Chapter 3

Darah

"Hey! Put me down!" Damn, he smells good. His hard-muscled body was sending warmth into me, soothing my pain away.

I wiggled, trying to get the big guy to let me stand.

"I need my backpack and guitar!" I was pointing toward my sleeping hole.

The male noticed my backpack and guitar case and grabbed my stuff. He placed me over his shoulder, and I slapped his ass and yelled.

"Put me down right now!" Blood was rushing to my head. I fought my combined desire and fear. I wasn't going to be handled by this neanderthal of a man. Tossing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes or something. It's just not dignified.

I focused on my gift, trying to get a sense of this guy's intentions.

I did not feel threatened by this guy, but being manhandled was just not okay.

I was swamped with the need to find safety. This feeling was not my need. It was coming from the purple male. My fear amplified; if this formidable-looking guy was scared, then I was terrified.

I saw Candy hopping alongside us, his pastel fur popping out of the fog with every jump. The male was hot, not just because he was all muscle and yummy, but warm, radiating heat. I couldn't resist his body heat and tried to warm my hands on his radiating hot back.

I heard him hiss at my cold hands. I felt his back muscles tense, but other than that, he kept his stride and moved fast. He was silent, stealthy. I was getting dizzy and needed to be on my feet.

"Hey! I need to be put down. I will faint soon if I cannot stand up!" The male kept on moving over the thick brush and ignored me. Candy locked his little eyes on mine. Did I see anger flash? I barely caught the glow of his fur before I lost sight of him. I tried to peek around this male's side.

I pinched him, "Hey, I said. Put. Me. Down!"

Candy jumped before him, his fur glowing, his tail waving at him like a weapon. The male suddenly stopped, jarring me. He set me down slowly.

I stood on shaky legs, and I had to lean on the male as my dizziness subsided. The male stood frozen with wide, dark eyes locked on Candy. I leaned down and picked up my glowing ball of fur. The male grunted; he looked fearful as he stared at Candy. I sense he fears Candy and doesn't want me to touch him.

"Don't be silly. A big guy like you is scared of such a tiny little fur ball." I said as I nuzzled Candy. His fur dimmed, and he purred. The male put his finger to his lips, indicating I should be quiet. He pointed up and then straight ahead and waved at me to follow.

The male occasionally picked me up and lifted me over more extensive patches of brush. Candy's fur lit up every time he touched me, and I had to coon and say, "It's okay, Candy." What a sweetie pie! It was so protective of me. I was not scared of this male. Yet I was unsure of him. I didn't have many options at that moment. I would let him lead the way for now. I was just happy my little Candy was sticking with me.

Eventually, the dense tree line thinned out, and as we slowly made our way, I heard water, maybe a river. The male stopped, he was scanning the area and looking at the cloudy light purple skies. He pushed at my shoulders, urging me to sit under a giant fern plant to hide with him.

I wanted to ask him about the water. He put his hand over my mouth and then over his mouth. He shook his head. I guess he thinks we should be quiet. Candy approached me and rubbed his long ears and face against my thigh. The male glanced at Candy. He looked at me like I was holding a viper or something. My little fur ball hissed up at the purple man. I could feel the male's concern.

"What?' I shrugged as I rubbed my Candy's long ears.

We sat in the ferns, looking at the sky for a while. I was about to get up and go. Try to make my way to the water when the pretty light purple sky opened with a perfect circle, revealing the blackness of space and the twinkling stars. A pop sound hit my ears as a spaceship entered the sky from that hole.

It was black and looked like a huge battleship with wings. It hovered, lowering itself silently from the clouds. The male moved backward, making me follow him deeper into the trees. His fear turned terrified.

I had officially lost it. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. What the hell happened to me? And where the hell was I?

Spaceships and alien creatures. I was definitely not on Earth. I still wondered if I was in a coma, dead? Maybe . . . I didn't know how to wrap my mind around all this.

As it landed, I wanted to observe the spaceship, but the male tugged me, even when Candy glowed and hissed. For the first time, he showed no concern for my furry pal. His black eyes pleading with me as he grunted and tugged at my sweatshirt. The male was terrified.

