AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Now, all that remained was to collect on it.
Chapter four
The alien walked for hours through the night. Elian had been taken through miles of wild extraterrestrial landscape, across the face of a planet that no human had ever set foot on.
Elian hadn't seen any of it. He'd spent the entire time slung over an alien's shoulder.
His muscles ached. Weariness seeped into his bones, the adrenaline from his earlier panic replaced by numbness with each mile they crossed. His chest hurt, the burn he'd suffered while escaping the ship throbbing in a dull ache. Elian drifted in and out of consciousness, lulled by the steady rhythm of the Borraq's powerful strides.
Finally, the alien halted abruptly. Elian jolted back to alertness, his heart pounding — and then he was unceremoniously deposited onto the mossy ground with a yelp. He scrambled backwards, struggling awkwardly with his bound hands and feet, and eyed his captor warily.
The Borraq paid him no heed, dropping the modest pack that he carried, and scanning their surroundings with sharp, calculating eyes. Elian's throat constricted with fear, his mind racing with possibilities of what this alien intended.
Torture? Interrogation? Rumors echoed ominously inside his head.
When Elian had first looked out onto the planet, he'd wondered where he'd crashed. Once humanity had got off of Earth and out into the stars, they'd soon found that the galaxy was full of planets. There were so many possibilities: uninhabited planets, planets with colonies, planets with outposts, mining planets…
But there was one planet that Elian hadn't thought of — and for good reason.
No human had ever visited the home planet of the cannibalistic, brutal, violent Borraq, humanity's enemies.
Until now.
Elian watched his captor, waiting for whatever was about to happen. But to his surprise, the Borraq simply proceeded to unpack a thin bedroll and a small satchel. Elian looked on, perplexed, as the alien methodically assembled a rudimentary one-man camp, seemingly unperturbed by his presence.
Parched from the hours of exertion, Elian's eyes zeroed in when the Borraq extracted a canteen. His throat burned with desperation. Mustering his courage, he croaked, "W-water?"
The Borraq eyed Elian warily, his gaze inscrutable. Elian's heart pounded in his throat as the towering alien approached, movements slow and deliberate.
Cautiously, the Borraq crouched before him, tension in his broad shoulders, his eyes narrowed.
He was wary. Of Elian.
Elian let out a disbelieving laugh that bordered on hysterical. "I should be the one scared, not you!"
His words tumbled out. "I'm just a human. You're..." Elian trailed off, drinking in the sight of the Borraq's muscular frame, broad shoulders tapering down to a trim waist. "A giant warrior like you has nothing to fear from me."
The Borraq's jaw tightened, but he remained silent. Then, some internal assessment done, he reached out.
Elian's breath caught in his throat as the alien's thumb grazed his lips. With surprising gentleness, he cradled Elian's chin in one massive hand, tilting his head back.
Then, the Borraq raised the canteen to Elian's mouth with his other hand. "Drink. Slowly."
Cool water trickled past his lips, and Elian drank greedily, the liquid a balm for his raw throat.
This close, Elian could make out the finer details of the Borraq's striking features. The Borraq's golden skin seemed to radiate heat, etched with subtle ridges that followed the contours of his chiseled features. Elian's gaze traced the sharp angles of the alien's high cheekbones and strong jawline, his breath catching at the sight of those piercing green eyes.
Despite the Borraq's imposing stature, there was an almost regal quality to his presence. The way he held himself, confident and unyielding, commanded respect. Elian's eyes lingered on the alien's muscular frame, taking in the broad shoulders and toned physique that hinted at immense strength. Crowning the Borraq's head were a pair of impressive horns, curved and sleek, adding to his otherworldly allure.
Elian's pulse thundered in his ears. The Borraq's strength was undeniable – he could so easily crush Elian's delicate human form. Yet, those powerful hands handled him with a strange sort of gentleness. Even when he'd captured Elian, when Elian had fought against him as hard as he could, the alien hadn't hurt Elian.
Elian knew the rumors, the whispers of what happened to humans unlucky enough to cross paths with the Borraq. But now, a part of him wondered if perhaps the stories didn't reveal the entire truth.
Elian drained the last few drops from the canteen, the water soothing his parched throat. "Thank you," he rasped, offering a hesitant smile.
The Borraq merely narrowed his eyes in acknowledgment before turning away.
Elian's smile faltered, but he pressed on, desperation for any shred of connection overriding his self-preservation. "I'm, um. Elian," he ventured.
