Read Saving Sara: Warriors Of Kelon Book 5 Online
Authors: Angela Castle
She was badly malnourished
and severely dehydrated. There were also multiple contusions and many awkwardly
healed bone breaks. They would need to be
rebroken
and reset.
How could someone harm such a
frail, helpless creature?
Anger fired his blood, making him want to search
out her tormentors and break every one of their bones before stripping the
flesh from their bodies.
The thought shocked him. He
never was a violent
Kelon
, but seeing what they did
to this human female incited a maelstrom of white-hot rage.
Keep a level head and your
hands steady. She needs you to stay in control to save her.
A powerful determination
added to his sudden need to avenge her. He would not allow her to die.
As her heart struggled to
pump blood through her body,
Solron
took the safest
action available. With steady hands, working fast, he placed her into an
induced coma. She needed rest. The drugs stimulated her heart and kept it
pumping. He put just enough nutrients into her system to stop her other organs
from shutting down, but also to keep them from being overwhelmed. The rest was
up to her: her will to live, to survive.
“Come on, star shine, I need
you to fight,” he whispered, brushing away strands of matted, dirty hair.
“Don’t let them win.”
Her cheeks looked sunken and
sagged along with the rest of her skin. But her breasts still remained full
rounded globes, despite her skin sticking to her rib cage.
He swallowed hard, fighting
to maintain a professional calm. He realized, for the first time, that his
hands trembled.
By the fire demons, what
is wrong with me?
He closed his eyes, drew in a
calming breath to steady his hands,
then
pushed a
fluid drip into her arm vein to rehydrate her. Agonizing moments passed while
he waited for her body to accept them. Time stood still. His gaze flickered
back and forth, from the shallow rise and fall of her chest, to the monitors
tracking her vitals. Moment after worrying moment, he waited for her heart to
begin to strengthen. Slowly, his monitors showed small signs of improvement.
It was close, too close. Had
they come but an hour later, she would have lost her life.
Solron
let out a relieved breath, but it would still be a
while before her heart was back to an acceptable level for a human.
Finally, he covered her with
a sheet, cleaned his hands then walked to the door and opened it.
Te-Commander
Rell
stood there, his arms folded, and concern shadowing
his features. “How is she?”
“I have managed to stabilize
her. She has a
shrockna
.
”
“I did observe the collar.
Prelron
is coming down from engineering. They are damn
tricky to remove. I have heard of them killing beasts by unleashing the
complete voltage when the creature tried to tamper with the collar. How long do
you think the
Xersons
had her?”
“From the injuries both new
and old, my guess is many cycles. No doubt she has suffered greatly.”
Solron’s
throat tightened again and the rage rose, forcing
him to take several slow, deep breaths.
By
the mercy of
Elron
, how could such a thing happen?
Yet,
Solron
knew the universal truth. If someone
found
themselves
on the wrong side of the
galaxy, it was a soulless, cruel place.
“You know, if they had this
one, they may still have more.”
Solron
shuddered at
the thought.
“It makes no sense; if they
regard human women as valuable breeders, why leave this one?”
“They would not have left her
if she was valuable to them. I have not done deep scans yet, but I hazard a
guess that she may not be able to breed.” He would check further when she was
more stable.
“I will send a communication
to
Kelon
base.” Commander
Rell
turned on his booted heels,
then
marched toward the
bridge.
Solron
turned back to the female,
then
prepared cleaning agents. He needed to bathe her so he could treat her other wounds.
Slowly, as he washed her, revealing her pale, soft skin, a strange feeling
swirled through him, going beyond needing to heal her. He wanted to protect her
and keep her safe.
“No more pain, star shine,
never again. You’re safe, now and always.”
Chapter 2
For the first time since she
could remember, Sara didn’t feel any pain. A strange fog clouded her mind, and she
felt enveloped in warmth. Somehow, she expected death to be cold.
From the darkness a deep,
gentle voice spoke.
“
Aaaah
,
I see you are waking. Come on, star
shine,
let me see
your beautiful eyes.”
Open her eyes? No, she wanted
the wonderful pain-free warm dream to continue. Still, she felt compelled to
obey the gentle command. She struggled to open her heavy eyelids. Soft lights
flooded her senses, along with clean air. A sweet-smelling spice tickled her
senses, making her body react and her stomach contract, not painfully, but
making her aware of her hunger.
Sara blinked to clear her
vision, bringing in to focus the face hovering above her. Her gaze landed on
his full lips, seeing them curve up in a friendly smile. She glanced up over
his large angular nose to meet his dark almost black eyes. They had soft white
rims and speckled. It was like gazing up into the night sky. His eyes were
framed by thick, dark lashes and even thicker eyebrows. His cheekbones sat high
and slightly angular, and his full lips appeared sensual, even though they were
pressed together.
Ink-black hair curled around
large ears. Most of his hair appeared to be pulled back. Undoubtedly he was
handsome, for an alien at least.
So different from the ugly
snouts of the creatures who held her captive for so long.
“Hello, star shine.”
He smiled wider, drawing her
attention to his forehead. Although he looked human, she instantly knew parts
of him weren’t.
Confusion filled her mind, as
memories of her captivity and torture at the hands of the
Xersons
came flooding back.
Panic replaced the confusion.