Something in my intuition said that if the male was this worried, I should be scared shitless. I mimicked the movements of the male and stayed low on the ground. I crawled behind the purple man. Getting a clear view of his ass and all his glory. Focus, Darah, I thought to myself that we were in danger , trying to calm my desire.

He crawled around a giant boulder, and the male tossed my bag and guitar into ferns. I almost squealed, my heart clenching as the bushes swallowed the sight of them. He motioned to a giant boulder lying up against a tree trunk. I followed and saw him squeeze into a break in the rock that hid the hollowed-out tree trunk.

I slipped right in, and we had to be cozy close inside the tree. Candy came in, too, not leaving my side. I adjusted myself to sit with my back against his chest. His hot body had me feeling snug and warm, the first real reprieve from my misery of this cold.

Assessing that I was in a tree with a horned male and a furry creature that glowed. While outside, there was a mean-looking alien ship that opened up the sky. Light purple sky and puffy clouds dispersed. Allowing a circle of night to form. Blackness with stars peeking through, framed by purple skies, casting a shadow over the ground below. I was mesmerized by the odd sight as the spaceship had landed not far from me.

I was so out of my element and still a bit shocked, as the warmth of the stranger behind me and Candy's softness oddly comforted me. I felt my exhaustion seep into me as my ears began humming. The sounds of movement outside had me stiffened as footfalls crunched leaves on the forest floor.

Radio communications in a language I could not understand echoed as the footsteps passed. I tried to breathe in and out slowly and silently. Eventually, all the noise went quiet again. We stayed in the tree for so long that I fell asleep.

A beautiful, ethereal woman appeared to me in my dreams. I don't know her, but I recognize her, well, the feeling of her. I've felt her whenever I went to the botanical gardens in Austin. I had chosen that spot to spread my family's ashes because of the comfort I felt. Realizing now that this being before me was behind that feeling. My curiosity was burning up inside me, and I wanted to comprehend how all of this was connected.

"Darah, I have chosen you. I am the Goddess Harmony."

"My True mate, Hecat, is the God that created the planet Laverian and all its life there. I sent you to Laverian to help me save this world. My mate is arrogant and did not care for his creations properly. I intend to interfere and help his Laverian people. I need your help, my dear. Human women have helped me before. I believe in your perseverance and strength. I have come to favor you, human females. My mother has tied you to me and my world. She has tied you to Hecat's world as well. Therefore, you are my chosen one."

"The Laverian men have been targeted as slaves for the mining of moons and fighting entertainment. Due to their strength and primitive ways, they cannot fight the advanced technology of the neighboring planets. Most of life has been harvested from this world already. The Laverian females are taken as slaves and will suffer terribly as forced sex slaves. I am almost too late to save them. All the people and life of Laverian have been stolen and sold in the neighboring God Kane's universe and territory."

"I am still learning to communicate with you as you are in another realm. Time on the planets moves much faster than time in the realm of the Gods. So, I have to communicate back in the past from my perspective and the present from your perspective. My parents are strong gods, the strongest among us. They suppressed my powers to protect me. I am unable to communicate as I would wish with my ability muted. I sent you through a temporary God portal from Earth to Laverian and brought you here. I need you to . . ."The beautiful woman faded from my dreams as I woke up."

I woke startled and reached around in the dark. I felt horns with my hands resting above my head. I remember being in a small space in a tree with the big male. Pins and needles numbed my legs. I felt claustrophobic and needed to get out and get blood to flow back into my legs again. I wiggled my way out, waking up the male.

"Woman! Wait." The purple man growled at me. He grabbed my ankle and tried to pull me back inside the tree.

"Whoa, did you just speak English to me?" the male pulled my leg harder.

"Owe!" I kicked at him, and my leg started to get that painful feeling as the blood flowed into my leg again.

"Damnit, woman! Do you have any survival instincts?" The male hissed, trying to convince me to stay hidden in the tree.

"Don't talk to me about survival! Surviving is all I ever do!" I snapped as I awkwardly hopped around, trying to get through the pins and needles in my feet.

The male smoothly crawled out of the tree and scanned the area around us, taking a fighting stance. I realized I might not be safe, so I stopped hopping and sucked up the lingering pain. I looked around to see if the spaceship men were around.

