An Alien Love: Catch and Release (Book 3)

Place: Alien Slave Market, somewhere in the Universe.

“CHASM?” NORWELL WHISPERED his name from the small cage next to him. “I’ve got an idea.”

Chasm ignored his friend as his eyes wandered around the swarm of aliens buying and selling in the slave market. The last idea Norwell had didn’t go so well for him. Their master had cut off Chasm’s legs under the knees, and after that, he’d been fitted with the weights that forced him to move slower than a drugged Actnabar. Not to mention the horrible agony he lived with every day.

“Chasm?” Norwell hissed, trying to get his attention. Maybe Chasm wasn’t interested in Norwell’s next big getaway plan today. Perhaps today, he would just sit here and accept his fate.

In his steel pen, Chasm cast his eyes away from his female friend hunched in a ball. Instead of talking to her, he tilted his neck back and forth, working to relieve the ache. At the moment, he wasn’t restrained. This was the first time he’d been placed in the enclosure without being tied up, but he figured that was because he was now older. He guessed that his current owner didn’t think he would try to break out. Sadly, there could be truth in that assessment. Somewhere along the way, he’d lost his will to fight for freedom. His acceptance of his situation was probably because of the organism implanted in his brain. The peela was known to wear down the host eventually.

As he stretched his shoulder, his eyes alighted on two Folantos. They squabbled over the price of an alien he couldn’t identify. Well, he supposed that he should enjoy his tiny bit of freedom for the few seconds he had it. Sometimes, the little things like being free to stretch or scratch got him through the day. The small comforts helped ease his despair.

“I’ve got a plan.” Norwell’s slim fingers wrapped around the bars as she uncurled from her position. “This time, it is a good one.” Norwell’s hands and feet were tied in front of her with an energy rope. Large red fire chains wrapped around her narrow waist as well. She flinched when they touched her bare skin. No matter their master, the aliens always thought she would try to get away. Chasm never understood why they were so weary of his friend. He would admit that Norwell was tall for a human woman, but she wasn’t big and tough. Norwell was willow-thin and beautiful in a fragile kind of way. Her overly large round eyes looked like a lost child, and her delicate frame reminded him of an angel. Her weak, naked body didn’t exactly scream, I’m-getting-the-hell-out-of-here.

Even though Norwell didn’t have the kind of freedom Chasm did, that didn’t stop her mouth from moving. Their new owner, Varnas, should’ve gagged her when he bought her, but it was too late now.

“Chasm?” Norwell tried again. Clearly, she wasn’t deterred by his lack of response. “Are you listening?”

“I hear you.” Chasm kept scanning for Varnas. The tiny potbellied clown-looking alien had a supernatural hearing. He should remind Norwell of that.

“Here’s what we should do. We…”

Suddenly, Norwell’s words died. They both spotted Varnas floating out from his selling tent. After the clown alien glanced at the dirty warehouse’s ceiling, he kicked the side of Norwell’s container. He then turned to a young Airnot who appeared next to him. The pig-faced guard sidled up to Varnas.

“I’ve had it. Bring the trash collector and have these slaves killed. Their last master lied to me. They are nothing but a nuisance.”

“It’s three sotons.” The Airnot grunted as he glanced to Chasm and then Norwell. “The cost is high. Just let them die of the peela. There can’t be much left of their pathetic human brains.”

“No. I’ll pay.” Varnas scowled. “I’m not dealing with another escape attempt. By Zola’s head, these slaves need to be destroyed.”

The slimy pig-man nodded before strolling away from them.

Varnas kicked Norwell’s cage a second time while muttering under his breath. Chasm’s beat-up language band lit up at words like “worthless,” “waste,” and “escape.”

After a few seconds of waving to his friends across the wide aisles, the alien disappeared into his cloth-selling booth.

“He’s trashing us?” Norwell hissed as her tired golden eyes narrowed. “Well then, fuck that guy.”

“I think we are the ones getting fucked, as you put it.” Chasm resumed scanning the crowd of aliens. He worked on feeling scared or upset at his pending death, but nothing came. He was… resigned.

Actually, when Chasm thought about being incinerated, he wasn’t surprised. If he were on Earth, he figured he would be close to fifty or sixty years old. People died when they got old. Besides his aging body, he had lost his legs, and there was only a minuscule chance his alien master would make any money selling him and Norwell. On the business side, Chasm could understand Varnas.

“New plan.” Norwell tossed her wild mane of yellow-gold hair toward where Varnas vanished. Chasm didn’t bother to point out that he’d never heard her first proposal. “Here’s what we do.” Again, Norwell tossed her hair over her bony shoulder. “When they let us out of the cages, we run before they burn us. Varnas isn’t going to get rid of these.” Norwell held up her wrists. “He will free me because he wants to keep the energy rope and the fire chains. Remember when he said they were worth more than us?”

Chasm nodded but didn’t add anything. If he were honest right now, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure he wanted to stay alive any longer. Maybe after all these years, the aliens finally broke him. The peela insect in his brain certainly kept him passive and obedient.

“As soon as the chains are removed, I’ll attack. I can fight the peela.”

