place. I almost killed you. You should have been sent to be with your male immediately. It’s lucky I found you, lucky for me. Why do you wear this garment? The color is nice but it’s cumbersome. How am I, a male, to see what you look like? If you had been without the garb you wouldn’t have been put into a dangerous situation. I would have seen you are a female.”

  He tugged at her shirt exposing more of her breasts which were almost visible from the tears. His hand pawed from one white creamy mound to the next with interest.

  “Humans wear clothes. And they are staying on,” her tone was firm but there would be no stopping him unless he chose to stop.

  “What are those horrible devices on your poor feet, female? Are you being tortured by someone? Even I’m not that cruel.”

  He yanked at her boot, but he began with the injured one and she yelped in agony. He stopped immediately.

  “A torture device to be sure. They are coming off.” His tone was grim.

  Cyra shoved at his chest but he ignored her and began walking. He moved with sheer strength. Cyra’s mind was in motion again, the way he moved, his determination; nothing would get in his way. Cyra was reminded of an animal from her African tour. In seconds, he changed into a bull elephant. Cyra was tossed to his back and gripped his ears. Her mouth hung open and her eyes widened. The elephant grew larger knocking down trees, crushing foliage. The tusks grew to massive lengths and the elephant beneath her grew into a shaggy terrifying mammoth. The mammoth morphed into something unrecognizable. Razor tusks, fangs, clawed feet. Her fists tangled into his fur, her ass swayed as he moved. Every image she thought in her mind came to life with the commando.

  This isn’t possible.

  Power rippled between her legs and when he roared Cyra shuddered and dribbled again. She wanted to rip her hair out with frustration. She wondered at his abilities. If she were his prisoner for life she’d never have another dry day again. If he didn’t understand what these creatures were what would happen if he chose nuclear power? She needed to know, she envisioned a machine gun. Cage remained a mammoth. She shuddered with relief. It would be awkward to suddenly have her ass riding a weapon. From her great distance, she realized she was riding a weapon, trees were crushed beneath his feet. Cyra had seen many scary things in her life. And if he could change into all of them, in front of her…

  I’m going to need a truck load of new panties.

  Chapter 4

  Human, human.

  The word rolled within his thoughts. Cage had been so angry this morning it would have been pleasant to kill the human and release some frustration. The feel of her tender flesh under his claw gave him pause when he realized in an instant the being he held was harmless, and terrified; it would be cruel to crush it. He could smell her fear, hear her heart pound. Quick enough his anger turned to interest as he bombarded her mind, invading her thoughts wanting to un-cage her inner demons. The human claimed to be from Earth, a place he’d never heard of. Astounding was the fact she was female. She didn’t look like their females did; perhaps it was why she covered her body. Under what she called clothes, she was pink, one solid color. What species was a solid color? Earth must be very drab if she needed to be simply one color to blend in with her surroundings.

  Cage and his warriors preferred the camouflage to a solid color—it was the way of males. Cage could change color if he needed to, but he preferred the battle gear of his skin tone in the warm months. The dark orange and yellow camouflage wouldn’t appear for many months. The last of his striped coloring would be white and ice blue in the winter months.

  He cocked his head at the sleeping human. She wore not only a layer of strange red but underneath, a layer of snow white was visible covering her breasts, as well as an odd article concealing her femaleness from view. Black coverings on her feet were the first to go followed by the encasing tubes he peeled off to reveal her toes. Too many colorings reminded him of a disturbed or drunk chameleon.

  She hadn’t been lying, she was female. Females on his planet were rare. It wasn’t an oddity, it was life, and only leaders from different tribes had a mate. Other warriors had no interest; they were created to be warriors, nothing more. When a new warrior was to join a tribe, the Mountain of Creation sent word to a leader. As a Cloud Flyer, all the new warrior need do was take a leap of faith—off the Mountain, onto a cloud. If the warrior was loyal and trusting the cloud solidified beneath his feet and he was taken to his new leader who watched and waited on the other side, and welcomed his new warrior into the tribe. A joyous event.

  The warriors created were male, adult, large and ready for duty. The single baby male child born every few hundred years to a tribe leader and his female mate was a blessing. There was much to teach a child who would change to protect his tribe; it took centuries. The coveted male child was protected fiercely by all until coming into his own. Once that occurred, he no longer had need of his parents. It had been three hundred years since Cage’s parents’ return to the Mountain. It was Cage’s turn to mate; he was a worthy leader—or so he thought.