My dream returned to me, and I realized I understood the purple guy. Was that dream a real encounter with a goddess? She said she would allow me to understand the universe's languages. That male only grunted at me before.

What was that Goddess's name? Harmony? Did she say Harmony? I was so confused. Did a Goddess kidnap me? Why? I think being in a coma was still a better theory. This must be a wild dream. Everything was so vivid and feels very real. If this was in my head, I must manifest things to start going my way. That's that.

"I need water," I said as I dug through the ferns, looking for my things. I grabbed my guitar and pack and started heading for the water. I made it to the clearing, where a spaceship hovered.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Fuck it!"

I started marching across the field and passing the spaceship to get to the tree line on the other side. I found a waterfall and a beautiful pond. I filled my pink water bottle. I usually boil the water that I collected in this way. However, I was in a coma, right? So, if this was all in my head, then I can theoretically control everything I saw. And dammit, I wanted to start making things happy and dreamy. I stripped off my dirty clothes, manifesting a warm swim in a summer pond. I dove off into the water.

"Fuck me, that sucks!" I came up with a gasp. The icy water stung my skin.

The demon man stared at me from the shoreline, a look of utter shock. My Candy was pacing back and forth, looking at me and then toward the spaceship. They look scared and worried. This was my dream, dammit, so they needed to get with the program.

"This water is fucking freezing!"

I stuttered as cold hit my bones. The demon looked at Candy.

"She is mad, insane!" The demon whispered angrily as he faced the forest, ready to fight.

Candy hissed in agreement, continuing to pace. I was so cold from jumping into the water. I rushed to get out. Stupid, I was hoping that all this was in my head and maybe I could manifest warm water in this pond.

I got out of the water and dressed. I put my soggy shoes back on as I heard men talking and walking in the woods toward us. The demon man grabbed me and silently whisked me off to hide behind trees.

For the first time, I saw the space people. They were four feet tall and thin in dark uniforms. I wanted to laugh. Skinny, short, tiny people. This giant male was scared of these little dudes.

Well, I assumed dudes they looked male to me. The men walked to the water, laughing at each other. Did all the spaceship guys come in pint-size? Apparently, my mind was a wild place. Candy sat stiffly at my toes, watching the spacemen. What was I missing? The small man who held a little gray device in his hand pointed it at the water and pressed a button. A blue laser light hit the water, and a fish sphere was lifted from the pond. Hundreds of fish were stuck together in an invisible circle. The man turned with his buddy holding his device as the fish floated behind them as they walked back towards their ship. The guys never paid attention to the footprints I left or my bag on the shore. They seem intoxicated and giddy. "So, they have some technology," I whispered, feeling a little disturbed by the amount of fish that came out of that pond.

"They wield the power only Gods could have." He explained.

"It is not the power of Gods. It is technology." I said, trying to explain.

"They have taken everything and everyone from my world. I would also be captured if I wasn't on my traditional excursion to bond with nature before I take my seat as chief of my village."

"My parents, my cousins, everyone I know was stolen. There is nothing left but the prill fish and us." The male waved his hand to include Candy and me.

Tears brimmed his eyes, and my heart flared in sadness for him.

"I am so sorry these space people took your family. I don't know how to explain it, but I need to get one of their devices. I think it will help us.

I started to follow the spacemen when the big guy grabbed me from behind to stop me.

"Woman, are you mad? Do not go after them." My ears hum again, and I can sense the Goddess, my gut telling me to take one of the handheld devices.

"I need to grab one of their power things," I said.

"I am trying to keep you safe." He said, defeated, like he had no choice.

"My name is Terrek." He growled low and soft near my ear. "

Damn, this guy makes me tingle in the best ways.

"Terrek," I repeated to taste his name aloud.

I heard him moan when he heard me say his name. That sound alone is distracting in a delicious way.

"Yes, Terrek and we are bonded. I felt it the moment I saw you," he insisted.

"My duty and honor are to keep you safe and loved," Terrek said, his smoldering eyes locked onto mine.

"Keep me safe and loved?" Whoa, this was too much!

I go where you go. If you get me killed, so be it. We are bound,? Terrek explained.

"What kind of nonsense are you going on about?" I asked when he placed his hand on my mouth again.

