Page 5 of Veras
“No challenge.” Inkonexo released his arm, backing down. “I only seek to protect you.”
Mollified, the supreme allowed his harem to slobber all over him for a few minutes, this time openinghismouth wide. The hugest,thickesttongue fell out and slapped the top of his chest.Disgusting.To aliens, he was hung like a horse. Another explanation as to why he was the man in charge.
Gracias a Dios,he’d always thought of me as his pet.
When the supreme finished with…whatever he’d been doing with his harem, he sucked hispito-tongue back in and clacked his beak together—emitting a high-pitched trill. The entire stadium, housing thousands of aliens, echoed back. It sent a chill down my spine, a shocking reminder that I was the lone human on this entire planet. All the pep talks and all the planning couldn’t negate the hard, cold facts.
I’m royally fucked.
“You-youcame for a show. I give you victory. Behold-holdthe most fearsome beast on this planet.”
CHAPTER 3
Aroar shookthe stands. Below, the alien-dragon, the one I’d locked eyes with earlier, was fighting for its life. Nito zipped around in glee because I was panting in fear. I scrambled behind the bored harem to get a better vantage point. But they were sprawled out in a pile, blocking my view and no longer pretending to fawn all over the supreme. I ducked under an arm and beheld a terrifying sight.
The beast is truly awesome.
At least twenty guards pulled him across the field by the collar. Thebrutooroared and threw its head back every time they fed a deadly jolt of electricity into him. The metal collars proved unbreakable, so the magnificent monster had no hope of escape.
Inkonexo jumped off the stage and straight for the beast.
“This-this brutoois indigenous to this world and lives in the desert, among the wind storms that roam this land,” the supreme stated. “Powerful, deadly. Faster-erthan sound. But will it escape the killer winds-winds?” He paused just enough to heighten the emotions of the audience and then continued. “Wagers-gers? Any wagers?”
A whirling purr swept over the crowd, and holograms filled with complicated symbols flashed before the Aavvee’s faces. Quickly, they clicked the translucent pages. I ignored the crowd; my undivided attention remained on the deadly animal in the center of the ring.
“Fine-fine. Wagers closed. Bets taken. Now-nowwe watch.” The supreme signaled a guard who waved a staff and somehow managed to get it to respond.
The buttery forcefield that surrounded the U-shaped arena opened even further. Strong winds rushed in, battering the animal cages and whipping through the stands. Aavvee cloaks flew up and around their heads, and again, the crowd devolved into chaos. Luckily, there were no signs of the giant tornadoes.
Taking advantage of the melee, I crept closer to the edge of the stage to see what special kind of hell they had in store for the alien-dragon. Nothing that these Aavvee came up with was good. Or kind. Nor did it extend your life in any manner.
Nito slipped through my hair, making the ends dance, his essence somehow distinguishable from the roaring winds slicing through the arena. Inkonexo paced around the beast, studying every aspect of him, raising a hand and then pulling back when the monster would throw yet another guard out of its way. Even wounded, with the collar on, it appeared invincible. If only—
A hand clamped around my neck, choking off my air. I was pulled back into an all too familiar stench. More alien dick. I gagged, even with the pressure against my esophagus.
“You-youdare to bite me? Use those nasty little teeth. You-youwill pay! I will kill you before the supreme has time to miss his pet.” Creeper jumped in front of me, which meant one of the guards held me from behind.
I searched for a weapon—anythingthat I could use against him. Because at this moment, I knew I was as close to death as I’d ever been on this planet.
The thin, unyielding body of a guard was at my back. I tried to peer up to see him, but he was too fast, pulling me further back behind the stage where the harem would shield me from view.
I raked my nails over his arm but couldn’t penetrate his thick skin. Talons cut deep as Creeper studied my mouth. For good measure, I bared my teeth, and he took a step back.
“Disgusting-tingcreature. You won’t be so brave when I pull out those teeth, one by one. Then I will use your nasty pet mouth. I-Iwill—”
The guard stumbled behind me, allowing the smallest give. I lunged forward and swiped at Creeper’s face, managing to jab a digit in his bulbous eye, using a big chunk of the last of my strength. Between the lack of Oro and oxygen, I was about to faint.
“Again-again. You dare!” He slashed me in the gut, his sharp talons penetrating my flesh. I went limp before he’d even removed his three-fingered hand.
Nito freaked out and whizzed faster and faster around me, kicking up dirt and stone, the dark sand choking all of us. The guard lost his grip enough that I gulped in a breath, and adrenaline kicked in. I jumped up, and the top of my head slammed into the underside of the guard’s chin. To my utmost surprise, I’d knocked him out.
Note to self. The Aavvee have glass jaws.
Before Creeper could react, I ignored the searing pain in my side and grabbed the guard’s staff. Creeper lunged, but I evaded him, twisting a lot faster than any of them suspected. I’d spent my time here crouched down and small. They had no idea I could move. By Earth’s standards, I wasn’t very fast, but my body proportions drastically differed from the Aavvee’s. My legs were twice as long. Most of their height was in their head and torso.
I ran past the apathetic harem and rushed to the side of the stage, hoping to jump onto one of the elevated platforms. So far, no one had noticed me; all eyes were on the beast below.
What was the best route for escape? Since I had no way off this dusty wreck of a planet, I decided to go backintothe mountain. Maybe I could hide. Over five years, I’d studied every nook and cranny of the caves and tunnels. Because I’d acted docile—and had absolutely nowhere to go—they’d relaxed my supervision after the first couple of years.