Her breathing accelerated and fear took hold.
Who is this new alien and what
will he do to me?
The humanlike man’s smile
fell, replaced with concern.
“
Shhhh
,
star shine, I can feel your fear. You do not need to be afraid anymore. You are
safe, very safe. My name is
Solron
and I am a healer,
or as the humans like to say, doctor.”
One of his large hands
stroked her hair, while the other took gentle hold of her hand. He lowered his
large frame so he did not tower over her.
“Calm now. My people are
friends with humans—many human women live on our planet,
Kelon
.
They are very happy and very safe.”
“They are?”
Still, she felt uncertain.
She gazed up into his dark eyes, filled with concern as he studied her. Sara
forced her body to relax and slowly her fear began to ease.
There was something in the
gentle way he spoke and she could feel the truth in his words.
Humans, friends with aliens?
It was a strange concept; just how long had she been away from Earth? It felt
like a lifetime.
“I know you can understand my
words. I checked and you have a translator. Nod now if you understand me.”
Sara nodded and his warm
smile returned.
“What is your name, star
shine?”
Sara tried to clear her
throat to speak, but squeaked. Her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton
balls.
He anticipated her need and
released her hand to retrieve a little cup. He lifted her head to help her
drink the sweet liquid; it soothed her throat.
“Better?”
Again, she nodded before
clearing her throat. “Sara Button.”
“Sara Button, a beautiful
name for such a beautiful female.”
His smiled widened and she
caught a glimpse of sharp white teeth.
“I…where?”
Her mind had trouble forming questions.
“You are on a
Kelon
Starship, called the
Linron
.”
“Home?
Can I…go home?” Moisture welled in her eyes at
thinking of her home, her family. Did they think she was dead? Had they given
up hope of ever seeing her again? Warm and wet, her tears slid down the side of
her face.
When
Solron
bent over, she flinched, expecting a blow. Instead, he gently stroked the side
of her face.
“Do not fear my touch; never
would I hurt you. I only heal, never harm.”
Heal not harm
,
his soft words echoed in her head. She stared into his dark gaze. Slowly, she
lifted her weak trembling hand, curling her smaller fingers around his. Was he
telling the truth? Was she really safe? Would there be no more pain? More tears
spilled down her cheeks. She struggled to comprehend the truth from the lies.
The tenderness in his touch
spoke more than words could. She saw kindness in his dark eyes. His touch
brought comforting warmth and a feeling of safety. It was the first ounce of
comfort she experienced in a long time.
Still, she was helpless and
at his mercy. She had no choice but to trust him. She wanted to, desperately.
She didn’t want to be alone or afraid anymore.
“We will take you home if
that is your wish, but I want you fully recovered before we make the journey.
It takes many Earth weeks to reach your planet.”
Recovered.
Would she ever really recover? No, she still wanted
to curl up and die; she didn’t want to bear the memories of what she suffered.
She released his hand and he gently wiped her tears.
“It will be alright, star
shine, I swear. I will take care of you. Just rest and regain your strength.”
She nodded to confirm that she
understood his words. He smiled warmly. She liked his youthful, handsome
features: a boyish look with cute dimples when he smiled. He reminded her of
home and the boy she had a crush on while she was studying at college. He, too,
had little dimples in his cheeks when he smiled.
Overwhelmed with memories of
her home, the dam of her emotions broke, causing her to burst into loud,
chest-heaving sobs. Desperately, she tried to hold in her blubbering. Her
masters hated it when she sobbed in front of them. Panic gripped her, not
wanting to upset her new masters. She flailed around in desperation and fear.
“
Shh
,
Sara, calm down.”
Strong secure arms suddenly
surrounded her, cuddled her against a hard muscled chest, yet, his embrace was
gentle and warm.
“Sorry, so sorry, I…I can’t…”
“No, my precious little one,
never be sorry. This was not your fault. I am here. I will keep you safe.” He
didn’t demand or try to beat her into silence. He simply held her, making
soothing sounds, stroking her hair and back until she calmed. She was too weak
and sleepy to lift her head. She just lay against the gentle giant like a
useless rag doll.
Solron
laid her back on the bed. “Rest now, Sara, you will
feel stronger when you wake.”
“Thank you for saving me,”
she
said,
her whisper barely audible. Sara closed her
eyes and tumbled into darkness.
* * * *
Agonizing pain, jolting from
the shock collar like sharp needles stabbing through her body, made her every
muscle jerk and dance. It also froze her vocal cords, silencing her screams
which would have filled the room. Breathe, she couldn’t breathe. Her body
convulsed like a fish out of water. Laughter met her pain and tears streamed
down her face, before the darkness and oblivion fell.
Sara bolted upright, her
scream filling the room. A door whooshed open. She cringed in fright against
the bright lights when they were switched on. She blinked to clear her vision,
only to see a huge man burst into the room. He stood, towering over her. He
growled low, his gaze darting about the room as if seeking a victim. A fresh
wave of panic speared through her. She screamed again, scrambling backwards.
She tumbled off a high bed,
hitting the floor and landing heavily on her right arm. She whimpered from the pain
spearing through her limb. The man advanced on her, peering over the bed she
fell from.
“Little human, what is wrong?
Why did you scream?”
His voice was deep and rough,
reminding her of her tormentor, her master.