He pulled me behind another tree as the two tiny guys ran past us, laughing and running into the woods. I licked at his annoying hand and was surprised at the sensation of butterflies that started fluttering. He removed his hand slowly. Candy was so still and close to my feet. I slowly made my way towards the hovering spaceship. Terrek was not amused. I felt his fear and frustration towards me.

Well, I was starting to think this all might actually be real. Either way, the next step is to get me a strange, remote thing. Maybe I can find a lightsaber mode. I grabbed my bag and looked back at my terrified boys.

"You coming?" I asked with a shoulder shrug and started walking toward the spaceship.

"I'll be damned. The spacemen are having a fish fry." I whispered as I watched the aliens preparing a cookout. There was a ramp that was extended to the ground from the ship. Little soldiers had an outdoor setup. I was not about to let us get stranded on this planet. I stepped towards the ship when Terrek grabbed my hips and pulled me back further into the trees.

"Woman! They are small, but you underestimate them. They carry magic in their hands and wield power like little Gods."

"Fine, let's go after the two that took off into the woods."

I found the two men skinny dipping in the pond. How they could frolic in the freezing water was beyond me. I went to their stack of clothes, and I took as many gadgets as possible off the uniforms. The little men seemed intoxicated and enjoying each other?s company. I got away with my haul quickly, but Terrek was very stressed. I took my stolen goods and laid them out before me as we hid behind a big tree.

"Let me see if this is the remote laser thing that grabbed the fish." I held it in my hands and read the buttons.

"This is too easy," I said with amazement.

The words were alien symbols, but somehow, I knew what was said. The blue button was a capture beam. The red button was kill eliminate beam. The green button was a disabled or unconscious beam. There was a reset switch and a fingerprint reader.

"See, Terrek, no magic here. You just need to be able to read the directions."

"Shit, my nerves are kicking in," I mumbled as I decided if I should hit the reset switch and placed my thumb on the reader.

I realized this was not an elaborate dream. I felt like this was all real. I was not on Earth; I was with an alien male and a furry creature. This planet was doomed, having been harvested. A Goddess had picked me of all people. How was this strange device supposed to help me, help us?

I heard that humming again, and my body just pressed the reset button. I could feel the Goddess's influence inside me, making me act.

My thumb felt a zap, and then the little remote went quiet. Terrek jumped back, his black eyes terrified as I played with my new toy. I looked at him, His emotions swamping mine.

"It's okay, Terrek. I won't hurt you." He looked at me like I had grown another head.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself." He whispered, still very uncomfortable being out with the spacemen so close in the open.

"I need to understand these things to use them to protect us."

I put my remote weapon down and picked up a black wand thing. The side of the bar said the healer. The end had a reset switch and a button. I reset it to my thumb and pressed the button, waving it over my hand. I heard Terrek hiss as I waved the beeping wand over my hand. I saw a white light scan my hand, and a pulse began. I felt a warm tingle as my hand healed from the thorn that had bitten me. Terrek sank to his knees in wonderment.

"You can wield the power of the Gods?" He asked.

I did not have it in me to be dismissive of his feelings. I reached out to touch his cheek gently.

"Oh, Terrek, honey, this is not God's Power. This is just technology."

Terrek leaned into my palm. I felt his affection toward me. His need for my comforting touch. I found myself attracted to this raw side of Terrek. I wanted to comfort him. His grief and pain are a reflection of my own. Shaking that off, I tried to explain.

"I can read the instructions on the device, and it seems easy enough."

I showed him the remote weapon and explained the buttons. And showed him the wand.

See, it?s a tool, like your net or your bow and quiver.?

"I know what tools are, woman. I just haven't ever seen a tool like this."

I picked up another gadget, and I read it as well. It said mass stasis sleep containment. I wondered what that was? There was a device the size of a cell phone that said Captain Requirements Educator.

It all conveniently had the reset feature. The humming in my head was starting to irritate me. I needed to reset it and add my thumb to this device. An urgency that was taking my own will away.

"Okay, already!" I snap at the air. Terrek gave me a shocked expression.

"Sorry, Terrek, but I have to reset this one too." "I need to," I said as I pressed my thumb to the small scanning area. I had an instant information overload that started streaming into my head. I couldn't quite understand the sensation. Suddenly, my head eased up, and blackness took over.