The Airnot returned with a ten-foot-tall square machine rolling behind him. The trash collector scooted on large castors and stopped outside the fabric-selling stall. A tiny green box to the side of the machine blinked the price of burning the garbage.

He sighed. They were the garbage.

Their alien master tossed the cloth door aside as his puffy red lips smiled in a slow twist of satisfaction. Varnas waved the machine toward their cages. Their death rolled closer, inch by inch.

“This is it.” Norwell nodded at the disposal bin. “Are you with me?”

“Always,” Chasm murmured. He’d been with Norwell since he was twelve years old. So why stop now? Besides, it seemed fitting that they should be murdered together. In fact, he couldn’t think of another alien in the universe that he would like to die with other than this woman.

Varnas unlocked Norwell’s cage. The lock made a loud clang, even mixed with the chatter of the slave market. Next, Chasm heard the energy rope powering down and off. The ties slipped to the rock floor. Last, Varnas freed the fire chain around her waist. He placed the devices in a thick canvas bag and set them aside. The whole time Varnas worked, Norwell stayed meek and submissive. She went limp as Varnas dragged her out of the cage by her scrawny ankle.

“Do the female first.” Varnas turned to the Airnot. “I’ll pay after they’re both ashes.”

The pig nodded as he wrapped his prong hands around Norwell’s calves.

Then she made her move.

Norwell slipped her right leg free. A furrow of cut skin was left in the wake of that act. She ignored the injury. She kicked in precisely the right place. Her heel struck the Airnot in the center of his fat neck. Letting her go, he fell backward. The alien nailed his head on the trash machine. The creature made a screech, followed by a sharp gasp. As the machine rolled down the aisle, Norwell turned to Varnas.

“Down, slave,” Varnas hollered.

Norwell collapsed to her knees. She tried to rise but ended up kneeling a second time.

“That peela isn’t going to let you hurt me.” Varnas laughed as he floated upward. He opened his shirt. The action revealed the tails of the peela that hung from a chain around his neck. “You are my slave.”

When Varnas reached Norwell’s head, he kicked her in the face. She snarled but crawled and then dropped her naked breasts to the floor. Chasm watched how hard she tried to battle the controlling organism in her brain, but she couldn’t battle the controlling bug that held her mind. Neither of them could.

“I will enjoy watching you die.” Varnas sneered. “You will crawl to your death and sing my praises while you burn.”

Norwell stayed on all fours as blood dripped from her nose down the front of her naked body. The slice on her leg created a red pool under her ankle.

“Are you Varnas?”

Chasm, Norwell, and Varnas all turned their heads to the right. Most aliens around the colossal warehouse weren’t interested in a failed escape attempt. Around here, those happened so often as to be commonplace. Even the Airnot left to stop the rolling of the trash machine. Everyone had walked on to do their business.

Everyone except this alien.

Next to his cage stood a formidable, obviously powerful Dagerstanteen. From the grim line that graced his pretty pink lips, Chasm guessed that he’d seen what had transpired. He didn’t look amused.

“I am Varnas.” Varnas paused. “If you would like to do business, I will be with you in a moment.” Varnas pointed to his tent. “Wait in my den, mighty Dagerstanteen. I must clear out my old product.”

The Dagerstanteen next to Chasm didn’t appear to like being told what to do. His nostrils flared slightly as his chest puffed outward to outline his considerable muscles. The alien was tall, well over six feet, and his tube hair was bright white. His mohawk pointed toward the ceiling as if even his hair was incensed. All six of his tentacles bristled, making him seem even bigger. Yes, obviously, he was not happy with being told to wait.

“I am second to slaves?” The Dagerstanteen had three tentacles on each side of his body. As he spoke, he crossed his two middle tentacles over his broad chest. His two lower appendages gripped the handles of the glowing guns strapped to his sinewy thighs.

“Did you find Varnas, Rhylent?” A younger Dagerstanteen jogged up next to the first. His bare feet made no noise on the cement. The thinner alien with brown tubes scanned Norwell. His friend was still bleeding and kneeling on the floor. The new alien frowned as he swept Chasm with a glance. His middle tentacles went to the weapons strapped to his body.

“We might not be buying fuel from Varnas.” The Dagerstanteen named Rhylent shook his head, and his stormy blue-black eyes narrowed. His lips never moved as he spoke, but since Chasm had seen a Dagerstanteen before, that oddity didn’t shock him.

“Why not?” The young one’s lips never moved as well.

“Varnas might be dead.”

For a second, Varnas scowled at Norwell. Then abruptly, he put on his working smile. That was the solicitous grin he used when trying to make a deal. Chasm had seen it many times before.

“I’m sorry, great warrior Dagerstanteen.” Varnas glared at Norwell like this situation was all her fault. He quickly unlocked Chasm’s cage and pointed to the interior. Norwell did as she was bid and crawled into the small space beside Chasm.

When Varnas finished locking them in, the alien turned back to face the new arrivals. The smile brightened his clown face once more.

“You are not second to a slave. I am pleased to meet you.” Varnas bowed to the taller Dagerstanteen. “How may I help you?”