  A messenger had arrived to inform Cage his mate was dead, her chamber empty. The forest void of her scent. A female grown for his specific needs and desires gone before he had a chance to know her. The embarrassment of being found unworthy of a mate wasn’t bad enough. Their tribe was doomed unless he could kidnap another female from a different tribe, which he had thought impossible; the action was unheard of, until now. This little species, and now his prisoner, had big fears. She was a walking weapon of destruction.

  Cage couldn’t read minds, but when he looked at his oppo
nent a clear image of their biggest fears formed in his thoughts. Solid black patterns built within his mind to form a clear picture in seconds from those basic building blocks. Normally there was only one image; warriors were difficult to frighten. This human was nowhere near a warrior and had so many fears they bunched together into odd shapes he tried to decipher. It had been hard at first. He supposed his body was a mess as he approached her. Tails, trunks, paws busting out everywhere. His confusion almost stopped him. Chills raced through his body; for a moment, he had wondered if the confusing skill was her weapon. But she didn’t use the opportunity to escape, she was frozen in terror.

  He was going to kill her until a definite image formed. The sight became clear, the pieces fell together. The bear, as she called it, was intense, powerful. Its scents and sounds and smells were awesome. Cage felt his body shudder with the change and when he touched her, his body charged with energy. He filled with renewed hope. Image after image invaded his thoughts, images he battled to control but tucked away for later reference. He could make other tribes fear him. They would be expecting their own worst fear; instead Cage could give them a new terror and catch his enemies off guard. He would be invincible.

  The human wasn’t trying to deceive him in his thoughts, as he had first assumed. Gazing down at the human’s slumbering form he realized this creature was vulnerable. The idea was confusing, his mother never seemed vulnerable. Although nothing could harm her, his father would have killed to keep his mother and Cage safe. This female had no mate for protection, it was unheard of. All females needed a mate to protect them. She was small, her bones delicate. She was injured; Cage had never seen an injured female. She favored an ankle which appeared to cause her distress. When in pain, her thoughts focused on her hurt, not her fears. Cage would have to exercise restraint. His nose twitched, she reeked of urine. He didn’t want to scare her to death.

  “Cage?”

  Cage moved away from the sleeping female. Cyra, she said her name was Cyra. He waved Zenon to follow him, not wanting to wake her. He sensed her exhaustion. She had mentioned she hadn’t slept at all after being caged.

  “You are letting it live?” Zenon said. Cage knew it wasn’t why his warrior was here. Zenon was his oldest and most trusted advisor. He was Cage’s first warrior, meant for him. There were other warriors in the tribe, older, but the Mountain of Creation gifted Cage with Zenon his first day after his parents went to join the Mountain. Zenon was created especially for Cage as advisor and friend.

  “This little being has given me a big advantage.” Cage smiled at Zenon.

  “The creature you changed into was stunning. It would have caught me by surprise if faced with it. I didn’t fear it, but the little thing was obviously terrified.”

  “There are more creatures to be discovered. I can un-cage her inner demons. But she’s injured and frightened. I need to be cautious around her.”

  “She?”

  “A female. A human from a planet named Earth. I wonder if that is the planet which dumped all that strange garbage in the woods. A tribe of arrogance to be certain. We were lucky no tribe member was injured. If we had space flight, I’d like to visit the planet and return the favor.”

  Zenon grinned. “Female? This is wonderful news. The tribe will be thrilled. We thought all was lost when your mate was nonexistent. Now we have a new female.”

  “I’m not mating that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Would you?” Zenon appeared to ponder a moment which surprised Cage.

  “Yes.” Was Zenon’s reply, startling Cage. “I’m not allowed to mate at all, or perhaps I wasn’t created to think of mating, but since you asked I will answer, yes, I would. I don’t know why I never thought of the idea before. Strange really, stranger still you asked. Only the tribe leader mates and produces a male offspring who will lead and protect the next generation. Simple warriors do not mate, and a tribe leader wouldn’t be expected to protect another warrior’s female. If I could see fears like you do, I would keep her safe.”

  “Well, you can’t see fears. Only the leader of a tribe can. I can’t mate a human female. My son needs to have a gift to see his opponent’s worst fears. My mate was supposed to be created for me, as my mother was for my father. The day of my conception my conscious thought programmed the Mountain of Creation to send me a perfect mate when the time was right.

  “This creature may be female, but I’ll have no son with her. I won’t take the chance he will be inferior. Our females are as important as the males who reproduce the possibilities in our offspring. Who knows what this female will reproduce. She’s vulnerable and afraid and I sense willfulness in her, what female is willful? I have no time to subdue a willful mate. My tribe depends on me. With these new images, I can kidnap another’s intended mate. A real female, one who will listen to her warrior and obey without question.”

  “Kidnap? You mean to steal another’s intended?”

  Zenon looked astounded which gave Cage a moment’s pause. “Yes kidnap, borrow. I need to keep my tribe safe. The only way is to produce another heir—and not with an inferior, willful human female.”

  “You, as leader will pass down your abilities,” Zenon’s tone was chiding. “A female is created for a leader as a companion and a child’s host. A female brings pride to the tribe—proving worthiness, life. You are worthy, Cage. Something must have happened to your mate. I can’t see the Mountain of Creation punishing us. But kidnapping another warrior’s mate will be impossible, not to mention unethical. You will need to steal her, impregnate her and we will have to keep watch every single second until she gives birth.

  “You will be damning a tribe to death. It will be years of constant war. The female’s warrior mate will not want your son, but he will want his mate regardless of the fact she can never give him a child. You know a female can only produce one child. Your son will be responsible for the other tribe once the leader and his mate expire. Will you not reconsider this female and spare both tribes the sadness? Spare other females the suffering you will impose.”

  “I’m not cruel, I won’t hurt a female even one not mine. I will make a female understand why I must do what needs to be done. She may not like it, but she will understand.”

  The look Zenon shot his way made Cage cringe. The warrior crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow.

  “You wouldn’t hurt a female. I agree. But Cage, are you listening to yourself? This is a decision the tribe should make as a whole. Maybe the human female is worth taking another look at.”

  “This human female is inferior. Her color is wrong. The only red part on her are her lips. Her hair stays the same color, as do her eyes. My female must be red, like my mother was, like my grandmother must have been. When I was small, father would take me in the woods when it was time for certain tribe leaders to find their mate. The females were so beautiful with their flowing blood red hair and matching skin, then changing to the oranges of the next tree and foliage. Their brilliance with their quick changes must be why a leader can change to suit his environment. The action must come from the mother. I want no pink son. Even as a youth I was drawn to our females’ beauty. Their stunning color, every stunning color was a magnet.”

  “But stealing another mate goes against everything we know…”

  “Are you saying you and my warriors want death? Are you saying you are willing to defy me, your leader, and die when all I want is to keep you safe, as I have for all this time? I get no joy from my decision; it pains me I’m not considered worthy. I failed my warriors when they have never failed me. I have to do something.”

  “You are leader; the decision is ultimately yours in the end, my friend. Your warriors will go out of their way to make a female’s stay as acceptable as possible; we will love any heir regardless of how he comes to us. But, a warrior tribe leader will battle every day for the return of his mate. We won’t win in the end if we’re all dead. Death of warriors from fighting other tribes is rare, but for th
e sake of a mate it will happen. Anarchy will rule. You’d need to be so frightening the female’s preferred mate would wait until you handed her back. It’s not possible,” Zenon argued. “I mean no disrespect, but even you aren’t that powerful. It won’t work, tribe leaders are too strong.”

  Growing angry, Cage turned into a creature Cyra called a lion and not just any lion. Massive claws grew from his paws; enormous fangs top and bottom dripped saliva, a horn from a creature called a rhino protruded from his head. His breath puffed out in smoke. Cage manipulated the fearsome attribute of a number of animals into the one until satisfied. Spikes adorned his back. Rising onto his hind legs, massive paws swatting the air inches from Zenon, he offered an ear splitting war cry. The human female screamed; he had woken her. Zenon jumped back. He stared at Cage in fear until he started laughing. A broad smile curved his lips.

  “Shit, that’s scary. If you weren’t my leader, I’d be on the ground in terror. This might just work,” Zenon said.

  “It will work. Have my warriors search the forest for a female searching for her mate. I want as many as you can find and I will choose the best.” Cage shook the animal off.

  “In the meantime?”

  “The human female is injured, as I said. She has many fears. I will coax enough from her to keep my people safe while you search. When she is better, and I have my new female, I will be privy to new fears. Trust in me. If I am to prove again to the Mountain I am worthy, I will. If for nothing more than my son.”

  “And after you have your son and the other female is returned? What of your prisoner?”

  Cage wondered about that. He couldn’t give one of his warriors a female. There would be mayhem. There was no mention of a simple warrior ever mating or creating a child. Cage would be responsible for the human regardless of what he chose. The idea was annoying. He should be spending the rest of his life with his own female meant for him. A female who was supposed to love and care for him. He had proven he could protect his tribe from malicious traders who came to their planet. Cage had kept his entire tribe of warriors safe when alien species attacked. It wasn’t fair his mate was taken from him. He deserved a female.